Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 119 Ryan Flig is a naval captain!
"Tsk..."

Tirpitz shut his mouth the moment he heard what Ryan said, but the last bit of sound that leaked out still made everyone understand his dissatisfaction.

Ryan also knew that there was nothing that could be done about it, but the most important thing now was the safety of the empire.

Obviously, among all the people present, except Tirpitz, no one knew how Ryan's troops captured the two Lion-class battlecruisers.

Constantine, who had witnessed the combat of the 502nd Airborne Infantry Regiment, could guess some of the situation, but he was still undecided.

He looked at Ryan: "Lieutenant Colonel Flig, could it be that those two battlecruisers are airship units..."

"You guessed right."

Ryan had no intention of hiding anything.

After all, no one present now would betray the empire.

He said, "The main reason the Lion-class was captured by the Empire was that the Empire's airship forces used sufficient firepower to eliminate all United Kingdom sailors and officers who attempted to enter the bridge to command the battle."

"It is precisely because of this that the two battlecruisers captured by the Empire suffered almost no damage. Only simple repairs to the bridges are needed to immediately restore their navigation and combat capabilities."

Hindenburg couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and looked at Ryan: "You mean, we should return these two intact warships?"

Ryan nodded decisively.

"That's right, and not only will we return it, we'll do it openly and in front of the whole world."

"Only in this way can the Empire gain the initiative in its talks with the United Kingdom government."

"By now, the whole world will know that the United Kingdom's maritime supremacy remains unshakable, and the whole world will also know that the Empire did not defeat the United Kingdom in naval battles."

"For the United Kingdom, this is an excellent opportunity to stabilize public sentiment, and our high-profile return of the ship will also allow the Empire to occupy a relatively high moral ground."

"Considering that the Empire is currently the victim of the war invaded by Farlan, our actions this time can at least allow the United Kingdom to maintain a neutral position until the New Year."

After saying this, Ryan looked at Tirpitz and said, "We also need to select some people from the engine room from the crew to ensure that the two Lion-class ships can sail smoothly to the ports of the United Kingdom on their own. As the commander of the navy, I believe you should understand the reason for this."

"I am clear."

Tirpitz nodded very slowly. "Two warships capable of sailing on their own, and two warships requiring towing, represent completely different things."

As he spoke, he looked at Hindenburg and Constantine. "Lieutenant Colonel Flieger's argument is quite good. Although I do not agree with it, his plan can indeed ensure that the Empire's frontiers will not have to worry about the threat from the United Kingdom's forces for a period of time."

But then he changed the subject: "But this doesn't mean the Empire will definitely sign a non-aggression pact with the United Kingdom. They will most likely demand that the Empire withdraw all its troops within its borders to ensure that their countermeasures against our countries can continue to be implemented normally."

The United Kingdom's counter-measures policy is more akin to isolationism. Simply put, it is to sow discord between the various European countries, making several major powers hostile to each other, and thus preventing the emergence of a superpower like the Roman Empire on the European continent.

Therefore, although Tirpitz agreed with Ryan's proposal, he could not let down his guard against the United Kingdom.

There's no way around it. The United Kingdom is basically a mop covered in shit. It's really hard to escape unscathed if you run into it.

Everyone present was well aware of this, and therefore almost all fell silent.

But Ryan is an exception.

He looked at the silent crowd, his expression relaxed at the moment: "Of course the Empire will not agree to the United Kingdom's request, Your Excellency the Commander."

"Ok?"

Tirpitz frowned, realizing something was amiss. He looked at Ryan and asked, "What do you mean, Lieutenant Colonel?"

"Literally, Your Excellency the Commander."

Ryan said, "If the United Kingdom really has a brainwave and makes this request in public, they will never have a chance to stand on the side of justice in this war."

"The Empire itself was a victim of a war of aggression. If they were to force a victim to give up the right to protect themselves, then next time, when the Empire has gathered its strength and accumulated its power, it will be the United Kingdom that will give up the right to protect itself."

"Asquith is a clever man, he wouldn't make that request right away."

Ryan's fingers drummed on the table, making a clattering sound. "I'm more inclined to believe Asquith will keep prolonging this negotiation, at least until the end of the next month."

"Because the United Kingdom needs to ensure absolute naval superiority in the war against the Empire, and the fleet they can mobilize after the end of this month will only be equal in tonnage to the Imperial Navy's current total fleet. For the United Kingdom, this is not safe enough."

"You mean to say that the peace talks between the Empire and the United Kingdom are just a show?"

Hindenburg was getting a little impatient: "Isn't that just a complete waste of time? And it also gives the United Kingdom the opportunity to mobilize its fleet!"

Although he is an army general, no matter what unit it is, what is important is the assembly time and whether the assembly of the troops can be completed safely and efficiently.

What the United Kingdom lacks most at the moment is naval power. Once they are given enough time to assemble troops, the Empire will really have no chance of winning this war in the future.

"Yes, but it doesn't just give them time to rally."

Ryan said: "It also gives the Empire some buffer time."

"buffer?"

Tirpitz was stunned for a moment, not understanding what Ryan meant.

Ryan didn't hold back. He said directly, "General Burke has been busy with the Zeppelin-class modification work for a few days. The Empire's airship homeport will complete the modernization of three Zeppelins within the next month."

"Modernization... transformation?"

It was the first time Constantine heard this word, but Tirpitz was already used to it.

Modernization means upgrading and renovating outdated equipment to meet modern and future usage needs.

As a naval commander, he also has more opportunities to come into contact with this so-called modernization modification program.

"Is it a targeted modification of the battleship?"

Old Deng almost immediately guessed what Ryan was going to say. Tirpitz leaned forward and stared at Ryan: "How is the efficiency?"

This made Ryan look at the guards around him. Hindenburg, who noticed this, immediately waved his hand and asked the guards to retreat.

After the sound of the door being locked came, Ryan whispered.

"There are 12 40mm rapid-fire guns mounted below, plus a 150mm low-recoil howitzer that can fire in all directions."

Before he could finish his words, Tirpitz gasped.

Tirpitz's body, which was originally leaning forward, straightened up instantly, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Ryan clearly showed that he was "crazy".

No wonder he is.

Just because the firepower was too strong.

You know, this airship is not a battleship.

Current warships have basically no countermeasures against air vehicles, and all designs are based on battles between warships.

For this reason, warships from all countries have the ability to protect against high-performance main guns at long distances.

But that is ultimately based on the premise that the battleship's artillery combat itself basically depends on luck to determine whether it can sink the enemy.

Therefore, when the firepower was transferred to the airship, the whole situation immediately became different.

Zeppelin has a speed more than ten times that of most current warships, and can attack warships from directly above where they can hardly counterattack.

Twelve 12mm machine guns are enough to clear out all the sailors on the ship's deck in an instant, while the 40mm howitzer can easily destroy the deck superstructure of all current warships!

If they were accurate, they could even fire shells into the exhaust chimney of a warship from high altitude, completely paralyzing a dreadnought!

Tirpitz suppressed his excitement and said, "Lieutenant Colonel, can you guarantee that the Empire can complete the renovation of three Zeppelins within the next month?"

Ryan said, "Two Zeppelins have already completed the removal of their weapons, and the refit is expected to be completed by the middle of next month at the earliest. The remaining one is a test fleet, and there are other projects to be tested."

"But I can assure you that by the end of next month, the United Kingdom's fleet will no longer be able to absolutely suppress the Imperial fleet in a fleet battle."

"it is good!"

"very good!"

Although Tirpitz had some objections to the fact that only two Zeppelins could be put into use after getting Ryan's promise, he was still so excited that he couldn't control himself.

Then he discovered a problem: "Huh? His Majesty the Emperor...why didn't he tell me about this?"

"Logically speaking, His Majesty would definitely come to me after knowing this..."

As Tirpitz was speaking, he shut up.

Because he immediately understood why the Emperor didn't know about this. The current Emperor of the Empire was a big mouth. A few years ago, when relations between the countries were not so bad, he went to tell the people of the United Kingdom about the Empire's plan to attack Farlan, and even earlier, he had said that he wanted to build a large navy.

But at that time, everyone had a good relationship and the empire didn't have that much money, so they just treated it as a joke.

But it's different now.

The empire not only has money, but also a large number of highly educated citizens.

If we tell the emperor at this critical juncture that we have a new trump card, even if the airship has not yet appeared, people in other countries will know from the newspapers that the empire is making a big and thick new toy.

"forget it."

Tirpitz's old face flushed red, and his gaze towards Ryan began to become a little uncertain.

But Ryan never stops talking until he makes a shocking statement.

"We didn't tell him."

He looked at Tirpitz. "Being afraid he might let the cat out of the bag is one thing, but the more important thing is that this money comes from his budget for the next ten birthdays."

"Huh?" Now it was Tirpitz's turn to lose his composure. "No, say that again?"

Ryan: "I mean, starting from this year until the 25th year, His Majesty the Emperor won't have a birthday party."

"The old marshal, I, and Commander Burke all think this plan is good. The Prime Minister also agreed to it. In addition, General Draven recently became the Minister of Finance, so the funds were immediately allocated."

"We plan to inform His Majesty the Emperor about this matter after the third Zeppelin is completed. Then, the third Zeppelin can also serve as his imperial ship in the future."

"He will kill you." Tirpitz's eyes darkened.

"No." Ryan said calmly, "You forgot that the Empire is now at war. The General Staff's words are more effective than his. Unless he is the Chief of the General Staff, no one can deal with an Imperial officer who has just won three battles."

Ryan's fearless look directly shocked Ludendorff and Hindenburg, who were also shocked.

Only Constantine was not too surprised because he had realized how bold the Verdun plan planned by Ryan was and felt that this was something he could do.

But he still felt that Ryan's action was a bit too ridiculous.

No.

It would be more ridiculous to say that the emperor could consume four 40mm howitzers and half a 150mm howitzer at a birthday party.

A somewhat awkward atmosphere spread in the meeting room.

But Ryan didn't care too much.

Because he still has things to do.

He waited for a while, until Tirpitz calmed down, and then Ryan spoke again.

"Commander, I have another idea regarding the negotiations between the Empire and the United Kingdom."

"What idea?" Tirpitz was still a little nervous, but when he thought that the money had already been spent, there was no point in thinking about it anymore, so he felt relieved.

He looked at Ryan: "Is it about the negotiations, or about the battle in Farlan?"

The Imperial Army's First Army is currently advancing from Palu to Ostend at a speed of 30 kilometers per day, and the Farlans are also chasing the Imperial Army at a similar speed.

The two sides will establish a new front next month along a narrow strip of land 400 kilometers long from Verdun to Ostend.

According to Tirpitz's understanding, this front will become a blood-letting factory built specifically for the Farlans.

Because the empire needs to stockpile as much supplies as possible for the winter and ensure that the troops have enough manpower and material resources to organize a large-scale attack on the empire after the spring of the following year.

This is also what Ryan values ​​most at the moment, so it is normal for him to think so.

"All."

Ryan's answer was what Tirpitz had expected, but his next sentence surprised him a little: "But that's not what I want to say."

Ryan knew what Tirpitz meant, but his purpose was not actually in the rear.

He said, "I hope the Emperor will agree to let me participate in the negotiations with the United Kingdom as a member of the delegation."

Tirpitz fell into thought: "Is this a deterrent from you, or a gesture of goodwill from the Empire to the United Kingdom?"

"Both, but I mainly hope to get in close contact with the people of the United Kingdom to confirm their internal opinions on going to war."

"What do you mean?"

Tirpitz was a little confused, because Ryan's previous speech clearly seemed to indicate that he wanted to temporarily cease fire with the United Kingdom and then wait for the opportunity to fight the United Kingdom again.

Now he says he wants to confirm the opinions within the United Kingdom on going to war?
Tirpitz couldn't understand.

Ryan immediately explained, "Our negotiating representative this time is Asquith. He is extremely supportive of the policy of isolating the three major continental powers on the European continent, but we also need to consider the influence of the Empire."

"After all, once the Black Sea Alliance is established, the United Kingdom will inevitably worry that its fleet will lose its maritime hegemony."

"This will threaten the United Kingdom, the Imperial Kingdom, and even the Empire to a certain extent."

"If this isn't handled properly, the empire could very well lose everything."

Ryan's words were not alarmist, and Tirpitz understood this almost immediately.

After all, the United Kingdom's goal was to prevent the Empire from becoming the only dominant power on the European continent and threatening the security of the United Kingdom.

But they obviously do not want the Empire and the Imperial State to sign a non-aggression pact, nor do they want the Black Sea coastal countries and the Imperial State to become allies, thereby establishing a huge national union with a safe inland sea and a huge fleet.

For this reason, the United Kingdom will inevitably do its utmost to obstruct all future plans of the Empire in the period that follows.

Asquith is not a fool. He will definitely see the empire's purpose at the first time and take this opportunity to force the empire to give up a lot of interests.

If the Empire rejected their demands, the United Kingdom would be able to forcibly declare war on the Empire on the grounds that the negotiations had broken down and the Empire had refused to return the two battlecruisers and 6,000 soldiers.

They were certain that the Empire would not make the treaty public, and that two battlecruisers and 6,000 soldiers were clearly a price the United Kingdom could afford to sacrifice.

Not to mention that the Empire would definitely want to cooperate with the United Kingdom and would not dare to attack the warships and soldiers.

It can be said that once things develop into this state, the empire will have almost no chance of recovery.

The original self-defense counterattack will become a warning of invasion of the United Kingdom because of the incident in the Kingdom of Perijie, and the empire will directly lose the support of international public opinion.

Tirpitz did not want, nor did he dare, to let the empire fall into such a situation.

He looked at Ryan and thought.

Since this guy can say such words, he must be prepared to deal with this situation or have ideas to break this situation.

But he didn't say it directly now, which also showed that he was a little worried about his own thoughts...

The empire now has no room for error, and all available methods must be tried.

Furthermore, Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Flegg is, after all, the most famous war hero in the Empire so far. The current situation can almost be said to be created by him alone, so there is no reason not to go.

After a long while, Tirpitz, who had figured it out, finally spoke again.

He said, "That's not a problem. As the commander of the navy, I can make the decision."

Just as Ryan was about to thank him, he heard Tirpitz's words again.

"But there's a problem."

Old Deng adjusted his signature forked beard and looked at the lieutenant colonel badge on Ryan's collar.

"The rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Army is a bit too low."

"We lack confidence when facing the United Kingdom."

As he spoke, he raised his head and looked diagonally across, at the ceiling above Ryan's head.

The offices of the Personnel Department of the Imperial General Staff are located there.

"The new marshal hasn't been decided yet, so this promotion is a bit troublesome."

"Or I'll go to the personnel department and get a navy captain's uniform. You can put it on first."

"Well, Colonel Fleague?"

(End of this chapter)