On September 24, the 10th year of Taiping, two huge Ming naval formations sailed out of Little Luzon Bay and Brunei Bay, heading for the Lombok Strait and the Malacca Strait respectively.
The voyage to the Lombok Strait went through the Sulu Sea, Sulawesi Sea, Makassar Strait, and Java Sea. Except for the Java Sea, it is almost all the de facto "inland sea" of the Ming Dynasty. There are patrol ships of the Nanyang Fleet on the sea, and there are airships circling in the sky. These days, because Ming Dynasty is actually at war, the security is even tighter. All ships entering it will be stopped by patrol ships for strict interrogation!
The Dutch on Java Island have long been "flattening imperialism." The reason why they were still able to rule the East Indies was that they needed a buffer zone between the Ming Dynasty and Britain.
The Dutch, who have long known what they are, are too lazy to struggle, and they don't build any decent fleet here on Java Island. Naturally, there are no airship patrols - airships are so expensive and not very safe, so why do they have them? There are some patrol ships, and they are all hybrid-powered, can burn coal stoves, and can also use wind energy. However, I won’t run to Makassar, or even go for a stroll in the northern part of the Java Sea. I will just protect my own East Indies.
As for whether the Heavenly Soldiers come or not, they don't care. If the Ming Dynasty doesn't come, they will be colonists for a day and collect taxes for a day. The Ming Dynasty is coming, and the worst they can do is pack up and run away.
Therefore, most of the Dutch would not know about the First Air Battle until it passed through the Lombok Strait. The Dutch don't know, and the British certainly don't know where to go.
However, the British still took themselves seriously when placing the British-Indian troops and fleets in the Malacca Strait. In their own words, the Strait of Malacca was the first gateway for the British Empire to defend Western civilization.
Since the portal must be defended, patrol boats, airships, and spy reconnaissance ships are all indispensable. Among them, airships and spy reconnaissance ships were sent 400 kilometers east of Temasek. The main force of the Ming Navy's Nanyang Fleet only had to sail west out of the waters near Borneo, and it would be discovered within a few hours. And because there are no radars these days, and the aircraft is a top-secret project, it is impossible to use it to intercept airships.
As for the airship intercepting the airship, this speed is not enough. By the time the intercepting airship arrives, everyone has already gone home to eat.
So when the main force of the Nanyang Fleet arrived on the sea less than 400 kilometers away from Temasek Island, the British reconnaissance airships in the sky and the spy reconnaissance ships on the sea had already discovered them. However, wireless telegraphy is not yet popular in the UK, and most reconnaissance airships and spy ships do not have such advanced machines.
Therefore, after discovering that the Ming Dynasty Navy's large formation was approaching the Malacca Strait with great momentum, these airships and spy ships could only go to the Temasek Fortress at full speed. Three hours later, two reconnaissance airships landed at the airship base on Temasek Island. About a quarter of an hour later, Emperor William, who was on his own expedition on the shores of Elephanta Island in Mumbai, had already received an urgent military message from Temasek Island!
"Your Majesty the Emperor, the main force of the Nanyang Fleet of the Ming Navy is sailing towards the Strait of Malacca. According to airship reconnaissance, the formation has a total of four Hero-class battleships, eight Hanwu Emperor-class battleships, and twelve Hero-class armored cruisers! The following second- and third-class battleships The total number of cruisers, destroyers, and transport ships of all types is no less than 100!"
In the emperor's Elephant Island Palace, in a luxuriously furnished and air-conditioned hall, Emperor William, who was admiring the art of belly dancing, learned from Charles Elliot that the main force of the Ming Navy's Nanyang Fleet was dispatched.
"Quickly, please invite the Marquis Nelson, Earl Amherst, Foreign Minister Staunton, and War Minister Gough to come to the Elephant Island Palace!"
"Yes, sir."
The Marquis of Nelson is still on board the Warrior, and Amherst, the Chief Minister of the Indian Empire, Staunton, the Foreign Secretary, and Gough, the War Secretary, are all in Bombay at the moment. However, Koh Chang is only a few kilometers away from Mumbai by water, and it can be reached in a short time by speedboat.
So about an hour later, Nelson, Amherst, Staunton and Hugh Gough had all arrived.
"They are coming!" Emperor William was sitting on the throne in the audience hall and said to the ministers who came in a hurry. "12 new battleships and 12 brand-new Hero-class armored cruisers. There are no aircraft carriers, but there are cover ships in the sky. Light airships. There are also more than a hundred light ships, auxiliary ships and troop carriers. It seems that a war between the East and the West has really come!"
Emperor William looked at his ministers: "What now? I need your advice!"
"Your Majesty," Foreign Secretary Staunton said, "Now we need to submit an ultimatum to the Ming court!"
An ultimatum is actually a declaration of war!
Because it is impossible for the Ming Empire to accept the conditions in the ultimatum!
"Your Majesty," Chief Minister Amesh said, "I also propose to submit an ultimatum to the Ming court. The Indian Empire needs a total war! Only a total war against the Ming Empire's invasion can unite the nearly fragmented country of India. Together! And only by declaring war can we fully mobilize India's manpower and material resources."
War Secretary Hugh Gough also said: "Your Majesty, declaring war can give the imperial government greater power and allow us to organize more troops. In order to defeat the Ming Dynasty, these are necessary!"
"Your Majesty," Marquis Nelson also said, "In fact, we are already at war with the Ming Dynasty. I think we should not only let India declare war on the Ming Dynasty, but also let the United Kingdom join the war! Only in this way can we fully mobilize British financial resources. , material resources, manpower, especially industrial strength!”
Emperor William shook his head: "No, not yet Marquis, are we sure we can defeat the main force of the approaching Nanyang Fleet?"
Marquis Nelson nodded: "Of course. General Hood's fleet has 22 battleships, 22 armored cruisers (including 2 Blake-class ships that have just joined), and 15 motherships! In addition, there are 15 shallow water ships in the Temasek Fortress Heavy gunship! In Malacca, we are far stronger than the enemy."
"Okay!" Emperor William nodded heavily and had already made up his mind. "Send a message to our ambassador in Beijing, Sir Pottinger, and ask him to submit an ultimatum to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ming Empire!"
"As you command, my lord!"
Beijing, Chang'an Avenue, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building.
That afternoon, in the lobby of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Zexu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ming Dynasty, saw the gloomy-faced Indian Empire Ambassador Sir Pottinger Cha, and couldn't help but frown. The very handsome Sir Pu Dingcha frowned when he saw the Ming Dynasty courtier in black gauze python robe in front of him, and he felt an indescribable pleasure in his heart - you yellow-skinned monkeys from the East are too late to worry now, because the British The empire will soon lead the entire Western world to fight you!
"Sir Pottinger, why are you here alone?" Lin Zexu looked at the Indian ambassador in front of him and frowned and asked, "Where is Bommer? Why doesn't he come?"
Boehmer was the British Royal Navy colonel who escaped by swimming in the Battle of Kii Channel. He found an opportunity after the Battle of Kii Channel and got a diplomatic job. Now he is the charge d'affaires in Ming Dynasty - Ming Dynasty and Britain The diplomatic relations between them have been downgraded from ambassador level to charge d'affaires level! Moreover, this agency is still temporary.
Sir Pottinger could understand Lin Zexu's Chinese. After being stunned, he asked in English: "Mr. Minister, what do you mean? Today I am submitting the ultimatum on behalf of the Indian Empire, and it has nothing to do with the British Charge d'Affaires."
Lin Zexu chuckled: "Ambassador Pu Dingcha, go back and tell your Emperor William that his little cleverness is of no use to the Ming Dynasty! Anyone who offends our Ming Dynasty will be punished no matter how far away! We are not fools and know who the real enemy is. ?So we will definitely go to Great Britain to settle accounts with the British! Whether they declare war or not, they can't change the outcome!
Finally, I wonder what is the so-called ultimatum of the Indian Empire? We refuse! From now on, the Ming Empire and the Indian Empire are in full-scale war! "
(End of chapter)
