In the early morning of February 1, the fourth year of the Grand Duke's reign, the sun had not yet emerged from the horizon, so the ground was still dark.
But the earth is actually a huge arc, so if you can rise from the ground into the sky, you can see the sun below the horizon.
While the sea surface of the English Channel is still dark and gloomy, the sky above is already lively.
Although the Germans, Lucians, and Italians cannot be said to be completely familiar with the relationship between air supremacy and sea supremacy, they have a basic understanding of it.
If you want to land across the sea, you must control the sea surface and have a navy to protect the landing force.
After the emergence of airplanes, the air can affect the sea surface, and can also cross the ocean through the sky and parachute to distant islands and ground.
So the first thing that broke out in the Battle of Britain was the air battle.
The coalition forces of the German, Lucian, and Italian air forces began to set off from a large number of field airports before dawn.
When the sky and the earth were dark, the first group of aircraft to depart had already arrived over the English Channel.
The thousand "new" fighter jets the Germans obtained from the Ming Dynasty served as the vanguard.
The British on the opposite side had been preparing for three years and were on high alert for a month. Of course, they would not be unprepared for the actions on the opposite side.
The British used the technology provided by Ming Dynasty to build a large number of radio detection towers in coastal areas.
German aircraft were quickly discovered after appearing over the strait.
The highly alert British Air Force immediately took action, and a large number of aircraft on standby quickly took off from the airport and headed to the sea outside the territory to intercept enemy aircraft.
Just when the sea was still dark but the sun could be seen thousands of meters above the ground, the first air battle broke out.
There were only a few aircraft in contact at first, and then quickly turned into dozens and hundreds.
Airborne radios are not yet very mature. Most ordinary fighter jets do not have radio detection equipment, and the combat method is still cannon combat within visual range.
Compared with later generations where you can't see the opponent's missiles fighting each other at all, the air battles in this era are many times more lively, fierce, and tragic.
The most precious fighter pilot in future generations is now just a consumable...
Many British pilots had already dealt with the Germans when they were in France.
At this time, enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.
The roar of engines and propellers, the fire and sound from airborne artillery, the explosion and black smoke when the aircraft is hit by the enemy.
There are also excited roars when the enemy is hit, screams of the plane and even himself being shot...
Various sounds, lights and shadows are mixed together on the bright sky and the dim ocean, intertwining a movement called war.
One after another, the planes were blown up in the fierce battle in the sky and fell to the water with billowing black smoke.
An unlucky pilot might have been mauled by enemy machine gun fire, or turned into a charred corpse in the explosion that occurred as the plane hit the water.
Some luckier pilots, whose planes did not explode after falling, had the opportunity to climb out of the cockpit and float on the sea with the help of life-saving facilities.
However, although the English Channel does not freeze, the water temperature on the ocean surface in the spring morning is definitely not very warm.
As warm-blooded animals, if humans are soaked in seawater for a long time, the body's temperature will continue to pass away, consuming the body's energy.
No one knows whether these lucky ones can survive until the end of the battle and the navy comes to rescue them.
When the morning sun finally shone on the sea, the navies of both sides had also been discovered by their own air force and naval aviation.
The strait is inherently narrow, and the British Navy's task is still to defend the homeland, and there is no chance to go to the ocean.
The activities of both navies are basically within this rather narrow strait.
It was no surprise that the fleet was quickly discovered by the opponent.
In the straits so close to the homeland, the significance of carrier aviation is basically limited to auxiliary reconnaissance.
It is obviously more reasonable for the Air Force to be responsible for actual air-to-sea attacks.
However, at this time, the air battle between the two sides has completely broken out, and there will be no clear winner in a short period of time.
Unless the opponent's air force is destroyed, the opponent's fleet will always have air cover.
The bombers' maneuverability and speed are relatively weak, and they have no advantage against the enemy's defensive fighters.
To launch an attack by force is basically to feed the enemy's fighter jets and anti-aircraft firepower.
But this kind of battle still needs to be fought.
Just like the Battle of Midway in World War II, the torpedo attack aircraft of the American aircraft carrier formation were almost wiped out by the Japanese.
However, they led the Japanese fighter jets to an ultra-low altitude close to the sea, leaving a large gap in the defense above the Japanese aircraft carrier.
High-altitude American dive bombers launched a top-down bombing attack, destroying the Japanese aircraft carrier.
Fighter pilots are consumables, and torpedo attack aircraft pilots are even more consumables among consumables, no different from death squads.
In this kind of homeland defense battle, the British senior officials and generals finally used all their strength.
However, the UK is currently at a disadvantage in terms of the number of soldiers, their combat experience, and the quantity and level of various military equipment.
The populations, soldiers, and equipment of Germany, Lucia, and Italy all far exceed those of Britain alone.
Germany also obtained a thousand top propeller fighters and a thousand propeller bombers from the Ming Dynasty, and it was natural that they would be used as pioneers.
Moreover, the Germans and Lucia really fought for three years, while the British were on guard and on the run for three years.
There is also a relatively large gap in the fighting will of the soldiers on both sides.
Therefore, the battle in the air and at sea did not last long, and the British Air Force had a clear disadvantage.
A large number of German fighter jets and bombers broke into London despite the British siege and launched bombings on military camps and factories around London.
The fire and explosions spread rapidly, and the entire city of London soon fell into panic.
King George IV of England hid directly in the bunker and kept asking nervously for news and intelligence from the outside.
"How long can the defense outside last?"
"Have you formally asked Daming for help?"
"Did Daming respond?"
These questions were not answered immediately, but they were basically answered one after another.
It is nine o'clock in the morning London time, which is five o'clock in the afternoon in the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
British Prime Minister Jenkinson ran to George IV with a document:
"Your Majesty, the Ming court has officially issued an ultimatum.
"Demand Germany, Lucia, and Italy to surrender and stop all offensive operations.
"Otherwise Ming will declare war on them."
George IV almost jumped up with excitement:
"Very good!"
George IV grabbed Jenkinson hard and handed over the document, and read the contents carefully.
That was an official notification document officially issued by the Ming Dynasty Honglu Temple.
It is also a formal announcement made public through external broadcasts and international alliance channels.
The content is basically what Zhu Jingyuan originally requested, but it has been polished by professionals from Honglu Temple and reads more smoothly.
But after reading it, George IV was a little surprised and asked:
“Why isn’t there any mention of time here?
“It did not say when the Germans would not surrender before when they would declare war on the three German countries.
"If the Germans don't respond at all, then when will the Ming Dynasty join the war?
"Will Daming help us?"
Jenkinson was also a little melancholy, and he probably knew what Daming meant, so he subconsciously glanced next to George IV.
Charlotte, Crown Prince of the United Kingdom and Queen of the United States, and her two children with the Ming Emperor.
Charlotte sighed softly and explained to her father:
“Father, you should know that Ming Dynasty did not protect the French, because in Ming Dynasty’s view, they did not have this obligation.
“The Ming Emperor only took over the main French royal family members after France was completely defeated.
"Correspondingly, the current Ming Dynasty has no obligation to protect the current British people. At most, it will take our family away after the war.
"After all, Britain is not a vassal state of Ming Dynasty, but George and Amelia are His Majesty's children..."
George IV understood what his daughter meant and why Ming Dynasty did what he did.
This was a fact that George IV had long known.
If you want Ming to help Britain unconditionally, you can only pass the country to the children of the Ming Emperor.
It's just that the decision to abdicate is not so easy to make.
Although London has been attacked, the king is still safe in the bunker.
George IV hesitated for a long time, groped in his mind for a long time, and finally found the last straw:
"Da Ming did not specify the time, but this is indeed an ultimatum.
"The Germans may be worried, so they slow down their attack on us or even stop attacking us.
"So we can take another look...and observe..."
Charlotte shook her head helplessly, and finally said nothing.
The situation described by George IV is not entirely impossible.
So relevant personnel were asked to report the frontline situation at any time.
But Charlotte also realized again that it was difficult for him to make the right decision on his own.
I have to think of some ways to push it a little bit.
On the other side, across the English Channel.
The Germans, Lucians, and Italians also received the Ming ultimatum document,
The monarchs and main staff members of the three countries were able to jointly coordinate and decide frontline affairs at any time when launching operations against the British mainland.
From the beginning of the combat operation against Britain, we have been gathering in the same conference room to pay attention to frontline intelligence.
When Ming's ultimatum was sent, the monarchs and main staff members of the three countries also received it at the same time, and they all panicked instinctively.
Although they are now full of self-confidence, Daming's sense of oppression is still huge.
Emperor Nicholas of Lucia said with a rather serious expression:
"The Ming Dynasty finally posed a direct threat of war. The status of Britain and other countries is indeed different. After all, it is the future fiefdom of the Ming Dynasty prince..."
King William of Germany turned over the documents and said:
"Although there is a threat of war, there is no deadline given. Does this mean that Ming Dynasty's will to participate in the war is not very strong?"
King Vittorio of Italy said with a sad face:
"We can't take any chances. The reason why the Ming Dynasty did not immediately participate in the Europa War is probably because the Ming Dynasty people wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to force the British king to pass the throne to the Ming Emperor's son in advance..."
The other two monarchs were stunned for a moment, and felt that Vittorio's statement seemed reasonable, so they both looked at their staff officers.
When the monarchs and generals of the Three Kingdoms decided to attack Britain, they were certainly prepared to prevent the Ming Dynasty from suddenly intervening.
In fact, the main armies of the three countries were already rearranging their garrison areas when they conquered Spain.
A large number of German troops have entered Germany and the Anatolian Plateau and began to assist the Lucian army in defending against the Ming people in the east.
The navies of the three countries have also deployed fleets in the Daqin Sea to prepare for a possible landing war launched by the Ming Dynasty.
However, they all also expected that Ming Dynasty could launch the attack as late as possible.
It would be best to wait until they completely occupy the British mainland.
Mainly, in the past three years, Ming Dynasty has been giving in step by step, only verbally expressing appeals and warnings.
The staff officers of the three countries began to believe that there was a high probability that the Ming Dynasty really did not want to participate in the war, and there was a small probability that the Ming Dynasty really did not care about the life and death of the Thai and Western countries.
But no matter what the reason is, this situation is an action that is beneficial to oneself.
It's just that the situation in the UK is so special that it's a little bit unclear whether this judgment is still reliable.
Facing the monarch's consulting look, German Chief of Staff Gneisenau first spoke:
"Your Majesty, we should follow the established plan and make peace with the Ming Dynasty.
“We should show that we are willing to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty and put forward our demand that we should occupy the British mainland.
"The reason can be used as the British Hanoverian royal family is also German...
“At the same time, we should continue to accelerate the pace of attacks and destroy the British air defense forces as quickly as possible...
"Try to get rid of the British before the Ming people finally make up their mind."
The German king and Emperor Lucia both felt it made sense.
But the King of Italy couldn't help but express his concerns:
"Do you feel that... the reason for asking Hanover to hand over the British mainland is very... or should I say it is a bit excessive?
"The future heir of Hanover is now the prince of the Ming Dynasty. How could the Ming Dynasty accept such conditions?"
King William looked at the Italian King and said with a little disgust:
"So... this is a compromise. Negotiations are used to delay the progress of Ming Dynasty.
"Once we actually occupy the British mainland, it won't matter what the outcome of the negotiations is.
“According to current reports from the front line, the combat effectiveness of the British air force is weaker than ours, and its number is much smaller than that of our three countries.
"We have a chance to quickly defeat the British air force
“Without the cover of the air force, the British Navy would not be able to maintain a presence in the Channel.
"The mission of landing on British soil will also have the opportunity to be completed quickly.
"The British Army is simply vulnerable. Once we complete the landing operations, it is only a matter of time before we occupy the entire UK."
The King of Italy had nothing to say.
Daming has proposed mediation three times in a row and called for a peaceful solution to the problem many times.
Although Germany and Lucia have never cooperated, Daming has never made any targeted and practical actions.
Coupled with the fact that the armies of the Three Kingdoms have repeatedly won battles on the western continent, they now completely dominate the entire western continent.
As a result, the current leaders of Germany, Lucia and the army do not take Daming seriously.
The monarchs and staff members of the three countries discussed some details, and then arranged for diplomats to argue with the Ming Dynasty diplomats.
At the same time, we jointly encouraged and ordered the frontline commanders, asking them to speed up the offensive tempo again.
After receiving the order, the frontline commanders fighting on the British mainland could only continue to increase their efforts.
In the next day, damage reports from the British Air Force, Navy, and Army were sent to King George IV one after another.
The air forces of the three countries led by Germany also bombed the city of London and its surroundings with increasing intensity.
Reports of various losses also continued one after another.
Even at night there was no sign of stopping.
King George IV suffered through the night amid constant explosions.
The next morning, George IV once again summoned the most important ministers.
George IV's eyes were red and he asked loudly and angrily:
"What is our air force doing? Why are more and more German planes able to drop bombs on London? Can't they be blocked outside?"
Prime Minister Jenkinson reported somewhat helplessly:
"Your Majesty, we don't have enough aircraft, and the key is that the performance of the interception fighters is not enough.
“The Germans used Louis XVII and his family to obtain the most advanced fighter jets from the Ming Dynasty, and there were a thousand of them.
“These aircraft far exceed our aircraft in terms of speed, flexibility, range and load capacity.
“Our pilots’ combat experience is slightly less than that of the Germans…
"So, we have no way to block all the German and Lucia planes outside the city for the time being..."
George IV knew these realities, and just now he was complaining with a feeling of getting out of bed.
Now that he had calmed down, he seemed to have lost all strength. He sat slumped on the throne and asked feebly:
"How long can our fighters last? Is it possible for the Germans and Lucians to climb ashore? How is the situation of our army?"
Jenkinson reported uncertainly:
"The Air Force's aircraft...at the current rate of consumption, it is very likely that they will not last for a week.
“Moreover, the air combat area is also constantly retreating, and it is difficult for our main fleet to protrude beyond the coastline.
"Once our fighter jets are unable to defend the coast, the Germans and Lucians will have complete control of the air over the English Channel.
"Then they may launch a formal cross-sea landing, and there is a possibility that their army will climb onto the British Isles.
"As for our army... facing Germany alone, there is still the possibility of holding on.
"But we are facing the joint attack of the three countries, especially the endless number of gray cattle in Lucia...
“Based on the current situation, if we cannot get stronger external help, they may come ashore as soon as a week.
"The key is that the continent of Europa at this time is completely ruled by the three countries.
"The only people who can help us are the Ming people..."
George IV was almost desperate and turned to look at his daughter Charlotte again:
"So the Ming Dynasty really just watched us being beaten? Just watched the Germans and Lucians land?"
Charlotte seemed very helpless and wanted to say to her father:
"Father, are you confused? Ming Dynasty has just watched France be fully occupied by the Germans.
"The Ming Dynasty should not mind continuing to watch them occupy Britain. This may even be the most desired outcome of the Ming Emperor and the court.
"Based on my understanding of His Majesty the Ming Emperor, the land that the Ming soldiers seized that originally belonged to other royal families should not be returned to the original royal family."
George IV was obviously taken aback at this time, and then quickly understood what his daughter meant.
The fundamental purpose of Ming Dynasty in allowing the Europa War was to break the existing order through this kind of melee.
The Ming Dynasty once again used the banner of bringing order to chaos, promoted the three German countries that had been designated as villains, and ruled the continent of Europe by itself.
It would be best to conquer it directly by force or occupy it by force, or at least it should become a de facto vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.
"The Ming Dynasty wanted to watch Britain be occupied by Germany, and then they would take it away from the Germans, and then turn Britain into the land of the Ming Dynasty?"
Charlotte shrugged:
"Obviously this is the logic, this may even be their long-established plan.
“So if we, the Hanover family, want to keep the current British territory, we must not let the Germans actually occupy the British mainland.
"For the future of House Hanover, for us to continue to rule all of Britain.
“Our best method now is to let George Diyu directly succeed to the throne and force Ming Dynasty to immediately join the war against Germany.
“Otherwise, Ming Dynasty will definitely sit back and watch the British mainland be occupied by the three German powers.
“Then we will start to take away Britain from these three countries, so that these lands will have nothing to do with us in Hanover.
"Also, George is only eight years old now. Even if he succeeds directly now, matters in the UK are actually decided by you and me."
George IV was finally completely desperate. He slumped in his seat weakly and looked at the children and ministers around him, speechless.
No one at the scene made any special noise, everyone was waiting for the king to make the final decision.
Most of the ministers present now hope that George IV will abdicate directly and pass the throne to the Ming Dynasty's prince Zhu Zhuyu.
Only in this way can most of their wealth be preserved, otherwise it will be destroyed sooner or later in the continuous melee.
So everyone at the scene stood in the hall together, looking at the king blankly.
This is to expect the king's decision and to put pressure at the same time.
After a long time, George IV suddenly let out a long sigh and ordered to summon the main members of the royal family, the Speaker of Parliament and the main ministers.
Then, under their witness, George IV signed the edict of abdication and passed the throne to his daughter Charlotte.
After Charlotte signed the succession document, she immediately signed the abdication edict, passing the throne to her and Zhu Jingyuan's son Zhudi Yu.
Zhu Diyu, who just turned eight this year, surpassed all his brothers and sisters and became the new king of England in the name of George Diyu Zhu Hanover.
Known as "George V" in British and Hanoverian tradition.
Since the king was underage when he succeeded to the throne, the king's mother, Queen Charlotte, served as regent, and certificates and documents were also processed.
At this time, Charlotte was still serving as the King of the United States, so Charlotte continued to be called Her Majesty the Queen.
The process is very quick, but all formalities and documents are formal.
After the formalities are completed, the archivist archives the documents and faxes the photos to Daming. This is the most important step.
Zhu Jingyuan was very satisfied after receiving the news, and directly ordered Zhu Zhu Yu to be canonized as a prince, called King of England, and enjoyed the treatment of a prince-level vassal.
Then Lin Zexu was put in charge of drafting a declaration of war, formally declaring war on Germany, Lucia, and Italy.
The content of this edict did not mention the British and Zhu Yu at all.
The main claim is still that the three countries' war of aggression brought disasters to the people of Thailand and Spain, and that the three countries undermined the League of Nations and the international order.
The three countries' complete failure to cooperate with Ming's call and mediation was used as a direct excuse.
Under the guise of vindicating the people's crimes and cleaning up the world, the decision to enter a state of war with the Three Kingdoms was officially announced.
After the content was reviewed by Zhu Jingyuan, it was directly disclosed to the world through the diplomatic system of the Honglu Temple of the Ming Dynasty and the radio and television systems of the Ming Dynasty.
(End of chapter)
