CHAPTER 284: CHAPTER 284: INTENTIONS TOWARDS PEI GONG

Shire and Tijani didn’t go into detail with Gephardt; they chatted briefly before boarding a small boat together to visit Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Robek on the Queen Elizabeth.

This was a necessary formality; as a newly joined fleet commander, Shire naturally had to meet the commander.

Although Shire was mentally prepared, he was still overwhelmed by the size and majesty of the Queen Elizabeth as their small boat passed through numerous warships and approached the behemoth anchored at the center.

Shire had to look up to see her towering superstructure, with several massive gun barrels extending imposingly from the turrets, their muzzles pointing into the distance, seemingly ready to obliterate any enemy at a moment’s notice.

As they drew nearer, her gigantic hull loomed like a dark cloud, casting a shadow over the sky and imparting a sense of invisible pressure on Shire.

Tijani couldn’t help but exclaim, "This is Britain’s most advanced super-dreadnought, with a displacement of over 30,000 tons and eight 381mm main guns. It’s said that a full salvo can fire 7,000 kilograms of shells."

Gephardt responded with a "hmm" and said, "If you count all the guns, it has over seventy, making it a veritable floating fortress."

(Pictured above is the Queen Elizabeth battleship, the most advanced battleship in Britain at the time, which entered service in November 1914, just over three months before the time described in the text)

...

When Vice Admiral Robek received Shire, the setting was entirely different from Gephardt’s reception. He welcomed Shire with a group of officers under the main guns of the Queen Elizabeth and had a photographer ready to capture the moment Shire saluted him.

"Welcome, Colonel!" Vice Admiral Robek appeared quite sincere, "We’ve been waiting for you to come save us, just like you saved France."

There was a faint sound of laughter among the British officers.

Shire knew what Vice Admiral Robek meant by this.

He was intentionally flaunting Britain’s strength in front of Shire while feigning humility, creating a strong contrast to mock Shire.

Major General Gephardt’s face showed signs of anger, but he couldn’t refute Vice Admiral Robek’s behavior and had to suppress his rage.

Tijani furrowed his brow, seeming ready to reproach Vice Admiral Robek’s rudeness.

However, Shire replied calmly and evenly, "You’re right, General. If it weren’t for the fact that your fleet had lost so many battleships, Parliament wouldn’t have forced me to come here."

Vice Admiral Robek’s once amiable expression immediately darkened, and the British officers looked embarrassed, with some even glaring at Shire in anger.

But they were just as helpless against Shire and had no rebuttal.

Because what Shire said was true, especially since the series of battleship losses all occurred under Vice Admiral Robek’s command.

Shire was telling them that they had no grounds for boasting.

Tijani chuckled, unconsciously straightening up his chest.

Major General Gephardt gave Shire a meaningful glance, realizing that this young man’s wisdom extended beyond military matters.

The atmosphere turned a bit awkward, and Vice Admiral Robek led everyone into the warship’s conference room.

The conference room was spacious, with a fixed round table in the center, seemingly related to Britain’s "Round Table" meetings. On the wall hung a portrait of the famous naval hero, Nelson, with the British national flag and the white ensign crossed at an angle below, making it look more like a diplomatic meeting than a military one.

(Pictured above is the British white ensign, symbolizing the Royal Navy)

Servants poured wine for everyone.

Shire was somewhat surprised; he thought that commanders shouldn’t drink during wartime.

Major General Gephardt just raised an eyebrow, indicating that this was no big deal; the Brits loved having a few drinks on their warships.

"Let me guess," Vice Admiral Robek looked at Shire impassively, "Colonel, you’d surely want to land on V Beach, just like Major General Onore, right?"

Another barb wrapped in soft words.

"Just like Major General Onore," implying that you French love to show off, always hoping to succeed where the British failed in order to outshine Britain.

Tijani originally thought Shire would deny it, but to his surprise, Shire responded right away, "If you wish us to land there, General!"

Tijani looked at Shire in surprise. Hadn’t they just analyzed that V Beach was no longer suitable for landing?

But Tijani said nothing, thinking that Shire was keeping information confidential.

Vice Admiral Robek smiled and, playing the magnanimous host, spread his hands, "Why not?"

The British officers’ faces lit up with amused smiles.

They understood what Vice Admiral Robek meant: if the French were willing to rush to their deaths for so-called honor, why would Britain object?

Then Vice Admiral Robek asked, "Do you have any plans? Would you need the British fleet to assist?"

"No, General." Shire answered definitively, "I believe the French Fleet is sufficient; we will handle everything."

Robek smiled slightly; that’s how it should be.

But of course, he wouldn’t say that aloud. Instead, smiling, he raised his glass, "Then, to our Colonel, to France, and to tomorrow’s victory, cheers!"

"Cheers!" the officers responded happily.

...

Back on the Henry, Tijani grumbled, "Arrogant Brits, we should let them continue in this situation."

"Who says otherwise?" Shire replied.

"What?" Tijani was puzzled, "But you said, ’We will handle everything...’"

"I didn’t say when." Shire responded, "If the Brits aren’t in a rush, neither should we be."

Then Shire added, "We might have a few more days for our soldiers to continue training."

Tijani exclaimed "Oh," understanding Shire’s point.

However, Tijani thought of something else, asking in confusion, "Colonel, was your talk about landing at V Beach serious?"

"We will definitely land at V Beach," Shire answered unhurriedly.

Tijani thought he misheard, "But the Ottomans are already prepared."

Shire countered, "If the Ottomans are prepared, do you think the Germans wouldn’t be?"

Tijani was bewildered, "What? If the Germans are prepared, isn’t that more reason to give up..."

Before finishing his sentence, Tijani suddenly understood, looking at Shire in shock, "Submarines! If the Germans are prepared, they would deploy submarines near V Beach!"

Shire nodded; this guy had good insight.

To land safely, the first thing to do was to eliminate Germany’s only submarine.

Attacking V Beach presented a great opportunity, as it was a primary focus for the German submarines!