Chapter 322: Crazy Robbery: The Second Update of the Battle of Cape Town

Today's second update, there is another update tonight, to make up for what I owe yesterday

After the Atlantic Battle ended on December 15, the British Navy paid the price of sixteen first-class cruisers and six torpedo boats to destroy the ships, losing a total tonnage of up to 200,000 tons, and the British Navy was once again severely damaged.

After this battle, the Chinese Empire's Atlantic Fleet dispatched submarines and hunting ships to attack British merchant ships everywhere on the Atlantic. In just one month, Britain lost more than 300 merchant ships of various types, and the total tonnage increased from 400,000 tons last month to 500,000 tons. The people in the UK were panicked, and ministers of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce and other ministers complained that the government and the navy were unfavorable, causing serious losses to the British people and demanding compensation.

The British cabinet and parliament were forced to go crazy. Not only did the British navy suffer heavy losses, but he lost face and had to be held accountable by parliament. Fisher yelled that this was the darkest month in Britain. However, what made him even more tragic was still behind.

After the British Navy lost a powerful cruiser fleet, it no longer dared to send an escort fleet to sea, resulting in the British ocean transport fleet not being protected and being attacked and robbed by the Chinese Empire Atlantic Fleet.

In 1906, the number of merchant ships lost in Britain increased to 500 in January, with a registered tonnage of 650,000 tons. By February, three hundred merchant ships were lost, including a British ship Mammoth, which transported gold, which transported 220 tons of gold for international trade exchange settlement with the United States, were all captured by the Atlantic Fleet of the Chinese Empire.

This batch of gold was originally secretly transported to the United States, but only Major General Lamors, the British Navy who was responsible for escorting the batch of gold to the United States, and his three entourages, knew that the purpose was to prevent the omnipresent spies from intercepting the information.

In this operation, they successfully avoided spies from the Chinese Empire. However, the weather was not good. The North Atlantic Ocean in February saw the No. 1 typhoon this year, and the Mammoth Express Cruiser was forced to dock in Gret Bay, Bermuda.

At this time, the Empress Dowager of the Chinese Empire was formulating some key strategic points to seize the world. According to the special instructions of Emperor Chen Hao of the Chinese Empire, the Empress Dowager of the Marines required the Marines to capture some strategic areas in the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Caribbean to prepare in advance for the Chinese Empire to send military forces globally to the future.

Among them, in the North Atlantic Ocean, the strategic location of the Chinese Empire was placed in the British Bermuda colony, which was a transit station on the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic fleet of the Chinese Empire would not be able to stay in the Caribbean Sea in the future. It is necessary to have a place to settle in the North Atlantic Ocean, and this Bermuda Islands became the first choice.

The Bermuda Islands are about 900 kilometers away from North America, about 1,100 nautical miles northeast of Miami, Florida, and about 840 nautical miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The strategic location is important. Establishing naval bases and air force bases in Bermuda can directly control the sea and air supremacy of the North Atlantic, and can also curb the United States, becoming the only overseas military base choice for the Chinese Empire.

The British population in the Bermuda Islands is less than 9,000, and 50 troops garrisoned. Hundreds of years of stability have made this place almost forgotten by Britain. The ancient fortress fortress has been abandoned for hundreds of years.

After the Chinese Empire launched a war against Britain, it was very far away to send naval and supplies from Puerto Rico to the central North Atlantic, so the Bermuda Islands became a very good supply location.

On December 19, 1905, the Third Marine Wing of the Imperial Navy Atlantic Fleet Marines captured Bermuda without any effort under the cover of the Atlantic Fleet's naval guns.

After capturing Bermuda, General Du Sigui, the commander of the Atlantic Fleet, chose to block the news and secretly built naval bases and air bases on the Bermuda Islands. Among them, a naval aviation base was built on St. George Island, a naval trek was established in St. David Bay next to St. George Island, and a naval base was built.

Since then, all British merchant ships intercepted by the Atlantic Fleet of the Chinese Empire were taken to various bays of the Bermuda Archipelago, and supplies from the San Juan Naval Base in Puerto Rico were also transported to the Bermuda Naval Base on a large scale to facilitate the rapid supply of the North Atlantic Fleet.

As the Atlantic Fleet occupied the Bermuda Islands, its control over the North Atlantic route was further strengthened. The Atlantic Fleet attacked during the day and returned to the Bermuda base with its trophy at night to rest, and the frequency of dispatch increased several times.

On February 5, 1906, the British cruiser, the Mammoth, avoided the reconnaissance of the Imperial Chinese Navy many times while transporting gold to the United States. However, it encountered a typhoon in the Bermuda waters and had to dock in Gret Bay in the Bermuda Islands to shelter the wind.

However, when the Mammoth entered Gret Bay, he suddenly found that the owner had changed. Major General Lamors was shocked and hurriedly ordered the warship to sail out of Gret Bay. Unexpectedly, he encountered the King Zhou Yi, a battle cruiser in the Chinese Empire that had just been robbed.

At first, King Yi of Zhou did not realize that the British warship had run to the door of his house. Unexpectedly, Major General Lamors immediately issued a battle alarm when he saw the battle patrol of the Chinese Empire. The nervous British naval soldiers immediately fired, which ended up annoying that the captain of King Yi of Zhou, Chen Jiliang.

The two sides immediately fought fiercely. The Mammoth was just a fast cruiser with weak firepower and armor. After the battle, it was quickly hit and caught fire.

During the battle cruiser with King Yi of Zhou, Major General Lamors and his three entourages were unfortunately shot and died together. The British sailors in panic drove the Mammoth into the shallow area and were stranded. So the remaining British naval officers and soldiers chose to surrender. Because they did not know that the ship was carrying 220 tons of gold, and when they knew that the Atlantic Fleet officers and soldiers counted the prisoners of war, they found that there were two ammunition depots in the original five ammunition depots loaded with boxes of gold bars.

When the commander of the Atlantic Fleet Du Xigui learned about this, he was very happy and hurriedly reported to the Navy and General Staff to request credit.

In the Forbidden City Qinzheng Hall, the Emperor of the Chinese Empire, Chen Hao, also learned about this immediately.

"This Du Xigui is really a lucky general who makes money!"

Wang Chenhao was naturally happy when he looked at the report presented by the Admiralty. In the past few months, the Atlantic Fleet has made unrest in the Atlantic Ocean, robbed a large number of British merchant ships one after another, intercepted a large amount of material, with a total value of more than 30 million pounds. Now he has intercepted another 220 tons of gold, equivalent to 30.04 million pounds, which is another unrest.

Cabinet Secretary Zhang Feng explained: "This gold should be part of the trade deficit between Britain and the United States last year. As international trade settlement, countries can only settle in gold. Last year, the UK's trade deficit with the United States was 29.98 million pounds. Including the fire consumption and purity of international gold exchanges, 220 tons of gold are just right."

Wang Chenhao laughed and said, "Then Britain suffered heavy losses this time! It is necessary to give Du Xigui a great contribution!"

Deng Shichang, the Minister of the Navy, smiled and said, "Your Majesty is very much, but this kid is not humble at all. He reports the victory in front and asks me for the boat and the man behind him."

Wang Chenhao laughed and said, "Is it normal? Which commander does not want to strengthen his troops? The Atlantic Fleet has achieved fruitful results in the past few months, so it is time to reward them. In this way, he issued an order to add the first-class viscount Du Xigui, and add the first-class baron of Chief of Staff Li Dingxin, and awarded them one second-class treasure star medal each. As for other meritorious soldiers, the Navy Department will reward them as appropriate."

"I obey the order!" Deng Shichang received the order.

"What else is good news to tell me?" Wang Chenhao looked at the ministers.

Army Minister Duan Qirui said at this time: "Report to Your Majesty, our army base has won a great victory in Myanmar. The 19th Army of the Chengdu Military Region is progressing smoothly in Myanmar. It has captured Mandeloitte, the capital of British Burma. The British troops stationed in Myanmar retreat to the coastal city of Yangon. As long as His Majesty gives his order, the Imperial Army will completely drive the British army out of the sea."

Wang Chenhao nodded and said, "If you continue to fight, the dispute over interests with the British will be even greater. Wouldn't the British still negotiate with us?"

Wang Chenhao did not want a complete and protracted war with Britain from beginning to end. He knew that Britain was an unconquered country and that Britain would fight the Chinese Empire to the end. That was the result that Wang Chenhao was unhappy to see. Therefore, he hoped to negotiate as soon as possible, because the more he continued to fight, the faster the Germans in Europe would develop, which was not conducive to the expansion of the British-German conflict that Wang Chenhao hoped.

Foreign Minister Wu Tingfang replied: "Report to your Majesty, the British Foreign Ministry is still tough, but some people in the UK have already suggested Sino-British peace talks."

Wang Chenhao nodded and said, "The British are worthy of being an old industrial power. Although they have suffered huge losses, they are still far from being hurt."

Minister of Internal Affairs Ruan Zhongshu said at this time: "Your Majesty, only if you teach the British a lesson further may it be effective if you really hurt them."

Wang Chenhao nodded, looked at Wang Shizhen, and asked, "What is the military opinion?"

Wang Shizhen replied: "Report to Your Majesty, the Military Affairs Department has further confirmed through relevant information that the British did store 900 tons of gold in the Bank of Cape Town. The Military Affairs Department is further coordinating the Navy and Army to formulate a plan to raid Cape Town and seize this batch of gold."

Wang Chenhao asked: "Didn't it mean there are more than 2,000 tons of gold?"

Wang Shizhen replied: "The British secretly traveled to Chen Cang and had secretly transported more than half of the more than 2,000 tons of gold plundered from the Auran Free State treasury back to London, England. Because the Sino-British War broke out, the Imperial Atlantic Fleet blocked the British external waterway, so that the British Cape Town authorities gave up transporting the remaining gold back to London, leaving only 900 tons left in the Bank of England in Cape Town."

"What a pity!" Wang Chenhao sighed and said, "Are you sure about the remaining 900 tons of gold?"

Wang Shizhen replied: "After the war started, Britain strengthened its defense against Cape Town, especially after the empire achieved a great maritime victory, the main force of the British navy was transferred back to the local defense. Cape Town had no protection from the British navy, and its army's strength was strengthened, from the original infantry division to three infantry divisions. The previous plan of the General Staff to raid Cape Town by the Marines was very risky, so we were preparing to form an expeditionary force to raid Port Elizabeth, South Africa, first cut off the retreat route of the British army retreating to Betzner, and then surround Cape Town, and the navy blocked the Port of Cape Town, so that the British army could transfer these 900 tons of gold and ensure that our army got this batch of gold."

"The plan cannot keep up with the changes!" Wang Chenhao nodded and said, "Britain has 500,000 colonial troops in Africa. We must fight quickly and not be in a stalemate with the British army. If you get the gold, you can get out as soon as possible."

"I obey the order!" Wang Shizhen immediately received the order.

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On February 17, 1906, the Puerto Rico Military Region of the Chinese Empire formed a South African dispatched force, which was stationed in the 97th Division and the Atlantic Fleet Marine Corps stationed in the San Juan base in Puerto Rico, totaling more than 30,000 people. They took the Atlantic Fleet's troops and quietly set off from the San Juan Naval Base and arrived at the southeastern coastal area of ​​South Africa through the South Atlantic Ocean.

Before the arrival of the South African dispatched troops of the Empire of China, the Central Intelligence Agency of the Empire sent professional agents to Cape Town and collected all the information on Cape Town's humanities, geography, climate, bays and other aspects.

At 9 p.m. on March 2, Atlantic Fleet Commander Du Xigui, Fleet Chief of Staff Li Dingxin, and South African Expeditionary Force Commander Lieutenant General Yang Shande, and Chief of Staff Major General Zhao Guoxian met in the conference room of the Battlecruiser of King Wu of Zhou.

"This is all the information given to us by the CIA Cape Town Station, covering all the information we need for this operation."

Li Dingxin divided the information into several copies and sent it to everyone.

Then, the military intelligence officer pulled the curtain, and the original Atlantic chart on the wall had become a full map of Cape Town, and all important locations were marked with eye-catching red.

"Dear officials, let me introduce the situation in Cape Town." The military intelligence consultant then focused on introducing the situation in the entire Cape Town area.

The central area of ​​Cape Town is located at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, and the southern end of the peninsula is the Cape of Good Hope. The terrain of Table Mountain forms a bowl-shaped area, surrounded by nearly right-angle cliffs, lined by Devil's Peak and Lion's Head Peak. The UK has built a Cape Town Port in Table Bay, which can accommodate 100,000 tons of ships in and out. The GreenPoint Fortress located in the west of Table Bay, on the northwest corner of the peninsula. The fortress has more than 2,000 defenders and 22 artillery pieces of various types.

"Greenpointe Fortress has a fatal weakness. All its coastal fortress guns faced Table Bay. They were built to prevent the British from attacking against the British after the Dutch seized Cape Town. In 1805, the British army abandoned the attack on Cape Town from the front, but instead landed from the Fars Bay behind Cape Town, attacking the Cape Town City Hall from behind, forcing 20,000 Dutch defenders to surrender without fighting. After that, the UK informed Cape Town that it built the Fishuko Bay Fortress on the Cape Peninsula on the west coast of the Fars Bay to prevent other countries from following suit. Currently, the fortress has more than 20,000 British troops and 142 artillery pieces."

Yang Shande asked: "So we will face greater resistance when we want to attack Cape Town from behind?"

The military intelligence consultant replied: "On the surface, this is what it seems! We have detected another passage for the dispatched troops, which is also in Fars Bay. There is a small Gordon Bay in the northeast of Fars Bay, with a 12-meter-deep waterway. At the end of the waterway is the Gordons Cup fishing village, which is available for our Marine Corps to land."

Du Xigui frowned and said, "It's too far from there. When our army reached Cape Town, the British had already transferred the gold."

Li Dingxin said: "Not all, do you see that the Stenbrazza Railway Station is not far from Gordon Bay. If we quickly occupy the railway station, we can resist Goodwood Station in downtown Cape Town within two hours. It is less than 500 meters away from the Bank of England Building. Our army will attack the bank building with one charge."

Yang Shande said: "The offensive route is pretty good, but the status of two stops from Stenbrazza Railway Station is Pas. The British army has 30,000 troops in Pas. Once they learn that Cape Town was attacked, the 30,000 British troops will soon advance westward. To cooperate with the Fortress of Feshuke, the British army will turn back and lock our army in the city of Cape Town."

Li Dingxin smiled and said, "So do we still have Army brothers involved?"

Yang Shande was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "So you are planning to let my 97th Division be a blocking force?"

Li Dingxin smiled slightly, not saying anything.

Du Xigui said: "I think it's OK! As long as the 97th Division blocks the British reinforcements for 24 hours, my Marines can safely transport the gold out."

Yang Shande said: "This is not OK. Our army is the organizer this time. Your Marine Corps cooperates. I see you come to fight and block, and my 97th Division will seize gold. You must know that the British must regard gold as more important than their lives, and will definitely fight to the death. In terms of combat effectiveness, is it more suitable for our army?"

"Old Yang, that's wrong!" Du Xigui said: "In terms of combat effectiveness, our Marines are all carefully selected elites, and their combat effectiveness is no worse than your army."

Seeing that the two of them were about to show off, Li Dingxin immediately stepped forward to stop him and said, "Where is the difference between the army and the navy? We are all serving the empire, don't fight for each other and hurt the harmony."

"What Chief Li said is very true!" Zhao Guoxian, chief of staff of the dispatching army, also made a smooth move: "I think there is no distinction between main attack and deputy attack. If the operation is broken this time, neither side of our Navy nor Army will have the shame to explain to His Majesty. It is better to do this. No matter who will take the main attack, the credit belongs to both sides. Both sides of our sides each send half of the troops to serve as the main attack and half of the troops to serve as the blocking. How about?"

Du Xigui and Yang Shande were thinking in their minds that although the navy and army have always been in disagreement, this mission is important. His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire is watching them and he cannot lose his links.

"I have no objection!" Du Xigui took the lead in expressing his opinion.

Yang Shande believed that his army had a lot of troops and would definitely be able to win the first place in both blocking and main attacking, so he also said: "Since that's the case, I have no objection."

Li Dingxin then signaled the military intelligence officer to continue.

Military intelligence adviser said: "The Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate with four distinct seasons. Winter is from May to August every year. The highest rainfall in the whole city is winter, with an average precipitation of 321 mm, accounting for about 60 of the annual average precipitation (an average precipitation is about 515 mm). The summer is from November to February of the following year. The climate is warm and dry, with an average maximum temperature of 26°c and an average precipitation of only 63 mm. We are currently in early autumn, with a clear and cool autumn, and will not appear in the next three days.

Rainfall is conducive to our army's landing operations. Due to geographical and environmental concerns, fresh strong winds often come from the southeast, and locals call this strong wind "Cape Doctor". This wind is formed on the South Atlantic high-pressure ridge west of Cape Town. It is expected that there will be a level 6 strong wind in the next three days. Our naval guns shelled the Cape Town Fortress 8,000 meters south of the bay and was in full-speed wind state. The shelling ballistics can be multiplied by two-thirds of the corner to accurately hit the target we have determined."

Du Xigui smiled and said, "These intelligence was also given by the CIA?"

The military intelligence consultant nodded and said, "Yes, Lord Commander, the CIA has stolen weather parameters specially provided by the Cape Town Meteorological Station for the military."

Du Xigui nodded, very satisfied, and said, "Although these guys are awesome, they don't take anyone seriously except His Majesty. It seems that everyone owes them money. But when it comes to the real seal, don't say they are quite powerful!"

Yang Shande asked, "Old Du, what does it mean to be powerful?"

Du Xigui smiled and said, "This is Your Majesty's catchphrase. It seems that Lao Yang, you have never talked to Your Majesty!"

Yang Shande immediately glared at Du Xigui with anger. It is undeniable that Du Xigui is still very favored in front of the imperial emperor.

Du Xigui was proud and signaled the military intelligence staff to continue.

The military intelligence officer then pointed to a "school" position on the map with a guide whip and said: "This is Masland Airport, with five British Army Air Reconnaissance aircraft. Although the cruise radius is only thirty nautical miles, it is enough to discover the combat intention of our army to attack Cape Town. Our army must destroy this place before the operation and cannot let the British reconnaissance aircraft take off."

Du Xigui frowned and said, "What do you think the Imperial Air Force sells them aircraft? It has become an obstacle for us now!"

At this time, Yang Shande said: "Old Du, don't worry. I brought the Desert Fox Special War Team this time, and it's easy to destroy this airport."

"Special War Team?" Du Xigui showed surprise.

Yang Shande said proudly: "This is the direct-level unit of the Royal Guard Special Forces Brigade, one of the nine special forces in the Empire. His Majesty specially assigned me. If necessary, this special forces Brigade can directly carry out a beheading operation, kill Governor Churchill of the Governor of Cape Town, and let the British army command chaos."

Du Xigui snorted, thinking to himself that there is nothing extraordinary, it depends on your smugness.

At this time, Zhao Guoxian suddenly asked: "In addition to the Bank of England, which other banks or financial jewelry banks are there?"

Military intelligence consultant replied: "According to reliable information, Goodwood Street is a financial banking street in Cape Town, which is full of banking and financial institutions from all over the world. There are more than 40 banks on the street, and South Africa is rich in gold and diamonds. Both transactions are conducted at the Xinzheng Jewelry Store in the UK, with a daily transaction volume of more than 10 million pounds."

Du Xigui's eyes lit up and asked Zhao Guoxian, "Brother Zhao, I'm about to ask about this! I didn't expect that our Navy and Army will have like-minded times!"

The two looked at each other, and everything was silent, and they suddenly burst into laughter.
Chapter completed!