Expedition to Europe

Just when Chen Zhaoqiang was ready to set up a pocket formation and to give the Pers people a good stab, 200 nautical miles away from Port Hedland, the Pers City Expeditionary Force Commander Derek Chaplin was also ready to give Port Hedland a surprise.

Although he commanded a force of more than 5,000 people, Derek Chaplin's rank was only colonel.

Derek Chaplin participated in the World War, but his performance in the World War was not outstanding, so he didn't even get the rank of general. After the World War, Derek Chaplin retired from the army and returned to Pers to become a member of parliament and began his political career.

Perhaps because he was a little regretful that he didn't become a general, Derek Chaplin was the most determined person to use tough measures against Port Hedland, and after the Pers City Council decided to attack Port Hedland, he successfully obtained the position of expeditionary force commander.

Port Hedland is a port city. To attack here, a naval force is needed. The Perth City Council has invested some money, so Derek Chaplin is now on a cruiser, the Perth.

The Perth is an old battleship that can be regarded as a grandfather's generation. It once participated in the World War as part of the British Royal Navy. The reason why the Perth City Council has not launched an attack on Port Hedland until now is to wait for the Perth.

In addition to the cruiser Perth, the troops commanded by Derek Chaplin also have four destroyers, namely the Black Swan, George V, John Monash, and Boddington.

The names of these four destroyers all have their origins. The Black Swan, as the representative animal of the city of Perth, got one of them; George V is the current king of England, John Monash is the best Australian in the World War, and Boddington is the largest gold mine in Western Australia.

Before the discovery of iron ore in the Pilbara region, gold mines were the most important source of wealth in Western Australia. It was because of the discovery of gold mines that the city of Perth was established. Therefore, gold mines are very important to the people of Perth, even more important than the iron ore in the Pilbara region.

Objectively speaking, the condition of these warships is not very good. Although these warships have been carefully maintained by the British Royal Navy before being sold to the Perth City Council, and they are operated by English sailors, they are still a bit old after all. Even the latest Black Swan has been more than ten years old.

Now is an era of rapid technological development. Although the World War has just ended for two years, the warships built during the World War are already slightly outdated, not to mention these warships that have entered military service before the World War. If the Perth City Council had not been the victim, I believe the fate of these warships would only be dismantling.

Even so, Derek Chaplin still felt proud.

According to the intelligence obtained by the Perth City Council, Port Hedland has only a few gunboats of less than 1,000 tons, which cannot even be called warships. They are just patrol boats in the inland river. They are not worth mentioning in front of warships like the Black Swan, not to mention the more powerful Perth.

Although some people swear that Port Hedland will purchase submarines from Lanfang and France, there is no evidence that Port Hedland has implemented this plan, and no one has seen those submarines in Port Hedland, so Derek Chaplin believes that this statement is just nonsense. Lanfang and France may not sell war weapons such as submarines to Port Hedland, which will cause strong protests from Britain, and Port Hedland cannot find so many skilled sailors who can operate submarines.

Compared with operating warships, operating submarines is a more technical job. There are few submarine soldiers in Perth, not to mention the remote and poor Port Hedland.

Yes, in Derek Chaplin's concept, Port Hedland is a poor and remote place. If it weren't for the iron ore there, Derek Chaplin probably wouldn't have seen Port Hedland in his life.

It's a pity that Derek Chaplin forgot that if it weren't for the gold mine, there would probably be no city of Perth.

Although there are all kinds of rumors, Derek Chaplin still firmly believes that as long as his fleet can reach Port Hedland, then Port Hedland, which lacks a navy, can only surrender, so Derek Chaplin is very optimistic.

"Tom, wait until tomorrow morning, I can let you stand on the dock of Port Hedland. No matter how lucky that Jack is, he can't escape this time." Derek Chaplin sat in the commander's chair in the bridge of the Perth, holding a pair of binoculars to look far ahead, patrolling the empty coastline, and his words were full of confidence.

"Of course, I believe in your ability. You will definitely let that 'angel' understand that in this world, only strength is the capital that can be relied on, not illusory luck." Tom Spike also had a pair of binoculars in his hand, but he did not observe, but played with it in his hand.

To be honest, there are still a few entertainment programs on the warship, which makes Tom Spike, who is used to sensual pleasures, very uncomfortable. As a high-ranking congressman, if it were not for the iron ore in the Pilbara region that tempted Tom Spike, it is estimated that Tom Spike should be in the boudoir of a celebrity now, instead of staying in this damn bridge filled with the smell of gasoline.

Tom Spiker is one of the main driving forces behind the Perth City Council's tough measures against Port Hedland. As a mining tycoon and one of the owners of the Boddington Gold Mine, Tom Spiker could not hold back his eagerness after hearing that the Pilbara region has the richest gold mine in the world, and he deliberately wanted to turn the Pilbara Iron Mine into his own industry.

Of course, even if he got the iron ore in the Pilbara region, it would not become Tom Spiker's private property. Tom Spiker would only become one of the owners, which is already very good. Tom Spiker understands the principle of sharing. Otherwise, Tom Spiker would not have found so many companions in the Perth Council, and finally pushed the Perth Council to take tough measures against Port Hedland.

"Sir, the sonar soldiers have found that the seabed nearby is not peaceful. I think we'd better go and confirm it." Captain James Jerome of the Perth rarely spoke, and his words were uncertain.

James Jerome is a standard naval officer. During the World War, James Jerome was a destroyer captain. After the World War, Britain disbanded part of the fleet and James Jerome retired. But like those Europeans who joined the Lanfang Foreign Legion, James Jerome was not willing to be an ordinary person. So under the temptation of high salary from the Perth City Council, James Jerome came to Perth and became the captain of the Perth.

To be honest, in the city of Perth, xenophobia is still quite serious. Angel Jack has not fully integrated into Perth for such a long time, which is very telling. James Jerome also encountered the same problem as Angel Jack. Here, James Jerome is nominally the captain of the Perth, but James Jerome's suggestions are not taken seriously.

Before the expeditionary force set out, James Jerome suggested that two destroyers be drawn out to form a mobile fleet with the Perth and go to Port Hedland in advance, which would not only blockade Port Hedland in advance, but also test the defense of Port Hedland.

This suggestion was opposed by almost everyone. In the concept of the Perth City Council, including the Perth, their main task was to provide escort for the fleet transporting the land forces, and there was no need to attack forward.

In the eyes of those fat-headed councillors, as long as the fleet arrived at Port Hedland, Port Hedland would be within reach, and there was no need to do anything unnecessary.

And there were different voices. James Jerome's suggestion was to decentralize power from Derek Chaplin. If a mobile fleet was not established, then the importance of James Jerome would not be reflected at all. The reason why James Jerome made this suggestion was more to prove that the cost of hiring James Jerome by the Perth City Council was worth it.

With so many reasons combined, it is conceivable how frustrated James Jerome was. So now James Jerome was not very motivated, and even had a bad premonition in his heart.

Intuition, pure intuition.

The original text is available at Six # 9 @Books/Bar!

"It is best not to go. We are not familiar with the nearby waters, but from the previous feedback, there are so many reefs here that it makes people's scalps numb. Maybe the sonar just found a whale. It is better for us to go straight to Port Hedland now." As expected, Derek Chaplin did not agree with James Jerome's suggestion.

This is an era when sonar has just appeared. It is normal for sonar soldiers to make some mistakes. The sonar of this era does not have a display. It depends entirely on the ears of the sonar soldiers to distinguish the subtle engine noises. However, the sounds on the seabed are very complex. It is not easy to distinguish the engine sounds. Moreover, if the submarine is stationary, the sonar soldiers have no way to detect it. Even if a warship passes over the submarine, the sonar cannot detect it.

When they just set out, the sonar soldiers were still conscientious enough. They would report almost any abnormal sound they heard, but after several false alarms, Derek Chaplin began to feel impatient.

Derek Chaplin used to be an army officer. For the navy, Derek Chaplin was a standard layman. Although Derek Chaplin now has naval warships under his command, Derek Chaplin still uses the army's management system. Derek Chaplin has never realized that there is something wrong.

This is also the fundamental reason why Derek Chaplin did not get promoted in the world war.

"Okay, as you wish." James Jerome did not insist.

However, James Jerome has decided that from tomorrow, James Jerome will definitely carry a life jacket with him.

The navy and the army are still different. If there is an error in the army's intelligence, there is still a chance to remedy it, but if the navy makes a mistake, then the fate that awaits them can only be sunk.

Although James Jerome was the captain, he was unwilling to sink to the bottom of the sea with the Perth because of Derek Chaplin's stupid mistake. Although that was the last choice of many naval captains, the city of Perth was not a worthy object of loyalty.

At least not for James Jerome.