Another World: Naval Storm

Chapter 169: New Commander of the Grand Fleet

Hochukis needed a major victory to secure his position as Prime Minister, but the sinking of several Drak submarines and attack ships could not satisfy the Tarun people's desire for victory.

Attacking the Ottomans and opening up new battlefields were important plans of Horchukis to add to his political achievements, but the sick Ottomans slapped Horchukis hard several times, and the increasing casualties made him increasingly unpopular in the country.

Enduring the abuse, Hoqiukis tried his best to save the situation, but the Battle of Simbrica completely sent him off the throne of Prime Minister.

The tragic North Sea decisive battle caused the Drake Empire to lose a new battlecruiser, five old battleships (including three pre-dreadnoughts of the Second Battleship Squadron), five armored light cruisers, ten destroyers and an auxiliary ship, with a total loss of more than 7.9 tons. A total of sailors were killed, were seriously injured, and were missing.

The Talens lost three battleships, three battlecruisers, and three light cruisers. Twenty-two destroyers sank, with a loss of more than 18.9 tons. A total of officers and soldiers were killed, sailors were seriously injured, and sailors were missing.

Whether in terms of the number of warships damaged, the number of sailors killed, or the number of battleships damaged, the Talens were the big losers in the Battle of Simbrica.

This naval battle was like a straw that broke the camel's back, crushing the last bit of trust that the people of Talen had in Hochukis. Hochukis had no choice but to step down and continue to be a well-known journalist. Of course, this was a joke. His new position was the commander of the Albion Fusiliers, but the War Department could swear that they had gone through all the archival documents and found that this regiment was not in the battle sequence of the Talen Army.

It was as if this regiment was specially formed for Hochukis, and no one knew its personnel, organization, or location.

The phoenix dances in the air, and David Kazan-George, leader of the Talen Liberal Party, comes to power. It will definitely take more than a month for him to suppress and quell the differences among the various factions before he can formally exercise and grasp all powers.

The Navy Department is another hard-hit area denounced by the people of Tarun. Under heavy pressure, in addition to alcohol and cigars, opium has become a magic drug for some naval officers and soldiers to relieve stress.

The defeated Royal Navy officers and soldiers remembered their Field Marshal Fisher and eagerly hoped that the veteran could come forward to save the Royal Navy. Only he had the ability to reverse the decline. Having a high prestige in the Royal Navy, he could easily boost the officers and soldiers' low morale and lead the Royal Navy to regain its glory.

There were rumors that the new prime minister had already issued a call-up order to Marshal Fischer, but the news that the old marshal's right to maximum freedom was rejected changed everything.

Bureaucrats are unwilling to share power. As expected, the Defense Committee did not include Admiral Fisher in its list of candidates. Although the Defense Committee confidently announced to everyone that they would quickly select the Admiral and the Grand Fleet Commander who could lead the Royal Navy out of its predicament, the Royal Navy was concerned that no one could lead the Royal Navy better than Admiral Fisher.

The commanders of several squadrons of the Grand Fleet and senior officers of the Navy Department gathered at the Navy Department on the 18th, waiting for the arrival of members of the National Defense Committee and the new commander of the Grand Fleet.

Everyone in the conference room was whispering in groups of three or five. The fired Jericho and Liam were also there, but the topics they were discussing were different. They were talking about where in Albion the fish were easier to catch and where the environment was suitable for retirement.

The door of the conference room was pushed open, and the noisy people suddenly quieted down. Admiral Sally Jefferson, who had been the dean of the Royal Naval Academy of Talen Albion and was responsible for attacking and occupying the colonies of the Drake Empire on the Felix Continent during the war, walked in with several members of the National Defense Committee.

Several members of the National Defense Committee walked calmly to the chair and looked calmly at the people below the stage, while Jefferson quietly sat in the position of commander of the Grand Fleet.

"It's him?"

"He actually dared to accept the appointment?" There was an uproar in the conference room, and everyone looked at each other with an expression of disbelief.

"After discussion and decision by the National Defense Committee, His Majesty the King approved! Admiral Sally Jefferson is specially appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Grand Fleet! I hope you will cooperate with Commander Jefferson and restore the strength of the Grand Fleet as soon as possible!" After a member of the National Defense Committee read out the appointment, sparse applause broke out.

Although Sally Jefferson had a background in naval service, he was not initially in charge of combat as a commander, but rather dealt with logistics as a technical officer.

Although he later had the experience of suppressing the mob in Ellis, that was not at sea after all; and even though he had the titles of Third Lord of the Admiralty and Naval Advisor, no one thought that his ability was as strong as that of Marshal Jericho; with such a person placed in the position of commander-in-chief of the Grand Fleet, the naval officers in the conference room felt that the Royal Navy was doomed.

Seeing the bored crowd below the stage, the defense committee members and Jefferson did not stay for long and walked out leisurely. They still had to go to the Army Department to attend an important meeting. It was said that there was a new weapon that could break the current stalemate of heavy troops on the Western Front. As the footsteps faded away, the conference room became noisy again.

"Oh my God, are they blind? How could they let him be the commander of the Grand Fleet?"

"When I think of him, I feel like throwing up. I heard he likes men!"

"It doesn't matter if you like men or not, but the Grand Fleet needs someone with excellent commanding ability to lead it. His arrival is indeed inappropriate!"

"Not only is he inappropriate, he looks more like a politician than a soldier!" sneered a lieutenant general.

"Indeed! I heard that he has a four-member organization that is engaged in political struggles all day long, making the House of Lords a mess. As long as he doesn't like a bill, he will do everything he can to ruin it!" added another major general.

"It looks like our hard days are about to begin!" Everyone sighed, without any good solution.

*****

"Leo? Leo~~"

"Vashir, stop yelling! He can't run away?" Nicolas maintained his aristocratic demeanor. He and Vashir came to visit Leo who was on vacation.

"Uncle Nicolas!" Little Wenna rushed out of the room and threw herself into Nicolas' arms. Wenna liked this uncle the most because Nicolas was the most handsome.

"Oh wow, little Wenna is a grown-up girl now, don't be so impatient!" Nicholas couldn't help laughing.

"Wena, look, your uncle Nicholas doesn't like you, so let me hug you!" Vasir stretched out his hand to grab Wenna. Who doesn't like a cute child?

"You're here? Leo is still in the study. I don't know what he has been doing hiding in the house these days. Wen Na, come down! Uncles, don't make trouble since father has something to talk to you about!" The father is kind and the mother is strict. For Wen Na, her mother Hannah's words are more effective than Leo's.