Chapter 129 Ideas (2)

Li Xiao naturally noticed Alexei's crazy expression, but his reaction was not as big as Alexei's. He felt that it wasn't that there was something wrong with Alexei's thinking, but that Alexei's way of doing things was wrong. Style still belongs to this era, but he is beyond this era.

Alexei belongs to the typical thoughts and practices of people of this era. Some things are not that they can't think of or can't do it, but that they don't realize that they can do it at all.

In a sense, Li Xiao is unscrupulous, while Alexei still has integrity. This is probably the biggest difference between them.

Why did Li Xiao say that Grand Duke Constantine still has a chance to enter the Black Sea Fleet? It was analyzed from the perspective of the traveler. In the future Crimean War, the performance of the Black Sea Fleet can only be described as ups and downs. How glorious it was when it was engaged in the Turkish navy, it would be so embarrassing when it was engaged by the British and French combined fleet.

The root cause of all this is actually a matter of strength, and it is useless to replace Nelson as the commander with the strength of the Black Sea Fleet.

But Li Xiao is not a person who easily admits defeat. In the current situation, he really can't help the Black Sea Fleet to turn defeat into victory, unless all the members of the Black Sea Fleet become Ultraman. However, this does not mean that Li Xiao is like raising his hands in surrender.

Why did he advise Kornilov and Nasimov to use mines to block them? The reason is simple. It is impossible for the Black Sea Fleet to defeat the British and French combined fleets, but it is still possible to win an undefeated draw.

If his strategy is used to completely seal off the Black Sea Strait and ensure that the British and French combined fleet cannot block the Black Sea Fleet in the Sevastopol urn to catch the turtle within a year or two, then this battle will still be fought.

But Li Xiao knew better. Although he could persuade Kornilov and Nasimov to accept his suggestion, he could not persuade Lieutenant General Berkh, let alone the stubborn Nicholas I. Well, for these old-fashioned people, Li Xiao's method is crooked, even if it is to defend the so-called chivalry, these fools will not like the so-called mine blockade tactics.

So if you want to make the war beneficial to your side, so that Britain and France can't easily attack Sevastopol, you have to find a way to make the Black Sea Fleet accept mine tactics.

Naturally, the best way to be the first to charge forward is to change someone else to be the commander of the Black Sea Fleet. That guy, Berge, will definitely not agree to any mine blockade. If Britain and France declare war, the only way he can think of is to place the fleet in Under the protection of the fortress of Sevastopol, it avoided head-to-head confrontation with the British and French fleets.

It’s not that this trick doesn’t work. Historically, the British and French combined fleets really don’t have many ways to deal with Sevastopol’s not-so-solid fortress defense system.

The shelling effect at sea is also very average. However, what is the significance of the existence of the Black Sea Fleet in this way?

Stuck in the port, you can only sit and watch the enemy show off their power, and even the fleet that spent a lot of money in the end can only self-destruct. Such a result is simply a slap in the face of the Navy, okay?

What's more, the reason why the coalition forces have been able to besiege Sevastopol for several years is that Russia has no navy to contend with, and it can unscrupulously transport supplies and soldiers from Turkey to replenish them. From this perspective, the outcome of the war was already doomed the moment Russia lost its command over the Black Sea.

Anyway, Li Xiao didn't like this result, and the only way to change this result was to try to get Berge to leave and replace him with someone else as the commander of the Black Sea Fleet.

However, it is not easy to achieve this. As I said earlier, it is impossible for Nicholas I to allow Kornilov and Nasimov to completely take over the fleet, otherwise Berkh would not be allowed to be the commander. If you want to take over the fleet, the first thing you need to do is get rid of Berge.

Nicholas I had to be disappointed or give up on Berge, and then he was in a state of battle before Grand Duke Constantine could take over the fleet temporarily.

To achieve this or these two points, you must first have an opportunity, but Li Xiao thinks that this opportunity will come soon. According to the schedule, Menshikov will arrive in Istanbul soon to negotiate with Turkey. According to Nicholas I's instructions, the Black Sea Fleet must cooperate with the old eunuch to exert extreme pressure, which means that the Black Sea Fleet must take action.

And here's the opportunity!

Kornilov and Nasimov have already told Li Xiao that the Black Sea Fleet has formulated relevant plans to complete this mission, and plans to send the main force of the fleet to the sea to enter the Turkish territory for strategic deterrence.

This time, the strategic deterrence mainly has two goals, one is naturally Istanbul, and the other is Sinop. Everyone is familiar with Istanbul. This is the capital and most important port of Ottoman Turkey. Sinop’s status is naturally not as high as Istanbul, but it is also Turkey’s main naval base in the Black Sea.

From a military point of view, Sinop Port is definitely not as high as Istanbul. It has no way to guard its throat, but this port has become a natural semicircular port because of its special topographical conditions (Sinop Point). Embedded inland with weakened winds on all sides, it is well suited as a naval base.

The Turkish Navy naturally stationed a fleet in this important military port. For the Black Sea Fleet, deterring this small Turkish fleet is not a particularly difficult task. Almost all the generals, including Commander Berkh, didn't particularly care about this.

However, Li Xiao felt that there could be something to write about here. Of course, the result of the historical Sinop naval battle was the complete victory of the Black Sea Fleet. The behavior was used by British and French politicians to make a big fuss, bringing the spirit of the Virgin to the extreme, making them seem to care more about the life and death of the Turks.

This also laid the groundwork for Britain and France to declare war on Russia. Since Britain and France have used Sinop to make a fuss in history, if they are given another chance, they will still not let it go, right?

So Li Xiao suggested that Kornilov and Nasimov use Sinop to make a fuss. Didn't Nicholas I let the Black Sea Fleet deter Turkey? Then you might as well make the deterrence a little bit sharper, and it is best to find a chance to mess with him.

It would be the best if you can beat Turkey up. Even if you can’t be the best, you have to be a bit more arrogant. You must make Turkey lose face, and you must make the Holy Mother of England and France feel the need to stand up for Turkey. Only in this way can you start the next step operate……