Chapter 378 The Laughing Stock of the Naval World

In the vast and boundless blue ocean, the waves kept coming, hitting the rocks, making a roar of the sky and the earth, and splashing white foam.

The Russian Major General Popov was standing on the plywood in high spirits listening to this moving movement. These days, he has taken the Russian navy to exterminate many pirates, and his personal pockets have also swelled.

For this "protector", the California government is very generous. Not only do all the spoils belong to them, but they also offer attractive bounties.

Kill a pirate for $50, catch a pirate for $500. Obviously, the California government is still worried about the Russians taking advantage of the good, so they adjusted the amount of the reward and encouraged the Russians to catch them alive with high bonuses.

U.S. Navy Colonel Magill said excitedly: "Your Excellency, the front is San Clemente Island. Three days ago, a group of pirates suddenly occupied this place, which seriously threatened our maritime security.

Magill hated pirates, not without reason. The United States has a limited number of warships on the West Coast, which are gradually being depleted in the confrontation with pirates.

The Navy's inability to defeat pirates has become a shame for the US Navy, and it is a shame in his military career. But now that the main force of the US Navy is on the East Coast, the federal government does not dare to divide its forces at all.

The few shipyards on the west coast have not been able to escape the attack of pirates. At present, it is difficult to repair ships, let alone build warships.

Now we have to pin our hopes on the Russians. Although the Russian fleet led by Popov is a bit old, it is also stronger than the warship that Magill used at the beginning.

Before the outbreak of the civil war, the U.S. government did not pay attention to armaments at all, and the limited navy was also placed on the east coast. The West Coast has not yet developed in this era, and there is no threat from foreign enemies, so it is naturally not taken seriously.

On the entire West Coast, the US Navy has less than 20 warships of all sizes combined, with an average age of 10+ years, not to mention their combat effectiveness.

Of course, the navy is the navy after all, and is always stronger than the pirates. Despite the behind-the-scenes support for these pirates, everyone is not crazy enough to sell warships to pirates.

They were also able to suppress privateer fleets (pirates) at the beginning of the war. However, with the increase in the number of battles, these warships were gradually consumed in the war, and in the end they were pressed and beaten by pirates.

Now with the help of the Russians, at the strong request of the California government, the U.S. Navy and the Russians formed a coalition to prepare to destroy the pirates entrenched in the Channel Islands.

Major General Popov glanced at Magill with contempt, and then said indifferently: "Don't worry, it's just a bunch of pirates."

The confident Popov didn't know what the enemy was about to face, so he stepped into the gate of hell step by step.

...

A small pirate leader said flatteringly: "Major, our people are ready, just waiting for the Russians to take the bait."

"Shut up, Will, you are an idiot. Call me captain now. If you reveal your identity, you kid will wait for court-martial!" British Major Gurney scolded sternly

This is no joke. The Royal Navy pretends to be a pirate, and if it spreads out, it will definitely cause a big earthquake.

In short, the big guys in the rear will never admit their identities, and they can only fight against this black pot.

If it wasn't for the arrival of the Russians, which cut off everyone's fortunes, they wouldn't have done so much.

The annihilation of a Russian fleet in the name of pirates is, of course, a slap in the face of the tsarist government, but it will also arouse suspicion from the outside world.

Most of the pirates on the west coast were driven by the Royal Navy from the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, and their combat effectiveness was naturally slag.

If they had the strength to wipe out this Russian fleet, they would have landed ashore and sacked San Francisco long ago. How could they have robbed the passing merchant ships peacefully?

Will, who had reacted, hurriedly changed his words and said, "Yes, Captain!"

Gurney glared at him and said angrily: "Send someone to inform the other captains to get ready. This farce will not be without them. How can we prove the strength of our pirate alliance without the participation of professionals?"

"Pirate Alliance" This is the culprit that the British found for this incident. If a bunch of loose pirates took out the Russian fleet, no one would believe it.

In order not to make the outside world suspicious, the black hands behind the scenes launched the Pirate Alliance. This explanation is much more reasonable. Although the strength of the pirates is limited, the ants kill the elephants.

As long as there is no obvious evidence left, even if the Russians guess that they have been plotted against them, John Bull can still hold it.

...

Through the telescope, Major Gurney could see the Russian fleet approaching. The people who greeted them were real pirates. As the Royal Navy version of the "pirates" lying in ambush on the back of the island, naturally they couldn't emerge in advance.

As long as the fighting broke out, Gurney was not worried about the Russians escaping. Who made the tsarist government poor? From the outbreak of the War in the Near East to the present, the Russian navy has been almost stagnant.

Of course, Admiral Menshkov, who was born in the army, also made a great contribution.

Since he promoted the army drills in the navy, the land combat capability of the Russian navy has skyrocketed. Even because the navy's food is better, the boys have a good body, and their combat effectiveness even exceeds that of most of the Russian army.

In terms of the naval capabilities of the navy, it is estimated that only Prussia, which directly transformed the army into the navy, can be compared. All other countries must join the Marine Corps.

Fortunately, the British were preparing to fight the Russians at sea, and if they waited for the Russians to land, they would understand what it was.

The navy's pinnacle land combat capability.

The speed of the warships that brought confidence to Major Gurney, the tsarist government was reluctant to replace all warships with steam engines, which required a lot of investment, and the economy was very uneconomical.

Even the rich and powerful John Bull has only rebuilt some of the battleships. Windsurfing is still one of the main driving forces of this era, and people are happy to use cheaper power when they are not in a hurry.

In order to wipe out the Russians, John Bull sent a clipper with a steam engine. At full speed, most of these warships can run at a speed of 14 to 17 knots.

On this good day with the breeze blowing, the Russian warship can run at a speed of 10 knots, even if God bless it, this is already a gap in the times.

Seeing the pirates fighting in a panic, Major General Popov ordered very experienced: "Attack!"

Seeing the pirates fleeing, Major General Popov felt very fulfilled, as if this was the happiest time in his life.

Without any hesitation, the combined Russian-American fleet pursued the pirates in the fleeing direction, and danger was approaching them.

Soon came to the corner of the island, the pirate ship sent a signal, and the "pirates" lurking in the north suddenly killed them.

The sound of the roaring cannons instantly blinded Major General Popov. How could the enemy have an ambush?

Before he could figure this out, the combined Russian-American fleet was at an absolute disadvantage on the battlefield, and the pirates who had fled in all directions were now joining the battle.

The formation, the gods and horses have long ceased to exist. When the pirates were investigated, the Russian-American combined fleet swarmed up, and now they have been in chaos after being suddenly attacked.

Sensing that something was wrong, the experienced U.S. warship spontaneously began to run away. This is the experience they have summed up in recent years. If you can't win, run quickly.

Seeing his comrades running away, Popov was furious. They were helping the Americans fight, but when they encountered danger, the Americans ran away without saying a word.

"Withdraw!" Popov ordered through gritted teeth.

Now start running, and being able to escape half of the warships is considered luck. The artillery fire was still roaring, and the "Moscow" warship was hit five times in a row, and finally died and slowly sank.

Without Popov's order, the people on the ship spontaneously began to abandon the ship. Everyone crowded on the lifeboat, holding the white flag and slowly leaving the battlefield.

...