Li Xiao naturally noticed Alexey's somewhat frantic expression, but his reaction was not as big as Alexey's. He felt that it was not Alexey's thinking that was wrong, but Alexey's way of doing things.
The style still belongs to this era, but he transcends 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 cannot do it, but that they simply don't realize that they can do it.
In a sense, Li Xiao is unscrupulous, while Alexei is still ethical. This is probably the biggest difference between them.
Why does Li Xiao say that Grand Duke Constantine still has a chance to join the Black Sea Fleet? That is analyzed from the perspective of a time traveler. In the future Crimean War, the performance of the Black Sea Fleet can only be said to be ups and downs. When it comes to the Turkish Navy
How glorious it was, how embarrassing it was when it was attacked by the British and French combined fleets.
The root cause of all this is actually the issue of strength. Even with the strength of the Black Sea Fleet, it would be useless to replace Nelson as the commander.
But Li Xiao is not a person who gives up easily. In this situation, he really can't help the Black Sea Fleet to turn defeat into victory, unless all members of the Black Sea Fleet become Ultraman. But this does not mean that Li Xiao is like surrendering.
Why did he give Kornilov and Nassimov the idea to use mine blockade tactics before? The reason is very simple. It is impossible for the Black Sea Fleet to defeat the British and French combined fleets, but fighting for an unwinnable draw is still
possible.
If his strategy is used to completely seal the Black Sea Strait and ensure that the British and French combined fleets cannot block the Black Sea Fleet in the Sevastopol Urn to catch turtles in one or two years as historically happened, then this battle can still be fought.
But Li Xiao knew better. Although he could convince Kornilov and Nassimov to accept his suggestions, he could not convince Lieutenant General Berghe, let alone the stubborn Nicholas I.
, to these old-fashioned people, Li Xiao's tactics are crooked. Even if they are to defend the so-called chivalry, these fools will not like the so-called mine blockade tactics.
Therefore, if you want to make the war favorable to your side and prevent Britain and France from easily attacking Sevastopol, you must find a way to get the Black Sea Fleet to accept mine tactics.
Naturally, the best way to make the first move is to change someone to be the commander of the Black Sea Fleet. There is absolutely no way that guy Berge can agree to any mine blockade. If Britain and France declare war, the only way he can think of is to put the fleet in
Under the protection of the fortress of Sevastopol, it avoided head-on confrontation with the British and French fleets.
This trick is not ineffective. Historically, the British and French combined fleets did not have many ways to deal with Sevastopol's not-so-strong fortress defense system, and the effect of sea bombardment was also very average. However, the existence of the Black Sea Fleet
What’s the point?
Trapped in the harbor, you can only sit back and watch the enemy show off his power, and even the fleet that spent a huge amount of money to build can only destroy itself. Such a result is simply a slap in the face of the navy, isn't it?
What's more, the reason why the coalition forces were able to besiege Sevastopol for several years was because they were sure that Russia had no navy to compete with it, and could unscrupulously transport supplies and soldiers from Turkey to supplement it. From this perspective, the moment Russia lost control of the Black Sea
The outcome of the war is already determined.
Anyway, Li Xiao didn't like this result, and the only way to change this result was to get Belkh out and replace him with someone else as commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
But it is not easy to do this. As mentioned before, it is impossible for Nicholas I to allow Kornilov and Nassimov to completely take over the fleet, otherwise he would not let Berghe be the commander. I think.
To take over the fleet, the first thing to do is to get rid of Belkh.
Nicholas I had to be disappointed or give up on Belcher, and then he was on the verge of war before Archduke Constantine could temporarily take over the fleet.
To achieve this or these two points, you must first have the opportunity, but Li Xiao feels that this opportunity will come soon. According to the schedule, Menshikov will soon arrive in Istanbul to negotiate with Turkey. According to Nicholas I
According to the instructions, the Black Sea Fleet must cooperate with the old eunuch to exert maximum pressure, which means that the Black Sea Fleet must take action.
And this is the opportunity!
Kornilov and Nasimov had already told Li Xiao that the Black Sea Fleet had made relevant plans to complete this mission and was preparing to send the main force of the fleet to sea and enter Turkey's territory for strategic deterrence.
This time, there are two main targets for strategic deterrence. One is naturally Istanbul, and the other is Sinop. Istanbul is familiar to everyone. It 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.
In a military sense, the Port of Sinop is definitely not as high as Istanbul. It cannot hold the throat. However, this port has become a natural semicircular port due to the special terrain conditions (Sinop Point). The entire coast
Being embedded inland, winds from all directions are weakened, making it suitable for use as a naval base.
The Turkish Navy naturally has a fleet stationed at this important military port. For the Black Sea Fleet, it is not a particularly difficult task to frighten this small Turkish fleet. Almost all generals, including Commander Belkh, are not interested in this.
Particularly concerned.
But Li Xiao felt that there was something to be done here. The result of the historical Sinop naval battle was of course a complete victory for the Black Sea Fleet, but because the city of Sinop was almost destroyed when the port fortress was bombarded, the Black Sea Fleet's victory
This behavior was made a big fuss by British and French politicians, taking the spirit of the Holy Mother to the extreme and making them seem to care about the life and death of the Turks.
This also laid the foundation for Britain and France to later 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 definitely not let it go, right?
So Li Xiao suggested that Kornilov and Nassimov use Sinop to make a fuss. Didn’t Nicholas I let the Black Sea Fleet deter Turkey? Then they might as well make the deterrence more sharp, and it is best to find an opportunity.
Hit him with a gunshot.
It would be best if we could give Turkey a good beating. Even if we don't have the best attitude, we should still be a little more arrogant. Turkey must be completely disgraced. The Virgin Mary of England and France must feel the need to stand up for Turkey. Only in this way can we start the next step.