Another World: Naval Storm

Chapter 171 Resignation

The once powerful Kingdom of Talen is now in chaos, and the new Prime Minister has not yet figured out what is going on. The strong-willed Art Bell and the inexperienced Sally Jefferson take over as Secretary of the Admiralty and Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet respectively, marking a major reshuffle of the Royal Navy's top brass.

After a series of efforts by the Talen government to appease them, the angry Albi people finally calmed down a little. After a rational analysis, the people of Talen found that their situation was so bad that their old enemy, the Drak, was about to march into the three islands of Talen, and the piercing blade was already on their necks.

The last time Talen was in such a predicament was more than two hundred years ago, and painful memories continue to emerge. After the Battle of Simbrica, the Talen government no longer had any reason to cover up their incompetence.

The Harden Fleet was crippled, and although the Talen government saw the loss as insignificant, it would take time to make up for the loss. The Strait Fleet suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Ottomans because of Hochukis's willful behavior, and the remaining warships were badly damaged by the Drak's submarine warfare and mine warfare.

As for the pride of the Kingdom of Tarun, the most powerful fleet of the Royal Navy, it was stranded in the port like a defeated dog, and the sense of security of the people of Tarun dropped to the bottom.

Although Art Bell, the new Minister of the Navy of the Kingdom of Taren, made a bold statement, announcing that the Taren shipyard would operate at full capacity and crush the Ocean Fleet with absolute numerical advantage, people's concerns did not decrease; after the former Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Taren stepped down, he announced the organization of an army with a total strength of no more than 1,200 people, numbered as the Albion Fusiliers, and Hoqiukis declared that he was willing to fight for the people of Taren, and the troops would be transferred to the battlefield of Fran. The choice of the Taren people did not make the Drak people think so, because the Drak people were used to defeating the majority with the minority.

At the meeting of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Yemelica on April 4, President Wilson delivered a speech, denouncing the evil of the Drake Empire and its allies and blaming the Drake Empire for starting the war. In his report, he reiterated the necessity of supporting the Allies and announced the casualties of the Yemelica army in the war in exchange for the people's feelings of common hatred of the enemy.

Although the figures cited by Wilson mobilized most of the Yemelika people, they also frightened some citizens. You should know that the entire Yemelika Republic had only ten dreadnoughts in March 1917, which means that a medium-sized naval battle in Shipwreck Bay was enough to cause the Yemelika people to lose more than one-third of their combat effectiveness. As for the North Sea decisive battle that just ended, the Yemelika Navy, ranked third in the world, could only use pre-dreadnoughts to hold the scene.

Wilson also proposed a new conscription bill. After all, the number of casualties on the eastern and western fronts was tens of thousands every day. How could Yemelika's army, which was as unyielding as the Bigollen Army, hold on?

After the congressional meeting, every Republican and Democrat received countless pairs of shoes and razor blades. The financial market on Joaquin Street has already predicted that, except for the military, food, and coal sectors, the Yemelica stock market will continue to fall, and Taron's treasury bonds will be treated as junk and sold off by investors in a panic. Taron's new Prime Minister David's plan to issue a new round of treasury bonds to raise funds has been dashed before it was implemented.

In far southern and southeastern Europe, the Allies' passive situation was reversed almost overnight.

In the Kingdom of Itri, King Vittorio Emanuele III has strong control over the parliament. A new conscription bill has been passed again. The Kingdom of Itri wants to take advantage of the situation to gain more benefits and sends Foreign Minister Ciano to visit Platinum.

The impact of the decisive battle in the North Sea continued to ferment, and under the butterfly effect, good news continued to come from the Allied forces. However, this was not what the citizens of Platinum were most concerned about. Nothing was more important than the news of the resignation of Leo Sevens, Vice Admiral of the Imperial Navy and Commander of the First Reconnaissance Fleet.

The people of Drake enjoyed their victory for only two days when the East Press Newspaper, which usually denigrated the navy, first disclosed the speculation that the First Scouting Fleet had acted without authorization in the North Sea decisive battle. Due to the lack of solid evidence and the strong influence of Leo among the people of the Empire, the East Press Newspaper was only hinting and guiding the public's imagination.

The Platinum Man originally thought that this was just a fabricated story by the New Prius Newspaper to attract attention. After all, this newspaper has always been anti-navy, and Leo, as the top star of the navy, is also one of the important targets of attack of this newspaper.

The attack on Leo by the East Press News angered the Platinum People. People surrounded the newspaper and frantically demanded that the newspaper clarify and apologize, but the situation gradually exceeded the Platinum People's understanding.

The Platinum people realized that their respected general might have violated some rules. The Drak people had long been following the rules and regulations, so the crowd that originally supported Leo was divided, and arguments and debates were everywhere in every street and alley of Platinum City.

At this moment, Leo's resignation letter was exposed by someone, which immediately caused a storm.

"Since I graduated from Kerry College and joined the Imperial Navy, I have been a winner in life. Since the war began, my record has not been excellent, and there were times when I was chased to the end by my old friends, but the young people in Draco still regard me as an idol! Although the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Navy respect and love me, and the Empire and its allies think that I am an excellent commander who can bring victory, I am just a lucky man favored by the goddess of luck. I admit to everyone that I did make a serious mistake in the Battle of Simbrica."

"I could have relied on my merits to continue serving in the Navy, but my heart tells me that I should bear the consequences of my mistakes. As many newspapers and media have said, as a hero in the eyes of the people of Drake, I should take responsibility, so I will resign!"

"I hope the general public can remain calm. I am just a pure soldier in the Imperial Navy. Even without me, the Ocean Fleet is still the Ocean Fleet that is brave and hardworking! The Navy also has the brave General Malawi, the General Apewen who is in charge of the overall situation, and the elites like Nicolas and Vasir who are like me. I will always support the Empire. Long live the people of Drake!"

The resignation letter was so sincere and heartfelt that people knew that Leo was speaking the truth, but people still couldn't understand it.

"The general spent the first sixteen or seventeen years of his service in the Far East, fighting for the empire more than once. He even risked his life after the war. The current good situation of the empire is all due to the general's efforts! How can such a general, who has shed his blood for the Drake nation, be allowed to step down so disgracefully?" This is the voice of an ordinary Platinum citizen, and it also represents the voice of thousands of Drake people.