The sun never sets in America

Chapter 372 Mediterranean Naval Battle

"The French army is marching towards Naples in the south!!"

"The loss of Italy by the Austrians is almost a foregone conclusion."

After the Battle of Florence, the French army occupied this large city in northern Italy with superior force and controlled the local transportation lines, blocking transportation between the entire northern Italy and the south.

In the office at No. 10 Downing Street, Kidd, as the director of MI6, is reporting to British Prime Minister Russell on the latest war situation in Italy.

Russell was silent for a while, and then spoke:

"Kidd, do you think we should support the Austrians?"

Kidd answered directly:

"Yes, I think we should directly ally with Austria now. We cannot let the French get Italy and control the Mediterranean. This would be a disaster for the British Empire."

Russell lit his pipe and then spoke:

"It's easy to declare war with France, but have you considered the situation on the Black Sea?"

"The Russians are preparing to make a move. If we declare war on France at this time, it is likely to lead to Russian remittances and France's alliance. This will be a disaster for the British Empire!!"

After all, avoiding greater losses has always been what those people put in their "verbal" words.

Hungary, which made the most noise, directly shouted: "If the Italians can be allowed to be independent, then Hungary's future will be tomorrow!!"

On the battleship, Horch held a telescope and kept observing the Italian coastline. His mission today was also very simple, which was to block the entire Italian coastline, cover the French army's final landing, and completely control the core strategic point of Italy.

The chain reaction caused by the Hungarians was strong. Other powerful principalities such as Croatia were actually "ready to make a move", but they just lacked an opportunity.

"Your Majesty, according to the intelligence just now, the French army has basically taken control of Naples. Our army has failed. Your Majesty..."

"Like the Navy!!"

In the Mediterranean Sea, near Italy, a huge French fleet is sailing at a constant speed.

"But we can't just watch the French control Italy, even if Italy is destined to be controlled by the French!!"

Joseph's expression was complicated. He didn't like the current situation, but the reality was so cruel. What couldn't be obtained on the battlefield could only be obtained at a higher price elsewhere.

Russell's words were very clear, and Kidd stopped asking any more questions.

After all, the feeling of "enthusiasm being consumed" is not a good one! !

Austria's defeat on the battlefield had a profound impact on various states.

Russell had a pipe in his mouth, white smoke kept coming out from between his lips, with a complicated expression, and then he said: "You are right, we can't let the French get Italy so easily!!"

After all, the war has been going on for almost a month, and Austria has not achieved any victory. Unreasonably, he, the Minister of War, has to take the blame.

.........

.........

The Austrian Empire was already teetering on the "brink of defeat."

When Joseph opened his eyes every morning, he could receive news of defeat, or "defeat."

Kidd was actually very dissatisfied with the French's control of Italy. According to his intelligence, once Italy was lost, the next step would be the Mediterranean.

But unfortunately, his efforts were not seen by God.

The so-called "tomorrow" is actually the day of separation from the Austrian Empire.

But unfortunately, the loss of Italy was inevitable. The only thing Joseph could do was to "curse" Napoleon III and the French.

But every time he wanted to compromise, there was always a voice in his heart telling him that he would win, and his Austrian Empire would achieve final victory.

Joseph felt like a "sailing boat" in the sea, facing the waves of the sea alone.

And this opportunity, with the continuous defeat of the Austrian army on the battlefield, is becoming a reality.

"For example??" Kidd asked.

Vienna, since the war broke out, the whole of Vienna has been waiting for news of victory, but unfortunately, from the beginning of the war to now, news of the Austrian army's "loss of troops and ground" can be heard almost every day, so that now, for the war, ordinary Austrians People don’t pay much attention to it anymore.

…………

Although Russell was not very clear about the relationship between France and Russia, he only needed to look at the map to understand what would happen if Russia and France formed an alliance and there were no checks and balances in the middle. ?

So much so that before going to bed every night, he prayed to wake up later to avoid failure.

The long period of failure caused Joseph to have self-doubt. He had many times doubted whether his persistence was correct and whether Austria really wanted to lose everything for "Italy".

But just like the saying, "You won't know until you try." Within Austria, there are also a group of "warriors" who do not want to retreat.

The ship has a total of twelve battleships, headed by the Marseille, which is a second-class French battleship with a displacement of 7,000 tons. It is also a pretty good battleship in the world.

"Even if it's for those damn British guys!!"

Even in the Austrian internal media, openly talking about "failure" is no longer a shameful thing, but in the eyes of many people, it is a "patriotic" act.

Army Minister Rodri's face was filled with panic and "shame".

This means that from Eastern Europe to Western Europe, there will be an alliance in the entire vast area, a terrifying "Franco-Russian alliance".

"So, we should be more active!!"

Joseph's face kept changing, and then he spoke:

"We must win once, even if it is a small one, we must win!!"

Austrian Emperor Joseph could be said to be the most tired person in Austria during this period. After the war broke out, he actively traveled to all parties, just for a little "opportunity".

Even so, there has always been a group of "militant factions" within Austria. Most of them are inextricably linked to Italy. The most common thing they say is "defending the sacred territory of the empire", but in fact everyone with a discerning eye knows that the so-called defense , just to defend their own interests in Italy.

The sea breeze blew slowly, and the military uniform on Huo Xi kept making a "whooshing" sound, as if it was blowing the entire Apennine Peninsula.

"A fleet was spotted ahead, suspected to be the main battleship of the Austrians!!"

There was a voice in his ear, and Huo Xi's expression changed instantly. He lost the calmness just now and said in a low tone:

"Notify all warships to enter combat status!!"

Then looking at the calm and unruffled sea, he felt that something was "off" after the Austrian fleet appeared just now.

After all, according to intelligence, the Austrians should not have appeared at this time! !

But now, they appear! !

With such suspicion, Horch waited for the Austrian Mediterranean Fleet headed by the flagship Vienna.

Looking at the fourteen battleships in front of him, Huo Xi had a solemn expression and then spoke:

"Raise the battle flag!!"

Soon, flags symbolizing decisive battle and death were raised on the twelve battleships.

The war has reached the most dangerous edge.

At 1:07 pm local time, the naval battle began with the approach of an Austrian cruiser.

Boom boom boom! ! !

There were waves everywhere on the sea, and the waves exploded, blocking part of the view.

"Turn left!!"

"Turn left!!"

On the French warships, the sound of turning left rudder sounded one after another. Soon, more than a dozen warships flying the French tricolor flag simultaneously drew a left-leaning C on the sea.

Boom boom boom! !

As soon as they turned around, two of them formed a straddle attack and accidentally hit the ammunition depot of one of the Austrian warships.

"Boom", explosions continued to sound, a strong wind blew by, and the fire used the wind to turn the warship named "Kalia" into a fire ship.

Soon, as another shell hit, many kayaks appeared on the sea. These were self-rescue boats on the ship.

"Ah!!" The shell exploded in front of the rubber kayak, and the seven or eight Austrian navy members who had just been lamenting that they were alive sank to the bottom of the sea. The battleship Kalia sank with them.

The next naval battle seemed more "exciting" than the one just now.

On the sea, the Austrian fleet, which was missing one ship and had only thirteen battleships left, was like an angry lion. It gradually used some tricks that it did not dare to use before.

The Vienna is a typical "10,000-ton ship". There are actually very few warships of this level in the world, and most of them are the flagships of various countries.

As the only 10,000-ton ship among the two fleets, the Vienna undoubtedly took over the most firepower output tasks among the Austrian fleets.

The 305mm artillery kept making waves on the sea, but unfortunately, apart from just hitting a cruiser and doing little damage, the rest were of no use.

The French warships opposite it were obviously much smarter. They kept keeping distance from the Vienna and focused their firepower on the Austrian ships except Vienna.

In essence, it is to use strengths and avoid weaknesses. Since we currently do not have 10,000-ton ships, it is best to keep a distance from the Austrian army, which is obviously "over the top", and obtain the greatest victory at the minimum cost.

But the Austrians were not fools, and they obviously would not let the French control the situation.

Soon, the Austrian ship raised a flag to change direction. Compared to the French fleet's left direction just now, this time the Austrians were obviously facing the opposite direction.

"Right, right!!"

This is what the Austrians kept repeating when they first turned.

"Boom boom", listening to the sound of artillery in his ears, Horch gave his last order with a solemn expression: "Accelerate and get closer, boxing with the Austrians!!"

When the twelve French warships approached, it was obvious that the Austrian warships on the opposite side were panicking.

There was even a "step back".

After all, the Austrians were still timid. When it came to risking their lives, they began to retreat.

Looking at the retreating Austrian ship in the telescope, Horch's frown instantly relaxed. He knew how to deal with these Austrians.

Boom boom boom! ! !

When the French ship suddenly accelerated several hundred meters and opened fire, the Austrians had just woken up from their "nightmare."

After finally building up the courage to fight back, the French retreated.

Yes retreated, not giving the Austrians any chance.

But soon, the French ship came up again at high speed, and at the same time, it was accompanied by intensive artillery fire.

The artillery fire was like raindrops, scattered on the sea, like meatballs that had just been cooked, constantly exploding into "splashes of oil".

The Austrians will eventually have to pay the price for their "cowardice".

When an armor-piercing projectile accurately penetrated the right chord, the old-fashioned iron-clad ship named Hutter was fine at first, but as more and more seawater filled it, it slowly tilted.

Boom! !

Several more consecutive grenades exploded around the Huth, speeding up the life countdown of the ironclad ship again.

At 1:23 in the afternoon, in less than 20 minutes of naval battle, the Austrians had already lost two battleships, one of which had a tonnage of more than 5,000 tons.

Horch jumped up the moment the Huth sank. The moment he jumped, he understood that the Austrians had no hope in this naval battle.

In fact, this is indeed the case. Two battleships were lost in a row, but the French on the other side had not suffered any losses, and they also had a 10,000-ton ship. No matter how you put it, "skills are inferior to others" is an unavoidable problem.

Faced with such a situation, the Austrians first did not find their own reasons, but scolded the British.

"Damn it, I knew the British guys were unreliable!!"

"If they don't come here yet, we will leave here or give up on Italy!!"

Fleet Commander Ryan revealed a secret that could easily trigger a war.

The British not only participated in this war, but may directly participate in it! !

The Austrians took over the move, which looked very strange to the French. There was no fighting, it was basically just two shots and then changing places, never entangled with the French.

Such behavior of "fighting and retreating at the same time" is naturally considered "cowardly" by the French.

Now that the Austrians have lost the courage to continue fighting in formation, there is no need for the French to be so polite.

The next half hour is the most difficult half hour for the Austrians.

It was almost spent under the fire of the French. If the Vienna, the only 10,000-ton ship behind, had not blocked its position and forced the French ship on the opposite side to retreat, what might have happened next would have caused Austria to Things that make people feel "embarrassed".

Boom boom boom! ! !

The sound of artillery fire was mixed with the French "national curse" and drowned the Austrian warship, which was still slowly reloading.

Soon, another Austrian battleship was smoking. Although it was extinguished, the incompetence of the Austrians was fully demonstrated in this naval battle.

Horch stood in the captain's room and shook his head. If he was worried about the strength of the Austrians at first, now he only has contempt.

Just now he was worried about the Austrian fleet, but now it seems that it is completely "unnecessary".

The Austrians did not understand the navy at all, Horch now concluded.

But in fact, this is all a misunderstanding. It is not that the Austrians do not understand what a navy is, but that the domestic situation in Austria and other aspects have affected this fleet.

Without the domestic "fight" and the promise of the British, maybe the Austrians would have played well, at least they would not have stretched their hips like they do now.

But the British changed that! !

…………

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the entire naval battle had been going on for nearly an hour. Austria had already lost four warships. If it were not for the "moyang workers" behind, who "fight while retreating", more warships might have been sunk.

On the Austrian battleship, the people scolding were not the French, but the dishonest British.

The French fleet on the opposite side became increasingly impatient and began to attack the Austrian warships in a "full" state.

The cannonballs were scattered on the sea as if they were free, and the water columns were like a matrix, constantly flashing and even overlapping.

Just when the French were having fun, blurry flags appeared on the sea.

When there were more and more flags, several huge iron-clad warships flying the Union Jack were revealed.

"Impossible, how is it possible??"

Horch held the telescope and shook it several times. He didn't understand why the British Victoria appeared here. It was a battleship of the same level as the Napoleon. The reason why he recognized it was because of the navy's internal picture manual. There are pictures of capital ships of various navies on it.

Among them, the "Terror Class" is used for the Victoria.

From this, we can see the French's concerns about this battleship.

"Retreat, retreat!!"

Instinctively, Horch gave the order to retreat.

But the Austrian warships on the opposite side that had just been "submissive" seemed to have changed. Like mad dogs, they clung to the French fleet and would not let go for a moment, and even launched a large-scale, high-level counterattack.

This was absolutely not the case just now. The arrival of the British warships and the Victoria gave the Austrians a shot in the arm.

"Damn!!"

Horch cursed, but he had to face a fatal problem, the British were coming.

When the Victoria's 380mm artillery was aimed at Horch's flagship Marseille, the French finally experienced what a "violent storm" meant.

Compared to the unprofessional Austrians, the British are simply beasts. In the next ten minutes, high-explosive bombs were fired as if they were free. Even in order to obtain a higher winning rate, "national weapons" such as the Victoria were played. The bayonets were raised.

Watching the expensive Victoria squeeze into the French fleet and start "roaring", Horch knew that they were doomed.

Boom boom boom! ! !

When a high-explosive armor-piercing bomb hit the Marseille, it also meant that the naval battle, which lasted for one hour and forty minutes, officially came to an end.

"Gulu", when the Marseille sank to the bottom of the sea with Horch's unwilling curse, the reflection of the Victoria appeared on the sea under the sunlight.

The sunlight stretches out, just like a scene in a movie, with the still smoking muzzle and black smoke outlet, everything is so fantastic.

(End of this chapter)