There was a cloud of war hanging over the sky in Egypt, and the British, French, Chinese, and the Egyptian governor of the Ottoman Empire were all involved.
The Zhiyuan chose to brave the pass without hesitation, but the two fleets were entangled with each other in the Mediterranean Sea, and the atmosphere was very strange.
Britain transferred five battleships from the mainland, plus three battleships and six frigates from the original Mediterranean fleet. A total of fourteen battleships formed a powerful fleet and was sailing in the waters south of Crete. Going hand in hand with him was French Mediterranean Fleet consisting of eight battleships.
The two fleets marched hand in hand on the sea and met only more than a thousand meters away. Both sides had only one destination, Port Said in Egypt, and both sides came for one goal, which was the visiting delegation from East Asia.
No need to talk nonsense, everyone knows each other's purpose. One is to get to Europe safely, and the other is to try their best to block the situation in Egypt to buy time for the preparation of the ethnic alliance.
The two fleets were obviously hostile, but there was no smell of gunpowder to each other. Not only did the two sides salute each other with flags, but they also communicated with light signals at night, and the gun doors on the side facing each other were also closed.
The French flagship Maranta battleship is brightly lit. The battleship uses sails and steam dual power. It is a new battleship that has just been commissioned for 8 years. Thick smoke rises into the sky. The white sails spread in mid-air to catch the huge wind. The entire battleship ran extremely briskly.
After all, it is still the French mainland fleet. In addition to the Maranta, there are three battleships that also use steam and sail dual power. Moreover, the wealthy French have covered these four battleships with iron armor and painted them silver gray. The paint looks really powerful from a distance.
Captain Jean-Arnault did not rest. He stood in the command module and looked at the British fleet in the distance with a frown and murmured to himself, "How far do these British people want to interfere? What is the bottom line of the authorization given to them by Benjamin?" ?Will they go to war with us for the sake of the Chinese?"
Over and over again, Captain Arnold kept muttering, and the adjutant beside him handed him a cup of bitter coffee, "Take a rest. These British people seem to have received death orders. If they don't arrive at Port Said, they will Won’t give up…”
"I know, of course I know, but I have to determine the bottom line of their intervention... to what extent will they interfere? Will they start a war with us?"
The adjutant hesitated and said in a low voice, "I think it is better to analyze Xiao Letian than to analyze these British people. I don't know whether Consul Ferdinand's plan will be effective. The Chinese will really be honest in the country." Will Kuhu cooperate with the investigation..."
"Oh...my child, you really think too much. Viscount Ferdinand is an experienced diplomat. He has never failed at the diplomatic negotiation table!"
"He promised me that as long as an ambush occurs, it will be able to hold the Chinese for at least three days... Is there anything to doubt? The head of any country has been attacked, even the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. How could they not stop and study countermeasures?"
"At least we will investigate the dangerous situation ahead...and our fleet will arrive at Port Said tomorrow morning. There is still plenty of time. Don't worry...it is the British who deserve to worry!"
The adjutant understood. The captain looked down upon the Chinese even with half-closed eyes. In his mind, only the British were a threat, and Xiao Letian was completely on the chopping block.
But is this really the case? The adjutant expressed his deep willingness and muttered in a low voice, "If Xiao Letian was so good at judging, it would be impossible for his power to rise so fast in such a short period of time... Hasn't our navy suffered enough losses in the Atlantic Ocean?"
"What are you talking about?" Captain Arnold put the coffee cup on the table with a bang, and a large piece of the map of the coffee bar was stained by the splash. "Are you questioning my judgment? How can you take it out?" What is the evidence that convinces me, or what are you trying to say?”
"Tell me, what do you want me to do? We are already moving at full speed, what else can we do? Do you want the fleet to fly over?"
The adjutant blushed and said, "I'm sorry... I'm not questioning your judgment. I just hope that more plans can be made. What if the Chinese get out of the canal in advance? Even if the plans are not used, you should be more prepared." It’s still good…”
"Okay, okay... If you are willing to do it, then go ahead and do it. It's not my problem if you give up your rest time..." Jean Arnold looked at his pocket watch and found that the hour hand was already pointing to three in the morning. , he hit a big Hache.
"I'm going to sleep for three hours. Since you are willing to work overtime, then go ahead and work overtime... Remember to call me when the time comes..."
Leaving the miserable adjutant to work overtime alone, Arnold returned to his cabin to drink a glass of sleeping wine, then fell back and snored loudly.
In the dark night, the command cabin was still illuminated by snow-white light. The lonely adjutant drank cup after cup of bitter coffee and carefully deduced various possibilities, especially the possibilities after the Zhiyuan rushed out of the canal early.
He was not the only one who was struggling hard. The French light cavalry in the desert were also fighting hard. The temperature difference between day and night in the desert was very large. The cold wind blew directly on the cavalry, almost freezing them to death. However, no one put on a woolen cloak. , they are afraid of adding a little resistance.
The horses were on their last legs. Ten of the more than thirty light cavalrymen jumped off their horses and could not move forward. They gave their horses to other comrades as replacements.
Time passed by, and familiar desert villages passed by the cavalry. Groups of frightened natives fled in all directions. In the direction of the canal in the distance, the cavalry could faintly see the flickering firelight, which was like the night sky. of stars.
"Damn, these Chinese are so fast! Speed up, don't begrudge the horses, you have to reach Port Said in the early morning even if you are exhausted! Speed up..."
Not only the French are scrambling for time, but the United Fleet is also scrambling for time at this moment. As the fleet becomes more familiar with the canal waterway, the ship's speed gradually increases, five knots, six knots, seven knots...
Small towns were left behind one after another. Ismailia, Fedan, Kantara...these important towns along the canal were all stunned by the sudden fleet.
Countless employees of the canal management company walked out of the dormitory, rubbing their eyes. When they saw the tall Zhiyuan, they were all stunned.
"This? This is the Chinese Zhiyuan... How could it be here? That's not right... Go and send a report to Port Said and Port Suez..."
Unfortunately, everything was in vain. When they turned on the telegraph machine, they found that there was no signal feedback at all, and all the telegraph lines outside the town were destroyed.
"It's broken, our plan failed..." Before they could finish their sighs, they saw a group of wolf-like Chinese Marines holding bright bayonets and forcing them together.
"Shut up... Everyone go back to the dormitory! No one is allowed to move around freely. We are searching for the desert bandits who attacked! Anyone who dares to act rashly is an accomplice!"
"No, we are not..." They were just ordinary employees. How could they dare to resist the army? They all went back to the dormitory dejectedly.
Note: Today is February 2 of the lunar calendar! I just realized that today is my fourth anniversary of coding!
It’s incredible, I’ve actually been coding for four years! I still remember that it was February 2nd of the Year of the Snake, the day when the dragon raised its head, and I officially got into this hard-working business. It’s been four years!
It’s the fourth anniversary!
