Hough's policy of courtesy first and then fighting was still in line with the diplomatic rules of the time. No matter how awesome the British Royal Navy is, there is no reason why we should not even fight in order for you to pass.
Now the East Frisian Islands have become a de facto battlefield. A task force consisting of six battleships, twenty-five cruisers and frigates has completely controlled this area of water. Even the British Royal Navy has to take a detour.
Either you go back home, or you take a detour to the Netherlands and take a train. Anyway, it can't affect my war!
You, Britain, are very powerful, but I, the French Navy, are also proud of us. Although you have more battleships than I do, don't forget that I also have a huge cruiser fleet.
If you dare to break in, I will open fire!
Hof's confidence comes not only from the fact that he has far more battleships than the British, but also because he has taken the initiative on the battlefield at this moment.
The six battleships were ready to fire, and the T-shaped bar had already been seized. As long as they opened fire, the French army would quickly take the initiative in terms of firepower.
The remaining twenty or so cruisers are not just freeloaders. They are arranging formations along the East Frisian Islands. Once a war breaks out, they can quickly press westward and bombard the right wing of the British fleet.
Under attack from two sides, the British fleet had only one way to retreat!
The only thing that needs to be worried about is the more than 30 armed merchant ships following the cruise fleet. There are nearly 30,000 elite troops on board, acting as temporary marines.
Why does the cruiser fleet keep a certain distance from the six battleships? To put it bluntly, it is to protect the safety of 30,000 soldiers. After all, armed merchant ships are not battleships. If they encounter a real battleship attack, these soldiers will all become canned meat.
The French fleet has been prepared. Once the British turn their backs and want to fire, these merchant ships will quickly dock at Speke Island, and the army will quickly land and force across the strait on the opposite side.
To the south of Speke Island is a large area of farmland, with only a few scattered small villages. Less than 20 kilometers southeast from here, there is Wilhelmshaven, an important military port in Prussia.
The army's landing can attack Wilhelmshaven and threaten Bremen and Hamburg, and the navy can free up its hands and feet to fight the British... If Hof defeats the British in a naval battle, he will become completely famous!
But before that, Hough must do enough etiquette. He not only wants to greet the Duke of Newcastle, but also greets the Queen's health!
Anyway, I follow the rules. When the time comes, you, the British, violate international law and I am forced to open fire. You will not blame me!
It's a pity that Hoff had a beautiful idea, but he never expected that the Duke of Newx was actually a moderate. When he saw the signal from the French, this Duke who was good at business actually immediately ordered the battleship to slow down and break away from the French. touch.
"Captain! Look at Britain! They responded to our signal... It's incredible. They said they respect our request!"
"But... but these British people did not choose to go to the Netherlands... but chose to stay here and wait for the end of our war!"
With a bang, Hoff punched the podium, "These bastards! They are so haunting!"
The British are indeed cunning and cunning! In the face of Hof's request, they neither disobeyed nor complied. Didn't you French people not allow me to interfere in your war? Very good, then I won’t interfere!
But you want us to leave here and go to Holland? Sorry, we don't want to travel far, we are willing to wait here, waiting for your war to end.
What does the Duke of Newx want? To put it bluntly, they need to watch the battle at close range, because the navy is the lifeline of Britain. Any important naval battle in the world is a good opportunity for them to observe and learn.
Normally, I don’t have the opportunity to watch the battle up close, so how could I miss it today? This is first-hand data, extremely precious!
The British Sovereign began to lower its sails. The sails and sailors were tied together to hold up the huge wind force. The pressure in the steam boiler began to decrease, and the propellers in the seawater turned slower and slower.
Hoff's nose almost exploded with anger. The British fleet was so arrogantly cruising around the battlefield at the lowest speed. This shameless attitude was as disgusting as eating a fly.
The French do not believe the British from the bottom of their hearts. After all, the two countries have fought countless wars, and the deep hatred between the navies cannot be washed away by all the water in the Atlantic Ocean.
Hof began to analyze in his mind, "What on earth does the Duke of Newcastle want to do? If he doesn't leave or enter, he just hangs on the edge of the battlefield like a hanged man. What on earth does he want to do?"
"Do they want to take the opportunity to stab me in the back? It's possible, it's really possible..."
To say that the thinking of the French is really weird, maybe they are too romantic. No matter how you look at this nation, it is very different from other nations.
If you look at the industrial design style of later French products, especially mainstream heavy industrial products such as automobiles, their designs are always different from other nations and very alternative.
In fact, this is all based on tradition. Since ancient times, the brain circuit of the French has been different from that of other nations. When they should think more, they cannot think so much, and when they should not think, they always think wildly.
Hof made this mistake today. He always felt that the British were uneasy and well-intentioned. He did not believe that the British just wanted to simply observe the battlefield.
"The Queen married her beloved eldest daughter to the Crown Prince of Prussia. What kind of relationship is this? The grandson of the Prussian Crown Prince was raised by his grandma in the British Royal Palace!"
"There is also the Duke of Newcastle. It is said that he has a close relationship with Xiao Letian. The two of them even started a large food business together. Now the catering industry in Paris hates them whenever they mention these two!"
"Will this person have the same heart as us? It's impossible even for money!"
"The most important thing is that the United Kingdom has always wanted to balance relations on the European continent. They will not just watch us defeat Prussia!"
"Yes, these British guys just want to take advantage of the chaos to stab me in the back, and I won't be fooled!"
After muttering for a long time, Captain Hof finally made up his mind, "Send my order to land all Marines and use Speke Island as a springboard to attack the Prussian mainland!"
"I give them 24 hours to capture Port William!"
"The navy is at the first level of combat readiness. The cruise fleet will cover the landfall of the army. After that, the troops will unite and march towards Hamburg!"
"God bless France, let our two armies unite in Hamburg!"
The commander-in-chief's order was issued, and the fleet adhering to the East Frisian Islands quickly began to take action. The armed merchant ships began to rush towards the coast regardless of the danger of running aground on the rocks.
This is war, this is the highest-level military mission. For the sake of victory, it doesn't matter even if all the more than 30 armed merchant ships are stranded!
The Duke of Newcastle looked at the actions of the French in surprise, his mouth opened and he couldn't close his mouth. "God, why did they divide their troops here?"
"Are you going to land from here? To land from here, you have to conquer at least four defense lines of Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, Otter River, and Elbe River before you can reach Hamburg!"
"How can we land here? At least we can go further. It would be great to land at Cuxhaven. We can unite our troops in one place and attack together from water and land..."
"Is Hoff crazy?"
