After several days of sailing, the ships formed out of the Gulf of Aden and into the Red Sea, where they cut through the waves and headed for the Suez Canal.

The Suez Canal, built and navigable 150 years ago, is a sea-level waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea through the Suez Isthmus in Aiji, and is the closest route from Europe to the Indian Ocean and the nearby lands in the western Pacific Ocean.

It is one of the most frequently used air routes in the world and the border between Asia and Africa. Its navigation has enabled fleets from Asia to Europe to no longer need to detour through the Cape of Storms at the southern tip of Africa, greatly shortening the voyage and saving manpower and capital.

For example, a single voyage from the port of London in the United Kingdom or the port of Marseille in France to the port of Mumbai in India can shorten the full voyage by 43 per cent and 56 per cent respectively via the canal compared to the Storm Corner.

The distance between the port of Jeddah and the Black Sea port of Constanta in Saudi Arabia around the Cape of the Storm is 11,771 miles, while the distance via the canal is only 1,698 miles, saving 86% of the distance.

The formation of Chinese warships sailed in the Suez Canal, and because the water surface of the canal was at the same height as the sea level, it was spacious and smooth to sail.

Yang Wenbin looked through the porthole at the boats shuttling back and forth in the river, thinking to himself that thanks to international treaties that the canal is open to ships of all countries, whether at peace or during war, there must be no hostilities in the canal's waters.

Otherwise, if this international passage is closed during the war, or if it is used by the enemy, it will be a terrible thing for the user.

Unfortunately, however, the canal was forced to close due to the war.

For example, in February 1941, Rommel, commander of the German Expeditionary Force in North Africa, commanded an attack on Aige in preparation for the capture of the Suez Canal. And tried to drop bombs on the Suez Canal.

Thanks to the famous British magician Jasper Maskling who became a lieutenant in the British army as a special operator, he presided over the use of searchlights and tin reflectors to cause light curtains to interfere with the night vision of German pilots, supplemented by anti-aircraft fire during the day, which greatly reduced the accuracy of the bombing and protected the Suez Canal.

For example, on October 29, 1956, the Israeli army invaded Aiji, and the second Middle East war broke out in a week. The effects of war damage and sunken ships led to the closure of the canal, which was not cleared until April 1957 with the assistance of the United Nations.

In 1967, the Six-Day War broke out, after which the canal was forced to close again. During the 1973 Jewish Yom Kippur War, the canal became the site for Ai's army to cross into the Israeli-controlled area of the Sinai Peninsula, and then the Israeli-Lean army crossed the canal to the west.

Since 1974, UN peacekeepers have been stationed in the Sinai Peninsula. On June 5, 1975, the Suez Canal was reopened to the sea.

Yang Wenbin feels that the Suez Canal is as important to European countries as the Strait of Malacca is to East Asian countries, and it is an important channel for oil imports from the Middle East.

The formation of ships crossed the Suez Canal, from the southern end to the northern end, and it took a full fifteen hours to enter the Mediterranean.

The climate of the Mediterranean is indeed different from that of Western Asia. Although it is summer, it is hot and dry, unlike the monsoon climate in China, which is the rainy season.

In the small space on the ship, everyone was sweating like rain, enduring the scorching heat, and operating the ship.

After more than 30 hours, the ship formation reached the farthest point of the visit, the port of Barcelona in Hebanga.

Port Barcelona, located on the east bank of the mouth of the Leofregos River on the northeast coast of Hebanga, is close to the urban area, bordering the northwest side of the Mediterranean Sea, 185 nautical miles to the northeast to the port of Marseille, 1590 nautical miles to the southeast, 161 nautical miles to the southwest to the port of Valencia, and 513 nautical miles to the northwest to Gibraltar.

The coastal part of the port is made of artificial filling, and ten dikes extend from the land shore, with a slight southwest and northeast direction, and are protected by a long causeway extending from north to south, and ships enter the port from the south.

After communicating with the port, the ship formation entered the port of Barcelona, and the deputy commander of the Navy in Hebanga, led by the relevant personnel, was waiting for the arrival of the fleet.

As a sign of respect, the officers and men of the Chinese Navy formation also wore their usual uniforms and stood on the side of the ship, which was covered with flags, to pay tribute to the Hibanja Navy that greeted them.

Although the current strength of the Hebanga Navy is not strong, Yang Wenbin knows that the Hebanga was once the maritime hegemon and the country that once had an invincible armada.

The Armada was a famous maritime fleet in the late 16th century in Hebanga.

The Armada had more than 150 large warships, a powerful naval fleet of more than 3,000 cannons, and tens of thousands of soldiers, and at its peak the fleet had more than 1,000 ships. This fleet roams the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, proudly calling itself the "Invincible Armada".

In the summer of 1588, the Ingolan fleet defeated the Hibanjar Armada and conquered the Battle of Almada, which historians call one of the four most famous naval battles in world history.

Ingora, who won the naval battle against the Armadada, did not deal a decisive blow to the enemy, and the Hebanja remained the most powerful country in Europe, and since then has stubbornly sent the Armada to Ingolan four times in a row.

Therefore, Inggolan, which is constantly threatened by the Invincible Armada, must do everything possible to search for dry intestines and study its defense strategy. For the mighty Hebanja Empire, it was nothing more than a battle in the middle of a long war.

However, the five expeditions of the Armada ended in failure, and the Hibanja had to abandon their ambitions to invade Ingland. The Hebanga's maritime supremacy lasted until the Battle of the Downs in 1639, after which it was replaced by other maritime powers.

The Hebanga Navy has been responsible for some of the most important and historic seafaring activities. For example, the most famous are Columbus's discovery of the New World and Magellan's voyage around the world.

Over the centuries, the navy played a vital logistical role for the Hebana, protecting trade between Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

For such an enterprising maritime power, Yang Wenbin admires it very much in his heart.

It is believed that the goodwill visit to Xibanya will certainly promote military exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, strengthen bilateral understanding, and learn advanced management concepts and methods.

In the first two world wars of the 20th century, the Hibanal were not involved in the war because of their neutrality.

After the war, the Hipana joined the United Nations and NATO, and its main strategic maritime role was to defend the Strait of Gibraltar from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, and the waters from Gibraltar to the North Atlantic route, and to screen NATO's flank in Europe.

After the Second World War, the Hebanga Navy maintained a relatively close relationship with Country M, and in addition to allowing the M Army to use bases near Gibraltar, the Hebanga Navy used many M-made ships, and its shipbuilding industry also grew vigorously year by year.

Since the middle of the 20th century, the Hebanga Navy has been rebuilt and has once again become one of the world's leading naval powers.

From 1973 to the present, the Hebanga Navy has maintained a light aircraft carrier force. By the late 90s, China cooperated with country M to develop Aegis frigates, new submarines, and strategic force delivery ships, so that the combat power and ocean-going projection capabilities of the Hebanga Navy made great progress in the early part of this century.

"This exchange will definitely be fruitful, and there may even be surprises," Yang Wenbin had a hunch. [.]