The breeze on the sea is gentle as far as the eye can see, the waves are as calm as a fish, and a few seabirds occasionally fly by in the sky.

Without warning, a big black creature suddenly emerged from the water. From a distance, it looked like a large whale floating on the surface of the sea to breathe air. However, the whale will not have such a cylindrical bridge on its body, let alone the white number "128".

In a few moments, the black vulture cross flag was raised on the top of the submarine, and one by one, men in black uniforms emerged from inside. Some couldn't wait to step onto the narrow deck to get some fresh air, while others stood on the slightly higher bridge. Among them, the leading officer looked to be no more than 30 years old, the scarf around his neck looked very clean, and the logo on his military cap shone in the sun.

This was a normal ascent of the German U2 submarine U-128, which was attached to the German Mediterranean Fleet along with its 41 officers and men. As early as the outbreak of the war in 1914, the submarine and its companions were "trained" to the Mediterranean, when their mission was to assist the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the confrontation with the naval forces of the Allies in the Mediterranean, including reconnaissance and alert, disruption of enemy transport lines, and attacks on enemy warships, during which they achieved commendable results.

After the German expeditionary forces captured Tunisia, they moved their home port from the Austro-Hungarian military port of Cataro to the German-occupied port of Tunis.

After the "Gibraltar incident", U-128 and four other submarines were sent to carry out reconnaissance and alert missions near the Strait of Gibraltar. Their targets were the British fleet in Gibraltar and the Spanish navy, and no one could have imagined that they would meet their once staunchest allies in a hostile manner, and in such a short period of time.

After a while, a black cloud of smoke appeared in the eastern sky, and then gradually thickened and grew larger in sight.

After lowering the binoculars, the captain called his communications officer.

"Secret telegram, we have found the Austro-Hungarian fleet! The coordinates are 5°912 W longitude...... Latitude 36°420 N! Please tell us if we want to continue to monitor or enter the attack position! ”

"Yes!" The communications officer carried out the order without hesitation, but there were many questions in his head. Only a few months ago, their submarine was anchored with the fleet in front of them. The atmosphere between the two sides seemed quite harmonious, but here, their own torpedoes were likely to be aimed at these familiar figures.

At this time, no one doubts the cruelty of war.

At this time, some other German ** people watched the sea from the air. From Schwelli's point of view, a huge fleet of 51 ships was heading westward, and the red and white Austro-Hungarian naval flag stood out on the top of the masts.

Except for the observation report to the superior every 3 minutes. Schwell and his deputy, Schneider, were reluctant to say more. There are other similar-looking "Flying Fish" around them, but their "Flying Fish 3" in Schwell is lonely. The Exocet 1 and Exocet 2 have similar appearances and liveries, but they have a different logo on their wings that is distinctly different from the Iron Cross. Although the Austro-Hungarian planes had not done anything unkind so far, the pilots of both sides no longer smiled and greeted each other as usual when they staggered in the air.

Schweier, who was unrelenting in the face of the British plane, could not perceive the slightest desire or passion to fight in his heart at this time, and he put the opponent's plane into his scope again and again, but his fingers were far away from the shot.

Neither officer or soldier was given a clear order, but everyone seemed to be aware of the situation.

At this moment, both Berlin and Vienna tacitly chose silence.

In the study of the Imperial Palace in Berlin. Chen Tian sat quietly in his chair. Comfortable sunlight poured in through the window, spilling over his body.

On the desk in front of the emperor were neatly placed some papers, and behind him stood the most loyal guards. Now. He was lost in thought. The scene unfolding at the western end of the Mediterranean reminded him of the Pacific Ocean a few months ago, when two fleets, much larger in the warmer waters, had rubbed shoulders. Historians naturally come up with many conclusions about this non-accidental encounter, but for the rulers they were concerned with whether it was a guarantee of peace or a foreshadowing of war.

In the same way, Chen Tian is also thinking about the future, the future of the empire, the future of Europe, and the future of the world. However, a little later he learned from his own intelligence officer. The new ruler of Vienna was hunting with his cronies on the outskirts of Vienna on this day.

"Young people are so confident!" Chen Tian muttered to himself, feeling a lot of emotion in his heart.

By the time the perspective returned to the sea, the lookouts on both sides could already see the smoke column of the opposing fleet.

Coincidentally, the two German and Austrian fleets began to change their formations. Because of the frequent exchange of officers in the war, the two navies were quite familiar with each other's strategies and tactics, so Admiral Leopold was not surprised when Admiral Sheppel lined up his battleships in battle columns, cruisers, and destroyers. Conversely, the formation of the arrows of the Austro-Hungarian fleet did not bring any surprises to the Germans.

In the sky, 10 seaplanes of the German fleet circled and intertwined with 8 seaplanes of the Austro-Hungarian fleet. If there is an exchange of fire between the two sides, then it will be an epoch-making naval battle. However, the sea here is eerily calm, except for the sound of machinery.

If it was just a simple naval parade, it would have been a satisfying spectacle, but the situation was between two great powers wrestling in secret. Through the thick armored portholes, the expressions of the generals on both sides were both firm and gloomy.

As the distance between the two fleets narrowed, the commanders of the two sides were finally able to see the true face of each other's Lushan, and the staff officers quickly recorded while observing:

"Battleships - 1 Combined Forces, 1 Monarch, 1 Radetz, 1 Cavour, 3 Graz, 2 Budapest, 1 Cabo! Cruisers - 2 Duke of Schaibs-class ......"

"Battleships - 2 of the King class, 1 of the Oster Freeland class, 1 of the St. Vincent class (built in England). Battlecruisers - "Moltke" and "Seydlitz", cruisers - 1 Seabreeze class ......"

At this time, people gradually realized that these names in their pen would become their future opponents, and the more thunderous the other party's name, the greater the trouble they would bring to themselves in the future.

Gradually, the distance between the two fleets narrowed to 5,000 yards, and both sides could even see each other's turrets slowly turning, with thick black barrels pointing straight at each other. If someone fires, it will be a bitter battle. If not, then it will be a wordless contest.

The two warships flying the flagship flag, the "Elector" and the "Tegtov", were not only the flagships of both sides, but also the newest and strongest warships in their respective fleets, and they naturally became the focus of each other's attention. For the "Tegtov", which had great firepower, Sheppel and his battleship were not frightened. The new Austro-Hungarian battleship had a relatively rare flat-deck design, with a length of 152.2 meters, a width of 27.3 meters, and a draft of 8.2-8.6 meters. Outwardly, the hull is thick and fat, and due to the fact that the hull is not large. Carrying four more triple turrets, the seaworthiness performance of the combined force level is not very good. Its standard displacement is 19,698 tons, and the full load displacement is 21,595 tons, which is one grade lighter than the standard displacement of 25,796 and the full load displacement of 28,600. The main engine power is 27,000 horsepower and the maximum speed is 20.4 knots, which is slightly inferior to the German King-class battleships with a maximum speed of 21 knots.

Another distinguishing feature of the Combined Forces-class battleships compared to the German King-class battleships was the low superstructure - which Austro-Hungarian design experts believed would make it more difficult for the enemy to spot or aim. However, to the bewilderment of ship designers and admirals of various countries, behind the low bridge were the main mast and two huge chimneys 13.5 inches high!

In this day and age. On the defense capability of warships and ground. The Germans were undoubtedly No.1, and the King-class battleships were the best of them, and their defensive power and survivability were proven in battles with the British Navy. And the hulls of the Austro-Hungarian combined-forces class battleships, albeit covered with armor ranging from 150mm to 280mm. The horizontal protective deck consisted of two layers of armor of 30mm and 48mm. But its underwater protection is very poor

The German battleships of the same period had a separation zone of 4-5 meters between the hull and the mine-protection compartment, and the combined force class was only 2.45 meters. The German battleships did not have watertight doors underwater, and sailors had to climb a ladder to the nearest waterline to reach another compartment. And then climb down, which may seem clumsy, but very safe, and the combined force class continues to use underwater watertight doors, which simply does not provide the expected safety - because the whole system is too complex and unreliable!

Despite the inferior defense and seaworthiness. But the combined forces class was not useless in front of the battleships of the Germans. The K10 305-mm naval gun, produced by the Skoda Arsenal, uses 450 kg shells, has a maximum range of 20 km, and has 76 rounds per gun. In this respect, Sheppel's ships were at a disadvantage, with German-made 50-fold 305-mm cannons only hitting 18 kilometers away. In the Mediterranean, where there is a good view, a large range obviously has a certain advantage. In addition to 12 305-mm ground guns. The Combined Forces class also has 12 150mm secondary guns with a range of 15,000 meters, 12 70mm rapid-fire guns for anti-torpedo boats (range 5,000 meters) and 4 70mm high-level dual-purpose guns. To provide landing support if necessary, there were also 2 detachable 47-mm and 2 66-mm rapid-fire guns, as well as 2 8mm machine guns. If needed, it can also carry 20 mines.

The range and number of guns of a single ship were at a disadvantage, and the accurate marksmanship of the Sipeldi sailors was able to compensate for the lack of firepower to a large extent, and more importantly, the German fleet had considerable superiority in the air and underwater. After the outbreak of the war, Austria-Hungary purchased more than 300 land-based and seaplanes from Germany, which accounted for more than half of the total number of aircraft of the Austro-Hungarian Navy and Army, and most of the flight instructors and even commanders in the Austro-Hungarian Army came from the German Army and Navy! With the current tactics of Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Navy was armed with aircraft that simply could not compete with the carrier-based aircraft of the German fleet in terms of quantity and quality. The quality of the pilots is even more incomparable.

The submarine forces of Austria-Hungary were not very impressive throughout the war (historically, the Austro-Hungarian submarine sank the French armored cruiser in April 1915, and in this world, France had already surrendered). Due to the conservatism and stubbornness of the navy's top brass, the Austro-Hungarian Navy had only seven submarines at the beginning of the war, one of which was still an unsold stock test boat. Even such a small force was not properly strengthened before the war for various reasons. At the outbreak of the war, the Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, Baron Anton von House, convinced that the war would end in the short term, did not focus on strengthening the navy, but instead allowed the labor of the shipyard to be dedicated to the construction of the army, so that the submarine force of the Austro-Hungarian Navy had so far not received a single newly built submarine, which had been replenished by the spoils of the war, including 16 submarines received from the Italian Navy.

When the Strait of Gibraltar was still under British control, there were 10 German submarines in the Mediterranean, most of which were transported by rail to the ports of Austria-Hungary. After the fall of the fortress of Gibraltar, German ships began to enter the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, and according to the plan of the Imperial Admiralty, by the beginning of May 1915, the number of German submarines in the Mediterranean region would reach 25, most of which were U2 submarines suitable for long-distance voyages.

Suddenly, the rumbling of cannon came from the side of the German fleet, which really startled Admiral Leopold and his sailors, but fortunately, the general's staff quickly reacted, it was the German fleet's salute.

After the Germans' 21 gun salute, the Austro-Hungarian fleet quickly returned the same salute. In the midst of this rumbling cannon, the two strongest fleets in the Mediterranean passed by.

After the gun salute ended, Sheppel's battleship signaled: "The commander of the Mediterranean fleet of the German Empire salutes his respected allies!" ”

The opposing flagship quickly replied: "The commander of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Fleet salutes the respected allies!" ”

"May I ask the purpose of your fleet's trip?"

Admiral Sheppel and his generals stared closely at the signal tower of the opposing flagship, and the two-minute wait was as long as two years. Finally, the Austro-Hungarian fleet replied:

"Routine cruise!"

The officers in the command room of the "Elector" breathed a sigh of relief, but the admiral's face did not seem to soften.

"Send a signal to tell them that the mines of the British army in front of them have not been completely cleared, and ask them to return to the spot!"

However, the Austro-Hungarian fleet did not reply again this time, as if it had not seen the "kind tips" of the Sheppel's fleet at all. Ten minutes later, the two fleets disengaged. Before disappearing from each other's sight, the Austro-Hungarian fleet did not give any more signals.

"Send a telegram ordering our aircraft and reconnaissance submarines to continue to monitor the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Fleet!" Sheppel decisively gave the order, "The fleet turns, follow the Austro-Hungarian fleet!"