"Sir, there are many warships on the sea." An Indian Ahsan, holding a turban, stumbled into the office of the British East India Company in Socotra and reported to the director, Evans.

"Battleship? What battleship? A warship of the Royal Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet? Evans asked. He was the head of the British East India Company in Socotra, and was responsible for the management of Socotra for the East India Company, as well as the purchase of spices and precious medicinal herbs from the island on the orders of the East India Company's headquarters.

"No, sir, it's not a battleship of the Royal Navy, it's a battleship of the Chinese." Indian Asan replied. As employees of the East India Company, these Indian Asans were no strangers to the warships of the Chinese Navy's 5th Fleet galloping in the Indian Ocean. Because of the strength of the Imperial Navy's 5th Fleet, some warships even cruised the east coast of India, often visiting the Viceroyalty of India and Calcutta, where the East India Company was headquartered.

"What? Battleships of the Chinese? What exactly are they trying to do? Evans was shocked, and his face no longer had the same calm and calm as before. The contradictions between the Chinese Empire and Britain are well known. With the opening of the Suez Canal, conflicts in East Africa and the Middle East are intensifying.

Evans hurried to the docks in Hadib Town, and through the binoculars in Guò's hand, he could clearly see that dozens of ships were moored on the sea, and more than a dozen of them were warships. In particular, the two 'Eastern Zhou-class' warships and the two 'Western Zhou-class' warships are very large.

"Damn, are the Chinese trying to forcibly occupy Socotra? This is the territory of the British Empire. Come. Report to Headquarters right away. If the Chinese want to forcibly seize the island, we have no way. Evans ordered.

"Yes. Mr! The staff of the office hurriedly sent a telegram to the headquarters in Calcutta.

This time. A small boat approached from a distance. A captain's staff officer of the commander of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy, under the protection of several soldiers, arrived by boat at the pier in the town of Hadib. The East India Company convoy on the island, like a great enemy, with dozens of rifles, aimed at the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Navy. The strength of the Empire's army, the East India Company knew very well. A few years ago. At the time of Burma, the British lost hundreds of thousands of people. It's almost a nightmare for the British.

"Do you need to be so close to the enemy? These Brits, how cowardly. The Imperial Navy captain muttered. went ashore.

"Hello, I am Evans, the head of the British East India Company in Socotra, Your Excellency, Your Excellency, your fleet is anchored here. What is it for? Evans boldly stepped forward and asked.

"Sir. On behalf of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy, I would like to officially inform you that from now on, this island belongs to the Chinese Empire! You and your men must be evacuated from the island immediately! The Imperial Navy captain said coldly.

"What?" Evans was dumbfounded, he didn't seem to expect that the people of the Chinese Imperial Navy would be so arrogant and direct. They do not hide their ambitions for Socotra at all.

"Captain, this is clearly the territory of the East India Company. Is this an attempt by your country to seize the territory of the East India Company? Evans almost jumped. As the person in charge here, in addition to completing the tasks set by the company, he is also able to fish for a large amount of foreign water. If he is driven away, then his losses will be great.

"Sir, this is advice from the Empire, if you do not agree, the Empire will resort to force. When the time comes, I'm afraid there will be bloodshed. The Imperial Navy captain threatened.

Sure enough, Evans' face suddenly turned pale. He knew very well that with the little escort under his command, it would be absolutely impossible to resist the attack of the Imperial Navy. If the Imperial Navy did attack, it was estimated that he and his men would soon be brutally killed.

"You are a provocation to the British Empire, and the British Empire will never tolerate such a thing!" Evans said through gritted teeth.

"Really? That's what we need to think about. Sir, you only have an hour to think about it. If, after an hour, you have not given us a satisfactory answer, the Imperial Navy will attack! After the captain of the Imperial Navy finished speaking, he turned around and got into the boat, returned to the battleship, and reported to Vice Admiral Lu Haipeng, commander of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy.

"Damn, those damn yellow-skinned monkeys are trying in vain to seize the territory of the British Empire!" Evans was furious. However, he could only vent a few words behind the back of the Imperial Navy, and he didn't dare to say anything in front of him.

"What shall we do, sir? When the time comes, will those Chinese really attack? An Indian Ahsan asked weakly.

"Let's wait for a reply from HQ first!" Evans said with a sigh.

As the vanguard of the invasion of the East, the Indian East India Company had a large and redundant organization, and the telegram sent back by Evans was not delivered to the upper echelons of the company in the first place.

An hour was over, and it was over quickly.

"It seems that the British are ready to resist. ' The battleship 'King Zhou', with its guns ready, launched an attack on the sea off the coast of Hadib to warn those British! Vice Admiral Lu Haipeng, commander of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy, ordered.

"Yes, General!" The captain of the battleship 'King Zhou' replied.

Soon, the guns on the battleship 'King Zhou' began to rotate, adjust their angles, and prepare to launch an artillery attack on Hadib.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "A few minutes later, the three twin 210-mm guns on the battleship 'Zhou Xiwang' began shelling. In the loud noise that shook the sky, six shells weighing more than 100 kilograms flew towards the sea near Hadib and fell to the sea. The shells exploded, splashing columns of water into the sky.

"Oh God! The Chinese really dared to open fire. Evans' face turned pale.

The Indian Asans of the East India Company escort on the island were even more frightened. Many of them even threw away their weapons, fearing that they would be killed by the Imperial Navy in the ensuing battle.

"Damn headquarters, why hasn't there been news yet?" Evans was annoyed. The slow response of the headquarters made him very dissatisfied. If the headquarters had given instructions earlier, he would have been able to act as ordered.

"Sir, what shall we do? Do you want to fight with the Chinese? They're going to kill us all! One of the employees said with a look of horror.

"Fighting? That's just death! Raise the white flag, we surrender to the Chinese! Evans hurriedly ordered.

Soon, the white flag was raised from the island. After seeing the white flag, the Imperial Navy stopped shooting.

Subsequently, units of a battalion of the 5th Marine Brigade accompanying the 2nd Fleet of the Imperial Navy landed on Socotra. The East India Company convoy on the island, without any resistance, obediently surrendered to the Imperial* army after the Imperial Marines came ashore.

The Imperial Navy wasted just a few main artillery shells and seized the island of Socotra. This battle can be described as bloodless.

"Commander, the British and Indian Ah San on the island have surrendered to us. The whole island has fallen under our control. Vice Admiral Ye Feng, Chief of Staff of the Fleet, said.

"Haha! I knew that those British guys were soft eggs. Lieutenant General Lu Haipeng said disdainfully.

"But, Commander, what shall we do now? Do you want to stay here? Lieutenant General Ye Feng asked.

"Wait a few days! The British have a fleet in Somalia, and the island of Socotra is occupied by us, and the British will certainly not rest on their laurels. Only when we have pushed back the British fleet will we be able to be our true comrades-in-arms on Socotra. Lieutenant General Lu Haipeng said. He was a little impulsive, but he wasn't stupid. The Chinese Navy forcibly occupied Socotra, and the British would certainly not agree. If the fleet had left and gone to Tajoura Bay, the British would have killed a rifle, and the marines on the island would have been in danger.

"Hmmm! The British must have gotten the news. They're coming soon. Lieutenant General Ye Feng nodded.

It was only after the Chinese navy occupied Socotra that Evans's telegram to Calcutta was delivered to the top brass of the East India Company. Upon learning of this news, the East India Company immediately sent a telegram to the British Colonial Office, and the Colonial Secretary hurriedly reported to the Prime Minister, Earl Stanley. Count Stanley, on the other hand, ordered the navy to recapture the island of Socotra. Socotra's geographical location is so important that Britain wants to keep it in its hands, and the British Foreign Office is in contact with the Sultanate of Mahri to buy the island. However, the differences between the two sides are too great to be negotiated. Unexpectedly, the Chinese took the lead in attacking, which completely caught Britain off guard.

The British Navy is in Somalia, with a fleet stationed. This is a detachment of the Royal Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet, based in Mogadishu, Somalia, and the entire fleet consists of four 'Pearl-class' cruisers and two 'Orlando-class' warships. In northeastern Africa, it is also considered to be the most powerful fleet in the world. The commander of the fleet was British Rear Admiral Murphy.

Upon receiving the order, Rear Admiral Murphy immediately ordered the fleet to set sail for Socotra. However, at this moment, Major General Murphy's heart was very worried. According to the information coming from the country, it was the main force of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy that appeared on Socotra Island. The strength of the 5th Fleet of the Chinese Navy, as a member of the Indian Ocean Fleet, he is very clear. Even if the entire Indian Ocean Fleet were to attack, it would not necessarily be able to win, let alone his detachment. (To be continued......)

PS: The second update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you for the reward of the book friend World Bottomless 007! Thank you for the monthly pass of the book friend morning swim!