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"Commander, the submarine force has made a great contribution! Three battleships were sunk and one was heavily damaged. Two more armored cruisers were sunk! "On the battlecruiser 'Wang Ben', the flagship of the Indian Ocean Fleet, Rear Admiral Wu Zhiyuan, chief of staff of the Indian Ocean Fleet, said to Vice Admiral Li Haitao, commander of the fleet, with a happy face.

"Oh? Sank three, hit one? That's great! The battleships of the British and French navies have already lost most of them, and we will not have any problems breaking through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait! Lieutenant General Li Haitao was also overjoyed.

"Now that our four battleships are passing through the Guò Mandeb Strait, it seems that the British and French navies have given up resistance and are beginning to retreat north!" Major General Wu Zhiyuan said. The British and French navies suffered heavy losses under the sneak attack of the Chinese submarine forces, and they knew very well that the remaining fleet alone was no match for the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy, so they chose to retreat.

"Humph! Now if you want to run, it's too late, order the fleet to speed up the pursuit, and try to leave all the British and French navies behind! Lieutenant General Li Haitao ordered. The battleships of the British and French navies have a maximum speed of only 21 knots, while the 'Zhonghua-class' battleships of the Indian Ocean Fleet have a maximum speed of 225 knots, and it is not impossible to catch up with the British and French navies. What's more, the speed of the 'Qin-class' battleships was 24 knots. Now there are only two battleships left in the British and French navies that can fight in a war, and with the strength of Qin-class battleships, it is enough to kill them!

The Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy, which soon opened the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, began to pursue the British and French navies. In order to catch up with the British and French navies, two 'Qin-class' battleships and the 'Wang Ben' battlecruiser acted together, with four heavy cruisers and more than twenty light cruisers and destroyers, to catch up with the British and French navies. The two 'Zhonghua-class' battleships, which were a little slower, followed behind. Once the main forces of the fleet caught up with the Anglo-French navy. After entanglement of them, two 'Zhonghua-class' battleships arrived to join the battle.

On the other hand, after sending a telegram home, Vice Admiral Howard, commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, ordered the fleet to go north at full speed. He knew very well that the current British and French navies had lost the strength to confront the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet, and they had to flee. At the same time, four other 'Dreadnought-class' battleships of the British Navy were ordered to rush from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea to meet them. If only they could get there before they were overtaken. Then there is still hope for the British and French navies. If not, I am afraid that the four 'dreadnought-class' battleships of the British Navy will have to hold the Suez Canal.

The French Navy's battleship "France" was severely damaged by the attack of the Chinese submarine force. The speed dropped to 5 knots. At 7 o'clock in the morning, it was caught up by the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy. The French, who are romantic by nature, are not so stubborn and will not fight to the death, and the battleship "France", which knows its situation, did not choose to resist stubbornly after being chased over. Instead, the white flag was raised for the first time and surrendered to the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy.

The Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy, leaving behind a light cruiser and a destroyer, boarded the battleship 'France' and disarmed the French naval officers and men above. Took over the battleship. Although the French 'lone-class' battleships were not very good, it would be good to repair them and sell them cheaply to other countries.

The main forces of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy, which pursued the British and French navies at a high speed of 22 knots. And the speed at which the British and French navies fled was only 20 knots. Moreover. Over time, this speed will slowly decrease, otherwise the ship's boilers will be damaged if it continues to sail at high speeds. According to this time plan, the main force of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy will be able to catch up with the British and French navies at about two o'clock in the afternoon and annihilate them all!

When the submarine forces of the Chinese Navy attacked the British and French navies, it was three o'clock in the morning in London. In December, London has entered a cold winter, and the temperature has dropped below freezing. At this time, almost everyone is nestled under a warm bed.

The officers on duty at the British Admiralty are still scrupulously carrying out their duties. It's just that after receiving a telegram from Vice Admiral Howard, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, the officers on duty at the Admiralty immediately exploded.

The content of the telegram was that the British and French navies had suffered heavy losses due to a sneak attack by the Chinese submarine forces, and now the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy had broken through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and was pursuing the British and French navies.

"Oh God! Three battleships were actually sunk, and one was heavily damaged, and the remaining two battleships, how could they be opponents of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy? Whether it is a 'Qin-class' battleship or a 'Zhonghua-class' battleship, they are more powerful than our 'Dreadnought-class' battleships! This thought came to the minds of many British naval officers. They know that Lieutenant General Howard may be more than lucky this time! The chances of them succeeding in escaping are almost slim.

"Now, I order, everyone to stick to their posts, the news that the fleet was attacked by the Chinese Navy is forbidden to spread outside, and I will immediately report to His Excellency the Minister of the Navy!" A rear admiral ordered with a grim face. He knew what the consequences would be if such news spread. I'm afraid that tomorrow there will be a crowd of protesters outside the Admiralty.

"Yes, General!" The other British naval officers were also shocked and replied one after another.

The rear admiral immediately rode to the official residence of Admiral John Fisher. Only a senior cabinet official can make a decision on such a serious matter. It's just that he knows that the British and French navies suffered a crushing defeat in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is very likely to lead Britain and France to lose this war!

Sir John Fisher, Lord of the Admiralty, was woken up from his bed. Leaving the warm bed in this cold weather made him very dissatisfied. But when he saw the telegram sent back by Lieutenant General Howard, his whole body was cold.

"Howard, what the hell is he doing? How could it be attacked by the Chinese Navy? Didn't he know to be prepared in advance? Sir John Fisher scolded. The navy was defeated, and the Chinese navy entered the Red Sea, which would directly lead to the destruction of the logistics and supply of the Anglo-French forces in the kingdom. Even, there is a possibility that it may be cut off. If that happens, the fate of the hundreds of thousands of coalition troops still fighting in the Kingdom will be very worrying. And Britain and France, if they want to win the war, it is even more impossible, and even unable to end this war with dignity!

"Come, prepare the carriage, and go to the Prime Minister's Office immediately!" Sir John Fisher ordered. He must immediately report the situation to Prime Minister Arthur Belfour, and at the same time come up with a countermeasure. The defeat of the navy was a fatal blow to the ongoing war, and Sir John Fisher did not know how to deal with this outcome. At the same time, Sir John Fisher sent someone to inform the rest of the Cabinet and told everyone to rush to the Prime Minister's House. Obviously, this is not a question for one or two people to decide, even Prime Minister Arthur Belfour.

At 4 a.m. London time, Sir John Fisher arrived at the Prime Minister's Office. Prime Minister Arthur Belfour had already gotten up and waited, and when Sir John Fisher had departed from the residence, he sent someone to the Prime Minister's Office to inform him.

"Sir Fisher, what has happened?" Prime Minister Arthur Belfour asked. Being pulled out of bed at this time of year is really not a pleasant thing!

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, there has been a serious change on the front line!" Sir John Fisher said with a gloomy face.

"Heavy dà change? Could it be that the coalition forces suffered a defeat in the Kingdom? No, if that were the case, it would have been Sir Chamberlain who would have reported it. Is there something wrong with the Navy? Prime Minister Arthur Belfour asked in surprise.

Sir John Fisher nodded, and handed the telegram to Prime Minister Arthur Belfour.

Prime Minister Arthur Belfour took the telegram and read it in three or two clicks. It's just that after reading the telegram, his face turned black as the bottom of a pot. There was a thick anger in his eyes!

"What's going on? How could this happen? Didn't the Navy say before that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait was foolproof? Why did this happen? Prime Minister Arthur Belfour roared. If the army is defeated, then it can also continue to increase the number of troops to stabilize the situation of the war. However, the defeat of the navy will make the war a turning point, and Britain and France will never be able to win!

"The despicable Chinese used submarines to sneak attack us, and Howard, that idiot, was even more defenseless against it!" Sir John Fisher said. Now, he even has the heart to kill Howard. Of course, the prerequisite is that Vice Admiral Howard can escape the pursuit of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy.

"So what do we do now?" Prime Minister Arthur Belfour asked. Although he is the prime minister, he is already a little helpless in the face of such a big crisis!

"Our four 'dreadnought-class' battleships in the Mediterranean are heading south." Sir John Fisher said.

"Will they be able to defeat the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy?" Prime Minister Arthur Belfour asked.

"There is very little hope!" Sir John Fisher shook his head. With four 'Dreadnought-class' battleships, they will not be able to compete with China's Haji Indian Ocean Fleet.

Prime Minister Arthur Belfour sat down on the sofa all of a sudden, his face pale, and he had already thought about what the consequences would be.

At the same time, the French Navy also sent a telegram to the French Admiralty. The French Admiralty, after receiving the telegram of the defeat, was similarly jumping. When the French Minister of the Navy, Goldfrova Kafenjac, rushed to the Élysée Palace to report the news to President Emile-François Loubet, the French government was also in a panic!