In the Bay of Bengal, the wind is high and the waves are strong, and under the influence of the monsoon, the sea is not very calm during this season, and large waves appear for a long time. Ordinary merchant ships will avoid this area and choose relatively calm seas. However, warships are different. The warship itself is much stronger than the merchant ship, and such a storm will not have any effect on the warship at all.

A huge fleet sailed through the wind and waves, and those warships with a smaller displacement rose and fell with the wind and waves, as if they were about to be overturned by the wind and waves at any time. However, the huge battleships in the center of the fleet, which were like small hills, seemed to be very stable. Those storms and waves will not have any effect on the giant ship at all.

This fleet is the main force of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy. After the 'Nakshatra-class' cruisers and the 'Earthshatter-class' destroyers joined the fleet. The strength of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy has once again increased by leaps and bounds. Before the outbreak of the war, the 5th Fleet had already left its home port and entered the Bay of Bengal through the Strait of Malacca. Their target is the Indian fleet of the British Navy, and once war breaks out, they will destroy the Indian fleet of the British Navy as soon as possible, ensure the safety of the shipping routes in the Indian Ocean, and complete the blockade of India.

Vice Admiral Lu Haipeng, commander of the Imperial Navy's 5th Fleet, left three 'Eastern Zhou-class' and four 'Western Zhou-class' warships at their home port to protect the safety of the shipping lanes, while he himself led the remaining warships to the Bay of Bengal. Although the 'Eastern Zhou-class' and 'Western Zhou-class' warships have strong firepower, they are becoming more and more unsuitable for future naval battles because of their slow speed. In this battle, the tasks undertaken by the 'Eastern Zhou-class' and 'Western Zhou-class' warships. It is also mainly to escort troops to land, or to block the enemy, etc. Wait until after the end of the Great War. The 'Eastern Zhou-class' warships and the 'Western Zhou-class' warships may all be allocated to the Pacific Fleet.

"How long before we can get out of the storm zone?" On the battleship 'Emperor Wu of Han' during the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy, Vice Admiral Lu Haipeng, the commander of the fleet, frowned.

"Commander, the weather forecasting expert said that in three hours at most, we will be able to leave the storm zone. Tomorrow morning, we will be able to get to our scheduled location! Vice Admiral Ye Feng, Chief of Staff of the Fleet, said. The target of the 5th Fleet's trip was Visakhapatland, the home port of the British Royal Navy's Indian fleet. The main force of the Indian fleet was staying there, and the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy had already sent warships to monitor it first.

"Hmmm! Settle the Indian fleet of the British earlier. We could have gone to Europe sooner! Lieutenant General Lu Haipeng sighed. Right now. The 1st Fleet has already gone to Europe, but the main theater of operations of the 5th Fleet is in the Indian Ocean. After they have eliminated the Indian fleet, they will have to carry out the task of blockading India. However, Lieutenant General Lu Haipeng believes. This task can be given to the 'Eastern Zhou-class' and 'Western Zhou-class' warships. It's a big deal to leave some more destroyers and cruisers. And he could lead the eight battleships of the 5th Fleet to Europe. Wait until the end of the year or the beginning of next year. The other four 'Eastern Han class' battleships are also in service. The strength of the 5th Fleet will develop rapidly.

"Yes! The 1st Fleet does not know whether it is now passing through the Suez Canal. Perhaps, after they enter the Mediterranean. There will be a big battle with the Mediterranean Fleet of the British Navy, and even the home fleet of the British Navy will be dispatched. The British Navy's Mediterranean Fleet had four battleships, and the Home Fleet had eight battleships. However, even so, with the cooperation of the Spanish Navy, the 1st Fleet was very sure of victory. Not to mention that our destroyers and cruisers are not vegetarians. I'm really looking forward to the decisive battle of the 10,000-ton giant ship at sea! Lieutenant General Ye Feng, Chief of Staff, also said.

As officers of the Navy, they are undoubtedly the most eager to participate in magnificent naval battles. Not a single naval battle was fought after the service of the advanced battleships of the Imperial Navy, especially the powerful battleships. You can only learn about the power of this kind of warship from ordinary exercises. How exciting it would be to be able to sink the enemy's warship directly in a naval battle!

"Soon, when we get rid of the Indian fleet, we will immediately apply to the General Staff for the European battlefield. The 1st Fleet eats meat, but you'll have to leave us some soup! Lieutenant General Lu Haipeng said.

At this moment, at the anchorage of the Indian fleet of the British Royal Navy, Visakhapatla, the commander of the Indian fleet, Thomas . Vice Admiral Maitland was watching the battleships in the harbor prepare for the sea. The Indian fleet was the weakest of the fleets in the Royal Navy. The strongest are naturally the Home Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet. Not to mention anything else, the most powerful battleships were equipped with only these two fleets. The rest of the fleet relied on 'Nelson-class' and 'Orlando-class' warships to prop up its façade.

As the Chinese navy became more powerful, the British navy's Indian fleet became dispensable. It is impossible for the British Navy to send all the main forces of the Navy to India, after all, India does not have a sufficient industrial base to support these warships. What's more, the British Navy is also not sure to defeat the Chinese Navy here, as evidenced by the fiasco of the last decade or so ago. As a result, the size of the Indian fleet is also shrinking. Initially, the Indian fleet still had more than a dozen capital ships, and now, there are only two Nelson-class warships, two Orlando-class warships and six pearl-class cruisers left in the entire Indian fleet. The rest of the warships have been repatriated to join the Home Fleet or the Mediterranean Fleet.

Thomas. Lieutenant General Maitland's mood now seems a little agitated. The Chinese Empire has declared war on the North Atlantic Military Alliance, so the Indian fleet is already under threat to the Chinese Navy. Perhaps, the Chinese Navy is already on its way. Once it is blocked by the Chinese Navy, the Indian Navy will surely die. Thomas. Vice Admiral Maitland did not think that the Nelson-class and Orlando-class battleships could compete with the 10,000-ton battleships of the Chinese Navy. That's just hitting a stone with an egg, getting impatient.

"How long is it going to be ready? The Chinese are definitely on their way here, and we have to get out of here quickly! "Thomas. Lieutenant General Maitland urged. He had a hunch that the Chinese navy might soon appear.

"General, we've done our best. With one more hour of action, you'll be able to leave the port! "Fleet Chief of Staff George. Major General Mundy said. After all, the war came too suddenly, and many warships were not yet ready. There were even two battleships that came straight down from the overhauled slipway. The Indian fleet is now like a lost dog.

"Hurry up, after half of it disappears, you have to leave the port!" Thomas. Lieutenant General Maitland ordered with a cold face.

"Yes, General!" George. Rear Admiral Mundy nodded, he also knew that the current situation was very critical for the Indian fleet.

"By the way, are the Chinese warships still outside the harbor?" Thomas. Lieutenant General Maitland asked.

"Well, they're still outside. There are three in total, which are the Chinese' 'Tsunaku-class' cruisers and 'Tiangang-class' destroyers. "George. Major General Mundy said. In George. In Rear Admiral Mundy's opinion, these two types of Chinese warships seem to have no other advantages except for a little faster, and the firepower is not even comparable to the British Navy's 'pearl-class' cruisers. You know, the 'Pearl-class' cruiser is an old warship that has been in service for more than ten years.

"Hell, that's annoying!" Thomas. Lieutenant General Maitland cursed secretly. Although the firepower of the Chinese Navy's 'Trotto-class' cruisers and 'Tiangang-class' destroyers is weak, their speed is so high that none of the Indian fleet's warships can catch up. In addition, the Chinese Navy has directly sent warships to the home port of the Indian fleet to monitor it, doesn't this also indicate that the Chinese Navy will be coming soon?

In Thomas. Lieutenant General Maitland waited anxiously, and half of the time that disappeared passed. At this time, the replenishment of the Indian fleet was not yet fully completed, however, Thomas . Lieutenant General Maitland couldn't care about that much. He directly ordered the fleet to set sail for Visakhapatlan and bound for Mumbai, on the western coast of India. If the situation is not right, he even intends to retreat directly to South Africa, or even return to his homeland.

The Indian fleet of the British Navy was on fire, and thick black smoke rose from the chimney. Soon, the warships were slowly moving, and one by one they left the harbor.

"Send a telegram to the flagship, the Indian fleet has left the port, we will continue to track them, please do your best to arrive at the flagship, otherwise, the big fish will slip away!" The captain of the cruiser 'Summer Solstice' of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy ordered.

"Yes, Captain!" The communications officer hurriedly contacted the flagship.

The cruiser 'Xia Zhi' and the other two 'Tiangang-class' destroyers retreated far away, and then hoisted unhurriedly behind the Indian fleet. At the speed of the 'Trotto-class' cruisers and the 'Tiangang-class' destroyers, the Indian fleet's cruising speed of 10 knots wants to shake off their tracking, it is simply impossible.

Looking at the two 'Nelson-class' battleships and the two 'Orlando-class' battleships leading the Indian fleet, the cruiser 'Summer Solstice' of the Imperial Navy, it was tempting to rush up and sink them with torpedoes. However, this can only be an idea. The Imperial Navy had a clear rule that the torpedo, a secret weapon, could not be exposed until it met the battleships of the British Navy.

On the morning of July 26, 1854, the Imperial Navy's 5th Fleet intercepted the British Navy's Indian fleet in the Bay of Bengal. (To be continued......)

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