At 5 p.m. on August 16, Admiral Li Haitao, commander of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy, led the main fleet of the Indian Ocean Fleet from Marsala, consisting of the battleship Emperor Ming of Han, the battleship Qin Shi Huang, the battleship Prince Fusu, and the battlecruiser Wang Ben. Together with several heavy and light cruisers and destroyers, the total number of large and small battleships reached more than twenty.

Because this time it was a task to lure the enemy, it was necessary to have high requirements for the speed of the fleet, so the "Zhonghua-class, battleships, and the "Zhongnan", "Zhongnan", and "Nanyang" battleships all stayed in Marsala.

The actions of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy departing from Marsala and sailing westward did not hide from the combined fleet of the British and French Navy. Although the Chinese conquered Sicily, there were still millions of Italians on the island, many of whom secretly reported the news of the Chinese occupation forces to the Italian government. In a short period of time, the Chinese occupation forces were also unable to dig these people out. However, several field airfields were heavily guarded to prevent any Italians from entering the vicinity of the field airfields. Therefore, the news that China has deployed a large number of warplanes in Sicily has not been revealed.

At this moment, the combined fleet of the British and French navies is still more than 800 kilometers away from Sicily, and at this rate, if the Chinese fleet keeps sailing westward, the two sides will encounter each other on the afternoon of 17 August.

"Your Excellency Commander, the main fleet of the Chinese has left Marsala!" On board the battleship Warrior, the flagship of the Combined Fleet, the Chief of Staff of the Fleet, Roslyn. Lieutenant General Wells paid tribute to John. Admiral Jericho reported.

"Oh? Are the Chinese preparing to flee? I knew these cowards wouldn't dare stand up to us, they must be scared out of their hearts by now! "John. Admiral Jericho said disdainfully, and at the same time very regretful. If the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy retreats and retreats all the way to the east, then his desire to defeat the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy will be frustrated.

"No, commander, the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy is sailing west!" Roslyn. Lieutenant General Wells said.

"To the west? What's going on? Could it be that those yellow-skinned monkeys are looking for death? Or do they think that with their few broken ships, they will be able to compete with our more than a dozen new capital ships? "John. Admiral Jericho was taken aback. In his opinion, the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy should have fled with its tail between its legs as soon as it learned of the arrival of the Combined Fleet.

"Your Excellency, according to the exact information we have received, three battleships and one battlecruiser of the Chinese Navy, escorted by a number of heavy cruisers, light cruisers, and destroyers, have left Marsala and are heading west. The old battleships were left behind in Marsala. It is clear that the Chinese did not flee as we expected, they left the old battleships, but the new ones left the port, obviously wanting to fight us! "Roslyn. Lieutenant General Wells said. Although he thinks the Chinese's actions are ridiculous, there seems to be no other reasonable explanation.

"Humph! In that case, those yellow-skinned monkeys are looking for death, so we'll fulfill them! Send more light cruisers and destroyers out to find the Chinese navy's movements, and don't let them slip away. I'd like to see if they dare to fight us when the main forces of the combined fleet arrive! "John. Admiral Jericho said fearlessly. At least, in his opinion, no matter what intrigues and tricks the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy has, but in the face of absolute strength, any intrigues and tricks are useless. The Combined Fleet has 13 advanced battleships and 3 battle cruisers, which already has an overwhelming advantage over the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy. Not to mention the fact that the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy left five battleships in Marsala. Then the main force of the Indian Ocean Fleet, which is sailing westward, will have no chance of winning against the Combined Fleet. Although, John. Admiral Jericho also sensed that there was something unusual about the actions of the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet, but he really couldn't think of anything wrong, or that the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet would have any means to counter the combined ship fleet.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander!" Roslyn. Lieutenant General Wells nodded. He also had no doubts about defeating the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet, and if the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet really dared to come and die, then the Combined Fleet would have won.

"Wait! Vice Admiral Wells, ordered the fleet to be anti-submarine ready. The only ones that can pose a threat to the combined fleet are those submarines hiding underwater. However, if the Chinese want to rely on those water rats to defeat the combined fleet, it is absolutely impossible! "John. Admiral Jericho said. The reason why the combined fleet is equipped with so many destroyers this time is to defend against the submarines of the Chinese Navy.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander!" Roslyn. Lieutenant General Wells said. After that, a small fleet of several light cruisers and several destroyers formed a formation and accelerated eastward. At the same time, the destroyers in the formation also increased their sailing speed, and kept a close watch around the capital ship to search for possible submarines of the Chinese Navy. All the lookouts on the destroyers were asked to keep their eyes open, and once the Chinese Navy's submarines appeared, they must be the first to spot them and then launch an attack to ensure the safety of the main fleet.

The main force of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy did not sail westward after departing from Marsala. After about a hundred kilometers from Sicily, they began to circle the nearby seas. This made the reconnaissance ships of the Combined Fleet, which was reconnoitering the Indian Ocean Fleet from afar, very puzzled. When they reported it truthfully, John . . . Admiral Jericho was even more sure that the Chinese had prepared a trap in the waters near Sicily, probably ambushing a lot of submarines, waiting for the combined fleet to send them to death.

However, even knowing that the Chinese Navy has submarines there, John . Admiral Jericho was not afraid. The dozens of destroyers of the combined fleet are enough to provide the most complete anti-submarine defense for all the capital ships, and as long as the submarines of the Chinese Navy dare to appear, the destroyers will definitely be able to sink them with depth charges. The horror of the submarine lies in its mysterious whereabouts, once discovered, the thin shell cannot withstand a blow at all, and small-caliber shells can destroy it.

At the same time, John. Admiral Jericho has also become more and more cautious, and although he thinks he has seen the traps prepared by the Chinese navy, he always has some apprehension in his mind.

At 8 a.m. on August 18, the combined fleet of the British and French navies and the main forces of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese navy met in the sea area 150 kilometers from Sicily. The attack by the submarine forces of the Chinese Navy, which was expected by the Combined Fleet, did not appear, which made John Brown. Admiral Jericho was amazed.

"Could it be that the submarine forces of the Chinese are not deployed to the nearby seas? How is this possible? "John. Admiral Jericho was surprised.

"Your Excellency, the Chinese fleet is in our northeast direction and is now sailing eastward at a speed of 18 knots, about fifteen thousand kilometers from us. What are we going to do? "Fleet Chief of Staff Roslyn. Lieutenant General Wells asked.

"Humph! The fleet was ordered to strengthen anti-submarine alert. The battle cruiser formation rushed up and intercepted the yellow-skinned monkeys. The battleships lined up in a battle line, pursued at a speed of 18 knots, and as soon as the battlecruiser formation intercepted the Chinese Navy, we would take them out! "John. Admiral Jericho said. Although he felt that there must be some conspiracy in this, he could not let go of the three battleships of the Chinese Navy and one battlecruiser in front of him.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander!" Roslyn. Lieutenant General Wells immediately conveyed the order.

A few minutes later, the three battle cruisers of the Combined Fleet, under the protection of several light cruisers and destroyers, accelerated towards the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy.

The three battleships of the Combined Fleet, the Royal Princess, had a top speed of 275 knots, and the New Zealand, and the Indomitable had a top speed of only 25 knots. In John. Under the orders of Admiral Jericho, a formation of three battle cruisers, at a speed of 22 knots, pursued the Indian Ocean Fleet of the Chinese Navy, trying to intercept the Indian Ocean Fleet. At the same time, the 13 capital ships of the Combined Fleet also formed three battle lines and launched a pursuit at a speed of 18 knots, preparing to completely destroy the three battleships and one battle cruiser of the Indian Ocean Fleet after the battle cruiser formation intercepted the Indian Ocean Fleet.

"Haha! The guys caught up. Send a telegram to General Zhou, informing him that the fish has been hooked. Prepare all the brothers of the Aviation! Seeing the combined fleet speeding up to chase them, Admiral Li Haitao, the commander of the Indian Ocean Fleet, had a smile on his face, and the combined fleet was completely rushing to send him to death! Didn't they think that the Indian Ocean Fleet would dare to provoke them with such a weak strength, and was there no problem in this? Or did the commander of the Combined Fleet think that the Combined Fleet was strong enough to deal with a crisis?

"Yes, Commander! However, those three battlecruisers were very fast! If we continue like this, we'll be caught up in two hours. If we get caught up in them, we're in danger! Vice Admiral Wu Zhiyuan, chief of staff of the fleet, reminded.

"Order the fleet to accelerate to 22 knots! So that after two hours we will be only 70 kilometers from Sicily, which is exactly within the optimal combat radius of naval aviation! Admiral Li Haitao said with a smile. If the combined fleet dares to pursue, it is doomed to a dead end!