In the Aegean Sea, a huge fleet was sailing, dozens of warships lined up in several columns all the way to the south, and the middle two columns were impressively filled with huge warships floating on the sea like hills. On these warships, the star and moon flags of the Ottoman Turkish Empire are hoisted, representing their identity. This fleet, officially departing from the Sea of Marmara, was preparing to go to the Mediterranean Sea and the naval fleet of the Ottoman Turkish Empire for a decisive battle with the Spanish Navy. It was also a powerful fleet built by the Ottoman Empire after the war.

The core of the naval fleet of the Ottoman Turkish Empire was undoubtedly thirteen battleships, which were divided into two battleship detachments. Two 'Caesars. The first battleship detachment consisting of the 'Frederick III' class battleships and four 'Brandenburg-class' battleships, and the second battleship detachment consisting of four 'Western Han-class' battleships and three 'Qin-class' battleships.

Of course, in terms of numbers, the second battleship detachment had one more. But in terms of combat power, it is clear that the 1st Battleship Detachment is superior. The battleships of the 2nd Battleship Detachment were all old battleships purchased from the Chinese Empire after the war. Although the overall performance of these battleships was good, they were more than ten years old, and many of them also participated in the decisive naval battles between the Imperial Chinese Navy and the British Royal Navy. However, even so, the performance of these battleships should not be underestimated, and it can be described as old and strong. The six battleships of the 1st Battleship Detachment were all new ships purchased from Germany, and the caliber of the main guns was also larger than that of the 'Western Han class' battleships and the 'Qin class' battleships.

On the battleship 'Sultan', the flagship of the Ottoman Turkish Imperial Navy, the commander of the navy, Mehmet . Bakker. Pasha frowned. After the fleet entered the Aegean Sea, he had a premonition. It was as if a crisis was imminent. But where exactly does the crisis come from. But he couldn't speak. It's as if their every move is under the watchful eye of the enemy.

"How long will it be before we can leave the Aegean Sea and enter the Mediterranean?" Muhammad. Bakker. Pasha asked.

"Pasha. Tomorrow morning we will be able to enter the Mediterranean! But which shipping route do we choose to access the Mediterranean? A lieutenant general asked. To the south of the Aegean Sea lies Crete, a part of the Mediterranean province of the Chinese Empire, on which the Chinese Empire built a military base to closely monitor the situation in the eastern Mediterranean. The Ottoman navy had to pass through Crete to enter the Mediterranean. In the past, the Ottoman navy was able to avoid Crete far away. But when the Chinese navy deployed aircraft and seaplanes on Crete, it expanded its scope to most of the eastern Mediterranean. If the navy of the Ottoman Turkish Empire wanted to leave the Aegean Sea and enter the Mediterranean without a word, it would be impossible.

Muhammad. Bakker. Pasha frowned, he knew that no matter which channel he took, he would be discovered by the Chinese. And the Spaniards will surely know the news. In this case, they would have to face a decisive battle with the Spanish navy.

However, this time the Ottoman Turkish navy would not back down, and the reason why they left the Aegean Sea in large numbers was to prepare for a decisive battle with the navy of the Kingdom of Spain. Seize sea supremacy in the Mediterranean. Therefore, a naval duel between the two countries is already inevitable.

"Take the waterway on the left side of Crete! There is the eastern Mediterranean, far from the sphere of influence of the Chinese and Spaniards! "Muhammad. Bakker. Pasha said. There is no way to do it, so you can only choose casually. In his opinion. The sale of Crete and the island of Cyprus to the Chinese Empire was a huge mistake. However, at that time, the relationship between the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Chinese Empire was perfect. The Chinese Empire wanted a foothold in the eastern Mediterranean, and at the same time could afford to pay for it. The Ottoman Empire, of course, would not have refused.

"Yes, Pasha!" The lieutenant general nodded.

"Order the ships. Get ready for battle from now on! We have to beware of Spaniards who may appear at any time! "Muhammad. Bakker. Pasha said. Almost all of the ships cruising in the Mediterranean Sea are the warships of the Spanish Navy. The attention of the Chinese Navy has long been on the German Navy. In the Mediterranean, not many warships remained.

"Yes, Pasha!" The lieutenant general officer immediately went to deliver the order. Soon, the naval queue of the Ottoman Turkish Empire began to change, the middle two queues were still battleships, but the cruisers and destroyers around them continued to spread outward, looking for traces of the Spanish navy and avoiding being taken by surprise. After all, there is no need to think about it to know that the Spanish Navy must have arrived, and the battle between the two countries for sea supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea is already inevitable.

In the clouds, a light fighter plane was flying, this one was a biplane, and below the plane, two pontoons replaced the wheels. This is the 'Albatross' seaplane equipped by the Imperial Navy, and it is also the largest number of seaplanes currently equipped by the Empire. Although the firepower of this seaplane is not very strong, it is only armed with a 12.7 mm aviation machine gun. However, the Albatross seaplane has an extremely long range, reaching more than 800 kilometers, which makes this aircraft the most important reconnaissance aircraft of the Chinese Navy. At the same time, it can also be used for sea rescue, transportation and school firing for naval guns, etc., which can be described as a multi-purpose aircraft.

Unbeknownst to the Imperial Ottoman Turkish Navy, an 'Albatross' seaplane was right above their heads, hiding in the clouds to monitor their movements. In addition, the telegram constantly reported their whereabouts to the base in Crete. I didn't leave until I was running out of fuel. However, they will then be replaced by new 'Albatross' seaplanes that will keep a close eye on the movements of the Ottoman Turkish Navy.

On August 18, Spanish Admiral Antonio received a telegram from the Chinese Navy's base in Crete, confirming that the Ottoman Turkish Navy was preparing to enter the Mediterranean Sea from the shipping lane to the left of Crete.

Admiral Antonio immediately became excited, and ordered the Spanish navy's fleet to move east at once, preparing to block the Ottoman Turkish navy and engage them in a decisive naval battle to decide the ownership of the eastern Mediterranean.

Although the total number of battleships in the Spanish Navy was one less than that of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the number of old battleships was even more, which made the Spanish Navy probably inferior to the Ottoman Imperial Turkish Navy on paper. However, four powerful 'Chu Tang-class' battleships were enough to turn around an unfavorable situation. What's more, the Spanish Navy will also receive all-round intelligence support from the Imperial Navy, which will make the Ottoman Imperial Navy as transparent to them.

Two large fleets were sailing in the Mediterranean, with the Ottoman Imperial Turkish Navy heading southeast, and the Spanish Navy heading due east. This is destined for the two fleets to meet soon.

On the morning of August 19, when the rising sun shone on the sea, large dark clouds appeared in the distant sky. This is formed by the thick smoke spewed from the chimney of the battleship, and the thick black smoke column rises into the sky, and the dark clouds formed in the sky persist for a long time, which has become an important indicator of judging the enemy fleet.

Among the naval battleships of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, except for the two 'Caesars. In addition to the oil-fired boilers used by the Frederick III class battleships, the other eleven ships used coal-fired boilers. This made the plume of smoke coming out of the battleship's chimney thick and black.

On the other hand, in the Spanish Navy, all warships used oil-fired boilers, and the plumes of smoke from the chimneys were naturally lighter. At the same time, the power of the battleship was also greater, and it had a slight advantage in speed. Originally, the 'Qin-class' battleships and the 'Western Han-class' battleships used coal-fired boilers. However, later the Chinese Empire modernized the Spanish Navy and replaced the boilers with coal-fired boilers. At the same time, some new observation and sighting equipment was installed on the battleship, which made the performance of the battleship improve to a certain extent. And the navy of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, on the other hand, did not have this treatment. The guns used by their 'Qin-class' battleships and 'Western Han-class' battleships could only be purchased from the German Empire. And all the naval guns of the German Navy were more than 305 mm. In order to win over the Ottoman Turkish Empire as an ally, the German Empire had to set up a special production line for the production of 280-mm naval artillery shells, specifically for the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

It can be said that the German Empire took great pains to win over the Ottoman Turkish Empire, an ally. And now, naturally, it was time for the Ottoman Turkish Empire, an ally, to be cannon fodder for the German Empire.

"Spot the enemy!" A terrible siren sounded on the battleship. The sirens were orders, and almost without the orders of the fleet commander, all the sailors rushed out of their cabins and into their posts. They knew that the battle was about to begin. What awaits them will be a test of blood and fire.

Almost at the same time that the Spanish Navy discovered the Ottoman Imperial Navy, the Ottoman Imperial Navy also discovered the Spanish Navy. Muhammad. Bakker. Pasha immediately ordered: "All ships prepare for battle!" For the honor of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, sink the Spanish warships! (To be continued......)

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