On December 25, 1854, the day of Christmas, the main forces of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy set out from Gibraltar and headed for the Azores. After the empire received the Azores from Portugal, it began to build naval bases on the islands, and Terceira Porto Heroísmo was often used as the home port of the fleet. It's just that, in order to avoid overstimulating the British, the Imperial Navy has never deployed the main fleet here before.

Now, the war has begun, and both sides are already dead to death. Well, naturally, you won't have to worry about that anymore. The geographical location of the Azores is very important, and the deployment of warships here can cut off almost the entire Atlantic route.

The Azores are about 1,450 kilometers from the coast of Portugal, more than 1,600 kilometers from Europe and more than 3,200 kilometers from North America. It is 770 km to the southeast from Madeira and about 1,200 km to the east from Cabo da Roca, Portugal. In the 15th century, Portuguese navigators discovered the Azores, which for a long time served as an important supply point for the Atlantic route.

Previously, the empire had deployed only a small number of light warships in the Azores, including cruisers and destroyers. Although this had some impact on the UK, it was not fatal. Now, the main forces of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy are heading to the Azores, trying to deal a fatal blow to the British, thus forcing the British to have a decisive battle with the Imperial Navy.

Of course, in order to give the British and the Imperial Navy the courage to fight a decisive battle. The 1st Fleet of the Imperial Navy remained in the Mediterranean, and only the 5th Fleet went to the Azores. This is exactly the opportunity that the British have always dreamed of to defeat the Chinese navy.

The main force of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy was four 'Western Han class' battleships, including the flagship 'Emperor Wu of Han' and 'Emperor Zhao of Han'. 'Emperor Xuan of Han' and 'Emperor Yuan of Han', four 'Qin-class' battleships. They were the battleship 'King Qin Xiaowen' and the battleship 'King Qin Zhaoxiang'. The battleship 'King Wu of Qin' and the battleship 'King Huiwen of Qin'. In terms of light warships, the 'Trotto-class' cruisers and the 'Tiangang-class' destroyers remained in the Indian Ocean and their home port in Singapore. The warships that followed the main force of the fleet were seven 'Xingsui-class' cruisers, namely 'Jingmu Qian', 'Ghost Golden Sheep', 'Liutu', 'Xingri Ma', 'Zhang Yuelu', 'Winged Fire Snake' and 'Worm', and six 'Temperary-class improved' cruisers. They are 'Lidong', 'Xiaoxue', 'Daxue', 'Winter Solstice', 'Xiaohan' and 'Dahan'. The 9 'Disha-class' destroyers are 'Diwen', 'Dizheng', 'Dipi', and 'Di'. 'Diqiang', 'Didark', 'Dixi', 'Dihui' and 'Dizuo'. Nine 'Tiangang-class improved' destroyers. They are 'Balance', 'Heavenly Sin', and 'Heavenly Loss'. 'Heavenly Defeat', 'Heavenly Prison'. 'Tianhui', 'Tianfeng'. 'Tian Wai' and 'Tian Qiao'.

A total of 8 battleships, 13 cruisers and 18 destroyers, such a strength is weak compared to the strong home fleet of the British Navy. However, the comparison of real combat power is still unknown. This is especially true when the killer features of the Imperial Navy have not yet been revealed. If the British Navy's Home Fleet attempted a decisive battle with the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Navy's 5th Fleet would certainly surprise the British Navy.

The British wanted an opportunity to defeat the Imperial Navy, and it just so happened that the Empire also wanted the British Navy to come out of the harbor for a decisive battle. Therefore, the two sides can be described as an instant hit. The main force of the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy left Gibraltar and went to the Azores in order to attract the British Navy and then fight a decisive battle.

In Huaxia City, the capital of the empire, Admiral Sun Hao, chief of the general staff, and Vice Admiral Liu Zhongming, chief of operations, were informing the imperial emperor Long Yufei of the situation of the fleet's dispatch. For this battle, Emperor Long Yufei had high hopes. Only by gaining absolute supremacy of the sea can the empire be able to fully dominate this war. It would also be possible to make the war end within the next year. An early end to the war would cost the empire a lot less. Both financial, material and human resources could be saved, so that the empire could quickly recover after the war and thus take the lead.

This war is just the beginning. The Chinese Empire could seize world hegemony through this war. However, in order to meet the challenges of other countries and completely consolidate world hegemony, one more war is needed. Long Yufei hopes that he can make a good layout for the next war now.

"Your Majesty, the main forces of the 5th Fleet have left Gibraltar. It is expected that the British should also get the news. If they don't want to continue this stalemate, maybe we'll hear the news of the decisive battle soon! "The Chief of the General Staff, General Sun Hao, appeared full of confidence.

"Hmmm! Is the 5th Fleet ready, though? Long Yufei asked. After all, the British Navy's home fleet now had 12 battleships, and there were also quite a few 'Nelson-class' warships with a displacement of about 8,000 tons. In addition, there are 'Orlando-class' warships and so on. Judging by the number of warships, the main force of the 5th Fleet, which has less than 40 ships, is definitely at a disadvantage.

"Your Majesty, the 5th Fleet does not have as many warships as the British Navy. However, the combat power is definitely not far behind. Although the British Navy had 12 battleships, it is not known how many would be left after they survived the torpedo attacks of the Imperial Navy. As long as the capital ships of the British Navy are eliminated, the remaining battleships will not be a cause for concern! Lieutenant General Liu Zhongming, Chief of Operations, said. It was the torpedo that made the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy full of confidence in this battle.

"Send a telegram to the 5th Fleet up and down in my name! All the people of the empire hope that they will be able to achieve a brilliant victory. Whether the empire can become the hegemon of the world depends on their battle! Long Yufei said solemnly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Admiral Sun Hao nodded. Emperor Long Yufei's words were not only an encouragement to the 5th Fleet, but at the same time, it also made them feel a lot of pressure.

"When will the troops sent by the Empire to Europe arrive in Europe?" Long Yufei asked. It is not an easy task to transport a large number of troops to Europe by next spring, and to ensure the supply of troops and all kinds of war materials!

"Your Majesty, the 17th Army and the 18th Army have already set off. The 13th and 14th armies will leave at the beginning of next month. In addition, the 19th and 20th armies of the Imperial Navy will also go to Europe at the end of next month! With the current capacity of the Imperial Navy, it is enough to ensure the consumption of the Imperial Army in Europe! Admiral Sun Hao said.

Together with the 15th and 16th armies that arrived in Europe first, the Imperial Army had sent as many as eight armies to fight in Europe, totaling about 1.3 million people. This is the largest number of troops the Empire has ever sent overseas.

"Next spring, we will launch a large-scale counterattack against the North Atlantic military alliance. The army will enter Europe from the Russian theater and will also attack north from the Iberian Peninsula. It is foreseeable that the North Atlantic military alliance will soon collapse, and there is no doubt that the empire will win this war. However, defeating the enemy on the battlefield is only the first step. When the time comes, the Prussians will certainly jump out and compete with the Reich for the spoils of war. Therefore, the Imperial Army's operations in Europe in particular required caution. Long Yufei said. The Prussians had preserved their strength at the beginning of the war, and now that the war was about to be won, they would certainly spare no effort to fight the empire for territory.

"Your Majesty, then, will this create friction between our two countries and two armies?" Admiral Sun Hao said with some concern. After all, in Europe, once the North Atlantic military alliance fell, the Kingdom of Prussia became the only one. Although the empire was much more powerful than the Kingdom of Prussia, the number of troops it could send to fight in Europe was very limited.

"Friction? It's certainly possible. There will even be conflicts. Of course, as long as Wilhelm I and Otto. Feng. If Bismarck's brain hadn't been kicked by a donkey, they would have made the right choice. After all, with the current strength of the Empire, even if the war goes on for another two years, we will be able to hold it out. On the other hand, the Prussians, if the war continues, I am afraid that if we don't want to fight, they will collapse! Long Yufei said contemptuously. Although the current Kingdom of Prussia was powerful, it could not be compared with the later German Empire. After all, the Germanic people had not yet been instilled with the confidence of victory after victory.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Admiral Sun Hao nodded.

"In addition, we have sent so many troops to Europe that we need one person to be in charge. Otherwise, I'm afraid there will be chaos. General Liu, you go to Europe and become the commander of the European Front of the Imperial Army! Long Yufei said. The European Front was a temporary formation of the Imperial Army, which was only available in wartime. When the war is over, this establishment will be abolished. After all, in order to consolidate the emperor's authority, he refused to let people serve as the commander of a million-strong army for a long time.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Lieutenant General Liu Zhongming nodded. He knew that this was the emperor's majesty who let him accumulate seniority. Admiral Sun Hao is not young anymore, and after this battle, he will retire soon. When the time comes, he will be the best candidate for the chief of the general staff of the three armed forces of the empire.

With the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy sailing to the Azores, the battle that would determine the fate of Britain has begun. (To be continued......)

PS: The third update is here, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you for the reward and monthly pass from your book friend Xia Fei's cheeks! Thank you for the monthly pass of the book friend Oriental Macho 1 and the Wanderer's Starry Sky Story!