In fact, there were already Roman citizens who had already discovered that the main fleet had left the port.

The communication ship sent by Italy was on its way, and it brought an order for an urgent retreat.

It's a pity that the Italian fleet was destroyed faster than anyone expected.

When the Italian government first heard the news that the port of Rome was empty, it was nervous, but it was not too alarmed.

Except for the three ironclad ships in Sicily, this is already the entire naval strength of Italy, even if the Spanish Navy is dispatched, 10 ships against 13 ships, the gap is not too big.

Throughout the history of naval warfare in the world, there have been very few battles in which the entire army was annihilated, and most naval battles lasted one or two days, and both the victors and the losers suffered considerable losses.

Like the later Battle of Jutland, it is very similar to the current situation, the cause of that battle was that Tokuji tried to ambush the British, but the British ambushed him in turn.

But even if Britain had the upper hand, they objectively lost the battle - Britain sank far more tons than Germany.

It's just that Britain has achieved the goal of continuing to blockade Germany and has become a strategic victor.

So...... All kinds of land plans and conspiracies can only add weight to a naval battle, and it depends on hard power to really fight.

Therefore, when the results of the Battle of Corsica were sunk by 4 ships and 6 ships were dropped, it is conceivable how surprised the countries were.

"I suspect that the Italians will not sail at all."

When Prime Minister Gladstone heard the news, he complained directly in front of everyone.

The fact that he, who had always been more serious, was able to say such things shows his contempt for Italy.

"The enemy left the port in Rome without being discovered, the ironclad was sunk by a wooden cruiser, and the fleet ......surrendered in three hours of duel," echoed the Foreign Minister, Count Granville, who, though neither of them were professional naval personnel, the more consequentialist the more amateurs became, and in their eyes Italy was useless.

However, if the British First Sea Secretary had been here, he would have disagreed.

It is true that the command of the Italian commander Badogglio does not have many bright spots, but there is nothing wrong with it, and the whole process can be said to be steady and steady, worthy of his salary.

The Italian sailors were also considered loyal and dutiful, perhaps they were not professional enough, but the desire to serve the country was obvious to all, and all the warships basically fought until the last moment before surrendering.

The main problem is that their tactical thinking is too backward, and the design of the ironclad is also lagging behind the version.

But this can't be blamed on them, ironclad ships have only appeared for a short time, and all countries are crossing the river by feeling the stones, and all kinds of strange tactical ideas and ship designs are available.

On a battlefield like this, most commanders will just like Badogglio and opt for the old tactics that have stood the test of time.

…… But if you become a king or lose a king, it won't help to say this.

What is now in front of the British Prime Minister is an unquestionable mess.

They had only wanted Spain to teach Italy a lesson, and then make peace from it.

But now that Italy has been crippled by World War I, the situation is suddenly out of control.

They did not know whether Spain's ambitions were still confined to Sardinia, and that Italy had been weakened to such an extent that they knew on their toes that Austria-Hungary would never sit still.

For the solidarity pact to carve up Italy and then dominate the continent, Prime Minister Gladstone is dizzy just to think about it.

"It has to be stopped." Gladstone said.

The Earl of Granville did not question this nonsense remark, and in fact he had come to 10 Downing Street for exactly that.

Just as he was about to go out, Prime Minister Gladstone stopped him and said in a deep voice: "If Spain makes too much of a request, don't forget the Mediterranean Fleet of the United Kingdom." ”

……

Britain's tough intervention had not yet arrived, and Spain was already in a state of national jubilation.

As details are revealed, each new story sets off a wave of discussion.

The port of Barcelona, in particular, is crowded at this time.

Six captured Italian ironclads were docked here, scarred and ugly, but this was the only way to show the might of the Kingdom of Spain.

National pride reached its peak at this moment.

While the people were celebrating all over the country, Alfonso was urgently discussing the plans for the next war with Campos and the others.

The war has reached this point, and there is no doubt that it is already on the verge of victory.

Spain could end the war at any time if it wanted to.

The only question is how to end it.

Just as everyone in the parliament chamber was expressing their views on the slaughter of Italy, Foreign Minister Cruze reminded me coldly: "I have just been approached by the ambassadors of Austria-Hungary, and they want us not to withdraw from the war for the time being." ”

Everyone was stunned, and then they all laughed: "We are not an offensive and defensive alliance, even if they want to fight, the Austrian-Italian War and the Spanish-Italian War are also two independent wars, and it has nothing to do with us." ”

Cruz didn't speak, and turned to look at Alfonso, who was sitting on the throne.

Alfonso calmly looked around, and he probably understood that most of them were thinking that they could stop when they had earned enough.

Cruze may have feared that this move would offend Britain, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and even France in the future if it was drawn into the Italian War, which would lead to unprecedented international isolation for Spain.

After thinking for a moment, Alfonso had an idea, he stood up and motioned for everyone to be quiet, and then said strongly: "Now is not the time to negotiate peace, Italy still has hundreds of thousands of troops waiting for us to destroy, and the obligations of the solidarity agreement also need to be fulfilled by us."

We will continue to fight until Italy completely surrenders! ”

……

The Progressives were stunned, and they had the impression that Alfonso was a compromising and communicative monarch, who, unlike others, preferred to solve problems by means of war, but who usually grasped the degree well.

I didn't expect it to be so rigid this time.

They couldn't help but mutter, did the Habsburg royal family say something in a private letter to the king, or did the Bourbon and the royal family of the Two Sicilies reach a secret agreement on the transfer of the throne?

Alfonso had no idea of explaining to them and adjourned the meeting.

When the news broke, although the Progressive Party was generally worried about the expansion of the war, there were many warmongers who supported this move, and it was certainly good to be able to solve Italy's troubles once and for all.

……

It wasn't until a private meeting in the evening that Alfonso told Cruz and Campos what he thought in his office:

"I can get all the things I want to get. It's just that now peace talks will make the solidarity pact disunited, so I'm going to let Britain be the villain......"