At a time when the whole world is paying attention to the movements of the United States and the West, the US Navy has made an uproaring move, and I don't know whether it is because the time has not been calculated well, or there is a problem with the explanation. On 12 August, U.S. warships blockaded the northern ports of Havana, Mariel and Santiago, and barred all ships from entering or leaving.

This practice of the US Navy was quickly spread to Europe, which caused an uproar in various countries. Because this blockade is purely a military act, what is the difference between a military act and an undeclared war without a declaration of war?

At this time, the U.S. government was also taken aback by the Navy's actions, and it was too late to say anything. The media in various European countries have reported on the United States' undeclared war behavior, which has made the United States show its face in front of the European people.

Of course, at this time, in the face of the United States' undeclared war, the Spanish government has long had no way out, and in order to keep Cuba, they even sold the Philippines, and now what can they do but declare war.

So on August 13, Spain officially declared war on the United States.

The Americans, who made the Oolong, declared war on Spain in Congress and dated the start of the war to August 11. This operation of temporarily modifying the start time of the war is also confusing enough.

In fact, it can also be seen that the United States is unfamiliar with the rules of war, after all, it has not been used for decades, and it is purely normal to be rusty, and it is good to practice a few more times. And this is just a small detail that you don't need to care about, what is really worth paying attention to is the head-to-head contest between the two sides. This is something that countries are looking forward to.

After the declaration of war, the U.S. Army's preparations for war could be described as a great fanfare, and its pocket-sized Army units expanded like balloons. Before the declaration of war, the U.S. Army had only 28,000 troops, and the U.S. military's plan required at least 100,000 U.S. troops to land in Cuba.

Therefore, it is not said that the conscription of retired officers and soldiers and reserve officers and men, as well as the procurement of munitions and the preparation of materials, and a series of other tasks are waiting for the army to deal with from top to bottom.

Although it was busy, the size of the army was constantly expanding. From 28,000, it has grown to 45,000 in just 10 days. Of course, the rapid growth is thanks to the help of people from all walks of life.

For example, Bonnie La Clement, the younger brother of Virginia Governor Clement and an advocate for the liberation of Cuba, with the help of his family and friends, gathered 800 men within a week of the start of the war to form the Virginia Volunteer First Regiment.

There was also Ayi Wilson of the Wilson family in Georgia, who also organized 600 men in ten days and was named the 1st Cavalry Battalion of Georgia Volunteers.

It is precisely because of the promotion of these very powerful families in each state that the US Army can be expanded in such a short period of time. Moreover, these people basically carry weapons, and they also have a certain amount of training, and even supplies and some other materials are carried, which reduces a lot of trouble for the army, and only needs to supplement some heavy equipment such as artillery and other equipment, and a unit is initially formed.

However, compared with the vigorous army, the US Navy seems to be unknown.

In addition to still sending a small fleet to continue to blockade the island of Cuba, the warships of the US Navy are all docked in the Jacksonville military port, as if quietly waiting for something.

True, what the US Navy was waiting for was the arrival of the Spanish fleet.

After the Spanish battleships were replenished by Italy, they had become able to compete with the US Navy. Under these circumstances, the U.S. Navy was naturally willing to wait for the arrival of the Spanish fleet to meet its head-on needs. As for patience now, what can it be.

Of course, apart from waiting for the arrival of the enemy's fleet, and continuing the blockade of Cuba, the US Navy is not doing nothing. For example, the navy has never stopped sending weapons, ammunition and other supplies to the rebels.

The import of a large amount of American arms and materials has caused the Cuban rebel army to regain its violation, and the situation in Cuba is also deteriorating day by day, after all, the combat effectiveness of the Spanish army is doubtful, and the corruption in the army is serious, and the action capacity is not high. Even under the orders of the Cuban governor Weirall and the garrison commander, General Morro Revley, the Spanish garrison was unable to suppress the rebel army in all directions.

The changes in the situation in Cuba are exactly what the United States wants to see. For them, if Cuba is riddled with gunsmoke by the rebels, then Spain must do something, and the best course of action is, of course, to send the fleet, which is what the US Navy wants to see.

And the situation turned out to be as expected by the United States, when Cuba was blockaded by sea and the situation deteriorated, the Spanish government would certainly not be able to sit still.

In order to defend the rich land of Cuba, Spain even sold the Philippines, so naturally it did not want to see Cuba in danger.

Therefore, sending out the fleet in your hand is a very advantageous card. To this end, Prime Minister Castillo has given an order to Admiral Shelveira, the Secretary of the Admiralty, that the rescue fleet must set off within a week to help Cuba.

And in the face of the Prime Minister's strict order, Admiral Shelvella, of course, could only accept it, and it was worth ordering the rescue fleet to prepare for departure.

Located in the Spanish port of Serbia, this is where the Spanish rescue fleet is located. It was home to most of Spain's elite warships, including those purchased from Italy. Three of the Turin-class ships are one of the absolute cores of the fleet, the Turin, which has been renamed the Empress Isabel, the Bari, which has been renamed the Isabel II, and the Palermo, which has been renamed Princess Christina.

There are also two Venetian-class cruisers, the Duke of Ulloa (Venice) and the Marquis of Venaditto (Brescia). and the Garibaldi class, Columbus, Francisco purchased by Spain. Seven Italian battleships of the same style, simply unique in the fleet.

In addition to these seven, three Maria Teresa-class cruisers are also among them. Designed by the British and built in Spain, this is the first modern cruiser. It has a displacement of 7,000 tons, has 13,700 horsepower, has a maximum speed of 20 knots, and is armed with two 280-mm main guns (one in the front and one in the rear) and 10 140-mm secondary guns.

In addition, there were a few other warships, but there were only ten large warships.

The fleet was commanded by Vice Admiral Cedera, one of the most capable admirals in Spain.