Italy's arrival on the island of Malta was like a clarion gun, and the war-clouded Mediterranean Sea was immediately unusual.

On the evening of the day the Italian troops landed on the island of Malta, the Mediterranean Fleet in Alexandria sailed out of the garrison at sunset.

This time, the elite of the Mediterranean Fleet was exhausted, and hundreds of ships of all kinds such as dreadnoughts, pre-dreadnoughts, battle cruisers, mounted cruisers, light cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats, and supply ships were carried out.

The Mediterranean Fleet went to sea, immediately emptying the previously slightly crowded port.

And the news of the Mediterranean fleet's going to sea, how could it be concealed from Italy and Austria, in Alexandria, where the dark lines are dense, even a mosquito flying out will be observed.

In fact, the Entente side is not much better, and there are many of their spies in the port of Taranto, even if the Italian intelligence department has cleaned up a lot, but this is like a mosquito in summer, no matter how you eliminate it, you can't get rid of it.

And after receiving the news that the Mediterranean Fleet had gone to sea, the combined fleet in the port of Taranto also moved quickly.

The next day, airships departing from Libya and the Apennine filled the skies, closely monitoring the waters east of Malta. In order to complete the surveillance mission, Italy not only transferred all the surplus airships in its hands, but even most of the small and medium-sized airships that carried out the Maltese battle.

In addition to airships, the Italian Navy has also dispatched many small and medium-sized warships to carry out reconnaissance missions, and there are also many camouflage reconnaissance ships. It can be said that the sea from the west of Crete to the east of Malta is watched by Italy and Austria. As long as the Mediterranean Fleet comes up, then they will inevitably be known to the Combined Fleet.

Such a dense and prohibitive reconnaissance network is the forerunner of the Combined Fleet. In order to grasp the movements of the Mediterranean Fleet, the staff officers of the Combined Fleet worked out this plan after carefully studying various materials in the Mediterranean Sea in light of the situation in the Mediterranean.

True, even the Italian Navy is already familiar enough with this sea area, but in order to prevent possible variables, it is necessary to refer to other sources, such as climate, hydrology, etc.

Although the Mediterranean Sea is not bad because it is surrounded by land, you still have to lose your temper occasionally in winter. It is essential to know and predict the weather in advance. No one wanted to see it, and the Mediterranean fleet was finally hooked up, and after it was caught, a world-famous naval battle was disturbed by the weather.

While the Italians were searching for the Mediterranean Fleet east of Malta, Admiral Carden was leading the Mediterranean Fleet on a slow voyage south of Crete, far from the shipping lanes.

At this moment, for General Carden, the Italians must know about his own going to sea. He didn't have to think about it to know that at this moment the Italians must be all over the Middle Mediterranean waiting for him to appear.

Of course, Carden will definitely show up as they wish, but this time will have to wait.

"Where are the reinforcements?"

At this moment on the flagship Orion, General Carden asked the chief of staff next to him, Lieutenant General Robeck.

"Two days ago we received the news that a fleet of reinforcements under Vice Admiral Sterdy had bypassed the Irish sea and was heading towards the Strait of Gibraltar, and we have not received any news yet. Considering the need for covert operations, I think no news is the best news at the moment, at least so far. ”

Lieutenant General Robeck's words did not reassure him.

"Robek doesn't need to say these comforting words, it's normal to go from the North Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar undetected, the Atlantic Ocean is so wide, it's very easy not to be seen, but you know what I'm worried about."

Although Admiral Carden did not say it explicitly, how could Lieutenant General Robeck not know where to be found most easily. The Strait of Gibraltar is located at a key point and is the only way out of the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean, and with so many ships passing by every day, it is difficult to conceal the passage of reinforcements.

Although the Admiralty had a thorough plan, it was estimated that the chances of being spotted were also high.

"Admiral, we have to trust in the abilities of Lieutenant General Stedi and Major General Millers (Governor of Gibraltar), and we can only pray to God otherwise."

Lieutenant General Stedi said this very bluntly, and Admiral Carden knew that his worries would not help the reinforcements at all. But looking at the huge fleet, he only felt the weight on his shoulders. Asking about the location of the reinforcement formation was just a way for him to decompress.

As for where Admiral Carden's pressure came from, it goes without saying that no one could feel it easy to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Mediterranean Fleet, one of the two pillars of the British fleet.

The reinforcement formation, which was concerned by Carden and others, was slowly moving in a sea area far away from the shipping channel off the coast of Portugal at this time. Four tall and mighty battleships with a few smaller ships, this is the reinforcement formation that General Carden has in mind.

At this moment, the reinforcement formation reduced its speed because it was waiting for nightfall, the Strait of Gibraltar was too busy, and there was no need to fool the past without the cover of night, of course, this also needed the help of the Gibraltar garrison.

"Report to Your Excellency, Commander, a telegram has just been sent from Gibraltar asking us to proceed as planned. They would begin at ten o'clock in the evening and block the strait with the order of the exercises, and end at four o'clock in the morning. ”

At this time, aboard the flagship Agincourt, the communications officer was reporting to the commander, Lieutenant General Steddy, the news he had just received from Gibraltar.

The fate of this warship, which was ridiculed as a multi-turret god relic, was also bumpy. Initially, Brazil ordered the construction of the battleship "Rio de Janeiro" from the British company Armstrong, but later Brazil was unable to continue to pay for the construction due to the economic crisis and financial constraints, and was later taken over by the Ottomans who wanted to revitalize the navy, and was renamed the Ottoman Sultan to continue construction. However, war broke out just as the construction was completed, and the ship was taken over by the British, who were in dire need of a warship. Directly renamed the Akulkin and entered service in the British Navy. The same fate as the Aculkin was the Irish, which was originally ordered by the Ottomans and was also requisitioned by the British as a result of its construction.

What do you say about the original owners, the Ottomans?

This is not simple, when my British Empire runs out and returns it to the Ottomans, do these sick men of the Near East dare to have any opinions.

Didn't you see that the warships built for Chile, Greece and other countries were also conscripted by the British Empire, everyone was treated equally, what can there be to complain about (among the warships built by the British, the Ottomans were treated the worst, there was no compensation at all, not to mention, it was simply a humiliating condition).

Of course, how the battleship under his command came from, Vice Admiral Stedi didn't care, he was now marking something on the chart.

"Order the fleet to increase the speed to 10 knots, and we will reach the Strait of Gibraltar before ten o'clock."

After putting down the pencil in his hand that he had drawn on the chart, Lieutenant General Stedi commanded.

At his command, the reinforcements sped up as they headed for the Strait of Gibraltar, where they were most likely to be spotted.

(End of chapter)