Captain Saba's telegram exposed the reinforcement fleet led by Vice Admiral Steddy.

As for the exposed Vice Admiral Steddy, since he had been discovered at this time, he simply stopped hiding it, and directly increased the speed of the fleet by 18 knots, and rushed towards the direction of the Mediterranean fleet.

The exposure of the reinforcement fleet led by Vice Admiral Sterdy caused chaos on the Italian side.

In the capital, Rome, a group of high-ranking military and political officials were summoned by Carlo.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our navy's N29 airship has followed the intruding British and French fleets all the way. According to the identification of the airships, the enemy had infiltrated a fleet of twenty-seven ships, including seven battleships, namely the Sovereign, the Thor, the Agincourt, the Ireland, the Lone, the France, and the Jean Bar. At present, the new British and French fleets are sailing east at a speed of 18 knots, and to the east, the British Mediterranean Fleet, also sailing west at a speed of 18 knots. According to the estimates of our Admiralty, at most tomorrow at six o'clock in the afternoon, the two sides will complete the confluence. ”

Listening to the content of Admiral Yagill's report, everyone else present frowned. And Carlo, as the monarch, is also pale.

Although they didn't know much about the navy, they were not bad at counting, and the sudden appearance of this extra group of enemies made the Italian navy in a bad position.

The number of the enemy's main warships has become superior, which is not good news.

If the navy was its lifeline for Britain, the same is true for Italy.

Not to mention Italy's long coastline, the key is that most of the raw materials needed by Italian industry need to be transported from Libyan Province, Albania Province, and Kosovo Province to the Apennine Peninsula to meet industrial needs.

As long as the Navy loses, then all this is not tied.

Italy would fall into industrial stagnation and would no longer be able to sustain the attrition of the war, and defeat would only be a matter of time.

Of course, Carlo came here with senior military and political officials, not to hear how serious the naval defeat was for Italy, nor to investigate the navy's failure to detect the British and French reinforcements in advance.

It's not that that's it, but now is not the time to pursue it.

And how to investigate it, whether it is raised high and gently fallen, or whether it is cleaned up by the navy with a heavy hand, this will have to wait until this naval battle is over.

If the combined fleet wins a big victory, then this is the navy's deliberate lure of the snake out of the hole, making an outstanding contribution to the final victory of the alliance camp.

If it is not fought well, it is a mistake in the reconnaissance of the Navy, which leads to the loss of the war, then the Admiralty will be responsible from top to bottom.

So for the navy, the next naval battle with the British and French fleets will directly affect the kingdom's evaluation of it.

Of course, they also knew this, so Admiral Yagill personally explained to Carlo and other high-ranking officials.

"As for the convergence of the British and French fleets, our Admiralty has sent a combined fleet led by Vice Admiral Leffel to intercept and prevent their convergence. Of course, our navy also sent a large number of airships and ships to track them in real time, ensuring that even in the dark, their positions will not be lost.

In addition, the reserve fleet, which is supporting the island of Malta, will also move eastward, depending on whether it will carry out support and interception missions. In addition, we will also draw a harassment formation composed of cruisers, destroyers, and torpedo boats from the mainland, and will also be divided into 6-8 groups to prepare for interception or cover tasks such as raiding and harassment. ”

In the face of Admiral Yagill's report, it can be regarded as a supplement, and Carlo and the others did not give any advice after listening to it. After all, the navy is the most professional in maritime issues, to which Carlo can only answer.

"Now that the navy has a plan, let's do it, the royal family and the government can give you enough support."

Although Carlo didn't say anything, Admiral Yagill knew that if he messed up this time, the position of the Navy would be dealt a huge blow.

Of course, in the face of this surprise attack by the British and French fleets, the navy fell into extreme passivity, and the admiralty was also ruthless, and it was bound to save its reputation. So after getting the news, the Admiralty was busy and finally came up with the plan.

Moreover, the time was pressing, and considering the time for the convergence of the British and French fleets, they immediately sent a report to their respective fleets as soon as the plan was formulated, asking the warships they had transferred to immediately prepare to set off for the convergence group.

And this telegram also caused the fleets to jump, some warships have only completed their missions and returned home, and some are resting. However, in the face of the admiralty's strict orders, they could only muster up their spirits and gather their manpower, and the supplies were even more continuous, and finally at twelve o'clock in the evening, the warships of each fleet had been dispatched to their respective mission gathering places for marshalling.

Of course, there would have been omissions in such hasty preparations, but no one cared about the question of Italy's victory or defeat in the war.

Of course, in addition to Italy's own remedy, news of the reinforcement of the British and French fleets was also sent to Vienna and Berlin. Vienna is fine, after all, its naval elite has been codified with Italy.

And when the Germans received this telegram with a hint of grievance, it was already eleven o'clock in the evening.

Marshal Tirpitz, who was about to rest, saw this telegram and said with a wry smile. "It seems that our Italian colleagues are complaining about our intelligence work."

In the face of Marshal Tirpitz's words, Admiral von Holzendorf, who was also the chief of staff of the Navy, spoke. "We can't blame it, the British Home Fleet announced its sea exercises a week ago, and we can't keep an eye on them from the sea. But the British really tried their best to hide from us for a week. ”

Saying this, Admiral von Holzendorf's eyes lit up. "But it also gives us a chance."

Marshal Tirpitz, who knew what the opportunity was in his subordinates' mouth, did not reply to him, but sat there tapping his fingers on the table unconsciously.

Admiral Holzendorf knew that this was a habit of the founders of the German navy in their contemplation, so he did not dare to disturb it even more.

After a while, the tapping stopped, and the Marshal Tirpitz had already made up his mind. "This is indeed a good opportunity to send a telegram to Admiral Ingnoll and ask him to find a favorable opportunity to engage the enemy's home fleet."

Since the British have given the opportunity, it would be against the common sense of his old navy not to seize it. Not to mention, at this time, the Home Fleet and the High Seas Fleet no longer have absolute superiority, and if they do not take the opportunity to fight, this will not put the German Navy in a more disadvantageous situation.

Well, Marshal Tirpitz at the moment is actually not particularly war-minded. But in view of the allies and the rare fighters, the public phone fleet was asked to look for fighters. Although the situation is now more favorable to the German Navy, the founder of the existing fleet still has a little sense of ship protection.

It is indeed very difficult for this person's personality to complete a complete transformation.

Of course, with the orders of Field Marshal Tirpitz, the German High Seas Fleet was also busy. For the German naval officers and sailors, it was not alarmed to be suddenly asked to be ready for battle, because it had been simulated many times before.

At this moment, batches of supplies and ammunition were loaded onto the ship, and Admiral Ingnorr, as the commander of the High Seas Fleet, was at this moment full of ambition, he had learned that the home fleet had four battleships and secretly went to the Mediterranean.

At this moment, he thought that the decisive battle with the British was a good time, and naturally his heart was surging.

"Report, Rear Admiral Hippel sent a telegram asking if the reconnaissance formation would sail tomorrow morning."

"Tell him to sail tomorrow morning and the Grand Fleet will protect him behind him."

(End of chapter)