Napoleon II Reborn

November 10, 1829. Fortress of Gibraltar, French Iberia.

The one-week rest time passed quickly. Today, Clarence stood in front of the Gibraltar naval port, looking at the brand-new Mediterranean fleet, and couldn't help feeling proud. The Mediterranean Fleet is the first fleet equipped for the French Navy's major refit. After more than half a year of hard work, all the warships are finally in place. Moreover, after more than a month of running-in, the soldiers of the Mediterranean Fleet are basically able to manipulate these new warships proficiently. Now, almost all officers and soldiers of the Mediterranean Fleet, including Clarence, are holding their breath. The last time the Mediterranean Fleet was wiped out in the Caribbean Sea, it dealt them a huge blow. Now, everyone is trying their best to avenge their shame.

The reorganized Mediterranean fleet consists of 30 'Dolphin' class destroyers, 30 'Bayone' class destroyers, 20 'Light Cavalry' class light cruisers, 10 'Heavy Cavalry' class heavy cruisers, two 'Tiger Shark' class battleships A line of cruisers and two 'Giant Whale' class battleships. The total force is 94 ships, with a total of more than 30,000 sailors.

"Board!" Clarence took a deep breath and gave the order to board.

Under his order, the soldiers of the Mediterranean Fleet boarded their warships in an orderly manner. Clarence and the new chief of staff of the Mediterranean Fleet, Bennett, also boarded the new flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, a "Tiger Shark" class battlecruiser named "Great". The reason why the "Tiger Shark" class warship is used as the flagship is also elegant. The 'Tiger Shark' class battleship has a higher speed than a battleship, and its firepower and armor are slightly inferior to a battleship. But on the battlefield, the flagship often does not have to rush to the forefront in person. Therefore, using the battlecruiser with weaker firepower as the flagship can better optimize the firepower of the fleet. Another battlecruiser of the Mediterranean Fleet is the 'Prince'. The two battleships were named 'Thor' and 'Flame' respectively.

"Send orders to the ships: light fire and prepare to set sail!" After all the soldiers and various supplies were loaded on the ship, Clarence gave the order to set sail.

Under Clarence's order, the warships of the Mediterranean Fleet sailed out of the naval port in an orderly manner, leaving scratches on the calm sea.

For the sake of secrecy, all operations of the Mediterranean Fleet were carried out at night. It was 3 o'clock in the morning, and they had to sail out of the Strait of Gibraltar and into the vast Atlantic Ocean before dawn. In order to avoid being discovered by spies from the United States and other countries. Since the start of the war, spies from both sides have been continuously infiltrating each other's country. Although France has adopted a variety of measures in the border area, and the Ministry of National Security personally executes counter-espionage operations, there are also many spies sent to France by various countries.

After dawn, the Mediterranean Fleet finally entered the vast Atlantic Ocean. When you get here, you basically don't have to worry about being discovered by other countries. Of course, with the repeated defeats of the French navy, this area is no longer as safe as it used to be. However, Clarence believed that even if they encountered the American and Canadian fleets, they could be wiped out without any effort. The current Mediterranean fleet has greatly increased in strength. Although they are still at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers compared with the US and Canadian navies, it is simply impossible for the two countries to destroy the Mediterranean Fleet again unless they gather all their naval power.

This time, the Mediterranean Fleet will mainly perform three tasks. The first task is that they are going to the Channel Islands to provide **** for a transport convoy. The transport fleet transported various strategic materials to the Isle of Wight. The battle on the Isle of Wight has been going on for more than two months. Although the French army tenaciously withstood the attack of the coalition forces, the consumption of various strategic materials is very fast. It's been many months. Since there are often naval warships from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom cruising near the Isle of Wight, there is no way to safely send strategic materials to the Isle of Wight without a transport fleet with sufficient protection. The second task is to assist the defenders on the Isle of Wight and crush the coalition attack. The battle has been going on for more than two months, and no one can do anything about it. It seems that there is no need to waste any more time there. As for how to accomplish this task, Clarence had already thought about it. With the current power of the Mediterranean Fleet, it is completely possible to easily wipe out all the coalition navy around the Isle of Wight, and then teach the United Kingdom a lesson and destroy the three cities of Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth. In this case, the coalition's offensive will have to be stopped, and at the same time, it will give Britain a taste of betraying France. Of course, according to Clarence, it was a direct attack on London. But the proposal was ultimately rejected. The reason is also very simple. At present, France does not want to force Britain into its mortal enemy. It is always good to be able to make one less enemy. The third task is more difficult, but it is also what Clarence and others are most yearning for. That is to assist the fleet and defenders of the Azores and smash the siege of the Azores by the United States and Canada.

At noon on the 11th, the Mediterranean Fleet arrived at the Channel Islands and joined the transport fleet in the waters west of Guernsey. The transport ship consists of twelve 5,000-ton transport ships. As soon as the two sides converged, the Mediterranean Fleet immediately changed its formation. In front, a heavy cruiser led several destroyers to clear the way ahead, while the remaining battleships were scattered around the transport fleet, guarding the transport fleet in the center.

The fleet moved on and entered the Straits of La Manche. When they get here, they may face the interception of the coalition navy at any time. Sure enough, at two o'clock in the afternoon, the fleet clearing the way ahead encountered a patrol fleet of the coalition forces. Although after more than 10 minutes of fierce fighting, the opponent's three warships were all sunk. However, everyone can be sure that the other party has already passed on the news that the French fleet appeared in the Strait of La Manche.

Sure enough, after learning that a French fleet appeared in the La Manche Strait, both the United States and Canada concluded that this was a new fleet built by France. In order to eliminate this fleet and eliminate all threats, the United States and Canada sent a huge fleet to solve the problem once and for all. This fleet is composed of the 1st, 3rd and 5th fleets of the United States and the reorganized Canadian mainland fleet. The total strength has reached more than 170 warships, and includes 1 Canadian 'King Arthur' class warship and 3 American 'South Carolina' class battleship. After several months of replenishment, both the U.S. 3rd Fleet and 5th Fleet have been supplemented, and the newly built 'South Carolina' class warships also have a share in the two fleets, which makes Aldridge, the commander of the 3rd Fleet, and the 5th Fleet 5th Fleet Commander Godfrey was very happy and excited. Similarly, it also made the commander of the 4th Fleet, Duruk, grit his teeth with hatred. With successive victories in the Azores, the resistance of the French army became weaker and weaker. Therefore, there is no need for the United States and Canada to keep large forces there. Only the US 6th Fleet, 4th Fleet and the British Fleet are left there. The task of the Atlantic region.

At 5 pm on the 11th, after the Mediterranean Fleet wiped out the coalition fleet encountered in the third wave, they finally arrived at Ventlow, southeast of the Isle of Wight. The transport fleet entered the port and began loading and unloading supplies. The Mediterranean Fleet is scattered and guarded at sea to prevent the coalition forces from taking the opportunity to attack.

On the morning of the 12th, after a night of hard loading and unloading, all the materials on the ships have been loaded and unloaded. At this time, the Mediterranean Fleet needs to protect the transport fleet to return to the Le Havre naval base, and then return to the Isle of Wight to perform their second mission. Fortunately, the Isle of Wight is not very far from Le Havre, and it can be reached in about 5 hours. In this way, the Mediterranean Fleet can implement their plan on the 13th.

At 10:00 am on the 13th, the Mediterranean Fleet appeared in Portsmouth waters. Suddenly ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ caused panic in the British army. Although they knew about the return of the new French fleet, they did not expect that Portsmouth would become their target again. No way, in order to reduce losses, Hammurabi had to order the British troops stationed in Portsmouth to retreat, and notified Southampton and Bournemouth to make them prepare early. People can withdraw, but a large amount of military supplies cannot be taken away. There is no way, the British army had to discard them in the warehouse. Perhaps it was fear that the French fleet would attack civilian facilities, so after seeing the army begin to retreat, the citizens of Portsmouth also began to leave their homes and evacuate northward.

Several British warships trying to escape were quickly resolved. Clarence ordered the bombardment of Portsmouth to begin. The first is military targets such as military camps, military ports, and military warehouses. After turning these targets into ruins, the Mediterranean Fleet’s targets turned to those civilian facilities, including hospitals, ports, residential buildings, schools, and roads. Under the heavy bombardment of the Mediterranean Fleet, Portsmouth quickly turned into a sea of ​​flames. The army and civilians who had no time to evacuate were struggling and shouting in the fire. At this moment, how fragile their lives seemed. Three hours later, the shelling of the Mediterranean fleet stopped. Because there are no bombardment targets in Portsmouth now, the entire Portsmouth has completely become a ruin.

Next, the Mediterranean Fleet visited Southampton and Bournemouth one after another. However, after receiving the warning from Hammurabi in these two cities, the army and civilians were immediately transferred, so the casualties were slightly less. But both cities, like Portsmouth, lay in ruins.