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Piaotian Literature of the Fourth Empire of China www.piaotia.com Chapter 689: Blocking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait

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    "Accelerate, get closer! The torpedoes are ready to be launched!" A destroyer of the British Navy rushed towards the heavy cruiser 'Nanjing' at high speed. Facing the huge and fierce heavy cruiser 'Nanjing', the destroyer of the British Navy was really  There is no way to deal with it. The only thing that can pose a threat to the heavy cruiser 'Nanjing' is probably torpedoes.

    However, it is not that easy to launch a torpedo attack on the heavy cruiser "Nanjing".  On the heavy cruiser "Nanjing", in addition to two twin-mounted 305mm main guns, there are also 6 105mm single-mounted guns, 6 88mm single-mounted guns and 8 37mm machine guns.  If a British Navy destroyer wants to launch a torpedo attack, it must rush within two kilometers of the heavy cruiser "Nanjing". In the process, it will suffer intensive firepower from the heavy cruiser "Nanjing".

    "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Shells continued to fall on the British Navy destroyer, setting the entire destroyer on fire, and the superstructure was riddled with holes, which was very tragic.

    At 3:58 pm, a 105mm shell hit the bridge of the destroyer, killing all the commanders including the captain. After losing their command, the surviving British navy immediately drove  The battered destroyer escaped.

    Lieutenant General Howard, commander of the British Navy's Mediterranean Fleet, tried to stop the Chinese fleet with several light cruisers and destroyers, which was simply to let these warships die. Under the fierce firepower of the heavy cruiser 'Nanjing', these British navy's light cruisers  Cruisers and destroyers simply cannot complete their mission.  After losing several warships, the remaining warships were also frightened and stayed away from each other, not daring to get closer!

    "General, the firepower of the Chinese is too powerful. It is impossible to intercept them with just a few destroyers and light cruisers!" On the battleship HMS Formidable, a British naval officer reported to Lieutenant General Howard.

    Lieutenant General Howard's face was so gloomy at this moment that he could drip water. He saw the Chinese Navy showing off its power in front of him and constantly sinking the British Navy's warships, but he had no way to do it. For him, this was completely unacceptable.  A shame.  However, there is nothing he can do now.  The maximum speed of the 'Dreadnought-class' battleship is only 21 knots, and it can only be maintained for a maximum of 4 hours, and then the speed must be reduced, otherwise the boiler will be damaged.  However, the "Nanjing" heavy cruiser of the Chinese Navy can escape at a speed of up to 22 knots, and it seems to have some remaining power. This shows that it is simply impossible for Vice Admiral Howard to sink several warships of the Chinese Navy.

    "Damn it! These damn yellow-skinned monkeys, can they just run away?" Lieutenant General Howard cursed fiercely.

    The other British naval officers on the bridge of the battleship Formidable could not help but curl their lips.  The Chinese are not fools. Faced with the encirclement and suppression by two Dreadnought-class battleships, if they don't escape, are they going to stay and die?

    "General, our main task is to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, not to sink the Chinese Navy's warships." At this time, Lieutenant General Howard's adjutant also reminded.  If possible, sinking the Chinese Navy's warships would naturally be a great achievement.  But it's obviously impossible now, so it's better to complete the scheduled tasks honestly!

    "Let all the warships in front withdraw! In addition, let the French come up quickly. Since the Chinese have discovered us, they will definitely take precautions!" Although Lieutenant General Howard was a little unwilling, he still made the decision  The right choice.  Their current location is only a day's sail from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and they must get there as soon as possible.

    After receiving the telegram, the British warships that were engaged in a fierce battle with the Chinese fleet began to retreat one after another.  They were just forced to fight the heavy cruiser "Nanjing" under orders. Of course they were eager to withdraw.

    The British fleet gave up pursuing the Chinese fleet and headed south at a speed of 18 knots.  The heavy cruiser "Nanjing", along with the light cruiser "Linxia" and the destroyer "Changle", quickly went south. At the same time, they also sent the information about the encounter with the British Navy in the Red Sea back to the Indian Ocean Fleet.  The Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet Command attached great importance to this and immediately instructed the main force of the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet that was cruising in the Arabian Sea to move westward to find out what the British Navy wanted to do.  If the British navy wanted to enter India Yoga, they launched a fierce attack on them and drove them back.  Now, the Chinese army is transporting troops and supplies to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the northern Indian Ocean route. This route must not be interfered with by the British navy.

    On the afternoon of October 27, Lieutenant-Admiral Howard, commander of the British Navy¡¯s Mediterranean Fleet, led the fleet to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.  After arriving here, the British fleet stopped heading south and used the battleship HMS Formidableand the battleship HMS Defiance, which blocked the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

    The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is located between the southwest tip of the Arabian Peninsula in Asia and the African continent, connecting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean.  After the Suez Canal is opened to navigation, it will be the only place for maritime traffic from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, and from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. It has an important strategic position.  The strait is about 26 to 32 kilometers wide, with an average depth of 150 meters. There are some volcanic islands scattered in it. Pilin Island divides the strait into a small gorge and a large gorge. The small gorge on the Asian side is about 3.2 kilometers wide and 30 meters deep. It is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.  The main channel in the middle; the Grand Canyon is about 25.8 kilometers wide on the African side, with a water depth of 323 meters, many reefs and some small volcanic islands.  Therefore, as long as the British navy blocks the main channel of the strait, ships from other countries will not be able to enter the Red Sea through the strait.  With the powerful firepower of the two 'Dreadnought-class' battleships, there is no problem at all in blocking the three-kilometer channel.

    The battleships 'Describable' and the battleship 'Resistance', one on the left and one on the right, are hiding on both sides of the small gorge of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. All the main guns on the battleships are pointed at the center of the channel.  Several destroyers and light cruisers cruised in the waterway, driving away merchant ships from various countries trying to pass through the strait.  Although this kind of arrogant and unreasonable behavior aroused opposition from passing merchant ships, no one could resist under the gunfire of the British Navy. The entire Bab el-Mandeb Strait fell under the control of the British Navy  middle.

    Ten kilometers south of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the heavy cruiser Nanjing is cruising in this area.  After the British fleet stopped attacking them, the heavy cruiser Nanjing also slowed down and kept a distance of more than ten kilometers from the British fleet, monitoring the movements of the British fleet while ensuring its own safety.  After all, the British fleet appeared in the Red Sea and quickly headed south. Such a move was very suspicious.

    "What are the British doing? Why do they want to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait? This is an international waterway?" Colonel Liu Fei, the captain of the heavy cruiser Nanjing, was a little surprised.  No matter how powerful Britain is, this kind of behavior is the enemy of the whole world!  Originally, he thought that the British Navy would go south into the Indian Ocean and then challenge the Chinese Navy.  But he did not expect that the British fleet would stop after reaching the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This was beyond his expectation.

    ¡°Captain, another big guy is coming!¡± At this time, the lookout reported.

    I saw large dark clouds appearing in the northern sky. This was a scene caused by the sailing of a huge fleet. The billowing smoke rising from the warships accumulated in the sky, forming something like dark clouds.

    Not long after, four huge figures appeared on the sea, like hills.

    "The Guba-class, the French Guba-class battleship! The four French Guba-class battleships are here!" The navigator of the heavy cruiser 'Nanjing' recognized these four battleships, but he couldn't bear it.  Zhu exclaimed.  Together with the British's two 'Dreadnought-class' battleships, Britain and France have gathered six new battleships. Such strength is enough to pose a threat to the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet.

    "Are these stupid British and French forces really ready to fight us decisively?" Colonel Liu Fei said with a serious face.  The British and French navies have accumulated such strength that they are enough to challenge the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet.  Of course, if a decisive battle breaks out, the final victory will definitely belong to the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet.  However, this will also cause some trouble.

    However, what surprised Colonel Liu Fei and others was that after arriving at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, these French Navy's Guba-class battleships also did not continue southward, but stayed north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and aimed their main guns at it.  The waterway of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait was blocked, and the British navy blocked the entire strait!

    Six battleships and sixty 305mm main guns are enough to block the main channel of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. No battleship in the world can break through such a blockade, even the most powerful Chinese navy currently in service.  The same goes for the 'Qin-class' battleships, and the same is true for the 'Han-class' battleships that are still under construction.  As soon as it enters the channel, it will be violently attacked by six battleships. As long as the British and French navies do not appear for fifteen minutes, the enemy battleships that forcefully enter the channel can be sunk within a few minutes.

    "It seems that the British and French coalition forces really just want to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and prevent us from entering the Red Sea! But why did they do this? And they also used six new battleships." Colonel Liu Fei couldn't understand.  Not only him, but also the senior officials of the Chinese Navy¡¯s Indian Ocean Fleet and the senior officials of the empire couldn¡¯t figure it out.  (To be continued. Please search Piaotian Literature, the novels will be better and updated faster!)
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