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Text Chapter 1067 The Arrogant Italian

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    Messina, headquarters of the Italian Army's 75th Division.  Although this city is located in the northeastern part of Sicily, geographically it is not suitable to take charge of the defense of the entire island.  However, General Bernardo, commander of the 75th Infantry Division, still placed his headquarters here.  It is very simple. You only need to cross the Strait of Messina, which is less than three kilometers wide, and you will reach the Apennine Peninsula.  Once Sicily is really attacked, he can quickly board the speedboat that has been prepared and escape back to the Italian mainland, instead of staying in Sicily and waiting to die.

    At 8:15 in the morning, Bernard was somewhat woken up with his arms around a plump Italian woman.  Yesterday, he was invited to a dinner party held by a big businessman in Messina, and as expected, he got drunk at the party.  In order to establish a relationship with the supreme commander of the garrison in Sicily, the merchants of Messina rushed to invite General Bernardo to a banquet and gave him many gifts. In addition to gold and silver treasures,  A woman.  After General Bernard received these gifts, he turned a blind eye to the merchants' smuggling, and even actively participated in it.

    "General, something bad has happened!" Lieutenant Cosimo, the adjutant of General Bernardo, knocked anxiously on the door and shouted loudly at the same time.

    "Damn!" General Bernard cursed after being woken up, then wrapped a blanket around his waist and opened the door.

    "Cosimo, what happened?" General Bernard shouted angrily.

    Lieutenant Cosimo saw the plump young woman sleeping soundly on the bed through the open door. Her fair skin and plump figure made him swallow a mouthful of saliva.  However, seeing General Bernard glaring at him, he quickly withdrew his gaze.

    "General, something bad has happened! Catania is under attack!" Lieutenant Cosimo said.

    "Catania? What happened? Did the Austro-Hungarian warships bombard Catania?" General Bernard asked with a frown.  Although, the Italian navy has gathered in the Adriatic Sea to block the Austro-Hungarian navy's way out.  However, it is inevitable that small battleships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy would sneak out during the night.  If that's the case, there's no need to make a fuss.

    "General, it's not the Austro-Hungarian navy but the Chinese! The Chinese dispatched a huge fleet to bombard Catania, and our shore defenses couldn't withstand it at all. Now the Chinese marines have landed. Cattelan  In order to reduce losses, the colonel has ordered the defenders to retreat north. However, according to Lieutenant Colonel Catlan's report, there are very many Chinese who have landed, at least 20,000 to 30,000 people!" Second Lieutenant Cosimo reported.

    "Oh God! Twenty or thirty thousand people? Do the Chinese want to capture Sicily?" General Bernardo exclaimed.  One of his infantry divisions only had more than 12,000 people, and they were scattered throughout Sicily.  If there are not many Chinese troops landing, he can lead his troops to resist and gain a share of military exploits for himself.  However, there are a full 20,000 to 30,000 Chinese troops who have landed. If he leads the troops to resist again, he will die.  As for Lieutenant Colonel Cattelan's fear of the enemy and his escape, he didn't point it out. What he was thinking about now was how to save his own life.  Italy used to be a member of the Allied Powers, and its relationship with China is not bad. It is also very clear about China's combat power.  General Bernard more or less knew that his infantry division was no match for the Chinese.

    "Cosimo, go to the headquarters immediately and send a telegram to Rome to tell them that we have been attacked by the Chinese's superior force. Sicily can no longer be defended. I am preparing to retreat to the east coast of the Strait of Messina. In addition, hurry to the port.  Prepare the ship, we will set off in half an hour!" General Bernardo ordered.

    "Yes, General!" Second Lieutenant Cosimo saluted and quickly ran towards the headquarters.  He knew that General Bernard was trying to escape for his life, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with this.  The most important thing is to save your life under the pressure of superior enemies.

    General Bernard entered the house and quickly got dressed. The woman on the bed was still asleep, but General Bernard did not wake her up.  Although he was a little reluctant to give up, General Bernard more or less knew that escaping for his life was the first priority now.  After getting dressed, Bernard will rush directly to the port, preparing to take a boat across the Strait of Messina and escape to the Apennine Peninsula.  As for resisting the Chinese attack, let others take the headache!

    The landing of the 8th Chinese Marine Division in Catania was very smooth and encountered almost no resistance.  The Italian troops stationed in Catania withdrew long after the Chinese Navy's Indian Ocean Fleet began shelling, which allowed the 8th Marine Division of the Chinese Marine Corps to capture this important city on the island of Sicily without bloodshed.

    "It seems that the Italians are really easy to fight! They ran away as soon as they met. It seems that if they capture the entire Sicily, there shouldn't be anything! Ask!" In 'Han Ming Emperor, the battle lineOn the deck of the ship, Lieutenant General Tang Hongtao, commander of the 8th Marine Division, said with some regret.

    "Haha! The Italians are no longer the powerful Roman Empire thousands of years ago. Otherwise, they would not have been defeated by a small African country." Admiral Li Haitao, commander of the Indian Ocean Fleet, said with a smile.  In the eyes of soldiers like them, Italy is simply not worthy of becoming a world power.  Although Italy's economic strength, scientific research strength and industry are good, the military is really rubbish.

    "Commander Li, my people have taken control of Catania. I have to go ashore. Say goodbye. Please also ask Commander Li to leave some warships to provide us with fire support!" Lieutenant General Tang Hongtao said.

    "Don't worry, Commander Tang. I asked the heavy cruiser Oujiang and Huaihe to stay with a few light cruisers and destroyers. On the one hand, I will provide you with fire support, and on the other hand, I will cut off the Strait of Messina.  , to prevent the Italians from sending reinforcements to Sicily!" Admiral Li Haitao said.  Completing the login so easily was beyond his expectation.  However, the weaker the Italian resistance, the easier it will be for the Chinese army to seize Sicily.

    And the main force of the Indian Ocean Fleet also has time to go to the Adriatic Sea to cause trouble for the Italian Navy.  The capture of Sicily can be left to the Marine Corps, and the destruction of the Italian Navy must be completed by the Indian Ocean Fleet.  Moreover, the Indian Ocean fleet, which has not had a major battle for several years, is also eager for a war.

    "Thank you then!" Lieutenant General Tang Hongtao saluted and left on the transportation boat.

    ¡®The battleship Han Ming Emperor went to Catania to command the battle to seize Sicily.

    The main force of the Indian Ocean Fleet then left the sea off Catania and headed northeast, preparing to face the main force of the Italian Navy in the Ionian Sea.  Admiral Li Haitao believes that after the Italian government learns that the Chinese army has landed in Sicily, it will definitely send its navy to attack the Chinese navy and rescue Sicily.  And this gave the Indian Ocean Fleet an opportunity to destroy the Italian Navy.

    After the main force of the Indian Ocean Fleet left, a small fleet was left in Catania.  In addition to providing fire support for the 8th Marine Division, this fleet's other task is to cut off the Strait of Messina.  Therefore, after the main force of the fleet set off, the heavy cruiser 'Oujiang' took two light cruisers and two destroyers to the Strait of Messina in the north.  Now the main force of the Italian Navy is gathered in the Adriatic Sea, and these few warships are enough to block the Strait of Messina.

    Rome, the capital of Italy, has been eight days since Italy joined the Allied Powers and declared war on the Central Powers and China.  The Italian Army also achieved initial success in its attack on the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the north, and successfully entered the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  However, due to the mountainous terrain in the north, which restricted the deployment of large forces, and the arrival of reinforcements from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Italian attack gradually came to a standstill.

    However, the Italians were still very excited to be able to invade the territory of their old rival, the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  In the past few days, victory parades were held in Rome almost every day, even King Vittorio.  Emanuele III made public speeches, claiming that Italy would avenge its humiliation in this war, defeat the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and regain the territory belonging to northern Italy.

    The king¡¯s speech sent Italians into a frenzy.  Many Italians believed that they had won this battle, and considered it a wise move for Italy to leave the Central Powers and join the Entente.

    However, when Italian Army Minister Geronimo received a telegram from General Bernardo and learned that Sicily had been attacked by the Chinese army, he was shocked and immediately reported to Prime Minister Giovanni.  Giolitti and King Vittorio.  Emanuele III made a report.

    "The Chinese landed in Sicily? What do they want to do? The great Kingdom of Italy did not take the initiative to attack them. They are particularly ungrateful. They actually dare to provoke the Kingdom of Italy. They are simply desperate! Send a telegram to Admiral Boshini  , asking him to send the main force of the navy south, annihilate the Chinese navy, and let them know how powerful the Kingdom of Italy is!" Vittorio.  Emanuele III immediately ordered.  The victory of the Italian Army in the north made him arrogant. He even believed that under his rule, the Kingdom of Italy would soon regain the glory of the Roman Empire.  Although the Italian Navy is not as powerful as the Chinese Navy¡¯s Indian Ocean Fleet, Vittorio.  Emanuele III seems to regard the Italian Navy as invincible!
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