Just after lunch, the Mediterranean, which was originally clear and clear, suddenly became windy. Soon, the entire sea surface became cloudy and a scene of a heavy rain.

Algeciras, Spain.

The huge harbor was empty, with only pitiful patrol ships docking alone on one side, and even the Spanish flag on their masts looked so sluggish. There were almost no sailors on the pier, and soldiers wearing yellow or white uniforms and carrying rifles walking back and forth.

Just two months ago, this was a busy commercial port. It was located in the Gulf of Algeciras on the eastern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar. It was an important port on the Mediterranean-European route. It has various qualified port equipment and railways to the inland Spain. However, its only thing that does not connect is to be across the bay from Mount Gibraltar. Since Spain declared war on Britain, this port has been included in the war zone, and the number of merchant ships entering and leaving the port has dropped sharply. The squadron of the Spanish Navy regarded it as a temporary home port. During the Spanish army's attack on the British Gibraltar Fortress, it was not attacked by war. However, the sudden attack of the German army made it the most frontier position in southern Spain. At this time, standing on the tallest building in the port, looking eastward, you can see the German position on the outskirts of the city.

The Spanish navy generals did not want their fragile warships to confront each other's cannons, so overnight, most of the ships of the Spanish squadron were withdrawn, but this did not mean giving up. On the contrary, the troops retreated from the front and the troops coming from the rear to reinforce were merged here. Now the Spanish army in Algeciras has reached as many as 30,000, which is far beyond the armored troops and infantry they faced, led by Rommel, and a part of the armored troops and infantry.

At this time, although both sides remained restrained under the constraints of the armistice, the uneasy atmosphere was filled with every corner. The officers on both sides knew very well that no one could guarantee the outcome of the negotiations between Berlin and Madrid. Once the negotiations broke down, war was inevitable.

On the afternoon of April 12, a hearty heavy rain fell. As the wind and waves grew, the only few Spanish patrol ships hid in the harbor. For Spanish corporal Alcalas, who was on duty at the port?, it was an afternoon that almost caused him to suffer a heart attack, because his vision was very limited in this heavy rain, and even the sea surface not far away was hidden into the rain and fog.

Alcalas, wearing a raincoat, looked at the sea boredly. Due to the heavy rain, the temperature outside also dropped a lot, and the poor corporal shivered in the wind and rain.

Suddenly, some blurry black shadows appeared in the blurred vision. Alcalas narrowed his eyes and looked hard at him. The things that broke through the rain and fog made him so shocked that his soul almost burst out of his shell.

"Oh, my God! That's a fleet!"

The sentries on duty gathered together, and they soon found that the other party was not far from the entrance of the harbor, which was a distance from the port defense force that could not respond! What was even more annoying was that the port had no fortifications that were worth relying on! The sentries in panic immediately reported the situation to their superiors, but what was waiting for them was not a slander, but an order to guide the fleet into the port.

"That... it is clearly the fleet of the Austro-Hungarian Empire!" After seeing the battle flag of the fleet, Alcalas and his partners opened their mouths bigger than before. The visitors were neither the great Spanish navy nor the hateful German navy. Not the once arrogant and domineering British navy, but the Austro-Hungarian Empire navy has always been unknown in this sea area.

Guided by the signal light, the Austro-Hungarian fleet slowly approached the entrance to the harbor. After a while, three Spanish patrol ships drove out of the port to pilot, and the big guys began to sail into the waterway one by one.

In front of this fleet from the distant northern coast of the Mediterranean, the Spanish soldiers were stunned like countrymen. They had seen the largest battleship of the Spanish Navy, the "Alfonso XII" that was sunk by British torpedo boats outside Gibraltar not long ago. Each of these Austro-Hungarian warships seemed to be larger and stronger than the former. At this time, Alcalas and the others realized that they were frogs in the deep well, ignorant and arrogant.

However, this surprise and admiration lasted not long, and the sentries discovered another fleet of fleets on the sea to sail out of rain and fog. The two consecutive similar stimulations made these poor people almost crazy, and their superiors quickly informed them that the senior management did not inform them that a second fleet would enter the port.

Suddenly, the entire port seemed to be facing a great enemy, and the alarm flag was on the highest watchtower tower. The port's guards - the fortress garrison composed of about 2,000 people and some artillery units sent by the army to assist in the defense began to enter their battle positions. The scene seemed a bit chaotic, but the port finally got into a state of alert.

The second fleet that appeared outside the port, which was soon proved to be a maritime force from the German Empire, did not enter the harbor like the Austro-Hungarian fleet, but lined up in combat formation outside the port.

The distance between them and the port is currently beyond the reach of the Spanish army's artillery fire in the port. But it is not beyond the better fortress guns, such as the 280mm naval gun used by the British Navy.

A tense atmosphere filled the air, but the Germans had no real intention to start a war. Otherwise, when the Austro-Hungarian fleet passed by the fortress in front of the Gibraltar Fortress, the cannons in the fortress would not remain silent - although they had just been seized from the British army, the fortifications on the seaside of the fortress were still strong enough to resist the attack of the Austro-Hungarian fleet.

About an hour later, the Austro-Hungarian fleet entered the Port of Algeciras under the gaze of the Spanish and Germans. After that, senior generals from Madrid boarded the flagship of the Austro-Hungarian fleet. When they got off the ship, the worry that had been hung on their faces had faded a lot. Then, the garrison at the port received orders to meet the requirements of these "prestigious guests" as much as possible, including the fuel and food required by the fleet.

In the evening, the two countries jointly issued an announcement that the Port of Algeciras would be provided to the Austro-Hungarian Navy for free to ensure the safety of the Strait of Gibraltar and the southern waters of Spain.

After nightfall, the Hippel fleet outside the port turned away, leaving only a few light ships to continue monitoring. However, the German fleet did not go far, but entered the port of Gibraltar, a bay away.

Berlin at night is more prosperous than during the day, and with the arrival of spring, the temperature at night is no longer as cold. On the main streets of this metropolis, shops and restaurants have mostly extended their business hours to after 10 o'clock. Here people basically have no idea of ​​a curfew, after all, they are glorious winners of the war.

After dinner, the main German ministers and generals gathered at the Imperial Palace in the center of Berlin. Two hours after the announcement was issued by Madrid and Vienna, Chentian held an interim imperial meeting.

Chen Tian had never been surprised by Vienna's ambitions. Although the Habsburg dynasty was corrupt, they had rich property after all; although the Austro-Hungarian army was powerless, they were at least extremely powerful in numbers.

Obviously, the Austro-Hungarian Navy's operation was quite unfavorable to Chen Tian's Mediterranean strategy, but the emperor did not get angry at it. The wise monarch did not rely on yelling in front of his subjects to prove his majesty. Sometimes, the serious and indifferent expression was more terrifying than violent.

"My Majesty, please forgive my rudeness, but I think the Austrians are challenging us!" General Carl von Bilo said loudly in his rough voice, "We should give them some color!"

No one agreed, but he also refuted it.

Since the end of the French War, General Bilo's 2nd Army was stationed on the German-France border and Belgium. Chen Tian could see that the veteran was a little panicked. It was no wonder that his elite troops were just strategic reserves in the Battle of Britain, while General Hausen was in the limelight in the Battle of Italy. Fortunately, Chen Tian made some efforts in the previous coup, otherwise he would really "the sword should have roared towards the sky, but the heroes were wandering."

"General, please sit down!" Chen Tian was still very calm, and this kind of calmness was often compared with William II. Many people think that the character of the old and new German emperors was simply on the opposite side.

General Bilo sat down very well. Chen Tian and the Army Department are currently considering promoting him to the Army Marshal and taking over the position of Army Minister Rupresit. As for his front-line troops, Chen Tian is preparing to let a younger general take over.

"Under the current situation, we cannot mobilize more naval forces to the Mediterranean, and the warships received from the Italians will take a long time to meet the combat requirements again!" In this regard, Chen Tian did not want himself and his generals to be like the Austro-Hungarian Navy. He still remembered the old saying in China: I'm anxious and can't eat hot tofu!

"Your Majesty is wise! At this time, if the ships besieged the British Isles are transferred to the Mediterranean to fight against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it may not only make our combat against Britain fail, but the more direct consequence is to deteriorate the situation in the Mediterranean." The speaker was Alfred von Tirpitz, the mainstay of the Imperial Navy. In recent times, the navy's blockade against Britain has proved to be very efficient, and in allocating the first phase of the war reparations of the French government, the Navy also obtained a satisfactory share, and the war patrol "De Fringer" and other new ships were completed and put into service. The Navy was smooth sailing, but the incidents that happened near the Strait of Gibraltar today were gray-toned.

At this time, another important figure in the navy, Marshal Boer, stood up from his position.

"At this point, I must sincerely remind Your Majesty that most of our submarines and the officers and soldiers on the boats are exhausted! Now, our local sailors rely on their willpower to fight, but this situation cannot last for a long time. There are two best ways, one is to temporarily reduce the number of attendances and time of submarine troops, but add enough new submarines!"

After listening to the report of the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Chen Tian expressed his understanding that in the eight months since the war started, the number of submarines in the navy had nearly doubled and the personnel had increased by 1.5 times, but this was still a bit stretched for blocking the entire British islands. You should know that the British were rich, and now the prices of the island, especially the prices of military supplies, soared. It is said that from Norway to transport a box of rifles to Scotland, you can get a profit of 30,000 to 50,000 pounds. Driven by such huge profits, not only did the British colonies try their best to transport supplies to their homeland, but many ship owners who wanted to seek violence also took risks. Therefore, although the British ships were getting fewer and fewer, there was never a shortage of transport ships on the route to the outside world. In order to carry out strict blockades, on the Atlantic Ocean, German raid fleets and submarine troops were always the busiest group.

"On the one hand, reward our most brave and hardworking sailors, and tell them that the British would be completely destroyed if they persist for another month or two! On the other hand, the newly-suspended warships will be put into blockade operations as soon as possible, and the progress of transforming auxiliary cruisers should be accelerated! In short, mobilize the entire German maritime power and completely suffocate the British to death on the island!"

Everyone expressed absolute agreement with Chen Tian’s opinion.

"Okay, let's turn our topic back to the topic! Under the current circumstances, we have sent the Mediterranean as powerful as possible fleet! In the future, the scale of our Mediterranean fleet will not increase again. After all, the future center of maritime focus of the Empire is not the Mediterranean, but the oceans of the world! Regarding these, I have already explained to General Cipher before the fleet sets off! Now, although our opponents seem very strong, our strength is not bad! We have the best battleships and battle cruisers, and our Tunisian fortress will be built soon! From now until the end of the Battle of Britain, we should try our best to maintain restraint in the Mediterranean region, whether it is the Army Expeditionary Force or the Navy Mediterranean Fleet to take an active defensive position! As for negotiations with the Spanish government, we can make a little concession, and we will seek back ten times the concessions made today!"

Chen Tian looked ahead with his head held high, and in his heart, he would get more than ten times what he would recover in the future.

The generals here are more excited about this, some supporters loudly, and some are ready to go. As historians say, continuous victory will not only increase confidence, but also make people obsessed.

In contrast, Chen Tian’s Prime Minister Bateman was much calmer, but this did not mean that he was not interested in military affairs. In fact, he only focused on political factors.

"Your Majesty, as far as I know, this move by the Austro-Hungarian Empire government is not only because of their new crown prince, but the secret support from the east is a reason that cannot be ignored!"

"I know!" Chen Tian's tone suddenly became much lower, "I think the one who manipulated these behind my back must be a big conspirator! A big conspirator!"

On April 17, after several days of efforts at the negotiating table, the German and Spanish governments finally reached an agreement. In the subsequent Madrid agreement, the German army previously occupied Malaga, Fongirola, Marbella, and Estepona were handed over to Germany in the name of loan, and the areas including Lalinai, Gibraltar and the Port of Gibraltar were controlled by a coalition forces composed of Germany, Austria-Hungarian Empire, Russia and Turkey, and local affairs were decided by representatives of the four countries.

After that, the Austro-Hungarian Fleet sent some ships into the port of Gibraltar. Russia and Turkey also sent warships and marines to station them. The Hippel Fleet left some ships including the battleships "Oldenburg" and "Hindenburg". The main force entered the port of Tunisia in North Africa at the end of April.

At this point, the war clouds on the Mediterranean surface have temporarily dissipated, but the real contest is far from beginning.
Chapter completed!