Anti-Japanese War: The whole world is a base vehicle

In the end, the Italian army and Li Liu signed a cooperation agreement for more than 20 warships. Once the agreement was signed, it meant that a big deal was finalized.

Among them, there are four majestic battleships, with huge hulls and powerful firepower. When they are placed on the sea, they exude a momentum that no one dares to underestimate. There is also an aircraft carrier. You must know that the role of aircraft carriers in naval battles is crucial. With an aircraft carrier, it is equivalent to having a mobile combat platform at sea. With the matching carrier-based aircraft, the combat radius and strike capability can be greatly improved.

The rest are cruisers and destroyers, etc. These warships have their own uses. Cruisers can undertake a variety of tasks in naval battles, whether it is fire support or patrol and surveillance, they can play a significant role. Destroyers rely on their flexible maneuverability and perform well in anti-submarine and escort.

It has to be said that the Italian army had spent a lot of money to reach this agreement. However, they also had a clear purpose, which was to dominate the entire Mediterranean, which was their goal for a long time.

Just as Li Liu said, in this vast Mediterranean Sea, only with a strong navy can one truly dominate this area. Otherwise, with the few warships they have, they may not be able to control even half of the Mediterranean, let alone realize their ambition to dominate.

Especially at the end, Li Liu accurately exposed the Italian army's intention to restore the glory of the Roman Empire. This hit the Italian army's sore spot and made them, who were originally hesitant and weighing the pros and cons, completely unable to hold back. They gritted their teeth and stomped their feet and decided to sign the agreement.

As for the money for ordering warships, the Italian army was very straightforward, but they certainly couldn't afford to pay all in cash, after all, the payment method they requested was quite special, only hard currency such as gold and silver. But although the Italian army was currently following the German army, they actually didn't have much spoils of war. Their own financial resources were not strong to begin with, and they had consumed a lot in the war, so how could they have so much gold and silver to pay such a large amount of money.

It is precisely because of this that they can't even afford to support the army, resulting in such poor combat effectiveness of the army. After all, the soldiers can't even fill their stomachs. How can they have the strength to fight when they are hungry? How can we expect them to win the war?
This is not a joke. So the Italian army is now trying every possible way, even at a high price, to enhance its naval strength, hoping to carve out a niche in the Mediterranean with the navy.

Therefore, in order to pay for the warships, the Italian army, in addition to paying half of the gold and silver, had to give up most of the Italian colony in Somalia to the other party. This was a big decision for the Italian army, after all, colonies were an important manifestation of their overseas rights and interests, and giving up such a large piece was really painful.

Not only that, they also promised to give the British portion to the other party, but the latter part is pure nonsense. After all, Britain has not been completely defeated yet, and still has considerable strength on the battlefield, and can still compete with all parties. The Italian army is now thinking about sharing the British share, but it has no qualifications. This is just a big pie in the sky to facilitate a cooperation agreement.

However, Li Liu was very tempted by the Italian army's proposal to divide a part of the Italian colony of Somalia. He thought that this colony was of great value, and it would have many benefits in terms of resources and subsequent strategic layout. After weighing the pros and cons, he nodded and agreed.

On the other side, the warships of the three families gathered together and drove to the outskirts of Alexandria Harbor. The warships were lined up one after another, and the scene was very spectacular. They completely surrounded the port. But even so, they did not dare to act rashly.

It is not an easy task to take over this port. Especially since there are complete coastal defense guns in the port. Those coastal defense guns are powerful and have a long range. Once fired, the shells will hit the sea like raindrops. Moreover, there are a large number of warships stationed in the port. These warships are not vegetarians. They can go out to sea at any time to engage in fierce battles with the invading enemies.

Faced with such a combination, they naturally did not dare to act rashly. After all, there were too many variables in naval battles. If they were not careful, a warship might be sunk, and the loss would be huge. So they could only surround them first and then slowly look for the right opportunity and way to break the deadlock.

You know, those coastal defense guns with complete fortifications are very confident when facing warships, and are not afraid of the threat of warships. After all, it is very difficult for warships to hit the target when firing at sea, and the accuracy is quite poor.

In addition to the human factor, that is, the gunner's operating level and experience, many other external factors must be considered. For example, wind direction and wind speed, etc. After the shells are fired from the warship, they are easily deviated due to the influence of wind speed and direction during the flight in the air. The shells were originally aimed at the position of the coastal defense guns, but because of the effect of the wind, they finally deviated from the target and did not hit the coastal defense guns at all.

Moreover, even if they were lucky and the shells really hit the coastal defense guns, it would be difficult to destroy them immediately because there were usually solid shelters made of cement around the coastal defense guns. These shelters were like a thick layer of armor on the coastal defense guns, which could effectively resist the impact of the shells and allow the coastal defense guns to continue to function when attacked.

It is precisely because of these complex and tricky factors that the navies of the three countries did not dare to act rashly. They all stopped and wandered around the outskirts of Alexandria Port, observing the movements in the port while thinking about countermeasures.

"It may not be that easy to take over Alexandria." Raeder looked at the heavily guarded Alexandria in front of him, frowned, and sighed. The reason why they were able to take over Port Said before was because of the unexpected effect. The British army was unprepared at the time and was caught off guard, which allowed them to succeed. But now the situation is completely different. The British army has been fully prepared, and the port is heavily defended. In this case, if you still want to take it down as easily as before, it will definitely not work. You must find another way, but this way is not so easy to find at the moment, and Raeder is also helpless.

"Yes, the port is heavily defended. It will be difficult to take it down in a short time unless we are willing to do it at all costs." Lütjens said seriously, his eyes fixed on the Port of Alexandria. He knew very well that the port in front of him could not be easily conquered. If he wanted to take it down, he would have to pay a considerable price. Raeder naturally knew what he meant by "at all costs". That meant that the warships had to rush forward regardless of everything, risking being hit by shore defense guns and besieged by enemy warships in the port, using numbers to resist the enemy's firepower, even if the warships were sunk one after another, they had to continue attacking until the port was taken down. But Raeder was reluctant to do so. After all, it was not easy to get so many warships. It took a lot of trouble and resources to get them. If they were gone, wouldn't all the previous efforts be in vain? He was definitely unwilling to do that, so he suddenly fell into a dilemma, frowning tightly, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

"Should we let the Italian and French fleets take the lead?" Lütjens saw the other party's hesitation, his eyes turned, and he asked. He thought that if the Italian and French fleets could rush forward first to test the port's defenses and consume the opponent's firepower, then the pressure on their German fleet's subsequent attacks would be less.

"Do you think they will agree?" Raeder shook his head helplessly after hearing this, thinking that the other party was not a fool, how could they agree. The Italian and French fleets were also smart, and they must know what it meant to lead the charge, that is, to be cannon fodder and bear the most violent attacks. Who would be willing to do such a thankless and costly task? It would be harder than climbing to the sky to get them to agree voluntarily.

"But are we just going to waste time here?" Lütjens asked with a puzzled look on his face. He was a little anxious. It was not a solution to continue wasting time like this, as the British reinforcements would surely arrive soon.

Once the reinforcements arrive, they will be attacked from both inside and outside and will be in a desperate situation. They will probably be the ones fleeing everywhere. The scene is embarrassing just thinking about it. It is better to take over Alexandria Port in one go, even at a cost, than being surrounded in the end. His eyes were filled with anxiety, and he expected Redel to come up with a good idea.

"How many warships do you think it will take to capture this port?" Raeder did not directly answer Lütjens' question, but frowned and asked solemnly. He knew very well that this was a key issue that had to be faced. After all, the loss of warships was directly related to subsequent operations and the overall strategic layout.

Hearing this, Lütjens was stunned at first, obviously not expecting Raeder to ask this question, but he quickly came to his senses, frowned and thought seriously, then slowly said: "At least half of the battleships will be sunk." He knew in his heart that the power of coastal defense guns was no joke. The powerful firepower and precise strike range were a huge threat to warships at sea. Unless it was a critical moment of life and death, they would never be stupid enough to attack a port defended by coastal defense guns. So according to his estimation, if they wanted to take over Alexandria, the loss of half of the battleships was a conservative estimate.

"It's less than I expected. I thought only one in ten would survive." After hearing what Lütjens said, Raeder became a little depressed. He sighed helplessly, with a hint of despair in his eyes. In his opinion, the defense of Alexandria Port was too strong. If they wanted to break through the defense line, they would probably have to sink the warships one after another. In the end, they would be lucky if only one or two percent of the warships survived. Therefore, the number of half of the warships mentioned by Lütjens was already a relatively optimistic estimate for him.

"But, if we continue to waste time and wait for the British reinforcements to arrive, I'm afraid we will be the ones to suffer." Lütjens was very anxious and could not help urging again. He felt that he could not be so indecisive any longer. The longer the time dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for them. Once the British reinforcements arrived, they would be in a desperate situation of being attacked from all sides. By then, let alone taking the port, it would be a big problem whether they could escape unscathed.

"I know." Redel continued calmly, as if he had been mentally prepared for this terrible situation, but was still weighing what decision to make.

"Before you, Wang Jun sent me a telegram." Raeder looked at Lütjens and said this slowly, which made Lütjens look at him in confusion. He was full of doubts. He didn't understand what was said in Wang Jun's telegram and how it was related to the current attack on Alexandria. There was curiosity in his eyes, and he was waiting for Raeder's explanation.

"They have already taken Cairo and are now marching towards Alexandria." As soon as Raeder finished speaking, Lütjen's eyes widened, his face full of shock, and he was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a while.

He really didn't expect such explosive news. You know, Cairo is an extremely important strategic location in the region. Taking Cairo is not an easy task. It means that a major defense line of the British army has been broken through on land and a key stronghold has been occupied. Moreover, after taking Cairo, it is not far from Alexandria. As long as the troops continue to march, they will arrive soon.

When they reach the vicinity of Alexandria, they will be able to contain the coastal artillery at the port from the land. At that time, the coastal artillery will not be able to concentrate its firepower on the fleet at sea without any scruples, and will have to split some of its strength to deal with the threat from land. In this way, they can launch an attack from the sea with peace of mind, without worrying about being hit unilaterally by the coastal artillery, and the attack will be more certain.

No wonder Raeder had been so calm before. It turned out that he had already had a plan in mind and had known the good news in advance. He knew that the subsequent situation would develop in a direction favorable to them, so he was not as anxious as himself and was still calmly weighing the pros and cons. Lütjens was surprised and admired at this moment, and was also full of expectations for the upcoming operations.

"So what we have to do now is to wait. After Wang Jun's troops arrive, we can launch the attack." After Redel finished speaking, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

"Yes, I understand." Lütjens said respectfully. (End of this chapter)