Napoleon II Reborn

Chapter 406: initiative

Now Godfrey has nothing to say. Although the French army now has only 20 warships left in the southern Atlantic region, it is clear that the US military is no longer the original US military. If the eyebrows and eyes of the three major U.S. fleets were severely damaged in the naval battle, then it would be no problem to deal with these French warships. But now the U.S. military has only more than 30 warships left. If they want to destroy the French fleet, they have to do their best.

"Don't worry, after this battle is over, the 3rd Fleet and 5th Fleet will have a long rest period, and various supplementary warships will be given priority to equip your two fleets. In addition, I have already asked His Excellency the President Yes, Your Excellency the President has promised that after the 'South Carolina' class warships start to equip troops, your two fleets will be given priority." Davis said. In this naval battle, the 3rd Fleet and 5th Fleet suffered the heaviest losses, and he should indeed give them some compensation.

Sure enough, after hearing what Davis said, Aldridge and Godfrey were all beaming with delight, 'South Carolina' class! That is a powerful battleship that can beat the French "pre-Dreadnought" and "Dreadnought" classes! And relying on the strong shipbuilding industry in the United States, they believe that their strength will be fully restored in a short time, at most one year.

"Then what about our 4th Fleet?" Duruk asked eagerly. Seeing that Aldrich and Godfrey lost troops, but now they have gained a lot of benefits, he felt very unbalanced, so he couldn't help but ask.

"The 4th Fleet also suffered heavy losses, but it still retains enough combat power. After this battle is over, according to the order of the General Staff, the 4th Fleet will re-drive to the Central Atlantic region." Davis said with a cold face Said.

Seeing this, Duruk could only shut his mouth resentfully. But there is a lot of resentment in my heart.

"Prepare to set sail, go to Basseterre to replenish supplies and ammunition, and then send troops to Paria Bay." Davis ordered. Under his order, the scarred US warships began to set sail, leaving the sea area where fierce naval battles had taken place. With the dissipation of gunpowder smoke, here will restore the previous calm.

On the second day, that is, on the afternoon of the 4th and 23rd, Davis led more than 30 remnant warships of the US 3rd, 4th, and 5th fleets, left Basseterre, and attacked all the way south. Important islands such as Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada were successively occupied by the US military.

The news of the destruction of the Mediterranean Fleet was also reported to the French Navy Ministry after Clarence returned to Paria Bay. The destruction of the Mediterranean Fleet was no less than a volcanic eruption throughout France. This is definitely the biggest loss suffered by the French Imperial Navy since its establishment. It was also the first time that a fleet of the French Navy was wiped out. After the news was known by ordinary people, it caused an uproar even more, and the people began to question whether the empire could win this war? Is it necessary to expend such a large amount of national power to travel across the ocean to occupy a "wild" land? The government, played by various demonstrations, is miserable. Along with this, the situation in Europe has also begun to change. All countries have begun secret military preparations. It seems that France has already declined, and their great opportunity for development has arrived.

In this case, in order to preserve strength, the French Admiralty. After obtaining Xiao Jie's consent, he ordered all the fleet in the southern Atlantic region to return to France. However, this means that from then on, Marshal Davout's French Legion and the French Army stationed in South America will have a total of more than 100,000 people and will be isolated and helpless for a long time to come. Fortunately, before the defeat of the navy, in order to prevent this from happening, the French side transported a large amount of materials and ammunition to South America in a short period of time, enough for the more than 100,000 troops to use for more than two years. Moreover, in order to prevent the 1st French Army from being defeated by the U.S. military due to its too large defense area, Xiao Jie specially asked Davout to tell him that if necessary, he could abandon South America and retreat to the northern part of South America, relying on the Cordillera Mountains Block the attack of the U.S. military. All this is only to leave a counterattack bridgehead for France in the Americas.

On April 28, Davis attacked Paria Bay. At this time, Paria Bay was already empty, so Davis occupied the naval base without any effort. The only thing he regrets is that the French fleet has retreated, which made him lose the opportunity to have a decisive battle with the French fleet. However, he was extremely happy to be able to drive the power of the French navy out of the southern Atlantic region.

Similarly, in the United States, Davis' record has also been greatly exaggerated. Originally, it was Davis who led the three fleets to defeat the Mediterranean Fleet, but the US government announced to the public that Davis wiped out the French Mediterranean Fleet at an extremely small cost. The news of this victory encouraged the American people who did not know the truth, and their confidence rose sharply, as if France was already weak and vulnerable, and it was not the same as the opponent of the United States at all.

Subsequently, the U.S. Army also launched active operations, stepping up its fierce attack on the Isthmus of Panama. On the other hand, it is actively organizing troops to land in South America. At this time, the South American region, which lost the protection of the navy, could no longer prevent the landing of the US military. In order to reduce casualties, according to Xiao Jie's order, Marshal Davout voluntarily abandoned most of South America, reduced his troops, and focused on defense in northern South America, using the Cordillera Mountains as a barrier to block the attack of the US military.

"Gentlemen, everyone must be very aware of the naval battle that took place in the southeastern Caribbean on April 22. I mention this here, not to blame everyone. After all, I also agreed with General Paul's plan at the beginning. What I want to say is that after being surrounded by heavy siege, General Paul was able to lead the fleet to fight to the death against a powerful enemy force, and severely damaged the U.S. Navy at the cost of almost destroying the entire fleet. The spirit is worth learning. I declare that General Paul will be promoted as Admiral of the French Navy, and the Mediterranean Fleet will be rebuilt. General Clarence, the former chief of staff of the Mediterranean Fleet, will be the commander of the Mediterranean Fleet. General Clarence is the admiral." Xiao Jie said seriously.

Although in this naval battle, France failed and lost a fleet. But this responsibility does not lie with one person. If someone must be responsible for this, then in the final analysis, Xiao Jie and the French General Staff should be responsible for this matter. After all, they didn't stop Paul at the beginning, but acquiesced to his plan.

"After this naval battle, it has had a great impact on our country. The most direct thing is that our country's connection with the Americas has been cut off. Marshal Davout and his troops will have to fight alone in the Americas. At the same time, it also makes us We are at a disadvantage in the Atlantic confrontation with the US and Canadian navies. The indirect impact is even more. At home, the people began to question the capabilities of the empire and the government, accusing the empire of using troops indiscriminately. Prices also began to rise, the stock market fell, and social unrest began. A large number of social problems. Abroad, countries are also beginning to move around. The Nordic power Sweden has begun to frequently mobilize troops. It seems that they have forgotten the last lesson and want to get involved in Eastern Europe. In addition, the situation in Central and Eastern Europe has also begun to turmoil. Countries including Prussia, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, the Federal Republic of Russia, the Russian Democratic Republic, and the Kingdom of Russia are secretly preparing for war. I know, they must think that France has begun to decline, and they have an opportunity to take advantage of it. But, I want to say What’s more, such a situation must never happen, and one failure doesn’t mean anything~lightnovelpub.net~ The honor of France needs to be maintained with your life and blood.” Xiao Jie said excitedly. "Next, Chief of General Staff Ike will make arrangements for the next stage of operations." After glancing at the crowd, Xiao Jie finally said.

Eck stood up, glanced at the people present, and said: "The next stage of action is divided into two aspects. First, the army must let European countries know our strength and effectively deter them. Therefore , After the decision of the General Staff, troops will be sent to European countries to stabilize the current situation. The French 2nd Army will be stationed in Poland to help Poland resist pressure from neighboring countries. The French 3rd Army will be stationed in the St. Petersburg area to resist the Pressure from Sweden. The French 4th Army will be stationed in Nizhny Novgorod to deter the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Russia. The Iberian 3rd Army will be stationed in the Don River region to safeguard our interests in the region. Other legions They have all entered the second level of combat readiness. Once things change, they can quickly go to the battlefield to suppress the rebellion. The other aspect is the navy, which is also the most critical aspect. Due to the current situation, we urgently need a victory to get rid of the current situation. In order to boost the confidence of the people. At the same time, it is also necessary to regain the initiative in the Atlantic battlefield. Therefore, in the next period of time, the Atlantic Fleet and the Channel Fleet must take the initiative to attack, find favorable fighters, and strive to severely damage the US and Canadian navies. Regain control of the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, the Equipment Department should also urge the major shipyards to speed up the construction of warships. According to the decision of the General Staff, the newly built warships will be given priority to replenish the Mediterranean Fleet, so that the Mediterranean Fleet can be quickly rebuilt, and as soon as possible Form a fighting force."