Chapter 983 Welcome
Garibaldi had no interest in the war between France and Austria.
He would rather continue building bridges and repairing roads than fighting a war.
But as Sergeant Giuseppe he had to join Benedek's expeditionary force because of the strong recommendation of his superiors and colleagues.
Both Baron Marcelo and Sergeant Karen believe that Sergeant Giuseppe and his team are the best in the entire recruit camp. Even though Sergeant Giuseppe seems to have no interest in military training, their team's results are outstanding. .
This has to be said about Garibaldi's personal charm and leadership qualities. Those outstanding people in the recruit camp will always come to his side unconsciously.
On the Italian battlefield, Austria and France invested more than half a million troops, but the entire battlefield was extremely quiet.
Malta Island.
An overly large fleet had to be anchored in two ports, and the inhabitants of the entire island were not even as numerous as the expeditionary force.
Fortunately, Britain's huge business empire can promptly allocate supplies from all over the world to solve the logistics problems of this fleet.
Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. smoked a pipe and wore an admiral's coat, looking like a tough guy.
This could not help but boost the morale of the British naval soldiers. However, at this time, Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. was in trouble.
He was facing the same problem as Codrington at this time. Edward Codrington, the hero of the Battle of Navarino, defeated the invincible Ottoman fleet, the savior of the Greeks, but was the sinner of Britain. Russia released the culprit in the Black Sea.
As commander of the British fleet, Edward Codrington defeated the combined Egyptian and Ottoman fleets at the Battle of Navarino, but his order was to maintain the balance of power in the Mediterranean.
Although Edward Codrington has been defending his actions, he has never been forgiven by the British government, and finally had to die in pain for the rest of his life.
Now Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. is also facing this problem. The British government obviously does not want the French to dominate the Mediterranean.
Originally, this problem was not unsolvable. Although it was a combined fleet, as long as old Edward Hobart Seymour did not contribute in the war and allowed the French and Austrians to fight, Britain would naturally be the final winner.
However, the British government issued an order to recover Crete and force the Greek government to negotiate peace.
These two orders put Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. in a dilemma, so he thought of a way, which was to leave the French fleet and act alone.
After all, the last time the Austrians captured Crete with the army, it was normal for them to send troops to search the island carefully after occupying Crete.
If the Austrians are not stupid, they will definitely use this opportunity to fight the French navy.
Of course, even if the Austrians are all fools, someone will help them come up with the idea of a decisive battle. After all, there are friends of the British Empire all over the world, and Vienna is no exception.
When France and Austria decide the winner, he only needs to finish the game.
After all, thirty-eight battleships, this number was almost equal to the combined battleships of France and Austria. To be honest, he really didn't know how he could lose.
As for the rumored Austrian Imperial Army, he was even more dismissive, because at this time there were also a large number of marines in his army, and the total strength of 40,000 people could almost make him invincible.
In addition, the maneuverability of this huge fleet is also the best in the world. At this time, the French Grand Orient Fleet can't even see their shadow is the best proof.
Of course, even with such a powerful force, the subsequent battle to seize the island will not be easy.
Fortunately, the Greeks on the island are thinking of Britain and will cooperate with Seymour's fleet on the island to seize control of the port.
Seymour decided to rest for a day on the island of Malta before attacking Crete.
At the same time, he was also trying to lure the snake out of its hole. Although his troops were strong enough at this time, no one could guarantee that the Austrians would not repeat their same tactics.
As for the rumored aircraft of the Austrian Empire, Seymour did not believe it. After all, the British Empire, which once produced Sir Isaac Newton, was the world's number one in technology.
Nothing happened overnight, which made Seymour even more convinced that the so-called Army's seizure of the island was a shameless lie and just the sophistry of an incompetent person.
The British New Mediterranean Fleet set sail again, without encountering the main fleet of the Austrian Empire along the way.
Arriving at Crete, there were only some light civilian ships in the port. Through the telescope, old Edward Hobart Seymour even saw the flag of the British Empire rising, and he showed a very contemptuous smile.
"It was a wise choice for the Austrians to flee."
The naval officers around him also laughed.
"What a bunch of cowardly cowards! Haha!"
"It's no honor for them to make us win like this."
"The Austrians made a very wise choice. Don't underestimate our opponents. The glory of the British Empire's navy can no longer withstand the slightest tarnishment."
Old Edward Hobart Seymour said very seriously, and the generals on the side immediately shut up.
"Gentlemen! Prepare to dock. You must search the entire island carefully and then deploy defenses."
"As you command. Sir!"
"In addition, notify each ship to put the gunners in position."
The messenger immediately boarded the watchtower and waved the flag, which made the atmosphere in the entire fleet tense.
This may indeed be a trap for the Austrians, but the few turrets near the port alone are obviously unlikely to pose a threat to such a large fleet.
Moreover, the initiative on the battlefield is in the hands of the British. They can completely leave the battlefield and then choose the time and place to launch operations on the island. In short, they are in an invincible position.
The huge fleet slowly sailed into the harbor. The lookouts paid close attention to the movements of the forts on both sides. There was no one nearby at all. The crowd seemed to be gathering in front of the pier of the port to welcome the arrival of the British army.
Fleet Commander Seymour let out a sigh of relief, but the next second there was a huge explosion ahead, water columns rose into the sky, and then a cruiser in front of him that was responsible for opening the way slowly sank as if it hit a rock.
"What the hell is going on? Hurry"
Before Seymour finished speaking, there was another loud noise, and another light frigate began to sink slowly.
Only then did he notice that there were many wooden barrels floating in the sea. Because he had been too focused on the two sides and the dock, he had ignored these inconspicuous wooden barrels.
It was quite normal for barrels and floating objects to appear near docks in this era, because many sailors at that time regarded the ocean as a garbage dump, and it was not uncommon to throw empty barrels into the sea.
"Damn it! It's a mine! Get out quickly!"
Seymour roared angrily, and the messengers quickly climbed up to the watchtower and waved flags.
But it was too late. The barrels in the sea exploded one after another, and some boats were directly blown into pieces. At the same time, the forts on both sides also opened fire.