On November 15, 1702, the Port of Palermo, which had already settled down roughly, fell into peace again. There were few ships on the pier, and merchants and laborers were listless.

There is no way, after the previous war, it is difficult to avoid business decline. What merchants dislike the most is the turbulent situation, because it will cause great uncertainty in their business. Moreover, it will be mid-November, and it has long passed the harvest period for food, so it is abnormal that merchant ships gather in large quantities.

"A typical scene in agricultural society, seasonal commerce." A steel monster was sailing slowly for a few nautical miles outside the Port of Palermo. On the bridge, a middle-aged man with the rank of lieutenant colonel on the east coast said with a smile.

The king's name is Liu Zhen. He graduated from the Navy School and later joined the Navy. He served as the second-class staff officer of the Navy, first-class staff officer, the captain of the "Star"-class light cruiser, the commander of the Djibouti security guard and director of the management committee, the teacher of the Navy Fenggu Island Military Academy, the captain of the "Executive Committee"-class battleship, and now the captain of the "Bianliang" armored battleship, less than a year since he took office.

It has to be said that Liu Zhen was able to become the captain of the "Bianliang" class iron-armored warship - even the oldest model "Bianliang" - in itself was an eye-catching thing. When he was appointed as the commander of the Djibouti security guard, many people predicted that his future career would mostly be between several naval bases, and he might even return to China to manage the coastal defense fort in a certain area of ​​the local area, and gradually marginalize in the naval system.

But who would have thought that after a series of behind-the-scenes operations, he still got the opportunity. He first transitioned in the Navigation School, and then served as the captain of the "East Coast Man" warship, which was old but still had an extremely noble status. Now, he became the captain of the "Bianliang" again, and the opportunity to show off in Europe is indeed envious, jealous and hateful.

The "Bianliang" has been trained in the Cape Verde Islands for a long time. After the construction of the East Coast people, there are currently many military-industrial enterprises (mainly ships) that can repair almost all ships, including the "Bianliang" class armored warships. Moreover, there are also an astonishing number of artillery shells (including several new special bombs), gunpowder, food, drugs and other military supplies stored on the island, which is the largest supply base for the East Coast people to conduct armed interference in Europe.

Of course, now Danji and Ceuta are also building material reserves of considerable scale, but in terms of scale, they are still not as good as Cape Verde. After all, there is safer there, and the population and technical level are not comparable to these two new places.

"In the agricultural society, all kinds of trade commodities produced have strong seasonal characteristics. Not to mention that European merchant ships are mostly driven by sails, and these ships also need to consider ocean currents and wind directions. Of course, the Mediterranean is famous for changing wind directions, haha, this is not counted." Standing behind Liu Zhen was the first mate of the "Bianliang". At this time, he was holding a high-power telescope produced by the East Coast Precision Instrument Company and carefully observing the situation on the sea.

In fact, he was a little overly worried. With the majestic posture of the iron-armored warship "Bianliang", no matter if someone dared to attack them, he was even nervous when approaching. The huge tonnage, super armor, and ferocious gun barrels all declared their power to passing ships.

In fact, their ship had caused a huge sensation when it just passed through the Strait of Gibraltar. Anyone with discerning eyes can see that the steel armor on this ship is hard to shake by the current mainstream solid bombs in the navy. Moreover, the incendiary bombs are unlikely to work. Not to mention the very professional team of people in the East Coast, just saying that the ship is covered with armor on a large area, reducing most of the burning risks is enough to make the incendiary bombs sigh.

The Spanish who first discovered the heroic figure of Gibraltar Bay, of course, were deliberately done by the Navy on the East Coast. The officers of the local coastal defense fort saw the armored monster coming towards them from the telescope. They thought it was an enemy attack, but they almost ordered the artillery to be fired.

Fortunately, he did not do such a stupid thing in the end. The iron armored warships of the East Coast people had conducted shore gun bombardment tests in their own ports. With the power of the old bronze artillery in Gibraltar Bay, it is probably impossible to cause any harm to this powerful iron armored ship. On the contrary, several shore guns may be blinded by the naval guns on the Bianliang. Fortunately, the East Coast people have no malicious intentions to them for the time being. After approaching for reconnaissance, the waves sank a Spanish fishing boat that was too close to them, the Bianliang adjusted its course, left Gibraltar Bay, and sailed all the way to the Port of Palermo.

The local Italian occupation forces already knew that the warships of the East Coast Navy would come to visit. Therefore, they were ready for a long time, from the highest commander of the local garrison to the local celebrities, all of which were present, and there was no shortage of them.

There are more than 200 officers and soldiers of the Northern Italian coalition "Pohe Division" who maintains order on the dock. They carry long spears, raise their heads and chests, looking proud. They believe in the power of the East Coast Navy under the influence of years of public opinion. More importantly, the East Coast Navy is on their side, otherwise what would it take to visit the Port of Palermo?

You should know that from a legal perspective, Sicily is the territory of the Kingdom of Spain. The Northern Italian Federation sent troops to capture this island, which is strictly speaking, an act of invasion that violates the international order and is unjust, although they are under the banner of "liberation of the Italian people."

But then again, who should define justice or not? The Spanish think they are unjust, but the Northern Italians think they are quite just. At this time, the ruling of the right and wrong things between the two sides has become guns and domestic industrial and agricultural production capacity? Northern Italy's economy is still good, agriculture is developed, and there is also a group of new factories using East Coast technology, and there is no shortage of armed forces. The Spanish are in financial difficulties and are still trapped in large-scale wars. They cannot squeeze out enough military power to recover the lost land on the Apennine Peninsula. It is actually obvious who is more "just".

The arrival of the "Bianliang" iron armored warship added a heavy weight to the "justice" of the Northern Italians. Although this warship is wooden, most of the surface is covered with thick iron armor. Even if there is no one who has studied the navy, this alone can be concluded that no warship in Europe has the strength to fight against it, and the "Bianliang" is invincible.

An hour later, the Bianliang, which was moving at full speed, finally began to slow down, and with the help of the towing ship, slowly drove into the port of Palermo. At this time, the military band of the "Pohe Division" played the national anthem on the east coast, and a group of officials and celebrities welcomed the arrival of the East Coast Navy.

With the help of the orderly soldiers, Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zhen tidied his clothes, then carried white gloves and commanding knife, and got off the ship with a smile. He did not pay much attention to the local officials and low-level officers, and shook hands with the deputy commander of the Pohe Division (the commander of the division was still in Messina), and then got on the carriage and headed straight into the city.

Inside the carriage was Lieutenant Colonel Bai Chuanping, the commander of the Sixth Mixed Regiment of the Army. At this time, he was looking at the energetic Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zhen with complicated eyes. After a while, he said: "Louis XIV's army won several battles in the Rhine River Basin and had a good momentum. The next step is that they may have to go deep into the hinterland of Germany and march towards Vienna."

"Their navy happened to be defeated in the Bay of Biscay. At present, a large number of warships are nestled in the port for maintenance, and the casualties need to be re-recruited, and it takes time to restore combat effectiveness. For a period of time, the Atlantic Ocean will be the world between the Dutch and the British." Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zhen intervened.

"So, in order to ease the situation, the Anti-French Alliance is likely to attack Spain and open up a second battlefield." Bai Chuanping said as if he was singing with Liu Zhen.

"Commander Bai, you and I still need to work sincerely to add a fire to the future national fortune of the Great East Coast." Liu Zhen suddenly came over and said in a low voice.

Bai Chuanping's lips curled up slightly, as if he was a little funny about the word "sincere cooperation" of the Navy and Army. However, he finally said: "It's all for the country, it's easy to say, it's easy to say. However, the "Bianliang" has been so scared that the Spanish are so scared. They may not have the courage to do anything."

The implication is that now there are tens of thousands of people trapped in the Rhine River. The local troops are limited, and most of them are second-line garrison troops, and their combat effectiveness is also worrying. Their navy has been hit harder, and it is probably difficult to come out to make trouble. In such a situation, it seems a bit difficult to get the Spaniards to be brave enough to march.

However, there is no way to imagine. Bai Chuanping and Liu Zhen, a middle- and senior officer, is not a genius who has achieved success in cultivation. There are some things that need not be said much, just know it in your heart. If you want to create trouble and give the Spanish more excitement, there are many ways to do it! For example, after conquering the largest stronghold in Naples, the local Spanish officials were publicly executed in the name of trial. To say some unpleasant words, Philip V, a guy who has not yet been warmed up in the throne, may not be able to withstand the pressure!

Furthermore, can't the "Bianliang" come over? It was already a stress test for them when a small Spanish fishing boat sinks in the Bay of Gibraltar. It was a stress test for them. It turned out that they were swallowing their anger. Then the stress test can be further deepened to see how much humiliation the Spaniards can withstand.

"We will consider it." Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zhen nodded and said, "There is not much time. After cooking here, I have to go to Danzegang. The situation there is also very complicated."

"With the Swedish shield, Lesinsky dared not do anything." Bai Chuanping smiled, as if he was laughing at Lieutenant Colonel Yang Chengdong's fourth mixed regiment without any battle.

The report of the First Mixed Regiment coming to the Continental Region was long ago sent to the local area through the navy's rapid contact ship. With the energy of those guys, it is probably not a big problem to finally dispatch. Sheng Dehong meant that he would wait for a few more months before the new force arrived before launching a war. At that time, the French and Austrians should have been fighting fiercely in Bavaria, and no one could control the actions of the East Coast people (of course not now), which was a great opportunity to seize the vast land of Spain.
Chapter completed!