After finishing their meeting with Hammurabi, Clark and Simon immediately sent the news they got from Hammurabi back to China respectively. It didn't take long for them to receive the latest instructions from the country. The United States and Canada have demanded that Clark and Simon, no matter how hard they try, cannot let Britain fall to France. That would be very detrimental to the United States and Canada. For the British attack on the Isle of Wight, the two must also actively cooperate. After all, it is also very beneficial to them to conquer the Isle of Wight and completely remove the influence of France from Britain. It can greatly reduce the threats they face in Ireland. As for the issue of military strength, the expeditionary force can be temporarily used. The United States and Canada will organize a new army to go to the UK as soon as possible to replace the US-Canada expeditionary force. In addition, they conveyed to the British side that there was a condition for the United States and Canada to send troops, that is, Britain must annul Victoria's marriage contract with Borchardt.
In addition, the news about the French navy also surprised the United States and Canada. They knew that if, as Hammurabi had said, the French navy was concentrating on a nationwide refit, it would be very detrimental to them. The day when the strength of the French navy is restored will surely be the beginning of the loss of control of the Atlantic by the United States and the Atlantic. In order to avoid this situation, the United States and Canada have also begun active arrangements. On the one hand, Davis was ordered to speed up the capture of the Azores and completely wipe out the remaining fleet of the French Navy. On the other hand, it began to build additional ships to expand the strength of the navy. At the same time, actively think of ways to eliminate this threat in the cradle. Prepare to organize a fleet, take the risk of attacking several important French shipbuilding bases, and delay the time for the French Navy to refit.
After receiving the domestic instructions, Clark and Simon immediately contacted Hammurabi, saying that in order to expel the evil France, the American and Canadian Expeditionary Forces would all devote themselves to the attack on the Isle of Wight. In addition, the U.S. and Canadian navies will also deploy warships to support their attack on the Isle of Wight. However, they have put forward their conditions, that is, the United Kingdom must announce to the world that they will abolish the marriage contract between their heir to the throne and the French crown prince.
After receiving the news, Hammurabi was overjoyed and immediately said that this was not a problem. And in order to conquer the Isle of Wight, Britain will invest more than 150,000 troops and the entire navy (in fact, it is only about 10 warships of about 1,000 tons). Hammurabi believed that with the ratio of troops reaching 1:2.5, and with the help of the navy on one side, the French army on the Isle of Wight would definitely not be able to reach their attack.
After that, the United Kingdom really announced the annulment of the marriage contract between Victoria and Borchardt, and began to actively prepare for war. After the news of Britain's unilateral breaking of the marriage contract spread to France, it aroused strong dissatisfaction from the French royal family, government and people. Many people even spontaneously organized demonstrations, demanding that the government send troops to punish Britain's shameless behavior. The royal family and the government also spoke one after another, declaring that they would sever all diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom and declare that the two countries are now in a state of war. The military spokesman even stated that in the near future, the French army will sweep across the British Isles again, and let the despicable British pay for what they did today. Some British people are also ashamed of the British government and the royal family's rebellious behavior, but at this time the mainstream of the UK is to go to war with France, defeat France, and regain the glory of the British Empire.
At the end of August, after almost a month of preparations, 100,000 American and Canadian forces and 150,000 British troops finally assembled on the line from Bournemouth to Southampton to Portsmouth, separated from the French troops stationed on the Isle of Wight. Strait standoff. More than 10 warships of the British Navy and a small fleet of 10 warships transferred from the Azores by the United States and Canada also all arrived in Portsmouth. At this point, the preparations for the attack on the Isle of Wight by the British and American and Canadian Expeditionary Forces have finally come to an end.
After a few days of rest, on September 2, 1829, the United States and Canada and the British fleet launched an attack on the Isle of Wight from three directions: Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth. Among them, more than 70,000 U.S. troops attacked from Bournemouth. Two divisions of the Canadian Army with 30,000 people and four divisions of the British Army with 60,000 people, a total of 90,000 people attacked from Southampton. Six British divisions with 90,000 troops attacked from Portsmouth. The navy is also divided into 3 parts, which provide fire support for the troops in three directions. Facing the enemy's attack, the French troops stationed on the Isle of Wight also quickly prepared to resist. The original artillery unit on the island plus the artillery battalions of each division were all divided into three parts, and together with the infantry, they faced the US-Canadian coalition forces. There are 4 infantry divisions and two marine divisions on the island, two of which defend the rest of the island to prevent the enemy from landing in other directions, and serve as the island's general reserve. 4 infantry divisions, one division in each direction, and the remaining 1 division as a reserve. The four artillery regiments transferred from France also deployed one in each direction, and the remaining one was used as a reserve.
Judging from the deployment of the French army, although less than 20,000 troops are deployed in each direction, it is not difficult to resist the enemy's attack. After the operation of the French army, the fortifications on the Isle of Wight have been very strong. Although they are not as good as those military fortresses, it is very easy to deal with ordinary attacks. In addition, the US-Canadian Expeditionary Force and the British Army seem to have an absolute advantage in terms of military strength, but in fact, the troops invested in each attack are less than 10,000 in each of the three directions. Therefore, there is no need for the French army to deploy too many troops on the front line at one time.
The Battle of the Isle of Wight began with attacks by the British, American and Canadian navies. More than 20 warships, split into three, bombarded the fortifications on the Isle of Wight. But the French artillery was obviously not vegetarian, and they fought back one after another. Although the artillery technology of various countries has been greatly developed over the years, France is still in a leading position. Compared with the artillery used by the French Army, the naval guns of the United States and other countries do not have a range advantage. The strength of the two sides is basically evenly matched. Under these circumstances, a brutal artillery battle unfolded on the Isle of Wight. The navies of the United States and other countries have a slight advantage, that is, they can keep moving at sea to avoid shells. The French artillery is relatively fixed and often becomes the primary target of enemy attacks.
The artillery battle could not take advantage, and the British, American and Canadian coalition forces began to forcibly land. Of course, the navy also kept the French artillery on the sidelines, preventing them from affecting the landing of the coalition infantry. But despite this, the coalition's attack still seemed so weak in front of the French defense line. It is impossible to shake the French defense line at all.
In the battle on September 2, the coalition forces did not achieve any results at all. They were basically suppressed by the powerful firepower of the French army on the beach, unable to move forward, let alone break through the French army's position.
For the battle on the first day, Hammurabi and others were very disappointed, but they were unable to change the status quo. However, seeing this situation, Clark and Simon slowly had other thoughts. They don't want to lose all their troops here. Besides, Britain has announced the abolition of its marriage with France, and their basic goal has been achieved. There is no need to fight the French army. So, in the ensuing battle, the two began to work without effort. Seeing this, Hammurabi gritted his teeth with hatred, but he had no other choice.
The battle went on like this, and no one could do anything about it. Slowly, time is consumed like this.
Two months later, Marshal Boult, commander of the French Navy, came to Paris with a happy face and met Xiao Jie.
"My Marshal, UU Reading www.uukanshu.com You came to Paris in such a hurry, what happened? Seeing the joy on your face, it should be a good thing, right?" Xiao Jie said with a smile.
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is indeed a good thing. I just received a call from General Clarence. The third joint training of the Mediterranean Fleet has ended, and the running-in of soldiers and equipment has been completed. Although there are still some shortcomings, it has been able to integrate Most of the combat power of the new warship has been brought into play. The shortcomings can be made up for in future battles." Bult said excitedly.
"Really? So fast! It's really great. I thought I had to wait at least one to two months?" Xiao Jie was equally excited. This is very good news for him, for France, and for the French Navy. Many of France's plans have been restricted by the navy. Now that the Mediterranean fleet has been rebuilt, the strength of the French navy has increased again. Although it may not be able to confront the US and Canadian navies head-on, it is not impossible to fight back.
"Yes. As soon as the fleet's running-in was over, General Clarence asked me for a combat mission. It seems that he couldn't wait to avenge the shame of the Mediterranean Fleet." Boult smiled all over his face.
"No rush. Tell General Clarence that I will give him a week to rest. After a week, the Mediterranean Fleet will officially go into battle." Xiao Jie said with a smile.