"Davis, what is the Navy going to do?" Zominsk asked. Although he is the chief of staff, he knows that he is a layman to the navy, so he generally does not interfere with Davis' orders.
"The situation is unclear now, I want to wait a little longer!" Davis shook his head, then said.
"What? Wait a little longer, if you wait any longer, the French fleet will arrive in Fortaleza." Henry yelled loudly. In his view, the French were clearly targeting Fortaleza, intending to supplement the French army in South America with personnel and military supplies. If the French are allowed to do so, then the armies of the United States and Canada in South America may have a harder time. [bsp; Zominsk couldn't help but frowned slightly. Obviously, he agrees with Henry's opinion on this point. From his point of view, the US 6th and 7th Fleets should be quickly ordered to lay siege to the French South Atlantic Fleet. Even if the fleet cannot be wiped out, the supply ships must be destroyed. No matter which of these two goals is achieved, the French will suffer heavy losses.
Davis knew that he had to make a choice, otherwise, it would cause Zominsk's dissatisfaction, which would be very detrimental to his future command. "General, the strength of the French South Atlantic Fleet is not strong, only slightly stronger than our fleet. But why did they choose to supply the French army in South America at this time? As far as I know, The French army in South America has not reached the point where it must be replenished. At the same time, several other French fleets have also disappeared. I think this is a trap set by the French for us. A French South Atlantic Fleet For you, I want to eat up our 6th and 7th fleets, and even more fleets in one fell swoop."
Zominsk said no more. If this is the case, the U.S. 6th and 7th Fleets went to Fortaleza, obviously they were going into the enemy's trap.
"Huh! General Davis, these are just your guesses. All I know now is that if the French cannot be prevented from replenishing the French army in South America, we will send at least another 200,000 troops to South America, Otherwise the balance there will be broken and we will probably lose South America." Henry also had his reasons. From his point of view, the most important thing is to ensure that the U.S. and Canadian Army in South America have an advantage.
"Can there be a way to achieve the best of both worlds? A way to prevent the French from sending troops and supplies to South America, and avoid falling into the trap of the French?" Zominsk asked.
Davis shook his head. He is now even more certain that the French captured Fortaleza in order to mobilize the US Navy and want to hit the US Navy hard at once.
"General Davis, if we lose South America, we will not be able to explain to His Excellency the President and the people." Henry stared at Davis coldly and began to put pressure on him.
"I will find a way. Come, order the 5th, 9th and 11th Fleets to rush to San Marcos Bay immediately. The 6th Fleet will start going south tomorrow morning, ready to attack France that may appear in Fortaleza South Atlantic Fleet. The 7th Fleet will go north immediately, with the same operational goals as the 6th Fleet. If you find the French main fleet, immediately withdraw to the north. In addition, the 3rd, 4th, 8th, 10th and 12th fleets will go south immediately , rushed to the Caribbean Sea, ready to meet the withdrawn fleet." Davis issued a combat order.
Such a large-scale fleet transfer requires Zominsk's signature. Therefore, after the staff officer recorded the order, he did not immediately leave and send it to the various fleets, but waited for Zominsk to sign it.
"Davis, mobilizing so many fleets to the South Atlantic region, will it cause the emptiness of our homeland defense? In case France wants to use this to mobilize our main fleet and then directly attack our eastern coastal area, In that case, how can we resist their attack?" Zominsk took the order from Davis and hesitated.
"I'm sure the French main fleet is hiding somewhere in the South Atlantic Ocean. Waiting for us to step into their trap step by step. Of course, the French used the South Atlantic Fleet as a bait to mobilize our main fleet, Then attack our mainland, this possibility is also there. Therefore, I left behind the most powerful 1st and 2nd Fleets. In addition, I will notify the Canadian Navy, once the French really take our mainland as their target The goal is to ask the Canadian Navy to leave and give us support. With the combined strength of the two of us, it is enough to withstand the French army’s attack and support it until the southward fleet annihilates the French South Atlantic Fleet before rushing back.” Davis explained . In fact, his entire response plan was already cautious enough. If the French really set up a trap in the South Atlantic region, then the American fleet will withdraw immediately, even if all South America is lost to the French, the main force of the fleet must be kept. If the French Navy had not set a trap in South America, then the French South Atlantic Fleet would surely die. It will take at least four or five days for the French to complete their supplies, which is enough for the U.S. Navy to arrive and besiege the French South Atlantic Fleet.
After listening to Davis' explanation, Zominsk felt relieved. In fact, the outcome of this war is directly related to the life and death of the United States, so we have to be careful.
On the evening of October 24th, when Méng Di's military boots set foot on the port of Fortaleza, Fortaleza at this moment was completely in the hands of the French army. The resistance of the US-Canadian coalition forces ended two hours ago. In the end, more than 6,000 American and Canadian allied forces surrendered to the French army. Among them, many people were frightened by the fierce shelling by the French army before.
"Take all these prisoners of war and the civilians in the city to clear the road. The road from the port to Fortaleza must be cleared before the fleet arrives." Méngti waved his hand and took the thousands of prisoners And thousands of civilians were directly distributed as coolies.
Now, the French army has become the master of Fortaleza. In order to save their lives, the captives and civilians of the American-Canadian coalition forces have to obey the orders of the French army and clean up the debris. These ruins were basically caused by the fierce shelling of the French army. Due to the lack of tools, the prisoners of war had to use their hands to clean up the gravel, and it didn't take long for the blood on their hands to be blurred. But he still had to continue working, otherwise, he would be severely beaten by the French army. In this era, the fate of prisoners of war is quite tragic.
The night of the 24th was spent in peace.
Early the next morning, French soldiers gathered at the port. Waiting for the arrival of the French South Atlantic Fleet. After the fleet arrives, they will unload the supplies on the supply ship and transport them away as soon as possible. At present, the entire South Atlantic region is still the territory of the Americans. If the fleet stays for one more day, it will be more dangerous.
At this time, the French South Atlantic Fleet was really escorting a huge supply fleet to Fortaleza. Especially after learning that the port of Fortaleza was taken intact, this made Bennett, the commander of the South Atlantic Fleet, very happy. The port facilities are complete, which means that the supply fleet can quickly unload the supplies. Being able to leave Fortaleza one minute earlier can reduce the danger.
He didn't want to be distracted from protecting the supply fleet while fighting the US fleet. According to the previous arrangement, after the supplies are unloaded, the supply fleet will return to France alone. The French South Atlantic Fleet will stay to meet the attack of the US 6th and 7th Fleets. Although the US 6th Fleet and 7th Fleet combined are stronger than the French South Atlantic Fleet, this does not mean that the French South Atlantic Fleet will lose. Moreover, although it is bait, it does not stipulate that you cannot fight back if you bait.
As long as the supply fleet can leave early, Bennett will be able to free up his hands to beat the American fleet with a time difference, kill one fleet first, and then cooperate with other fleets to besiege the remaining American fleet, laying the foundation for victory in the naval battle.
"How long before we get to Fortaleza?" Bennett asked.
"It will take up to 3 hours to arrive. Marshal Méngdi called and the port is ready. We can start loading and unloading supplies as soon as we arrive~www.mtlnovel.com~ The fleet transporting soldiers can also go directly to the port area to dock Marshal Méngti has prepared thousands of carriages and tens of thousands of soldiers this time, and strives to complete the supply within two days." Elliott, chief of staff of the French South Atlantic Fleet, said with a smile.
Bennett nodded. Although Marshal Méng Di is an army, he can also realize that if the navy stays here for a long time, the danger will be great, so he also tried his best to reduce the unloading time.
"Perhaps the American fleet is already on its way!" Bennet thought to himself. Instead of being afraid, he became agitated. However, what he didn't know was that not only the US 6th and 7th Fleets came, but also the 3 fleets that were disabled in the Battle of the English Channel, and they also went south ahead of schedule. Therefore, what he has to face is not just two fleets, but three and a half fleets.
"Here we come! The fleet is here." The port of Fortaleza immediately started to mobilize. Driven by the soldiers, one carriage drove directly into the port area. All military supplies will be unloaded directly on the carriage, and then transported away without delay.
Where the sea and the sky meet, a large cloud of thick smoke appears. Dozens of warships from the French South Atlantic Fleet, escorting nearly 150 transport ships and merchant ships, finally arrived at their destination after half a month of trekking at sea.