After more than 10 hours of sailing against the wind, on August 15, the sky was dawn, and the fish belly was white in the east. The "Victor" arrived at the destination, less than 10 nautical miles from the west coast of the Mediterranean. At this time, looking into the distance, you can see the hazy coastline of light and shadow.

William Percival, wearing a navy navy uniform and a ship-shaped cap, walked to the back deck. He was woken up by various noises on the deck and came out to breathe. Although he had been in the warship for nearly five years, Captain William Percival, the second lieutenant of the ship, was still extremely sensitive to all kinds of sounds on the deck.

Not far away, the heavy hoist was turning and making creaking screams; the sailors were running constantly, some were washing the deck, some were turning the ropes, and quickly carrying out the sailor's instructions. The boat was filled with various sounds, whistles, bow bells, the creaking sounds of pulleys, the clatters of cables, and the crackling sound of sails slapped at the masts by the wind.

I don’t know when William Percival felt restless, looking at the blurry mountains outside the distant coastline, this kind of ominous feeling became even stronger.

Is it the French fleet? No, since the Battle of Trafalgar 4 years ago, the French Navy only existed as an existence fleet, most of the time huddled in Toulon and other harbors, occasionally conducting short-distance cruises along the southern coast of France. Since August 1808, the Mediterranean Fleet has sunk five French warships in a month and tried to break into the Spanish waters, for a full year, no French armed ships appeared on the western coast of the Mediterranean.

Although only one warship of the "Victor" was involved in this cruise, it was still not afraid of the French's maritime siege. With its huge hull, nearly 60 artillery, and a sailing speed of up to 10 knots, it was enough to get rid of the enemy's entanglement. As for the French military controlled areas several miles away, there was no information showing that they had built a coastal defense fortress and equipped with large-caliber artillery.

It should not be an unpredictable storm. As a land sea, the Mediterranean is no more harsh than the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Especially in the hot and dry summers, the Mediterranean has always been calm and the ocean surface is calm. Even if there are unexpected storms and clouds in the sky, the giant ship "Victor" can resist wind and waves, which is enough to protect itself.

Thinking of this, William Percival felt relieved, suppressing strange thoughts, and thinking about whether to follow the captain and the first mate and continue to go back to the officer's cabin to sleep; or enjoy a delicious Mediterranean can first serve as his breakfast. Because from day to evening, the "Victor" can only wait quietly for the Spanish Resistance Army's liaison officer to board the ship. Only at night can the armed soldiers and various materials be delivered to the other side smoothly while it is dark.

...

At 10 a.m. on the hills along the coast of the Rosas Bay.

In the monocular mirror, Lieutenant Colonel Delney, who had rushed from the regiment headquarters, saw the British warship anchored on the sea 5 kilometers away, and was at a loss. He knew clearly what the British were waiting for and what they were going to do, but before the British took action, Lieutenant Colonel Delney and his shore defense forces could only sigh.

The only two 12-pound cannons in the Desays Brigade were deployed at the mouth of the Francoli River. It was time-consuming and labor-intensive to carry them, and they did not work at all. Not to mention the accuracy of the artillery, just the 12-pound cannon with a maximum range of less than 3 kilometers could not hit the British warship 5 kilometers away. Once the temporary artillery position was exposed, it was just a target of ravage by the British navy. When the infantry commander saw the 140 gun windows on both sides of the "Victorian", he felt his scalp numb.

"Have you found the rebels' contact person and signal flag?" Lieutenant Colonel Delney turned around and asked an officer beside him.

"Not yet, Lieutenant Colonel!" The lieutenant shook his head apologetically.

"Go quickly, draw out five more companies from the regiment headquarters and search every corner of the entire Rosas Bay coast, and be sure to find the damn rebel contact."

Lieutenant Colonel Delney's order was quickly implemented, but hours passed, until night fell, and a search team of up to 1,000 people still did not capture any valuable clues except for arresting several unrelated Spanish mountaineers.

As dusk approached, the majestic giant "Victor", no longer stayed in place. The sailors began to set sail, raised the white sails, and then floated to the south of the bay. During the whole process, the "Victor" did not even chirp slightly, and did not shake his body at all, and his steps were steady and solemn.

"Damn it, we're fooled!" Lieutenant Colonel Delney, who noticed the movement of the enemy ship, became annoyed.

Obviously, the British deliberately moored in the Bay of Rosas so that the French garrison could notice it, and then dispatched the coastal defense forces at the mouth of the Francoli River. Just when Lieutenant Colonel Delney, who had woken up, re-suming the team and preparing to force the troops to return to the mouth of the Francoli River, they found it too late. At this time, the British ships had already disappeared in the dusk, and crossed mountains and ridges, and the French soldiers who had been busy for nearly a day were exhausted and were all sitting on the ground. They were really unable to continue the next 30 kilometers of mountain roads.

Just as Lieutenant Colonel Delney was angrily cursing at the back of the British warship, a baggage supply team led by Major Schönell was following the banks of the Francoli River and entering the garrison of the First Infantry Regiment. According to convention, the logistics officer of the Desay Brigade had to go to each regiment once a month to check the distribution of military pay, food and fodder at the garrison.

When the regiment headquarters handed over military supplies, Major Schönell suddenly found that there were less than 100 soldiers in the regiment's barracks. According to common sense, the defense at the mouth of the Francori River is the top priority, and the number of soldiers in the coastal defense should not be less than 1,000. Because this place is close to the Mediterranean Sea and is under the direct threat of the British Mediterranean fleet. Therefore, based on security considerations, a safe village is not set up within 10 kilometers of the Mediterranean Sea in the jurisdiction of the regiment to avoid secretly collusion between the Spanish and the British.

Major Schenell felt something was wrong. He found the captain and quarantine officer of the regiment who was taking stock of military funds to inquire about the situation. Only then did he know that something was wrong. The regiment commander Lieutenant Colonel Delney drew thousands of people from the regiment headquarters and various garrisons this morning, and is still searching for Spanish rebels in the Gulf of Rosas to prepare for a connection with the British Navy.

Unlike many tall and mighty officers in the Desai brigade, 32-year-old Major Shener looked short and had a dry and yellow hair, but he was smart and capable, decisive, and had a memory that was advanced. Therefore, with the strong recommendation of the Chief of Staff, he was appointed as the logistics chief of the brigade by General Desai.

Major Schönell served as a warrant officer for several years, but later had to leave the warship due to illness, and then joined the army. From the perspective of a naval officer, he judged that the British should not choose the remote Bay of Rosas as the landing site. Although the mountains were high and dense, it was convenient for the rebels to hide, logistics supplies were very inconvenient to transport them.

From Rosas Bay to Hruna, even if there is no French encirclement, it will take at least 2 to 3 days to arrive. Especially after the successful implementation of the "Safe Village Plan", there is no dare to have a large number of rebels within 50 kilometers of the jurisdiction of the Desai Brigade to do long-term activities. Otherwise, those waiting for the rebels will be the siege of the Desai Brigade to encircle and suppress it. Other landing sites are like this.

The estuary of the Francoli River can only be the only choice for the British to deal with Spanish rebels. Although there are many kinds of reefs and shoals within 5 kilometers of the estuary of the river, and it is easy to get stuck in the reef or be stranded by accident, the British will definitely use the short tides of the Mediterranean to choose a closer way to pass. As long as the British cooperate with the Spanish rebels to break through a defence zone, they will directly penetrate into the hinterland of the Desays, where there are 30 safe villages. Once 80,000 Spanish people are incited, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Major Schenell couldn't help but sweat on his forehead and his limbs were cold. He asked a quarantine officer to give up his affairs and immediately go to find the highest commander who stayed behind the regiment. Two minutes later, the quarantine officer brought back a military police officer, Lieutenant Poch.

Major Schönell explained his speculation about the battle situation in detail to the two officers, who were all panicked. Then, the logistics officer asked solemnly: "In an emergency, I hope to get your cooperation, take over all the existing forces, and prepare to counterattack the joint attack between the British and Spanish rebels. Is it feasible?"

"I agree!" The captain and quartermaster first agreed that Major Schenell not only had a higher rank than himself, but was also his direct superior.

"I agree!" Lieutenant Poch said slowly, "But according to military rules, once the battle is over, Major Schenel, Captain Deva, and myself must go to the brigade department for isolation and review!"

Major Schenel nodded, and was in a hurry to follow the power. After signing the provisional letter of appointment with the two officers, he immediately issued a series of orders: send two messengers, one to the Bay of Rosas, to find Lieutenant Colonel Delney to lead his troops back to defense; the other returned to the brigade headquarters to report the situation here to General Desay and his temporary appointment, and request reinforcements.

Retract all soldiers near the regiment headquarters, including the military police, and merge with the baggage team to form a temporary combat unit of 240 people. All officers and soldiers were in a state of war and accepted Major Sernel;

The regiment headquarters's supplies warehouse was piled up with dry grass and firewood, and tinder oil was poured on. Once the war was unfavorable, the rebels attacked a regiment's garrison. The deva quarantine officer who stayed in the camp must order the ignition of the baggage military warehouse as soon as possible and no food should be left for the rebels;

In addition, in addition to 2 12-pound cannons, other remaining artillery were concentrated, as well as ***;

Finally, select 20 soldiers who are proficient in water and form an suicide squad...

As night fell, the sea was breeze swept away the heat of the day. Under the command of Captain Colonel Steve, with the help of the rise of tides in the Mediterranean and the meticulous guidance of the Spanish navigator, the huge body of the "Victor" ventured into the narrow channel with numerous rocks, only 2 kilometers away from the mouth of the Francoli River.
Chapter completed!