War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Those abandoned materials were valuable, and the ships carrying them were even more valuable. ơɱ

However, Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. knew that the tens of thousands of professional sailors and Marines were the most valuable.

But what the squadron commander, Lieutenant General Manco, desperately salvaged were trophies snatched from Austrian businessmen, wine sent by the French, and even a box of medals shipped from the United Kingdom.

Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. was furious, but it was not the right time to pursue such a matter. On the contrary, he needed to appease the emotions of these generals.

Otherwise, the entire army risks a morale collapse.

The new aircraft and bizarre weapons used by the Austrians were too heavy a blow to the morale of the British army.

As for what Lieutenant General Manco said about the Austrian navy's strong ships, powerful guns, and well-trained training, in the eyes of Edward Hobart Seymour Sr., it was just an excuse for the incompetent.

Rather than shirk responsibility, he has a more important thing to do at this time, which is to formulate the next battle plan.

However, he did not have many options. It was not a wise move to continue attacking Crete without knowing the military situation or to go deep into the Adriatic Sea to harass the coast of the Austrian Empire.

Thinking of this, old Edward Hobart Seymour couldn't help but feel a little angry. What do the idiots in the Military Intelligence Department do for food? Why is such important information that the Austrian Empire possesses a large number of new weapons not highlighted!

In fact, this unfairly accuses the British intelligence agencies, the four major British intelligence agencies: Foreign Intelligence Service, Army Intelligence Service, Naval Intelligence Service, and Cambridge Alumni Association.

They had long reported what happened in Italy back to the UK, but no one from the prime minister, cabinet, or ministers believed it.

Coupled with the media's random reports, even the people and soldiers thought it was just a bad joke.

As for Britain's eyes in the Central Mediterranean, it had already been swept away by Austria due to previous wars.

Coupled with the fall of the Orleans Dynasty, even the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies gave up its original position and moved closer to the Austrian Empire.

As a result, all the original British deployments in the Apennines and Greece failed, which in turn caused the British to become blind in the Central Mediterranean.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies originally belonged to the Bourbon branch and had always opposed Austria's expansion in Italy, so it had an eye-catching relationship with the British.

However, during the Great Rebellion of 1848, the British chose to watch the fire from afar. They even secretly flirted with the rebels and even wanted to support their own puppets.

At this time, the Austrian Empire was the defender of order and truly defeated the rebels.

Of course, in addition to respect and gratitude, Ferdinand II and his subjects were more afraid of the powerful power and nearly unlimited financial resources of the Austrian Empire.

If Ferdinand II and his Kingdom of the Two Sicilies were left to solve the raging famine in the Apennine Peninsula, it would not be possible even if all the money in the treasury and bankers' pockets was empty.

The countries most affected by the interception of Austrian merchant ships by the British were not Austria, but those who were waiting for Austrian assistance.

British embassies in these countries have been subject to protests and sieges one after another. Coupled with the influence of nationalism, the intelligence work of British embassy personnel and businessmen has been greatly hindered.

The British rhetoric is even more difficult to convince the public. They claim that this is for peace and justice, and that everyone's sacrifices and efforts are worth it.

However, the hungry people in Italy do not understand why they are always the ones paying the price and being sacrificed. And for whose peace and justice do they suffer these sufferings?

In fact, some pro-British factions came up with a compromise, that is, the British could continue to rob Austrian merchant ships, but the food must be transported to the Apennine countries.

This will not only quell domestic dissatisfaction, but also better shape the glorious image of the savior of the British Empire.

However, the British Governor of Malta, the Earl of Solon, and the new commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, Edward Hobart Seymour the Elder, unanimously rejected the proposal.

First of all, letting food enter the Apennine Peninsula is obviously inconsistent with the major policy of destroying the Austrian Empire's economy, because no one can guarantee that Austrians will not go to Central Italy or even South Italy to buy food.

Secondly, there is the issue of rights and responsibilities. The UK is a civilized country and has no right to send food from other countries to third countries, let alone this responsibility.

Finally, it is not feasible. The merchant ships of the Austrian Empire carried a very complex quantity and type of cargo, and their destinations were even more varied.

During the war, it was simply impossible for Britain to allocate so many people to identify them one by one, let alone send a fleet to supervise them.

In fact, the piracy habits of the British were at work, and the goods carried by Austrian merchant ships were valuable.

The food alone is tens of thousands of tons, not to mention other goods and the most valuable merchant ships themselves.

As for the lack of manpower to send to various countries, this problem is actually very easy to solve. Just let businessmen from various countries take the initiative to send ships to buy them.

After all, the last thing to sell during a famine is food.

The profit from looting is much higher than military pay. At this time, you can not only loot but also get military pay. For British soldiers, there is no better time than this.

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Sicily.

Edward Hobart Seymour Sr. could not have imagined that he would be killed. At this time, the main force of the Austrian Imperial Navy was facing him across the sea in Augusta Bay.

The successive victories boosted the morale of the Austrian Imperial Navy. Almost everyone felt that the British were vulnerable or no more than the best in the world.

However, as the commander, Friedrich was not happy at all.

Because in his plan, he used so many new equipment and gathered such a huge fleet that he should at least be able to annihilate or cripple the British, and then start the second phase of the plan.

But the reality is that even if the British take full damage, it will only be a minor injury. Thirty-five battleships are still a force that cannot be ignored.

At the same time, Friedrich was also glad that he did not directly engage in a decisive battle with Seymour on his way back to Malta.

If the two sides really meet on a narrow road, even if the Austrian Navy can win, it will be a tragic victory. I am afraid that all the hard work that I have done over the years will be ruined.

At least half of the heavily invested fleet and carefully trained sailors will be lost, and there is no possibility of annihilating all the enemy forces.

Even if the British lost the Mediterranean Fleet again, the blow to them would still be within an acceptable range.

If the Austrian Navy loses more than half, they will become an army in a fish tank again.

Fortunately, he followed Franz's advice and only pursued them one after another, instead of choosing a strategic decisive battle.

Precisely because it was a tail-to-tail pursuit, the resistance of the British navy was not fierce. After a symbolic resistance, it began to escape.