Chapter 416 US-Canada Expeditionary Force

The news of the defeat of the Vassel fleet reached France, which shocked Xiao Jie, the French government and the French Navy Department. The main forces of the two major fleets of the French Navy were mostly wiped out by the US military, and with the Mediterranean fleet that was annihilated by the US military, it can be said that the French Navy has basically lost all. This is something that Xiao Jie, the French government and the top leaders of the army had never thought of. Is this a sign of France's victory to decline? No! Xiao Jie doesn't believe it. Because, even if the navy is completely wiped out, the United States and Canada cannot completely defeat France, after all, France has the most powerful army in the world. Besides, the French Navy's dressing is also in progress. As long as time allows, the French Navy will definitely be able to regain its hegemony at sea.

In order not to panic, Xiao Jie ordered the news of the defeat. Of course, there is no airtight wall in the world, and this news will be known by the people sooner or later. However, Xiao Jie can't care about so much now. It's better to drag it one day. The more you drag it one day, the strength of the French navy will increase a little, and it's best to drag it to the day when the French navy's strength is fully restored. In addition, the defeat of the navy directly leads to the threat of the enemy's navy on the west coast of France and the Iberian region. Therefore, Xiao Jie ordered a large number of shore defense artillery to be deployed on the west coast of France and important coastal areas of Iberia to protect these areas from the enemy's navy. At the same time, he ordered major shipyards to speed up the construction of warships. The Mediterranean Fleet has now completed fifty percent. If the Mediterranean Fleet can be quickly formed and formed combat power, then the French Navy will still have the power to fight.

Finally, for the French fleet that fled to the Azores, Xiao Jie asked them to rely on favorable positions to resist the attacks of the navies of the US and Canada, to maximize the elimination of the enemy, and to protect the Azores. As an important base for the French Navy in the Atlantic Ocean, if the Azores are occupied by the United States and Canada, it will definitely be a very big trouble for France. Although Vassel suffered a defeat, Xiao Jie has not held him accountable now.

, and appointed him as the highest commander of the Azores, and all the three navy, army and air forces in the Azores were under his command. Of course, this does not mean that Xiao Jie pardoned Vassel. Vassel's blind attack caused heavy losses to the French navy. This mistake must be dealt with, but it must be carried out after the war is over. Otherwise, a senior naval general will be dealt with, which will be a great harm to the French navy, which is not very morale.

The Azores are volcanic islands located in the eastern and central North Atlantic Ocean. The specific location is 36°55′～39°43′ north latitude and 25°01′～31°07′ west longitude. It was previously a territory of Portugal. After Iberia became part of France, it also became the main base of the French Atlantic Fleet. This archipelago stretches for more than 640 kilometers and is composed of 9 volcanic islands. The Azores are about 1,450 kilometers from the coast of Portugal, more than 1,600 kilometers from Europe, and more than 3,200 kilometers from North America. The Madeira Islands are 770 kilometers southeast from the Madeira Islands.

Li, about 1,200 kilometers east of Cape Roca, Portugal. It is a maritime route relay station between Europe, the United States and Africa. Its strategic and transportation location is extremely important. It consists of three groups of volcanic island groups extending northwest-southeast, with 10 main islands with an area of ​​2,344 square kilometers. The southeastern island group consists of San Miguel, Santa Maria, Formegas; the central island group consists of Fayar, Picu, San Joe, Tesera, and Graciossas; the northwest island group consists of Flores and Corvu islands. The base of the French Atlantic Fleet is built on Tesera Island.

"General, we are about to arrive in the Azores." Parret, the commander of the 1st Fleet of the United States, reported to Davis.

Davis nodded and said, "What do you think about this battle?" Davis and Parret have a very good personal relationship, and he is a little older, so subconsciously, he has already treated Parret as his successor to train him.

Parret also knew what Davis meant, so he came to the chart and said: "The Azores is a vast archipelago with 10 main islands and countless other small islands. Since it is the main base of the French Atlantic Fleet, the French Navy deployed heavy troops here. Especially the island of Tsera, the home port of the French Atlantic Fleet, has been carefully constructed. Moreover, the forces of the two regiments of Marines stationed on the island for many years. In the entire Azores, France deployed a total of 6 regiments, totaling 15,000 people. Therefore, if we want to

If we completely occupy the Azores, we must invest more than 20,000 marines. Of course, if the target is only the French Navy, it will be much simpler. We can attack Texela directly from the east of the archipelago without caring about other islands. According to the information we collected in advance, the French Navy built a total of 21 shore defense turrets of all sizes on Texela Island, equipped with 326 shore defense cannons of various calibers. It can be said that the entire Texela Island is a sea fortress. In addition, the nearly 50 French warships that fled back there are still very powerful."

"Then how should we take the Azores at the lowest cost?" Davis continued.

"If we could find a way to fight the French fleet at sea, then things would be much easier. However, under the current circumstances, the French would definitely not take such a risk. Therefore, I think we have no other way, only to attack Tsera Island. However, if time is not so urgent, we can gradually erode the Azores and force the French fleet to fight us." Parret said after thinking for a while.

"Now that the main force of the French Navy has been eliminated by us, and most of the remaining warships are huddled on Texela Island. We can slow down in time. Then let's take the second plan. Order the fleets to go to Texela Island and block the French fleet in the port. In addition, contact the President immediately, and report to him on our request and ask him to send the Marines to occupy the Azores." Davis said.

Davis' request was soon passed back to Washington. After learning that Davis led the U.S. and Canadian navies to win the naval battle, the entire White House became a sea of ​​joy. Adams was already thinking about how to announce the news to the government and lawmakers. He knew that this battle had basically established the United States' hegemony in the Atlantic Ocean. As the president of the United States, his achievements were indelible. He believed that he would definitely become a great president like Washington. At this time, after receiving Davis' request, Adams immediately approved it without saying a word. He directly sent 20,000 Marines to the Azores, and also pulled Canada into a chariot. Canada also sent 5,000 people.

The Marine Corps. In this way, the troops sent to the Azores reached 25,000, which was a full 10,000 more than Davis's request. In Davis's plan, there were only 15,000 Marine Corps. Because the French Marine Corps was indeed stronger than the US Marine Corps, but, except for Tsera, the remaining French Marine Corps had only 10,000 people in the entire Azores. With the fire support of the US and Canadian Navy, Davis believed that 15,000 people would definitely be able to take the Azores. However, he did not expect Adams to be so generous this time. Of course, he would not think that there would be too many soldiers. If there were more 10,000 people, the war could end early, which was exactly what he wanted.

The US Navy achieved such great results, which immediately improved the navy's status. Adams even proposed that the fiscal budget for the next year would be tilted towards the Navy so that the Navy could complete the dressing change as soon as possible. This made the US Army very dissatisfied with the Navy, because the tilt of the finances to the Navy will inevitably damage the interests of the Army. Therefore, General Henry, the head of the US Army, was not willing to be lonely. He found Adams and proposed his new plan, hoping to improve the status of the US Army.

"His Excellency President, this is my new plan, please check it out." Henry respectfully handed the thick plan to Adams.

After only reading a few pages, Adams understood Henry's plan. He also understood Henry's actions very well. To be honest, Henry's plan was also very good. If it could be implemented successfully, it could greatly enhance the influence of the United States. However, due to the national conditions, he felt a little powerless.

"General Henry, your plan is very good. However, you should also be in our national conditions. At present, the Navy occupies a large part of the resources, and the South American army has not made any progress. Therefore, I suggest that your plan be implemented for a while." Adams said lowering his glasses.

"His Excellency President, the fighter opportunity is fleeting! As for national strength, I have a new idea. We can contact the Canadian side and ask them to form an expeditionary force with us. I think they will be very interested in this." Henry said with a smile. Before coming, he had already expected Adams to reject his plan due to national conditions, so he had already thought of a countermeasure.
Chapter completed!