The information was sent with the Navy Command forwarded the highest instructions from the Chief Auxiliary’s residence.

Accelerate the speed of entering Lu Xinhai and rush to Malta.

This order did not surprise Bai Zhizhan.

Because there was already speculation about Bai Zhizhan, neither Zheng Jiangming nor Li Mingbo found it strange.

As long as the war is not over, no matter how much grudge the Tyman Empire and the Raleigh Kingdom have, the unity of the alliance group must be maintained first.

Anything that will lead to division must be eliminated!

The Navy Command has issued an order to allow the minesweepers left at Kibu Fortress to head north at full speed and assist the Special Mixed Fleet in clearing the mines in the canal.

When necessary, the commander can decide whether he needs to risk his way through the canal.

After receiving the news, Bai Zhizhan's first thing he did was to communicate with Liu Xiangzhen, let him keep the warships organized into the assault formation, and make timely preparations to enter Lu Xinhai with the 11th Special Mixed Fleet, that is, to carry out supply operations in advance and allow the main warships to be inspected.

In any case, the fleet must be in full state when passing through the canal.

In addition, after entering Lu Xinhai, you will not expect to receive supplies and support in the short term.

Liu Xiangzhen did not raise any objections to this arrangement.

Of course, the key is still the ground troops.

What to say is also the most troublesome thing about Bai Zhizhan.

All those who fought on the Xifan Canal were Tyman troops!

The main force of the Imperial Marines has returned to Sri Lanka. Because the landing fleet is not able to be mobilized for the time being, even if we prepare now, the Marines will not arrive in half a month.

Obviously, it will definitely not be able to delay for half a month.

As for the Tsuman Army, even if it needs to do face work, there is no need to fight against the Imperial Navy, and it will never do its best in the offensive.

Zheng Jiangming had already said this.

Rommel only brought two armored divisions to Suez City, and the other 6 divisions were on the side of Alama, which was clearly not prepared to quickly capture and control the canal.

Fortunately, the imperial authorities have long recognized this.

On December 13, the day when the reinforcements of minesweepers arrived, Bai Zhizhan received a message from the Navy Command.

Lian Xusheng had arrived at the Posa Bay front line, and was in the armored forces advancing towards the Xifan Canal.

In addition, this armored force that departed from Posa Bay only brought one-way fuel and did not have much ammunition. It must be replenished immediately after reaching the east bank of the Xifan Canal.

The implication is that the navy must seize the bridgehead in advance.

Fortunately, the east bank of the canal is a desert, and Bran's army has long been withdrawn, so there is no need to join the Marines to make landfall.

In addition, there are some Marine officers and soldiers on each of the two special mixed fleets, with a total of as many as thousands.

It is not difficult to just control a beach, and to guard the beach with the cover and support of the fleet, and to build several docks that allow transport ships to dock.

If you want to say something, the imperial authorities have also given it aside.

At least as Zheng Jiangming said, when he was planning, he never thought of sending Lian Xusheng to command troops to fight against the Xifan Canal, let alone rushing thousands of miles.

This reflects from one aspect that the imperial authorities do not want the Taurus Empire and the Raleigh Kingdom to turn against each other now.

Fortunately, before the assault troops commanded by Lian Xusheng reached the Xifan Canal, they only needed to defeat the desert on the Kuangsha Peninsula.

Not to mention the enemies along the way, at least no one could have thought that a feint attack force would break into the forbidden zone of life without any preparation.

Even Rommel does not have the courage to rush through the desert!

The key is that the Army Command made urgent adjustments.

According to the news sent, the Army Air Force has sent hundreds of transport aircraft to Posa Bay to provide fresh water and food supplies to the assault forces through airdrops.

In short, we are trying our best to ensure that the assault troops can reach the east bank of the Xifan Canal smoothly.

Because the Bran army guarding the Xifan Canal has been defeated, in the eyes of the army, as long as the assault troops commanded by Lian Xusheng can reach the Xifan Canal, they can take down the canal.

Baizhi Zhan cannot control ground troops, but can only control warships sailing at sea.

In fact, as early as December 12, after all the Bran troops surrendered in Suez were sent away, the mine sweeping operation began.

Unlike in the Mande Strait, mine sweeping operations in the canal area are mainly forced to be eliminated.

Most of the time, minesweepers use simple and crude means, that is, detonate mines equipped with water pressure fuses through blasting.

As for magnetic mines, a modified cargo ship is responsible for it.

Strictly speaking, it is actually a remote-controlled cargo ship.

In order to enhance the mine-sweeping effect, the freighter was equipped with thousands of tons of scrap steel, and the magnetic field it generated was similar to that of a 10,000-ton warship.

As for the bombing, there is nothing to worry about.

This special minesweeper is used for bombing. Because the hull has been strengthened and the double-layer bottom is used, the internal compartment has been completely welded to death, so it is difficult to be bombed and sunk.

The key to keep the canal open.

As for mine clearance in open waters, mine clearance in the canal is not available, and mine clearance in the canal is to cause damage to the waterway when forced mine removal is carried out.

For example, forming shallows will make the water depth shallow and pose a threat to passing ships.

Of course, the solution is also simple and rough.

Along with the minesweeper fleet, there were several large engineering ships, and the most important one was three dredging ships.

In peacetime, the main task of this engineering ship is to ensure that the main channel of the port is unobstructed and to maintain sufficient water depth through dredging.

In addition, it can also be used to perform blowing and filling operations, that is, land reclamation.

Many deep-water ports in the empire, especially the outer ports in coastal cities, are almost all filled with land near the sea through blowing operations!

In Puzhou, the area of ​​land reclamation in land has exceeded 100 square kilometers. The Puzhou Outer Port, which is still being expanded, was originally a shallow that would be submerged at high tide. On the southern bank of Chongming Island, a piece of land has also been filled in, and it is planned to build the world's largest shipbuilding base here.

It is precisely because of these engineering ships that there is no need to worry about the blockage of the Xifan Canal.

Of course, the mine sweeping speed is actually determined by the advancement speed of the ground troops.

A few days ago, the minesweeper was moving in the south of the canal, not far from Suez City, and there was no safety hazard within the range of the naval gun.

Going northward, after leaving the range of the naval gun, the threat came.

Relying on carrier-based aviation, it is impossible to provide uninterrupted cover for minesweepers. Especially at night, only warship artillery cannons can be used to cover mines and prevent the enemy from re-drawing.

That's why on December 15, Bai Zhizhan ordered the suspension of mine-sweeping operations and sent Li Mingbo to contact the Tsuman army.

Rommel refused to send troops to assault north on the grounds that the armored troops needed to rest.

However, it was delayed for 3 days.

In the early morning of December 18, assault troops commanded by Lian Xusheng arrived.

After mastering the situation and replenishing the troops, Lian Xusheng issued an order to push the most elite assault troops northward along the Xifan Canal.

As a result, the Tiaoman army on the west bank of the canal also heard the news and joined the attack.

Later that day, the 11th special mixed fleet headed by the "Pu" entered the Xifan Canal.
Chapter completed!