"Your Majesty, the bay at the southern mouth of the Suez Canal is very narrow, only about five kilometers wide. We need only leave behind three or four Capital Ships to seal off the bay completely. We can also concentrate all our firepower on the canal entrance. The moment German warships are spotted, we open fire. With such concentrated fire, even German Capital Ships may not be able to withstand it," Admiral Anton Haus suggested.
"Do we need to leave behind so many Capital Ships? We only have sixteen Capital Ships. Leaving four behind would mean leaving behind a quarter of our strength." Karl I was reluctant. The Austro-Hungarian Empire had already collapsed, and they were now people who had left their homeland behind. For their navy, every warship lost meant one less warship, with no possibility of replacement. Leaving behind so many Capital Ships this time was something Karl I could not bear.
"Your Majesty, there is no other way. If we do not find a way to stop the Germans' pursuit, they may catch up with us. When that happens, it will be very difficult for us to escape. The Germans are probably not far behind us now. Our fleet is slowed by those old warships, whose speed is far too low. It will likely be easy for the Germans to catch us," Admiral Anton Haus advised.
"Which warships need to be left behind?" Karl I asked.
"The four Kaiser-class Battleships we purchased from the Germans last time—all of them will stay behind!" Admiral Anton Haus said.
"What? Those four warships are our true elite!" The reluctance in Karl I's eyes deepened even further.
Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy had built four Austro-Hungarian Monarch-class Battleships, both Karl I and Admiral Anton Haus knew that the four Kaiser-class Battleships