Friedrich had never let down his guard against the British. Though the naval base on Malta Island was practically an empty shell now, who knew whether the British might pull a sudden return strike? After all, there were no satellites in this age.
Friedrich could only set up a large number of outposts across the Mediterranean for early warning. Personally, he rather hoped to fight the British navy.
Their previous victories had given the Austrian navy ample confidence. At the same time, with more and more advanced weapons being put into use, Friedrich was utterly confident of defeating the British Royal Navy at sea.
But wiping them out completely was hardly realistic. Weather, shoals, coastal artillery—too many factors could sway the outcome of a naval battle. Unless the British chose to enter Austrian waters of their own accord, it would be difficult to achieve.
The reason Franz had imposed such harsh conditions was, in the end, that the Austrian Imperial Navy simply lacked a deep enough foundation.
The British could come back time and again, but if the Austrian navy suffered even one defeat, it would instantly fall from first-rate to utterly insignificant.
Nor would there be much chance of turning things around. Franz would need at least five years to rebuild the fleet to its current scale.
Five years would essentially spell the death of the Austrian Imperial Navy's dream. Even breaking out of the Mediterranean—indeed, even the Adriatic Sea—would become a distant fantasy.
But Austria was not the protagonist this time.
Empress Dowager Shevkyevza and the Ottoman leadership were both dumbfounded when they learned Russia's terms. They could not win by fighting, nor could they reach an agreement through negotiation. It was simply the most desperate situation they could imagine.
"Please permit our Mediterranean Fleet to enter the