Chapter 12: The Naval Political Storm (5)

  I admit it's been a bit slow lately, but this is already the Denmark chapter, so look forward to it!

  The sudden outburst of the Imperial Navy Minister sparked a political storm, not only was the naval staff exhausted from responding, but also the High Seas Fleet was in disarray. Training and combat readiness work were almost in shambles. Meanwhile, on the other side of the North Sea, the British were constantly adding ships and guns. Your old friend David Beatty had just received two fast battleships and was eager to restore the battlecruiser squadron's combat patrols.

  King Haite welcomed his old friend into his commandant's office, before the thick coffee had even been served, Erich Raeder began to offer consolation: "I think we can't go on like this. You know that strong fortresses are always breached from within. We're participating in a war that will determine the fate of our nation for centuries! Seiler, before I left, Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg and Chief of Staff von Pohl came to see me. They assured me they could put an end to this naval political storm!"

  "Is it over?" Wang Haiting put down the coffee cup, rummaged through a half-closed cabinet and pulled out a letter that still had the scent of ink on it. She shook her head and said with a hint of stubbornness: "No, this is just the beginning!"

  Raidel took over the letter, roughly scanned it and changed his face, pulled out the paper, and his body swayed violently.

  "Resignation letter?! You, Raeder, during wartime, whether it was Minister of the Navy Capelle or Secretary of State Müller, or even His Majesty the Emperor, no one could shake your position in the navy. Since the Prime Minister and Chief of Staff promised to restore everything, why are you still pretending to retreat?!"

  Raeder couldn't help but crumple up the resignation letter and throw it into a dark corner of the cabin, burning with anger: "Since this magnificent land of Germany has nurtured you, since the waters of the Elbe River and the legacy of Mr. Homburg have educated you, you have the responsibility and duty to protect this nation and its people! To expand the situation is a crime against the navy, a crime against the nation, this is tantamount to treason!"

  "But I need to rule out all distractions!" The old friend's blunt question also made Wang Haitian feel a bit annoyed, and he quickly walked a few steps, pulled open the half-closed cabinet door, and said angrily: "One Invincible-class, three Bellerophon-class, three St. Vincent-class, one Neptune-class, two Orion-class, three Lion-class, three King George V-class, four Iron Duke-class, two Queen Elizabeth-class battleships, two Invincible-class, two Lion-class, one Tiger-class battlecruiser... In February, the Grand Fleet had 27 capital ships that could be deployed at any time. After the Battle of the Falkland Islands, the British would inevitably withdraw their Indomitable-class battlecruisers from South Atlantic to reinforce their battlecruiser fleet. By the end of March at the latest, the number of capital ships in the Grand Fleet would reach an astonishing 28-29! In the second half of 1915 and 1916, the British would also receive three Queen-class battleships, five Revenge-class battleships, one Canada-class battleship, and three Renown-class battlecruisers. Not to mention the Mediterranean Fleet's Agincourt and Erin battleships... By then, the Royal Navy would have a terrifying 41 capital ships! And what about us? We only had 17 battleships and 5 battlecruisers. Before 1917, the High Seas Fleet could at most receive two Bayern-class battleships and one Derfflinger-class battlecruiser. The ratio of German to British capital ships would be 25:41! Perhaps we could expect three Mackensen-class and the remaining two Bayern-class, but their completion dates would be no earlier than 1917. By that time, perhaps the British Hood-class and Nelson-class would already have been built and commissioned!"

  The cabinet door of the pipa was pulled open, and the three-tier file cabinet was filled with documents, as well as piles of shocking tranquilizers and sleeping pills. Erich-Raedel raised his hand to try to do something, but then listlessly dropped it, helplessly choosing silence. The invincible Ares, who all hoped to make a name for themselves in history, who all hoped to be called the god of war, who all thought Heidi-Silem was the favorite of God and war, but how many people knew the secret behind the glory?

  "In November 1914, the Royal Navy was at its weakest since the start of the naval arms race between Germany and Britain. Under Ingenohl and Hipper's command, the navy had launched a Traflgar-style decisive battle aimed at annihilating part of the Grand Fleet, or even heavily damaging it, but unfortunately failed to achieve success. In 1915, the Dardanelles campaign tied up most of the British forces, leaving two main battleships unable to move in the Mediterranean; the newly completed Queen Elizabeth-class battleships still needed time to form a fighting force; and although the Battle of the Falkland Islands had severely damaged Spee's East Asia Squadron, it could still tie up one or two British battlecruisers. Even if the Indomitable rushed back home day and night, it would take nearly a month. Raeder, this is an opportunity! The High Seas Fleet has its last chance to break through the British long-distance blockade!"

  ****

  February 18th, Berlin.

  In the early morning, small snowflakes fluttered in the streets of Berlin. Employees of the Berlin Electricity Company cleared ice from the dazzling power lines. Municipal workers swept away the accumulated snow on Wilhelm Street, while a black naval car slowly drove into Charlottenburg Palace along the road that had been cleared by the workers.

  The report of the Brunswick mine sinking accident investigation team is on the emperor's desk. As expected, the investigation report written by Heidrich Seiler's old friend Erich Raeder is full of praise for the invincible Aris. The busy emperor has no time to carefully browse through the flowery investigation report, what really lingers in his mind is the letter attached at the end of the report.

  "The criticism from Berlin is not entirely unfounded, since some people think I am no longer suited to serve the Empire and I am not one of those who are infatuated with power and won't go. So, I, Heidkamp-Sielemann, former commander of the First Reconnaissance Squadron, Rear Admiral in the Imperial Navy, must painfully relinquish all offices and honors and return home to Kiel. Long live the High Seas Fleet! Long live the German Empire! Long live His Majesty Wilhelm!"

  It is said that he once refused the admission notice of the philosophy department of Berlin University, and resolutely chose to resign as a naval strategist at Kiel Naval Academy. Heidemarie's resignation report was still so gentle and elegant, but in the sparse ink, there was a sharp edge, quietly pushing the emperor to the corner of history.

  "Scoundrel!" The rearranged Qing vase was shattered once more, before the footman George Philip Taubmann entered the study. William's roar of rage and fury echoed through Charlottenburg Palace: "God, this damned Kilian fishing boat trash actually dared to refuse the Emperor's humble request! He actually dares to let the Hohenzollern king slap himself in the face! He, he is truly a Mephistopheles of the Wilhelmine era!"

  Restricted by good education, the emperor could not utter too coarse language, but compared Heidrun Westphal to Müntzer, which shows the emperor's inner anger. It must be known that Müntzer was the leader of the German Peasants' War in 1525, leading peasants, civilians and miners to revolt!

  Taylorman finally pushed the door in, choosing an inconspicuous corner to be silent. The emperor seemed not to have noticed his attendant and continued to pace back and forth at the desk, calming down for a long time.

  "Adjutant, I am the master of the German Empire, am I not?" The Emperor, having cooled down, stared at the Iron Cross First Class on Thaer's chest and asked in a low voice.

  ****

  February 10th, Gulf of Finland, Commander's quarters on the Lützow.

  Wang Haitian's monologue continued, while Riddell's emotions were like a roller coaster, transforming from initial anger to silence and then fermenting into shame that was hard to show.

  "After the Dogger Bank battle, David Beatty had two Invincibles and two Queen Elizabeths. By mid-March, with the return of the Indomitable from the South Atlantic, he could have 8 or 9 fast battleships available. In contrast, the High Seas Fleet was busy with Lützow and Derfflinger blockading in the Gulf of Finland, while Seydlitz, Moltke and Der Kaisers were conducting combat training off southern Norway, unable to pay attention to the North Sea situation. The vast ocean made it difficult for the High Seas Fleet to predict and intercept a fast fleet with speeds over 25 knots, let alone when their strength was dwindling. This must have been the source of Beatty's confidence in forming an equilibrium between British quantity and German quality in February 1915, daring to conduct combat patrols deep into the southern North Sea. Hipper, I understand David Beatty - his blood is flowing with adventure and boldness, he will definitely lead his battlecruiser squadron south again to complete their training as soon as possible, this is clearly an opportunity!"

  The coffee cup placed next to Rader was removed and replaced with a crumpled sea chart, Wang Haitian identified the location of the five main battleships of the First Reconnaissance Fleet, and listed out David-Betty's North Sea combat cruise route without any repetition. At a certain critical point, he made a heavy mark and said lightly:

  "R?del, now is indeed the best time to end the naval political storm, but a peaceful resolution does not meet my expectations, this is far from enough! I am only the commander of the battlecruiser squadron, without the support of the old admirals before and after the war, even with the support of Generals Scheer and Hipper, even with the heavy reputation of being the Navy's first-rate strategist, undefeated Aris, I cannot ignore the Emperor who wants to preserve the High Seas Fleet at all costs and the incompetent but always interfering Imperial Naval Minister. R?del, the first half of 1915 is the last chance for the High Seas Fleet to crush the British strategic blockade, time is running out, I must seize every opportunity to eliminate the interference of naval internal enemies and open up the imperial maritime transport line with a decisive battle and victory!"

  "Xilem, you're challenging the traditional creed of the Junker nobles, and the authority of the Emperor himself!" Erich-Redel almost foresaw the protagonist's glorious yet desolate ending after the war due to the Emperor's oppression, and let out a sigh without cause, bitterly smiling: "Perhaps during wartime, your unruliness will be tolerated, but after the war, you'll inevitably face the Emperor's strongest backlash, which will prematurely end your military career!"

  "Hah, Rodel, do you know what kind of miserable state the Western Front would be in without my Heidi-Selene Empire?...” King Heidi seemed to have started a joke that was out of place, reminiscing: “The gunfire at Kiel, the chaos in Berlin, the rainbow over Scapa Flow, and the humiliating Treaty of Versailles. Being able to change all this, allowing Annie to face prices with ease, allowing Evie to read for a few more years in church school, allowing Catherine's family to escape the riots, allowing the Grand Fleet to exist proudly... that would be enough!"

  Pushing open the cabin door, a ray of Finnish Bay's sunset shines in, so beautiful, Wang Haitie, like an old man who has seen through the world, repeats: "This is enough!"