Chapter 6: The Falsified History (Six)

  I'm going, this week's worst new book text push is really disheartening; things are almost busy, update time restored to 19:30; tomorrow two updates, let my emotions burst out well; finally, can this circular rhythm work?

  The British Empire is an island nation, and the ocean has been its most advantageous barrier for defense. With the world's first-rate navy and exquisite diplomatic art, since the Glorious Revolution in 1688, the British mainland has not encountered any foreign invasion[1]. In history, Napoleon's France repeatedly broke up the anti-French alliance led by Britain, but the Gauls never crossed the English Channel to attack the British mainland; during World War I, Germany's second-rate navy remained stationed at Wilhelmshaven and Jade Bay, except for a few skirmishes before the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915 and the brief Jutland battle in 1916, the Germans only left behind beautiful fragments, but never threatened the British mainland; during World War II, France fell in three days, Germany's offensive momentum was strong, executing Operation Sea Lion, destroying Britain almost effortlessly, yet Hitler turned his guns around, stubbornly pushing Germany into the depths of a protracted war.

  November 14, 1914, in the time and space of Wang Haitian, a traveler through time, history quietly turned a corner here, and those cold white papers and black characters were ruthlessly altered by Wang Haitian.

  At 9:34, the German bait fleet and British artillery opened a dull cannon battle. Moltke and Von der Tann war cruisers with a total of 18 305mm caliber guns and Blücher large armored cruiser with 8 280mm caliber guns deployed along the British coastline, firing three rounds in quick succession. The war cruisers' and quasi-war cruisers' sturdy gun barrels continuously emitted flames of death, and the large-caliber solid armor-piercing shells and armor-piercing explosive shells constantly shook the artillery at Harwich Port, causing the thick steel-reinforced concrete artillery and satellite artillery to be shrouded in smoke and flying debris.

  The spectacle of the big guns reshaping the landscape was dazzling, but the seasoned captain of the SMS Moltke knew that, hampered by the smoke drifting across the British gun emplacements and the thin sea mist near the shoreline, the German gunners' accuracy left much to be desired. The old captain put down his binoculars with a sense of helplessness:

  "Deputy commander, since the strategic intention of provoking Britain has been achieved, let's stop the bombardment. Continuing to fire will only waste our ammunition and shorten the lifespan of the gun barrels, but it won't cause any substantial harm to the British."

  "Since the visibility is poor..." The cigarette in his mouth was fiercely thrown to the ground, and the shiny leather shoes followed, grinding on the filter. Wang Haitie seemed not to understand Captain Mao Qi's suggestion, he raised his heavy eyelids and said slowly: "Then send out artillery observers, let the marines protect them ashore!"

  At 9:55, several small boats were lowered by the davits of three warships. Four artillery observers and a detachment of about one hundred marines jumped aboard. Under Wang Hai-ti's gaze, this amateur marine corps shouldered old-fashioned Mauser rifles and rowed with all their might towards the British coastline.

  At 10:26, German boats bypassed the British battery and landed on its flank, a simple artillery observation post was established on a small hill, and the decoy fleet's gunfire quickly became sharp, naming and destroying the limited defensive capability of the British satellite battery.

  At 10:44, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Laurin was not content with providing gunfire parameters this simple and easy feat, so he led his hundred-man marine corps in a armed parade near the small fishing village and town of Harwich Port, killing four British militiamen armed with single-shot breech-loading rifles, successfully destroying two coastal lookout towers and one naval oil depot.

  At 10:55, a battalion of British Army rushed to the battlefield. The delay in the arrival of the army was attributed to bureaucratic inefficiency of the Defence Committee. In fact, the tiny British Expeditionary Force was deeply embroiled in the French theatre and the Ministry of War was embarrassed to discover that even a single battalion of regular troops could not be spared, so an untrained new recruit battalion nearest to Harwich was hastily dispatched to the battlefield, while Major Lorraine and his Marines had already withdrawn, and the decoy fleet also began to return.

  "This is the weakest moment of the British Empire, according to the combat effectiveness of the German army, a single German division can turn Britain upside down!" At 10:59, David Beatty on board the battlecruiser Lion said to his aide Colonel Lanpard after receiving news that the German fleet was bombarding Harwich: "I'm starting to miss our wretched little army..."

  ****

  November 14, 1914, Berlin, Germany.

  A palace with a Baroque style that mixed French romance and British boldness, with a tower in the garden, a court tea house and an orangery, a statue of Elector William of Brandenburg on horseback in the center of the courtyard, and a dome with a Victory goddess standing still, with white curtains falling to the ground, and rooms inlaid with amber. As the ruling center of the old Prussian kingdom and the young German Empire, Charlottenburg Palace, which was built in 1695, has always been a symbol of solemnity and grandeur. However, today's Charlottenburg Palace is an exception, as the endless disputes between the emperor and General Ignor have suddenly made the palace guards feel like they are living in a black-and-white topsy-turvy world that defies all logic.

  At 8:14, a light rain fell on the streets of Berlin. The late autumn rain dripped from the roof tiles of Charlottenburg Palace, bringing a gentle coolness and spreading a damp atmosphere through the corridors of the palace with its luxurious tapestries, intricately painted pianos, and French oil paintings.

  Two palace guards, dressed in the resplendent uniforms inherited from the Prussian era, adorned with breastplates, feathered helmets and sabers, stood guard outside the palace, their teeth clenched, with a Mauser rifle slung over their shoulders. The Emperor's adjutant, Georg Philipp von Tschammer und Quaritz, furrowed his brow, lingering for a long time in front of the study door.

  "If we include the Salamis, the High Seas Fleet has fifteen battleships, five battlecruisers and one large armoured cruiser, while the Grand Fleet only has seventeen battleships and five battlecruisers available for action, Your Majesty, this is the most favourable moment for the High Seas Fleet to take the initiative!"

  Early in the morning, General Friedrich von Ingenohl, Commander-in-Chief of the High Seas Fleet, arrived at Schloss Charlottenburg with an umbrella, braving the drizzle on the streets of Berlin. He handed over a plan for a major naval battle in the North Sea to Emperor Wilhelm, who had just gotten out of bed. As the master of the High Seas Fleet, Wilhelm was shocked by Ingenohl's or the Navy's hysteria and flew into a rage, slamming his expensive purple sandalwood desk and scolding Ingenohl for using his High Seas Fleet and Germany's fate to seek fame and fortune. The sharp and bitter tone could even be heard in the quiet Langhans Hall on the west side of Schloss Charlottenburg.

  General Ignor, nicknamed "the Emperor's echo" by the lower-ranking naval officers and sailors, would normally choose to retreat wisely. However, today's Ignor was like the fine rain that had been floating in the streets of Berlin for four or five days, with a gentle appearance but a stubborn taste. The gilded and velvet-adorned door of the study room could not block the Emperor's heavy breathing and General Ignor's sonorous emphasis.

  "Now the Grand Fleet is on high alert, with morale soaring. The German Empire is eagerly awaiting the battle, fearless and undaunted. A decisive main fleet engagement aimed at breaking through the distant blockade and overthrowing the British Royal Navy is imminent!"

  Almost old age, the years slipped away, William's study door opened. General Ingner walked out, his white hair and dignified demeanor unflappable as he took the black umbrella handed to him by the attendant officer, nodding slightly in thanks.

  "General, perhaps your departure point is correct, but the means by which you persuade are quite unacceptable..." whispered Adjutant Taylorman, taking advantage of his brush with General Ingelnov.

  Ingelnohl's distant footsteps paused, the old general turned around, his turbid eyes swept over the worried face of the attendant officer, and the coldness on his face condensed into a hint of comfort in an instant. The old general slightly tilted his body, took off the first-class Iron Cross medal embedded on his chest, and pinned it on the attendant officer's uniform.

  "Perhaps..." The old general didn't have the heart to analyze the complex emotions of his attendant, Taylman, who was both terrified and ecstatic. He reached out to open the black umbrella that still had raindrops on it and plunged into the smoky rain of Berlin.

  As he entered the study, Emperor William was seen sitting on a sofa in front of his desk, staring blankly at a half-length portrait of Wilhelm I, the first emperor of the empire. The attendant adjusted his uniform and suppressed the joy in his heart, standing carefully where William wouldn't notice him.

  "In the year 9 AD, Arminius led a group of ragged barbarians to annihilate the Roman legions in their fine clothes and angry horses; In the year 800, Pope Leo III suddenly placed a crown on the head of a blond-haired, blue-eyed, tall Germanic man, Charlemagne and his twelve holy knights achieved the Song of Roland; In 1740, Frederick the Great ascended to the throne and then staged a brilliant solo confrontation against France, Russia, and Austria; In 1871, under the leadership of his grandfather, the fragmented Germany finally achieved unity after thousands of years, and the rise of Germany was unstoppable; In 1888, as a descendant of the Hohenzollern family, I took over the helm of the empire. After a long silence, Emperor William, who had a strong personality and liked to show off, finally spoke up: "Perhaps I cannot expand Germany's territory, but at least I must not let the empire be weakened in my hands. I have no choice, do I?"

  The war had been going on for three months, with the Allies and Central Powers strewn across the fields in blood. Death notices and new recruit summonses were everywhere to be seen, hatred was deepening by the minute, and in the midst of the raging fires of November, the bellicose Emperor's sudden self-abasement left Adjutant von Tieleman speechless. With orders for the Third Squadron of the High Seas Fleet and the First Scouting Group to proceed to the closed Baltic Sea for training exercises, Adjutant von Tieleman reluctantly made his way to the telegraph room in Schloss Charlottenburg.

  ****

  November 14, 1914, at 9:00 am, the High Seas Fleet was anchored in Jade Bay.

  Reinhard Scheer threw down the telegram from Schloss Charlottenburg, looked out of the conning tower of Friedrich der Grosse at Seydlitz, flagship of the First Scouting Group, waved his arm excitedly and shouted: "Orders! The Third Battle Squadron raise steam to leave harbour!"

  At 9:21, the second scouting group, consisting of light cruisers Graudenz, Mainz, Kolberg, Hamburg, Stralsund and Rostock, led the way out of Jade Bay. In the following ten minutes, the familiar German battlecruisers Seydlitz and Derfflinger, followed by the battleships K?nig, Grosser Kurfürst, Kaiser, Friedrich der Grosse, Kaisin, K?nig Albert and Prinzregent Luitpold, formed a line ahead formation and quickly passed through Jade Bay into the open North Sea.

  Note

  In 1688, the Glorious Revolution broke out in England, and William of Orange was invited to become King of England. On November 1st, William led an army of 15,000 Dutch soldiers into England, marking the only invasion by a foreign enemy in modern English history.