Chapter 8: The Otaku's Fleet (4)
This afternoon is not a pseudo-update, modifying the previous technical chapter and bug, with little impact on the plot, haha. In addition, the style is getting closer to Da Tai Jian's slow update. Thank you for your support, this chapter number was wrong, it should be (four), and also, this chapter lays out emotions, don't blame me.
On November 14, 1914, a German fleet raided the British Empire port and sent marines to mainland Britain.
The last remaining backbone of the Harwich Force was shattered, and the easternmost part of Britain trembled under the 305 guns. On the 13th, news arrived that from the icy Scottish Cape Wrath to the foggy Portsmouth Harbour, the British Empire's subjects were shocked by the myth of the invincible Royal Navy, which had been ruined by its own arrogance. They stopped their work, stood still, and put down their peaceful afternoon tea, gazing at the distant Scapa Flow. Uncomfortable silence, repression, and anger simmered in their hearts. The English people, who were used to being serious but had a fierce passion inside, clenched their fists, muttering about Commander Jellicoe's conservatism and Admiral Scheer's arrogance, almost going wild.
Just as the British were bewildered and helpless, David Beatty, a naval genius who had been repeatedly promoted by Winston Churchill and had gained great fame in Egypt and the Far East, and had also won the heart of an American millionaire's daughter, appeared before them with a posture of saving the world. Recalling the brilliant resume of this young man, the British unconsciously regarded David Beatty as the unfinished Nelson of 1914, pinning their hopes on this brave and wise young man.
As the news of Admiral Beatty's lead of the First Battle Cruiser Squadron in action swept over from the Orkney Islands, special editions were snatched up by anxious Britons. Under Big Ben in London, on the battlefields where King Arthur once fought, in Cromwell's hometown, in Welsh village churches, and among the goat herds on Scottish hills, hungry subjects of the Empire pored over the vague and disjointed fragments in the papers, not missing a single detail worth pondering.
Intercept the Silem fleet returning from Rostov-on-Don! In an instant, the proud British, who were used to disguising their deep-seated pride with gentle elegance, threw away their former reserve. A strong patriotic sentiment surged forth, they trembled, suffocated, and anticipated, dawn or darkness, revenge or humiliation, everything was in the vast night of November 14th, everything was over 100 miles out at sea in the North Sea, everything was between the bloody battles of young people!
****
On November 14, 1914, a German fleet raided the British Empire port and sent marines to mainland Britain.
In November, it was a month of great anxiety. The iron-blooded army that had been laughing and dominating the world suddenly stopped in northern France. The Germans who were fighting on two fronts had reason to be terrified of the war situation, but the small news that came from the Imperial Navy's headquarters spread quickly through the streets of Berlin, it was enough to comfort people's hearts.
Light rain falls, hitting the ancient and heavy old city. In front of the Brandenburg Gate, under the grand summer sky, in the private club of Junker nobles, beside the common people's oven, Berliners gather in small groups, cautiously exchanging their rough views on the navy, the ocean, and sea battles.
They didn't understand the navy, nor did they understand the ocean. The disastrous defeat of the Imperial Navy in the Unification War made them realize the importance of the navy, and the lavish feast of imperialism during that era made them determined to build a powerful navy. The Germans worked hard for many years, and it wasn't until after much effort that they finally built up a large fleet.
The High Seas Fleet, from its birth, faced a giant with countless shipyards, the most experienced sailors, the most abundant funds, the best naval academy, and centuries of tradition. And what about Germany? The Germans did not understand the ocean, hastily building an iron fleet, but they did not know where the High Seas Fleet was headed, nor did they know where the souls of brave officers would go. Until one day, the neglected submarines achieved great victories, in Heligoland Bay, a certain Colonel Heidekamp made his debut, in desolate Coronel, in closed Black Sea, German sailors created an unprecedented heroic spirit that rivaled the army's, at Harwich, at Rostovtsev, young people did something that the German nation would not have dared to think of.
Bombarding British ports, landing on the British mainland, the island of Britain, which had been spared from war for hundreds of years since the Romans withdrew and William of Orange took over England, was trampled by the Germans. The German territory, eager to win, boiled instantly.
Heidi-Sylem, this name reappears in the German people's field of vision. In 1897, a nineteen-year-old young man from Schleswig-Holstein stood on the podium at the Kiel Naval Academy and presented his thesis "On Asymmetric Warfare in the Era of Battleships", astonishing everyone, but also being criticized by the high-level naval department for lacking data to support his logical argument and being considered science fiction. In 1898, the young man debated with conservative members of parliament in the National Assembly, and the First Naval Expansion Bill was passed, making him a hero in the eyes of the navy, the emperor, and the emerging industrial and commercial class, while the army chose to watch from the sidelines, and the Junker landlords jumped up and down, loudly cursing this son of a fisherman who was corrupting German customs and traditions. In 1898, the young man disappeared, he was in the Kiel shipyard, in the distant Qing Empire, in the Baltic Sea's reserve fleet, in the German East African naval landing team, in the turbulent Balkans, but just not in the sight of the Germans, until one day, when a brilliant submarine ambush shook the Germans who were suffocated by the mighty British Royal Navy and saw the rich North Sea as a danger. They exclaimed that the young man who had been wandering at sea for twenty years had returned, and the passing of time had not only brought changes in appearance but also a transformation from his soul to his outer self, Heidi-Sylem had become the undefeated Ares of the Germans!
On November 14, as the sun was setting, David Beatty, the most outstanding commander of the young generation of the Royal Navy, led five battle cruisers south to intercept the returning Sylt fleet. The news spread like a stormy rain along the Rhine River, which was no longer clear and white, along the warm Bavarian river valley, and across the vast Danzig plain, sweeping through Germany. At the Kiel shipyard, Brant threw away his inferior cigarette and loudly cursed the British for their shamelessness; at the Riedeston villa in the countryside, a woman in white, Catherine, accidentally broke the clay doll given to her by Heide-Sylt; in the distant Baltic Sea, Butze Bay, excited German sailors on board the Deutschland shouted "Unbeatable Aris"; on the battlefield of Marne Province, France, where gunfire was raging, tired soldiers looked up and gazed northward, waiting for the glory that belonged to the German nation.
The future of the German Navy lies in Dogger Bank, on the night of November 14th, in that rich and beautiful sea area, God, please save that genius!
****
On November 14, 1914, a German fleet raided the British Empire port and sent marines to mainland Britain.
A nation with a maritime soul, regarding the ocean as its lifeblood, possessing an unbeatable great fleet; another nation, rising with each passing day, though lacking historical tradition but bravely exploring the ocean, owning the world's second largest ocean-going fleet. The vast Northern Sea cannot sever their intricate and unbreakable blood ties, yet they ultimately succumb to the unexpected and accidental turn of fate on August 4th.
The North Sea, where the fearless fleets gather, is destined to become a battlefield of slaughter. Will Britain defend its honor or will Germany overthrow the old kingdom? The brief skirmish in Heligoland Bight on August 23 was enough to astonish people, and after a long, suffocating wait in September and October, November finally saw the grand spectacle of the great warship duel!
On the table at Hampton Naval Base in America, the toast had cooled down; General Hugh Rodman stared intently at the map of the North Sea with a frown. In Libau Port, Russia, Alexander Vasilievich Kolchak, Minister of War of the Baltic Fleet, was shocked for a moment after taking a cold shower, and then rushed barefoot to the fleet's telegraph room. In Japan, General Sato Kozo stood on the bridge of the cruiser Akashi, gazing at the rising morning light, with a worried look that wouldn't go away.
Under the night sky of the North Sea, "Invincible Aris" Heiti-Westlem is leading his fleet back, and "Sea Cavalry" David-Betti is leading a battlecruiser squadron south to intercept. In an instant, the eyes of the world are focused on the North Sea, where a prelude to the era of invincible warships is about to sound. For the world's navies without experience in battleship line warfare during the era of invincible warships, every tactical move and command made by the two fleets with the strongest mobility in the world under the vast night sky of the North Sea will become precious naval experience and lessons; The mobilization and reinforcement of the two main fleets are of great reference value. For politicians responsible to their respective nations, the British blockade and the German breakout will collide passionately in the North Sea, and the outcome of the sea battle is enough to have a subtle impact on the world situation. For neutral countries, one side is the pride of the Royal Navy, and the other is the strategic genius of the German Navy that has not been seen for centuries. The young people are about to engage in a duel like medieval European knights, regardless of whether it is a sigh of "who will live or die" or a heroic admiration for each other. Those magnificent scenes, those tragic aftermaths, are all worth talking about as tea and dinner conversation!
November 14th, the world's attention is focused on the North Sea!
Note
1. Hugh Rodman: He was the commander of the 9th Division of the Grand Fleet, and after America entered the war he led his division as the Sixth Battle Squadron on convoy escort duties.
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak: Former Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Supreme Commander of the White Army during the Soviet era, democratic warrior of the Western world, and the leader of the Red Bandits.
Sato Tetsutaro: Commander of the 2nd Special Squadron of Japan, led the cruisers Akashi and Ibuki and the 10th, 11th, and 15th Destroyer Divisions in convoy operations in the Mediterranean during World War I, with Malta as their base.
