Chapter 1 Turkish Decree (I)

  In the last days of 1913, a grey fog hung over the streets of Berlin.

  The withered maple trees, the barren Bodhi tree and the chestnut tree stand alone on Wilhelmstrasse, giving off a slightly desolate feeling. On the right bank of Wilhelmstrasse, in the Tiergarten Park, the vegetation is lush and dense, the clock tower's hands are flying away, and the asters and small chrysanthemums are quietly accumulating their strength in the muddy ground. The Baroque-style palace, Gothic-style church and monastery, fluttering curtains and layered domes are piled up on both sides of Wilhelmstrasse, the Charlottenburg Palace, the Imperial Parliament Building, and the Humboldt University of Berlin appear faintly in the thin fog. At the end of the street under the Bodhi tree, the heavy Brandenburg Gate stands tall, with the Iron Cross medal and the Victory Goddess standing on a four-horse chariot in front of the gate.

  A black sedan with a naval license plate stopped at the guard post outside the Imperial German Navy Headquarters. Taking advantage of the brief moment when the sentry was checking his papers, Admiral Franz von Hipper, commander of the I Scouting Group (battlecruiser squadron) of the High Seas Fleet, poked his head out of the car window and beckoned to Commander Erich Raeder, First Deputy Chief of the Naval Intelligence Office, who was standing watch in the guardhouse.

  "Get in...". Colonel Hipper pushed open the car door and let Major Reder get in, asking impatiently: "Major, what's this about?"

  Every autumn is the busiest season for the open sea fleet training. Firstly, the Baltic Sea is calm and the autumn is high and refreshing, making it suitable for large-scale ocean training. Secondly, at this time every year, newly graduated naval cadets and newly recruited sailors are replenished to the warships in large numbers, and through large-scale ocean training, accelerate the grinding between officers and soldiers on board, and restore combat readiness is quite necessary.

  The High Seas Fleet returned to port from the Norwegian fjords, and as the commander of the first scouting group, Admiral Hipper remained on board his flagship Seydlitz, summarizing the gains and losses of this exercise, organizing repairs for the ships, and planning the training schedule for next quarter, busy day and night. It wasn't until the Christmas party hosted by Kaiser Wilhelm II that Admiral Hipper was able to steal away from his duties and return to Berlin.

  This morning, Kapit?n zur See R?del telephoned Hipper to request his presence at the Admiralty. Given R?del's position as First Deputy Chief of the Naval Intelligence Division, Hipper drove to the Admiralty without hesitation, anxious not to miss any secret information.

  "Admiral, I know your First Reconnaissance Squadron is still short one chief of staff..." Redl looked at the chauffeur and pulled a telegram out of his dispatch case. "General, there's an opportunity right now to get Lieutenant Heidi Sylem back to the Ocean Fleet."

  "Heidi-Selene?" Colonel Redl's rash words had worried General Hippe for a moment, but the name Heidi-Selene, which he hadn't heard in ages, greatly alleviated his negative emotions. General Hippe was taken aback for a moment, and a flash of anger crossed his dark face before being replaced by boundless surprise.

  As a professional military officer, General Hiepe did not rush to take the intelligence paper, but instead looked at Colonel Riedel with a suspicious eye.

  "This is the intelligence sent back by our peripheral reconnaissance organization lurking on the other side of the strait, the secrecy level is not high, apparently General you have the permission..." Colonel Redel explained.

  The telegram was not long, only about 100 words or so, and roughly introduced the agreement reached between Britain and Turkey on the purchase of the Ironclad ship (Sultan Osman I) and some new data and construction progress of Turkey's first dreadnought battleship Reshadije.

  In 1913, the Turkish government ignored the advice of its chief naval advisor, British Rear Admiral Douglas Gamble, and decided to buy the Rio de Janeiro from Brazil. On December 20, the Turkish ambassador in London began negotiations with the British government and Armstrongs for the purchase of the ship.

  "The British have finally managed to sell the Iron Duke...” Commodore Hipper loosened his collar, let out a cold snort, put down the telegram and turned to ask: "Commander, I don't understand what causal link there is between the Iron Duke and Heidkampf."

  The Rust Bucket was a nickname given by Armstrong's shipyard workers to the Rio de Janeiro, an abandoned dreadnought battleship of Brazil.

  Due to the development of the chemical industry, in 1904 Brazil's abundant rubber was a hard currency comparable to the US dollar and British pound on the international market. The wealthy Brazilians got carried away and formulated an ambitious naval expansion plan, preparing to build a navy fleet including three battleships.

  The foolish Brazilians opened Pandora's box, and the poor but warlike South American countries couldn't sit still, shouting and scrambling to raise money to prepare for a big battle with Brazil. A farce about an arms race began. The Chileans, who had long been at odds with the Brazilians, hastily ordered two battleships from Armstrong Shipyard upon hearing the news. Argentina, a major power in South America, also announced the purchase of two battleships in 1908, while smaller countries like Uruguay, Venezuela, and Ecuador flocked to buy worthless junk and second-hand goods from Britain, France, the United States, and Germany at any cost. It was amidst this follow-the-wind craze that Brazil revived its previously canceled plan for a third battleship. Given that Argentina and Chile each had two battleships, the Brazilians decided to take a great leap forward, surpassing Britain and the United States by building a state-of-the-art super-dreadnought.

  Bidding news arrived, and in the face of interests, the strong shipyards were in a bloody battle. The straightforward Germans provided a practical plan that did not exceed the technical level at that time, while the cunning British people fought for orders without hesitation, weakening the hull structure and armor protection level, installing various super-large caliber guns on the deck, hoping to obtain Brazil's order. Under the deception of the British, the Brazilians lacking dialectical spirit quickly surrendered. In 1911, the infamous arms dealer Iren Goul announced proudly: "This ship is ours..."

  The good times did not last, and in 1913, due to the decline of rubber prices, Brazilians could no longer afford the high naval expenditures, and announced the auction of Rio de Janeiro. When the news arrived, designer Isanov turned white-haired overnight, Armstrong's shipyard suffered a heavy blow, and the unfinished Rio de Janeiro was abandoned on the slipway of the Tyne River, exposed to wind and sun, earning it the nickname "Rusty".

  "In 1897, Tirpitz introduced the concept of 'asymmetric warfare', in 1906, the perfect battleship envisioned by Tirpitz was launched, and in 1909, the perfect cruiser predicted by Tirpitz entered service. In 1913, Zeppelins were widely used for military patrols and communications, and in Berlin, there were almost daily air shows. To expand the range of submarine attacks, we even built a submarine base on Heligoland Island. History has long proven that the Marshal's 'Risk Theory' was wrong, and the only reason he didn't want Tirpitz to have his own empire was to preserve his dignity as the creator of the High Seas Fleet...". Raeder led Hipper to Tirpitz's office, stopping in front of the door, saying loudly: "In that case, let's give the Marshal a way out..."

  "Commander R?der, are you certain that you can change the mind of that stubborn and obstinate old sailor?" Commodore Hipper guessed what Commander R?der was getting at, and with a worried expression, he said, clutching the telegram in his hand.

  "Good heavens!" Commander Redell's high spirits were momentarily checked, and he said sincerely: "From naval liaison officer to gunnery officer of the East Asian Fleet, then to mobilization staff officer of the Baltic Reserve Fleet, commander of the German East African Marine Corps, and finally ending up in Turkey where there was hardly any navy at all - for over a decade Wilhelm has been drifting around abroad. Meanwhile, Oden and I have become commanders, while he has only been promoted one rank. Major General, whether from the perspective of friendship or national interest, I must bring him back.

  "In 1905, the First Moroccan Crisis; in 1908, the Bosnian Crisis; in 1911, the Second Moroccan Crisis; and in 1912-13, two Balkan Wars - all these events made Europe increasingly restless, with war always just around the corner. Seydlitz's talents should not be wasted on 'Sultan's Sea Barracks' [4]; he should take to the stage of the High Seas Fleet, the North Atlantic!"

  Note

  1.SMS Seydlitz: Commissioned on 22 May 1913 and became the flagship of I Scouting Group, a position she retained until Lützow was commissioned in 1915.

  2. Re?adiye, a dreadnought battleship ordered by Turkey from Britain, an improved version of the British King George V class.

  Eustace H. W. Tennyson d'Eyncourt, British ship designer at Armstrong Whitworth.

  4. The Sudanese Waterborne Garrison: At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the once-dominant Ottoman Navy in the Mediterranean had declined, with sailors not training diligently, commanders being weak and timid, and most ships being old and decrepit, earning it the nickname "Sudanese Waterborne Garrison".

  PS: Should I update more today?