Chapter 1 Turkish Decree (2)

  The history of the Turks participating in this war is indeed too bizarre and weird, it's a topic that naval historians repeatedly mention, Xia Yu naturally wants to mention it briefly, and continue digging...

  The floor was covered with Persian carpets, and the snow-white walls were adorned with several ancient oil paintings from the 17th century and a world map filled with data markers. On the wisteria-wooden desk, files were stacked high, and the golden pen was still shaking in its holder, while the grandfather clock in the corner continued to tick away noisily, and a half-smoked cigar lay in the ashtray, with pale blue smoke still rising.

  The Christmas atmosphere of 1893 had hardly dissipated when the New Year's bells of 1894 began to ring in, the Field Marshal's baton was casually placed on the sofa, and Admiral Tirpitz, the Minister of the Imperial Navy, wore a marshal's uniform without epaulets, standing leisurely at the window, with scissors in one hand and a watering can in the other, bending down to repair his precious potted plants.

  "Marshal, this is the intelligence that has just been sent back from our agency in London." Commander of the First Scouting Group of the High Seas Fleet, Rear Admiral Franz von Hipper and Deputy Chief of the Naval Intelligence Service, Captain Erich Raeder, came knocking on the door with a telegram. "The Iron Rust has been taken over by the Turks and renamed Osman Sultan I."

  "The Turks are quite skillful......" Admiral Tirpitz turned around, took the telegram and glanced at it briefly, sat back in front of his desk, and said lightly: "Alright, I know."

  "Marshal, this time the British have acted out of character and sold the Re?adiye to the Turks with no signs of cutting corners or reducing quality. On the contrary, they've even added a 12-inch waterline armor belt! And the construction speed of the Re?adiye has been slowed down repeatedly. The British are up to something suspicious!"

  In accordance with British convention, the protective power of British export warships is usually weakened by one level compared to the original prototype, so that under the same caliber, the British prototype can sink the export ship. It is rare for the British not to use this trick in this transaction, and it is unknown whether the British are delaying the launch date of the Reshadiye to the possible outbreak of World War I and then using the war as an excuse to cancel the contract and incorporate the Reshadiye into the main fleet, or if they have the intention of winning over the Turks and incorporating the Ottoman Empire into the Allied system.

  With the arrogance of the British Empire and the Russian double-headed eagle's habitual contempt for Turkey, Hipper estimated that it was more likely that the British would take Turkey's "fool's money" to equip a super-dreadnought battleship. Tirpitz was indifferent to the British movement, but Hipper couldn't help but remind him:

  "Marshal, aren't you worried at all?"

  "Vice Admiral Hipper, what's your assessment of the combat capabilities of the Rheinland?" Tirpitz raised his Jingdezhen celadon tea cup that he had brought back from the Far East.

  Although the British did not publicly disclose the performance data of the Re?adiye, this did not deter the German naval intelligence service, and as construction on the Re?adiye progressed, its performance data was quickly assessed and continually refined.

  "Reshadiye, an improved version of the British King George V-class battleship, had significant improvements in power, secondary guns and command systems, except for a slightly lower cruising speed than the original. Admiral Hipper, the most outstanding tactical commander of the High Seas Fleet, commented: "If the British deliver as promised, this deal with Turkey is not bad."

  "What about the Iron Rust?" Tietjens lifted the lid of his cup, and with the aroma of tea wafting out, he took a sip, savoring it before asking. Tietjens had once served as commander of the Far Eastern Fleet and had a deep appreciation for China's famous teas.

  The Rio de Janeiro was the most publicized battleship of its time, and its performance data were hardly a secret to those who cared. The ship was 205 meters long, 27.1 meters wide, with a draft of 8.2 meters, and had a full load displacement of 30,250 tons. Its designed top speed was 22 knots, and the armor thickness ranged from 60 to 305 millimeters. In order to snatch the order away from German shipyards, the British stuffed everything that could be put on the warship onto it. Seven twin-mounted 305-millimeter main guns, twenty single-barreled 152-millimeter secondary guns, and ten single-barreled 76-millimeter secondary guns made this battleship design almost unprecedented in history. As soon as the performance data of Rio de Janeiro was leaked, it caused a sensation in the naval community, and soon earned the nickname "Seven-turret Saint".

  "What's the point of having a battleship like this? Overemphasizing firepower while underestimating defensive capabilities, weak armor that can be penetrated by a single 280mm AP shell. The large and cumbersome superstructure and luxurious interior decorations increase the area vulnerable to damage, making it difficult to control losses. The seven-turret design has not been rigorously scientifically verified, and whether the fragile hull can withstand a full salvo of main guns remains a mystery."

  As the commander of the world's second most powerful navy, Admiral Hipper naturally had his pride. Admiral Hipper curled his lip in disdain and said: "In my opinion, the Ironclad is not worth fighting, only starving Greeks and Turks would treasure the Ironclad!"

  "Whether it's the Re?adiye or the Sultan Osman-? Evvel, we have detailed information on both, and the Iron Duke is not even worth mentioning. What else do we have to worry about?" Admiral Tirpitz set down his teacup, twirling his marshal's baton in his hand as he gazed at Hipper with a half-smile.

  "Admiral, you know what I'm worried about isn't these things..." Hipper walked around Tirpitz's desk, pointing to the map on the wall with concern: "If the British slow down their shipbuilding speed in order to trick Turkey, then the Grand Fleet will inevitably add two dreadnoughts, which is a considerable pressure for us. If the British deliver those two dreadnoughts on schedule, plus a British naval advisor who is stirring up trouble in Turkey, the British influence in Turkey will inevitably increase greatly, and this is a considerable hidden danger for our layout in Turkey."

  The Ottoman Turks had long been known as the "Sick Man of Europe", but during the mid-19th century's Tanzimat era, the Turks experienced a resurgence and managed to cobble together a respectable steam navy in the Mediterranean, still able to wield significant influence in Eastern Europe and the Near East. However, by 1913, the weakened Ottomans had become mere pawns from being players on the world stage. Nevertheless, despite the Ottoman Empire's decline, Turkey's geographical location was too crucial to be ignored: advancing southwards could threaten Britain's lifeline - the Suez Canal; blockading the Bosphorus could sever Russia's connection with its allies; and moving northwards could threaten the Russian bear's and Gaul's underbelly. Given Turkey's unique geography, the German Foreign Office and military had been cultivating ties with Turkey since the 1890s, and now all three military dictators in control of Turkey had close relations with Germany.

  "Englishmen?!" Admiral von Tirpitz raised the cup of tea in his hand, his heavily wrinkled eyelids lifting slightly as a hint of amusement crossed his weathered face. "Captain, what you say also makes sense. Alright, Commander Raeder, have an assessment report ready as soon as possible. I will bring up this matter specifically at next month's annual naval conference."

  "Otherwise... let Major Heidi Siler write this assessment report." Colonel Riddel took a deep breath and suggested stiffly.

  "Heidi-Sylem? That arrogant young whippersnapper from Schleswig-Holstein?" Thinking of the unpleasant experiences and clashes he had with that haughty young man over the past decade, Tirpitz furrowed his brow and gritted his teeth: "Gentlemen, I do not deny Major Heidi-Sylem's talent, but before he gets rid of his nauseating arrogance and boastfulness, I am not prepared to accept any views written or narrated by him, even if they are correct!"

  Raeder grossly underestimated Tirpitz's obstinacy, the Naval Minister said categorically, but Captain Raeder was not deterred.

  The situation in Europe is getting more and more tense, war is imminent. Everyone knows that once Pandora's box is opened, it will be a fight to the death, with national fortunes and futures at stake. No one wants to lose this war, no one can afford to lose, whether from personal relationships or national interests, Captain Reder wants Heidi-Selene back. He takes a step forward, speaking incessantly:

  "Marshal, Heidi - Xilem used to be a liaison officer at the shipyard. For the past two years, he has been serving as a naval advisor in the Turkish Navy and is the author of the evaluation report. No one is more suitable than him..."

  Captain Riedel gave a long-winded and pompous explanation, but in reality, everyone knew about Captain Riedel's friendship with Silem; everyone knew about Grand Admiral Tirpitz's dislike for Heide-Silem.

  Tirpitz cut himself a cigar, leaned back in the soft sofa at an angle, and tapped his thick fingers gently on the desk, silent.

  As the creator of the High Seas Fleet and a favorite of Emperor William, Tirpitz enjoyed great prestige within the German Navy. The Field Marshal expressed his attitude with silence, and this silent warning brought unimaginable pressure to Raeder. The worldly-wise Hipper pulled on Captain Raeder's sleeve, hinting that he should not confront the Field Marshal head-on.

  "Since the Marshal didn't like Captain Silem, let Colonel Redl finish the assessment report instead." General Hipper intervened and took over the task from Colonel Redl, dragging the stubborn Colonel Redl out.

  "General, don't you want to bring back Sylam?" Redel burst out, jumping up and questioning as soon as he stepped out of the Navy Minister's office.

  "Are you going to bring Sileam back by quarreling with Grand Admiral Tirpitz?" Vice-Admiral Hipper retorted.

  "...or else Sylem will never return if we don't try." Colonel Redel took off his military cap, gazing at the Imperial Army emblem on it, a hint of despair rising from the bottom of his heart.

  Hipple Junior General let out a sigh, then suddenly remembered something, his eyes lit up, and he patted Redel's shoulder, whispering...

  "Midshipman, didn't you serve on the Royal Yacht Hohenzollern?"

  ****

  "From the age of sail to the steam era after the Battle of Lissa, from the bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863 to the introduction of breech-loading cannons in 1879, from unprotected wooden warships to the commissioning of the ironclad Warrior in 1861, in my more than forty years of naval career, the world's navies have undergone earth-shaking changes. I really thought I wouldn't live to see the magic of technology!"

  Tirpitz stood in front of the windowsill, one hand holding scissors and the other a watering can, leaning forward to tend to his precious potted plants. Same place, same action, but his mood was completely different from ten minutes ago.

  "In 1898, when technology was not yet advanced, with decades of poverty and weakness in the German Navy ahead, and the emperor's impatience and desire for quick success behind, with the gaze of parliamentarians and the constraints of conservative old men within the navy, if no results were achieved quickly, not only would the position of Minister of the Navy be precarious, but even the newly launched naval rise might be ruined. Did I have a choice? Politics is an art that balances progress and compromise, it has never been sentimental!"

  The sixty-six-year-old old general was frantically repairing the potted plants, until the scissors cut his hand and fresh blood flowed before he came to his senses. Thinking of Ingwer's intimidation, Kaiser Wilhelm's ruthlessness, and that Silem who made him infamous, Tirpitz was furious, and in a fit of rage, he threw the scissors in his hand away.

  The scissors cut through the pages of General Friedrich von Bernhardi's "Germany and the Next War". It was a must-read for Germans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and whenever Tirpitz felt down, he would re-read it.

  A severely worn-out old book shook and fell straight off the office desk, landing on a Persian carpet. A letter slipped out of the book, fluttering down to the carpet, with the envelope's postal stamp clearly showing Istanbul, Turkey.

  Note

  1.Limpus: British Royal Navy Rear Admiral, served as Chief Naval Adviser to Ottoman Navy in 1913.

  Friedrich von Bernhardi: German military writer, advocating that the desire for peace is futile and purely illusory, "immoral and inhumane".

  In 1863, the British Navy bombarded Kagoshima in Japan. The British fleet experienced a series of breech-loading gun explosions, resulting in heavy casualties. The British temporarily abandoned breech-loading guns until the British warship HMS Thunderer suffered a muzzle explosion in 1879, after which they finally gave up on muzzle-loaders.