Chapter 2 The Sound of Guns in Helgoland Bay (6) Repair

  The first climax is here, Xia Yu's plot is about to explode, two updates today, let you see how many foreshadowings were buried in the tens of thousands of words of Xia Yu's early dragging and pulling!

  "Your Majesty, the Austrian envoy, Count Sch?nborn, is waiting for you in the small reception room."

  On the snow-white wall hung the portraits of the two greatest emperors of the Hohenzollern family, Frederick the Great and William I. The arrogant emperor was dressed in a marshal's uniform without military rank, with a knight's sword that had been passed down for several centuries hanging from his waist, holding a white glove in his hand, standing silently in front of the portraits of his ancestors.

  In the study, the hands of the clock flew away with the fleeting years. The brothers Blackwood, the Minister of the Navy George von Müller and the Chief of the General Staff Moltke stood on one side of the desk, looking at each other in dismay, unable to guess what the Emperor was thinking. At this moment, Moltke, as the Chief of the Army, stepped forward and whispered a reminder.

  In 1888, the young emperor took over the reins of power from old Emperor William I, which was not only a great honor but also a heavy burden. The emperor was a proud and arrogant man who tried to expand Germany's territory and surpass his father's achievements, but when it came down to it, he became like a gambler who had lost all his money, looking around nervously for fear of losing everything. By 1914, William's German Empire had been hijacked by the wheels of fate, with the war machine raging out of control like a wild beast on an uncertain road. The emperor was full of hope, fear and confusion.

  "Hugo von Haze declares that Parliament will not oppose the war, Dietrich von Scheffer has drawn up a Greater German blueprint for me, Professor Treitschke tells me that everyone is waiting for my signal, General Moltke, you have sworn to victory within a fortnight. And so I shall address the doddering old Emperor Francis of Austria, even if events develop to the extreme of war between Austria and Russia, Austria can still be assured that Germany will stand by her side with the loyalty she has always shown as an ally!"

  On the lavishly decorated desk lay a 1911 publication of General Friedrich von Bernhardi's "Germany and the Next War". The Emperor's spirit was somewhat dampened, he picked up the book filled with passionate and inflammatory words and flipped through it casually, turned around and said faintly: "General, I have an inexplicable premonition that we will become Germany's sinners..."

  "No, Your Majesty, you will only become a hero of Germany." The Chief of the General Staff, Moltke, replied with an unmistakable tone.

  "As you said, my General." William II looked at his Chief of Staff and handed a written reply to Foreign Minister Kiderlen, with a double meaning.

  The eccentric emperor walked away with the book "Germany and the Next War". General von Moltke seemed not to have understood Wilhelm's double meaning, his face still wearing a calm smile, seeing off the emperor. Just as the emperor's figure was about to disappear at the door of the study, von Moltke vaguely heard the emperor's sigh of regret.

  "Asymmetric warfare, Ocean's fleet...... perhaps...... I should believe in that kid!"

  ****

  On July 23, the old emperor of Austria-Hungary no longer hesitated after receiving Wilhelm's endorsement and put forward extremely harsh conditions to Serbia, including arresting the murderer, suppressing anti-Austrian activities, and dismissing anti-Austrian officials, and limited the Serbian government to respond within forty-eight hours. The Serbs endured humiliation and accepted all the conditions except for the participation of Austrian personnel in the pursuit and trial of the assassin, but unfortunately it was already too late.

  July 25th, Serbia began issuing a general mobilization order. The Great Fleet received the news

  On July 27, France recalled its troops stationed in Algeria and Morocco.

  On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia with the pretext of not having received a satisfactory reply. France ordered general mobilization.

  On July 29, the Tsar issued a general mobilization order. The Kaiser's cousin immediately stopped his North Sea cruise and appealed to the Tsar: "Do not take any rash action, I beg of you!" Nicholas II was moved by his appeal and recalled his general mobilization order, but maintained partial mobilization against Austria-Hungary.

  On July 30, the Tsar reissued a general mobilization order; Germany demanded that Russia stop its general mobilization and was rebuffed.

  On July 31, the Austro-Hungarian army issued a general mobilization order. Berlin handed over ultimatums to Russia and France separately. In the ultimatum to Russia, Germany demanded that Russia "within 12 hours of receiving the ultimatum" recall its general mobilization order. The ultimatum to France required Paris to declare within 18 hours whether it would remain neutral in the event of a war between Russia and Germany; if France remained neutral, it had to hand over the fortresses of Toul and Verdun to Germany as a guarantee of neutrality, which would be returned after the end of the war. In response, Russia did not want to make any reply at all, while France made a brief reply: "We will act according to our own interests."

  On August 1, Germany declared war on Russia and the general mobilization order was issued immediately. The huge machine for recruiting, equipping and transporting two million people began to turn around. The Second Battle Squadron led by Reinhard von Scheer arrived in the North Sea, and from then on, all the forces of the High Seas Fleet gathered at Jade Bay off Heligoland.

  On August 2, Britain sent an ultimatum to Germany: "Respect the independence of Belgium, otherwise Britain will go to war." At the same time, German troops entered the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the German ambassador in Brussels, Below, handed over an ultimatum to the Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Davignon.

  On August 3, France rejected Germany's demand for neutrality and Germany declared war on France.

  Just as all Europe was in a state of turmoil and confusion at the changing situation and the approaching war, the Great Fleet had already begun to move.

  On July 25, the High Seas Fleet learned of Austria's declaration of war on Serbia while it was in Norwegian waters for exercises and began to return home, except for the Second Squadron of battleships, which concentrated with the main body of the fleet at Wilhelmshaven.

  On July 29, Admiral Ingenohl of the High Seas Fleet went to Wilhelmshaven. The British Grand Fleet began to go on a war footing and on the same day, the High Seas Fleet also began partial mobilization.

  On August 1, Rear Admiral Scheer's Second Battle Squadron arrived in the North Sea and the entire High Seas Fleet assembled at Jade Bay.

  "Notify the commanders of the cruiser, destroyer and torpedo boat flotillas subordinate to the Defense Circle Command, the commander of the Heligoland Island coastal defense troops and the naval infantry, the commanders of the Elbe, Ems, Weser and Jade river estuary fortifications and the commanders of the submarine and airship squadrons to report to headquarters for a meeting. Lieutenant Hille, I need detailed weather and hydrographic charts of the Heligoland Bight; please deliver them by 12:00 noon at the latest. Lieutenant Kayss, inform Lieutenant Commander Otto Wegener to report to headquarters immediately. Captain Laurens, I need you to reassign the three-layered defense circle based on the current strength of the command and the intelligence reports from the naval intelligence department. Each layer must have three standby patrol routes and be able to support each other. At the same time, a reserve fleet that can be deployed at any time must be maintained by headquarters. I have written down the detailed requirements; please submit the draft by 3:00 pm today."

  A large desk was cluttered with various survey reports, draft plans, graph paper and measuring tools, while a huge map of the North Sea on the wall was marked with data intelligence. The otaku had disheveled hair, stubble and bloodshot eyes, his dark-colored lieutenant colonel uniform sleeves rolled up high, as he handed a rough draft plan to Lieutenant Colonel Loren. Lieutenant Colonel Loren looked at the cover page filled with notes, gritted his teeth and left with a deep grievance.

  The Grand Fleet put to sea in mid-July for exercises, and old friend Wolfgang Wegener and tens of thousands of sailors had to endure the grueling and exhausting training and drills in the fjords of Norway, then be tormented by the damp heat of the ship's cabins and the thundering noise of the steam engines until they were almost driven mad. But all this has nothing to do with Otaku.

  Wang Haitie, the new officer in charge, often cruised between Heligoland Island and Wilhelmshaven, occasionally taking a seaplane to fly over the vast waters of Heligoland Bay. He would also ride on Oberleutnant Otto Weddigen's U-9 submarine with sturgeons as his companions, discussing wolfpack tactics with the clever Lieutenant Karl D?nitz. In short, Wang Haitie, who was in charge of establishing the Heligoland Bay Defense Circle Command, finally managed to extricate himself from the heavy fleet duties and catch his breath.

  However, the good luck of the homebodies ended on the day the High Seas Fleet returned to Wilhelmshaven, as Kapit?n zur See Franz von Hipper fell ill.

  Hipper's work was very busy, as the commander of the battlecruiser squadron, he had an indispensable responsibility for the morale and combat effectiveness of the entire fleet; since the battlecruiser squadron had the name "scouting", Hipper also had to lead his fleet to conduct dangerous firepower reconnaissance on the British naval forces from time to time. Now the Navy Department has also given Hipper the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Heligoland Bight Defence Circle, which made Hipper somewhat overwhelmed, and he soon fell ill, in recent days, Hipper even had to take a large amount of sedatives to cope with his weak nerves.

  The seriously ill Hipper was unable to hold three posts, so he recommended his favorite subordinate, Heide Kampe, to the Navy Department. Although the resume of this otaku was miserable due to Tirpitz's deliberate suppression, the reputation of the Three Talents of Kiel Naval Academy and the Two Heroes of Naval Strategy were not obtained in vain. Under Hipper's efforts, the preparation work for the Heligoland Bay Defense Circle fell on Heide Kampe's head.

  Then Wang Haitie turned around and was still promoted to Navy Colonel, only a few inches away from the dazzling general star, and the commander of the Heligoland Bay Defense Circle became the new job of the housekeeper.

  Without Hipper's care and Raeder's ventilation, the previous life did not learn MBA management, promoted to official independence, with thousands of officials and soldiers under his command, and shouldering the heavy responsibility of defending Heligoland Bay, the house man was a bit nervous and flustered, but in the subsequent actual operation, the house man found that this was not a challenge.

  The Secretary of the Navy Office and Turkish naval instructor positions, as well as twenty years of painful life experiences, allowed him to handle interpersonal relationships very well; his experience as a liaison officer at the Kiel shipyard in 1898 and as a mobilization staff officer for the Baltic Sea reserve in 1902 gave him a considerable understanding of ships and mobilization, allowing him to formulate more reasonable guard plans based on ship performance and service status; His experience with the invasion of the Otter gunboat in 1899, his role as commander of the German East African naval landing party in 1907, and numerous rebellions, as well as his position as chief of staff of the High Seas Fleet's first scouting squadron, tempered his leadership qualities, allowing those proud and fierce generals belonging to different systems to bow down under his personal charm. As for new weapons that German naval officers were not very familiar with, he could make them obey him like a magic spell, after all, he was the originator of "asymmetric concepts" and a tactical master of the use of new weapons such as submarines, airships, and aircraft. He had an idea that made him laugh and cry when dealing with endless problems:

  "Was it perhaps the intention of that old curmudgeon Tirpitz to arrange for me to spend twenty years in obscurity, yet still be useful? That young whippersnapper Wolfgang Wegener, who was my equal, may not have come up with the concept of 'asymmetric warfare', but he certainly wasn't shy about touting new weapons systems either. There's no reason why I should be frozen out by Tirpitz while he gets off scot-free!"

  Just as Otaku was indulging in his wild fancies, Lieutenant Colonel Vetti arrived in a cloud of dust.

  "Sir, you wanted me?" Vedic snapped his heels together and gave a standard military salute.

  Wang Haitian smiled wryly, withdrew those ridiculous and laughable thoughts, stretched out his hand to pull over Otto-Weidigen, the son of a wealthy family, pointed at the sea chart that could make ordinary people dizzy, and introduced with the pencil in his mouth:

  The British Navy has entered a state of war readiness, with the Channel Fleet, composed of pre-dreadnought battleships, light cruisers and destroyers, guarding the Strait of Dover to prevent the High Seas Fleet from moving south and protecting the flanks of Belgium and France; the Grand Fleet is stationed in Scapa Bay, Orkney Islands, and Admiral David Beatty's 1st Battlecruiser Squadron has repeatedly sailed south for sweeps and gunnery reconnaissance; the Harwich Force, based at Harwich on the east coast of England, composed of light cruisers, destroyers and submarines, is responsible for patrolling and watching the southern part of the North Sea, protecting the eastern coastal areas of Britain.

  The lieutenant's words were cut short as Captain Lauren burst in, clutching a thin telegram paper and panting: "Colonel, urgent telegram from the Navy Headquarters: Germany has declared war on Britain, Long live Germany!"

  August 4, 1914, Berlin.

  A frenzied war atmosphere spread and intensified in the solemn National Assembly Hall, with a strong wave of patriotism almost blowing off the roof. The leader of the German Parliament's largest party, the Social Democratic Party, Hugo Haase, announced that the military's emergency military budget was passed with a high vote, giving the army all the rights of parliament during wartime, and a political truce was reached among all parties in parliament, temporarily suspending inter-party struggles.

  Heavy rain poured down in Berlin, the crowd surged at the gate of Charlottenburg Palace, members of parliament lined up to enter the palace and sat down in the White Hall. The Emperor wore a helmet on his head, one hand holding the hilt of his sword, shouting "We unsheathe our swords with a clear conscience, our hands are clean." At the same time, the first wave of grey troops set off from Gemmerich, 48 kilometers away from Liège Fortress, rushing across the border between Germany and Belgium, Belgian soldiers opened fire from their sentry posts.

  The people of Berlin cheered and rejoiced, waving national flags and military flags in front of the Brandenburg Gate and the Imperial Palace. Brant, a member of the Social Democratic Party and leader of the Kiel trade union, also wore his old military uniform and blended into the joyful crowd. The army began to move towards the front line, and reservists from all over the country began to gather. Countless female students and children followed behind the advancing troops, singing national anthems and throwing flowers. The University of Berlin, founded by the Humboldt brothers, was caught up in the fervor, with young students and white-haired old professors showing more enthusiasm for war than for academic pursuits, eagerly anticipating the day of victory. From Schleswig to Bavaria, from Alsace-Lorraine to East Prussia, the entire German Empire was like a tightly wound spring, starting to move at high speed.

  Is this the final swan song of the great warship and its big guns? The Anglo-Saxon, who has been infused with the spirit of the sea for hundreds of years, and the Royal Navy, which has never tasted defeat in a hundred battles, are about to engage in a fierce battle. Who will win the throne of the North Atlantic: the German nation, known for its bravery in exploration, or the small but courageous ocean fleet?

  Wang Haitie put down the telegram, patted Captain Otto-Wiedigen on the shoulder who was still digesting the information, and pressed a point on the nautical chart with his calloused finger, saying coldly:

  "Harriet's fleet, it is!"

  ****

  "Marshal, I won't deceive you, in fact there is no naval plan at all... even if there was, it would only exist in the Emperor's mind!"

  Time did not allow the blunt words of Ingenohl to settle and disappear, that shocking news still lingered in the ears of the aged Tirpitz, making the old soldier who had dedicated his life to the navy and the German nation feel shocked and uneasy.

  Tirpitz pulled out the heavily worn copy of "Germany and the Next War" from his drawer, found the two letters stuck between its pages - one from Istanbul and the other from Kiel - and scanned the sender's name on the envelopes with hawk-like sharp eyes.

  Note

  Hugo Haase: The leader of the Social Democratic Party, the largest party in the German parliament at that time.

  Dietrich Sch?fer: German nationalist who strongly advocated for Pan-Germanism.