"Virtue ...... German! ”

The first mate stood beside Cassente, looked at the large German submarine parked next to the battleship with an incredulous expression, and muttered.

The U-37 had completely surfaced, its wet gray hull shimmering softly in the sunlight, and the water was still gurgling down the tiny, narrow drainage holes, stirring up a circle of white ripples and foam on the surface of the sea, like a beautiful pearl necklace around the hull.

All the British sailors stood dumbfounded on their respective battle positions and looked at the uninvited guests in front of them, in the eyes of those British Royal Navy sailors, this beautiful and mighty submarine had a hint of mystery and a hint of legendary romance in addition to a strong sense of deterrence.

Few British sailors had ever seen a German submarine at such a close distance, and they could usually only see the terrifying battleship that had been the nightmare of all naval transport captains on drawings or in those black-and-white photographs. In their minds, the German submarine should be ugly, shabby, dirty, a kind of dinghy with an evil aura that makes people disgusted at first glance, and those wicked and cowardly German sailors stayed in this cramped and filthy cabin, breathing in the turbid and poisonous air, staring at their red eyes and searching the dark sea, expecting to attack the defenseless transports, or smirk at the women and children struggling to survive on the sea. This is the impression of German submarines in the depths of their minds, this is the image of German submariners in their minds.

Now, the proximity of the battleship completely overturned their previous impression of German submarines. Her beautiful linear shape, slightly raised bow, smooth and clean hull, delicate conning tower, and even the high periscope attracted the eyes of those British sailors.

In particular, her dramatic appearance, the kind of majestic appearance that can only appear in myths and legends, brought a strong shock to the hearts of all the British sailors present. They all stared blankly at the enemy ship in front of them, they couldn't believe that what they saw was real, they forgot that they were fighting, they forgot that the beautiful ship in front of them had just fired two torpedoes at them, and they even forgot that their battleship was slowly sinking. Everyone stood there motionless as if they were enchanted, their mouths open, staring blankly.

"What are you doing, what are you doing there, that's the enemy, ready to fire! Pull the battle jing! ”

Cassente was the first to react, he was enraged, he was angry that the Germans had dared to climb against their own battleships, which was clearly a provocation. He was angry that his men were so slow to react, it was a shame for the Royal Navy, and he was even angry that he himself had just been attracted to this German submarine, which was simply incredible, and he was as naïve as a hairy boy who had just left the military academy, and he preferred to believe that he was stunned by this sudden situation in front of him rather than admit that he was indeed fascinated by the submarine at that moment.

In an instant, the bleak battle reverberated over the heavy cruiser Devonshire, as if magic had been broken, and the sailors began to move in their positions, finally remembering that they were at war, and that the submarine in front of them was their enemy. The decks of Devon were suddenly in chaos, and everyone was busy in their respective battle stations. The British soldiers frantically raced their weapons, all trying to aim their weapons at the German submarine.

They had now come to their senses that the submarine was not made to be seen, it was a real murder weapon, especially when they saw the 105mm cannon on the foredeck of the submarine, which was also painted gray, and they couldn't help but speed up their movements, and they were going to smash the submarine to pieces before the Germans climbed onto the deck to use the terrible cannon.

Now in the eyes of these British sailors, the submarine was no longer as cute as it was a minute ago, except for the cannon, the two 20mm guns on the conning tower that glowed with black cold light, the terrifying 37mm rapid-fire gun on the rear deck, including the sharp serrated edge of the sharp anti-submarine net cutter in the bow of the boat, all made these British sailors feel a kind of death pressure, maybe in the next second, those cruel German sailors would swarm out of the submarine, Then fire yourself with those horrific rapid-fire weapons, and the deck of the Devonshire will surely be a hell of blood and fire.

The gunners of the 40mm ping-pong guns who felt this most deeply did not think that the ordinary five-millimeter steel plate on their turret could block the firing of any weapon on the deck of the submarine. All the gunners on the starboard side of the Devonshire were frantically turning their muzzles, hoping to take out the arrogant German submarine as soon as possible.

But in the next moment, an embarrassing situation happened, and the British suddenly discovered that they did not have a single weapon to reach the submarine, and the reason was that the submarine...... It's really ...... Too close to her.

The Devonshire was a London-class heavy cruiser, designed for her in the North Sea and the Atlantic, and her bulwarks were so high that the Admiralty felt that six to seven meters high was not enough, and they also installed her secondary turret on a three-meter-high battery. So although she had an incredibly powerful 102mm secondary gun, they found it impossible to use it to attack a ground ship that was only 15 meters high and less than five meters high, and its depression angle was really not that large.

Not to mention the 40 and 20 guns, which were arranged according to the state of the air defense, and all the guns were placed on round batteries welded into a fence with half-man high steel plates. Not to mention that they are now housed on a high superstructure, and even if they are placed on the deck, they will not be able to hit the submarine, and their maximum depression angle is only two degrees, which can only be done after removing the steel plate guardrail.

Originally, there were some small-caliber anti-aircraft machine guns on this battleship, and those things were openly arranged, and if those machine guns were still there, although they could not destroy the submarine, they would block the entrance and exit of the submarine, so that the Germans could not indulge in those weapons. But unfortunately, they were all dismantled, because the power was too small, and as a result, they were replaced with those ping pong cannons.

Now the British could only watch the submarine stop steadily 15 meters beside them, with no usable weapons, no power, and they now had no countermeasures other than to spit on the Germans. What's even worse is that this distance is too close for the cannon, and a little farther for saliva, and the whole British are in a state of extreme depression.

"Captain, what should we do now?" The first mate looked helpless, and he cautiously asked Cascent.

He could tell that Cascent was now mad at the awkward situation he was in. Although he didn't burst into a rage, the uncontrollable tremor in Cascent's body could tell that the captain was furious right now.

"What else can we do, we're going to take out this damn German submarine, no matter what means! I have never been humiliated like I am today! Cassente turned his head and said viciously, as if suddenly he had thought of something.

"Saladin, yes, I still have Saladin, transfer her over and let her get rid of this damn submarine, no, kill her. Chase away or take it out, I don't want to see this damn thing in front of me again. They're insulting me, they're provoking me. Damn it! Damn it! Damn the Germans! Why don't you signal yet! Saladin, call Saladin, don't you understand me? Cassente roared.

"Captain, I was meant to report back to you." The first mate's sad face is now on his face.

"You...... You mean. "Cascent hurried to the port side of the bridge.

It was there that he found his last destroyer, the Saladin, at a glance, and it looked like she was doing a difficult maneuver. The Saladin was struggling to lift its stern to a height of a hundred meters, and Cassente was fortunate enough to see the moment when she failed, and the broken stern slammed into the sea, causing a splash as big as a hill. Cassente could even hear her last wail, the shrill grinding of the hull's steel plates as they twisted and broken. Then there was only a group of floating and struggling sailors, all kinds of debris, and two or three snow-white lifeboats.

"It's over, we're done."

Cassente watched the sinking of his last wingship, and he felt as if he himself had sunk into the icy sea with that wail. Everything was done for him, and in a quarter of an hour the Germans managed to ruin him, ruin his life, ruin his future, take away his honor, his courage, his pride, and now probably his life. Casent's mind was in turmoil, and he thought back to the hardships he had put in to get to where he was today, the hard work he had put in. He thought of his beautiful wife, his lovely children, his beautiful and warm home in London. He thought of his old parents, his brothers, his superiors, his friends, all that he had, and now that it was all gone from him, he might never see them again.

Cassente pulled his pocket watch out of the pocket of his crisp military uniform, he wanted to know exactly what time it was, he wanted to remember this moment forever, the moment when his life was destroyed. His fingers suddenly touched something cold and hard, and he remembered that it was his pistol, very delicate, Swiss, small and effective. Normally he never had a gun, but today he didn't know why he had so foolishly stuffed this toy-like pistol into his trouser pocket. Cassente suddenly felt that it might be providence, that God had given him instructions, and that the defeated soldiers should pay for their mistakes. Cassente slowly pulled out his pistol, then aimed it at his mouth.

"Nope! Captain! ”

The first mate, who had been watching him, pounced on him, and snatched the gun from Casent's hand.

"You can't do this, this battleship hasn't sunk yet, we haven't completely failed."

The officers who were standing on the side also gathered around, and they struggled to hug Casent, who was trying to retrieve the pistol from the first mate.

"Give me the gun!" Cassente yelled like crazy, "Give me the gun, I'll be held accountable for my dereliction of duty." Give me the gun. That's an order! ”

"No, Captain." The first mate shook his head firmly.

"I beg your pardon for disobeying your orders for the first time, Captain. It's not time to despair yet, and even then, you can't die dishonorably in this way. You can't shirk the responsibilities that you owe to you, and those responsibilities aren't worth your life. We were ambushed by three German submarines, and it was a sneak attack. No one could have predicted that even in the Admiralty of London, I would be able to defend myself with a loud voice, and no one would be able to escape this vicious trap. The responsibility is not on you, but on those who made the plans, those intelligence services. You did everything you could, you did your best, it's not human that can change, it's providence, and now God is on the side of the Germans. You must take responsibility for what you have to do now, and you are responsible for all the officers and men of the Devonshire. We have not yet lost the strength of resistance, and Lieutenant Colonel Sanders has gone to gather his men, who have all kinds of army light weapons, and they are able to attack that submarine. We haven't lost yet, Captain! ”

Cassente slowly stopped his struggle, and he looked at his first mate panting, his eyes slowly calming down.

"You mean Lieutenant Colonel Sanders, he's gone to gather his army soldiers?"

"Yes, captain, they have machine guns, rifles, and grenades, and they even have mortars."

"When is he going to gather his subordinates?"

"When it was found that our weapons could not be fired."

"Oh." Carson let out a sigh of relief, and he turned to the officers around him who were holding him on, "Can you let me go now?" Gentlemen. ”

"Are you sure you're okay?" An officer asked, puzzled.

"Of course, I'm fine, let me go." Cassente replied calmly.

The officers hurriedly let go of their captain. Cascent straightened his crumpled uniform, then walked over to the first mate.

"I'm so embarrassed in front, thank you for reminding me. Major Roy. ”

Although the first mate usually behaved very ordinarily, sometimes even a little dull and naïve, he still showed the courage, loyalty and wisdom of the Royal Navy at critical moments, and Carcent felt that he had neglected him before, and he hoped that he would make amends if he had the opportunity.

"Captain, your pistol." The first mate respectfully handed the pistol to Casent.

"You keep it, I don't think I'll use it anymore." Cassente smiled, then walked towards the platform by the bridge.

"Why aren't the people of Sanders on deck yet? What are they waiting for, although it is impossible for us to return to England from here, but we must get a little price back for our warships, and let the Germans know how good we are. ”

Cassente felt that the courage was back to him, he knew that the Germans would never let go of his temporarily unpowered battleship, they would not give up such a good opportunity, and they would give her a second shot. Now he wondered why the Germans had not done this yet, and why the German submarine had floated beside him. He didn't think that the Germans wanted to capture the ship, not even the craziest guys, and that it was impossible to capture the heavy cruiser with three submarines.

If they are at a stalemate, they may have a chance to live. Cascent knew that his ship's injuries were severe, but not fatal. The Germans hit the mine belt of the engine room with both torpedoes, but due to the fact that the German torpedo charge was more than expected, it still penetrated the hull. The force of the explosion, combined with the influx of seawater, destroyed the boiler on the left side of the ship, as well as some of the pipelines and oil tanks. Now the reason why the battleship lost power was that the main lines of the two right boiler compartments had malfunctioned due to the shock, and he had ordered the sailors to repair them immediately.

Now the water ingress of the hull has been controlled, and although it is a little tilted to the left, it still does not affect the movement of the battleship. As soon as his ship regained power, he could immediately close the distance between himself and surprise the Germans with artillery before they could react. Even with half the boiler, the Devonshire could run at 20 knots, and if she was lucky, she might be able to get rid of the German submarines and return to England. The key now is what the Germans wanted, and where the other two German submarines were.

Cassente carefully searched the surface of the sea for traces of two other German submarines, but to his disappointment, he found nothing.

"Lieutenant Colonel Sanders' soldiers are ready on deck, Captain. All that was left of them was rifles and machine guns, and the rest of the weapons were in the ammunition depot, but it was now flooded. So they delayed a little bit. An officer reported with an on-board phone.

"I see." Cassente looked towards the deck, only to see hundreds of army soldiers standing in three rows with rifles aiming at the German submarine, Sanders standing in front of the team with a pistol looking in his direction, seeing Casente looking at himself, Sanders gave a military salute in a dashing manner, and Carson quickly returned a profit.

"There is movement of German submarines!" Then a sailor shouted. Everyone stared nervously at the submarine's conning tower, and the army soldiers put their hands on the board machine, their palms began to sweat slowly, and their breathing began to become more and more urgent.

"Calm down! Stabilization! Sanders commanded loudly: "No one is allowed to shoot without my orders, or I will kill him with my own hands." Sanders shook the pistol in his hand to show that he wasn't joking.

"Yes, sir." The soldiers replied loudly.

Everyone held their breath and stared at the conning tower, and for a moment the whole battleship became silent, and all that could be heard was the sound of the waves crashing against the hull and the mechanical operation of the German submarines.

Suddenly, an object appeared on the command platform, and everyone's hearts were violently lifted, and several army soldiers were so frightened that they almost pulled the trigger.

The crowd stirred and calmed down, and they looked carefully at the shaking thing.

That's a little side...... White flag.

"What's going on, are the Germans going to surrender? Captain. An officer asked.

"Then what reason do you think they have to surrender?"

"No, I can't think of it. Captain. ”

"I can't think of it, they want to talk to us, you ......" Carson finally swallowed back the curse, glared at the subordinate angrily, and then took down a large microphone from the wall.

Cassente took the microphone and walked over to the railing, and he shouted to Sanders, "Lieutenant Colonel, the Germans want to talk to us, and I think we should first hear what they have to say." I don't want to ruin us all by an accidental misfire by one of the Army soldiers, and I hope you will make your soldiers keep an eye on their fingers. Sanders waved to Casente in understanding.

Then Cassente shouted at the German submarine: "Germans, you can come out now, we will not shoot, but I want you to be gentlemanly and not do anything that will misunderstand my soldiers." Do you understand? ”

The little white flag flicked twice, and then a German naval officer stood up from the control tower. Judging by his white battle cap, he was the captain of the submarine.

"This officer, I am Captain Colonel Cascent, the captain of the Devonshire, and I would like you to inform me of your identity. And what exactly do you want to do? ”

The German officer just stood there for a long time without speaking, and then he disappeared from the conning tower, which completely confused the British.

At this time, on the conning tower of U37, Gisel bent down and asked Xu Jun, who was trying to climb out of the boat: "Marshal, what is he talking about in front of him?" I don't understand a word. ”

"I don't understand what you were the first to do."

"I'm responsible for your safety, I don't think you should have come out, they have hundreds of rifles against us." Gissell said worriedly.

"What's this, I remember the last time I faced a machine gun."

Xu Jun finally climbed out of the hatch with Gisel's help. He stood up without hesitation, and then looked at the behemoth in front of him in a big way. His appearance clearly caused a commotion among the crowd on the deck of the British battleship.

"A German field marshal. My God. ”

Cassente's hands trembled so much that he could barely hold the binoculars, and he calmed down and picked up the microphone again.

"Your Excellency the Marshal, I am Lieutenant Commander Cascent of HMS Devonshire of the British Royal Navy, and I would like to ask you what you would like to talk to us. What exactly do you want to do. ”

"What do I want to do, I don't even know what I want to do, if it weren't for this damn battery running out and there's a problem with the high-pressure air pump, would I be guilty of taking this risk and grinding with you here?"

Although Xu Jun kept cursing his bad luck in his heart, he still had a confident smile on his face.

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