Seeing that Christian's aristocratic temper was a little uncontrollable, Xia Shu calmly relieved: "Okay, Christian, let's wait patiently here!" There are some historical scenes that we can't just see if we want to see, think about it, how did the German Navy ever send the main fleet on a 10,000-mile expedition? ”

Foodies are actually not impatient, nor are they unbrave enough to skip class, but they just express their dissatisfaction with their rumbling stomachs. www.biquge.info Natsuki also knew this, so he asked the owner if he could provide a meal, and the middle-aged uncle happily contributed all the ingredients he could find on the ship, and the iron pot on the coal stove quickly wafted the enticing aroma, and the Russian students also took out bacon, butter and bread from their bags. With simple tableware, the group ate deliciously, and gradually let go of the restraints, chatting about reality and dreams in the sky. In this way, a group of people of different nationalities and identities enjoy the sunset and starlight on the sea, fall asleep on their backs, and then usher in a new day in the cool sea breeze.

Woo......

The melodious whistle sound from the morning fog made the young people who had been waiting for nearly a day both relieved and full of anticipation, and the sea in the distance was hazy, and it was impossible to distinguish whether it was the black smoke from the ship's chimney or the fog that had not yet dispersed. Denisov tried to use the kerosene lamps and cardboard on the barge to signal the other party, but the rumbling sound of the ship kept approaching, and the agreed light signal was not visible in his sight.

It was only at this time that Natsuki realized that the situation was not good - according to historical records, the Russian fleet sailing from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean not only lacked reliable logistical support, but was also plagued by various rumors from the beginning, so that people were panicked and the grass and trees were all in danger, and there was a ridiculous incident of accidentally hitting a fishing boat in European waters, and the British government, which had signed an alliance with Japan, used this as an excuse to prohibit the Russian fleet from docking at British ports for coaling, and also forbade them to use the Suez Canal, which greatly increased the burden on the Russian fleet to sail long. It's not that Natsuki didn't remember this before, but the sky was clear when he set out from Kiel at noon the day before, and with a good line of sight, the Russians would not have opened fire on civilian ships in German waters even if they were dizzy, but now that the sea is foggy, the situation is completely different.

Just as Natsuki decided to avoid the dangerous Russian fleet, one of the Russian cadets pointed to the sea ahead and shouted, "Behold, St. Andrew's flag! Our warships! ”

In sight, a battleship with a ramming bow came out of the fog, and a striking St. Andrew's flag was hung on the bow flagpole, but the next scene stunned the people on the barge - the guard ships of the Russian fleet actually opened fire on them!

Natsuki, who had a premonition, immediately shouted "lie down", and several Russian students basically fell down subconsciously, and one of them also took advantage of the situation to press Christian down who was in place. The shells fired by the Russian ship immediately whistled, and the sound of breaking the air that sounded like it was grazing above the scalp made people really feel the lethal power of modern weapons, and before that, Xueba and his foodie partner were at best watching the artillery fire, and had never stood next to the target to listen to the sound of the cannonballs flying, and their hearts suddenly seemed to be suspended in the air. Fortunately, the Russian gunners' marksmanship was as unreliable as their nerves, and the shells landed sixty or seventy meters from the barge, and the result was that some small splashes of water fell on Natsuki and them.

Among the Russian trainees, Denisov was the first to come to his senses, he continued to use kerosene lamps to signal lights, while shouting loudly in Russian, and the other Russian trainees quickly recovered from their shock, they waved desperately on the barge deck, but the Russian destroyer did not immediately cease fire, until the distance between the two sides was closer to less than a nautical mile, and the damned cannon finally subsided, and in the process, Natsuki and Christian had been lying on the deck tightly, and he hurriedly got up before the Russian trainees looked back, Having kicked his companion in the ass with the tip of his shoe, Christian woke up from a dream, kneeling up and drawing a cross on his chest, reciting words from the Bible.

Seeing someone waving on the destroyer in front of him, Denisov lowered his hands with relief, remembering that there were two other noble princes on his ship, he suddenly turned around and saw the princes standing there in prostration, one kneeling reverently to thank him, and he was truly relieved.

"Your Highnesses, I'm really sorry to have caused you to suffer together, we will definitely try our best to find out the cause of the misunderstanding just now, and I sincerely ask for your understanding and forgiveness!"

Before Natsuki could speak, Christian, who was still thanking God just now, jumped up and said angrily, "What kind of bullshit misunderstanding is this? Your warships are firing at us! This is Germany's territorial waters, this is Germany's ships, firing at us? What a serious diplomatic incident, huh! ”

Denisov was speechless and hung his head in disappointment. He should have been well aware of the current state of the Tsarist Russian Navy, the reasons for such a lame mistake, and the bad nature of the matter. As long as the two princes returned and told the story of what had happened, and the testimony of the barge owner, the German government would certainly ask Russia for an explanation, which would make the situation even worse for the Russian government. Once St. Petersburg thoroughly investigated the matter, several of their cadets could not escape the blame, and even if they were able to avoid prison, their military career would be hopeless.

After the mistaken attack just now, the Russian destroyer slowly approached like a child who knew its mistake, and many sailors gathered on the foredeck to look around, Natsuki saw a confused and uneasy look on their faces, although their uniforms were very neat, and they did not look like a well-trained and high-morale team.

The fog cleared on the sea, and the huge Russian fleet finally came into view. At a cursory glance, this fleet is majestic, and the long single column at sea is like a giant sea serpent with no end in sight; On closer inspection, the fleet members are of a variety of styles, old and new, ranging from large battleships with modern looks and lines, to antiques with steam-powered sail facilities, and many auxiliary ships that are not worthy of battleship. It is hard to imagine that these ships could be combined into a fleet to sail at the same time, not only from the Gulf of Finland, but also halfway around the world to East Asia. They don't feel like an expedition of significance, but rather a group of ships on a parade – new ships showcasing the latest industrial technology, and old ships reminiscing about the past days.

Faced with this Russian fleet that is difficult to describe in words, Natsuki can't help but think of the comments in the history books: as the Japanese siege of Arthur intensified, the Russian Pacific Fleet was in a precarious situation, and the Russian army's attempts to support Arthur from the north repeatedly failed, Tsar Nicholas II was like a gambler who lost his eyes, gathered the ships that could be used in the country, and formed a large but ineffective fleet, which was rushed to the battlefield thousands of miles away with a group of incompetent officers and a group of sailors who could not even swim, So before the battle began, the tragic end was already doomed.

Seeing that Natsuki had no intention of pursuing further, Christian also closed his mouth angrily, and the tolerance of the German princes made Denisov and the Russian cadets who accompanied him very grateful, and they boarded the destroyer and saluted in line on the side of the ship.

"Goodbye, friends, and may good luck be with you!" Natsuki waved his hand.

After saying goodbye to the Russians, Christian asked incomprehensibly, "Why make friends with such a group of frustrated people?" ”

Natsuki looked at the Russian ships passing by this sea area and sighed, "It is not their responsibility to weaken the country, and the courage and quality of standing up even though they know that the road ahead is full of difficulties and dangers is worthy of respect." Maybe one day we'll meet again, and maybe they'll already be good naval commanders, and having such a group of friends isn't a bad thing. ”

"Even if they can be first-class commanders, will Russia be able to build a first-class fleet?" Christian said disdainfully.

"The state may collapse, but the state will not disappear." Natsuki blended the original historical trajectory into this hidden word, and then warned in the spirit of drawing inferences from one case to another: "We should take the situation in Russia as a warning, be prepared for danger in times of peace, plan before acting, and do not be blinded by the scenery on the top of the mountain." ”

Christian pouted: "Well, the top of the mountain is still far away, but Your Highness, you are already enjoying the scenery on the top of the mountain at this moment!" ”

Natsuki looked at this bare-ass playmate who didn't only know how to eat and sleep with some surprise, and just now he inadvertently woke himself up: now that he has a near-perfect performance in speedboat technology and naval schoolwork, there is no pressure to continue to focus on these two aspects, but it is no different from standing on the top of a mountain and looking at the scenery. The road is at your feet, and the key is to step up to the higher peaks.

(End of chapter)