When she left Brandenburg, Charlotte was overjoyed to be able to get the Kaiser and Empress acquiescing, although Charlotte had not yet been able to wear Natsuki's engagement ring on her fingers. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoIn this way, the two were able to put down the boulder that had been hanging on their hearts and go to Blomburg with relative pleasure. It will be a truly free world for them.

It was only four hours by train from Brandenburg to Blomburg, all of which were in the heart of the German Empire, and there was no theoretical danger of safety. Therefore, Natsuki did not go to great lengths to call the royal special train, but chartered a luxury car on an ordinary passenger train. Uncle Wiesel arrived from Danzig with more than a dozen shipyard security guards to take over the spy agents who had been protecting Natsuki and Charlotte from the Netherlands to escort them for the rest of their journey.

After boarding the car and setting off, Natsuki finally breathed a sigh of relief, this time in Brandenburg was quite smooth, but after all, he owed Crown Prince Wilhelm a favor, and with his character, he must have something to ask for in the future. Moreover, the professional prudence of the spy agents always makes the atmosphere tense, not to mention Charlotte along the way, even Natsuki himself feels uncomfortable. Although Uncle Wizel is not a housekeeper, for a long time in the past, he has not only shouldered the management and operation of the shipyard, but also taken care of Natsuki in terms of life, and his arrival immediately played a reassuring role for Natsuki.

I didn't have to worry about it before, and the journey became easier. The young couple who fell in love interlocked their fingers and leisurely enjoyed the scenery outside the window. Charlotte had been to Germany a few times before, and had seen Bavaria's unique landscapes, but she had never been as deep into the heart of the empire as she is now. So, Natsuki became a free guide, and with his rich knowledge of history and geography, Charlotte listened to it with relish.

Soon after the train passed through Berlin, it was not as lush as London, nor as romantic and artistic as Paris, but its simplicity and majesty reflected the national character of the country.

Because it is only a route, the train only makes a short stop at Antehar station at the southern end of the city. While waiting for the train to restart, Natsuki lifted the corner of the curtain and looked out, inadvertently spotting a familiar face.

Countess of Savoy?

Although the beautiful and grim face only flashed in the crowd, Natsuki was sure that it must be her.

Coincidence or ......

Under the pretext of washing his face, Natsuki came to the corridor of the carriage and instructed his entourage: if a lady in a long black dress came to him, he would immediately report to Wizel, and he would report to him personally.

Immediately afterwards, Natsuki separately told Wiesel that if the Countess of Sava came, he should not mention her name when reporting to him, but use "old subordinate" as a code word.

The only reason Natsuki took such pains was because he didn't want to make Charlotte sad because of the Countess's affairs. Shortly after the train started, Uncle Wizel called out Natsuki under the pretext of an excuse. The Countess of Savoy did not appear, but a blonde young man sent a secret letter saying that it was a kind reminder from an old friend.

Natsuki opened the letter, and the note inside read: I know that the British will take Charlotte away at any cost, and I am afraid that it will be unfavorable to you, so I hope to be cautious. Your friend, Amy.

Natsuki was secretly surprised by the contents of the note, and in just a few tens of seconds, he made a decision: he ordered Wiesel to send someone to get off the train at the next stop of the train, and send three telegrams from the telegraph office, one to Crown Prince Wilhelm, who was still in Brandenburg, one to Admiral von Mayne, the chief of the naval garrison at Danzig, and one to Herdt, the steward of the prince's domain in Blomburg.

After arranging it, Natsuki returned to Charlotte as if nothing had happened. The 17-year-old Englishwoman had been bumpy and tossy since she left Hill Manor, and she had endured a difficult test in Brandenburg, and now that the train was heading east, she was getting farther and farther away from her parents, and there was only one person she could rely on in this strange country - what reason did Natsuki have to bear more worries and worries?

In broad daylight, the train finally arrived safely at Blomburg. Natsuki had planned to arrange a hearty and special lunch for Charlotte here, and then take her on a tour of this historic and peaceful town. Now the situation has changed, and they have a light meal on the train, and as soon as they get off the train, they change to the bus without any stopovers. By the time they arrived at the Prince's Domain, the perimeter had been temporarily guarded by the staff of the Aero Club, and the castle was guarded by the accompanying shipyard guards.

With the size of the prince's territory, a few dozen people could not be assured, not to mention that they had neither formal military training nor strong and effective weapons at hand, and they would be full of loopholes until dark. Therefore, as soon as Natsuki settled down, he called General Mayne and learned that the general had urgently transferred 200 naval infantry on the pretext of armed training, and his heart was reassured.

In the middle of the afternoon, everything was normal around the territory, and the castle's housekeeping was well organized under the care of the steward Herdt. Except for the maid who arranged for the new mistress, the rest of the servants were busy preparing spare rooms for the incoming naval infantrymen to stay and preparing dinners for nearly 300 people.

Towards dusk, the convoy carrying naval infantry finally arrived in the territory. Natsuki felt more intimate when he saw the figures wearing navy round hats and carrying Mauser rifles, and when the officers of this team came forward to report, he was even more pleasantly surprised to see a former classmate and partner on the field: Joanne Eckerle.

More than two years after graduation, this winger, who is known for his speed, has already reached the rank of lieutenant in the navy, and his promotion speed is not fast, but his whole person is full of a full, optimistic, and positive mental outlook, and I think he has gained a lot in his military life in the past two years.

"Your Royal Highness, the 9th Naval Garrison of Danzig, Captain Karl Chilmann has been ordered to report for duty!" The leader of the group was a steady officer, about thirty-five years old, of standard build, and his voice was full of energy.

Natsuki shook hands with him and said, "Hello, Captain Chilman, it's been a hard journey. ”

"It's an honor to work for you." The captain replied, "Let me introduce you, this is Lieutenant Eckerle, the first platoon leader, this is the quartermaster Lieutenant Tendorf, this is the second platoon leader, Second Lieutenant Wright, and this is the third platoon leader, Second Lieutenant Stephens." In accordance with General Mayne's orders, from now on, all the officers and men of the 2nd Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Naval Garrison of Danzig shall be placed under your full command. ”

Natsuki smiled and waved his hand, and after shaking hands cordially with Qiao An and the other three officers, he said, "It's really a last resort to send you here temporarily, and I won't give you any orders or interfere with your command without a formal order." Captain Chilman, Lieutenant Eckerle, Lieutenant Tendorf, all three of you, please come in with me. ”

Without hesitation, the three officers followed Natsuki into the castle.

In the case of the naval company in front of him, if the company commander Chilmann was unable to perform his command duties, Eckerler would take his place, then Lieutenant Tendorf and two other second lieutenants.

On the side of the main hall, Natsuki contacted their superior, General von Mayne, the commander of the garrison at the Danzig base, by phone, and asked the general to give a garrison order to the "armed training" force in a suggestive tone.

Over the phone, the captain heard the general's new instructions with his own ears, and he replied in succinct language: "Yes, General, I understand, and I will never disappoint your expectations." ”

Ending the call, Chilman turned to the two subordinate officers and said, "The general has ordered us to conduct a land garrison defense training here, with the castle as the center, and within 10 kilometers is the warning area, and no one is allowed to enter without permission." ”

This may seem redundant, but it is by no means "superfluous", and this arrangement allows Natsuki, Mayne, and Chilman to formally avoid the taboo of "using their power to mobilize the army". They have achieved their goals, but they are at ease.

After going through the cutscenes, the four returned to the door. Chilman immediately conveyed the new "training mission" to the other two platoon commanders, and Natsuki had an intimate conversation with Eckerle:

"How did it feel to stay in the garrison for two years?"

"It's not as easy as it seems. We take turns to defend once every six months, and we have to operate artillery, guns, and torpedoes. ”

"Oh, that's the essence of the German naval garrison." As he spoke, Natsuki remembered his experience serving on the "Alsace" and "Nassau", and he could indeed learn a lot of useful things in the grassroots army, but his vision and ability were also limited to a certain extent. If he hadn't been transferred to the Navy General Staff later, Natsuki would only be proficient in fleet operations, and would only have a shallow theoretical understanding of port defense and fortress garrison.

"yes!" "I did learn a lot of useful things in the past two years, and I had a great time with my colleagues, but I couldn't find the mood I had when I was at the Naval Academy." ”

"Is it because of the lack of passion for football?" Natsuki laughed.

"Well, although football has been playing, the strength of the team is too weak, and there are few opportunities to enjoy victory...... How high-spirited we were back then! Even though Eckerle was emotional, there was no complaint in his eyes and expression, and it was clear that he was satisfied with his current situation, but this did not mean that he was a capable person. On the pitch, he is known for his excellent short-range explosiveness, but also has a broad vision and flexible thinking, so he firmly occupies the position of the main winger in the team full of talents; Off the court, he is modest and low-key, has no quarrel with others, and is diligent and focused enough in his studies, even if he does not reach the level of indifference to fame and fortune and tranquility, he also belongs to the type of person with a good mentality.

As he spoke, the officers and men of the naval garrison were already lined up in the open space in front of the castle waiting for Natsuki's review. To be sure, their uniforms were not straight enough, their rifles were too bulky, and they ranged from milky boys to bearded uncles, and they were used for parades a lot worse than the Third Reich army, but they were loyal and simple, and in the First World War in history, the German army often lost hundreds of thousands of people in a single battle, and the soldiers were able to rush forward one after the other without losing their morale.

The scene-based review was nothing new, and after the announcement of its disbandment, Natsuki studied the equipment configuration of this naval garrison company with great interest. A long time ago, he had been planning to integrate the German Navy's marine forces, and to organize the traditional marines and coastal garrisons that fought with ships into marine brigades and divisions that conformed to the trend of development, and equipped them with appropriate weapons and tactics to make them an expansion and extension of the naval strategy.

Because the production of Mauser 1898 was not enough to meet the needs of the army, the non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the garrison company still used Type 88 rifles. Both firearms are common to 7. The performance indicators of 92 mm caliber bullets are not far apart, but the failure rate of Type 88 rifles is high, and there are hidden dangers such as the neck of the cartridge case is easy to break when the shell is drawn, the chamber pressure is too large and it is easy to explode, and the magazine is easy to jam.

The non-commissioned officers and enlisted men were slightly outdated in their weapons, but the five officers were not ambiguous in their armaments - they were the famous Luger pistols. When the German Army adopted the Luger semi-automatic pistol as its standard equipment and named it the "Luger 08", the German Navy had been distributing the pistol to officers for four years, and its specifications and performance were the same as the army version.

(End of chapter)