It was a sunny day in late 1915, and Norfolk, the sea gate of Washington, D.C., the most important naval base on the East Coast of the United States, and one of the largest and most advanced military ports in the world, welcomed two groups of unusually distinguished guests on the same day.

It was a lively morning, and the military harbor was full of colorful flags, and all the warships staying in the harbor were neatly moored in the berths to the north, and the berths in the southwest and west were reserved for the visiting ships that were about to enter the harbor. On the docks, there was a sea of people, and the military bands in bright clothes and neat queues occupied a large area at the front, various instruments glittered in the sun, and hundreds of people played "Song of the Star-Spangled Banner", "Germany above All", "Friendship Lasts Forever" and other tunes, and the tunes of various styles were carried far and far in the wind.

Behind the marching band was a large crowd of government officials, military personnel, and ordinary people, and everyone here was waiting in anticipation, and it looked like they had been waiting for a while.

"Which fleet should be allowed to come first? Ahem, damn it, why did they arrive in the same morning? In a tower not far from the pier, a middle-aged man in a white military uniform muttered bitterly. In this cold winter, I am afraid that few people in the whole United States will take out their handkerchiefs to wipe their sweat as often as he does. Don't look like he's choked by the question, but he has two shining Venus on his shoulders! This is rare in the U.S. Navy, but he is so small compared to the figures in the two fleets outside the harbor.

According to the arrangements of the Naval Conference, the ships of the delegations participating in the meeting will make a brief stop in Norfolk and then be accompanied by United States Navy personnel on board the ship and then bound for Washington. The German fleet should have arrived yesterday, the Austro-Hungarian fleet entering port today, followed by the Japanese, Russian, and Turkish fleets for the next three days. However, the plan could not be changed, and the German fleet was a day behind schedule due to the weather, so the two fleets appeared outside Norfolk Military Port on the same morning. It stands to reason that the German fleet should be the first to enter the port, but the Austrians thought they had arrived on time and should have entered the port on time. This caused a headache for the US admirals who were responsible for welcoming the fleets of the two countries.

The person next to him was also dressed in a white military uniform, with three stars on his shoulders, which were inferior in size and color to the former. Although he is not at the same level, he is also considered to be the number one figure in Norfolk, you must know that the higher the rank, the more troubles he has, although he is not as anxious as the former, but he does not dare to relax at all.

"General. The White House has repeatedly asked us to receive them discreetly and politely! Naturally, there is nothing to say if you want to come to the port first, but those who enter the port later must feel that they can't get over the face, and if any big man on the ship is unhappy, it will be a diplomatic dispute! Troublesome! What a hassle! ”

"Of course I do!" The general with two gold stars once again took out his handkerchief, wiped it twice on his forehead, and said: "To be honest, I don't like the Germans, and of course, I don't have any good feelings for the Austrians!" I always felt that both of them were biased towards the Japanese, but there was no way, who told us to be at a disadvantage in front of them? ”

"It's all to blame on the damn Japanese, one day I'm going to have their emperor shine our shoes!"

At this time, the Japanese emperor who was far away in Tokyo naturally did not feel uneasy because of this small curse. The Japanese Navy's visiting fleet, which was carrying the Japanese delegation, would enter this military port in one more day. It will be a time when warships are gathering and the event is unprecedented, and it is said that a grand parade will be held in the nearby sea.

The general of the two Venus stars did not stop the latter's bad words, and he suddenly frowned. He looked at the door with great displeasure, and a man he didn't want to see now was walking by.

"General, the German fleet and the Austro-Hungarian fleet have sent another signal, and they have asked to enter the harbor......" the communications officer reported with a helpless face, "and this is their third inquiry!" ”

"Tell them we're adjusting the berths in the harbor and ask them to wait a little longer!"

"Yes!" After receiving a reply from his superiors, the communications officer fled the place relieved, and no one could guarantee that the grumpy general would be able to speak so calmly in the next second.

"The inefficiency of those people in Washington is so low that they haven't heard back yet! Oh. O my God! A German emperor, an Austro-Hungarian emperor, I actually made them wait outside the harbor for an hour, and they will continue to wait! I really don't know what's going to happen next! The general said and put his hand in his pocket, but this time he finally didn't take out his handkerchief, but grabbed the phone next to him, "Hey, pick up the White House ...... for me."

At this time, the atmosphere in the two fleets outside Norfolk Military Port was not at all as tense as the Americans imagined.

Compared to the Germans' ocean-going fleet consisting of a new type of battle cruiser, three cruisers and a hospital ship. The scale of the Austro-Hungarian fleet is much larger, and the combined forces-class battleship "St. István" and the Radetz-class battleship "Zollini" are the absolute main force of the Austro-Hungarian Navy at present, of which "St. István" is the latest of the four combined forces class to be launched, and although the displacement and firepower of the "Zollini" are not as good as the "St. István", they are also new warships launched in 1911. These two capital ships were followed by four escort ships - the armored cruiser "Santangezog", the light cruisers "Aspe" and "S. Bowen", the auxiliary cruiser "Count Josepe", plus two 10,000-ton ocean-going supply ships "Rourke" and "Tata", a total of 8 ships, the total tonnage is almost twice that of the German fleet.

The German fleet, which was waiting to enter the port, was temporarily anchored about 3 nautical miles directly east of Norfolk Harbor, while the Austro-Hungarian fleet was about 2 nautical miles south of the German fleet.

In the command room of the "Lützov", Marshal Bohr and the captain of the ship were silently drinking coffee, but they did not tolerate the neglect of the Americans because of their good temper, nor because the Austro-Hungarian fleet was also waiting to enter the port, but because they were thinking about another thing in their heads.

It was only two days earlier that the officials, who had been worried about the Kaiser for various reasons, learned of the coup d'état at home, and that the Emperor had long since left the fleet and quietly returned to his homeland to suppress the rebellion. The people were naturally surprised by this unexpected change and the emperor's bold whereabouts, but they were even more embarrassed that the coup d'état, which involved many dignitaries and generals, was suppressed in just one day, and the subsequent trial and execution of the putschists can only be described as "lightning fast": the six princes of the former Emperor Wilhelm II are believed to have led the coup, and Ettel Friedrich committed suicide. Five others, including Prince, were taken to the interior and exiled from their titles and ranks; Officers involved in the coup were dismissed from their posts or punished even more severely; After the Janissaries and the Bavarian army entered Württemberg, the Albrechts had lost their foothold in the Kingdom of Württemberg; Germany has sent a telegram to the French government in the south on the issue of the French in the coup, demanding that the French hand over all those involved in the coup within two weeks, otherwise Germany will not rule out the possibility of military action......

Not far away, the flag of the Kaiser's land was still flying on the mast of the German hospital ship Huber, and Bohr and others had no objection to this, after all, there was still a German queen there. In addition, Bohr received a telegram from the Kaiser. He himself has already flown to the United States in an airship and will arrive in the near future, and the German Foreign Office is negotiating with the United States Government in the hope that the Americans will agree to fly directly to Washington on the airship he is travelling in......

Pol put down his coffee cup and rubbed his temples with his fingers, although he was one of the more knowledgeable members of the fleet, he was quite surprised by what had happened before, and at the same time glad that he was not connected to Friedrich. It is said that several admirals close to the former prince have been dismissed, and the top brass of the War Department has also made certain adjustments in response. Considering that not long ago, Bohr was worried about whether anything unusual would happen during the Kaiser's departure from the country, but now it seems that all worries are gone.

In fact, it is not difficult to understand what happened not so long ago for any politically savvy person who knew that the Kaiser had reached a secret agreement with Ludwig III and his eldest son Ruprecht half a year earlier. Pity. This secret will be kept by all three of them. No one will ever know.

It is no coincidence, but at this time the topic of the flagship of the Austro-Hungarian fleet, "St. Istvan", also revolved around the coup d'état and counterinsurgency in Germany. Vienna's diplomats reacted strongly to this momentous event, which hardly had any prior call-up. From their point of view, the matter is more of a regretful attitude, because apart from the casualties of nearly 10,000 soldiers, thousands of people involved, and the serious damage to an old imperial palace, Germany has not suffered any military or domestic damage.

In addition to praising the "wonderful", the Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince Karl had to reevaluate his German opponent. Although the situation in Gibraltar has stabilized in recent times, it is certain that in the future, the conflict of interests between Austria-Hungary and Germany will be most prominent, the fortress of Gibraltar, the fortress of Tunisia and the Suez Canal are all important strategic bases in the hands of the Germans, and at the same time the power of Austria-Hungary is closed in the Mediterranean, which seriously affects the Austro-Hungarian Empire to become a truly world-class maritime power. At the court of Vienna, many believed that within ten years there would be a war between Austria-Hungary and the German Empire, and that the winner would not only gain the strategic initiative in the Mediterranean region, but also greatly change the situation in the world.

As for the victory with Germany in ten years, it is geometric. Karl's staff members were divided on this, with the unanimous opinion that at least an alliance with a sufficiently strong country was needed.

Russia!

This is Karl's suggestion, and it is the one that has been the most controversial. Opponents argue that the greatest enemy of Austria-Hungary for decades has been Russia, and that the two countries have been able to live in peace only because of the treaty of alliance, but no one can guarantee how long this peace will last.

After the coup d'état and the purge in Germany, the voice of support in Karl's ears became even more obvious - more and more people realized that the current Kaiser was not the reckless and barbaric man of Wilhelm II, and that he had been on the throne for less than a year, and that he was able to respond extremely quickly and effectively in the face of such a sudden coup d'état, which made most analysts exclaim that another Frederick the Great had appeared! It is not known whether Chentian will be able to "have no regrets" about this life when he dies like Frederick II. However, once they are identified as powerful figures of the Frederick or Napoleonic style, the surrounding countries will inevitably panic, and according to historical precedents, the emergence of the "strangulation alliance" is a matter of time.

"Your Highness, this morning His Majesty the Emperor fell into a coma again, the imperial physician of the court has done a comprehensive examination, His Majesty has no worries about his life for the time being, but it is only a matter of time......" Franz, Konrad von, Baron Herzendorf reported the latest information on Vienna to the Crown Prince in a low tone, this baron is still the chief of the general staff of Austria, and in the case of the army commander, Grand Duke Friedrich, has actually become the leader of the Austrian army, It has a strong influence in the Austro-Hungarian army.

For such a figure, Karl, as the crown prince, naturally does not despise it, and for the future ruler of the empire, Conrad is also actively pandering. In addition, compared with the mildness and prudence of the old Austrian Emperor, Karl was completely ambitious, and Conrad was a member of the Viennese warmongerings, and the two hit it off, and Conrad had expressed his absolute loyalty to Karl in private for a long time. After that, Conrad enthusiastically attracted contacts for the new master, and in addition to the army generals, after receiving the promise of strengthening the navy investment and construction, the commander-in-chief of the navy, Admiral Anton House, threw himself into the new crown prince.

Despite the fact that Franz Joseph I's illness was well known, the generals present tried to put on a sad face.

"Oh, poor old man......" Karl looked sympathetic and sad, but in reality he had no feelings for the old emperor, and he had rarely even met Joseph I before becoming crown prince. However, the suicide of Joseph I's only son, Rudolph, who eloped with his lover in the early years, and the assassination of Karl's uncle, the hapless new Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand, transformed Karl from an ordinary royal prince to one of the most prominent figures in the empire.

At this time, no one doubted whether the 85-year-old Joseph I had reached the limit of his life, and it was an indisputable fact that Karl would ascend to the throne in a short time. As for the future direction of the Austro-Hungarian warship, the decision was not only made by the Austrian magnates who came to the United States on the "St. István", but people did not know that there was another important figure who would influence the future of the empire.

At 10:20 a.m., Washington finally gave an answer that was both happy and somewhat ridiculous: the German and Austrian fleets entered the port at the same time!