In his own childhood, Natsuki's first window into the world was the French writer Jules. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoAround the World in Eighty Days by Verne. It was a classic published in 1872, and in fact, with the technical conditions of the seventies of the nineteenth century, one could have completed a cursory circumnavigation of the world in less than four months.

By the beginning of the 20th century, more convenient rail networks, faster ocean cruise ships, and the emergence of airship passenger transport had led to significant improvements in travel efficiency. However, for an old ship like the Charlotte, which uses a hybrid sail steam engine and exists to train naval personnel, the speed record is far from being felt. Traveling through the Baltic Sea, crossing the Atlantic, crossing the Pacific Ocean, entering the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean, crossing the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, and arriving at Constantinople, the "thousand-year-old city" through the Dardanelles, it took 127 days, excluding the number of days of stops along the way, it carried the German naval cadets on the sea for 101 days, a voyage of tens of thousands of kilometers, and the average speed was only a pitiful 4 knots.

From Europe to the Americas, from Asia to Africa, Natsuki has seen the cultural and geographical scenery of the world during this long journey, and this kind of hands-on experience is far more touching and rewarding than watching travel programs. The raging winds, torrential rains, exposure to the scorching sun and the bumps of the waves not only left a sunny and healthy complexion on him and his energetic companions, but also broadened the eyes of these young people, making their thinking more divergent and macroscopic.

On the day of arrival in Constantinople, all the officers and men of the "Charlotte" were greeted with great warmth by the hosts, so much so that it was like a summer breeze on this cold winter day.

Constantinople, also known as Istanbul, is the only city in the world that straddles two continents. Located at the crossroads of Eurasia, it has not been safe from the ravages of war for thousands of years. Today, it is the heart of the Ottoman Empire, a Muslim state founded by the Turks that once feared the nations of Europe. At its height in the 16th and 17th centuries, it expanded into Central Europe, with 1,200 square kilometers of land and a population of 40 million.

By the 18th century, unable to keep up with the pace of the Industrial Revolution, this ancient empire gradually fell behind and gradually declined in successive failed foreign wars, becoming the "sick man of Europe" that everyone deceived. It had one or two opportunities for reform to eradicate stubborn diseases and dead wood, but it was strangled by the powerful conservative forces and ended in vain. In the eyes of the great powers, this terminally ill landowner with thousands of acres of fertile land could choke his breath at any time, and all countries were trying to seize their family wealth, and they did not want their competitors to threaten their position because they had gained too much -- this included the weighing of their respective strategic interests by Britain, Russia, and Austria-Hungary, and the struggle for the right to exist by the Balkan countries or the various national forces seeking to establish a state, so an international political pattern of intrigue and mutual checks and balances was formed around the Ottoman Empire.

In this way, the tree that had long since decayed survived day after day, year after year, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the emerging European power, Germany, also joined the intricate competition. Because of their late rise, they never plundered an inch of the Ottoman Empire, nor did they participate in the military blockade of the Ottomans, and with this emotional advantage, they exerted positive influence in the fields of trade, finance, politics, and military, and played the role of mediator in the conflicts between the Ottomans and other countries, thus squeezing out Britain and becoming the new "protector" of the Ottoman Empire.

Most of the German naval cadets, including Natsuki, came to Ottoman Turkey for the first time. When people talk about this country, they often think of spices, copper plates, vases, tapestries, tobacco, coffee, barbecue, slaves, ...... As the leader of the *****, the country's human customs are very different from those of traditional European and Asian countries. In Istanbul, Natsuki and his companions not only experienced the true exoticism, but also witnessed a rare diplomatic victory for Wilhelm Germany, who had greatly strengthened their influence in the Near East by building and controlling the Berlin-Baghdad railway, reaping huge trade profits and a steady flow of rich mineral and oil resources to Germany. In addition to this, Germany also established close military relations with the Ottoman Empire, a large number of instructors here helped Turkey train troops, and Mauser rifles and Krupp cannons gradually became the standard weapons of the new Turkish army.

Thanks to the wise strategy of the Berlin side, the Charlotte received the warmest welcome along the Istanbul Marina. The ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdul Hamid II, appointed his youngest son, Fatih, to be in charge of the reception. The stocky, beardless Ottoman prince, who was twenty years older than Natsuki, was fluent in German, good at complimenting, and from the moment they met, he was extremely courteous to the German princes, and the German naval cadets enjoyed a royal treatment here. They traveled through the city in open-top carriages or Turkish sedan chairs, feasting sumptuous at the Ottoman royal palaces, and staying in ordinary rooms comparable to the royal residences of the presidential suites.

Guided by the attendants sent by Fatih, Natsuki and Christian entered a large golden bath. The Turkish bath is characterized by the use of high temperatures to make people sweat, and then shower the whole body with warm or cold water to remove dirt, rejuvenate muscles and bones, and eliminate fatigue.

Etiquette must be sought from people, this principle is common in ancient and modern China and abroad. Given that Fatih had previously given himself a set of silver tableware inlaid with gems as a welcome gift, Natsuki tentatively said, "Your Highness is so hospitable, we really don't know how to give it back!" ”

"Look at what Your Highness said." Fatih replied, "Everyone in Istanbul knows that I am a generous and sincere man, and as long as the two Highnesses regard me as a friend, they can say whatever they want, without any legal concerns." ”

"Well, Your Highness is really a generous and honest friend." "I have a Bochart pistol, with a gold body and enamel decorations, which His Majesty the Kaiser of Germany specially ordered from the factory, and there are only four of them in the world. I'll send a telegram back tomorrow and ask them to send someone to send it. ”

As soon as he heard Natsuki's words, Fatih's fox tail couldn't be hidden, and he hurriedly said: "It was customized for His Royal Highness by His Majesty the Honorable Emperor of Germany, and it is a priceless treasure that symbolizes honor, how dare I ask His Highness for it?" If Your Highness insists on giving me this friend something, hey, I heard that Your Highness is a world-class speedboat designer and runs the best shipyard in Germany, I don't know ......"

It turned out that the Ottoman prince wanted a new speedboat built by the Friedrich shipyard, and Natsuki couldn't help but smile.

After the sale of the "Kraken" design to the Italians, the Friedrich shipyard's technological superiority in the field of water racing was weakened for a time. Not only Italy, but also the United Kingdom and the United States and other national shipyards have also built speedboats with a top speed of more than 60 knots, so in the past two years, the British King's Cup, the Seine Cup and the Bremen Cup and other influential water races, the competition is unprecedentedly fierce, the speed record is constantly being refreshed, and people's enthusiasm for investing in speedboat projects with interest and interests has also reached a climax.

In Europe, top-notch speedboats sell for as much as large private yachts.

Driven by lucrative profits and political dictatorship, Germany's Daimler AG continues to offer higher power and better stability, and prioritizes supplies to domestic aviation and shipbuilding companies. In the spring of 1907, at the mouth of the River Thames, the German Friedrich shipyard team regained the King's Cup for the first time in two years, and their Sailfish also advanced the speed record on the water to an astonishing 71 knots. This time, the Friedrich shipyard rejected all offers and announced that it would dedicate this extremely high-performance speedboat to the German Kaiser.

Regardless of the true intentions of the Ottoman prince in wanting this kind of speedboat, Natsuki has always retained the designs of those speedboats with real military value, and the works that are only suitable for racing sports or military performances are displayed in competitive occasions, and the refusal to sell the "Sailfish" is mainly to arouse the British Navy's sense of crisis and induce them to invest more manpower and material resources in the field of torpedo boats and anti-lightning strikes. Judging by the British Navy's large order for high-speed torpedo boats and the over-staffing of secondary and tertiary secondary guns on the broadside of new large and medium-sized ships, this technical misdirection is gradually playing a role.

Before coming to Istanbul, or rather, two years earlier, Natsuki had listened to Wilhelm II and his Prime Minister Von at the dinner table. Speaking about the political situation in the Ottoman Empire, Bilo agreed that the repressive rule of the "bloody sultan" Abdul Hamid II would sooner or later lead to riots in the country. Fearing that German interests would be harmed, they suggested that the sultan strengthen the forces of the Guards and send additional German guards along the Baghdad Railway, but these actions did little to ease the bitter tensions within the Ottoman Empire.

Ostensibly Western-educated, more open-minded and more socially sophisticated than his father and brother, Natsuki learned from German diplomats in Ishtampur that the prince was really like - an Ottoman army commander who was a staunch pan-Islamist who spared no effort in persecuting minorities and was said to have a lot to do with the horrific massacres of Armenians by the Ottoman army. In addition, he is also a "master" of personal fraud, greed and wealth, addicted to alcohol and power schemes, but has no real military talent at all. For Natsuki, such a person is not worth deep friendship at all, but there is no need to refuse it bluntly. He promised to build Fatih a "dazzling" top-of-the-line speedboat "faster than any ship in the Mediterranean."

The Ottoman prince was overjoyed to receive Natsuki's verbal reply, and he probably thought that the Germans, who had done everything in a good way, would keep their promises, so he did not ask for specific details, and warmly invited Natsuki to inspect his troops.

Natsuki's development orientation is naval commander, but this does not mean that he will be insulated from land warfare. In his vision, a strong navy should be fully equipped, and the establishment of an advanced amphibious marine force is imperative and must go first. During his time in the Royal Library, he studied the Army's weapons, tactics, and tactics in detail, and then got some opportunities to listen to war games and combat training strategies at the General Staff. He accepted Fatih's invitation to review without hesitation.

(End of chapter)