At the height of the clouds, the largest flying machine ever built, the Zeppelin, flew faster than most birds. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 The Info is a rigid airship with a wooden or aluminium frame covered in fabric skin, with several large airbags, usually filled with hydrogen, and one or two pods attached under the hull to carry personnel and supplies. In just over a decade since its invention, the Zeppelin has entered the stage of practical use, not only in Germany, but also in many countries and regions in Europe and even the world, people can see this behemoth like a prehistoric giant flying slowly through the air. In the eyes of mortals, this airship seems to be just an enhanced and improved version of a hot air balloon, but it is not known that its technology content is more than an order of magnitude higher than that of a hot air balloon. By 1914, the largest and best airship had a length of 163 meters, a diameter of 18 meters, and a volume of 3. 30,000 cubic meters, with a payload of more than 10 tons, equipped with 4 gasoline engines with propeller blades, and the maximum speed can reach 140 kilometers per hour in the windless state.

For more than ten years, people have seen airships bigger than one another, and the relatively inconspicuous pods under the hull are also quietly "evolving": at the beginning, the airship pod is basket-shaped or boat-shaped, the space is narrow, the air blows, the pod and the engine are placed together, and the working environment is very bad, and after continuous improvement, the latest Zeppelin, the pod has been integrated with the hull, and the thin tempered glass not only blocks the cold wind and rain, but also blocks the mechanical noise emitted by the external engine.

In such a quiet and pleasant airship pod with clear windows, Xia Shu half lay on the leather seat, holding "Gone with the Wind" in one hand and a simple small steel cup in the other, with a leisurely and comfortable attitude. By this time it was February 1914, the Great Powers were openly and covertly rearming for war, and the mutual checks and balances between the two camps of the Central Powers and the Entente had made the situation in Europe generally stable, and the greatest unstable factor still came from the Balkans - the decaying Ottoman Empire was actively reorganizing its army with the help of the Germans, and had made remarkable progress under the careful guidance of the German army advisers headed by General von Sanders, and the desire to regain the lost territory was growing day by day. At the same time, relying on the victory of the two Balkan wars, Serbia's national strength is getting stronger, and it has the support of Russia, and the ambition and motivation to establish a "Greater Yugoslav Federal State" are becoming stronger, which directly threatens the stability of Austria-Hungary, because once Serbia becomes Greater Yugoslavia, a large number of Slavs in Austria-Hungary are likely to launch a separatist movement, which will put Austria-Hungary in a bad situation of being attacked from the back, so from 1912, The conflict between the Austro-Crarian General Staff's imaginary enemy of war was sharply intensified by the fact that the number one enemy of the war had changed from Tsarist Russia to Serbia, which also regarded Austria-Hungary, which had forcibly annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908, as its number one rival. Serbia, which was relatively weak, not only actively expanded its military strength, but also connived at and even secretly supported various radical groups to confront and weaken Austria-Hungary through assassination and other means.

After more than six hours of flying, the LZ-39, the zeppelin nominally owned by Drager Casement, made its 11th flight to Ireland – and Natsuki was the third time in his life that he came to the "Emerald Green Island". Because of Charlotte's relationship, he has often dreamed of this wildflower-filled land lately, so when its outline and colors are truly presented in front of him, Natsuki puts down his book and cup and stares at the scenery outside the cabin for a long time. The towns that have not been polluted by industry seem to be mottled by the natural growth of the earth, and there seems to be no sense of disharmony in the slightest, and the slender roads are like meridians on the leaves, winding and communicating without distracting the dense phobia.

Soon, Dublin, Ireland's millennial capital, an idyllic and quaint idyllic city, appeared beneath the airship. Under the skillful control of the German pilot, the LZ-39, which is equipped with a number of advanced technologies, descended smoothly, and then moored to the more than 20-meter-high aviation tower by a cable like a ship in port. The staff waiting here quickly set up a gangway between the platform at the top of the tower and the airship pod, although the huge airship fluttered irrepressibly in the wind, and when walking through the more than three-meter-long gangway, Natsuki did not feel like acrobatics. Of course, the technology of the zeppelin has not yet advanced to the point of ignoring the effects of the weather. If the wind exceeds level 6, the airship will not be able to dock smoothly, and if it exceeds level 8, they must stay in the airship warehouse, otherwise they will be damaged at any time.

The airship departed directly from Germany, and the Drager-Casment Airlines was under the de facto control of the Germans, with Natsuki without an entourage and the car that took him to Limerick waiting under the tower. However, before he could get into the car and leave, two uniformed British officials stopped him in his way.

Natsuki took a look, one of the two was a British army captain, and the other was a customs inspector. The former wears a pistol around his waist, and the latter is empty-handed.

Not far away were two sedans and a truck, their appearance was not clearly marked, but the drivers of both sedans were uniformed, and in the cab of the truck sat two soldiers, the compartment covered with canvas, and it was estimated that a group of soldiers was on call inside.

The chubby customs inspector said politely, first in English and then in German: "Hello, sir, in accordance with the laws of our country, we need to verify your identity and carry out the necessary checks, please understand and cooperate." ”

Without waiting for Natsuki to speak, the person who came to greet him hurriedly stepped forward to explain: "This is a royal guest from Germany, and he has applied for a special pass from the defense and customs department, and he is not required to be inspected according to the regulations. ”

The Customs Inspector still said politely: "Rao, we still need to check the identity of the personnel." In addition, we have just received an order to identify the airship as having dangerous explosives on board, so we are sorry that we have to carry out the necessary checks. ”

The person who answered was about to continue arguing, but Natsuki stopped: "It's okay, this Mr. Inspector is just a routine. ”

With that, Natsuki took out his passport, special pass, and the book "Gone with the Wind" from his coat pocket.

Under the indifferent gaze of the British captain, the customs inspector carefully checked the documents and read the ninety percent new book several times.

"Do you still need a body search?" Natsuki asked proactively. When he said this, he proudly held his chest high, his chin raised, and his eyes looked down at the other.

Not only the people who came to greet them, but also the staff inside and outside the tower also looked at this side with strange eyes.

The customs inspector shrunk his neck: "Venerable Prince Joachim, can you take off your coat when it comes to your next duty?" ”

Natsuki looked around, and he didn't see any familiar faces except for the people on his side, but he knew that it must be someone he knew who had an ulterior motive for making this arrangement.

According to common sense, this request is a shame that is difficult for the high-ranking members of the royal family to accept, but people see Natsuki take off his trench coat as usual, and the clean and straight white shirt inside is paired with black shoulder pants, showing a youthful and simple temperament.

Natsuki handed the trench coat to the customs inspector and said in fluent English: "If you take a picture of me and Your Excellency now, and then publish it in the newspapers, I wonder if it will cause a sensation in public opinion, and how should friends from all over the world comment on this strange thing?" ”

After all, the British customs inspector didn't dare to reach out to pick up Natsuki's trench coat and coat, he looked at the British captain next to him, and said with an embarrassed face: "Okay, Prince Joachim...... Thank you very much for your cooperation, Your Highness, and welcome to Ireland. We will later check the other personnel on board the airship to ensure your reputation and personal safety. ”

"Oh, then I should express my gratitude for your work?" Natsuki sneered.

The customs inspector smiled wryly and moved out of the way, and the British captain next to him still looked at Natsuki coldly, but until Natsuki got dressed and got into the car, he didn't say a word, and he didn't make any moves to stop him.

In the car a little farther away, a gray-haired British general watched intently what was happening under the tower, and when the car in which the protagonist of the event was riding left, his expression changed from cold winter to gloomy clouds. After a while, the British captain, who was interrogating with the customs inspector, came alone to report the details of what had just happened.

After listening to the report, the gray-haired and bearded British general snorted coldly, waved his hand to signal the captain to retreat, and then ordered the driver: "Go back to Limerick." ”

The journey from Dublin to Limerick is 96 miles, or about 154 kilometers, and can be reached in just over an hour at the speed of an airship. Due to the refusal of the Irish authorities to approve the application of Drager-Casement Airlines to open the east-west route across Ireland, people are still forced to travel between the two cities by traditional means of transport - at the French Grand Prix International in the same year, Mercedes completed the 752 at an average speed of 105 kilometers per hour. The 6-kilometer race meant that the technology of the car at that time had reached a high level, but due to the limited road conditions, even the best cars could only drive on rough country roads at a speed of forty or fifty kilometers per hour or even slower.

After nearly three hours of jolting, Natsuki once again saw the square spire of Limerick Church. The biggest advantage of this itinerary is that it saves time, which is at least 18 hours shorter than taking a speedboat ride. For the idle princes and nobles, 18 hours was a matter of watching four or five plays, playing a few rounds of bridge, or fishing for two trips, but in 1914, most German officers were busy, and Natsuki, who was also the head of the technical department of the Naval Staff and the director of naval shipbuilding, was undoubtedly the busiest of the busy German officers. The four King-class battleships have all completed their hull construction work and are currently in full swing, and Natsuki is not only responsible for the progress and quality of their construction, but also must keep up with the pace of technological development, selecting and equipping them with the latest and greatest facilities and equipment; The four Bavaria-class battleships have all started, the development and trial production of the Krupp 15-inch naval gun has also entered the sprint stage, and the Krupp Arsenal is also responsible for the development of new siege guns for the army, in order to ensure the overall construction progress of the Bavaria-class, and strive to complete them in 1916, Natsuki uses the royal family to coordinate and is often busy.

In addition to his own work, Natsuki often accompanied Kaiser Wilhelm II or Navy Chief Tirpitz to observe the war games and tactical debates of the Naval Staff. With a total of 13 dreadnoughts in the Nassau, Helgoland and Caesar classes in service, the new all-heavy gun battleships proudly replaced the old battleships as the core strength of the Second Reich Navy, and it was clear that training, drills, and tactical preparations had to keep up with this change. Senior generals and senior staff officers are not willing to be left behind, and young officers also attach great importance to this opportunity to emerge, so whether in the process of tactical deduction or in the navy's academic newspapers and magazines, expositions abound and debates are everywhere. From the point of view of development, this is certainly a good phenomenon in which the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but the war is approaching, and the early determination of the tactical system is of great benefit to the officers and men on the front line to master, use, and give full play to the tactical utility, and in the German Navy, no one knows better than Natsuki the original design intentions and technical characteristics of dreadnoughts and battle cruisers at all levels, and no one can learn the lessons of history in advance like him. After a period of observation, Natsuki combined his wisdom and painstaking efforts to condense the most suitable tactical ideas for the German Navy, supplemented by eloquence and exquisite writing, which impressed his new and old colleagues again and again, and won an excellent reputation among the more receptive young officers.

Returning to Limerick, Natsuki came to this Irish port in the guise of a member of the German royal family, and what he did publicly could certainly not be a pickling girl. One was to attend the donation ceremony of medical drugs and equipment as a special envoy of the Swiss Red Cross International Committee, and the other was to attend the opening ceremony of the Limerick Rowing School as an honorary member of the International Rowing Federation. Both of these are good deeds that benefit the local people. In recent years, anti-German sentiment has risen in the British public, and because of the historical grievances between Ireland and Britain, many Irish people not only do not hate the Germans, but hope that they can bring new opportunities for Irish independence. In Limerick, Natsuki quickly won the favor of the people with his actions, and on the few occasions he took advantage of the few opportunities he gave a speech in jerky Irish, suggesting that he sympathized with and supported the great cause of freedom and independence of the Irish. The phrase "the brave pay tribute to the brave" made the pages of several Irish newspapers within a day, and then disappeared due to the official ban, and the powerful can never control people's inner thoughts.

On the fourth day of the event in Limerick, Natsuki attended a networking dinner hosted by Sir Kesment Ment, which was attended by a number of German businessmen and local Irish entrepreneurs. As soon as the dinner began, the British Admiral Duke of Hill, who was the military governor of Munster, came uninvited, and saw him dressed in a white uniform, accompanied by two officers with guns, striding up to the Prince of Prussia, and said with a cold expression:

"The British Government has historically only prevented the entry of 'undesirable persons', and Your Excellency is not currently among them, but we do not rule out the possibility of forcibly leaving the country if you continue to deliberately undermine the stability of Ireland and incite radicals. For a member of the royal family like you, this treatment would be a lifelong disgrace. ”

The duke took a "Your Excellency" in one bite, as if lowering the corresponding treatment of Xia Shu's status by one level.

From the other party's gaze, Natsuki could clearly feel the anger that had been accumulated for a long time, in fact, before he met Charlotte, the first meeting with Duke Hill, the situation did not develop in a good direction.

Some people are born destined to be adversaries.

Natsuki deliberately replied with a gentle gesture: "If I am not mistaken, there is no clause in British law that prohibits foreigners from donating medical supplies to the public, opening technical schools, and there is no provision that restricts foreigners from making goodwill speeches in public. So, what law and which provision has been violated by His Excellency the Duke of Lao? ”

Now that he has become an old enemy, the Duke is naturally not surprised by Natsuki's clever rebuttal, and he snorted coldly: "Your Excellency has always acted skillfully, of course, you will not easily leave a handle, so I am only here to remind Your Excellency now, not to use coercive means." ”

Natsuki wanted to sneer and laugh, but when he thought that the person in front of him was Charlotte's own grandfather after all, he smiled with a tolerant heart.

Duke Hill didn't appreciate it, he glanced at the people around him with a cold gaze, and then turned to leave.

After he stirred it up, the atmosphere of the dinner party was completely lost.

Natsuki walked up to Sir Kesment, who was full of helplessness, and said in a loud voice to the guests, "I'm sorry, everyone, because of me, I ruined everyone's kindness. It should be noted that there were indeed some personal differences between me and the Duke of Hill, which had nothing to do with the political positions of England and Germany. ”

It is vague to say, those who know are self-explanatory, and those who do not know are meaningless.

On the same night, a banquet of a similar size was held at Buckingham Palace in London, and of course, the status of the attendees was by no means comparable to that of small and medium-sized enterprises. During the banquet, the solemn Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, leaned in on the spirited King George V, and the two whispered around a strange code name, ShipoftheLine "T". The conversation was not long, George V's expression changed from sunny to cloudy, and Churchill spoke quickly, sometimes shaking his head, sometimes nodding, which made others very curious.

Finally, George V instructed: "The exact situation must be ascertained as soon as possible, just as it is necessary to master the recipe of a dish, the ingredients, the heat, and the seasoning." ”

Churchill then said: "There happens to be an absolutely crucial person in England, and with His Majesty's consent, I will arrange the operation and keep the most important secrets from him." ”

George V thought for a moment: "Is it him?" ”

"It's him." Churchill replied, "Right in Ireland, in Limerick, where the Duke of Hill is in office." ”

George V raised his eyebrows: "No wonder. ”

"If Your Majesty does not object, I will take charge of this matter and take all responsibility." The spirit of adventure was evident in the middle-aged Churchill.

George V hesitated.

"It's an opportunity that comes to chance." Churchill advised, "At the moment our overall technological superiority in the German Navy is very weak, and it is likely that they have overtaken him in many key technical areas, and this man is the key to determining the situation, and if we can find a breakthrough from him, we will reopen the gap, and it is more likely that we will be able to achieve peace for the next ten years." ”

George V looked at Churchill with astonishment: "Such a despicable and filthy act...... United Kingdom...... It's really getting to the point where you have to do it? ”

Churchill replied: "The lives of the British fleet and thousands of officers and men of the Navy are at stake, and there is really no need to be formal." Once on the battlefield, our enemies may not be able to speak of chivalry. ”

George V was silent.

(End of chapter)