Three weeks later, the Bremen Ferry Terminal. The blazing sun brings the summer heat www.biquge.info, gentlemen show off their sexy leg hair in shorts and stockings, and ladies frame their graceful curves with light gauze skirts. As the 20,000-ton giant mail ship "Kaiser Wilhelm II" slowly sailed into the port, the wharf was full of lace-edged beautiful umbrellas, gorgeous flowing sunhats and faces full of anticipation, and the roadside was full of extravagant luxury carriages and expensive high-end cars, all of which set off the popularity of the "Kaiser Wilhelm II" in German high society - comfortable, fast and reliable, this luxury mail ship named after the current emperor of Germany won the Atlantic Blue Ribbon Award soon after its completion. It symbolizes not only the skill of German shipbuilding, but also the wealth and nobility of this industrialized empire.

In the outdoor café a stone's throw from the pier, Xia Shu, who is dressed in white, white pants and white leather shoes, looks at the oceanic giant ship slowly approaching. His mentor and friend's partner, "Uncle Glasses" Nicholas. Wiesel, already aware of the good status of the special visitor, said in a tone of eagerness: "I hope Mr. Holland will like this country." ”

"He's going to at least love the country's hot springs." Natsuki replied jokingly. As he wished, 65-year-old John. Holland accepted the free trip to Baden Spa and will stop by the Friedrich shipyard to offer some technical advice on the design and construction of the submarine. With this important opportunity, Natsuki believes that he can use enough sincerity to keep Horan. In order to ensure that the treasure man could reach Germany, he arranged for the shipyard to send a working agent to the United States to accompany him throughout the journey, and four clever shipyard personnel were waiting at the docks. Obviously, the charm of the super cruise ship is comparable to that of the big stars on the stage, and the landing dock is crowded, and all you can see is all kinds of hats as far as the eye can see, and Natsuki and Uncle Wiesel have to wait patiently while drinking coffee.

Nearly a quarter of an hour later, the shipyard personnel in light gray overalls finally appeared, surrounded by a man with a large mustache, his hairline high and the few remaining hairs mixed with about a third of the white. With an oval face, medium height, thinness, and a pair of rimless glasses, Natsuki's first impression is that he is the same type of person as Uncle Wiesel.

Uncle Wiesel took a step forward, shook hands with the visitors, and said in fluent English: "Mr. Holland, we warmly welcome you to Germany. I am the Director of Operations at the Royal Friedrich Shipyard and I am honored to introduce to you this is His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Prussia, the Operations Executive of our shipyard. ”

Natsuki smiled and politely stretched out his hand, saying in his English accent of "Nine Years of Compulsory Education": "I am your admirer, Mr. Holland, and I am glad to have the opportunity to meet you in person. ”

The technical pioneer of modern submarines, the Irishman John. Holland had already taken off his hat and greeted him with a polite smile: "Hats off, Your Royal Highness the Prince." You speak very good English and it sounds like a southern Irish accent which makes me feel very relatable. ”

As soon as he heard this, Xia Shu was happy, and this bright smile reflected the sunshine and liveliness that a big boy should have.

"Your Excellency has worked hard all the way, do you want to sit down and drink a cup of authentic Bremen coffee, or go to the hotel for a short rest? We booked a train for 8pm and would arrive in Baden early tomorrow morning. ”

"His Royal Highness the Prince is so polite, this really overwhelms me." Holland clutched his hat in both hands, a gesture that did seem a little reserved, and he hesitated for a moment, then replied: "The road must be crowded with vehicles coming to pick up people now, and instead of moving slowly on the crowded road, it is better to sit here and enjoy a cup of coffee, I think we should be able to find a lot of common topics." ”

People who have lived in the United States for many years still have some noticeable differences in speech and behavior from most Europeans. Natsuki leaned sideways to invite Holland to take a seat, and he nodded slightly in thanks, then sat down directly next to the Prussian prince.

For many years, Natsuki has been uncomfortable with the overly restrained posture of the people around him, feeling that it has distanced people from each other, and John. Holland's free breath made him feel comfortable, and he really hoped that this good start would continue smoothly, so he also put aside all the usual etiquette and snapped his fingers at the waiter: "Another glass of 'special'." ”

After a while, a waitress dressed in a classic maid's outfit brings a cup of fragrant hot coffee and informs the guests in German that if the taste is not enough, they can add some sugar and milk to themselves.

Holland replied in German: "Okay, thank you!" ”

Natsuki was not surprised to learn more about Holland from the shipyard's agents, and he smiled and said, "Your Excellency's German is very good. ”

In the ordinary way of thinking, it is time to talk about where he learned his foreign language, but Holland replied: "German is very useful, I once had a very good assistant who was German, and German machinery is also very good." ”

"Ho, thanks for the compliment!" Natsuki replied uninhibitedly.

Holland tasted the coffee unhurriedly, perhaps accustomed to the way American coffee is brewed, he only gave a polite compliment to the coffee here, and then chatted: "I heard Dral say that His Highness's shipyard has first-class high-speed torpedo boat manufacturing technology and production line, and it has only recently invested in the construction of submarine docks. ”

Natsuki replied in coherent German: "Your Excellency understands very correctly, this can be said to be the golden age of high-speed torpedo boats, but in the long run, the potential of submarines is much greater than that of high-speed torpedo boats. ”

Holland, who has devoted most of his life to the design and construction of submarines, did not show excitement or relief because of Natsuki's words, and he asked lightly: "How can you see it?" ”

Following the idea of being familiar with the heart, Xia Shu said fluently: "After decades of development, the structural design of high-speed torpedo boats has become mature, and the future improvement mainly depends on the improvement of internal combustion engine technology, and the submarine is still in the early stage of development, it can be built larger, farther, and deeper." As far as I know, the vast majority of existing submarines use gasoline engines, and I think the introduction of diesel engines alone is a promising development direction. ”

As the Prussian prince spoke, Holland looked at him intently, and when he finished speaking, the pioneer of modern submarines was visibly relieved: "I thought that His Highness's interest in submarines was that it was a very covert weapon of naval warfare. ”

Natsuki did not pretend to be a pacifist, and he responded tactfully: "It is undeniable that the best inventions of mankind will eventually be related to war, and submarines are no exception. All I can say is that every machine used in war is capable of playing a peaceful role in peacetime. Submarines allow us to explore the underwater world that we could not know before, where there are endless treasures - not only gold, pearls or treasures from shipwrecks, but also many natural resources and all kinds of minerals. Given the size and form of the ocean, it is likely that the mineral resources of the seabed are more abundant than those on land. ”

There was finally a brightness in Horan's gray eyes, and he said with some surprise: "I read a report about Your Highness in the newspaper a few months ago, and they called you the century-old genius of the Hohenzollern royal family, and now it seems that it is not a lie. It's ...... that you have a vision and ideals that are far ahead of your years"

"Unthinkable?" Natsuki curled the corners of his mouth, "Actually, I don't have wisdom beyond ordinary people, and most of my understanding comes from the books left by my predecessors. From the age of four, I spent at least seven or eight hours a day in the Royal Library until I entered the Kiel Naval Academy, where I was exposed to more books on machinery and ship technology, and my interest in submarines was born. I hope that my work in the field of submarines can be like a high-speed speedboat, and that is a very proud feeling. ”

"Germany should be proud of Your Highness, and perhaps the whole of humanity will be proud of you in the future." In the mouth of Holland, who is not good at flattery, this may be the highest evaluation.

Natsuki's words are certainly beautiful, but his specialty is surface ships, and even those previous ship models are mainly surface warships. There is very little technical information to follow in this day and age, and he can't spend all day in the shipyard like he used to, John. Holland's mind and experience in this area are obviously what the Friedrich shipyard is most in need of at present -- as early as more than 20 years ago, the "Holland-2" submarine designed and built by Holland creatively used elevators and reserve buoyancy, and although the development process has been arduous since then, by the time of the "Holland-6", Holland's submarine design has been very mature. This is his personal pinnacle and an important beginning in the history of modern submarines.

After drinking coffee, the congestion around the pier had eased considerably, and the group took two cars to the train station. Natsuki notices John. Holland had only brought a medium-sized suitcase, and it seemed that he was not sure before he set off whether he would return to his old business in Germany - let the Friedrich shipyard paint a picture of the future, and for a man with a wealth of life experience and N ups and downs, seeing is better than all the rhetoric in the dictionary.

In the first few years of the 20th century, the German government pursued a soft policy of expansion, advocating diplomatic means to resolve conflicts and disputes, so even though they had the strongest army in Europe and developed their navy at a relatively rapid pace, most people still had the impression of this country that was proficient in machinery and guns, and did not regard all Germans as aggressive war maniacs as they did later, and many people were willing to go to Germany to live and work, especially the Irish who resisted the British government's rule. They would rather accept employment from any other country than work for the British.

(End of chapter)