Under the control of the pilot, Natsuki's Junkers-3C maritime reconnaissance plane flew straight back to Tórshavn. The northern seaport www.biquge.info at this time two behemoths were moored, the Shiplinger's flagship "Deflinger" and the "Westphalia" left by the Funk fleet. The former is docked alone next to the pier on the inner side of the breakwater, the towering hull is a section higher than the breakwater, the hull of more than 200 meters long accounts for nearly one-third of the breakwater, and the four twin-mounted main turrets arranged along the central axis are very eye-catching, and the crew is scattered all over the deck in twos and threes, sitting or lying, enjoying the warm sun; The latter was docked at the inner harbor on the left, its hull length was only two-thirds the length of the De Vellinger-class battle cruisers, the width was slightly narrower, so it appeared to be stocky and thick, the four triple main guns were pointed in different directions, a large number of empty cartridges were stacked on the deck next to the turret, and the bullet holes in the hull, bridge, chimney and other parts of the ship were still clearly visible, and some crew and technicians were using gas welding equipment to cut and repair the damaged parts in battle.

The plane landed on the surface of the water and landed on its own power. Natsuki climbed out of the cockpit, jumped lightly, and stood firmly on the dock, and as soon as he took off his fur hat, his staff adjutant Gunther Ruetyans hurried forward.

"This is a coded telegram received half an hour ago, from the Navy Office."

"Navy Office?" Natsuki took off his gloves and took the telegram from the other party very curiously.

Lu Teyans stood quietly beside him, looking at Natsuki without saying a word.

"His Royal Highness Prince Heinrich will come to comfort the soldiers on behalf of the German royal family." This sentence of Natsuki is the grammar of a declarative sentence.

"Yes, sir." Lütjans followed Natsuki's instructions and addressed him as "Sir" instead of "Your Highness". In the hierarchical and class-minded German Empire, the change of title was not enough to change the reality that imperial privileges existed in all fields, and what Natsuki did was to make Lütjens look down on the gap in status, and with his potential, as long as he maintained a humble, diligent, and pragmatic attitude, he would become a great weapon in time.

"Tell Major Brigg that he should be prepared to meet him according to the Marshal's specifications, and as for lodging, Colonel Balls will be asked to spare us another officer's cabin! Tidy up my current cabin and give it to His Royal Highness. Natsuki thought for a moment and then said.

"Yes, sir." Lütjans responded. Next, the two walked together towards the theater headquarters. After the naval battle, the theater command moved back to the port from the bunker fortifications on the hillside. It was an independent warehouse, and the food stored here was bought by the German Navy and distributed to local residents displaced by the war. However, the nights here are freezing and the warehouses are not well constructed, so Natsuki and his officers move to the old battleship "Braunschweig" at night, and the officers' cabins on board are warmer than on the shore.

"The Commander seems to have a special affection for the Braunschweig." Lu Teyansi looked sideways at Xia Shu, his eyes filled with admiration, but it was not like an ordinary officer and soldier who worshiped God as if they were worshipping the gods. Outsiders often only see the glorious aura of the victor, and only people around them such as staff assistants will know that the so-called conspiracy of gods and ghosts is actually based on the collection of a large amount of intelligence and analysis and reasoning.

"Well, although I didn't serve on it, the first battleship I served, the Alsace, was of the same class as it, and the cabin layout was basically identical. When I think about the experience back then, it is indeed very intimate. Natsuki said softly, then turned his head and grinned at Lu Teyans: "His Royal Highness the Prince's fleet commander flag was raised on the 'Braunschweig'. ”

Lütjans nodded: "Oh, hearing you say that, I do remember that His Royal Highness was the commander of the German battlefleet, but I always thought that he was the commander of the fleet raised on the 'Deutschland'. ”

"The service of the 'Deutschland' was after His Royal Highness the Prince was appointed commander of the battlefleet, and there were three months in between, and the 'Braunschweig' was the flagship of the fleet." Natsuki explained lightly. In terms of age, Prince Joachim is a year younger than Lütjans, and in terms of absolute intelligence, Lütjans may be slightly superior, but the huge difference in their origins makes their life paths very different. Natsuki entered the military as a member of the royal family, and the initial platform was much higher than that of a civilian like Lütjans, and when Lütjans was still accumulating knowledge and experience as a trainee officer, Natsuki had already received the praise of "Hohenzollern genius" and became the chief of operations of a capital ship like the "Alsace".

What kind of prince will Xiangning have?

In most cases, the answer to this question is yes.

"I see!" Lu Teyansi smiled at Natsuki, this simple answer and natural expression made Natsuki feel like he was talking to a friend. In the power-hungry upper class, the most valuable thing is pure friendship; In the ranks, brothers who are born and die are easy to get, and friendships as plain as boiled water are a little rare.

In total, Lütjans has been working as a staff assistant for more than a year. In the eyes of others, it is quite fortunate to be able to become a prominent adjutant, which almost means that he does not need to climb up step by step like ordinary colleagues, and only needs to have a good relationship with the superior to get the opportunity to rise to the top. However, Lütjens had the pride of most German soldiers, he was disdainful of flattery, uncompromising, humble, studious, quick-witted, and had an admirable talent for military command. With the accumulation of experience and the improvement of his vision, Lütjans began to really play the role of a staff assistant, and his insights in combat strategy became more and more profound, and he often found those details that were easily overlooked by people -- this can be said to be the most important point for Natsuki at present.

Seeing that there was still a minute or two away from the theater headquarters, Natsuki said to Lütjans: "The previous operational decision was a bit reckless, so it caused the Funk fleet to suffer heavy losses, and it is said that the next deployment should be based on safety, but if you want to recapture the two islands occupied by the British army at the smallest possible cost, I think the best way is to fight quickly...... There is a famous saying in the East that even if the opponent's kung fu is very high, a brick will be directly knocked down. ”

Lütjans obviously did not understand the connotation of this oriental "folk saying".

Natsuki went on to explain: "Many details on the battlefield cannot be accurately predicted, so sometimes it is better to be rough at the tactical level, and as long as it is determined that the strategic deployment is the right way, it is decisive to commit troops. However, this style of play is not suitable for all situations, and it is a problem to run into a well-planned and well-prepared opponent. ”

Lütjans thought for a moment: "Listen to the sir, the deployment of the British army on Sood Island looks very tight, but in fact it is just a bluff?" ”

Natsuki shook his head: "Sude Island is the last stronghold of the British army to save the war situation in the north, maybe their current troops on the island are not strong enough, and there are not enough artillery, but it is certain that those field fortifications are real, and the British are still desperately reinforcing them." Unless we are able to blockade the island completely, and by the time we are better prepared and deployed, the British will be more prepared, and I fear that it will not be a matter of casualties, but of the possibility of our landing attack being a failure. ”

"Throwing a lot of troops and equipment into an isolated island, with the current state of the British, requires a great deal of determination." Lütjans analyzed.

Rumors that Britain was preparing to withdraw from the war were not new, and Natsuki's worries stemmed from the Battle of Malta in the history of World War II.

The two men walked into the theater headquarters one after the other, and another staff officer immediately stepped forward to report that the "Braunschweig," which had gone with two light ships to meet the troop carriers, had joined the flotilla transporting the second batch of combat units of the 2nd Marine Brigade and would be able to arrive at Tórshavn in three hours. The "Seydlitz," which was cruising in the waters near Mulberry Island, had not yet spotted the British ships, and if there was no accident, it would shell the British positions at the western end of Mulberry Island at dusk and then return to Tórshavn, which had become a strategic hub for German troops in the Faroe Islands. In fact, there is only one seaport in the entire Faroe Islands with relatively complete facilities.

Counting the new batch of German marines arriving in the Faroe Islands, there are already 8,000 German combat troops assembled in Tórshafen alone, and there are more than 5,000 tired and excited victorious divisions on Vogue Island, although the armed ships and wounded officers and soldiers who first landed on the Faroe Islands are returning home one after another, there are still more than 10,000 elite troops that the theater command can mobilize to carry out amphibious landing operations, which is equivalent to a complete marine brigade, and the combat materials transported to the Faroe Islands are enough for these soldiers to fight a big battle. What is most lacking at the moment should be landing ships to transport soldiers ashore. Although light ships, small boats, kayaks, and sampans can be used in emergencies, they are not suitable for landing operations in which there is a fierce confrontation, and the landing ships and landing craft that were put into actual combat for the first time in the Flanders landing operation are difficult to cross hundreds of nautical miles to the Faroe Islands because of their small tonnage, and must be carried and transshipped by barges and freighters. Prince Joachim's own uncle, Admiral Prince Heinrich, set sail from the port of Kiel on board the dreadnought Frederick the Great and arrived in Tórshavn two days later.

(End of chapter)