May 7, Port of Tunis.

When Chentian came here last year, it happened to be May, and the average temperature was around 20 degrees Celsius, coupled with the cool sea breeze of the Mediterranean, it was indeed a good choice to come here for a vacation.

Unfortunately, Chen Tian did not come for a vacation this time, in contrast, he would rather linger among the lakes and mountains of Central Europe, or go to Switzerland to enjoy the beautiful snow, the Mediterranean is only his second choice.

As the first stop of the African colonial tour, Chen Tian will stay in Tunis for two days, first to review the officers and men of the Mediterranean Fleet and to award decorations to those who have contributed to the naval battle in the Gulf of Venice, then to convene the main generals here for a military mobilization meeting on the strategic deployment of the post-war Mediterranean, and finally to meet with the main members of the Tunisian royal family.

After the German Navy selected the port of Tunis as a base and strategic point for the Mediterranean Fleet, the port was no longer open to ordinary ships, and merchant ships were relocated to the port of Bisset, 60 kilometers from Tunisia. Therefore, when Chen Tian once again came to the commanding heights of the port of Tunis, the No. 17 battery, there were no ships coming and going in the port, and there was no longer a bustling crowd on the wharf, replaced by German ** ships scattered at various docks, as well as neatly dressed German naval officers and sailors.

"Your Majesty, the last four batteries that were not completed when you came here in May last year have already been completed in the first month, and now the five main batteries and 20 sub-batteries of the Tunis fortress are ready to deal the heaviest blow to the invading enemy! All three airfields have been completed, and the Navy's 7th Fighter Group, 17th Bomber Group, and 19th Airship Squadron are fully manned! Lieutenant General Benke, commander of the fortress, pointed to various facilities in the harbor and introduced them one by one, at this time, two medium-sized Zeppelin airships could be seen in the sky above the harbor on reconnaissance missions, and every ten minutes, another small group of reconnaissance planes or fighters set off from the rear airfield to reconnoiter the nearby waters.

Chen Tian was very happy to see that the first fortress in the Mediterranean had been put into form, and the German government had invested a total of 20 million marks, including military ports, fortresses, airports, repair docks and military factories.

"Your Majesty, that's the railway line that just resumed in April!" "Previously, the French could only reach a few olive oil producing areas and iron ore mines in Tunisia," Benke said, pointing to the railroad to the south. And it was destroyed in wartime. After the completion of the Tunisian military port and fortress works, we began to work on the rehabilitation and extension of the railway line, which now leads north to the port of Bizét, south to the main lepilate mining area of Tunisia, and west to the iron mining region of Algeria! ”

As Germany's number one railway construction project in Africa in 1915, the Tunisian railway line was no stranger to Chentian, but it was the first time he had seen this railway with his own eyes! The railway is 410 kilometers long, of which 200 kilometers are completely new. The construction was jointly financed and jointly owned by the German government and the private sector, with 8.5 million marks and more than 50,000 workers, and was completed in the old months, which was four months less than expected. Once completed, the railway will allow ore from the main iron ore mining areas in eastern Algeria and scalitates from Tunisia to be transported to the port of Bizerte and then loaded onto ships to Europe.

Chen Tian picked up the telescope and observed along the railway line for a while, and then made his own suggestion:

"The opening of the railway is a good thing, but don't neglect the land defense of the Tunisian fortress! With only the current 5 batteries and two lines of infantry defense, I don't think it's enough to be foolproof! In this regard, you can learn from the experience of the Qingdao fortress system. Back then, they used more than 10,000 people to block the attack of 100,000 Japanese troops! ”

Lieutenant General Benck was shocked. He had already thought about this issue after the opening of the railway, but his report on strengthening the defense of the Tunisian fortress on the back sea had not yet had time to be completed. The Kaiser came to inspect and saw this usually inconspicuous loophole.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Well, send me the detailed plan early, and I'll remind the Admiralty to allocate the funds as soon as possible!" After all, Chen Tian decided to leave this somewhat sunny hill and go to the dock, by the way, to cheer up the naval officers and sailors there, after all, it is not a very pleasant thing to serve for a long time in this place far from the mainland.

Along the way, the patrolling soldiers stopped to salute the Supreme Commander of the Empire.

According to the prior arrangement, Chen Tian and his entourage were about to go to the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, the "Elector" anchored in the interior of the port, but he suddenly changed his mind halfway. Naturally, the battleships that were arranged in advance would be cleaned clean. If you pick a random battleship and take a look at it now, I don't know what new discoveries will be made.

So, when the majestic hull of the "Elector" was in front and the drumming of the military band was already very clear, Chen Tian unexpectedly turned to the other side. A large group of people in the back also turned around, but most of them did not realize what was happening, but the Kaiser, who was walking briskly forward, did not give them a chance to ask.

After a while, Chen Tian had already come to the side of a warship docked on the dock over there, and a sailor who was cleaning next to the pedal turned around when he heard the sound and happened to take a close look with Chen Tian. Although he did not meet the Kaiser himself. But the Kaiser's photos and portraits can be seen everywhere in Germany, coupled with Chentian's noble clothes and extraordinary temperament, this clever sailor immediately put down the broom in his hand and saluted respectfully.

"Take a break!"

After that, Chen Tian looked back at the stunned generals, and then walked swiftly past the boarding board. Although this action was a little overwhelming to the accompanying generals, it at least showed that His Majesty's leg had fully recovered.

"That'...... That's the destroyer 'Guskaf'! What is Your Majesty doing there? ”

Lieutenant General Benck was stunned, and Admiral Hipper, who was on his side, reacted the fastest, and he turned to the officers behind him and said loudly:

"Your Majesty wants to visit this destroyer, everyone is waiting here! General Benke, let's go up together! ”

After this, Hipper was the first to walk through the pedals, followed by Lieutenant General Benke. The poor sailor standing by the pedal saluted twice in a row, and then was overwhelmed by the large group of senior officers.

"Salute!"

"Salute!"

When Chentian came to the "Guskaf", the two officers who were standing there laughing suddenly had the same surprised expressions as the sailors below, and their first action was a "snap" salute.

"Take a break! Which of you is the captain? Chen Tian looked at the two people in front of him, judging from the collar badge and epaulettes, both of them were naval majors, and in the current German Navy, destroyer captains are usually with the rank of major. But there are also those who continue to serve as destroyer captains after being promoted to lieutenant colonel.

"Report, I am!" The slightly taller blonde officer on the left then reported, "Nikobjet, Lieutenant Commander of the German Navy, part of the Mediterranean Fleet's Yard Sector Ship-by-Ship Detachment, Captain of the destroyer Guskaf!" ”

Then another brown-haired officer also reported his identity: "Alexander the Great Stewarz, Lieutenant Commander of the German Navy, attached to the ship-by-ship detachment of the Mediterranean Fleet's yard area. Deputy Captain and Torpedo Commander of the destroyer USS Guskaf! ”

Chen Tian looked at the two young majors with a smile, "Then Major Bujett and Major Stuhlz, can you show me around your destroyer?" ”

Without hesitation, the two snapped and saluted again, "It's a great honor!" ”

At this time, Hipper and Benke also rushed over, and Chen Tian motioned for them not to speak, and then followed the two majors towards the destroyer command room.

After entering the door, the blonde captain introduced him with some restraint: "Your Majesty, this is our command room!" Usually we command the battle here! ”

Chen Tian looked around the small cabin and took a closer look at the portholes and floor. In pristine condition!

"Hmm. Very good! Can I go inside the turret? Chen Tian pointed to the two single-mounted 105mm naval guns on the deck.

"Absolutely!" The blonde captain glanced at his companion, and then led His Majesty the Kaiser, who had suddenly arrived, toward the foredeck.

The Guskaf is a 1,500-ton competition-class destroyer, and its main armament is three single-mounted 105-mm naval guns, four 533-mm torpedo tubes and two depth charge droppers. The auxiliary firepower is 4 20 mm machine guns and 6 machine guns, with vigilance patrol, lightning and anti-submarine as the main tasks, with a range of 1200 nautical miles.

Soon, Tatsuten was led to the foredeck by the captain. The three main guns of this destroyer are two in front and two in the rear, and the No. 1 and No. 2 turrets are arranged in front of the conning tower, of which the No. 2 turret is located above the rear of No. 1, and all of them are semi-enclosed turrets with open rear.

Chen Tian stretched out his right hand and touched the barrel of the cannon, and then touched the cannon shield, without the slightest greasy feeling.

"Can you open the bolt?" Tatsuten walked to the end of the gun, and then looked at the blonde captain beside him.

"Back to Your Majesty. Of course! The captain said and opened the bolt very skillfully.

Chen Tian bent down and glanced at the barrel, which was very clean.

The brown-haired deputy captain whispered from the side: "Your Majesty, the maintenance and upkeep of the ship's weapons is a must-have for us every day!" ”

"Good!" Chen Tian nodded, then walked to the front and looked at the cables and the temporary storage on the deck, everything was up to naval standards. I remember that when I accompanied the "Little Medusa" on the circumnavigation of the world as a special observer, the strict and almost demanding boatswain always asked the sailors to wipe the deck clean, and the ship's weapons were maintained meticulously, as long as it was not stormy, and the guns were practiced twice a day, as long as it was not stormy. And the weight of the practice shell is no less than that of the real shell.

Seeing that Chen Tian was a little distracted, Hipper walked up to him and reminded: "Your Majesty, let's go to the cabin and have a look!" ”

"Okay!" Chen Tian turned around and motioned for the captain to lead the way in front.

After turning around the officer's canteen, the officer's conference room, the soldier's canteen, the sailor's quarters, the galley, the boiler room, and the engine room, Chen Tian's originally somewhat apprehensive mood was completely relaxed. Although the tradition of the navy is not as good as that of the British, the officers and men of the navy are strict with themselves from top to bottom, otherwise the German navy would not be famous for its accurate gunnery.

However, after walking around the destroyer, Chen Tian found a very interesting phenomenon, that is, public cabins such as restaurants and conference rooms were basically hung with his own portraits, but as far as he knew, the German Navy did not have such a hard and fast rule, so he raised his own questions to the captain of the destroyer, Major Butjet.

Major Butjett raised his chest high, "Back to Your Majesty, the reason why we hung your portrait on the wall is because everyone on this ship, from officers to sailors, is your loyal admirer!" Although our rank is not high and our experience is limited, we are the ones who led our German Navy to victory after victory, and the reason why the German Navy is as strong and glorious as it is today is inseparable from your wise decision! Each and every one of us here is proud to be Germanic and proud to be your soldiers! Your Majesty, no matter how many difficulties and dangers lie ahead, we will always follow you! ”

Looking at the young and serious face of this major, a sense of pride that had not appeared for a long time floated in Chen Tian's heart. If he led Germany to victory after military victory and vigorously promoted Germanization of Germany as the cause of his planting, then it is a gratifying fruit to now receive the absolute allegiance of the officers and men of the navy.

"Admiral, is this the case with other ships?" Chentian turned around and asked Hipper.

Hipper straightened his back and replied without flattery: "Back to Your Majesty, every ship is like this!" Your prestige in the navy is unmatched by anyone, and even the Emperor could not have done it! Trust your navy, we are absolutely loyal to you! ”

Chen Tian stared at Hipper's serious face for several seconds, and then looked at Lieutenant General Benke, Major Bujett, Major Stulcs next to him, and the sailors who had their chests raised not far away, and suddenly didn't know what to say.

The next morning, when the medals were presented to the meritorious officers and sailors, Chentian's mood was particularly high. The Navy is proud of him, and he is proud of the Navy.

In the afternoon of the same day, Chen Tian canceled his meeting with the Tunisian royal family and used the time to visit several other warships, and the officers and men were both surprised and excited to see the arrival of his revered emperor, His Majesty, and the emperor's words of encouragement to them were unforgettable for many people.

On May 9, Chentian left the port of Tunis aboard the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, the Elector, accompanied by the battleships "Prince William" and "Heinrich" and the fleet commander Admiral Hipper, whose next stop will be Egypt, one of the four ancient civilizations.