Since the British government declared war on Germany, the atmosphere in the British Isles has been like the weather in the North Sea, turbulent and unpredictable. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoIn the first few days, the British public was generally cautiously optimistic about the prospects of the war, given that the Entente side had an invincible British navy and a large Russian army, and Britain mourned as soon as the communiqué of the Battle of Jutland came out. Despite the inspiring speeches of King George V and the heroic deeds of naval warfare in the press, there was still a great deal of concern in the minds of most Britons. You must know that the Germanic people conquered Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries AD, and after a thousand years, the German Empire, the country of the Germanic people, made an unstoppable comeback. After winning the Battle of Jutland, they threatened Britain more than Napoleonic France. Once the German army launched a landing attack, it was highly likely that that dark history would recur......

Residence of the Governor of Munster, Limerick, Ireland.

In the bright sun, three ladies in wide-brimmed sunhats and long tulle dresses sat quietly in the shade of the trees, their skin was white, but not healthy and moisturized. Among the three, the oldest is an old woman with gray hair, her face is rich and kind, but her face is full of vicissitudes and solemnity, and her eyes reflect the deep helplessness of fate. The youngest is in the flowering season, with a delicate appearance and a graceful figure, but the whole person is full of thoughts and confused entanglements. The middle-aged woman has a haggard complexion and a depressed mood, but she can't hide the beauty of Allure. The breeze stirred the messy green silk of the Yiren, and the tears quietly slipped across the thin face, her eyes were lowered, and the corners of her mouth twitched, depicting the touching and morbid beauty with her sincere handwriting.

This simple but beautiful garden is adjacent to a narrow road, and across the road is the local garrison headquarters and barracks, and the soldiers who come in and out are solemn, and the sentries on duty are also looking like they are facing a great enemy. Although the sound of gunfire and cannons could not be heard, there was an invisible oppressive atmosphere that hung over it. In Ireland, the British government was naturally concerned about the current situation, and the traditional Irish, who believed that "England's crisis was an opportunity for Ireland", left the British ruling authorities in a difficult position.

With a sad countenance, the Duke of Hill walked away from the office with heavy steps towards his apartment, and from afar he could see three ladies sitting in the garden, his wife, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. Today, the biggest problem that plagues the family is not between Charlotte and the German prince. In the battle of Jutland, the British Grand Fleet lost more than 50 large and small ships, and more than 11,000 people were killed and missing, and in the list of killed published by the British Navy, there were 5 officers with the surname "Hill", and the eldest son of the Duke of Hill, General Robert Hill, participated in the battle as the captain of the battle cruiser "Invincible", as a result, the "Invincible" was sunk by the German fleet, and only two sailors were rescued by their own ships and returned to Britain, although there is no direct evidence that Admiral Hill died with the ship, But in the event of a large explosion of the entire ship, the chances of him surviving are slim.

A naval cadet with excellent achievements, a young officer with unlimited potential, and a brave and tenacious warship captain, Robert Hill has always followed the trajectory expected by Duke Hill, and eventually grew up to become a capital ship commander in the British Royal Navy. There was no doubt that he was the pride of the Hill family, the leader of the new generation, and that the British Navy's tradition of victory would make him a well-deserved achievement, but when the bad news came from Jutland, all expectations shattered like a piece of glass on the ground.

Pushing open the fence gate of the garden, the Duke of Hill walked up to the ladies with his hands behind his back, and collected his mood as calmly as he could. Hearing the familiar footsteps, the Duchess turned her head and asked expectantly, "Is there any news?" ”

Duke Hill shook his head: "At least there is no bad news. ”

The Duchess reluctantly asked, "What about the Germans?" They haven't published a new list of prisoners of war yet? ”

Duke Hill was relieved: "10 years ago in the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese Navy captured more than 6,000 Russian sailors in the Battle of Tsushima, and it took them more than two months to clear out the list of prisoners of war, according to the Admiralty, about 2,000 British sailors were captured by the Germans this time, and the Germans also had thousands of wounded who needed to be treated, and they had to find ways to repair those battleships that were almost scrapped metal, and it is estimated that it will take a while for the complete list of prisoners of war to be published!" ”

The Duchess sighed first, and then muttered, "If Robert is really captured by the Germans, can you ask Charlotte to write a letter to Prince Joachim of Germany and ask him to take care of him on his behalf......"

"Humph!" Duke Hill indignantly interrupted the Duchess's muttering, "Have you forgotten that it was really this warship designed by Prince Joachim that sank Robert's 'Invincible'?" And, as far as I know, this brilliant German prince was the chief of staff of the German fleet, and this naval battle may have been planned by him! Robert was an officer in the British Royal Navy, and even if he was captured, he would never accept special treatment from the enemy, I know him, never! ”

Hearing Duke Hill's low roar, Charlotte on the side was silent, and two lines of coldness came out of her eyes.

The annoyed beast paced back and forth, and after a while he stopped, and said to the ladies in an informative tone: "I have submitted my application to the Admiralty to return to the fleet, and if approved, we will soon leave for England, and I will board the ships and smash with my own hands the German dream of European domination!" ”

The ladies were afraid, but they were speechless.

On this sunny afternoon, in the waters of Jutland, hundreds of kilometers away from Limerick, the German mixed fleet with the "King" as the flagship slowly sailed past the former battlefield. The traces of the fierce exchange of fire between the two fleets had disappeared with the violent storm of that night, and not a single body or debris was missing from the rippling sea. It is the closest to Denmark, followed by Germany. After the end of the naval battle, the German Navy sent a number of airships, seaplanes and light ships to rescue many survivors and salvage the remains of the deceased, among which the British Navy personnel were the majority. In accordance with the provisions of the laws of war, the German Navy treated and settled all British prisoners, and from August 9 onwards, several batches of prisoners of war were published one after another, indicating their ships, in order to undermine the confidence and morale of the British military and civilians.

Natsuki, who was in a race against time, kept an eye on the ships that were being repaired by surprise and a new battle plan, and took great pains to convince the Kaiser and the top of the navy, but he still paid attention to the situation of British prisoners of war. The German navy captured more than 2,600 British officers and men in this battle, and it was indeed difficult to sort out the information of all of them in a short time, but those with senior ranks obviously had priority in any case.

Robert Hill was not named among the three captured British admirals.

For the sake of operational coordination and fuel savings, the German mixed fleet has been in a low-speed state of 12 knots since it left the Gulf of Helgoland. On the King, which had temporarily installed several radio equipment, officers were busy receiving, interpreting, and sorting out telegram messages from the fleet command and naval intelligence. In order to cooperate with this combat operation, the German Navy's airship unit, which suffered heavy losses due to the rainstorm, dispatched five of the remaining seven Zeppelins, and a large number of submarines were still active in the front line of the battle, making the British Navy miserable through continuous raids.

……

"I knew that the British would be carrying out defensive minelaying on the Thames estuary and the coast of Dover, and it is likely that they had also laid minefields in positions that were not protected by coastal fortifications but were vulnerable."

Holding the secret telegram he had just received, Vice Admiral Reinhardt-Scheer, the commander of the mixed fleet, expounded his thoughts endlessly, and standing beside him at this time was none other than the noble, young and promising chief of staff of the fleet, Prince Joachim. For their outstanding performance in the Battle of Jutland, both were awarded the Kaiser's Commendation and wore the Order of the Red Eagle, 1st class, which symbolizes the highest honor.

Scheer, who was six years younger than Ingnoll, had a very different military style from the current commander of the High Seas Fleet, and he was ambitious, brave and aggressive, capable and courageous. In the Battle of Jutland, Scheer led 15 old battleships to successfully drag the Jericho formation composed of 10 main dreadnoughts, creating a valuable opportunity for his own main fleet to inflict heavy damage on the British fleet. In view of the fearless courage shown by all the officers and men of the 2nd Battleship Detachment in battle, the heavy casualties not only did not affect Scheer's prestige, but on the contrary earned him the reputation of "General Forward".

Because of their experience working together on the "Alsace" and "Nassau", as well as because of the many common languages in terms of tactics, tactics and combat styles, Natsuki and Scheer quickly entered the state of partnership without running in. This time leading the mixed fleet to attack, Scheer is no longer a simple tactical executor, but actively participated in Natsuki's plan from the beginning, providing him with a lot of useful analysis and suggestions, Natsuki was able to formulate this meticulous and exquisite battle plan in just three days, Scheer's help cannot be ignored.

"According to conventional coastal defense tactics, mines should be laid near shipping lanes not far from shore to prevent enemy ships from passing through or approaching artillery shelling." Natsuki continued, "If we want to shell the British coast, we have to risk hitting mines. Fortunately, the weather is good today, and our carrier-based aircraft can surprise the British instead of naval guns. ”

Scheer looked at him: "The British certainly did not expect that we would come out at this time to throw the fishhook, and if we lose this battle again, they may lose confidence in a direct battle with us in a short time, and then we can send fast warships into the Atlantic to hunt and kill the British merchant fleet." ”

Xia Shu faced the bow of the ship, closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh sea breeze, and couldn't help but sigh: "The sea is wide and the fish jumps, and the sky is high for the birds to fly." As long as we keep attacking, we will soon be able to beat the invincible British Navy to the ground and let them know who is the protagonist of this era to dominate the sea! ”

(End of chapter)