At the beginning of 1919, under the quiet and peaceful sunshine, the beautiful port of Tu (Nis) presented a busy scene, with more than 100 large and small ships passing in or temporarily anchoring here, including cargo ships and oil tankers of tens of thousands of tons, cruise ships and warships of thousands of tons, as well as various fishing boats and private yachts, most of which flew foreign flags. The pen ~ fun ~ cabinet www.biquge.info nominally, the Hussein dynasty, which lasted for more than 200 years, was still the legitimate ruler of Tu (Nis), but its defense, finance, and foreign affairs were in the hands of the Germans, and the governor appointed by the Kaiser had more power than the king.

After the war, Gibraltar, which held the western outlet of the Mediterranean, was still in the hands of the British, and the Allied camp did not fully realize the control of the Mediterranean. Compared to the German warships docked by the docks, the Irish Navy training ship "Ku-Chulin" has a different exterior paint, and the exterior outline is not too special.

After the meeting with the King of Ireland, Field Marshal Müller, the head of the German Navy, and several accompanying officers strolled along the seashore, and their eyes and topics unconsciously fell on the reparations ship that originally belonged to the British Navy - after the signing of the Armistice Treaty of London, this British cruiser was delivered to the German Navy as war reparations, and then transferred to Ireland by the German government for almost scrap iron, which is now the "Kuchulin".

In between, a small colonel-officer with a bushy beard told his colleagues a story: "In the ancient Tiber Valley, a farmer picked up a wolf cub in the field and kindly raised it, and one day the farmer went out, and when he returned, his two-year-old son and all the family's livestock were bitten to death by the wolf, and no one dared to raise a wolf again." ”

In the current situation, no matter how stupid a person is, he can hear the outside of the words, but the King of Ireland is a direct member of the German royal family, and has made great contributions to the development and growth of the German Navy and the defeat of the British Navy in the war.

Field Marshal Müller, who was in a high position in the German Navy, snorted noncommittally.

Then another tall, bearded admiral sighed with concern: "At the present rate of Ireland's development, in a dozen years it will be a considerable military force, and how similar it is to Sweden in the 17th century to have a young genius commander!" ”

The unremarkable Müller urn said angrily: "Even if Ireland is as strong as Sweden in Gustav's time, today's Germany is no longer the Germany of the past, what is there to fear?" ”

The bearded general hurriedly defended: "I am afraid that this young king and his uninformed ministers will be confused by the immediate interests and do the wrong thing to damage the strategy of the allies and put us in a disadvantageous position." In that case, the aid we are now giving to Ireland would be really a wolf problem. ”

A gloomy look appeared on Mueller's face: "Then what can be done?" Our Emperor His Majesty loves his little prince so much that even if Ireland behaves in a bad way, His Majesty feels that the King of Ireland has been instigated and deceived by the officials. The example of Jules-Bernadotte was used to persuade him, which led to a harsh rebuke from His Majesty the Emperor. ”

In the face of power, not everyone would choose to compromise on the merits, and his fellow ship-building expert, Count von Todt of the Technical Committee of the German Royal Navy, a middle-aged man wearing thick-bottomed glasses, argued on behalf of His Majesty: "His Majesty Joachim is obsessed with the concept of a standard warship because it has great benefits in terms of reducing costs and conserving resources, and because ships of the same type can work more closely together on the battlefield." With the same amount of money, manpower, and time, if one or two more warships can be built, even if they can't play a decisive role on the battlefield in the future, it's not a bad thing! ”

Müller was one of the leaders of the German Navy, and he walked the court and the cabinet all the year round, and his skillful eloquence made Tirpitz bow down. He glanced at the dissident and retorted without thinking: "Your Excellency, we have never denied these benefits you mentioned, the problem is that after the standardization of German and Irish warships, our technical secrets may be leaked out through the hands of the Irish, and the standard aircraft carrier is a wake-up call!" I've always felt that when people are overconfident, they can make fatal mistakes because of their egotism. ”

Count von Todt glared and opened his mouth, but he didn't know how to argue. Just then, an Irish naval officer approached the group of German officers and said to Müller in pure German with a Hamburg accent: "Your Excellency, Your Majesty has invited you to have afternoon tea...... Three o'clock, individually. ”

Mueller took out his old-fashioned pocket watch and looked at it: "Please report back to Your Highness, thank him for the invitation, I will be on time for the appointment." ”

The other party smiled and responded.

Muller stared at the slightly hairy Irish naval officer for a moment: "You're German, aren't you?" ”

The other party squinted his eyes and said like a bamboo tube pouring beans: "Yes, Your Excellency Marshal, my name is Friedrich Densel, a native of Hamburg, who served in the German Navy from 1895 to 1915, became an Irish citizen in 1915, and was transferred to the Irish Navy with the special permission of His Majesty the Kaiser, and is now a lieutenant commander of the Royal Irish Navy, serving as a staff officer of the first class of the Irish Naval Staff. ”

Muller did not show even the slightest hint of disdain, and he took the initiative to extend his hand to the other party: "Very good, Lieutenant Commander Densel, keep the good traditions of the German Navy, and make the Irish Navy as good as the German Navy." ”

The other party put away his smile, shook hands with him respectfully, and said, "Obey Your Excellency's teachings." ”

Although they had served in the German Navy, they did not talk to each other much. After greeting the German naval officers, Lieutenant Colonel Densel, dressed in a white uniform and wearing the Irish Navy logo, walked away, his posture and gait in the same way as the standard German drill was displayed.

The admiral with the thick mustache said sourly: "At least seventy percent of the senior officers of the Irish Navy today have been transferred from the German Navy, so the outside world calls the Irish Navy Germany's second high seas fleet." Most of these people were difficult to get promoted in the German Navy, and they were promoted directly to the Irish Navy, and then they were promoted much faster than in the German Navy, Wilhelm Grienz was a German Commodore in 1915, and is now an Admiral of Ireland. ”

Müller, now that he has become the German Admiral, naturally does not feel envy and jealousy for this, but he said coldly: "The German Navy has cultivated them, and has allowed them to transfer to the navy of other countries with unprecedented tolerance, in the hope that they will make Ireland the most staunch and reliable ally of Germany, and keep pace with Germany militarily and diplomatically." But...... Jules Bernadotte's rebellion is indeed a manifestation of human selfishness! ”

Everyone was silent.

More than an hour later, when the German naval marshal sat down before the King of Ireland, there was no dissatisfaction in his expression, and his friendly demeanor seemed to be a mentor and friend to the other party.

When the two were alone, Natsuki unhurriedly shoved a letter of appointment as honorary dean of the Royal Naval College in Limerick and an envelope containing a check for 100,000 marks in front of Muller.

Seeing these two things, Müller pretended to be calm, but his wandering eyes reflected his fast-moving thoughts. Whether in political or military circles, it is not uncommon for antique treasures, estate land, and large cheques to be exchanged, but behind each one is a power deal, whether rejected or accepted, it is the beginning of an adventure.

After some deep thought, Mueller looked at Natsuki in surprise: "This ......"

Natsuki chuckled, "We cordially invite you to be the Honorary Dean of the Royal Naval Academy in Limerick, with a salary of 100,000 marks per year, and you only need to address the opening and graduation of each batch of naval cadets, come to guide the teaching at your leisure, and give your opinion on the affairs of the academy as you think necessary." ”

Mueller said with a serious face: "This gives people the impression that they are bribing in disguise, and your majesty's move is not to let me use the power in my hands to give Ireland some benefits?" ”

Natsuki raised his head and laughed: "Your Excellency the Marshal is too worried. ”

Müller glanced at the envelope on the table, as a naval cabinet chief and naval marshal, his various salary allowances added up to less than 400 marks a month, this part-time salary is equivalent to 20 times his current income, which can allow him and his family to live a very good life, but as he fears, this may be regarded as a disguised bribe, if someone makes a big fuss about it, not only will it damage his prestige in the German navy, but may even make him lose his current position.

Natsuki explained lightly: "General Grienz is the official dean of the Royal Naval Academy in Limerick, with an annual salary of 80,000 marks, and those honorary professors have an annual salary ranging from 20,000 to 60,000 marks, all of which are paid by the Irish royal family, and the government has no right to intervene. Appointments are made public, and compensation is kept absolutely confidential. ”

After hearing this explanation, Müller was obviously a little tempted by this richly rewarded nominal position, and he stared at Natsuki's charming eyes for a long time, and asked like a businessman, "What does Your Majesty want from me?" ”

Natsuki smiled, "Friendship." ”

For this answer, Müller was a little surprised, he thought about it for a long time without saying a word, and suddenly said with a smile: "Your Majesty is really an interesting person. ”

As he spoke, he pushed the letter of appointment and the envelope back in front of Natsuki.

"Ireland and Germany, the strategic interests are closely linked, the Irish royal family is a member of the Hohenzollern royal family, if Germany is weakened, no matter how much wealth Ireland gets, it will not help. As long as you recognize this, you will know that neither I nor my Ireland will do anything to the detriment of Germany's interests. We disagree only because we think and deal with problems differently. ”

Natsuki said as he pushed the letter of appointment and the letter into Mueller's hands.

Mueller's complicated expression indicated that he was engaged in a psychological struggle, and Natsuki thought that he would ask for a few more days of consideration, but after only a cup of tea, he made a decision: "Your Majesty pursues the idea of standardizing warships, no matter what my attitude is, the final decision is with His Majesty the Emperor." I very much agree with what you have just said, that our differences are only because we see and deal with problems differently, and that the fundamental starting point is to safeguard the common interests of Germany and Ireland. Your Majesty, I have always admired your talent and your person, and it is an honor to be able to establish a friendship with you outside of normal interactions. ”

Natsuki smiled, then got up and shook hands with Mueller: "May our friendship last forever." ”

Mueller nodded with a smile, and after shaking hands, he picked up the letter of appointment and the envelope with some twist: "I hope Your Majesty will fulfill his promise." ”

Natsuki replied solemnly: "Vouch for my personality." ”

(End of chapter)