The police, journalists, onlookers, these people appeared in front of the gate of Hill Manor, but not because of the leakage of the "Charlotte incident" that shook the British leadership, but because of the charm of one person. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

Escorted by the Royal Cavalry, several cars approached along the road, and a silver sedan in the center stood out. Bell-shaped radiators, stepped double rows of seats, wide left and right pedals, this is Rolls-Royce's SilverGhost. Since its production in 1907, it has been hailed as "the best car in the world".

Four saber-wielding royal guards stood on the pedals, dutifully guarding the man in the back seat of the convertible car.

This is a middle-aged man with blue eyes, a lion king nose, and a thick beard. He wears a traditional ship-shaped naval hat and a crisp white Royal Navy dress, and his demeanor is majestic and tolerant and friendly.

Before the car approached, the crowd began to chant "Long live the Prince of Wales, long live the Crown Prince". The Prince of Wales was originally the ruler of the Principality of Wales, and since the annexation of Wales by England in 1301, the English crown has given this title to his eldest son, and the "Prince of Wales" has gradually become synonymous with the crown prince of England.

George George, the crown prince of the United Kingdom, now Prince of Wales, waved to his supporters in the car. Because of his long service in the navy, he was known as the "Crown Prince of Sailors" by the people. This man was good at making speeches and was concerned about the welfare of the people, so he was quite popular with the people, and he was also an important decision-maker in the navy's shipbuilding competition. In the face of the aggressiveness shown by the Germans, more and more British people approved and supported the construction of their own navy, and thanks to this, Crown Prince George's domestic popularity grew.

As the car approached the manor gate, someone in the crowd shouted "Long live the Royal Navy!" Long live the Royal Fleet! ”

Hearing this, Prince George put a confident smile on his face, and when the motorcade drove into the manor, the iron gate behind him slowly closed, and the smile on his face was replaced by a serious expression.

At the same time, in front of a warehouse in Hill Manor, a group of people led by Duke Hill were respectfully waiting for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to arrive. It's just that there is no brilliance on their faces, but they all look sincerely afraid. In the warehouse behind them was a separate pile of broken plane wreckage, the damp wind blowing in through the ventilation window, stirring the torn cloth on the wreckage......

Getting out of the car, Crown Prince George glanced at the crowd with a cold gaze, and when he spoke, his loud voice was deliberately lowered: "Oh, this is the plane that the Germans use to fly across the sea, and it really conforms to the consistent aesthetics of the Germans." ”

"Ugly machine." Among the entourage, someone whispered a hidden word for Crown Prince George.

The crown prince looked around curiously: "Where did it land in the first place, that meadow?" ”

Duke Hill hurriedly said yes. In just over two weeks, the veteran admiral was already looking particularly haggard.

"Oh." Crown Prince George said, "The reason it did this way was because it had a collision when it landed? ”

"Actually, Your Highness, that meadow is quite flat. When we surveyed afterwards, we did not find any abnormal depressions or protrusions in the ground, and it was likely that it failed to land due to its own fault. Duke Hill replied.

At this time, a gray-haired middle-aged man who had been waiting here reported to Crown Prince George: "Your Highness, after our careful inspection, the reason why this plane has been fatally damaged is indeed because its structure is not strong enough. Obviously, in order to increase its payload and flight range, the Germans simplified it somewhat, so ...... It was a fluke that the pilot did not lose his life. ”

Crown Prince George circled around the wreckage of the plane, turned his head and asked Duke Hill, "Are you sure he flew the plane himself?" ”

The Duke of Hill replied in the affirmative, "One of my attendants saw him come out of the plane with his own eyes, and in the circumstances of the time, he was at best slightly injured without hindering his movement. ”

Crown Prince George shook his head, seeming to regret and disappointment at the Creator's favoritism. Immediately afterwards, he repeated the exact course of events: "Another plane landed with it, and with the pilot, took off again with three people and went to Lastoft, and from there flew to the Netherlands? ”

Duke Hill nodded yes.

The gray-haired man followed up and added: "We speculate that there should have been only two people on the plane from Lostoft to the Netherlands. Otherwise, jet fuel would not be sufficient to cover the journey. ”

Crown Prince George stopped, turned around and said, "Two people, more than two hundred kilometers...... So, if war broke out in a few years, would the German planes be able to fly to England with bombs on board, drop them and fly back to Germany? ”

Hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but be stunned.

After thinking for a moment, the gray-haired man replied: "In order to further increase the range, the payload of the aircraft must be used to carry as much fuel as possible, and the longer the continuous flight distance, the higher the failure rate, and I personally do not think it is wise to risk losing the aircraft and the pilot in order to drop a few kilograms of explosives." Of course, Your Highness, no one can accurately say what will happen in the future. Ten years from now, perhaps the development of aircraft technology has far exceeded our expectations, and the decisive battlefield of war may also shift from sea and land to the air. ”

Crown Prince George obviously didn't like this argument, and he shook his beard with disdain: "Then I'm afraid it will have to wait until a hundred years later, right?" ”

The gray-haired man bowed respectfully and stepped back.

Crown Prince George took a few steps away from the warehouse: "Your Excellency, Duke. ”

Duke Hill hurriedly stepped forward.

Crown Prince George motioned for the Duke to follow him to the side, while the rest of the group waited with interest next to the wreckage of the plane.

"Judging from the current situation, the kidnapping of Miss Hill by the Germans was premeditated, and with the connivance of the German royal family, it may not work to take the diplomatic route, and the special measures are not as effective as the Germans are closely guarded, so things are not as we expected. In addition, if the news leaks out, the angry public is likely to demand that the kidnappers be punished, and whether we agree or not, the development of events could lead to a sudden deterioration in relations between the two countries, which is very detrimental to our established diplomatic strategy. ”

"I have an unshirkable responsibility for the development of things to this point." Duke Hill said with reproach, "The Secret Service has lost many intelligence fighters, and the Hill family has borne more than just shame. In any case, Your Highness, I beg your permission for me to settle this matter personally. ”

Crown Prince George hesitated: "What are your plans?" ”

"I have had Charlotte's mother write a letter," said the Duke of Hill, "and as soon as she sees it, I am confident that she will accept our arrangements to return to England unless the Germans forcibly detain her." ”

Crown Prince George thought for a moment: "And then? ”

"And then?" The Duke of Hill hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Even if she never marries for the rest of her life, she will not have anything to do with the Germans again." We will guarantee with the honor of the family that this will never happen in the future. ”

"Are you going to turn the establishment into a military fortress, or hide Miss Hill in some hidden place where the Germans can't find it?" Crown Prince George asked rhetorically. Before Duke Hill could reply, he deliberately lowered his voice: "Do you think it is possible for Miss Hill to serve her country in some way, and then restore the damaged honor of the Hill family?" ”

Thinking about the other party's intentions, Duke Hill looked very surprised: "Let Xia Luo be a spy? ”

"If we can convince Miss Hill to make her lost, the bad will become a good thing, after all, the Germans regard Prince Joachim as a naval genius, and he has a lot of technical secrets about the ships in his hands, which can help us to suppress the German Navy in a more targeted manner, especially the design secrets of high-speed torpedo boats and new capital ships." Crown Prince George said.

"And what if she doesn't agree?"

After Duke Hill asked this, Prince George did not answer directly, but gave the Duke a resolute look. The duke immediately understood his intentions, and was stunned with helpless pathos.

Crown Prince George patted the duke's right upper arm and turned away, leaving the gray-haired Duke Hill standing there in great confusion......

The footsteps of time are light and traceless, and it has come to late autumn in a blink of an eye.

On this day, the Blom-Forss shipyard in Hamburg was filled with flags and drums, and tens of thousands of people spontaneously came to see the launching of the new German Navy. On slipway No. 1, the largest and most recently equipped in this historic shipyard, lies a battleship with no turret or deck installed, the lower half of which is painted black waterproof, the upper part of which is a bright milky white, and the sleek lines of the hull are particularly slender.

When Kaiser Wilhelm II, wearing a golden helmet and military uniform, accompanied by Prince Heinrich, commander of the Imperial High Seas Fleet, and Tirpitz, state secretary of the Imperial Navy, and others, the crowd burst into enthusiastic cheers. In this rapidly rising country, people crave respect commensurate with national strength, and the unprecedented high national sentiment has made the construction of the Great Navy receive enthusiastic support from all walks of life from the very beginning. The growing fleet is not only something for adults, but also for children to be proud of owning a model of a tin battleship!

At the stern of the slipway, a platform and champagne were already prepared for the launching ceremony of the new warship. Under the watchful eyes of all people, a burly army general steadily stepped onto the stage. There was no cumbersome speech, no emotional expression, he took the champagne from the ceremonial official with a serious expression, said "God bless my emperor", and threw the champagne.

Under the sun, the crystal fragments are gorgeous, and the fluttering ribbons carry the blessings and expectations of all people. Amid the rousing military music and the tsunami-like cheers of the mountains, the battleship slowly slid down the slipway, stirring up a white spray on the water......

This is the launching ceremony of the new German warship "Moltke", stimulated by the successive entry into service of the British Invincible-class battle cruisers, the German Navy has accelerated the design and construction of new fast ships and the progress of hardware support. The workers of the Hamburg Blom-Foss shipyard worked day and night to complete the expansion of the old dockyard three months ahead of schedule, bringing forward the construction schedule of the Moltke, the third German battlecruiser to be built after Blucher and von der Tann, and the sister ship of the same class, the Goeben, which started construction six months later than it, was also built by the Hamburg Blom-Foss shipyard.

In a prominent position on the viewing platform, Natsuki, dressed in a naval cadet uniform, sat in front of a group of medal-laden generals. Merit only represents the past, and strength determines the present and the future. After the successful commissioning of the Nassau-class battleships, compared with the British Dreadnought and Palerophon-class battleships, the German naval top brass fully realized the extraordinary value of "talent", and they finally put aside their earlier concerns and actively gave Natsuki absolute support in the design process of the Moltke-class battlecruisers, making the royal family member who was not yet 20 years old a real chief naval designer.

"Moltke", which was born in the hands of Natsuki, is derived from the original historical version but is very different. For better defense, it was nearly 10 percent heavier, with a standard displacement of 24,000 tons, and 11 inches of turret, conning tower, and waterline main armor, making it as defensive as a Nassau-class battleship. In terms of firepower, Natsuki's Moltke adopted the Nassau-class and Helgoland-class four-seat triple main turret configuration, and was equipped with a long-range and powerful 50-diameter barrel due to Krupp's technical improvements; It is powered by a high-performance steam turbine based on Parsons technology, with a maximum power of 55,000 horsepower, which can reach 60,000 horsepower under overload, four axles and two rudders, and a design maximum speed of 25. 5 knots.

With such excellent performance, there was no need to frown at any British battle cruiser in a naval battle, but even so, it was only Natsuki's "proud work" rather than a "satisfactory work", and the excessively high cost and long construction period still bothered the "Hohenzollern genius".

In order to make up for this shortcoming, which is difficult to completely eradicate in a short period of time, Natsuki has put a lot of effort into technical performance. In addition to its excellent firepower and defense configuration, the Moltke-class will also be the first capital ship of the German Navy to be equipped with a catapult and carry a water reconnaissance aircraft, and the carrier-based model is scheduled to be the Junkers 3-C produced by Hubert Aviation, a single-engine, two-wing, two-seat water reconnaissance aircraft capable of flying for two and a half hours at a speed of 105 kilometers per hour (the historical Moltke-class battlecruisers also carried seaplanes, but instead of catapulting, they were hoisted to the surface like a traffic boat and then taxied for takeoff). Thus expanding the observation field of the ship from the naked eye distance to the cruising radius of the aircraft.

(End of chapter)