On the afternoon of March 20, 1915, a large fleet was cruising at low speed two hundred kilometers southeast of the Orkney Islands. At the center of the fleet were the capital ships that were heavily guarded. On the periphery, there were cruisers and destroyers. Even, in this sea area, there are many submarines infested.

After the German Navy decided to launch a decisive battle against the British Navy, the German Navy began to shrink its forces as much as possible. Not only surface warships have completed the assembly, but underwater submarines are also densely packed in the North Sea. These submarines can not only carry out sneak attacks on the surface warships of the British Navy. What's more, they can form an intelligence network, as soon as the main force of the British Navy leaves the military port, they will soon be spotted by these submarines, and then report to the flagship, so that the fleet is ready to deal with the British Navy.

Of course, the seaplanes carried by large warships will also become the main force for detecting the enemy's situation in this naval battle.

On the battleship Bavaria, the flagship of the German Navy's High Seas Fleet, Admiral Reinhardscher, Vice Admiral Franz von Hipper, and Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee, were discussing the current situation.

"There is no doubt that our fleet left Wilhelmshaven last evening. The British will not be unaware of this. However, judging from the information obtained so far, the main force of the Royal Navy is still staying in Scapa Bay. Obviously, they don't plan to fight us anymore. Admiral Reinhardschel said.

The purpose of the German Navy in this battle was to completely defeat the British Royal Navy. If the main forces of the Royal Navy had remained in Scapa Bay, it would have rendered the strategic objectives of the German Navy unattainable.

"Your Excellency, can you be sure that the main force of the Royal Navy is in Scapa Bay?" Lieutenant General Hipperr asked.

After all, the departure of the German Navy with such fanfare, it is impossible for the British not to know about it. If they don't even do this, it will be too disappointing. After all, they are the overlords of the seas in the past! Do you even have the courage to fight a decisive battle with the German Navy until now? No matter how you look at it, the chances of that are going to be slim.

"It can already be established that the main force of the British is still in Scapa Bay. We have more than one submarine deployed in each of Scarpa's major waterways. In addition, we sent seaplanes over Scapa Bay to conduct reconnaissance. It was concluded that the main forces of the British were still in the port. Admiral Reinhardschel said.

"It seems that the British are frightened by us, and do not dare to go to sea to fight us again. The former sea hegemon is nothing more than this now! Lieutenant General Shi Pei said disdainfully.

Admiral Reinhardschel and Admiral Hipperer also nodded their heads repeatedly, and they also thought that the British Royal Navy was really scared by them this time. In the face of the powerful German Navy, the British Royal Navy thought that it had no chance of winning at all. In such a situation, I had to choose to avoid the war.

"But it's not a way for the British to hide in Scarpa Bay all the time? Our headquarters might just storm Scarpa Bay, right? In that case, it would be as the British intended. Lieutenant General Hipper said.

Scapa Flow, as the home port of the British Navy's Grand Fleet, was also an important base for the blockade of Germany, and over the years, Britain has piled up resources there. The entire Scapa Gulf is almost surrounded by a gate of shore defense guns, and the defense is extremely strong. Even if the High Seas Fleet has dozens of capital ships, if it launches an attack, I am afraid it will not take advantage of it. What's more, in Scarpa Bay, there are still twenty or thirty capital ships of the British Navy. In the event of a war, the capital ships could also be anchored in the harbor and attack directly with naval guns. At that time, the German Navy may not only not be able to defeat the British Navy, but will also suffer a big defeat.

As for sending submarines for another sneak attack, that won't work either. The last time the British suffered such a big loss, they would have strengthened the underwater defenses of Scapa Bay. The German Navy's submarines could no longer easily enter Scarpa's Bay.

"Gentlemen, since the British avoid war, we cannot continue to spend so much with them. A huge fleet of ships at sea is an astronomical amount of fuel burned every day. What's more, for this operation, we have also transferred the main force of the Broken Fleet over. This makes our blockade of the British very flawed. The British will surely seize this opportunity and frantically transport all kinds of supplies to their homeland. So, it can't be delayed any longer. Admiral Reinhardschel said.

Lieutenant General Hipper and Lieutenant General Spee both nodded their heads. The German Navy's previous blockade of the British mainland was undoubtedly very successful. Not only did British industry suffer a devastating blow, but Britain's war potential was greatly weakened. There are even a lot of social problems because of this. If the blockade is rendered useless because the main force of the Broken Fleet is withdrawn, it will make all the previous efforts in vain.

"Your Excellency, it seems that there is no way out. If the British don't go to sea to fight, then we will have to find a way to force them out. Let's go according to the predetermined plan! Lieutenant General Spee said.

"General Spee, according to the predetermined plan, the 2nd Battlecruiser Detachment under your command is to attack the British coastal cities in order to force the British to go to sea. In this case, it will have a great impact on your personal reputation. Admiral Reinhardschel said.

Lieutenant General Shi Pei smiled slightly: "Your Excellency, as long as the empire can win this war, my personal reputation will not have any problems at all. ”

Admiral Reinhardschel nodded. Indeed, not only Lieutenant General Shi Pei, but also other generals, will definitely not back down when they encounter such a thing. Personal reputation is indeed important. But, in contrast, winning the war for the Empire, that's all that matters. As a soldier of the German Empire, for the good of the Empire, even his life can be sacrificed, not to mention personal reputation?

"Alright, let's do what we planned! General Spee, you set out with the 2nd Battle Cruiser Detachment this evening to attack Edinburgh and destroy it. Ports and shipyards, in particular, are to be completely destroyed. Let the British know that if they avoid fighting any longer, we will destroy all their coastal cities. Admiral Reinhardschel ordered.

"Yes, General!" Lieutenant General Spee nodded.

Subsequently, Vice Admiral Spee set off with the 2nd Battlecruiser Detachment.