In many people's minds, Ireland is associated with the "Republican Army" and "bombings", but in Natsuki's mind, the first association of Ireland is the steep sea cliffs with rocks and turbulence, and there is a stubborn vitality in the barrenness - that is the sensory impression obtained from the television screen as a child. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Cork's coast is neither steep nor barren, where the dark green coastal vegetation, turquoise waters and azure skies create a unique picture, and the tranquil and tranquil harbour of the harbor is a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Thames, while the hillsides near the harbour stand a series of stone castles with monotonous or full silhouettes that distinguish between the monotonous and the full silhouette of different eras of construction. In Natsuki's view, it is like a seaside town in Hayao Miyazaki's animation, with simple lines and colors outlining a beautiful world with rich connotations, and giving people a warm sense of intimacy.

The German merchant who warmly invited the naval cadets ashore was named Hank. The 55-year-old is the chairman of the German Chamber of Commerce in Cork, which has only seven merchants and operates small factories and workshops. Half a century earlier, he had moved with his father from Holstein, where the Schleswig-Holstein region was the Alsace-Lorraine equivalent of Denmark and Germany, around which the two countries fought two wars until it became a province of Prussia in 1867 and a unified German empire in 1871. For this reason, Fetteres's nationality changed three times, and despite his long expatriate abroad, his Germanic national sentiments only increased, and he was sincerely proud of the growing power of the German Empire. Because of this, Natsuki and the Navy cadets found home at the Fettes Inn, where they comfortably cleaned up and chatted happily with Fettles, their families, and the local German expatriate, making for a light-hearted and enjoyable time during the voyage.

Fettles' granddaughter, Kelly, is a beautiful young blonde who quickly becomes the object of the Navy's academy students, and upon learning of Natsuki and Christian's status as princes, her courtesy and initiative towards the two are the jealous of her companions. Although he is not interested in a dewy relationship, Natsuki gradually feels that the strange experience in Sweden awakens the **** buried in his heart. Seeing a girl with a beautiful face and a strong body, it is difficult for him to be as calm as before, and the status of a prince makes him more likely to be favored by the opposite sex than ordinary people, and the troubles of puberty follow.

Unlike other students' casual mentality of pure shore vacation, Xia Shuyin and John. Holland has an agreement to invest in a shipyard in Ireland, and has a special focus on this "land of right and wrong" with a unique geographical and political atmosphere. Given that the Charlotte's docking and maintenance and the crew's disembarkation visits were approved by the port authorities, and that the local Irish were not as resistant to the Germans as the residents of the British Islands, he strolled alone through the streets in front of the Fettles Hotel after lunch.

In this rather lively neighborhood, the police are easy to find, their uniforms belong to the same system as the police on the streets of London, except that their coats and shirts are not straight, and their expressions are not as serious and rigid as the capital police, and they bask in the sun with their hands behind their backs, and they are very comfortable chatting and laughing with each other.

Walking to a street corner, Natsuki noticed a young man in suspender pants and a peaked cap on the opposite corner of the street dodging to hand out flyers to pedestrians, some passers-by deliberately avoided it, and some people quickly took the flyers and put them in their pockets. Natsuki was about to walk over and get a picture to see what was going on, but he caught a glimpse of two policemen walking down the street, the young man deftly running into the alley, and the policemen only symbolically chased a few steps. Seeing that Natsuki had been looking this way, and was wearing the clothes of a German naval cadet, they came over curiously, looked him up and down, and asked in English, "German seamen?" ”

As a legal entrant, Natsuki replied unhurriedly: "It's a German naval cadet, our training ship is being repaired in the port, and we were allowed to go ashore for two days." ”

"Oh, the great German Navy." The tone of the tall cop was less like a bitter taunt or a vicious bashing, but a witty tease.

Natsuki smiled meaninglessly, and was about to turn to leave, when the short policeman reminded: "Hey, Mr. Germany, listen to me, no matter what your purpose is here, I suggest that you do not have any kind of contact with those anti-government elements, otherwise we have the right to detain you for review, and if this causes unnecessary diplomatic disputes, we can only express our deep regret." ”

As if performing a double reed, the tall policeman followed up and said, "If you're just walking around, stay away from Tsubaki Street, stay away from Blue Heart Cafe." ”

Although he was not pestered by the police, Natsuki felt that his naval cadet uniform had become the object of their special attention, so he quickly returned to the Fettes Hotel. Some of the other students were taking a nap in their rooms, some were playing cards in the cafeteria, and a few were diligently helping Kelly clean up. In the hallway back to his room, Natsuki meets Mr. Fettles' youngest son, Leo, a bachelor in his thirties. He was dressed as a gentleman, carrying a straight, slender brown wooden cane, with a light smile and a sly look. Seeing that Leo's figure was similar to his own, Natsuki had an idea and asked him if he could borrow his own outfit temporarily.

Leo agreed without hesitation, he took Natsuki to his room, and opened the wardrobe door briskly, there was a dazzling array of costumes inside, which was estimated to make many actors sigh to themselves. Natsuki picked out an inconspicuous plaid suit and asked for a brown hat, and Leo pouted at him and didn't give any dress advice.

Back in his room, Natsuki took a shower, took a comfortable nap, and wrote a postcard to Louise and Charlotte at the table, and it was almost dusk when he went out wearing the clothes he had borrowed from Leo, and then learned the way to Tsubaki Street from a seemingly honest uncle. After turning two alleys, Natsuki came to this quaint and short alley, and there was not a single Tsubaki tree on the side of the street, but a few quite tall apple trees. None of the shop signs on the crossbars along the street read "Blue Heart Cafe", and following a few young workers who looked like workers, Natsuki quickly found an inconspicuous door with a blue heart-shaped sign on the lintel. However, a stout man stood in his way as he crossed the threshold.

"Hey, stranger, it's not open to the public." He said with a loud voice.

"Uh-huh, I look like a plainclothes cop?"

Natsuki tried to defuse the embarrassment with this humorous tone, but it didn't work. The strong man clasped his hands in front of his chest, and his cold gaze also made Xia Shu carefully consider the possible backlash caused by bribery, and at this moment, a thin and sharp voice came from behind him:

"Hey, Robbie, look who you've turned away! This is our honored guest! ”

Natsuki turned his head and saw that it was Leo.

"I guessed you were coming here, why didn't you tell me in advance?" Leo grinned and walked over to Natsuki's side, watching the strong man get out of the way without saying a word, this guy is by no means an ordinary character.

Walking through the quirky side entrance to the Blue Heart Cafe, Natsuki noticed that the setting here was no different from that of a popular café. Because it was off-duty hours, more than half of the seats were already occupied, and the smell of cheap coffee and bread filled the air. Leo led him to a private room with a seaside window, asked the waiter for two glasses of sherry, and said unhurriedly: "His Royal Highness seems to be interested in the sacred cause of the Irish people to rebel against English rule? ”

Natsuki smiled indifferently: "If I say that this is an emotion of respecting the brave, will you think that I am hypocritical?" ”

"No, of course not." Leo replied dryly, "Don't forget, I'm German, not Irish." ”

"Sooner or later, the Irish will get the independence and freedom they deserve, and this has nothing to do with the antagonistic rivalry between Germany and England." "But the road is destined to be full of hardships and requires the heroic dedication of countless pioneers." ”

Leo did not answer, and when the waiter had always had an aperitif, he raised his glass and said, "To the brave and fearless Irishman." ”

Natsuki had to be wary of the incense trap in Karlskrona for such an unfamiliar occasion, taking a sip and spitting out the wine by wiping his lips with a napkin.

Leo seemed to see this, and he laughed: "They don't think there's anything to be gained by kidnapping a German prince." At the same time, they do not feel that praying for mercy can be exchanged for freedom. ”

These words made Natsuki let down his guard a little: "They need friends, friends who really help them." ”

"They're used to being alone." When he said this, Leo was full of admiration.

"Does Mr. Fetles know of your political leanings?" Natsuki asked.

"More or less knowing, he neither agrees nor opposes, is a well-meaning bystander." Leo commented calmly.

Natsuki asked again, "So, in what way do you usually support them?" Funding, relationships, or some other avenue? ”

Leo took a sip of wine alone: "Actually, I am only a well-meaning bystander, and I offer very little help. ”

Natsuki pondered the meaning of his words.

"I heard that a special friend has arrived." A slightly hoarse voice came from the door of the box, and Natsuki looked up to see that it was a well-dressed middle-aged man with a plump atrium and a kind face, like a successful capitalist rather than a dangerous anti-government.

"I take the liberty to introduce you." Leo got up and said to Natsuki, "This is Mr. Gibson, I often pay credit here, Mr. Gibson is a very good person, he never counts my interest, and he will not kick me out of the house because I haven't paid my bills for two months in a row, and it will never hurt to know such a big-hearted friend." ”

This pompous humor eliminates the embarrassment caused by the two because of their identities. Natsuki got up and shook hands with the middle-aged man, and then the three of them sat down separately.

"It is a great honor to see His Highness the genius of the Hohenzollern family, whose revolutionary design in the field of speedboats is changing the traditional maritime landscape!"

In the face of the praise of the middle-aged people, Natsuki did not show oriental humility as usual, he pondered the meaning of the other party's words: due to religious beliefs (the opposition between Catholicism and Protestantism), national status and national consciousness, since modern times, most Irish people want to establish an independent Irish state, and they are roughly divided into two groups: one advocates seeking autonomy by non-violent means, these people are represented by the Irish Parliamentary Party, with high social status, and some even serve as members of the British Parliament, The result of their efforts was the passage of the "Home Act" by the British House of Commons in May 1914, which gave Ireland a high degree of autonomy, including the constitution, but the First World War delayed the entry into force of this law; On the other hand, the British government saw the "anti-government elements" who sought to establish an Ireland free from British rule and oppression by force, launching the Easter Rising in 1916 and participating in the Irish War of Independence from 1919 to 1921, which eventually led to the independence of Ireland.

In the history that Natsuki is well aware, from 1921 to 1948, Ireland existed as a self-governing federation of the United Kingdom, and in 1948 it broke away from the British Commonwealth and became a completely independent country, but the six counties of northern Ireland, which were mainly Protestant, remained in the territory of Britain forever - because of the opposition to the division of North and South Ireland, the IRA sought the complete unity of Ireland through armed struggle for a long time, and gradually became a notorious terrorist organization at home and abroad, until the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. It ended decades of violent strife with the renunciation of Ireland and the disarmament of the IRA.

"In fact, in order to fulfill the agreement made by the same friend, I am going to set up a shipyard in Ireland within two years." Natsuki said.

Mr. Gibson was overjoyed: "Ha! That's great! That's great! ”

Natsuki said gently, "However, this friend asked me to build the shipyard in his hometown, County Clare, to help the people there get out of poverty. It's in the southeast of Ireland! I've never been there yet. ”

The middle-aged man looked a little disappointed, and he slowly retracted his smile: "Oh...... Claire, the land there is very poor, and it is indeed a place where living conditions are relatively difficult, and there are not many people willing to invest there. ”

"The commercial conditions in Port Cork are much better than those of Clare." Leo interjected.

"If the conditions are right, I will consider investing in another shipyard branch here." Speaking of this, Natsuki's tone changed and he asked Gibson, "I beg your pardon for taking the liberty of joining a political party?" ”

The middle-aged man looked at Leo, squinted and smiled: "We are freedom fighters, even if there is a party, it is our own party." It may be that the organization of our mysterious café has misunderstood His Highness, but in fact, we are not revolutionaries who are secretly plotting a riot, and we don't even have a decent weapon except for a few dinner knives. Our idea was to free the Irish from British oppression, which was both political and economic – and most intolerable to us was that the great Ireland could not even make a rifle. ”

In fact, in Belfast, in the north of Ireland, there is not only a relatively complete industrial system, but also the Harlan Wolf Shipyard, Europe's leading shipbuilding enterprise, which can build world-class warships and merchant ships, the historical Titanic cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth-class battleship Trafalgar, and the Terew-class aircraft carrier Dreadnought were all born in its modern dock.

Before leaving Cork, Natsuki did not reach any agreement with the Irishman Gibson, nor did he promise them anything, but in the course of their brief contact, they both saw the hope and value of further cooperation, and with Leao, a man of Germanic descent and dual Anglo-German nationality, as long as the time was right, they could carry out in-depth cooperation in the interests of both parties.

On the "Charlotte" that returned to the sea, Natsuki looked back at the coastline of Ireland, the backyard of the British Empire was full of thorn seeds, and it was easy to contain his opponent with some water and fertilizer......

(End of chapter)