In winter, the distant and cold Eastern Europe has begun to freeze, Berlin has snowed, and the southwestern Baltic ports such as Kiel have maintained average temperatures of around 5 degrees. Although the sea breeze blowing from the north sometimes makes people feel harsh, in general, this kind of weather is relatively acceptable.www.biquge.info

Early in the morning, Natsuki went for a morning swim in the swimming pool as usual. His hardcore partner Christian has always stayed away from this kind of exercise that requires a lot of resilience and perseverance, but that doesn't mean Natsuki can enjoy "quiet" alone. With simple or complex intentions, many students come early to show their swimming style. Adhering to his usual humble and pro-people attitude, Natsuki sometimes took the initiative to chat with them, and always refused to come to talk to them. However, the atmosphere today was obviously a little different, the students had no intention of swimming, they gathered in groups of three or five to whisper, and the teammates of the academy football team gathered around Xia Shu.

The Russian fleet was still adrift on the vast ocean, and it would take at least half a year for them to reach the far east. Although the Russian Navy still has a great chance of defeating the Japanese fleet in theory, anyone with a little brain and vision can already see that the great Russian tree has long since decayed in the hollow, and what awaits them is a complete rout on the land and sea battlefield. The decline of Russia's naval power was a situation that many countries were happy to see, and the choice of Britain, the traditional maritime hegemon allied with Japan, was particularly gloating. For most of the 19th century, the massive Russian Navy was the number one rival of the British Royal Navy, and in the Balkans, in the Black Sea Straits, and in Mesopotamia, the conflict of interests between Britain and Russia was always an irreconcilable great power contradiction.

Now that the Russian army and navy were concentrated in distant Asia, and its voice and influence in Europe had fallen to an all-time low, Britain was able to reinforce its home fleet with confidence and courage in drawing forces from the Mediterranean, giving the Royal Navy a decisive advantage over the German navy in the North Sea. Some British admirals openly called for a preemptive strike against the burgeoning German navy, and a weighty British newspaper published an opinion piece suggesting the need for Britain to "Copenhagenize" the potential threat in the north.

(Note: "Copenhagenization" originated from the British preventive war launched against Denmark in 1807, when Napoleon tried to unite Denmark and Portugal to form a maritime alliance against Britain, and in order to prevent the powerful Danish fleet from being used to attack Britain, the British Navy and Army raided Copenhagen and completely destroyed the Danish fleet, but the attack on neutral countries also caused great controversy.)

In view of the very high anti-German sentiment in Britain, a war against Germany with little risk is likely to be strongly supported by the British people, and the German naval attache in Britain reported that the British fleet was stepping up combat preparations, and the German decision-makers judged that Britain could indeed "Copenhagenize" Germany. As a result, the Kaiser ordered the German Navy to prepare for battle, the fleets and coastal defense fortresses were raised on alert, and all the officers and men were on vacation, and a tense atmosphere suddenly filled the navy, including the Kiel Naval Academy. The students' speculation is not only about when the war will come, but also about whether they will experience it themselves.

"If I were a decision-maker in the UK, I wouldn't have waited until next spring if I was determined to use force, now is the best time." Joan who plays as a winger. Eckerle is a brown-haired, brown-eyed Hamburger who excels at sprinting and swimming. When he expressed his concerns, he rubbed his face uneasily.

Midfielder Love. Feng. Tall as a wall, black-haired, blue-eyed, eagle-nosed, broad-lipped, from a famous Prussian family, Kaganak was well-read and fluent in Russian since childhood, and had strong theoretical analysis and communication skills. In the same apprehensive manner of Eckerle's analysis, he said: "The Russians have no more votes against us, the French hate us wholeheartedly, and are always eager to retake Alsace and Lorraine from us, and our navy is still an infantry armed with daggers in front of the British North Sea Fleet (i.e., the Home Fleet), and it is not difficult for the British, with their horses and spears, to solve us in one fell swoop!" ”

With Von. Carganak-like burly Pate. Dinger was the team's attacking centre-forward, honest and tenacious, and he scored goals on the pitch with a hearty attitude, saying in a nonchalant tone: "Come on, our coastal fortifications are not decorations, and Krupp's heavy artillery will turn the British fleet into a pile of leaky broken barrels." Even if they insist on blockading our shores and ports, we will be able to hit them back with mines and torpedoes. ”

Although Natsuki was not in a hurry to interject, his thoughts did not wander. Like his companions, he was apprehensive about the possibility that Britain might start a preventive naval war against Germany - although there had never been such a scene in history, but on the basis of the butterfly effect theory, his actions, especially the deliberate demonstration of the deterrent power of high-speed torpedo boats during the Kiel Naval Festival, could change the course of history and make the British hesitate to destroy the potential threat posed by the German navy by direct means of war.

Feng. Kaganak looked at Natsuki and said, "Looking at the frequent entry and exit of mine-laying ships in and out of the port during this time, a large number of mines must have been laid in the defensive position!" ”

Because of his very special status, Natsuki was able to freely enter and exit the Naval Office, the former was responsible for the construction and maintenance of all naval ships under the leadership of Count Tirpitz, Secretary of State for the Navy and Minister of the Prussian Admiralty, and the Naval Staff, which was responsible for formulating strategic plans, training staff officers, carrying out naval intelligence work, and carrying out all naval combat operations with the emperor's approval in wartime. In practice, because of Tirpitz's enormous influence, the Naval Staff became a strategic executive body, with the real strategic decision-making power still in Tirpitz's hands, and the command of the fleet in wartime was the responsibility of the Commander of the High Seas Fleet and his Operational Staff.

"I heard that thousands of mines were laid to prevent any enemy from attacking William and Keel from the sea." Natsuki's calm tone may seem to others to be an excellent quality of fearlessness and composure, and he himself knows very well that once the British are determined to fight this preventive war, these mines are far from enough to deter their opponents.

Listening to Natsuki's answer, Feng. Kaganak's confidence was restored at once, and he said: "In terms of cost and efficiency, mines are the best defensive weapon, and torpedoes are the best offensive weapon." If the British Navy were still dealing with us with a traditional near-shore blockade, we could take advantage of the darkness or fog to surprise their fleets, and that was not the best way for His Highness's high-speed torpedo boats? ”

Ekelle followed: "It's a pity that there are not enough high-speed torpedo boats in His Highness, otherwise, the British would not dare to move such crooked thoughts!" ”

The inexpensive "Thunderbolt" is indeed the most dazzling new star of the German Navy this year, with several opportunities such as the joint exercise of the Kiel Navy Festival and the autumn combat training of the Navy to show its talents, but their number is not enough to form a strategic force, and another factor restricting their role is the lack of sufficient stability of the engine, fortunately, the enemy does not know about this, judging from the feedback from the naval attachés and intelligence officers stationed abroad, the internal special issue of the British and French Navy has a high evaluation of it, It was believed that such high-speed torpedo boats, powered by internal combustion engines, turned the coastal waters into a dangerous area for large battleships, and suggested that their warships be equipped with more defensive rapid-fire guns and searchlights.

With mixed feelings, Natsuki and his friends hastily finished their morning swim, and when they changed their clothes and went to the restaurant, Christian appeared to them with an anxious look on his face and whispered, "Guys, it's bad news that the British Navy has seized one of our coal carriers in the waters of West Africa, and ordered the fleet in the East Asian Sea to be recalled to the mainland, and all naval personnel have been canceled on vacation. ”

In normal understanding, this is undoubtedly another evidence of the determination of the British Navy to use force.

The students with wet hair looked at each other, but Xia Shu stared coldly: "No country can rise and grow in a friendly and peaceful environment, since the test of blood and fire will come sooner or later, let it come more thoroughly!" Who can say that the relatively weak German Navy will become the second Danish fleet? ”

In the morning ballistic theory course, most of the students who were worried were not in the state, and during the recess, someone brought an explosive news: In view of the imminence of war, the Admiralty ordered all military academies to suspend the courses, and all the cadets were transferred to the Navy departments as probationary officers.

In the past few days, the worries about the national situation and the fate of the navy have made the cadets feel sad and depressed, and when they heard this news, people put aside their negative emotions and jumped up a little, just like the proverbs left by their predecessors, soldiers who have not been tested in actual combat are like sabers without blades, not to mention that today's war technology is changing with each passing day, and many contents on the course can no longer keep up with the development of the situation, and it is more meaningful to see the true face of modern naval warfare than to participate in 100 live-fire trainings!

There were hundreds of people studying at the Kiel Naval Academy, and it was impossible for them all to be assigned to a department or a warship, and with curiosity about where they were going, the partners of the football team gathered around Xia Shu.

"Where do you want to go?" Natsuki asked rhetorically.

Going to a battleship as a midshipman was expected, and there were those who confessed that they wanted to go to the Naval Staff to appreciate the highest level of military art, compared to Christian's words more like a gag: "Give me a 'thunderbolt' and promise to sink the flagship of the British!" ”

"Whenever we are faced with a crisis or a war, it is our habit to prepare for the worst. Once we lose our battle fleet, you will be the hope for the revival of the German Navy. Natsuki is both implicitly telling his friends that the Navy's top brass will not let all of them go to the dangerous front-line battlefield, and at the same time criticizing this inherent mindset. In many cases, it is only by devoting oneself to the situation and adapting to the situation that the officers and men can fully unleash their combat capability, and there is no need to go to the battlefield with the determination to die every time.

(End of chapter)