Again with Andrey. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info Denisov meets, the scene changes to a café in the port of St. Pettenburg. It has a typical Russian décor, the setting and style are not bad, and the prices on the menu play a warning effect of "the poor do not enter". There are no grizzled, sweaty-drenched laborers, and the guests are all well-dressed, but they are not just suave over coffee and chatting, glass bottles and glasses can be seen on most tables. The biggest difference from the tavern is that there are no rude loud noises or rickety drunks, and a live band of three people plays some slow and melodious tunes.

"Of the seven of us who were travelling, four were unfortunately killed in the Battle of Tsushima, and three ended up in Russia -- Kerzhakov had a very bad time in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, Berezutsky was stranded in a neutral port for several months, and I was the only one who was lucky enough to arrive in Vladivostok with the ship......," Denisov recounted his experience as he swallowed the smoke over vodka. A young man in his early twenties, his words and deeds are full of vicissitudes.

"That battle was a disaster for the Europeans." Natsuki's remark was quoted from a headline in the newspaper at the time. According to the traditional concept of Europeans, Asians are ignorant and backward, and they cannot be compared with European countries located in the center of the world in terms of science and technology, culture, and military affairs, and the Battle of Tsushima was the first time in modern times that the navies of Asian countries defeated the navies of European countries head-on, and the Russian fleet was completely defeated.

Denisov frowned: "Those scenes will be a lingering nightmare for many people in this life, including me." ”

Listening to memories and expressing sympathy was by no means Natsuki's intention to sit here, and he tentatively said: "It is reassuring that the whole of Russia has seriously reviewed and reflected on this defeat, the reconstruction of the army has begun, and the industry and economy have gradually returned to the track of development. Twenty years later, the Russian army would have been victorious. ”

Denisov snorted coldly and extinguished the cigarette butt hatefully: "Corruption is like termites, no matter how hard wood can be hollowed out, the country, the government, and the army, once termites appear, will soon become fragile, and these humble guys are so tenacious that it is so difficult to sweep them away." ”

The meaning of these words could not be understood, and Natsuki nodded yes.

Denisov, apparently reluctant to talk more about this sensitive topic, changed his words: "On the long journey to the Far East, our so-called loyal allies have cold faces everywhere, and those weak neutral countries do not dare to offend the British Empire, but our German friends have reached out and provided us with valuable provisions." It is a pity that our two countries have not been able to take advantage of this opportunity to renew the old relationship, and St. Petersburg is still pulled by Paris closer to London......"

The responsibility for missing the opportunity lies with the stubborn German rulers and the dull German diplomats, but Natsuki could not criticize his emperor and officials in front of outsiders, and he had to lament the cunning of the British: "When it comes to political skill, Germany, Russia, and France together are not as sophisticated and cunning as the British, and we are all pawns in the European chess game at Buckingham Palace." ”

On the basis of the signing of the Entente between Britain and France and the alliance between France and Russia, Britain and Russia are negotiating and negotiating on the century-old dispute between the two countries in order to jointly defend against Germany. Therefore, Denisov did not follow Natsuki's words, he took a small glass of vodka and took a cigarette from the cigarette case, which was the fourth in a quarter of an hour.

"Smoking too much is not good for your health." Natsuki reminded in the tone of a friend.

Denisov shook his head with a wry smile, struck a match, and smoked it with sophistication. His expression of loss and despair from reminiscing about the past took a positive turn, and he looked at Natsuki squarely and lowered his voice slightly: "We paid an extremely expensive tuition fee in the Tsushima Strait, and the whole world saw a new form of naval warfare, but there are some things that can only be more deeply understood by those who have experienced it firsthand, for example, the strong desire and self-confidence of the Japanese Navy in that battle. This raised their technical and tactical performance to a higher level, making the originally evenly matched battle a one-sided situation, and this also made me feel for the first time that a huge victory in tactics can completely change the overall gap between national strength and military strength. ”

Natsuki felt that what Denisov was trying to convey could be summed up in a nutshell as "a tactical victory of sufficient weight could change the strategic situation", which was something he had been seriously considering.

In war, can quantitative change really lead to qualitative change?

Having refilled himself with half a glass of vodka, Denisov said: "What does His Highness think about the right to control the sea?" ”

Judging from the atmosphere of the conversation, Natsuki felt that this question was the prelude to the other party's next discussion, rather than really wanting to know what he thought, so he replied vaguely: "Only purely landlocked countries do not care about sea dominance." ”

Denisov said slowly: "Yes, purely landlocked countries do not have to bear such troubles, but they also cannot enjoy the benefits of the sea. I think that the American Mahan's discourse on sea supremacy is profoundly influencing our time -- as he stated, control of the sea determines the fate of a country, and even continental countries cannot ignore the significance of sea supremacy. However, the mainland countries must maintain a land army that is commensurate with the national system, and must build their border defense and communication networks, and the remaining energy can be devoted to naval development, and the foundation of their naval strategy lags behind those island countries. ”

It was precisely "the speaker is unintentional, the listener is intentional", the other party's original intention was to lament the difficulties faced by the Russian navy in rebuilding, but the inspiration to Natsuki was related to Germany, which is also a continental country. Thanks to the strong support of the Kaiser and the excellent organization of Tirpitz, the German naval construction is moving forward at an astonishing pace, at the cost of the German army's budget not increasing for many years, the state budget has been running deficits for many years, and the German government has had to issue new bonds in order to meet the huge funding needs of the new round of naval bills. In order to alleviate the heavy economic pressure, but also a strategy to slow down the pace of observation of the new trend of battleships in various countries, the German Navy did not start to build battleships for a whole year in 1906-1907, but Natsuki knew that the birth of dreadnoughts would set off a shipbuilding race that no one wanted to fall behind, with the financial strength of the British Empire was still embarrassed and heavy, Germany's national finances were bound to collapse step by step in the investment of land and sea, which was the real situation before the outbreak of the world war!

The other party's chatterbox had already been opened, and Natsuki only needed a sincere expression and a "how", and Denisov would reveal his painful realization, and from this point of view, he did not receive the expected attention from the Russian Navy Staff - in such a country where bureaucracy prevails, who would take a young officer with no background seriously?

"First, focus on the quality of the ship rather than the size. Second, see war as the only mission of the Navy's existence. Thirdly, to have a competent corps of officers and a team of sailors who are not afraid of death. ”

Desov was evident in his succinct reluctance, which he might have painstakingly emphasized among his colleagues, but to no avail.

Natsuki listened to it, and took every one of them to heart. He raised the wine glass that had been sitting on the table and saluted this idealistic and far-sighted young Russian officer: "I have a feeling that one day our two continental countries will join hands at sea to fight against those narrow and despicable island countries, and fight for the maritime era belonging to the continental countries with steel and blood. For our common pursuit of victory, for our proud years of struggle, let us drink this cup, and wish you and me friendship lasts forever! ”

Denisov's face was full of hope: "When we share the victory, we will sing and get drunk!" ”

Bidding farewell to his Russian friends, Natsuki stood alone on the deck of the training ship, looking at the sea under the dazzling starlight, his head full of thoughts. In the absence of a change in the country's geopolitical and economic structure, the emphasis on quality was indeed the inevitable choice for the German Navy to defeat the enemy, so putting aside the luck of the "existence fleet" mentality, preparing for a vicious battle from the beginning should help to change the bad situation of the German Navy in history. Thankfully, German officers and enlisted men have always been exemplary professional soldiers, and if the class antagonism between officers and soldiers can be eliminated, this lean contingent will be able to take it to the next level. As for saying that this fanatical attitude of victory is too similar to that of the Japanese Navy, Natsuki doesn't have too much to worry about - mastiffs are canines, and even if they have the possibility of getting out of control, they are far easier to restrain than beasts like wolves!

After a three-day stay in St. Petersburg, the German Navy training ship "Charlotte" embarked on a journey carrying energetic naval cadets. Approximately 400 kilometers were sailed from Kiel to Karlskrona and 900 kilometers from Karlskrona to St. Petersburg. This time, they bravely completed a thousand-kilometre voyage from St. Petersburg to Kiel, which lasted six days and seven nights, and encountered a torrential rain and two strong winds along the way. In the face of nature's challenges, the young cadets have shown courage and determination, and are able to cope with any situation with increasing seafaring skills.

Back at their home port in Kiel, the trainees took a short break to prepare for the longer and more difficult voyage ahead. The Charlotte underwent a detailed overhaul at the dock, and the cadets were given a day off and spent the rest of the day on board to participate in facility maintenance. Four days later, the 1886 Navy warship sailed through the surging Skagerrak Strait, across the rough North Sea, and into the Atlantic Ocean via the English Channel in southern Britain.

In view of the strained Anglo-German relations, the voyage was to cancel any British port calls and replenish supplies in the Portuguese Azyr Islands on the way across the Atlantic. However, as soon as she sailed out of the English Channel, the Charlotte was confronted by a major storm off the Celtic Sea - more than 300 years ago, a violent Atlantic storm helped the British weaken the Spanish Armada, and the British fleet finally won the future in a decisive naval battle. This time, the Atlantic storm gave this group of young Germans who had just learned about the ocean a disadvantage, hung up the mainmast of the "Charlotte", and injured three people.

With 8 boilers on board and 1 two-cylinder two-expansion reciprocating steam engine (there were two main engines when it was in service as a battleship, and one was dismantled after being converted into a training ship), the "Charlotte" was able to take 11. The maximum speed of 4 knots was carried out, but the ship's coal reserves were not enough to support it in the distant Azores, and the sailing with a broken mast was also detrimental to the honor of the German navy. After sending a telegram to the Navy General Staff, Captain Feng. Lieutenant Commander Kells ordered the training ship to sail to the nearest port of Cork, Ireland.

Ireland was still part of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1906, and the Irish movement against English rule had a history of centuries, during which there were many armed riots and major uprisings, and there were many political organizations and alliances within the territory that demanded independence, which also became an entry point for the opponents to weaken Britain from within. Napoleon had sent troops to land in Ireland, but his army and the Irish peasants were quickly defeated by the superior British army; During the Crimean War, the Russians, who were attacked by Britain and France, also considered supporting the Irish in their rebellion; In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the turn of the emerging Second German Reich to rival the British Empire.

On the basis of this obvious principle, the enemy of the enemy is a friend, and the German government increased its "emotional investment" in Ireland, which included both industrial investments, espionage or quasi-espionage personnel, and even a secret military plan - in order to spare Britain time to intervene in the Franco-German war, the German government considered building a number of secret arsenals in Ireland in order to issue guns and ammunition to the Irish at a critical time, and to politically support their demand for independence.

After sailing one hundred and forty nautical miles to the north, the "Charlotte" sailed into Cork Harbour with a broken mast. It is the largest city and trading centre in the south of Ireland and one of the largest natural harbours in the world, but as a traditional supply station for ships entering the Atlantic, it does not have a thriving shipbuilding industry like the southern ports of England, with a few dockyards mainly used for repairs, and the industries that the locals rely on for their survival are textiles, leather manufacturing, and food processing.

In this era of steam engine technology and the quiet rise of internal combustion engine technology, many shipyards had neither the equipment nor the skilled workers to repair the mast of such a galleon as the Charlotte, but Lieutenant Commander Kells did not give up easily. With the help of local German businessmen, they found a shipyard that looked like an antique like the "Charlotte", and the repair price was also reasonable, but the shipyard did not have a standard lumber stock, and it would take two days to raise wood, plus the repair period, and the repair work would not be completed until the fourth day at the earliest, which meant that the "Charlotte" would have to stay in Cork for at least three days.

After the first novelty, the cadets gradually lost interest in the day-to-day sea voyage, and began to try to seize every opportunity to relieve their boredom like old sailors, and the German merchants who had come to their aid invited them ashore to rest. Under these circumstances, Lieutenant Colonel Kells divided the cadets into three groups, each of whom was led by an officer, and the degree of personal freedom was compressed to a sufficiently safe limit to ensure that no unending incidents were to be made on British territory.

(End of chapter)