At 14:34, the British battleship "Marlborough" was hit by the "Empress Maria" and sank, and the "Malaya" also sent the seriously wounded and dying German battleship "Baden" to the bottom of the sea with a salvo. The "Malaya" was immediately violently retaliated by the German battleships, and at 14:54, the last "Queen Elizabeth" unfortunately died and capsized in the gray-blue waters of the Celtic Sea.

At this time, the British fleet on the left flank of the coalition ship formation had completed the turn one by one, and the four British "Revenge" class battleships were facing the "Mackensen" and "Frederick" who were lined up behind the German fleet. The Karl launched a fierce attack, and the British ships concentrated their artillery fire on the German ships one by one, while the German ships returned fire with all their might, ignoring the heavy artillery fire from the American fleet from the other direction.

The British rushed too fast because of their desire for revenge, and at once hit two 380-mm huge shells at close range, the front main guns were completely destroyed, and the bow of the ship sank, and then several 380-mm shells hit the vital point, and the ship was hit by a large fire, and more than half of the crew suffered casualties. The "Frederick the Great" and the "Empress Maria" bombarded from afar with 403-mm guns, and the German gunners were unusually accurate, and the "Revenge" was hit six times in five minutes, and the hull was flooded in many places, and sank at 15:09, and nearly 1,000 officers and men, including Vice Admiral Bern, the commander of the fleet, were all killed.

Immediately after the "Revenge" sank the battleship "Sovereign", this battleship with a standard displacement of 28,150 tons showed itself to be even more vulnerable, a 403-mm shell fired from the "Empress Maria" first cut off its front mainmast, followed by two more shells hit the middle of the hull, and the "Württemberg" and "Saxony", which had been seriously wounded, also concentrated fire on the "Sovereign", the "Sovereign" was hit by a total of fifteen large-caliber shells, and the whole ship sank at 15:25 after being completely burned down, Most of the nearly 1,000 crew members were killed.

Seeing the heavy losses of the British fleet, the American fleet concentrated its firepower on the main force of the German fleet -- three "Kaiser Wilhelm" class battleships, these three German battleships turned their guns and bombarded the American fleet, while the remaining four "Byrne" class battleships attacked the British fleet with all their might.

At 15:11, the battleship "Kaiser Wilhelm" sank.

At 15:19, bad luck befell the Americans again, and the flagship of the American fleet, the "New Mexico", sank under the concentrated fire of three German battleships with 403 mm guns.

At 15:22, the German battleship "Empress Maria" sank, two minutes later, the British battleship "Remilis" sank, and five minutes later, the American battleship "Idaho" sank.

At 15:33, the German battleship "Württemberg" sank, and a minute later, the American battleship "Mississippi" sank.

At 15:39, the German battleship "Mackensen" sank, and two minutes later, the sister ship "Frederick? The "Karl" sank.

At 15:45, the American battleship "Tennessee" sank, and at the same time, the German battleship "Blucher" sank.

At 15:52, the German battleship "Saxony" sank.

At 16:12, the American battleship "California" sank. Five minutes later, the battered German battleship Frederick the Great sank. Ten minutes later, the British battleship "Resolve" sank, the last Allied battleship to be sunk.

On July 30, 1919, the last naval force of the German Empire, along with the main naval forces of Britain and the United States, disappeared into the Celtic Sea!

"The German fleet was destroyed! We are rescuing people who have fallen overboard! God bless the Queen! "Radio waves flew through the twilight sky, towards London, towards the Admiralty.

The blood-red sunset seems to be silently telling the end of this vicious battle.

The last strength of the Imperial German Navy, the last pride of the two-headed vulture, finally disappeared into the summer glow of the warm Celtic Sea in the Atlantic Ocean on the afternoon of July 30, 1919.

"Damn bad boy William, it's finally over!" British Prime Minister Lloyd's? George immediately received a telegram from the Admiralty and let out such a roar. Soon, all of London knew about the great victory at sea and about the Chinese fleet that fought valiantly. For a time, Chinese warriors became a hot topic in London! Of course, the fact that almost all of the Royal Navy's capital ships were sunk and that the Allied navy was basically lying on its back for months was naturally overlooked.

Guangxi, Nanning, Guangxi and Guangxi patrol embassy offices.

"The war in Europe will not be over soon."

This is the first sentence Yang Shuoming said after receiving the battle report of the Battle of the Celtic Sea.

"Our naval officers and men sacrificed a lot in this battle, and six huge ships were almost sunk, although it is said that they have returned a number of rights and interests, but the price is inevitably greater." Cheng Biguang finished reading the battle report and said to Yang Shuoming with some regret.

"In terms of casualties alone, the Army is actually much larger than the Navy."

Gu Pinzhen, who made a special trip to Nanning to meet Yang Shuoming, also had a sad look on her face, "According to the statistics of the provincial government, as of last month, nearly 10,000 casualties among my Yunnan athletes who went to Europe to fight, not including the laborers who went to Europe. ”

As the Chinese political axe recruited a large number of soldiers in various provinces to fight in Europe, Yunnan Province also recruited nearly 50,000 soldiers and laborers to go to Europe. And now there are nearly one-fifth casualties, this figure is really unacceptable for Gu Pinzhen and other generals of the Yunnan army.

Yang Shuoming heard the implicit blame in Gu Pinzhen's words, and said calmly: "We want to take a shortcut, and such a price is necessary. ”

"What does Hanzhi mean by 'shortcut'?" Gu Pinzhen looked at the young Liangguang Patrol Envoy in front of him in surprise and asked.

"Since Xinhai, most of our army has only experience in civil wars, and it is weak at home and deficient in foreign affairs. The battle of the four people's resistance against the Japanese, the performance of our army, I think Shinozai knows. Yang Shuoming said, "The sword is sharpened from a hundred times, and this European war is an excellent shortcut for our army to sharpen and learn the latest military technology of the West, and I believe that after the end of this war, neither the Western powers nor the Western powers will look down on our army." ”

Listening to Yang Shuoming's words, Gu Pinzhen nodded involuntarily.

"The great enemy of our country is the foundation. One of the main reasons why our country was unable to win the battle against the Japanese was that the navy was not as good as the navy. However, China's shipbuilding industry has a weak foundation and is unable to build giant warships that can resist the navy. And if it orders from Europe and the United States, it will be vigilant for the capital and the great powers in peacetime. And this European war has also given us a shortcut to rebuild a large navy," Yang Shuoming said, "Xiao Zhai and Hengqi also saw it, if it weren't for this European war, I'm afraid that the Americans might not be willing to build so many giant ships for our China so happily, and help us train our navy." ”

"Another point is that China's industrial base is weak, and the purpose of sending workers to Europe on a large scale this time is also to learn advanced European industrial technology. When the war is over and the laborers return to China, they will not only bring back a large amount of money, but also related technology, and after this broadening of their horizons, China's industrial development will surely have a new improvement. ”

"No wonder Hanzhi is so enthusiastic about my country's participation in the European war, and his plan is for this." At this time, Gu Pinzhen was completely convinced, "It's a pity that none of the domestic monarchs have Hanzhi's insight." ”

"Taking shortcuts is taking shortcuts, but a strong country cannot be accomplished overnight, and many of us need to make all kinds of sacrifices," Yang Shuoming looked at a red wedding card placed on the table, and his brows couldn't help frowning, "Of course I can't be an exception." ”

Gu Pinzhen noticed what Yang Shuoming's gaze was pointing at, he saw the wedding card on the table, and seemed to have an understanding, and couldn't help but smile and said: "It's better to come than to come by chance, it looks like I'm going to drink Hanzhi's wedding wine here." This time I came to Gui in a hurry, and I didn't prepare a congratulatory gift, so it's no wonder that Hanzhi will wait for me to turn around and ask someone to send it. ”

Yang Shuoming thought of his beloved wife Huang Yunzhi, who was still waiting for him to come home in Yanjing, and couldn't help but let out a deep sigh in his heart.

For this "political marriage" with the Fu family, it is impossible for him to refuse, and there is no reason to refuse.

"Don't blame those who don't know, Xiao Zhai doesn't have to break the bank, just drink a few more glasses of wedding wine when the time comes." Yang Shuoming smiled faintly, his face was as calm as usual, "Everyone has been tired for so long, so it's time to relax." ”

London, United Kingdom.

In a rich salon in London, a group of rich and dignitaries sat together. Although the war caused a lack of living materials, for this group of people at the top of the social pyramid, their banquets were never affected by the war, and there was never a shortage of good food and wine at their banquet tables. Roasted wild goat shank, foie gras, beef in sauce, greens, potato balls, Mediterranean oysters, mushroom soup, authentic Bordeaux wine, the dignitaries enjoyed a delicious meal. After the dinner, everyone was still drinking and talking, and the women chatted about the new fashion of New York and the magic of stockings from China. The men were naturally chatting about current affairs, and the information from France and Russia filled people's minds with reverie, as if the fierce battlefield was just around the corner, and of course the topic was naturally inseparable from the naval battle that had just passed.

"Paris has been recovered, and I heard that the Germans did not destroy it too much." Said a pot-bellied gentleman.

"I heard that the Germans withdrew from Paris on their own initiative, and now the battlefield is on the front line of the Marne again." Said a young officer.

"Germany's power has begun to dry up."

"Yes, they sent all the main forces of the navy this time, in fact, it was just to make a desperate bet."

"They call it the 'Battle of Honor,' but it's actually a death sentence. Control of the sea has always been firmly in our hands. ”

"I heard that the losses of the Royal Navy and the United States Navy were also quite large."

"But anyway, we won."

"There was a mutiny in France, a revolution in Russia, a coup d'état in China, and Britain ran out of strength, and the impact of this war on every country was enormous."

"It's a lose-lose war." A richly dressed young woman exclaimed, "I have heard His Excellency the Prime Minister say more than once that there is no winner in this war. ”

"You're wrong, dear." A young gentleman sitting beside her said, "There are winners in this war, whether it is England, the United States, France, China, Russia, Ben, or Germany. It's just that most people don't realize they exist. ”

"That's a good point." The pot-bellied gentleman smiled and clapped his hands, looking at the pair of young lovers who were dressed by first-class and skillfully handcrafted clothes, completely dressed as Western nobles but clearly Oriental, and said, "Of course, if there were a member of the House of Commons here, it would be very unhappy to hear this." ”

Hearing this, everyone present smiled and nodded, and many people had tacit smiles on their faces.

The First World War, which lasted until 1919, can be said to have brought great suffering to the people of the warring countries, but the monopoly capitalists of each country benefited greatly from the war, and the political axes of the belligerents turned a blind eye to the suffering of the people and insisted on carrying the war to the end. And now, the outcome of this war has already been revealed.

"China and the United States played a key role in this war, and of course paid a big price."

"China is now a naval power, but I don't know if they will sell these meritorious warships after this war is over, because I have heard that China's financial situation has deteriorated unbearably."

"I don't think so, the Chinese will keep these warships against me, and I believe that British and American money will help China's political axe tide over the difficulties."

"If my guess is correct, the 'German peacock' will soon extend an olive branch. It's just that it's a little late for him. ”

The interest in the discussion gradually increased.

"By the way, I heard that after you hold a wedding, you will go back to your hometown to hold a banquet according to Chinese customs, right?"

"Yes. Because we are back in China this time, we have another important wedding to attend. ”

"Let's make a toast to your happy life!" Someone proposed, and there was an immediate response from everyone, who raised their glasses and offered their blessings to the young Oriental lovers.

The lovers casually glanced at each other, and both saw meaningful smiles in each other's eyes.

Germany, Berlin, Supreme High Command.

"We have lost this war, Your Majesty."

The 62-year-old Hindenburg was now overshadowed, and his gray hair appeared even more, as if he had suddenly aged 10 years.

Wilhelm II put down the naval battle report in his hand, looked at his chief of staff with a gloomy face, and nodded slowly.

Last time, in the same room, Moltke Jr., the Chief of the General Staff of the German Army, after the Second Battle of the Somme, said the same thing to Wilhelm II in hysterical hysterical like a panicked old hen. Wilhelm II replied in a furious manner: "Not yet!" But now, facing Hindenburg, Wilhelm II could not say the same thing.

"Yes, our forces have been used to the limit, it's time to end this war!"

As in previous wars, the same story was repeated in the Second Battle of the Somme, and the stormy onslaught always turned into a grueling tug-of-war. Although the German offensive was unusually aggressive at first, it always weakened and eventually stopped. In this campaign, the American [***] team and the Chinese [***] team played an important role. They were not very clever in their fighting, but they were very brave, and many combat units lost more than 40% of their personnel. And the number of Chinese and American forces is still increasing. Britain and France demanded a total of 4 million troops from the United States and China. This will be an overwhelming force for the exhausted Germans.

Now Germany's power is already collapsing. Its muscles were so stretched that it finally began to ooze blood from its body. The German [***] top brass saw the danger, and they made several more efforts before Germany completely collapsed. Ludendorff used all his reserves, but achieved only limited results. The German Army's final blow was also its greatest effort before it collapsed. Beginning on July 15, the Germans launched a three-day offensive. The Germans, dressed in gray uniforms, rushed towards the Marne like rolling water. But in the face of the Sino-American coalition forces that gathered like dark clouds, the German army was defeated again. Exhausted, they stopped. No more offensives. The storm turned into a sobbing of the pine wind.

By this time most of Germany's power had been consumed. About 1 million soldiers were killed or wounded. The assault force was even more miserable, with heavy casualties. And Germany could no longer replenish these soldiers. Germany's economy is also showing signs of collapse.

And now, the British and French armies are still fighting, and there are still a million American [***] teams and 1.2 million Chinese [***] teams standing opposite them. The numbers of the U.S. and Chinese troops are still rising. Time is ahead of Germany.

The defeat of the German Navy in the decisive battle in the Celtic Sea and the defeat of the enemy ruined Germany's last hope of victory.

For Germany, it was no time to think about how to win the war, but how to win a "decent peace."

"We gave them back Paris, but they didn't appreciate it." Wilhelm II sighed and said, "Do they have to destroy us before they are willing?" ”

"They have just won the naval battle, and they have no worries, and they will launch an attack with their hands." Ludendorff looked at the preoccupied Emperor and said, "We need a victory to offset the bad effects of this naval defeat, and then we can strive for a decent end to this war." ”

"Can we still attack?" Wilhelm II's voice was full of helplessness.

"We don't need to attack anymore, we just need to stop them and give them maximum damage." Ludendorff said, "I believe that the German team can do this. ”

(To be continued)