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On February 17, heavy snowfall.

Varnamünde, a small seaport 30 km north of the city of Rostock. Without the prosperity of Hamburg and the privileges of the port of Kiel, although it was navigable in the 13th century, even the Germans themselves might not have paid attention to it if it had not been for the weekly transoceanic ferry trains.

The north wind swept down Scandinavia with snow, adding to the cold of a defeated and turbulent Germany on the brink of civil war. All eyes are on Paris, hundreds of kilometers away, where countless sharp mouths are trying to bite a piece of meat off Germany. The people waited silently for the outcome while enduring hunger and cold, oblivious to the changes in the small port, which had been decaying since the beginning of the war, when the ferry stopped.

The roads to the Netherlands, Denmark and other countries were already regulated by treaty, and the German mine arrays in the Skagerrak Strait helped many wealthy Germans easily cross the Baltic Sea to flee to Sweden and Norway. Large companies such as Krupp also began to transfer assets abroad, and the famous aircraft designer Anthony Falk simply smuggled a large number of equipment and planes back to the Netherlands by train. Britain and France actually knew about these things, but in addition to the daily protests of France and Belgium, Britain and the United States turned a blind eye, just to ensure the so-called continental balance without weakening Germany too much.

There is such a group of people, who are also taking advantage of this chaotic and turbulent season that no one cares about at all, for the ideal in their hearts! For the future of the country! Challenge the cold and the limits of life and death.

The heavy blizzard provided the best cover, and instead of honking its whistle as it normally did before entering the station, the slowed down train slowly slid into the harbor's only shipyard dock. On the wharf, Chen Yuqiu, a naval warrant officer from Guangxi, China, waved a two-color command flag to guide the train in the face of the wind and snow. Growing up in the tropics, he was not accustomed to this kind of weather, and when he first arrived in Germany, he fell seriously ill and almost died, but with the help of his comrades, he not only survived the most difficult winter, but also completed all his studies, and finally participated in the Battle of Jutland with German destroyers. That thrilling naval battle made him and every comrade-in-arms understand a truth, blood and passion alone cannot change the fate of the country. It must have great industrial capacity, and it must have the best technology, only then can you build powerful warships to defeat any invaders at sea.

The technology and machinery that the country urgently needs are now in front of us, on trains arriving here from all over Germany.

"Here's the list." The German conductor very unceremoniously threw out the shipping list. Chen Yuqiu was not angry. For two months, every German train conductor and representative of large business has been gnashing his teeth at himself. A year ago they would have torn themselves to shreds, but now they can't resist the lure of fancy dollars and pounds. So he simply took out a few dollars and stuffed them to the conductor. With the dollar, the conductor's attitude suddenly improved a lot, and he pointed out the order of the machinery and equipment.

"It's the mirror polishing equipment sent by Zeiss, the fine electroplating instrument and various 650 boxes of equipment drawings." After Chen Yuqiu finished counting, Chen Shiying, who was sitting here, had already walked over.

"It's important to put the machine on No. 3, 4, 17 in sets. Drawings are carried on the icebreaker. Chen Shiying used to be an ordinary gunner on the Hairong ship, and was later selected to study at the German Naval Academy. He is considered to be the top navy student in the young generation of the domestic navy, second only to Bingwen and Shen Honglie, who went to study in the UK. Shen Honglie is now interning in the expeditionary force's escort fleet, while he and Bingwen are in charge of Operation Rhineland and will command the pilot icebreaker to clear the way for the fleet after departure.

Chen Yuqiu smiled: "Brother Shiying, it seems that every time you come to something, you say that it is very important. ”

"Really?" Chen Shiying wrapped his coat tightly and gestured to his chest with his hand: "Important is a good thing!" Explain that when we go back, the commander-in-chief will at least hang a big medal for each of us! After the two made a few jokes, Chen Yuqiu beckoned everyone to load the ship. Although these precision equipment are all packed before they arrive. However, in order to prevent damage from scratches, more than 1,000 specially trained sailors of the Navy and the Ministry of Intelligence who came one after another from the Netherlands, Norway and other places under various names were very careful. Waterproof leather boxes stuffed with drawings are something that needs to be protected, and they are all packed into the best conditions.

Chen Shiying walked into the shipyard. German shipwrights are dismantling the ladder frames that surround the icebreaker for refitting. The two 4,000-ton ocean-going polar icebreakers were purchased from the Horvath shipyard and were equipped with two large MAN diesel engines in addition to the original steam turbines and high-pressure boilers. The shape has also been greatly modified, the original four chimneys have been merged into three, and the bright orange stripes on the hull have been removed in favor of the light gray and blue-gray wave stripes that the commander-in-chief has taken care of, which are said to be effective in reducing the possibility of detection. The most important thing was to equip the icebreaker with weapons, including two 120 mm and two 88 mm rapid-fire guns, as well as 25 mm Wild Bee anti-aircraft guns and 12.7 mm heavy machine guns that had been shipped to Norway in advance, and finally a set of depth charge launchers in the stern. German-made depth charges were used to deal with hostile submarines that might be encountered on the road.

Not only did both icebreakers need to be equipped with weapons in accordance with this requirement, but the merchant ships in the fleet also needed to add some Maxim machine gun mounts and seaplane cabins. Of course, all weapons had to be concealed, at least to ensure that this was an armed ship that could not be seen from the outside. The workers worked very hard, and although they couldn't leave, the $100 a day salary was very valuable to them now. Not to mention, I can get 10 cans of luncheon meat every day, so it was all completed in just two months.

Chen Shiying took a deep breath and walked towards the dock. With the footsteps, 17 ships lying quietly on the waters where the Varno River and the Baltic Sea meet, all of them are new ocean-going ships built by Germany before the war, and the smallest displacement is more than 15,000 tons! The two largest tankers are 28,000 tons. Of course, in addition to equipment and machinery, there is now only a bag of coal in the tank, just in case, and as for the planned heavy oil, because Germany cannot provide it, it has to be stopped.

The ideal plan was to take 25 to 30 ships back, but the proud Germans were not willing to sell anything. But that's pretty good! At the very least, the Krupp armor metallurgical formula was named, and the artillery barrel self-tightening technology and armor-piercing shell technology were only developed at the beginning of last year. Rheinmetall's superduralumin alloys, the drawings of liquid rockets that Mal once studied but abandoned, Mercedes' engines and drawings, and a total of 270 complete sets of precision machine tools and equipment, including large molding presses, hydraulic presses, hydraulic presses, and two super-large marine diesel engines originally prepared for the Mackensen cruiser. In addition, it has just arrived at ZEISS Optics, all of which are the most needed high-end manufacturing equipment in China, not to mention the manufacturing drawings of 2,771 kinds of various industrial equipment loaded with 11,000 suitcases! Although these drawings will need to be translated after returning home, and all the supplies provided by Germany are backups. But the value is real! No matter which of these things is taken out, even Britain, France and the United States will be tempted by good things.

To outsiders, these big companies must be stupid enough to sell such important technology and equipment, but in fact they are very smart. For a country like Germany, which has long since entered industrialization. Machinery and equipment are not a problem, as long as there is sufficient capital and skilled workers, we can wait for the most brutal years of the post-war period to pass and develop again. Moreover, most of these technologies have already been studied, and there are no secrets to speak of, so they can safely sell spare drawings for a profit, and then ship the originals to Switzerland and other countries for secret storage. It's a pity that it's the most eye-catching. They don't have much of the most profitable and strongest chemical materials in Germany, except for more than a dozen things that have reached the threshold or have been produced in China, such as alkali production, synthetic ammonia, fertilizer, synthetic rubber, etc., and the others would rather rot in their stomachs than sell. This kind of practice of making money and preserving strength while having two owners of one goods cannot help but make people sad about the decline of Germany, and also make people feel their unyielding determination to try to make a comeback. As for the thousands of technical experts, translators of drawings, and senior mechanics who were agreed to hire at high salaries, they would not risk going to sea together, and they would set off after the Paris Peace Conference, and would not return to China until they had taught Chinese students and skilled workers to understand the drawings, manufacture the finished products, and become proficient in the operation of the machines.

Chen Shiying watched quietly. The corners of his mouth slowly hooked, and he didn't even pay attention to the sound of footsteps.

"What are you looking at?"

The voice interrupted his imagination, and he turned his head to see Bingwen and Liu Mingzhao wearing thick windbreakers and walking behind him at some point. And what is surprising is that Captain Hakan actually came. Chen Shiying hurriedly saluted: "Major General." ”

"I've resigned." Hakan waved his hand expressionlessly, and looked past them at the fleet in the mist, his cheeks serious and cold. Chen Shiying quietly bumped into Bingwen: "Boss, why is he here too?" ”

The non-commissioned officers and students who study abroad love to hold together, and each session has its own "boss", Liu Mingzhao is the boss of the army who went to Germany, and Bingwen is the big brother in the mouth of the young people of the navy. This joking title was saved by everyone, so Bingwen didn't care about this title, and looked at Hakan's back and couldn't guess him, and said, "He himself wants to go with us." And yesterday he resigned from all military positions. ”

Chen Shiying scratched his head, what does this German mean? Don't you want these things? He was wondering when Hakan had already turned around: "If you want to go back alive, you must go now!" ”

"Now? But. ”

Chen Shiying was even more puzzled, but Bingwen's body shook slightly. Hakan, although not the best captain in the German Navy, can be seen from the experience of the Sedlitz in two escapes. He is definitely an expert in HNA! Although Liu Mingzhao, who was shy, did not know how to sail, he also saw that Hakan wanted to break through the strait by borrowing heavy snow.

"Is the icebreaker refitted? How long will it take? Once decided, Bingwen immediately changed as a person. Capable and decisive, his words were clear, and even Hakan nodded secretly. Chen Shiying, who was able to stand out from tens of thousands of naval officers and cadets, was also an excellent officer, and immediately replied: "It has been changed and can leave at any time, the fleet supply was completed yesterday, and now it is loading Zeiss goods, and it is expected to be ready to sail in two hours." ”

"Inform everyone, and leave in two hours."

Bingwen stood up straight, and the wind and snow on his face not only did not make him feel cold, but inspired infinite fighting spirit! And what about the Arctic Ocean route? What about storms and icebergs? Since someone has walked by, then the new generation of young Chinese naval personnel also dare to break in! In any case, these ships must be brought back! These things are inconspicuous compared to the huge industrial output of Germany, but they are the best part of it!

This is the cornerstone of the motherland's march into the forest of strong countries!

After receiving the order to set off, more than 2,000 sailors from the Navy, the Ministry of Intelligence, the local Chinese and selected from the high-priced recruitment of the Baltic countries quickly moved into action. Some of them are for the state, some for surveillance, some for thrills, and some for bounties of lucrative and even rich, and only Hakan does not understand his purpose. As the naval captain, who hadn't laughed since leaving the port of Kiel, slipped into the newly refitted 01 ocean-going icebreaker, the red signal light at the top of the mast played a string of symbols.

"The dragon looks up."

*******

The blizzard that swept across Europe silenced Paris, and only the embassies that returned here were still bustling.

Thanks to the improvement of domestic finances and the performance of the expeditionary forces on the Western Front. The Chinese embassy has moved out of the cramped and crowded apartment building of the year and moved into a three-storey villa covering an area of hundreds of square meters, which is located on the banks of the Seine River and only a 10-minute drive from the Elysée Palace. Although both Nanjing and Chongqing began to produce radios. However, the output was low and the technology was not as good as that of Europe and the United States, which were more developed, so the embassy specially purchased two high-power wireless telegraphs produced by the Marconi company.

Since the Paris Peace Conference, the two telegraph machines have hardly rested. There was an endless stream of telegrams to and from the country, Britain and the United States, politics, opinions, deployments, lists, etc., all the necessary things were encrypted and gathered here, and then translated by the translators and placed on the small table of the delegation for discussion and reference. The small parlor on the left side of the first floor is the most frequently used place lately, and the fireplace is filled early by the Marines and staff protecting the embassy. The beating flames dispelled the bitter cold, and also allowed the delegates of the Republic of China who came from all over the world to discuss the situation and fight for the interests of the country in a relaxed and comfortable manner.

In addition to Lu Zhengxiang and Xu Xiujun who came from China, Gu Weijun, Shi Zhaoji, ambassador to the United Kingdom, Wei Chengu, ambassador to Belgium and the Netherlands, Wang Zhengting in France, Zhang Xiaozhun, military representative of the army, and Ye Zugui of the navy. There are also Zeng Qi and other representatives of students studying in Europe. Song Ziqing is undoubtedly one of the more special among these people, as the chief of the general staff of the National Defense Forces, this is the first time that he has been low-key and pragmatic to go abroad to participate in a national-level meeting. Although he rarely speaks, behind him is a powerful group that cannot be ignored, so even Lu Zhengxiang is faintly headed by him.

And another special person is probably Zheng Tingxiang, who holds industrial materials and lists thicker than the British dictionary. The secretary of industry, who participated in the design of the Brooklyn Bridge and was also hired by Westinghouse in the United States, not only promoted Yang Qiu's Bailey Bridge technology to the national bridge industry, but also took the lead in leading the scientific research team last year to solve the technical problems encountered in the domestic equipment manufacturing industry such as domestic electric arc furnaces, hot rolling mills, and impulse steam turbine rotor vibrations. Under his leadership, in the past six years, the domestic industry has gradually moved from imitation to self-production, and the self-production rate of equipment required by industry has also grown from less than 5% in 1912 to 35% today.

But now the scholar-type minister is a big surprise. There was a greedy gaze flashing behind the glasses: "How many of these fine mills are going to be built." Although Europe is not unusual, we can't build this oxygen concentrator ourselves, it's a little bigger, and it doesn't match what the vice president wants, so we have nothing to do and go back to organize research on miniaturization. Yes, this one must be! Aluminum plate cold pressing machine. No matter what the cost, you have to take it! The extruder at the Mauser factory is good, why don't you take a few of them? ”

Everyone finally couldn't help it, and Song Ziqing even laughed: "Minister Zheng, didn't you say yesterday that we can produce this type of extruder by ourselves, and it's not necessary?" ”

Lu Zhengxiang also picked up the coffee, looked at Xu Xiujun and quipped: "Yes, if you pick it up again, we won't be hated to death by Germany, and President Xu will also climb the Eiffel Tower and jump down." ”

Everyone burst into laughter, and Zheng Tingxiang also realized that he was dazzled. But he was reluctant to give up these things in his hands, and if he could call the shots, he would definitely be very willing to pack and move the Ruhr Industrial Zone back directly. said: "Okay, okay, don't want this." But you'll have to get me a few other things. ”

"Things are good, but there are many people staring at them." Wang Zhengting became serious and said: "I heard from a French friend that the Japanese delegation has contacted Britain and not only hopes to share German naval technology, including armor-piercing shells and Krupp steel, but also hopes to take 2 battleships!" ”

"These Oriental Bandits!" Ye Zugui, the old Beiyang, immediately jumped up, others can forget their generation, they will never forget the shame of the First Sino-Japanese War, and snorted coldly: "Japan now knows that the army is not comparable to us for the time being, so it wants to use the navy to suppress the position!" Hmph, I'm going to stop them from getting it. ”

Song Ziqing was relatively calm, understanding that as long as the Anglo-Japanese alliance was not dissolved, it would not stop them from sharing some German technology. So the key is not to get it in Japan, but to get it yourself. Gritted his teeth and said: "Since they have made an offer, then we might as well give Britain and France a thorough explanation, and we also want a copy of what Japan wants!" As for the battleships, if Japan takes them, we will take them! ”

Wei Chen's group has been listening to everyone's discussion and asked: "If you pay money, it is possible for the French side to copy a set for us, and they are too injured to get some money to make up for it." But the battleship is probably difficult, and we have knocked on the side many times these days, but we have not heard back. Besides, I thought it would be better to use the Belgian brains, who are right on Germany's doorstep. ”

"Belgium?" Everyone was quite moved by this proposal, and their eyes suddenly focused on Lu Zhengxiang, who made him the Belgian son-in-law. Lu Zhengxiang smiled: "Lu's wife has left for China to visit her family yesterday. ”

"The minister's and his wife's dedication to the country is really admirable." When Wang Zhengting bowed his hand to express his admiration, Zhang Xiaozhun, who was in charge of liaison, hurriedly rushed to Song Ziqing's ear: "I just received the telegram, and the dragon raised his head. ”

"So early?!" Song Ziqing got up and looked at the dazzling snowflakes outside the window, as if he had found the reason why he was in advance. None of them knew about the Rhineland plan, and they were a little stunned at his sudden uprightness, and were about to ask the secretary when they ran in again, shouting happily: "The vice president has arrived in the port of Marseille!" ”…… ()