The night sky is deep, the sky is high, and a full moon hangs high in the eastern sky, exuding a mesmerizing golden halo.

It was late at night, and thousands of miles of Central Europe had fallen into a slumber silence, except for the areas adjacent to the front line of the war, where there were still soldiers on night patrol who were still vigilantly carrying out the task of vigilance. However, on the railway from Berlin to Wilhelmshaven, a train is rumbling through the darkness. Its steam engine emitted long black smoke from its head, which at first glance seemed indistinguishable from an ordinary train; Immediately behind it, however, were several armored carriages armed with cannons and machine guns. The hundreds of armed officers and men inside were in high spirits and ready to deliver a fatal blow to a possible attacker.

The lights were bright, the curtains were falling, and in one of the richly decorated exclusive carriages, Kaiser Wilhelm II was reclining on a large brown-red sofa, his slightly slender face was now full of excitement and ecstasy from the depths of his heart. Looking at the large portrait of Frederick the Great and his grandfather Wilhelm I hanging on the central wall, a bold and bold mood suddenly rose in William's heart; He slowly clenched his fists, and the corners of his mouth already showed a hint of rebellious and wild.

Twelve hours earlier, the High Seas Fleet, which had been at sea for ten days, had sent back to Berlin a telegram that the final battle was just around the corner, which made Wilhelm, who had treated the fleet as if he were a young son, instantly become nervous. Although Tirpitz and Chinging had explained to him the superiority of the German navy countless times before the war, and the world could be shocked by the first battle, Wilhelm himself approved the order for the fleet to go on the expedition; However, when the decisive moment really came, William's heart was still like a hammer. In the torment of the years of waiting. I was both eager for hope and afraid of the return of the front-line battle report.

5 p.m. The sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence outside the door of the palace study, which suddenly made William feel a nervous feeling that almost suffocated. And to the emperor's shock and ecstasy, the High Seas Fleet actually reaped an almost fantastic epic victory for him! Sixteen British battleships and battlecruisers were confirmed to have sunk, along with 2 ex-dreadnoughts, 5 light cruisers, and 18 destroyers; The high seas fleet lost only 1 Pomeranian battleship and 1 Moritz battlecruiser, and the sinking of 14 torpedo boats was completely within its own range of losses!

Ecstatic, William immediately ordered the Admiralty to prepare a military medal, and wrote a speech with a wave of it, preparing to go to Wilhelmshaven the next day to welcome the triumphant return of the High Seas Fleet. It's approaching midnight. A royal train rumbled out near Charlottenburg Palace on the outskirts of Berlin, loaded with medals drawn by the Admiralty in ox carts, and set out on its journey to Wilhelmshaven. According to Frederick the Great, the German fleet would return to base the next morning across the North Sea, which would be just in time for Wilhelm to hold an unprecedented ceremony!

A few steps away, Tirpitz and William, with their white beards, sat opposite each other, looking at the expression on the emperor's face that was constantly changing in excitement, contempt, mockery, and longing, and his heart was also full of mixed feelings. Twenty-six years ago, in the prime of life, he was responsible for escorting William, who was still the crown prince, to England for the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne. This was the beginning of their bond of cooperation in the naval field. A quarter of a century has passed in the blink of an eye, and the young men and officers of those years have entered the twilight. However, the foundation they created is like a giant tree, and finally breaks through the sky in the most gorgeous bloom!

"After this naval battle, the war situation in the whole of Europe will be turned upside down. The British Grand Fleet, which had suffered heavy losses, was no longer able to resist the high seas fleet, which had remained largely intact, and the sword in our hands was no longer limited to a corner of the North Sea, but the vast Atlantic Ocean would be an excellent hunting ground for our main fleet. Add to this the East Asian fleet, the submarine groups in the bases in the Persian Gulf, our allies in the Mediterranean, and our own submarine forces already hunting in the Atlantic, and the war situation for Britain will be in an unprecedented crisis. ”

Tirpitz's old voice echoed through the carriage, breaking the silence of the slight vibration where only the wheels ran over the gaps in the tracks: "However, the country's once-proud naval fleet is simply unable to save this burning situation. They now had only 16 battleships and 2 battlecruisers left, while the number of battleships and cruisers available for the High Seas Fleet was 22 and 6 respectively; Whether it is the reconnaissance detachment or the main core, it is the Imperial Navy that occupies an absolute advantage. It's a pity that now the British Army has completed full mobilization, and the mainland has a large number of garrisons ready to be put into the French battlefield; Otherwise, the High Seas Fleet could even force its way through the Strait of Dover and launch a Duke-like landing attack on Britain with this Queen's aqueduct! In the next step, we only need to use Fall Island as a foothold and radiate the fleet's operational area into the depths of the Atlantic; Combined with the hunting of submarines, it was enough to crush Britain's sea transport lines. ”

Hearing these words, the look of joy on William's face suddenly faded a little; He turned his gaze and asked in a slightly puzzled voice: "Alfred, I remember that the British still have a lot of capital warships about to be commissioned, right?" Once those Queen Elizabeth-class battleships equipped with eight 381 mm guns join the combat sequence, the British Home Fleet will once again become the number one enemy of our German Navy. Although we have completed the most decisive step into the ocean, the next steps will also require us to be careful. ”

"The wisdom is no better than Caesar, and the shipbuilding capacity of the British is indeed one line higher than that of our Germany." Tirpitz complimented softly, then explained, "According to the information sent back by our intelligence officers in the United Kingdom, the British Navy will receive one Tiger Cruiser and eight Queen Elizabeth-class battleships from October this year to the middle of next year, all of which are powerful battleships equipped with 381 mm guns. However, during this period, a large number of warships of our German Navy will also join the sequence of the High Seas Fleet. The two Hanoi-class battleships ordered by Japan in mid-1911 were to be completed by November, and if the war continued, it would be impossible for the ships with a full load displacement of more than 29,000 tons and 10 350-mm guns to be delivered on time, and the Imperial Navy could justifiably requisition the two battleships under the terms of sale and purchase. Compared to the Caesar class, their combat strength is obviously stronger. ”

Tirpitz paused and said, "And after entering 1914, we will have four King-class battleships completed and put into service; This class of battleship has a new leap compared to the previous ships we have built, and the designer's evaluation of all indicators is impeccable and perfect! Thus, even if the time dragged on to the end of 1914, the High Seas Fleet was still able to outperform the 24 battleships and three battlecruisers of the British Grand Fleet with a lineup of 28 battleships and six battlecruisers, not counting our four inferior firepower, but still capable of reaching a speed of 20 knots, and enough to carry artillery fire on the battle line. In fact, we will not give the British a chance to drag it until that time at all; Once the capital ships were repaired, the High Seas Fleet would strike again, and the British would have no strength to defend themselves. ”

A look of surprise flashed in William's eyes. Since the outbreak of the war, land warfare has been the absolute protagonist of the present war in Germany; In the smoke of gunfire, when Germany was almost alone against the three armies of Britain, France and Russia, Wilhelm's mind and energy could not help but be tilted towards the army led by Moltke Jr., and the naval construction that had poured a lot of effort into before the war was temporarily ignored in a short period of time. Now that I think about it, the follow-up of my own navy is also endless; Even if the British production capacity is superior, but the high seas fleet already has the absolute base advantage, in this case, why should the high seas fleet be afraid?

The body shook slightly, the evening breeze blew, and the exquisite window curtains turned slightly. Feeling the warmth of the coffee in his hand, William finally realized what brilliant prospects awaited him in the not-too-distant future. The Home Fleet, which was relied on by the British Empire as the pillar of the country, was defeated so miserably in a naval battle: half of the main warships were sunk, and tens of thousands of officers and men were lost. In less than a day, this earth-shattering and explosive news will spread throughout the world; The shock caused by the news that the Royal Navy, which had been crisscrossing the seas for more than 300 years, had been swept off the throne by the navy of a newly rising land power in a matter of hours, was enough to deprive the centripetal force of this large but fragile federation and cause the destruction of its international standing. At that time, Britain, deprived of the blood transfusions of the federal colonies and neutral countries, what power could be the enemy of Germany?

In addition, the defeat of the British Navy was likely to wipe out the last shred of hope for victory for the Allied members. Even the invincible Royal Navy could not withstand the military might of the Prussians, so what could stand against this Central European empire? Romania would almost certainly join the Central Powers, and Norway and Denmark would change their attitude after the great German naval victory; Even if they did not join the battle directly, it would have been disastrous for Britain to allow the German navy to anchor and replenish their ports in northern Europe and Iceland. Neither Frederick the Great nor William I could compete for the great cause, and he William was within reach at the moment! (To be continued......)

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