On the afternoon of June 24, 1914, amid the turbulent military music, the Holtenau gate decorated with flower flag ribbons on the left bank of the port was slowly opened. A large three-masted yacht with a white body, a bow, anchor chain holes and two golden chimneys slowly sailed out. The golden black cross of the German emperor flag floated on the highest central mast of the yacht.

In an instant, sound of salutes sounded densely on large warships lined up in the harbor, and white smoke floated around their high side decks. Above the harbor, a flight formation composed of three Zeppelin airships floated slowly like clouds, and a black, white and red band symbolizing Germany was hung on the lower part of the hull, forming a beautiful and magnificent artificial wonder.

At the same time, more than ten seaplanes formed two formations and flew around the port at a low altitude.

On the top platform of the "Hohenzollern", the German Empire Emperor William II, dressed in a white marshal's dress, stood proudly, constantly waving his right hand to greet people. The royal yacht first passed between the flag-decorated ships and yachts, then adjusted its course and moved steadily along the waterway parallel to the longitudinal line of the battleship.

This majestic battle fleet consists of 18 dreadnoughts, 14 from the German navy and 4 from the British navy. They are the essence of the human shipbuilding industry in this era and the product of the fierce naval competition between Britain and Germany. They each have strong steel bodies and are the most amazing war killers to date. At this time, they are like tamed beasts, waiting quietly for inspection. In no time, they will fight to the death in the turbulent North Sea, leaving a heavy stroke of blood and fire in the history of human war.

This grand celebration was a navigation ceremony for the completion of the expansion and expansion project of the 8-year-old Kiel Canal (then called Emperor William Canal). With the revolutionary development of warship technology, the tonnage of newly designed warships has become larger and larger. The width and depth of the original canal can no longer meet the navigation requirements of the German main fleet. The coastline of Germany was divided into two by the Jutland Peninsula. The fleet was time-consuming and easy to be affected by enemies through the Skaglak Strait.

Man blocked it, so when the German Navy's first dreadnought was finalized, the German senior management decided to expand the canal, expanding the width of the channel to 44 meters, increasing the water depth to 11 meters, and the cross-water section area reached 828 square meters. Two locks were added at both ends of the canal, with the length of the gate chamber 330 meters and 45 meters wide. In this way, even the dreadnought and battle cruisers with huge tonnage could pass the canal smoothly, and the main force of the German Navy could be able to mobilize freely between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.

A canal with a total length of nearly 100 kilometers was greatly expanded and deepened. Moreover, the two sides were not wastelands but cities and villages, and there were many bridges across the canal. With the technical conditions of the early 20th century, this was a very huge project, which not only required huge capital investment, but also had to go through a long construction period. In 1907, Germany suffered a lot in the Moroccan crisis and faced the strategic siege of the British, French and Russian Agreement. In addition, the situation in the Balkans became increasingly tense, and the strong sense of crisis drove the Germans to overcome many difficulties and try their best to shorten the construction period.

By June 1914, the canal widening and expansion project was finally completed. This strategic event was regarded as an important political weight by the German senior management. It was about to be held in the annual Kiel Military Port Festival. They invited navies from various countries to send ships to participate, and made peaceful remarks on diplomatic occasions. The speed of the German navy's shipbuilding speed quickly increased the strength of the British navy, and the British government also underwent heavy financial pressure. With the efforts of the Asquis Cabinet, this summer, Britain and Germany reached an agreement on the protracted Baghdad railway dispute, and the two sides signed the Gray Rikhnovsky Association.

It is decided that Britain will no longer obstruct the construction of this road. Germany also promised that the railway will end with Basra and will no longer extend to the Persian Gulf, basically dividing the sphere of influence of the two countries in West Asia, and the relationship between the two countries also showed signs of easing. In this case, the British Navy sent its main fleet to participate in the Kiel Military Harbor Festival for the first time. Four newly-instant George V-class battleships, two Birmingham-class light cruisers that had been in service for less than one year, and a Chatham-class light cruiser fleet that had been in service for less than two years came. Germany also showed unprecedented sincerity to allow British cruisers to enter Kiel Port through the Kiel Canal!

In the port of Kiel, the battleships waiting for inspection by German King William II were arranged in a team, and the neat column consisted of 18 dreadnoughts. Including the newly-served King-class battleship "King", all 14 dreadnoughts of the German Navy gathered in Kiel. Their hulls were cleaned and painted. The four British dreadnoughts, which belonged to the second battleship squadron of the British local fleet, also showed themselves in the best posture.

Among this battleship column, the German High Seas Fleet flagship "Frederick the Great" was ranked first. The fleet commander-in-chief General Von Ingnor and the main fleet generals were respectfully placed on the deck, looking at the supreme emperor on the yacht with great respect. When people praised Tirpitz's great achievements in creating the German High Seas Fleet, the key role played by this imperial ruler should not be ignored. You should know that the Second German Empire adopted the Federation

The system, except for a few states in the north, the rest are inland. Due to the personal interests and insights, the extremely expensive naval construction has been different for the imperial MPs from various states, and it is even more difficult to agree with the repeated revisions and expansion of the naval bills by Tirpitz. The Austro-Hungarian Empire at the same time is a clear example. Although the two naval leaders and the current crown prince tried their best to develop the navy, the resistance of the parliament and public opinion made them only have ambitions.

The berth adjacent to the "Frederick the Great" is the flagship of the British Navy's visiting formation "George V". The illusion target of its design and construction is the German Navy's Caesar-class battleship. The rear deck of this 26,000-ton British battleship was covered with a white sunscreen. Under the curtain, a whole array of Royal Marines in bright red uniforms looked forward with their heads held high and their chests stood in front of the soldiers. Standing in front of the soldiers was a soldier with a 50-year-old with a noble temperament. He had gray hair, blue eyes and a delicate face. He had gray hair, blue eyes and a delicate face.

Very neat and wearing a snow-white dress, this is the commander of the squadron of the Royal Navy's second battleship, Sir Valencius General of the Royal Navy. When the yacht "Hohenzollen" on which King William II was riding passed by the front of the "George V", Sir Valende stared at the energetic German rulers in a solemn manner, while the sailors on the ship waved their military caps and shouted loudly "Long Live". The salutes on the ship made a roar at rhythmic intervals.

After the two flagships, whenever the "Hohenzollern" passes by a parade ship, no matter whether it belongs to the German or British navy, the cheers of long live the warship are endless...

Since the birth of the Dreadnought, this is the first time that the most advanced ships of the British and German navies have been anchored side by side in Kiel. The naval officers and soldiers of both sides have an opportunity for extensive exchanges. Due to the deliberate political atmosphere, during the exchange activities, although each of them had certain doubts about the other's sincerity, they still had the greatest enthusiasm for each other. According to the plan agreed by the two sides, after the navigation ceremony of the Kiel Canal, the British naval formation will stay in Kiel for a week. Therefore, the officers and soldiers of both sides conducted ships and according to the agreement, they were not allowed to inquire about inappropriate technical issues. After a discussion with their peers, the officers and soldiers on both sides quickly established friendships and consolidated this friendship through various competitions and banquets.

On these rare days, there were endless traffic boats floating in the harbor, the neat teak decks on the warships were covered with red carpets, and the gangway railings were polished to the eye-catching. With the orders and military music, the guard of honor welcomed batches of visitors. The battleships were like luxury passenger ships, with bright brass utensils, white railings, snow-white military uniforms and golden ribbons everywhere. The dining table in the dining room was covered with straight and white linen tablecloths, and flowers were decorated with armchairs with mercerized printed cloth covers, and the glassware on the table was shining. Accompanied by the string quartet played by the small band, those in evening dresses were tasting the feast and food. At the banquet, the host and the host gave warm speeches, and the atmosphere was so harmonious that it made people feel like they were in a dream.

During the sailing regatta and rowing competitions held in Kil Bay, the sailors on both sides were full of energy; the green fields on the shore and the football match between the sailors were in full swing. After the game, the two people walked together in this hospitality city, gathered in the base restaurant or treated each other on the ship. The restraints at the first meeting seemed to gradually begin to dissolve, and their friendship quietly took root in their hearts...

The dream finally woke up. On Sunday, June 28, just after noon, when the banquet between the two sides was still in progress, the phone ringing rang, and an adjutant suddenly became nervous when he received the call. He immediately told people about the news that the Crown Prince of Austro-Hungarian Empire, Grand Duke Ferdinand was stabbed in Sarajevo.

The cheerful music came to an abrupt end, and everyone was stunned by the sudden news.

A short while later, an order was heard from the radio of the warship: "The flag and the flag of the ship are lowered from the flag of the ship and the flag of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are hung on the main mast!"

People then realized that this was not a nightmare, but a cruel reality.

On that day, William II hurriedly left the Hohenzollon and came ashore. He was so excited that he canceled other arrangements that night and left Kiel to go to Vienna. It was not convenient for the British fleet to stay for a long time, so he had to cancel other plans and prepare to return home early.

After the British fleet left Keel Harbor, Sir Valend sent a telegram to the German fleet:
Chapter completed!