Thetford, England is located in northeast England, more than 70 miles from London. It is not by the sea, but in an open hilly area. Hill Manor is located in the northeast of Thetford town. It covers an area of ​​more than 600 acres. It has a typical Victorian castle and a large verdant grass. The long boulevard leading to the castle evokes the impression of fairy tales deep in Xia Shu's mind. Although Hill Castle is not as magnificent as Windsor Castle, it can be regarded as a very beautiful building. Because it was built in a prosperous and peaceful era, it was able to completely abandon the previous fortress armed uses. The balcony of the room faces outward and has large floor-to-ceiling windows, the milky white roof and the overall brown-red exterior wall add a dreamy feeling to it.

Although he did not like Germans very much emotionally, Duke Hill still welcomed the Prussian princes and princess who came from afar with high etiquette. His eldest son, Robert Hill and second son Notting Hill, who served in the Royal Navy, were both waiting at home, and important roles among his immediate family members were also present. The welcome banquet held that day was extremely generous. It is a pity that such a grand welcome does not mean that the British aristocrats are more tolerant and hospitable than their people. What they followed was the existing rules of the upper class.

Back to the familiar environment, Charlotte Hill is no longer the cold little beauty. Her cheeks always have a gentle smile. She shows her youthful vitality with elegant dance postures. She is not hesitant to open her mouth and reveal her white and neat rows of teeth...

In the grand ballroom of Hill Castle, although the ladies also squirted with thick powder and scented, they were not at least a group of hungry and thirsty resentful women, with their charming and compliments just right; the men inherited the military tradition of the family, two of the three adults were wearing royal naval dresses, the older ones were basically above the school officials, and the younger ones also entered the ranks of officers. The marked military uniforms and burly figures all looked extraordinary. From such a family, Charlotte must have received a good education and influence since childhood, and has the cultivation and connotation that aristocratic girls should have, and also have the independent and resolute character. If this is true, Xia Shu can give a high impression.

On this rare and wonderful night, the Prussian prince invited dances to the granddaughter of the British Duke. From Strauss's Waltz to the Emperor's Waltz, from waltz to French court dance, the two danced four dances together, and their abundant energy made the middle-aged and elderly people around them envious. During the dance, they had almost no words, but communicated with smiles and eyes. In the eyes of others, they were tall and handsome, graceful, graceful, graceful, fresh and elegant, with their figure, appearance and costumes, and their brisk dance steps quickly found a tacit fit. When the bright moonlight passed through the windowsill quietly fell on the marble floor, the two seemed to be the forest elves dancing to the moon, light, agile, unparalleled freedom and happiness. This space belongs only to them, and everything around them is an insignificant foil...

At the end of the fourth dance music, Xia Shu and his partner took a step back, looking at each other's twinkle eyes and blushing cheeks, they seemed to be immersed in this indescribable wonderful feeling. At this time, Xia Shu suddenly had an impulse. He wanted to walk in the garden with Charlotte, watch her princess-like hair bun shine with a wonderful halo under the silver moonlight, and see her light skirt swaying on the grass, enjoying her every frown and smile, allowing this young feeling to sublimate in the ultimate romantic feeling. However, before he could send this bold invitation to Charlotte, the eldest son of Duke Hill, Charlotte's father Robert Hill, invited him to the salon for a drink.

It is inconvenient for the host to invite Xia Shu to refuse, not to mention that smoking and drinking in the exclusive space of men has long been an important way of communication in the upper class.

When he arrived at the salon, Xia Shu saw Duke Hill alone, and he immediately had some expectations.

After Robert Hill left, Old Hill held a cigar in one hand and gently stroked his gray beard with the other: "Come brandy or whiskey from the palace?"

Natsuki said bluntly: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness, but I am not yet at the age of drinking."

"ha!"

The Duke seemed to have heard something incredible and immediately laughed unscrupulously.

Xia Shu calmly looked for a sofa and sat down.

"Oh, look at my memory. I forgot that you are a designer. Most designers are not good at drinking, but cigarettes are indispensable. Hum?" The duke said as he was about to get the cigar box placed on the countertop.

"I'm so sorry, I'm not old enough to smoke."

"You Germany have age regulations on smoking and drinking?" the duke asked in surprise.

Xia Shu replied: "On the one hand, it is the advice of medical health, and on the other hand, it is the rules I personally set for myself."

The Duke took back the hand that was holding the cigar box, looked at Xia Shu with curiosity, and almost looked him from head to toe, from head to head twice.

"Your Highness is indeed an extraordinary person." The Duke's tone was gentle in the first half of the sentence, but the latter half meant sharply: "If Ying and Germany are enemies, your Highness will be one of our terrible enemies!"

Having been accustomed to exaggerated and intriguing social occasions, Xia Shu sometimes says something against his will: "I sincerely hope that Britain and Germany will be friendly for generations."

Standing as a professional soldier, the Duke had no way to delve into this issue. He slowly walked to the opposite side of the Xia tree and sat down steadily on the sofa: "Crown Prince George deeply admired the talent you have shown in the field of speedboat design. As a member of the royal family from the navy, he could see that this technology contained amazing military potential and could foresee the terrifying destructive power of high-speed torpedo boats for the battlefield. His Royal Highness has always had a wish that all the ships in the world can be used to benefit the people, not for the mutual killing between humans."

"This is a great wish." Xia Shu hid her for a long time and said nothing, and it was a fantasy that could never be realized.

The previous words are paved as a prelude, and the Duke then explained the theme: "His Crown Prince has a saying to you: From the perspective of human history, one hundred Alfred Krupp is not as good as one Leonardo da Vinci."

Painter, fable, sculptor, inventor, philosopher, musician, medical scientist, biologist, geographer, and architectural engineer Leonardo da Vinci is the most legendary genius in human history. His artistic practice and scientific exploration have had a significant and far-reaching impact on later generations. The reason why the British crown prince praised Leonardo da Vinci was simply that he hoped that Natsuki would use his talents to promote social development and human progress, rather than designing and creating exquisite and terrifying killing machines. But he seemed to have forgotten that Leonardo da Vinci was also a military engineer. His inventions included spring rifles, submarines, three-barrel cannons, armored vehicles, submarines, double-decker warships, gliders, etc., and quite a few of them later became weapons of war.

Xia Shu frowned and pondered for a moment: "If you have the chance, please express your gratitude to His Royal Highness on my behalf. His gifts are of great inspiration to me for finding my life goals."

With Duke Hill's life experience, he might not believe that this simple sentence can change a person's life philosophy, but he has changed his words and is not convenient for him to speak more. Next, he will only try to discuss some broad topics about the navy, ship design, military career and some colonial affairs with special status. Two people with different ages and experiences talked in a word, not very enthusiastic, but not unhappy.

For some contradictory affairs of this era, Xia Shu could use the "tastes", "boiling" and "experiences" of later generations to make a subtle response, but he deliberately made the other party feel that he was just a practice rookie who talked about on paper. He neither understood the national strategy nor the essence of naval battles, so he was familiar with his acting skills. Although this acting skills were still far from professional level, this seemingly ignorant young face made a perfect cover for him. The duke gradually relaxed his guard. He was like an old sailor, telling his legend to young generations with a proud and proud mentality, and even bluntly said that no general in the German Navy could have such a proud life wealth as he had.

"The unparalleled advantage of the British Royal Navy is its endless outstanding commanders, just like Duke. In my opinion, even if the British and German Navy engage in a close battle in the North Sea, the British fleet's winning odds should be much greater than the German fleet... This is beyond doubt." Natsuki used almost flattering compliments to eliminate the other party's vigilance, and then got closer to the important issues he had imagined:

"If the German fleet gained a balance of power or relative advantage in a very lucky situation, the United Kingdom would also use the whole country to quickly restore the navy and then regain honor in the next decisive naval battle, right?"

"That's certain." A confident smile appeared on the duke's slightly drunk face.

Xia Shu changed his tone: "But why do we have to fight to the death in the North Sea? Are the Germans and the Anglo-Saxons born mortal enemies?"

The Duke thought for a brief moment and replied: "In the past few hundred years, these two nations have been friendly to each other most of the time. The current contradictions and differences are obviously caused by the unwise strategies of some political leaders. Looking at history, the British have never had the idea of ​​dominating the European continent. They only want to see a peaceful and stable Europe, with expansion and attacks almost all targeting the oceans and lands outside of Europe."

Speaking of this, the duke's tone suddenly lowered: "I hope our two countries will never fight each other."

Natsuki agreed, and then made a tactful statement: "The American Mahan's theory of sea power seems to be a terrible magic, which made many people fascinated by the ocean. This is not only in Germany, but almost every European power, from rulers to ordinary people, and has a dream of ocean in his heart... Sea power is the life of Britain and it will never give up easily, so from a certain perspective, whether a war or not depends on its tolerance for other countries to share sea power."

After Natsuki finished his last sentence, the duke's brows were already frowning, but with the previous emotions as a prelude, he did not show strong disgust, but said firmly: "For these countries, maritime power is a luxury that symbolizes glory and status, and for Britain, maritime power is a necessity for survival. We must never tolerate other countries controlling the waters around the country or threatening the shipping routes between our local and overseas territories. In addition, we are willing to accept the status quo, such as the absolute advantage you have gained in the Baltic Sea."

The Duke's words, especially the metaphor of luxury and necessities, have given Natsuki the answer he wants. Next, their conversation turned back to those relaxed and pleasant topics. When they were in a good mood, the Duke happily invited Natsuki to race horses, as long as he could win the best rider of the Hill family, the horse in the stable would be chosen as a gift.
Chapter completed!