The brilliant victory of the German Navy has created countless heroes. Reinhard Schell, commander of the High Seas Fleet, was known as the "German Nelson", Franz von Hippel, William von Reims, Maximilian von Spee and other squadron commanders, the captain of the "Frederick the Great" von Lu, the captain of the "King" Paul Bernke, the captain of the "Blücher" von Kagnak and other warship commanders became famous, and even the chief of staff who had never set foot on the battlefield.

Von Boer also became the "Navy Clausewitz". At this moment of enjoying the glory of victory, people should not forget who proposed the ambitious naval expansion plan and built the invincible high seas fleet; who advocated the passage of the German Navy Act, providing strong financial guarantees for naval construction; who adhered to the naval combat theory and escorted the genius' offensive strategy; who was the evil in the minds of the British people was second only to that of the German Emperor William II...

Christmas in 1914 is coming. Tirpitz, who has been around for 65 years, sat quietly in his office next to the Spree River. Through the window, you can clearly see the buildings in the Berlin Palace District. Looking back, he was a "unrealistic alien" in the high-level German Navy circle where everyone praised the ocean-breaking battles. He was rejected and even humiliated by his colleagues. Tirpitz resigned in anger. William II, who had just ascended the throne, kept him. The German emperor, who was criticized by the evil emperor, admired Tirpitz's courage and ambitions, and trusted him, which made him leapt from the commander of the colonial fleet to the position of the navy head. At that time, Tirpitz's rank was only a major general. Before the German Navy's expansion operation showed results, William II gave him the title of earl, and

He is called "Forever Tirpitz". From the late 19th century to the decade before the outbreak of the war, the Prussian Prime Minister and Imperial Prime Minister were replaced by three terms. The army entered the Little Moltke era from the Schliffen era. The ministers around the emperor came and went like a lantern. Only Tirpitz always held the naval power and became the first marshal of the German Navy in 1911. Now, the German Navy has won a series of world-renowned victories, thus pulling off its former strongest competitor and stepping forward towards the maritime hegemony that all Germans dream of. As the founder of the German Navy, Marshal Alfred von Tirpitz won the highest reputation and status as he wished, but on this weather-beaten face, Xia Shu clearly saw a trace of the loneliness of the hero.

Although he was under the siege of Boer, Muller and others within the Navy, Tirpitz was in charge of the strategic construction of the navy after all, and had an extraordinary friendship with the German emperor. Even if William II did not seek his opinion on the selection of the king of Ireland, he should have been one of the first people to know the inside story. Therefore, when Xia Shu came to ask for advice, he was not surprised at all, and said in a tone of honorable teaching:

"I spent two years in Asia, and that was nearly twenty years ago. I know that Orientals have their own unique philosophical system. Some words are strange to understand, and some are very consistent with the laws of nature. For example, they think it is better to be a chicken's head than a cow's butt, which means that they would rather be the leader in a very small and weak place than to be a clerk in a very big and strong place."

"It's better to be a chicken's head than a cow's queen." Xia Shu said this Eastern philosophy that has lasted for thousands of years in German.

Tirpitz nodded and said, "It seems that your highness is very clear about this principle, so that's easy to deal with. In Germany, your highness should be able to become another royal marshal, a strategic decision-maker of the Shanghai Army, and even have the opportunity to become the first imperial prime minister, thus becoming one of the most amazing figures in the history of the empire. If you wear the crown of Ireland, your highness will become your Majesty and create your own history there. Don't worry about the Irish people being undisciplined, they reject the United Kingdom.

The most important reason for rule is that the British do not regard them as real British people. This is a conflict between races. You govern Ireland as a German, and it has not fundamentally changed the national attributes and national beliefs of the Irish people. The luckiest French marshal in history is a very successful example. The Vikings are more difficult to tame than the Celtics. Look at Sweden now, the political situation is stable and the national strength is growing. The people's love for the royal family is no less than that of any country."

Jean-Baptiste-Bernadott, this absolutely lucky Frenchman, has become the biggest reason for Natsuki to choose the Irish throne. Bernadott, a civilian, was named French marshal for his military achievements and his in-laws with Napoleon. Sweden participated in the anti-French alliance in the early days. Due to King Gustav IV's decision-making mistakes in the Napoleon War, he was defeated repeatedly. The generals of the Swedish army launched a coup and arrested the king. Later, they announced the dethronement of the king and exiled them. The Swedish parliament controlled by the army elected the king's uncle, the regent of the king during his minor period, and the Duke of South Manland was the new king. The old Carl was 61 years old when he was king, and had two sons but both died young. Considering that the king had no heirs, he deeply felt that Napoleon became emperor and had great success to European countries.

Influence, in 1810, the Swedish Parliament made a shocking decision to elect French Marshal Benadot as the king's adopted son and heir to the throne. Benadot accepted the good intentions of the Swedish people, changed his name to Carl John, converted to Lutheranism, and began to take charge of Swedish national affairs as a regent the following year. It is worth mentioning that Sweden soon formed an alliance with Britain, Russia and Prussia and reentered the anti-French front. Benadot, who participated in the war as the Swedish crown prince, was appointed commander-in-chief of the northern anti-French coalition, participated in the Battle of Leipzig, and achieved a decisive victory. Later, he defeated Denmark and won Norway. After the death of old Carl, Benadot inherited the thrones of Sweden and Norway and founded the Bernadot dynasty, which continued from the 19th century to the 21st century.

"But Scandinavia does not have a strong opponent like Britain, and Ireland's geographical location is like the backyard of the British. Ireland is definitely unwilling to see power supported by German-backed forces."

This lack of confidence has helped Natsuki get strong political support from William II. The reason why he moved out again in front of Tirpitz is not only to lay the foundation for future transactions to be implemented, but also to hope that Tirpitz will give him the best of his ability.

Tirpitz did not comfort him like William II, but said: "The British Empire has experienced a period of more than three hundred years of prosperity, and its national strength is far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Even if all active warships sink to the bottom of the sea, as long as the shipbuilding industry and military system are retained, it will not take long to build a first-class fleet. Therefore, I have always advised His Majesty that since we have become enemies with Britain and have defeated their fleet, we cannot be kind to it. Once Britain prays for peace, we must set more harsh terms than the French-Popular Armistice Treaty and cut off its possibility of redeveloping the great navy, so that we can bring long-term guarantees to Germany's national security."

"You are right. Britain is indeed an opponent that cannot be taken lightly." Natsuki echoed, "This is also a problem I am very worried about. Even if the British navy only restores one-quarter of its original scale after the war, it can easily control Ireland's trade routes. Moreover, Protestants in northern Ireland are also a very difficult hidden danger. The British government can completely support their funds and weapons secretly, and such a situation is really difficult to control."

Tirpitz is knowledgeable and has seen countless people. He is also a leader who has been struggling in the power field for many years. How can he not see Xiaojiujiu, who is in Xia Shu? He thought for a brief moment: "I understand what Your Highness means. Although you are from the German royal family, once you become the king of Ireland, you will only retain blood relationships. Germany cannot unconditionally support the royal power you established in Ireland for this reason. Having a reliable military force and the necessary industrial facilities to support this army is the foundation for maintaining the royal power. I have no suggestions on the army. Economic and industrial construction are your major expertise. I will give some advice on the navy and coastal defense strategies here!"

Xia Shu sat upright and listened with his ears.

"The first advice is to never underestimate the role of the coastal defense fortress. Any fleet, no matter how powerful it is, needs at least a safe enough home port. All-weather, day and night protection can only be provided by coastal defense fortifications."

"The second advice is that the confrontation of the country does not need to be determined by the duel of the naval fleet. What kind of fleet should be formed and what kind of naval strategies should be pursued, and the overall planning should be carried out based on the country's strategic geographical location and comprehensive national strength."

"The third advice is that no matter how good the warship is, it needs to be controlled by people. To cultivate an excellent team of professional officers and train enough qualified fleets, the money and time are not less than the formation of a fleet. As far as I know, Ireland has no foundation in both warships and personnel, and everything can only start from scratch, so it is better to make plans early."

Xia Shu silently wrote down three advice from Tirpitz. It seems that they are all great principles and there are no suggestions at any level of operation, but every sentence is golden and good advice. Moreover, Xia Shu usually takes fewer knowledge and may be overlooked and ignored. Especially the last sentence "Make plans early" made him have a lot of imagination. Although the throne of Ireland is still only expected at this moment, and whether it can become a reality is still changing, the door to a new world has evoked Xia Shu's infinite longing. What really attracted him was not the brilliant crown or the prominent position that the people admired, but the freedom to no longer surrender to others, the freedom to truly release personal charm, and the freedom to cultivate a team of officers who are loyal to him.
Chapter completed!