There were no colorful flags, no loud drums and music, no brightly decorated royal armor, and no crowds of people watching. Just under the gaze of several senior generals and a group of guards, an extremely large warship suddenly slid off the ship in the Royal Shipyard of Konisburg...

The Limerick Naval Treaty signed and came into effect five years ago was like a sedative, which stopped the excessively hot naval competition. However, from 1929 to 1930, the South American war broke the fragile international balance. Both the United States and Britain began to formulate new battleship plans. Germany also restarted the construction plan for the 55,000-ton battleship during this period, and even proposed a crazy idea of ​​designing and building 75,000-ton battleships. After the formation of the anti-German alliance, the eight countries signed a naval arms restriction treaty signed in Limerick in Limerick was completely like waste paper. Germany, Britain, the United States, and Italy successively started to build battleships or aircraft carriers that exceeded the limits of the treaty, and the shipbuilding center in Ireland also carried out full capacity to build a large number of ships, including the Allied-class aircraft carriers.

In May 1933, the clouds of war enveloped Europe again. Stimulated by tensions, the powerful countries moved into combat readiness tracks. Nearly 100 aircraft, more than 200 tanks, and more than 400 artillery were manufactured in Europe every day. In Germany, the largest number of each mail truck delivering letters must be the notice of the pending recruitment to the reserve personnel. Millions of reserve soldiers went to the station to report as required, so that after the formal mobilization order was issued, they could join the active service sequence as quickly as possible.

War is imminent. If any party has new heavyweight weapons put into use, it will inevitably increase its chances of winning. The two Germanic-class battleships "Germania" and "Rhine" built secretly also accelerated the construction progress under the urging of the military. Workers of the Royal Konisburg shipbuilding took shifts day and night, and various materials and components were given priority, which made the "Germania" launch 26 days earlier, and the second ship "Rhine" will also launch the water in one month.

Compared with the German-class built and put into service in the mid-20s, the standard displacement of German-class battleships finally exceeded the technical boundary of 50,000 tons, reaching an unprecedented 54,400 tons, and the full load displacement was a record 60,900 tons. They were equipped with 8 46-distance mk30 18-inch main guns according to the US and British standards. The actual naval gun is 43 times, and some gap does not affect its actual combat effectiveness. This heavy artillery developed and manufactured by Krupp fired a 1,400 kg ordinary grenade or a 1,600 kg armor-piercing bomb, and its destructive power and penetration power were significantly improved compared to the 16-inch main gun.

If the later outfit and trial voyage were relatively smooth, the Germania and Rhine might be able to be put into service before the end of 1934. Although no one knows what the situation would be like at that time, perhaps they would greatly boost the confidence and morale of the German people, and perhaps only add to the icing on the cake, their existence does indeed increase the confidence of those in power to launch a war.

It is worth mentioning that the Germanic-class battleships had a full load draft of 12 meters, which means that they would not be able to pass through the Kiel Canal with a maximum depth of only 9.9 meters. They could only enter the North Sea through the Ore Strait and the Skaglak Strait, which to a certain extent restricts their strategic deployment and tactical space.

On this day, in the Kiel Military Port hundreds of kilometers away, in the highest combat command of the German Navy, a group of white-haired generals stood in front of the naval sand table. The models representing the various squadrons and task force seemed to be scattered everywhere in the sand table, but in fact it was a strategic game that had been brewing for a long time. The overall strength of the German Navy is comparable to that of the US Navy, and its equipment technology and combat experience are even better. However, the US main fleet is adjacent to the Commonwealth Fleet deployed in Canada. The two fleets join forces to form a combat advantage of at least 14 to 10 against the German high seas fleet. However, the Germans are not fighting alone. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy, Ottoman Turkey, and Ireland are all naval powers. If the above four countries can assemble the main fleets, the Allied Fleet will in turn have a significant numerical advantage over the US and British fleets.

The hero is in twilight. This idiom is perfect to describe the German naval generals who participated in the Battle of Jutland and a series of important operations thereafter. Reinhardt Schell, who was brave and good at fighting, was powerless to lead the army to fight again. Marshal Franz von Hippel, who was previously commander of the High Seas Fleet, was unable to perform his duties due to illness. He participated in the Battle of Jutland as a squad commander. Admiral Paul Bernke, who led the German task force to intervene in the South American war three years ago, temporarily took the position of commander. Now his commander's flag is flying high on the mast of the flagship "Germany". However, the age of 64 is still a bit unfair to an important role such as the commander of the main fleet. People generally believe that 55 to 60 years old is the golden age of senior generals.

Standing beside Schell were 69-year-old General Felix Fox Fonke, 65-year-old General von Dalvig Zu Richterfells, 64-year-old General Ludwig von Reutt, 64-year-old Lieutenant General Walter von Keserlink. These were all long-time generals who had experienced the last battle and performed well in Jutland, Herders and the northern waters. Even if they withdrew from the front-line command post, their sight had never left the navy. Time left traces of vicissitudes on these resolute faces, but did not erase their ambitions when they were young. They were not afraid of the challenges of powerful opponents, and were full of confidence in the combat deployment that brought together the wisdom of everyone.

When the Prussian prince Adalbert, dressed in military uniform, walked into the command hall with a solemn expression, the generals who were still discussing tactical details a moment ago became quiet instantly.

Schell took a packaged document from His Highness the Prince, who was the Inspector General of the Navy, slowly took out it and took out a hard document paper with a floral ornament from it. He glanced at the contents on it and looked up at everyone, neither happy nor sad, and a flame seemed to burn in his eyes.

Schell raised the paper in his hand, and the generals present could clearly see the badge of the Hohenzollern royal family.

"Everyone, this is a combat order signed by His Majesty the Emperor, and the attack will begin tonight."

Everyone looked solemn, with their heads raised and their chests raised.

"At 0:00 in the morning, the German Navy will take action before the Army and Air Force, arrest British ships in the waters of the high seas, intercept neutral ships sailing to Britain, lay mines on the outer edge of the fortresses, and submarine forces will attack enemy targets in British waters. After dawn, all fleets and air fleets will attack targets such as Plymouth, Weymouth, Yarmouth, Newcastle, Dundee, and Isle of Man."

Scher's brief words had already announced the way this war came: take the initiative!

At the huge naval command center, there were more than twenty senior generals and nearly a hundred staff officers, all their attention was focused on Scher alone. When he finished speaking, the room was so quiet, the sound of military radio ticking, the sound of cars coming and going outside the command center, and the roar of ships coming from the port were clearly heard.

"Immediately send secret codes to the fleets to inform them to enable the Caesar plan. The sword is unsheathed, just tonight!"

The officers took their own orders, and the entire command instantly lifted the freezing state and returned to a busy and orderly rhythm.

"Caesar's plan?" Adalbert, who was standing beside Schell, raised his lips slightly, and a elusive smile appeared.

Schell finally read the order signed by the emperor, then put it in a file bag, and asked the adjutant to lock it into the file cabinet. He turned his head to look at the Prussian prince who was too familiar to him. William II had six sons and one daughter. In addition to the two lucky ones who wore the crown and the princess who married a wife, three of the four princes joined the army. Adalbert was the only one among them who served in the German navy. Although his ability was mediocre, his unique background made him a smooth career, and his experience as a naval officer in many countries also added a lot to his experience.

The code name of the combat plan sometimes lies in the expectations of the plan makers, and sometimes it is just a pure symbol. The "Caesar Plan" seems to belong to the former. Its code name was appointed by the German Crown Prince William at the General Staff Conference. This tall and thin imperial crown prince often claimed to be the German Caesar, and he had successfully conquered Gaul like Caesar. He just waited to set foot in Britain and dominate the West, and stood at a historical height comparable to Caesar.

Schell's authority in the naval field and his indifference to political affairs are recognized by the outside world, which is also an important reason for his successful defeat of Mueller and becoming the new leader of the navy. Therefore, he did not care at all whether Adalbert had prejudices against his brother. At this moment, in his eyes, the only thing that is about to come.

"19 years ago, Germany was under the strategic blockade of the British-France-Russian Agreement. The German Navy defeated the arrogant British Navy with extraordinary courage and will, opening up a great strategic situation for Germany. 19 years later, our enemies are trying to create shackles for us with new agreements. The German Navy will surely defeat the British Navy again and defeat every opponent who dares to challenge Germany... Therefore, when Your Highness meets His Majesty the Emperor, please be sure to tell Your Majesty that the naval soldiers who are loyal to him have been fully prepared. They will move forward bravely on the battlefield and be invincible. They will add new glory to the empire's crown with a dazzling victory!"

Adalbert, who joined the German Navy at the age of 20, is already an old navy. He smiled politely: "Your Excellency is full of confidence in winning, which is very good, very good!"

Schell put his hands behind his back and his eyes on the big sand table covering the entire Western world from America to West Asia: "No matter whether the Soviet Union or Russia participates in the war, its nearly zero naval power is not enough to worry about. The US Navy is far away from the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean, nearly two-thirds of the British Navy's strength gathers on the east coast of Canada, and Japan is even thousands of miles away. Nothing can prevent us from crushing the British local fleet and escorting combat troops to land in the UK. At that time, no matter whether the British royal family and government choose to stick to it or go into exile, the enemy camp will definitely be hit hard mentally. I believe that those countries waiting for opportunities will continue to wait and see. In this way, we can concentrate our efforts to launch a decisive battle with the main fleets of the United States and Britain in the Atlantic Ocean. I believe that will be the reenactment of the Jutland Naval Battle."

Adalbert also put his hands behind his back, but his eyes were on Schell: "When talking about the Battle of Jutland, I will think of my younger brother who is known as the genius of Hohenzollern. With his wisdom, if he plays for the German Navy at this time, victory will definitely be without a doubt, but he is now the king of Ireland and the patron saint of the Irish people. He dedicated most of his wisdom to Ireland, and the burden of commanding the German Navy to fight was pressed on your shoulders..."

Sher's head was covered in white hair and no black silk was seen. He responded calmly: "Everyone has his own mission and responsibility, and more importantly, His Majesty Joachim is still our most trustworthy comrade-in-arms. I think this is enough."
Chapter completed!