Chapter 11 The First Supporter

  Rush to the top of the chart! Everyone vote and support!!!

  "With submarines, airships and aircraft as the main force for maritime reconnaissance and attack, supplemented by the rapid and effective deployment of main fleet vessels... Haino, your idea is indeed novel and in principle acceptable!"

  In the captain's cabin of the Seydlitz, Commodore von Lauritzen sat with his legs crossed, holding a small cup of strong black coffee in his hand. On the small tea table to his left lay a small stack of folded papers.

  Zhang Hainuo, who was sitting across from him, was initially a bit stiff, but fortunately, his "uncle" appeared to be very calm and close in conversation, which also made him gradually relax. However, when he heard Lorenz say the word "but", his heart still skipped a beat.

  "But you don't have enough evidence now to prove that all of this will be successful, and I don't think others will accept your views just because of your mouth!"

  "But my plan has already detailed various tactical details and analysis, I hope..."

  "No, Heinrich! You still don't get it!" Laurence said calmly, taking a sip of hot coffee from his cup.

  "Either by word of mouth or by producing a written plan, you need to have sufficient evidence to prove the point you are making! Only then can the Navy Department consider adopting your views! Now tell me, have you collected enough evidence?"

  Zhang Hainuo had thought about this question before, so he answered directly:

  "Although there is no direct evidence, I think I can prove most of these points through a series of experiments and exercises!"

  "The Admiralty will not conduct one or several expensive experiments just because of your own words, let alone that His Majesty has already given a dead order, except for submarines and patrol boats, other warships can only leave the military port with his personal permission. Obviously, your tests cannot be completed in the military port, right?" Feng Laolun was still very patient, if it were someone else, Zhang Hainuo thought, he might have already been impatiently driven away.

  "Yes, General, only a small part of the experiment can be completed in a limited area of the military port! But please forgive my abruptness, with my personal idea, rather than letting the high seas fleet do nothing in the harbor, it's better to try these new tactics, even if we can't change the situation, we won't have too much loss!"

  Feng Laoren didn't immediately refute Zhang Hainuo, but instead slowly sipped half a cup of coffee before solemnly saying something that left Zhang Hainuo at a loss for words:

  "The High Command has always believed that the war on land can decide everything, and the task of the Navy is to keep the British under pressure at all times and let their ships waste fuel in vain on the high seas! You and I, Heino, our task is to conscientiously carry out the orders of the Naval Department and do a good job of our own work! Believe me, even if you don't go to sea for battle, you will become a lieutenant colonel before the age of 30!"

  "But... how can we know they won't agree if we don't try? I think even the far-sighted Grand Admiral von Tirpitz might appreciate this plan! Don't you think?"

  Zhang Hainuo was getting anxious, because if this plan couldn't even pass the "Tabo" hurdle, he would really be left with a bad taste in his mouth. Of course, he could still try to get the high-level officials to understand this plan through other means, such as writing them a letter or directly running to the Navy Department, but the possibility of success for these "overstepping" actions was just too small. If there was a recommendation from his "Tabo", who was also the captain of the Sedlitz-class battleship, it would be much easier.

  Colonel von Laurenz stood up and walked over to Zhang Hainuo's side, extending his right hand to pat Zhang Hainuo on the shoulder.

  "Son, before the invention of airplanes, people thought that things heavier than air couldn't fly, but didn't those simple and ugly things still carry people up into the blue sky? Just because others don't understand doesn't mean you're wrong, but you must understand, everyone has their own responsibilities. The emperor's responsibility is to lead this country towards greatness and victory, the high-ranking naval officers' responsibility is to achieve the greatest victories with the smallest losses! They have their concerns, so they will refuse to do things that are not guaranteed! As for me, I am just the commander of this warship, my responsibility is to manage this warship and all the officers and soldiers on board for His Majesty!"

  As he left the captain's quarters, Zhang Hainuo's face was filled with disappointment. After hastily having dinner, he returned to his living quarters alone and didn't even have the mood to redecorate his new room, instead lying down on the bed in his clothes. It wasn't until it was completely dark outside that he remembered he had promised Anna to write her a letter as soon as he returned to the military port, so he got up and turned on the light, pouring out his depressed emotions onto the paper all at once.

  Just as he unfolded the fifth page of letter paper, a knock came from outside.

  "Who is it?" Zhang Haino guessed that should be Edwin, because he was not familiar with anyone else here.

  After opening the door, he saw a strange face instead.

  "Hello, Lieutenant von Fenkenstein!"

  He wore a navy blue German naval officer's uniform, his shoulder boards indicating he was a Kapit?nleutnant, and the features of his face told Zhang Hainuo that he was around forty years old.

  Although he didn't know this person Zhang Hainuo, he wasn't certain if the past "Hainuo" and him were acquainted, so he replied politely:

  "Major, hello! Is there anything else at this late hour?"

  "I must say, I'm being a bit presumptuous this time, because earlier I saw a document in the captain's quarters that should be the plan you gave to General von Lauterbach!" The newcomer spoke with courtesy.

  Zhang Hainuo only then remembered that he didn't bring the plan book with him when he left the captain's quarters, which was something he had written during his stay in the sanatorium. Although there wasn't much content, every point had been carefully thought out.

  "Yes, that's what I handed over to the general, but he basically vetoed this plan!"

  "Yes, the general told me, but I still want to talk to you about some things related to it! Can I?"

  Zhang Hainuo had no reason to refuse, so he stepped aside and invited the major in.

  "Sorry about the mess on the table! Can I get you something to drink?"

  Although there was only a thermos of hot water and some coffee grounds in the room, Zhang Hainuo still asked politely.

  "Coffee, thank you!" Then, the major pointed to his chair, "May I?"

  "Oh, sorry, please sit down!" Zhang Haino hastily invited him to sit down, then picked up the letter paper on the table and pressed it under the pillow. He then made two cups of coffee with coffee grounds, one handed to the major, and the other placed on his own desk.

  "To be honest, when I first saw that plan of yours, I was extremely surprised. After going through it carefully, I was deeply attracted to the many unheard-of ideas inside! That's why I've come so late and uninvited!" The major said bluntly.

  "Huh?" Zhang Hainuo was indeed somewhat unexpected. He had originally thought that there wouldn't be anyone in this world who would support and understand his ideas, yet suddenly such a person appeared.

  "With submarines, airships and aircraft serving as the main force for maritime reconnaissance and attack, supplemented by the rapid and effective deployment of main fleet vessels, this is an extremely bold strategy. If successful, it will undoubtedly change our current disadvantage against the British Navy!" The major said, taking a sip of his coffee, despite its poor taste, he didn't mind at all.

  Zhang Hainuo didn't interrupt hastily, but instead let the major continue to express his own views.

  "In the first two years of the war, our submarine fleet achieved extraordinary feats. U9 sank three British armoured cruisers in a matter of hours, while U21 sank two old British battleships in Greek waters one after another. The entire submarine fleet had sunk over 3,000 enemy ships with a total tonnage of nearly 10 million tons! In comparison, our High Seas Fleet's battleships and cruisers became mere spectators in this war!"

  "There are also airplanes and airships, I highly approve of your idea to introduce them into fleet battle operations! An airship can expand the entire fleet's field of view by more than ten times, a squadron of reconnaissance planes can detect enemy ships within hundreds of miles around, if equipped with effective wireless facilities, they can even provide spotting for the main force warships' gunfire, this will greatly improve the fleet's shooting accuracy!"

  "That's right!" Zhang Haino's emotions were finally stirred up by the lieutenant colonel's words, and he added: "In favorable weather conditions, we can also use planes to carry bombs or even torpedoes to bomb enemy fleets at anchor or in navigation. Don't look down on bombs and torpedoes, they have an unexpectedly good effect on enemy ships!"

  As for Zhang Hainuo's last sentence, Lieutenant Colonel did not directly express his agreement, but said more cautiously:

  "While there is no precedent for this, I think that as long as we can improve the range of our planes, their payload and the accuracy of our bombing, even if we don't sink enemy ships, we can still cause damage and create panic among the enemy!"

  Zhang Haino originally wanted to tell the other party that aircraft can fully play the role of a battleship killer, but he remembered that it was now World War I, and most countries were using wooden biplanes with poor performance, which could not be greatly improved in a short period of time. However, at least reconnaissance, spotting, interference, and psychological intimidation could still be done.

  The two then exchanged views on submarine tactics, cooperation between submarines and fleets, airships and submarines, etc. As a result, the two became more and more congenial as they talked, and the coffee was refilled cup after cup. Unbeknownst to them, they chatted until dawn, until both of them yawned due to fatigue, and it wasn't until then that the visiting major stood up to prepare to leave.

  "Captain Feng, I'm so sorry to have disturbed you for a whole night!" The lieutenant colonel said with an apologetic face, but his eyes still had an uncontrollable excitement, a feeling of meeting a worthy opponent or a kindred spirit.

  At the same time, Zhang Hainuo also found someone who understands his ideas and wants to shout "Long live understanding".

  "Combining your plan with what we just discussed, I think we can jointly formulate a more detailed and reasonable plan. What do you think?" suggested the lieutenant colonel.

  "Of course, it's just... " Zhang Hainuo's eyes suddenly dimmed a lot, after all, the other party was only a naval lieutenant colonel, not even reaching the level of Colonel Feng Laolunzi, so what if they had formulated such a plan?

  "What's wrong?" Seeing Zhang Hainuo wanting to speak but hesitating, the lieutenant colonel found it somewhat strange.

  "Do we have a chance to convey it to the higher-ups in the Navy?" Zhang Hainuo did not hide his worries.

  "Ah... I see you're worried about this problem! Don't worry, I'll take care of it. What we need to do now is get a good night's sleep and then work on the plan as soon as possible. Alright?" The major seemed full of confidence.

  Zhang Hainuo was slightly surprised, but the other's sincere eyes convinced him. He nodded and stretched out his right hand.

  "Let's work together!"

  "Let's work together!"