Chapter 12: Middle-aged Ryder

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  Zhang Hainuo had just barely closed his eyes for a while when he was woken up by a annoying knock on the door. He opened the door with a yawn, and it turned out to be Edwin. This naval lieutenant was wearing an extremely clean uniform today, and his hair was also combed neatly, as if he was going to attend a banquet.

  "We should go have breakfast... Oh, Haino, what's wrong with you? Didn't sleep well last night?"

  Edwin was startled by Zhang Hainuo's exhausted look and bloodshot eyes.

  "It's not that I didn't sleep well, it's just that I barely slept at all!" Zhang Hainuo casually returned to the bed and fell down like a log.

  "Didn't sleep?" Edvin was surprised.

  "Yes, last night a lieutenant colonel came to see me and said he was very interested in my plan book. We talked all night! He didn't leave until after 4 am... I've only slept for two hours!"

  "Colonel? Which Colonel?"

  "I don't know, but he seems to recognize me. Maybe we met before, but I have no impression at all!" Zhang Hainuo said vaguely.

  "What does he look like?"

  "Uh... around forty years old, not very tall, dark hair, slightly chubby face, with a small eagle nose, and..." Zhang Hainuo was about to describe more when he heard Edwin say:

  "Ah, I know who it is! There are five majors on our ship, only two of them have dark hair, one of whom is even taller than me, so the remaining one must be the one who came to see you yesterday - Major Erich Raeder!"

  "Who?" Zhang Hainuo's upper body sprang up from the bed like a spring.

  Edwin didn't understand why his good friend would have such a big reaction upon hearing that name, but he repeated the name anyway:

  "Major Erich Raeder, who has been chief of staff on the Seydlitz since 1914! That means you've known him for two years now, just not as intimately as we know each other!"

  "Oh my god......" Zhang Haino could hardly believe that the middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance and physique, who was basically unremarkable in terms of looks, was actually the later famous German naval commander! He had seen photos of Raeder when he was serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, but that was more than 20 years later. A person's appearance does change significantly from their 40s to 60s, and there is also a difference between photos and real life!

  Raeder! Raeder! What does that name mean? Zhang Hainuo was overjoyed, as if he had picked up a gold brick on the side of the road. He was one of the two best commanders of the Third Empire's Navy, and under his leadership, although the Third Empire's Navy couldn't overthrow its old opponent, considering the disparity in naval power between England and Germany, the German Navy's performance was already quite good!

  Zhang Hainuo rushed into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, then carefully combed his hair, put on his coat, and 5 minutes later when he walked out of the door, he was a brand new Zhang Hainuo, refreshed and spirited.

  "Which cabin is Major Riedel in?"

  "Next room to the captain's quarters! Hey, Heinou, there's no work for you today, so you can sleep in a bit longer..." Before Edwin could finish speaking, the guy had already vanished into thin air at the end of the corridor.

  Edwin shook his head helplessly, feeling that this guy had changed too much since he "lost his memory"! But as for whether it was for better or worse, he couldn't say clearly himself!

  Zhang Hainuo ran to the corridor where the captain's quarters were located, found Reddell's cabin according to Edwin's instructions, and knocked on the door with a nervous mood, but there was no movement inside! He tried again, just as he was about to give up, the voice from last night came from another direction.

  "Good morning, Lieutenant Heinrich von Falkenhausen! You're looking for me?"

  Zhang Hainuo turned around to see Ryder walking into the corridor from outside, wearing a vest on his upper body and a white towel draped over his neck, looking like he had just finished exercising!

  "Good morning, Major Leder!" When Zhang Hainuo said this title, he still had an irrepressible excitement in his heart. Two hours ago, the guy in front of him was just his kindred spirit, but now, his image suddenly became much more majestic! The slightly chubby face still wore that faint smile, but to Zhang Hainuo, it was incredibly endearing!

  "What? Because of our conversation last night, you couldn't sleep?" Redel guessed half right. Zhang Hainuo was indeed excited and couldn't sleep, but it wasn't because of the conversation last night.

  "Ah...... yeah, that's right! Anyway, I couldn't sleep and thought of some issues, so I came to find you......" Zhang Hainuo's hands were somewhat unnaturally placed in his pant pockets. Although his plan book didn't get the strong recommendation from "Big Uncle", having Reddell's understanding and support already made him quite satisfied.

  "Oh, come on and talk!"

  Rader pushed open his cabin door, without a hint of officialdom on him. His room was only slightly larger than Zhang Hainuo's, with an extra cabinet and a slightly larger desk area. Everything in the room, including bedding, pillows, books, paper pens, and clothes racks, were neatly arranged.

  On the bedside table was a photo frame, and the lady in it should be Mrs. Redel, looking very young and elegant.

  "Tea or coffee?"

  "Uh... just a glass of plain water will do!" Zhang Hainuo only then realized that he was in a hurry to leave, and from waking up until now, he hadn't had any water, his lips were a bit dry.

  Rader poured himself a glass of water, drank it in one gulp, said "sorry", then washed his face in the bathroom and put on his shirt and jacket.

  Zhang Hai silently watched Rodel's every move, perhaps in another 20 years he would no longer have the opportunity to observe this outstanding naval commander at such close range.

  "Captain von Fenkenstein, you've just thought of something else? I hope it's not some amazing new tactic!" Only after buttoning up his coat did Rodel sit down in front of Zhang Hainuo.

  "That's not true!" Zhang Haino said, "Yesterday I went to find the captain, you also know this! According to his meaning, the high-level navy is unlikely to accept this plan! Because His Majesty always thinks that as long as the army wins, the war will be won, so there is no need for the navy to take risks and go out to sea!"

  "I knew and considered this situation!" R?dell nodded, "Fortunately, I had the honor of getting to know the respected Grand Admiral von Tirpitz during my tenure as editor-in-chief of 'Marine Review' and 'Navigation' magazine. Now, I still maintain correspondence with him! Moreover, when I served on His Majesty's yacht, I also had multiple face-to-face conversations with His Majesty himself. I think that if we can let the Grand Admiral and His Majesty see our plan book, there is still a possibility to persuade them!"

  Rader's words were somewhat understated, but in Zhang Hainuo's eyes, they were extremely remarkable. Getting to know von Tirpitz and having a face-to-face conversation with Wilhelm II was not an opportunity that ordinary people could encounter! Just one day ago, Zhang Hainuo was still worried about how to "reach the sky", but he never thought that there would be such a "strong man" by his side.

  At this time, Zhang Hainuo was even more regretful that he hadn't thought of studying history earlier. If he had happened to have studied this period of history, he wouldn't be so clueless now!

  "You said... will they accept our suggestion?" Zhang Hainuo was somewhat uncertain at this time.

  "It's still hard to say now, but how can we know the result if we don't try?" Rader reached out and picked up a stack of documents from the table, which was the one Zhang Hainuo left with the captain yesterday.

  "To be honest, in recent years I have been seriously studying and learning the tactics of various countries' navies, from battleships to cruisers to submarines. I've always been thinking about how to maximize the combat effectiveness of a warship or a fleet. I focused on personnel training and equipment technical improvements, until I saw this plan book, and only then did I realize that I had never escaped the circle of traditional thinking! Lieutenant von Fenkenstein, I used to think you were just an expert in torpedo technology, but it turns out you're actually a naval genius! Really!"

  Rader's words made Zhang Haino feel both proud and a little embarrassed, proud because his masterpiece received such high praise, and embarrassed because these ideas were actually borrowed from many battles in later generations, rather than being truly original.

  "I don't dare to be called a naval genius, I just occasionally have some sudden ideas, my knowledge outside of torpedoes is far inferior to yours, Major... actually you are..." Zhang Haino wanted to say that he had always admired Leder, but then thought that Leder was still a relatively unknown mid-level officer at the moment, so he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

  "What is it?" Riddell asked.

  "Hmm... he's the one who really has the ability to complete this plan!" Zhang Haino's words weren't flattery, as it came to familiarity with various equipment and tactics of the German Navy in this era, Raeder indeed had more say than him.

  "No, no, excellent officers are everywhere, but a real strategist appears only once in decades!" Raeder seemed to be very serious, he lowered his head and thought for a moment, then said: "I think I really should introduce you to Count von Tirpitz!"

  Because he is still a small naval lieutenant, with only about 80 torpedo soldiers under him, Zhang Haino did not take Rader's words to heart, but instead focused his energy on the detailed plan book that he and Rader had jointly compiled. They began working day and night without rest. During this period, Rader's outstanding writing skills, planning ability, rich naval knowledge and experience left a deep impression on Zhang Haino. He was like an encyclopedia of the navy, able to arrange his writing with the rigor of a professional writer, and his seriousness and meticulousness made the new plan book far more logical, operational and persuasive than Zhang Haino's previous one.

  The matter of presenting the plan to the higher-ups was now entirely in Redl's hands, and all Zhang Hainan could do was continue to familiarize himself with his torpedo room and subordinates while patiently waiting. Two weeks later, Redl suddenly brought him a stunning piece of news: Grand Admiral von Tirpitz wanted to see him!