Chapter 17: A New Decision

  When Zhang Hainuo returned to Wilhelmshaven, the final repair work on the Sedritz had been completed. Seeing this giant ship regain its vitality, Zhang Hainuo was both delighted and expectant. As long as Leder could bring back good news from Berlin, the day when this warship would set sail across the ocean again was not far off!

  Unfortunately, after 5 days, R?del returned with a tired and disappointed face. Without saying much, his expression had already told Zhang Haino the result of this trip. When the last hope was shattered, Zhang Haino seemed very calm, for he had deeply experienced what it meant by official standardism and conservative style during this process, which he originally thought were characteristics unique to the British, but unexpectedly the Germans were no exception.

  Raeder handed Tirpitz's handwritten letter to Zhang Haibo, which read:

  To the young and ambitious Lieutenant Heino von Falkenstein:

  It is with great regret that your plan, and that of Major Redl, has not received the approval of His Majesty. In my time as Minister of the Navy, I have had to reject many plans each year, for a variety of reasons, but rarely because the proposer lacked ability; some excellent plans were simply ill-timed or considered too risky. This kind of disappointment, which is not due to error, is common, and I hope you will take it in stride and not lose confidence and hope.

  Like Riedel, you are the most outstanding young officer I have ever met. I hope you will continue to work hard in the days to come! Staying on Sedlitz can learn a lot of things, but if you plan to leave there, feel free to ask me for help at any time, or you can ask Major Riedel for assistance first!

  Yours, Alfred von Tirpitz

  Date: September 19, 1916

  "Hainuo, you have to understand that life on a submarine is harsh and perilous. The cabins there are smaller than our toilets, filled with the smell of diesel oil and exhaust fumes. For many submarines, going out to sea means being surrounded by crises, mechanical failures, and British warships that can send an entire crew to the bottom of the ocean!"

  When Zhang Hainuo said he was going to the submarine force, his superior officer, Captain von Laurance of the Seydlitz, who was also Hainuo's "uncle", strongly opposed this decision. However, the reason for his opposition was not that there was nothing to learn or that it was not suitable for Zhang Hainuo's "profession", but that the injury rate in the submarine force was much higher than that of the main fleet.

  This time, Zhang Hainuo did not show any signs of concession.

  "General, I've thought it through! If I don't join the submarine corps, then my only option is to apply to the Navy's Zeppelin airship corps. Either I'll be on a submarine attacking British warships at sea or I'll be in an airship bombing London. General, do you think the latter would suit me better?"

  General von Hoeppner was momentarily at a loss for words. To be frank, by the autumn of 1916, Zeppelin airships were no longer as invincible and fearless as they had been when they first appeared in 1915. The British had come up with many ways to counter these massive machines, and bad weather often helped the British too. Bombing London with Zeppelins had become a military operation that was costly and yielded little results. In fact, just one month after Zhang Hainu made this statement, the German High Command ordered an end to sending Zeppelins to bomb London.

  "Heynow, is Sedlitz just so useless to you that it's not worth staying for? Is life here really so tiresome for you? Or are the wounds we received in Jutland scaring you off, making you timid, and no longer daring to stand in the torpedo room? If that's the case, then you can apply to be transferred to another department, even my command center!"

  Looking at General Feng Laolunz, who was shouting loudly at himself for the first time, Zhang Hainuo fell silent for a moment. Until Laolunz's emotions calmed down slightly, he said tactfully:

  "General, listen to me! I applied for the submarine force not because I wanted to leave Seydlitz, in these three years on this warship, I learned a lot and made many friends, everyone took good care of me! General, you also know that the plan submitted by Lieutenant Redl and I was rejected, which means that the High Seas Fleet and Seydlitz will continue to stay in port, maintaining the threat against the British Navy with their presence (words of Wilhelm II)! That is to say, unless His Majesty and the naval high command change their minds, we will be spectators watching this war from now on! General, a descendant of the Finkenstein family cannot live without fighting spirit, I would rather die in battle than live a cowardly life!"

  At this time, Zhang Hainuo saw the words on a portrait in the hall of Fink's estate. Hastings told him that at this time, the words left by General Fenkenschtein were also considered to be the family motto of the Fenkenschtein family. At this moment, he happened to use this sentence, and General Lorenz was stunned for a while.

  "General, I know you care about me and take care of me, for which I will never forget! However, the submarine fleet is indeed my best place to go at present, and it is also the last place where I can realize my ideals!"

  If citing the family motto of the von Tirpitz family is just a formality, then the last sentence is Zhang Hainuo's inner voice. He really doesn't want to see this country go down the old path of history, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, he will continue to work hard, and as Tirpitz said, staying on the Sedlitz is not waiting for opportunities!

  General Feng Laurentz finally opened his mouth, he walked to Zhang Hainuo with a complex face and patted his shoulder for the last time.

  "Alright, but Haino, you have to promise me that you'll take good care of yourself and not do anything reckless or foolish! This is also what I promised your mother back then!"

  "I guarantee it to you!" Zhang Hainuo said resolutely.

  Since General von Lauterbach had passed, Zhang Haino's transfer to the submarine force became very easy. However, before serving on a real submarine, Zhang Haino was sent to the Kiel Naval School for three months of basic knowledge and technical study on submarines. By the time these three months of study ended, it was already close to Christmas in 1916.

  Taking advantage of the Christmas holidays, Zhang Hainuo went to Lübeck Island. Since his injury and return to the team, he had been exchanging letters with Anna almost every week, but if he sailed out to sea on a submarine, he could only send letters when each mission ended and returned to port.

  It had been more than two months since they last met, and Anna was still as charming as ever. The two of them went to the same restaurant where they had their previous date, sitting in the same old spot, everything was so perfect, except that their time together was short and their parting was long. After bidding a reluctant farewell to Anna, he took another trip to William's harbor, at this moment, a new choice was placed before him:

  With his rank, he can directly serve as the captain of a coastal submarine or first go to an ocean-going submarine to take on a deputy role.