Chapter 1: The "Sinking" of U-148

  Before announcing his decision to the crew, Zhang Hainuo first convened a meeting of the officers on board in the dining room. The attendees were Edwin, the torpedo officer; Simon Platonic, the executive officer; Otto von Grenbou, the staff officer; Sergei Shakhed, the chief engineer; Gilbert Yank, the gunnery officer; Derek Lehman, the navigation officer; Rots Leisett, the communications officer; and Kais Schmidt, the medical officer.

  Edwin occupied the passageway from the dining room to the command cabin, while Zhang Hainuo's orderly, Werner Stahle, guarded another route leading to the bow torpedo room, to ensure that no "unrelated personnel" would accidentally enter.

  "Gentlemen, I'm going to talk about something very serious today. You may be extremely surprised after hearing it, but I hope you can control your emotions for now, because I don't want the crew members to know yet before we make a joint decision! Does everyone understand?"

  Zhang Hainuo seriously searched for a definite answer from each person's face, this request obviously made most people feel very curious, and also mentally prepared to accept this "stimulation".

  "I've just had Rots send a telegram to Wilhelmshaven, telling headquarters we're under attack by British warships and the submarine is sinking at once!"

  After Zhang Hainuo said this, except for the informed Edwin and the person involved Luo Ci, almost everyone else was stunned in the first time. Fortunately, Zhang Hainuo had given them a preventive shot in advance, so no one shouted out loud, but that deep shock still overflowed from their words, and everyone was waiting for Zhang Hainuo's next words.

  "I'm terribly sorry to inform you all after the telegram has been sent, but I have no choice! Giselle, tell everyone how much fuel we have on board and how far it can take our submarine!"

  "Chief Petty Officer Sergei Shahed, Zhang Hainuo's old subordinate, the chief engineer of this submarine, looked up at his captain with a hint of certainty in his tone and said:"

  "This time we set out, our superiors only allocated 75 tons of fuel for us, which can at most supply us to sail 7,200 nautical miles!"

  7,200 nautical miles is not an intuitive distance. To help everyone better understand the submarine's situation, Zhang Haino immediately explained: "Last time we set off from Wilhelmshaven to the East Coast of the United States and back, the total distance traveled was 10,300 nautical miles, consuming 110 tons of fuel!"

  What does this mean? The officers knew at once, and under repeated stimuli, everyone was at a loss.

  At this time, Zhang Haino seriously observed the reaction on everyone's face here. Edwin was his own dead loyalist, and he had long accepted Zhang Haino's bold plan; Simon and Sergei were his old subordinates, and they were also very experienced old sailors, their surprise quickly mixed with despair and sadness; Gunner Gilbert Yank, Navigator Drake Lyman were both tough guys, the emotions on their faces changed from astonishment to incomprehension, and then from incomprehension to anger; Rots Leicht and Kase Schmit, two special officers who basically had no right to speak on the boat and had no direct subordinates, showed a kind of silence and helplessness at this time.

  Only Otto von Grenwitz sat there in an incomprehensible calm, saying nothing.

  After the atmosphere calmed down again, Zhang Hainuo's tone rose by a pitch:

  "If we go to America according to the order of the Navy Department, we will either die in battle or be captured by the Americans! Dying in battle is our glory, and being captured means what everyone knows very well! I think a true hero should not be bound by the shackles of fate, now we still have a third way!"

  "The Third Road" made everyone present turn their eyes to Zhang Hainuo, except for one person.

  Perhaps it was a problem of communication art, or perhaps it was due to the other person's personality, Zhang Hainuo felt that he had never understood this young nobleman's true thoughts, but at this time, he could only take care of the majority first.

  "The US government has rejected Germany's request for a ceasefire, which means the war will continue until one side is completely defeated. The current situation is already very clear, gentlemen, we must face this point! With the end of the war, Germany will be forced to hand over all its main battleships and submarines, but I believe that at least one submarine will be exempt!"

  "U148!" Edwin's voice was not loud, but it was like the finishing touch. Anyone with a brain that wasn't too dull would have already understood Zhang Hainuo's starting point by now!

  "No!" Gunther shouted excitedly as he stepped forward: "I'd rather live and die with the Empire, I'd rather die in battle than be a deserter!"

  "Deserter", a term that was extremely odious and unacceptable to every single person present, for everyone here valued honor more than life.

  "No, we are not deserters!" Zhang Hainuo corrected in time: "Except for being killed in battle, except for being captured by the enemy, there is a third way, but it's absolutely not to be a deserter!"

  Although he was still not fully accepting in his mind, Yang Ke had realized his impulse just now. Facing Zhang Hainuo's unyielding gaze, he took a deep breath and sat back down in his seat.

  Zhang Hainuo noticed that several sailors in the corridor were curiously looking this way, fortunately Yank's voice just now was not too loud, they should not have heard clearly this extremely "killing" sentence.

  After finding out that their boat was on high alert and looking in our direction, those sailors retreated with a huff.

  "Yonck, would you like to see this submarine fall into enemy hands and then be used against Germany again?"

  Zhang Hainuo walked up to Yang Ke and asked in a tone that was almost interrogative.

  "No, of course not! German soldiers would rather die than yield!" Yank said with a puffed chest.

  "Are you willing to let this submarine, which cost a lot of money and labor to build, sink to the bottom of the sea for nothing? Are you willing to see all of us drift on the ocean or become prisoners of war in enemy camps?" Zhang Haino pressed further.

  Yang Ke looked up at him and then helplessly lowered his head again.

  "Our starting point for all this is to save this submarine so that one day it can be used again by Germany!"

  Zhang Hainuo himself thinks this is a very rallying "starting point", of course, this is just the initial starting point, and the deeper meaning is not yet to be said.

  "Commander, are you certain the enemy can take out all of our capital ships and submarines?"

  A calm voice suddenly came from the corner, Zhang Hainuo knew who said it without looking, and at the same time he had to admit that this question hit the nail on the head.

  "Yes, I'm positive! If we return to Wilhelmshaven now, this submarine will be taken over by the enemy and sent to Pascagoula within a month! Lieutenant, we'll see that soon enough, and if what I've said doesn't come true, I'll accept any punishment you give me, including being court-martialed as a deserter!"

  Zhang Haino dared to say so because the situation had developed to this point, Germany's defeat had become a necessity, and the Allies would not allow a defeated country to have such a powerful fleet of warships and the U-boats that had once made them tremble with fear!