Chapter 3: The Perilous Journey
Yesterday I accidentally posted two chapters together, although I quickly corrected it, but still got caught by the sharp-eyed book friends, sweat! Today I'll post an extra chapter to make up for it :)
Currently working hard on storing drafts, this volume is a very important turning point, and there are more things to consider in terms of plot, so the speed will also be slower. I hope everyone can understand.
Please go ahead and provide the text you'd like me to translate. I'll return the translation in English.
Three days after U-148 sent out the "sinking" telegram, the German Navy Department ordered the High Seas Fleet to go out to sea and fight against the British army, and if they failed, they would "gloriously sink".
However, the 80,000 sailors at Kiel harbour refused to set sail and put out their ships' fires. The sailors' strike forced the German naval authorities to rescind the order, but they were persecuted, with hundreds arrested.
At the same time, on the Western Front in Germany, the Allies continued to advance steadily. The performance of the US military in the Argonne Forest surprised the world. The German High Command mobilized its last reserve troops, but it was already too late!
In the vast eastern waters of the South Atlantic, U148 proceeded slowly at a speed of 200 to 220 nautical miles per day. A few days ago, when Zhang Haino announced the joint decision of the officer team, the crew were all surprised, but their trust and respect for their captain and the officer team quickly calmed them down, with no one making trouble or even the slightest chaos.
Zhang Haino was very satisfied with this, and he immediately explained his "Aegean Sea Plan" to the boatmen. As expected, the young boatmen who were not old and had no family burdens quickly accepted this bold and challenging plan, and most of them even felt excited about it.
In contrast, married sailors or those who have to support their families look somewhat worried. Although the opportunity for overnight wealth is tempting, at least in the near future, they will not be able to send money back home again!
Zhang Hainuo saw the worries of these people, and in the next few days, he took advantage of his spare time to have a one-on-one conversation with each member of the boat owner. For those crew members whose families were indeed having difficulties, he told them that he would let the housekeeper provide timely assistance to their families.
Zhang Haino's usual straightforward and generous personality, as well as his baron status, had already left a good impression on the boatmen. Seeing him carefully record his family address, these people's minds also settled down a lot.
Although post-war Germany will experience soaring prices, the gold and silver coins that Zhang Hainuo saved for Hastings still have considerable purchasing power, at least enough to support the livelihoods of these sailors' families for half a year. The boat carried two months' worth of rations, water, and living supplies, so everyone didn't have to worry about their most basic living conditions in the short term.
During this time, the war situation in Germany continued to deteriorate rapidly, and the spark that led to the collapse of the German Empire was also ignited due to the sailors' arrest incident.
On November 3rd in the afternoon, U-148's radio received a nationwide telegram from the sailors' uprising organization at Kiel harbor, and the revolutionary atmosphere was already very strong!
At this time, Zhang Haino couldn't help but feel fortunate for his wise decision - if U148 was still in Wilhelmshaven at this time, the crew would inevitably be affected by this revolutionary sentiment, and the military port would soon be paralyzed, and it would be difficult to leave at that time!
The next day, the sailors' uprising in Kiel spread throughout the city and its surroundings, with workers actively responding and forming a Workers' and Soldiers' Soviet. The German November Revolution officially kicked off with great fanfare. Within just a few days, armed uprisings broke out in major cities across Germany, with telegrams flying back and forth like snowflakes. This situation made every officer on the U-148 admire Zhang Hainan's "farsightedness", which also existed in Otto's eyes.
Fortunately, U148 was far away from the center of this political storm. When Zhang Haino briefed the crew on the latest developments in the domestic situation every day, the young crew did not show too much emotional fluctuation.
Seeing U148's unanimous support, Zhang Haino's confidence in overcoming the most difficult part of this long journey - the Strait of Gibraltar - was greatly boosted.
Since being captured by the British in 1704, Gibraltar's mountain has been gradually built into a large fortress. Any ship wishing to pass through the only Atlantic-Mediterranean channel had to ask the British cannons of the Gibraltar fortress and the British warships anchored in the port of Gibraltar.
To reach the Aegean Sea according to plan, Zhang Haino and his crew had no choice but to cross this strait tightly blockaded by the British.
In the summer of 1915, Hersing's U-21 and some other German submarines had successfully passed through this strait into the Mediterranean, but his predecessor's success did not mean that Zhang Haino and his U-148 could easily pass through the sea gate. When Zhang Haino was still serving on U-21, Hersing had told him about his experience of passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, which in Zhang Haino's view was an adventurous journey that required courage, wisdom and luck!
On November 9, after a 16-day voyage, the crew of U-148 finally saw the Strait of Gibraltar in the distance. However, on this day, under pressure from domestic politics, Emperor Wilhelm II announced his abdication at the urging of Prime Minister Maximilian and military leaders.
After receiving this message, Zhang Haino immediately convened an emergency meeting with the officers. Except for Zhang Haino, everyone else was disappointed and even heartbroken by the news. It could be seen that these naval lieutenants and warrant officers of good quality still had a high respect for the royal family, but they were also clear-headed people who knew that relying on their own strength, not to mention protecting the royal family, would be swept away by the surging revolutionary tide as soon as they returned to Germany!
However, in order to avoid affecting the morale and status of the crew members, Zhang Haino proposed announcing it to the crew members after successfully passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, which was unanimously approved by the officers.
As the Axis camp disintegrated, the threat to Allied ships in the Mediterranean had decreased sharply over the past two months, but the British troops and warships stationed at Gibraltar remained vigilant as always, following a tradition of more than 200 years. Zhang Hainuo did not act rashly, instead keeping U-148 cruising far away from shipping lanes. It wasn't until nightfall that he carefully commanded the submarine to enter this strait under tight control by the British military.
As a natural passage between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the Strait of Gibraltar is 58 km long. The strait is wider in the west than in the east, with its widest point being about 43 km wide and its narrowest point only 13 km wide. It is deeper in the east than in the west, with a maximum depth of 1181 m and a minimum depth of 301 m. The average depth is approximately 375 m.
This knowledge, which was taught in middle school geography class, Zhang Hainuo had already returned to the teacher. At this time, he didn't have any maps related to the underwater terrain of the Strait of Gibraltar in his hand, and the most valuable information came from the predecessor Hersen, who told Zhang Hainuo that the British warning blockade line was relatively weak on the side close to Morocco, and he had passed through that side by submarine two years ago. However, whether the British strengthened their guard measures there after that, he didn't know!
