Chapter 6 Convergence Point

  Preventive injections and stimulants were administered simultaneously, and Zhang Haino finally allowed his crew members to relatively calmly accept the fact of Germany's surrender. Perhaps for most of them, the abdication of the German Emperor had already meant Germany's defeat, and now the surrender was just a formality!

  Although the sailors did not make any radical moves on the surface, Zhang Hainuo still saw many people hiding in the corners and crying silently when he inspected each cabin. Even his close friend Edwin stood alone on the deck for several hours after receiving this exact news.

  This is indeed a group of excellent soldiers, they are loyal and tenacious, brave and simple, they pursue honor but do not slaughter the innocent (the national defense army during World War II still maintained this good tradition, while the armed party guards and Gestapo were another matter), they often can make up for their numerical and technical disadvantages through their tactical literacy and tenacious willpower, but their ending is always so helpless.

  This scene made Zhang Haino feel a thousand emotions, but if he didn't want to see this scene again after 27 years, he would either die early or change history through his own strength.

  Zhang Hainuo is not a person who easily admits defeat, so his character firmly chose the latter.

  However, now that he has such a grand plan in mind, whether it can develop in the expected direction next also depends on luck - Zhang Hainuo believes that as long as his luck is not too bad, he should be able to find some valuable items from those sunken merchant ships. Although not every merchant ship carries precious goods, when they are suddenly attacked, the crew often doesn't have time to take away the most important things for them; these people either escape alone or sink into the sea with the ship.

  When the outline of Crete appeared on the right side of the submarine, Zhang Haino suddenly remembered his last memory in that era, also Crete, and also this azure sea. Would the space-time passage connecting two eras open again because of his arrival? Would he be taken back to the past at this most critical moment?

  No!

  There is a very clear voice in Zhang Hainuo's heart, since he has paid so much in this era, since he has found his life goal here, and since he has so many loyal followers, then heaven, please let me continue to struggle in this era!

  The heavens gave no response, and Crete was slowly pulled behind until it completely disappeared over the horizon.

  Zhang Hainuo put away his extra thoughts, he knew that the Strait of Gibraltar was not the final obstacle to completing his plan. Next, he had to merge with Hessen's U21 as soon as possible and be on guard against those Allied ships at all times, including Greek warships, freighters and even fishing boats!

  In Europe, Greece is one of the countries with relatively weak economic, industrial and military power, but since gaining independence in the early 19th century, they have conducted a series of wars aimed at consolidating their territory and expanding their borders with neighboring countries, especially during the two Balkan Wars in the early 20th century. In World War I, Greece initially maintained nominal neutrality, allowing British and French warships to use their anchorages and providing them with supplies, but after long observation, they formally declared joining the Allies in June 1917, although they did not engage in large-scale land battles with the Allied forces afterwards, their navy actively participated in the military actions of the Allies in the Mediterranean.

  Although the Greeks were not very "friendly", Zhang Haino made a decision to head to the Aegean Sea and rendezvous with Hersing's U21 after careful consideration. The reasons for doing so were: firstly, the North Sea and Baltic Sea lacked suitable hiding spots - the British and French would definitely conduct a thorough search there after the war; in comparison, the Aegean Sea, with over 2,500 islands, was geographically much more complex; secondly, Hersing was very familiar with this sea area, and his U21 had a smaller hull, weaker navigation capabilities, and shorter range compared to U148, making it relatively easier for them to rendezvous there.

  Of course, there is another very important point, that a small part of the islands in the eastern Aegean belongs to Turkey. This country chose to join the Allied camp during World War I, and the experience of the war made its officials, generals, and civilians quite fond of the Germans. Although the defeat also brought them great pain and loss, it is obvious that Zhang Haino and his men would find it much easier to obtain supplies from Turkey than from other countries.

  After entering the Aegean Sea, Zhang Haino and his crew indeed encountered many Allied warships. However, since the war had already ended and the German government had issued orders for the army to withdraw back home and the navy to await orders in port, the officers and sailors of the Allied warships had also relaxed a great deal. Zhang Haino noticed that they no longer took zigzagging anti-submarine courses even during the daytime, and what they feared most was probably no longer German submarines but rather the mines left over from the war.

  This expected situation made Zhang Haino feel much more comfortable. During the day, they carefully avoided the sight of the Allied ships and dived into the sea to avoid them when necessary. At night, they quickly advanced along the pre-planned route. As a result, on the fourth day after Germany's surrender, they finally arrived at the southeastern part of the Aegean Sea near the Sporades Islands and Karpathos Island. This place was far from the Greek mainland, about 100 nautical miles from Crete and Rhodes, and about 120 nautical miles from the nearest Turkish port.

  Setting this place as a meeting point was a decision made by Zhang Hainuo and Hersen after they jointly discussed it at the Fink estate. Hersen had passed through this sea area several times during the war, and except for the larger islands of Karpathos and Astypalaia which were inhabited by Greeks, all the other islands around here were uninhabited. These islands were only a few square kilometers in size, with some smaller than one square kilometer, mostly bird islands or volcanic islands, and there were countless hidden reefs, so until the early 20th century, merchant ships of various countries would try to avoid this place as much as possible.

  Hessen told Zhang Hainuo that in the winter of 1915, he once approached one of the volcanic islands to avoid a storm and coincidentally discovered a natural bay that could be used to berth small boats. Although it was not possible to dock ships over 1,000 tons, it was sufficient for large submarines like U148.

  After the storm had passed, Hessen ordered his crew to thoroughly explore the island. The only regrettable things were that there was no fresh water on the island and very little vegetation; apart from these two points, this place seemed like a secret base specially designed for submarines!

  As no name was given to this isolated volcanic island on the chart, Hessen named it after himself: Hessen Island.