"Even the British allies are not sure whether Britain will join the war. Lieutenant Colonel, how dare you be sure that Britain will join the war?!" Navy Cabinet Secretary [1] General George Von Mueller asked fiercely.

There is no doubt that the regular information and analysis meeting of the Admiralty Department held in advance in early July turned into a complete farce. The three-hour meeting, in addition to the resolution to start routine summer and autumn cruise training in mid-July and fooled away the diplomatic mediocre William II who attended the meeting, was left with only endless disputes between the Navy veterans and the young and powerful factions.

The German Emperor's "talent" in diplomacy was well aware of the senior naval officers who attended the meeting. On March 31, 1905, William visited Tangier, Morocco. The German Emperor, who had no interests in Morocco, suddenly felt hot and said he was furious, claiming to support Morocco. This incident caused an uproar, so that France, the protector of Morocco, set off on the border with the support of the British, and Germany and France were at odds. In 1911, France invaded Morocco, and the German Emperor William stood up again to deliver a tough speech, claiming that the French had violated Germany's interests in Morocco. Before he finished speaking, the Leopard gunboat had already entered the port of Agadir, Morocco. At that time, Germany had only a few unknown trading companies and several German speculators in Morocco.

With the emperor present, everything about diplomacy will develop to the bad side. This is not only the consensus of knowledgeable people from the German Foreign Ministry, but also the heads and minds of the Navy also confessed to it. So the officials of the Navy tried their best to remain calm in front of the emperor, trying to pull the emperor's attention back from the Balkans and shift to the naval summer and autumn cruise training that will begin in mid-July. As a result, the navy succeeded. Emperor William happily announced that he would rush to Kiel on the day the Ocean Fleet went to sea to see him off for the fleet participating in the annual maritime training, and then he would go to the forest in North Germany to hunt.

After the emperor left, the light and dust in the conference room disappeared instantly, and the generals began to argue endlessly about whether the British would take a neutral position in the conflict. The important naval officials from the army and the veterans who had been idle for a long time insisted that the army quickly ended everything. The navy sent light ships to harass France and Belgium at most, and restrained and threatened the flanks of the battlefield on the Western Front of the Allies, while the British would remain neutral in the conflict. The cabinet minister General George Von Mueller believed this.

"In the face of the devastating offensive of the German Army, how great can the British 'pocket army' with old and conservative tactics be? The British Empire's navy is indeed powerful, but with the protection of mines and ocean fleets, can the British still drive their large fleet into the Elbe River? If the British do not remain neutral, would they still want the German Army to station in the Scottish Highlands of Horse?!" The gray-haired veteran Muller looked at Lieutenant Colonel Heidi Sileme and said with his age: "Young people, it is good to have ideas, but it would be awesome to gain reputation with alarmist words..."

"What if the army cannot fight quickly?" Wang Heidi, known as a genius, raised her head slightly and asked loudly at General Muller's point of view.

Before the meeting, Lieutenant Colonel Erich Redell, who had been in love for twenty years, invited Wang Heidi as the host, and Weigener had a few drinks in a tavern near the Navy headquarters. After three or two glasses of beer, the gullant was drunk and could not stop talking. He patted the table and complained without hesitation. From the vague maritime strategy that had been vague since the era of Tirpitz to the war plan locked in the cabinet of the Navy headquarters, from the Italians' two sides to the shameless and cruelty of the little Japanese, the coquettish otakus with a little ink and a swearing and scolding.

Facts prove that Wang Heidi, a second-generation official, will never become a first-class politician. Redell and Weigener advised Wang Heidi, who had drunk some wine, to be cautious in his words and actions in the conference room and not to be greedy for his words. The otaku also agreed at the time, but when the Navy Cabinet Secretary General George Von Muller played the old tune in the conference room and repeatedly emphasized that the British would remain neutral, the otaku who was not well-educated broke out.

As the chief staff officer of the Ocean Fleet's first reconnaissance fleet, Wang Heidi could only sit on the edge of the conference room. In front of him were all the bright generals and star officials Su Lao, but the young Redel was fearless. He deliberately ignored the superiors and subordinates who were most valued by the Germans. I was crazy about the young man. In 1898, the young man who had a big fight with Marshal Tirpitz, seemed to be possessed by his soul again, and said happily:

"If Japan joins the Allies according to the British-Japanese Alliance, Jiaozhou Bay, the Carolina Islands and New Guinea are lost one after another, how should the East Asian fleet continue to attack? If the Italians with rebellious bones on their foreheads remain neutral, what should the Mediterranean squadron in the Adriatic Sea go? If the army falls into a protracted war, the British join the battle group and block our maritime transportation lines, how should the Ocean Fleet fight back?"

Marshal Tirpitz, who was like an old monk sitting, paused with his hands holding a teacup, and his suspicious eyes swept across the frightened and at a loss. He turned his head and looked at the drunken otaku, his face becoming more and more gloomy.

****

After the fierce dispute, the Navy still failed to confirm whether the British would participate in the war. There was nothing to be ashamed of this. Not only did the German Foreign Ministry not be able to defend the British attitude, but even the British Foreign Minister did not dare to endorse the panic-helpless French people. They could only emphasize over and over again that the British king, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister had no right to declare war, and the decision was in the hands of the parliament.

Although the Navy failed to confirm whether the British would participate in the war, it had a clear plan for the navy's pre-war preparations.

The Ocean Fleet's summer and autumn cruise training will begin around July 14, and in view of the tension in Europe, the exercise will be located in the Norwegian fjord.

In order to threaten the maritime transportation lines of the Allied Powers, the attack ships and coal-plungers on the ocean should act in accordance with the pre-planned plan. At the same time, the Mediterranean squadron located in the Adriatic Sea should leave Italy as soon as possible after the war breaks out and get as close to Ottoman Turkey as possible to win over and deter the Turkish government; as for the isolated East Asian fleet, the Admiralty Department allows Count Spee to act freely on the premise of dragging the British-French Far East Fleet and the Japanese Joint Fleet.

The establishment of the Navy General Staff was also put on the agenda. Erich Redel, the first deputy director of the Navy Intelligence Department, was promoted to Navy Colonel and transferred to the newly formed Navy General Staff as combat staff. The functions and defense areas of Ingnore's Ocean Fleet Command and Prince Heinrich's Baltic Fleet Command were re-divided. Once the war broke out, the Ocean Fleet will quickly gather in the estuary areas of the Elbe, Cape Jed, Wishi and Ames Rivers to guard against the powerful British fleet; Prince Heinrich's Baltic Fleet will be composed of some old ships, whose mission is to guard against the Russian Baltic Fleet, which has only a few old ships left after the Russo-Japanese War, and wait for an opportunity to threaten the flanks of the polar bears.

The fourth, fifth and sixth reserve fleets, composed of old warships, began to mobilize locally, and the reserve ships sealed in the dock began to be repaired. All ships in training tasks should be prepared to be converted into auxiliary ships. The reserve naval officers and soldiers must report to the local military mobilization department as soon as possible, waiting for the mobilization order of the Navy Department. The marshalling work of the reserve fleet and the pre-war training of the reserve crew, and the assault training of the reserve officers are all major projects. Fortunately, the empire has a good mobilization system. With the efforts of the mobilization staff of the reserve fleet, it is a matter of time before the reserve fleet restores its combat effectiveness.

The construction of the Dolerey Field and the North Atlantic minefield in the English Channel should be accelerated. Given the importance of the Helgolan Bay, the Helgolan Bay Defense Circle Command was established, and its troops were composed of several cruiser squadrons and destroyer squadrons, and the coastal artillery, submarines and airships located on the Helgolan Island. The First Reconnaissance Fleet serves as the reserve force. The position of commander-in-chief will be the Major General Franz von Hippel. Heidi Sileme, who confronted his boss in public, was ordered to submit a letter of deep review. The rank of colonel and the position of deputy commander of the First Reconnaissance Fleet, who had been on the agenda, were given up. Marshal Tirpitz, who had only the personnel rights, even seized the opportunity to avenge his personal revenge and made a decision in public to send the otaku to the Helgolan Island hanging in the North Sea.

"Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Helgolan Bay Defensive Circle?!"

Wang Heidi's face was filled with the joy of being successful. From light cruisers, destroyers, lightning strike ships and coastal artillery to submarines, airships, aircraft and other new weapons are all within the jurisdiction of this newly formed command, and General Franz Hippel's doting is on the left, which undoubtedly gives the otaku's imagination room to play.

"Old man, you miscalculated!" The otaku was scattering and swaying.

****

Before the establishment of the German Navy General Staff, the Navy had never been as efficient as it is today. In a few hours, the Navy planned the Navy's operation plan for the next few months. After the meeting, the front-line commanders who were on the mission and the head office were in a hurry and dispersed like a tide. Tirpitz slowly drank the tea in the quilt and looked up and called Ingnoll, the new commander-in-chief of the Ocean Fleet.

"General, I want to know what the naval preparation plan is locked in the Navy cabinet." Marshal Tirpitz, who was gray-haired, asked without hesitation.

Since the bankruptcy of risk theory, William II has been worse than Tirpitz's holy favor, and the emperor's new favorite General Edward von Capelle was eyeing his naval minister's throne (he successfully won this throne in 1916). In 1913, Friedrich von Ingnor replaced Wolfgang-Wegener's distant cousin, Heining von Hutsendorf, as the commander of the high seas fleet, and Tirpitz's only actual control over the navy was also undermined. Before World War I, Tirpitz had only a few personnel rights in addition to having lofty prestige. The naval strategic plan drafted by Lieutenant General Hellingen, which is said to be perfected every year, was not even right to inquire as the founder of the Ocean Fleet.

Commander-in-Chief Friedrich von Ingnor, who was dubbed "the emperor's vocal insect", laughed terriblely. His voice was very low but with millions of volts, which made Tirpitz, who had seen strong winds and waves, burst into furious and immediately became angry.

"Marson, I'm going to tell you, there's actually no naval plan at all... Even if there is, it will only be in the emperor's mind!"

【Note】

1. Naval Cabinet Minister: The political structure of the Second German Empire is somewhat similar to that of Red China, with two administrative teams. The Naval Cabinet Minister is a position in the German court, equivalent to the emperor's naval consultant.

2. The "Ocean Fleet in World War I" published by General Reinhardt-Sher after World War I recorded that Ingnoll became the commander of the Ocean Fleet on the eve of World War I, which is not accurate.

ps: Can you see something? There is a pitfall...;
Chapter completed!