Chapter 75 Creating Opportunities

Scheer advocated avoiding battle, while Feng Chengqian insisted on engaging the enemy, leaving Tirpitz caught in the middle and deeply troubled. Tirpitz was not unsupportive of Feng Chengqian; as one of Feng Chengqian’s disciples, Tirpitz was also a proponent for going to war. However, it was clearly inappropriate to replace Scheer at this juncture. Scheer’s appointment as commander of the High Seas Fleet had been not only recommended by Tirpitz but also sanctioned by the Kaiser.

In reality, the root of the problem lay with the Kaiser himself.

Although Kaiser Frederick III had participated in all the great wars that built the empire, he was ultimately an army man and had little understanding of naval affairs. To the Kaiser, the navy was more akin to an auxiliary of the army. Thus, in his eyes, the navy’s primary task was to eliminate threats from the sea and to safeguard the empire’s Baltic routes. Put simply, the Kaiser regarded the navy’s presence as vital. As long as the Imperial Navy could still put to sea, the British Royal Navy would not dare attack Germany’s coastal regions, nor would it venture into the Baltic. For the Imperial Army, the sea routes to Sweden and Norway were crucial, as they were the only lines that remained open during wartime, bringing iron ore, coal, and other strategic resources to the empire.

Understanding this clarifies why the Kaiser favored Scheer.

Interestingly, the Kaiser was not alone in this view; even Crown Prince Wilhelm believed the Imperial Navy should focus on preserving its strength.

Of course, Crown Prince Wilhelm’s perspective was not entirely aligned with the Kaiser’s.

Feng Chengqian had always believed the Crown Prince supported naval development largely due to British influence. He wished to possess a fleet stronger than that of his uncle, to prove that the empire he would inherit could become the world’s foremost power.

Clearly, the Crown Prince saw the Imperial Navy as a means to flaunt his prestige to his maternal family.

After consulting with Tirpitz, Feng Chengqian concluded that the only way to change the current situation was to persuade the Kaiser and Crown Prince to relinquish their control over the navy. The only way to achieve this was to threaten resignation.

On August 23rd, Feng Chengqian and Tirpitz went to the Potsdam Palace.

The simultaneous resignation of the two pillars of the Imperial Navy startled the Kaiser. Once the situation was explained, he realized the resignation was merely a bluff.

Obviously, the Kaiser could not allow them to resign, nor could he dismiss Scheer.

Ultimately, the Kaiser agreed only to appoint Hipper as Chief of Staff of the High Seas Fleet, with Feng Chengqian as Hipper’s operations officer, and to have the Chief of Staff draw up the fleet’s battle plans.

In essence, the fleet commander was sidelined.

On August 25th, Feng Chengqian returned to Wilhelmshaven with the Kaiser’s edict.

That night, Feng Chengqian went to Hipper’s quarters to discuss operational plans.

“The key is, we must find a way to bring out the British Home Fleet.”

“Is that difficult?” Hipper nodded, then asked, “Do you know Jellicoe?”

Feng Chengqian remained silent. Twenty days earlier, Jellicoe had replaced George Callaghan as commander of the British Home Fleet, having previously assisted Fisher in building up the Royal Navy. This indicated that Jellicoe was likely a loyal follower of Fisher.

“Though I don’t know him well, from what I can tell, he’s very similar to Scheer.”

“That makes sense.”

Hipper paused, seemingly unsure of Feng Chengqian’s meaning.

“The situation of the Royal Navy is entirely different from ours,” Feng Chengqian said with a smile. “For us, even if the navy is defeated, it isn’t an unbearable loss. The empire’s fate is decided by the army; the navy merely serves to expand our influence. For Britain, however, the navy is everything. If their navy is ruined, they won’t be able to hold onto the colonies, and even their homeland would face attack. It’s easy to imagine that even if Jellicoe favors aggression, upon becoming fleet commander, he will be cautious and avoid rash actions.”

“That’s the problem,” Feng Chengqian sighed. “We must give Jellicoe a reason he cannot ignore, compelling him to fight.”

“Your Excellency means…”

“If Jellicoe won’t come out, we must lure him or force him. Of course, it would be best to use both approaches.”

Hipper nodded thoughtfully and waited for Feng Chengqian to continue.

“First, we must show Jellicoe an opportunity, make him believe he can win a naval battle, and even convince him he can deal us a crippling blow.”

“In that case, we must feign weakness.”

Feng Chengqian nodded and continued, “Secondly, we must make Jellicoe understand that if he doesn’t lead the fleet into battle, Britain itself will be threatened.”

“This…”

“Of course, threats come in many forms.”

“Your Excellency means…”

“Before I returned, I’d already spoken with Marshal Tirpitz. Within a week, the Imperial Army will take action; all we need to do is let the news leak out.”

“What news?”

“The attack on Britain itself.”

“This…” Hipper was taken aback. “It’s obvious that Jellicoe won’t believe we would attack Britain at this moment.”

“Whether he believes it or not is irrelevant.”

“Your Excellency means…”

“Perhaps British politicians won’t believe it either, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that even if we don’t attack Britain, we can make their politicians believe the High Seas Fleet won’t stay in port, that it will enter the North Sea, and might attack Britain.”

“Shelling Britain?”

Feng Chengqian nodded. “Once the news spreads, Jellicoe will have no choice—he’ll be pressured by the government.”

Hipper nodded thoughtfully, finally grasping Feng Chengqian’s plan.

“If we’re to shell Britain, we must deploy fast battleships, so we can send out the battlecruisers first to make the British authorities believe it.”

“But with just battlecruisers, we can’t fight the naval battle.”

“What follows is the real key,” Feng Chengqian said after a pause. “We must use the dispatch of battlecruisers as an opportunity to reorganize Wilhelmshaven, focusing on purging British spies so their intelligence agencies cannot obtain accurate information.”

“Even so, we can’t deal with the British small ships monitoring Wilhelmshaven.”

“That’s why the battleship squadron won’t depart from Wilhelmshaven. Instead, they’ll travel through the Kiel Canal, enter the Baltic, then skirt Denmark into the North Sea.”

“This…”

“Though it’s a bit troublesome, it’s much more secure.”

“The problem is, such a large fleet suddenly disappearing will surely arouse British suspicion.”

“Then we must provide a plausible explanation—such as assisting the army in East Prussia.”

“This…”

“This month, the Russian army will certainly attack East Prussia, so we can use this as a pretext to send the High Seas Fleet’s battleship squadron into the Baltic,” Feng Chengqian said with a smile. “Of course, that’s not enough. To deal with the Russian Baltic Fleet, we don’t need to dispatch the whole battleship squadron, so we must take other measures, such as claiming some battleships are being refitted and deploying a few decoy ships. The goal is simple: to make Jellicoe believe our battleship squadron is in the Baltic, hasn’t entered the North Sea, and couldn’t possibly head there. This way, he’ll think he has a chance to destroy the isolated battlecruiser squadron.”

“In that case, Jellicoe won’t avoid battle.”

“What do you think—any additions?”

Hipper pondered for a moment. “If Russia attacks East Prussia, we should play it for real and send some ships against the Russian Baltic Fleet.”

Feng Chengqian frowned, as if sensing a flaw.

“With your plan, we wouldn’t act until next month at the earliest. If we don’t clash with the Russian Baltic Fleet, Jellicoe will be suspicious. Only if we actually fight them will Jellicoe believe we’re unable to operate in the North Sea for now, and that at most we could send fast battlecruisers to harass Britain—giving him the opportunity to destroy our battlecruiser squadron.”

“You’re right; we do need a battle in the Baltic.”

“But it mustn’t be too fierce, or the pretense will become reality.”

“You mean…”

“It’s best to drag it out for a while. First, cripple the Russian Baltic Fleet’s ability to sortie, then prolong the conflict. That way, Jellicoe can’t accurately track us and won’t know we’ve already sent the battleship squadron to the North Sea.”

Feng Chengqian nodded. “Then our first step is to plan the operation against Russia.”

“Your Excellency, there’s no need for you to personally get involved in this.”

“General, this is the Imperial Navy’s first battle—we mustn’t be careless,” Feng Chengqian replied with a smile. “Now, I’m your operations officer. His Majesty has tasked you with the High Seas Fleet, so naturally I am obliged to participate. Surely you wouldn’t want me to resign?”

“If your Excellency wishes to participate, I won’t oppose you. But what about Scheer?”

“His Majesty has made it perfectly clear: you are Chief of Staff of the High Seas Fleet, responsible for fleet operations. No need to consult Scheer.”

Hipper let out a long breath. “Then I’ll draft a detailed plan and…”

“General, you’ve forgotten again—I’m your operations officer.”

“This…”

“If I do nothing and simply enjoy the fruits, and His Majesty finds out, it won’t look good,” Feng Chengqian said, smiling. “Tomorrow, we’ll go to the fleet staff together, and I’d ask you to introduce me to my new colleagues. After all, we are all imperial soldiers, and our duty is to serve the empire.”

Feng Chengqian insisted, and Hipper could not object further.

On August 26th, Feng Chengqian reported to the fleet staff early in the morning, formally assuming his duties as operations officer.

That day, two major events occurred: the Russian army invaded East Prussia, and on the Western Front, German forces encountered the British Expeditionary Force for the first time.