July 10, 1915, Wilhelmshaven Naval Base, Germany. Marshal Count Tirpitz, the German Minister of the Navy, arrived here in person to see off the expedition fleet that was about to go to the Far East.
Navy Chief of Staff Marshal von Pohl, High Seas Fleet Commander Admiral Reinhardt Scheer, High Seas Fleet Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Hipper, and other senior officials of the Imperial Navy were also present. This time, the imperial navy dispatched a fleet to fight in seas thousands of miles away. Undoubtedly, there were great accidents and crises. Therefore, the Imperial Navy must be cautious. In addition, this battle is very important to the empire. Therefore, Lieutenant General Spei, who served as the commander of the expeditionary force, was undoubtedly under great pressure.
"General Spee, Your Majesty attaches great importance to this expedition to the island country. I hope you can win this battle." Marshal Earl Tirpitz said.
"Yes, Your Excellency Marshal, I guarantee that we will win!" Lieutenant General Spei said.
"General Spee, since you have chosen to be the commander of the expedition fleet, you should understand the difficulties involved. I hope that you can consider it for the benefit of the empire." Marshal Earl Tirpitz reminded.
Lieutenant General Spee knew what Earl and Marshal Tirpitz meant, and he nodded heavily.
Although the ceremony was brief, it was very solemn. Amidst the majestic music, the imperial navy expedition fleet left the military port and sailed into the vast ocean.
This huge fleet consisting of nine battlecruisers, 10 light cruisers, 27 destroyers, 8 supply ships and two medical ships left the naval port and embarked on an expedition to the island country.
Standing on the bridge of the flagship "Mackenson" battleship, Lieutenant General Spee remained silent. He served as the commander of the Far East Fleet, so it is undoubtedly very suitable to be the commander of the expedition fleet. Among the generals of the German Navy, it is estimated that no one is more familiar with the situation in the Far East than him. Although, this time an attack may be launched on the coastal cities of the island country, which will cause a lot of civilian casualties. However, Lieutenant General Spee didn't care. He'd done that way back in England. Under his command, the German fleet blew Edinburgh almost into ruins. This kind of thing is just doing it all over again. It's just that the British who were killed before may be the islanders this time.
"Hopefully, this time the island navy will have the courage to fight us!" Lieutenant General Spee said.
"General, do the islanders really have the guts? I don't think so. Our fleet is much stronger than the islanders. I doubt if they will run away, or hide in the port and dare not go to sea to fight!" Rear Admiral Mao Fu, chief of staff of the expedition fleet, said with a smile.
Lieutenant General Spee nodded: "It is true that we have only sent nine battlecruisers, and there are no armored cruisers yet. But our combat effectiveness is definitely much stronger than that of the island navy. This time, it is indeed a bit of an attack on the island navy. So bullying."
"Yes! But who made the islanders so bold this time and dared to provoke the empire? Therefore, they must pay the price for their stupid behavior." Major General Maofu looked sure of victory.
The German Navy has dispatched a huge fleet to the Far East. Almost everyone knows that Germany is preparing to attack the island country. When the island nation blatantly attacked Southeast Asia, all countries had already guessed this. They are very clear that according to the German code of conduct, the islanders will never be bypassed.
Of course, many countries are looking forward to the islanders being able to show their power this time, defeating the German expeditionary fleet just as they defeated the Russian Navy ten years ago. In this case, the Germans can suffer a big loss.
Britain, which is fighting Germany, the United States on the other side of the ocean, France, the Kingdom of Italy, which lost the war, and Germany's ally, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, are almost all based on this idea.
The British hope that the German navy will suffer a disastrous defeat in the Far East, so that the Germans will definitely retaliate against the island country frantically. And once the Germans do this, the life of the British will undoubtedly be much easier.
The Americans also hope to use the hands of the islanders to weaken Germany's strength. In this way, their own safety can be guaranteed. Although, the US Navy's large-scale shipbuilding program has already begun. However, building a battleship is not a joke, it takes a lot of time. If Germany can focus its main energy on the island countries, it will have no time to manage them. In this way, the United States can expand its armaments in an orderly manner. In order to strengthen the island country's determination to resist, the U.S. government even instructed the ambassadors stationed in the island country to propose to the island country government that the U.S. government is willing to provide intelligence assistance to the island country.
The French and Italians were purely because they lost the war, and at the same time they were severely extorted by Germany, which caused them heavy losses. This makes them eager to see the Germans being unlucky, and it can be regarded as revenge for themselves. As for whether the island people have this ability, or whether the island country is not a good thing, this is not what they consider.
Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire is an ally of Germany, this relationship has not changed because of the previous gap. However, their relationship is not what it used to be. When Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I was unable to handle state affairs, Crown Prince Karl had become the veritable ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Crown Prince Karl was already full of hatred for Qin Tian and the German Empire. They naturally hope that the German Empire will suffer a big somersault. If the German Navy's expeditionary fleet loses this war, it is estimated that Crown Prince Karl will be excited to hold a meeting in the palace to celebrate the German Navy's loss of the war!
Other countries in the world are also watching with cold eyes. However, there are not a few countries that hope that Germany will lose. After all, if there were no accidents, there would be almost no doubt about Germany's victory in this world war. Countries are unwilling to see the rise of a country stronger than the former British Empire. This is not a good thing for other countries. Their interests will also be threatened as a result. If Germany loses in this expedition, it will prove that Germany is not as powerful as in the legend. Countries will not be so afraid of Germany. It is not so easy for Germany to dominate the world.