The tradition of Germans serving as mercenaries dates back to the 15th century, when Maximilian, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, organized the first German mercenaries.
At that time, Germany had not yet been unified, and the Germans were like a piece of scattered sand. They had no country to be loyal to, and they could only choose to become mercenaries to fight for the interests of others.
So for Germans, becoming a mercenary is not an unacceptable thing.
In the original history, after the end of World War I, Germany's military strength was limited to 100,000 people. At that time, many soldiers who only knew how to fight chose to join the French Foreign Legion for their livelihood.
This was not only true after the First World War, but also after the Second World War, many German soldiers joined the French Foreign Legion.
So for Qin Zhiyuan, this is also good news.
Compared with the calm Europe between World War I and World War II, East Asia was a mess. If Qin Zhiyuan wanted to do something, the more troops he had, the better, and those well-trained German officers were obviously the best choice.
.
So far, although France still claims to have the strongest army in the world, in fact everyone knows that the German army is the most powerful in the world.
This title of the most powerful will last for a while, until a country that brazenly resists the alliance appears.
Of course, if you are willing, you can give me a list of outstanding officers now. They will go to Saigon and undertake certain training tasks, and I can guarantee that the trained troops will not be used on the European battlefield. Qin Zhiyuan immediately agreed
Crown Prince William's request.
Well, then you still say that the war in Borneo has nothing to do with you. Although Crown Prince William is benevolent, he does not feel much joy.
If you think about it, you can understand that Crown Prince Wilhelm, as the candidate for the next Kaiser, can only watch his best officers serving others. You can imagine his frustration.
Of course it has nothing to do with it. I am a soldier and a businessman. If someone gives me money, I don’t mind helping them train their army. Qin Zhiyuan still refused to admit it.
So what if the Dutch want you to help train the army? Crown Prince William despises Qin Zhiyuan's high-sounding words.
Yes, as long as the Dutch can afford it. Qin Zhiyuan can hold a bowl of water levelly.
This is very tricky. According to what Qin Zhiyuan said, if it is to help the Chinese in Borneo train the army, each person may only be charged one Dutch guilder, and food, accommodation, equipment, and distribution will also be included.
And if it is to help the Dutch train the army, Qin Zhiyuan can offer a price that the Dutch cannot accept.
This kind of thing is actually easy to understand. In the 21st century where Qin Zhiyuan lived, for the same fight, some people would only receive verbal education, while others would be detained for 10 days and fined 500 yuan.
Isn't it fair?
It's not very fair. It's absolutely done according to the rules. No one can find fault with it, because that's what the law originally stipulates.
Human resources are themselves a type of resource.
Well, in that case, I will take the blame for you. Although he was a little unwilling, Crown Prince William agreed.
It’s okay if you don’t recite it, I don’t mean to force you. Qin Zhiyuan still has to behave when he gets an advantage.
Poof Crown Prince William was extremely dissatisfied, with a look of disgust and contempt on his face: Please, let me help you get blamed for this. If you don't let me take the blame, I will feel so uncomfortable that I may not be able to sleep at night. As long as you let me take the blame.
, I must be grateful to your eight generations of ancestors
Uh, that's too much
While Qin Zhiyuan and Crown Prince William were despising each other, 13 submarines were quietly waiting for their prey under the water of the Tunis Strait, five hundred kilometers south of Corsica.
The British are really good at shipbuilding. When the German submarines were showing off their skills, the British also began to build submarines, and soon they built K-class submarines.
The displacement of the K-class submarine reaches 2,500 tons, with a surface speed of 25 knots and an underwater speed of 9 knots. It is equipped with 8 torpedo launch tubes and has a range of more than 10,000 nautical miles.
To be able to build such a powerful submarine in the early 20th century, the British were outstanding in their achievements in shipbuilding.
However, the excellent paper performance did not result in excellent combat effectiveness. Not long ago, the British submarine force was preparing to go to sea. However, seven submarines collided with each other in a short period of time because they avoided small boats near May Island.
Two ships sank and two were seriously damaged.
In order to pursue strong paper data, the design of K-class submarines is extremely unreasonable. This also stems from the British big ship and cannon doctrine. They pursue everything big, and the bigger the better, but the British have never realized that for submarines
It is said that confidentiality is the most important thing.
The submarines that the British sold to Qin Zhiyuan were older E-class submarines and even older D-class submarines, and the British were too embarrassed to take them out.
Compared with the K-class, which has strong paper data, the E-class submarine is much more normal, with a displacement of 700 tons, four 457mm torpedo tubes, a surface speed of 16 knots, an underwater speed of 10 knots, and an endurance of 3,000 nautical miles.
Like all submarines of this era, the E-class submarine is a fully enclosed underwater warship. Not only does it have an angular bridge, but there are huge protrusions everywhere on the boat, and there is even a cannon installed on the back. It is really
It's nondescript.
After Qin Zhiyuan got the submarine, he almost couldn't wait to improve it.
The improved submarine's shape became a more streamlined water drop shape, its displacement increased to 850 tons, and its underwater displacement was 990 tons.
Unlike the K-class submarine that uses a 10,500-horsepower steam turbine, Qin Zhiyuan's improved submarine is equipped with a 2,100-horsepower diesel engine. Although the speed cannot reach 25 knots, it can only be 17 knots, and the range has also dropped from 10,000 nautical miles to 4,000 nautical miles.
, but the engine size has also been reduced a lot.
At the same time, the improved submarine is also equipped with a 1,300-horsepower electric motor, which can provide the submarine with a speed of 12 knots underwater.
At the same time, the submarine's warhead has also been improved. As the submarine's main attack method, the number of torpedo launch tubes is two in the front and two in the back, and it is equipped with a total of 8 torpedoes.
The improved submarine was named Marseille class, because in the process of improvement, the French Navy also joined in, and it played a huge role. In fact, France also has deep knowledge in submarines. As early as 1904, France built
The world's first diesel-powered submarine, the Egeret. Although the French Navy's submarine force has a poor reputation, it does not mean that the French have no technical reserves.
If you think about it carefully, you will understand that the German naval fleet is hiding in the military port and cannot come out, and all the German merchant ships have been confiscated by Britain and France. The submarine forces of Britain and France are indeed useless.
The Republic of China government represented by Qin Zhiyuan and the French Navy jointly developed submarines that must be kept secret, including the shape of the submarine, and the confidentiality period is forever.
Production of the Marseille-class submarines began immediately after they were finalized. So far, a total of more than 30 submarines have been produced, half of which belong to the French Navy and half to the Republic of China Navy. This is the origin of this submarine force under the Tunis Strait.
This is the submarine force that belongs entirely to Qin Zhiyuan.
Those responsible for the main attack are boats Q1 to Q9, and 10 nautical miles further ahead, boats Q10 to Q13 prepare a second ambush circle, responsible for attacking fish that slip through the net.
It was in the evening at this time, a time when submarines frequently appeared. In order to prevent accidents, there were no merchant ships or submarine hunters in the busy channel during the day. Only these 13 big black fish were waiting quietly under the water.
Brother, will the Dutch come? In the Q1 boat, Huang Guangyao anxiously asked the captain Shen Zhixin.
Huang Guangyao and Shen Zhixin are both descendants of Chinese in Borneo. They received secondary education at the local Overseas Chinese Middle School. They are considered a group of Chinese people with a relatively high level of education. When Qin Zhiyuan's destroyer fleet was established, these overseas Chinese who had received secondary education
The children were the first batch of Chinese navy personnel. After the submarine force was established, this group of people became the first batch of submarine soldiers.
Compared with the tall northern men, these overseas Chinese from Borneo are smaller in stature and can move more easily in the narrow cabin of the submarine. This is an innate advantage that cannot be compared with others.
The war in Borneo affected the hearts of all overseas Chinese. Although Qin Zhiyuan had promised to protect all Chinese, some overseas Chinese still asked to go back and join the army by writing blood letters and other methods.
In this regard, Qin Zhiyuan did not explain much, but announced the battle plan for the next period of time, so the wave of willingness disappeared immediately, and all the soldiers began to train hard, because they knew that whether they were in Borneo or Kosi
Chia, they all have fighting opportunities.
Definitely, don't worry, this is the only waterway. If you don't go from here, I won't believe that the Dutch will take a detour from the Cape of Good Hope. Shen Zhixin, who is operating the periscope, swears by it.
The so-called fairway refers to a safe passage.
Although the sea looks smooth, in fact there are countless reefs, whirlpools and the like hidden under the water. In addition, during the war, the Germans were desperately laying mines in the Mediterranean area, so there were only a few safe passages. The Dutch did not
No choice.
Brother, can you let me go to Huang Guangyao and grit my teeth when I launch torpedoes later?
Huang Guangyao's home is in Surabaya. As the center of this rebellion, the surrounding areas of Surabaya must be under unparalleled pressure. From Huang Guangyao's heart, if it were not for these Dutch warships, Huang Guangyao would rather die than return.
Surabaya is with his family.
Do your job well and stop talking nonsense. I still want to launch it myself. Shen Zhixin's eyes never left the periscope.
Huang Guangyao was Shen Zhixin's attendant, and the two were somewhat related. Huang Guangyao was a generation older than Shen Zhixin, so Shen Zhixin never treated Huang Guangyao with pretentious remarks.
Your target shooting performance last time was not as good as mine. Huang Guangyao complained endlessly, and the bridge was filled with resentment.
It's coming, it's coming. The officer in charge of communications came over and reported, shouting.
Why panic? Shen Zhixin has strict requirements.
A call came in from observation point No. 1. A fleet of nine warships has passed observation point No. 1. The leader has been confirmed to be the flagship of the Royal Netherlands Navy fleet, the Seven Provinces Union. It is expected to arrive in an hour. Please be prepared for reception. Responsible for communications
The officer looked serious.
Now that there is a radio, Qin Zhiyuan must install it on the submarine, which will greatly improve the combat effectiveness of the submarine force.
In order to better grasp the movements of the Dutch navy, Qin Zhiyuan set up several observation points, from the Strait of Gibraltar to Port Said at the mouth of the Suez Canal, all under Qin Zhiyuan's surveillance.
