The Rise of the Empire

"There has never been a warship in this world that has had such an impressive record, and never has a warship been able to go so far from such adversity! The cruiser Mainz and the officers and men on it have achieved great success in just a few months. What he has achieved in the war is even greater than what some navies have achieved in a century! His experience and the spirit contained in it will shine through the ages!"

In a German newspaper, Ruprecht looked at the photo of the cruiser Mainz that occupied almost four pages, and couldn't help feeling that almost all the pages of this newspaper were used to introduce this legendary battleship. In his whole life, he started from the initial part of the line drawings, laid down the keel, launched the warship, served, and took photos in the Toshima naval battle and the Yellow Sea naval battle, and finally dealt with the sinking of the Mainz and the relics. There are also photos of the crew above.

"Well, it's enough." Ruprecht couldn't help feeling that the Mainz really gave the Germans a lot of face. If historical limitations are taken into account, those famous German ships and the Mainz in later generations are not at all. Fabi, how much can a 7,500-ton warship do in just a few months?

In the Toshima naval battle, Mainz cleanly killed two 3,000-ton cruisers Naniwa and Akitsushu, and then destroyed Itsukushima and Hashidate in the subsequent Yellow Sea battle. As for the Yoshino? The Germans tend to be the result of the Mainz anyway, while the British think it is the result of the Zhiyuan (everyone understands the reason). The Americans and the French believed that three-quarters of the results of the sinking medal belonged to the Mainz. In the ensuing battle of breaking diplomatic relations at sea, the Mainz sent the Matsushima to the bottom of the sea, perfectly completing the killing of the first-class battleship! And the sinking of the Chiyoda allowed Mainz to get six kills! Mainz is already super god! Killing beyond the gods!

A 7,500-ton warship sank a 24,000-ton warship in just a few months! (Split three-quarters of Yoshino's tonnage to Mainz) In terms of tonnage, it is absolutely unprecedented. And in terms of tonnage ratio, it is more than 3 times! Not to mention the transport ships and the Japanese navy and army that were destroyed in the hands of Mainz!

According to the final incomplete statistics, the total tonnage of the merchant ships destroyed by the Mainz was close to 30,000 tons, and the supplies were about 6,000 tons, while the Japanese army officers and soldiers who sank to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish finally broke through the 3,000 mark! The Japanese navy is even more sad. More than half of the casualties of the Japanese navy were caused by this warship. A rough estimate shows that the number of casualties is more than 2,000.

Anyway, no matter what, the Mainz has become a symbol! A legendary existence, this is definitely worthwhile for Germany, which is on the eve of rapid naval expansion, and must be vigorously promoted! Mainz is more than a ship! He represents the fighting spirit and unyielding spirit of the German Navy in the future!

"If you can't go to sea to fight, then what's the difference between a battleship and a salted fish!" At another banquet, when someone asked Ruprecht's evaluation of the Mainz, Ruprecht said at the end of the evaluation Said so. And this statement, which has the funny spirit of the Internet in later generations, immediately became a buzzword in Germany. The basic format is "If you can't XXX, what's the difference from salted fish?"

The final destination of the Mainz was not bad. All the unloaded relics were divided into three parts and sprinkled on the battlefield of the Toshima naval battle. This was used to commemorate the first victory of the Mainz. Then there is the battlefield of the Yellow Sea naval battle, which is used to commemorate the glorious pinnacle of the Mainz's life. Originally, I wanted to sprinkle some at the place where I hit Shensong Island, but no one remembered the exact place....

Of course, the most and most meaningful parts were sent back to Germany. These parts were divided into very small parts, and some of them were given to Brohm-Fors Shipyard, which is the birthplace of the family, and it should be. Some were brought back to the headquarters of the Bavarian Design Bureau in Munich, where they were their mother's womb,

necessary. Some were sent to the Kiel Naval Academy. Mainz represents a kind of spirit, and it is inevitable to be worshiped! Maybe it will become a sacred object one day.

but....... But some of them have become the personal collection of Prince William, how is this going on? You have a half-cent relationship with this battleship? In addition to attending a ceremony when I started serving, and then having a meal on the battleship.... But he is the prince, so it's a matter of course--!

As a warship, the Mainz has died without any regrets. It is not an exaggeration to say that the soul of this warship flew to heaven under the guidance of the Lord, and reached the glorious kingdom of God! However, the ship is gone, what about the people on it? The ship has gone, but people are still alive!

The Beiyang Fleet can no longer go back. Although due to various reasons, the Japanese fought this war extremely tangled and extremely difficult, but what is the saying? The trend is unstoppable! The result of the Qing Dynasty being beaten to death in this war will not change, and the complete annihilation of the Beiyang Fleet is only a matter of time. And how to arrange the personnel withdrawn from the Kaiyuan has become more realistic.

There is an old saying in China that, once a general succeeds, all bones die. The prestige of Mainz is not only written with the blood of the enemy, but also poured out with the blood of the officers and soldiers on board the ship. For these people, even from the experience of the previous life, Ruprecht also extended a helping hand based on the principle of helping if he can. The middle and low-level officers who want to go home are willing to go, and Ruprecht provides the money himself. For pension, although Ruprecht is just a prince, he is almost the richest prince in the whole world. Not much to say, it is no problem to spend 10,000 pounds.

As for senior officers, Ruprecht really didn't expect that Yang Yonglin and others could stick to this position. Historically, he praised Yang Yonglin only because of his final decision, and the best performance in terms of ability was only in the Yellow Sea. Assisting in the command during naval battles, and leading people to repair the battleship overnight after the battleship was injured, the battlefield response and organizational skills are considered good, but in this plane, Ruprecht feels that this buddy is as good as cheating! Just for this performance, Ruprecht believes that it should be good to bring him to Germany. Anyway, until the end of the Qing Dynasty in the future, there will be no more large-scale naval battles in Beiyang!

"Well, this result is not bad. The cruiser Mainz has gone through its life perfectly. Its final ending is not to be dismantled, nor is it sunk into the seabed as an artificial reef in peacetime. With brilliant achievements, he will fight." After Ruprecht put away the newspaper, Tirpitz next to him said respectfully.

"How did you do what I asked you to do?" Ruprecht asked afterward.

"Uh, you mean some personnel arrangements for the Beiyang Fleet? This has been cleared up. Although they are from the Qing Dynasty, Mr. Yang and others have done very well in terms of record and tactics, at least better than those who have never been on the battlefield. Much better," said Tirpitz.

"In addition, I have some good news for you. Mainz will be the first ship of Germany's next large cruiser. And your No. 2 plan for the 10,000-ton cruiser has won the favor of the Admiralty, and there is no problem with the overall design. It’s just that some details such as firepower need to be considered again.” Tirpitz added.

The second is more ~~~~~, please collect~~~~, please reward~~~~~~.