While Mizke was fighting for his future, a group of German naval officers were fighting over what would happen to their country.

In Scapa Bay, the most important naval anchorage of the British Empire, there are many steel behemoths that roam the seas as usual. However, in this era, when mankind built the strongest naval warships, there was a strong German style.

That's right, the German Empire, which had gone to great lengths to build a fleet on the high seas, was disarmed and parked in the harbors of its old rivals. More than 70 ships have unloaded all ammunition, all fire control, sighting devices and bolts. From the time the German armistice was declared, the High Seas Fleet was escorted here as a guarantee of its armistice.

The huge warships that should have fought bloodily for the motherland are like prisoners being guarded waiting for the verdict of the victors.

Because of domestic hunger and the outbreak of red ideas, the influence of the Kiel sailors is fading. When inner dissatisfaction is vented, reason is returning. The punishment faced after the defeat of the motherland has always hung over the hearts of the officers and men of the navy who piloted these warships.

In fact, in order to obediently accept the punishment of this high seas fleet, which was regarded as a major problem by the Entente bloc, the Entente led by Britain and France spent a lot of thought. First, these surrendered ships were not allowed to carry any ammunition, and secondly, the German officers and men on the ships could only maintain the minimum level that could be moved. Therefore, this high seas fleet, which requires tens of thousands of naval officers and men to ensure the best condition, currently has less than 3,000 people on board. Even in case of danger, it is difficult to save oneself.

In addition, in order to appease the officers and men of the High Seas Fleet, who were still on the ships, the British side announced that they would not punish Germany too severely, and at the same time blocked the news of the peace talks.

Although Britain was holding off the news, the German naval officers and men who cared about their homeland still had their own way of obtaining these contents.

When the terms of the German defeat were revealed, the officers and men of the High Seas Fleet were stunned. Abandon all overseas colonies, cede Alsace and Lorraine to France, and pay an indemnity of 226 billion marks. The harshness of this Treaty of Versailles was completely unexpected.

More importantly, the High Seas Fleet, which had been built at great expense, would be divided among the Entente powers as part of the reparations. For them, it is equivalent to giving up their dreams and love for the sea to their opponents, and no one can stand this grievance. Some people even said on the spot that if they had known that this would be the result, it would be better to fight a decisive battle with the enemy vigorously, even if the whole army was wiped out, than to be so sloppy now.

The indignation of the crowd was of no avail, let alone a decisive battle with their opponents, and they could not even drive out of the harbor. In the well-defended Scapa Sound, there are many batteries, not to mention the British fleet that is watching in the harbor. The slightest movement can provoke a fierce blow from a heavily armed enemy. This left the officers and men of the High Seas Fleet without any recourse, and they could only wait patiently with anger in their hearts.

On the part of the British Empire, in addition to being a little strict at the beginning, the guard of the High Seas Fleet was gradually neglected. After all, as a symbol of the British Empire, the fleet could not always be by the side of the High Seas Fleet. Cumbersome events such as its colonies around the world and the Red Revolution in Russia required the British Empire to demonstrate its strength.

So during this time, the caretaker power of the British Empire has been decreasing. The officers and men of the High Seas Fleet have always watched this.

On the "Crown Prince William" of the High Seas Fleet, the crew members looked around vigilantly. Because on this ship, a secret negotiation is underway about the fate of the High Seas Fleet.

"This treaty is too harsh for Germany, and there is a lot of opposition at home. It is quite possible that the country will not agree, and if this is the case, our warships cannot fall into the hands of the enemy. The German people spent a lot of money to build a fleet, and they could not hit their own people with shells. Otherwise, we will be sinners of the nation. ”

In a relatively secluded cabin, the commander of the ship, Feng . Rear Admiral Reutte was impassionedly expressing his inner grief and indignation to the officers who participated in the secret meeting.

As the commander-in-chief of the fleet, Admiral Hipper, the person most favored by von Hipper, von Murphy. Rear Admiral Reutt was also concerned about the safety of the fleet. And the Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, Admiral Adolf von Trota, had already informed von Reutt before departure that the fleet could not be surrendered under any circumstances.

The punishment for Germany's defeat was too harsh. What is even more worrying is that the local British newspaper's report that "armistice negotiations are on the verge of breakdown" and "the possible resumption of military hostilities" made Feng . Major General Reutt had a hint that something was wrong.

Now the High Seas Fleet has been disarmed and imprisoned in Scapa Flow, like a prisoner being watched. If the war resumes, von. Rear Admiral Reutt had every reason to believe that the warships of the High Seas Fleet would definitely become the vanguard of the bombardment of the German coast.

Isn't this characteristic of the British, who have always let others be in front and wait for the spoils of war to be harvested in the back. From the previous Thirty Years' War to the Napoleonic anti-French alliance, this was the case, waiting until the enemy was dying before coming forward to deliver the final blow.

And let the High Seas Fleet, which condensed Germany's painstaking efforts, bombard the German people. Major General Reutt seemed absolutely unacceptable. If this happens, he and the officers and men of the Navy will become sinners of history. So Feng. Rear Admiral Reutt secretly convened the meeting to discuss the survival of the fleet.

"The fleet must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the British, or we will all become sinners of the Empire."

Captain Bilborough, who served as captain of the "Crown Prince William", served in von Murray. As soon as Major General Reutte finished speaking, he stood up and spoke his mind. Judging by the fact that he still calls Germany the Reich, he was also a staunch royalist. Even after the Kiel sailors' uprising, most of the German naval top brass were royalists who wanted to preserve the imperial system. Therefore, no one present had any interest in Colonel Bierborough still calling Germany the Reich.

More importantly, in their opinion von. Major General Reutt was right. Once the war resumed, without the protection of the High Seas Fleet, the British would not let go of the idea of bombarding the German coastal cities from the sea.

"No one else, take the fleet from us."

"That's right, we can't be sinners of history."

The local British newspaper was read by everyone who cared about what was going on in Germany. As for the reports that "armistice negotiations are on the verge of breakdown" and "the possible resumption of military hostilities", as a German, who does not worry about it.

"Since everyone thinks so, let me tell you about the plan I have prepared."

After seeing that everyone agreed with their own point of view, von. Major General Reutte said what he planned.

"Now that the number of British fleets guarding us is getting smaller and smaller, I intend to open the sea gates and let the fleet sink at the right time."

The word self-sinking made the atmosphere more solemn.

In fact, in the event of a battle at sea, self-sinking is used for warships that are too injured to return to port. In addition, you can't escape if you can't beat the enemy, and self-sinking is also the default way. And this time it's clearly the latter.

So in the ensuing negotiations, Feng. Rear Admiral Reutte and many captains discussed a plan for self-sinking.

They intend that if there is no news from the country by June 11 (the deadline for the Treaty of Versailles), then they will start sinking their own battleships.

At the same time, in order to avoid being too late to inform everyone when the news came, they unanimously agreed. The flagship, the light cruiser "Emden", first hung the international signal flags D and G on the top of the mast to indicate that everyone was ready. Wait until he informs the signalman again and hangs the pre-agreed signal "Section 11. "To confirm the start of self-sinking." Section 11 "is a slang term commonly used by the Germans when drinking beer, which means to open the bottle and drink, which is his signal to the whole fleet to prepare for self-sinking."

Now the High Seas Fleet is prepared for the worst, just waiting for the last news from Germany.

In Germany, the SPD-formed government was also debated over the Treaty of Versailles. Many people did not agree with this treaty, believing that it was too harsh on Germany.

The cession of some eastern provinces and colonies was a source of unsettling for everyone, as well as huge war reparations and long-term debts. In particular, the amount of compensation required made everyone dissatisfied. Years of war have all but emptied the national wealth, and now they have to pay 226 billion marks (£11.3 billion) in reparations, to be paid in gold. Where is Germany's current position to compensate these amounts?

Even Friedrich Ebert, the leader of the SPD, could not silence the discontent, let alone the people at home. Therefore, the new German government was slow to take the reply of the Entente. It dragged on until early June. Seeing that the deadline was approaching, Albert hurriedly convened several meetings to try to explain the representatives of all parties. (This matter couldn't be delayed, and finally all parties reluctantly agreed).

However, in order to accommodate the discontent at home, the new government decided to send a two-day grace period to the Entente powers, who were still waiting at Versailles, in order to facilitate "decent preparations". And the Entente agreed to this. Now the bell of peace has been rung and tranquility has returned to the continent.

Is there something you have forgotten?

True, when the German government informed the country of this news, it forgot about the High Seas Fleet, which was still waiting for news in Scarpa Flow. The telegram did not respond to von. Major General Reutt was sent, and a tragedy was inevitable.

On June 11, Feng, who had been waiting for domestic news. Major General Reutte, did not receive a telegram from home, so the miscalculation began.

"Immediately order the raising of the signal flags D and G."

Just after 10 o'clock, the international signal flags D and G were hoisted from the top of the mast of the light cruiser Emden.

The captains of the ships, who were already familiar with the situation, immediately asked the crew to open the watertight compartments, and at the same time asked the observation posts to keep their eyes open to further see the flagship's next move.

Waiting until 11 o'clock, there was still no domestic news. Major General Reutt again informed the signalmen to suspend the pre-agreed signal "Section XI".

As a result, German ships began to fly the banned German naval flag, and some were sending light signals to transmit the news to all ships. So the sea gate was opened, and the raging sea began to spread rapidly in the cabin.

At this time, the British also discovered the anomaly of the German fleet, for which British sailors rushed to their warships from all over the place. (Because the war is over, all relaxed)

The five R-class battleships that were responsible for guarding their 1st Battleship Squadron also immediately set fire and signaled to the High Seas Fleet not to move. It's just that now I realize that it's too late. The constant influx of sea water caused the warships of the high seas fleet to tilt to varying degrees. And the sea water gradually filled the compartment below, so that the sea gate could no longer be closed.

At 12:16, the battleship "Frederick the Great" sank first; At 12:56, the King Albert sank; At 1:10, the Moltke sank; At 1:15, the Crown Prince William sank... The rest of the warships were also submerged one after another. At 17:00, the last to sink was the battle cruiser "Hindenburg". The British fleet tried every means to remedy it, but it was simply unable to prevent such a large-scale collective self-sinking operation.

It lasts about 6 hours. Of the total 74 German warships detained, 51 sank to the bottom, including 11 of the 10 battleships and all 5 battlecruisers. The tonnage of sunken warships was 94% of the total tonnage of the seized fleet

This self-sinking action made all parties in the Entente extremely angry. Soon after, four Nassau-class and four Helgoland-class warships, which Germany had been allowed to keep, were extradition to compensate for the loss of Scapa Bay.

On November 5, 1919, the eight battleships were declassified by the German Navy. The Nassau was finally compensated to Japan, the remaining three to Britain, and the four Helgoland-class warships were divided among Britain, the United States, Japan, and France. In addition, a large number of auxiliary ships designated by the Entente were divided.

As a result, only 6 old battleships remained in the capital ships of the post-war German Navy. These vessels are not to be used for any purpose other than training and coastal defence. In addition, Germany had several other obsolete cruisers, most of which were old, and many of them had been dismantled by the British and were not capable of combat.

At the same time, the establishment of the German Navy was subject to no less severe restrictions. It is stipulated that the size of the navy shall not exceed 15,000 and the number of officers shall not exceed 1,500.

This self-sinking operation was a tragedy in its entirety, and it only made the situation even more difficult for the German navy. However, for the reason, I can't help but sigh.

And when this news reached Eder, he couldn't help but lament that the inertia of history had not changed. The new German government really made a mistake in its busyness, and brewed such bitter fruits. But for Romania, this is good news.

When you think of Romania's small navy, it would be good to have a number of advisers from the German navy that had been dismantled. After all, in Jutland and the British Empire, there is some experience.

Moreover, those naval shipyards will face the fate of closure and demolition, and skilled shipyard workers will face the fate of being laid off. Eder's heart was broken, and he felt that as a member of the Hohenzollern family, he had a duty to help these poor people.

However, it is necessary to ensure that the best technology can be wanted, after all, the landlord's family has no surplus grain.