It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 190 | Bearing Glory, Living Towards Death
On the way back, Morel seemed somewhat dejected, unable to recover from the scene she had just witnessed for a long time.

Shang Ke gripped the steering wheel tightly, turned his head, and asked her with a smile, "What? Still find it unreasonable?"

"Yes, I think that was a pointless sacrifice. They should retreat, preserve their strength, and strategically retreat to the southern mountains for a long-term resistance."

“You’re not wrong, but some people are born to pursue glory. The Vallanders care a lot about that. However, the previous situation proved that the Vallanders only failed militarily, but their spirit was not broken.”

Moro muttered, "Anyway, I think the Vallanders are very stubborn. There's a Chinese slang term for them, 'stubborn,' and they're just too stubborn."

Shang Ke shook his head slightly and chuckled, "Actually, 'stubborn' can also describe perseverance."

Upon returning to Melsungen, the recruit training camp there was deserted.

After driving south along the highway for dozens of kilometers, we finally encountered a military unit in a small town called Butterworth Field.

This is an important highway hub, connecting the southeast, northwest and northeast. About two Imperial German infantry divisions are hurriedly building positions.

Those 37mm anti-tank guns have long been a joke. Only a few long 88mm anti-aircraft guns can barely bring a little peace of mind. Here, Shank also saw two rare simple self-propelled 88mm anti-aircraft guns on the chassis of a Panzer IV tank.

As instructed by Shank, Klein told the corporal and exempted soldiers traveling with him that their mission was complete and they could now follow the main force. As a result, dozens of new recruits disembarked here.

Looking at the scene here, he thought of a famous quote, a saying by Charles de Gaulle in history:

"Today, we were defeated by mechanized forces. In the future, we will surely be able to conquer the enemy with even superior mechanized forces."

The emergence of supernatural warriors compensated for the biggest disadvantage of Russian tanks, and correspondingly offset the biggest advantage of German tanks. This era also happened to be the period when armored forces had the most prominent battlefield suppression capabilities.

It's all about timing and luck.

Shank was eager to return home; once he reached Frankfurt, the matter would be settled.

After refueling, the convoy set off again, heading southwest towards Frankfurt...

After a 24-hour journey with changes in personnel but not vehicles, the convoy arrived at its destination and joined the rest of the advisory group members who had been waiting for two days.

Shang Ke paid the drivers a considerable sum as hush money.

Without time to celebrate, everyone immediately transferred the documents and then rushed to the border by train.

On this bleak and desolate snowy night, the train whistled and slowed down, slowly entering the heavily guarded border checkpoint, where rows of Marianne soldiers wearing Adrian steel helmets stood under the lights.

After crossing the border, Shang Ke and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, everything went surprisingly smoothly, and we escaped unscathed." Shang Ke breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed with considerable self-satisfaction, "I knew my luck had always been good; I managed to get it all back."

Most of the other members of the advisory group were military experts, and they were skeptical of Shang's arrogance.

Someone pulled Liu Ting aside and whispered, "You're going to Henschel, right? They make pretty good locomotives there... but not much of a reputation for making tanks. Mercedes, on the other hand, has more experience in designing tanks. So what's Henschel really like? Is it really as good as Shang Zhicheng said?"

“Uh…where to begin?” Liu Ting hesitated for a long time before organizing his thoughts and said, “The Vallanders’ heavy tank project has been going on for quite some time. Henschel started it in 1932 and has accumulated more technology than expected. Our Everbright Group is at the forefront in China, and we only started the project at the end of 1935.”

He continued, "The vehicle that the Varlanders are currently developing is designed to weigh 55 tons when empty. The overall protection is quite good, but the design is rather traditional, with vertical arrangement on all four sides. In my opinion, the running gear is somewhat over-designed, using a staggered interlocking stacked road wheel design, presumably to alleviate suspension stress. This design is a matter of opinion."

It can be said that Liu Ting's evaluation was quite objective. In an era when tanks generally weighed only 10 or 20 tons, the Tiger tank, weighing more than 50 tons, sounded extremely 'terrifying'.

Therefore, some people immediately questioned whether the army really needed such cumbersome tanks. The terrain requirements were too great.

"The standard pontoon bridge for the military is designed to bear a load of 25 tons. It would be too troublesome to use such heavy armored vehicles. If they break down, the existing tow trucks wouldn't be able to move them. It's a useless piece of junk!"

"However, judging from the data on paper, such a heavy tank can be worth ten men on the battlefield and can greatly deter the enemy's morale. Calling it a 'chicken rib' is a bit of an exaggeration."

"If our army were to launch a future expedition to Europe, crossing oceans, we would also need to consider whether cargo ships could handle the cargo..."

While they were arguing enthusiastically, little did they know that Shang Ke was in the next carriage, eavesdropping with great interest.

Let them argue all they want; no matter how much they argue, the need for heavy tanks will remain inescapable in the end.

Historically, after the US military landed in Europe, it suffered from a lack of heavy tanks and had to rely on the M4 Sherman to carry the main battle. It even made significant modifications to the Sherman to strengthen its armor, resulting in the M4A3E2, which is commonly known as the 'Jumbo' model.

In any case, Mr. Shang does not want to see the Federal Armed Forces face the same predicament when they set foot on European soil in the future.

Back in the carriage, Shang Ke poured himself a glass of wine. The outside of the window was pitch black, reflecting his image like a mirror.

Raise a glass to yourself and drink it all in one gulp.

The train was traveling through Marianne and would then traverse the country from east to west. Since Brest was an important naval base and civilian use was currently suspended, the advisory group members would travel to Bordeaux to board a cargo ship chartered by the embassy to return home.

The monotonous clanging noise was like a lullaby, and as weariness washed over him, Shang Ke, who had been traveling for many days, quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Heading west...back home!
Two days later.

Bordeaux, the most important industrial and commercial port city in the southwestern Marianne region.

The consulate of the ruling government held a welcoming ceremony to greet the members of the advisory group who had traveled a long way.

The hard-won documents were also properly handled, quickly packaged as "official documents of diplomatic affairs of the consulate over the years", and shipped onto the ship in a covert manner.

evening.

Standing on the deck of the Mingkang cargo ship, Shanke had the deep blue sea behind him and a bustling city in front of him.

Shortly after entering the country, Mauro and several other officers disembarked and boarded a train bound for Lyon.

Thinking of that cunning and lively girl, Shang Ke felt quite nostalgic.

When they parted, Mauro made a bet with him, boasting that she would definitely achieve further merits and be promoted to captain when they met again.

Shang Ke could only smile helplessly, thinking to himself that he had better be careful on the battlefield and try to survive until the royal army came ashore.

When will I be able to set foot on European soil again? A year or two?
He quietly observed the bustling scene at the dock.

After a while, he pulled his sidearm from its holster, removed the magazine, ejected a bullet, and held it in his hand.

He leaned against the railing, stretched out his hand, and gently opened it. The bullet fell straight into the sea, splashing up a small wave, and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

A crew member came over and, seeing him standing there for so long, reminded him, "Sir, hurry back to your cabin, it's cold outside."

"When will we set sail?" "Soon, the boilers are boiling hot, we can get started."

The setting sun touched the horizon where the sky met the sea, and the sky quickly darkened.

This is the sunset in Europe.

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Since the United Kingdom entered the war, the Valland Empire Navy has faced even greater difficulties.

Moreover, with Ivan Ross's army capturing Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven and Bremen were in a precarious situation...

Unlike the mass scuttlings in history, the Walland Empire Navy maintained a powerful fleet after the end of the European war, and its shipbuilding industry did not collapse.

Walland did not participate in the naval treaty; however, since the late 1920s, the Walland leadership had demanded that the navy be downsized and that funding be reduced year by year, because the navy, which had more than twenty battleships, was too expensive.

In order to adapt to the changes, the Imperial German Navy also engaged in heated debates and readjusted its strategic concept and guiding ideology—to use the high seas fleet as its main force and the deep-sea submarine force as its commerce raiding force, in order to deter the Royal Navy to the greatest extent possible.

Even though it wasn't as large as it was during the Battle of Jutland, the Imperial German Navy's surface fleet was still a force to be reckoned with, and its order of battle was:

8 battleships

| 5 battlecruisers

1 aircraft carriers

| 18 light cruisers

| 43 destroyers

| 40 torpedo boats

Two of the Bismarck-class battleships had only recently entered service. They had a standard displacement of 4.5 tons, were equipped with formidable twin 406mm guns, and had a top speed of 31 knots. At a cruising speed of 20 knots, they could travel 8200 nautical miles.

Once these two ships are allowed to slip into the Atlantic Ocean, they will be free to roam the vast ocean and soar through the boundless sky, which would undoubtedly be a major headache for the United Kingdom, which lacks high-speed capital ships.

Both have been the most feared targets of the Royal Navy since their inception, and are considered thorns in the side.

Responding to the strong demands of its allies, Ivanos's army dispatched a detachment to Bremerhaven, intending to capture the Imperial fleet by seizing the naval base.

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy's Home Fleet was also prepared to intercept.

If the high seas fleet breaks out of port, then we will swarm them and annihilate them.

On one side were the Ivanrods, who were closing in on land, and on the other side were the Britons, who were ready to fight on the sea. Moreover, according to intelligence, the Ivanrod Empire's navy had also dispatched a fleet.

This situation can be described as extremely dire.

The Imperial Navy is determined to fight to the death, to live on the brink of death—bearing the glory of their fathers and the splendor of the Empire, they would rather fight until they sink into the sea than humiliatingly scuttle themselves at their naval base!

The Naval Command first ordered the submarine force that all submarines, whether or not they were on a mission, should make every effort to withdraw to the west coast of Mariana.

Then, under the direction of Admiral Raeder, the Naval Command began to urgently formulate a breakout plan.

From another perspective, the Imperial German Navy was actually in a better position than during the European war. Due to the rapid development of aircraft, the Imperial German Navy was able to receive cover and support from its own shore-based air force, and the Royal Navy did not dare to rush over and block its doorstep.

Logically speaking, the best way to break through would be to head straight north to the North Sea. However, the Royal Navy had also laid a trap in the North Sea, waiting for the Imperial German Navy to walk right into it.

The Royal Navy assembled an unparalleled strike fleet at Scapa Flow, with HMS Glory Hood as its flagship, along with two Lion-class battleships that had only been in service for a few weeks—HMS Lion and HMS Reckless.

Besides those already in service, the construction of the third ship, HMS Conqueror, and the fourth ship, HMS Thor, is progressing slightly slower, but they are also in the sea trial phase.

On the morning of January 15, the Royal Navy, which was closely monitoring the movements of the Imperial German Navy, noticed something unusual. A T-class submarine, HMS Triumph, sent back a message reporting that the Imperial German Navy had mobilized its entire fleet.

At Admiral Pound's command, the strike fleet, poised for action, was dispatched and proceeded along the predetermined route to intercept the enemy.

The vanguard fleets of both sides encountered each other the following afternoon, and the naval battle began.

Admiral Pound was confident of victory, not only because of his complete confidence in his men, but also because he had a rather fortunate trump card.

There's not much to say. The Royal Navy is united and determined to crush the Imperial German Navy with overwhelming superiority, vowing to avenge the defeat at the Battle of Jutland years ago.

After the vanguard battle, the main fleets of both sides joined the battle one after another, recreating the scene of the Battle of Jutland more than 20 years ago in this cold winter.

A barrage of cannon fire! Flames soar!
Armor-piercing shells fired from large-caliber naval guns crashed into the sea, splashing water columns tens of meters high; torpedoes darted about, leaving white wakes hundreds of meters long.

The already turbulent North Sea was further thrown into chaos by the intense exchange of fire.

The German battleship Bavaria, which missed the Battle of Jutland, has now become the first ship to be severely damaged in this trial more than 20 years later, and has been forced to withdraw from the battle with resentment.

At 16:48, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Barham was hit in its ammunition magazine by a 406mm armor-piercing shell fired from the Tirpitz.

A mushroom cloud burst forth amidst flames, and the devastating explosion sank this 'veteran of European war' to the frigid seabed within half a minute, making it the first battleship to be sunk in battle...

The desperate officers and soldiers of the Imperial Navy fought with increasing ferocity, which greatly surprised Admiral Pound, who hurriedly urged the 'surprise troops' who had come from afar to join the battle.

Raeder knew that such a head-on breakout was impossible. According to the breakout plan, the fleet would fight and retreat, then detach the old warships and, with the courage of a warrior cutting off his own arm, cover the remaining warships and escape through the English Channel at top speed under the cover of night and thick sea fog.

The plank road is built openly, but Chen Cang is buried secretly!
However, by a stroke of bad luck, at that very moment, the lookout on the light cruiser Königsberg suddenly sounded an alarm, and an alarm was heard over the fleet radio channel—an unidentified fleet had been spotted!
The ship sped towards them from the northeast, and soon the lookout spotted the white naval ensign with a blue cross.

Wasn't the fleet dispatched by Ivan Ross's navy still north of Norway? Why are they rushing here so eagerly?
Admiral Raeder sneered inwardly, but his expression remained calm. He ordered the fleet to proceed according to the original plan and to do everything in its power to protect the elite of the Valland Navy.

“Go, the Mariana people will meet you. I hope you will be able to bring the fleet back to your homeland many years from now. God bless you,” he said.

The desolate and gloomy North Sea has swallowed hundreds of lives... How many more souls will be lost next?

As darkness fell, only flares and the muzzle flashes from naval guns could dispel the darkness.

Several capital ships, led by the Bismarck and Tirpitz, broke away from the High Seas Fleet's formation and gradually disappeared into the boundless night...

(End of this chapter)