Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 167 The Man Who Persuaded Two Fleet Commanders to Surrender
Not long after the "Poltava" defected and switched sides, it was a different story.

The debate on the Sevastopol regarding whether to surrender has reached a fever pitch.

The battle at sea had turned into a three-on-one situation. All 30 dark 305mm main guns were pointed at the "Sevastopol," and the enemy's speed was several knots faster, so there was no way for it to escape.

Moreover, the enemy has several destroyers and light cruisers that have already approached, although they have kept them at a distance of 7 to 8 kilometers and dare not get too close before the situation becomes clear.

But it was clear to everyone that the Poltava’s bizarre surrender had only made the Demanians’ appetite grow, and the Lusa sailors were becoming increasingly uneasy, bringing the atmosphere to a breaking point.

Both sides seemed to think that surrender was promising and feasible, and some colleagues had already scouted it out and set an example.

Commander Tali, a brigade commander of the Tsarist Guard, Brigadier General Anton Ochumelov, had his hands in his pockets, the safety off his pistol, and was secretly pointing the muzzle at Admiral Otovich von Essen through his trousers.

Admiral von Essen certainly knew what the other side was thinking, but he was helpless. Worst of all, the telegraph receiver was still receiving a steady stream of plaintext telegrams from Lelouch urging surrender.

General von Eisen swallowed hard and quickly reassured Brigadier General Ochumelov:
"Calm down, gentlemen. The 'Poltava' surrendered against orders because its three midship and aft main gun turrets were destroyed, leaving only the forward main gun turret intact. Unable to fight back during the retreat, they were out of combat capability and surrendered in despair."

The Sevastopol's entire firepower system is still intact. We are still fighting hard. Now we must unite against the enemy...

Brigadier General Ochumelov, somewhat suspicious, gritted his teeth and said, "Then why, even though we're so close, have you been shelling for so long without hitting the enemy!"

Von Essen: "Our superstructure has also suffered considerable damage in previous battles, and the aiming and ranging equipment of the fire control system are malfunctioning, which is normal..."

Brigadier General Ochumelov: "Why can't the enemy's shells hit us?!"

Von Essen was taken aback: "Do you really want enemy shells to hit us?"

Ochumelov was momentarily speechless; what he meant was that both sides were already firing cannons into the air in a tacit agreement.

After a long pause, he rudely issued his final order: "It seems all the shells just now went too far! I want you to lower the gun barrels! Level all the main guns and fire! There must be a gunner or someone below him tampering with the guns and having a tacit agreement with the enemy!"

With tensions so high, many officers and sailors in the command tower knew things were definitely not going to end well. If the Tsar's Guard's orders were carried out and the enemy retaliated immediately, their ship would surely sink.

Several naval officers suddenly launched an attack, rushing forward to disarm Commodore Ochumelov. Other sailors also clashed with the Tsar's guards at close range, and for a time, Commander Tarmosin-Nagant was firing wildly, bayonets stabbing and thrusting indiscriminately.

General von Essen was pushed aside by his subordinates to lie down, but he still couldn't avoid being shot in the arm by a pistol bullet, and blood gushed out.

Fortunately, after he fell, no one continued to attack him. Soon, blood splattered all over the windows of the command tower, and at least twenty men from both sides were dead. The surviving sailors quickly locked the armored hatches of the command tower to prevent anyone from entering.

At this point, Admiral von Eisen had no choice but to walk to the ship's intercom and, in his capacity as fleet commander-in-chief, order an uprising to begin.

……

"Quick! Get closer! The Lusa people have defected!"

On the destroyer V191, Lelouch's guard captain, Lieutenant Crozier, was ecstatic, gripping his MP15 submachine gun tightly. He watched as the destroyer sped towards the "Sevastopol" at full speed, even overloaded.

The subsequent perilous boarding maneuver against the waves and rough seas is something that needs no further explanation.

During the process, some soldiers did fall into the sea while climbing the rope ladder, and two particularly unlucky ones were crushed to death by the shockwaves of the battleships and destroyers.

But these risks are unavoidable, and history will remember those unfortunate souls who sacrificed themselves on the eve of victory.

When Klose leaped onto the deck of the "Sevastopol" with a submachine gun in hand, the battle on board was far more intense than that on the "Poltava".

Because a large number of Tsar Guard soldiers were reassigned as loaders, the Sevastopol's firepower system was the best preserved of the four Gangut-class ships, with all four of its main gun turrets still in use.

Therefore, a relatively large number of loaders and Tsarist guards survived, and the proportion of those who remained loyal to the Tsar was also higher.

This was also a major reason why Admiral von Essen hesitated to surrender; he feared that his unarmed sailors were no match for the 200 elite Tsarist guards.

However, the few dozen sailors who managed to seize guns managed to hold onto a section of the ship's side deck, fighting and sacrificing themselves until Klose led his submachine gun squad aboard.

Three platoons of elite Dmanian army soldiers, all equipped with submachine guns. Facing four platoons of the Tsar's Guard armed with Mosin-Nagant rifles, the Russa were clearly no match.

Battleships are less than 200 meters long, and have many obstructions on their decks. At such engagement distances, the Mosin-Nagant would be no match for the relentless barrage of MP15s.

"Da da da~ da da da~"

Submachine gun bullets whistled across the deck, mowing down rows of Tsarist guards who were attempting a counterattack, leaving them in pools of blood.

"Brothers, charge! Take control of all the main gun turrets and the galley decks! I heard those are where the Tsar's guards are the most numerous!"

"After eliminating those enemies, attack the bridge and take over the wheelhouse and command tower!"

Captain Crozier shouted commands, and the submachine gun squads immediately dispersed in an orderly manner to eliminate the enemy.

A group of sailors from Lusa also volunteered to help point out the enemy's location: "Sir, this way! I'll lead you to kill those Tsar's guards!"

……

After more than ten minutes of fierce fighting, the gunfire on the "Sevastopol" finally subsided.

Captain Crozier, accompanied by a platoon of submachine gunners, opened the command tower hatch after making a prior appointment via the ship's intercom.

Admiral Otovich von Essen, whose wounds had been hastily bandaged by his subordinates, sat dejectedly at the chart table, his eyes lifeless.

Klose didn't make things difficult for him. He put the safety on his submachine gun, slung it over his back, walked up to him, and extended his hand: "On behalf of Colonel Lelouch and Lieutenant General Hipper, I accept your surrender."

When Admiral von Essen heard that the other party had mentioned Hipper's name, he felt a little better and extended his hand: "Admiral Nikolai Otovich von Essen, Commander-in-Chief of the Baltic Fleet, surrenders to your army."

After shaking hands, General von Eisen seemed somewhat unwilling and offered a few words in defense of his actions:
"We did not surrender because we were afraid of dying! We have upheld the honor of soldiers from beginning to end!"

But Nicholas II, that incompetent ruler, is not worthy of the loyalty of any upright person! He cannot distinguish between loyalty and treachery, listens to the slander of sycophants, and persecutes the loyal and virtuous.

The Lusha army was not defeated on the battlefield, but by a foolish ruler and treacherous ministers who brought ruin to the country and alienated the people!

Klose didn't understand these grand principles, so he could only say that he would write them down and pass them on to his superior.

He now only requires the other side to immediately complete the turn, head towards Königsberg harbor, and keep the main guns pointed at a safe angle throughout the journey, subject to constant supervision by the boarding guards.

General von Eisen accepted the other party's instructions without question.

The great battle that nearly led to the annihilation of the Lusa Baltic Fleet has now come to an end.

In addition, with the main force of von Essen destroyed, the last six ships of Vice Admiral Basilov's cruiser fleet, which had been trapped in the Strait of Siuma like rats in a bellows, also basically did not escape.

Only two destroyers managed to escape because they were small enough to be easily spotted. The "most powerful armored cruiser," however, was too large and was intercepted and sunk at the northern entrance of the strait.

At this point, apart from a very few light cruisers and no more than ten destroyers, only two pre-dreadnoughts, the "San Andrew" and the "Twelve Apostles," escaped back to the entire Lusa Fleet.

However, they are clearly no longer usable as warships, as they are no longer combat-ready and it is not worthwhile to invest resources in their complete restoration.

It is estimated that it can only be used as a fixed gun emplacement in the narrowest part of the Gulf of Finland, between southwest Helsinki and northwest Tallinn. The total width of that area is only 40 kilometers, and the main channel with sufficient draft is only 20 kilometers.

With two pre-dreadnought battleships scuttled to the south and north of the main channel, serving as fixed gun emplacements, they could cover the entire channel and prevent other ships from entering unscathed. This was the most effective form of combat capability the surviving Baltic Fleet could employ.

……

Two days later, the fleet finally returned to Königsberg port after a long and arduous journey.

The garrison at Königsberg had been notified in advance via radio of the decisive naval victory, the complete annihilation of the Russapol fleet. The entire port was now brightly decorated and transformed into a sea of ​​celebration.

It was only after the voyage arrived at the port of Königsberg that Admiral von Essen was able to leave the "Sevastopol" and go ashore to meet the people who had accepted his surrender, namely Vice Admiral Hipper and Captain Lelouch.

When he saw Hipper, General Essen was not surprised at all. Hipper was also an old man in his fifties, so it was normal for him to have become a lieutenant general.

When he saw Lelouch, Admiral Essen was clearly surprised. He hadn't expected that the guy who sent the telegram to persuade him to surrender was actually so young.

"Are you really 25? You're so young. No wonder I heard you've done so many amazing feats, and you're only a colonel." Von Essen, with one arm in a sling, shook hands with Lelouch with his other arm, feeling deeply moved.

Before Lelouch could explain anything, several generals from the General Staff and the Navy suddenly arrived at the dock, gathered around to greet Hipper, Scheer, and other meritorious generals, congratulate them, and brought them some good news:

"Vice Admiral Hipper, get ready! His Majesty, Marshal Tirpitz, and Admiral Bohr will be coming to inspect this morning. His Majesty also said that you will be promoted to admiral on the spot!"

Hipper was also momentarily shaken, and took a deep breath: "Admiral?!"

"Yes! You and Vice Admiral Scheer worked together to annihilate the Rosa Baltic Fleet. Don't you deserve to be promoted to admiral? Of course, Vice Admiral Scheer's achievements also deserve a promotion to admiral." All the colleagues who came to inform him spoke as if it were a matter of course.

Hipper quickly composed himself, recalling the ups and downs of the past two years.

Indeed, he had been promoted to vice admiral after the Battle of Ostend. The subsequent Battle of Dunkirk further solidified his achievements and resume after his promotion.

Now, he has made a great contribution by annihilating the Baltic Fleet, and even captured two enemy battleships that had mutinied on the front lines. How could he not be worthy of being promoted to general for such an unprecedented military achievement!
Throughout history, has there ever been a case of capturing an enemy battleship in a head-on, fair and square naval battle with cannon fire?
Of course, the High Seas Fleet itself also lost two battleships.

The Rhineland was hit and sank on the rocky shallows off the north coast of Shiuma Island.
The "Posen" managed to sail back on its own, but the old ship was so badly damaged that the cost of repairing it would be more than half that of building a new one. It will probably be towed somewhere and used as a fixed gun emplacement to make the most of its remaining service.

The main problem was the poor foundation of the Nassau-class hulls. Their propulsion system was still a triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine, which was their most fatal flaw. Furthermore, their engine room structure couldn't be modified to accommodate steam turbines. (Note: Steam engines cannot be converted to steam turbines, but low-end steam turbines may be upgraded to high-end ones in the future, because the engine room section is very long and narrow, while steam and diesel engines are relatively short and stubby. The hull structure design was inherently limited; the short and stubby section structure couldn't fit the engines.)
This ship can only sail at 19 knots in its lifetime, and it will be of no use in future naval battles.

Other issues, such as weak armor and firepower, can be addressed through upgrades during maintenance or future modernization.

The defensive problems of the Lusa people's "Gangut-class" can also be solved through repairs.

The only problem is that the power system cannot be modified, so there is no point in forcibly repairing the heavily damaged Nassau-class ships. It would be better to save the budget and build new ships.

Therefore, all things considered, this battle resulted in the loss of two Nassau-class destroyers and the capture of two Gangut-class destroyers, which can be considered a "win-win situation with no loss".

A ship capable of 24 knots can have its boiler pipes replaced with high-pressure ones, the extra power used to strengthen its armor, and its damaged turrets replaced with improved ones. Even after more than ten years, it will still be a force to be reckoned with.

However, the Demacian Navy's combat strength on paper has declined, so for the remainder of this year and the beginning of next year, the Navy cannot rashly provoke Britannia.

After all, of the captured ships, only the "Sevastopol" can be repaired before the end of this year. The "Poltava," with three of its four turrets destroyed, will need at least six months of repairs.

The permanent retirement of two Nassau-class battleships is a real loss. In addition, there is another slightly damaged Nassau, which will take three to five months to repair.

In the battle of the Gulf of Riga, Admiral Scheer's ship "Helgolan" was also hit by several shots from enemy cruiser guns. Although they were all minor wounds that could not be penetrated, it still needed to go back to repair the superstructure and replace some damaged instruments and equipment, and it would take one or two months for minor repairs.

Based on this calculation, the number of battleships capable of fighting in the High Seas Fleet will temporarily drop to 12 in the fourth quarter of this year, but it will recover to 15 by the end of the year, and will only recover to 17 by the second quarter of next year.

In addition, according to the shipbuilding plan, the battleships "Baria" and "Baden" will be officially commissioned at the beginning of next year and the beginning of the second quarter.

By then, the High Seas Fleet will have new warships with 380mm main guns, and the total number of battleships will rise to 19.

According to the timetable promised to the Emperor by Marshal Tierpitz, the Empire will seek a major naval war with the Britannians before the end of the second quarter of next year!
For now, we should remain patient for six months and focus on repairing and building new ships.

……

Hipper and his entourage were excited for a while, then quickly tidied themselves up before heading to the Königsberg train station to pay their respects.

Just as the group arrived, Emperor Wilhelm's special train arrived in Königsberg from Berlin.

The emperor was the first to alight from the carriage, placing his withered left arm behind his back and waving his right hand to receive the cheers of his subjects.

Following them were Admiral Tirpitz, the First Minister of the Navy, and Admiral Hugo von Pohl, the Commander of the High Seas Fleet.

Field Marshal Mackensen, Lieutenant General Hipper, Lieutenant General Scheer, and others lined up to await the Emperor's inspection.

Lelouch, however, did not appear publicly. After all, he was a staff officer of the 6th Army, and his visit to the Baltic theater to offer advice was in his capacity as the "Deputy Director of the Propaganda Bureau of the Imperial War Department."

After all, "counter-espionage" and deception against the enemy are also forms of external propaganda, which is quite reasonable.

However, it was inappropriate for him to be present in such an occasion to receive credit as a military officer. If the emperor later learned of his achievements and wanted to know the details, he would choose to summon him privately.

Emperor William first approached Field Marshal Mackensen, who saluted the emperor and solemnly announced the good news: "Your Majesty, Riga was completely captured by our army yesterday! We also defeated two corps of the enemy's 2nd Army."

With the sea supply route to the Gulf of Riga cut off, the morale of the defenders in Riga is extremely low, allowing our army to advance at a speed several times faster than before! Furthermore, our army has completely encircled the remnants of the enemy's 12th Army on the Courland Peninsula, and we will surely annihilate them within a week.

"Excellent! You truly live up to the Empire's most reliable old marshal, living up to my expectations." Emperor William expressed his praise excitedly and shook hands firmly with Marshal Mackensen.

Mackensen then added that if His Majesty desired, the pace of annihilating the enemy's 12th Army could be accelerated further.

However, due to concerns about troop casualties, Mackensen adopted a strategy of encirclement followed by a slow advance. He hoped to wait until the enemy gradually ran out of ammunition and food, supplies dwindled, and morale dropped further.

Emperor Wilhelm immediately replied, "Marshal, there's no need to rush! We'll fight slowly. The enemy has lost control of the sea and can no longer evacuate the peninsula's garrison by sea. We must also cherish the lives of our soldiers."

In retrospect, while the army certainly deserves much credit for the smooth progress in the Riga theater, the navy also played a crucial role in cutting off enemy reinforcements and creating widespread panic among the enemy forces.

Emperor Wilhelm abruptly changed the subject, immediately shaking hands with Hipper, who was second in line, and then announced excitedly:

"I hereby announce the promotion of Franz von Ritter Hipper to Admiral! He will also serve as Deputy Commander of the High Seas Fleet and continue to serve as Commander of the Battlecruiser Force!"
At the same time, Reinhard Scheer was promoted to admiral and appointed commander of the battleship force of the High Seas Fleet.

Friedrich Berdik was promoted to Vice Admiral and appointed Commander of the High Seas Fleet's reconnaissance squadron.

Hermann Nordmann was promoted to Vice Admiral and appointed Commander of the 3rd Battleship Division of the High Seas Fleet.

It was through your combined efforts that the Imperial Navy annihilated the Lussa's Baltic Fleet! This completely deprived the enemy of control of the seas south of the Gulf of Finland and severed their shipping routes in those waters! Glory belongs to the Imperial Navy!

Emperor Wilhelm promoted and rewarded all the heroes who had contributed to the battles of the Gulf of Riga and the Gulf of Finland. Almost all the generals who participated in the battles and achieved significant sinking results were promoted by one rank.

Judging from his wording, Hipper was clearly the one who deserved the most credit.

Hipper directly destroyed three Gangut-class battleships and a bunch of junk pre-dreadnoughts, and even captured three of them.

Anyone with a discerning ear could tell that Hipper's military achievements and seniority had surpassed Reinhard Scheer's, and that he had successfully secured his position, becoming the first person after Hugo von Pohl, the current Commander-in-Chief of the High Seas Fleet.

The moment had finally arrived, and Admiral Hipper was overjoyed: He must continue to seek advice from Commander Lelouch's brilliant strategies! It was all thanks to his guidance that so many opportunities for meritorious service had been created for their side.

I owe my success today to three-tenths of my own hard work and the heroic fighting of my soldiers.

The remaining seven points were all due to Lelouch's intelligence deception and psychological warfare. He forced the enemy to fight the Imperial Navy at unfavorable times, in unfavorable locations, and in environments unsuitable for exerting their combat power, giving the Navy a chance to achieve merit.

To save the Imperial Navy, we must listen to Lelouch's plan! Listening to Lelouch's plan means choosing to stand with God!
……

Hipper was so excited that he didn't even hear what the emperor said next.

While the generals were distracted, Emperor William continued to announce the details of the follow-up measures in an orderly manner.

General Scher, who was standing nearby, also took the opportunity to report some of his heroic deeds in battle to the emperor.

Upon hearing this, the emperor expressed his respect for the soldiers who fought and died for their country, promising to provide them with proper compensation and the highest honors.

During the briefing, the Emperor listened to Vice Admiral Berdick of the cruiser reconnaissance squadron report on how "the reason why we were able to break through the pursuit of the Lusa cruiser squadron in the Gulf of Riga and finally lure Vice Admiral Basilev into the ambush range of General Scheer's battleships."

Thanks to the cruiser "Bremen," which was at the forefront of the breakout, even after being hit by an enemy torpedo, it continued to turn sideways, shielding the five following cruisers from all enemy torpedoes in its path. It ultimately sacrificed itself to cover the remaining forces.

Emperor Wilhelm was deeply moved upon hearing this and immediately announced that all officers of the 32 surviving crew members of the Bremen would be promoted one rank, all non-commissioned officers two rank, and all enlisted men three rank!
Of the 208 officers and soldiers who died in battle, all officers and non-commissioned officers were promoted three ranks to receive pensions, and all soldiers were promoted to the rank of second lieutenant to receive pensions.

Lieutenant Commander Johannes Valentine, captain of the Bremen, was ultimately paid a sum of money to his wife and children, in accordance with the treatment afforded to a rear admiral.

After all this was taken care of, the welcoming ceremony at the train station finally ended. The Emperor boarded a Benz car, specially commissioned by the royal family, and then drove to the Königsberg Palace.

Königsberg was once the "birthplace of the dragon" of East Prosen, so the old palace of the Hohenzollern family still exists in the suburbs, and the emperor would stay there whenever he returned to the area.

To express his honor, the emperor invited General Hipper, the greatest contributor to this victory, to ride in his carriage.

In the emperor's carriage, Hipper cautiously engaged in conversation, inevitably mentioning the merit of capturing an enemy ship.

Hipper then said, “Your Majesty, the enemy has surrendered two Gangut-class battleships. Such a feat is unprecedented in the history of modern naval warfare. There has never been anything like this since the advent of ironclad battleships.”

Moreover, the surrender of the Sevastopol was personally decided by Admiral Ottovich von Essen, Commander-in-Chief of the Russapol Fleet. With the enemy's admiral and fleet commander surrendering, such a grand occasion—doesn't Your Majesty intend to receive this surrendered subject?

Emperor William immediately became interested; he hadn't known this detail before, as it wasn't mentioned in the victory reports Hipper had sent back via radio.

"Oh? A fleet commander has come to surrender in person? Why didn't you tell us about something so important sooner, so we could all be happy? How did you persuade him to surrender?" Emperor William was so excited he almost lost his composure.

Admiral Hipper then boasted truthfully: "Actually, the key to forcing the enemy fleet to fight and causing internal strife among them was the proper use of our psychological warfare strategy and counter-espionage tactics."

We actually used new mine-clearing technology and weaponry to break through the mine blockade in the Strait of Irbe in the Gulf of Riga. The same tactic was used just a few days ago by our naval squadron in the Black Sea.

However, because this new weapon was still under secrecy, the enemy was unaware of its existence. So we turned the tables and misled the enemy into believing that there was a traitor in the navy who had defected to our country and sold out the precise minefield deployment map.

Later, we used propaganda to demoralize the enemy defenders in Riga and create panic. We then released the prisoners we captured after breaking through the outskirts of Riga, spread rumors about them, and then released them back into the city.

Ultimately, they instigated discord between the Lussars on land and sea, with each side shifting blame for their defeat. This fueled Nicholas II's paranoia, forcing his navy to risk their lives to identify traitors… In the end, many in the Baltic Fleet, resentful of Nicholas II's inability to distinguish loyalty from treachery, surrendered to us in despair, facing certain death.”

Emperor William was completely bewildered, unable to comprehend these treacherous plots for a long time, let alone understand the details.

"Hiss... What kind of nonsense is this? It's about misleading the enemy into thinking there's a traitor, inciting them to take credit for each other and shift blame, and exploiting the Tsar's suspicions... Just tell me straight, who came up with this? You probably can't figure it out."

Hipper: "Of course, I certainly couldn't have imagined that all of this was done by my colleague in the Propaganda Department of the War Department who was in charge of external propaganda."

Emperor William stroked his long beard and recalled for a moment: "The deputy director of the Propaganda Bureau of the Ministry of War, in charge of foreign propaganda... isn't that Lelouch Hunt?! That kid actually caused such a commotion?!"

I remember the last time I saw him was...around April or May, before the Hungarian campaign. Wasn't he with Field Marshal Rupprecht on the southern front?

Hipper: "He came all the way to Königsberg specifically to oversee the propaganda and sowing discord along the northern front..."

Emperor Wilhelm: "Summon him to an audience immediately! Before summoning von Essen, hear the boy's opinion first."

(End of this chapter)