World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

He put down his pencil and looked around at everyone: "The question is simple: to chase or not to chase?"

A few seconds of silence fell over the conference room. Outside the window, the North Sea was pitch black, save for the occasional beam of searchlight piercing the night sky—destroyers searching for survivors or monitoring submarines.

"Pursue them," Lieutenant General Jerram said first, his voice resolute. "We've dealt them a heavy blow; now's the time to expand our gains. If we get Scheer back to Wilhelmshaven safely, he can recover in a few months. But if we pin him down tonight and deliver another blow before dawn..."

He paused, his eyes gleaming with a fighting spirit: "We have a chance to end the German High Seas Fleet once and for all."

Study shook his head: "Chase? How can we chase? It's the dead of night, visibility is less than 500 yards, and the sea is littered with wreckage, oil slicks, and survivors from both sides who have fallen into the water. Our destroyers have reported that they have detected signs of at least ten German submarines. Chasing them under these conditions is like running blindfolded through a minefield."

"But the Germans were sailing under the same conditions," Jerram countered. "They were in even more disarray and suffered far greater losses than we were. If we don't act now..."

"If we act now," Major General Hall interjected, his voice calm, "we might run into mines, torpedoes, or be ambushed by German submarines. Don't forget, Scheer isn't stupid. He knows we're behind us and will definitely have rearguard and traps."

Jericho listened to the argument, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table. This habitual gesture revealed his inner turmoil—he did this every time he faced a major decision.

"How's the night combat training going?" he suddenly asked.

The artillery chief cleared his throat: "Sir, to be honest... it's not ideal. Our fleet mainly trains for daytime artillery battles, while night battles are more of a theoretical exercise. But the Germans..." He pointed to an intelligence document on the table, "According to pre-war intelligence, the German Navy places particular emphasis on night battle training. They have systematic procedures for using searchlights, signal identification procedures, and close-quarters melee tactics."

"In other words," Jericho concluded, "during the day, we are the hunters. At night, the roles of hunter and prey may be reversed."

"But the initiative is still in our hands!" Jeram insisted. "We have numerical superiority, and we have a battlefield situational advantage..."

"At night, numerical superiority can become a liability," Study interrupted him. "Think about it: how do more than twenty warships maintain formation in darkness and fog? How do they distinguish friend from foe? How do they coordinate firepower? If even one warship misjudges its target, it might accidentally hit a friendly ship. If even one warship falls behind, it could be picked off by a German submarine."

He turned to Jellicoe, his tone earnest: "General, I understand the temptation to pursue. But consider what happened after Trafalgar—Nelson won, but he died. If we risk pursuing him tonight, even if we win, the price could be unbearable. And if we lose…"

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

Jellicoe remained silent. He looked out the window at the dark ocean that had swallowed the Tireless, Queen Mary, Lützow, Pomeran, and thousands of lives.

He recalled what an old admiral had told him many years ago, when he was still a young lieutenant: "The hardest thing for a naval commander is not knowing when to attack, but knowing when to stop. Because when you win, you want to win more; and when you win more, you may lose everything."

"Our current achievements are sufficient," he finally said, his voice not loud, but everyone in the conference room heard him clearly. "We sank a German battlecruiser and a pre-dreadnought, severely damaged several capital ships, and forced the German High Seas Fleet into retreat. These achievements are enough to explain to the Admiralty and to the people."

Jerram opened his mouth as if to say something, but Jericho raised his hand to stop him.

"I know what you're trying to say, Jeram. 'A chance to make things right once and for all,' 'A historic victory.' But the commander's responsibility is not to make history, but to protect the fleet. And tonight, the best way to protect the fleet is to avoid unnecessary risks."

He stood up, walked to the nautical chart, and moved his finger along the retreat route of the German fleet.

"Schär has two routes to get back to Wilhelmshaven. One is to go around the Denmark Strait, but that will take more time and could lead to our blockade fleet. The other is to go directly through the Horn Reef Channel—a minefield laid by the Germans themselves, and they are familiar with the passage."

His finger stopped at Horn Reef: "If he goes through Horn Reef, we will deploy our fleet on the west side of the channel to block his exit. If he goes through the Denmark Strait, we will move north and intercept him at dawn."

"But then he'll get away!" Jeram couldn't help but say.

"It's better to run away than to rush into a night battle trap and lose more ships." Jellicoe looked at him sharply. "Remember, Jerram, the Royal Navy's primary mission is to control the seas, not to sink every single German warship. As long as we control the seas, whether the German fleet hides in port or sinks to the bottom of the sea makes little difference to us."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, I doubt Scheer will obediently go via Horn Reef. Navigating that minefield at night is extremely dangerous, even for Germans familiar with the waterways. He's more likely to choose to circle around in the open sea and wait for dawn."

"Then we should pursue them even more!" Jeram said.

Jellicoe shook his head: "No. We'll stay where we are, or move slowly north, maintaining formation and vigilance. Send out destroyer squadrons to scout ahead, but keep the main fleet stationary. That's the safest option."

He looked at the others: "Any objections?"

Study and Hall immediately shook their heads. The artillery officer and the navigation officer also agreed. Only Jerram, his face ashen, finally nodded slowly.

"Very good," Jellicoe said. "Then the orders are as follows: the main fleet shall adjust its course to 030, reduce its speed to 12 knots, and maintain battle formation. The destroyer squadrons shall be divided into three groups to conduct reconnaissance, each group accompanied by two light cruisers, with a reconnaissance range of twenty nautical miles. Once the German main fleet is spotted, report immediately, but do not engage in battle."

He looked out at the dark night sky and lowered his voice: "Now, let's see what Scheer will choose."

(The outcome of the Battle of Jutland is not to be revised, leaving room for a second naval battle. The British achieved a strategic victory at Jutland, but their total tonnage losses were greater than those of the Germans.)