Expedition to Europe

The tradition of Germans serving as mercenaries dates back to the 15th century, when the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian organized the first German mercenary.

At that time, Germany had not yet been unified, and the Germans were like a pile of loose sand. They had no country to be loyal to, and could only choose to become mercenaries to fight for the interests of others.

So for the Germans, becoming a mercenary was not an unacceptable thing.

In the original history, after the end of World War I, the strength of the German army was limited to 100,000 people. At that time, many soldiers who only knew how to fight chose to join the French Foreign Legion for their livelihood.

Not only after World War I, but also after World War II, many German soldiers joined the French Foreign Legion.

So for Qin Zhiyuan, this is also good news.

Compared with the peaceful Europe between World War I and World War II, East Asia is a mess. If Qin Zhiyuan wants to do something, the more troops he has, the better, and those well-trained German officers are obviously the best choice.

So far, although France still claims to have the strongest army in the world, in fact, everyone knows that the German army is the most powerful in the world.

This "most powerful" title will continue for a while until a country that brazenly opposes the United Nations emerges.

"Of course, if you want, you can give me a list of outstanding officers now. They will go to Saigon and undertake certain training tasks, and I can guarantee that the trained troops will not be used in the European battlefield." Qin Zhiyuan immediately agreed to Crown Prince William's request.

"Hmm... So you still say that the war in Borneo has nothing to do with you?" Although Crown Prince William got what he wanted, he was not very happy.

Just think about it and you can understand that Crown Prince William, as the next candidate for the German Emperor, can only watch his best officers serve others. This depression can be imagined.

"Of course it has nothing to do with it. I am a soldier and a businessman. If someone pays, I don't mind helping them train the army." Qin Zhiyuan still didn't admit it.

"Then what if the Dutch want you to help train the army?" Crown Prince William despised Qin Zhiyuan's "high-sounding".

"Yes! As long as the Dutch can afford the money." Qin Zhiyuan was "fair".

This is very tricky. According to what Qin Zhiyuan said, if he helps the Chinese in Borneo train the army, he may only charge one Dutch guilder per person, and will also provide food, accommodation, equipment, and distribution.

If he helps the Dutch train the army, Qin Zhiyuan can safely offer a price that the Dutch cannot accept.

This kind of thing is actually easy to understand. In the 21st century where Qin Zhiyuan lived, for the same fight, some people would only receive verbal education, while others would be detained for 10 days and fined 500 yuan.

Is it unfair?

No! It is very fair. It is absolutely done according to the rules. No one can find fault with it because the law originally stipulates it.

Human resources are a kind of resource in themselves.

"Okay, if that's the case, I will help you take the blame." Although he was a little unwilling, Crown Prince William still agreed.

"You don't have to take it. I don't mean to force you." Qin Zhiyuan got the advantage and still wanted to be good.

"Pfft..." Crown Prince William was extremely dissatisfied, with a look of disgust and contempt: "Please, let me help you take this blame. If you don't let me take it, I will feel uncomfortable all over, and I may not be able to sleep at night. As long as you let me take it, I will definitely be grateful to your eight generations of ancestors..."

Uh... That's too much!

Just as Qin Zhiyuan and Crown Prince William despised each other, 13 submarines were quietly waiting for their prey to come under the water of the Strait of Tunisia, 500 kilometers south of Corsica.

The British are really good at shipbuilding. When the German submarines showed their prowess, the British also began to build submarines and soon built the K-class submarine.

The K-class submarine has a displacement of 2,500 tons, a surface speed of 25 knots, an underwater speed of 9 knots, and is equipped with 8 torpedo tubes with a range of more than 10,000 nautical miles.

In the early 20th century, the British were able to build submarines with such powerful data.

However, the excellent paper performance did not form excellent combat effectiveness. Not long ago, the British submarine force was preparing to go to sea, but because of avoiding small boats near May Island, 7 submarines collided with each other in a short period of time, two sank, and two were seriously injured.

In order to pursue strong paper data, the design of the K-class submarine was extremely unreasonable, which also originated from the British big ship and big gun doctrine. They pursued big things, the bigger the better, but the British never realized that for submarines, secrecy is the most important.

The submarines sold to Qin Zhiyuan by the British were older E-class submarines, and the older D-class submarines were embarrassed to show them.

Compared with the K-class with strong paper data, the E-class submarine is much more normal, with a displacement of 700 tons, 4 457mm torpedo tubes, a surface speed of 16 knots, an underwater speed of 10 knots, and a cruising range of 3,000 nautical miles.

Like all submarines of this era, the E-class submarine is a fully enclosed underwater warship. It not only has a sharp-edged bridge, but also has huge protrusions all over the hull. There is even a cannon installed on the back. It is really out of place.

After Qin Zhiyuan got the submarine, he almost couldn't wait to improve it.

The improved submarine has a more streamlined teardrop shape, with a displacement of 850 tons and an underwater displacement of 990 tons.

Unlike the K-class submarine that uses a 10,500-horsepower steam turbine, Qin Zhiyuan's improved submarine is equipped with a 2,100-horsepower diesel engine. Although the speed does not reach 25 knots but only 17 knots, and the range is reduced from 10,000 nautical miles to 4,000 nautical miles, the engine size is also reduced.

At the same time, the improved submarine is also equipped with a 1,300-horsepower electric motor, which can provide the submarine with a speed of 12 knots underwater.

At the same time, the submarine's warhead has also been improved. As the main means of attack for the submarine, the number of torpedo tubes is two in front and two in the back, with a total of 8 torpedoes.

The improved submarine was named the "Marseille" class because the French Navy Department also joined in the improvement process and played a huge role. In fact, France also has deep attainments in submarines. As early as 1904, France built the world's first diesel-powered submarine "Eguirette". Although the French Navy's submarine force is not well-known, it does not mean that the French have no technical reserves.

If you think about it carefully, you will understand that the German naval fleet is hiding in the military port and not coming out, and the German merchant ships have all been confiscated by Britain and France. The submarine forces of Britain and France are indeed useless.

The joint development of submarines by the Republic of China represented by Qin Zhiyuan and the French Navy must be kept secret, including the shape of the submarine, which is confidential forever.

The "Marseille" class submarine started production immediately after it was finalized. So far, a total of more than 30 submarines have been produced, half of which belong to the French Navy and half to the Republic of China Navy. This is the origin of this submarine force under the Strait of Tunisia.

The original text is in Liu # 9 @Book/Bar!

This is a submarine force that belongs entirely to Qin Zhiyuan.

The main attack was carried out by boats Q-1 to Q-9. Ten nautical miles ahead, the second ambush circle prepared by boats Q-10 to Q-13 was responsible for attacking the fish that slipped through the net.

It was dusk at this time, when submarines frequently appeared. In order to prevent accidents, there were no merchant ships or submarine hunters in the busy waterway during the day. Only the 13 big "black fish" under the water were quietly waiting.

"Brother, will the Dutch come?" In the Q-1 boat, Huang Guangyao asked the captain Shen Zhixin anxiously.

Huang Guangyao and Shen Zhixin were both Chinese children in Borneo. They received secondary education at the local Overseas Chinese Middle School and were considered to be a group of people with a relatively high cultural level among the Chinese. When the destroyer fleet under Qin Zhiyuan was established, these overseas Chinese children who received secondary education were the first batch of Chinese navy. After the submarine force was established, this group of people became the first batch of "submarine soldiers".

Compared with the tall northern men, these overseas Chinese children in Borneo are smaller and more convenient to move in the narrow cabin of the submarine. This is an innate advantage that others cannot compare with.

The war in Borneo has touched the hearts of all overseas Chinese children. Although Qin Zhiyuan has promised to protect all Chinese, some overseas Chinese children still write "blood letters" and ask to go back to join the army.

In this regard, Qin Zhiyuan did not explain much, but announced the combat plan for the next period of time, so the "willing wave" disappeared immediately, and all the soldiers began to train desperately, because they knew that whether in Borneo or Corsica, they would not lack combat opportunities.

"It will definitely happen, don't worry, this is the only route, where else can we go if not from here? I don't believe that the Dutch will take a detour from the Cape of Good Hope." Shen Zhixin, who was operating the periscope, vowed.

The so-called "channel" is to determine a safe passage.

Although the sea looks flat, there are actually countless reefs and whirlpools hidden under the water. In addition, it is a war period, and the Germans are desperately laying mines in the Mediterranean, so there are only a few safe passages, and the Dutch have no choice.

"Brother, can I go when the torpedo is launched later?" Huang Guangyao gritted his teeth.

Huang Guangyao's home is in Surabaya. As the center of this "rebellion", the surrounding areas of Surabaya must be under unparalleled pressure. From Huang Guangyao's heart, if it were not for these Dutch warships, Huang Guangyao would rather die than return to Surabaya to be with his family.

"Do your job well, stop talking nonsense, I still want to launch it myself." Shen Zhixin's eyes never left the periscope.

Huang Guangyao is Shen Zhixin's aide-de-camp, and the two are a little related. Huang Guangyao is a generation older than Shen Zhixin, so Shen Zhixin never speaks kindly to Huang Guangyao.

"Your last shooting score is not as good as mine..." Huang Guangyao complained, and resentment filled the bridge.

"Here they come, here they come." The officer in charge of communications came over to report in a loud voice.

"Why are you panicking? Read!" Shen Zhixin was strict.

"There's a call from observation point No. 1. A fleet of nine warships has passed through observation point No. 1. The leader has been confirmed to be the flagship of the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Seven Provinces Alliance. It is expected to arrive in an hour. Please be prepared for reception." The officer in charge of communications had a serious expression.

Since there is already a radio, Qin Zhiyuan must install this thing on the submarine, which will greatly improve the combat effectiveness of the submarine force.

In order to better grasp the movements of the Dutch Navy, Qin Zhiyuan set up several observation points, from the Strait of Gibraltar to Port Said at the mouth of the Suez Canal, all under Qin Zhiyuan's monitoring.

It's finally here!