Chapter 8

Under the starry sky, the night had grown deep, with a crescent moon hanging obliquely in the heavens, emitting a cold and gentle light.

It was the hour of the dog, and all was quiet. In the imperial palace, most areas were already enveloped in darkness and silence. Occasionally, a cold wind blew, adding to the desolate and chilly atmosphere. Every hour, a squad of well-armored guards would patrol the area, showing no signs of fatigue even in the dead of night.

A middle-aged man with a mustache sat quietly in a side hall study. In the bright light, he exuded a calm and rational demeanor, lacking the usual imperial majesty. His left hand, which had been weakened by congenital polio, was, as always, hidden behind his back. As time passed, the stack of documents on one side had become much shorter, while on the other side, they were neatly piled up again.

"Damn Alfred, didn't he say he would come to submit the naval development plan at 8:30? It's already 8:40, and he still hasn't shown up!" Wilhelm II glanced at the wall clock, his voice tinged with anger. In German circles, punctuality was as ingrained as eating and drinking. If a time was agreed upon, even a one-minute delay was considered extremely impolite!

After approving a document, Wilhelm II stood up from his chair and slowly walked to the door. The cold wind was bone-chilling, and the moonlight was vast. On the stone path in front of the study, tree shadows swayed, and branches danced. A few street lamps glowed faintly, but no one was in sight.

"How strange, why hasn't Alfred come yet? This doesn't make sense!" Wilhelm II turned to an elderly man in a tailcoat beside him and asked, "Allemann, did Alfred mention any other plans for tonight?"

The elderly man, Allemann, was about 50 years old, slender, and had a kind face. He bowed slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, the naval chief of staff was supposed to give a lesson to the second prince at 6:30 and has been there since then."

Wilhelm II pondered for a moment and said softly, "That's not right. His lessons with Eitel only last until 8:00, and it's already 8:40." He looked at the clock again, feeling increasingly agitated. A thought suddenly crossed his mind: Could Tirpitz have fallen ill suddenly? Otherwise, with his character, being late would be impossible!

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Wilhelm II couldn't think of any other explanation. He took a dark overcoat from the coat rack, put it on, and hurried out the door. The elderly butler in the tailcoat was startled and asked, "Your Majesty, where are you going?"

Wilhelm II didn't stop, only leaving a trail of fading words, "Alfred must have fallen ill at Eitel's place. I need to check. Allemann, sort out these approved documents and don't follow me!"

The imperial palace of the Second Empire was not as large as people imagined. Wilhelm II's office was only about 200 meters from Qing Ying's study. In less than two minutes, he arrived at Qing Ying's study. The two guards at the door were startled to see the young emperor and quickly saluted. Wilhelm II nodded slightly and asked, "Is the naval chief of staff still inside?"

One of the guards bowed and replied, "All-powerful Caesar, Alfred is indeed still with the second prince and hasn't left. Yes, that's his voice. For the past half hour, the chief of staff has been making these sounds."

Wilhelm II stood outside the door, listening intently. He could faintly hear Tirpitz's boisterous laughter, as if he had lost his mind. He stood there for a while, his gray eyebrows gradually rising. Then he strode up the steps and pushed the door open.

Warmth greeted him, and the room was bathed in golden light. At the purple desk, a young child was sipping coffee from a porcelain cup. Hearing the door, he turned and looked, his face showing surprise. Across from him, a man in his forties with an octopus-like head was furiously drawing on a white sheet of paper with a quill pen. His chin was adorned with a unique, parted goatee. Who else could it be but Tirpitz?

At that moment, Tirpitz was completely absorbed in his work, oblivious to the outside world. He alternated between frowning in deep thought and writing furiously, the white sheet of paper now covered with intricate diagrams. Two crumpled sheets of paper lay in the wastebasket beside him, and a few blue ink stains had somehow found their way onto Tirpitz's face.

Seeing this, Wilhelm II's anger subsided, replaced by a sense of curiosity. Clearly, Tirpitz was not ill and was fully focused on something. But what could it be that made him lose track of time and forget his appointment with the emperor? After all, Tirpitz had entered the navy at 16 and, after 30 years of service, punctuality was deeply ingrained in him!

Wilhelm II's eyes darted around, first looking at Qing Ying, then at Tirpitz, who was still drawing. His questioning intent was evident. Qing Ying put down his coffee cup, shrugged, and spread his hands, indicating that he had no idea what was going on with Tirpitz.

Wilhelm II gave Qing Ying a disapproving look and then turned his attention away from his son. He clenched his right fist, brought it to his mouth, and coughed loudly, breaking the silence in the room. Tirpitz jumped, looked up, and saw Wilhelm II standing a few meters away, his face showing a hint of anger.

"Ah, Your Majesty!" Tirpitz sprang up from his chair and said, "Why are you here, Your Majesty?"

"Why am I here? Why are you here?" Wilhelm II laughed in exasperation. He pointed to the wall clock and said angrily, "Didn't you say you would report your latest battleship expansion plan to me at 8:30? Look at the time! What happened to your sense of time? Have you wasted 30 years in the navy?"

Tirpitz looked at the clock and was stunned. Wilhelm II snorted and said, "Punctuality is a basic virtue for Germans! Alfred, what were you doing that you forgot your appointment with me?"

"Your Majesty, I apologize deeply for this!" Tirpitz bowed deeply. After a moment of deep regret, his face turned to excitement and joy. He grabbed the paper on the table, which was covered with diagrams, and said excitedly, "Your Majesty, I have finally found the future direction for the German Navy! If we do this, it will be more efficient than our previous methods, and even the British cannot stop the rise of the German Navy!"

Since Wilhelm II's visit to Britain in 1887, he and Tirpitz had known each other for six years. In Wilhelm II's eyes, Tirpitz was always a meticulous and solemn person, who would never speak unless he was 120% sure. Seeing Tirpitz so excited and speaking with such certainty, Wilhelm II's anger vanished, and he eagerly asked, "How? Tell me quickly!"

"We can appropriately increase the tonnage and build large battleships with powerful armaments, excellent protection, and good speed. This method can significantly improve power and armor for the same tonnage. From a ship design perspective, this is a shortcut we had never noticed before!" Tirpitz looked at Qing Ying with joy, "If it weren't for the second prince's enlightening words, the German Navy might have lingered at the threshold of progress for much longer! The prince is truly a little angel sent by the Almighty to the German Navy!"

"What about the cost? How does this involve Eitel?" Wilhelm II asked two questions in quick succession.

Tirpitz briefly recounted his conversation with Qing Ying to Wilhelm II. He picked up the cold coffee and drank two gulps, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve and continued, "Although the prince did not do it intentionally, the idea of increasing firepower and merging tonnage is absolutely correct! We will have to revise almost all our shipbuilding plans. Except for torpedo boats, which are expendable, all warships should be developed towards larger and more powerful designs! As for the cost, we can offset the increase in tonnage by reducing the number of ships, thus maintaining the overall cost. For example, we originally planned to build four 11,000-ton battleships, but now we should build three 15,000-ton battleships! I have already calculated it, and the cost of both plans is almost the same. However, in a direct confrontation with the enemy, the latter will be far superior in combat power!"

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