Chapter 95

In the evening, Emperor William and Queen Augusta returned to their room, only to find a beautiful and unfamiliar young girl entwining herself around Qing Ying like a snake, passionately licking his thin lips. They were so shocked that their jaws dropped to the ground. William, who had placed two bodyguards around Qing Ying, had a vague idea about his activities in this area, and the scene was still within his acceptable range; however, Queen Augusta was stunned, and seeing the two perfect young people passionately kissing, her fujoshi nature almost made her faint with happiness on the spot.

Upon seeing the arrival of the German imperial couple, even the bold young Sonia could not help but restrain her previous excessive behavior. After a brief exchange, William and his wife understood that the young girl was the young cousin of Tsar Nicholas II, who had come to visit Britain with the Russian emperor. Listening to the young girl addressing the German imperial couple as "cousin" and "cousin-in-law," everyone present felt uncomfortable. A few minutes later, the young girl, citing a banquet in the central dance floor, dragged Qing Ying away, finally escaping the awkward situation.

Since Qing Ying was now almost 14 and a half years old, slightly taller than Sonia, the young girl was both surprised and delighted. She immediately turned the act into reality, dragging him into the night dance at Buckingham Palace. As soon as they appeared, they immediately attracted the attention of the majority of the crowd. Facing the dignitaries and celebrities from all over the world, Sonia, dressed in red and adorned with moon earrings, tightly held Qing Ying's arm, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at the young man, her beautiful and charming face radiating joy and attachment.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, even Qing Ying, who had seen many things, felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. Wanting to break free, Sonia's arm was like an iron hoop, making it impossible to pull away. Although Qing Ying wanted to change the situation, he could not refuse the young girl's affection and enthusiasm. To outsiders, Qing Ying and Sonia were already a passionate couple. On one side was the second son of the Hohenzollern emperor, the heir to the German throne, and on the other side was the young cousin of the Tsar, the most dazzling gem of the Romanov dynasty. Compared to the union of Nicholas II and Feodorovna two and a half years ago, their status was almost equal. Moreover, the appearance of the two protagonists was absolutely the best in the European royal family in a hundred years, surpassing even the perfect match of the old Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth over 40 years ago. In a few years, the two giants, the Hohenzollerns and the Romanovs, would once again be united in a beautiful political marriage.

Fireworks exploded, and cheers filled the air as the night passed quickly, and the eastern sky began to glow with a bright white light. After the celebration at Buckingham Palace, the grandest event of the celebration—the Royal Navy review—began.

Just after the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the mouth of the Thames was already filled with flags, blocking the sky. Countless British residents from all over the country flocked to the mouth of the Thames, densely covering every inch of the shore; even the rooftops by the sea were filled with spectators. Many had arrived in London a week or even ten days in advance, setting up tents and enduring the elements to secure a good viewing position, just to see the royal navy that made the entire nation proud!

On the vast ocean, stretching over ten nautical miles, warships lined up, layer upon layer of steel. Hundreds of warships were evenly distributed in every visible area, looking like gray-black chess pieces embedded on a huge blue and crystal chessboard from above. Even at the farthest horizon, the gray outlines of warships could be seen. Countless red and white St. George's Cross naval flags fluttered in the wind, and the thick, black cannons pointed diagonally to the sky, forming a dense forest of thorns, dazzling the eyes of the crowd!

The majestic warships, like towering steel castles, represented the most powerful and coldly beautiful divine soldiers on this planet, the battleships that ordinary countries could not possess even with all their might, poured into the eyes of the crowd like a heavy rain. Not three or five, but forty in total. Everywhere the eye could see, there were cold and hard steel mountains; the overwhelming momentum that could stop the sea with a single whip, just one glance made one feel a surge of thunderous and heroic emotions in the heart, ready to burst out in a thunderous roar!

This was the Great Britain at its peak, this was the Royal Navy in its prime!

Emperor William II sat on the viewing platform, looking at the floating steel fortresses on the sea, and the excited British people below, tears streaming down their faces, his eyes filled with complex emotions: admiration, jealousy, longing, and envy... intertwined and indistinguishable. Ten years ago, as the heir apparent, he had also attended the naval review held by the British Navy to celebrate his grandmother's 50th anniversary on the throne; compared to then, the Royal Navy had made a leap forward. Its grandeur and strength were so overwhelming that it could be described as awe-inspiring. It was like a war god sent by God to patrol the world, dominating the heavens and earth, overlooking the six directions; even in the deepest and most twisted corners, it could shine with its incomparable brilliance!

Looking at group after group of British battleships, William's heart stirred, and his gaze swept around, finally spotting the silhouette of his flagship among the numerous British ships. This battleship, named after his father who had only reigned for 99 days, was moored in the adjacent waters, alongside the warships of other countries that had come to attend the ceremony. To show respect to the Queen, it, like the foreign warships, flew the St. George's Cross of the British Navy on its mast; its massive and powerful hull and three robust main gun turrets made it stand out among the warships of other countries. Seeing this toy of his, William felt a sense of accomplishment, feeling that he had truly been the grandson of Queen Victoria on this trip to Britain; not only had he smiled and flattered his grandmother, but he had also played the role of a diplomat, expressing Germany's support for Britain's position on the Boer issue in South Africa to the British government. To show his respect and sincerity to Britain, he had sent the most powerful battleship of the German Navy to add to the grandeur of the Royal Navy's review.

Speaking of which, this idea was actually proposed by that scoundrel, and it seemed to have worked quite well; feeling the full sincerity, the British immediately accepted his olive branch. In addition, he had bribed several British newspapers to hype it up; thus, the British public opinion issue was basically resolved. Looking at Qing Ying, who was closely entwined with his young cousin Nikky not far away, a faint smile flashed in William's eyes; in two years, he could let that girl stay in Berlin permanently!

The long whistle of the steamship sounded, and the cheers were deafening. Just as William was fantasizing about his seniority surpassing Nicholas, the Royal Navy's review finally began. Accompanied by a passionate speech by Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain, six of the latest Majestic-class battleships led the way, one after another, slowly passing through the mouth of the Thames, their guns standing tall and flags fluttering. The Royal Navy officers, dressed in white, lined up neatly on the sides of the ships, and each time a battleship passed, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause.

It must be said that the Royal Navy's review for the Queen was extremely impressive; using the grand stage of the Queen's 60th anniversary celebration, it showcased the Royal Navy's peak strength and supreme dignity to the world's political leaders. Despite the fact that these foreign dignitaries were used to grand scenes, they were still moved by the overwhelming and vast presence, and from the depths of their hearts, they expressed the most admiring praise for the Royal Navy. What they saw was one after another of the steel giants symbolizing the national prestige of great powers, even Sonia, who was completely uninterested in military matters, was awed by the grandeur and solemnity, her eyes filled with surprise and shock, unable to calm down for a long time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the formation of six battleships now approaching are the most advanced 'Majestic' class battleships of the Royal Navy of the British Empire! They have a standard displacement of 14,560 tons and a maximum speed of 17 knots; their 2 twin 305mm heavy guns are capable of crushing any stubborn enemy! They are Majestic, Magnificent, Mars, Prince, George, Triumph, and Jupiter, with Jupiter having just been completed a month ago and participating in this grand celebration for the Queen today!..."

To give the public a more intuitive understanding of these warships, the London authorities had set up dozens of high-powered loudspeakers on the shore. A Royal Navy officer stood on the viewing platform, holding a microphone, and with his deep and resonant voice, he was making a powerful live broadcast to the people and dignitaries of the British Empire and the world.

"... This is the 'Renown' battleship. She was completed in January this year and was originally to be dispatched to the Far East, but for the Queen's grand celebration, she waited in the homeland until today! She has a standard displacement of 12,350 tons, a maximum speed of 18 knots, and is equipped with 2 twin 254mm main guns; no cruiser can withstand the bombardment of her 10-inch guns!..."

"... The 'Sovereign' class battleships, with a standard displacement of 14,150 tons, a speed of 16.5 knots, and equipped with 2 twin 343mm main guns; their main gun power is the strongest among all new battleships in the world!..."

"... The 'Trafalgar' class ironclads, with a standard displacement of 12,590 tons, a speed of 16 knots, and similarly equipped with 2 twin 343mm main guns like the 'Sovereign' class..."

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PS: Compared to Mars and Jupiter, the author personally feels that translating them as Mars and Jupiter might be slightly better. Please bury the author with your favorites...

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