Chapter 490: Common Idea

"But what about mass?" Tuo Wei said bluntly, "General, forgive my candor, Deguo's warship designs have always emphasized protection and survivability. The Jutland Sea Battle has already shown that our battlecruisers have protection flaws. And the 'Hood' and the 'Queen Ship'... powerful as they are, they are still Eastern designs, and we haven't fully mastered them."

Wei Ersi Li offered no rebuttal. He knew Tuo Wei was right. In the Jutland Sea Battle, Yingguo lost three battlecruisers, all blown up due to insufficient ammunition‑magazine protection. The lesson was stark.

"So we need tactics," Wei Ersi Li said, returning to his seat. "We must use numerical superiority to offset our mass disadvantage, choose a battlefield favorable to us, and..." He paused, "we need a bit of luck."

Gu De Nuo chuckled, "Since Admiral Jie Li Ke took over as Grand Fleet Commander, we've avoided a decisive battle with Deguo's main fleet. His strategy is to maintain a deterrent presence, not to risk seeking battle."

"The strategy has changed," Wei Ersi Li said calmly. "The army's failure on the Somme has brought London's pressure to a peak. The War Cabinet has explicitly ordered: the navy must adopt a more aggressive stance, must seek a chance for battle."

Tuo Wei and Gu De Nuo exchanged a glance, each seeing the other's worry.

Seeking a chance for battle means taking risks. And a naval risk could mean losing tens of thousands of tons of warships and thousands of lives within minutes.

"What are the specific orders?" Tuo Wei asked.

Wei Ersi Li pulled an Encrypted Telegram from the folder: "The Grand Fleet Headquarters has approved the 'North Sea Deterrence Operation'. The plan is as follows: within a week, form a fast task force centered on the 'Hood' and the 'Queen Ship', attach two light cruisers and eight destroyers, and deploy to the waters off Norway to conduct a patrol deterrence mission."

"Bait?" Gu De Nuo understood immediately.

"Yes," Wei Ersi Li nodded. "If Deguo can't stay idle, if their new cutting‑edge warships want to test their mettle... that's the chance. The Grand Fleet's main force will stand by a hundred nautical miles behind; once contact is made, they will rush to assist immediately."

Tuo Wei furrowed his brow: "The risk is high. The weather off Norway is complex. If Deguo pours out en masse..."

"Then we fight," Wei Ersi Li said resolutely. "Gentlemen, I know this is risky. But at this stage of the war, caution can no longer win. We need a maritime 'Somme Counterattack'—only this time we must win."

Outside the window, the rain fell harder. The anchored warships swayed slightly in wind and rain, and the signal lamps on the masts flickered intermittently in the gloom.

Tuo Wei remained silent for a long while, then stood: "The 'Hood' can set sail at any time."

Gu De Nuo also stood: "The 'Queen Ship' as well."

"Very well," Wei Ersi Li nodded. "Notify all departments to prepare for departure. Operational details will be announced at tomorrow morning's war council. For now... go rest; we may not have time to rest later."

After the two captains left, Wei Ersi Li stood alone before the chart. His finger traced from Scapa Bay, across the North Sea, drawing a circle near the Norwegian coastline.

There, the stage for the next clash of steel behemoths.

If Deguo dares to come.

William Port, the same night

The night at William Port was even more solemn than at Scapa Bay.

The harbor enforced strict blackout regulations; only a few scattered red navigation lights flickered in the darkness, like the breathing of a sleeping giant. Yet deep within the secret dock, lights shone brightly.

Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz stood on the observation platform of the dock, gazing at the two massive ships below completing their final preparations. Even after seeing countless warships, he was still awed by the sight.

"Bismarck" and "Tirpitz."

Two Bismarck Class battleships lay side by side, the dock lights glinting off their streamlined hulls, reflecting a cold, hard steel sheen. Displacement 45,000 tons, length 251 m, beam 36 m—sizes that even exceeded most dock capacities in the harbor, requiring the deepest secret dock for final fitting.

The most striking feature was the Main Gun. Four twin‑mounted 380 mm turrets—two forward, two aft—in a back‑to‑back layout. The barrels glowed a deep blue metallic sheen under the lights; the sheer caliber left no doubt of its destructive power.

"Admiral, you've been standing for half an hour," a voice called from behind.

Tirpitz turned, seeing Grand Fleet Commander Reinhardt Scheer approaching. Scheer wore a naval greatcoat, his face lined by sea‑borne wind, eyes sharp as an eagle.

"Every time I see them, it feels unreal," Tirpitz said. "Ten years ago we still thought the Dreadnought was the ultimate weapon. Now... the technology of these two ships is at least five years ahead of the era."

"Thanks to Lanfang," Scheer said as he moved to the rail, also looking at the massive ships below. "Though costly, it's worth it."

Tirpitz nodded, his expression solemn: "Scheer, have you truly decided? This plan... is too risky."

Scheer did not answer directly. He pulled a document from his coat pocket and handed it to Tirpitz: "This is today's Western Front battle report from the General Staff. In the Somme offensive, our new tanks achieved an overwhelming victory. But General von Fajinhann warned: victory is temporary. Yingguo is mobilizing resources worldwide, and although the United States hasn't entered the war, its inclination is becoming clearer. Time... is not on our side."

Tirpitz skimmed the report quickly, his face grim.

"So we need a decisive victory," Scheer continued, "not on land—land warfare has shown no side can utterly crush the other. But at sea... if we can heavily damage or even annihilate the Yingguo Grand Fleet, we can break the naval blockade, threaten Yingguo's homeland, and force them back to the negotiating table."

"Use these two ships as bait?" Tirpitz asked, looking down at the "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz".

"Not bait, but a blade," Scheer's eyes glowed in the darkness. "Admiral Tirpitz, you've studied the design data provided by Lanfang. You know better than I do the performance of these two ships: top speed 30 knots, faster than any Yingguo battleship; Main Gun range exceeds 35 km, allowing fire beyond the enemy's reach; protection... a 320 mm inclined armor belt, equivalent to over 400 mm vertical armor. They are not warships, they are moving fortresses."

"But there are only two of them," Tirpitz reminded. "Yingguo's Grand Fleet has thirty capital ships."

"Thus we don't need them for a head‑on fight," Scheer pointed at the chart. "The plan is: form a task force of the 'Bismarck' and 'Tirpitz', send them out to the waters off Norway, deliberately exposing their position. Yingguo will certainly dispatch a fleet to intercept—most likely their new cutting‑edge battlecruisers, the two Hood‑class ships purchased from Lanfang."

He paused, his tone turning icy: "When Yingguo's fast task force clamps onto our detachment, the open‑sea fleet's main force— all sixteen battleships and battlecruisers— will encircle from another direction. What we seek is not a repulse but an annihilation. Swallow Yingguo's fast force, then decide whether to engage the Grand Fleet's main body in decisive battle."