Chapter 491: Bismarck Sets Sail

Tirpitz listened in silence. The plan was bold to the point of madness, but… it was not without feasibility.

"Would the Yingguo men bite so easily?" he asked.

"They must bite," She Er sneered, "The army's failure on the Somme has created enormous pressure at home in Yingguo. The navy now desperately needs a victory to boost morale. If two of Deguo's newest cutting‑edge battleships were to flaunt their power off Norway's coast, the Yingguo could not stand by. They would think: while we have only two, concentrate superior forces and take them down. And that is exactly what we want."

"What about the risk?"

"Very high," She Er admitted calmly, "If the Yingguo see through the plan, if their main fleet arrives too quickly, if the weather turns against us… the task force could be surrounded. But conversely, if we succeed, we can in one stroke alter the balance of power in the North Sea."

Tirpitz walked back to the rail, looking down at the Bismarck. On board, the sailors were making final departure preparations. Elevators moved ammunition from the magazines to the turrets, cranes hoisted supplies, and officers inspected the deck. Everything proceeded in orderly fashion.

These young men, most under twenty‑five, did they know what this sortie might mean?

"Has His Majesty the Emperor approved?" Tirpitz asked finally.

"Approved this afternoon," She Er said. "Your Majesty's exact words were: 'Deguo needs a victory that the world will remember. The sea, or the land, either will do.'"

Tirpitz closed his eyes. He recalled the 1897 speech the Emperor gave while reviewing the fleet at Kiel Port: "Our future lies at sea!" At that time Deguo had only a modest navy, and now they possessed perhaps the two most powerful battleships in the world.

But great power often means greater responsibility, and greater risk.

"When do we set sail?" he opened his eyes.

"Tomorrow night," She Er said. "A moonless, windy night favors a covert departure. The task force consists of the Bismarck, Tirpitz, three light cruisers and six destroyers. The main force of the open‑sea fleet will depart in twelve hours, maintaining a Distance of one hundred nautical miles."

"Who is the commander?"

"I will personally command the task force," She Er said. "The main fleet will be commanded by Admiral Xi Pei Er."

Tirpitz snapped his head around: "You go yourself? That's too dangerous!"

"Precisely because I go myself, the Yingguo will be more inclined to see this as a show of force rather than a trap," She Er laughed, a near‑tragic resolve in his smile. "Marshal, I am fifty‑three years old, have served in the navy for thirty‑five years. If this is my final battle, I wish to be on the bridge, facing the strongest enemy."

Tirpitz was speechless. He looked at his old friend, the soul of the open‑sea fleet, and suddenly realized: this high‑stakes gamble wagered not only two battleships, but the entire Deguo navy's future, and all of the nation's ambitions on the sea.

"May God bless Deguo," he finally said.

"God bless," She Er repeated, though his tone sounded more like: we can only rely on ourselves.

The two stood side by side on the observation deck, gazing at the massive ship below. Dock lights stretched their shadows long across the steel walls, like two giants about to stride into history.

Departure, November 1st

The North Sea dawn arrived late.

At five o'clock in the morning, on the bridge of the battleship Bismarck, Admiral She Er held a cup of coffee, staring at the black sea beyond the harbor. The coffee was strong and bitter, but invigorating. He had not slept all night, and was double‑checking the battle plan and the fleet's status for the last time.

"Report!" the communications officer's voice broke the silence. "All ships are ready, able to depart at any moment."

She Er set down his coffee cup: "Notify all ships: depart on schedule at five‑thirty sharp. Maintain radio silence, light control. After departure, proceed at twelve knots, heading northwest, target off Norway's coast."

"Acknowledged!"

The order spread through the task force via light signals and flags. In the darkness, each ship's engines began to low‑growl, smokestacks exhaling faint white smoke. Mooring lines on the dock were released, and tugs sprayed water, carefully pushing the giant ship away from its berth.

The Bismarck moved first.

The 45,000‑ton behemoth cut a broad wake through the calm harbor basin. On the bridge, She Er felt a subtle vibration beneath his feet—four steam turbines running at low speed, delivering a massive 100,000 horsepower. But he knew that once fully unleashed, the ship could slice through the waves at 30 knots, charging like a knight of the sea.

"Course, 270 degrees. Speed, 8 knots."

The helmsman repeated the order. The battleship turned slowly, heading toward the harbor exit. Scattered early‑rising sailors on the breakwaters paused to watch, saluting the departing fleet. She Er saw them but gave no reply. All his attention was fixed ahead, on the waters that would decide Deguo's fate.

"Tirpitz" followed behind, at a Distance of five hundred yards. The sister ship's silhouette flickered in the morning mist, like a beast trailing a lead wolf. Further back were three light cruisers and six destroyers, forming a tight escort formation.

As the fleet exited Wilhelm Port's main channel into the open North Sea, the sky began to brighten. A pale fish‑belly white appeared on the eastern horizon, quickly swallowed by low hanging clouds. The weather forecast proved correct—today would be a windy day, waves four to six meters high, with poor visibility.

This favored a covert operation, She Er thought. But it was also disadvantageous for navigation and combat.

"Report!" the radar officer's voice rang out. "Air target detected, bearing 030, Distance fifteen nautical miles, altitude two thousand meters. Identified as a Yingguo reconnaissance aircraft."

She Er furrowed his brow. The Yingguo were watching too closely.

"Notify all ships to maintain course and speed, show no abnormality," he ordered. "If the enemy approaches, use anti‑aircraft guns to warn them away."

"Understood!"

A minute later, a black dot appeared beneath the clouds to the northeast. It was a Yingguo seaplane, leisurely circling above the fleet, evidently photographing and observing. The anti‑aircraft guns on the German battleship rotated slowly, but did not fire.

She Er raised his binoculars. He could see the Royal Air Force round emblem beneath the aircraft's wing, even the silhouette of the pilot in the cockpit. That Yingguo pilot would surely transmit a report on Deguo's newest battleship's departure.

Good. She Er lowered the binoculars. The first step of the plan had already succeeded.

The Yingguo now knew: Deguo's new cutting‑edge battleship had set sail, heading northwest, possibly toward Norway, possibly to harass the Yingguo east coast.

They would surely react.

"General," Chief of Staff walked over, lowering his voice, "We just received a secret telegram from Berlin. Lanfang has confirmed the second batch of fifty tanks has been loaded onto ships, expected to reach Hamburg in two weeks. Additionally, the first batch of 'volunteers' from the Sakura Nation— fifty thousand people—has arrived at Basra, now being transferred via the Ottoman Railway."

She Er nodded, saying nothing. Matters on land were left to the army. His battlefield was at sea.

"Also," Chief of Staff hesitated, "Intelligence shows the two Yingguo Hood‑class battlecruisers left Scapa Bay yesterday, heading northeast. Their purpose is unclear, but the timing… quite a coincidence."

She Er's eyes narrowed. The Hood‑class deployed? Already?

"Confirmed?"

"U‑38 submarine spotted a suspected target near the Shetland Islands three hours ago, but could not approach to confirm."