Chapter 47 Not as Good as Vacation

When Zhang Hainuo received the transfer order in front of him, he could hardly believe his eyes. After being invited to the Military Police Headquarters for a "chat," he thought he would at most be confined for a while or face disciplinary action in terms of rank and honor. However, he never imagined that in the midst of the war, the German Navy Department would transfer him, a newly promoted ace submarine commander, to a logistics civilian department!

The title "Senior Supervisor of the Arsenal" sounded good, but Zhang Hainuo was deeply dissatisfied. He immediately went to find Colonel von Laurentz on the Seeadler to see if there was any solution. Unfortunately, "Uncle" von Laurentz told him that his previous act of rescuing survivors from a passenger ship had already angered some influential figures, and this time, conducting tactical experiments without approval from superiors led to his "exile," which was quite normal. von Laurentz advised him to stay there for a while, consider it as a break for himself, and when the time was right, von Laurentz would help him make some moves.

What made Zhang Hainuo feel helpless was that he received the same advice from Reder later on.

If the arsenal he was assigned to was in Wilhelmshaven, Zhang Hainuo might have been a little happier. However, the arsenal was located more than a hundred kilometers away in Kiel, and after arriving there, he found that the position of "Senior Supervisor" was purely ceremonial. His daily task was to check if there were any irregularities or embezzlement in the arsenal. However, with the strict arsenal management system and the inherent meticulousness of the Germans, Zhang Hainuo stayed there for a month without finding anyone who had illegally taken anything from the warehouse.

The monotonous life day after day made Zhang Hainuo extremely depressed. He missed his life on U171 even more, missing Edwin and those simple crew members. During these three months, Edwin sent him letters periodically. The Navy Department also assigned a new captain to U171, who was decent but lacked experience. In their recent attacks in the Atlantic, they not only had minimal success but also almost lost their lives twice.

Since he had nothing to do all day, Zhang Hainuo simply went to the personnel department to check and found that he had only taken one leave from the outbreak of the war until now, accumulating up to three months of leave. So, he applied for a month's leave to his new boss, the usually silent old man who knew well what the role of "Senior Supervisor of the Arsenal" entailed, so he readily approved it.

With the leave permit in hand, Zhang Hainuo took the train to Rugen Island the next day. The last time he met Anna was back at Christmas last year, and in almost a year's time, they could only communicate their lovesickness through letters.

Kiel and Rugen Island were not far apart, and after more than ten hours of eastward train ride, Zhang Hainuo arrived at his destination. He wanted to surprise Anna, but only found out after arriving at the naval convalescent home that Anna and some other nurses had been temporarily transferred to a medical ship a few days earlier.

Before this, Zhang Hainuo had heard about the German Navy's impending attack on the Russians in the Baltic Sea, but he never expected Anna to be involved in this operation. Historically, the German Navy not only failed to invade St. Petersburg from the sea during the subsequent Battle of the Moon Sound but also suffered losses of ships and personnel. It seemed that Anna was busy this time.

(PS: The Battle of the Moon Sound, during World War I, was an offensive launched by the German Navy in the Moon Sound area in October 1917 against the Russian Navy. The goal was to eliminate the Russian Navy fleet in the Gulf of Riga, capture the Moon Sound Islands, and then launch an attack on St. Petersburg. Both sides suffered losses during the battle, with five Russian ships being sunk in the strait entrance, and mines being laid throughout the strait, forcing the German fleet to abandon its plan to penetrate into the Gulf of Finland and return to the North Sea.)

Lamenting his bad timing, Zhang Hainuo decided to first return to Fink Manor on the outskirts of Oschersleben. Although it was not his real home, it was one of the few places in the world where he felt comfortable.

When he saw Hastin again, the old butler was still robust, with a few more gray hairs at his temples, and Barend, who took on several roles such as cook, woodcutter, porter, and security guard, remained the same. However, the only maid in the manor, Lama, looked pale. Hastin told Zhang Hainuo that Lama's son had unfortunately died in battle in France some time ago. Although the government provided a considerable amount of compensation, losing a middle-aged son was a huge blow for the single woman.

Zhang Hainuo wasn't good at comforting others; he simply said a few words of comfort to Lama. He was tired after the journey, so he went to bed early after dinner.

It was still the same comfortable big bed, and he slept soundly until dawn. After waking up, Zhang Hainuo felt refreshed and his mind unusually clear.

It was now October 1917, a year and a month away from Germany's surrender in history.

Given the current situation, Zhang Hainuo believed that Germany's surrender was inevitable. As a fallen nobleman who had just lost his military position, he could no longer do anything to change the course of events. Germany after defeat would face a period of extreme chaos, with enormous reparations, turbulent political conditions, and drastic inflation post-war. Civilians would have to endure the immense trauma of war and its aftermath, while opportunistic merchants would continue to exploit every chance for profit.

Despite possessing advanced knowledge of economics and studying the economic environments of various countries in the 20th century, Zhang Hainuo did not believe he could find opportunities for wealth in this tumultuous era. Firstly, he lacked the capital for business ventures; a few thousand marks could only go so far. Secondly, adhering to economic principles might not necessarily lead to prosperity, especially in times of economic instability or chaos, where those who acted unscrupulously or exploited opportunities often profited the most—traits Zhang Hainuo lacked.

At this moment, Zhang Hainuo thought of Hessen's plan. Even in turbulent times, the value of gold and jewels would not fluctuate significantly, and treasure hunting might be particularly suitable for military men like them, who were not adept at scheming.

However, Zhang Hainuo also considered that Germany would lose all its submarines after the war, requiring appropriate resources to engage in salvage operations. Owning a submarine would be ideal, but even if they could not be bought in Germany after the war, and even if French or British shipyards were willing to sell, Hessen and his group lacked the funds. Were they to sail a rented small cargo ship across the ocean for treasure hunting?

After much contemplation, Zhang Hainuo still felt something was amiss but couldn't quite figure it out at the moment, so he simply washed his face, dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast.

When Zhang Hainuo arrived in the hall, Hasting was already waiting there. Breakfast consisted of eggs, bread, bacon-studded pancakes, and milk, a spread almost comparable to breakfast on a submarine. On his journey back from Wilhelmshaven, Zhang Hainuo experienced firsthand the severity of Germany's internal resource crisis, where even having bread for ordinary civilians was considered a blessing.

After breakfast, Zhang Hainuo inquired about the estate's situation over the past six months. Hasting informed him that fortunately, during his last visit, he had prepared extra provisions, as the depreciation of the mark had been severe. Some food supplies from the first two years of the war were now unsellable. However, this year's autumn harvest had been good, preventing a dreaded famine.

Lastly, Hasting informed Zhang Hainuo that Miss Fenna had returned from Berlin and was staying at the Lübeck estate, just over twenty miles from the Fink Manor. Zhang Hainuo's feelings towards Miss Fenna were not the undying love he had inherited from Hainuo; rather, he was more curious about what kind of girl could inspire such passion in Hainuo.

"Has she sent anyone with a message?"

"No."

Hasting's words trailed off, but Zhang Hainuo could tell he was hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but was afraid to. Perhaps this was a way for the steward to report special circumstances to the master—implying without explicitly saying, much like the last time when he advised against giving up the military for business.

"Hasting, feel free to speak your mind; it's alright!"

"Yes, my lord! I heard that along with Miss Fenna, a young gentleman also returned from Berlin, said to be a nobleman from there, quite wealthy but seemingly without a military position!"

"Oh? That's quite interesting!" Zhang Hainuo suddenly felt relieved that he was hearing this news instead of Hainuo. The poor lovesick man would either have died of shock or rushed off to duel the young nobleman if he had known.

Seeing his master's expression remain largely unchanged, Hasting was both surprised and relieved.

"My lord, would you like to go and see Miss Fenna?"

Zhang Hainuo said calmly, but Hasting immediately looked wary, fearing his master might be up to something untoward.

"My lord, please forgive my bluntness! Since Miss Fenna has found a new love, and considering the biased views of the Lübeck family towards our own, why not take the initiative to propose a cancellation of the engagement? It would be dignified and not require compromising oneself!"

"Well, that's a good idea!" Zhang Hainuo wiped his hands with a napkin. "But before making that decision, I feel it's necessary to go there in person. If Miss Fenna has indeed found a suitable partner, I should graciously offer my blessings. What do you think, Hasting?"

The steward was initially surprised by this statement, but seeing Zhang Hainuo's earnest yet relaxed expression, he breathed a sigh of relief and respectfully replied:

"Yes, my respected lord! Whenever you decide to go, I'll arrange for the carriage in advance!"