Chapter 27 German Shipwrights

"Next, we also need to register a Turkish shipping company so that we can legitimately purchase bulk goods for shipment out of port. With all the paperwork in order, the ship can pass through the Strait of Gibraltar smoothly!"

After Arslan left, Zhang Hainuo began to calculate.

"With Istanbul being so vast, acquiring enough diesel fuel shouldn't be a problem! But this ship..." Simon's expression was complex as he touched the railing on the deck of the ocean freighter. "It's going to require quite a few people to operate it! We only have 20 Turkish crew members at the moment, and that's not enough!"

Zhang Hainuo had already considered this problem. He patted Simon on the shoulder. "It's okay. Right now, all we need to do is prepare the supplies properly. Then we can hire some temporary crew members to sail the ship to Limnos Island. Once we meet up with Hessen and the others, we can easily resolve the issue by transferring 20 people from the submarines."

Simon nodded, accepting Zhang Hainuo's solution.

While Simon felt reassured, Zhang Hainuo still had some concerns. With a total of 74 crew members between U21 and U148, controlling U148 for long-distance navigation required only 30 crew members, leaving 44 available for this ocean freighter. However, this was under the condition that all 74 crew members would go to the Americas. Before leaving Hessen Island, Zhang Hainuo and Hessen had announced the decision of the officer corps to the crew members—to take U148 to the Americas. The crew members' reactions varied; some supported the bold journey as always, some hoped to return to Germany, and a considerable number had yet to make a final decision.

Each person had their own aspirations. These crew members were not just German soldiers; they were also independent individuals with their own thoughts. Zhang Hainuo did not expect everyone to wholeheartedly follow him to the Americas. He only hoped that Hessen could persuade some crew members to stay during this time. After all, the more people who left, the more it would not only affect the subsequent voyage but also increase the risk of leaking this secret.

"Let's go visit the Austrian embassy here first! With their recommendation, we can contact Turkish officials responsible for related affairs, making it easier to register the shipping company and purchase bulk goods!"

Otto suggested.

"The Austrian embassy?"

Zhang Hainuo's initial reaction was that if they were to seek help, they should go to the German embassy. But he quickly remembered his current "identity."

"Well, I think we can start by having Elgar help us arrange fake Austrian passports. As for the shipping company, we can register it under Elgar's identity since he is a legitimate Turkish citizen! What do you think?"

Otto agreed, "Of course, it's most reasonable for a shipping company registered in Turkey to have a Turkish citizen as its representative, especially since Elgar is determined to follow us now!"

Perhaps initially, nobody had expected Elgar to play such a role. Now, it seemed that he was more than just capable of piloting a small cargo ship. Of course, after collective discussion, Zhang Hainuo and the others decided to include Elgar in the future profit sharing.

Perfect things on paper often encountered various situations in reality. The encounter at the Austrian embassy next made Zhang Hainuo and his team very helpless. With the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Austrian political situation was unstable. The Austrian government officials previously stationed in Istanbul had already been recalled to their home country, leaving only some ordinary staff behind who were not well-versed in diplomatic affairs.

With a hopeful mindset, Zhang Hainuo and his team then visited the German embassy, but the situation there was equally unhelpful. Although the German government had sent a new ambassador, this person was new to the job and not familiar with Turkish officials, nor could he assist Austrian businessmen. In such a situation, Zhang Hainuo and his team had no choice but to go directly to the Turkish commercial department's office and follow the normal procedure to set up the shipping company. This bureaucratic process not only took time but also cost a lot of money, with almost every Turkish official involved needing a bribe, truly epitomizing the Chinese proverb "pluck feathers from a flying goose."

A country as rotten to the core as this, Zhang Hainuo knew that in three years' time, the Ottoman Empire would completely collapse, and these people were just experiencing their final madness!

After a day of running around and busyness, Zhang Hainuo returned to their newly acquired Superfast No. 1. At this time, Geisel was supervising the workers hired by Arslan to inspect the ship and clean the deck. However, what surprised him greatly was that these workers had European faces, and... they were speaking German!

Germans?

Zhang Hainuo had never anticipated this situation because he believed that although the Mediterranean route was controlled by Britain and France, German businessmen and sailors stranded in Turkey could easily return to Germany overland. He had just inquired through Turkish officials a while ago, and he knew that the German officers and sailors on the Göben had left Turkey for Germany in November 1918. The battleship was now entirely operated by the Turks.

"Hello!"

To dispel his doubts, Zhang Hainuo took the initiative to greet the workers.

"Sir, hello!" Seeing that the newcomer also spoke German, the workers appeared very friendly. After World War I, German-Austrian relations were still very close. If it weren't for the obstacles from the Allied Powers, the two countries might have merged to eliminate the adverse effects of the war's defeat earlier, and this merger was only delayed. When Hitler's army entered Austria, it was welcomed and supported by the majority of Austrians.

"Oh, I just wanted to ask, who's in charge here?"

Zhang Hainuo said casually.

"I am!" The shipyard worker with a beard and a burly build stepped forward. His hair was a bit messy, and he was wearing a somewhat worn-out work uniform, appearing to be around thirty-four or thirty-five years old.

"Hello, I'm Engelbert Link, an Austrian businessman, and also one of the shareholders of this ship!" Zhang Hainuo introduced himself under the circumstances of not knowing the other party's background.

The big guy picked up a somewhat clean rag from the side and wiped his hands stained with oil before shaking hands with Zhang Hainuo. "Hello, Mr. Link! Everyone calls me Thomas!"

"Mr. Thomas, are you and your people all from Germany?" Zhang Hainuo asked straight to the point.

"Yes, I'm from Bremen, some are from the same place as me, and others are from Hamburg, all Germans!" the big guy replied.

Zhang Hainuo nodded. "Forgive me for asking, were you all sailors before? How come you stayed in Istanbul after the war ended?"

Upon hearing this, the man looked proud as he replied, "No, we were not sailors! We are workers hired by the Turkish government from Germany, specialized in repairing military ships in Istanbul! Sir, you've heard of the Goeben, haven't you? The famous battleship. It was damaged twice during the war, but the Turkish government didn't have the equipment and skilled workers to repair such large warships, so they brought us in!"

"Oh?" Zhang Hainuo was indeed surprised, but he still didn't quite understand. Since they were hired by the Turkish government, how did they end up being hired by Arslan to work as temporary repairmen on his ship?

The big guy chuckled innocently and said, "After the war ended, all the military ships that could be repaired in Istanbul were fixed, and those that couldn't be repaired, well, we couldn't do anything about them! After settling our wages with the Turks for these past few years, most of the people who came with me went back to Germany. Those of us who stayed are either bachelors or have married local women here. We heard that things back home are in chaos, so we decided to stay in Istanbul and find work at the port. You see, now we're here to repair your ship, aren't we?"

"Yeah, I've heard that Germany's current situation is quite chaotic!" Zhang Hainuo pretended to be helpless. "I heard the Social Democrats took over the government?"

"I'm not sure," Thomas shrugged. As a regular technical worker, he seemed uninterested in who held power back home.

"By the way, how many German shipyard workers and sailors are still in Istanbul?" Zhang Hainuo asked casually, but he was actually contemplating the possibility of hiring these workers for a voyage to America.

Thomas thought for a moment. "Not many, maybe twenty or thirty."

Zhang Hainuo tentatively said, "After buying this ship, we plan to operate a shipping business between Turkey and America! Right now, we only have over thirty sailors, and we need a few more. I wonder if any of you would be willing to join us for a voyage. It might take about half a year for one trip, so what I need are single men and those with adventurous spirits!"

"Haha, sir, you've come to the right place!" The big guy patted his chest. "We may not have much else here, but we certainly have plenty of single men and adventurous spirits!"