Chapter 108: Means and Ends

Page 1/3

The Emperor had finally relaxed, but Feng Chengqian came knocking once again.

After hearing Feng Chengqian’s conversation with Tirpitz, the Emperor was deeply shocked, for he had never expected Feng to take the initiative to lead the commerce raiders into battle at sea.

After the shock, the Emperor understood Feng’s intention.

If the Imperial Army’s battles on the eastern and western fronts were tactical and operational in scale, then the Imperial Navy’s actions were strategic.

More importantly, the Emperor hoped to achieve a decisive victory on the western front, not merely on the eastern.

To win on the western front, the key was not to defeat France, but to force Britain out of the war or diminish Britain’s contributions. To defeat Britain, one must strike at the maritime battlefield, severing Britain’s sea routes so it could no longer draw resources from its overseas colonies.

“Your Majesty, I believe that with sufficient investment, within about a year, we can defeat Russia or compel Russia to withdraw from the war,” Feng Chengqian said, knowing he had to persuade the Emperor. “However, we must also admit that even if we defeat Russia, the war will not end. To achieve final victory, we must defeat Britain and France. The real key is not France, but Britain—the pillar of the Entente.”

Frederick III remained silent, signaling Feng to continue.

“Although the war has lasted less than five months, the fundamental conditions of the countries involved have already become clear,” Feng paused slightly before continuing, “Russia is vast and rich in resources, with a large population, but it severely lacks industrial capacity. With the Ottoman Empire entering the war, Russia’s situation will become extremely difficult. For example, aid from Britain and France can only be delivered to Russia’s Far Eastern ports, then transported over the Trans-Siberian Railway to the front. Compared to the vast consumption of the war, this supply is but a drop in the bucket. It is undeniable that Russia has many soldiers, but practical combat has proven that the Russian army lacks advanced weaponry; otherwise, General Ludendorff would not have been able to win several battles on the eastern front. It is imaginable that if we increase pressure on Britain, British support for Russia will greatly diminish, thus increasing our chance for a decisive victory in the east.”

The Emperor nodded, indicating he understood Feng’s meaning.

“By contrast, France does not have the vast land or large population of Russia, nor the same wealth of resources. Yet France excels over Russia in one crucial aspect: its social system is superior, and its people have stronger cohesion for war. Moreover, France’s natural environment is far better than Russia’s. Agriculturally, it is basically self-sufficient. France also possesses overseas colonies second only to Britain’s, allowing it to draw war resources from them and reduce the impact of war on domestic order, especially on daily civilian life. This is a condition even we do not have. At this point, France has not implemented wartime controls. Civilians can still buy daily necessities in the market, and supplies are ample—proof of France’s strong war potential.”

The Emperor sighed inwardly; no one had ever spoken such truths to him before.

It must be understood that by the second month of the war, the Empire had already instituted wartime controls, with civilians restricted to government-issued coupons to obtain essential goods. While this related to the Empire’s war mechanism, it also reflected that the Empire’s supply was far weaker than that of the Entente.

In fact, this was precisely what Marshal Schlieffen had feared most.

In a sense, it was why Marshal Schlieffen had considered a swift victory so crucial from the very beginning.

Even though the Empire had some overseas colonies, during wartime, its sea routes would surely be cut off by the Royal Navy, making it difficult to obtain resources from the colonies, relying only on the homeland and occupied territories. Unfortunately, the Empire’s natural environment was far inferior to France’s, and despite having a much larger population and maintaining an army larger than France’s, its territory was not much bigger than France’s. To put it bluntly, even in peacetime, the Empire was not self-sufficient in grain, let alone in wartime.

If the war drags on, the Empire is bound to lose.

Page 2/3

Seeing the Emperor moved, Feng pressed on, “Overall, even including the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the still wavering Italy, we cannot match the Entente in total strength. If it were not for the Imperial Army’s overall combat capability being superior, we might have already tasted defeat. The problem is that the Imperial Army’s fighting strength cannot be maintained indefinitely, and the British, French, and Russian armies will not remain stagnant either. The longer the war drags on, the narrower the gap in combat power becomes. We must achieve victory before Britain, France, and Russia catch up—and the only way is to force Britain out of the war as soon as possible.”

“So, you plan to cut off Britain’s sea routes?”

“Not cut off, but harass—and that is not the goal, only a means to an end.”

“A means to an end?”

Feng nodded. “If one thinks that commerce raiding alone can force Britain to surrender, that is a grave mistake and will never happen.”

“This...” The Emperor’s face showed doubt, and Tirpitz furrowed his brows.

“What is the core of commerce raiding? It is to disrupt the enemy’s use of sea control, not to seize sea control. To put it bluntly, if we had sea control, would we need to disrupt the enemy’s sea communications? Take Britain now: they have no need to disrupt our sea routes; they only need to station a fleet in the North Sea to blockade the Empire’s homeland, completely cutting off maritime communication with the outside world. Strategically, to change this situation, the only way is to defeat the Royal Navy and take sea control. Although commerce raiding can yield some results—if used well, such as deploying submarines for commerce raiding—it can bring considerable gains, but it cannot change the fundamental fact that we lack sea control and are the blockaded side. Simply put, as long as sea control is in the hands of the Royal Navy, no matter how many British merchant ships we sink or how much trouble we cause Britain, Britain can make up for losses by other means, while we cannot.”

The Emperor nodded thoughtfully, showing he grasped Feng’s point.

“Exactly. That is why we cannot treat commerce raiding as the objective, but only as a means to an end.”

“So, your goal is to seize sea control?”

Feng nodded. “This is the Imperial Navy’s sole objective, and the reason why the Empire has devoted itself to building the navy over these decades. If we deviate from this goal, the Imperial Navy loses its reason for existence, and all our efforts will be in vain.”

“Then, can commerce raiding achieve this goal?”

“No. Commerce raiding is only a necessary means. Once we launch commerce raiding, Britain cannot ignore it and will surely respond. The Royal Navy’s countermeasures will involve deploying warships to chase our raiders or even dispatch fleets to protect sea routes. This will weaken the British fleets deployed on main battlefields, giving the Imperial Navy a more favorable opportunity for a decisive battle. To seize sea control, the Imperial Navy must win the decisive battle against the Royal Navy. Commerce raiding is about creating favorable conditions for that final battle.” Feng paused slightly. “Of course, commerce raiding is not only about naval strategy.”

“Is that so?”

“The Ottoman Empire has entered the war. If our judgment is correct, the Anglo-French alliance will definitely launch a campaign against the Ottomans next year.”

The Emperor frowned and gestured for Feng to continue.

Page 3/3

“The Ottoman Empire’s entry means the most convenient maritime route to Russia is cut off. With General Ludendorff launching offensives on the eastern front, Russia will certainly demand support from Britain and France. On the western front, France will want a sufficiently significant victory and may even try to expel us from France in one decisive move. Under these circumstances, France will not launch an offensive on the western front to support Russia. More importantly, the Ottomans’ participation directly threatens the Suez Canal, which is Britain’s lifeline. Considering all these factors, we can infer that Britain will surely launch an offensive in the Mediterranean or Asia Minor.”

“It seems we must warn the Ottoman Empire.”

“If we launch commerce raiding now, it will divert British forces. In any case, Britain cannot achieve victory in the Mediterranean without its navy.”

The Emperor nodded. “You are right; this will indeed stretch the Royal Navy thin.”

“Besides, there is another very important point.”

“What is it?”

“If our commerce raiders can break through the Royal Navy’s blockade, combined with victories in the previous two naval battles, we can prove to the world that the Royal Navy cannot even defend its own doorstep, let alone blockade the Empire. This would influence the neutral countries. If we seize this opportunity to win over some neutrals, even just to restore maritime trade and break Britain’s naval blockade, it would be a tremendous gain.”

“It seems you have thought this through thoroughly.”

“Your Majesty, this is merely my duty.”

“Very well, I admit you make a compelling argument, and you have convinced me,” the Emperor smiled and added, “Then why must you personally command the commerce raiders?”

“Well...” Feng hesitated.

“I can have Tirpitz organize the commerce raiding operations, but I am not certain I will assign you as captain.”

Feng let out a long breath and said, “Your Majesty, although I enjoy your deep trust and have served the Empire for decades, currently as a naval colonel, I need more than your recognition—I do not want to remain a staff officer forever.”

After Feng finished, the Emperor fell silent.

(To be continued)