Chapter 122: The Decisive Battle Approaches

On May 4, Bonar Law remained opposed to sending the Grand Fleet out to engage the High Seas Fleet in a decisive battle.

However, in the early hours of May 5, intelligence received from spies in the German Empire changed the British Prime Minister's mind. The intelligence indicated that over a dozen light cruisers of the Imperial German Navy had departed from Kiel.

The intelligence itself was accurate; on the night of May 4, more than a dozen light cruisers did indeed leave Kiel. However, these warships were not heading to the North Sea. Four were bound for the Gulf of Finland to escort minelaying vessels, while others were newly commissioned ships simply out for sea trials.

The problem was that, in the eyes of the British, this intelligence carried a different significance. More than a dozen light cruisers clearly constituted a maritime force that could not be ignored. Connecting this to the fact that the *Berlin* had entered the North Atlantic just days earlier, it was easy to assume that these light cruisers would also be entering the North Atlantic under the cover of the High Seas Fleet to conduct commerce raiding. If a single *Berlin* had already left the Royal Navy in a state of chaos, the addition of a dozen more was simply unthinkable.

On the morning of May 5, Bonar Law ordered Beatty to lead the Grand Fleet out of port to prevent the German commerce-raiding fleet from entering the North Atlantic. Evidently, Bonar Law deliberately ignored the presence of the High Seas Fleet, which had already entered the North Sea. By the afternoon, the Grand Fleet had left Scapa Flow.

Two hours later, Feng Chengqian received a telegram from a submarine operating near Scapa Flow, securing first-hand intelligence. What followed was much simpler.

At dinner, Feng received a second report. A fast scout ship operating about two hundred kilometers east of the Shetland Islands had spotted the Grand Fleet steaming east at full speed and had identified several of its capital ships, confirming that it was indeed the main body of the Grand Fleet.

"What do you think?" Hipper set down the telegram and said, "Perhaps Beatty believes we are heading into the North Atlantic for commerce raiding; otherwise, he has no reason to sail east."

Feng Chengqian smiled and replied, "Regardless, Beatty is finally willing to come out and face us in a decisive battle."

"Do you think a fight will definitely happen this time?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Hipper sighed. "We have planned several operations before, but Jellicoe slipped away every time. Although Beatty is more bellicose and believes more in the power of the offensive, he is now the commander of the Grand Fleet and will inevitably be more cautious."

"These are not the same times as before."

"Is that so?"

Feng Chengqian put down his knife and fork, wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, and said, "In the past, Jellicoe had room to retreat, and whether he fought us or not didn't have much impact on the overall situation. Things are different now. If Beatty remains timid, the Royal Navy will lose its final opportunity."

"What do you mean?"

"When I drafted the plan, I mentioned that if the Grand Fleet continued to hide in Scapa Flow, we would head straight for the Thames." Hipper did not speak, for he knew Feng Chengqian was determined to force the Grand Fleet into a decisive engagement.

"First, politically, the British have no room to retreat. For over half a year, the once-invincible Royal Navy has suffered consecutive defeats, leaving Britain's status as a global hegemon teetering on the edge. If they cannot secure a victory soon, even if they manage to preserve the Grand Fleet, Britain will become a setting sun. Second, militarily, Britain has no room for maneuvering. Russia is in a precarious position, France is struggling to gain an advantage in the short term, and with the unfavorable situation in the Mediterranean, Britain desperately needs to defeat us in a naval theater. Finally, even if the Grand Fleet refuses to come out, we can seize command of the sea, control the entire North Sea, and subsequently the entire North Atlantic." Feng paused for a moment before continuing, "With these three factors, even if he knows he cannot emerge from a decisive battle unscathed, Beatty must come to meet us."

"The problem is, why is he heading toward Norway instead of attacking us directly?"

"Perhaps, as you guessed, Beatty believes we are going to enter the North Atlantic." Hipper paused, then smiled, "If that is truly the case, then our chances of victory are even greater."

"Man proposes, God disposes." Feng Chengqian let out a long breath and changed the subject: "Given the current situation, how do you intend to fight this naval battle?"

"That depends on what kind of result you want to achieve."

Feng smiled and said, "There are only three possibilities for the final outcome: first, we are defeated by the Grand Fleet; second, we defeat the Grand Fleet; and third, we end up in a mutually destructive stalemate."

"Clearly, it cannot be the first."

"We should say, we do not wish for the first outcome to occur."

Hipper nodded. "We most hope for the second, but the probability is not high, as we do not have an absolute advantage..."

"Which means the third outcome is the most likely."

"In that case, we have nothing to fear." Hipper exhaled deeply. "Since Beatty has gone to Norway, we will follow him, block his retreat, and force him to engage us. We might suffer some losses, but we are not the ones who cannot afford them right now."

Feng Chengqian nodded. "You are right. Even if it ends in a mutual stalemate, we are not the ones who will have failed."

"So, you have made up your mind?"

"I made my decision the moment I left Wilhelmshaven."

"Very well, then let us wait for the show to begin."

Fifteen minutes later, the High Seas Fleet turned to a forty-five-degree course, and Hipper dispatched a reconnaissance detachment led by the *Kronprinz* and four other battlecruisers.

Several hours later, the Grand Fleet, which had sailed about four hundred kilometers east, also dispatched its own reconnaissance units. Clearly, Beatty’s scouting task was much heavier than Hipper’s, as he not only had to find the High Seas Fleet entering the North Sea but also had to search for that light cruiser fleet. Fortunately, Beatty had eighteen light cruisers and twelve modernized old-style cruisers, while Hipper had only sixteen light cruisers.

This night, the North Sea was not peaceful. Although the two massive main fleets did not encounter each other, by the second half of the night, the reconnaissance vessels of both sides began clashing on the turbulent seas.

On the morning of May 6, the vanguards commanded by Reeder and Hamilton encountered one another. Because his strength was far inferior to his opponent, Hamilton, upon seeing Reeder's formation, immediately chose to retreat toward the direction of Beatty’s position, sending a telegram at the same time. Reeder also sent a telegram immediately, then followed Hipper's instructions to pursue Hamilton. Although Reeder held a clear advantage, the speeds of the battlecruisers were comparable, and the visibility in the early morning was poor. An hour later, Reeder lost track of Hamilton.

It seemed that this naval battle, carefully orchestrated by Feng Chengqian, was about to fall through. If Beatty made a rational choice to retreat at this moment, it would be difficult for Reeder's reconnaissance detachment to achieve anything in the North Sea fog.

The problem was that Beatty did not choose to retreat, as he had not yet found those light cruisers preparing to enter the North Atlantic.

Around nine in the morning, about an hour after Reeder lost Hamilton, the light cruiser *Strassburg*, performing peripheral reconnaissance, spotted the light cruiser *Phaeton* heading east and immediately identified it as an *Arethusa*-class light cruiser. More importantly, *Phaeton* had not discovered the German ship appearing in the fog to the south. Interestingly, because of a radio malfunction, the *Strassburg* did not send a message immediately.

After trailing *Phaeton* for three hours, the *Strassburg* prepared to give up, as the Grand Fleet clearly could not be ahead of the *Phaeton*. Just then, *Phaeton* reached the end of its reconnaissance route and turned back toward the Grand Fleet; the *Strassburg* followed once more.

Around three in the afternoon, the *Strassburg* saw the Grand Fleet appearing in the fog—or, more accurately, Hamilton’s reconnaissance detachment. The problem was that when sending the report, the *Strassburg* mistook the three battlecruisers for battleships and assumed the ships obscured by the fog were also capital ships, thus concluding that they had found the main Grand Fleet rather than just its reconnaissance detachment.

At this time, the radio operators on the *Strassburg* had also repaired their radio. Upon receiving the report, Hipper immediately ordered Reeder to accelerate the pursuit but instructed him to first verify the enemy situation and not to engage the main Grand Fleet lightly.

As Reeder received the order, the fog hanging over the North Sea was slowly dissipating. Just past four o'clock, Reeder saw the British ships ahead and identified them as capital ships, though due to the thin mist, he could not accurately distinguish their class.

At this moment, Hamilton also discovered the pursuing Reeder. This time, Hamilton did not choose to retreat, because the Grand Fleet was only about ten nautical miles to his north, and he was unsure if Hipper was following behind Reeder. If he continued to retreat, Reeder would discover Beatty within an hour, and if Hipper were nearby, a decisive battle would be unavoidable.

Clearly, Hamilton did not want to engage the High Seas Fleet. At 4:17 PM, after sending a telegram about encountering the German reconnaissance detachment, Hamilton led his three battlecruisers to turn and engage.

Interestingly, it was Reeder who hesitated this time. Upon seeing clearly that there were three battlecruisers, Reeder was very surprised, as Hamilton had not fled but had instead taken the initiative to attack. Clearly, Reeder had to believe that the Grand Fleet was nearby.

At 4:25 PM, Reeder adjusted his formation, prepared for combat, and ordered the four returning light cruisers to continue their reconnaissance duties.