xymnovel Chapter 121 German Ironclads Collide with Greece's "Future"
Chapter 121 German Ironclads Collide with Greece's "Future"
One week before the wedding.
The port of Piraeus was deserted.
All ships in the port, regardless of size, obeyed orders and made way for a wide main channel. On the dock, the Greek royal guard, dressed in brand-new Prussian blue uniforms, their brass buttons gleaming in the sunlight, stood in perfect formation, as if measured with a ruler.
At the horizon, a massive steel silhouette broke through the morning mist and slowly approached.
It was a behemoth.
Four massive smokestacks spewed thick black smoke, obscuring half the sky. Heavy armor covered the hull, gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Along both sides of the hull, rows of menacing cannons, like silent behemoths, silently proclaimed their destructive power.
"Sachsen" class ironclad!
The pride of the German Imperial Navy, a mobile steel fortress at sea.
As the colossal ship slowly approached the dock, its enormous shadow enveloped the entire harbor. The Athenian citizens watching gasped in suppressed awe; they had never seen such a magnificent warship. The overwhelming power and oppressive aura made everyone hold their breath.
This is a stark contrast to the heartwarming scene when Princess Sofia arrived a year ago.
This was an undisguised and naked display of national power.
Constantine and Sophia stood side by side at the end of the red carpet at the pier, waiting for each other.
Constantine, dressed in a pristine white royal robe, stood tall and straight as a pine tree. Sofia, on the other hand, wore a sky-blue gown, her face bearing the joy of reunion and a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.
The massive gangway was lowered and covered with a red carpet.
A young officer dressed in a magnificent Prussian marshal's uniform appeared at the top of the gangway.
He wore a helmet adorned with white ponytails, had a handsome face, a slightly upturned chin, and sharp, arrogant eyes, as if he were born to look down upon all living beings. His left arm was slightly atrophied, but this did not diminish his commanding presence.
Prince William, the grandson of the Crown Prince of the German Empire, has arrived.
The military band played the Prussian national anthem.
Wilhelm descended the gangway step by step with standard Prussian military strides. Behind him followed a group of arrogant German officers wearing monocles.
"William!" Sophia lifted her skirt and hurried to meet him.
"My Sophie." The cold pride on William's face melted instantly. He opened his arms and gave his sister a tight hug.
"Are you alright? Did they bully you?" he asked in a low voice in German, his sharp gaze sweeping over Constantine behind Sofia with a scrutinizing tone.
"I'm fine, William, I've never been better," Sophia replied with a smile, then pulled him to Constantine.
"William, this is my fiancé, Constantine."
William's gaze officially met Constantine's.
He stretched out his hand, his voice loud and clear, carrying an undeniable force.
"Constantine, I entrust you with the most precious jewel of Prussia. I hope you will not let it be tarnished."
His palms were dry and strong, and the force of his handshake was an undisguised show of force.
Constantine wore a calm smile, his hand applying just the right amount of pressure as he steadily accepted the other's probing.
"Your Highness, please rest assured," he replied in equally fluent German, his voice gentle yet clear, "In Athens, she will only shine brighter than she did in Berlin."
Their eyes met, and it felt as if invisible lightning was colliding in the air.
William scrutinized the Greek crown prince before him, who was even taller and more handsome than himself. He lacked the rudeness often seen in Balkan people; instead, he possessed the air of a well-educated aristocrat. That composure didn't seem feigned.
He released his grip and nodded, which was considered a preliminary approval.
After the welcoming ceremony, the royal carriage slowly departed from the port.
As is customary, the motorcade should return to the palace directly along the main road.
But Constantine gave the driver a special instruction.
"Take a detour to the western suburbs."
"Connie?" Sophia asked, somewhat puzzled. The western suburbs were mostly construction sites and newly built buildings, not suitable as a welcoming landscape.
Prince William raised an eyebrow, looked out the car window at the somewhat old streets, and said nothing.
The carriage quickly veered off the main road and headed west of Athens.
The road surface began to become bumpy, and there was more dust.
One of Prince William's aides curled his lip, a hint of disdain in his eyes. Was this the scene the Greek Crown Prince intended to present to the Imperial Crown Prince? A chaotic construction site?
However, when the convoy reached a high point, the sight before them silenced all the German entourage.
Below, on a vast expanse of land, a massive military camp is rising from the ground.
They were all too familiar with the style of those buildings. The straight lines, the rigorous symmetry, the huge parade ground, the red-brick barracks... it was pure German style, as if a military camp in Potsdam had been moved to Athens intact.
Thousands of workers are working hard on the project, while they are directed by instructors dressed in Greek military uniforms who give orders in loud German.
"That's our Royal Military Academy," Constantine introduced at the opportune moment. "It's built entirely to the highest Prussian standards, and the instructors are all the best officers hired from your country."
Prince William's gaze was fixed intently on the military camp.
The arrogance on his face faded somewhat, replaced by an expression that mixed curiosity and approval.
He was a thorough militarist, and nothing pleased him more than seeing the Prussian military spirit take root in a foreign land.
"A good plan," he commented succinctly.
The convoy continued on its way.
As he passed through another area, Prince William saw something that interested him even more.
In the distance, clusters of uniquely styled buildings were beginning to take shape. Around these buildings, workers were erecting tall wooden towers, with gleaming copper wires running between them. It was the rudimentary form of a power transmission network.
"That's the Athena National Academy of Sciences," Constantine's voice rang out again. "It's the heart of Greece's future. We're conducting a study on how to send the thunderbolts of Athena to every corner of the city."
Prince William looked in the direction he was pointing and could vaguely see the top of the tallest building of the Academy of Sciences, where a huge, windmill-like device was slowly turning in the wind. Constantine explained that it was a prototype of a wind turbine.
Prince William remained silent.
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his knees.
Before he arrived, he had heard too many rumors about his future brother-in-law. He was said to be a cunning Balkan politician, an ambitious manipulator, and a madman who wanted to ignite a war.
But what he sees now is a completely different matter.
This Greek crown prince understands the Prussian military spirit, which is the foundation of the nation.
He understood even better what the most important force of this era was—industry. It was the foundation of a powerful nation.
"Constantine," Prince William suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the carriage.
"Does your military academy's staff department use Clausewitz's textbooks or Moltke's latest revision?"
His questions were extremely professional and went straight to the heart of the matter.
Constantine smiled.
"We used the theoretical framework of your country's Marshal Moltke, but in the part about map exercises, I personally added some new variables regarding railway transportation and logistical support."
Prince William's eyes lit up immediately.