Before a battle begins, the commander's words have the most significant impact on the soldiers' morale. Whether it's rallying them to fight to the end or preparing for a desperate last stand, it largely depends on the commander's words.
"Maintain one-third speed and dive to a depth of 35 meters! Gentlemen, we may have to stay underwater for several hours. From now on, everyone should minimize unnecessary movements and try to remain as quiet as possible! Once the British tire out, we'll resurface and give them a good thrashing!"
Standing where Hessen usually commanded battles, Zhang Hainuo felt his heart racing, but he remained calm, and his tone was composed. He focused on keeping his attention on the situation rather than speculating about the outcome of the battle, even though the enemy was much stronger.
The newcomers seemed a bit nervous, but the atmosphere wasn't too tense yet. The three most important compartments - the torpedo room, the engine room, and the control room - were manned by experienced officers and non-commissioned officers. Zhang Hainuo didn't have to worry about his orders being executed accurately.
As the senior lieutenant aboard, Simon, the first officer, reported the depth of the submarine at regular intervals:
"Fifteen meters... Eighteen meters... Twenty meters... Twenty-five meters... Thirty meters... Thirty-five meters..."
"Stop diving! Turn 5 degrees to 350! Maintain one-third speed!"
Unlike Hessen, who had a knack for timing, Zhang Hainuo tried to check the clock as little as possible to avoid appearing overly nervous and transmitting negative emotions to the crew.
Time passed, and except for the engine, there were hardly any other sounds aboard the submarine.
Ten minutes later, Zhang Hainuo ordered the engines to be shut down.
People started listening intently. Initially, the world was silent, but soon a faint mechanical buzzing came from the surface. The crew, regardless of their experience level, instinctively raised their heads, although they could only see the ceiling covered with pipes.
Zhang Hainuo crossed his arms and lowered his head slightly, recalling the various tactics Hessen had taught him. To the enemy, U21 was like a viper - elusive and deadly. But in real combat, Zhang Hainuo found himself with few ideas, despite being a modern man from over ninety years later.
Boom...
As expected, the first muffled explosion soon followed, followed by the second, then the third, and so on. The continuous thudding made it feel like experiencing a violent thunderstorm or participating in an ancient military parade. These sounds, sometimes near and sometimes far, initially caused no slight movement in the submarine, but the crew's faces still betrayed anxiety.
Zhang Hainuo wanted to explain that these were the British's usual tactics, that their bombs and mines wouldn't accurately land near U171, but at the last moment, he changed his mind. He realized that while Hessen had personally mentored him, the crew he faced now were novices who might interpret such explanations as deliberate comfort.
Let them experience real combat; perhaps that was the better choice!
Moreover, Zhang Hainuo harbored a hidden worry: the British airship had likely spotted U171 diving. Although the submarine had moved in the opposite direction after diving, it wasn't enough to ensure safety.
As expected, just as the initial few minutes of bombarding passed quietly, the sea suddenly fell silent. As the crew's eardrums recovered, they found the faint buzzing sound becoming unprecedentedly closer.
Boom...
This time, the tremor was so intense that Zhang Hainuo, despite his efforts, almost lost his balance and fell. He watched several cabin lights burst. Then, a report came from the engine room that a pipe had burst, and they were working to fix it.
Nearly all eyes in the control room turned to Zhang Hainuo. After a moment of confusion, he immediately regained his composure. He was the commander of this submarine, and his priority wasn't killing the enemy but ensuring the safety of the submarine and its crew.
However, the situation had far exceeded his expectations. But he couldn't just sit and wait; he had to think quickly to get U171 out of the current predicament.
During a brief pause in the explosions, Zhang Hainuo seized the intercom, swallowed hard, and commanded in as steady a tone as possible:
"Dive to 40 meters! Edwin, take two men from the engine room to support the torpedo room. Everyone else, hold your positions. If you notice any leaks or other issues, report to me immediately!"
The crew's quality soon became apparent. Under the leadership of the officers and experienced crew, the situation in the engine room was quickly brought under control, and the submarine increased speed to dive deeper.
As the explosions subsided temporarily, Zhang Hainuo couldn't relax. The British bombs followed suit.
"Goddamn it! Forty-five meters!"
"Lieutenant!" First Officer Simon, who was controlling the submarine, turned around. "I'm afraid we can't dive any deeper
!"
"What?" Zhang Hainuo looked at Simon nearby. As he stepped forward to approach, another tremor hit, causing him to stumble and fall hard on the floor. Despite the pain, he pushed himself up and made his way to Simon.
"Why can't we dive deeper?"
"Sorry, Lieutenant, I didn't have a chance to tell you! When our submarine was first commissioned, we tried diving to the maximum designed depth of 45 meters. However, at less than 43 meters, the pipes inside the submarine burst due to pressure. We brought in experts from the shipyard, and they said it was a technical flaw during U171's construction. But as long as we stay below 40 meters, there shouldn't be any issues! We haven't dived below 40 meters since then, so..."
"Damn it!" Zhang Hainuo finally cursed, not blaming anyone. He knew that even if they managed to dive 5 or even 10 meters deeper, it wouldn't significantly improve their situation.
At that moment, a report came from the battery compartment that made Zhang Hainuo's headache worse:
"The battery can only sustain full speed for 15 minutes!"
Fifteen minutes! Were they to hope that the British ammunition would run out in 15 minutes?
No, one couldn't rely on the enemy's mercy on the battlefield!
Zhang Hainuo repeatedly told himself to stay calm. Only by remaining calm could he come up with a solution! He couldn't give up like this!
Suddenly, he remembered the experiences of those German submarines during World War II. Being attacked by Allied ships was routine for them; some were unfortunate to be sunk, but others managed to escape repeatedly thanks to their captains' ingenuity. The methods they used...
"Edwin! Are you still in the engine room?"
"Yes, Hainuo, what are your orders?"
"Listen to me carefully, Edwin! Take a few buckets of engine oil from the engine room to the forward torpedo room. Fire off two torpedoes at maximum depth, then pour the engine oil into the torpedo tubes and find some clothes, bottles, and cans, and stuff them all in. Don't ask why, just do it immediately!"
"Understood!"
After rattling off these instructions, Zhang Hainuo realized his heart was pounding faster than ever. Few captains in this era used such methods. He thought the British would likely fall for it; otherwise, his journey through time might end here!