Among the five submarines, U171, U89, and U93 had exhausted all their torpedoes during the battle, so they grouped together and embarked on the journey back. Meanwhile, U122 and U145, still having some torpedoes left, had no choice but to continue hunting in the vast Atlantic.
After the intense battle, not only did Zhang Hainuo's submarine not suffer any casualties, but it also gained an additional "guest." After inspecting several lifeboats, the crew finally found a British naval lieutenant in one of the small boats. When they announced to him that he had been captured by the Imperial German Navy, the British officer's expression seemed extremely unnatural. However, he didn't resist. Instead, he requested the German sailors to provide some bandages and aspirin for his wounded comrades.
Zhang Hainuo, standing on the submarine deck, noticed this small detail. He had a faint feeling that this person might hold the key to his doubts. Therefore, he accepted the British officer's request, providing the sailors with several bundles of bandages and a bottle of antiseptic. He generously offered his own captain's cabin to the British officer as a senior prisoner's quarters and even arranged for three crew members to guard the door in shifts.
However, Zhang Hainuo knew that getting this British man to talk would require some effort.
This was the first time since arriving in this era that Zhang Hainuo had been so close to a British officer. He had heard long ago that British officers cherished their reputation more than their lives and rarely attempted to escape or resist after being captured. They would only repeatedly demand to be treated according to their recognized status. It seemed to be true now. This man, soaked to the skin when he came aboard, refused the clean German military uniform offered by Zhang Hainuo. Later, he reluctantly exchanged it for a shirt and trousers with no military insignia and repeatedly requested to have his uniform washed and dried before returning it.
However, the breakfast provided by Zhang Hainuo was quickly devoured by the British officer, who then unabashedly slept on Zhang Hainuo's bunk. Upon waking up, he asked the German sailors if there were any English books on board.
Such requests left Zhang Hainuo somewhat amused and bemused. After dealing with matters on the submarine, he went to the captain's cabin and had his steward, Werner Stalder, prepare two cups of hot coffee.
"Do you have tea?" The British officer clearly regarded himself as a guest. After receiving a negative response, he reluctantly accepted the cup of black coffee.
Zhang Hainuo took out a notebook and a pen from his pocket. "Your name?"
"Clayton Turner, British Naval Lieutenant, 27 years old. And you, sir?"
This officer named Clayton was quite relaxed. He rattled off his basic information, leaving out only details like height, weight, and emotional status.
Zhang Hainuo almost choked on his last words. Who had heard of a person being interrogated turning around and asking the interrogator for their details? What's more, the crew hadn't found any officer identification on him, presumably discarded by this guy before being brought aboard the submarine.
"Hainuo von Finkenshstein, German Naval Lieutenant! Now, Mr. Turner, could you please tell me the name, number, and your position on the vessel you served?"
The British officer calmly replied, "Sorry, the questions you're asking fall under military secrets. Although I'm your prisoner now, I still need to abide by the secrecy regulations of the British Navy!"
Indeed, he was a stubborn fellow. It seemed Zhang Hainuo would have to use some persuasion to get him to cooperate. But before he could speak again, the British officer interjected:
"Although it might be a bit forward of me to ask, Lieutenant, where did you learn your English?"
Zhang Hainuo gave him a cold glance. This guy didn't seem to grasp his current situation. Looking around the world, few prisoners of war relaxed to this extent. But when someone relaxed too much, like a bad actor's performance, it made one wonder what they were deliberately concealing.
"At school!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, forgive me for being frank, Lieutenant! The English teachers at your school are indeed... quite unkind when it comes to pronunciation, very unkind!" The British man shook his head with a pitying look, seeming rather condescending.
Zhang Hainuo felt an impulse to punch this guy, considering his expression and attitude were far from what one would call "cool."
Zhang Hainuo's previously calm expression turned stern.
"Mr. Clayton Turner, I have to kindly remind you that you are now a prisoner of the Imperial German Navy. Please refrain from discussing irrelevant matters with me. Otherwise..."
The British man looked at Zhang Hainuo with surprise at first, but upon encountering his unfriendly gaze, he quickly averted his eyes.
This small gesture confirmed Zhang Hainuo's suspicions, and he decided to press his advantage.
"We're currently navigating 200 nautical miles off the north coast of Scotland. Mr. Turner, if I were to give you a lifebuoy, could you swim back to Scotland?"
"Of course not, but Lieutenant von Finkenshstein, what you're suggesting is tantamount to murdering a prisoner of war. Such behavior would be tried at the Hague International Military Tribunal!" The British man quickly brought up the International Military Tribunal.
"Don't worry, Mr. Turner! I haven't decided to do that yet!"
Before the man could breathe a sigh of relief, Zhang Hainuo continued, "There's an old saying in the East, 'Might makes right.' Mr. Turner, even if I were to throw you overboard right now without a lifebuoy, no one would take me to the International Military Tribunal. My subordinates won't betray me, and your friends and your country won't even know about this. Isn't that right?"
"You..." The British man stood up with surprise upon hearing this, but unfortunately, he was quite tall and bumped his head against the ceiling of the captain's cabin, causing him to grimace in pain.
"You're... You're violating international law! You're being inhumane! You're not worthy of being called a soldier!"
"Thank you!" Zhang Hainuo coldly retorted, turning the tables on the British man this time.
The British officer's tone suddenly softened as he realized his predicament. Before, it was only the British Navy that lorded over the Germans, but he had never imagined he would end up like this.
"How about it? Can you now tell me the name, number, and your position on the vessel you served?" Zhang Hainuo looked smugly at the British officer before him.
Unexpectedly, the British man remained silent, simply sitting there. But Zhang Hainuo had a way. He called out, "Bratz!"
In the next moment, the strongest man on U171 appeared. This tall sailor was wearing only a vest, showcasing his powerful arms and robust chest muscles. His sun-kissed skin exuded health and vitality. It was clear that in terms of strength, the British Lieutenant Clayton was not even in the same league.
"Prepare a lifebuoy. Our British officer friend here wants to return to England, so we'll give him a ride!" Zhang Hainuo said with a smile, nodding at the British man, "Goodbye!"
Before Clayton could protest further, Bratz grabbed his arm and pulled him out without hesitation.
"Hey, Lieutenant, Lieutenant von Finkenshstein, what are you doing? You can't treat a British officer like this! Although I'm your prisoner now, I'll... I'll sue you at the Hague International Military Tribunal!" The British officer shouted as he tried to resist being dragged out. However, the difference in strength between them was too great, and he was quickly pulled out of the captain's cabin.
"Bon voyage!" Zhang Hainuo said in English.
"Let me go! Release me! You're not worthy of the title of soldier! You're a bunch of barbarians, barbarians!" Clayton's voice could still be heard from outside, but it sounded increasingly distant.
"A soldier?" Zhang Hainuo chuckled. Did being a soldier mean you couldn't use some means to obtain information from prisoners of war? Did soldiers have to rigidly adhere to those so-called international laws? From ancient times to the present, laws were made by the strong to restrain the weak. Hadn't Britain trampled on international law as well?