At dawn, as the first light illuminated the surface of the sea, the seaplane aboard the "Graf Spee" was already eager to take off for reconnaissance. In order to expand the search area, Zhang Hainuo dispatched both Ar196-A1 aircraft from the ship to conduct a fan-shaped search within a radius of 100 kilometers.
During breakfast, Zhang Hainuo fervently hoped that a crew member would rush in to report the discovery of an enemy convoy. However, fate had other plans, and he finished his bread and eggs quite smoothly, leisurely sipping on a cup of coffee.
Two hours later, the two reconnaissance planes returned in succession, signaling with their navigation lights in Morse code: "No targets found!"
"It must be heading north then!" Zhang Hainuo returned to the chart, contemplating that if the enemy convoy didn't have a reason to return to Buenos Aires, then their destination was likely one of Brazil, the United States, or Canada. Given the British preference for assembling escort convoys in American and Canadian waters, and considering the significant increase in distance if they were to travel from Argentina to North America, Brazil was the most likely option. Along the entire eastern coast of Brazil, there were only a few large ports suitable for the assembly of a convoy.
Now, Zhang Hainuo wished he could dispatch ships and aircraft from Schneider's shipyard to search the waters off the northern coast of Argentina using radio communication. However, the risk of exposing the position of his own ship and the true identity of Schneider's shipyard restrained him. In this game, there was no invincibility mode, and while the Germans had faith in their Enigma machines, Zhang Hainuo never considered them particularly reliable.
Once the orders for course change and acceleration were given, the 12,000-ton raider increased its speed towards the new target area. At this moment, the waves on the sea's surface slightly intensified, with the spray split by the ship's bow dispersing to either side. Occasionally, water splashed onto the deck, and most of the crew on the open deck positions donned their rain gear.
Inside the bridge, the experienced navigation officer meticulously recalculated the course using the chart. "Targeting Rio de Janeiro as the destination and multiplying the fleet's speed by the time since they departed... General, Colonel, if we proceed at full speed, we still have a chance to catch up with them before midnight!"
"General, I have a sudden idea!" Lansdorff borrowed a pencil from the navigation officer and circled Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and the Azores on the chart.
"If the convoy is headed to Rio de Janeiro to rendezvous with their counterparts, why don't we ambush them along the route from Rio de Janeiro to the Azores? This could also attract nearby submarines and achieve unprecedented success!"
Watching Lansdorff's bold strokes on the chart, Zhang Hainuo initially found the idea daring, but upon careful consideration, he deemed it unwise.
"Our assumption that the convoy is heading there is still speculative. Even if they are indeed taking that route, they are likely to have more escort forces than just a light cruiser like ours. With our mode of operation, our warship cannot afford significant damage. If that happens, we won't be able to return to Germany!"
Lansdorff couldn't deny this. He sighed deeply, saying, "I wish we could engage the British warships face to face!"
This statement made Zhang Hainuo understand the captain's current mood. While capturing two merchant ships without a scratch was a victory, compared to the achievements of the German submarine force and even the German Army and Air Force, it was insignificant. The sinking of the British aircraft carrier "HMS Ark Royal" alone had brought great fame to those underwater hunters, and the performance of the Army and Air Force in the Polish campaign had astonished the world!
"In this world, there's no absolute fairness, Colonel! We are inherently at a disadvantage against the British Navy. The British are willing to exchange ship for ship or even two for one with us. When we have no ships left to fight, they will still have most of their fleet in hand! Wise men don't make such deals!"
Lansdorff was taken aback, and it took him a while to realize that the dimness in his eyes was replaced by another kind of disappointment.
"Don't be discouraged, my captain!" Zhang Hainuo changed his address to Lansdorff for the first time. He walked over to him and patted his right arm twice. "Once we catch this big fish, we'll have a sumptuous feast. Before long, all the newspapers in Germany will be cheering for our achievements!"
Lansdorff looked up, earnestly reevaluating Zhang Hainuo. He sincerely apologized for his previous prejudices. "General, I apologize for my previous misconceptions about you! You're the most outstanding general I've ever seen!"
Zhang Hainuo smiled kindly and said, "When you become a general, you'll be even more outstanding than me!"
Meanwhile, on the sea near the northeastern coast of Argentina, eight ships were arranged in two columns, heading northeast. Leading the column on the right was a veteran of World War I, the "Greenwich," a slender and long light cruiser. Although bearing the title of a light cruiser, it could at best be considered an armed cruiser with a sturdy hull. In terms of tonnage, it was not much larger than a fleet destroyer. In terms of firepower, its guns were far fewer than those of an ordinary light cruiser: one 45-caliber 6-inch (152mm) gun at the bow and stern, six single 12-pounder (76mm) guns amidships, two triple 533mm torpedo tubes, six 40-caliber 2-pounder (40.5mm) guns, and five 65-caliber 20mm guns constituted the ship's entire anti-aircraft firepower. In addition, six depth charge launchers were installed on both sides. No one knew who proposed to refit this warship, which had been retired in the early 1930s, and then sent it to the battlefield of 1939. The only certain thing was that its combat power was completely inferior to that of the German pocket battleships!
Following this light cruiser were three British steamships with displacements ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 tons, namely the "Warwick," "Barbaric," and "Rochingham." They were laden with goods shipped from Buenos Aires, mostly quasi-military supplies such as leather, lard, and linen, as well as provisions for soldiers and horses, such as barley, soybeans, and so on.
The four ships on the right were all flying the Union Jack without exception, while the four on the left were all flying the tricolor flag of France. They were slightly larger in displacement than their counterparts on the right. From front to back, they were the "Public Dog," "Vimiera," "Stanley," and "Malga." The "Public Dog" and "Vimiera" were refrigerated cargo ships equipped with refrigeration equipment, responsible for transporting premium Argentine beef and eggs to France. The "Stanley" and "Malga" were ordinary cargo ships, also carrying supplies for the front lines.
In terms of speed, the four French ships were slightly faster. Except for the lead light cruiser on the British side, none of the other ships exceeded 12 knots.
Since the repair of the "Public Dog" the previous night, the performance of the four French cargo ships had been average, sparing Captain Nairn from any confrontation with the French. He was more concerned about these French cargo ships causing him trouble during the long voyage than about the black submarines of the German Navy.
In Captain Nairn's impression, the French were a strange people, with a mix of romanticism and arrogance in their heads: their French romanticism seemed innate, especially gentlemanly towards women, pursuing romance almost as passionately as Italians; the French were arrogant because they felt that "God created everything and gave the best natural conditions in the world to France" - France had a long history and rich cultural resources, from Hugo to Rousseau, from Voltaire to Descartes, countless great writers and philosophers that they took pride in; France possessed rich art collections, with countless treasures in the Louvre, castles scattered throughout the countryside and mountains were all landmarks; at the same time, France was the only country in medieval Europe to achieve complete centralization of power, and the first to overthrow its own monarchy and establish a republic, laying the essence and foundation of modern political system in Europe. With the Declaration of the Rights of Man issued during the French Revolution in 1789, it became a reference template for many subsequent democratic revolutions in various countries; maintaining a colonial empire for 200 years, France's territory was second only to the "empire on which the sun never sets," Britain.
Due to the geopolitical and political relations between Britain and France, Captain Nairn had been dealing with many French officers since 1934. In the eyes of those officers who still retained strong French aristocratic characteristics, Germans were too rigid, Belgians too dull, Americans lacked historical depth, and as for the British, they were always self-righteous and lacked culinary culture. Only the French, with their deep cultural heritage, good traditional habits, and broad-mindedness, were considered the best nation in the world.
To counter Germany, Britain and France, these "old enemies," stood together in the 1910s. However, as Germany massively expanded its military and the Soviet Union grew stronger in the 1930s, they once again joined forces to maintain their dominant positions in Europe. Nevertheless, the French, especially the officers and sailors of the French Navy, still harbored resentment towards the defeats suffered by France at the hands of the British Navy during the Napoleonic era. They acknowledged the strength of the British fleet but were unwilling to play a supporting role. Even in wartime, they preferred to solve problems their own way.
"Arrogant France! Barbaric Germany! Without these two nations, how beautiful the world would be!" Captain Nairn muttered to himself as he gazed at the coastline several miles away. In September, South America was in late spring and early summer, and the climate here was pleasant. But as a traditional Englishman, Captain Nairn obviously longed more for the autumn scenery in southern England. He remembered the scenes of harvest in his own estate, recalling the busy yet happy figures of people. Although not everyone there was very friendly, they were at least reasonable and easy to communicate with.
After lunch, the sailors who were not on duty came to the deck in pairs or threes to bask in the sun. With a distance of three to four hundred meters between them, the sailors on both sides inevitably picked up the loudspeaker to show off. Initially, both sides asked about each other's lunch situation amiably. When the French realized that their steak and fried eggs were one notch above the British sausages and grilled bread, the teasing began. Furthermore, some even waved wine bottles with half a bottle of wine, shouting, "Come on, Brits, here's some fine French wine!"
The British, unwilling to be outdone, brought out their whiskey and sausages, while the French continued to boast about their jams. Gradually, various slang and vulgar language came into play, and the sailors on both sides who were proficient in each other's languages conveyed each other's meanings indignantly to their comrades. This exchange escalated into a group behavior of insults, but at least their commanders didn't have to worry about physical conflicts - no one would swim hundreds of meters across the sea to the other's ship to save face over such matters. At most, they would settle it with a bottle in a bar next time they met in a port.
The sailors continued to chatter and digest their food, while the sailors on lookout were eagerly watching the spectacle, until a light green seaplane buzzed overhead. People quieted down, but no one felt panicked. After all, this was South America, far away from Europe. In people's usual thinking, German planes couldn't fly this far because they had neither overseas colonies nor a powerful aircraft carrier fleet like the British.
Standing on the bridge, Nairn looked up at the light green single-engine seaplane with two large floats, which should be relatively large among its kind. This scene made the usually cautious British captain show a hint of worry in his eyes.
"It seems to be a passenger plane flying from Argentina to Brazil!" Another officer on the bridge had a indifferent expression. "As far as I know, they opened this route a few years ago. Most of the planes belong to a Brazilian company called Eagle Aviation! The European war should not affect their operations!"
"Don't worry!" Captain Nairn reassured himself, "I'm just curious!"
An hour and a half later, when the single-engine G-2C landed in Rio de Janeiro, the pilot handed an extremely secretive note to a German naval intelligence officer stationed in the capital of Brazil. Soon, information about the position, course, and formation of the British and French fleets was transmitted back to Germany through encrypted telegrams. When it reached the "Graf Spee" sailing near the coast of South America, the crew was enjoying their dinner for the day.
"Although it's a bit late, it's better than nothing!" Schönberg wiped his mouth and left behind half-eaten dinner to rush back to the bridge with Langsdorff.
"North-northeast heading, about 10 degrees east, speed 9 to 10 knots, 120 nautical miles from Buenos Aires!" Langsdorff took the lead in "taking the helm," with compasses, rulers, and pencils in hand, marking the course of the British fleet and their possible current position on the chart. To their surprise, the attacking ship was less than 80 nautical miles away from there!
"Three hours' journey? It seems that their speed is slower than we expected. Perhaps they took a detour or encountered some trouble. But these things don't matter anymore!" Zhang Hainuo stared intently at the two circles on the chart representing the attacker and the attacked, filled with anticipation and a hint of nervousness on the brink of battle.
"But there's a problem, General!" Lansdorf suddenly furrowed his brow. "They are sailing along the border between Argentine territorial waters and international waters. Once we strike, they can easily retreat into Argentine waters. We cannot attack a vessel within the territorial waters of a neutral country; that would be a violation of neutrality laws!"
Lansdorf's analysis reminded Zhang Hainuo of the historical "Altmark" incident — a German supply ship carrying 299 British prisoners of war was attacked by British warships while returning from the Atlantic voyage in Norwegian territorial waters. The British successfully rescued their prisoners, causing great humiliation to the Germans. This incident led to German pressure on the Norwegian government. Though initially sympathetic to the German supply ships, Norway did not want to offend the British. Eventually, they only weakly protested the violation of their neutrality to the British government. This incident served as a catalyst for Germany's invasion of Norway, securing their northern flank despite losing valuable cruisers and destroyers in the "Weserübung" campaign.
Regardless of the "Altmark" incident, Germany would have sought to secure its access to and from the Atlantic through the occupation of Norway and to consolidate its iron ore supply lines. However, according to the neutrality laws of the time, belligerents were not allowed to conduct combat operations in the waters of neutral countries. In the complex and delicate political situation in South America, Zhang Hainuo was well aware of the need to avoid such situations.
At this moment, various tactical ideas were rapidly turning over in Zhang Hainuo's mind. Should they approach from nearby waters? Or should they detour for a frontal interception? Or perhaps confuse the enemy and strike before they could react? Regardless of which strategy they adopted, it seemed difficult to achieve the objective of severely damaging or annihilating the enemy.
"Maybe... we can try another strategy commonly used by pirates in the past!"
It seemed Lansdorf had a sudden idea, and Zhang Hainuo looked at him with interest. "You mean..."
Lansdorf nodded. "Send out distress signals to lure them in!"
"What are the chances of success with this tactic?" Zhang Hainuo tended to favor various flexible tactics, but now he was more concerned about the feasibility of employing this pirate tactic under the current circumstances.
"We can properly disguise our warships, making it difficult for the enemy to recognize our true identity from a distance. However, we can still determine their numbers and positions through radar!" Lansdorf glanced out the porthole. "On a night like this, I believe there's at least a ninety percent chance of success!"
Zhang Hainuo turned his head. As night fell, the grayish clouds in the sky meant it would be a night with very limited visibility, the kind described as "dark as pitch"...