Chapter Summaries

Qin Tian, now Prince Oskar and the fifth son of Wilhelm II, worried that Germany was headed for defeat in the coming war. He considered Germany’s strategic weaknesses and wondered whether its fate could be changed.

• Qin Tian sat by the Havel River in Potsdam and reflected on how he had awakened in the body of Prince Oskar in 1904.
• He recalled his former life as a wealthy family’s military-history enthusiast and how a German Iron Cross medal had arrived with a blinding flash before he crossed over.
• Qin Tian feared that the German Imperial Family would suffer after the empire fell and wondered whether Germany’s defeat could be prevented.
• He assessed Germany’s dependence on overseas markets and resources, its enemies on both sides, and the weakness of its Austro-Hungarian ally.
• Qin Tian concluded that Germany’s navy could not match Britain’s while also maintaining the army, and worried that he would be left to live an ignoble life.

Prince Oskar resolved to avoid a life of obscurity and use the coming years to prepare for Germany’s future, but Wilhelm II summoned him to order him to attend Kiel Naval Academy. The chapter ended with Oskar facing the four-year path he had vowed not to take.

• Oskar reflected on Germany’s future defeat and swore he would not drift through life without contributing to the country.
• Oskar decided he needed money and influence, and believed his naval knowledge could help Germany if he gained power.
• Karl von Jonerait told Oskar that Wilhelm II wanted to see him after Director Ludwig Birkenhagen had left the Emperor’s office.
• Oskar entered the office and found Wilhelm II and Crown Prince Wilhelm discussing Japan’s attack on Lushun and Russia’s setbacks.
• Wilhelm II told Oskar to report to Kiel Naval Academy in half a month and urged him to become an outstanding naval talent.

Oscar refused Wilhelm II’s order to attend the Kiel Naval Academy, saying he wanted to pursue his own plans instead. Wilhelm II ordered him to report to the academy in one week and remain there for four years, leaving Oscar unable to reveal why he feared Germany’s future.

• Oscar told Wilhelm II that he did not want to attend the Kiel Naval Academy.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm rebuked Oscar for refusing Wilhelm II’s arrangement, but Wilhelm II stopped him and offered the Army Academy as an alternative.
• Oscar said he did not want to attend university and wanted to do something on his own.
• Wilhelm II accused Oscar of shaming the Hohenzollern family and disgracing the Imperial Family by avoiding military service.
• Oscar kept his knowledge of Germany’s future defeat secret as Wilhelm II ordered him to report to the Kiel Naval Academy in one week and stay for four years without permission to return.

After Wilhelm II ordered Oscar to report to Kiel Naval Academy, Oscar traveled there hoping to negotiate freedom from regular classes so he could pursue his own affairs. Director Birkenhagen rejected his demand and offered to ask Wilhelm II to cancel Oscar’s enrollment.

• Oscar left Wilhelm II’s office and decided to seek an arrangement with Director Birkenhagen rather than spend four years at the academy under strict rules.
• Oscar ordered Karl von Jonerait to buy train tickets, and the two traveled from Potsdam to Kiel.
• Oscar and Karl arrived at Kiel Naval Academy and met Director Birkenhagen after presenting Oscar’s identification.
• Oscar asked Director Birkenhagen to let him skip regular classes and attend only final examinations without restrictions on his time.
• Director Birkenhagen condemned Oscar’s request and offered to ask Wilhelm II to rescind the enrollment order.

Oscar argued that Germany could not defeat the British Navy without overcoming its shortage of capital ships, and said he would contribute more by raising funds than by spending four years at Kiel Naval Academy. He left Director Birkenhagen with a startling proposal: he would donate a battleship within four years if the director accepted his request.

• Oscar apologized for insulting the Navy, then explained that Germany's financial and geographic constraints left its fleet far behind Britain's.
• Oscar warned Director Birkenhagen and Karl that a future war could leave Germany blockaded and ultimately defeated if its Navy could not beat Britain.
• Oscar said Germany could gain an advantage by building capital ships powerful enough to overwhelm British ships, though the Empire could not afford to compete in numbers.
• Oscar argued that he could help the Navy more by securing development funds than by attending the academy for four years.
• Oscar asked Director Birkenhagen whether he would accept his request if Oscar guaranteed a battleship donation to the German Navy within four years.

Oscar persuaded Director Birkenhagen to let him leave the Naval Academy for four years by promising to donate a battleship to the German Navy. Wilhelm II learned of the bargain and, convinced Oscar was making an empty boast, threatened to strip him of his title and family benefits if he failed.

• Oscar promised to earn enough money to donate a battleship within four years, and Director Birkenhagen agreed to let him leave the Naval Academy provided he showed progress within two years.
• Oscar and Karl left the academy, and Oscar told Karl they would work hard to make money and keep his word.
• Director Birkenhagen reported the agreement to Wilhelm II by telegram and hoped Oscar would fulfill his promise.
• Wilhelm II condemned Oscar as a boastful shirker, then threatened to revoke his princely title and expel him from the Hohenzollern family if he failed.

After leaving Potsdam for Berlin, Oscar proposed launching the German Welfare Lottery Company to raise the money needed for his plans. Karl believed the lottery could succeed but warned that its profits would attract powerful rivals, leaving Oscar to consider how to protect the business.

• Oscar and Karl left Potsdam for Berlin, where Oscar planned to use his five million marks in savings as startup capital.
• Karl asked Oscar about his plan to earn forty million marks in four years, then promised to stand by him despite the risks.
• Oscar showed Karl a proposal for the German Welfare Lottery Company, which would sell a Double Color Ball lottery with large prizes and frequent smaller prizes.
• Karl judged the lottery format far stronger than existing tickets and expected it to become popular across Germany.
• Karl warned that the company's profits would draw greedy rivals, and Oscar recognized that he needed a way to protect his wealth.

Oscar and Karl established the German Welfare Lottery Company, using welfare donations and royal support to protect their lottery business. After Oscar’s advertising campaign sparked nationwide interest, Double Color Ball tickets went on sale across Germany and sales surged.

• Oscar proposed giving twenty percent of lottery profits to social welfare projects and twenty percent to the royal family in return for public and royal backing.
• Oscar and Karl agreed to register the company, seek patents for Double Color Ball and other lottery formats, and make Karl its legal representative.
• Oscar provided five million Mark in startup capital, while Karl invested one million Mark from his father and accepted twenty percent of the company’s shares for ten percent of profits.
• Oscar and Karl registered the company, secured patents within a week, recruited employees, and arranged secure ticket printing and draw procedures.
• Oscar’s newspaper advertisements promised a five-million-Mark prize and made Double Color Ball popular before its launch.
• On November 18, 1904, the German Welfare Lottery Company began selling Double Color Ball tickets nationwide, and long queues formed at lottery outlets.

The German Welfare Lottery Company completed its first Double Color Ball draw, earning 2.12 million Marks in profit and preparing to expand sales. In Düsseldorf, miner Hans discovered that his ticket had won the five-million-Mark first prize.

• Karl von Jonath announced the winning numbers and told Oscar that more than ten million tickets had been sold.
• Karl's team tallied the tickets and found one first-prize winner and eighteen second-prize winners, with a total payout of about twelve million Marks.
• Karl reported a profit of 2.12 million Marks, and Oscar ordered the prizes paid and the newspapers to publicize the results.
• Hans declined a drink after work and took his lottery ticket to an outlet to check it.
• The outlet employee recognized Hans's ticket as the first-prize winner and congratulated him on winning five million Marks before taxes.

Hans won five million marks in the German Welfare Lottery Company's first prize, helping drive ticket sales and profits sharply upward. As Oscar feared greedy capitalists would target the company, he sent Karl to offer the imperial family a share of the profits and seek its protection.

• Karl presented Hans with the five-million-mark prize before reporters, and Hans celebrated the change it would bring to his family's life.
• News of Hans's win boosted Double Color Ball sales, and by the fourth draw the company had earned around four million marks.
• Oscar noted that the company's six draws had produced ten million marks in profit and gave Karl a one-million-mark check.
• Oscar warned Karl that wealthy capitalists might try to seize the company as its profits grew, despite Oscar's status as a prince.
• Oscar told Karl to take the check to his father, the emperor, and ask the imperial family to protect the company in return for its share of the profits.

Wilhelm II learned that Prince Oskar’s lottery company was earning enormous profits and reconsidered his judgment of his son. Crown Prince Wilhelm grew jealous and argued that Oskar should give the Imperial Family a larger share to help fund Germany’s military.

• Wilhelm II and Crown Prince Wilhelm discussed how Germany should respond to Britain and France’s agreement over Morocco, with Wilhelm II wary of war.
• Essen von Jonait delivered a two-million-Mark check from Oskar and explained that Oskar’s lottery company would give twenty percent of its profits to the Imperial Family and another twenty percent to social welfare.
• Essen von Jonait said the company had already earned two million Marks in less than half a month and expected monthly profit distributions of four to five million Marks.
• Wilhelm II realized Oskar could afford to donate a battleship to the German Navy and acknowledged his business success.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm complained that Oskar kept too much of the company’s profits instead of giving the greater share to the Imperial Family.

Wilhelm II accepted a share of Oscar’s lottery profits and agreed to protect the German Welfare Lottery Company, restoring Oscar’s standing at court. With the company secure, Oscar focused on designing a new Battleship as he anticipated the coming revolution in naval warfare.

• Karl von Jonath offered to donate his share of the company’s profits to the royal family, but Wilhelm II accepted only Oscar and Karl’s pledged twenty percent.
• Wilhelm II agreed to protect the German Welfare Lottery Company from greedy capitalists and invited Oscar to return for the Christmas banquet.
• The royal family declared the company royal property, forcing the capitalists who coveted it to abandon their plans.
• Oscar received the news, left the company’s main operations to Karl, and began refining his Battleship design.
• Oscar recalled that the British Dreadnought was nearing approval and expected its arrival to make older Battleships obsolete.

Oscar completed plans for a powerful all-big-gun Battleship and hoped to use his promised donation to win Wilhelm II’s favor and strengthen Germany. On Christmas Eve, Oscar and Karl set off for the imperial banquet at Potsdam, where Oscar was returning to the palace after a long absence.

• Oscar finished blueprints for a Battleship with three Triple 305mm Main Guns, oil-fired boilers, Steam Turbines, and stronger defenses.
• Oscar considered how his donation might earn Wilhelm II’s favor and help him influence Germany’s future.
• Oscar’s German Welfare Lottery Company prospered, and he and Karl planned to expand overseas and invest their growing wealth.
• Wilhelm II invited Oscar to the imperial palace’s Christmas Eve banquet, and Oscar prepared gifts for his family.
• Oscar and Karl traveled to Potsdam by Mercedes-Benz while Oscar considered investing in the automobile industry.

Oscar joined the royal family’s Christmas Eve gathering, where he confronted Crown Prince Wilhelm’s hostility and won the Empress and Princess Louise’s favor with lavish gifts. Wilhelm remained resentful as the family prepared to attend the Emperor’s banquet.

• Karl warned Oscar that Crown Prince Wilhelm wanted to seize his profitable company and would likely cause trouble at the banquet.
• Oscar arrived at the palace garden and answered Wilhelm’s mockery by pointing out how the Crown Prince might mistreat his siblings after inheriting the throne.
• The Empress stopped the brothers’ argument and welcomed Oscar into the family gathering.
• Wilhelm asked what gift Oscar had prepared for the Empress, and Oscar presented her with a diamond necklace worth a fortune.
• Oscar gave Princess Louise a second necklace, delighting her and drawing the Empress’s warm approval.

At the palace banquet, Oscar clashed with Crown Prince Wilhelm after defending his right to spend his own money and promising to donate a battleship to the navy. The gathering moved to a formal banquet where Wilhelm II urged Germany to grow stronger, and Oscar met two prominent naval figures.

• Crown Prince Wilhelm attacked Oscar for spending money lavishly, and Oscar defended himself by citing his promised battleship donation and challenging Wilhelm's contributions to the Empire.
• The Empress stopped the brothers' quarrel, and the gathering ended without Oscar meeting Wilhelm II, so he sent his gift through Karl's father.
• Oscar entered the palace ballroom with the Empress and the princes, drawing attention because of the Welfare Lottery Company's success.
• Wilhelm II addressed the guests and urged the German Empire to become strong enough that other nations could not ignore it.
• Oscar watched the foreign diplomats react uneasily and reflected that war had become unavoidable.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Director Ludwig Birkenhagen approached Oscar, and Tirpitz thanked him for supporting the Imperial Navy.

Oscar met with Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Director Birkenhagen, reaffirmed his promise to fund a battleship, and warned that Germany would need to break a British naval blockade to survive a long war. The chapter ended with Tirpitz and Birkenhagen hearing Oscar’s argument that prewar stockpiles would not be enough.

• Oscar promised Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz that construction of the battleship he had pledged to donate could begin by next year.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz decided to maintain a good relationship with Oscar and invited him to discuss his views on the navy.
• Oscar warned Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Director Birkenhagen that Germany could not match the British Navy in strength and would likely struggle to defeat it.
• Oscar argued that Germany would need to defeat the British Navy and lift its blockade to secure supplies during the coming war.
• Oscar told Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Director Birkenhagen that the war would be long and brutal, making prewar stockpiles insufficient.

Oscar told Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Director Birkenhagen that his donation would fund a revolutionary Battleship capable of helping Germany challenge Britain. Crown Prince Wilhelm feared Oscar was courting the navy, while Wilhelm II received Oscar’s warship design as a Christmas gift and was impressed by his talent.

• Oscar argued that Germany could defeat Britain only by building Battleships that surpassed British ships in performance, not by matching their numbers.
• Oscar promised Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Director Birkenhagen that his donation would fund an epoch-making Battleship, but postponed showing them the design drawings.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm watched Oscar with hostility and vowed not to let him gain power or threaten his claim to the throne.
• After the banquet ended, Wilhelm II returned to his office and found a long box containing a warship design from Oscar.
• Essen von Jonath told Wilhelm II that Oscar had drawn the design himself, and Wilhelm II praised his son’s talent.

Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz examined Oscar’s blueprint for a radical new battleship and debated whether Germany could build it. Impressed by the design and Tirpitz’s high opinion of Oscar, Wilhelm ordered him summoned so he could explain his ideas.

• Wilhelm II studied Oscar’s battleship blueprint and recognized its all-big-gun armament, triple turrets, and advanced propulsion as a possible direction for future battleships.
• Wilhelm II summoned Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz to assess the design and Germany’s ability to construct it.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz noted the design’s major innovations but questioned removing secondary guns and described technical obstacles to using oil-fired boilers and steam turbines.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz praised Oscar’s understanding of naval development, prompting Wilhelm II to ask what Oscar believed about the battleship’s future.
• Essen von Jonath sent someone to find Oscar, and Wilhelm II ordered that he be awakened if he had already gone to sleep.

Oscar explained his proposed all-big-gun Battleship design to Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz, arguing that long-range naval combat and faster, more powerful ships would shape future warfare. Wilhelm II ordered Tirpitz to investigate Britain's newest Battleship, while Tirpitz warned that Germany would need breakthroughs to adopt Oscar's design.

• Wilhelm II urged a tired Oscar to build personal connections at banquets before asking him to explain his Christmas Battleship design.
• Oscar argued that longer engagement ranges would make smaller guns ineffective and make all-big-gun Battleships the future of naval warfare.
• Tirpitz reported that Britain was designing an advanced new Battleship, and Oscar predicted it would use an all-big-gun layout.
• Wilhelm II ordered Tirpitz to investigate Britain's new Battleship so Germany would not fall behind.
• Oscar defended oil-fired boilers, steam turbines, and 305mm main guns, while Tirpitz said the proposal required breakthroughs in several areas.

Oscar’s battleship design faced a cautious evaluation by the Naval Technical Committee, whose senior members doubted that a sixteen-year-old could design a warship. Oscar arrived at the conference determined to defend his design, even if he had to fund construction himself.

• Oscar reflected that the committee’s demonstration conference would be difficult and fell asleep after discussing his design with Wilhelm II and Count Tirpitz.
• Wilhelm II assigned the Naval Technical Committee to evaluate Oscar’s design and decide whether the battleship should be built.
• Count von Warren, Sir Dietrich, Bruckner, and Erich Dawson criticized Oscar’s age and questioned his ability to design a battleship before the conference began.
• General Müller announced that the conference was about to start, and Crown Prince Wilhelm, Count Tirpitz, Prince Heinrich, and Oscar entered the room.
• Oscar recognized that winning over the committee would be difficult but resolved to pursue construction, even if he had to pay for it himself.