Revisit Azur Lane

Zuikaku sighed helplessly, rubbing his hair and muttering to himself as he walked toward the command post. Cleveland, standing beside him, looked puzzled: "Fishing?"

"Fishing".

As Zuikaku brought out the dried fishing nets from the warehouse, Cleveland, having received Zhou He's approval, followed Zuikaku to the middle of the bay and began casting the nets, while Zhou He himself continued to go ashore, simultaneously opening a video call with Hermione.

……

"Ms. Hood? Her emotions seem relatively stable."

On the high seas, the group of five was on their way back. Hermione, who was video chatting with Zhou He, followed closely behind Hood. When she looked up, she could only see the back of Hood's ship rigging, but when she turned her head, she could see Bismarck, whose emotions were as stable as could be, and Z23, who was quite excited. After finishing, she whispered to Zhou He: "Commander, it seems that Bismarck doesn't care about meeting Ms. Hood again."

"It's pretty much what I expected."

On the other end of the video is Zhou He, who is squatting on the sand. He speaks while shoveling sand: "That encounter was not a good memory for Bismarck either, but she defeated Hood. Let the facts speak for themselves. How could she, as the victor, have any emotional fluctuations because of meeting Hood?"

In the game, Bismarck is a near-perfect, iron-fisted leader. She is powerful, possesses strong personal charisma and work ability, and has countless people willing to follow her, which she is proud of.

In the game alone, Zhou He's feelings towards Bismarck were slightly higher than his feelings towards Hood.

"That being said, there are many factors that can influence the outcome of a battle, and that doesn't mean that Ms. Hood is really weaker than Bismarck... Commander, could you give Ms. Hood a chance to prove herself?"

Hermione was also troubled by this. She had inherited the memories of the Royal Navy ships, and she preferred to be close to the Royal Navy ship girls rather than the Ironblood ships.

“I have my own plans for this. Hermione, you’ll have to work hard with Hood for a while. I trust Hood’s character; she’s not the kind of person who gets hung up on the outcome of a single battle. Hermione, you have to trust Hood too.”

In the video, Zhou He pondered for a moment, deciding to analyze the specific situation. He needed to personally witness the atmosphere between Hood and Bismarck before making a judgment. So he smiled and reassured Hermione before ending the video call.

"Well, since the Commander has said so..."

Hermione put aside her minor emotional outbursts, believing that Zhou He was capable of handling this small historical issue between the two factions.

"..."

"Commander, when do we close the net?"

Ruihe and Cleveland worked together to set up the fishing nets. When they turned around, they saw Zhou He carrying a bucket, seemingly heading home. They quickly ran back for help.

"Ok?"

Zhou He turned around curiously: "About half an hour, Ruihe, didn't you try it once?"

"We're warships, not fishing boats. How can we learn to be fluent in one go?"

Zuikaku retorted loudly, refusing to admit that she had taken Hermione's advice last time and reaped a bountiful harvest while enjoying the snacks.

"Ah, that's true, I was just assuming that."

Zhou He realized what was going on and waved to the two of them with a smile: "Now that the net is set up, there's no point in just waiting here. Let's go back and have a cup of tea."

Upon receiving the invitation, Cleveland quickly docked and followed Zhou He toward the command post: "Has the commander already come up with a plan?"

"Pretty much. Cleveland, how would you handle a conflict between your sisters?"

Zhou He casually asked a question in return.

Regardless of what Hood thinks, he will not let Bismarck fight her again. History is history, and the present is the present. If he arranges for Hood and Bismarck to have a real fight, it would be tantamount to deliberately provoking a conflict between the two. No matter who wins, there will definitely be a loser. How will he appease the loser then?

And even if Hood did win, so what? Could she change history? Could she proudly say that she defeated Bismarck?

Therefore, he plans to shift the focus of their competition in other directions.

"me?"

Cleveland looked up and thought for a moment, then answered very confidently: "I will look for the cause of the conflict. If one party is at fault, then punish the party who made the mistake. If both parties are at fault, then let them reflect on their mistakes."

"Yes, as expected of the eldest sister."

Zhou He felt it was very much in line with Cleveland's style: "What if neither side is wrong? For example, Montpellier thinks you are very capable, cool and handsome, and aims to become a knight of the sea like you. Denver also has the same goal. The two of them compete and try to determine the winner by pointing out more of your handsome features and disagreeing on a certain advantage. How would you handle that?"

Although it was just Zhou He's example, Cleveland seemed to see a scene like a public execution in the future, and couldn't help but shudder. His smile also became a little stiff: "The example the commander gave is really realistic. If such a situation really happened, I would definitely give him a good lecture. Instead of arguing here, you should train yourself properly."

"So, facing Hood and Bismarck, as the commander, can I take on the role of your older sister, Cleveland?"

Zhou He smiled. If that scene ever came to pass, he would definitely be there to watch and listen.

"Of course not! The commander is the commander, and we can't let our conflicts affect his work!"

Cleveland responded immediately.

"This is it!"

Zhou He snapped his fingers: "The contest between Hood and Bismarck doesn't necessarily have to be about fighting. Our port area is just getting started, and there's a lot of work to be done. Both of them are invaluable talents, and we can't waste our energy on internal conflicts. We should at least focus our efforts on revitalizing the port area."

"Ah, that's it."

Cleveland was quick-witted and immediately understood Zhou He's meaning: "As expected of a commander."

"Ok?"

Zuikaku, who had been listening to the two chattering away for a while, thought she was finally going to hear the answer, but it turned out to be a riddle. She couldn't help but speak up: "What do you mean, 'I see'? Explain it to me more clearly!"

……

After Ruihe and Zhou He finished their tea, they went to collect the nets. Zhou He checked the color of the bone broth and, once it was about right, took it out and put it in a new pot to cook. After adding the ingredients, he also went out to the beach to direct the net collection. In the end, they caught two long fish weighing over four pounds each that they couldn't name, as well as a lot of grouper and sea bream. It wasn't as much as last time, but it was enough for one meal.

"Oh!"

When untangling the net, Cleveland, whose technique was clumsy, took a long time to pull out the largest fish. He smiled happily and carefully put the fish into the bucket that Zhou He had brought: "So this is what it feels like to get food."

"Right?"

Zhou He could feel that every time he replenished the food in the refrigerator, he felt amazing, that he could support the logistics of this port area all by himself, and it was a bit addictive.

"I do hope that you, Commander, can assign me some more exciting missions."

Zuikaku squatted down beside her, her only thought now being that someone could take her place in fishing before Shoukaku joined the port area.

"Didn't we have a great fight with the Sirens today?"

Zhou He asked in surprise, and Ruihe stared at him with wide eyes: "Commander, you also know that I just came back from fighting the Sirens?"

"Hermione said that your aircraft carriers are more about exhausting combat, but seeing how energetic you are, I thought this battle would be easy for you."

Zhou He feigned confusion and said.

"..."

Zuikaku's wide eyes gradually returned to normal, and he smirked and hummed, "Isn't that obvious? Destroying a mere Siren carrier fleet is just a piece of cake for me."

"Really? Then hurry up, the others are coming back soon."

Zhou He urged him on, having already roughly understood the user manual for Ruihe.

"Piece of cake, just watch me!"

Ruihe suddenly stood up, intending to draw the sword at his waist, but Zhou He grabbed his wrist, and he finally squatted down dejectedly to continue digging at the fishing net.

Cleveland saw this and felt very strongly that this port area was an interesting place.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Hood and Bismarck

"Commander, you're exploiting our labor force!"

It took the three of them a lot of effort to remove all the fish and shrimp. Ruihe's originally clean clothes were all stained by the splashing water from the fish. When Zhou He jokingly urged her to go back and fix them, she protested loudly. Cleveland laughed and carried the bucket of fish back to the command building with Ruihe, leaving Zhou He to walk on the beach and wait for everyone to return.

It takes about two hours to travel from the port to the front line (90 nautical miles away). At this time, apart from Yuudachi and Kursk who were assigned new missions, the other five people had already approached the island in the port area. Zhou He also confirmed this with the help of the system map.

Since it was already afternoon, Zhou He had already prepared a celebratory dinner and didn't need to rush to cook. Instead, he took advantage of the free time to think about how to address the historical issues left by Hude and Bismarck—not just referring to these two, but using them as reference models to find and resolve other historical issues that might arise in the future.

Before coming to this world, Zhou He had never tried to mediate or reconcile any two people. Although he spoke with great confidence when talking to Cleveland and Hermione, in reality, he only hoped that Hood and Bismarck would give him some face.

"..."

Just as Zhou He was pondering, several figures appeared at the entrance to the bay. With Tosa in the middle as the dividing line, Hood and Hermione were on the left, and Bismarck and Z23 were on the right. If Hermione and Z23 were replaced by Welsh and Prinz Eugen, it would truly be a reenactment of history.

"So why did Wales and Eugen become a couple?"

As Zhou He watched the approaching ship girls, he unconsciously changed the subject in his mind. He only knew that Eugen and Welsh were a couple, which was great, but he had no idea why. Was it simply because of the setting of Azur Lane, or was there some historical research involved?

Of course, he couldn't get an answer to this question either, because he had never paid attention to the Prince of Wales in the game. Because of her strange skills, the Prince of Wales had never been assigned to his leveling team by Zhou He before he transmigrated, let alone know her backstory.

Suppressing his doubts, Zhou He patted the dust off his clothes, took out a white handkerchief and gloves from his clothes, wiped his hands clean, put on the gloves, and greeted the returning group.

Hood and Hermione were the first to reach the shore. Hood, who was usually quite composed and elegant, seemed a little flustered. Zhou He noticed this, gave her a reassuring smile, and then spread his hands to the three who landed next: "We won a great victory in this battle with the Sirens. I am proud of the strength you have shown. Hood and Tosa, you should go back and rest first. I will prepare a victory celebration banquet later. Please be sure to attend."

"Ah."

Seeing Zhou He take the initiative to speak, Hu De followed suit, nodded slightly, and left with Hermione. Tosa also glanced at Zhou He before strolling away, leaving only Zhou He and the two new Ironblood members behind.

"Hello, I am the commander of this port area. The brief instructions I gave you earlier were also issued by me. Thank you for your cooperation."

When facing someone he was meeting for the first time, Zhou He instinctively showed his polite side. He glanced at the two of them briefly. Z23 looked more serious than he had imagined. At this moment, his posture in front of him was very standard, as if he were some important person who had come to review the troops.

Bismarck, on the other hand, was even more imposing. His black and red military uniform, paired with long golden hair that cascaded down his sides and a cold, aloof face that resembled that of an ascetic, made him a model of perfect physique. Zhou He couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed at their first meeting—the imposing presence he exuded was simply too overwhelming. With his hat on, he was a full half-head taller than Zhou He, and in terms of both temperament and height, he was someone Zhou He had to look up to.

“Following orders is the most basic quality of a soldier. Nice to meet you. I am Bismarck from Ironblood, and this is Z23. We will be stationed in this port area from now on. I hope the commander can give us suitable positions and tasks.”

To Zhou He's surprise, Bismarck did not pay attention to or correct his clumsy ramblings. Moreover, whether it was her self-introduction or her subsequent remarks, her tone was not aloof at all. She sounded very gentle, like an older sister, which even gave Zhou He the illusion that Bismarck might show a warm smile at any time.

Of course, Bismarck's expression remained calm, but Zhou He's mind immediately started racing. He glanced back at Hood, who had already walked away, hesitated for a moment, and then spread his hands towards Bismarck: "Although it may be presumptuous, I actually have a small question. Bismarck, what are your feelings about Hood in our port area?"

This question surprised Bismarck a little. She thought Zhou He would probe indirectly before asking formally, but she didn't expect him to be so direct and honest. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Commander should know that we only inherited the memories of the old-era warships. The memories are a straight line, and we were born after the straight line. Therefore, after our birth, the end of the memories will give us a stronger feeling for the first and middle parts of the memories."

"what."

Upon hearing her words, Zhou He immediately understood. Bismarck and Hood's experiences left a significant mark on history, but for Bismarck personally, his last memory was being besieged by numerous Royal Navy ships, while Hood was merely the catalyst for this event.

This is somewhat like the scenario in a novel where the younger brother is beaten up and the older brother comes along, except that in Bismarck's case, the older brother is beaten up and the younger brother comes along. If we apply this analogy, Hood would probably be considered a very troublesome and troublesome character for Bismarck.

"I see."

Zhou He felt he understood. Bismarck didn't need his guidance at all; the main problem lay with Hood. As for how to guide Hood, he decided to seek help from the Iron Chancellor before him: "In Bismarck's opinion, how should I arrange things to help Hood overcome the influence of his memories?"

"She's not someone who's dwelling on past failures; she's probably just experiencing confusion due to her memories. Commander, you just need to give her some time to sort things out."

Bismarck looked towards the command building. Her eyes were a sky blue, similar to Hood's. Although her aura was so cold that people dared not look directly at her, there was a gentleness and compassion in her eyes that was far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Seeing Zhou He pause for a moment, Bismarck realized that she might have been too certain, so she added, "This is just the magnanimity that 'Hood' should have in my opinion, but we can't be sure what kind of way of thinking Hood, who has inherited the memories of ships from the old era, will have. If the commander is worried, perhaps we can arrange for her to handle the work she is good at, which can help her get rid of the confusion brought about by the memories."

"Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and combat ability doesn't represent everything. Commander, you can't underestimate Hood because of that."

"..."

Zhou He suddenly smiled with relief. He looked at Bismarck with a serious expression and said, "I will not underestimate any ship girl. Your valuable life and combat experience are things I need to learn from."