As China's attitude changed, Prince Heinrich's letters to Germany became more and more favorable to Germany, but he repeatedly recounted China's current strategy of crushing Japan and then attacking Russia, stressing that this chronological order could not be adjusted. It's just that within Germany, from the Kaiser to the General Staff, they want China to point the finger at Russia rather than at Japan, and they need China to contain Russia in order to ensure that they have more than six weeks to defeat France. Prince Heinrich felt that he had made the matter very clear, but looking at the meaning of the emperor and other ministers, it seemed that he still had to stick to the original point of view, and he said puzzledly: "Your Majesty, Chinese must first defeat Japan, and then attack Russia, I want to ......"

"Nope. Albert, we don't mean to change the strategy of the Chinese, we just hope that they will attack Japan in advance. The boats that they need, yes, the submarines, we can produce and deliver to them in advance. Next year, this time next year, they will attack the Japanese, and a year later when the war is over, they will attack Russia, can this be done? The Emperor held the scepter in his left hand, and as he pondered, he spoke his thoughts, causing others to ponder.

"Your Majesty," Moltke Jr. interrupted before Prince Heinrich could speak, "we cannot hope for the start of the war on the Chinese, we are not allies with them, and if they fight Japan for more than a year, or if they do not win at all, then for us, the current favorable situation is lost." The Russians are expanding their forces, the French are consolidating their defenses, the Belgians are becoming more and more defensive against us, and the sooner the war begins for Germany, the better, even if Britain will choose the balance of power, but when we defeat France and Russia. Their choice doesn't matter. ”

Moltke insisted that the more the war began, the better, and Prince Heinrich had not yet spoken, so the Poseidon Tirpitz stood on one side and said loudly: "Even if the war is started, the sooner the war begins, the better." But the 6th Army also had to fill up those empty barracks first. And to break the blockade of the British, we also need to continue to build capital ships. 陛xià. The Navy hoped to extend the war into a year and a half, when the Kiel Canal project was completed and capital ships were free to enter the Baltic and North Seas. Although we cannot fully borrow the submarine tactics of the Chinese, it is still important to use submarines for appropriate sabotage warfare, but this will wait until the submarine port on Helgoland Island is completed. ”

Tirpitz's voice was loud, and the reasons he said were irrefutable, except for Heinrich's frequent nods. "Your Majesty, if the maritime trade is blocked. Then our food will be a big problem. Every year, the empire imports 6.5 million tons of grain, and once a war starts, it is not only necessary to solve the problem of feeding the people, but also to solve the problem of feeding the soldiers and horses of the army. At the beginning of the year, the army had already begun to hoard rye and oats, but in order not to cause an increase in prices, we could only buy them unobtrusively and gradually. But this is far from enough, and the grain for submarines that His Highness negotiated with the Chinese this time is extremely important to us. Although the Chinese can only be self-sufficient in grain, their annual grain output is 1.5 billion tons, and the export of several million tons is not noticeable. It takes us two years to stock up on food, and it's really not the right time to go to war. ”

Some of the submarines were paid in cash, while others were paid for grain and soybeans from the north-east. This is what Tobe Yu Huizu and Prince Heinrich negotiated in Beijing, especially soybeans, which the Germans like to do. Seeing that someone finally valued the benefits of his trip to China, Prince Heinrich said: "Your Majesty, the approximate time for China's war against Japan will be at the end of next year or the beginning of 14 years. Yang Jingcheng believed that with the current strength of the Japanese, the war would be over in a year, and at the end of 15 years, his army would be able to launch an offensive against Russia to cooperate with the war in Europe. However, he also thinks that Russia can see that China is gaining an advantage on the battlefield. Then they will inevitably intervene in this war so that the Japanese can preserve most of their strength.

That's our chance. In the war in southern Manchuria, the Russians would have sent troops to the Far East, if not intervened, to prevent the war from spreading into the Russian sphere of influence. This is like the Russo-Japanese War of that year, although the Qing government declared neutrality, his new 6th Army was still guarded outside the Shanhai Pass just in case. At a time when China is gradually gaining the upper hand and winning a decisive battle, if there is a rumor spreading in Russia at this time, such as that China will attack Russia immediately, then whether this news is true or not, the attention of the Russian 6th Army will be shifted eastward. The Trans-Siberian Railway is only a monorail, and it is an extremely troublesome thing to transfer hundreds of thousands of Russian troops to the Far East, and it is also a troublesome thing to transfer hundreds of thousands of Russian troops back to Europe......"

With the Prince's narration, Moltke's eyes, which had begun to disdain China, began to light up, and he knew whose idea it was, even if he had renounced his German citizenship, this was a German!

Desperately leaning on his scepter, the Emperor exclaimed, "Great! That's great! The Russians will be running back and forth on the railroad, and by the time we attack, the grey cattle have not yet recovered from the long train. I like the idea, even though it's so cunning. Generals, it seems that the time of the war should be when rumors of an imminent Chinese attack spread in Russia, and the Russian 6th Army was withdrawn to the East, right? ”

"Your Majesty, the best thing to do is to let the squadron attack Russia directly." Moltke was not satisfied after the surprise, "so that our victory can be better guaranteed." ”

"This is impossible, Lord Earl." Prince Heinrich said, "At a time when China was fighting Japan, such rumors had put China in extreme danger, and Yang Jingcheng thought that the earliest attack on Russia would be by the end of 15 years." ”

"It's too late to do much." Moltke said. "The Chinese only play small tricks."

"Your Excellency, if the war against France is not won, then the Chinese attack is just right." Baron Goldz said, "Any accident can happen in war, and it would be extremely useful for us to have a force in the Far East that could contain Russia, even if they did not attack but only stationed hundreds of thousands of troops on the border." Think about it. Just as we are now worried that France and Russia will attack us at the same time, if the Russians are also worried that we will attack them together with the Chinese, then the situation of the war will be completely different. 陛xià. We should maintain our friendship with China, and in particular, we should help them strengthen the Sixth Army. The stronger their 6th Army is, the more worried Russia will be, and the more worried Russia will be, the more Russian 6th Army will be transferred to the East. ”

"Yes. That is true. That's how I think about it. The Emperor found what Baron Goldz said extremely useful, "I have ordered the country to meet the requirements of the Chinese in the 6th Army, especially in artillery. He shook his head again when he said this, "What a poor country, it still doesn't know how to make steel." They didn't know how to make artillery, and even rifles and bullets had to be made by us by hand. ”

"Your Majesty, that's because we have the most powerful 6th Army in the world." Prince Heinrich interjected. "The Chinese have been learning from us, since the establishment of the German University seven years ago. This time, Yang Jingcheng also wanted us to send more professors and technical engineers to China, and I readily agreed, and promised that the people sent were excellent. ”

"Good!" The emperor was so kind to his younger brother that he still imagined the Russian soldiers running back and forth on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Thinking of China's poor finances, he couldn't help but exclaim: "Maybe we can support them financially and pull them over from the Americans completely." In this way, in the event of a war with Russia, they will no longer have to worry about the reaction of the Americans. ”

Knowing that the emperor could say anything on a whim, Prime Minister Holwig hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, we don't have extra money to lend to China. Now the fiscal deficit is already 400 million marks. The national debt has also increased to 800 million marks, and if the money is lent to China again, the funds for the expansion of the 6 armies and the construction of capital ships in the navy will not be guaranteed. ”

"Your Majesty, we're not doing much now." Prince Heinrich said: "The Chinese seem to be more interested in German technology than in the Deutsche mark, they want everything, and I have promised them as much as possible in this regard." If they do attack Russia, then we can pay them a sum of money. ”

"Yes! Your Majesty, we have supported China enough, and helping them produce those more than 100 submarines is the greatest help for them. Marshal Tirpitz also said. The fact that the yellows were dressed in German naval uniforms and trained at the Kiel military port was a nerve-wracking challenge. If it weren't for the fact that the emperor personally suppressed this matter, he would never have agreed.

The meeting in the Charlottenburg Palace was a high-level assessment of the impact of China's accession to the German-Austrian alliance. In addition to the fact that the Navy was interested in the parameters of the British capital ships provided by the Chinese, submarines and the magical but scarce number of long-snouted torpedoes could not arouse Tirpitz's interest, and the 6th Army, the General Staff believed that the sooner the war began, the more beneficial it would be for Germany, although the prince's plan to confuse the enemy was also helpful to Germany, but in the end it was hoped that China could directly attack Russia to relieve the pressure on the Eastern Front, but this was mainly Moltke's imagination, Baron Goldz believed that it was the best to be able to mobilize Russia in this way, and there were more Chinese, It is impossible to defend against both Japan and Russia at the same time, and even if the Chinese prime minister is in power, he will not be able to make such a choice.

In the poetic autumn, a group of men were talking about war in the palace, and the same discussion was going on in the Kiel military harbor, northwest of the Berlin Imperial Palace, except that it was two Chinese.

"You're saying we're going to join the German side?" In the smoky room, Qian Bocong, who was dressed in a German Navy uniform, looked at Bei Shoutong who had just come from China with a surprised face, and from his introduction, he felt that the war was about to start. Unlike Pei Shoutong, who was strong in China, Qian Bocong hurriedly returned to Germany after participating in the founding ceremony and conferring the knighthood - he had been dealing with the Germans for many years, because of the lack of troops in the navy, Rear Admiral Yang Rui was appointed as the chief officer of the submarine force, because he was only from the 6th Army, so the ideological and political work of the army was his focus, and the specific training of the navy was handed over to others.

"Not exactly." Pei Shoutong was the only one of the few people in the staff who knew the Wanli plan comprehensively, and although he knew the details of the entire battle plan, he didn't know what Yang Rui would do in diplomacy. "Our enemy in the near future is only Japan. Until the Japanese are finished, none of us will fight. It's just that now Britain, France and other countries have begun to favor Japan, and that gentleman has begun to show favor to Germany, which should be a strategy. ”

"Oh. I asked why the Germans were so polite to us lately. Qian Bocong said, "In the past, we were not allowed to enter this Kiel military port. ”

"Not to mention the country, what's going on on your side?" Pei Shoutong pinched off the cigarette butt that had burned to the butt of the cigarette in the ashtray. Then I clicked on another one. Unlike the commanders of the troops, who liked to drink heavily, the staff officers were anxious, and the sleepless nights made them all addicted to smoking. When he was thinking, Pei Shoutong smoked one cigarette after another.

"The situation is good!" Qian Bocong made such a conclusion at the beginning, and he was extremely excited. "What a genius sir! If I were given 300 submarines, within half a year I would be able to make the British kneel and beg for mercy. ”

"Haha, you're not afraid of blowing the cowhide." Pei Shoutong couldn't help laughing when he looked at his arrogant appearance, although Qian Bocong was not a special class of Nanyang College, the relationship between the two was still good. "You must know that where there is a spear, there must be a shield, and although the submarine has many advantages now, it also has disadvantages."

"I know that where there is a spear, there must be a shield," Mr. Chambers said. "But once the war starts, how can there be so much time for the British to think of so many countermeasures, and when the countermeasures come out, the war is over. Island countries have the advantages of island countries, but they also have the disadvantages of island countries. Now that the morale of the troops is extremely high, I am asking for Britain to be fought against Japan. ”

"And what did the Germans think of submarines? We built so many submarines at once, did they follow suit? Pei Shoutong asked. In addition to learning about the combat readiness of the submarine force, he also wanted to know about the readiness of the German Navy.

"They? As long as the bearded Tirpitz was there, the German submarine forces would not want to live a good life. The Germans are still training with us. Qian Bocong said. By the way, Ji Mei, why did the staff ask the Germans to train with us. Now we are better than them, let them follow, isn't this just letting them steal the teacher? ”

After all, Qian Bocong has been away for too long. There is no understanding of the strategic options at home. And Bei Shoutong understood but couldn't tell him, so he had to say: "After all, it is on other people's territory, and it is impossible for China and Germany to have a war, they open the naval base, and we open the submarine force, although the two countries suffer losses, but they have some benefits, don't care about this." Have your people arrived? I want to go and see them. ”

"It's all here." Qian Bocong looked at his watch and informed the troops that it had been three hours since they had assembled, and that those who had been training in the sea should have returned. However, he saw that Bei Shoutong was dressed in civilian clothes. smiled: "I don't have a vice admiral uniform here." ”

Pei Shoutong is a high-ranking officer of the General Staff, and his military rank is also the highest among the graduates of the South African Military Academy of the Baath Army. He came out completely secretly this time, and even he came from Hamburg without saying anything. It's just that I will contact Qian Bocong when I arrive. "I brought it." Bei Shoutong said, got up and shouted out: "Orderly, come, prepare clothes." ”

The playground of a temporary naval school in the naval port of Kiel was full of yellow men, including officers and men on 15 submarines in training, as well as instructors of the submarine school and the sixth batch of cadets of the school. Submarine sailors are trained domestically, and officers are trained in Kiel. As for the submarine to return home, it was to take a mail ship to Germany after the sailors had completed their training at home, and then return with the boat. Three-quarters of the 200 submarines and the submarine force of more than 6,000 people are going to come to Germany for a round.

In a white procession, with the voice of the officer on duty, "Stand up!" Salute! The officers and soldiers, who were originally a little lax, shook their bodies, saluted and stared ahead without squinting. Thirty-seven-year-old Pei Shoutong was dressed in a dark green lieutenant general's uniform of the Sixth Army, and he was very conspicuous among the snow-white young naval officers and men. At this time, Chen Ce, the officer on duty, ran forward and saluted and said loudly: "Report to the commander, Major Chen Ce of the Submarine Force of the Chinese Navy reports to you: The number of officers and men of the submarine force should be 413, but the actual number is 413, and the number of teachers and students of the submarine school should be 173, but the actual number is 173. ”

"Good work!" Pei Shoutong replied, and after Chen Ce retreated, he looked at the officers and soldiers in the playground and began to speak, "Comrades, it is my honor to meet you in Germany. This time, I am here on behalf of the emperor, on behalf of the prime minister, on behalf of the General Staff Department, it is not easy to live in a foreign country, and it is even more difficult for the troops to go to sea for training, but nine years ago, there was also a military academy, a group of young people who were willing to sacrifice a qiē for the country and the nation, like you, in a foreign country, they cast today's steel-like 6th Army of the Renaissance Army, and you will also cast the steel Renaissance Army Navy in the future. This is what the country expects of you, and it is also what the nation expects of you. ”

Most of the submarine forces are young people under the age of twenty. Bei Shoutong looked at them and couldn't help but think of himself nine years ago, he didn't want to say anything in excitement, but suddenly sang the military song of the Renaissance Army: "You don't see." The end of the Han Dynasty, the weak crown is a captive, please be long. You don't see it, Ban Dingyuan, the peerless light cavalry urges Zhan Yun, the man should be in serious danger, how can he let Ruguan miss this life......"

Unlike the 6th Army, the submarine force is full of students who have graduated from elementary school or above, and they are more fond of the military songs of the Fuxing Army with gorgeous rhetoric and rich allusions than the officers and men of the 6th Army. They couldn't help but follow, and for a while the submarine school was full of passionate singing.

After the afternoon review was finished with singing, Qian Bocong began to introduce the instructors of the submarine school and the captains of the 15 training boats to Pei Shoutong in the small conference room: "This is Major Chen Ce, a native of Wenchang, Guangdong, who graduated from the Huangpu Naval Academy in Guangzhou, and went to study at the German Naval Academy after joining the association. ”

Chen Ce was the duty officer just now, just like the rest of the submarine force. He is only one meter tall and in his early sixties, and his age is less than twenty, and there is an indescribable confidence on his youthful face. After Qian Bocong's introduction, he neatly saluted Bei Shoutong.

"This is Major Tian Shijie, the word Peiqing, a native of Jiangyin, Jiangsu, graduated from the third phase of the Yantai Naval Academy, and then joined the association, entered the German Naval Academy, and is now an instructor of the submarine force." After Qian Bocong finished speaking, a slightly older officer came up to salute. After finishing the discussion, he said again: "This is Major Wu Zhixin, the word Yihang." A native of Jiangdu, Jiangsu, he graduated from Jiangnan Naval Academy in his early years. Later, he entered the Tokyo Higher Navigation Merchant Marine in Japan, during which he joined the Association and entered the German Naval Academy, where he was also an instructor in the submarine force. This is Major Ouyang Lin, whose name is Cangsheng, a native of Yihuang, Jiangxi, graduated from the Japanese Navy Merchant Marine School, and later joined the association, entered the German Naval Academy, and is now an instructor of the submarine force......"

The officers and men on the submarine had nothing to do, and although they also wanted to talk to the lieutenant general from the General Staff of the country, the conference room was full of 20 people, and besides, there were strict hierarchies in the troops, and they were not qualified to listen to some of the things they wanted.

Sneaking a glance at the small conference room, Lieutenant Ouyang Ge said to Ensign Hu Qinzhai on the same ship: "Is there something big in China?" At this time, the lieutenant general of the General Staff was bound to go to war with the Japanese. ”

The matter of starting a war with the Japanese was only speculation on the part of the submarine officers and men, and last year, when the Japanese were in the midst of the Chinese Revolution, they actually sent troops to Northeast China, and the young people who were a little bloody hated it, and in addition to the defeat of the First Sino-Japanese War and the humiliation of the navy, there was not a single person in the army who did not regard Japan as an imaginary enemy.

Second Lieutenant Hu Qinzhai is a native of Xiaofeng, Zhejiang, who graduated from primary school last year and was admitted to the military academy with his classmate Zhang Guiling, and after a few months of emergency training in China, he entered the fifth phase of the Kiel Submarine School, and began to practice on the ship after graduating last month. Unlike the original history, in 1911 he was supposed to fail the military academy and enter Xiaofeng Middle School, where he asked the teacher to take a name and change his name to Hu Zongnan. It was only because of the expansion of the army, especially the acute need for cadets who graduated from elementary school, that he became a cadet of the submarine school. Similarly, Lieutenant Ouyang Ge's life is also different from history, he did not transfer from the closed Jiangnan Naval Academy to study at the Yantai Naval Academy, but came directly to Germany and entered the Kiel Submarine School.

"The Japanese should have fought a long time ago!" Hu Qinzhai is sixteen years old this year, and the good food at the military academy makes it easy for this poor child to eat strongly, "The people from the General Staff are here, and it won't be long before the war starts." Isn't your cousin an instructor? Why don't you ask him. ”

Seventeen-year-old Ouyang Ge is Ouyang Lin's cousin, and he joined the navy because he wanted to follow in his cousin's footsteps, but he didn't expect to enter Germany without thinking about it. "My cousin probably doesn't know." Ouyang Ge said helplessly, and after he finished speaking, he shook his head and sang: "There are more than one million comrades, singing war songs and joining the army." Clean the dust, swear to sweep away the enemy, regardless of yourself! (To be continued)

PS: Note: See "Hu Zongnan I Know" p14. In addition, part of the selection of characters in the plot is to see whether the historical materials are rich

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