“…… Everything should be drowned in flames and pools of blood; Men, women, and children must be killed; Not a single house, not a single tree, can be left. It was the only means of terror that could frighten the degraded French nation, and by which the war would have ended in less than two months; And if I had been humanitarian, the war would have lasted for years. ”

—Kaiser Wilhelm II

"All efforts should be made not only to weaken the enemy's forces, but also to destroy all the enemy's auxiliary sources, such as finances, railways, food, and even prestige ......"

"Any neutrality can be broken as long as such measures bring a very certain benefit to those who undermine neutrality."

- Former Chief of Staff of the German General of Staff, Field Marshal Count Moltke (Moltke the Elder)

"In an all-out war, it is impossible to deal only with the fighters and fortifications of the enemy country. On the contrary, every effort must be made to destroy all the spiritual and material sources of support by which the enemy conducts the war...... Any means of warfare can be used, as long as the purpose of the war can be achieved......"

"All weapons invented by modern techniques, even the most perfect and destructive weapons that kill and injure the enemy in large numbers, are permitted. In order to achieve the goals of the war in the shortest possible time, the use of such weapons is completely inevitable and, strictly speaking, should be considered the most humane. ”

-- German General Staff Headquarters, "Military Practices for Land Warfare"

The wheels of history move slowly......

On July 30, 1914, the German ambassador in Paris handed over a note declaring war to the French government, declaring that the French army had invaded the German province of Alsace, and that French planes had also bombed Karlsruhe and Nuremberg in Germany, and that the German army was "forced to fight back in self-defense."

The next day, Germany invaded Belgium without a declaration of war, undermining the neutrality of Belgium, which was provided for in the treaties of 1839 and 1870 and guaranteed by many countries, including Prussia. On 1 August, Belgium severed diplomatic relations with Germany.

Earlier, on July 31, Austria-Hungary had declared war on Serbia.

On 1 August, Germany also submitted an ultimatum to the Russian Government, demanding that Russia stop mobilizing, but could not receive a reply within 12 hours, and Russia did not stop mobilizing, and on 2 August, Germany declared war on Russia.

On 2 August, Britain presented an ultimatum to the German Government, giving it a clear answer by 24 o'clock Berlin time on 2 August: whether Germany intended to respect Belgian neutrality. The German government refused to answer this ultimatum, and on August 3 Britain declared war on Germany.

In early August, the two warring sides completed the deployment of their troops:

On the Western Front, the Franco-Belgian-British army had 88 infantry divisions, 12 semi-cavalry divisions, more than 1,562,000 men, and more than 4,700 artillery pieces (including about 270 heavy artillery), while the German army opposite it had 77 semi-infantry divisions, 10 cavalry divisions, 1.6 million men, and more than 5,000 artillery pieces (including more than 500 heavy artillery).

On the Eastern Front, the incomplete mobilization of the Russian army deployed 52 infantry divisions and 21 cavalry divisions, about 900,000 people, and more than 3,200 artillery pieces. The German-Austrian army in front of him deployed a total of 52 semi-infantry divisions and 12 cavalry divisions, 1.05 million men, and more than 2,800 artillery pieces.

On the southern front, Serbia deployed twelve infantry divisions and one cavalry division, with a total of 247,000 men and 610 artillery pieces. The Austrians in front of them deployed 14 infantry divisions, 250,000 men, and 516 artillery pieces.

At the same time that the European continent was plunged into a hell of war, on 4 August, China and Japan successively declared their neutrality, disarming two German cruisers that were "visiting" Qingdao and Sasebo, and seizing more than 50 German merchant ships.

On 5 August, more than 100 ships of the Chinese Navy sailed to the Central Pacific Ocean carrying a number of elite Marine Corps detachments and a large amount of engineering equipment, and completed the occupation of the German Northern Mariana Islands, Caroline Islands, and Marshall Islands within six weeks.

Immediately after that, it landed heavily in German-occupied West Irian, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Islands, thus receiving most of the German possessions in the Pacific.

During this period, China and Germany signed the Treaty of Berlin, in which Germany agreed to sell the above-mentioned territories to China for 50 million US dollars, partly in the conversion of Chinese businessmen's assets in Germany, and partly in the payment of grain and other scarce resources.

The third month after the outbreak of the European war.

Liu Bailiang, chief of the General Staff, is carefully reviewing the newly revised plan for the deployment of the army and navy strength against the map:

1. General Theater of Operations:

1. Northeast Front Army: General Zhang Yiye, Commander, and General Qin Feiye, Chief of Staff

* First Army: Commander General Chu Qing, under his jurisdiction

11th Army (20th and 22nd Infantry Divisions)

19th Army (37th and 38th Divisions)

20th Army (39th and 40th Divisions)

21st, 22nd Cavalry Brigades

-- A total of 3 corps, a total of 6 divisions, 2 cavalry brigades, and about 160,000 affiliated troops

* Second Army: Commander General Li Xuedong, under his command

12th Army (23rd and 24th Infantry Divisions)

22nd Army (43rd and 44th Divisions)

23rd Army (45th and 46th Divisions)

10th and 23rd Cavalry Brigades

-- A total of 3 corps, a total of 6 divisions, 2 cavalry brigades, and about 160,000 affiliated troops

* Third Army: Commander General Zhao Feixue, under his command

5th Army (7th Infantry Division, 10th Division)

7th Army (12th and 14th Infantry Divisions)

The 4th Armored Army (equipped with the 10th, 12th, and 14th Brigades), the commander of the army, Lieutenant General Xing Xiaoqiang

The 3rd Cavalry Army (12th, 13th, and 14th Cavalry Brigades), commander Major General Luo Jianqiu

4th Cavalry Corps (26th, 27th, 30th Cavalry Brigades)

- A total of 2 infantry corps, 3 mounted cavalry corps, a total of 4 divisions, 6 cavalry brigades and 3 armored brigades, with about 120,000 attached troops

——

Front Army Reserves: Infantry 104th and 105th Divisions (Note: At the beginning of the war, the reserves of the various armies were still in the interior.) ）

-- The total strength of the front army is about 470,000

2. Mongolian Front: Commander General Wang Zhi, Chief of Staff General Xiang Lan (Xiang Lan was also the commander before Wang took office)

* Fourth Army: Commander General Zhao Minhe, under his command

The 1st Praetorian Guard Army (1st Forbidden Infantry Division, 3rd Forbidden Infantry Division, 1st Forbidden Cavalry Brigade), commander Lieutenant General Xu Soul

The 2nd Praetorian Guard Army (2nd Forbidden Infantry Division, 4th Forbidden Infantry Division, and 2nd Forbidden Cavalry Brigade), commander Lieutenant General Zheng Hong

1st Army (1st Infantry Division, 3rd Division)

2nd Army (2nd and 4th Infantry Divisions)

3rd Army (5th and 6th Infantry Divisions)

The 1st Armored Army (equipped with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigades), the commander of the army, Major General Yintian

The 2nd Armored Army (equipped with the 4th, 6th, and 7th Brigades), the commander of the army, Major General Wen Yu

The 3rd Armored Army (equipped with the 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th Brigades), the commander of the army, Major General Liu Yangbo

Forbidden Cavalry Army (3rd, 4th, and 5th Brigades of Forbidden Cavalry), Army Commander Major General Mao Tianji

The 1st Cavalry Corps (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Cavalry Brigades), commander Major General Sutade Lengtai

The 2nd Cavalry Army (4th, 6th, 7th, 11th Cavalry Brigades), commander Major General Vonshov

- A total of 5 infantry corps, 5 mounted cavalry corps, a total of 10 divisions, 12 cavalry brigades and 10 armored brigades, with about 300,000 attached troops

* Western Mongolian Group: Commander Tsunami Sky General, the backbone of the force includes

51st Army (101st Infantry Division, 102nd Division)

62nd Army (123rd and 124th Divisions)

- A total of about 60,000 men in 2 infantry corps, 4 light infantry divisions, and garrisons

- Front Army Reserves: 106th Infantry Division, 121st and 122nd Advance Infantry Divisions

-- The total strength of the Front Army is about 420,000

3. Northwest Front: Commander General Liang Tianhe, Chief of Staff General Yan Canglong

* Fifth Army: Liang Tianhe, under his jurisdiction

4th Army (8th and 9th Divisions)

6th Army (11th and 13th Infantry Divisions)

8th Army (15th and 17th Infantry Divisions)

21st Army (41st and 42nd Divisions of the Pre-Infantry Corps, Mobilization Troops of the Production and Construction Corps)

The 5th Armored Army (equipped with the 13th, 15th, 16th, and 17th Brigades), the commander of the army, Lieutenant General Xiao Bin

The 6th Armored Army (equipped with the 18th, 19th, and 20th brigades), the commander of the army, Major General Xia Fan

5th Cavalry Corps (5th, 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th Cavalry Brigades)

6th Cavalry Corps (28th, 29th, 31st Cavalry Brigades)

7th Cavalry Corps (24th, 25th, 32nd Cavalry Brigades)

-- It consists of 4 infantry corps and 4 mounted cavalry corps, with a total of 8 divisions, 10 cavalry brigades and 7 armored brigades, and about 250,000 attached troops

* West Balkhash Group: Backbone forces included

24th Army (47th and 48th Infantry Divisions)

-- About 50,000 people, including garrison troops

* South Balkhash Group: Backbone forces include:

25th Army (49th and 50th Infantry Divisions)

-- About 50,000 people, including garrison troops

- Front Army Reserves: 19th Infantry Division, 103rd Infantry Division

-- The total strength of the front army is about 400,000

4. Southern Front: Commander General Xiao Ruhai, Chief of Staff General Bai Yu

* Sixth Army (Vietnamese side): Jurisdiction

55th Army (109th and 110th Divisions)

65th Army (129th and 130th Divisions)

68th Army (135th and 136th Infantry Divisions)

The 1st Army of the Asian Liberation Army (201st and 202nd Light Infantry Divisions of the Vietnamese Restoration Army, 301st Light Infantry Division of the Nanyang Volunteer Army)

-- 4 corps, 9 light infantry divisions, and a total of about 150,000 troops with auxiliary troops

* Seventh Army (Philippine side): Jurisdiction

9th Army (5th Marine Division, 18th Infantry Division, 115th Infantry Division)

54th Army (107th and 108th Infantry Divisions)

- 2 corps, 5 divisions (including 3 light infantry divisions), and a total of about 100,000 troops with auxiliary troops

* First South China Sea Group (Malayan side, assembled within 1 month after the start of the war), jurisdiction

3rd Marine Division, 1st Marine Brigade of Korea

72nd Army (143rd and 144th Divisions)

The 2nd Army of the Asian Liberation Army (Japanese Guards Division, 302nd Light Infantry Division of the Nanyang Volunteer Army)

The 3rd Army of the Asian Liberation Army (Korean Janissary Division, 303rd Light Infantry Division of the Nanyang Volunteer Army)

- 7 divisions (including 4 light infantry divisions), with a total of about 150,000 men

*2nd South China Sea Group (Borneo side, assembled within 1 month of the start of the war)

4th Marine Division, 1st Marine Brigade

73rd Army (145th and 146th Divisions)

The 4th Army of the Asian Liberation Army (304th and 305th Light Infantry Divisions of the Nanyang Volunteer Army)

- 6 divisions (including 5 light infantry divisions), with a total of about 100,000 men

*Yunnan-Myanmar Group: Jurisdiction

70th Army (141st and 142nd Infantry Divisions)

79th Army (157th and 158th Divisions)

-- About 60,000 people, including the attached troops

*Hong Kong Raiders: 57th Army (113th and 114th Divisions)

- Together with about 30,000 attached troops.

-- The total strength of the front army is about 600,000

5. East China Sea Front: Commander General Shen Xingyi (Commander of the Marine Corps), jurisdiction

*Eighth Army (Hawaiian side):

1st Marine Corps (1st and 2nd Marine Divisions, 1st and 2nd Marine Armored Brigades, 11th and 12th Marine Infantry Brigades)

10th Army (16th and 21st Infantry Divisions)

56th Army (111th and 112th Infantry Divisions)

8th Garrison Group (131st, 132nd, 133rd, 134th Divisions, 21st Brigade, Artillery, Engineers, Army Aviation Units, etc.)

- A total of 10 divisions (including 6 light infantry divisions), 5 mounted infantry and mechanized infantry brigades, together with auxiliary units, a total of about 250,000 men

*Guam Task Force (several naval task forces)

*Wake Island Task Force (ditto)

*Task Force Midway (ibid.)

*Tokai Garrison Area:

Gilbert garrison

Marshall garrison

Caroline garrison

Mariana Garrison

6. Southeast Front: Commander General Gu Yingyang

* Ninth Army (New Guinea-Bismarck side)

63rd Army (125th and 126th Infantry Divisions)

* Army (127th and 128th Infantry Divisions)

* West Irian Group

The backbone of the force is the 147th Infantry Division

- The Front Army consisted of 5 light infantry divisions, including auxiliary units, totaling about 80,000 men

7. Tibet-India garrison area: about 30,000 people after mobilization

2. Navy:

1. The East China Sea Fleet——

#东亚联合舰队第1舰队司令部 (main force):

*16 Dreadnought ships:

Battleship 1st Squadron: Pinghai (Flag), Ninghai, Jinghai, Weihai (8 guns of 380, 25 knots)

Battleship 2nd Squadron: Yangbo, Chabo, Fubo, Zhubo (8 guns of 350, 25 knots)

Battleship 3rd Sentai Squadron: North, South, East, West (8 guns of 305, 22 knots)

Japanese Battleship 1 Squadron: Ise, Shinano (China no Wave No. 1, 8 main guns 350 mm/45 times)

North Korean Battleship 1st Squadron: Gwanggae-tu, Yi Sun-sin (China Wave No., 8 main guns 350 mm/45 times)

* 4 battle cruisers: Thunder, Lightning Mine, Kirishima (day), Haruna (day) - 8 guns of 350, 28 knots

* 4 water carriers: (3rd and 4th aviation teams, 56 aircraft)

Aviation Team 3: Sea Hawk, Falcon (22 sessions)

Aviation Team 4: Condor, Golden Eagle

*Loading and Patrolling 4 Ships:

Imperial Patrol 1 Squad Super Brave and Mighty (v.24)

Japanese Patrol 1 Team Tsukuba, Ikoma (23 sessions)

*16 light cruisers:

Light Patrol Team 1: 4 Leopards

Light Patrol Team 2: 4 Leopards

Light Patrol Team 3: 4 Leopards

Japan Light Patrol Team 1: 4 Kuma class ships - Kuma, Ashigama, Nagara, and Oi

* 32 destroyers of the fleet:

Expulsion of the 1st Sentai Force: 8 Wolves

Expulsion of the 2nd Sentai Force: 8 Wolves

Expulsion of the 3rd Sentai Force: 8 Wolves

Expelled the 4th Sentai Squadron: 8 ships of the Yangzi

other

A number of oil tankers and coal tankers——

#联合舰队第1航空舰队司令部 (Tactical Units):

"Dapeng" (flag), "Yunpeng", "Golden Falcon", "Saker" (250 carrier-based aircraft), Battle Patrol 2 (Thunderbolt, Thunder), Patrol 4 (Patrol 3 Squadron), Light Patrol 6, Expulsion 16. A number of oil tankers.

It is organized below

Aviation Team 1: Dapeng, Yunpeng

Aviation Team 2: Golden Falcon, Saker

Battle Patrol Team 1: Thunder, Thunder

The 3rd team of the patrol: Kunlun, Qilian, Tianshan, Qinling

Light Patrol Team 4: White Tiger and other 4 Tiger No

Expelled the 5th Sentai Team: Light Patrol Jaguar, 8 Yangzi

Expelled the 6th team: Light Patrol Wang Hu, 8 Yangzi

#联合舰队第6舰队司令部 (Alert Reconnaissance Unit):

Submarines 1, 2, and 3, with 22 submarines, formed a double-layer warning network east of Oahu.

Submarine Squadron 1: Supply ships Flying Whale, Whale 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, a total of 8 ships.

Submarines 2nd Squadron: Supply Captain Whale, Whale 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, Whale 11, 12, 14, a total of 8 ships.

Submarines No. 3 Squadron: Supply baleen whales, Whale 7, 8, 9, 10, Whale 17, 18, a total of 6 ships.

#东海特遣舰队司令部 (landing escort):

2 battleships (4 warships Longwei and Fengxiang), 6 patrol ships (4 Suzhou class ships of the Imperial Patrol 2 Sentai Team, 2 Ibuki class ships of the Japanese Sentai 2 Sentai Patrol Team), 2 jellyfish ships (5 warships of the Aviation Flying Eagle and Sky Hawk, 12 carriers), 8 light cruisers (5 and 6 warships of the Light Cruiser), and 22 expulsion (Japan expelled the 1st and 2nd warbands, and North Korea expelled the 1st and 2nd warbands).

The 4th team of battleships: Longwei (3rd generation) and Fengxiang (2nd generation), each carrying 8 350 guns, with a maximum speed of 22 knots

The 2nd team: Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Quanzhou

The 2nd Japanese Patrol Team: Ibuki, Kurama (i.e., the Chinese Suzhou class, 4 main guns 305 mm/40 times, maximum speed 22 knots)

Aviation 5th Sentai Team: Flying Eagle, Sky Eagle (maximum speed of 17 knots)

Light Patrol 5th Squadron: 4 Tiger Ships (28 knots)

Light Patrol Team 6: 4 Sword Ships (26 Sections)

Japan expelled the 1st Sentai team: 4 ships of the Murayu class - Murayu, Shiyu, Fog Rain, and Spring Rain

Japan expelled the 2nd Sentai team: 4 ships of the Murayu class - Chaoyu, Songyu, Yamayu, and Hamayu

North Korea expelled the 1st team: 8 ships of the Wolf

North Korea expelled the 2nd squadron: 6 ships of the Yangzi

other

A group of special amphibious ships and transport ships.

#关岛特遣舰队 –

The 11th Squadron of the Light Patrol Brigade has 2 old patrol ships (Dadao, Modao), the gunboat "Taishan", the special gunboat "Shunde", 3 transport ships, and 3,000 people from the Guam Task Force and the engineering team.

#威克岛特遣舰队 –

The 12th Captain Knife of the Light Patrol is an old-style light cruiser, the special water engine carrier Xinchang (4 aircraft), 2 transport ships, and 1,000 people from the Wake Island Task Force and the engineering team.

#中途岛特遣舰队 –

The 13th Light Patrol Squadron is an old-style light cruiser with the Sabre, a special water engine carrier Rongchang (4 aircraft), a special cruiser "Longyun" and "Long An", and a task force of 500 people on Wake Island.

#特鲁克驻留舰队 –

Expelled 8 old ships of the 12th Sentai Xuezi, and 4 old patrols of the 14th Sentai Yuzi (Valley Rain, Fog Rain, Thunderstorm, Mountain Rain)

#吉尔伯特警戒部队 –

Expelled 6 old ships of the 13th Sentai Xuezi, and 2 old patrols of the 15th Sentai Yuzi (Winter Rain, Songyu)

2. South China Sea Fleet——

#第2舰队司令部, Commander General Ma Shengyu, jurisdiction

*Battleship 5th Sentai Team: Ruixiang, Ruiji, Ruixian, Zuihe (the speed has been increased to 19 knots after the boiler modification)

* Battleship 6th Sentai Team: Thunderbolt, Cloud Lightning

*Patrol Team 4: Baiyun, Xiangyun

* Japanese Battleship 2nd Sentai Squadron: Kaga, Tosa (improved by the Chinese Ruizi, 6 main guns 305 mm/45 times, 19 knots)

*The 6th Sentai of the Japanese Patrol: Myoko, Haguro (Ibuki class change, 4 main guns 305 mm/45 times)

* North Korean Battleship 2nd Sentai Team:

Seoul (ordered from China, i.e. China Ruizi, commissioned in 1908, 6 guns 305 mm/40 times, 19 knots)

Pyongyang (transferred by China, formerly China telegraph, joined the Korean Navy in 1906, 4 main guns 305 mm/40 times, 17 knots)

*North Korea Patrol Team 1:

3 Taebaek-class ships - Taebaek, Taebaek, Taewoo (transferred by China, formerly China Yunzi, joined the Korean Navy in 1908, 4 main guns 305 mm/40 times, 20 knots)

*North Korea Patrol Team 2:

2 Suzhou-class (reconstructed) ships - Jeju, Euiju (4 guns 305 mm/40 times, 22 knots)

- A total of 10 old warships and 9 old large cruisers, carrying 20 305 mm/45 times guns and 70 305 mm/40 times guns.

The forces that provided cover for the old capital ships above included 18 light cruisers, 30 destroyers, and 57 submarines:

North Korea's Light Patrol Team 1: 4 Leopard Light Patrol Ships

North Korea's Light Patrol No. 2 Team: 4 Tiger Light Patrol Ships

Japan Light Patrol Team 2: 4 Kuma class ships (28 sections)

Japanese Light Patrol Team 3: 4 Tiger Class ships (28 knots)

Lightning Strike Team 1: Light Patrol Tigers, 8 Yangzi

Lightning Strike 2nd Sentai Team: Light Patrol Sword, 8 Moon Numbers

Lightning Strike 3rd Sentai Team: 8 large mineboats (small destroyers)

Japan's Lightning Strike Team 1: 4 Murayu-class ships - May Rain, Flower Rain, Autumn Rain, and Sichuan Rain

Japanese Lightning Strike 2nd Sentai Team: 4 ships of the Asahi class

Submarines 4th Squadron: Supply ship Wave Whale, Shark 25-36, a total of 12 ships.

Submarine 5th Squadron: Supply ships Whale, Shark 13-24 (missing 15), a total of 11 ships.

Submarine 6th Squadron: Supply ship Wave Whale, Shark 1-12, a total of 12 ships

The 1st Japanese submarine team: the diving carrier Swift Whale, 4 Shark 2 and 6 Shark 2 submarines

Japanese Submarines 2nd Sentai : 4 Shark-1 submarines

North Korean submarine fleet: 2 Shark 1 and 6 Shark 2 submarines.

——

The initial mission of the fleet was to contain the Anglo-French Far East Fleet and to provide close support for the Vietnamese operation

#联合舰队第3舰队司令部, a total of 6 second-class old cruisers, 20 light cruisers, and 32 destroyers.

The 3rd Sentai of the Japanese Patrol Team: Asama, Tokiwa (Fuji-class improvement, 4 main guns 203 mm/45x)

The 4th Sentai of Japan's Patrol Team: Iwate, Yakumo (4 guns 203 mm/45 times)

The 5th Sentai of Japan's Patrol Team: Fuji, Izumo (4 guns 203 mm/45 times)

The 4th Japanese Light Patrol Team: 4 old light cruisers of the Asahi class - "Asahi", "Kasuga", "Nissin", "Nisshin"

The 5th Sentai of the Japanese Light Patrol: 4 old light cruisers of the Kasaki class - "Kasaki", "Aso", "Soya", "Tsugaru"

The 11th Sentai of the Japanese Light Patrol: 4 old light cruisers of the Takasago class - "Takasago", "Chitose", "Otowwa", "Tone"

The 3rd Korean Light Patrol Team: 4 old Incheon-class light cruisers - "Incheon", "Jinhae", "Ulsan", "Wonsan" (launched from Germany in 1900-1903).

The 11th team of the North Korean Light Patrol: 4 old light cruisers of the Ganghwa class - "Ganghwa", "Gunsan", "Jeju", "Busan"

The Empire expels the 11th Sentai Squadron: 8 ships of the Moon

Japan expelled the 3rd Sentai team: 5 ships of the Asasho class

Japan expelled the 4th Sentai team: 3 ships of the Congyun class

Japan expelled the 11th Sentai team: 4 ships of the Congyun class

North Korea expelled the 3rd team: 6 ships of the Snow.

North Korea expelled the 11th Sentai Squadron: 6 ships of the Snowzi

……

The perfect plan?

Liu Bailiang didn't dare to say anything, and after careful review, he would report at the imperial meeting tomorrow, and the dream of a thousand-year-old empire, the time to decide would soon come.

How many people are like me, so eager, excited that they are almost suffocating?

Liu Bailiang let go of the file, picked up the coffee, and looked at the night sky outside the window, there were no stars, the silent smell of death, and there, the dead comrades-in-arms were also eagerly looking forward to it.

Rest assured, watch ours!