Jiang Baili once studied in Germany, and he is also a master of modern military research in China, so he pays no less attention to such a major war in Europe than any of his Chinese contemporaries. Because of his high position and military center, he has a lot of time and resources to understand the European war. Although Zhang Hanqing's remarks had the experience of later generations, they did not move him.

It's just that most of the current figures of China's military clique have been transformed from the late Qing Dynasty, and many people can't read a few words, and if you want them to pay attention to this war thousands of miles away, the requirements for them are undoubtedly too high. Zhang Hanqing knew at a young age that he would ask questions and look for opportunities, which was already a good insight.

"Well, then tell me why the European war is inevitable?" Jiang Baili is indeed with the mentality of examination, he is not only the most famous soldier in modern China, but also a famous educator. In order to make the atmosphere more harmonious, he also took the initiative to pull a chair.

"Speaking of which, it goes back a hundred years." Zhang Hanqing is interested in finally being able to give full play to his tongue. Knowing that it was going to be a sea blow, when Jiang Baili motioned for him to sit down, he unceremoniously climbed onto a chair and continued his mouth foaming.

"Ever since Bismarck, a genius from Germany, brought together the various states of Prussia, its rise has been inevitable. Especially after defeating France, the self-proclaimed big brother of Europe, in the Franco-Prussian War, Germany was in the heart of Europe, and its rise upset the balance in Europe. With the unification of Germany and the development of science and technology, Germany's economy has also grown exponentially, and the emerging Junkers aristocratic group urgently needs to open overseas markets, and the world has been carved up by the major powers at this time. In this way, Britain, the hegemon of the sea, became the biggest stumbling block for Germany. German Foreign Minister Pyrov once clamored to use the German sword to gain benefits for Germany, and the iron-blooded policy caused many contradictions between Germany and Britain.

The enemy of the enemy is the friend. In order to contain Germany, Britain and France could only unite. France, already wounded, was in desperate need of a strong overland alliance to avoid the risk of German destruction, and it co-opted Russia, which was economically dependent on itself, to form an Entente alliance.

Germany wanted to challenge France but faced the threat of Franco-Russian war on two fronts, so it pulled together Austria-Hungary, which had the same language and important interests in the Balkans, as an ally. At this point, the alliance of the main countries that were at war in Europe was formally formed. The long-term hostility has made nationalism more and more fanatical among the countries, and this war is bound to break out, and it will not stop until the battle is broken and the winner is decided. Uncle Shi studied in Germany, and he should know that there is a joke in Western society that the British laugh at the French, the French look down on the Germans, and the Germans sneer at the British, but everyone looks down on the Russians and Italians. Hehe, no way, who made both sides hold their strength. The bipolar pattern is accelerating, and the two blocs can only take risks to save the situation, so I say that the Archduke Ferdinand incident is just a primer, and there is still something else that will happen without the Sarajevo incident. ”

Jiang Baili was amazed, not because of how profound Zhang Hanqing's analysis was. He studied the causes and consequences of the war very thoroughly. However, at a young age, Zhang Hanqing knew that it was not easy to look at problems from the perspective of international strategy.

"So what do you think China should do best?" Jiang Baili originally just had the mentality of promoting one or two, but now he is really interested. What he asked was exactly what was being hotly discussed within the high-level government of the Republic of China.

The nephew believes that the best thing for China to do is to join the winner's side. As long as it takes the right side, China, as the most victorious country, can at least recoup some of the interests that have been controlled by the great powers, and score a lot diplomatically. It is not advisable not to go to war and to be on the wrong side. According to history, Zhang Hanqing is naturally eloquent.

Jiang Baili smiled and said: "This is a fact that everyone with a discerning eye knows, but how to stand in line, this is worth discussing." If the judgment is wrong, it will put China in a state of no return. ”

Zhang Hanqing was confident: "Modern war is a competition of comprehensive national strength, and the war is fought against the economy. Not to mention that they themselves have hundreds of years of heritage, even colonies all over the world are enough to support them to fight a protracted war. Germany and Austria-Hungary looked strong, but once the war entered the stalemate phase, their weaknesses were exposed.

As for why the little nephew thinks that this will be a protracted war, Cai Shishu and Jiang Shishu are both well-known soldiers in the country, and they should know that with the cutting-edge technology of the world's military development, there should be no weapon that can break through the positional warfare that is resisted by heavy troops, artillery and machine guns, right? On the Western Front, the British and French forces were holding their positions and dragging the Germans into a war of attrition, while on the Eastern Front, Russia's long borders put the Germans' logistics under great pressure. Britain, France, and Russia are all world-class powers, and a defeat in a war will not shake the country's foundation. Taking 10,000 steps back, even if Germany defeated France on land, if it wanted to break through the existing international predicament, its naval strength was far from being the opponent of Britain, so the German army would definitely fall into the dilemma of long-term warfare, and this was exactly what the Entente wanted.

This war determines the national fortunes of both sides, so there is no possibility of giving up until the end of the war. And with the size of Germany and Austria, if they are crippled and defeated, the Entente will also be broken. This is very meaningful for China to rise up after the war and reduce the oppression they have inflicted on us. Therefore, the little nephew believes that China must not only join, but also join quickly, and join the side of the Entente. ”

The benefits of China's participation in the war were foreseen by Liang Shiyi as early as the beginning of the war. He said to Yuan Shikai: "Germany and Austria are small and the enemy is big, and the result of the battle will be difficult to win." In my opinion, it is worth understanding that declaring war on Germany will be of great benefit to the future of the country and the status of the peace talks with Germany. After being forced to sign the 21st Article, Yuan asked Lu Zhengxiang what remedies he had, and Lu replied: "I can only participate in the war, and I will propose it at the peace conference, and ask all countries to revise it." ”

Zhang Hanqing's words coincide with the opinions of Lu Zhengxiang, Liang Shiyi and other central think tanks, and they are reasonable and well-founded, and the results analyzed from another perspective are not simple. Jiang Baili was already moved, but he still wanted to give him a try: "According to what you said, China chose to enter the war. However, we are far inferior to them in terms of national strength and military strength, and our participation in the war can only be a slogan, and it will not play a big role. Do you think that even if we win, we will get the benefits we deserve after the war? ”

This is the power of the legendary soldier! Although there were still four years to go before the Paris Peace Conference, Chiang Baili was skeptical of the significance or benefits of China's participation in the war, as he thought of the strength of the Chinese army, and could not influence the situation after the end of the war.

However, he met Zhang Hanqing, a god who can know the events of a hundred years from now: "Uncle Shi's worries are very reasonable, and China will really not be able to win much of a say at that time." But Uncle Shi can think about it, we have a moral advantage. If someone does not consider this and still wants to exclude China from the negotiating table on the division of interests, or even infringe on China's interests, it will inevitably arouse the anger of our people, and it will be a great victory in itself to open up the wisdom of the people and let the people see the world with their eyes open.

Moreover, after all, Germany and Austria are the great powers of the world, and even if they lose, the victorious side will be exhausted and injured. In the meantime, if we can bury our heads in economic development and raise our national power to a great level, who will stipulate that the principle of 'white supremacy' will not be overthrown after this period is eliminated? You know, a rifle can be used in anyone's hand! ”

Jiang Baili praised his head, being able to judge the time and seize the situation, know his confidant, and know forbearance, this is the way of governing the country and the army. So far, he hasn't asked Zhang Hanqing's identity---- but since he calls Cai Ye his uncle, he thinks he is also the son of a general in the army. The children of the family have heard and seen it, and it is normal for them to have some ideas about military theory. Cai Ye didn't introduce his life experience, so he didn't take the initiative to ask---- if he knew that he was the son and nephew of a certain important person, and he said it was really insightful, he couldn't help but give people a sense of sycophancy when he praised it. On the contrary, everyone skipped this matter, and only when they said one thing did they show their sincerity. Needless to say, the ideas of military educators are so thoughtful.

This son is extraordinary! This vision and analysis of the nature of the problem are sufficient. However, in addition to being able to see the overall situation, you also need to have a down-to-earth mindset. Only for a moment, Jiang Baili asked with great interest: "How do you think our country's military construction should go?" Let's joke about it. ”

The topic shifted from abroad to China, and Jiang Baili wanted to see if the young man in front of him could look at the world while also calming down to study China's current shortcomings in the military field. Of course, I don't dare to hope that I can take the drug, but if there are one or two merits, Jiang Baili, as an educator, is very willing to be a rookie. He is full of peach and plums, but there are no disciples in his heart, Zhang Hanqing's performance is very satisfactory to him, if this kind of good feeling can be maintained.

What point can Zhang Hanqing have? At this time, Sino-Japanese relations were not as bad as they were before the July 7 Incident, and the whole country did not have the preparations, strength, and atmosphere for war against Japan; more importantly, Jiang Baili's "Theory of National Defense" could not be published until 21 years later.

Talking about strategy? Although he has the advantage of crossing over, he lacks theoretical background, and he can't always use the prophet's exposition to talk about how something must be; Talking about the military? Sao Rui, my brother only received two weeks of military training when he was enrolled in college, and he touched a real gun (no bullet) once, right? Even though he had the advantage of knowledge, he was not mentally prepared to make an axe in front of the great military scientist.

Zhang Hanqing said matter-of-factly: "Talking about military development in front of Mr. Fang Zhen is inevitably laughing and generous. Xueliang just has a little personal idea about the current situation of the Chinese army, and he asks Mr. to correct it. ”