On March 27, 1879, Li Mingyuan, together with the main generals of the army and navy, took a train from Chang'an Station and marched along the main railway line to Huaiyang.

The next day, accompanied by dozens of young officers, Lieutenant General West, head of the German Officers' Training Corps, and Baron Roberts, the German minister to Han, and his entourage of nearly 100 people crossed the Pampas Plain along different routes and marched toward Xinjing, the final destination of the exercise.

The Pampas Plains are flat, with little undulating hills, so long steam trains rarely bump or wobble during their journey.

A thick white smoke rises from the dark chimney, the fast-moving locomotive makes a "plop red" steam crash, and the scenery outside the window seems to be stationary with the rapid movement of the train, almost unchanged.

The area of the Pampas Plain was so large that the train continued to travel for several hours, and still did not get out of the plain area of the dazed green mixed with the village chief.

Patches of green meadows, neatly planned blue brick houses, and rows of peculiar willows and oaks beside those settlements combine to form the most universal scenery on the Pampas Plains.

The grass, the green trees, the villages, although the scenery outside the train is harmonious and beautiful, but the distance that stretches for thousands of kilometers, watching the same scene all the time, is always a bit monotonous and boring.

The rural scene of the central plain of the Han Kingdom is similar to the situation in East Prussia of Germany, the Pampas Plain and East Prussia both have fertile black soil, the local agricultural resources are rich, and they are important agricultural production areas of the two countries, but unlike the Han Kingdom, the area of East Prussia is only 36,000 square kilometers, while the area of the Pampas Plain is 760,000 square kilometers, and the black soil area of the entire Pampas Plain is within the land area of the Han State.

Whether in industrial or traditional feudal society, fertile agricultural land is the fundamental element of national strength.

Although the whole world is vast and there are hundreds of large and small countries, there are only four pieces of black soil with the best quality of land. The first is the black soil area of Eastern Europe, which includes the Ukrainian Plain, the Polish Plain, Belarus, and East Prussia in Germany, covering an area of about 1.9 million square kilometers; The second is the North American black soil area with an area of about 1.2 million square kilometers in the Mississippi River Basin in North America, and the third is the Northeast black soil area distributed in the northeast plain of the mainland, with an area of about 1.03 million square kilometers. The fourth is the Pampa steppe, which is located in the original Argentina to Uruguay, with an area of 760,000 square kilometers.

Among the four black soil regions, Russia began to expand from the time of Vasily I (1371-1425), gradually annexing the Novgorod principality, the Kazan Khanate, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and other countries, expanding the national territory from a corner of Moscow to the entire Siberia, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. The Great Plain of Ukraine, originally occupied by Poland, became the basis for the rise of the Russian Empire.

The Russian Empire occupies about 80 percent of the territory of the black soil region of Eastern Europe, and in the competition with Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and other countries, it is inherently in an advantageous position, even if it experiences one or two defeats, it is difficult to crisis the country's fundamentals.

Like the Russian Empire, other countries occupying three black soil regions also have an innate strategic advantage, under this strategic advantage, as long as there are no extremely mediocre monarchs and arrogant and corrupt ruling classes in their own countries, even if they suffer several serious setbacks, they can use time to recover quickly, while on the other hand, neighboring countries that occupy the world's four major black soil regions as enemies, unless there is a particularly wise monarch and the opportunity of the opponent's internal political chaos, and then decisively send troops to occupy the opponent's black soil region, This is the only way to achieve the rise of the state, but this probability is extremely rare in the whole history, even if the country that now occupies the four black soil regions, only the Russian Empire and the South American Han State took advantage of the late-mover advantage, and in the hundreds of years after 1500, used the advantage of force to take the black soil region step by step from other neighboring countries. (Northeast China has been sovereign since ancient times, and the United States inherited British colonial rights and interests and was not included in it.) ）

Where there is water, there are fish, where there are mountains, there are countless mountain treasures and wild things, and there is endless fertile land.

Recalling the natural geography of the Han Kingdom that he had learned since he took over the post of head of the German officers' training corps, Lieutenant General West could not help but feel a little worried about Germany's future strategic situation while envious.

The Russian Empire's occupation of the Black Soil region was a good time, and the 1500s were full of small European states, giving the Russian Empire time to grow step by step.

Although the South American Han State missed the best opportunity to rise, but fortunately, the South American Chinese had a leader with excellent vision, the Han Emperor not only had superb military talents, good at gathering all kinds of talents around him for his use, and more rarely, he seemed to have a pair of eyes to see through the future, before every event involving the change of the situation in South America, he was always able to prepare a year or even years in advance, and then at the most appropriate time for the outbreak of the event, he led the army to make the most correct decision in hindsight.

This was true of the Peruvian uprising that took place in 1868, the participation in the Paraguayan melee, and even the subsequent First Argentine War, Second Argentine War, and First Anglo-Chinese War.

Win in the chaotic situation in South America, take advantage of the wars and contradictions between Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and gradually increase the strength of the Han Kingdom in South America.

Sometimes, West couldn't help but wonder if Li Mingyuan was really the son of Taiyi in the mouth of the Han people, and was the god they believed in descended from the Taiyi God to save the Chinese in South America?

If this is not the case, how can we explain Li Mingyuan's every prophetic decision?

West couldn't see through the reason why Li Mingyuan had expected the enemy to be in front of him again and again, but he didn't want to attribute this reason to delusion such as deity.

Because in his view, the so-called Mandate of Heaven advocated by the current Han people is exactly the same as the arrogant "God's darling" of the American white people, of course, the difference between the two is that the Americans inherited the colonial legacy left by the British, and then shamelessly bullied and slaughtered the Indians as their own merits, while the rise of the Han State in South America was only out of an accident of history, so that the South American Chinese had such a rare leader as Li Mingyuan, and only then did they complete the transformation from a wandering laborer, The transition to the nationals of a large South American country.

Compared with the first contact with the Chinese in Peru 21 years ago, the impression of the Chinese in the Han Kingdom on West has been completely different.

Twenty-one years ago, the Chinese laborers who occupied the Peruvian mines were all yellow-skinned and thin, wearing barely covering labor clothes, with braids on their heads, and pessimism and fear about the future situation in their eyes. just sent a chaplain with the ship to negotiate with them,

After that, the situation in South America changed completely beyond West's expectations, and the Chinese workers who revolted not only defeated the Peruvian army that came to encircle and suppress them, but also finally established a state in South America.

Twenty-one years have passed, and for the third time I have set foot on the soil of South America,

Feeling the changes in the Chinese in South America, he remembered a Western mythological story in his mind, which said that the immortal bird would meet every five hundred years

self-immolation once in incense wood, and then resurrection from the ashes after death,

During the period of being sold as indentured laborers, they experienced the torture like death, and then followed the guidance of a leader, and then awakened the will to fight, which may be another reason for the rebirth of the South American Chinese.

Thinking of the changes in the spiritual outlook of the South American Chinese, West asked Xu Zhixuan, a naval military officer who accompanied him, seemingly casually: "Mr. Major, why did you choose to be a soldier?" ”

West's sudden question made Xu Zhixuan, who was also watching the scenery outside the window, a little strange, and after a while of silence, Xu Zhixuan replied seriously: "My motherland is suffering, my compatriots not only endure hunger and disease, but also often suffer from foreigners, and now, in South America, the people outside the train window can eat white rice and fresh beef and mutton every day, children can get the opportunity to go to school, adults and children can get together, don't worry about the oppression of the government and the humiliation of foreigners, That's why I joined the army! ”

"Mr. Major, you are a true soldier, and I admire your spirit."

Feeling that he had the answer he wanted, West continued: "I have been to many places before, and when I was in mainland China and Southeast Asia, I have also encountered some cases of British, Americans, and French bullying the Chinese, although I am also white, but I do not agree with their practice of bullying ordinary people. ”

"Thank you for agreeing."

Xu Zhixuan said: "I am a soldier of the Han Kingdom, and at the same time a Chinese, as long as the overseas Chinese are still discriminated against and humiliated by other countries, as long as the mainland compatriots are still under the brutal rule of the Qing court, as long as the Han Kingdom is not able to obtain the same international status as other countries, I will not take off my military uniform for a day!" ”

Eighteen years ago, like many Prussian soldiers, he was devoted to the all-out decisive battle against the French Empire with Xu Zhixuan's passionate belief.

In the Franco-Prussian War, Prussia won the victory and promoted the establishment of the German Empire, but the Second German Reich was only a small Germany, and he did not complete the final unification of the German nation, Austria, Bohemia, Luxembourg and other traditional German regions were still independent, and the Franco-Prussian War did not hurt the foundation of France, and the defeated French Republic was rapidly recovering.

In 1875, the Imperial Prime Minister Bismarck attempted to launch a war against France to slow down the recovery of the French Republic, but it was unsuccessful due to the obstruction of Britain and Russia.

After 1875, the strength of the French Republic was rapidly restored, and the colonies controlled by the second largest area in the world provided nourishment for the development and growth of the French mainland.

Located in the middle of Europe, facing the two great enemies of France and the Russian Empire in the north and south, the German Empire was stronger than before the reunification, but the pressure was also greater!

Surrounded by strong enemies, the German Empire faced a worse situation than the South American Han State, and if the South American Han State failed in its external expansion, it could still use its vast territory to resist the imperial attack, while once Germany weakened, it would inevitably face the situation of being carved up by the surrounding powers.

France and Germany are surrounded by a small number of countries afraid of the threat of Germany, they cannot give Germany a chance to rise again and take revenge, so there are only two ways in front of the German government, one is to defeat France and Russia, and seize the land in the black soil region of Eastern Europe and the Rhine River basin, which laid the foundation of the country's strength, and the second is to accept the fate of being carved up and be willing to be a small country.

With more contact with the Han army in South America, West also saw the shadow of Germany in the traditional history of the East.

Germany is similar to Wei during the Warring States period, and Qin and Zhao are similar to the Russian Empire and France in Europe.

When Wei was strong, the surrounding countries united to attack Wei, and when Wei was weak, it would be attacked by various countries because of its location in the center, and gradually move towards the fate of being divided.

Because Wei did not seize the opportunity to seize the Guanzhong region during the strong period, it gave Qin a chance to overtake, and Germany also lost the opportunity to completely weaken the strength of the French Republic.

Wei is located in the center, it is difficult to maintain a strategic advantage over neighboring countries, Germany is located in the middle of Europe, if you want to suppress France's revenge, in addition to maintaining the growth of national strength, you must also find more allies to support,

During the period of national development, the Russian Empire was the most powerful ally, but under the inducement of the French economic vote, the Russian Empire became more and more inclined to France, and because of the contradictions between Russia and Austria-Hungary, the relations between Germany and the Russian Empire were more and more deeply affected.

Outside of Europe, the Ottoman Empire is one of Germany's favorite allies, and if the Ottoman Empire is wooed, it can contain the Russian Empire from the side and the Han Kingdom in South America, which can provide much-needed overseas markets for the development of Germany's local industry.

Han population, rapid industrial development, Han government and private orders to Germany every year a large number of industrial machinery, for the German industry to bring considerable economic income, at the same time, Han and Germany in the emerging field of technical exchanges, but also improve the market competitiveness of Germany's emerging industries, for the German chemical, electric power, internal combustion engine industry to occupy the European market, provides a strong help.

Countries and markets outside Europe were carved up by Britain and France, although the Ottoman Empire, which was relatively close, had vast land, more than 90 percent of the control area was desert, the local resources were scarce, and the total population was comparable to that of South America, but the level of industrial development was far less than that of South America, and the market share that could be provided for Germany's local industry was limited.

Taking the amount of Germany's imports and exports in the past ten years as an example, in 1880 Germany's total exports were 2.9 billion marks, and the total imports were 2.8 billion marks. Among them, the amount of imports and exports to Han accounted for one-seventh of the total, about 814 million marks,

In 1888 the total value of German imports and exports grew to 7 billion marks, and

Among them, the total import and export volume to Han climbed to 1.7 billion marks, accounting for about a quarter of Germany's total import and export value.

Han is Germany's largest importer of overseas agricultural and animal husbandry products and processed agricultural products, and is also Germany's largest exporter of overseas industrial products, and among the foreign-funded enterprises in South America, German capital occupies about 65 percent of the market share, and for Germany, German capital in Han occupies about 72 percent of Germany's entire overseas investment market.

In addition, after the resumption of political relations between Han and Britain, in order to avoid the influence of the British on the relations between Han and Germany, and to strengthen the ties between Germany and Han again, the main purpose of the visit was to give necessary explanations and a certain degree of compromise in some aspects that the Han were more concerned about (such as the restriction of foreign students and the Berlin Conference of 1884).