"I know that the Far Eastern Fleet is not strong, but is it an exaggeration to say that the Chilean fleet is far superior to us?" Frederick III asked with some dissatisfaction.

"Your Majesty, the steel battleships of the Chilean Navy can easily defeat our Bismarck-class iron-ribbed wood-hulled cruisers. The superiority of steel warships over wooden warships, which has already been demonstrated in the Battle of Iquique. And we are really capable of fighting the cutting-edge Corolla-class light cruisers and the Puma-class small cruisers, but the Chilean Navy also has the Esmeralda (third generation). Together with other ships of the Chilean Navy, we are at a disadvantage. ”

In addition, the Chilean Navy's first-class ironclad ship Pratt, which was ordered in France, was launched in December last year, and two President-class protective cruisers of Elasuliz are under construction. All three battleships were built at the French shipyard LaSeyne. It is expected that all should be able to be delivered this year. As a result, the Chilean Navy will skyrocket again. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Chilean Navy is far superior to the Far Eastern Fleet. Jochen spoke to help Muntz speak.

"In other words, the Navy can't do anything, can it?" Frederick III's face was a little ugly.

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. Unless we draw ships from the mainland, the Far Eastern Fleet will not be able to defeat the Chilean Navy. Of course, if Your Majesty gives the order, the Far Eastern Fleet will still fight bravely. Muntz cautiously replied to the Emperor's question.

"Don't say it, it's as if I'm going to let the Navy fight a war that is not destined to be won. The navy is not capable of doing anything, and diplomatically it is worried about the attitude of the British, so we can only be neutral, right? Although we have a military deposit there, we can't get anything out of it! Frederick III was a little annoyed.

In the face of the emperor's rebuke, both Caprivi and Muntz could only stand straight and be disciplined like schoolchildren who had made mistakes.

"It's not like we can't do anything." Jochen, who was standing on the sidelines, thought for a moment and then spoke: "As long as we support the parliamentary faction, we can maximize our interests. ”

"But the Parliamentarians are supported by the British, and even if we support them, it will be difficult for us to obtain the right to trade saltpeter from the British." Caprivi objected: "The ratio between what we give and what we get is unsatisfactory. ”

"But we can't support Balmaceda, can we? So with its neutrality and excitement, the benefits are taken by the British, and we can get a piece of the pie if we get involved, right? Only by standing on the side that is sure to win can we maximize our interests. "In fact, Jochen really doesn't care about saltpeter mines or anything, once Germany masters the technology of chemical synthesis of nitrate, the value of Chilean saltpeter to Germany will be greatly reduced. Jochen cares more about the copper mines there.

"Even if we do nothing, the chances of Balmaceda winning are slim to none, because the British won't want to see things really get to that point. So even if Balmaceda had relied on the army in his hands to gain an advantage, the British would never have waited and waited as they do now. And if we give parliamentary support, then Balmaceda will not have any chance. So we don't have to worry about what will happen if Balmaceda gets the final victory. ”

Although emotionally Yochen was more inclined to Balmaceda, a true patriot who really thought about the development of the country and tried to get rid of the British control. And they prefer to have good relations with Germany, which is indeed a very good partner if possible. But alas, the British wanted him to die, so he had to die. If it had to take sides, Germany, which could not stand on the wrong side, could only stand behind the British.

"We have the advantage that the British have not yet made a clear statement, and the parliamentarians don't know how much support they will get. And if we show our attitude at this time, we can get ahead of the British. "Now that you have chosen a camp, you have to fight for the benefits as much as possible. Jochen could only apologize to Balmaceda from the bottom of his heart, and then began to demand full support for the parliamentarians.

"The parliamentarians want weapons? We still have a lot of obsolete Gew.81 rifles in our warehouses, and we can take them all if we want, and even what we have eliminated is much more advanced than the Spencer rifles that the Chileans are now using in large quantities. Rifles, machine guns, artillery, whatever the parliamentarians wanted, they could be provided, and if there was no money to pay the bill, they would be exchanged for saltpeter mines. Before the British have yet to take a stand, let the parliamentarians know that only we can give them what they want. ”

"The Far Eastern Fleet can make a visit to Chile and then contact the Chilean Navy to pass on our opinion to the Parliamentarian faction." As soon as Muntz saw that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had chosen a camp, he was not stupid and immediately made suggestions. Just now, His Majesty the Emperor asked him to sit like pins and needles, and now he has to show a little bit so that His Majesty will not think that he is incompetent.

"And we can bluff and let the parliamentarians know that if we don't agree to our conditions, then we will switch to Balmaceda. Then, in order to deal with the Chilean navy, the empire will send warships from the mainland to strengthen the Far East fleet. Jochen added: "With such a signal, the parliamentarians should know what to do if they are not stupid enough to go home." ”

"If they want our support, then they need to come up with enough benefits that will appeal to us. Okay, so be it. Frederick III nodded, and then gave an order to Caprivi: "Leo, go and get in touch with the Parliamentarians to convey our attitude, but don't tell them what kind of support you can give them, at least before the navy visits Wèn, I hope that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can fight for the interests of the empire as much as possible." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty. We will do everything we can to get the most favorable conditions. Caprivi replied respectfully.

"Oh, by the way, Your Excellency Prime Minister, if you can, it would be better to reach out to His Excellency Admiral Jorge Monte Álvarez. When the Navy went to Chile, it mainly came into contact with this person. Jochen said.

"Why? Is there anything special about this person? Frederick III asked suspiciously.

"Father, if the parliamentarians want to co-opt the navy, then they will have to pay a price. After Balmaceda's ouster, Chile needed a new president, and the parliament was full of businessmen and careerists, and it was impossible for them to elect a president from their side. Then handing over the position of president to the Navy is naturally the best price to pay. Jochen naturally knew that the admiral would be the president of Chile in the future, but to add to the convincing power, Jochen continued.

"And now another hero of the Chilean Navy, His Excellency Admiral Juan José la Torre, is now in England, and he is loyal to the president. So there is only one other person who meets the needs of the parliamentary faction - Jorge? Monte? His Excellency Admiral Alvarez. The man who commanded a frigate in that decisive naval battle in 1879 and pointed out his superior, Galvarino? Riveros' mistake and assisting the flagship in correcting the course and avoiding heavy damage to the naval hero was naturally the best choice. ”

"So we approached him first and showed our support for him, and even hinted at him that we supported him to become president of Chile. Whether or not the parliamentarians revealed the exchanged chips to Monte, it had to be a behind-the-scenes operation. And our statement, on the one hand, tells him that we know the bargaining chips of the parliamentary faction, and he will inevitably feel jealous of us. On the other hand, our support can make him more confident about the future of the parliamentary faction. Then when he really sits on the presidency, it will be time for him to make good on his promise to us. ”

"Then do as you say." Frederick III made the decision.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

In the following secret contacts. Of course, the parliamentary faction could not get the Germans to support the presidential faction, and they expressed their willingness to establish good cooperative relations with Germany. However, the German side has not relented in the support it can give. The parliamentarians knew that the Germans were waiting for their side to be patient first and then to open their mouths, so they calmed down and prepared to fight with the Germans. But they didn't know that the Germans had begun to reach out to people with a more voice.

Two weeks later, a small flotilla consisting of the flagships of the Far Eastern Fleet, the light cruiser Olga and the small cruiser Hayabusa, visited Tarkavanaugh. It was the most important naval base in Chile, and thanks to the great wealth of the saltpeter trade and the good cooperation with the British, Talcavauno was built as a naval base with complete supporting facilities, and it was also an important port for the Chilean navy in the central part of the country.

Commander of the Far Eastern Fleet, Paul? Rear Admiral Hoffman's mission on this trip was naturally not to carry out friendly exchanges with the Chilean Navy, but to convince Jorge as the same "naval officer"? Monte? Alvarez chose to work with Germany.

For the arrival of the German Far East Fleet, the Chilean Navy attaches great importance to it, and the performance of the Corolla-class light cruisers is even higher than that of the Esmeralda (third generation), and the two American Eagle-class small cruisers are also extremely powerful. Although the overall combat power is inferior to that of the Chilean Navy, if Germany makes up its mind to intervene, the Chilean Navy will also have a headache.

So Rear Admiral Hoffman met Jorge, the current de facto controller of the Chilean Navy, on the same day? Monte? Alvarez.

Major General Hoffman took the lead in saluting Monte, who was the general, and after returning the salute, Monte warmly hugged Hoffman, then shook Hoffman's hand and said, "Welcome to Chile." ”

Bringing Hoffman to the conference room in the harbor, Monte lost the enthusiasm he had before. He opened his mouth and went straight to the point: "Major General Hoffmann, what do you Germans want from me?" What can you give me? ”