Warm air, no wind.

In front of the large, transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, a wheelchair, a sad person.

Outside the window, the snow was falling, the earth was covered in silver, the branches of the trees were covered with thick snow, the grass was no color other than white, and the lake was frozen.

You can't see birds, you can't see moving rabbits, you can't see people walking.

An empty world, an empty heart.

The door opened, and a pair of leather shoes "clucked" on the spotless floor, stopping after three steps.

"Your Majesty, the crown prince and princess are here!"

This was followed by an even more brisk "click".

"Daddy! Father! ”

The child's voice was as crisp as a silver bell.

The man in the wheelchair did not respond, and he did not turn his head until the children came to him.

"Sasha, Andres, you're here!"

"Dad, are you feeling better today?" The little girl lay on his knees and looked up at his face, which was not old at all, except for some stubble, and a few faint scars on his cheeks.

Although his reaction was a little slow, his gaze was not numb at all.

"Oh, not bad! Have you finished today's lesson? ”

"Hmm!" The little girl nodded very hard, she is 5 years old this year, she started receiving pre-school education from a tutor half a year ago, and she will be able to enter the primary school classroom in another 2 years.

He turned his gaze to the little boy standing to his right, his voice a little hoarse.

"What about you? Children, are you good today? ”

"Good!" The 3-year-old boy nodded like his sister.

Only at this time can Chentian be freed from his sorrow.

Half a month ago, in the main hall of the US Capitol, a sudden bomb explosion killed a total of 37 people, Tsar Aglini, Austro-Hungarian Crown Princess Zita, US President Wilson, Japanese Navy Minister Minoru Saito, and Turkish Prime Minister Aimo were killed on the spot, Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince Karl, US Secretary of State Ryan, and Japanese Foreign Minister Kaaki Takato were killed after rescue efforts failed, and the whole world was subjected to a violent oscillation by a mere 500 pounds of explosives.

If it was just these people, Chen Tian would not be so sad. However, his wife, Lisa, Empress of the German Empire, was also unfortunately one of the victims on this list.

First Rainey, who was a friend in trouble, and then Lisa, who shared weal and sorrow, this kind of pain is indescribable.

"Dad, you have to get better quickly, then Mom will be very happy in Heaven!" Sasha said in a milky voice.

Heaven......

A distant place, but at this moment, Chentian's countless thoughts are pinned.

Looking at the lovely daughter, Chen Tian said "um" very seriously. Maybe Sasha doesn't really understand the meaning of heaven and earth. Because when she and little Andres were clamoring for their mother, Chentian on the sickbed just told them that their mother had gone to heaven.

"Heaven is a place that can only be reached by longing!"

"When will Mom come back?"

"She will always live in Heaven, where she can see us, bless us, and encourage us! You must not cry, or your mother will be sad to see it! ”

Although she didn't seem to understand, Xiao Sasha still put away her attachment to her mother strongly, and even young Andres stopped crying. In the dead of night and when they can't help it, they still cry and cry, but for a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old child. This is already very, very rare.

"In the spring, I can go butterfly hunting with you!" Chen Tian looked at the two children. He never broke his word in front of them.

"I'm going to see my mother, okay?" Andres whispered.

Chen Tian did not refuse him directly, but gently pinched his tender face. "My little prince, my mother watches you from the sky every day! She said that as long as you grow up quickly, she will let the angel carry a letter to you, and then the angel will stop on your windowsill! ”

"Really?" Andres' eyes widened.

Chen Tian nodded a little hard and made a beautiful lie.

At this time, the attendant standing at the door came over, bent down, and said to Sasha and Andres, "Her Royal Highness the Princess, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Your Majesty is going to rest, let's go! ”

Chen Tian lowered his head as much as he could, and the two children kissed him on the cheek very obediently, said "goodbye" and followed the attendant out of the room.

The squire's face was not particularly familiar, and the chief chamberlain officer of Chentian before, von Jonalet, was seriously injured in the explosion and was still lying on the hospital bed. This time, the German delegation suffered three deaths and nine wounds, which was not the heaviest loss, but all the generals who died were admirals, and one of them was also a well-known rear admiral and staff officer of the Naval Operations Department. Overall, it doesn't hurt the vitality. But it's also choking.

After the children left, Tatsuten remained in the warm room, silently watching the snow outside the window, until his intelligence officer, Colonel Hiffert, appeared outside the door.

"Your Majesty, are you feeling better today?" This is what Chentian has heard the most in recent times, Tirpitz speaks it once every two days on average, Matthew speaks it about two or three times a day, Ollie also returned to Berlin from Africa last week, and Olg stationed in East Prussia, their arrival makes it impossible for Chentian to taste loneliness when he is sad.

As for this intelligence officer, he will come to report on time every day at this time.

"Hmm!" Chen Tian replied very simply, at least so far there is no personal friendship with this intelligence chief, this is not only a work relationship, in fact, people who are familiar with Shiffert know that he has the title of "cold-blooded bat", not only because he is in charge of the bat army, but also because he is cold, arrogant, and unapproachable, and never seems to know what "feelings" are.

Hifert's greeting was limited to the first sentence, and the rest was a serious business.

"Your Majesty, this morning the Japanese Government officially announced that it will not give up the investigation of the murderers who caused the bombing of the US Capitol and murdered six Japanese government officials and admirals, and at the same time they still recognize the validity of the Washington Naval Treaty and will conscientiously implement the relevant provisions therein!"

With the Japanese Government's announcement of this resolution, the governments of the six countries participating in the Washington Naval Conference have all announced their recognition of the validity of the "Washington Naval Treaty" after the explosion; in addition, the bombing of the Capitol in Washington has still not identified the culprits and the mastermind behind the scenes, so the US Government is still under great international political and public opinion pressure, and Germany, Austria, Japan, and Russia have all sent special investigation missions to Washington to participate in and assist in the investigation. Before the whole explosion came to light. It was tentatively recognized internationally as a terrorist incident deliberately breaching the peace, and because of the loss of very important people in all six countries, most people turned their attention to the British government in exile in Canada, even though the government-in-exile of Edward VIII, the government of southern France, and other governments rushed to claim that the matter had nothing to do with them.

The Japanese lost a foreign minister and a naval minister, and Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma should be grateful for his wheelchair and the man standing in front of him, which shielded him from most of the debris and impact. Of course, the huge oscillations also caused him to pass out on the spot, and it took 30 hours to wake up in the intensive care unit of Washington Central Hospital. Compared with. As the Minister of the Navy, Minoru Saito was not so lucky, he was hit by more than 80 pieces of glass and various foreign objects all over his body, and his flesh became blurred on the spot, and he was even exempted from the need to be sent to the hospital for first aid. Unlucky was Foreign Minister Kaaki Takato, who still had a breath after the explosion, but unfortunately the heavy bleeding prevented him from surviving to the end, and he died after being sent to the hospital.

The Japanese government's statement was expected, and Chentian's attention was not here, and after resting for so long, his voice sounded less hoarse. But his voice was still a little low when he spoke.

"What about Vienna? Emperor Franz Joseph has not yet announced his decision? ”

"Back to Your Majesty. There was still a heated debate going on at the Viennese court, but Emperor Joseph doesn't seem to have made his opinion so far! Siffert replied without hesitation, and it seemed that he had prepared the answer before he entered. Because Chen Tian has been concerned about this issue every day for the past week.

At the time of the explosion, some of the eager Karl and his crown princess had already walked to the celebration table, and even the most agile bodyguards could not do anything in the face of this sudden explosion. The crown princess Zita and 4 personal guards hung up on the spot, and Karl, who was covered with wounds, internal injuries and external injuries, was just holding a breath, but his willpower still failed to win his fate, and he died 2 hours after being sent to the hospital.

At this time, people can only lament that the fate of the heir of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was too tragic, first the first to elope and then to commit suicide, the first to elope, and then to the replacement of the crown prince Archduke Ferdinand. Now even the substitutes of the substitutes have not survived. After the news of Karl's death broke, many people exclaimed, "God wants to kill Austria-Hungary", but the Vienna court was not immersed in grief, and the nobles and ministers were immediately divided into several factions according to the candidates they supported for the crown prince, some supported Karl's brother-in-law, Prince Sixtus of Parma, some supported the Hungarian prince Geit, and most surprisingly, some proposed that Karl's sister, Linda, who was about to become the empress of Tsarist Russia, be the heir of Austria-Hungary, and there were not a few people who supported this proposal. Once this seemingly ridiculous proposal becomes a reality, it will dramatically change the landscape of Europe and the world. It could even be a huge turning point in history – a vast empire of Austria, Hungary and Russia would not only be unreachable, but also a formidable population, with more than 3 million standing armies alone and more than 10 million mobilized!

"Whether the Emperor didn't express his opinion or couldn't express his opinion, this must be clarified!" Chen Tian advised, because he clearly remembered that the historical Franz Joseph died in this year, that is, in 1916, even if he took into account the mood, the old Austrian Emperor at this time will not be in good health, if he loses the ability to personally handle government affairs, then the power of the country may have fallen into the hands of others, which is very important for Chen Tian and Germany's strategy.

Hifert bent down, "Yes!" Your Majesty, although the Austrian Emperor has not been on the road in public in recent months, it is said that he has received government officials from Hungary and other states every week for the past half a month! If that is the case, we may as well send an envoy to ask for an audience, what do you think, Your Majesty?" ”

This is exactly what Chentian meant, "Well, that's a good idea, I'll let Stresemann handle it!" ”

"This morning, the new US President Xia Marshall summoned a meeting of senior admirals of the Army and Navy at the White House, and the meeting was of a very high level, and the participants were asked to keep the contents of the meeting strictly confidential. Still, our intelligence officers got a little bit of information from it! Hiefert was not complacent, and although his intelligence services were not grossly negligent in the bombing, if they had been able to detect the news clearly, they could have avoided many unnecessary casualties. Of course, Chen Tian didn't blame them much afterwards, after all, the German intelligence network had not yet developed to the extent that Skynet was restored, and they had already noticed the frequent underground activities in Washington. The Japanese, Russian, and British governments-in-exile and the U.S. government were all involved, but until they could get accurate information, their advice to Chentian could only be to strengthen security and protect the best way to withdraw from the meeting.

At the time of the earth-shattering explosion, Wilson was closest to the explosion site, and the poor American president was blown to pieces, and his aide, Secretary of State Ryan, was also killed on the spot.

Generally speaking, the domestic and foreign policy and foreign actions of the Lower Marshall so far have basically continued the line of the Wilson period, which is to consolidate and strengthen colonial expansion. Take a tough stance against weak countries. Strive to get involved in any conflict with a powerful country before gaining sufficient military superiority.

"Secretly strengthening armaments?" Chen Tian speculated about the secret move of the White House.

"Not exactly!" "The focus is on the relationship between the United States and Mexico, after the U.S. government accused the Mexican government of sending saboteurs into the U.S. And conniving at smugglers to cross the border between the two countries, it is said that President Marshall is ready to appoint an army general named Pershing to lead the army to the Mexicans, a lesson,! ”

"Pershing? Then the Mexicans are in trouble! Chen Tian reluctantly said that in terms of American strategy, he basically followed the policy of William II, that is, to build and develop existing colonial islands, win over the Mexican government, and find and establish a "Jiaozhou Bay" in the Americas. In the second half of 1915, he sent special envoys to make frequent contact with the Mexican regime in Decaranza, and soon after the two sides reached a preliminary agreement that Germany would secretly provide financial and weapons assistance to the Mexican government, and at the same time send an officer corps to assist the Mexican government in training its troops. However, the Pacific crisis that broke out after that forced the Americans, who had turned to Germany, had to put the matter aside for the time being.

In fact, even without the intervention of Germany, the conflict between the United States and Mexico has a long history, and after the establishment of Mexico, the United States sent troops to invade three times, taking 2.3 million square kilometers of Mexico. Mexico shrank by half, and the United States became a transatlantic and Pacific power, and has since become the dominant power in the Americas. Since then, Mexicans have been strongly anti-American, but the U.S. government, with its advanced weapons, has traditionally viewed Mexico as a soft persimmon. Whenever Mexicans commit violence against Americans, the U.S. government will retaliate more harshly.

The United States invaded Mexico in April 1916, and the United States today is still far stronger than Mexico, and the current Carranza regime in Mexico is a radical government that came to power through revolutionary struggle, and President Carranza's policy is to resolutely oppose and resist the encroachment of the United States on Mexican land, coupled with the ambition of the Germans to win over Mexico, how can the U.S. government tolerate this situation of sleeping next to the couch.

"If nothing else, the U.S. government will soon mobilize their Army, and this will be their first military operation since the implementation of their Army Expansion Project!" But what kind of diplomatic and military measures Germany should take was not within the purview of his intelligence chief, Schiffert reminded.

"This is a war without suspense!" Chen Tian muttered to himself, after reading the report on the military situation in Mexico, he knew very well that the military level between the two countries was not at the same level at all, the United States has more than 100,000 regular army, equipped with advanced rifles, artillery and even armored vehicles, although the naval strength can only be regarded as second-rate in the world, but in the face of Mexico, which has almost no naval base, it can still easily blockade its coastal ports. Although the Germans had allocated several sums of money, some guns and ammunition, and an officer corps of more than 30 professional soldiers, they were not able to change the situation in which the Mexican cavalry was an assault force, with outdated weapons, a lack of artillery and qualified officers, and the Mexicans were not willing to hand over the command of the army to the Germans like the Turks had done.

"Your Majesty, what can my intelligence department do?" Hiffert asked tentatively, and from the bottom of his heart, he really wanted to let his people make a big deal in the United States, and make a mess of the United States with a tooth for a tooth, and it was better to blow up the White House, after all, no one stipulates that only the weak can use unconventional means to deal with the strong.

"Closely monitor the White House, and our intelligence network in the Americas must be stepped up! As for the Mexicans, it would be nice to remind them! After all, the Americans just want to fight a preventive war, at most to bring down the Carranza government, and have no ambitions and appetites to annex Mexico! As long as the war starts, we will work with other countries to exert pressure, and presumably the US government will not last long before withdrawing its troops! ”

After saying this, Chen Tian had to stop and rest for a while. His body was still much weaker than usual, but it was a miracle that he survived anyway, at least according to the best doctors in Germany.