Germany, Berlin, yin.

The bustling streets are still noisy, and the citizens are not overshadowed by the wounds of the German crown prince and the low clouds. It seemed to most Germans that Prince Prince, who had been wounded by the vile English, would soon get better, and that they had an emperor in good health, and there was no need to worry about such a trivial matter in the good of things. All you have to do is to put your heart and soul into the service of Germany, an excellent war machine.

Unbeknownst to the townspeople, the atmosphere in the palace was even more oppressive than the weather. In a richly decorated room, two dozen doctors were gathered around a large bed, and the person lying on the bed looked much more recovered, the only difference was that he had slept so long and so long that he had not woken up for more than three days.

The Kaiser sat on the side with a dejected expression, and the ministers next to him were also silent; The queen's once beautiful eyes were now red and swollen from crying, and several noble ladies were constantly comforting her.

The best brain doctors in Germany examined Prince with all kinds of tools, and after a serious and serious consultation, they elected an older doctor to the emperor as a representative.

The old doctor sighed and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the results of our examination have come out, the crown prince is ......"

The Kaiser stood up so violently that the doctor almost fell to the ground.

"You'd better tell Prince he's safe, or I'll eat you!"

The old doctor trembled like a leaf in the wind, and although the Kaiser did not really eat people, the majesty of the emperor still terrified him and the other doctors.

"All parts of the prince's body are normal, except for the violent impact on the back of his head, and this violent concussion may have injured his brain tissue. He has no response to external stimuli, cannot speak, has no voluntary movement of his limbs, can move his eyes aimlessly, and appears to be awake, but in fact he is in a deep coma. The old doctor was afraid that the emperor would not understand, so he tried to slow down his tone and choose some words that were easy to understand.

"Tell me the result! Will he wake up? Can you still think and act like a normal person? The Kaiser grabbed the old doctor by the shoulders and shook the poor old man like a chicken.

"Your Majesty's anger, Your Majesty's anger!" Several ministers persuaded from the sidelines.

"Your Majesty...... The crown prince will not die, but as for whether he will wake up, or when he will wake up, and if he wakes up, there will be sequelae, we have no way of knowing for sure. After all, he was injured in the brain......"

By the time the doctor had finished speaking, the Emperor had already sat back in his chair in despair.

"Your Majesty, let the people who are familiar with the prince talk to him more, and usually move his body more, he still has hope of waking up, although this hope is not very ......"

The poor old doctor wanted to say something, but the emperor waved his hand and let them out, and the old people sometimes fell and injured themselves like this, and then slept until they died of natural causes, and they did not expect that Prince, who was in the prime of his youth, would also suffer this kind of misfortune.

A minister of the Interior took the doctors out, and he sternly told them not to leak the matter or they would be guilty of "treason."

The doctors nodded their heads in agreement.

Looking at the empress who was almost fainting, Wilhelm II did not know what to say, which was no less than a blow to him from the "middle-aged loss of a child". He came out into the hallway alone and silently lit a cigarette.

Today's weather really matches his mood, without even a trace of sunshine.

An autumn wind blew, and a few yellow leaves fell from the trees.

Could it be that all this is providential?

The Kaiser had mixed feelings, and he had never trusted anyone 100 per cent, so he laid a vast network of secret information throughout the country, and anyone who had the opportunity to threaten his throne or the safety of Germany had his eyeliner planted by him, and these eyes watched like a shadow on those important people, even his own son Prince. But day and night, he did not find that these people were acting detrimental to the country and his throne. As time passed, he felt as if he had been wrong from the start, and very wrong. Now it may be God's punishment for himself, for some selfish and even unmonarchical behavior.

He wanted to smile bitterly, but he couldn't even squeeze out a forced smile from the corner of his mouth.

For power, he has never been so crazy as to occupy every inch of the whole world, he just wants to be respected and recognized by the whole world, so that those who once flaunted their might in front of him will bow to the wind, and let the country he leads become the strongest in the world.

For life, he knows that people will inevitably die, and eternal life is just an eternal dream, but he hopes that his empire can last for thousands of generations, so that his spirit will live on with this country.

Defeating France, which posed a great threat to Germany from land, overpowering Britain, the world's largest naval power, and acquiring enough colonies for Germany was all he wanted to do at first, but the war developed much more than he had imagined. George V and Nicholas II were his cousins, and he had close personal relations with them, but when the war broke out, he had to fight against the country they led. Now Nicholas II and his government are gone, and George V and his England have become their own enemies. France, which was originally planned to be swept away in half a month, is still struggling to support, the war has spread to most of the world, Pandora's box has been opened, and everything is out of his control.

When Wilhelm II had a tendency to sublimate into a thinker, his chamberlain walked up to him and spoke carefully:

"Your Majesty! The Foreign Secretary reports that the envoys of Austria-Hungary, the new Tsarist Russia, and Japan are asking for a meeting, and that there are very important things that you need to decide! ”

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, with his character, he would never be defeated by this kind of thing, not to mention that the doctor said that Prince still had hope of waking up, maybe tomorrow as soon as the sun rose, he would be alive again.

"Oh, I'll go right away, and you can let Billo arrange the order of the interview!"

"Yes!"

The Emperor walked to the door of Prince's room again, and it was much quieter, the ministers had left, and the ladies were still with the Empress who was silently weeping. He glanced at Prince on the bed, who looked like a newborn baby asleep.

When the emperor came to the study, Büloh and the Austro-Hungarian envoys were already waiting.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, Emperor Ao entrusted me with his most sincere blessings!" The envoy seemed to be a regular visitor to the place, and there was not the slightest hint of restraint in his tone.

"Oh, it turned out to be Mr. Parr, how is the emperor of your country lately?" The Kaiser's tone was somewhat slow, giving the impression of being erratic and powerless.

"Thank you Your Majesty for your concern, Emperor Ao is all right! He also asked me to forward a letter to you! ”

Parbi replied respectfully, with only a haggard look on the face of the Kaiser in front of him, but no trace of sadness.

The Emperor unveiled the fire seal, took out the letter and read it carefully, and Foreign Minister Birlo and Special Envoy Parr stood silently in front of his desk.

It took the Emperor a few minutes to read the letter, which he read again, and when he was sure that nothing had been omitted or misunderstood, he spoke:

"So the Austrian emperor is willing to invite Bulgaria to join the war on the condition of sharing Serbian land!"

"Yes! Your Majesty the Emperor, the Austrian Emperor hopes to be able to attack Serbia on both sides with Bulgaria, so that it will only take half a month for us to end the fighting in Serbia. After that, we, Austria-Hungary, will have our hands free to deal with Italy with all our might! All that Parr said about the Emperor had already been mentioned in the letter, and all he had to do was to explain it to the Kaiser in detail and answer the Kaiser's questions about it.

"It seems that your country is ready for an all-out war with Italy!"

In the Kaiser's opinion, the combat effectiveness of the Austro-Hungarian army was mediocre, and there was simply no way to compare with the great German army, but fortunately their army suffered little losses in the battle against the Russians, and the strength of the Italian army did not look very good.

"Yes, Your Majesty! As you must be well aware, Italy is participating in our Triple Alliance on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is a well-known fact that Italy is participating in our Triple Alliance, and on the other hand, they are secretly negotiating with Britain and France to join the Entente countries, and the Austrian Emperor has decided to strike first and not give the Italians the opportunity to attack us! The envoy replied quickly.

The Kaiser looked at Bilo and then at the Austro-Hungarian envoy, "Indeed, according to the information we have received, the Italians are ready to betray us and are only waiting for the best time to attack us!" If your country declares war on Italy, we in Germany will not hesitate to declare war on them! In addition, we will continue to provide military and weapons support to your country, and the specific amount can be agreed upon by our two countries through talks, and then submitted to our War Department for approval and implementation. ”

The envoy bowed slightly, "That's great!" The Austrian Emperor will be happy, our two countries will always be the most solid allies! The Austrian Emperor also heard that His Majesty had decided to sweep France within a month, and he asked me to convey his blessings to your army on his behalf, and also hoped that your army would be able to attack Italy from the west with our army after the capture of France, and then the two countries could share the land of Italy! ”

"Emperor Ao is really good at picking time! Ha ha! The Kaiser laughed reluctantly, and the Austrians finally got a little enlightened, and knew that the odds of winning a two-sided attack on the enemy were much greater.

"Your Majesty has agreed! That's my farewell! ”

The Kaiser nodded, and motioned for Bülow to take the Austro-Hungarian envoy out.

About five minutes later, Billo walked in with another envoy, blonde and blue-eyed, who appeared to be a Russian envoy.

As soon as the Russian entered, he bowed deeply, "Hello, Your Majesty the Emperor!" My name is Roskoff, and I am a special envoy sent by His Majesty the Tsar, who asks me to convey on my behalf his highest respect to you! ”

"Well, please convey my thanks and greetings to your noble Tsar!"

The emperor was not surprised by the arrival of the Russian envoy, who had already expressed his intention to withdraw from the Entente and join the Allies through various channels, and this time he was officially sent to negotiate.

The Russian envoy also sent a letter from the new Tsar, "Thank you, Your Majesty! His Majesty the Tsar has sent me this time in the hope of reconciliation with your country. His Majesty the Tsar said that the position of Russia in the previous era of Nicholas II did not represent his position, and he wanted to be able to stand with the strongest. Our country is ready to withdraw from the countries of the Entente, and if we have the honor to conclude an alliance with your country, His Majesty the Tsar will be happy to fight side by side with your country against Britain, France, Japan, Serbia and other countries! ”

After a quick glance, Aglini's letter was full of reverence and praise for himself, and he said that Russia would give up its interests in Poland and the Balkans as proof of Russia's sincerity in rapprochement with Germany for generations. Internally, he wanted to completely suppress the revolution with the help of Germany; Externally, he hoped to work with Germany to develop the Far East and suppress Japan's power.

After reading this letter, the Kaiser smiled reluctantly, it seems that Aglini's Russia intends to be Germany's follower, although it takes great care to raise such a big polar bear, but the benefits are also obvious. The Kaiser had little interest in the icy land of Russia, and a pro-German Russian government was what he wanted.

"Is your country really ready to give up Poland and the Balkans? That means your country is out of Europe! ”

"So to speak, Your Majesty the Emperor. Our Majesty the Tsar thinks that the current Russia is no longer what it used to be, especially when your country is about to control most of Europe, it is foolish to continue to oppose your country, and joint development of Asia is the best policy! Of course, His Majesty the Tsar also said that our country will not hesitate to send troops to fight in coordination with your country's army according to the needs of your country, both in Europe and in the Far East! The Russian envoy spoke respectfully and not weakly, as if a merchant were expressing a positive desire for cooperation, to the satisfaction of the Kaiser, and if that were the case, the threat from the east would be completely lifted, and the pattern of the world would change dramatically by the reversal of course by the vast Russian warship.

"Inform me, on my behalf, of your honorable Tsar, that he has made a very wise choice for himself and for all of Russia. We are ready to engage in more in-depth negotiations with your country on the conclusion of an alliance! "The Kaiser had already seen a land way to Asia, and the vast colonies of Asia seemed to be within his reach at once.

"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor. Our Tsar's Majesty will be delighted, and I hope that the friendship between our two countries will last forever! ”

The Russian envoy bowed deeply again, and then left beaming with joy.

Next is the Japanese envoy, the Kaiser stared coldly at the short guy in front of him, this country saw the wind and the ability to rudder made him feel displeased, Russia's change of position was entirely because of the change of the tsar and the government, and the Japanese were still desperately attacking Qingdao not long ago, the emperor did not fall ill, the Japanese cabinet did not fall, but the position of the Japanese government suddenly came to a 180-degree change.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, on behalf of the Emperor and Prime Minister of our country, I would like to offer my sincerest respect!" The Japanese envoy bowed even deeper than the Russian envoy just now, and his body was basically bent at a right angle.

"Well, then I would also like to ask Mr. Special Envoy to convey my greetings to the Emperor and Prime Minister of your country!" The Kaiser said calmly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! We are very sorry and sorry for the previous dispute with your country in Qingdao, because this war was entirely due to the instigation of some of our generals by the British, and did not represent the fundamental will of our emperor and people. After thoroughly investigating this matter, we hope to be able to reconcile with your country and put an end to this war that was not intended by the two countries! As compensation, China is willing to assist your country in the construction of damaged facilities around Qingdao, restore and maintain the sea transportation in Jiaozhou Bay, and provide as much maritime security as possible for your country's commercial trade in the Far East! "The Japanese are very respectful, but there are not many concessions in their words, and the so-called compensation is something very vague.

"Our army and the Austro-Hungarian Allied forces have lost thousands of soldiers on the outskirts of Qingdao, and I must give an account to my people and Austria-Hungary allies!"

The Kaiser paused as he spoke, pondering how he could extract the most out of the Japanese this time, and preferably to allow the Japanese to restrain their aggressiveness in the Far East and China. After Russia's statement, German soldiers would soon be able to pass through Russia to China, and even if the war continued, the Kaiser would have nothing to worry about.

"Do you have any specific requirements?" The Japanese envoy stole a glance at the German monarch, and in his opinion, the most common method used by Europeans was to demand compensation for the other party's land, but the Japanese government was unwilling to pay both of these things.

"First, return the German Pacific Islands occupied by your country!" The Kaiser held out a finger unhurriedly.

The Japanese envoy nodded repeatedly.

"Second, compensate my country's economic losses in Qingdao, and I will submit the specific amount to the cabinet for discussion!"

The Japanese envoy's facial muscles seemed to stiffen somewhat.

"Third, the transfer of some of your country's mining and railway construction rights in China to China will also be decided by our cabinet in deliberation." When the Kaiser stretched out his third finger, the Japanese temples seemed to be beading with sweat.

"Fourth ......" The Kaiser stretched out his fourth finger, thought for a while and felt that he had not yet thought about it, so he put his hand down.

"Fourth, I'll let you know after I've consulted with the cabinet!"

The Japanese envoy took out a handkerchief and gently wiped it on his face.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, bargaining like a merchant seems to be detrimental to the friendship between our two countries, and therefore our Prime Minister proposes that we be willing to prove our sincerity in the pursuit of peace by withdrawing from the Entente in addition to the compensation offered by us. In addition, we also hope to join the alliance treaty led by your country to jointly confront Britain, France, Serbia and other entente countries, and we will spare no effort to contain the military strength of Britain and France in the Asian region. ”

The Kaiser laughed again, this time with a sneer. The Japanese had a very good calculation, and if the British were not good, they were ready to attack the British colonies in Southeast Asia, and they were not afraid to kill themselves.

"Mr. Special Envoy, this is not right, the two countries negotiate like a merchant deal, and the deal will not be concluded until it is agreed by both parties. Although the terms offered by our two countries are very different at the moment, our starting point on the Qingdao issue is very similar, which is to end the war there. Therefore, our two countries can conduct more in-depth consultations on this basis and finally find a suitable solution! However, as the most basic sincerity, your military must no longer blockade Qingdao by land and sea, and I do not want to see the lives and property of our citizens in Qingdao threatened by your country, otherwise the peace talks will stop immediately! ”

"Yes, yes! Your Majesty the Emperor, I will convey this to my government! The Japanese envoy was a little surprised, after all, the Japanese forces in the Far East and Tsingtao were still superior, but the attitude of the Germans was so tough, and many things were far beyond the negotiating authority granted to him by the Japanese government.

On October 29, 1914, Austria-Hungary formally concluded an alliance with Bulgaria, agreeing that the two countries would jointly attack Serbia, after which Bulgaria would receive the territories annexed by Serbia in the Second Balkan War.

At the same time, Germany and Austria signed a secret agreement agreeing that if Austria-Hungary declared war on Italy, Germany would also declare war on Italy and send troops directly into the fight.

On November 2, 1914, the new Tsarist Russia announced its formal withdrawal from the Anglo-French Entente powers. The next day, the new Tsarist Russia concluded an alliance with Germany and Austria, announcing that it would formally join the alliance countries composed of Germany, Austria, Turkey and other countries, and declared war on Britain, France, Japan, Serbia and other countries.

On November 7, 1914, Germany and Japan signed an armistice agreement, Japan exchanged the occupied German Pacific islands, the Japanese government compensated Germany with 10 million pounds sterling for military expenses, paid 10 million pounds of compensation to Chinese and German soldiers and civilians who died in the Battle of Qingdao, and transferred Japan's mining rights to 9 mines in China and 5 railway construction rights to Germany.

At the same time, Japan announced its withdrawal from the Entente countries dominated by Britain and France, and the Japanese representative also made a request to join the Central Powers, but the German side refused on the grounds that it did not want to expand the Asian theater.

Xiangmazhuang, Shandong, China.

In front of the martyr's tomb of Huang Yida, many Chinese people and soldiers looked at dozens of senior Japanese army generals in front of them with indignation and contempt. Suddenly, a burst of earth-shattering cheers erupted from the crowd, and the shouts of "Long live China", "Long live the heroes", and "Japanese dogs get out of China" were endless, and the Japanese generals had no choice but to slip away with their tails between their faces.

All this is what the Kaiser's fourth finger demands. In addition, the German governor of Jiaoao was also ordered to hand over a generous pension to the families of the Chinese soldiers who died in the battle of Qingdao, and erected a huge monument in Qingdao for these people, with relief carvings of the scene of Eurasian and African soldiers charging together, which later became a symbol of friendship between China and Germany.

As the main cruiser of the German Pacific Fleet slowly sailed into Jiaozhou Bay, the Allied blockade of Germany's largest military base in the Far East officially came to an end. As the German-Turkish coalition had advanced the front to Egypt, the war between the two major military blocs had temporarily left Asia, but the world was not calm, the war in Europe and Africa was still climactic, and the competition between Japan and Russia for interests in Northeast China had also intensified with the change of Japan's military strategy. The Japanese did not know that they had provoked the new Tsar, who was holding back but was very vindictive, and the Germans would not forget the shameless act of the Japanese who took the initiative to provoke the Qingdao War.