Garvar, Podger, Mangalore, Derigeri, Kozhikode, Kochin, Nagai Koyle......

When the fleet arrived in the southwestern waters of the Indian Peninsula, Chen Tian was pleased to find that the German flag had been raised in the coastal cities of India. More than 70,000 German-Turkish soldiers landed in two groups from the port of Cochin and swept through the southern part of the Indian peninsula where the British and Indian armies were weakly defended by the autumn wind.

"The main force of the Indian army took advantage of the heavy rain to retreat to the Tanhe Plain and the Vindhya Mountains!" Holding the telegram sent from the headquarters of the expeditionary force, Chen Tian said proudly to Hipper, "As we expected, the Japanese army has not stopped advancing because of the rainy season, their pioneer troops have entered the Tanhe Plain, and Haig finally has to think about his own backyard!" ”

"In fact, since the sea transportation was cut off by the Japanese army, the defeat of the British and Indian armies is only a matter of time!" Hipper was not very happy when he said this, for it was not pleasant for an admiral to watch the navy of another country show off its might.

Chen Tian waved his hand, "If we don't carry out this large-scale landing on the Indian Peninsula, this strategically important peninsula will probably be taken away by the Japanese, then the Arabian Sea will become the dividing line between us and Japan in Southeast Asia, instead of the current Bay of Bengal, and the strategic posture of the two countries in Southeast Asia will be completely different!" ”

"Your Majesty said yes!" Hipper agreed: "If the Indian Peninsula and Sri Lanka were in Japanese hands, then we would have to divide our forces into the Strait of Hormuz (the entrance to the Persian Gulf) and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait (the entrance to the Red Sea), instead of focusing on one Indian peninsula as we are now!" ”

"One Indian peninsula is not enough!"

Chen Tian was not shy and said a little vaguely: "We also need a long-term and effective agreement between us and the Japanese to avoid friction and conflict between the two forces in Southeast Asia!" ”

"Then Your Majesty went to Singapore this time to discuss this matter with the Japanese!" Hipper asked lightly, for a fleet commander like him, there are some things that do not need to be deeply understood, but there are some strategic things that should be clarified.

"Well, how to draw the sphere of influence of both sides in Southeast Asia. This is an issue to which both Germany and Japan attach great importance! Only when Southeast Asia is stable can we rest assured that we can shift our strategic focus to other places! Moreover, there is also a lot of cooperation to talk about in the future strategy of our two countries! ”

"Since His Majesty needs to go in person, then ......" Hipper looked at Chentian and made sure that the emperor didn't mind talking about this issue very much, so he cautiously asked, "Are we going to meet the supreme head of Japan in Singapore?" ”

"You mean the emperor who is worshipped as a god by the Japanese?" Chen Tian shook his head, "It's a pity that the Emperor is not a god. They are no different from ordinary people. Now the Taisho Emperor's health has not been ideal! So, this time he had no choice but to appoint the crown prince plenipotentiary to come and meet with us, along with an important prince and their new foreign minister! ”

"Oh!" Hipper didn't ask anything more, he obviously wouldn't realize that there was anything special about the Japanese crown prince, but Tatsuten was different.

"Hirohito ......"

Tatsuten repeated this name in his heart, Hirohito, who was still the crown prince at this time, should still be just a child who occupies the age of the year, in this world, what will he have in common with the Emperor Showa who led the war of aggression against China and World War II behind the scenes, and what will be the difference?

With this question. Chentian came to Singapore. Came to this place, known as the "crossroads of Asia".

It was June 7, 1916, a day before a small handover ceremony took place at the German military port of Wilhelm. The 350 Japanese crew members boarded the soon-to-be-belonging aircraft carrier Super Duck Mama, which had just completed its final refit and repairs, and set sail from Wilhelmshaven to Japan, along with 182 German crew, 17 pilots and 26 technicians. Upon arrival in Japan, the crews will go directly to the German naval base in Qingdao Bay, while technicians will stay in Japan for a period of time to assist Japanese technology. In addition, the 22 aircraft of various types carried on board the ship will also be transferred to the Japanese Navy.

Apparently affected by this incident, the Japanese government and navy were very enthusiastic about the arrival of the German fleet in Singapore, and not only received the German fleet consisting of the battleships "Elector" and "Prince William" and the supply ship "Widower" to the highest standard, but also mobilized local residents and expatriates to serve as ports to greet them. Tens of thousands of residents waved flowers and small flags on the piers, and some German expatriates unfurled huge German and naval flags with the permission of the Japanese authorities.

Kaiser and his entourage visit Singapore!

This is undoubtedly a bombshell for the US government, which has been overjoyed for a while by the news that the German-Japanese expeditionary force is about to "meet" in India, believing that the possibility of a conflict of interest between the two countries in Southeast Asia is far greater than peaceful coexistence. However, the Kaiser's personal visit to Singapore, a new Japanese colony, was undoubtedly a sign of closer relations between the two countries!

For this reason, Marshall strictly ordered the government intelligence services to find out the real purpose of the Kaiser's visit to Singapore, which was naturally not just a friendly visit as announced by the German and Japanese governments!

Thereupon. On the one hand, they sent people to monitor the German fleet docked at the dock so as to wait for an opportunity to follow the German delegation at the disembarkation site, and on the other hand, they actively inquired from the Japanese in an attempt to obtain information in advance about the place of the meeting between the two sides and the content of the talks.

On the morning of the arrival of the German fleet in Singapore, a German delegation disembarked and accompanied by the Japanese side to visit the city of Singapore and visit the Japanese barracks in Singapore. However, to the great surprise of the American intelligence officers, the Kaiser himself was not part of the delegation!

After nightfall, the docks where the German fleet docked were still guarded by a large number of Japanese soldiers, two German battleships and a supply ship were somewhat lit but not very bright, and the whole harbor was quiet, except for the occasional whistle of ships entering and leaving the harbor.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, a convoy with a Japanese flag sailed into the wharf, and the Japanese soldiers around the wharf immediately strengthened their vigilance as if they were facing a great enemy. Afterwards, the group of people who got out of the car quietly boarded the flagship of the German fleet, the "Elector".

Walking in the front is a young man with a bit of heroism on his face. Immediately behind him was an old man in his fifties and sixties, with very short hair, and wearing the uniform of a Japanese field marshal. Before he was about to step onto the boarding board, he said to the young man in front of him in a slow, deep voice:

"Your Highness, don't be nervous when you get to the ship in a while, just remember the principle of not being humble or arrogant!"

"I see!" The boy replied without humility or arrogance, and then walked unhurriedly to the Germans who were waiting on the foredeck.

The ship was greeted by a German rear admiral, two rows of well-dressed but non-pistol-armed German sailors lined up on either side of the deck. After the young man and the old man at the head stepped onto the deck, the major general did not make much noise. Just said in Japanese:

"This way, please!"

The young man quietly followed closely behind the German major general, and the old man took a slow step before leaving, and always kept a distance of about one step behind the young man, so that outsiders could see the identity level of this group at a glance.

At this time, Chen Tian and Hipper were waiting silently in the officer's conference room on the ship. After a while, they heard footsteps in the hallway, and after that, Major General Hartmann walked into the conference room with a dozen Japanese people.

At first glance, when he saw Hirohito, who had only been canonized as the crown prince of Japan not long ago, Chen Tian couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in his heart. Hirohito, who has been strictly educated by Nogi Noshinori since he was a child, has a cold temperament of a soldier, but the grim expression on his face can't hide the immaturity brought by age. Hirohito was not tall at this time. It's only about 1.6 meters. Dressed in a yellow army uniform, he looks like a child soldier who has been drafted into the army in advance.

In short, Chen Tian couldn't see a bit of domineering in him. Not to mention the ambition to dominate the world after that.

Accompanied by Prince Fushiminomiya, Hirohito walked up to Tatsuten, bowed politely, and then said at a medium pace:

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Kaiser!"

After the translator conveyed Hirohito's meaning, Tatsuten also greeted the Japanese crown prince and took the initiative to extend his right hand.

Hirohito was stunned for a moment, but it was only a matter of a moment, and he quickly stretched out his right hand.

The Japanese crown prince's hands were a little cold, but Chen Tian also clearly felt a thick layer of calluses on those small hands. It is probably because of the frequent use of katana and firearms.

After Hirohito withdrew his hand, the old man standing behind him took half a step forward, bowed in the same posture as Hirohito, and then said in a much slower tone than Hirohito:

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Kaiser! You are very welcome to Asia, and on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor, I would like to extend to you the highest respect. Unfortunately, His Majesty the Emperor was unable to come to meet with you due to health reasons, so I specially sent Crown Prince Hirohito and His Majesty to come here, and I hope that Your Majesty will forgive me! ”

After listening to the paraphrase of the translator. Chen Tian also stretched out his right hand to the Japanese prince who looked a little like Zhang Zuolin, a warlord in Northeast China, "It's okay!" Please convey to me my respect for His Majesty the Emperor and wish him a speedy recovery! ”

In fact, Emperor Taisho's "illness" is a well-known secret, he suffered from encephalopathy, and after ascending the throne, his nervous state was very bad, and he once rolled up the edict in the Diet Hall as a telescope, which is also famous for the "telescope incident".

"Thank Your Majesty for your kindness, I will definitely convey it to His Majesty the Emperor truthfully!" Fushimi Miya's Sadachi bowed again, and then retreated to where she had just been.

Speaking of this Prince Fushiminomiya, we have to mention the four hereditary princely families of the Japanese imperial family, namely the Fushimi Palace, Katsura Palace, Arisugawa Palace, and Kanin Palace, which can be said to be the main pillars of Japanese aristocratic society. Among the four princes, the Fushimi Palace family has the highest status, and this Fushimi Palace Prince Sadachi is the 25th generation head of the Fushimi Palace family, who was awarded the rank of Field Marshal in 1914, although he resigned from the War Department thereafter, but he still has considerable influence in the Japanese government and the opposition.

Standing behind Prince Fushimiya was Ryotaro Mizuno, who succeeded Kaaki Takato as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and in the presence of the crown prince and Prince Fushiminomiya, he simply came forward and said, "Hello, Your Majesty the Emperor!" After shaking hands with Chentian, he respectfully retreated to his original position. After that, the two sides were seated in two rows, and the attendants served tea to the Japanese representatives, and Chentian served coffee or tea according to their preferences.

"Let's get started!" Tatsuten suggested to the Japanese delegates on the other side that, according to the prior agreement between the two sides, once the talks began, the warship would depart from the port and sail in the nearby waters accompanied by two Japanese cruisers, and would not return to port until the talks were over, during which the Japanese representatives could communicate with Tokyo through the accompanying Japanese cruisers.

"Okay!" Prince Fushiminomiya of Japan immediately agreed.

Chen Tian signaled to the captain of the ship, Rear Admiral Hartman, to follow the plan, and the rear admiral immediately left the conference room.

The Kaiser and the Crown Prince of Japan are already the highest-level talks between the two countries as far as the current situation is concerned.

"Here, I would like to congratulate the Returned Emperor on a series of brilliant military victories in Southeast Asia, which I think must be attributed to the wise leadership of His Majesty the Returned Emperor!"

Chen Tian politely gave the other party some words of praise. Subsequently, Fushimi Miya's Sada-ae also complimented in a similar tone:

"Your Majesty, your country's military operations in India should also be described as brilliant, and the bold and exquisite strategy can be written into the war textbook!"

After listening to Fushimi's praise, Tatsuten deliberately glanced at Hirohito in front of him, the crown prince still had that cold expression, but his gaze was not as indifferent as his facial expression, he quietly looked at the Germans present from right to left, and when he looked at Tatsuten, that gaze quickly slipped away.

In another world, the emperor's fame, although not as great as that of Emperor Meiji, was not a simple character either. Because of Emperor Taisho's poor health, from 1919 onwards, Hirohito, who was then the crown prince, and the imperial family were in charge of political affairs, and after 1921, Hirohito became regent in the name of the word.

But here, in front of Chen Tian, he still looks like a childish teenager, so what factors brought him a huge change? Or is it the result of natural growth?