In the early morning of May 12, 1933, in the "Forest Palace" in Limerick, Ireland, King Joachim of Ireland and Princess Louise of Germany are walking side by side on the grass. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoThe former is dressed in casual clothes and walks vigorously, but the years have inadvertently left traces, the wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, the white silk on the sideburns, and the vicissitudes of the eyes; The latter wears an off-white long skirt and an elegant lace top hat, and the young and beautiful little princess in the past is already a standard good wife and mother, she and Yin Maiman have three sons and two daughters, and the life of the small family is simple and happy.

The mist had lifted, and in the face of the rising sun, Louise said with a gloomy face: "I really hope that such a peaceful day can continue uninterrupted, without war, killing, displacement, how beautiful this world should be!" ”

In recent times, Anglo-German diplomatic relations have deteriorated rapidly due to the war in Persia, and the strong speech of the American president is seen as a signal that war is about to break out, and many Europeans turn on the radio first thing they wake up, because they fear that their country will be involved in the scourge of war overnight.

As the revered King of Ireland, Natsuki kept his country's affairs in order, but he was unable to use his personal abilities to properly handle the intricacies of international affairs, let alone resolve disputes between major powers. Judging from the various signs of historical development, the outbreak of World War II was a matter of time, and with the upgrading of the power of weapons and the expansion of the size of the army, the destructive power of this war is bound to be more terrible than that of the previous war. It's just that in front of the worried Louise, and when facing Charlotte, who was born in England, Natsuki was reluctant to reveal these in advance, and he was relieved:

"The development of mankind is accompanied by endless wars, because human nature is greedy, and war is the most effective means of satisfying greed. Thankfully, the progress of civilization has put a shackle on war, so that it is no longer determined solely by the will of the individual, and the probability of a large-scale war will become less and less likely, and one day war will come to an end, and peace will become a permanent theme. Although we may not see that day coming, we must believe in the inevitable law of historical development. ”

"Not long ago, I heard speculation that if the United States and Britain won a crucial battle in the early stages of the war, the war would likely drag on for a decade until one side could no longer hold on to the fall. Jochen, your prediction of war is beyond ordinary accuracy, tell me, is it really possible that this war will last that long? ”

Natsuki looked at Louise, who had followed her husband to Ireland without a child and daughter, apparently only planning to make a short trip. After the outbreak of the war, with the geographical and strategic situation of Ireland, the communication with Germany will inevitably be greatly affected, and the next meeting between the two will most likely be after the end of the war.

"If I were a wizard of the unpredictable prophet, I wouldn't have to worry about so many things." "But no war has lasted more than five years since the Napoleonic Wars," he replied, "because no country has been able to sustain such a state of war for so long." As far as Ireland's condition is concerned, more than two years of war would be enough to bankrupt the royal family and the government. ”

Looking at the patchwork of high-rise buildings in the city of Limerick, Louise said with heartfelt emotion: "Everything here is what you have worked hard for more than ten years. ”

In front of his closest sister, Natsuki did not shy away from it: "Yes, it is like a child I raised, I really don't want to see it hurt by the war, but its fate is not completely in my hands." ”

"Willie must have asked you to lead Ireland into battle!" Louise had said this, but judging from her tone and expression, she must have been dissatisfied with the high-minded and arbitrary German prince.

"He really wants me to be able to play alongside him in any situation." Natsuki replied frankly.

"So you've already agreed?" Louise asked with some regret.

Natsuki didn't reluctantly reveal it, but said calmly, "Yes." It was time for Germany to repay the friendship by helping the Irish to gain independence and to help the Irish build their country. ”

Louise looked back at the unique style of the Irish royal palace: "Does Charlotte know this?" ”

Natsuki did not answer directly, but sighed gloomily: "I went through the hardships and ups and downs with her to become a legal husband and wife, and before entering the church to receive the holy blessing, she once asked me if I could not be an enemy of Britain in the future, and I replied to her at the time that as long as Britain is not an enemy of Ireland, Ireland will never be an enemy of Britain." ”

Louise is not a man of trickery, but she was born into a royal family and grew up in an environment full of flattery and power, so she has an instinctive insight into some common tricks. However, she did not have the slightest disdain for Natsuki, but asked very realistically: "Even if you can not break your promise, once Britain and Ireland start a war, she will still fall into endless sorrow, have you figured out how to appease her?" ”

Natsuki was silent for a moment before replying, "I believe that she will bravely face the harsh reality as the Queen of Ireland, and she knows that the Irish army and people need a strong queen to lead them to defend their country." ”

From a woman's point of view, Louise was clearly not happy with this answer, reminding: "But she was once close to depression, and you have to give her more care in such an extraordinary time." I think that bringing her family to Ireland would ease her grief. ”

There is a saying that it is difficult for a clean official to decide family affairs, and the ministers and officials of Ireland can actively contribute to national affairs, but in the emotional handling of the first family, they are always silent, and Natsuki rarely asks them for help. In fact, the strongman in this field of military technology does not have the emotional maturity to match his mental age, and Louise's words allow him to look at these issues outside of habitual thinking.

After thinking for a long time, Natsuki spoke: "Maybe you're right, I always hope that she can heal herself, but I ignore my responsibilities as a husband. ”

Louise nodded approvingly, and was about to say something when an Irish official walked briskly with an anxious expression.

During this very sensitive time, both Natsuki and Louise focused their attention on the official.

Although Louise was not an outsider to Natsuki, cautious Irish officials deliberately led Natsuki aside and reported in a low voice: "This morning, a British reconnaissance plane intruded into our airspace from Belfast, and we dispatched two IR-29s to expel and fire warning at the British plane, which crashed in a farmland about 50 kilometers from the port of Belfast about ten minutes ago." According to the reports of our fighter pilots, they did not hit the British reconnaissance plane when they opened fire warnings, and the target crashed for their own reasons. In addition, they did not see the British pilot parachute out of the air, and our soldiers who rushed to the crash site did not find the British pilot in the wreckage of the plane. ”

The situation was not trivial, Natsuki's expression suddenly became serious, and he thought for a while: "Determine two things as soon as possible, first, whether there are bullet marks on the crashed British plane, and second, whether the British pilot is dead or alive." ”

The official agreed, and then asked: "Do we now want to make public the fact that the British plane crossed the border this morning to conduct aerial reconnaissance, and lodge a diplomatic protest with the British Government about it?" ”

Natsuki shook his head: "Since the plane crashed on the territory of Ireland, the British government has nothing to say, let's wait and see what happens, and wait until the two things I just said are clarified, and then report to the German government and army." ”

After the officials had been ordered to leave, Natsuki walked back to Louise, and the German princess had apparently heard some of their conversation just now, and she asked, "Will war break out because of this?" ”

Natsuki shook his head: "Unless we insist on accusing Britain of provoking the war, it is not enough to be the fuse that triggers the war." ”

The two men said no more, and walked back through the meadow, and as they approached the palace, they saw several black sedans driving into the palace from a distance, and the German flag on the front of the cars was very eye-catching.

"Here they are!" Natsuki said to Louise.

The so-called "they" refers to the joint operations staff team sent by Kaiser Wilhelm II, which is another important move by Germany to start the war deployment, and with it will be sent to Ireland with more than 100,000 German soldiers, who will be combined with more than 20,000 German officers and soldiers who have been stationed in Ireland to form the Irish Task Force. As agreed earlier between Germany and Ireland, this force, together with the Irish army, would be under operational command from a joint operational command.

The military staff team sent to Ireland this time not only included a number of senior and current generals, but even Alfred von Tirpitz, a German naval marshal who had retired for many years, was invited by the emperor to suppress the battle.

"Once the German army is mobilized, it is as punctual as the German railway system, and it is true." Louise did not hear any pride in this, but sighed helplessly at the excessive concentration and fanatical enthusiasm of the German soldiers.

Natsuki took his sister's arm: "Let's go!" Let's go say hi to them. ”

Louise didn't refuse.

At the main entrance of the palace, the two sides met each other, and German field marshals, generals, and high-ranking military officers saluted the two members of the Hohenzollern royal family.

Tirpitz, then 74, stood at the front: "It is a pleasure to meet His Majesty King Joachim and Her Royal Highness Princess Louise here. ”

Natsuki shook hands with him and said, "If we meet in a relaxed atmosphere, I myself will be even happier." ”

Tirpitz, still wearing his old military uniform, shrugged and said, "It's not something we can choose. ”

These words pierced the feelings in Xia Shu's heart, and he sighed: "Yes, many times, we can't help ourselves. ”

Tirpitz smiled softly, and though his smile was not bright, he said meaningfully: "No matter how long the night is, there will be a dawn, no matter how violent the storm is, there will be a moment when the sky will be clear, and the positive life is to look straight ahead when you can't help yourself." ”

(End of chapter)