The war reports on the European front were placed on Chai Dongliang's desk, and he carefully looked through the reports sent back by the front-line reporters and military attachés watching the battle, the most important part of which was the secret information sent back from Russia by the Jin merchants headed by Yan Weifan, the chief treasurer of the "Dade Tong" ticket number.

"No wonder the British are so confident!"

Chai Dongliang suddenly realized that the reason why the British stubbornly refused to revise the tariff agreement was the initiator of Chai Dongliang himself!

Mongolia and Mukden exported large quantities of weapons and military supplies, and the Russian army, armed with Chinese-made weapons, suddenly increased its combat effectiveness several times, the Russian soldiers threw away the wooden sticks tied to the bayonets and replaced them with brand-new Mosin Nagant rifles, and the artillerymen also replaced the old old rack guns with new barrel guns, and were equipped with a large number of two-wheeled Makqin machine guns.

In another time and space, the Russian troops on the Western Front, which were beaten by the Germans, narrowly blocked the advance of the Germanic chariot after receiving Chinese assistance, and on the Russian Eastern Front, the Russian army, which had greatly increased its strength, drove straight into Bosnia, and the Serbian troops also launched a counterattack with the help of the Russians.

Panicked Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz. Joseph hurriedly appealed to his ally Germany for help, and Wilhelm II had no choice but to send ten divisions to aid Austria-Hungary, barely stopping Russia's soaring momentum.

The defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was almost an avalanche, the Slavic peoples under the rule of the empire revolted, the Vienna court had to put out fires everywhere, and the already empty army was even more stretched.

Germany's Eastern Front did not achieve the expected victory, and the Western Front was even less optimistic. The French government once claimed that they could draw 300,000 indigenous troops from Africa, and the whole world thought they were bragging, but surprisingly, the French not only did it, but doubled it, they actually transferred 600,000 Berbers and Algerians from North Africa, and they also recruited 50,000 laborers in Annam to transport the baggage.

The fleet of the British Empire was busy among the colonies of the world, and a large number of local indigenous troops from India, Africa, Nepal, and Hong Kong were drawn to join the British army, and the elite light infantry composed of the Gurkha alone reached 10,000, and the well-educated Hong Kong flag bearers, trumpeters, and signal soldiers also became an important part of the British army.

Russia's failure to achieve the expected defeat became the biggest variable in the entire war. The Russian army rapidly expanded from 3.6 million men before the war to 7.5 million, and the ambitious tsar was ready to add another 3.5 million soldiers to form an unprecedentedly large army of 1.1 million people.

Tsar Nicholas II openly advertised that he wanted to enter Berlin and get his cousin Wilhelm II to surrender with his sword!

At present, it seems that the battlefield on the Western Front is still in France, and it seems that the Germans have the advantage. However, including the president of Jiujiang Naval University, Rear Admiral Mahan, an American, and the Briton Rear Admiral Barnes, vice president of the Anqing Army Noncommissioned Officer School, the military talents around Chai Dongliang all pointed out that the Germans were already at the end of their strength, and the defeat would be within three or two months.

The training of the German army was far better than that of the British and French [***] teams, and it was thousands of times better than those chaotic colonial native soldiers, but the existence of trench warfare objectively smoothed out the gap between the quality of soldiers, and the two sides fought only for firepower and who could bear greater losses and who could shed more blood.

What is not expected is that in terms of the number of cannon fodder, the Allies are far inferior to the Entente!

Chai Dongliang's move to sell a large number of arms became the winner or loser of the entire war, except for China, other countries were not ready for war at all, even the most pessimistic military strategists, before the war thought that this was a war of three months at most.

Seeing these war reports, Chai Dongliang couldn't cry or laugh, it was his own precautions that made the entire European war situation change dramatically, if this form continues, I am afraid that this war will really end in the first six months with the complete defeat of Germany and Austria-Hungary.

This is definitely not the result he wants, Chai Dongliang's purpose is very clear, he can only help the Europeans fight the war a little longer, and the blood will flow a little more, and the rapid defeat of either side is not acceptable to Chai Dongliang.

Gotta help the Germans!

It's just that how to help this favor has become a big problem. Chai Dongliang sent Yu Qiaqing and Wu Jintang to secretly reach an agreement with the German minister to buy a machine factory in Spain, where the Germans desperately needed planes, tanks, and engines. But far water does not quench the thirst of the near. It will take three to four months for the factory to be renovated alone, and it will be at least half a year before it can be officially put into production.

In its current form, it is difficult to say whether the Allies will be able to survive half a year, and perhaps before the factory is put into production, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which had just received 100 million marks from the Germans to participate in the war, surrendered!

Chai Dongliang felt that the plan he had made before the war based on the knowledge of the afterlife seemed seamless, but now it was full of loopholes. Originally, according to the plan, China would export a large number of planes and tanks to make the European war more lively, and at the same time, aircraft with long-range bombing capabilities would wipe out the gap between the front and rear, and the rear production of the belligerent countries would be paralyzed and they would have to rely on imports.

Even if Britain and France crack China's technological superiority, they can't do anything about it, and they still have to import a large number of new weapons from China. Germany, on the other hand, can import directly from Spain, so as not to make the technological gap between the two sides too obvious.

If everything meets Chai Dongliang's expectations, then post-war Europe will be in ruins!

At that time, Southeast Asia, which Chai Dongliang has coveted for a long time, will become a ripe peach, and he doesn't even need to climb a tree, just stand under the tree and wait for it to fall into his hands! No matter which country they are currently in their hands, they still cannot change the fate of Southeast Asia as China's backyard.

The inexhaustible supply of light oil, natural rubber, tin ore, and overseas Chinese who are overseas and care for the motherland will all become important pillars of China's rise!

Chai Dongliang crossed Erlang's legs, lit a cigarette and took a deep breath.

"Someone, invite Jiang Baili Chief of General Staff and Deputy Chief of General Staff Cai Ye to me!" Chai Dongliang shouted.

It's time for Jiang Baili, a strategist, to give full play to his expertise, and Yuan Shikai using him as the president of Baoding Army University is simply a tyrannical thing. Jiang Baili saw a person who could angrily pull out a gun and commit suicide when he saw a student who was disobedient, where was such a strong surname a candidate to be the principal?

Half an hour later, Jiang Baili and Cai Yi, who were in crisp military uniforms and shiny leather boots, came to the presidential palace to receive the two of them, and Chai Dongliang also changed into military uniforms, but did not wear military ranks. When Chai Dongliang served as the Jianghuai patrol envoy, Yuan Shikai once awarded him the rank of army general.

At this moment, Chai Dongliang is already the acting president, and if he wears the uniform of an army general again, it will undoubtedly put great pressure on Jiang Baili and Cai Yi??? In the final analysis, these two are not Chai Dongliang's old JAC team.

Jiang Baili and Cai Yi both studied in Yueben and were top students in the Army Non-commissioned Officer School.

"You two may be seated!" Chai Dongliang politely beckoned them to sit down.

The guards brought hot tea, and the three of them exchanged two words before getting to the point. Jiang Baili and Cai Ye have recently opened their eyes, and the Jianghuai Army's unbelievable weapons and novel tactics have stunned these two military strategists, and the combat methods they have learned in this book can be said to be vulnerable to blows from the air and ground armored forces.

Jiang Baili and Cai Yi can be said to have a considerable understanding of the combat effectiveness of the Kumamoto Division and the Guards Division, which is the most capable and best-equipped elite unit in the Akiyama Army, and General Akiyama Yoshigu is an outstanding strategist in the Sayben, but in the Battle of Qingdao, the Sayjun not only did not have the strength to fight back, but also did not even have the ability to recruit teachers.

Kuang Haishan commanded less than 50,000 troops, of which he really participated in the battle was just a division, but with his powerful firepower and mobility, he tore the two lines of defense carefully constructed by the 60,000 Yue army into a thousand holes.

The war is no longer what Jiang Baili and Cai Yi imagined, they asked themselves, if the Jianghuai Army had been directed at Yanjing, what would be the outcome of their own command of the Beiyang Army? The answer is obvious, there will be no other result than a complete defeat!

Sitting on such a powerful force, but unwilling to use it easily at home??? Cai Ye and Jiang Baili's admiration for Chai Dongliang arose spontaneously. Compared with Yuan Shikai, who only knows how to play tricks, Chai Dongliang is more trustworthy!

"President, what do you want us to send?" Jiang Baili said politely.

Chai Dongliang looked up and down at this strategist, who was less than forty years old, and saw that he looked like a scholar, and he didn't have the slightest bit of the rudeness of a martial artist, and he couldn't help but feel good.

"Both of you are strategists, I want to hear their opinions, how long will the war in Europe last?" Chai Dongliang asked.

Jiang Baili and Cai Yi looked at each other and smiled, Jiang Baili smiled and said, "The president is examining us?" ”

Chai Dongliang smiled: "Don't dare, I'm asking the two!" ”

Jiang Baili smiled and said: "Judging from the current situation, the Germans will be defeated in three months or half a year!" ”

Chai Dong nodded and said: "What Mr. Baili said is exactly what I want, but I don't want the Germans to fail, what can I do?" ”

Jiang Baili and Cai Yi were stunned at the same time, and Cai Ye exclaimed: "Doesn't the president want to form an alliance with the Germans?" Never! ”

Chai Dongliang wanted to see the skills of these two strategists, so he said quietly: "Oh, why not? ”

Jiang Baili coughed lightly, straightened out his thoughts, and said: "With the current strength of our country, it is not enough to keep oneself and make progress, the main force of the Jianghuai Army is only 150,000 people, the original Beiyang Army in the whole training is also weakened and retained, and only 70,000 are left, and the newly recruited 600,000 troops cannot complete the training in half a year. Moreover, our country's economic capacity is not sufficient to support a protracted war, so we should not enter the war at this time, and even if we have to do so, we must not join the side of the Allies. ”

Chai Dongliang smiled slightly: "Tell me your reasons." ”

Jiang Baili said eloquently: "At the beginning of the Republic of China, it was the time to recuperate, and the battle on the European continent was a God-given opportunity for our country to get rid of the enslavement of the foreign powers, just as the president has always done, we should take advantage of this golden opportunity to export a large number of weapons and strategic materials in exchange for precious foreign exchange and precious metals such as gold and silver, as well as scarce oil and mineral products in China, and at the same time build China's heavy industry base, consolidate its own strength, and completely get rid of the sad situation of the sick man of East Asia." If our country joins the German side, it will inevitably go to war with Russia, and Mr. Mahan, the father of the US Navy, said it thoroughly, Russia, a country in the center of the continent, is an invincible country! Even if our army wins, after a long drive into the country, the supply of mobile troops will become the Achilles' heel, and if it encounters the Russian winter, the bitter cold weather of more than minus 40 degrees, our army will be defeated without a fight, and the fleet of the British Empire will blockade our coastal areas and disturb our transport fleet, then our country's economic development will be seriously restricted??? An alliance with the Germans will do more harm than good! ”

"Papa" Chai Dongliang stood up and applauded: "Well said, said it thoroughly!" I'm not going to ally with the Germans, I just don't want the Germans to lose too quickly! ”

Jiang Baili suddenly realized: "What does the president mean, does he want Europe to fight longer?" ”

Chai Dongliang said with a smile: "That's exactly what I mean, so I want to ask the two of you to give me ideas on how to make the Europeans fight for a few more years." ”

Jiang Baili pondered for a moment and said: "Now if we want to quickly increase the strength of the Germans, it is too late, even if we sell a large number of planes and tanks to the Germans, they must have the ability to transport them back. ”

Chai Dongliang had a flash of inspiration in his mind, and seemed to have grasped some clues: "Mr. Baili, say it more clearly." ”

Cai Yi beckoned to the adjutant: "Map!" ”

A world map was spread out, Jiang Baili searched in Egypt for a moment, then pointed to a narrow waterway, smashed his fist on it, and said categorically: "Here, that's the key!" ”

Chai Dongliang's eyes lit up: "Suez Canal? ”

Eighty percent of the shipping between Asia and Europe will pass through the Suez Canal, otherwise it will have to bypass the Cape of Good Hope in the southern section of Africa, the distance will increase by 10,000 kilometers, and the cost of international shipping will increase several times, which will be a fatal blow to Britain, which relies heavily on maritime trade.

Once the Suez Canal is occupied by the Allies, the cost of transporting troops and supplies from the African and Asian colonies will inevitably increase greatly if Britain and France want to transport troops and supplies from the African and Asian colonies. And the vast Red Sea and the Indian Ocean will also become the world of wolf-like German cruisers, a ghostly cruiser can terrify the cargo ships of neutral countries, and in the absence of armed escort, no neutral country will be willing to help the Entente countries deliver supplies.

The advantage of the British Empire and France was that they had a large number of colonies all over the world, which was a huge help to them during the war, but if the Germans took control of the Suez Canal, the advantage turned into a disadvantage. Not only did the Entente not get help from the colonies, but they had to spend a lot of manpower and money, as well as a large number of fleets, to protect the colonies scattered around the world.

Chai Dongliang has to admire, everyone in strategy is everyone in strategy, and he can see through the dead holes of Britain and France at a glance!

Cai Yi frowned and said: "Around the canal, Britain and France have arranged 100,000 troops, and with the strength of Ottoman Turkey alone, it is difficult for them to defeat the British and French defenders and seize the Suez Canal!" Even if the Turks occupy the Suez Canal, they will not be able to hold it!"

Jiang Baili said coldly: "Can't hold it, can't it be destroyed?" ”

Now, even Chai Dongliang was dumbfounded, ruthless enough! This guy is going to destroy the most important blood vessel in the main artery that communicates Europe and Asia!

Cai Ye said: "What we have to consider now is that the German army cannot directly cross the ocean to attack the Suez Canal, and what ability does the Ottoman Turkey, the sick man of the Middle East, have to defeat the British and French troops stationed in the Suez Canal?" Although the British and French garrisons in Egypt were mainly local indigenous troops, with the combat effectiveness of the Ottoman Turkish army, I am afraid that even these natives could not be defeated! ”

Jiang Baili smiled slyly: "Don't you still have us!" Besides, isn't there still 40,000 German prisoners in Qingdao? These colonial veteran soldiers are definitely not good at fighting elite troops, and those indigenous troops in Egypt are not holding handles? ”

Cai Yi was stunned: "What does Brother Baili mean?" ”

Jiang Baili didn't answer, but looked at Chai Dongliang and said: "President, did you issue an order that for the warring parties to purchase weapons, our policy is to 'transport the weapons in full', pay all the money, and the belligerent countries are responsible for transporting them back to China?" ”

Chai Dong nodded and said, "Yes, that's the rule." After all, we are a neutral country, and if we are in charge of transportation, we will give someone a handle! ”

Jiang Baili laughed: "Isn't this enough!" How many old cruisers in our Navy have been converted into seaplane carriers? And a few transport ships are also about to be decommissioned, right? The Mauser 88 eliminated by our Jianghuai Army and the weapons of the Germans are exactly the same, and the Maxim heavy machine gun and Thorpe light machine gun are also unified 7.92 mm caliber, and the ammunition is completely universal! Let's sell a seaplane carrier to the Germans, and sell them a couple of transport ships and a batch of weapons, and the matter will be solved! With the escort of seaplane aircraft carriers, it shouldn't be a problem for the Germans to transport weapons and personnel to Suez, right? With the support of these 40,000 German troops, no matter how bad the Ottoman Turkish forces were, it would not be difficult to defeat the Anglo-French indigenous forces in Egypt??? Let's also complete the upgrading of naval equipment by the way, compared to the equipment of the army, the ships of our navy are really poor! ”

Chai Dongliang looked up to the sky and laughed: "Baili, Songpo, such as Wolong, Phoenix Chick, one person can settle the world, now both of them are serving the country, if you can't fight and dominate, it is really unfair??? This time, I'm going to have to make the Germans bleed hard! ”

(To be continued)