Chapter 201

In the course of the Qingdao War, the European war was staged again**. On August 17, the Russian army, which had not yet completed its assembly, entered East Prussia to meet the British and French forces on the Western Front and contain the German flank, and the East Prussian Campaign broke out.

At the beginning of the campaign, the Germans fell into passivity, and on the 2nd, the 6-year-old Hindenburg came out of the mountains and served as the commander of the Eighth Army. Hindenburg named Ludendorff to be his chief of staff, but due to the war on the Western Front, Ludendorff was not able to take up his post at the first time. While they were still on the Western Front, they telegraphed to Hindenburg a campaign idea. Hindenburg accepted Ludendorff's proposal, and after giving an account of the affairs of the Western Front, Ludendorff took up his post in the Eighth Army, which was already September 0.

At this time, the East Prussian campaign had come to an end, Hindenburg according to Ludendorff's construction, lured the enemy deep into each of them, first killed the Russian Second Army 20,000 people, and then launched a counterattack with the support of reinforcements on the Western Front, and the battle ended on September 5, the Russian army lost 270,000 people and 1,000 cannons.

Although the Russian army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of East Prussia, it objectively forced the German army to withdraw troops from the Western Front to reinforce the Eastern Front, which was one of the reasons for the defeat of the German army in the First Battle of the Marne. Since the outbreak of the war, Ludendorff's military talent has shone brightly, and on the Western Front, because of his insistence, the 2nd Army was able to transfer troops in time to organize defense, giving the British and French pursuing troops a head-on attack, so that the miracle of the Marne was not guaranteed. On the Eastern Front, the Germans achieved an even more brilliant victory because of Ludendorff's Tiyì.

In both battles, the most painful thing for the Anglo-French-Russian Entente was the huge superiority of the German army in equipment. A large number of light and heavy machine guns, mortars, and rapid-fire guns are simply a nightmare for the Entente. In particular, the Russian army, which had an advantage in the early stage of the campaign, was attacked by an almost devastating blow from automatic weapons in an attack on a small number of German pinned forces, lined up in horizontal formations, rifles in hand, and striding forward. (Note: This is not nonsense, it refers to the "Illustrated History of World Wars", and the Russian army above plays attack like this.) ）

On the other hand, the German army's tactical lead was quite obvious, especially the German Eighth Army under the command of Hindenburg, which adopted a skirmish formation when launching an attack. The attack was clearly layered, the fire cover was in place, and it was also a defensive battle, and when the Russian army resisted the German attack, even if it had strong fortifications, it was difficult to resist the German attack. For the same victory, the German army lost 250,000 people in parallel history, and the equipment and tactics of this time and space were greatly improved, and only 10,000 people were lost.

If you are not afraid of god-like opponents, you are afraid of pig-like teammates. This phrase is too accurate to apply to Germany. The Russian army fought in East Prussia and lost thousands of artillery pieces and nearly two army groups. A few days earlier, almost at the same time, the Battle of Galicia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire against the alliance of the Serbian army and the Russian army, the fierce battle began on the day of the month and ended on September 2, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire lost 400,000 troops. During the campaign, the Austro-Hungarian army had no advantage over the Russian army, and there was nothing to do against the Serbian army. The Russian army, having lost 200,000 men, occupied the strategic location of Galicia. The two campaigns launched by the Russian army forced the Germans to transfer troops from the Western Front to reinforce the Eastern Front.

After the two battles, the Russian army, which was already short of equipment, became even more short of equipment. In the past, after mobilization, the Russian army could still get together two people and one rifle, but now, three people can barely make do. In order to let the Russian army continue to fight, Britain and France naturally vigorously supported it, and the American first-class industrial enterprises that could originally produce rifles for the Russian army are now fettered by Fang Dashuai's list. What's even more deplorable is that the U.S. military should also use 7mm caliber rifles because of Marshal Fang's list, and now the production of rifles in the United States is much faster than in history, the problem is that they are all 7mm production lines, which is too TM for Russia.

Nicholas II was tormented by the lack of guns, and in terms of artillery, the Americans were able to take orders, Britain and France supported a little, and the problem of rifles was the same, but neither could solve the fundamental problem. Although it is also an industrial country, it is a relatively backward industrial country after all. Compared with Germany, Britain and France, the military industry is much worse.

Looking back at the Far East, Raines asked to see Fang Jianxiong, and entered the office very smoothly, and saw Fang Dashuai with a relaxed demeanor.

"Your Excellency Marshal, I would like to first report an important piece of news, the Japanese Navy is pouring out of its nest, and it seems that it is about to make a big move." This opening line is outrageous, but it works well. Fang Dashuai was really happy when he heard it.

In fact, the submarine forces had long discovered the movements of the Japanese Navy and sent a telegram that the big guys of the Japanese Navy had come out. Battleships, battlecruisers, heavy cruisers, etc., one counts as one.

To say that Fang Jianxiong is not worried at all is a joke, the Japanese people are not rational, what if they want to fight a full-scale war by smashing the pot and selling iron? I really can't say for sure, even if we don't fight a full-scale war, the Japanese navy is strong, and it will be a headache to play landing everywhere and harass the coast. Of course, as a result of this, Japan's finances will not last long. Don't be a big guy in the navy, that thing starts once, shoots a shot, and throws a lot of silver into the sea. The British Empire, such a large sum, was stretched out in the pockets of the German naval competition. It can be seen that the big navy is equivalent to burning money, burning money, and burning money again.

Come up and buy a message to Fang Dashuai first, this is a matter of Rains' attitude. With a good attitude to start with, the conversation is relaxed. Fang Dashuai understands English, so he didn't ask for a translator, and Yin Weijun, who was waiting on the side, didn't understand English, so he had to frequently ask the translator around him. The two of them spoke too fast, and the translator couldn't keep up, so they had to translate intermittently.

Raines brought good news, the U.S. government is willing to provide loans for the economic development of the Republic of China government, in the amount of 50 million to 100 million dollars. Of course, this is just a superficial statement, otherwise Raines could have talked to Sun Baoqi or Tang Hualong, and it would be much easier to talk to them. Unlike the one in front of me, there is no dry goods at all.

Fang Dashuai said with great interest that in the future, China should first develop its economy and education, and secondly, it should intensify its coastal defense. Within five years, it is ready to build an ocean-going fleet with a tonnage of 150,000 tons. That's probably what Rains wanted to hear the most. Immediately followed the topic: "The US Navy is ready to help" allies ". ”

Hearing this, the expression on Fang Dashuai's face paused slightly, and then he showed a more enthusiastic smile and said: "Yes, the government of the Republic of China has always regarded the United States as an ally, and it is not impossible to say so. However, there does not seem to be an alliance between China and the United States. The British Empire will not sit idly by and watch an alliance between China and the United States, right? ”

This question is a bit of a slap in the face, the US government has the desire to form an alliance with China, but the boss of the world today is Britain, and once China and the United States form an alliance, Britain's interests in China will inevitably suffer. Don't be entangled by Germany in Europe now, just the little army and fleet of the United States, in front of the British Empire, is really not enough.

There is no doubt that the United States will not confront Britain head-on for the sake of an alliance between China and the United States, at least not for five years. At present, the United States is taking advantage of the opportunity of the European war to make a lot of war profits, and it is eager to fight the European war to the end of the world.

The war burned too much money, so Fang Dashuai was very eager to get a loan from the United States, although the bulk of the current loans to China are the so-called banks of the four countries, and when they catch up with Europe, this shackle must be broken. There is also customs, which is still in the hands of the British, and they have to find a chance to get it back. There is a premise that China is strong, and the representatives of the strong are, first of all, the military strong, and the second is the economy. As for how strong it must be to be considered strong, let's put it this way, let the great powers settle an account before using force against China, and whether it is cost-effective to fight China or not.

Fang Jianxiong and Ryans had a two-hour conversation, and all aspects of Sino-US cooperation were discussed. In fact, the results can be summed up in one sentence, comprehensively deepening China-US cooperation and initially establishing the foundation of the China-US alliance. In other words, it is not time to talk about the Sino-US alliance. However, this alliance is the result that the US Government hopes for the most, and only by tying China, an Asian power with a weak navy and a fledgling industry, to the US ship, can the interests of the United States in the Far East be maximized.

It was Yang Yongtai, who knocked on the door and came in, who interrupted the conversation between the two, and said without avoiding suspicion: "The ministers of Britain, France and Russia ask to see them." ”

What is the purpose of the envoys of the three countries coming together? Ryans got up to say goodbye in a playful manner, and when he went out, he didn't forget to say hello to his three colleagues. The appearance of Raines intensified the worries of the ministers of the three countries. The Sino-Japanese war can be said to be the result of the instigation of the Americans. Without the assistance of the Americans in the economy and military industry, how could this bastard Fang Jianxiong have the money to fight with arms?

Now is not the time to settle the score, and none of these three countries have the energy to compete with the Americans. At present, the three countries are still begging the United States, and without the supplies of the United States, it is difficult for the three countries to buy the things they need, even if they have money. The three ministers smiled and watched Raines leave.

The changes in the European theater forced the Allies to concentrate their efforts on defeating Germany. But judging from the development of the war situation, the results of the offensive of the British and French troops on the Western Front were pitiful. The Germans, hidden in the trenches, suffered greatly from the British and French forces in the latter part of the First Battle of the Marne. How to obtain new weapons as quickly as possible is an urgent need for Britain and France. How to obtain enough rifles as best possible was the task of the Russian minister. How to promote peace talks between China and Japan is the common task of the three ministers. In short, the three of them have different tasks and common tasks.

Because they had the same mission, the three ministers asked for an audience at the same time. Fang Dashuai didn't put up a fight, and it didn't make any sense to put up a stand with them.

"Your Excellency Marshal, I have brought the intention of the Japanese Government to negotiate peace, and Britain, France, and Russia are also willing to mediate the war before China and Japan. I wonder what you think about this? After a simple politeness, Zhu Erdian still spoke in a slightly arrogant tone. (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to register as a member to recommend this work, your support is my biggest motivation. )