The war of 1916 almost drained the blood of the Germans.

In this year's Germany, the agricultural harvest was very bad, and even after conquering Romania, Germany still did not have enough food to eat. The failure of the agricultural harvest has led to a food crisis in Germany. The winter of 1916-1917 in Germany was known as the "winter of kale" because Germans had to rely on kale, an unpalatable, ugly and usually dismissive vegetable.

At Christmas, the chief physician of a major hospital in Berlin reported that about 80,000 children died of hunger over the winter, and that's just the data for this hospital.

The situation was much better in Britain and France, which had vast colonies, which gave them almost unlimited human resources compared to the Germans, and with the support of the Americans, Britain and France were generally stable.

The United States did not enter the war at this time, and as a neutral country, the Americans did not only support Britain and France, but also to Germany.

But the Germans could not afford it, they had no money, and the few war reserves they had were depleted in 1916.

So it seems that the disadvantage of the Germans is becoming more and more obvious.

If the naval support of Britain and France was not cut off, the defeat of the Germans was a matter of time. In fact, even if it was cut off, the Germans would be defeated sooner or later, but for now, no one wants to admit it.

Against this dark backdrop, in January 1917, the Germans convened a conference on submarine warfare, which was attended by Kaiser Wilhelm II, Hindenburg and Ludendorff, as well as the Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, Henning von Holchendorf, and finally Chancellor Betmann Holwig.

"We want to remove restrictions on submarine warfare, and only then will we be able to cut off the sea supply lines of the British. Forcing the British to abandon the war. "Because it was a meeting hosted by the Navy, Khorsindorf was the first to speak, and he was always energetic.

Admiral Holchindorf was a fan of submarine warfare, he was passionate about submarine warfare, insisting that only the use of unrestricted submarine warfare could bring the British to their knees.

"I don't think so, if the restrictions on submarine warfare are lifted, we may be able to reduce the superiority of the British in some respects, putting us on the same level in some respects. But then we will also face pressure from the Americans, now Germany. I don't think I can afford the consequences of the Americans going to war. Betman was against it.

Although Betman partially agrees with Holchindorf, he is more worried about the intervention of the Americans. Because of this, most of the generals of the army are opposed to Betman, whether it is the navy or the army.

As a civil official, Beetman has his own considerations. Once unrestricted submarine warfare began, it was regardless of nationality, and in 1914 the Germans did it, but it was strongly opposed by the Americans. Later, under pressure from the Americans, the Germans stopped submarine warfare in September 1915.

"Americans are not going to war! They just want to do business, they just want to make money, and businessmen control the country. And the army of the Americans. I don't think they have the ability to change the situation. Imagine, does the Americans' Army have any famous records? Not at all! They are even inferior to the Chinese who have recently gained prominence. And the naval forces of the Americans, whether they participate in the war or not, we are at a disadvantage. So we have to carry out submarine warfare, submarine warfare without any restrictions. Holchindorf insisted.

"Chinese? Didn't they join the war? "Wilhelm II couldn't figure out the situation.

"Your Majesty, war has been declared. Just three days ago. Beitman's expression was heavy, and the number of Chinese people put a lot of pressure on him: "Before that, they had sent troops to France, and although they were in the name of the Foreign Legion, they did participate in the war. ”

"Is that so?" Wilhelm II was furious.

The impression left on William II was not good, and he himself was a stubborn racist who discriminated against all people of color, including the Chinese.

"That's right, Your Majesty." Ludendorff had just returned to Berlin from the Western Front, and he was now the commander of the German forces on the Western Front, and he had the most say in this: "The Chinese army was led by a general named Qin Zhiyuan, who participated in the war, was very combative, and had a very flexible way of fighting. For this Qin Zhiyuan, perhaps His Majesty has the impression that he is the angel that the Holy See publicized some time ago. ”

"Oh...... I think of him, he adopted several Germans living in France. "Wilhelm II did have an impression of Qin Zhiyuan, and the humanity shown in the war was more worthy of respect.

"Now that number is more than a thousand, and it continues to increase." Ludendorff said bitterly, the higher the number, the worse the living conditions of the Germans living in France.

If possible, Ludendorff wants the number to be "0".

"Hmm......" Wilhelm II lowered his head and was expressionless, no one knew what he was thinking.

"Please get back to the subject, if there is a war of unrestricted submarine warfare, we will force the British to submit in six months, which is the fastest way to end the war." Horchindorf gave a promise.

"It's too bad that two years ago, the Admiralty's commitment was six weeks, and now it's six months, and in that time, your military spending has tripled, and the number of submarines has doubled, why is it taking longer?" Betman was puzzled.

In early 1915, the admirals demanded that the restrictions on submarine warfare be lifted, convinced that Britain would be subdued within six weeks. Two years have passed, and the submarine force has grown a lot, but it seems that its combat effectiveness is declining, which makes Petman puzzled.

"Compared to the British Navy two years ago, the British Navy is also much stronger now. And if the Americans are allowed to transport supplies unscrupulously, the gap will widen. Holchindorf was also full of complaints.

"A new line of defense is being built on the Western Front, and more supplies and more support are needed." Ludendorff also complained.

When Ludendorff took office, he changed his approach to warfare on the Western Front, building a strong line of defense against a planned counteroffensive by the British and French forces. At the armaments conference in Paris, Niveller thought he had a plan for the battle and planned a counteroffensive in April.

This battle plan is now in Ludendorff's drawer.

"The Eastern Front is also not optimistic, and although Russia looks to be showing signs of collapse, beware of them taking a desperate bet." Hindenburg is also asking for support.

"Okay, now, give me an answer, how likely is it that the Americans will join the war if unrestricted submarine warfare is carried out?" Wilhelm II decided to cut through the mess quickly.

"As an officer, I can assure you, Your Majesty, that no American will land in France." Horchindorf swore by it.

"Very good, then let it go!" Wilhelm II had enough.

Unrestricted submarine warfare, which was the trigger for the entry of the Americans into the war. (To be continued.) )