Yang Hao did not have the luxury of hoping to quickly provoke a war in Europe. Although around 1900, the various disputes that led to the rise of Germany continued, most of them were small in scale and could not have triggered the full-scale outbreak of the First World War.

Through meticulous research, Yang Hao finally figured out why Westerners were able to toss such a fierce war. The key reason is that the British have promoted it step by step in order to compete for world dominance.

The first is the rapid rise of the German economy in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, which completely broke away from the British model and went out of its own way, and was able to challenge British hegemony in various fields such as industry, finance, commerce, and military.

As everyone knows, the British dominates the world because after completing the hegemony of global shipping, together with the basic forces of the trinity of finance, commerce and materials that they have seized, they have become the greatest force to influence the world situation.

In order to maintain this leading edge, the British not only firmly maintained the absolute size and technological superiority of the navy, but also relied on their excellent diplomatic means to crisscross the world, sow discord, and do everything possible to suppress possible challengers.

This strategy has been very effective, and for a century Britain's maritime transport, raw materials such as coal, steel, and cotton, combined with its financial means and commercial aggression promoted by military hegemony, have firmly held the trade lead in most parts of the world, thus ensuring the continued development of British industry.

But this advantage has been greatly challenged by Germany's rapid rise. The ingenuity of the Germans in the field of industry, excellent product quality, flexible business methods. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Turkey and other major countries. In particular, China in the Far East has vigorously imported its steel, arms and other products. All allowed the Germans to achieve the achievements of the British for more than half a century in just one or two decades.

With the ouster of Bismarck, Kaiser Wilhelm II was no longer restrained, and his undisguised expansionist ambitions and continuous investment in military construction all indicated that his enthusiasm to challenge British hegemony would become a reality in the near future.

The British, who like to be in control, are of course unwilling to let it succeed, so in the European strife of recent years. Constantly instigating its traditional enemies, such as France, etc., constantly creating friction and contradictions.

However, the French had already been frightened in the Franco-Prussian War, and in recent years there had been no outstanding political genius, and they were played by the British in the diplomatic field, which did not play a role in containing the Germans at all.

At this time, the Germans took another step that made Britain even more suspicious - to build a railway artery from Berlin to Baghdad!

In the 19th century, when there was no Yang Haocun, the thousands of kilometers of railway from Berlin to Baghdad could connect Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Ottoman Turkey. If it were to be extended from Baghdad to Kuwait, it would create a cheap and fast transportation link between Europe and the entire Indian subcontinent, which was the highest class of world-class railways at the time.

In the eyes of the British. This is a very serious question!

If the Berlin-Baghdad railway were to be completed, the vast inland territory, which produced countless economic wealth and could not be attacked by military forces at sea, would be united around Germany. Russia and its Western friends - England and France. will be separated by this barrier. In particular, British interests in Egypt were within the effective strike range of the German and Turkish armies, and the armies of both countries could directly threaten India from the Persian Gulf. Soon, Alexandria and the Dardanelles would greatly strengthen the German naval power in the Mediterranean.

Wherever the railroad extended, it was where the hand of war could cover. The political and military strategists of the late nineteenth century were aware of this, and the revolutionary process that Yang Hao vigorously pursued in China was also in line with this thesis, and unswervingly implemented it.

The British decided that if the railroad was fully completed, the Germans would no longer be confined by the encirclement of Britain, France, and Russia, and would be able to calmly obtain exports to the Persian Gulf, as well as a huge world-class market, and an unshakable military alliance. It is almost impossible to limit the rise of Germany.

This alone is enough for the British to curb it at any cost. However, there is another key factor under the cover of this railway, the great powers and all the countries know that in Ottoman Turkey and on the coast of the Persian Gulf, there is oil!

If you control energy and materials, you can control the world. This famous argument was not invented by the Americans in the twentieth century, in fact the British were already implementing it in the nineteenth century.

In the seventies of the nineteenth century, the British had already realized that the power of burning coal on steamships was not as good as that of burning oil, and it was more concealed. However, limited to the petrochemical technology at that time, as well as the underdevelopment of internal combustion engine technology, boilers and steam turbines, etc., it was not concretely implemented. On the other hand, the British did not develop oil in their homeland and most of the colonies, and the traditional coal suppliers in the country were huge, which caused great resistance, so they were slow to get to guò.

At that time, the largest oil producer was undoubtedly the Rockefeller of the United States, who accounted for 60% of the world's oil production and refining share, and most of them used the gimmick of selling poor kerosene lighting and promoting oil bathing and curing diseases (this thing has been believed until the 21st century). To make full use of it, there is still a long way to go.

But the British knew that this trend was inevitable and of course attached great importance to the control of oil. Not only did they set up oil exploration companies under the control of the Admiralty and look for oil fields everywhere to seize the commanding heights of this market, but they were also extremely vigilant in restricting other countries from taking the lead.

And at this time, the Germans reached out to the first oil-producing area - the Persian Gulf!

Regardless of whether the Germans were aware of the important value and decisive role of oil, in 1896, when the Germans built more than 1,000 kilometers of railway from Berlin to the inland city of Konya in Ottoman Turkey in just eight years, and actively prepared for the second phase of the trunk line to Baghdad and Kuwait, the British could no longer sit still.

"We must completely destroy the plans of the Germans, and we must not allow them to build this railway."

On this issue, the British upper echelons agreed. And with the sudden rise of the Chinese Navy. In ten wars in a row. Defeat the most advanced warships of various countries with absolute superiority. After careful analysis and analysis, the British Admiralty think tanks concluded that one of the important reasons for its victory was the use of oil-burning steam turbine power systems.

Yang Hao's sale of the ship's power system made the British no longer disputed it. With Admiral Fisher's successful entry into the sequence of important naval officers, he firmly pushed for the complete replacement of British warships with oil-fired boilers, and finally quickly passed Guò without resistance.

As a result, among the several types of battleships that have recently been launched into service, in addition to the modified battleships that have long been ordered, they are completely new all-main gun battleships. Parsons oil-fired boilers and steam turbines are used, and the results are obvious.

The large number of oil-fired boilers has directly promoted the upgrading of fuel in the entire industrial field, and it has led Britain to have to import a large amount of American oil, and the foreign exchange spent is called a distress. The British strengthened their conviction to seize the oil-producing regions of the Persian Gulf,

Preventing the Germans from building railways is tantamount to preventing the Germans from rising.

Conversely, helping the Germans build railways is tantamount to helping the Germans become the hegemon of Europe more quickly. This will further restrain the energies of the European powers and weaken their interference and even hostility in the Far East.

This is the Chinese team under the leadership of Yang Hao. The choice made by the minds of the two planes.

In April 1899, Germany was arrested for the development of phosphate mines in Morocco. There were fierce confrontations and frictions with the French, who wanted to dominate the region. Both countries drove their most advanced warships into the Mediterranean, and almost got into a fight.

However, Kaiser Wilhelm II was still very calm at this time, and knew very well that Germany was not ready for war at this time, and always maintained restraint, but refused to back down at all.

The British, together with the Spaniards, were the first to show their support for the French, and pushed the French to take a tough stance and resist German pressure head-on. The current Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Théofel. Delcasse was a typical Anglophile, and he boldly proposed a protectorate in Monaco to adopt an uncompromising strategy against Germany.

But it is a pity that the French at this time were already frightened, fearing that this would provoke Germany and cause a war, so they collectively overthrew Delcasse and replaced it with the moderate Maurice. Ruvière went up.

Although Germany was in fact isolated, the French were so uncompetitive that Germany saw their weakness, so they sent a large army even more toughly, and cooperated with the navy to put on an arrogant face of "if you don't agree with Lao Tzu, you will fight". For a time, the situation in Europe suddenly became tense, and Russia, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the United States, which had nothing to do with it, came out one after another to support them.

It was evident that the British had far more friends than they were, and that of all the dozen or so countries only Austria-Hungary supported Germany.

However, unlike another time and space, in this world, there is another China.

Yang Hao made a public statement on this matter, declaring that the stability of the situation in "Morocco" is directly related to China's investment in the region, especially the supply of phosphate rock, which must not be interrupted. At a time when the countries of the world are entering the era of civilization, Morocco has made every effort to achieve an independent status.

Don't look at China so far away from North Africa, this statement has suddenly complicated and chaotic the situation. Germany's support has risen sharply, and Britain and France are very worried, fearing that China will take this opportunity to conclude an alliance with Germany, and their colonies in Asia and even the Indian Ocean will be greatly threatened!

Although Kaiser Wilhelm II was arrogant and rude, he was very clever enough to realize that this was a rare opportunity, and he decisively sent someone to propose an alliance with China, but Yang Hao politely rejected it on the grounds that "China has not yet completed its reunification, and national sovereignty has not been completely stabilized". According to him, China must at least completely control all the territory of the original Qing Dynasty and completely unify the Republic of China before it can formally sign treaties with other countries. Now, the name is not right.

The Germans respect China's decision on the surface, but behind the scenes they scold their mothers angrily. When you tore up the treaty and fought with other countries, why didn't you say that your name was not right? Waiting for you to complete the unification? At least next year, right? If at that time it is necessary to recover the territories of the Far East occupied by Russia, will it be necessary to fight a war first?

Well, politics is just such nonsense, if you can't make decisions based on the interests of your country, then it is really unqualified and irresponsible.

To his own government officials, Yang Hao clearly pointed out: "China is not an expansionist and imperialist country. He never had the intention of dominating the world or enslaving other nations or peoples. Chinese civilization has always been tolerant and inclusive. Advocate peace and friendship. We are willing to support other friendly neighbors to make progress and become stronger together. Under this premise, we cannot forge any alliance with the countries of Europe that adhere to the law of the jungle and are blindly competitive with each other. The so-called belligerent will perish, and forgetting war will lead to danger, and Germany's style of rushing for quick success and quick gain will inevitably fail. China only needs to be unswayed by others, not bow to other powers, stick to its own development path, and always stand on the stand of justice and peace, and it will certainly be in an invincible position. ”

This argument. It has been approved and supported by the vast majority of people.

Of course, to put it more realistically, there is nothing to be gained from China's alliance with Germany! China, supported by the unlimited resources of the world, does not need anything from Germany at all. The reason for making a statement in favor of Germany is still to speed up the process of Germany's rise and promote the outbreak of civil war in Europe!

Without the open support of China, Kaiser Wilhelm II was not discouraged. He actively mediated with the countries, and took a step back when he saw that it was good, and was willing to accept the mediation of the great powers on the premise that Morocco would establish its sovereignty and independence and ensure that Germany would not be infringed upon in this investment.

It took months to make this toss. The countries are expected to meet in Algeciras, Spain, at the end of the year to negotiate and reach a final agreement. Not surprisingly. The final decision will be that Morocco will gain nominal "independence" and Britain, France, Germany, Spain and other countries will gain substantial benefits, and in fact divide and control the country.

During the half-year dispute, the Germans judged that Britain's strong attitude of containment and interference was more and more inventive about the possible obstacles to its own rise.

In November 1899, Kaiser Wilhelm II visited Wèn Constantinople and reached an agreement with Ottoman Turkey to finance the construction of the last 2,500 kilometers of the railway to Kuwait at the expense of the German Bank, the contractor for the construction of the first half of the railway. He then returned to England and met with Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle to invite Britain to participate in the Baghdad railway project in exchange for British support.

But this thought is doomed to be in vain. The British had long made a decision to completely disrupt the plans of the Germans. With this in mind, Queen Victoria turned back and contacted her close friend, the de facto Sheikh Barack al-Sabah of Kuwait, urging him to designate the Gulf region of the lower Shatt al-Arab as a "British territory" and thus cut off the possibility of the railway's extension to Asia.

At the same time, the British sent people to secretly contact Serbia, Bulgaria and other countries that were stuck at the key choke point of the Berlin-Baghdad railway, instigating them to oppose the oppression of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, disrupting the peace and stability of this corridor, and interfering with the smooth flow of the railway.

This is the British's forte. Until the mid-20th century, when it came to geopolitical means, no one in the world played more smoothly than the United Kingdom. Even until the 21st century, the world's major conflict hotspots are still the hands of the British, and the title of world-class "-stirring stick" is well deserved.

The British made a series of high-level tricks, which basically cut off the possibility of the Germans building this railway. In the history of the world, the Germans tossed and turned for a full fifteen years, until the outbreak of World War I, but they failed to build the railway.

But in this time and space, because of Yang Hao's existence, a qiē has become very different!

In December 1899, when Kaiser Wilhelm was in the dust, he had no choice but to return to Berlin and wondered whether the British would support or oppose, help or destroy, and could not make up his mind, when he suddenly received news from Yang Hao in the far east.

Tang Shaoyi, the Chinese ambassador to Europe, personally sent a letter to Yang Hao, clearly expressing his support for Germany's project to build the Baghdad railway, and taking a large amount of real money to invest in Deutsche Bank to ensure that the project can start on time and smoothly.

In addition, China can also provide support for a series of equipment including engineering exploration and construction personnel, construction machinery and rails, steam engines, etc. All in all, the aim is to complete the construction of railways in Germany quickly.

Kaiser Wilhelm II was so excited that he saw this as a sign of China's de facto friendship with Germany, and his original rejection of Yang Hao was dissipated.

In fact, he also knew that because of the financial crisis in recent years and the pressure of competition in building ships, the British could not afford to support the construction of railways in Germany. The Germans themselves, because of the huge cost of money, led the Deutsche Bank to be empty, and it was difficult to raise funds to start construction. Now, the problem of stuck neck is solved because of Yang Hao's support.

Then there is only one remaining trouble, obstruction and sabotage by the British.

In his letter, Yang Hao clearly supported that it was impossible to attempt to get support from the British. Containing the rise of Germany is a big decision made by Britain and France at present, how can they sit idly by and watch Germany encompass the core of the Eurasian continent and thus become the hegemon by the way? It will inevitably stir up disputes in Bulgaria and Seville, create regional chaos and interfere with the progress of the project.

How to solve this problem? One is the strength of Germany itself, with the convenience of the Austro-Hungarian Alliance, it extended its naval and army tentacles to help Turkey stabilize its choke point. The second is to provoke disputes in other regions and restrain the energy of Britain and France, so that they have no time to hinder progress in the Persian Gulf.

Yang Hao's mention once again interfered with the changes in the situation in the Mediterranean region. The Germans added to the terms of negotiations on Morocco a requirement for the right to permanently garrison troops. In order to ensure the stability of Bulgaria and Seville, it is necessary to have German warships appear in the Aegean Sea at any time! (To be continued......)