Already after the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum, Russia informed Austro-Hungarian that an attack on Serbia would provoke a general mobilization of Russia, and that Russia would not allow Austria-Hungary to defeat Serbia and become the hegemon of the Balkans. On July 26, British Foreign Secretary Gray proposed that Germany, Britain, France, and Italy mediate the discord between Austria and Serbia. However, Britain secretly encouraged France and Russia to fight against Germany and Austria, and promised to support them, which emboldened France and Russia. The true face of Britain was revealed only the day after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

On July 29, Gray met with the German ambassador and made it clear that Britain could remain neutral if the conflict was limited to Russia and Austria; If Germany and France were involved, "the situation would immediately change, and the British government, under certain conditions, would be forced to make an urgent decision." In this case, you can't sit on the sidelines for a long time." When Kaiser Wilhelm II finally learned of the true intentions of Britain to enter the war, he planned to pull back from the precipice and persuade Austria-Hungary to accept British mediation. However, Austria-Hungary had declared war on Serbia for two days, and the army had already marched into Serbian territory. Things have come to this point, and it is impossible to undo it.

The Austro-Serbian war broke out quickly, and Russia and France sided with Serbia and immediately carried out a general mobilization for war. On 31 July, Germany presented an ultimatum to Russia and France, demanding that they stop their general mobilization, otherwise Germany would mobilize for war, but the German ultimatum was categorically rejected by Russia and France. The expansion of the scale of the war has inevitably expanded. It's just that the big war that broke out in Europe, everything has nothing to do with China. China is preparing to move a small bench and sell all kinds of weapons and equipment to the warring sides while watching the play.

Berlin, the capital of Germany, inside the Imperial Palace. Kaiser Wilhelm II convened the Imperial Council. The meeting was attended by German cabinet ministers and senior military officials. At this meeting. Almost all Germans were red-faced. They had long anticipated the inevitable outbreak of war and were ready for it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, stubborn Russians and French, who have rejected our kind warnings, are engaged in a general mobilization. Prepare for an attack on our allies. The German Empire would never allow this to happen. Therefore, I decided that tomorrow would be the declaration of war against Russia! Kaiser Wilhelm II said in high spirits. Under his rule, the German Empire was now at its peak, with a strong army and navy, and with strong industrial power, it was entirely possible to defeat the Entente and pull Britain from the throne of world hegemony in one fell swoop. Fill somebody's shoes.

Kaiser Wilhelm II was also optimistic that the valiant German army and navy would easily win this war. The war may end in a few months. The vast majority of Germans think so, too.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Army has completed its preparations for war and is ready to launch an attack on the enemy at any time!" Moltke Jr., Chief of the General Staff of the German Army, said. As early as when Schlieffen was chief of the General Staff of the German army, a Schlieffen plan for fighting against France had already been drawn up. After Moltke Jr. became Chief of the General Staff. The plan was revised. In Moltke's opinion, he perfected the plan. Improved the odds of victory for the Germans. However, in the end, the truth is quite the opposite. Moltke's revised Schlieffen plan ended in failure, making the war inevitably plunged into a protracted war. And the failure to win quickly would have been a catastrophic blow for Germany and the Allies as a whole.

Wilhelm II nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at the Minister of the Navy, Field Marshal Tirpitz. The German Army has long been the first in the world, and he is not worried about this. His concern was whether the navy could defeat the British Royal Navy, and whether Germany could break the British naval blockade.

"Your Majesty, the High Seas Fleet is ready for battle and ready to go to sea to fight at any time. But. The Royal Navy is also very strong, and it will be difficult for us to defeat the Royal Navy in one fell swoop. It is best to wait for the Bavaria-class battleships to enter service before fighting the British Navy. Marshal Tirpitz said.

As the arms race between Germany and Britain entered the later stage, Germany, which was short of financial resources, had completely fallen behind in the construction of new warships. Britain, on the other hand, continued to launch new warships like dumplings. After the construction of the 'Queen Elizabeth-class' battleship equipped with 381 mm guns began, the construction of the first ship of the 'Revenge class' began at the end of last year. The construction of the second and third ships also began in January this year. With tensions mounting, it is highly likely that the British Navy will once again begin construction of two 'Revenge-class' battleships. This will give the British Navy an overwhelming advantage in terms of capital ships.

Of course, the strength of the German Navy in this period was also stronger than that of the German Navy in the period of history that Wu Haoxuan was familiar with. The four 'Nassau-class' battleships and the four 'Helgoland-class' battleships were equipped with five twin-mounted 305 mm guns of 50 times the caliber of the 50 caliber, and their defensive power was also more powerful. Five 'Caesar-class' battleships and four 'King-class' battleships used 343 mm guns of fifty times the caliber. The four 'Bavaria-class' battleships were equipped with 380 mm guns of 45 times the caliber. Moreover, the construction of these four 'Bavaria-class' battleships began much earlier than in another time and space, and these 'Bavaria-class' battleships will enter service after the British Navy's 'Queen Elizabeth-class' battleships are commissioned. In this case, the strength of the German Navy will also be much stronger. A decisive battle with the British Navy would cost the British Navy even more losses, even if it could not reverse the situation. This also helped the Chinese Empire to further narrow the gap with Britain after the war.

For Marshal Tirpitz's answer, Wilhelm II felt a little disappointed, but he was able to understand. After all, the gap between the German Navy and the British Navy was too great. What's more, Wilhelm II did not expect the German Navy to really defeat the British Navy. In Wilhelm II's plan, the German Army would be able to easily defeat Russia and France in the middle of the war. After these two countries were defeated by Germany, Britain was left alone. Eventually, they had to compromise with Germany. In this way, Germany could pull Britain off the throne of world hegemony and replace it.

Kaiser Wilhelm II's insistence on developing a navy was to build a powerful fleet to deter Britain from acting rashly. However, Wilhelm II clearly underestimated the determination of the British. At the same time, he overestimated the combat effectiveness of the German Army.

"Your Majesty, we have reached a secret agreement with the Chinese before, and if war breaks out, we will transfer the colonies in the Pacific to the Chinese Empire. So, are we going to fulfill our promise now? Foreign Secretary Holwig said.

A tangle flashed across Wilhelm II's face, even though the colonies in the Pacific were nothing. However, he didn't want to give up. Wilhelm II believed that Germany would be able to win the war, even if the colonies were temporarily occupied by the Allies, and that they would be able to retake the islands after Germany defeated the Allies. But what if, after handing it over to the Chinese Empire, the Chinese Empire repented after the war and refused to return these colonies?

"Father, we can completely ignore the Chinese. The situation now is completely different from when the secret treaty was signed. With the current strength of the empire, winning the war is simply a breeze, and there is no need to cheap the Chinese at all. Crown Prince William said. Although he is now in his thirties. However, his antipathy towards the Chinese Empire did not diminish at all.

Crown Prince Wilhelm believed that the Chinese Empire was taking advantage of the fire to take advantage of Germany. Moreover, the Chinese Empire was a country supported by Germany, and it was simply a sign of ingratitude that the Chinese Empire was unwilling to join the German camp to fight at the moment when the war was about to break out.

"What do you think?" Wilhelm II asked.

"Your Majesty, since we have signed a secret treaty with the Chinese, it is better to abide by it. Moreover, once the war began, we could not afford to take care of the colonies in the Pacific. The Entente will surely rob our colonies. Rather than let these colonies be snatched away by the Entente, it is better to transfer them all to the Chinese and let the Chinese go and eat the dog with the Entente. It would be best if the Chinese broke out into war with the Entente because of this. This also helped to reduce the pressure on the Empire. German Chancellor Bonhardt. Feng. Billo said.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Your Excellency the Prime Minister is right. In the Pacific, Japan was an ally of Great Britain, and if Germany entered the war, the Japanese would certainly declare war on the Reich under the pretext of the Anglo-Japanese alliance. When the time comes, they will definitely go and seize our colonies in the Pacific. What will the Japanese do when they find out that the Chinese have occupied those islands? In terms of the crazy character of the Japanese, it is likely that conflict or even war will break out with the Chinese Empire because of this. In this case, it may be possible to pull the Chinese into the water. Moltke Jr., Chief of the German General Staff, said.

Wilhelm II nodded, although it was a pity to abandon those colonies in the Pacific. But if it can drag China into war because of this, it will be a good deal.

"In that case, before declaring war, first issue a statement on the transfer of the colony to the Chinese!" Wilhelm II said.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Prime Minister Bilow nodded.

At nine o'clock in the morning of July 29, German Prime Minister Billo issued a statement that the German Empire would transfer all its colonies in the Pacific Ocean to the Chinese Empire at the price of one mark.

An hour later, Germany declared war on Russia. (To be continued.) )

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