In terms of the situation on the battlefield, the Japanese fleet was undoubtedly the victor in the naval battle. At the cost of losing 40,000 tons of ships, they sank the capital ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet, twice as large as their own, and in one fell swoop established the supremacy of the Yellow Sea in the next six months. However, what is puzzling is that the Japanese fleet, after defeating the main Russian force, did not search for the Russian troop carriers, but cast a wide net in the direction of Makarov's retreat before nightfall, which was completely a posture of vowing not to give up until the Russian fleet was completely annihilated. By the time the Japanese realized that the remnants of the Russian fleet had been out of their control, the Russian troop carriers had disappeared from the sea for more than a day and a half. As a result of the tactical maneuvers of the fierce battle between our own fleet and the Russians, and the relentless search that followed for the rest of the day, the Japanese fleet and the Russian convoy were so far apart that it was almost impossible to judge where they were now.

Togo ordered the main force of the fleet to return to sail. Five battleships and two armored cruisers dragged their devastated bodies back to Port Sase, escorted by six torpedo boats. For his combined fleet, the mission had been achieved: the main force of the Russian Pacific Fleet suffered heavy losses, and for a long time after that, it could only lie on its stomach, and the Japanese navy obtained the supremacy of the Yellow Sea as it wished. However, he did not give up the search for the Russian convoy, and while the main force returned, he also sent the old protective cruisers led by the Takasago to split up and search the most likely location of the Russian convoy. Just as he was returning to the base, good news came from the Tsushima Strait: four new British and German-built patrol ships under Uemura's command had successfully captured and defeated the Russian patrol detachment, including two slags; The garbage Rurik, which had been under construction in 1890, was sunk in the Sea of Japan without any suspense due to its slow speed, low armor height, and poor gun layout.

After about half an hour, William finally turned the report in his hand to the last page. He raised his head to look at Bülo, and said with some confusion: "Where is that Russian convoy, didn't they act with Makarov?" Not only did we charter a large number of ships from the Russians, but we also arranged for a large number of sailors to accompany the Russians on board, in order to create a good opportunity for our Germany to gain benefits under certain circumstances. This naval battle broke out because of the transport fleet, why is the protagonist not here now? ”

His Majesty, Makarov ordered the transport fleet to disband and retreat four hours before the main fleets of the two sides made contact, and then led the fleet himself to maneuver to the other side to attract the attention of the Japanese. The Japanese did not know what was going on, so they were very cooperative in chasing the Russian fleet for a while, and it was not until the next day that the main force of the fleet returned to the sea before sending second-line ships to search and arrest. With a hint of regret on his face, Barrow said softly, "May God help the Japanese to find these transports, preferably to sink some of our ships with artillery fire; In this case, not only will the Russians suffer even more losses, but our Germany will have enough excuse to intervene in them and obtain the benefits we desire. ”

William let out a long breath and sighed: "Makarov is really worthy of being the leading admiral in the Russian Navy, and in a situation where he is almost certain to die, he can even turn the situation into the way it is now, and almost let him return safely with all the warships and transports." Although the commander of the Japanese fleet made a lot of mistakes during this period, his ability to accurately intercept the Russian fleet with such a strange route is also enough to show his wisdom and strategy. Although Germany can build the world's top warships and build them in batches with its strong economic and industrial strength, no matter how powerful the lineup is, it needs to be controlled. I wonder if there were any outstanding commanders in the navy of the Karado Empire like Makarov of Russia and Heihachiro Togo of Japan? ”

The corners of Bill's mouth were slightly crossed, and he couldn't help but feel a little helpless in his heart, the original intention of he to report this situation to William was not to discuss naval matters with him; In fact, in this field, which both the emperor and the crown prince are keen on, as the prime minister, he has no feeling for it. Bilo coughed and said softly: "The Imperial Navy has a long history, and with Admiral Tirpitz at the helm, it will definitely breed a fleet commander who can match or even surpass Makarov." Your Majesty, after this battle between Japan and Russia, the opportunity for our German expansion also came. ”

"Huh?" Hearing the word expansion, William's eyes lit up, and a look of excitement and anticipation appeared on his face. This guy's favorite thing is the magnificent naval fleet and the colony under the sun, and due to the role of Qingying, the number of ships built by the German navy in the pre-dreadnought era has plummeted, and Wilhelm's heart has always been in a depressed state of desire and dissatisfaction. Although the successive construction of dreadnought battleships and battlecruisers in the past two years has filled his empty heart to a great extent, it is like a beggar who has been hungry for three days and gets two meat buns to satisfy his hunger, which is far from satisfying. Therefore, when Bilow mentioned that Germany might expand again after annexing the Philippines, William immediately could not remain calm.

"In fact, from the moment the war broke out between Japan and Russia, our Germany ushered in an unprecedented opportunity for expansion. Due to the eastward direction of Russia's parallel forces, the German-Austrian alliance formed an absolute suppression of France on the European continent, and what we did not do before because of the Franco-Russian alliance can now be done with confidence; And now the Russian Navy's crushing defeat has made it even more emboldened for what we are going to do next. Billo smiled faintly, and there was a glint in his gray-blue eyes, and he got up and walked to William's side, and then pressed his palm on the huge map of the world behind the emperor.

"Take Morocco in northwestern Africa, for example! Bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Gibraltar is the lifeblood of the United Kingdom. In recent years, due to the rapid expansion of France's power into Morocco and its wanton economic penetration, their control over the Moroccan region has increased rapidly. Germany, on the other hand, was unable to carry out its strategy of lending heavily to foreign countries, and its influence there was gradually being replaced by France. Now is the opportunity to take advantage of Russia's eastward advance, and it is the time for us to exert our strength! It is necessary to kidnap Britain and Spain, who also have covetous and economic interests in Morocco, and coerce France into signing a treaty recognizing Morocco's independence, so that it will not become a protectorate — that is, a colony — under the infiltration of French power. Billo's eyes flickered and he said in a slightly excited tone.

William nodded quietly and motioned for Birlo to continue.

Then came the construction of the Eastern Railway. The Mesopotamian plains were filled with oil that fascinated the entire world, and the infiltration of the Ottoman Empire was an indispensable part of our policy of expanding the world. Although their Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, had a great affection for me and His Majesty, most of the country's finances were still in the hands of the French, so much so that they had many hesitations about working with us. To break this situation, the Eastern Railway from Berlin to Basra on the Persian Gulf is the best medium. Bülow stroked his gray beard and smiled, "Now we can start to squeeze out the French elements that have been inserted in this railway, and make this group of Gauls disappear from the Eastern Railway completely." As long as Germany can grasp this major artery of the Ottoman Empire and vigorously promote trade between the two sides, then we will be able to penetrate into all the major areas of the Ottoman Empire in five to eight years, and thus play a decisive role in Germany's implementation of the world policy. ”

William nodded slowly: "Before that, I had always thought that the Ottoman Empire was the weakest and sick man in Europe, and that he would fall and die completely at any time, and I never regarded these pagans living on the peninsula of Asia Minor as allies worth courting. Yet to my astonishment, the kingdom, though decaying and dying, has survived year after year, clutching the key to the safe and refusing to let go. If this regime is to survive for a long time, it is necessary for us to come to the aid of them, and not to throw them into the arms of the British or the French. ”

"Britain and France, especially England, have always had a strategy of tilting towards the sick man of Europe, the Ottomans, and when the country could no longer hold on to its collapse, they plundered its corpse for the gold and silver jewelry it wore and the treasures of wealth and treasures. The barbarism, backwardness, tyranny, and cruelty of this pagan autocratic state have made the English, who regard themselves as famous gentlemen, and the French, who pride themselves on their high arts, feel disgusted from the bottom of their hearts. When the Russian bear's paw was ready to reach Constantinople, the British would reluctantly support them for their own benefit, and as soon as the bear was gone, they would abandon it; The French, on the other hand, were only concerned with issuing astonishing loans to the Ottomans at high interest rates, and exploiting their finances in a bone-to-bone manner. Russia was even more undying in the heart of the Ottomans, always coveting Constantinople, and they had fought 10 large-scale confrontations in the previous two centuries. Therefore, in such a situation where the Ottomans are surrounded by enemies on all sides and have no friends in the world, in the face of the warm embrace that our Germany can open to them, they will surely be full of tears of gratitude, gladly go with us, and swear allegiance to the great cause of our German Empire to dominate the world. Bilow whispered, his words containing strong confidence, "This is a wise choice for a country to pursue advantages and avoid disadvantages, and it is also an eternal law of reason, and no one can interfere with it by other means." The earth-shattering energy that erupted from Germany's steel furnace will be the most solid backing for this action! ”

"My German Empire has been dormant for too long, and if I don't do anything about it, I'm afraid that the world will forget about us, the most powerful country on the European continent." William slowly rose from his seat and turned his back; Looking at the huge map of the World Realm that was hanging on it, he muttered, "When you have made enough money in a muffled voice, it makes sense to make a big news, right?" ”