The spring breeze is green, the trees are blooming, and the majestic Imperial Palace of Berlin shines in the morning light, showing the strength and majesty of the Hohenzollern dynasty.

In the spacious study hall, Kaiser Wilhelm was sitting on the main seat, and a shining silver-white iron cross was pinned to his chest, adding a sense of solemnity to his whole person. Under him, Qingying and an old man with a thin face were standing respectfully; Looking at this shriveled old man like dead wood, Qingying couldn't help but feel a slight touch in her heart, because this guy was none other than Alfred, who single-handedly formulated a plan to wipe out France? Feng? Schlieffen!

In 1833, Schlieffen was born into a Junker military family in Prussia, and when he was young, he did not fight like the later Celestial Dynasty after the same major general, but was diligent and studious under the influence of a rich family heritage, and obtained the rank of second lieutenant at the age of 21. After joining the General Staff, Schlieffen directly participated in the formulation of the operational plans for all wars fought in the process of German reunification, including the two wars of Prussia and Austria, and won Moltke's admiration. In 1888, when Wadsey succeeded the aging Moltke as Chief of the General Staff, Schlieffen was promoted to Quartermaster General, a position that meant that he was already confirmed as the successor to Wadsey. Three years later, Wadsey was ousted due to a political disagreement with Wilhelm II, and Schlieffen was able to take power and become the most central military figure of the continent's leading power. He was the most typical Prussian soldier, taciturn, strict with himself, and with unimaginable diligence and dedication to his work; For more than a dozen years when Schlieffen was Chief of the General Staff. The organization and military training of the German army made a great leap forward, and successfully defended and widened the gap between the German army and other countries in the army; And the Schlieffen plan he formulated was extremely meticulous. It's like a blueprint for a battleship. As a gifted military strategist, his name was passed down with Schlieffen's plans. It has been recalled and evaluated by countless military enthusiasts in later generations.

"The news has just come from the front that the Russians have once again suffered a crushing defeat on the land battlefield. The 350,000 Russian troops were defeated by the 270,000 Japanese troops on the opposite side and have now fully withdrawn to Siping, further north; More than a third of the Russians were killed, wounded, and captured, much more than the total number of people lost in the previous two battles combined. William's deep voice echoed in the room, but there was a hint of schadenfreude in his words that was incompatible with his temperament, "This group of yellow-skinned monkeys in Japan is really good, they only conquered the fortress of Dalini two months ago, and now they have defeated the superior Russian army head-on, which is simply a slap on the dirty soles of little Nikki's proud handsome face!" Good. Well done, compared to little Nicky, he must be roaring madly and smashing everything in the Winter Palace now, and trying to completely crush this group of Japanese monkeys to pulp, right? ”

Seeing that William began to taunt his distant cousin as soon as he came up, Schliefen's face was slightly unnatural, but Qingying, who had been in contact with William for a long time, was already familiar with his cheap father's character, and he was no longer surprised by this. Qingying coughed and smiled: "Russia's defeat on the battlefield is indeed gratifying, but the more gratifying thing is obviously yet to come. After the defeat of this battle, Nikolai Shu Huang will definitely not give up; with his character. He will continue to increase his troops in the Far East like a red-eyed gambler, and save face for him and the Russian Empire by bloodbathing the victory of the Japanese army; I, Germany, could continue to watch the contest between bears and wolves with pleasure until one of them could hold on and fall completely. The war lasted a whole year, and the Russian army suffered 250,000 casualties. This figure is still far from what we expected, so we need the Japanese to expend some more Russian strength. ”

William nodded slightly, and looked at Schlieffen next to him. "My earl, do you think the Japanese will continue to win in Manchuria as they do now?" Schlieffen pondered for a moment. Then he spoke in an old and hoarse voice: "If Japan can always have a complete control over the Yellow Sea transportation lines as it does now. Then they should also be able to withstand two high-intensity battles like the Battle of Mukden. However, if there is a third time, they will inevitably be overwhelmed. ”

William hummed and motioned for Schlieffen to continue.

"So far, although Japan has won many battles on the land battlefield, they have also paid heavy casualties that are absolutely no less than those of the Russian army. Nearly 50,000 Japanese officers and soldiers were buried in the land for the capture of the Dalini fortress alone, and their losses in the three frontal battles of Liaoyang, Shahe and Mukden were not much less than those of the Russians. According to the data obtained by our observers in the Japanese army, the Japanese also lost more than 230,000 troops in this year, but because they were able to defeat the Russian army on the battlefield one after another because they could receive a large amount of new reinforcement support from home after mobilizing for war, coupled with the correct command of the decision-making level. However, the number of people that could be mobilized by the Japanese was far inferior to that of the Russians, and there was also a huge disparity in material reserves, and even if they were able to achieve a 1-to-1.6 battle loss rate in the Battle of Mukden after that, their personnel and materials could not support them to continue the war. In the next year, if two or three more large-scale battles broke out between Japan and Russia, the balance of victory would inevitably tip in favor of the Russians; By this season of 1907, all Japanese troops on land in Manchuria would be driven back to pre-war territory by the Russians. After all, the strength of the two sides does not belong to the same level. Schlieffen said simply.

"My count, what do you think of the combat effectiveness of the Japanese and Russian armies? In the previous battles, the Japanese have repeatedly won more with less, is this because the Japanese are too strong in combat, or have the Russian steamrollers lost the majesty of sweeping Europe in the past? William then asked.

Schlieffen showed a trace of contempt in his cloudy eyes, and said indifferently: "Your Majesty, the General Staff has sent an observation group composed of active duty officers to both Japan and Russia, and after a year of observation, we have a detailed understanding of both armies. The command skills of the Russian junior officers are so poor that I can hardly imagine how these fellows graduated from the officer school; Although the ordinary soldiers of Russia are not inferior to our German officers and soldiers in bravery and tenacity, they are much inferior to us in terms of individual soldier quality, so their real combat effectiveness is really difficult to compliment. Those yellow-skinned monkeys are no better, only a line better than the Russians, and they are far from the centuries-old heritage of our Prussians. The reason why the Japanese were able to win more with less was almost a decisive factor in the art of the commanders on both sides. Kuropatkin was born as a staff officer, and he was indecisive and forward-looking, and did not have the slightest firm determination to carry out his will to the end, which was originally a taboo as a commander-in-chief. In addition, his command style tends to be conservative, always waiting for domestic reinforcements and waiting for the other side to attack; Once surrounded by the Japanese army and presented an unfavorable battle situation, he would hurriedly order the army to retreat, which gave the Japanese a great opportunity to take advantage of. And the commander-in-chief of the Japanese side was clearly a qualified commander, with a dispassionate and analytical mind; He had a keen insight into the situation of the battle, and he commanded the battle with firmness and decisiveness, outwitting the hesitant Kuropatkin in all respects. ”

"As far as I know, this Japanese commander named Oyama was a great believer in Marshal Moltke, and he admired the marshal's commanding ideas; Judging from the large-scale battles that broke out between Japan and Russia, he has already understood the core elements. At present, even in Germany, only a few core generals of army commanders and general staff can reach this level. Comparing the two, the defeat of the Russians is not surprising. Schlieffen said unhurriedly.

Listening to Schlieffen's accurate analysis, Qingying was secretly shocked: as a traveler from later generations, he knew that as one of the most famous army generals in modern Japanese history, the best embodiment of his command ability was to defeat the strong with the weak in the Russo-Japanese War. It is unbelievable that Schlieffen was able to make a high-level judgment and gain insight into this key with only the one-sided reports sent back by front-line observers!

"I didn't think that such a character could appear in this group of dwarf monkeys in Japan. I have to say that Uncle Edward really found an excellent dog breed in the Far East that can bite people, and they not only have a fleet commander who is as wise as a tide on the sea, but also has a good general who is calm and wise on land; Nogi, who captured Dalini (Gentaro Kodama took command and was known only to the core members of the Japanese base camp), and Oyama, who had continuously defeated the Russian army head-on, were the world's first-class commanders. Speaking of this, the look of surprise on William's face gradually faded, replaced by irrepressible excitement, and said loudly: "Now that Japan has helped us drag Russia into the quagmire of war in the Far East, and the weakness of the Russian army has been completely exposed to the world because of the defeat of these battles, my earl, this is simply a great opportunity for God to give me Germany to dominate Europe!" ”

Qingying was stunned when she heard this, and was about to ask, but Shi Lifen beside her had already smiled confidently, and said hesitantly: "That's right." Your Majesty, please take a look at the plan that I have worked out over the past 13 years. (To be continued......)

PS: ———————————— (the following does not count the number of words)

Anyway, what happens when the collection will be reduced after it is put on the shelves? Let's give the author a little bit of code word motivation