"At that time, Sergei was not yet 20 years old, and he was already the envy of the European royal family, and he was not much worse than Etter; Compared to me, who has a deep disability, it is the difference between a white swan and a mud duck. When my cousin saw him, her eyes were like a magnet attached to iron, and she could no longer take a single inch out of him; And Sergei was also attracted to his cousin, who was still a girl, and his face changed significantly. Through the vast number of guests, no one noticed that they were flirting with each other, and only me, who had been waiting for my cousin, saw through the secret between them at a glance. ”

William smiled bitterly, his words full of sadness and self-deprecation: "Ettel, you have been upside down by the Russian princess for so many years, how can you understand my feeling of being abandoned by my beloved at that time? In order to gain my cousin's favor, I tortured myself with almost masochistic training throughout the year; While everyone was still asleep, I had already appeared on the training ground to temper my body; And while they were drinking coffee and watching movies, I was still in the study reviewing the knowledge and information that the teacher had imparted to me over and over again. Whenever I stand alone under the window eaves of a cold night, I feel that I can't bear it and want to give up, as long as I think of her, my heart will spring up with infinite love and motivation, and my firm will will instantly overwhelm my cowardly heart. Speaking of this, Wilhelm could no longer hold back the desolation and misery that had been suppressed in his heart for decades, and roared in a low voice: "But after seeing this scene, I realized that my hard work day after day, the status of the future emperor of the German Empire, is not as advantageous as Sergei's superficial face!" ”

"The banquet was over, and my cousin came to sue me with an apologetic face. Said she was really attracted to me. But her love for Sergei was sincere and fiery. Unswerving in this life. From now on, there was only brother and sister affection between her and me, and there was no relationship between lovers. When I heard these words, it was as if I had been blown to the top by thunder; When I came back to my senses, I found that my cousin had left, leaving only a faint lingering fragrance in my nose. ”

I walked back to the room as if I were stepping on cotton, the twitching pain in my heart like a knight's sword piercing through my chest. Although she was the one who abandoned me, she was the one who regarded the work I had poured into the past year less valuable than moldy black bread; But the smile I saw for the first time that day. It's been engraved in my heart forever, and I can't have any hatred for her at all! That night, I locked myself in my study, looking at these old friends who accompanied me, aggrieved, lost, desolate, and miserable...... A rush of brains came to my heart, and finally I cried out like the rushing Rhine. Outsiders only saw my usual determination and strength, but who could understand and understand my helplessness and vulnerability at that time? ”

William was silent for a long time before he said slowly: "However, the imperial grandson can't shed tears, let alone indulge in it for the sake of a woman." Fall. For the pride in my heart, I can't be like ordinary people who stalk my lover who doesn't love me. It is also impossible to threaten Sergei with his fists and get him to leave his cousin's side. The next morning, I wiped away my tears, blessed my cousin as if nothing had happened, and withdrew from her sight. Finally, the cousin became Sergei's wife, changed her surname to Romanova and was baptized as a member of the Orthodox Church. For the next 30 years, I had no contact with her, except that I heard that she was not happy after marrying Sergei: not only did she have no children, but there were also huge differences in political ideas between Sergei and her, which gave them a very different status in the eyes of the people. ”

"At the beginning of the year, the situation in Russia was in turmoil, and the Bolsheviks took power; I have sent to her many times to take her out of the Red Devil's cave. However, she never agreed, citing the need to help the poor, believing that the Bolsheviks would not attack her, a woman with a reputation for benevolence. Unexpectedly, she ended up with misfortune......" William's voice gradually turned low, and finally he stopped speaking.

"The noblest expression of the German spirit is to hide the appearance of a poet from within, and to strive to observe and maintain order in life." I don't know how long it took for Qing Yingcai to speak softly again, "My father perfectly exemplified the German spirit of abiding by the rules and the power to transform buried pain into reality, and finally achieved today's immortal achievements - this is another example after Frederick the Great." ”

William chuckled, but his voice was full of bitterness and desolation. He waved his hand slightly, and said slowly: "These are already things in the past, and there is no need to mention them too much now." However, I will never be able to forgive the Bolshevik demons for their heinous acts of blasphemy and slaughter of good people. If the White armies of Kolchak and Denikin fail, I will have to go on another crusade to destroy all these demons of hell in the future. ”

Different from his usual calm and calm tone, William at this moment actually carried an unprecedented trace of hatred and resentment in his words, as if the feelings he had buried deep in his heart for nearly forty years were the most authentic catharsis. Qingying listened to it in her ears, and she couldn't help but feel a trace of anger in her heart, after the long years of mountains and rivers changing colors and vicissitudes, the obsession in William's heart was still as firm and blazing as a volcano!

The night breeze was blowing, the cold was biting, and William's turbid and messy breathing echoed in the room, as if he was still immersed in the whirlpool of grief for the farewell of his beloved, and he could not calm down for a long time. Qingying also didn't bother his memories with interest, leaving the room to a quiet silence. It was only when William's breathing calmed down that he spoke again: "The Bolsheviks have committed so many crimes that even ten hangings are not enough to pay for their crimes." However, it was not appropriate for Germany to intervene directly in the affairs of the East. If we do this, not only will the situation in Europe change dramatically, but the great powers, which have managed to calm down by the Washington Treaty, will become active and aggressive again. And this is undoubtedly what Germany does not want to see, which needs a stable environment to digest and develop. Moreover, the Bolsheviks now have a great economic interest in us, and it is difficult for us to let go of the wealth they have looted from the former Russian upper echelons. ”

Qingying quietly looked at William's face, and said carefully: "Before the economic value of Red Soviet Russia is hollowed out or replaced, we should not turn against them. Even when the time comes, we should give the final verdict to the other side by means of proxy wars. ”

"Do you want to choose a side between Kolchak and Denikin?" William spoke slowly, his tone finally getting rid of the outright hatred. Qingying nodded and said: "Although there are still White Guard forces such as Yudenich and Semenov in Finland and Chita, they are all small and outnumbered, and they cannot become the bearers of the will of the empire. And between the powerful Kolchak and Denikin, I am more inclined to woo the latter. Because although the former was the most powerful, he was a liberal who advocated democracy and constitutionalism, and his naval background also lacked the reverence he deserved for Germany, and Denikin's ideas and experiences were diametrically opposed to his. Now the former Tsar Crown Prince Alexei is in my home, which is enough for Denikin, who is a royalist, to serve him; And as the commander of the 8th Army in the Great War, he fought on the Southern Front, and undoubtedly felt the invincible power of the imperial army. More crucially, we can provide a steady stream of support and supplies to Denikin entrenched on the Don River through the Ukrainian-occupied areas of Guò to the east, which is obviously the core premise for the empire to control the situation. ”

Regarding the consideration of blackmailing Denikin as an agent of the East, Qingying has detailed considerations. In addition to the reasons he told William above, Denikin was more warlike than Kolchak: Historically, Denikin was far less powerful than Kolchak, who occupied Siberia, but his Volunteer Army was the only White army that was a real threat to Moscow in the south. In this plane, Denikin no longer needs to use troops against Ukraine, which is already occupied by Germany; And after being strengthened, he will go all out to look north, and he is bound to push the artillery fire of the Russian Civil War to a new peak.

"In addition to Denikin, we should prop up our own proxy regime in the occupied territories of the East. Eastern Europe is one of the most complex ethnic and religious issues, which have not been resolved for centuries; If our forces invade too directly, there will inevitably be a backlash from the traditional indigenous peoples on all sides. And if we hide behind the scenes and prop up puppet regimes to govern the local population, we will undoubtedly achieve far more beneficial benefits than planting the Iron Cross flag directly on the land of Eastern Europe. Qingying paused, and then said, "What's more advantageous is that our support for the White Army can also be carried out in the name of these puppet states." Even if one day the Empire decides to strangle the Red Plague in its cradle, we can wage war in the name of small Eastern European countries such as the 'Ukrainian Volunteers' and the 'Estonian Shooters', thereby minimizing the international pressure on us. ”

William closed his eyes, as if he were making a fierce trade-off between honor and reality; After a while, he finally spoke again: "If the prime minister and the state secretary can get the guò, then do as you say." You now have a former Tsar Crown Prince who you can use to restore the Romanov dynasty and rule these regions and the wider Eastern Europe for the Empire if necessary. In this way, we can also save a lot of management troubles, and only enjoy the benefits. (To be continued......)

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