Early the next morning, William convened a state council in the main hall of the palace to discuss the feasibility of further strengthening the forces on the eastern front while taking the defensive on the western front. The attendees were quite neat, including Tirpitz, and all the secretaries of state of various departments, including Tirpitz, were present, and even Moltke Jr., the chief of the General Staff who commanded operations in France, was recalled to China overnight by the Kaiser on a special plane, and at this moment appeared in the seat of the head with a pair of big black circles. At this moment, Moltke was absolutely overjoyed in his heart, he was still worried about the failure of the offensive on the right wing of the Western Front, and was ready to be reprimanded by William angrily, but what he didn't expect was that William's move allowed him to get off the donkey down the slope and cover up the failure of the offensive target on the Western Front!

When the crown prince next to the emperor stood up and explained the advantages of this strategy in the fields of domestic affairs, economy, and military affairs in an all-round way for two hours, Moltke, whose thoughts were flying, was the first to take the lead in expressing his approval. Although the large-scale eastward transfer of as many as 3 group armies with a total of 40 divisions will inevitably have a massive decentralization of power for themselves who dominate the battle situation on the Western Front, thus creating a situation in which the two command centers in the east and the west are coexisting; But in Germany at this time, it was obviously impossible for anyone to do something for the sake of power without regard for the overall situation. What's more, Qing Ying also helped him do what he wanted to do but was not determined to do on the eve of the Battle of the Marne, rescued the Right Wing Cluster from the disaster, and restored his reputation and military power. Whether from an individual or an overall perspective, there was no reason for him to reject this strategy, which was clearly led by Qing Ying.

Since Qing Ying had already explained the reasons for the eastward advance sufficiently, the ministers, including Prime Minister Holwig, were also questioned in some minor ways. I expressed support for the practice of picking up the soft persimmon pinch of Russia. Even the most staunch of the Western Front faction Falkenhein. also died down in front of Qingying's carefully prepared rhetoric; Not the same as in history. The current Falkenhain did not replace Moltke as Chief of Staff of the Army, and his power and combat effectiveness were obviously not enough to defy the will of Qingying, whose prestige was rising to the sky. When William gave the final order, Qingying suddenly felt a sense of relief; The direction of the German giant ship has finally been fundamentally deflected with its unremitting efforts!

On 18 October, William again delivered a national address on radio in Guò. As usual, he recalled the course of the war in the past six months with a majestic and uplifting voice, recounted the victories won by Germany and the allies, and expressed his gratitude and reverence for the united people and the officers and men who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield. After these brief beginnings of the routine, William's tone changed abruptly. Confessed to the previous imperial government's misjudgment of the duration of the war. The originally planned quick showdown will most likely last longer than this winter, or even longer.

“…… It is true that the imperial government underestimated the severity of the general war of the modern state, and we had to face a more protracted situation of war; However, the enemies of the Empire are also unprepared for a long war, and their situation is several times more painful than ours! The millennia of division that followed the fall of the Holy Roman Empire caused untold pain to the Germans, but it also sharpened our perseverance and excellence, which allowed us to face any challenge and strong enemy with pride. The Seven Years' War, which will forever go down in history. It is the embodiment of the tenacity and tenacity of our German nation to the extreme; This time, we should also follow in the footsteps of Frederick the Great. Make every effort to win the pinnacle victory of this great national war! ”

The morning sun is rising, and the brilliance is as brilliant as the clouds. The voice of Kaiser Wilhelm, who has been in the Gogoku for a quarter of a century, is being broadcast solemnly in this 540,000 square kilometers of land from Amiens in the west, Königsberg in the east, Jutland in the north, and Munich in the south. The peasants working in the fields stopped what they were doing, and the citizens of the city stood in place; In theaters, squares, schools, and restaurants, people listened to the emperor's speeches with bated breath.

“…… Paris was conquered by the imperial army, and Warsaw was already a tourist attraction for the German people; The North Sea is our fishing ground, and Suez is the breath of our allies connecting us to the rest of the world. We couldn't be prouder, we're more confident. There is still a long way to go, but we are already seeing the inspiring light shining at the finish line. Frederick the Great laid a solid foundation for the prosperity of Prussia, the Holy Emperor achieved the complete unification of Germany, and this time we will go from Central Europe to the world, and use the sword in our hands to obtain the land under the sun that Germany deserves! The cause we are fighting for today will be the most magnificent and earth-shattering glorious imprint left in the entire history of the German nation's self-reliance and rejuvenation! ”

The manuscripts written by the royal literati were originally full of flowers, cooking oil in a blazing fire; And the speech of William, the emperor in his prime, added a bit of indescribable grandeur. In front of the palace, the citizens of Berlin who spontaneously gathered respectfully sang the national anthem, and huge portraits of Frederick the Great, Wilhelm I and Wilhelm II were everywhere in the procession. At the recruitment points in major cities across the country, the number of young people who intend to serve the country in the army has more than doubled compared with usual. In order to cope with the decline in production caused by the large number of working-age workers joining the army, the German government began to admit women into the front-line war factories under the vigorous promotion of Qingying; Hundreds of training courses have been set up to teach these women skills. In the case of entering a general war, any potential force should be effectively tapped.

"Kaiser Wilhelm, what a good statement for speech." In a country house outside London, a graceful old man in a straight suit listened to the radio telecommunications from across the Channel, and his face was full of emotion. Across from him, a bloated middle-aged fat man was silently smoking a cigar on the couch; Although he wears casual clothes and has a haggard face, the aristocratic and powerful temperament revealed in his gestures clearly shows the extremely extraordinary glorious past he once had.

"Smack." There was a soft sound, and the tall and thin old man with a clear face looked stunned, but it was the fat man who reached out and turned off the annoying voice of Kaiser Wilhelm II on the radio. The corners of his mouth hooked up a slight smile, and he asked softly, "Winston, are you still used to living in this manor?" ”

The fat man slowly exhaled a thick smoke ring, and said in a somewhat hoarse voice: "Thanks to His Excellency Arthur's kindness and defence of me in the curses and curses of all the people of England, I have been spared from facing the cold iron walls and the hard floor bed, and I have been in this house for the rest of my life. But what I don't understand is that Arthur, who is going to enter the cabinet again? You, Monsieur Balfour, this is the perfect time to make a difference; Why waste precious time now, visiting my deserted manor? ”

On 24 August 1913, the British Home Fleet suffered a crushing defeat in the North Sea of eastern Scotland. The British people's pent-up anger over the incompetence of the navy for more than three months finally exploded after a brief period of grief. Churchill, the Secretary of the Admiralty, who knew that he could no longer hold on, announced his resignation that evening, but the British people in a rage obviously could not accept this result. After all, the naval battle was too completely defeated, and the home fleet lost almost half of its elite dreadnoughts; And the Germans only sank 2 ships without pain, which is even more unacceptable than a male lion being torn to a bloody pulp by a rat and dying!

Amid the roar of the tsunami of the citizens of London, the anxious Prime Minister Asquith had no choice but to tie Churchill with a red bow and send it to a military court for trial. The judge charged him with more than two dozen counts of embezzlement and dereliction of duty, including accusations that he was a spy sent by the Germans and that he intended to bring down the Royal Navy from within. How could Churchill, who was from a prominent aristocratic family and was young and vigorous, endure such humiliation and hardly cooperate with censorship; If it weren't for Balfour, who knew him well, to rescue him in every possible way and provide a lot of evidence to refute these accusations, it is very likely that the court kidnapped by the surging public opinion would have handed down a heavy sentence to Churchill, and it would have been an extraordinarily gracious move to be able to eat prison for free.

After Churchill's departure, Prime Minister Asquith nominated Balfour to succeed him as Lord of the Navy. As a former prime minister, the British public also agreed to the appointment, hoping that the nephew of the Marquess of Salisbury would be able to strategize like his uncle and save the Royal Navy from peril. However, although Balfour can do a good job of coordinating the work of the Admiralty, he is a pure politician and knows nothing about the Navy; After some time, Balfour felt compelled to see Churchill in the wilderness and ask for his opinion on the current state of affairs in the navy. Others don't know it, but Balfour has a clear mind: Churchill was able to enter the cabinet at the age of 37 and take up the post of almost the most scorching admiralty, in addition to his successful escape from prison in the Boer War to accumulate enough political capital, his own intelligence, energy, and unique vision are definitely the most important reasons that cannot be ignored!

Hearing Churchill's words, Balfour smiled dumbly: "Winston, you have just turned 40 this year, and what are you talking about here for the rest of your life?" Within a few years, the people of Britain will understand that you are not responsible for the defeat in the North Sea Naval Battle, and you will be back in the government. Speaking of this, Balfour's expression gradually turned solemn, and he said: "The reason why I am here today is to hear your thoughts on the current situation of the navy. Kaiser Wilhelm's speech was like a rainbow, but I had no strength in my hands to attack it. (To be continued......)

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