Hearing William's words, Qingying's heart was suddenly shocked; From a historical point of view, the only thing that could have killed Germany's plan to attack Russia was Comrade Lenin's early visit to his revolutionary mentor Marx. For Ching-Ying, the gains from the Treaty of Brest were the most direct impetus for his aggressive offensive strategy on the Eastern Front, and if Lenin had died, the Bolshevik leadership would have been unable to sign one of the most humiliating armistice treaties in history with Germany, even if the Soviet government had been established as scheduled. After all, the harshness of this treaty can be said to be unprecedented, and in comparison, the Treaty of Xincho and Versailles is as gentle as a girl's delicate hand, so not everyone has the courage to sign this kind of treaty!

However, Lenin was obviously not the master who hung up so quickly, and William could not have had the knowledge that his own traveler had based on the experience of later generations, and it would be hellish if he could have known that the Treaty of Brest would be signed at Lenin's urging. Qing Ying thought about it, but could not think of any change that would make Germany give up the offensive strategy of the Eastern Front, which was sure to win and not lose; He frowned slightly, and asked suspiciously, "What happened?" ”

William said slowly: "While you were conducting this offensive and defensive drill, King Edward also left for Paris for a visit. There is ample evidence that Britain and France will reach an agreement to settle all colonial disputes, demarcating the sphere of their colonial power throughout the world. It is estimated that it will not be long before the two countries will reach a friendship or even an alliance agreement that will cooperate extensively in both military and diplomatic affairs. Ettel, do you know what that means? Qingying's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and then nodded silently. For this "sincere agreement" between Britain and France to reach an understanding. There was no reason why he should not know the meaning of the Dao.

Historically, May 1903. Because Germany has shown amazing strength in many fields such as trade, expansion, colonization, and navy. posed a serious threat to the hegemony of the British Empire; In response to this, King Edward VII decided to visit Paris to make peace with the feuding France, and won the love and respect of all Parisians with his superb social art. Thanks to the efforts of the British king, the British and French government leaders, who had originally intended to join hands with each other to fight against Germany, began to act quickly, and a formal reconciliation agreement based on the common interests of the spoils was reached one year later, known as the Anglo-French Entente. From then on, Germany was completely isolated throughout Europe, and 10 years later the outbreak of World War I broke out in an extremely unfavorable situation.

And on this plane. As a result of the intervention of the Qing Dynasty, the German navy in the pre-dreadnought era developed relatively slowly, and most of the armored cruisers built in a more alternative decisive battle, and the fuse of naval expansion, which caused tension between Britain and Germany, did not appear. Qing Ying originally thought that the relatively low-key Germany would disappear from the sight of the British for a long time, allowing the British to go to war with the Russians, so as to create a stable opportunity for Germany to make a fortune. After all, few people at the time could have realized that the core of the British Empire's supremacy in the world was not the glittering Royal Navy, but the trade dumping and plundering of the colonies, and that Germany could divert its hatred as long as it restrained itself on the seas.

However, what Qingying did not expect was that Edward VII's vigilant gaze never detached from his cousin Willy. Germany's restrained navy certainly relieved Edward to a certain extent, but the terrifying strength of Germany's industrial economy also frightened him! Thanks to a $1.5 billion low-interest loan from the United States and mites to clear this cheap raw material import base. Germany has exploded far more power in both industry and finance, and a few years ago it became the second largest country in the world and the first in Europe. Germany's leap in combined power caused no more panic and shock to King Edward VII than they did in history by building a powerful navy with 38 battleships! Having previously had great illusions about France's Russian allies, Edward considered the German-Austrian alliance to be a balance of power against the Franco-Russian Entente on the European continent, and therefore did not rush into battle himself; However, after Russia's successive defeats at the hands of Japan, Russia's extremely weak performance immediately made Edward realize that the situation on the European continent was out of balance, and the Allies led by Germany and Austria had an absolute advantage. If Germany continues to be left alone, then Wilhelm II will surely rely on the population, industrial strength and strong economy that defeated France in his hands, and will collapse France with the momentum of decay, and become an even more terrifying existence than the Napoleonic Empire at that time!

Driven by fear, Britain and France, who felt the threat of a thorn in their backs, did not care about any discipline and figure, and the two sides instantly turned from rivals with angry eyebrows to friends who hated each other. Britain began to officially roll up its sleeves and participate in the game on the European continent with the wealth accumulated over hundreds of years, and single-handedly promoted the Triple Entente to encircle Germany. The Anglo-French alliance was an inevitable historical foregone conclusion with the rapid development of German power, and no matter what means the Qing and Britain used, it was impossible to prevent the establishment of this entente.

"The understanding between England and France, which the Anglo-Saxons and Gauls, who had innumerable hatreds and hatreds during the previous 800 years of fighting, has not reached an understanding today that the ultimate purpose is not to bring all of us to join hands and sing praises under the light of God. For the sworn enemies, only when they are both mortally threatened by the same target will they put aside their prejudices and unite with each other, otherwise they will definitely fight each other and tear down the stage; And as for the source that can pose a mortal threat to both sides, it is our German Empire. Qingying said softly, with a hint of indignation in her words, "The reason why Britain and France reached an understanding is to unify the spearhead of the struggle against Germany; Father must have foreseen this situation a long time ago, right? ”

William's right hand clenched into a fist, his nails digging deep into his palm; His eyes lit up with irrepressible hatred and anger, whether it was hatred of the flagrant betrayal of England or the treacherous and treacherous hatred of Edward VII. Shi Lifen, who was next to him, also came back to his senses from this explosive news at this moment, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is right. Your Highness, if Britain and France really reach an understanding, then the strategy of defending the west and attacking the east will become difficult to implement. ”

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"Before that, we could indeed choose to attack Russia in a big way to promote peace; Because as long as we take a defensive posture on the Western Front and do not invade Belgian territory, then Britain will basically maintain a neutral posture in the war. However, once an alliance is reached between Britain and France, it is highly likely that Britain will be on our side in the war that breaks out on the Continent. In this way, I was left with only one choice for Germany, and that was to defeat France with all its might at the beginning of the war! ”

Schlieffen sorted out his thoughts and said slowly: "It should be pointed out that the strategy of defending the west and attacking the east will take a long time, and it will not be possible to force Russia, which has a vast land and a large number of soldiers, to sign an armistice treaty in a short period of time. Even in your own estimation, Your Highness, won't it take 2 years? And during this period, our sea shipping will come to a standstill due to the blockade of the British Navy, which will undoubtedly be a serious blow to us. In addition, the British, who participated in the war, would also send an expeditionary force to fight with the French. Although their army was successful in the Boer War, the British began a massive overhaul of their army from then on, and the results were beginning to be preliminary. It is conceivable that in the future, the combat effectiveness of the British Army on the battlefield will certainly not be as unbearable as it was during the Boer War, and two years is enough time for them to assemble an army of more than 500,000 troops in the French region, and the pressure we face on the Western Front will further intensify. Last but not least, no one can guarantee that Belgium will remain strictly neutral in the war! When the weight of England is added to one side of the war, the attitude of Belgium and Holland will most likely be deviated against us; If they become inclined to Britain and France, or even declare war on us directly, then our defense zone on the Western Front will no longer be limited to Alsace and Lorraine in the corner of the southwestern border, but the entire western frontier will be fully prepared to defend against the French attack. In this way, both the number of garrisons invested and the difficulty of defense will be multiplied. Therefore, the only way to achieve the most effective and correct was to defeat France quickly at the beginning of the war. ”

"And how can the maneuver and logistics of the right-wing cluster be ensured? How could the encirclement attack of the legion, which relied on a pair of legs, sweep the whole of France in a large circle from Belgium to the whole of France be completed in five weeks? The German officers and soldiers, though stoic, were by no means tireless machines; Even if you can successfully assault at the beginning, you will definitely be stopped by the French in a battle due to extreme exhaustion. And that's without taking into account the issue of providing a continuous stream of logistical supplies for the 1.1 million troops. Seeing that Schlieffen had been thinking about his plan to destroy France in 40 days, Qingying also felt a little unhappy in his heart. You've shown you how much defense can do, but why do you still want to unleash such a powerful offensive force on the small right flank?

Schlieffen's lips moved, but he didn't say anything for a long time. After a while, he whispered, "This is indeed a thorny question. But Your Highness, I will definitely make a perfect plan. (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you for the reward of seven cups of tea from book friends~~~ Anyway, the recent data is very sad, can you support it?