Berlin, German Empire.

In the magnificent and solemn Charlottenburg Palace, Kaiser Wilhelm II is sitting in the main seat of the study; The fiery sun was shaded by dense greenery, and the last shade cast a soft glow in the room. The breeze blew through his sideburns, which were already gray, bringing a little tingling and coolness.

After Moltke the Younger moved his Front Command from Luxembourg to Meziers, Wilhelm did not follow his chief of staff with him for safety reasons, but set off for the summer palace on the outskirts of Berlin. Although William wanted to be like his grandfather and appear as a victor in Paris at the first time, Moltke the Younger, with his characteristic apprehension, succeeded in convincing some eager emperors not to venture into France, but to stay in Berlin and wait for the good news. However, with the French counterattack on the Marne, the quick decisive battle in which Germany would destroy France in six weeks was in vain; And William's promise to the people before the war to "return triumphantly before the leaves fall" now looks like a mirage-like empty promise.

"The news has just been received from Meziers that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has led his army to break through the French line set up in Nazato, and is less than twenty kilometers away from Bourmont, an important town in northeastern France. In the previous 10 days of fighting, the Fifth Army advanced nearly 100 kilometers, killed and captured more than 25,000 French troops, and destroyed and captured 120 artillery pieces. ”

An old man with a tough face and outstanding temperament was respectfully standing next to William and reporting the battle situation on the front line. None other than Bateman, the Prime Minister of the Reich? Holwig. Since 1909, when he replaced Bülow (and the commander of the German Second Army, Bülow were two people) as prime minister. Holwig won the trust of Wilhelm because of his staunch royalist stance, excellent domestic affairs and mature diplomatic skills. The level of mutual trust and cooperation between his monarchs and ministers far exceeds that of any of the four previous prime ministers. Today, Holwig is one of the most sought-after figures in the Berlin court, and Wilhelm relies on him as much as Tirpitz does.

William looked up and stared at the large map of Europe hanging on the wall next to him; After a while, the situation on the battlefield that Holwig said was intuitively reflected in his mind. After the French retreated from the Alsace front, the German Fifth Army relied on friendly forces on the flanks. Turning to the southwest, he pursued the French Second Army in front of him. With the superiority in strength, the Fifth Army was pressing the French army back step by step; At a time when the main forces of the French army were confronting the German army near Paris and it was difficult to send fresh troops to reinforce them, the French could only adopt the strategy of exchanging space for time, that is, to abandon a large number of lands on the border between northeastern France and Switzerland, and wait for the German army to stop by itself due to poor supplies and physical exhaustion.

"Before the outbreak of war, I just wanted Ettel to feel the real war army, and not to forget the core of my centuries-old Hohenzollern state; However, this guy has achieved an amazing record on the Western Front. William spoke slowly, with a hint of joy and pride in his words. Counting the decisive victory in the previous battle on the border, he had already caused the French to lose more troops than his Fifth Army combined; Even the generals of the army, such as Crook, Birlo, and Ruprecht. The results are far from comparable! With this achievement, he has been able to make up for the gap between himself and the Junkers due to his excessive focus on the navy, and win their loyalty and support with the most practical results. ”

Holwig nodded: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, a heaven-sent saint, has previously purchased several extremely effective combat weapons for the Imperial Army; This time, our army was able to achieve rapid advance on the left flank, and his Fifth Army's breakthrough of the French center front was also a great contribution. Chief of Staff Moltke has decided to award His Highness the Medal of Merit with Oak Leaf in recognition of his outstanding contributions in previous battles. ”

"Blue Max with oak leaves? Pathetic Julius (Julius?) Caesar) didn't reward him a little higher? William turned his head to look at Holwig in astonishment, and there was a hint of surprise in his words.

In 1667, King Friedrich I of Prussia created the Order of the Blue Max; In 1740, Frederick the Great renamed it the "Order of Merit", officially establishing its high status in the German meritorious community. Since 1810, Blue Max has been the highest order of honor bestowed by Prussia and the German Empire for distinguished service to military service; And if it is decorated with oak leaves, it must be the recipient and have performed extremely heroically in battle. In the past 100 years, there were not a few people in the German army who had won the Blue Max, but very few could be awarded the Oak Leaf Blue Max!

"It is indeed the Medal of Merit with Oak Leaves. According to the report sent back by Chief of Staff Moltke, in addition to his achievements on the battlefield, His Highness directly contributed to his order on June 2 to halt the advance of the Crook and Bülo armies. Had it not been for the rest of these two forces for a day on 3 June, it would have been almost impossible for our exhausted troops to withstand a French counterattack at the Marne. Holwig met William's surprised look head-on, and said unhurriedly, "Keep a clear head in the midst of the cheers of victory, and gain insight into the hidden facts that are commonly concealed, which is why Chief of Staff Moltke decided to award this medal to His Highness." ”

Hearing Holwig's words, the muscles on William's face couldn't help but twitch slightly. Before the Battle of the Marne, he was convinced of France's complete defeat: not only did he feast at the Luxembourg Command, celebrate his victory with his guests in an almost triumphant manner, but even began preparations for a military parade into Paris, and drew up an armistice that was even more frenzied than the Treaty of Frankfurt in 1871. However, what happened next disgraced him, the French still maintained extremely strong fighting power, and it was difficult to predict when the war would end!

Faced with the two bland glances cast by Holwig, who knew him well, William was suddenly a little embarrassed. He coughed and quietly changed the subject: "Bateman, how is the current situation on the battlefield in France?" ”

"With the fixation of the front in the Marne, both our army and the French began to extend to the northwest, preparing to seek a breakthrough on the flanks. At present, our army has captured Serge, the northwestern gateway 25 kilometers from Paris, and Lemiro, 18 kilometers west of it, is engaged in a fierce battle with the French. All two airborne battalions were deployed in Evler, just 75 kilometers from the English Channel, to take control of this road junction and ensure that our troops could take the lead in the next operation. As a civilian, Holwig also knew everything about the current situation on the French battlefield, and in a few moments, he explained the battlefield situation under the correspondence of the huge map on the wall. He paused, and then added: "If all goes well, we will turn Paris into a salient hanging from the French front, so that our army can encircle it on three sides in the future operation." ”

William looked at the winding front outlined by Holwig, and the face with the pointed upturned beard had a complicated expression, and it was difficult to see what kind of mood he was feeling at the moment. Since the Germans were not pursued and defeated at the Battle of the Marne, they would undoubtedly have an advantage in this race to the sea; Because once they encountered the French troops in the outflanking detour, the German army, which had a clear advantage in numbers, would have a great chance of defeating the French army and repulsing it, thus grabbing more land, wealth, and profits. Under the outflanking of the German army, large areas of northern France will be brought under the rule of the red, white and black iron cross, even if the German army captures Caen, which occupies half of the northern French territory on the right side of the LinkedIn Gili Channel, it is entirely possible.

However, after the just-concluded Battle of the Marne and reading the detailed analysis sent back by Moltke Jr., the German leadership, including Wilhelm, finally understood. The occupation of the land could only weaken France relatively effectively, and it was even more difficult to destroy their will to resist; Only by annihilating their vital forces in large numbers can we fundamentally defeat France and end the war on the Western Front. Judging from the previous combat experience, as long as the French army wanted to retreat, then it was almost impossible for the German army to block them; Because the French troops fighting on the inner line, in terms of both the mileage of maneuver and the quality of the road they are on, cannot be compared with the German troops who have penetrated deep into the enemy's territory and suffered from the passive resistance and even armed resistance of the local people, not to mention that the heavy artillery of the German army will seriously slow down their journey.

"Your Majesty, are you worried that it will be difficult to really destroy the French army?" Seeing the Emperor's mixed face, Holwig asked tentatively.

William nodded slowly, silently agreeing.

Holvig pondered for a moment, and then said, "Your Majesty, maybe we can ask Your Highness about the strategy. Before the outbreak of the war, he was the only one who believed that the war on the Western Front would be a long and protracted war; Now that the situation has developed in this direction, then he should also have corresponding countermeasures. ”

William was silent for a long time, and finally spoke: "Then, let him come back." (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you bookworm insomnia bookworm, renren mi, diving purple fire for monthly ticket support and zhouyu1976 for the tip~~