The morning breeze dances lightly, the warmth blows on the face, and Berlin sends away the last wisp of chill in the twilight of winter, and ushers in the vitality and prosperity of early spring. The ice melts, the greenery spreads, and the gorgeous wildflowers bloom on the green lawn, attracting countless colorful butterflies to fly and circle.

With heavy footsteps, a soft knock on the door, and a sudden glare of sunlight, William slowly walked into his study. He wore a solemn and majestic imperial marshal's uniform today, and his face and appearance were also modified to a considerable extent; To many of the dignitaries in the study, it seems that today's William is still the young king who had just ascended the throne twenty years ago.

"We are bringing you together today to discuss issues related to the Balkan wars and Morocco." William walked straight to his main seat, and then pulled down a huge map of Europe from the side, "At present, the Ottoman Empire has lost half of its territory in Europe under the attack of Serbia and other four countries, and the Balkan Allied Army has a high morale under the righteous inspiration of national liberation, and has formed a considerable degree of superiority over the Ottoman army. Although the Turks performed brilliantly and almost blocked the Greek sea with the advantage of dreadnoughts, they were unable to recover the defeat on land. ”

Speaking of this, William glanced at Moltke, the chief of the Army General Staff with a melancholy look on his face; Moltke understood and stood up and used red and blue pencils to mark the extent of the Ottoman Empire's territorial shrinkage in this war. Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on this, William spoke again: "The Ottoman Empire is not only our potential ally in the Mediterranean, but also a vital link in the blockade of Russia on the island of the world; Therefore, we will not allow them to be greatly weakened in this Anglo-Russian proxy war! I propose. Respond immediately to Istanbul's request for mediation. Let this sick man of Europe end the war in a relatively decent way. Thus drawing them one step closer to the bosom of my Germany. Do you have any objections? ”

Imperial Prime Minister Holwig bowed his head slightly and said, "What Your Majesty said is extremely accurate. Allowing the Ottomans to end the war in a relatively relaxed manner would not only help preserve their strength, but also ensure that the pro-German Al-Shabaab government would not lose power as a result of the war. In this period, the Ottoman government's position is crucial and there is no room for error. I have drafted a proclamation for Russia, Austria, Britain, and Italy to intervene with Germany to mediate and put an end to the Balkan War, which has lasted for half a year. ”

William glanced at Holwig with satisfaction. A considerable degree of approval was expressed for his efficiency. Since the resignation of Bilow, the new prime minister, Holwig, has been greatly relied on by William for his political stance and rigorous and efficient handling of government affairs. He turned his gaze to the young man who had fallen under his head and said, "Ettel, what do you think?" ”

Qingying, who was expected to be named by William and had already sorted out her thoughts, immediately spoke: "Father and the prime minister have given the best choice. Rather than letting the Turks hold on, it is better to help them get out of the quagmire of war as soon as possible; While the Turks will certainly lose a large part of their territory in Europe at the very least, it is not entirely bad news for them! The reason for the alliance between the Balkan countries this time is that Britain is behind it. The greed for a common partition of the Ottoman territories was also a rather important factor. When they did not seize these territories from the Ottoman Empire, they naturally fought side by side with one heart; However, when the Turks were defeated and withdrew. The contradictions that lie dormant in the Balkan alliance will come to the fore in the ensuing spoils-sharing operation. Due to the ethnic mix in the Balkans, it was almost impossible to achieve a post-war distribution that would satisfy all parties! I can almost assert, therefore, that the Balkan Union after the victory will surely be broken by the unequal distribution of the spoils, or even drawn against each other; In this way, the Ottomans were able to act calmly and recover as much as possible from the losses suffered in the war. ”

Hearing Qingying's reply, a gleam flashed in William's eyes. Since the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary, the declining Ottomans could no longer maintain their rule in the Balkans; Instead of stubbornly clinging to this piece of land that is already beyond their strength, it is better to take the initiative to throw this area out as bait! Since the Balkan Alliance is composed of four different countries, it is impossible for them to be monolithic with each other, and in the most bitter spoils, these comrades-in-arms who "share weal and pain" will inevitably show their true colors. A piece of fat, four dogs tear up; One dog tore off the largest piece of it, how could the remaining three be willing?

Looking at that handsome and picturesque face, William couldn't help but feel a little bit of emotion in his heart. Over the years, his second son's mind has always been filled with wonderful opinions and thoughts; They either make their eyes new or give them an epiphany. For a moment, William was even glad that the Holy Angel Michael had summoned his firstborn son; Or otherwise, how can he be under the pressure of his eldest brother, the crown prince, to bloom his own talent and light as much as he is now?

"Very well, this matter was so happily decided. As for the affairs of winning over the Ottoman Empire, it is up to you to deal with Etter, and you have dealt with those little yarkes a few years ago anyway, so it must not be difficult to deal with now. William said to himself, completely ignoring Qingying's instantly collapsed face. He paused, then pointed his finger at Moroccan soil in northwestern Africa.

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At present, the French army has taken control of all large and medium-sized cities in Morocco and is carrying out a large-scale purge of local anti-French forces. And according to the information we have just sent back from Paris, the French government says that it is willing to make reparations to Germany in the colonies for their occupation of Morocco. Rank, do you want to make a deal with this executioner whose hands are stained with the blood of the German people, or do you want to teach a profound lesson to the French who first tore up the treaty and broke their promise? William looked around and said with a sense of relief.

Hearing William's words, Qingying couldn't help but roll her eyes. Not to mention that William's words are full of gunpowder, just looking at the participants present today, you can see his attitude. Prime Minister Holwig, who had never parted ways with the emperor in political decision-making, Secretary of State for the Imperial Navy Tirpitz, who single-handedly built a large fleet of risks to the British, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Kidren, who pursued a hard-line policy abroad, and Ching-Ying himself, who had begun to sell William to preemptively start the war a few years earlier...... With the exception of Moltke Jr., the weak-willed head of the Army, almost all of them were staunch fans of the "raise your voice, wield a big gun" strategy. Is there a second possibility that this kind of venue will arise?

Before he could think about it, he heard Kidren speak: "There is no doubt that we must give the strongest response to the French who dare to tear up the treaty first, and only by showing our weapons to this group of hooligans without hesitation can we truly maintain our Germany's status as a world power!" If France were allowed to act in Morocco, all public opinion would condemn the Imperial Government, with the exception of the Social Democrats, who were at the disposal of the Hohenzollern monarchy, and this would have a serious impact on its reputation and the subsequent elections to the Parliament. Therefore, we must not just protest verbally, nor sit still and wait because of a blank check from the French, but must send a few warships to occupy two Moroccan ports under the same pretext as the French to protect overseas Chinese, and respond-for-tat with the French brazenly encroaching on Morocco! If the French do not withdraw their troops, we will take direct and decisive action against them and defend the legitimate rights and interests of our German Empire by all means. ”

William nodded slowly, then looked at Tirpitz in the back row; Facing the emperor's eyes, the old sailor, who was over the age of six, proudly straightened his broad chest. After 15 years of hard work, the German Navy has risen from the bottom of the ranking of European powers to the second strongest force in the world. And the service of a large number of dreadnoughts symbolizing the power of the empire gave Tirpitz unprecedented confidence in his heart. Even the Royal Navy, which is facing the sky, is now the unprecedented, and the High Seas Fleet can stand tall with its majestic lineup; At this time, the German High Seas Fleet was no longer afraid of any strong enemy in the world!

Seeing this scene, little Moltke standing behind the emperor couldn't help but tighten his heart. As an outstanding junior cultivated by Moltke Sr. and a master with deep attainments in military strategy, he has a keen insight into the current great power wars that ordinary people can hardly match. With the proliferation of nationalism and the spread of social media outlets, the great power wars of the 20th century will turn into a long war of attrition; Unless one side is completely wiped out, the war will continue! His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw Qingying's black pupils turning, he swallowed the words that had already reached his lips.

Ever since he took over from Schlieffen at the helm of the German Army, the combat effectiveness of this army controlled by the officer corps has been advancing at an astonishing speed because of the influx of new equipment built by this young man. Today, the German Army is ready for war; Even if the war starts at this moment, there should be a considerable degree of certainty, right?

Just as he was thinking about it, William's side face suddenly turned his head appeared in front of him. Little Moltke groaned for a long time, his cloudy eyes gradually turned clear, and finally his head was heavier.

A smile quietly spread across the corners of William's mouth. (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you book friends for reassuring two copies, shell shells, Xichen's monthly ticket rewards and maple. The update ticket support of the language ~~~ This gentle update ticket can finally be eaten~