Time kept passing, and in the blink of an eye, it was 1863. The antagonism and conflict between the peaceful alliance dominated by the Chinese Empire and the Holy Alliance dominated by the German Empire became more and more severe, and the whole world seemed to have been enveloped by the clouds of war. A large-scale war seems inevitable. Although many people have already experienced the last world war, the cruelty of the war still makes them feel uneasy. Countless people also sensed that war was about to break out, and although they did not want to get involved in it, they had no choice. In such a situation, the opinions of ordinary people are often not adopted.

All countries have intensified their preparations for war, especially the Chinese Empire and the German Empire, which will be won or lost between the two countries as the main opponents in that future war. In order to be able to win the war, both sides are preparing for the war in an orderly manner. Of course, due to the tight schedule, Germany has repeatedly accelerated the pace of preparations.

The Germans knew the difference in strength between them and the Chinese Empire, and if it was a one-on-one battle, they had no chance of winning. But, fortunately, they have a good group of allies. Several of these allies are quite good. In contrast, the allies of the Chinese Empire were much weaker. In this way, Germany can also use these allies to contain part of the strength of the Chinese Empire, strive to close the gap between the two sides, and win the war. Of course, this is nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of the Germans.

Even before the last war ended, the Chinese Empire had already begun to plan the next world war. In the past few years, the strength of the army, navy and air force of the empire has been significantly improved. Even the Germans began to catch up. However, in terms of cutting-edge military technology. The Chinese Empire still had an overwhelming advantage. Although, once the Holy Alliance is mobilized. It will have more than 20 million troops. However, with the development of science and technology, the role of human resources in warfare is no longer so absolute. In the face of advanced weapons, crowd tactics are outdated.

The Germans expected the war to begin this year, so they had already converted their industry to wartime in advance. Major military-related industries have increased production in preparation for war. A large number of young people have also received letters of enlistment and have begun to train for recruits. The strength of the German Army also swelled up like a balloon. The same is true for the other members of the Holy Alliance. Everyone began to desperately expand their military power so that they could not be defeated in the war. After all, everyone carefully prepared for this war in order not to taste the bitter fruits of defeat again. Countries such as Britain, Russia, and the Kingdom of Italy were even more so in order to be able to survive the war.

After dominating most of Europe, Germany's shortcomings were largely compensated. Germany is not short of resources, including oil. Of course, if the war is unfavorable. If the oil-producing areas were occupied by the Chinese, it would still pose a serious threat to Germany. In fact, the Chinese Empire was already planning in the event of a war. Find a way to seize the Ploiesti oil field and cut off the oil supply to the Germans. As for the oil from Mexico, as long as the Imperial Navy can defeat the German Navy. Blockade Germany from the sea, and the Germans will not want to get another drop of oil from Mexico. The German Army was modeled after the Imperial Army. Mechanized construction began. There were many trucks, jeeps and motorcycles in the troops, and even the artillery was towed by trucks. Other than that. The German Army also developed weapons such as tanks and armored vehicles. However, the performance is still relatively primitive, far from being comparable with the tanks and armored vehicles of the Imperial Army. Moreover, in the use of tanks and armored vehicles, the Germans have not yet figured out a set of effective tactics. After all, they started so late that Yan zhòng lagged behind the empire in this regard.

In addition to this, there are also reasons why the Germans themselves do not pay much attention to this. The old-fashioned Germans, who were clearly less receptive to new military technology, were not as receptive to new military technology as the Reichs. This would lead to an unprecedented defeat for the German Army in the war.

The warships of the German Navy also changed from coal-fired boilers to oil-fired boilers. In this way, more power can be provided for the battleship. Of course, this also increases the consumption of oil. The heavy fuel oil consumed by a warship on each cruise is calculated in hundreds of tons. The German Navy consumed hundreds of warships, large and small, and the oil consumption was undoubtedly an astronomical amount. The Germans may not have been aware of the fact that the oil supply was not cut off. However, once the oil supply is completely cut off, these large oil consumers will inevitably cause headaches for the Germans.

At the end of February 1863, shortly after the New Year, Emperor Long Yufei convened a pre-imperial meeting. The focus of the discussion at this Imperial Council was preparations for war. According to the previous plan of the Empire, if it was a qiē shun lì, it seemed that the outbreak of war was only a few months away. It can be said that war is already imminent. The General Staff has already conducted a war game for this war, and they believe that the scale of this war will far exceed that of the previous world war. It will also last longer than the last world war. All kinds of war materials that need to be prepared also need to be more than the last time. In this way, the victory of the war could be guaranteed for the Empire.

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to our plan, there is still half a year at most, and the war is about to begin, have our preparations for war been completed?" Long Yufei looked at the military and political officials of the empire. Although, he is fifty-three years old this year. However, both mentally and physically are still very good.

"Your Majesty, according to our war preparation plan, more than 90 percent of the preparations have been completed. In the remaining months, it is completely possible to complete the preparations for war! The Chief of the General Staff, General Liu Zhongming, said immediately. According to the imperial system, once a war breaks out, a supreme command will be established, with Emperor Long Yufei as the supreme commander, and senior officials of the military and government will also join the supreme command. The country's most important military and political affairs are decided by the Supreme High Command.

The Empire's future war execution plan will be mainly completed by the General Staff, which will also greatly increase the power of the General Staff.

Long Yufei nodded, he knew that the empire had been making final preparations for war all these years. From the current point of view, the preparation should be very good.

"So, what about our opponents?" Long Yufei asked. Knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent is the only way to survive a hundred battles, and the Empire has always attached great importance to the collection of intelligence on the enemy. Germany and the Holy Alliance were the main rivals of the Reich, and the Reich would certainly not let its guard down on them.

"Your Majesty, Germany and the other members of the Holy Alliance, have been preparing for war since the middle of last year. Many industries related to the military industry have entered the wartime system one after another. So, they are preparing for war very quickly. It is expected that preparations for war will also be completed this year. However, it will be slightly behind us! Marshal Luo Hongtao, director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, said.

"In other words, as long as we start attacking after we have completed our preparations for war, we will still be able to gain the upper hand?" Prime Minister Lin Zihao said. Although, none of the civilian officials in the cabinet wanted a war. However, Lin Zihao and others all know that this war is inevitable. This is whether the future world hegemony of the empire can be stabilized. Therefore, they hoped that the empire would be able to achieve the final victory of the war at the lowest cost.

"Yes, Prime Minister." Marshal Luo Hongtao nodded.

"What if the Germans take a preemptive strike? Wouldn't that cause us a lot of trouble? Foreign Minister Wei Yuan asked. After all, this possibility is also existential.

"The Germans' preparations for war were not yet complete, and there was little chance that they would launch a preemptive strike. Of course, even if the Germans had this plan, it would not have caused us much damage. The various units of the empire on the front line are ready for war. Even if the Germans had done it first, it would have put us at a disadvantage at the beginning of the war. Once the Empire's subsequent reinforcements arrive, it's easy to regain the disadvantage! Admiral Liu Zhongming said. In modern warfare, what is fought is comprehensive national strength. The empire, which has the largest population, the largest territory and the most powerful industrial empire in the world, is naturally much stronger than the Germans. Even if the entire Holy Alliance is tied together, it is estimated that it is no match for the Empire. Coupled with the Empire's leading position in military technology, the Empire will have a complete advantage in this future world war. Unless there is a manifestation of God in the town, there is no way for anyone to stop the empire from winning the final victory.

"What about our allies? Will they be able to hold out if they are hit by a sudden blow from the Germans? Long Yufei asked. After all, the allies of the Reich were undoubtedly much weaker than the allies of the Germans.

"This ....... The allies of the Reich were relatively small, and if they were attacked by the Germans, they would probably pay a lot of losses. Of course, this will not have much impact on the overall situation of the war. The main role of these allies of the empire is nothing more than to provide the empire with a foothold in Europe! Admiral Liu Zhongming said.

"Or remind the allies of the Empire to strengthen their vigilance to prevent a sneak attack by the Germans!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Admiral Liu Zhongming nodded. (To be continued......)

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