"Vienna issued an ultimatum to St. Petersburg demanding that it immediately cease the military mobilization of our Germany and begin a partial mobilization to Russia." In a glorious and splendid palace, Emperor William, who was embroidered with gold and gorgeous clothes, spoke slowly, and could not hear whether he was sad or happy, hated or angry. Next to William, the smart and "extreme" chief of the army staff, Moltke Jr., still has the usual melancholy appearance, but in his eyes, there is a bit of eager anticipation quietly revealed.

"Although the Austrians were in a state of war, their political stance was always that of a red heart towards the party. Italians, by contrast, are as debauched as the surface of an underground brothel. Qingying said lightly, and his words did not hide his strong contempt for this group of opportunists, "Just now the Italian ambassador came to the door and said that since it was our Germany that first submitted the ultimatum to France, it did not conform to the relevant agreement that the two sides signed in the defense alliance should jointly declare war; Therefore, they can only 'regret' express their neutrality, and hope that we can forgive their behavior. ”

Little Moltke, who was looking gloomy on the side, suddenly said, "The Italians are waiting. Once we present an unfavorable situation on the battlefield, it will be even more unlikely that they will fulfill the relevant agreements of the Triple Alliance; Only when the Empire achieves a breakthrough or a decisive victory in a certain area will they finally make up their minds to join our side. Speaking of this, little Moltke's eyes showed a slight sense of fierceness, and he said coldly: "After the empire ends the main battlefield on the eastern and western fronts, I will definitely make this unchaste slut pay for today's actions." ”

"Pathetic Caesar, how are your preparations for war going?" William glanced at Moltke and said.

Little Moltke said respectfully: "Your Majesty." All the preparations are in place. As long as the Imperial Government gives the order to mobilize for war. The 14,000 large military columns that were conscripted to transport 2 million troops and their corresponding mules, horses, chariots, guns, ammunition, baggage, food, medicine, clothing, and other materials will be running at full speed in an orderly and minute-accurate timetable. The number of troops mobilized, the wide range of materials transported, and the speed with which it accomplished its goals will be unprecedented masterpieces in human history! I am 100% sure that even the French were still in large numbers in the hinterland of the country waiting for their transport while the Russians were still trudging through the muddy dirt roads. ”

"Once the Reich declares war on France, the Army will deploy within 72 hours along the Derby, Delu, and Franco-German borders from north to south with a strong force of 1.6 million men in seven armies and thirty-six armies, and they will strictly implement the Schlieffen plan that has been fully formulated by the General Staff for more than six years, and concentrate and annihilate the main force of the French army in the heart of France. And on the Eastern Front. The Eighth Army, with four corps, a cavalry division and the Königsberg garrison, would also be in East Prussia, and after so many years of digging with sapper shovels, they had built a defensive position sufficient to withstand the massive onslaught of the gray cattle. Speaking of this, the depressed look on Moltke's face also melted a little. He paused, and then added: "If the Belgians refuse to surrender, we will sweep away all resistance in front of us with the onslaught of a tsunami, take the fort of the next day before the 12th day of mobilization, and completely occupy the whole of Belgium before the 22nd." If all goes well, we will have a decisive victory over Paris 40 days ago. ”

For the General Staff's long-brewing assault plan on the Western Front. Qingying already knows it. Although he knew the trend of history, he had planned the most secure strategy for the German Army to defend the west and attack the east. However, the German military led by Schlieffen has always been intoxicated by the brilliant victory of the Battle of Sedan in 1870 and the current military strength of Germany, which is far superior to that of France, and has always wanted to achieve the goal of Germany's dominance of the European continent with a quick victory on the Western Front. And William was also tempted by the low investment of the quick war, and deep down he was approving of the attack on France. Therefore, Qingying can only rely on this offensive strategy that is similar to history. As long as Germany went all out eastward after fighting on the Western Front, the course of the war remained under Berlin's control.

William nodded slightly, then looked at the young man in front of him and said, "Etter, although you have already started to handle government affairs for me, you lack the necessary achievements in the military field. I, the Hohenzollern family, have always been talented people when they built their country by force; They are wise and wise politicians in their dresses, and they are generals in their own right! This war is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for you to exercise; I'm going to send you to the barracks so that you can learn how to command an army and win victory on the battlefield. ”

Historically, William let the crown prince participate in World War I to receive the baptism of war; And the original plane Qingying stole this position, and it is not surprising that he was ordered by William. At this thought, Qingying's face was solemn, and he asked respectfully, "Follow my father's wishes." But can you tell me where I'm going to go? ”

William said lightly: "Although you don't have the same experience of serving in the Franco-Prussian War as those generals, you have still received the most complete and systematic command training over the years. In order to allow you to get training more quickly, I want you to go directly to the commander of the group army. Do you dare to take on this challenge? Qingying's face was solemn, and she slowly spoke: "I will gladly accept any assignment from my father. ”

"At the moment you have three options. One was to go to East Prussia and take up the post of commander of the Eighth Army and fight against your cousin Nikolai Shu; Sadly, Caesar has long wanted to replace the current commander, Prittwitz, and you are just in time to take his place. William glanced at the burly and balding little Moltke beside him, and then said, "Many of the areas there have already been fortified to resist the Russian attack, and with the speed of Russian mobilization and the ability to organize the attack, you should be able to hold out until the army attacking the Western Front returns." ”

"Second, you can go to Strasbourg and take command of the Seventh Army. Although this corps consisted of only two corps and ranked last in the eight armies in terms of overall strength, it was not too difficult to resist the infantry charge of the French with a strong frontal defensive line. In addition, you have Bavarian Crown Prince Ruprecht's Sixth Army on your northern flank. The Fifth Army was deployed around Tionville and Hayes. As the central axis of Schlieffen's plan, your mission is to provide flank cover for the fast-advancing main force on the northern flank with Albrecht's Fourth Army, advancing slowly like an anvil and crushing all the French forces in the Verdun area that stand in front of you into meatloaf. As for the commanders of the three large armies on the Northern Front, the candidates have been decided, and as the blade of the scythe, I dare not let you take this risk. William briefly introduced.

Thinking of the course of the Western Front battle in history, Qingying pondered for a moment, and then said in a gentle but firm tone: "Then, please ask my father to let me go to the Fifth Army!" ”

A smile curled up at the corner of William's mouth, and he said hesitantly: "You have the heart, not only to avoid the embarrassment caused by the pillow where you fought with Nicky, but also to command a strong field army!" Without further ado, you will leave for the Tionville headquarters early tomorrow morning. I have placed you with an excellent chief of staff who will give you reliable help in many things. He patted Qingying on the shoulder, then turned to Moltke and said, "Helmut, I'll hand over Etel to you in charge." ”

Moltke nodded slightly, William had already mentioned to him the decision to let Qingying go to the front.

When Qingying returned to her residence, it was already full of stars. The eldest daughter, Elena, who is more than three years old, is obediently spelling basic Russian phrases under the tutelage of Sanya, while the little prince Sprint, who is not yet two years old, is crawling around the garden like a mole, sweating and panting from the nanny who cares after him. Seeing this scene, Qingying couldn't help but sigh at the incomparable vitality and vitality that belonged to the bear child; The shape like a mud monkey is very different from the quiet and well-behaved daughter!

After smiling and explaining to his pair of children that he was going to leave for a while in an almost fairy-tale tone, Qingying leaned against the window railing of the bedroom after bathing, and her mood suddenly became a little heavy. In a dozen hours, he will face the war of the century that he himself has led and changed; And in the battle with the roar of artillery, how many desolate and sad human sorrows will be brought to this ancient land?

"You...... Are you going to the front? A sweet and soft voice faintly reached Qingying's ears. Qingying turned around and saw that Sanya had walked behind him at some point; The delicate and still youthful face is sprinkled by the moonlight, like a night elf.

Qingying snorted and said, "My father has asked me to command the Fifth Army, and I will report to the front-line command post by airship early tomorrow morning." It was hard for me to come back for a long time. ”

Sanya's delicate nose twitched, and her bright water-blue eyes finally burst out of a large amount of white mist; She threw herself into Qingying's arms with a whimper, and warm tears soon wet Qingying's shoulders.

"For what, for what, for what there will be a war between us, not so close friends and ...... between the Romanovs and Hohenzollern And marriage? Sanya choked up, and her words became choppy.

Qingying stroked her silky and beautiful long hair, and muttered, "So I hope you will never get involved in this kind of great power game!" Although Germany and Russia are hostile, at least we are still lovers, and we are still personal friends, and I am always grateful to Nikolai Shu who sent you into my life. ”

"I will definitely keep your loved ones safe." (To be continued......)