Gray clouds covered the sun, churning heavily over Berlin, and lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in it. After a while, the pouring rain fell suddenly, and it looked extremely dull and oppressive in the gray sky.

In a magnificent and solemn palace, the silver-haired William stood in front of the window with his hands in his hands, silently staring at the thunderstorm raging in the distance. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground and the howling wind compose a dull and depressing overture to fate. Next to William, Qing Yingzheng, who had grown a beard, stood side by side with him; A pair of black eyes were looking hollow, and divergent thoughts drifted somewhere.

"Is Ortebaden ready for the propaganda call to war?" William stared at the black clouds rolling in the sky, and suddenly spoke softly.

The focus in Qingying's eyes gradually recovered, and she said with a sigh: "Please rest assured, father." At the behest of the Chancellor, all the press broadcasts under the control of the Reich Central Government began to preach fervent nationalism to the populace, calling on them to fight valiantly for the honor of Germany until the glory of victory came. At present, the war panic and war fever have broken out in Berlin at the same time, and the discussion of war against France has become a central topic in all German beer halls. The gates of the official residences of the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs were completely crowded with numerous domestic and foreign journalists and diplomats, and the entire compound was filled with people eager to interview them. ”

"What about the financial markets, has our economy and currency been in turmoil and collapse due to the haze of war?" William spoke slowly, his body still standing in place and not moving.

"It is true that at present both Britain and France are desperately bearish on our German bonds on their stock exchanges, and many people are also running on gold with their mark notes because of the fear of war. However, the Ministry of Finance had been well prepared for this situation several years ago. After severely punishing a group of speculators. Both the value of the mark and the virtual financial economy remained within the control of the Imperial Government. "In the dull thunder. Qing Ying's voice was still clear and accurate, "As long as the palace gives the order to declare war, the empire can quickly transform from a peacetime market finance to a wartime economic system. ”

Qingying's affirmative reply was heard, but William was silent. He raised his head slightly, his pointed beard pointing straight to the sky; The rolling black clouds and blinding lightning were reflected in his gray eyes, gradually condensing into a unique and complex expression with his countenance.

"In three months, it will be the 25th anniversary of my accession to the throne." After a long silence, William suddenly said something that had nothing to do with the previous issue. However, for Qingying, who has been with William for nearly 20 years. But he fully understands what his cheap dad wants to express at this moment.

William's lips twitched, and he whispered in an almost dreamlike voice: "It was the summer of 1888, and my father died of throat cancer after 99 days of reign; In the midst of the suspicion and distrust of my relatives and people, I took over the Hohenzollern family's business, which was built by the Holy Emperor's grandfather. After unremitting hard work, I forged a completely new path from the old stubbornness: by uniting the forces of the working class and the Social Democrats, I brought Germany to the pinnacle of Europe. However, rather than words such as greatness, mercy and democracy, I would like to have the title of Emperor of Peace engraved on my tombstone after my death, so that my name can completely separate itself from the iron-blooded warmongers, and thus become a unique and successful existence in German history! For 25 years, I have tried to avoid war. However, to this day, I still have to solve the current situation with iron and blood. ”

Qingying smiled slightly. "Father doesn't have to be too himself. Your great deeds in making Germany prosperous and powerful, surpassing the Saxon bandits in one fell swoop, are enough to go down in history with your great-grandfather; And this war in which Germany dominates the continent will make you a more powerful monarch than Frederick the Great, and will be praised by all the Germanic people from generation to generation! The character who claims to be able to play 5 earths in the air, can he still have the same merits as his father? When later generations talk about this period of history, the people will only use his clever wrist as a horse to set off the supreme glory of your father, a knight! ”

William turned around and stared at Qingying's eyes, but saw that the starry eyes of the young man in front of him revealed honesty and calmness from the heart. There was a hint of struggle in his eyes, and he finally said slowly: "Thank you for helping me all the way for twenty years." You are the second Sir Ronne sent by the Holy Angels to sharpen the sword in his hand for my Germany! ”

Hearing William's praise for herself, Qingying couldn't help but feel a little bit in her heart. Twenty years have passed in a hurry, bitterness and joy coexist; And in the midst of constant regrets, setbacks, struggles and successes, he has grown from the young and weak Zhengtai who would be careful in everything to the real crown prince who is enough to take charge of himself. He calmed down slightly, and then said: "Mr. Prime Minister, you have drafted an ultimatum that the French cannot accept, and the moment France announces its refusal, it will be the time for us to do it." In addition to the Army's mobilization and transportation in accordance with the plans previously formulated, the High Seas Fleet should also be immediately prepared for war in order to face a confrontation with the British. After all, the British now have more capital ships than us, and the Imperial Navy must go all out to meet a strong enemy. ”

"Ettel, will the British go to war with the most powerful German Empire in Europe for a colony that does not belong to them? Moreover, the current crisis in Morocco was initially caused by the French who took the lead in tearing up the treaty. Hearing this, William spoke, but there was still a hint of expectation and luck in his words, "My two cousins have joined forces to put pressure on me this time, and it is very likely that it is a gesture based on the Triple Entente. Five years earlier, Britain had recognized Germany's status as a world world through a naval pact; In the face of a real war, they will not have the same courage and courage as we have been preparing for this for eight years! ”

"Father, this kind of foresight is not your style!" Qing Ying's eyes froze, and her originally normal voice suddenly rose, "In order for Germany to continue to dominate the European continent as it did in 1905, aren't we also preparing to draw a knife against France, the fourth most powerful country in the world, for the sake of Morocco, an overseas territory that does not belong to us?" The reason why Britain signed an agreement with us in the first place was forced by the situation; Now that France and Russia have begun to recover, there is a big question mark over whether they will continue to tolerate our expansion. In fact, the real powder keg that triggered this war was the irreconcilable contradiction between the emerging Germany and the Saxon bandits who had been arrogant, arrogant, and greedy for centuries in the expansion of trade and power, and the Moroccan question was only a fuse that ignited this powder keg! As long as our million-strong army enters the Belgian border, the British, who have long been gearing up for a big fight, will definitely not sit idly by and watch our attack on the Western Front, and they will certainly make a war move. ”

William opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but after a long silence, he found that the argument he wanted to present seemed so weak. Inferences based on kinship and consanguinity are difficult for even him to fully believe; After Germany declared war on France, there is a great possibility that Britain and Russia will be forced to take up arms and throw themselves into the war against the Central Powers!

Qingying slowed down her tone and said, "Fortunately, the current maritime pattern does not have any disadvantages for us. The outfitting of the three Russian Sevastopol-class battleships is slow, and there is still a year and a half to complete the project; And once the end of the war is opened, they will hardly be able to independently create qualified large bearings and corresponding Vickers 356-mm naval guns under our blockade. Therefore, for a long time after that, we had to face only a Russian fleet in the Baltic with the Rurik Cruiser and 3 dreadnoughts, and our dreadnoughts were large enough to deal with them. In the North Sea, we can justifiably requisition Japan's two large battleships, which have not yet been fully completed, to enrich the combat power of the High Seas Fleet. The British's large number of super-dreadnoughts are all deformed existences with sufficient firepower but poor protection, and the Caesar-class, which has a balanced offensive and defensive balance, is completely able to deal with it with a calm and unhurried attitude. ”

William frowned and said, "Isn't there another Turkish battleship?" At present, the construction of the ship is almost complete, and it is only waiting to lift Vickers's 356-mm twin-mounted main turret; But judging by the current situation, it is impossible for the British to send this shipment to us. However, since the main gun mount bearing is of our own production and compatible with Krupp's turret subsystem, Alfred (Tirpitz) is in the process of equipping it with a stock 350mm twin turret for use in the High Seas Fleet. ”

"The main turret can be reequipped, but the ship must be in the hands of the Turks!" Facing William's stunned eyes, Qingying said in a tone that could not be disobeyed in front of him for the first time, "One less capital ship is not an unbearable loss for us, after all, the High Seas Fleet already has a large number of super dreadnoughts equipped with 350 mm heavy guns; Germany, on the other hand, was able to use this as an opportunity to bring the Ottoman Empire, which was vital to us, into the ranks of the Central Powers. With a battleship on one side and an empire on the other, I am sure that my father will make the wisest choice from the Englishmen with eyes on their heads! (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you for the reward of the book friend Niu Ding 0~~