"This is a declaration of war! They're going to war with the Empire! Damn, they can always choose the most appropriate time to get the most benefit! Just give us another 1 month and we can clear the continent and then concentrate on whatever it takes, and now! They actually sent us an ultimatum to war! In Sanssouci Palace, Wilhelm II, ruler of the German Empire and head of the Central Powers, shouted hysterically as he looked at the ultimatum sent from the Foreign Office. When the Germans were one step away from defeating their old enemy, France, and Britain on the other side of the English Channel, it was not so elusive when the Chinese ultimatum shattered the Germans' dream of world domination! At this moment, the terrifying country of China is like a giant sword hanging over the heads of the Germans, suffocating and desperate!

"Your Majesty, the current situation is not as bad as imagined, Huaxia's actions are more of a gesture, their deployment in Central and Southeast Asia has not changed much, and the forward troops located in Iran are more on the defensive than offensive. We still have time to prepare for war! Richthofen comforted. As a soldier, he attaches more importance to the military preparations of both sides, although Huaxia began to prepare very early, but the basic plate of the front line has not changed much, so he thinks that at least militarily Germany still has time!

The same is true of the Army, the Chinese ultimatum is more about taking a stand, and their Army is also unprepared, and it is not even able to dock with the military system of the Allied countries. Such an enemy has limited offensive capabilities, at least in the Middle East, there is no need to worry. The old Marshal Hindenburg said tremblingly, although he was already in his last years. But his mind was still clear.

The attitude of the army and air force was clear, although China eventually sided with the Allies. But there is still some time before the real engagement. If the Germans had hurried up, it would have been okay to push off France. Even a walkthrough should be something to consider. But the Navy alone cannot be so calm. In this state council, the top echelons of the Reich were gathered, but the German naval commander was missing, Count Spee. At the time of the meeting, the count was playing hide-and-seek with the Allied fleets in the Atlantic, so the navy was only lined up for a representative to attend the meeting. The Kaiser's heart finally fell back a little, and after the meeting, according to the regulations, the German high command sent the news of China's preparations to join the war and the results of the meeting to Count Spee by telegram. And when the head of the navy received the telegram, he almost didn't sit on the ground!

That's not to say that Count Spee was too cowardly. But then the situation has changed completely! Although the Germans still have the advantage at sea, on the whole, the pressure on the German navy is the greatest among the three German services! The war on the European continent has been fought until now, and the Allied Army and Air Force can be described as lying down to win! It was difficult for the exhausted French and American-British regiments to cause any more big problems to the Germans. The losses caused were not as fast as the German replenishment, on the other hand, the navy, admittedly, at this time the Entente had pressed all the chips, so why didn't the Germans empty their homes? The Earl of Spee, though confident in this engagement, was predictable. After the war, the German Navy will also suffer certain losses, and this loss is likely to not be replenished in a short time. This result can be figured out with a knee, too!

And most importantly, it is. With the entry of China into the war, the tide of enemies between the Allies and the Entente was completely reversed! Now time is more favorable for the Entente! As long as the Entente can drag it to the rendezvous with the Huaxia fleet, then if the Allied fleet has not been beaten to death by the fleet of the five countries. (the Chinese, American, British, French and Italian fleets in exile) then the best outcome would be a safe withdrawal to the Mediterranean. Then watch as the combined fleet of 5 countries uproot all the peripheral maritime strongholds of the Allies, including the Azores, one by one! From now on in the Atlantic direction, it will be difficult for the German fleet to make a difference. Britain would have greatly increased its combat effectiveness with constant blood transfusions, and the English Channel would be enough to withstand the German attack. And then on the Middle East side. The Allies will face the alliance of China, the United States and Britain, and the three mobilized powers, and the national strength of the Allies will also be at an absolute disadvantage!

If the army and air force still have time to adjust, then once the navy plays a big game this time, it will be a fateful one that will never recover. The German Navy must meet with the Allied fleet before the Huaxia Navy is ready! "Order the fleet to prepare for the upcoming big war, all the reconnaissance units give me to search for the movements of the Entente fleet, we need to take the initiative!" The Count of Spee weighed it and gave the order to fight without consulting anyone else. "Also, let the commander of the detachment come to my flagship, Caesar, and have a meeting in half an hour! Instantly! Right away! Count Spee's impatient tone was filled with unmistakable majesty.

"In fact, this is not a very critical situation, even if Huaxia declares war, I am afraid they will not have time to participate in this battle. They need to assemble a fleet, arrange supplies and transportation, and cross the vast Pacific Ocean before they can enter the Atlantic, and we have at least a month, and I don't think that Huaxia will do it before we engage the American and British fleets, and their direct suspicions are very heavy. Raeder said after reading the information. He analyzed the possible impact of this ultimatum from a purely military point of view, and came to a conclusion that was not much different from that of the top echelons of the military.

"No, young man, we have to take a long-term view, the war in the next few years may be in our hands, and we cannot measure the immediate gains and losses purely from a military point of view, which is extremely one-sided and dangerous. We can deduce the results that can result from different methods of disposition, and you can see that the lethality of the other party's ultimatum is much higher than you think. Without waiting for Count Spee to refute, Marshal Jordy, who was on the side, spoke first. As an old man, his vision of the big picture is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

"Let's assume that Huaxia didn't make it to this decisive battle, and we won by delaying, then what can we gain? It's just the whole of France. In the best case, our fleet will still need to be replenished and maintained for a long time after the war, and without the presence of the Grand Fleet, we would be giving up control of the North Atlantic route to our adversary. The British would have access to a steady stream of supplies, and the Chinese fleet would be able to attack our lines of communication in the Middle East from Southeast Asia into the Indian Ocean. For months-long periods. The Chinese fleet will become the dominant force in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and our troops will be limited in supply. Unable to maneuver to the Middle East, they will preemptively attack after the preparations for China are completed. And after the period of weakness of the Allied fleet, the Americans are probably also recovering, and they will join the Chinese fleet to block us from both ends of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans! Holdie said.

"This is still the most favorable situation for us, if the Americans are smart enough, they will drag their time, we have been pinching the transport lines of the Entente, but this is not a problem. France has already been abandoned. Even if foreign aid is cut off, Britain can support it for a long time by relying on its own reserves. And then when the Chinese fleet enters the Atlantic, they will block us in the Mediterranean with the Entente fleet. In order to reduce the loss of valuable fleet aircraft carriers, the Entente may even take the initiative to avoid the war, and then wait until their own carrier-based aircraft are reequipped to find the field. Our technological superiority is only temporary, and the later we delay, the less beneficial it will be for us. Haldy looked at Count Spee, after all, he had to take the final idea.

"We must take the initiative, and this engagement must inflict heavy damage on the Entente fleet, as we did in the 1st World War. Cripple the British and French fleets before the United States entered the war! Let the US and British navies not be able to slow down in 2 years! Of course, I know what the two of you are saying that without the full support and assistance of shore-based aviation, our advantage is not great. But now the situation is like this, if we give up this opportunity, all that awaits us is a slow death. And if we can take advantage of this opportunity, we can at least have some hope of survival. Other than that. There is still a trump card in the hands of the Air Force that is not used, and I can consult with Field Marshal Richthofen. "Count Spee did not take into account the opinion of Count Luknall and Raeder at all. He and Jordi will be able to decide how the future battle will be fought. Plans need to change. The German Navy will be desperate and even "borrow" to increase the chips! From now on, the German Navy began to change from passive standby to active enemy seeking!

Although you have to take the initiative to fight your opponent, you can't act immediately. Going all-in requires not only courage, but also careful planning and preparation. Some of Raeder's pre-war preparations now seem to be useless, the deployment of the Azores will have to be readjusted, and even the air force that has just been stationed in France will be used, and the situation is no longer something that the navy can deal with on its own, and Count Spee urgently needs the help of the air force at this time. It takes time to coordinate and mobilize troops with the Air Force.

In contrast to the keen sense of the Germans, the reaction of the Entente was somewhat slower. When Nimitz received the information on the flagship, which had been forwarded several times, his first feeling was that he was finally at the end of his life, but then he realized that his current situation was a bit like the darkness before dawn! Maybe the light is not far away, but for Nimitz and his own fleet, it is important to get through this most difficult time first! There is one thing he thinks in the same way as the Germans, that is, even if Huaxia immediately prepares for action, I am afraid that it will not be able to catch up with this battle! Even Nimitz thought that Huaxia might deliberately let out the news at this time, but he would definitely not fight the Germans first. They had good reason to delay, and the Entente could not seem to wait!

However, in any case, this telegram was like a shot in the arm for the Entente, and in the eyes of the top level of the United States and Britain, Huaxia's statement had relieved the Entente of their worries. Especially in the process of subsequent contact with China, after Xu Jie made it clear that he would send a large fleet into the Atlantic to ensure the smooth flow of the North Atlantic route, Roosevelt and Churchill finally breathed a sigh of relief, which means that even if the Allied fleet defeats the Allied fleet, Britain's lines of communication are still safe, after all, you can think with your knees that the Germans will not be able to stew the Chinese and Italian fleets with a spoonful after defeating the American and British fleets! Although the situation was still dire, Churchill at this time was as good as history had been, after hearing about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. "We've finally won!"

Although US President Roosevelt did not perform as badly as Churchill, he also welcomed China's entry into the war. He was more pragmatic than Churchill, and after verifying the relevant information, he immediately ordered US Ambassador to China Stuart Leiden to cooperate with China's high-level contacts, and at the same time specifically ordered the Ministry of Defense to immediately dispatch personnel to form a special military delegation to China to discuss relevant cooperation.

Although China's participation in the war is a major good news, but at the same time, Nimitz and other high-level Entente countries feel a little confused, originally they planned to go to sea to fight with the intention of killing 800 enemies and losing 1,000, but now this idea is a little shaken, especially the British, although Cunningham did not say it explicitly, but Nimitz could feel that the British intended to retreat. At the time of life and death, the British can burst out with unimaginable combat effectiveness, but when the situation changes, they think a little too much, they not only want to keep Britain, but also actually want to preserve their strength, let Huaxia fight with the Germans once, although Cunningham and others do not agree with this view in their hearts, but subconsciously, they can't help but think of this problem.

"This is a very dangerous phenomenon! Some people within the coalition army pinned their hopes of victory on Huaxia, which was wrong, Huaxia's support could not have come so quickly, and the Germans might have been even more anxious after learning the news, and they would even take the initiative to look for us for a decisive battle. The most dangerous time is when a beast suddenly realizes that it is in a desperate situation, because nine times out of ten, the beast will take risks! Halsey was a rare point in pointing out the dangers lurking. Huaxia's sudden choice of this time to declare its entry into the war is more likely to lead to the German fleet taking a risk!

"That's true, we have to hold on." Nimitz nodded and said, but it was more of a verbal statement, as for what to do next, Nimitz is not very clear, it stands to reason that before going to sea, the best situation envisaged by the Americans is to fight the Germans as soon as they meet, it is said that the current situation meets this requirement, but Nimitz subconsciously thinks that it is really good to fight like this? An aircraft carrier plus the carrier-based aircraft on it is hundreds of millions of dollars, and there are thousands of people. It's really over when the fight is over! And just when Nimitz was thinking nonsense, the Germans couldn't wait to launch an offensive, and a large net covering the entire Northeast Atlantic began to slowly unfold!

Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 for the reward~~~, and the monthly ticket support of the book friend who is drunk and free, and the little pig who runs away, supports ~~~~~. (To be continued......)