The defeat at the Battle of Paris was a shock to the German leadership.

Moltke Jr., who was first the Chief of the Army General Staff, had an inescapable responsibility and was dismissed by the Kaiser, and the Minister of War (equivalent to the Minister of Defense), General Erich von Falkingham, was appointed as the new Chief of the General Staff.

The newly appointed chief of the General Staff advocated the settlement of the Western Front as a matter of priority. He believed that France was small in depth on the Western Front, and that it was attacked by the German and Italian armies with all their might, and it could be said that France had surrendered. At that time, both Germany and Italy will be able to solve the problem on the Western Front, and then it will only be necessary to deal with the British Navy and the Russian Army on the Eastern Front.

To this end, on the one hand, he increased the number of troops and equipment for the Western Front. To this end, new troops were not only recruited from within the country to replenish the Western Front, but also from the Eastern Front. Five divisions of troops were transferred by him.

The commanders of the Eastern Front, headed by Hindenburg, Ludendorff and others, were quite dissatisfied with this.

For this reason, Hindenburg and others wrote a letter to express their dissatisfaction, and on the other hand, they tried to persuade Admiral Falkingham. It's just a pity that it's useless, Falkingham still insists on his idea of opening a breakthrough from the Western Front.

And his thinking is different from others, he does not pay attention to attacking cities and land, but pays more attention to killing and injuring enemies.

In his opinion, instead of attacking the enemy's fortified position, it is better to choose a place where the enemy must be saved, concentrate superior firepower and forces, attack it, attract enemy reinforcements, and then kill and wound. It has to be said that his idea was quite advanced, using one or two general battles to consume the enemy's troops, and then taking advantage of the enemy's shortage of troops, launching an attack to seize the enemy's key places and force the enemy to surrender.

In the original history, he was too naïve in this idea, and the Battle of Verdun was defeated, but it boosted the morale of the French army.

And now, with the help of its ally Italy, and now Britain and France have suffered even more, the idea has a chance of success. Although the chance of success is not more than half, it is much better than the original plane.

Of course, in order to complete this plan, the help of Italy, Germany's most important ally, was needed. That's right, after a string of Italian victories, Italy's position in the hearts of the Germans skyrocketed. Allies who can't win the battle on their own and allies who need to help themselves, in this big war that is at stake for their own survival, it goes without saying who is more important.

However, it is not an easy task to want Italy to put the main force on the Western Front to cooperate with itself. Therefore, Admiral Falkingham had to seek the help of the Kaiser, and without the Kaiser's consent, there was no possibility of success in this matter.

So Admiral Falkingham, after some preparations, met with the Kaiser.

After listening to the request of the Chief of the General Staff, General Falkingham, Wilhelm II said with some embarrassment.

"You have a lot of point, but it's not easy to convince Carlo. Now the Italians are preoccupied with the Mediterranean, they are now preparing for the Egyptian campaign, and it is unlikely that it will give up, even if I personally persuade it. ”

In the face of the Kaiser's refusal, Fakingham had long been familiar with the emperor's temperament, and saw him speak. "Your Majesty, in fact, this is also good for Italy. And we need to be well prepared, and we can wait until the end of the Egyptian campaign before we start preparing. In addition, we can state to Italy the advantages of attacking France, or at least to lure them with French interests. ”

At this time, the Kaiser pointed to something. "What do you mean?"

At this point, Admiral Falkingham gave his reasons. "I think France should be dismembered."

"Dismemberment of France?"

Faced with the astonishing idea of his own chief of general staff, the bold Kaiser was taken aback. As early as the time of the French Revolution, the French nation had already been formed, much earlier than the rest of the continent, and it was not ordinarily difficult to divide France.

As for Admiral Falkingham, he immediately explained when faced with the Kaiser's surprised expression. "There are many differences between other regions of France, and because of the difference between the north and the south, I used to be a military attaché in France and I have carefully studied the differences between the north and the south in France. In terms of climate, life, architecture, language, etc., there are huge differences. Especially in terms of language, the difference between the north and the south is even greater. One is more Germanic and the other is Latin, and sometimes they can't understand what the other side is saying......"

Listening to the explanation of the Chief of the General Staff, Wilhelm II had an understanding of it, and he was a little moved at this time.

"There's a bit of truth to what you're saying, I think we can talk to Carlo."

"The army will definitely thank Your Majesty for your help."

The emperor's willingness to make a move made Fakingham very happy. The Emperor's willingness to help is good news. The emperor has made a move, and the government is sitting there watching, and it must also participate. Not to mention their military, they will do their best. With the concerted efforts of all sides, how can the Italians refuse?

While Falkingham, the chief of the General Staff, was rejoicing, an idea suddenly came to Wilhelm II.

"You say, how about we convene countries to hold a coordination meeting?"

Admiral Falkingham was stunned for a moment when the Kaiser suddenly came up with the idea, but then thought about it and immediately felt that it was a very good idea. Let the allies come together to talk about the difficulties facing each country, and then find a way to coordinate the solution. This will not only solve military problems, but also economic, intelligence, and other issues can be negotiated.

"Your Majesty, you have a very good idea. Consultations were convened not only on military issues, but also on political, economic and other issues. ”

General Falkingham's words made the Kaiser slightly stunned, didn't he just say it casually, and the chief of the general staff gave him a thorough analysis, which made him feel that I was so powerful.

Admiral Falkingham then consulted with Wilhelm II about the need for coordination of the army, until the sun was about to set before Admiral Falkingham left.

After the Chief of the General Staff left, William called one of the guards. "In order to find a professor who studies folklore from all over France, I need to consult him on some things."

It is obvious that William II Quanxin Shishi did not fully believe what Falkingham said, and he needs to understand it himself.

It's easy to say, but it is difficult for Italy to convince Carlo without a good reason to concentrate the main forces on the Western Front.

That's right, having known Carlo for decades, Wilhelm II knew that the other party was very shrewd, and if he wanted to convince the other party, it was impossible to agree without paying some price.

Soon after, Berlin sent invitations to Rome, Vienna, Sofia, and Istanbul. They were invited to Munich for a coordination meeting to resolve differences and expand cooperation.

In response to the invitation of the Germans, all parties in the Allied camp responded with promises to send their own leaders, and the countdown to the second Munich Conference began.

(End of chapter)