1890 King of Southeast Asia

After a whole day of "persuasion and education" by Sazonov, Nicholas II finally stopped withdrawing the mobilization order.

On December 23, the Russian Imperial Government officially issued a mobilization order, requiring the army to be expanded to three million within three months.

That afternoon, France could not wait to express its appreciation to the Russian Empire, and the Tsar's war bonds were sold out in Paris.

On December 24, the Austro-Hungarian Empire expressed regret and confusion, hoping that the Russian Empire would give more consideration.

In fact, Joseph I had already received a promise from the Germans, and Bethmann promised to stand firmly on the side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

But this is December 24, tonight is Christmas Eve, and tomorrow is Christmas, which is the most important holiday in Europe.

So it was not until December 26 that Joseph I officially ordered a national mobilization and ordered the army to intensify its attack on Serbia.

On December 27, Germany issued an ultimatum to Russia, demanding that Russia stop mobilizing for war.

The Russian Empire rejected the ultimatum, and France expressed support for Russia and warned Germany that if Germany declared war on Russia, then France would declare war on Germany.

On December 28, the Russian Empire declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The two armies of the Tsarist Russia's Southwestern Army Group, totaling 700,000 people, launched an attack on the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Bulgaria.

On December 29, Germany announced that it was in a state of war with the Russian Empire, but did not send many troops to the Eastern Front, but sent troops into the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

On December 30, France declared war on Germany, and Germany declared war on the Kingdom of Belgium, starting the Schlieffen-Moltke Offensive, concentrating 59 divisions and advancing towards the Liege Fortress.

As if in a hurry, on December 31, Britain declared war on Germany, Russia declared war on Germany, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on France.

In fact, if Germany did not pass through the Low Countries, Britain really wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight for a while, but Germany chose a large detour strategy, leaving the British with no choice.

The Low Countries are the lifeblood of the British, and Belgium is less than 100 kilometers away from the closest point of the UK.

This is also an important reason why the Low Countries can remain neutral, because the British do not want anyone to occupy them.

However, Germany took action, entered Belgium, and declared war. The British had no choice but to leave.

So far, on the last day of 1914, the curtain of the war was opened.

…………

1915, January 1, New Year's Day.

The war with Japan did not affect the normal order of South China too much. Except for the military areas and military-related industries, ordinary people did not feel much.

There were three days off for New Year's Day. The workers took their children and took a short trip by train or ship. It looked very peaceful and beautiful.

"The war has started?" Liu Yiming was a little stunned.

Even though it was a war he promoted personally, he felt a little separated by thousands of miles.

"Yesterday, the British also joined the war and announced mobilization. The European war we have been thinking about has begun." Xu Hui nodded aside.

Over the years, at Liu Yiming's request, they have been preparing for the European war, including material preparation, soldier training, industrial expansion, raw material production, etc.

It can be said that they have been busy all the time.

"At the beginning of the war, prices soared. The prices in the international futures market, the most basic steel price, rose by 18%, but this is far from the end. Iron ore has risen by 40%, and it is expected that steel will at least double."

"There are also medicines, machines, sugar, oil, explosives raw materials, and various industrial raw materials, all of which have increased to varying degrees."

"In short, we have made a fortune."

Xu Hui also felt a little.

Over the years, Nanhua has hoarded various materials or raw materials worth more than one billion US dollars. Such a huge reserve has always been a concern for Xu Hui.

It's okay if it's just the reserves. Real materials are no different from others. They always have value, provided that the market supply is normal.

But Nanhua has been madly expanding production over the years. Xu Hui knows that the materials counted in the warehouse are only a part, and there are still some that have not been counted.

For example, rubber products, weapons, food, meat, cotton cloth, leather, tents, and even gauze and alcohol left as strategic reserves.

These are stored in local government warehouses or construction corps warehouses in the name of various strategic reserves, with a total value of at least another billion.

It can be said that if the South China government had not been purchasing and the special nature of the construction corps, South China would have entered an economic crisis due to oversupply.

So after fighting with Japan, the government did not feel the hardship at all. Fighting outside the country, the materials are ready, and only a little allowance is needed.

To a certain extent, South China has also invested a lot in Europe. The difference is that countries such as Britain, France, and Germany are betting on victory or defeat, and the winner takes all, while South China can make a fortune no matter what.

"It's not that simple. The most important point is that we can make a lot of money after we get through it, otherwise the situation is uncertain." Liu Yiming came back to his senses and shook his head gently.

"What? Is it Japan? Although we sank one ship, it was a design problem. The Xuchang class didn't have that problem."

"Besides, the Arab class and Surabaya class have already arrived. The Japanese can't make any waves." Xu Hui thought about it. From the perspective of Nanhua, there is only one Japan in front of them.

"No, it's France." Liu Yiming smiled and shook his head.

"If France fails, the British may negotiate with the Germans, and the Germans will withdraw from the Low Countries, and both sides will withdraw from the war."

"Don't be surprised, the British can definitely do it."

"So, in order to keep the French alive, I'm wondering if I should send something to the French..." Liu Yiming looked at Xu Hui's puzzled and unbelieving expression and smiled gently.

Xu Hui thought about the moral standards of the British and nodded heavily. The British can really do it.

"France is a big country after all, it won't be unable to hold on for a year, right?" What Xu Hui didn't believe was that France would fail quickly.

No matter what, such a big country, mobilizing millions of troops, it shouldn't be a problem to hold on for a year, right?

Even if it's just millions of pigs, the Germans can't catch them all in a year!

"After the Franco-Prussian War, the French generally hated Germany, and this hatred even exceeded the Anglo-French feud. For forty years, the French have been thinking about revenge all the time."

"Under the influence of hatred, the originally designated French commander-in-chief Michel was abandoned because of his conservative defense policy, and the radical offensive chief of staff Joffre served as the commander-in-chief."

"The French tactical thinking is still stuck in the Franco-Prussian War. They firmly believe that offense is the best defense, and the Germans...if they are not careful, the French will lose everything."

Liu Yiming's worries are not unreasonable. First of all, the quality of the German soldiers, tactical capabilities, and grassroots officers are better than those of the French.

Secondly, in order to guard against Britain, Liu Yiming did not give France many things that were given to Germany, the most important of which was the army's light weapons and equipment.

Liu Yiming could not remember why the Germans failed in the first Battle of the Marne, but he remembered the fundamental reason for the Germans' failure - they rushed too fast.

The plan designated by the German General Staff was indeed precise and rigorous, but war was full of emergencies and accidents.

Liu Yiming remembered that the Germans were unstoppable at the beginning of the war, and it seemed that they were only a few dozen kilometers away from Paris. The Germans later specially developed a Paris cannon to attack Paris.

However, because they rushed too fast, the supplies could not keep up, which was the main reason for the failure of the German offensive.

It is normal for soldiers to charge on an empty stomach and fail.

But this time, the Germans got some new technologies, light machine guns, mortars, and grenades.

(In fact, Germany had them all, but they did not pay attention to them before the war, or they were immature. For example, the Madsen light machine gun was too heavy, and the firepower sustainability was not as good as that of the heavy machine gun, so Germany did not pay attention to it.)

I don’t know if the Germans pay attention to these things. If they pay attention to them and form squad tactics, can the French still withstand it?

"Then what should we do?" Xu Hui asked with a frown.

Nanhua has made so many preparations, betting on the protracted war and making a lot of money from the war. If the war ends quickly, Nanhua will not be far from losing the war.

"I have ordered the air force airship transport team to go to Haifa Port and transport 500 heavy machine guns to France."

"I told the French that Nanhua is caught in a war with the Japanese and cannot spare enough manpower. We can only help our allies in this way." Liu Yiming smiled brightly and sunny.

"What did they say?" Xu Hui asked curiously.

"President Poincaré thanked us, and then comforted us, hoping that we could win the war."

"In addition, he was very embarrassed to place an order worth about 18 million, mainly some medicines."

"It can be seen that they are very confident." Liu Yiming smiled with worry on his face.

He was really afraid that France would surrender directly. After all, there was no precedent (Liu Yiming brought it into World War II).

"Man proposes, God disposes. If Europe ends quickly, then we will land in Japan. Money can always be scraped out by scraping the ground three feet." Xu Hui said comfortingly.

"It is too early to land in Japan now. Let's blockade it for two years first. When it is starving and has no strength, we can talk about landing." Liu Yiming shook his head.

Although the war against Japan has begun, Liu Yiming, who knows the nature of the Japanese, is not in a hurry to fight.

Liu Yiming can drag it out. At most, he can cruise more frequently in preparation for war. It will cost a little more money, but there will be no more impact.

Even if the war breaks out, Nanhua can continue to trade, while Japan, which is short of resources and has lost its trade routes after the war, will only get worse.

As for the principle that neutral countries do not trade with belligerent countries? Come on, count how many neutral countries are there in the world?

There will be some costs for Nanhua to drag it out, but the cost is definitely not as high as that of Japan.

If the blockade lasts for three months, Japan will definitely not be able to stand it and actively seek war. If the blockade lasts for three years, Japan will have to kneel.

Wait for Japan to be in civil strife, and then we can land in Japan.