the world is at stake

Lenin assured Germany that after seizing power, he would build an oil pipeline from Baku to Batumi, pass through the Black Sea to Romania, and openly supply oil to Germany.

Germany is so pissed off about oil that it now relies on China-controlled 'California Standard Oil' for its main oil supply.

The reason for the rush to engage in 'high-voltage power transmission and transformation' is essentially Germany's 'plenty of coal and shortage of oil'.

In contrast, China's crude oil production has jumped from almost zero to 200 million tons per year.The oil exploration and smelting equipment imported from the United States has basically been completed, and efforts have been made to localize them.

Although this output cannot be compared with the annual output of the United States of more than 3000 million tons, it can meet most of China's own needs.

Without oil, there would be no modern industry.Bazel I wished he could annex the Czech Republic, Austria-Hungary all the way to Romania, and then step on his military boots to the Persian Gulf.

The three parties at the scene were full of smiles, and each had their own calculations behind their backs.China and Germany have long coordinated with Russia—tsarist Russia is bad, Soviet Russia is even worse, whoever is weak will help whomever.

In fact, Russia now wants to rebel against the party not only the Russian Communist Party, but there are a lot of people in a mess.The Russian Communist Party still has a 'Menshevik' who engages in bourgeois reforms.

Both China and Germany have contacted these parties and provided necessary support.At present, the 'Bolsheviks' commanded by Lenin are the strongest, but they do not have an overwhelming advantage.

According to the internal opinion of 'Holy Light', it is far from enough to restore the Sino-Russian border in the northeast to the period of the Treaty of Nerchinsk—Russia should be a European country, and China's frontier should extend to the Arctic Circle.

The part of Russia in Asia has no population at all, and several "stans" in Central Asia are still poor and backward tribes, but these areas have rich natural resources-if you don't take it, you will be blamed; Its disaster.

There's no reason to leave these to Maozi.

Germany wants to push the border to the front line of Belarus and Ukraine, and just leave the hair in the middle as a buffer zone.For the rest, everyone can grab them according to their ability, and whoever grabs them will be theirs.

Regarding the idea of ​​the German guy, the "Old Master" commented that "His Excellency Bazel, the repairman, has a bag in his head".

What China robbed were sparsely populated backward areas, or were originally radiated by the Chinese cultural circle.The country has sufficient size and cultural advantages, and the cost of transforming these places is very low.

However, Eastern Europe has long formed a nation-state consciousness and has a large population. How can it be integrated into Germany?The cost of its transformation is extremely high, and there are several languages ​​alone, which cannot be assimilated at all.

The prescription given by 'Old Master Q' to Germany is to reconcile with France and establish the 'EU'.There is really no other way.The idea of ​​expanding the frontier by war simply does not work in Europe.

Just a 'big bobo' is enough to make Bazel's head big.

But China and Germany are currently "allies that are not allies", and close cooperation is the order of the day.The Germans are going in the wrong direction, and Bazel might not be happy if China rushes to persuade them.

So Foreign Minister Wang just smiled and didn't say much.

Bazel I was full of spirits, "Guys. This power transmission and substation is not intended to be a huge improvement, but it is really nothing to see. Come with me to the nearby armored training ground and see the most advanced German armored combat vehicles."

Chapter 06 The catastrophe is coming

Probably because he had been a repairman for too long, after Bazel suddenly became the emperor, his mentality became unbalanced, and he tended to be overjoyed.This kind of psychology has not been noticed at first.But over the past seven years, it has become more and more obvious.

When meeting Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky, Bazel I was overly enthusiastic, as if fans never stopped smiling when they met their idols.

In addition to showing high-voltage power transmission and transformation, he also proudly showed the latest achievements of Germany to the leadership of the Russian Communist Party, and the armored forces also announced it generously.

The training ground near the Ruhr area has a 'blue team' that acts as a sharpening stone.Accompanied by Bazel I, Lenin and others inspected the troops and watched the actual combat exercises at close range.

"1915 'Grey Wolf' chariot." Bazel, in military uniform, acted as the narrator himself, pointing to the [-]-ton tracked armored chariot that was running over obstacles. "Its appearance has completely changed the mode of warfare."

The First World War was not fought, and trench warfare disappeared without a trace.The selectees from various countries avoided the word 'tank' tacitly and used chariots instead.

The chariots on the training ground are much smaller than the improvised steam chariots in China, and are more complete than the original historical British 'Mark', French 'Renault', and German 'A7V'.

Restricted by the metallurgical industry, the "Grey Wolf" uses leaf spring suspension, an omnidirectional two-man turret, a 150-horsepower diesel engine, a 50mm tank gun, a 15mm hardened alloy steel front armor inclined at [-] degrees, and a vehicle weight of [-] tons.

This kind of tank exhibits tactical actions such as rapid obstacle surmounting, short-stop shelling, acceleration and avoidance, and is reliable and flexible.But while Bazel received a lot of praise, Stalin asked beside him...

"The chariot is indeed an epoch-making land warfare weapon. The Chinese have demonstrated its power in the battle against Japan. But is it really the most advanced German chariot? I heard that the Americans have made stronger ones."

As if being insulted, Bazel blushed and remained silent for a long time.

At the end of 1916, the U.S. Army proudly announced that its own Detroit Arsenal had produced an epoch-making armored 'beast', a chariot code-named 'Grant'.

It has a torsion bar suspension, a 300-horsepower diesel engine, a self-weight of 21 tons, a speed of 90 kilometers per hour, a [-]mm front armor, and a [-]mm tank gun.

This series of indicators has made other countries' active duty, manufacturing, research and development, and even the chariots on the drawings all behind.It's as if the warships of the pre-dreadnought era were all scrap iron after the appearance of the 'dreadnought ship'.

China and Germany were greatly shocked by this. Although they did not see the real thing, they did not dare to say that the United States could not make it.After all, the industrial strength of the United States is there, and no one can deny it.

The torsion bar suspension far surpasses the leaf spring suspension, the 300-horsepower diesel engine is a strong power, the 21-ton vehicle weight represents thick armor, and the 90mm tank gun can penetrate any opponent's defense.

The wheeled tanks China transported to Africa also used 90mm guns, but at that time the low-pressure models were designed to bully the weak.The 90mm tank gun with high chamber pressure and high initial velocity would not appear until the end of World War II, but now it is more than 20 years earlier.

It's fantastic.

The Chinese contacted the Detroit Arsenal, expressing their great interest in its new tanks and hoping to purchase related technologies. 'Detroit' agreed, but the U.S. military did not agree. At most, the Chinese military attache was allowed to see the static display of the tank, and they were not even allowed to take pictures.

Faced with this severe situation, the Chinese and German armies and military-industrial enterprises were furious.Can't figure out how the Detroit Arsenal made the 'Great Leap Forward'?

But if the opponent makes it out, you have to follow!

Otherwise, you will die in a fight.

Regarding Stalin's inquiry, Bazel held back for a long time before he could say, "We also have a corresponding model, but it is currently top secret and it is not convenient to display it."

top secret?forget about it.

Stalin just asked that question. After all, the tanks that Tsarist Russia currently manufactures are not as good as the German "grey wolves".For example, the diesel engine is imported from the United States, and there are only 120 horses.

The front armor is 60 mm, but because the Russian smelting technology is not up to standard, it is equivalent to German 30 mm high-quality armor steel, and the vehicle weighs a full 19 tons.

The French products used for tank guns are not bad in performance, but the shells are imported.

In a real fight, the German "grey wolf" could torture and kill the same kind in Tsarist Russia.It is also because many key components are imported, and there are not many Tsarist Russian tanks, but they like cheap armored trucks.

Trotsky, known as the 'Father of the Red Army', asked again: "Why are there so many Asian faces in this armored force of your army?"

"That's the training personnel sent by the Chinese National Defense Forces to Germany. Our two countries have exchanged troops to serve as 'confrontational imaginary enemies'. During the exercise, we will definitely not be lenient."

Bazel is very proud of this.

China and Germany sent elites to act as each other's imaginary enemy blue army, making their respective troops miserable.For an army that regards honor as its life, being defeated in any way is an extreme shame.

There are also a lot of old and stubborn people in the German army, but they stopped talking after being abused a few times.

Trotsky asked knowingly, and he continued in the next sentence: "Are the Chinese armored soldiers also equipped with the 'Grey Wolf' series tanks?"

'Grey Wolf' is a family of vehicles, including infantry fighting vehicles with 105mm cannons, assault vehicles with 120mm short-barreled howitzers, and support vehicles with [-]mm mortars.

There are also multiple variants such as command vehicles, transport vehicles, medical vehicles, and emergency repair vehicles.The common chassis can save cost and facilitate logistics. It will be the main battle equipment for the armored forces of China and Germany in the next five years.

Bazel nodded proudly and said, "Of course, this chariot was jointly developed by China and Germany. Germany exported a complete set of production lines to China, and we even trained engineers for them. Its first-class division must have an armored regiment."

Trotsky and Stalin looked at each other, a little uncomfortable.It was difficult for them to understand that the Kaiser was so tightly tied to China that Mao was only wearing the same pair of trousers.

If it weren't for Germany's help, China's industrial system, which is still in its infancy, would develop at a much slower rate just by cooperating with the American consortium.

If China were equipped with the same tanks, the threat to the east of Russia would suddenly increase.Nicholas II's Yellow Russia plan naturally came to naught, and the idea of ​​​​infiltrating Mongolia also came to an end.

On the contrary, China is building a railway in the direction of Central Asia, and Russia is worried that China will cut itself off from Siberia.The Russian Communist Party 'B' is also Russian and cannot remain indifferent to this.

After inspecting the armored units of the Blue Army, Lenin thanked Bazel I for his treatment and support for the Russian Communist Party's "Bolshevik", and said that he would return to Russia to prepare for the armed riot.Stalin and Trotsky would follow.

The host and guest greeted each other solemnly, then shook hands and parted.

After Lenin left, Bazel immediately asked the visiting Foreign Minister Wang: "If civil strife breaks out in Tsarist Russia, what will China do? Seize the Far East?"

Foreign Minister Wang shook his head, "The Standing Committee of China hopes to continue to maintain peace for more than five years. The popularization of electricity will bring new markets, and it is far from the time to rely on war to solve the problem."

Bazel shook his head immediately, wanting to interject.But Foreign Minister Wang continued: "However, we are also very clear that war may break out at any time. Especially the situation in Russia is special."

The current Austro-Hungarian Empire is not the later Austria and Hungary, but includes the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and a small half of the Balkan Peninsula.

Originally, the powder keg of World War I was detonated in the Balkans.

However, after Germany adjusted its foreign policy, it had no intention of being dragged into the war by Austria-Hungary—it would be useless even if Crown Prince Ferdinand died a hundred times.

But without the powder keg of the Balkan Peninsula, the powder keg of Tsarist Russia is even bigger-now Poland does not exist, and its territory is divided between Germany and Tsarist Russia.Bordering Germany and Russia, there is a railway connection.

In order to put continuous pressure on Germany, Britain and France hoped to maintain the Tsarist Russian regime, let alone the emergence of Soviet Russia.Because if there is civil strife in Russia, no matter whether it is Tsarist Russia or Soviet Russia, it will not be able to control Western Europe in a short time.

In order to stabilize the regime, Lenin signed the "Treaty of Brest" with Bazel again, and Britain and France would go crazy.

Because this contract means:

Russia lost more than 100 million square kilometers of fertile land (Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Belarus) and a population of up to 6000 million. At the same time, it lost 54% of the country's industry and 33% of its railways.

No matter how corrupt and incompetent the Qing Dynasty was, no matter how powerless and humiliating the country was, no matter how shameless it was, and signed more than 1000 traitorous treaties, it never did such a thing!

Now Germany has not been defeated, and its territory is only more than 50 square kilometers.If it swallows this mouthful of fat, Britain and France will be forced to do it in advance, regardless of whether there is a "World War I" or not, and the German Empire must be dismantled.

Otherwise, Germany will have a population of more than 400 million and a territory of more than 150 million square kilometers. After ten or twenty years of development, it will really become the Holy Roman Empire.

In the original history, Lenin probably saw the weakness of Germany and signed the "Treaty of Brest" in March 1918. In November of the same year, he tore up the treaty as waste paper under the pretext of Germany's defeat.

But now the direction of history is unpredictable.

Germany is not a weak toothless tiger after World War I. On the contrary, Tsarist Russia is likely to be turned upside down by Lenin's riots and seriously injured.

According to the perfect plan of the "Germany" candidates, Tsarist Russia and Soviet Russia will suffer both losses and coexist at the same time.Germany took the opportunity to sign a contract to expand eastward, forcing Russia to cede territory, all the way to Baku, Azerbaijan, and at least Ukraine.

Of course, God can't figure out whether Lenin will sign this kind of treaty that ruins the country again.

But it is impossible for the French to bet the life and death of the country on Lenin's hands.In order to contain Germany, it will definitely unite with the United Kingdom to backstab and provoke a war-China and the United States are really likely to watch the tigers fight from the other side, and wait for Europe to become a mess.

The situation in Europe is really changing now, and Britain and France are very nervous.

The Governor of South Africa, Baron Buxton, also sent a message asking Charles I to teach China a lesson-Charles' head was flooded so that he would make troubles for China at this critical moment.

The British electors are ready. Even if the Chinese National Defense Force sends troops to Southeast Asia, they will carry it if they can. If they can't carry it, they will simply retreat. They will never transfer their local fleet to the Far East.

France also began to lend money to Emperor Putra to strengthen Tsarist Russia very early, just hoping that Nicholas II could persevere and never let Lenin and his gang come to power.

Emperor Puteri did not choose to join the Bolsheviks, and he also had similar considerations-in the face of an undamaged or even stronger Germany, the new Soviet Russia would most likely not be able to bear it.

Regardless of whether Basil I chose to digest the territory and population ceded by Lenin, or took the opportunity to attack France to unify the European continent, or even beat France to turn around and then attack Russia.For the Russians it was a nightmare.

Even if swallowing so many countries and populations with different languages ​​and cultures is likely to cause Germany indigestion, Bazel I and the 'Germany' team will never give up this opportunity to dominate the continent.

When Bazel asked about the 'civil strife in Tsarist Russia', Foreign Minister Wang knew what the Germans were really thinking, and he couldn't and couldn't stop it.Changing to 'Holy Light' will not give up when encountering such an opportunity.

The foreign minister emphasizes peace, but also reconsiders one point...

"China and Germany are currently all-weather strategic cooperative partners. China has no territorial interests in Europe, and only hopes that the German government will act when it is truly sure."

The vernacular is - German guy, it's your business if you want to fight.If you play well, I will come out to pick up the bargain.You don't play well, don't expect me to help you.

Bazel didn't seem to understand, he laughed.

Chapter 07 The Russian Dilemma

After bidding farewell to the Kaiser, Lenin and others left Germany by train, preparing to return to Tsarist Russia.There were 800 people traveling with him, and they were armed personnel trained by Germany for the Russian Communist Party in recent years.

The train was speeding, but Lenin and others were not idle.They walked around the carriages one by one, met the military seeds who were trained, and talked with officers and soldiers, firstly to boost morale, and secondly to understand the situation.

Surprisingly, there were hundreds of Chinese students and engineers in the car, all of whom were young, a quarter of whom were women, and the oldest was not even 30 years old.

They occupied a section of the carriage, with brand new clothes and radiant faces. They brought large and small bags of luggage. After arranging their seats, they spread out sweets and snacks.

Lenin was quite curious and asked about the origins of these Chinese people.

"We are German students and engineers sent by the government. We have been in schools and factories in Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich for six or seven years, and now we are finally going back to China."

The leader of the international students can speak fluent German, and French and Russian are not difficult for him.If you ask more carefully, this group of people is the first batch of the talent selection plan of the Ministry of Education of China, and they belong to the top of the top.

In 1910, the Ministry of Education screened out a group of good seedlings aged seven or eight to teenagers.After the country is unified, tens of thousands of outstanding talents will be selected from a population of more than 4 million.

Most of these people were sent abroad to study and practice.After five years or so, some of them are good at organization and management, some are proficient in scientific application, some are sharp in thinking, and some are erudite.

The old bureaucracy inherited from the previous dynasty is increasingly unable to keep up with the times, and it is always lagging behind.

National development needs fresh blood.The Ministry of Education summoned some overseas students to return to China to fill in many fields such as public affairs, scientific research, enterprise management, industrial and mining construction, and farmland transformation.

Lenin asked the captain of the overseas students, "What position can you hold after you return to China?"

"I study social management, so I'm supposed to be able to enter a ministry. But a revolutionary fighter is a brick, so you can move it wherever you need it." The captain of the overseas student pushed his glasses, "I plan to go to towns, then to the countryside, and to the fields to change my life motherland."

This answer surprised Lenin.

Because Russian revolutionaries, regardless of party faction, don't care much about the countryside.Even the Russian Communist Party's focus is on urban workers.

Rural areas, agriculture, and farmers have long been ignored or even despised by the rulers of various countries, and are considered symbols of extreme backwardness and ignorance.

Aristocratic consciousness and the theory of blood have been circulating in the West for thousands of years, and it is impossible to reverse it easily.Even Lenin felt that intellectuals studying social management staying in the countryside were burying talents.

The captain of the international students saw what the other party meant, and said with a smile: "European countries have entered the industrial age for two or three hundred years, and even the main population of Russia is in cities and towns.

But China is different, most of the population is in the countryside.

The party organization requires us to proceed from reality and understand the situation at the grassroots level so that we can implement targeted policies.My parents are farmers, and I know how much the elders in my hometown need to change. I can't shirk my responsibility for personal enjoyment. "

The social research of the Russian Communist Party'B'has been doing poorly.In its original history, it was too easy to seize power. It has been busy for a long time to eliminate dissidents who have mixed into the revolutionary ranks, and it has not studied the countryside at all.

Lenin pondered for a while and came to the conclusion that the revolutionary environments of China and Russia were completely different.He turned to talk about other topics, and found that there were more than a dozen Western faces among the Chinese students studying abroad, and all of them were women.