Respectfully

Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare in 1915 caused the Allied Powers to lose more than 130 million tons of cargo, and the biggest loss was Britain.Afterwards, the first unrestricted submarine warfare was forced to be suspended due to two accidental attacks on American merchant ships, which resulted in the death of American civilians and protests from other neutral countries.

After the Great Battle of Jutland, both Kaiser Wilhelm II and the German General Staff clearly realized that relying solely on the main fleet at sea could not compete with the powerful British navy. If one wanted to contain Britain at sea, the most powerful weapon was submarines.When the battle on land began to be unfavorable to Germany, the battle in the air could not gain more advantages. By sinking a large number of Allied merchant ships and cutting off Britain's maritime trade, it was the only way for Germany to let the enemy sit at the negotiating table.

Kaiser Wilhelm II and the German General Staff finally made a decision to continue unrestricted submarine warfare, even if diplomatic relations with the United States were severed, regardless of the protests of neutral countries.This is no longer just for the victory of the war, but for the "survival" of Germany.

"What would Germany do if America went to war?"

This question was put in front of the Germans, but the German general staff concluded that the Americans wanted to set foot on the European battlefield, at least a year later.What's more, Germany currently has 150 or eight high-performance submarines, and can guarantee [-] submarines to "hunt" under the sea every day. The US troop carriers and transport ships are very likely to be discovered and sunk by German submarines. Would one take that risk?

From the perspective of the British at this time, the American continent was once a colony of Great Britain, and no matter how developed the US economy was, it could not change this fact.In the eyes of the French, Americans received a lot of help from France during the War of Independence, and received support from France after independence, so that they could gain a foothold in the "European world", and they should "repay their gratitude".In the eyes of the Germans, the United States is a country that puts interests above everything else.

"Americans whose interests are paramount will not be desperate."

This was the conclusion reached by the German General Staff, and Wilhelm II readily accepted it.

"Instead of pinning our hopes on the Americans, it is better to find a way to establish a closer relationship with China." Schinz, the German plenipotentiary in China, wrote in a telegram back to China: "Even if we cannot form an alliance with the Chinese, we cannot make them fall. To the Allied Powers. The Chinese attack on Russia, or even Japan, can delay the enemy's footsteps."

Not only Germany, Britain and France are also paying more attention to China's every move than ever before.Compared with the United States, which is far across the ocean, China is "closer" to Europe.

"Once Huaxia joins the war, this rejuvenated ancient country is likely to become the key to determining the direction of the war."

The United States only has a standing army in the early [-]s. They have not even received formal military training, let alone manipulating tanks and flying planes. They have never even heard of tactics such as infiltration warfare and barrage advance.

They only know trenches, they only know rifles, they only know phalanx formation, and they wear cowboy hats on their heads, and their optimism about war is as incomprehensible to Europeans as the strange American government recruitment advertisement .

However, their industrial manufacturing capabilities and a large number of new forces can fully "make up" for all these shortcomings.

Unfamiliar tactics can be trained.

Backward equipment is not a problem either.

What countries such as Britain and France need are materials from the United States, weapons made in the United States, and a large number of American soldiers who can serve as "cannon fodder".

Don’t think that being of the same “white race” means that there will be no calculations between each other. If it weren’t for General Pershing’s insistence that the U.S. military should fight independently, I am afraid that these American cowboys who have been dazzled by “justice” and “heroism” More than 90.00% will become cannon fodder for Europeans.

Even so, at the beginning of the war, the American cowboys who had only undergone short training and had never seen the bloody battlefields in Europe were still frightened by the tragic battles and the terrible number of casualties.

Compared with the deafening gunfire and the death that may be faced at any time, the American War of Independence and the Civil War are like playing games.

The Chinese army is different. When the Europeans were fighting fiercely, the Chinese army also kept attacking, beating the Japanese, beating the Russians, and even fought against the British and French colonial troops in Southeast Asia.Although most of the colonial troops had pineapple-headed Asan as their main force, the British officers who commanded these pineapple-headed attacks could still tell how powerful the Chinese army was.

Even with a discount, it is still higher than American cowboys, let alone armed Africans.

It's a pity that the Chinese government's attitude towards the European War is very clear and remains neutral.Even if this attitude has been "wavering" recently, it is still impossible to judge which side Huaxia will fall to.

At the same time, the German submarine lurking on the seabed started hunting again.

In just one month, the sea area infested by German submarines has almost become a place of death. The number of merchant ships from neutral countries to the Allied countries has dropped sharply. Only a few countries such as the United States are still insisting.

In order to fight against German submarines, the British tried their best, including Q-boats, underwater listeners, anti-submarine nets, and organized patrol ships to patrol back and forth on the main channel...the British practiced all the methods they could think of. The effect is still not great.

German submarine commanders seldom get fooled by Q-type boats. No matter how realistic the performances of the sailors on board are, yelling and running around will almost jump into the sea. Large-caliber artillery as a target.The British fleet is patrolling the main channel, while German submarines are lurking a few kilometers away from the main channel. The British fleet that abides by the "rules" has very little chance of discovering them.

German submarines are not "invincible". They are driven by internal combustion engines and batteries, which makes the submarine smell bad. Due to the internal structure of the submarine, it can only carry eight torpedoes at most.

The British should be thankful that the German submarines can only stay underwater for twelve hours, otherwise, their losses would be several times, or even dozens of times, what they are now.

The consequences of unrestricted submarine warfare were quickly revealed within the Allied Powers. The supplies of all countries, especially food supplies, became more tense, and even the United Kingdom began a stricter food rationing system.The food of front-line soldiers has also dropped to a "terrible" level.After Great Britain ruled the ocean, the British never worried about food, but now, even the middle class can only line up obediently with their lunch boxes.

If you are unlucky, you may not be able to get enough bread for the whole family even if you stand in line all day.

The black market has become more prosperous, and a large number of goods smuggled from the United States and China, especially canned food and flour, are sold at ridiculously high prices on the black market.

Rao is so, in order to fill their stomachs, the British will not begrudge the money in their pockets.When the pound was no longer useful, gold, jewelry, pocket watches, porcelain, and silver tableware began to flow into the black market in large quantities. Among them, those with "collection value" would be sent to Switzerland through the hands of middlemen, and then shipped back to China.

The Austrian swindler who sold the Führer's paintings to the firm never appeared again. Second Sister Xu swore that if she saw this man again, she would make him regret coming to this world!

The British were no longer afraid of German Zeppelin airships. After high-explosive bullets and incendiary bombs were used by fighter jets, the slow and huge airships became the best targets for fighter jets.Zeppelins flying over London were often beaten into huge balls of fire.

Fortunately, the Germans still have Gotha biplane bombers, but no matter how big the bomber is, the amount of ammunition it carries cannot compare with that of the airship. In 1917, Germany's bombing of the British mainland could no longer easily shake the nerves of Great Britain.

The only things that can make John Bull nervous are the casualties on the battlefield and the severe shortage of supplies.

All the British are looking forward to the arrival of the merchant ship, but some small episodes in the middle of the journey often make people dumbfounded.

For example, an American merchant ship came with a full load. After unloading, it was found that more than 70.00% of the goods on board were women's high-heeled shoes and various cosmetics. After searching the warehouse, they could not find a bag of flour and a box of canned food.

For another example, a Chinese merchant ship arrived at the port, hoping to unload the ship's cargo, but found that most of it was expensive silk.In the past, the British were fanatically pursuing oriental silk. Now, felt blankets are more practical than this!Only noble ladies who don't care about the battlefield will be ecstatic when they see these, while their husbands may just want to cry.

There were also Japanese merchant ships during the period, and the things they shipped were even more speechless.Can you imagine?A boatload of china!

Such oolongs happened one after another, but no matter what the goods were shipped to the port, they would all be bought. If they didn’t buy them this time, God knows when the merchant ships will come next time.

It doesn't matter if something is not practical, you can go to the black market to exchange it, and you can always find a use for it.

France is faring worse, Germany is not much better, and so is Italy.

Joining the Allies with the idea of ​​making soy sauce and taking advantage of it, but was pushed to the south of the battlefield, facing the attacks of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany alone.The Italians not only did not get the expected benefits, but the war caused the domestic economic recession, a large number of workers lost their jobs, and the social situation became more and more unstable.The Italian king regretted it very much. Why did he "mix" with Britain and France in the first place?

William II was already annoyed, and if he wanted not to be retaliated against, he had to go all the way to the dark.

After making up their minds, the Italian army performed "supernormally". In the nine battles of the Isonzo River, they finally achieved certain results against the Austro-Hungarian army, although their casualties were higher than the Austro-Hungarian army each time. More and more, and when the German army is reinforced, this number will be multiplied...

At this moment, Italy is planning to launch the tenth offensive on the Isonzo River. In any case, only when the Allied Powers win can Italy get the desired war dividend.However, the Italians still miscalculated. Even if the Allies were defeated, Italy did not reap any benefits. The British and French had no intention of fulfilling the previously promised conditions.

The spaghetti, which is used to stabbing the allies, was finally presented by the allies.

Of course, Italy does not know what kind of "treatment" it will receive. It is rare for the noodle soldiers who have mustered up their courage and inspired their fighting spirit to make important preparations for the next battle.

The helmets purchased from Ned's firm, a large amount of medicine, and the new submachine gun will all play a "huge" role in the next battle.

At least, the Italians think so.

At the end of February, two merchant ships carrying Chinese antiques set sail from Europe again. This was already the fourth batch of "cargo" loaded on board. At this time, the third batch of "cargo" was still sailing on the sea.

With the escalation of the European War, which can also be called the "last madness" of European countries, the shipments and transaction volume of Ned Firm have reached "terrifying" figures.

All the factories under Li Jinyan are running at full capacity, the machines are rumbling day and night, and the convoys for transporting raw materials and goods are lined up in long lines. The industrial area outside Guanbei City has never been so busy as it is now.Even in 1916, when the war was raging, less than two-thirds of the goods shipped were produced today.

Not only the six northern provinces, the six southern provinces, the northwest, the southwest, and the central plains, but almost all factories in China became extremely busy overnight.The grain grown by farmers, the cattle and sheep raised by herdsmen, and even the homespun cloth that was almost eliminated from the market in the early years were all purchased in large quantities.

At the same time, the Huaxia coalition government once again promulgated a road construction plan. This time, the scale of the project and the capital investment were several times higher than before.

Engineers got together, including Chinese, Belgians, Russians and a few Americans.

Huaxia has a lot of roads to build, so don't worry about not being able to get "jobs" to do.

Among them, the Belgians don't need to worry the least. According to the words of the Chinese people, real gold is not afraid of fire. With the railway that they presided over the construction before, they have all passed the test.Ever since he came to China to escape the war, he couldn't even say hello, and now he can speak fluent Chinese, and he used the salary he earned to bring all his family members to China to settle down, but it took only two or three years.Living here has kept them away from the flames of war. Most of them have plans to settle in China. Even if the war in Europe is over, they don't plan to go back.

The Russians have the same idea. Russia is now more chaotic than Belgium occupied by Germany. Instead of returning to China, it is better to stay in China.They not only sent their families to the six northern provinces, but also wrote letters and sent telegrams to many colleagues in the past, persuading them to come to China to work together.

Although Russia in the Tsarist era lagged behind Western countries, there were not many talents emerging in various fields.

Chemistry, physics, military industry.

Without a huge talent base, the development of heavy industry and military industry in the Soviet Union would not have achieved world-renowned achievements in a short period of time.Even if the factor of cooperation with Germany is included, it is undeniable that apart from gold and mineral resources, Russia is also a treasure trove of talents.

Li Jinyan thought clearly that instead of waiting a year later to compete with the United States for talent, it would be better to attack Russia earlier.

Fortunately, the February Revolution. After the October Revolution, a large number of Russian bourgeoisie, middle class, landlord class, aristocrats, and military officers from poor backgrounds had to go to see God.Forget about the nobles and landowners, those military officers with real materials and the well-educated middle class are all wealth worth digging.Budyonny, Vasilevsky, Zhukov, Timothy Singer... These famous Soviet marshals and generals in later generations all served in the tsarist army.

Maybe you can use this to get on line with Kolchak's White Army, plus Elena in the Winter Palace, the intelligence personnel who infiltrated Russia, the army under Marshal Lou, and the gold of Nicholas II, sooner or later Huaxia's pocket.

With money and more talents, you will have more confidence.

Li Jinyan will not think that the world will be peaceful when this war is over.The progress of the First World War is enough to show that history is still following the inherent trajectory. Li Jinyan flaps his wings desperately, and the only thing he can change is the land under his feet.If there is no Lou family, Li Jinyan can set up the factory, and it will be a blessing not to be hit by the autumn wind every three days.

Once time travelling, the idea of ​​standing in the middle of the world, the boss of the sky and the second of the earth, only a fool would have.

Is Li Jinyan a fool?Obviously not.

At the beginning of March, several old gentlemen set up camp in the Marshal's mansion again, and brought many juniors and apprentices with them.As one "treasure transport" ship after another arrives, more and more manpower is needed.

Li Jinyan handed over the construction of the library to the Meng brothers, and at the same time informed President Lou of the plan to build a museum in the capital.

President Lou Da's call back was also quick, and he readily agreed.

Holding the telegram, Li Jinyan ran up to the second floor and found Young Marshal Lou who was working at his desk in the study, "Young Marshal, the President agreed."

"what?"

"It's about the museum." Li Jinyan walked to the table in a few steps, "I'm going to Dalian in March, young commander, who do you think would be better to send to Beijing with Meng Tao?"

The Guanbei Library was designed and built by Meng Bo, while the Beijing Museum was handed over to Meng Tao and the senior authority.It took Li Jinyan a lot of effort to transport these treasures back from abroad. If he lost one of them, Li Sanshao would want to bump his head against the wall.

Compared with a deep house in a large courtyard, once a museum is built, it is easier to be targeted.In later generations, museum thefts were not uncommon.

Uncle Dumb reminded Li Jinyan that there are many "capable people" in the world.Li Jinyan patted his head, didn't the famous "Swallow Li San" appear in the period of the Republic of China?Although history has changed, no one can guarantee that there will be no more Wang San and Zhao San.

While preventing thieves, it is also necessary to prevent someone from intervening in the middle of building the museum.

"Invite Mr. Meng to go to Beijing."

"Old Meng?"

"Grandfather will also go to the capital himself, so don't worry." Young Marshal Lou took another document and read it deeply.

Thinking about it, Li Jinyan seemed to have no choice but to do so.You can't let Marshal Lou send troops to Beijing to build a museum, can you?

On March [-]th, Second Sister Xu received a telegram from Uncle Dumb. On the same day, the largest demonstrations and demonstrations ever broke out in Russia. The soldiers sent to suppress them mutinied on the spot and joined the crowd, shouting "No war , want bread" slogan.

On March [-], the situation deteriorated further, and Tsar Nicholas II completely lost the popularity of the people and lost control of the army.

On March [-], the soldiers brought back from the tsar's front refused to shoot at the crowd, and the court ministers no longer supported him. Nicholas II was completely helpless, and the only option left was to abdicate.

In order to maintain the rule of the Romanov dynasty, Nicholas II wanted to pass the throne to his younger brother Mikhail, but was rejected. No matter who is on the throne at this time, he will not be "welcome" by the people.

Russia at this time, like France more than 100 years ago, no longer needs emperors and kings.

Elena lifted her skirt and ran in the long palace corridor. In the room, Queen Alexandra and the five children of the Tsar and his wife were anxiously waiting for the news.

"Your Majesty the Empress, Your Majesty the Emperor announces his abdication."

As soon as the words fell, Queen Alexandra passed out.

After the Tsar abdicated, Russia established a bourgeois provisional government and a government led by the Soviets, and two governments coexisted.

While the turmoil was raging in Russia, a merchant ship flying the Chinese flag was suddenly hit by a torpedo on the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 120 or eight crew members on board, only five survived.

The merchant ship happened to sink in a sea area frequented by German submarines. Although the German government immediately denied it, newspapers in Britain and France began to publicize it, saying that the tragedy that happened on the American merchant ship was repeated again.

Many newspapers in China also reported on this, among which several English newspapers in the Shanghai International Settlement were the most active.The people began to march in the streets. The German Minister Xinci sent several notes to the Chinese government, but they did not get the desired response.

After discussions in the Congress, the Huaxia government finally officially announced to the outside world that it would sever diplomatic relations with Germany.

This day is the eighth year of the Republic of China, March 1917, 3 in the Gregorian calendar.

Britain, France and other countries who were toasting to celebrate did not know that although the people who died on the sunk merchant ship were all yellow races, they were not Chinese.Therefore, it is really impossible to easily draw conclusions about who designed who.

After all, in continental Europe, there is still a Markov shining.