As for why Xu Jie spared no effort to support the German Navy, in fact, the most fundamental reason is that if China wants to have a stable development environment and have the opportunity to expand to Southeast Asia and even further places, it must prevent the great powers from having time to visit, and

If we want the great powers to restrain each other, the First World War is undoubtedly a very good opportunity. In theory, if we look at the historical situation, both Germany, Austria and Turkey

How it works, the five countries of the United States, Britain, France, Russia and Italy can eventually beat Germany, Austria and Turkey to death. So in this case, how can Germany inflict a heavier blow to the United States and Britain, so that Britain and the United States will not be able to respond to the war after the war?

Penetration into the Far East has become Xu Jie's goal. Therefore, Xu Jie must help Germany, and at the same time help Britain appropriately. The longer this war lasts, the greater the losses for both sides, and the more beneficial it will be to China in the future!

To this end, Xu Jie even designed a strategy for the Germans. When Tirpitz and Scheer visited for the second time, Xu Jie decided to present the treaty in full. William II's view of sea power

The desire for war has made the British wary, and if historical development is followed, a conflict between the Kaiser and the British Empire over South Africa will occur next year, which will inevitably lead to the deterioration of Anglo-German relations, coupled with the impact of the "Navy Act"

, the two sides will gradually go on the road of hostility.

When Xu Jie met Tirpitz and others for the second time, Tirpitz's first words surprised Xu Jie: "We don't want to have a direct conflict with Britain, we just hope that Britain can respect

Regarding Germany’s demands for sea power, since Britain allows France to have a powerful fleet, Germany should also have a fleet that is not weaker than France.”

"The idea is very good. But compared to France, it is impossible for the British to allow Germany to have such a powerful fleet." Xu Jie was stunned for a moment, but then said with a smile.

"Why?!" Tirpitz and Scheer were surprised by Xu Jie's answer.

"France's sea power is based on the maintenance of colonies. That is to say, a considerable part of the French navy is not suitable for main decisive battles but is only suitable for patrolling colonies. I think if you have the opportunity to take a look at the French cruisers, you can

Understand this." Xu Jie explained with a smile.

"This reason is not sufficient. Germany also has colonies in Africa and the Pacific." Tirpitz shook his head and said.

"Germany is not as dependent on colonies as France. The French have a tradition of money lending. And colonies play an important role in France's financial system. If France and Britain are hostile, they will face the dilemma of being separated from the colonies. Germany is different.

Germany is basically self-sufficient in coal and iron, and its economy is dominated by local industry. The British naval blockade has little impact on Germany. I am right." Xu Jie said proudly.

"And more importantly, it is impossible for the French fleet to defeat the British fleet. The French fleet is divided into two large fleets, one is the Atlantic fleet and the other is the Mediterranean fleet, and the connection between the two is by the Strait of Gibraltar.

Divided by the fortress, from Mr. Mahan's point of view, the French navy was unable to concentrate its forces to fight and was on the outer line of the war, while the British could mobilize the home fleet and the Mediterranean fleet to coordinate operations at the same time. I don't need to say more about the rest.

Yes." Xu Jie said in a questioning tone.

"I understand, because if the German fleet becomes stronger, it can only act in the North Sea, and a concentrated German fleet, the second largest in the world, will pose a huge threat to the British mainland, so the British will not agree to Germany having such a fleet.

fleet, and if the German naval armaments expanded

If the tension reaches a certain level, then Britain and Germany will inevitably be at odds with each other. And the naval blockade has a mediocre effect on Germany. So if the British want to restrict the German navy, they will definitely deploy heavy troops in the North Sea, or even a near-shore blockade!"

Sher reacted and said with some shock.

"The British don't need a near-shore blockade at all. As long as the British can ensure the security of their homeland and lock the German navy firmly in the North Sea. This method saves both time and effort." Xu Jie shook his head and said.

"So, you have only two choices. One is to give up the navy, and the other is to be prepared to challenge the British Royal Navy in the North Sea. You choose yourselves." Xu Jie said calmly.

"Then if we want to break this situation, is there a way?" Tirpitz asked.

"It is impossible to rely solely on Germany. Germany and France have become feuds, which are irreconcilable, and the Alliance of Three Emperors has expired. Recently, Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire have become very close, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire really wants to acquire the Balkans. This

There is an irreconcilable conflict with Russia. Therefore, Russia will also become Germany's enemy, plus another

Britain, okay, now tell me, how can Germany and Austria resist the three big powers?" Xu Jie asked with a smile. The United States has not yet really exerted its strength, and Russia is still a huge steamroller in the eyes of Westerners, almost

With its wireless population and vast land, Russia peered over Western Europe like a real polar bear.

"The current battle has proved that the French army is strong on the outside and capable on the inside." Tirpitz said with pretended contempt.

"Let's not talk about whether the French Army is really as vulnerable as someone said. In terms of layout, Russia and Austria are fighting on two fronts. I don't know how to deal with the millions of Russian troops coming from the east.

What will be the layout of Germany and Austria? Coupled with the United Kingdom, although the United Kingdom's strength is at sea, it also has an efficient medium-sized land force.

Army, coupled with the manpower provided by the huge colonies, tell me, even if all the people are soldiers, how many can Germany have? "Xu Jie's words actually underestimated the combat power of the German Army. Generally speaking, the German Army alone in World War I

China is basically tied with Britain and France. Of course, in terms of national power consumption, Germany cannot consume the two colonial powers.

"Where is Germany's hope?" Tirpitz's tone was full of a sense of frustration. At this time, he realized why Bismarck, the iron-blooded prime minister, did not agree to the Army's plan to cede territory to France. Alsace

and Lorraine will become an unsolvable knot between France and Germany.

"Combining all the forces that can be combined, there is another big country on the European continent called Italy. On the Eurasian continent, there is also a big country with vast demobilization and vastness called Turkey." Xu Jie said with a smile.

"What? Do you look down on Italy? Italy's industry is no worse than that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Italy's biggest advantage over Austria-Hungary and Germany is that the mountains in northern Italy are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Whether it is France or the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they want to attack from there.

It is very difficult. Because of this, the Italians can strengthen their naval construction. That's why they have the Italian Navy, which is now the third most powerful in the world. Shouldn't we strive for such a powerful force?" Xu Jie looked at Tirpi

Ci said with a smile with a slightly contemptuous expression on his face.

"As for Turkey? Although it is not on the table in terms of industry or overall strength, it is at the crossroads of the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. India, the brightest pearl in the Queen's crown, is the only one between it and the British mainland.

The contact has to go through Turkey. And if Austria-Hungary and Turkey can join forces, they can directly

Russia is completely isolated. Even if Italy joins Germany and Austria, the entire eastern Mediterranean will be yours, and even capturing the Suez Canal is not impossible. In order to deal with this situation, the British must mobilize their navy to support France." Xu

Jay's analysis was very accurate, and Tirpitz couldn't help but be moved by the sufficient reasons.

"Germany may not need Italian industry or the Italian army, but it must need the Italian navy, because only when the British Royal Navy is weakened will the British consider withdrawing from the war. No matter how strong the German army is, it will not be able to overcome a powerful force.

The English Channel is defended by the navy, isn't it?" Xu Jie said all his reasons in one breath.

"The Italians, that is, the navy, has gained the upper hand." Scheer curled his lips and said. It has to be said that the Italian navy is indeed powerful, at least compared to the current German navy.

"General Xu's idea is very unique, uniting all forces that can be combined. This idea is very good. So is General Xu willing to discuss the issue of naval armaments?" Tirpitz had roughly understood the meaning of Xu Jie's words.

Now, after the strategic issues have been resolved, it is time to discuss armaments.

"The United Kingdom is already designing a 10,000-ton cruiser with a speed of 22 or even 23 knots. Do you still insist on 20 knots as the standard speed for battleships? I remember you suggested that the German Navy build a large number of fast battleships." Tirpi

Ci said.

"High-speed battleships and rapid battleships are not the same concept. The so-called high-speed refers to being slightly higher than the opponent's capital ship, not that the speed exceeds all enemy ships. The price of extreme speed is very high. I think this is personal

You understand. The first issue for a decisive battle fleet is firepower, followed by protection. The speed only needs to be slightly higher, and the range and trial performance are based on adequate performance." Xu Jie explained patiently.

Historically, taking the battleships of World War I as an example, in order to pursue high speed, the British battle cruisers were much worse than the battleships of the same period in terms of protection and firepower, and their tonnage was much larger. For example, the British iron cruisers

The battleship Duke, the main equipment on the waterline is 300mm (although it is very low), and the top is 9 inches. It is equipped with 10 13.5-inch guns. Displacement

It is 22,000 tons and has a speed of 21 knots. The British battlecruiser Lion has a 9-inch main armor belt (extended to a sufficient height) and is equipped with 8 13.5-inch guns. The speed is 27 knots, but its displacement is

It weighed more than 26,000 tons. Not only was the Lion's firepower and protection inferior to the Iron Duke, but its weight increased by about 4,000 tons just for the sake of speed.

"Especially in bathtubs like the North Sea and the Mediterranean, because there is no need to break ties and there is not much room for guerrilla warfare, once the two sides meet, it will be a bloody battle. If one side wants to escape, as long as its own protection is sufficient

If we are in place and the escort ships are in place to provide cover, then there will be no problem at all in running back." Xu Jie then analyzed the war situation from the perspective of possible fighting situations between the two sides.

In history, during the Battle of Ridland, after the German High Seas Fleet encountered the British Royal Navy, Sipper commanded the battlecruisers to launch a death sprint. After cutting through the blockade, the entire High Seas Fleet basically returned to the sea under the cover of auxiliary battleships.

In Kiel Port, even those old Dreadnoughts have almost all returned. This fully proves that as long as the cover fleet is in place and relies on the deterrence of torpedoes and smoke cover, the success rate of the large fleet's retreat is quite high, so there is no need to go overboard.

Pursue high speed.

"Auxiliary ships? I found that Mr. Xu is suddenly interested in these small boats. This time, almost all of the cooperation projects with the Italians are small boats." Tirpitz said with a smile.

"I have to say that your country's intelligence agency is really efficient." Xu Jie praised, but he was quite critical of Italy's confidentiality work. "The reason why I didn't build an auxiliary fleet at the beginning was not because it was unimportant, but because it was less important than fighting against the Japanese.

Originally, an efficient main fleet is more practical, but for a fleet that really wants to dominate the ocean, the auxiliary fleet is also very important." Xu Jie paused and continued.

"In addition, if possible, I hope that Germany can use some ideas to break diplomatic relations, such as using camouflaged light warships and submarines to sneak out and attack the other party's sea lines of communication."

"Submarine? It seems that the current submarine is just a toy that can dive. But as General Xu said, with the advancement of technology, if submarines can solve the problems of range and weapons, then submarines are indeed a good way to break the relationship."

Tirpitz thought for a moment and then said.

"In addition, I need to emphasize that if Germany really wants to win over the Turkish Empire, it would be a good choice to help it build a complete naval base in the Persian Gulf. The entrance to the Persian Gulf is narrow. If it can cooperate with the mine array, it will

Provide a very safe port for the fleet, and if the soil

If the Turkish fleet or the German fleet in Turkey can fight out of the Persian Gulf, it will have a fatal impact on a certain country's Indian Ocean routes. However, a certain country does not have a naval base close to the Persian Gulf in the vast Indian Ocean. The strategic significance of this, I

I don’t think there’s any need to say more.” Xu Jie said meaningfully.

"The idea is quite good, but how to win over the Turkish Empire?" Tirpitz asked habitually.

"That is a matter for your country's government and foreign affairs department. My help ends here." Xu Jie said with a smile.

"I would like to ask, isn't your country now going to work with Britain to deal with Russia? Then why are you helping Germany find a way to fight against Britain?" Tirpitz said coldly.

"The reason is very simple. Britain is just using the Beiyang to fight against Russia. In the eyes of the British, the best result is for both the Qing Dynasty and Russia to suffer losses, and then Britain can enjoy the gains and control the Far East alone. And with the fall of Russia, even Russia is still

When it does not fall, Britain may support Japan or the Netherlands and continue to hinder our country's expansion in the Far East. Germany is not the only one in the world who wants to change the old interest distribution system. Do you understand what I am saying?" Xu Jie said.

"To use an idiom in your country, it means making friends from far away and attacking at home? Precisely because Germany cannot project its influence in the distant Far East, we are friends. And for Britain entrenched in the Far East, this is always a problem for your country.

Potential threat? Can I understand it this way?" Tirpitz suddenly realized after thinking about it.

"The answer is correct, you can understand it this way." Xu Jie smiled and nodded.
Chapter completed!