Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 442 Meeting Hindenburg (2)
"William, you said that we are friends, and we talk about everything between friends, but I found that you seem to have serious concerns when you come to Hong Kong this time." Guan Xuqing's eyes flickered, looking at William's gloomy face.

William II said weakly: "Your Majesty, you may not know much about Hindenburg. What is your first impression of him?"

"I think this person is very witty and has the courage of a soldier, but it seems that he still lacks strategic vision and commanding skills. I am afraid that these people are not enough to be the military commander of the German Empire." Guan Xuqing said tentatively.

William froze for a moment, and said in disbelief: "My friend, you are indeed very discerning. It is unbelievable that you have grasped his characteristics through a brief contact. It is unbelievable. Before worrying, I want to introduce you to Hindenburg."

"All ears." Guan Xuqing nodded.

"Hindenburg was born in an aristocratic family in Posen, East Prussia. His father was a second lieutenant officer, and his mother was the daughter of a military doctor. Hindenburg was influenced by the Prussian militaristic spirit since he was a child, and he aspired to be a soldier. In 1866, the Austro-Prussian War The outbreak. The young second lieutenant officer who had just graduated from military school led a platoon to follow the troops to Bohemia and participated in the Battle of Sadova. Three months later, he returned with the army victorious and passed the Berlin Arc de Triomphe for the first time. In 3, the Franco-Prussian War broke out. Hindenburg participated in the battle as the adjutant of the commander of the 1870st Battalion of the [-]rd Infantry Guards Regiment. Soon, the commander of the regiment was injured in the battle, and the commander of the [-]st Battalion acted as the acting commander. Followed by a promotion. Iron Prime Minister Bismarck unified Germany through three dynastic wars. As a representative of the troops, Hindenburg participated in the ceremony held in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles. He was promoted from lieutenant to captain and studied at the Berlin Military Academy After graduating, he worked in the Army General Staff Headquarters. His superiors, Old Moltke and Sliffin, appreciated him very much. From then on, I also began to pay attention to him. Afterwards, his official career was prosperous, he rose step by step, and became the commander of the Fourth Army .”

William's expression changed drastically as he narrated, "World War broke out, and he re-enlisted. At that time, the German army was in a favorable position for the war at the beginning. German tanks captured Belgium and Luxembourg, and drove straight into it. It pointed directly at Paris, France. However, in the Battle of the Marne, the German army faced the multi-faceted attack of the British and French allied forces and the small countries of the Allied Powers, and lost in many major battles. So since then, the little Moltke has been attacked by the military command and the Empire Due to widespread doubts and fierce criticism from the public, I also had to re-examine his commanding skills. After the recommendation of the Imperial Military Command, I appointed Hindenburg as the commander of the Eighth Army on the Eastern Front, and Ludendorff as his deputy. Later facts proved that this decision was correct. Of course, there is another more important reason, that is, your imperial cavalry participated in the European war in time and completely reversed the unfavorable situation of the German army. Because of Hindenburg’s victory in this war, With many impressive achievements, his reputation among the army and the people has improved dramatically. On the contrary, Little Maoqi was criticized because of the failure of the initial attack. As a last resort, I had to strip Little Maoqi of his position and let him return to his hometown temporarily Avoid the limelight, and at the same time appoint Hindenburg as Chief of Staff of the Imperial Army. But this decision has become something that I regret for the rest of my life."

Guan Xuqing vaguely guessed what was about to happen, but he still pretended to be surprised and asked: "It is a good thing for you and your country to select a commander with outstanding talents, how could it be a pity? Woolen cloth?"

William sighed and said, "Hindenburg is an ambitious, insidious and cunning guy. I was stranded in Beijing to seek your help during the World War. I didn't expect that during this time, Hindenburg had secretly put the desperate Most of the high-ranking officers of the German army were recruited to him. Before the Beijing peace conference, I appointed him as the chief of the general staff. He took this opportunity to control the military command in one fell swoop, and replaced all my cronies there with After the Beijing Peace Conference, I returned to Berlin, only to find that the military command of the German army had completely fallen into the hands of Hindenburg at that time." William's face became distorted with pain and regret .

Guan Xuqing took a deep breath, and a lot of doubts just now suddenly became clear. Wilhelm II has already said very clearly that during his stay in Beijing, the command of the German army was stolen by Hindenburg. In the country, the absence of the supreme military command means that the imperial power has also been emptied.It seems that in these short three years, such a serious power change happened in Germany.These people have been busy governing the country themselves, and they pay much less attention to countries in the world, especially Germany.

"It was only later that I learned that during the time I left Berlin, Hindenburg and others tried their best to steal military power, and on the other hand secretly encouraged Berlin's news media and public opinion to criticize Maoqi's military incompetence. The emperor of the German Empire even accused him of avoiding the disaster of the war, which aroused the people's extreme dissatisfaction with me and Xiao Moqi. At the same time, it also strengthened his prestige among the army and the people. My friend, Germany is no longer I belong to me again, I am being spurned by my people and my subordinates, and I am about to be abandoned by the Germanic nation." Having said this, William II couldn't help crying like a child anymore.

Guan Xu listened quietly, Wilhelm II had already lost the actual ruling power over Germany. No wonder Hindenburg appeared very arrogant in front of him. It is not difficult to understand why Hindenburg tried his best to please himself , because if he wants to gain a firm foothold in Berlin, he has to carefully consider China's ideas.But seeing the embarrassment of the former emperor of the German Empire, I couldn't help feeling a bit of sadness in my heart.

He patted William II's shrugging shoulders and said, "William, now that things have come to this point, what's the use of being sad? As the emperor of the German Empire, you have brought this country to a glorious and prosperous stage." , you have completed your historical mission and realized your dream, there is no need to think about so many things anymore. It is a good thing to just take this opportunity to sit down and have a rest."

William raised his head abruptly, his eyes flashed with the aggressive light at the beginning, he held Guan Xuqing's hand tightly, and said, "Dear brother-in-law, I am not reconciled, I will never be reconciled. Deutsch can go as far as How much painstaking efforts have I put into today's step, how can I just watch the great achievements I made with my own hands fall into the hands of others. We are best friends, and I sincerely ask for help, to help me regain the lost power, I and my empire will be forever indebted to you."

Guan Xuqing's heart skipped a beat. Despite William's repeated urging, he bowed his head and remained silent for a long time, thinking repeatedly in his mind.

This is by no means something that can be easily agreed. If you help William II seize the lost power, it means that the empire must solve this problem by force, otherwise Hindenburg and the German army under his control will never agree. Yes, but is the point worth it?
Is there any difference between the German regime held by Wilhelm II and the regime held by Hindenburg?There should be no difference.In contrast, William was a very powerful monarch. Germany under his control was a country with a highly centralized regime. For such a country, it was impossible for foreign forces to infiltrate it.But now the situation has changed dramatically. William was spurned by the army and the people. Hindenburg had just taken over the military power, but his heel had not yet been firmly established. period, and Hindenburg also took the lead in casting an olive branch to himself. If Hindenburg can be held back at this time, then the opinions of the empire will be taken seriously by Hindenburg in the future, and every move of the empire will also influence Germany. , the Reich may even have a foot in Berlin.

However, as for Hindenburg and his attitude towards China, we have not yet grasped the specifics, and we cannot make a final judgment on many things. World, and hastily offending the current German military command, there is no need to launch a battle for power against Germany for William II.Even if there is a certainty of victory in that way, it will definitely consume huge financial and material resources of the empire.

William kept saying that he and himself were friends.friend?In the face of national interests, in the political arena, are there any real friends?joke.

After thinking about this point, Guan Xuqing smiled and said to William: "As a friend, I will agree to all your requests, but this matter is not trivial, we should discuss it in the long run."

In a word, William already understood the thoughts of the Chinese emperor. If it were him, he would not start a war hastily for a down-and-out emperor, and he couldn't continue to insist on it. In the end, he had to say: "Okay then. , I will patiently wait for the opportunity of revenge. But now that I have been abandoned by my country and people, my political prestige has been discredited, and my power has been deprived by them. If I continue to stay in Berlin, sooner or later I will be assassinated So I ask you for political asylum, and I hope to get political asylum in China. Will you disagree with this request?" William said in an almost pleading voice.

Guan Xuqing said very happily: "Okay! This is not a problem. As long as you want, you can live in China anytime. The palace prepared for you in Beijing welcomes you anytime."

Tears welled up in William's eyes, and he held the emperor's hand tightly again: "Thank you, thank you, my most sincere friend!"

(End of this chapter)