At sunrise, the royal train with graceful appearance and luxurious interior was set off from Brandenburg. The German Emperor William II sat proudly at the dining table, fried eggs, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, and toast with a savory look. It was obvious that his good mood made him have a big appetite.

The royal servant, who is good at observing words, watched the emperor without saying a word and was blowing away the clouds on the dining table. Until he untied the tablecloth, he said: "Your Majesty, General Von Muller, the chief of the Navy Cabinet, and General Stein, the First Director of the Army's Military Chief, will get on the bus at Pritz Station."

The Emperor of Germany did not say anything, but stared at the front in a daze. After a while, he finally made a loud burp and nodded with satisfaction: "Oh, I understand."

The attendants removed the plate and served cigars and newspapers. William II smoked leisurely and casually flipped through the newspaper in front of him, as if he felt that the large amount of reports of the army crossing the border toward the heart of France was boring. When he saw the attendant walking into the carriage, he asked from a distance: "Hey, Ross, what good news did we bring?"

The gait-protected attendant obviously knew what the emperor was expecting, and he replied: "Yes, Your Majesty, the Fleet Command has taken a long password telegram, so we spent some time interpreting and proofreading, the content is very shocking and absolutely inspiring, you see!"

William II placed the cigar on the ash box and took the telegraph clip with his right hand. In order to meet his needs, the handwriting on it was written very well and the font was relatively large, so several telegraph papers were divided into two parts.

For about a quarter of an hour next, William II read the telegram quietly, and his flying eyebrows told his happy mentality at this moment.

As they approached the platform, the train slowly slowed down. Outside the window, soldiers carrying live ammunition could be seen. Admiral Muller, a senior officer, and Lieutenant General Stein, who came from two different directions, were quietly waiting for the train to stop surrounded by their adjutants. They held their heads and chests, but their expressions seemed a little unnatural.

When the train was stable, William II had read the telegram for the second time. The telegram was like a big magnet, firmly attracting his attention. It was not until the servant reminded him that he realized that the generals had arrived.

"Come on, sit down!" The German Emperor greeted Muller and Stein with glorious faces, asking if they had used breakfast. When they learned that both of them had filled their stomachs, he asked them to smoke cigars and said to Muller: "Have you read this latest battle report?"

Mueller took the telegram and looked at it, shook his head.

"We defeated the British Navy last night." The German Emperor said to Stein, who was beside him with joy. In the army, the role of the First Military Chief of Staff is equivalent to that of the Deputy Chief of Staff. Moltke Jr. had worked in this position for several years before becoming the Chief of Staff and received competent evaluation.

"Oh?" Stein widened his eyes in surprise.

William II nodded with certainty: "In an undisputed victory, we sank at least 12 British battleships, at the cost of just one battleship and three old battleships, and also lost some cruisers and torpedo boats. Above the North Sea, the German fleet was already rampant."

Before this, Mueller had obviously known many of the naval battles. While reading the telegram, he said meaningfully: "After this extremely unexpected night, in terms of the number of main ships and tonnage, we have surpassed the British Navy to become the world's number one."

The attack plan of the High Seas Fleet was personally approved by the German Emperor. For the need for confidentiality, there were very few people in the German high-level circles who knew about this plan. Mueller, who was not the same as Tirpitz, was obviously excluded from the ranks of insiders.

The German Emperor picked up the cigar, and the winner's posture made the pair of high-profile beards look even more arrogant.

Although the navy's great victory overcame the light of the army, standing at the height of the country, this is definitely a message worthy of everyone's celebration. Stein said: "That's great! The war has just begun, and we defeated a powerful enemy. Victory will definitely belong to the great Germany and the great German Emperor!"

"Haha..." William II burst into laughter without any concealment.

Mueller, who was reading the telegram, suddenly sighed: "It's a pity that the loss of the 'King Albert' was actually a torpedo fired by a dying enemy..."

"What's this!" said the German Emperor indifferently, "The officers and sailors on the ship have almost no losses. They can quickly replenish the newly built battleship. With control of the ocean, we have everything. With our 'Hohenzollern genius', the German Navy will have more powerful battleships in the first class!"

Mueller seems to intend to sing a "opposite" with William II today: "As His Majesty wished, we have broken the myth of the invincible British Navy. The next situation is very beneficial to us. The British Navy will be unable to block the North Sea, and the morale of the military has also been hit hard. If they can be hit hard one or two more times, we will have a chance to force them to withdraw from the war alone. However, before this, our maritime shipping lines will be frozen, and all merchant ships can only continue to stay in the port and wait, and domestic supplies will become increasingly scarce."

William II said confidently: "The British Navy does have the strength to continue fighting, but I am skeptical whether they have the confidence to continue fighting. At this time, my cousin George must have known about the fleet's defeat. He should consider my peace proposal a few days ago. This is also an appropriate time. As long as the responsibility is put on the head of the cabinet and let those professional politicians take responsibility, he is still a good king respected by the British people."

Mueller did not say a word about this.

"Don't worry, this war will not take a few months." William II turned to General Stein, "I'm right?"

"That's inevitable." General Stein looked embarrassed and perfunctory.

The German Emperor noticed Stein's unnatural expression, slowly put away his smile and sniffed two cigars: "The fortress around Liege is still in the hands of the Belgians?"

"Yes, your majesty." Stein said with his head down, "The resistance of the Belgian army is much stronger than we thought. They are disdainful of our persuasion. Because of the limited force, Emilch's troops are waiting for reinforcements."

The German team's attack on the Belgian fortress city of Liege kicked off on August 4. This place is known as the "No. 1 fortress in Europe". The scattered artillery bases form a fortress group. The complete defense system and the resolute resistance of the Belgian army made the German offensive troops with absolute advantage. It was not until August 7 that the Meuse River Group commanded by Emilch led the city of Liege. However, most artillery bases around the city were still under the control of the Belgian army, and the battle was far from over. Liege's stalemate was completely beyond the expectations of the German General Staff, and it also seriously affected the German plan for the Western Front.

"The German Navy completely defeated the British fleet with its superior strength with a disadvantage. The German Army could not capture the fortress guarded by the regular Belgian army and some civilian police guards with 120,000 people. It still needs to stop and wait for reinforcements. How surprising is this?"

Faced with the reprimand of the German Emperor, Stein opened his mouth but had nothing to say.

William II breathed heavily and asked, "When will our siege heavy artillery arrive in Liege?"

Stein quickly replied: "The first batch is tonight at the latest."

The German Emperor said: "Then, I hope that the German army's battle flag will be planted in most of the fortresses in Liege tomorrow, and at this time the day after tomorrow, we can proudly issue a communiqué to the whole world that the German team has captured the most solid fortress in Europe."

The heavy siege mortars made by German Krupp and Austro-Hungary Koda have the terrible power to destroy everything. When these heavy artillery arrives, there is only a matter of time left for the German army to capture Liège.

Immediately afterwards, the German Emperor lowered his voice and said to Stein: "If we don't move the stumbling block of Liège, our entire right wing will not be able to unfold smoothly. The decisive victory of the navy greatly improved the situation of Germany's war, but it is not enough to solve all problems alone."

Stein's expression was awkward, but he had to keep saying "yes".

The German Emperor waved his hand and signaled Stein to leave first.

"Your Majesty, you just happened to mention the communiqué. When will we announce the victory of this naval battle to the public?" Muller asked in due time.

"Of course the faster the better." William II thought for a while, "I want to announce the news in Kiel."

Mueller should say: "Since that's the case, I'll start preparing now. But there's another problem... Your Majesty, the commander of this naval battle... does not seem to be General Ingnoll, the commander of the fleet."

"Hmm?" The German Emperor was surprised by this.

Mueller continued: "Last night we received some of the fleet's communications. Judging from the content, it seems that His Highness Prince Joachim is commanding the fleet."

"Is there such a thing?" The German Emperor stared at Muller for a few seconds, then turned his eyes out of the car window and explained himself: "Joheng is the chief of staff of the fleet. If General Ingnoll cannot perform his duties, he is indeed the first person to take over the command. More importantly, no matter who is commanding the fleet, we have won a naval battle that completely turns the situation around."

Muller smiled with a modest expression and said, "You are right. If His Highness Prince Joachim commanded this naval battle, it would be better to prove the superiority of royal blood. In terms of age, appearance, origin, etc., His Highness's conditions are indeed more suitable for becoming an idol of the whole nation than General Ingnore, and can inspire the morale of the army and the people."

However, the German Emperor did not particularly agree with Mueller's point of view. He was a little hesitant and must have some concerns in his heart.

Mueller obviously took this and said: "His Royal Highness is an excellent army commander, commanding the 5th Legion to fight bravely on the Western Front, and His Royal Highness Joachim commanded the fleet to defeat the British Navy. The two echoed each other, how could Germany have the truth to be invincible?"

This was obviously a secret reference, but the Emperor of Germany did not say anything after hearing this.

Mueller was a little disappointed. He blinked a few times and said, "Your Majesty, do we take the opportunity to send a peace signal to the British royal family when we win this naval battle? I think that the war with Germany is largely driven by interests by the British Cabinet and Parliament, not the full will of the British royal family."
Chapter completed!