Long live Joachim

Chapter 135: Take Retreat as Progress People feel refreshed during happy events, and this phrase is perfectly applicable to German Emperor Wilhelm II before Christmas in 1914. On the Eastern Front, the German army not only defended the fertile land of East Prussia, but also launched a counterattack into Russian Poland, seizing tens of thousands of square kilometers of land west of Warsaw;On the western front, the German army established victory through the Battle of Paris and the Battle of Rouen. The rapidly advancing German army has successively occupied important cities such as Caen, Cherbourg, and Le Mans. The advance troops of the 1st Army are gradually approaching Brest, the number one military port on the west coast of France;On the northern front, the German navy extinguished the last hope of the British navy to reverse their defeat at a "small" cost. In a little time, the German High Seas Fleet could sail in a strong formation again, and the British could only mourn their lost glory in their memory;In the southern front, the Austro Hungarian Empire was not only defeated by the Russian army, but also ravaged by Serbia, a "small country" with no temper. The three Austro Hungarian army groups were unable to break through the Serbian defense line, and two German army groups solved the problem in just a few weeks. The huge military contrast made the German Empire's dominant position in the German world even more unshakable. In front of this empire ruler with a raised beard, Xia Shu remained low-key and humble as always. In such a solitary setting, the two of them only chatted briefly about naval affairs before getting straight to the point. From the perspective of maintaining and expanding the interests of Germany, it is very necessary for us to promote Ireland to become a monarchy and let them choose a member of the German royal family to be the king. However, Your Majesty, Ireland will definitely face difficult and complex situations after independence. My talent lies in numbers, so I am proficient in mechanical design, commercial operation, and military strategy, but these cannot help much in governing the country. I think no one in Germany is more qualified to rule Ireland than you Xia Shu's straightforward approach surprised William II. After all, Germans have a straightforward personality, unlike Easterners who, even if they are insatiable in their hearts, have to shy away. According to William II's understanding, Xia Shu's statement implies that he does not have much confidence in sitting on the Irish throne. If causal relationships are not considered, William II's ambitious and self proclaimed personality alone would not make him feel that the crown on his head is too heavy or heavy. However, his aides and important officials of the empire still have the most basic common sense in political and diplomatic matters. The disadvantages of having William II concurrently serve as the King of Ireland are definitely much greater than the benefits. If other members of the royal family are elected to sit on the throne of Ireland, the resistance in international political opinion will be much smaller. That's why William II chose his talented and highly respected young son Joachim to entrust his younger brother Prince Heinrich with a deeper consideration of making the prince willingly withdraw from the competition. To secure the throne of a country with millions of people but a backward economy and prominent political contradictions, personal ability, willpower, and reputation are crucial factors. If we carefully weigh these factors, Prince Joachim is indeed the most suitable candidate for the German royal family. However, those who hold the decision-making power do not need to or will not actually conduct such an investigation and analysis, because from the perspective of the German Empire as a whole, it is not important whether the people who go to rule Ireland can make the country prosperous and strong. As long as Ireland stands in the international camp dominated by Germany, it is sufficient. That is to say, with Germany's military force as a guarantee, any son of William II could be competent. The reason why the German emperor chose his youngest son Joachim was not only due to his personal preferences, but also the result of various struggles. In Xia Shu's view, the reason why he was elected as the King of Ireland by the German power class is not because of the support of the majority of those in power, on the contrary, it shows that his foundation in the country is too shallow. Although he has never expressed any intention of entering the political arena, the achievements and reputation he has accumulated now are a considerable amount of political capital. Whether he stays in the military or enters the political arena, or both worlds coexist, he is destined to be invincible. Many people hope that this genius Hohenzollern will leave Germany for their own or potential interests, and letting him become the king of Ireland should be the most noble way. Although it was the result of being ostracized by the bank run, it fulfilled Xia Shu's ultimate ambition of not being inferior to others. He should have hidden and laughed, but after repeated calm thinking, if he went to Ireland as an "exile", his future fate would still be indirectly controlled by others, and he would even simply become a puppet and spokesperson for Germany in Ireland. He would never be willing to become such a role. William II clearly did not see through Xia Shu's thoughts. He explained in a serious tone, "I am old and exhausted from dealing with the affairs of this country every day. I have no energy to bother with the affairs of the Irish. Besides, if the German emperor or crown prince were to wear the Irish crown, the whole world would probably think that we intended to annex Ireland. Now that Britain has been defeated by us, we have no need to bear such a reputation. Jochen, you are our number one hero in defeating Britain. The Irish have always hated Britain, so they are more willing to accept you as their ruler emotionally. All you need to do is continue to maintain their goodwill towards you, and there is no need to worry about anything else. Germany will always be happy to accept you as their ruler. It's your solid backing But I never thought I would one day become a king, and I don't know how to become one. If I can't even do the most basic things well, it will only drag the German royal family into the laughing stock of the outside world Is it difficult to be a king? "William II asked himself and answered," Perhaps! Being a king is the most special profession in human society. Some lead countries to prosperity, like our ancestor Frederick the Great, while others push countries towards destruction, like those incompetent tyrants. With your intelligence and wisdom, Jochen, I believe you can become a good king, and all you need is time, experience, and permanent support from Germany When all parties cease hostilities, Britain will definitely try its best to provoke the Irish Civil War. As far as I know, there is a considerable number of people in northern Ireland who consider themselves British and oppose Irish independence. Many of them have joined the British army to fight against us. If the German army withdraws from Ireland, with the strength of the Irish army, it may not be able to resist the rebel army supported by the British Seeing Xia Shu's gloomy expression, William II immediately promised him that Germany would never withdraw its troops from Ireland, but he himself had no idea how reliable this promise was. From the law of historical development, even if Germany becomes the European hegemon and the world's number one power through its victory in this war, it cannot act recklessly on the international stage. If it makes enemies from all sides and causes public anger, it may repeat the mistakes of Napoleon in the past. According to a secret agreement between the German and Irish independence organizations, after Ireland's independence, Germany will only station troops in leased ports and military bases. If future armed conflicts are limited to within Ireland, the possibility of Germany directly sending troops to participate in the war is actually not high. As Xia Shu observed his words and gestures, he gradually induced, "Your Majesty, if you insist on me becoming the King of Ireland, when I am overthrown in a few years, I hope Your Majesty can restore my rank and position in the German Navy William II had never seen Xia Shu so lacking in confidence before. He pondered behind his desk for a long time without saying a word, finally revealing his trump card - as long as Xia Shu became the King of Ireland, the German government would fund the establishment of a complete military production line in Ireland, from rifles and machine guns to cannons and ammunition, and provide Ireland with a huge interest free loan for 20 years. He also established a military circulation mechanism between Germany and Ireland, allowing German soldiers to voluntarily serve in the Irish army while retaining their military status in the German army and being able to return to the German army at any time. As for the assets under Xia Shu's name, except for shipbuilding, aviation, and tanks related to core military technology that cannot be transferred, the rest can freely circulate according to his personal wishes. This series of conditions is not much different from Xia Shu's expectations. It seems that William II not only gave such generous "gifts" out of love for his young son, but also his overly prominent military achievements and reputation as a naval war god and unbeaten genius may have posed a substantial threat to the legitimate heir, the Crown Prince William. In order to avoid internal friction in this thriving empire, it is only natural to have more "gifts". Having figured out the trump card of the German emperor, Xia Shu began to play. Among the industries under his name, Friedrich Shipyard and Hubert Aviation are undoubtedly the most strategically valuable assets. Since they cannot be transferred and his future development focus must leave Germany, he simply proposed to sell these enterprises to the German government in exchange for weapons and equipment that are much less valuable than their net market value, including Germany's active naval vessels and aircraft. At first, William II hesitated a bit. Upon hearing Xia Shu's explanation that these weapons and equipment were still in the hands of the German royal family after being transferred to the Irish army, he agreed, but limited Xia Shu to only selecting weapons and equipment that did not significantly weaken the German military power. Among them, the ships must be over 10 years old - from the date of service, all frontline main battleships of the German Navy were excluded, and the strongest warships that met this restriction were the German class dreadnoughts and Scharnhorst class armored cruisers. Xia Shu has no objection to this, because it can be foreseen that before Ireland gains independence, the British government will conduct a thorough cleaning of Belfast's shipbuilding facilities, dismantling those that can be dismantled and destroying those that cannot. Without this important shipbuilding center, Ireland does not even have the ability to build a cruiser. Even if the German government generously provides first-class main ships, they cannot carry out daily maintenance and repair, and relying solely on two or three purchased main ships cannot form a truly combat capable naval fleet.