Chapter 452 Bismarck's Dead Face (First Update, Please Subscribe)
August in London is the best time of the year. There is neither the drizzle of spring nor the fog covering the city in winter. There is only bright sunshine and good news one after another.
In the bright sunshine, people came out of their homes. They enjoyed the sunshine in the parks and in the suburbs. Ladies held parasols and wore gorgeous dresses, enjoying the beauty of summer.
However, not everyone has such leisure time.
Yan Fu was walking on the street with a frown on his face. At this moment, he seemed to be in a heavy mood.
He didn't know where to go, he just walked aimlessly in the city. After reading the article in the newspaper, he couldn't concentrate, and even many thoughts that shouldn't have come to his mind kept popping up.
So, when he realized that he had come to this place, he couldn't help but be shocked.
Opposite is the South China Embassy in London. Compared with the small building rented by the Qing Dynasty's envoy, this is a rather tall building with people coming in and out from time to time.
"Phoenix...it should be Suzaku!"
Yan Fu, who was standing across the street, looked at the "Red Bird" flying on the flagpole and thought silently in his heart.
In order to conceal his actions, he walked to the newsstand and pretended to be browsing newspapers and magazines.
Just then he heard the newspaper vendor shouting.
"Read the newspaper, read the newspaper. The South China airship unit has arrived in Europe and will soon fly to France. South China has declared war on Prussia."
The news in the newspaper made Yan Fu tremble all over.
It was this news that made him feel uneasy for a long time.
Nanhua actually declared war on Prussia.
Nanhua actually sent out their airship troops.
Nanhua...
Countless thoughts swirled in his mind, and everything finally converged into one word.
Nanhua!
Staring at the embassy opposite, time passed by unknowingly. At this time, Yan Fu saw a gentleman in a mandarin jacket and robe walking towards him.
It was Guo Songtao, the Chinese ambassador to Britain.
"Mr. Minister, why are you here..."
Guo Songtao was not surprised to see Yan Fu here. Yan Fu, who was studying at the Naval Academy, had been helping out at the embassy during the holidays. He admired this young man very much and just nodded slightly.
"Have you read the newspaper?"
Guo Songtao greeted him.
"Yes, sir."
"What do you think about this?"
"The rebels have spared no effort to send troops from thousands of miles away to participate in the war in Europe. Their warmongering is not beneficial to the common people. When the time comes..." Yan Fu did not continue speaking. He saw the envoy looking at him, smiling.
"Tell the truth!"
"My Lord, Nanhua was able to send airships to France to help the war from a distance of an ocean. This shows that their strength is truly amazing. Once this battle becomes famous in Europe, it will definitely be a blessing for our Qing Dynasty!"
Nodding slightly, Guo Songtao looked at the embassy opposite.
"Let's not talk about this for now. You are a naval student and you know more about military affairs than I do. I want to ask you, what do you think their airships can do? Can they help the French?"
Guo Songtao thought about it and finally sighed.
"I'm worried that they will end up with nothing! Ji Gao is a man of great talent, how can he be so short-sighted? What does the dispute between the West have to do with me? Why should I interfere in this matter?"
He and Zuo Zongtang were from the same hometown and were very familiar with each other. Originally, Guo Songtao only thought that Zuo Zongtang had died in Zhejiang, but he never imagined that he was not only alive, but also was highly valued in Nanhua.
Such an opportunity is something you can't envy.
Despite their different ideologies, Guo Songtao had no hostility towards Nanhua, let alone Zuo Zongtang. After hearing about the declaration of war, he was extremely worried.
"The French and Prussians have started fighting. Whether they win or lose, it has nothing to do with Nanhua. What if France loses and Nanhua gets involved in this mess? How will it end then?"
Yan Fu nodded slightly at the minister's words.
"But, I hope, the airship is really as powerful as the newspapers say!"
How powerful are airships?
No one in Europe could explain why, but one thing was certain: in 1870, airships were the killer weapon of the era.
A weapon that is enough to make any soldier change color.
In a French manor on the front line, when Moltke learned that the airship sent by South China had arrived on the Spanish coast, his first reaction was - how is this possible.
What is the second reaction?
I just feel extremely nervous inside.
As the maker of the war plan, the war was within his expectations from the very beginning. There were not many changes and the war was completely under his control.
But the only thing he didn't take into account was Nanhua's airship!
"General, you look very unhappy!"
Seeing the Chief of Staff's grim expression, William I, the King of Prussia, said.
Looking up, Moltke looked at His Majesty the King and asked.
"Your Majesty, do I look so bad?"
"It's uglier than the human specimens soaked in formalin in the hospital."
William I joked.
"I met—"
Moltke, who was hesitant to speak, thought about it.
It was the first time that William I discovered that his chief of staff's thoughts were reflected on his face. That half of the sentence was completed.
"We have a problem."
"That's true."
William I nodded, as if confirming his own thoughts.
"When the war was first declared, I didn't think airships were a big deal. Even when South China declared war on us, I just thought of it as a joke!"
In fact, everyone treated this matter as a joke.
An American country declared war on a European country?
This is a joke in itself!
The New World... has always been a colony of European countries. How could they declare war on European countries?
In everyone's eyes, this was just a verbal declaration of war, and even a joke was born in the General Staff - the "Nanhua-style declaration of war."
It just remains verbal and is just righteous empty talk.
But now, the news from Spain overturned everyone's ideas, and even Moltke tried his best to overcome his inner uneasiness.
After all, the emergence of airships is definitely a huge uncertainty factor, and this factor is the most taboo in war.
"My Chief of Staff, I remember that we seemed to have made some preparations. Have you forgotten?"
In fact, they had made some preparations to deal with the French airships, but unexpectedly, the French did not get the airships, but Nanhua sent their airships instead, and they even declared war on Prussia.
"Yes, of course. I haven't forgotten."
"Well, let's welcome the rest together!"
His Majesty's words made Moltke's expression change slightly. At this moment, all the uneasiness on his face disappeared, and he said seriously.
"Your Majesty, I am sorry to have made you laugh."
William I raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"So my Chief of Staff, what now? What are we going to do?"
"Well, let's proceed as planned..."
This time, Moltke no longer felt uneasy. He picked up his pocket watch, took a look at it, and then said.
"The Guards Division will begin its attack in an hour. I congratulate Your Majesty on the greatest victory of the century."
An hour later, amid the roar of Krupp's heavy artillery, the German Confederation Army's attack began...
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(End of this chapter)
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