The sun never sets.

"The Tsar will not be so kind. If we lay down our weapons, we will definitely be massacred!"

"You are talking about Nicholas II. The current Tsar is Olga I."

"Neither Nikolai nor Olga can be trusted!"

Frunze said with a serious expression: "If Comrade Lenin insists on surrendering to the Tsar, please allow me to take the troops back to my hometown to fight guerrilla warfare."

The Bolshevik comrades were unable to come to terms with the situation. They had just been fighting the Tsar's lackeys, but now they were joining the other side. No, this was absolutely not acceptable!

"Comrades, we must distinguish between the main contradiction and the secondary contradiction..."

Stalin raised his head and looked at Lenin, then took a deep puff of his pipe. He was very familiar with what Comrade Lenin said. His education level was not very high, so he could only understand the principles, but it was difficult for him to express them in his own language.

Although Comrade Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was eloquent, it was difficult to get his comrades to do a 180-degree turn. They had just joined forces with the Germans, and now they were working for the Tsar. Such a series of drastic changes caused confusion among the Bolsheviks at both the top and the bottom.

Lenin knew that the Bolsheviks and the Soviet government had little time left, and he needed the Golden Express to persuade other comrades. Kamenev and Zinoviev were now on his side, and these two comrades had many surrender tendencies. Now they needed to persuade comrades such as Trotsky, Frunze and Stalin.

Time is running out, he needs to speed up this process.

The weather had been sunny for a few days, but now it was gloomy again. Snowflakes fell from the sky, drifting and scattering all over the world. The debate in the room was still fierce. William II withdrew his gaze from the air, and his attention returned to the real world that was giving him a headache.

"......Our army failed to annihilate the main force of the Russian army on the Eastern Front. Chief of the General Staff Ludendorff bears an unshirkable responsibility!"

"The Chinese army entered Ukraine and our army suffered heavy casualties..."

“The Italian problem should be solved first!”

"The Anglo-French coalition is the biggest threat!"

"Perhaps we should accept Russia's armistice terms......."

"This is a betrayal of Germany!"

As the U.S. military filled the battlefields on the Western and Southern Fronts, the German army became increasingly distressed, and the contradiction between Ludendorff and Hindenburg became unprecedentedly intensified. Germany's resources were limited. Even though the German army was the best in the world, it could only choose one of the three fronts: the Western Front, the Southern Front, and the Eastern Front. The German army could guarantee victory on one battlefield, but would be weak in the other two wars.

This was determined by the Allies' poor geographical environment. No matter how talented Ludendorff was, he could not solve the problem of shortage of resources, including human resources.

At the beginning of the war, the German army still had an advantage in weapons and equipment. However, as the war entered its fourth year, the Allies quickly made up for their disadvantage in weapons and equipment.

As the number of Allied aircraft and tanks increased dramatically, it was now the German army that was at a disadvantage in terms of weapons and equipment.

The army failed to achieve a decisive victory, the navy was blocked in the port, and the Allies were almost suffocated. The hunger and cold of last winter left a deep impression on the Germans, and this year's situation was worse than last year.

The average daily food intake of German citizens was only one-third of what it was before the war. There were probably more workers doing manual labor, but the elderly and children were starving to the point of being skin and bones, and the neonatal mortality rate increased significantly.

Although unrestricted submarine warfare had plunged Britain into hunger, and although the food shortage situation in Britain and France was not much better than that in the Allies, this could not change the fact that Germany was about to suffocate.

The Germans barely managed to survive by plundering Romania and Ukraine, resulting in massive starvation of Romanians. Towns became desolate and villages became dilapidated. In order to collect food, the Germans used machine guns, killing a large number of Romanians and causing a surge in the number of local guerrillas.

Those guerrillas had little combat effectiveness, but they caused the cost of the German occupation to increase. After Li Dayan led his troops into Ukraine, the Romanian guerrillas received weapons and equipment, as well as a small amount of food, and became more active after the winter.

Similarly, many guerrillas emerged in Ukraine. Those hungry people were not afraid of anything and were willing to fight for a bite of food.

These are not the problems, the real problem is the lack of food. Too many people died in Romania and Ukraine. Even if the German army defended Ukraine, the production there was bound to decrease next year.

".......The only way to solve the problem is to cease fire with Russia, concentrate our forces to defeat Italy, and finally......"

"Germany cannot accept an unconditional armistice!"

"Damn it! Do we have to continue fighting with Russia? The Bolsheviks are finished! How many troops do we need to dispatch to defeat Russia? Don't forget that there is an even more powerful China behind Russia! Do we have to fight all the way to Chang'an?"

Ludendorff was so angry that his beard stood up, but Hindenburg remained indifferent and just said coldly: "The facts prove that you are not a qualified Chief of the General Staff!"

Chapter 647: Taking advantage of the situation

Ludendorff was furious when he heard this: "If you had listened to me earlier,

How did we end up in such a passive situation? "

"Come on, the Chinese have long made up their minds to intervene in Russian affairs. Even if we adopt the strategy of defending the west and attacking the east from the beginning, it will only make the Chinese end a year earlier, and the situation may be worse!"

William II was upset when he heard this. He looked outside the palace and saw that the light snow had turned into heavy snow. The north wind was howling and the snow was falling heavily.

"That's enough. I don't want to have this meaningless argument with you. Your Majesty, please make the final decision!"

Ludendorff fought very well this year, obtaining two million tons of grain and one million tons of oil from Romania and Ukraine, which greatly alleviated Germany's shortage of food resources.

But Ludendorff's strategy also failed. With the United States and China joining the war, the Allies had almost no chance of winning. Failure to win does not mean failure, but it just means that there is almost no possibility of winning. Ludendorff wanted to let go and make a last-ditch effort.

Maybe it will work this time? After so many disappointments, William II had almost given up hope.

The Kaiser looked at Ludendorff, his chief of staff, and then at Hindenburg, another man who wanted to be the chief of staff. Hindenburg was a good commander of troops, of noble birth, and well-known among the Junkers. But Ludendorff could at least come up with a plan that seemed feasible. What was Hindenburg's plan? Defend the Eastern Front and launch an unprecedented offensive on the Western Front?

Isn't this going back to the old path of Moltke the Younger and Falkenhayn?

It was because the Schlieffen Plan failed that Ludendorff had the opportunity to come to power. Now he is going to implement a plan that has been proven to be impossible?

William II did not speak, but just shook his head. He looked out the palace gate, where the snow was falling heavily. The argument continued for a while, and like the last time, nothing came of it. William II was not a patient man, as could be seen from the fact that he changed the Chief of the General Staff several times.

He had already thought about changing the coach again, but Hindenburg could not come up with an effective strategy. In fact, Hindenburg had an idea, but he just didn't say it.

The quarreling generals left, and William II finally had some peace. He stayed alone in the spacious palace, looking at the map of Europe in silence. Whether on the Eastern Front or the Western Front, the territory of the Allies had expanded a lot.

Even on the southern front, the German-Austrian coalition had already recovered lost territory and invaded Italy. No matter how you look at it, the Allies seemed to have the upper hand.

Why did Germany reach the brink of collapse while winning so many games?

William II has his own opinion on this, but no matter what he thinks, it is of no help to the current situation.

Ludendorff came out of the palace and took a car back to his own residence. Before he entered the door, he heard his wife's laughter. He was not worried about any strange plot. Ludendorff was already in his fifties, and his wife was about the same age, so he didn't have to worry about the old man next door.

He pushed open the door, shook off the snow on his body, put on his shoes, and walked a few steps inside when his wife came up with a smile on her face. "Dear, Xu is here again."

Xu Wuji was the head of the Chinese military observation group in Germany, and he often sent desserts such as chocolate. When Germany fell into a general famine, there were more meats such as bacon, canned food and sausages.

At the beginning of the war, China shipped a large amount of food to the Chinese Embassy by ship. Now there are still a lot of canned food and long-lasting food stored in the warehouse under the embassy.

Later, the British Royal Navy blocked the Atlantic Ocean, and cargo ships could no longer reach German ports. The People's Government switched to air transport. Every week, transport planes flew from Hami Airport to Istanbul, then to Budapest, and then took trains to Berlin.

Even after the People's Army entered Russia, this air traffic line never stopped. Sometimes the transport planes would bring a lot of food, and sometimes the planes would be loaded with various blueprints, intelligence and other things.

The British had great radio decryption technology, and they had penetrated Germany like a sieve. Some information was too important to be transmitted in the most primitive way. Moreover, the telegraph could not transmit the information on the blueprint.

When the plane returns, it will also take away some things, such as intelligence, important people, etc.

Ludendorff walked into the living room and saw Xu Wuji drinking tea. The tea was also shipped from China, and it was said to be produced in Wuyi Mountain. Ludendorff thought it was very good, but he didn't know why it was good.

Seeing Ludendorff coming in, Xu Wuji stood up and said with a smile: "Teacher doesn't look too happy, is it because we didn't reach an agreement on the armistice on the Eastern Front?"

Ludendorff hummed, then said with a straight face: "Germany cannot accept an unconditional armistice!"

His wife pulled his sleeve and said with a smile, "Xu brought some sausages. We just happened to have a few onions at home. I'll make some fried meat with onions for you."

She grew the onions herself on her balcony, but didn't harvest much, so she kept the last few and was reluctant to eat them.

When the woman went to the kitchen, Xu Wuji smiled and said, "The principal has decided to take a step back and use Poland as a buffer zone. This way it won't be considered an unconditional ceasefire."

Ludendorff frowned. "Did you suffer a defeat in St. Petersburg?"

"No. The Bolsheviks can be destroyed in a snap. They can no longer cause any trouble."

"Then why did you make concessions?"

"Ah, this is to show sincerity."

Xu Wuji said: "The German army retreats to Poland, and the Russian army disbands and mobilizes at the same time, and demobilizes the army. In this way, Germany does not have to worry about the problems on the Eastern Front."

"Russia has disbanded its mobilization, but what about China? Will it also demobilize its army?"

“Of course, China will also gradually dismantle the mobilization.”

Ludendorff thought about it and felt that the conditions were not good and were far from what the Supreme Command expected. However, since this could improve Germany's strategic situation, Ludendorff was inclined to accept it.

Xu Wuji added: "Because of the blockade of the Allied Powers, the Central Powers have a large amount of precious metals in their hands, but they have no way to purchase goods from around the world. If a ceasefire can be achieved on the Eastern Front, the Central Powers can use precious metals to buy food and other supplies from China."

"This is taking advantage of the situation."

"No, sir, this is humanitarian aid. Germany is starving, but the government is letting a lot of gold and silver rot in the warehouse. Do you think this is right?"

“Gold and silver do not get moldy.”

Ludendorff retorted, but even he felt powerless. "If we want to achieve an armistice, do the Allies have to withdraw from Ukraine?"

"Of course. Except for Poland as a buffer zone, the borders in other places should be restored to the ones before the war in 1911. Well, the German army can continue to stay in Poland, but the number of troops cannot exceed divisions. We need to send personnel to supervise this."

"Germany must also send personnel to supervise the Russian military's layoffs!"

Chapter 648: Think

Ludendorff talked with Xu Wuji for a while, and then went out again. He wanted to inform the emperor of the new conditions of the new China immediately. To avoid more trouble, he had to go tonight.

"Xu, come with me!"

Xu Wuji declined, "I'm just a messenger. The real negotiations should be conducted by diplomats."

Ludendorff nodded and stopped persuading him.

In the dark night, Berlin fell into silence. One reason was the lack of resources, and the other was to avoid being bombed by Allied aircraft, mainly the former. Germany was not only starving, but also lacked firewood and coal for heating.

It's not that there aren't enough people to do these things.

German Emperor Wilhelm II was already preparing to go to bed, but when he heard that Ludendorff had returned, he had to put on his clothes again and prepare to meet his Chief of General Staff in the hall. The guards relit the charcoal and firewood, filling the semi-enclosed space with warmth.

Others would starve and freeze, but His Majesty the Emperor certainly would not.

During the short time he was waiting for Ludendorff to come, William II wondered why he came at this time. Perhaps it was because of the things that happened during the day. The fire was crackling, and the heavy snow fell on the roof and in the courtyard, making a rustling sound.

You don't have to look to know that the snow is falling heavily.

Ludendorff tightened his clothes, walked through the world of ice and snow, and came before the emperor. "Your Majesty, Lin has given new conditions for the armistice."

William II asked in surprise: "Have the Chinese agreed to cede territory and pay compensation?"

"No, Lin means that Poland should be used as a buffer zone, and the rest of the country should restore the borders before the war in 1911."

William II didn't need to look at the map to know that if this condition was met, the German army would have to give up a lot of land, including Ukraine, the granary. "This is impossible!"

"Romania was not included in the armistice conditions."

William II was slightly tempted. He knew that the Allies were short of food, but oil was more important to the war. With Romanian oil and the food purchased from China, the war could continue.

He hesitated for a moment, and then quickly said: "Since the Chinese have taken a step back, we can make them take a few more steps back! Marshal, Germany does not allow unconditional retreat!"

Ludendorff persuaded William II, "Your Majesty, this is the last chance. If we wait until Lin recaptures St. Petersburg and solves the Bolshevik problem, he will transfer all the troops to the Eastern Front. The Chinese will be able to complete such a transfer before the spring. By that time, we will be begging the Chinese to cease fire!"

The size of the German Army has expanded to tens of millions of people. It is not that so many troops are fighting on the front line, but a considerable number of them are doing auxiliary work in the rear, including transporting supplies and suppressing local forces, etc. Germany's manpower has long been used to its limit. In addition to the newly recruited soldiers who have recovered from the wounded, many of the recruited reserve soldiers are unqualified.

If they had known that the battle would be so tragic, they would have listened to Ludendorff and mobilized all the troops earlier. Now that things have come to this, there is no point in complaining. Ludendorff just wants to resolve the issues on the Eastern Front as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, perhaps you don't know, or perhaps you do, but there are some people in the country who intend to sue for peace with the Allies."

The number of American troops was growing too fast, outstripping the rate at which the British, French, and now Italian forces were being lost on the battlefield. Coupled with the powerful $100 billion loan, the number of Allied aircraft and tanks increased dramatically, presenting an overwhelming advantage.

The Junker officer corps suffered heavy losses in the endless wars. Not only did they lose too much economically, but a large number of outstanding Junker officers died on the battlefield. This led to the army being filled with military officers promoted from civilians.

official.

If the war continued, the Junkers would not see the hope of victory, and the losses would become more and more serious, so many people wanted to negotiate with the enemy. Because the German army occupied a large amount of land of the Allied Powers, Germany's demand was to reach an armistice with Britain and France on the Western Front without ceding territory or paying compensation, which was the same as Russia's demand on the Eastern Front.

"What? There's such a thing? How come I don't know about it?"

"No one told me that!" William II asked in shock.

"Because the price of a ceasefire is your abdication, Your Majesty."

".............", William II was more and more shocked, and then he said angrily: "This is a shameful betrayal! Who, who is involved in these things? I will hang them one by one!"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, you can't do that. Otherwise, the army will rebel!"

"........."

William II looked at Erich von Ludendorff with suspicion. Did the Junkers really want him to abdicate? Or was it just Ludendorff's fabrication?

How could Ludendorff not see the Emperor's suspicion? But he had no good solution to the situation. He could only suppress his anxiety and explain the situation to William II.

"Can't you ask for something more? Like a few billion rubles in reparations?"

William II still did not give up. Germany had invested too many resources on the Eastern Front, and if it did not get enough returns, the domestic capitalists and Junker officers would be dissatisfied.

Ludendorff sighed, stood up, pointed at the heavy snow outside, and said, "Your Majesty, do you know that people freeze to death every day in this city?"