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"He's here!"

Admiral Wilmotz Yankel stood on the bridge of the "Maximilian Grand Duke", looking at the sea in the distance, and said in his mouth. A large cruiser was coming from the sea in the distance. He led the officers on the ship down to the deck and waited for the arrival of the group at the gangway on the starboard side.

The sea breeze in the Red Sea was even on this morning, with a hint of heat. In the rising sun, the heavy cruiser "Zagreb" drew waves on the sea surface and had already begun to slow down on the sea surface near the battleship, and finally almost stopped on the sea surface.

A light gray traffic boat was placed on the sea from the "Zagreb". The crew of the ship was wearing snow-white naval uniforms, gathered on the long fore deck under the main turret, standing attentively, waiting for the emperor's arrival. Behind the starboard side, short commands and whistles of the officers on duty sounded, but people saw how the traffic boat the emperor was riding was lifted onto the warship. After a while, the emperor appeared on the side, followed by more than a dozen senior government officials and army and naval generals of the empire, General Yankel, commander of the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet of the empire, accompanied by the emperor and began to review the officers and soldiers on the ship.

The sun shone on the deck, the military band was playing the national anthem, and the emperor walked past the front of the queue with a smile, waved his hand from time to time to greet the officers and soldiers.

After a brief review ceremony, a formation composed of the battleship "Maxmilian" and the cruiser "Zagreb" immediately set sail and headed towards the Indian Ocean.

Admiral Yankel accompanied the emperor back to the chief's cockpit under the stern deck, "We have to go to Zanzibar first, Wilmotz." Lee Haydn said.

Yankel was stunned. According to the plan, there was no such voyage, which was obviously the emperor's temporary decision.

"The German emperor was on vacation there. We need to issue a joint statement on the situation in the Far East," Leheiden explained.

"As you wish, I'll make arrangements later." Yankel said, the warship would have to sail in the Red Sea for two and a half days. There was no hurry.

"Yankel, are your chessboard and chess pieces still there?" said Lee Haydn.

"But now, I rarely touch it now, there are many things, and I don't often go on warships," said Yankel.

"How is the Go champion in Trieste now?"

"I'm already unfamiliar, Your Majesty. Now I can play chess not only occasionally on warships, but I rarely have time to play chess." Yankel spread his hands and then ordered the orderly soldiers to go to his cockpit to bring a heavy Go board and chess piece.

"Wilmotz, you've been in the fleet for sixteen years, right?" said Lee Hayden. He took out a bottle of red wine from the wine cabinet, poured himself a glass, and then poured another glass for Yankel.

"It was seventeen years, your Majesty," said Yankel.

"Look, I remember it wrong. You were a young man back then, and now your hair is gray." Lee Hayden laughed, "Are the children all good? I still remember your eldest son is Vicker."

"They are good, but the wife passed away and I married another one," said Yankel. "Vickel is now serving in Indochina."

"Oh, is it also a navy?"

"Well, but he's a pilot. He's served in the Navy Air Force."

While talking, the orderly man brought Yankel's Go in.

"The chess board and chess pieces are very good." After looking at the chess board, he took out a white piece and knocked it on the chess board, and said in appreciation, "The authentic chess board and white clam chess pieces are of great value."

"Is it really expensive? This was given to me by a Japanese officer named Yamamoto a few years ago." Yankel said.

"Yamamoto? Fifty-six?" Li Haidn suddenly said.

"Yes, yes, it's a name with numbers. Your Majesty also knows this person?" Yankel was a little surprised. The emperor wouldn't even know the situation of a Japanese naval colonel, right?

"Oh. I've heard of him, do you know his situation?" said Lee Haydn.

"I don't know very well. I heard that it was a director of their naval aviation department, but I knew him in the United States. At that time, he was a member of the Japanese disarmament delegation. When I heard that I could play Go, I gave this piece and a board. However, his chess skills were not very high, and they were comparable to me."

"What a great opponent. Maybe you will have a chance to compete on the battlefield in the future." Li Haidn said.

Yankel was shocked. The emperor was suggesting that the empire might be involved in a war into the Far East. This was the first time he had heard such a statement.

"Do you mean we must be involved? Your Majesty."

"The Japanese are ambitious in the Far East. They intend to unify East Asia. The so-called "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Circle" they promote has clearly expressed this idea. But we are unwilling to lose China, which is the most important market for us." Lee Hayden said, "In order to ensure China's security, the empire will at least do its best to help the Chinese resist their invasion, and may even join the war. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes, your majesty, I already understand that if the Chinese cannot resist, the empire will send troops." Yankel said, "Your intention to visit the Far East this time is to prevent the Japanese from using force?"

"It has this meaning, but no one can stop this war. The Japanese invaded the Liaodong Peninsula and Taiwan. If China becomes stronger, they will definitely provoke a war between China and Japan. The two countries can no longer reconcile." Li Haidn said, "I just want to delay the time of this war. The longer the time, the more beneficial it is for the Chinese. If the war takes place ten years later, then we will not take action."

"But after the Chinese become stronger, our colonies in Indochina will be difficult to save," said Yankel. "This is also the French who took the territory from the Chinese. Westerners are actually full of fear of the Chinese. A Dutch army once told me that if China becomes stronger, then the Dutch East Indies will not be able to protect it. There are now 35% of the Chinese."

"What does that matter? What do we want to do in those places? In fact, all we need is colonial markets. If these markets continue to be open to us, it is not something that cannot be considered even if they are left to the Chinese to manage. Of course, there must be a certain amount of compensation here. If we insist on occupying there, we will not be able to save it even through war. When a country becomes strong, it is better to establish a good relationship with it as soon as possible. This is a single national country with a population of 500 million. Do you think it will continue to decline?"

"No, she is actually developing rapidly now." Yankel finally understood what Lee Haydn meant. The empire just needed a huge market in the Far East, so that it would have to maintain good relations with China.

However, he still thought that the emperor's idea of ​​the empire's direct troops was a bit whimsical. (To be continued)

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Chapter completed!