The General Staff of the German Imperial Army.
"The Chancellor has thus asked our military for our opinion on aiding Russia."
As soon as Count Alfred von Schlieffen, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, finished speaking, the General Staff was immediately in an uproar.
Obviously, the reaction was not optimistic.
It must be emphasized again that the Junker nobles of Prussia generally disliked Russia.
"Hans has thrown us another troublesome problem at the beginning of the new year."
Therefore, this matter was also a question that Schlieffen had to treat with great caution.
If it were something like a submachine gun that could directly enhance military strength, he would definitely welcome it with open arms, but aiding Russia was a completely different matter.
"Before deciding whether to provide aid or not, we must first figure out if it is really possible for Russia to lose to Japan. Everyone, feel free to speak up and voice your opinions."
After Schlieffen spoke, the staff officers started to murmur among themselves, and then some began to raise their hands to express their own views.
"No matter how you look at it, it's hard to imagine that Russia will lose to Japan."
"That's right. Even though the Japanese army is well-trained, in the final analysis, it is just a regional power in East Asia. Is the cabinet overestimating Japan?"
"Of course, due to the special geographical environment in the Far East, Japan may gain the upper hand in the early stages of the war, but after all, the gap in national strength between the two countries is still too huge..."
Sure enough, the opposing opinions were in the majority.
Schlieffen thought to himself.
However, he also believed that the opinions of these staff officers made sense.
After all, Russia was still Russia.
Even though it was corrupt, it was still a great power that could be called one of the great powers.
Although Japan had the support of Britain due to the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, could it really defeat that Russia?
Schlieffen was skeptical about this.
"Haha! Ridiculous! The staff officers of the German Empire are actually all a bunch of fat-headed and muddle-headed fools!"
Just then, a rough and familiar voice came from the corner.
Schlieffen couldn't help but sigh.
"It's impossible for Russia to lose to Japan? What a bunch of people blinded by prejudice and common sense."
"Marshal Waldersee, please watch your words and don't insult the staff officers."
Waldersee.
That's right, it's Waldersee again.
"Unbelievably stupid! Listen up, Schlieffen, the Russian Empire can't defeat Japan. They will lose this war."
However, what Waldersee said next couldn't be easily ignored by Schlieffen.
"Your Excellency, Marshal, why do you think so? Please enlighten us."
"Fine, I'll give these idiots a lesson."
Waldersee responded to Schlieffen with his usual arrogance.
This was exactly one of the reasons why even though Waldersee was highly capable, he was still not well-liked.
"He really deserves to be teased by children..."
After being looked down upon by Waldersee, the staff officers all murmured in a low voice and showed dissatisfaction on their faces.
Since returning from China, although Waldersee had returned to his position as Inspector-General of the Armed Forces, due to the failure of the war game incident, he had essentially become an sidelined veteran.
If it weren't for Schlieffen, as the former Chief of the General Staff, taking special care of him, he might not even be able to keep this seat.
"If a war breaks out in Russia, it will definitely transfer supplies and troops from the homeland to the Far East. This is obvious. After all, the weak strength of the Russian troops in the Far East can hardly even withstand one engagement with the Japanese army."
But it seemed that Waldersee didn't notice the whispers of the staff officers behind his back. He continued to talk freely, ignoring the hostility.
"However, considering the distance and Russia's poor railway conditions, it will take at least several months for support to reach the Far East from the homeland. That is to say, Russia will have to go to war with Japan when its supplies, ammunition and troops are all seriously insufficient."
"But Russia has long been aware of this, which is why it's building the Trans-Siberian Railway."
"You fool! If you were Japan, would you just watch Russia complete the Trans-Siberian Railway? Of course, you would start the war in advance!"
"Are you saying that Japan will launch a preemptive attack on Russia?"
Bang!
"Isn't this obvious!"
One of the staff officers asked a question with a dazed look on his face, which enraged Waldersee. He slammed his hand on the table and roared.
"Why do you think they formed an alliance with Britain? The Japanese are eager to drive out Russia and seize Korea and Manchuria! I dare to assert that Japan will definitely start a war within two or three years!"
"But it's just a small country in East Asia. What on earth do they rely on..."
"Has anyone here ever seen the Japanese army?"
"What?"
The staff officers looked stunned.
That was of course impossible. Unless they were dispatched to East Asia, they simply had no chance to see the Japanese army.
"I saw the Japanese army with my own eyes in China. These monkeys are actually well-trained and disciplined. In comparison, the Russian troops in the Far East are just a motley crew gathered from Siberia."
"But the situation of the Russian troops in Europe is different, right?"
Schlieffen mentioned the Russian troops in Europe, and Waldersee nodded.
"Of course, the Russian troops in Europe are stronger. But due to internal problems and supply difficulties, Russia won't be able to fully commit to this war!"
However, Japan is different. They will go all out to ensure victory over Russia in this war.
"If a war breaks out between Russia and Japan, Japan will have the upper hand in land battles. As for naval battles, I'm not an expert and I don't dare to make rash judgments, but most likely the result will be similar."
"As for aiding Russia, that's another issue altogether."
After Waldersee added this, Schlieffen fell into deep thought.
Although Schlieffen also disliked Russia, as Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow had said, the German Empire was already facing a two-front dilemma with France and Russia, and with Britain as a potential enemy, it was clearly a bad strategic move.
"Come to think of it, I really want to know which lunatic in the cabinet proposed aiding Russia."
"... Marshal?"
"It's neither Bülow nor Richthofen. Schlieffen, who on earth is it?"
"Er..."
Beads of sweat appeared on Schlieffen's forehead.
Of course, he knew who it was.
It was Hans, as always, Baron Hans von Joe.
The problem was that once Waldersee found out about this, he would go crazy and create a scene.
Not long ago, Waldersee had set a trap for Hans because of the war game incident, but instead, he was tricked. He was so furious that he smashed all the furniture in his house and even threw Erich Ludendorff, who also advocated targeting Hans, into the Spree River that runs through Berlin.
Although Ludendorff had been saved thanks to Schlieffen's favor, Waldersee's hysteria had terrified everyone.
Schlieffen didn't want to mention Hans' name in this situation. Otherwise, he would be the next one to be affected by the marshal's anger.
'I'm not afraid. I'm just tired of this kind of trouble.'
"Then would you be willing to discuss this matter with the Chancellor together with me?"
"Alright, let's do it then."
So, Schlieffen made a choice – to shift the problem onto Hans.
Hans, this time you can only rely on yourself.
Probably.
...
"Damn it."
When Schlieffen proposed discussing the extent of aid to Russia, someone who shouldn't have been there showed up.
Marshal Alfred von Waldersee.
Probably the person who hated Hans the most in the entire German Empire.
"... Schlieffen, why the hell is that damned monkey here?"
And as soon as Waldersee saw Hans, his face immediately contorted like a mask of an evil spirit.
Although Hans' expression probably wasn't any better either.
"Why did Chief of the General Staff Schlieffen bring this guy here?"
Chief of the General Staff Schlieffen clearly knew the relationship between him and Waldersee.
But he actually brought Waldersee here. What on earth was he thinking?
"Your Excellency, Marshal, that's because the person who proposed aiding Russia is precisely the Baron."
"What?"
Upon hearing Schlieffen's words, Waldersee wore an expression of "This damned brat?!"
And now Hans finally understood what was going on.
'This guy actually shifted the trouble onto me!'
Obviously, he didn't want to deal with Waldersee himself, so he pushed everything onto Hans.
Just look at the way he was avoiding eye contact.
"..."
A heavy silence hung between Hans and Waldersee.
Was it because of the awkward atmosphere?
No. This was a confrontation between their spirits.
"You this..."
"Everyone is here."
Just as Marshal Waldersee was about to say something to Hans, Foreign Minister Richthofen, Chancellor Bülow, and two old men whom Hans had never seen before appeared.
"It's really a timely arrival."
Hans secretly let out a sigh of relief and thought to himself.
If they had been a bit later, something serious might have happened between him and Waldersee.
"Ah, Marshal Waldersee, long time no see. I never expected you to be here."
"Long time no see, Foreign Minister Richthofen. Maybe it would have been better if I hadn't come."
Waldersee said, giving Hans a sidelong glance.
Foreign Minister Richthofen, who understood why Waldersee had such an attitude, just gave a helpless smile and scratched his head.
While Chancellor Bülow was quietly asking Schlieffen why Marshal Waldersee was present, an old man with a beard suddenly walked up to Hans.
"I've finally met the renowned Baron Hans von Joe! Nice to meet you. I'm the Vice Chancellor and Minister of the Interior, Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner. Please take care of me."
"Ah, I've long heard of your great name. Nice to meet you too."
So this was the person Schlieffen had mentioned before.
Later, Hans made a special effort to find out about him. Although this person was of noble birth, he was quite progressive and very concerned about the treatment of workers. Even the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) showed respect for him.
It did puzzle Hans a bit that the Minister of the Interior, who was also the chief of the Prussian Secret Police, could get along so well with those "red-leaning" friends.
In any case, he was a rather unique figure in the political arena of the German Empire.
Hans thought that it might be useful in the future and he should maintain a good relationship with him.
"I'm the Prussian Minister of War, Heinrich Wilhelm Martin von Goßler."
"I'm Baron Hans von Joe, Your Excellency, Minister Goßler."
After shaking hands with the Vice Chancellor, the old man who looked extremely stern also greeted Hans in a serious voice that matched his appearance.
By the way, why is it called the Prussian Minister of War instead of the Minister of War of the German Empire? That's because the German Empire didn't have a government department similar to a Ministry of Defense or a Ministry of War.
On the contrary, the largest principalities that made up the German Empire – the Kingdom of Prussia, the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Saxony, and the Kingdom of Württemberg – each had their own Ministry of War. Among them, the Prussian Ministry of War had the greatest influence.
After all, the foundation of the German Empire had always been Prussia.
"Clap!"
"Since everyone has already met each other, let's start the formal discussion."
Foreign Minister Richthofen clapped his hands and said. Everyone nodded and then took their seats respectively.
The first to speak was the person with the highest status present – Chancellor Bülow.
"The reason we are gathered here, as you all know, is the potential Russo-Japanese War triggered by the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. And Baron Hans von Joe here proposed supporting Russia, so this meeting was convened."
"According to the opinion of the military, if the Russo-Japanese War breaks out, the Russian Empire is very likely to fail. This is the conclusion put forward by Marshal Waldersee."
Schlieffen said, giving Waldersee a sidelong glance.
Come to think of it, Marshal Waldersee did seem to have almost perfectly predicted the outcome of the Russo-Japanese War in history.
He truly deserved to be one of the representative strategists of the German Imperial Army, alongside Helmuth von Moltke the Elder and Schlieffen.
It would be great if his character could be a little better.
"However, is it really appropriate to support Russia?"
"I understand Minister Goßler's concerns. Therefore, if we provide support to Russia, it will be temporary and limited. Our goal is just to ensure that Russia doesn't lose to Japan."
"Okay, so it seems that instead of direct military intervention, we will provide support in the form of weapons and ammunition."
Foreign Minister Richthofen nodded in response to the words of Vice Chancellor Posadowsky-Wehner.
Then the Vice Chancellor showed a smile of approval, as if he was quite satisfied with this proposal.
"Not bad. Moreover, the standard ammunition of the Russian army is not compatible with that of our army."
"Hmm..."
Hearing the Vice Chancellor's words, Minister of War Goßler, who had originally been skeptical about supporting Russia, also showed a thoughtful expression.
Without bullets, a gun is just a club.
And the Russian army didn't even have an adequate supply of its own ammunition. Even if they wanted to use the weapons supported by Germany in the future, they wouldn't be able to fully utilize their effectiveness without sufficient ammunition.
"Our goal is to ensure that Russia maintains its complete combat effectiveness and reaches an appropriate agreement with Japan to end the war. Only in this way can we keep Britain's attention focused on the Russian Empire."
"But the problem is, will Britain tolerate our German Empire's interference in the Russo-Japanese issue?"
Hans tilted his head upon hearing Chancellor Bülow's words.
Indeed, from Britain's standpoint, such a reaction was very likely to occur.
Therefore, Hans planned to draw a country that had interests in East Asia, especially in the Pacific Ocean, into this matter.
"If the United States mediates, Britain should accept it."
"Oh! Indeed, if it's the United States, they are likely to show a positive attitude towards our proposal. After all, to protect their interests in the Pacific Ocean."
Foreign Minister Richthofen showed a positive reaction to this, as if he thought this idea was quite good.
If it were the current President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, he would most likely accept their request for mediation gladly, because this would also help expand the influence of the United States in the Pacific Ocean.
After all, that's exactly what happened in history.