"For the safety of His Majesty the Emperor and the future of Japan, I would like to ask His Highness the Crown Prince to advise His Majesty the Emperor to sign the edict as soon as possible." Ichiro said forcefully to Ikuto.

"Are you really not afraid that this matter will spread? Do you know the consequences? The old guy in the temple asked you to come here just to let you die!" Yuren's clothes were messy, with some dirt and dust on them.

This was something they contracted when they were caught. After being caught, Ichiro was afraid that they would escape, so he locked them in a small palace and guarded them day and night.

I want him to raise the Crown Prince, the grandson of Emperor Meiji. Since his birth, the emperor's prestige and power have prevented him from experiencing any grievances.

The Meiji period also experienced the shogunate period, when the emperor had no power. However, since Ikuto was born, the people around him were respectful, and he enjoyed good food and clothing. When did he ever suffer this kind of injustice?

If the bayonets of those lunatics hadn't been pointed at him, he would have started to curse.

"Your Majesty, if Your Majesty does not sign, I may not be able to guarantee the safety of you and His Majesty the Prince." 1 Lang was a little presumptuous, leaving no room for retreat when he spoke, a naked threat.

This is one of the two major characteristics of the Japanese. They are complacent when they have a slight advantage. The other is that they know small etiquette but have no great meaning.

1 Lang didn't pay any heed to Yu Ren's threat.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, I still have some things to deal with. Please pass this edict to your Majesty for your Majesty to sign it as soon as possible." The first man threw down the edict that he had already written, turned around and left with a stinking face.

boom!

Looking at Ichiro's leaving figure, recalling his arrogance and domineering attitude, Yu Ren had never seen such an arrogant person since he was born, so he threw away the edict and slammed the table.

"Shame! Japan's shame! Traitor! How dare you?..." Ikuto gasped, his eyes red.

The remaining attendants did not dare to look at him head-on. After all, this was their monarch, and according to Japanese tradition, the monarch could execute them at will.

It is not good news to discover that the monarch has lost his temper. How many people have died because of this? So they can only pretend not to hear and hope to get away with it.

…

In the temple's office at the Provisional Government Station, Prime Minister Temple is standing in front of a long table, bending over and placing telegrams in order.

"Is there still no news from Mr. 1?" After putting the telegrams into categories, the temple gave him a hard time.

These telegrams came from various parties in Japan, from nobles, capitalists, big landowners, politicians and... military leaders in various regions.

"I just got a call from No. 1, saying that His Majesty the Emperor is ill and cannot sign the edict. He has asked His Highness the Crown Prince to visit His Majesty the Emperor." No. 2 said honestly.

"Since His Majesty the Emperor is unable to continue to fulfill his rights due to illness, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should be the regent. Don't you understand such a simple truth?" Temple held a telegram and sat aside.

"Hai! I'm going to call him right now." Erlang nodded and bowed, and was about to go out and make a call.

"No...send out the edict of abdication and electrify the whole country in the name of His Majesty the Emperor and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Do this first to avoid long nights and nightmares."

"At the same time, notify Ichiro of this matter, tell him to be optimistic about the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, and strengthen the security of the Imperial Palace. If the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince are lost, then we will wait to die."

The temple looked at the telegram in his hand. It was a telegram from Shan County, warning him very seriously not to mess around, otherwise the whole country would attack him.

But in reality? Except for Shan County, whose attitude was very clear, the telegrams sent by others were more ambiguous.

Of course, this was only the first day, and the contact was still secret. Many people did not express their opinions, but since there was no immediate objection, it has proved the general direction.

When things have developed to this point, the only thing the temple has to worry about is the resistance of middle- and lower-level officers.

As for the top management? Come on, they are all politicians. Everyone is here for profit and loyalty? How much is it worth?

"Hai!" Erlang's face became a little more serious, but his tone remained unchanged and he nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, the Ambassador of the British Empire has arrived." A secretary hurried over, apologized to Mr. Er, walked around him, and walked to the door.

"Invite him to the reception room." Temple put the telegram on the table, stood up, and as soon as he walked out of the door, he told his secretary: "No one can be let in unless I personally give permission."

"Hai!"

…………

Japan is undergoing unprecedented changes, and the main battlefield of World War I far in western Europe is also undergoing changes.

After the First Battle of the Marne and a series of battles codenamed "Running to the Sea", Germany achieved a tactical victory, and the British and French forces achieved a strategic victory.

Originally this was nothing, but in the Balkans, while fighting the Russian Empire, the Allies defeated Serbia on the one hand, and thwarted the Dardanelles strategy of the British and French forces on the other.

After defeating Serbia, the Allies successfully united geographically. Serbia was also the first Allied country to withdraw from the war, and its representative significance was very important.

The defeat of the Dardanelles Battle means that Britain and France no longer have enough power to open up a new battlefield. The three Allied Powers in the Balkans will be able to mobilize a lot of power to launch a new offensive, and the situation of the Russian Empire will be even worse.

In contrast, Germany, which considers itself the leader of the Allied Powers, has never had a good record. No matter how fierce the battle is, it should not be an excuse.

In addition, the war entered a war of attrition, which was very unfavorable to Germany. Even the most stubborn William II knew that Germany could not compare with Britain and France in terms of attrition.

Britain and France had huge colonies to provide resources and manpower, and huge financial markets to provide funds, but Germany, which had lost its sea power, had nothing.

Therefore, Germany planned a new round of attacks.

But what is puzzling is that even though France has already transferred its government to Bordeaux, the Germans are still eyeing Paris.

However, this time Germany had no pre-emptive conditions and could only engage in strategic deception honestly.

This time their target was the northern protrusion of the army, the Fortress of Verdun.

This is a traditional French fortress area with a large number of fortress groups. The French army has 8 divisions stationed here and 632 artillery pieces, including 244 heavy artillery pieces.

In fact, last year, there were thousands of artillery pieces and countless machine guns deployed around the fortress.

However, the Liege Fortress was easily breached by heavy artillery, proving that traditional fortresses were no longer so difficult to breach. Coupled with the lack of equipment caused by the sharp increase in troops, the French army decided to dismantle the artillery here.

At the end of 1915, the fortress garrison was converted into a field army, the defense of the fortress was almost abandoned, and three defensive positions were rebuilt around the fortress.

The defense of the first position is the strongest. It has three lines of defense, namely the cordon line, the support line and the inner fort line. All of them are equipped with trenches, bunkers and traffic trenches. The key support points are made of reinforced concrete.

A wide range of wire barriers were placed in front of the cordon, with a maximum thickness of 40 meters, to delay the impact of German infantry.

The Germans knew all this, so Kaiser Wilhelm II hated attacking here.

The Verdun area was the northeastern protrusion of the French army, threatening the German flank. The Germans did not think of defeating it, but they failed.

After being planned into a trench system, Verdun's frontal defense line was 113 kilometers wide and covered with forests and highlands. It was very suitable for defense, but it was a nightmare for the attacker.

But Falkenhayn convinced William II and the General Staff in one sentence:

"The last drop of French blood will be shed here."

"Then do it, my dear marshal." William II said.

In fact, Falkenhayn chose this place for another important reason: the German troops were insufficient.

On the Eastern Front, Germany achieved several beautiful victories. Not to mention the Russian Empire that pushed the front forward, it also defeated the two main armies of the Russian Empire.

It stands to reason that the Germans should continue to take actions on the Eastern Front. After all, the Russian Imperial soldiers are better at handling their battles and have a weaker will to fight than the British and French soldiers.

However, Germany has no more troops.

As the war progresses, the Germans have armed nearly 4 million people, but they still cannot fill the positions on the east and west fronts. Currently, Germany only has 25 divisions and a strategic reserve of about 500,000 people.

A fully armed army of 500,000, especially a German army, can easily defeat a medium-sized country, but it is not enough on the Western Front.

Not to mention anything else, the British and French allied forces currently have more than 170 divisions on the front line, and at least 50 divisions of strategic reserves.

If you want to open up the situation with 25 divisions, unless the British and French coalition forces make an unforgivable mistake, no one will correct it - except the upper-level collective of the British and French coalition forces, Shi Lezhi.

On the eastern front, 25 divisions can definitely penetrate easily. The question is how far can they penetrate?

100 kilometers? 500 kilometers? Or 1,000 kilometers?

The European part of Russia does not have as developed train lines as Germany, and there are even very few decent roads. With 25 divisions advancing 500 kilometers, another 25 divisions have to be invested to ensure their logistics.

Moreover, Falkenhayn was not sure that he would capture St. Petersburg before winter came. After all, although the Tsar's soldiers were not strong in combat effectiveness, they could not withstand large numbers of people.

If necessary, Tsarist Russia can expand to 10 million people at any time. If Germany invests 25 divisions, on average one German will kill 20 people. Who can withstand it?

The Germans are strong, but they are not superhuman and they are mortal. Even if the exchange ratio is 1 to 10, the Germans will not definitely win this battle.

Germany can bet on the collapse of Russia, but Falkenhayn dare not bet. After all, the Romanov dynasty has experienced many desperate situations and finally survived them safely, such as Napoleon's Eastern Expedition.

Falkenhayn did not feel that he was more talented than Napoleon, nor did he feel that Germany had the overwhelming power that France had in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

What Napoleon couldn't accomplish, he didn't think he could accomplish.
Chapter completed!