Of course Emperor Yang didn't know that his image in Fatty Qiu's eyes had evolved from a spotted hyena to a hippopotamus. He was now struggling with whether to tell William the news! It should be said that the British's move was quite ruthless. If
If they really land in the Netherlands, the Dutch will definitely not put up any substantial resistance. Those businessmen who have been engaged in financial trade for hundreds of years are very shrewd. The British are just using them as a way. Even if the war is over, no matter who
No matter who wins or loses, it is impossible to destroy the Netherlands. Even if the Netherlands declares war on the Allied Powers, the result will be like this.＋＋＋
So why not let Rotterdam and Amsterdam become ruins like Paris? How much money will it cost to rebuild? Just look at the Netherlands during World War II and you will know what choices they will make. If the British really attack, the Queen will take them with them.
The cabinet went abroad to set up a government in exile to maintain a state of war against Britain, but there was no need to do desperate things. When the Germans won, they would be the victors, and the British would not be embarrassed to embarrass Wilhelmina if the Germans lost.
Queen, after all, they are not good at this job.
In this way, the British can definitely easily occupy Rotterdam, and then attack Germany a hundred kilometers away through railways and canals. Now William has almost no troops in the country, and they are all piled up on the east and west fronts. Even Prince Leopold's
It will take time for the First Army to retreat, not to mention that the British army in front of it is still attacking, so it is impossible for it to retreat.
If the Dutch had not resisted, the British army would have marched straight in, and they would have marched straight into the commercial center of Europe, which has extremely developed transportation. From trains to cars to canals, with all the convenient transportation, it can be said to be a furious advance.
There is no suspense for them to reach Dusseldorf, and it is not impossible to even defeat Cologne with all their strength.
If this is the case, the transportation line of the German First Army will be blocked. Prince Leopold and his 300,000 troops without ammunition will not be able to block the British army in front. This will risk the entire army being annihilated in Belgium.
Once this war is over on his side, the Germans can be said to have lost.
But what if you tell William?
He will definitely inform the Netherlands. To be honest, it is more beneficial for the Netherlands to remain neutral than to get involved in the war. If Queen Wilhelmina is ready to fight at sea, and the German High Seas Fleet is threatening from the flanks, the British will not necessarily lose their suddenness.
Continue this plan. After all, the Dutch navy still has a certain strength. Although they cannot equip battleships, they do have a lot of small destroyers and torpedo boats. It would be silly to defeat the British in a land war and destroy their own country, but to fight at sea
It's completely possible. Then the Dutch Army will be ready to fight. The Germans won't need to urgently mobilize more. With two armies fortified in the west, the British landing in the Netherlands will be meaningless. In the end, it will probably end in vain and continue to keep the Netherlands neutral.
.
But this would make a decisive naval battle between Britain and Germany impossible.
"It's so confusing, so confusing!" Emperor Yang lamented. On the one hand, he wanted to see the decisive battle between Britain and Germany at sea, but on the other hand, he didn't want the Germans to be stabbed to death by this knife. It can be said that he was in a dilemma. After thinking about it, this guy just took it
He prepared to decide the fate of the Netherlands in this way by offering a one-hundred-dollar gold coin with his face on it. He told William about the face but not the words.
"How about you come?" Just when he was about to throw it into the sky, he suddenly turned his head and looked at his daughter who was staring at him inexplicably. Then he said with a smile, "This princess is just five years old this year."
Well, the gold coin that decided the fate of the Netherlands was thrown out by a five-year-old girl's hand that was still sticky with butter.
"There's nothing we can do!" Yang Feng said with a shrug, looking at the gold coins on the ground, with the Chinese character "100" shining in gold.
Just when he was deciding the fate of the Netherlands, the British Navy's Home Fleet had already converged at sea. This fleet can be said to be the most powerful fleet in the world at present, with thirty-two battleships and battlecruisers of four types. Among them, the most powerful
They are six of the latest Edward VII-class battleships, with a full load displacement of more than 27,000 tons, equipped with ten 356mm main guns, and a speed of up to 28 knots. They are a symbol of the current supremacy of the Royal Navy.
, mainly aimed at the Deutschland-class battleships that the Germans had just commissioned.
The reason why the British made such an alarming noise was mainly to frighten the Dutch and prevent them from doing anything irrational. After all, the Dutch still had two small battleships, two heavy cruisers, six light cruisers, and twenty
The navy consists of six destroyers and 42 high-speed torpedo boats. They are basically guarding the exit of the Rhine River at the port of Rotterdam, the target of the British trip. If the angry Dutch come out to attack the British fleet, it is still possible to attack them.
It would cause certain losses, so the British navy simply used its strongest lineup to overwhelm the Dutch, so that the Dutch had no intention of resisting.
In the nascent morning glow, the huge fleet composed of hundreds of warships of various types indeed carries a suffocating momentum. The flags of St. George flying high show a kind of arrogance accumulated over the years. Each ship
The gray giant ship advanced through the waves, its black gun muzzle pointing forward, ready to tear apart any opponent who offended its dignity at any time.
In the middle of the fleet, the thirty-two landing ships were inconspicuous. Compared with those sea monsters that easily weighed tens of thousands of tons, this small ship of only a few thousand tons was too inconspicuous, and its fat body looked even more weird, but
This is the real core of this fleet. Two entire infantry divisions are waiting in the cabin, waiting to set foot on Dutch soil.
These two divisions are carefully selected elites. They are both veterans who have experienced many battles in France, including their commanders. Lieutenant General Douglas Haig is known for his tenacity and bravery on the battlefield.
famous.
Although the soldiers didn't like this commander very much, because the casualty rate under him was always terrible, the chief director of this operation, Fatty Qiu, liked him. He deliberately brought this commander from the front line who was tenaciously launching brave attacks on the Germans again and again.
The attacking general is coming, ready to make the Germans tremble with his bravery.
It's just a short journey from the UK to the Netherlands. Once such a large-scale fleet is launched, it can no longer be concealed. The news that the main fleet of the British Royal Navy is approaching immediately shocked Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Prime Minister Pearson.
They were stunned. Before they could react, the British ambassador to the Netherlands handed them an ultimatum, asking the Dutch government to agree to the British navy and army using Dutch land to fight against Germany. Otherwise, it would be regarded as the Dutch government colluding with the Allies.
Britain would have to declare war on the Netherlands and was given two hours to reply.
Although the British fleet has actually called over now, this procedure must be followed. Of course, the two-hour reply limit is indeed a bit too bullying.
"Your Excellency, Ambassador, I have to say that this is the most shameless ultimatum I have ever seen in my life." Queen Wilhelmina, who is only in her twenties and is still a charming young woman, said sadly and indignantly in the Royal Palace of the Netherlands in Amsterdam.
To be honest, both she and the Dutch government now feel like they have been beaten with a stick. Whether there is a war or a conflict between these European countries, there is usually a routine. After all, both sides claim to be civilized people and gentlemen.
, even if William attacked Belgium, he still gave the opponent a twenty-four-hour ultimatum, but the two-hour ultimatum was simply humiliating.
"Your Majesty, the Netherlands must make a choice. Since you are unwilling to make a choice, then we can only do this. Both the British government and the people respect you sincerely. If you choose to join the Allies, you will be even more
Respected by the British people, if you refuse, then we will have no choice but to use force." The British Ambassador said with a smile. His words also made it clear that this time you must make a choice no matter what, since you are unwilling
If you do it, then we will have to force you to do it.
"If the British fleet enters the territorial waters of the Netherlands without permission, then we will regard the British as an invasion. We have no other choice against the invaders but to fight and use our lives to defend our dignity." Queen Wilhelmina said righteously.
She said that she is a smart woman. No matter which side she joins, the result will be war, but the target is different. In this case, it is better to stand up and face it.
"That's really regrettable." The British ambassador said calmly.
After knowing that the matter was irreversible, the Dutch government immediately gave the navy an order to prepare for battle. All warships of the entire Dutch navy, large and small, left the military port as quickly as possible, and then lined up on the Dutch territorial waters to wait to face the enemy.
At the same time, the Dutch government also issued an order for national emergency mobilization, and the army went to Rotterdam to deploy defenses. Of course, this will take some time. Although the Netherlands is a small country and does not have many troops, deploying these troops cannot be completed at once.
The distance from Britain to the Netherlands is less than 200 kilometers. When the ultimatum was handed over, it had already traveled more than 100 kilometers. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to set two hours, just when the Dutch naval fleet hurriedly sailed out of the military port and reached the mouth of the Rhine River.
, a huge British fleet has appeared on the distant sea.
Looking at the almost endless steel giants in the distance, and the small cruisers and destroyers of the Dutch Navy here, the officers and sailors were all dumbfounded. They really didn't expect that the British thought so highly of them that they actually took down the entire local fleet.
They all drove over.
"Commander, what should we do?" On the Dutch Navy battleship Rotterdam, the captain asked the commander beside him with a solemn look.
The Commander looked at the Edward VII in the distance with confusion, and then looked at his own coastal defense battleship with a displacement of 9,000 tons and two triple 280-gun main guns. The expression on his face was very exciting. (Unfinished)
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