Chapter 147: The Final Chance

On September 9th, the United States Congress debated the war resolution submitted by President Wilson.

Interestingly, the debate was sparked not by the crucial factors themselves, but by a minor matter: intelligence provided by Britain.

According to this intelligence, the German Empire was actively courting Mexico, promising that after the war ended, it would return territories such as New Mexico and Southern California—lands seized from the United States—to Mexico, and recognize Mexico’s dominance in North America.

The evidence Britain presented was a telegram from the German Foreign Ministry to its ambassador in Mexico.

Curiously, this intelligence had nothing to do with the German Empire; the so-called Zimmermann Telegram and others were all British forgeries.

It was precisely this forged telegram that ultimately became the catalyst for the United States entering the war.

On September 11th, after two days of fierce debate, the U.S. Congress began voting. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate narrowly passed the war resolution submitted by President Wilson, along with a mobilization order granting the president wartime powers.

On September 12, 1916, Wilson officially declared war on the German Empire.

The impact of the United States entering the war far exceeded that of Italy.

That same day, von Chengqian hurried back to Berlin to attend an imperial council meeting.

Although propaganda portrayed the United States as insignificant—some imperial newspapers even described American soldiers as pampered rich boys, cowardly and afraid of death, who would soil themselves on the battlefield—no one in the empire’s high command dared to underestimate America.

Setting aside whether the U.S. military could fight effectively, the sheer national strength of the United States was intimidating enough.

Before the war broke out, the U.S. had already surpassed the empire to become the world’s largest industrial power, possessing a land area equivalent to two Western European regions, a population exceeding that of Britain and France combined, and abundant natural resources. It also enjoyed geographical advantages unmatched by any European country.

All these factors combined laid the foundation for the United States to become a world power, even a global hegemon.

It could be said that as long as America’s industrial strength was properly harnessed, the Allies could achieve victory.

More importantly, after over two years of grueling war, Europe had a profound impact on the U.S., including massive arms orders from Britain and France, which helped America transition industrially and more than double its heavy industry capacity. Major companies had already prepared for war.

All the United States had to do was to arm a sufficiently powerful military force.

In fact, this was also the most serious problem America faced after entering the war.

Even after Wilson’s declaration, many American citizens had yet to respond, and a significant number opposed the war. For example, nearly all German-Americans were against involvement. As a result, the American public was severely unprepared mentally for war.

This was also reflected within the U.S. military.

When America entered the war, its army numbered only 200,000 troops, with equipment far inferior to European armies—even the Ottoman Empire’s forces surpassed them.

The navy was slightly better, but after selling eight battleships to Britain, the U.S. Navy’s overall strength had fallen to third place.

Undeniably, the U.S. Navy was the force capable of immediately making an impact.

Of course, the navy was also what Britain needed most.

On September 15th, the U.S. Navy established the “European Squadron.”

However, at this time, the force capable of influencing the course of the war was not the American Navy.

On September 18th, Ludendorff launched an offensive operation codenamed “Operation Paris,” committing 240 divisions in the Verdun and Somme regions.

In fact, this offensive had originally been scheduled for early October, so it was launched half a month ahead of schedule.

In a sense, this was the German army’s greatest problem.

It must be understood that in a massive battle involving 240 divisions and over three million troops, the preparation beforehand directly determines the outcome. Launching an attack half a month early meant that many preparatory tasks, especially related to logistics and reserves, were not fully in place.

This resulted in a serious consequence: the German offensive lost momentum in its later stages.

By early October, the Germans had advanced fifty kilometers in the Verdun area and encircled nearly 500,000 French troops near the Somme.

The problem was that the German advance was already flagging.

On October 4th, taking the opportunity to return to Berlin and report naval combat plans to the Kaiser, von Chengqian met with Ludendorff, who was also back in Berlin to report.

“Are you saying we should stop now?”

“Marshal, you must understand that if we continue, we will gain nothing,” von Chengqian paused briefly before continuing, “I realize it’s difficult for you to propose this yourself, because stopping now means abandoning the original plan—we won’t be able to explain it to His Majesty. But we must understand that if we don’t stop now and take advantage of the chance to reorganize the frontline troops and change tactics, it won’t just be a matter of explaining to His Majesty; it will mean condemning tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of imperial soldiers to disaster.”

Ludendorff remained silent; he was now a marshal of the empire’s army.

“Marshal, you must realize that what we need is final victory—we need to defeat France as soon as possible, not send our soldiers to their deaths before that happens.”

Ludendorff exhaled deeply and said, “You make sense, but—”

“If you find it inconvenient, I can present this to His Majesty on your behalf.”

“Well…”

“Of course, if we adjust in time, we still have a chance to defeat France before the end of the year.”

Ludendorff’s brow twitched several times; clearly, von Chengqian had touched on a sensitive point. Simply put, Ludendorff’s greatest fear was losing the Kaiser’s trust.

“The key is whether we can seize this opportunity.”

“You mean...?”

“I have detailed statistics here.” Von Chengqian took a document from his bag and placed it before Ludendorff. “Take a close look.”

“What is this...” Ludendorff glanced over it and immediately understood.

It was a report on war casualties—specifically, French war losses.

After more than two years of fighting, French deaths and prisoners counted by the German army alone exceeded 3.5 million. Including unrecorded losses, France had sacrificed around 5 million in this war.

What does that mean?

At the time, France’s total population was only about 50 million.

In other words, they had lost one-tenth of their population.

“Marshal, do you understand the significance of this document?”

Ludendorff nodded, saying, “If this is true, France probably can’t hold out much longer.”

“That’s exactly my point,” von Chengqian lit a cigar and said, “At this stage, achieving a major breakthrough on the battlefield is almost impossible. With the U.S. entering the war, American troops will soon appear on the European front. Once that happens, we will have missed our last chance to defeat France.”

Ludendorff said nothing; this was also his concern.

“In my judgment, the first American troops will arrive in France within two months at most.”

“That soon?”

“Of course, initially the Americans won’t contribute much, and the forces they commit won’t be large; after all, they need time to expand their military. But politically, the arrival of the Americans will act like a shot of adrenaline for France, giving the French hope of victory. No matter how heavy their losses, supported by this morale boost, they can hold out a few more months without much trouble—and those few months will determine the war’s final outcome.”

“You’re right.”

“So we must seize this chance.”

“You mean...?”

“To exploit the fact that America is not yet fully prepared for war and make France bleed its last drops of blood. Perhaps we cannot defeat the French on the battlefield, but we can break France’s spirit, making them realize that even if they win this war with Anglo-American support, they will gain nothing. Withdrawing early will save their country’s foundations despite some losses.”

“This...”

“In terms of approach, we must exact a heavier price from France on the battlefield while politically leaving them a way out.”

Ludendorff exhaled deeply, waiting for von Chengqian to continue.

“My suggestion is that after the war, we should not demand territorial concessions from France, nor require reparations. Instead, we ask France to acknowledge our position on the European continent, and we promise to return all occupied territories after the war, but restrict France from regaining military strength sufficient to threaten us.”

“You are right. If we don’t leave the French some hope, the war will never end.”

“However, this cannot be my proposal.”

“You are...”

“I am just a naval marshal; the continental war is not my concern. So you must present the idea to His Majesty: treat the former enemy well after the war and grant them due respect.”

Ludendorff pondered for a moment and said, “I can propose it to His Majesty, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

“I understand. But militarily, you must adjust quickly.”

“That is certain. Our goal is to make France surrender, not stubbornly stick to the original battle plan.”

After Ludendorff’s response, von Chengqian breathed easier. Of course, Ludendorff’s willingness to accept von Chengqian’s advice was due not only to their special relationship but also to his trust in von Chengqian’s strategic judgment.

The next day, Ludendorff submitted a new operational plan to the Kaiser, proposing relatively lenient armistice terms for France to deliver a psychological blow, making the French realize that only by withdrawing soon could they escape the suffering caused by the war.

Naturally, von Chengqian and Tirpitz also subtly influenced the Kaiser in this direction.