"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the urgent telegram from Hippel!" Just as Ruprecht and the German Emperor were preparing to have dinner with representatives from Austro-Hungary, Tirpitz's arrival surprised everyone.

"General House is the representative of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. We have nothing to hide from our allies." Looking at the naval minister who was reluctant to speak, William II said unhappily.

"Your Majesty, Colonel Hippel's fleet met the French Navy when landing near Cabinda, and then there was a fire exchange between the two sides..."

With a bang, the wine glass in the German Emperor's hand was thrown heavily on the table. The red wine spilled on the table. "These hateful French guys! They really dare to come! What's the result of the battle?"

"Under the command of Colonel Hippel, the Bismarck Marquis and Hamburg successfully destroyed the French battleship Charlemagne, the first-class cruiser Ryane and the second-class cruiser Descartes. Our fleet suffered little loss, and as long as we can obtain ammunition and replenish combat effectiveness quickly," Tirpitz replied.

"Hiss..." This incident was a bit big! Although the German Emperor hated the French, he did not expect that the German Navy's attack this time was too sharp! He originally thought that at most, it was enough to fire two guns from both sides, but who knew that Hippel had killed three French warships neatly! Among them, the flagship of the future French Atlantic Fleet - Charlemagne!

"Prince Ruprecht, I suddenly realize that the warship is too powerful is sometimes a very upsetting thing..." The German Emperor looked at the prince next to him with embarrassment.

"Sipel is not a reckless person, and the winner should not be blamed. Tirpitz, tell the whole process of this matter in detail." The prince said calmly, as if he was talking about an event that was enough to cause an uproar, but about how tonight's dinner.

Tirpitz took about half an hour to finally explain the whole thing clearly. In short, this incident was caused by various unexpected conditions. The French accidentally entered the minefield and were bombed. Then the French, who were nervous, had a misjudgment. Then the two sides fought, and the French lost in minutes...

"Major General Haus, I'm very sorry. We need to talk about the relevant matters tomorrow, but we still hope you can keep this secret because it has a lot to do with it." After receiving the German Emperor's instructions, Ruprecht said to Major General Haus, the Austro-Hungarian Navy representative. The latter has not yet come back from this shocking news... but then, he expressed his willingness to comply with the arrangements of the German government.

"Let Calipme and Schriefen come here immediately. And Bismarck, I need to listen to his opinions. Tirpitz, you can go out for a while." After a moment, the German Emperor ordered.

"This matter is beyond our original plan. We are just planning to target Portugal, and we are not prepared to go to war with France. After this matter breaks out, it will make it difficult for us to get into trouble! How do you plan to solve this problem?" The German Emperor said very dissatisfied.

"We were not prepared, and the French were not prepared, and the French fought with us for the Portuguese? This is impossible. The most important thing is that if we win, we easily hit the French fleet! This made the French even more afraid of the French. As long as we no longer make any extreme actions, the French will not take action in a short time." The prince said.

"For this action, I have almost bet on everything about me. I hope I can walk this path. Whether the result is a brilliant victory or an abyss of failure, I hope you can always support me until the last moment comes." The prince said with a slump.

"Do we need to make some preparations? For example, the army transferred some troops to the border?" Faced with the request of his good friend and his most capable assistant, the German emperor could not make a decision to change the general at this time, both reason and reason. On the one hand, the situation did not allow it, and on the other hand, after Bismarck's tenure, he could not find anyone who could lead the overall situation for the time being.

"The army does not need to make too much preparations. The terrain of the Alsace-Lorraine region is not conducive to attacking, and we can defend with very little force. On the northern line, there are not many places bordering France, with Belgium and the Netherlands between them. The French dare not cross these two countries to attack us. And even if we fight, we are not afraid." The prince paused and continued.

"We need to do two things now. First, send a signal to France through a third country, indicating that both sides are willing to discuss certain issues. I think the French should also know that this is an accident, and the result of this accident has ruined France's face and they will not make it public."

"Secondly, if France has received support from other countries, then we must be prepared to deterrently. On the one hand, we must inform the Austro-Hungarian Empire of this matter and obtain their diplomatic support. At the same time, the guild fleet must be ready for combat. The French will not handle this matter for more than a week. I hope the entire fleet can complete combat preparations within 5 days!"

"You want to go to war with the French?" William II said in surprise.

"No, our first goal is Portugal. We need to drive the fleet outside Lisbon like the British in 1891 and force the other party to surrender with naval guns!" the prince said resolutely!

"Our main opponent is France. As long as France surrenders, Portugal will not have a chance to resist!" William II said in confusion.

"No, we need to determine one thing now, that is, the conflict between us and France is a complete accident and can be resolved through negotiations. The root of this matter is the war between Germany and Portugal. If we can force Portugal to admit defeat as soon as possible, then all problems will be solved. This is the fundamental. If we solve this, we will have an advantage in the situation."

"On the contrary, if we are targeting France, it will cause interference from Britain and Russia. They can allow a small country to be bullied, but they will never allow the fundamentals of Europe to be shaken! As long as our fleet reaches the coast of Lisbon, Portugal will surrender within three days! And France has no reason to confront us. After all, this is an accident! No one will go to war with a big country for a misunderstanding." The prince said firmly.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Prime Minister of the Empire, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Army have arrived. Marcelo Bismarck will return in half an hour." The notice outside the door temporarily ended the conversation between the two sides.

"Let's go see them first and listen to their opinions." said the German Emperor.
Chapter completed!