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Chapter 1013 Return to the Mediterranean (Part 1)

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    Night was about to fall, and the imperial meeting was still in progress at the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Germany. In the magnificent conference hall, the 67-year-old Emperor William sat half-reclined and half-reclined on his golden chair studded with gems. The 42-year-old  Crown Prince Louis sat respectfully on his left, and on his right was the current Prime Minister of the German Empire, Count Heinrich von Niegert, who often called himself "Bismarck the Second".  Cabinet ministers, the Imperial Chief of Staff and the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force.  The primary topic of this royal meeting is the new United Kingdom¡¯s forced dispatch of troops to Malta, and how Germany should respond to this.  Obviously, this is not an independent issue. How to choose involves the causes and consequences of the incident and overall considerations at the strategic level.  Although the war fought by the three countries of New Austria and Italy only lasted just over four weeks, its impact on European countries was not small at all: flour prices increased by 30%-40%, and precious metal prices averaged  Prices have increased by 40%, medicines have increased by 50%, and industrial raw material prices have increased by 20%-70%. The skyrocketing commodity prices have impacted the social and production order of various countries, and the economic losses caused by this are inestimable.  The Germans have a great cause, so this loss does not harm the national system, and it allows the Italians to learn a lesson without having to take action personally. It has the effect of killing chickens and warning monkeys within the Allied camp, which can be said to be a big bargain.  However, this war also allowed the Germans to re-understand the strategic position of the Mediterranean. Today's German industry is highly dependent on high-quality crude oil produced in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. Since the hinterland of the Mediterranean was declared a war zone during the war, it traveled between the Middle East and Europe.  Oil tankers had to detour around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. Not only did transportation costs and time costs increase significantly, 3 oil tankers and 2 cargo ships were lost due to running aground on rocks. The German Navy spent a lot of manpower rescuing the wrecked ships and searching for surviving crew members.  Material resources have also been battered by some negative social opinions.  Shortly after the armistice was signed, the German Naval Staff submitted a wartime assessment report to the Kaiser and the General Staff.  This report pointed out that the current strength of the German Navy is sufficient to cope with the two-ocean war and can defeat the challenges jointly issued by the two powerful countries at the same time. However, the maintenance and performance of the fleet's combat effectiveness largely depends on the guarantee of logistical supply. Currently, the largest  The problem is that the main force of the German Navy is dispersedly deployed on the mainland, the Azores Islands, and the Persian Gulf, and the center of gravity of this strategic triangle is precisely located in the Mediterranean Sea, which is not directly controlled by the German Navy!  Taking advantage of the opportunity to discuss how to respond to the Malta incident, General Lindemann, who represented the German Navy at the Royal Council, pointedly pointed out that oil is the source of power for the German military machine. If Germany cannot strengthen its control over the Mediterranean and ensure Mediterranean transportation,  If the line is highly secure at any time, then the next step is to establish a series of military strongholds in the coastal areas of East Africa, South Africa, and West Africa, or find ways to lay an overland oil pipeline from Basra to Berlin and ensure its safety.  After listening to the Chief of Naval Staff's explanation, William William described in a gentle voice: "Malta was originally a trophy obtained from the British after the German soldiers fought bloody battles on the front line and defeated the Allied Forces. In 1933,  In order to stabilize the Italians and prevent them from stabbing us in the back, we handed it over to the Italian army to occupy. If the Italian monarchy collapses and the political power collapses, then we have sufficient reasons to declare the Berlin-Rome Treaty signed in 1933 invalid.  Re-incorporate Malta into the overseas territory of the empire." After the emperor finished speaking, Prime Minister Count von Niegelt and Foreign Minister Baron von Machal both had expressions of contemplation. On the other hand, the soldiers present were all beaming with joy.  The punch is impressive.  The Mediterranean has witnessed the rise and fall of empires one after another for thousands of years. The Macedonians, Romans, Persians, and Turks all ruled the Mediterranean during their heyday.  Although the British Empire, which once dominated the world, did not plunder a large amount of land along the Mediterranean coast, it also gained a say in influencing the situation in the Mediterranean by occupying the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal and stationing a fleet with comparative advantages in the Mediterranean.  As another empire after the British Empire with colonial territories all over the world, the German Empire focused its limited energy on expanding its colonial territories in Asia, Africa and the Americas and competing for world hegemony after winning World War I. Therefore, it voluntarily gave up  The control of the Mediterranean Sea enables countries along the Mediterranean Sea to check and balance each other.  In terms of the international situation of that era, this move was understandable. However, as the world structure changed, the "loss of control" in the Mediterranean gradually became a weakness and a worry for the new world hegemon.  After a while, the current Army Chief of Staff, Duke Dorotea from Bavaria, said: "During lunch, I tested Colonel Hills's tone. The Irish diplomatic attach¨¦ revealed that the real intention of occupying Malta was to ensure that Italy  The people paid the war reparations as promised. Apart from that, they had no other intention."?The Mediterranean Sea is roughly divided into east and west parts with the island of Malta as the midpoint. In addition, the island of Malta guards the narrow channel between the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is more appropriate to call it the "Heart of the Mediterranean Sea".  After thinking for a while, the emperor said: "We can think that the Irish occupied Malta to ensure that after the Italian royal family and the current government were overthrown, the successor would comply with the armistice agreement and pay huge war reparations that would bankrupt the country twice.  The Irish will withdraw their troops from Malta after the Italians pay off their compensation or give an official promise that they will pay it off. Since the Irish's purpose is so simple, why can't we occupy Malta on our behalf? "This question asked everyone here.  The speaker was caught off guard, so that for the next two or three minutes, the conference hall was so quiet that one could almost hear people breathing.  Then, Prime Minister Count von Niegelt finally spoke: "There is no logical problem with this, my respected Majesty. The problem is that if we do this, it will be equivalent to endorsing the Italians." "As long as Malta is with us,  In our hands, it doesn¡¯t matter whether the Italians fulfill their contract or not.¡± The emperor waved his hand and said, ¡°If the Italians pay off the war compensation, then we will use the previous reason in exchange for the occupation of Malta. If the Italians do not pay off the war compensation, we will.  You don¡¯t even need to use the previous reason.¡± The Prime Minister asked respectfully: ¡°If the Italians refuse to pay off the war reparations, will we bear the share of the new United Kingdom?¡± The Emperor smiled with disdain.  He shouted: "What a joke! The Italians lost the war and should bear the compensation. How can we ask us to pay for it on our behalf?" The prime minister curled his lips politely, implying that he wanted the emperor to ponder these words.  The contradiction lies.  "Little William is old, but he is not confused yet.  Seeing the Prime Minister's expression, he put away his smile, frowned and thought for a while: "Even if the Italians would rather give up Malta than pay off their war reparations, we can also force them to compromise through other methods, or use other appropriate methods.  "Of course it's not a problem, but it goes against our original principle of not directly participating in the war," Count Von-Nigert reminded.  "But the war is over." Emperor William Jr. defended, "We have been directly coordinating the armistice matters and various affairs left after the war." Since the emperor has said so, the generals here are obviously inclined to restart  After occupying Malta, "Bismarck II" wisely chose to remain silent.  "Louis!" Little William ordered to his heir to the throne, "You fly to Ireland tomorrow, greet His Majesty King Joachim I for me, and convey my opinion: In order to avoid unnecessary conflicts and casualties, it is recommended that  Arrange for the League of Nations to mediate on the Malta issue, and the German army will occupy Malta in the name of the League of Nations peacekeeping force. No matter how the situation changes in the future, we will determine that the armistice agreement is valid and actively urge Italy to fulfill the relevant provisions of the agreement if the Italian government is unable to pay.  In the case of reparations, we support the new United Kingdom and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in obtaining some form of in-kind compensation from Italy. "Yes, Your Majesty," Crown Prince Louis replied in a loud voice.  "We will re-establish a peaceful order in the Mediterranean through control of Malta." William Jr. said this immediately, but did not specify whether this statement should be relayed to the helmsman of the new United Kingdom.  "Malta is just a strategic fulcrum for controlling the Mediterranean." William looked at everyone present and said in his usual tone: "In order to gain absolute control over the Mediterranean and ensure the stability of Germany's global strategy, we should  Through political, diplomatic, and military means, it sought to control the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. Due to its military defeat, Italy's international status declined sharply, and its influence and control in its traditional sphere of influence were also severely weakened.  It is an excellent time for us to re-engage in North Africa and Northeast Africa. If you have any good insights and suggestions, please tell me!" Duke Dorothea, who was born in the Bavarian royal family, is the youngest among everyone here except Crown Prince Louis.  , he temporarily came to prominence during World War II. Later, with his outstanding talents, good reputation and outstanding temperament, he quickly became a dazzling star in the German military circles. In 1948, he was promoted to Chief of the German General Staff and became the successor to Ruprecht.  Later, another member of the Bavarian royal family with great military achievements.  At this time, he spoke without hesitation: "With the current world situation, we can regain control of the Mediterranean without large-scale military expansion. As long as we skillfully and fully utilize the League of Nations peacekeeping forces,  weapons, hiring Irish troops to fight for us if necessary, even withoutMaking too many adjustments to the existing military deployment will not cause too many casualties.  ¡± (End of this chapter)
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