Chapter 1218 Preparing for War (Part 2) By the time Zhao Bei rushed back to the Presidential Palace, it was already eight o'clock in the morning. The mist had dissipated, but the sky was still cloudy and only the outline of the sun could be seen. (Niu Wen Novel ~ Read Novel Online) At this time, all the people who were called to attend the meeting had arrived and were waiting for the arrival of Mr. President in the conference room. Taking advantage of the moment before the President walked into the conference room, everyone Already engaged in research on the current progress of the Turkey-Iraq war, the person who briefed everyone on the progress of the war was Lan Tianwei, the head of the General Staff of the three armed forces. He had just received the situation report before attending the meeting, and drafted this report It was the officer on duty at the General Staff. From last night to early this morning, many details of the Turkey-Iraq war have been faithfully recorded in this report. In addition to the information disclosed by Iran, the source of the intelligence also came from China. Air Force Reconnaissance Force information. Originally, Lan Tianwei had already explained the current progress of the war, but since Zhao Bei was a few minutes late, Lan Tianwei could only tell it again. "According to information disclosed by Iran, the Turkish army's offensive is relatively fierce. It has penetrated at least fifty kilometers into Iranian territory and has also occupied several Iranian border cities. Judging from the direction of the attack, its target should be Iran. Tabriz, an important town in the northwest. In fact, according to the reports of our military observers in Iraq, the combat effectiveness of the Turkish army is actually very average. The main reason for its rapid progress is the weakness of Iran¡¯s border defense forces. The region has always been a foreign land. The local tribes are armed and are very sensitive to the presence of the Royal Iranian Army. For this reason, the Royal Iranian government forces only station a small number of border defense troops in the area. These troops do not have heavy weapons. The border tribes are armed. They were also half-hearted and refused to cooperate fully. The local garrison could not withstand the onslaught of the Turkish army. After all, the Turkish army was not only equipped with German and Italian tanks, but also equipped with more advanced German fighter jets, although they were not jet fighters. , but it is still capable of dealing with the old fighter jets of the Royal Iranian Air Force. As for Germany, although the German Air Force directly participated in air strikes on key targets in the Kingdom of Iran yesterday, the German Army did not immediately cross the Arras River. According to our Air Force, According to the reconnaissance judgment, the German Army is waiting for heavy equipment to be transported from the direction of the Caspian Sea. Combined with the concentration of German armored forces in Baku, we believe that the German Army is likely to launch a small-scale attack on the Iranian coastline on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. During the landing operation, once the heavily armed German Army successfully carries out the landing operation, Tehran will be immediately exposed to the muzzle of the German armored forces. Therefore, we have reminded the Royal Iranian Government through military observers in Iraq that it should now prepare to move the capital to In order to avoid the first round of German ground assaults, the General Staff once believed that the Italian army was likely to participate in the military operation against Iran. However, as of early this morning, various signs indicate that the Italian troops stationed in Turkey, the Caucasus, etc. The Italian troops on the ground did not take any action. Although some Italian troops did begin to gather, it looked more like a contraction of troops than a strategic build-up before the attack. Therefore, the General Staff has now revised its judgment yesterday afternoon. It is believed that the Italian army will probably not immediately participate in the military attack on Iran. Perhaps it has a dispute with Germany over the distribution of oil fields in the Caucasus. The Italian government may not agree to attack Iran, but what is the Italian government¡¯s intention? This depends on whether there is any progress on the part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, in the air battles yesterday afternoon and evening, our air force in Iraq had direct battles with the German Air Force and shot down some Luftwaffe night fighters in the night battle. , after a detailed inspection of the wreckage of the Luftwaffe aircraft, the Air Force believes that the Luftwaffe has installed a radar system on its heavy fighter aircraft, which is not far from the technical level of the radar system equipped on our 'Owl'. In this regard, Our Air Force should pay attention to it. After the Central Committee issued the war preparation order yesterday, our air force bases in Iran and Iraq have entered the first level of combat readiness, and the Hormuz Naval Base has also entered the first level of combat readiness. It is performing training missions in the Indian Ocean. The naval aircraft carrier battle group has also rushed to the Hormuz base at full speed. After analyzing the aerial reconnaissance reports from the front line, the General Staff believes that with the current strength of our troops in Iraq, it is difficult to withstand the massive offensive of the German army. Therefore, we recommend that in the early stages of the war, we should reduce our troop strength and The defense line relies on the southern coast of Iran to establish defensive positions and wait for the arrival of reinforcements. The General Staff Headquarters has officially issued relevant orders to the frontline troops. The order is currently being implemented. The army will withdraw first, and the air force will then withdraw to the southern coast of Iran. At the same time, At the same time, the Asian Alliance troops stationed in surrounding countries have also received alert orders from the joint military conference. Our Central Asian Military RegionFighters have also been dispatched to the airspace south of the Caspian Sea to monitor the movements of the German Air Force. " Lan Tianwei stood in front of the map and finished explaining, then sat back, looked at Zhao Bei, and waited for him to speak. Zhao Bei thought about the situation progress report for a moment, and then asked. "Has the Iranian government not declared war on Germany yet? " "At present, war has not been officially declared on the German government, and the Shah of Iran seems to want to leave room for maneuver. For the specific situation, we still have to wait for the report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Director Gu just called, and he is currently waiting for notification from the Iranian ambassador. "Lan Tianwei said. "The Shah of Iran is an old fox. I can guess what his idea is. He wants to use the Germans to get rid of the local separatist forces that are not convinced by the king, and at the same time weaken the control of the Asian Alliance, and then Make deals with Germany again. "Seeing that Zhao Bei was very distrustful of the old Shah of Iran, Lan Tianwei also felt the same way and said: "Some of the actions of the Shah of Iran in recent years are indeed suspicious. On the one hand, he asked us for guns and cannons, and on the other hand, he was in the army. Retaining a German consultant not only protested against Nazi Germany, but also kept some luck with Nazi Germany. He did not seem to understand what the Nazi group wanted. Now, in my opinion, it is easier for the Shah of Iran to invite God than to send him away. Once the German army enters Iran, they will not leave easily. " "It's not surprising. As early as the Persian Empire, the old Iranian king Reza Khan had an unusual relationship with Germany. In addition, Nazi Germany used the slogan of "Aryan origin" to win over the Iranians. It is difficult to say that the Iranian king did not have other ideas. Not everyone The rulers of the Asian League member states are willing to maintain Asian unity for a long time. The old Shah of Iran does not seem to mind "leaving Asia and joining Europe" like Turkey. We must be vigilant about this. Now, perhaps it is time for the Iranian crown prince to lift his imprisonment. Compared with the old king, I believe in the young king's feelings for the Asian Alliance more. I also believe in the Iranian people's trust in the Asian Alliance. " Hearing what Zhao Bei said, Lan Tianwei immediately understood. He nodded and said, "I understand. I will send a telegram to the Hormuz base immediately and ask them to arrange the matter. ¡± The current Shah of Iran is Reza Khan, who was deposed by a coup jointly instigated by Britain and the Soviet Union in 1939. The new king supported by the British and Soviet governments at that time was the old king¡¯s son Pahlavi, which led to the two kings There was an emotional rift between them. Later, although Pahlavi accompanied Reza Khan to exile in Iraq, the relationship between the two could not be restored to the past. In 1940, after the "War of Asian Liberation" ended, the little king Pahlavi returned to Iran and continued to rule the country, but in 1941, the old King Reza Khan launched a palace coup to regain the throne and put Pahlavi under house arrest. Rescue, the old king simply sent Pahlavi to the Chinese naval base in Hormuz and asked China to "take care of" it. At that time, Zhao Bei agreed. Since then, the deposed little king has been living in Hormuz. Although the movement in this base is much freer than in the palace, he is still not allowed to leave the base. However, this person is smart enough to get close to the base commander, hoping to get support from China and support him to succeed the old king after his death. . The old king was a treacherous man. After returning to the throne, although he happily signed the agreement to join the Asian League, he always had his feet on both sides. It seemed that he wanted to restore the situation of being caught between Britain and the Soviet Union. Zhao Bei saw this very clearly, and he also knew that the old king was also flirting with the German government. He obviously wanted to use Germany's power to balance China's power. After the Turkey-Iraq war broke out, he knew that Turkey was already the axis. As a formal member of the Group of States, Turkey's attack is actually an attack by the entire Axis group. However, in its intervention application report submitted to the Asian Association Security Council, the Royal Government of Iran only accused Turkey of being the aggressor and did not accuse Germany of being an aggressor. The air raid operation was written into the report. This move has very clearly revealed the old Shah of Iran¡¯s plan. He wanted to leave room for maneuver in order to make peace with Germany in the future, or even form an alliance with Germany. After all, from a racial perspective, Germany The distance from Iran is much smaller than the distance between China and Iran. Historically, the old king of Iran, Reza Khan, has always tried to imitate European countries rather than Asian countries. Although there is no conclusive evidence that Reza Khan will definitely fall in the same direction. Europe, but Zhao Bei will never allow any similar signs to appear. In fact, the rulers of some countries in the Middle East also have similar thoughts to the old king of Iran, Reza Khan. They hope to play both sides between the Eastern and Western powers. Relying on oil revenue to develop armaments and get rid of the control of all powerful countries, they only dare not blatantly move closer to European countries because of the restrictions of the terms of the Asian Alliance Agreement and the strong deterrence of China's military power. The Middle East is different from Europe, but for the rulers, are the beliefs the same?It is not the most critical issue. The most critical issue is whether they can get greater benefits from their rule. In the Asian League system, the behavior of these rulers is subject to certain restrictions, which prevents them from doing whatever they want, and their economic interests are also affected. They feel threatened by the control of the ASEAN economic system. If the Axis powers extend a "hand of friendship" to them at this time, it is difficult to say what will happen in the Middle East in the future. If you want to maintain an alliance system, the best way is undoubtedly to create a powerful common enemy. The powerful enemy Zhao Bei chose for the Asian Alliance is the Axis Powers and Nazi Germany, at least at this stage. This is another important reason why Zhao Bei decided to launch a full-scale war with Germany as soon as possible. These half-hearted rulers of the Middle East must be made to realize who is the master of Asia. Only by defeating Nazi Germany and disintegrating Europe in a short time Only the hope of rejuvenation can firmly bind the countries in the Middle East to the ASEAN system and completely crush their thoughts of "leaving Asia and joining Europe" or "being independent." Zhao Bei has long wanted to oust the disobedient Reza Khan, but has never found a suitable opportunity. Directly launching a military coup when the situation is stable will damage China's image as a leader. The best way is to take advantage of the situation. Now, perhaps it is time for the deposed king Pahlavi to make his debut again, and Zhao Bei has already discussed relevant issues with the General Staff Headquarters. Now that Zhao Bei mentioned it, Lan Tianwei immediately understood what he meant. Obviously, President Zhao is planning to take advantage of the current chaotic situation in the Kingdom of Iran to instigate a bloodless palace coup to oust the old King Reza Khan who is too attached to the affairs of state and is half-hearted about the Asian Alliance. The arrogance of Nazi Germany helped Zhao Bei achieve his strategic goals. Now, he is no longer worried about the Axis Congress extending an olive branch to the Middle East countries. Since the flames of war have been ignited by the Axis Powers, Zhao Bei will offer this weapon of war Pour a few scoops of oil on the fire to make it burn more intensely. "Everyone, since war has arrived, we must put aside all unnecessary reservations and prepare for a full-scale war with Germany. Now, I have officially decided that from now on, all China's armed forces will enter a state of first-level combat readiness and all officers will cancel their vacations. , all factories related to the military industry have begun to shift to wartime status. Once the Asian League passes an appropriate resolution, I will officially issue a general mobilization order. " Zhao Bei's few words can be regarded as announcing the arrival of war. Although everyone here is not convinced. They had already prepared for this, but when they heard the president's speech, they still felt emotional in their hearts. As a big country, it is indeed difficult for China to completely stay out of this global war, even if it does not participate in the war. Once it does, China must go all out and use the corpse of Nazi Germany to show the world China's strength and determination.