Anti-Japanese War: The whole world is a base vehicle

Commander Arturo Ricardi stood on the battleship's island. After listening to his adjutant's clear and well-reasoned analysis, he nodded slowly, but his expression remained solemn.

"You are right. From a military strategic perspective, cooperation with the German army is indeed the most feasible option at the moment." Commander Arturo Ricardi's voice was low and a little helpless. "But I always feel unwilling in my heart." He looked at the land covered with yellow sand in the distance, his eyes revealing complex emotions.

The adjutant nodded slightly and said softly, "Commander, I understand your feelings. This piece of North African land is the result of countless efforts and resources of us Italians. It is not easy to establish the current influence. But now we have to share everything here with the Germans, which is really unacceptable. But in the face of this cruel war, we must put national interests first."

Commander Arturo Ricardi sighed, his heart tangled like a tangled mess.

In order to expand its influence in North Africa, Italy invested huge manpower, material and financial resources.

Countless Italian soldiers left their homes and fought bloody battles in this strange and challenging land to achieve the current situation.

Now they have to share a piece of the pie with the Germans. It is like raising a child with great effort and suddenly having to give half of it to others. The feeling is really bitter and unbearable.

But he also knew that on the scale of war and interests, emotions were often the most insignificant weight.

For the future of the Italian Navy and for the country to gain maximum benefits in the battle for oil resources, he had to make a difficult decision.

He took a deep breath to clear his mind.

He turned around and looked at the North African coast that carried countless hopes and ambitions again, thinking to himself: "Cooperation with the German army may only be the first step. In this game, we must always remain vigilant and look for opportunities to allow Italy to occupy the most advantageous position possible in this division of interests..."

"Then send a telegram to Marshal Raeder and tell him that if the German army is willing to send troops, we will give them certain benefits after taking Egypt." Commander Arturo Ricardi finally spoke with a hint of determination in his tone.

"Yes." The subordinate responded quickly and turned around to hurriedly carry out the order.

At this time, Marshal Raeder was reviewing military documents.

When he saw the telegram that had just been delivered from Italy, a sneer appeared on his lips.

"Italy is really good at taking advantage of others' misfortune. What do you mean by considering giving up some benefits?" Marshal Raeder muttered to himself. "Can their third-rate troops defeat the British? If I remember correctly, the last time the Italian army attacked Alexandria, they suffered heavy casualties. Now they are becoming complacent again? Have they forgotten the pain after the wound has healed?"

He shook his head, full of disdain for the strength and performance of the Italian army.

In his opinion, the Italian army's performance on the battlefield was really disappointing, and many battles ended in failure. It could not be compared with the elite German divisions at all.

"What did the High Command say?" Field Marshal Raeder asked the communications staff officer beside him.

Hearing this, the communications staff officer quickly stood up and said respectfully: "The command is discussing whether to send troops. At present, there is no unified opinion due to the bombing of the British Isles."

Marshal Raeder was not surprised to hear this.

Since the German army defeated France, the entire command has fallen into a state of confusion. Drawing the sword and looking around, it seems that there is no opponent around who can compete with the German army head-on.

Some generals advocated ending the war, believing that Germany had already achieved a great victory and should consolidate the existing achievements; but some generals insisted on continuing to attack the British Isles and completely conquering Britain.

However, the German navy was relatively weak, and the so-called plan to attack the British Isles was just talk without strong naval support.

But once the wheel of war starts, it is not easy to stop it.

Now new targets have emerged in North Africa, especially since there are rich oil fields there, which gives the German army new motivation to attack.

"Tell the High Command that the discovery of oil fields in Egypt has been officially confirmed. I hope they will send the army as soon as possible. The Italian army alone cannot take over this place." Marshal Raeder said with a firm look.

"Yes." The communications staff officer quickly stood up and responded, then walked out of the office quickly to convey the order.

At this time, Lütjens, who had been silent all this time, asked doubtfully: "Marshal, should we inform them?"

For a moment, Redel didn't react, but he soon realized that the other party was talking about Wang Jun and others.

He fell into a brief contemplation. Considering that Wang Jun and his men were currently fighting a desperate battle with the British army on the battlefield, contacting them was indeed a good choice.

More importantly, Egypt was under the control of the other side. If some kind of cooperation could be reached with them, it would be extremely beneficial to the German army's operations.

"Well, let's contact them. Test their attitude first to see if there is any possibility of cooperation." Marshal Raeder said, with a shrewd gleam in his eyes.

In faraway Egypt, Wang Jun was busy deploying various defense tasks at the command center. He knew that the British army would not give up the fight for Egypt easily and could launch a new round of attacks at any time. When he received the German army's request for contact, his heart tightened.

"What is the German army's purpose in contacting us at this time?" Wang Jun frowned and said to the staff officer beside him.

The staff officer thought for a moment and replied, "Commander, the German army has achieved great victory in the European battlefield, and their ambitions must not stop there. The oil fields in North Africa are very attractive to them. I guess they may want to cooperate with us to fight against the British army and then divide the benefits here."

Wang Jun nodded, thinking secretly in his mind.

Cooperation with the German army has both benefits and risks. The benefit is that you can use the power of the German army to enhance your own defense capabilities and fight against the British army together; but the risks are also obvious. Once the German army enters Egypt, it will be difficult to get them to leave, and it is likely to fall into new conflicts of interest.

While waiting for further conditions from the German army, Wang Jun's troops continued to monitor the situation.

Not long after, when the German army proposed a series of cooperation conditions that were close to completely annexing Wang Jun's forces, Wang Jun looked at the intelligence in his hand and couldn't help but sneer. "It seems that they want to annex us completely, but do you think we will accept such conditions?" For him, such a result is definitely not what he wants. But it doesn't matter, after all, he has now swallowed up the biggest victory. As for the rest, leave it to the so-called German-Italian coalition.

"Retreat." Wang Jun shook his head and began to issue orders to retreat. The troops quickly and orderly began to close the defense line and destroy some supplies that could not be taken away. Wang Jun planned to retreat to the strategic rear first, observe the battle between the German-Italian coalition and the British army, and then make the next plan. He knew very well that in this war of multi-party game, preserving strength and being flexible were the key.

At the Italian military headquarters, Commander Arturo Ricardi was also anxiously awaiting a response from the Germans.

He knew that cooperation with the German army would have a significant impact on Italy's situation in North Africa, but he was also worried that the German army would ask for too much and put forward some conditions that Italy would find difficult to accept.

"Commander, a telegram from the German army has arrived." The adjutant hurried into the office and handed the telegram to Commander Arturo Ricardi.

Commander Arturo Ricardi hurriedly took the telegram and read it carefully. The German army expressed its willingness to consider sending troops for cooperation, but demanded a larger share of the benefits after the war and a certain say in military command.

"The Germans really have a big appetite," Commander Arturo Ricardi said with a frown. "They want too much. If this continues, won't all our Italian efforts in North Africa be in vain?"

The adjutant also looked troubled and said, "Commander, what should we do? If we don't agree to their terms, cooperation may not be achieved; but if we agree, we really don't want to."

Commander Arturo Ricardi paced back and forth in his office, feeling very conflicted. He knew very well that this decision concerned the future of Italy, and if he was not careful, he might end up in an irreparable situation.

At the British military command center, Churchill also received intelligence about the possible cooperation between Italy and Germany. His face became very solemn, realizing that the situation in North Africa would become more serious.

"If Italy and Germany really join forces, our pressure in North Africa will increase exponentially," Churchill said to the generals around him. "We must find a way to prevent their cooperation or strengthen our military strength in North Africa."

A general suggested: "Prime Minister, we can increase our support for the British Army in North Africa and strengthen cooperation with local resistance organizations to fight against the Italian-German coalition forces together."

Churchill nodded and said, "This is a good idea. Immediately send more troops and supplies to the British Army in North Africa, and at the same time contact the local resistance organizations and tell them that Britain will fully support their resistance movement."

As the various forces continued to take action, the situation in North Africa became increasingly tense. The negotiations between Italy and Germany were still going on with difficulty, and both sides were arguing for their own interests; while Britain was stepping up its deployment to try to prevent the cooperation between Italy and Germany and protect its own interests in North Africa. Although Wang Jun had already withdrawn, he left behind many spies who were closely following the dynamics of all parties and were ready to find new opportunities in the changing situation.

In this game of interests, there are no eternal friends or eternal enemies. Everyone is fighting for their own country and interests, and the land of North Africa will become their battlefield, witnessing the cruelty and ruthlessness of war, as well as the struggle and choice of human nature in the face of interests. In the end, who will have the last laugh in this game and become the master of this land, everything is still unknown.

As time went by, the negotiations between Italy and Germany reached a deadlock. The Italians thought that the Germans' demands were too harsh, while the Germans felt that Italy was not sincere enough.

As neither side gave in, the prospect of cooperation became increasingly slim.

Commander Arturo Ricardi was very tired. He knew that such a stalemate would not benefit either side. But he did not want to compromise easily and give up Italy's interests in North Africa. Just when he felt helpless, his adjutant brought new news.

"Commander, intelligence shows that Britain is secretly contacting some tribes in North Africa, trying to win them over to join the camp against us," said the adjutant.

Commander Arturo Ricardi's face turned very ugly when he heard this. If Britain really succeeded in winning over these tribes, Italy's situation in North Africa would become even more difficult.

"We must take action and not let the British succeed." Commander Arturo Ricciardi said, "Send people to communicate with those tribes immediately and tell them that Italy will give them more benefits and support as long as they remain neutral."

At the same time, Field Marshal Raeder received the same information.

He realized that time was running out and if he continued to delay, he might not only miss the opportunity to gain benefits in North Africa, but also allow Britain's influence in North Africa to further expand.

"We can't delay any longer. We must reach cooperation with Italy as soon as possible." Marshal Raeder said to his subordinates, "Inform the Italian side that we can appropriately lower some of the requirements, but cooperation must be carried out as soon as possible."

Under the instructions of Field Marshal Raeder, German negotiators once again contacted the Italian side.

After arduous negotiations, the two sides finally reached a compromise.

The German army agreed to make certain concessions in the distribution of post-war interests, and Italy agreed to give the German army a certain say in military command.

With the signing of the Italy-Germany cooperation agreement, the situation in North Africa has undergone major changes.

The British army felt unprecedented pressure and had to speed up its military deployment to prepare for the upcoming challenges.

Wang Jun also realized that the storm of war was about to come again. Even though he had evacuated, his forces were still secretly paying attention to the situation, ready to deal with new variables brought about by this brutal war at any time.

"Next, our main goal is to expand southwards, and leave this area to the German-Italian coalition forces." After reading the telegram sent by Lu Yuhua, Wang Jun immediately gave the order.

"Yes." The subordinate responded quickly.

Of course, there is something more important to do before that, which is to contact those indigenous tribes.

After all, if you want a stable rear, you must have the support of these natives.

In addition to this, he can also use other means, but in that case, other situations will arise, and then the loss may outweigh the gain.

It is precisely because of these reasons that Wang Jun decided to cooperate with these indigenous tribes first.

The content of the cooperation is also very simple, which is to provide buffaloes and other things to these tribes.

That's right!

Their requirements are just that low. (End of this chapter)