It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 195 (Part 190) | Refusing to Make a Loss

“If everything is predicted correctly, then this war can’t continue. I think we should consider what would happen if Veronica really took advantage of the situation to sweep through Western Europe.”

The president, who hadn't spoken much, finally opened his mouth, and immediately brought up a major issue.

The president clearly stated: "In any case, Ivanros' national strength is insufficient to support a protracted war of self-sufficiency. If it is determined to break with Britain, it will inevitably run out of resources in the end. Of course, there is another possibility, which is to create another miracle and quickly defeat Marianne."

The scene fell into silence.

After a long silence, someone asked, "I have a question: the industry in Varland cannot be ignored, and Ivanros could utilize the productivity of the puppet regime."

Without hesitation, the Minister of Industry concluded, "Then it will inevitably be greatly reduced. A developed industry is composed of hundreds or thousands of categories of industries and also requires stable trade support. Although the Bolin puppet regime controls most of the industrial areas, it certainly cannot reach the original output."

As he spoke, he took out a file from his briefcase, flipped through it, and added, "I can give you an estimate here—steel production will drop by more than half, probably less than ten million tons; cars will drop by eight to one hundred thousand; and sulfuric acid will drop by about one and a half million tons."

The council chairman said, "This is not a small amount. Last year, Ivanos produced only 15 million tons of steel and a little over 100,000 cars."

"The General Staff has also estimated that Ivanros's army captured a large number of spoils after defeating Varland, which greatly replenished its own losses," the Chief of the General Staff stated. "In addition to domestically produced supplies, it is entirely feasible to sustain the current four to five million troops in continuous combat for two to three months. If we are more economical, it can last even longer."

"Mariana's geopolitical situation is not good. She also has to guard against the Portuguese and the Italians at the same time. She is facing enemies on multiple fronts. Has the military conducted any simulations?" the Foreign Minister asked.

"We've done this hypothetical scenario before: fighting on three fronts. The chances of winning are slim. If we grit our teeth, we can hold out for two years, but if our will isn't firm, we can easily waver," the Chief of the General Staff made it very clear.

"That's going to be difficult. If Marianne really loses, Ivanos will have all the wealthiest places in Western Europe," the Minister of Industry said helplessly.

The General Staff's daily routine involves developing contingency plans for all sorts of seemingly bizarre situations, while also honing their professional skills. The General Staff of the Wehrmacht has actually conducted simulations of 'the Republic of Marianna being besieged by multiple countries' more than once before. However, in the scenario, the attacking forces were Walland and Italli, while the Franks joined in midway through.

The quality and tactical skills of the Marianne army are quite good, but its strength is only a little over one million, and even after mobilization, it is difficult to exceed two million. Once it fights on multiple fronts, it will be stretched thin. The brutal European war of that year has left Marianne with a clear shortage of young labor force and little fighting spirit.

The core power groups of the unified federal government soon realized a serious problem.

The possibility of the Ivan Rus' Empire sweeping across Western Europe is not small. If things get out of hand, the United Kingdom will be completely helpless.

In other words, will Ivan the Rothschild dominate Europe? What will the United Kingdom do then? And what about the United States of America, which is firmly established in the Americas?

Just by imagining it, such a chaotic and bizarre world order is something everyone finds extremely annoying.

Europe must never be unified; a divided Europe is the best. Moreover, it is unsettling to have a war-mongering country like Ivanos, which possesses the essence of Europe, bordering it.

So... how about we join forces with the United Kingdom and the United States to deal with Ivan Ross together first?
This raises a crucial question—should a unified federal government change its fundamental national policy?

According to the basic national policy, once war preparations are complete, the first target will be the United Kingdom.

The primary objective of the Great Unified Federation was simple: to eliminate British India, dismantle the colonial imperial system of the United Kingdom, seize as many markets as possible, and dump industrial products on a massive scale.

The president pointed out incisively: "Mobilizing such a large force may not be a good thing. If the three-nation alliance attacks only to restore the original order in Europe, then it is not worth it for our country. This deal is a loss."

The logic is simple. The three kingdoms formed an alliance to attack Ivan the Great, and ultimately succeeded in liberating Europe; all three kingdoms contributed to this effort.

Ultimately, no matter how the benefits are divided, it will not be worthwhile for the country, because the country has truly gone through a long and arduous journey across half the globe.

The United Kingdom, needless to say, is just across the English Channel and can also bleed its colonies dry.

The United States is farther away, but it's just a short distance across the Atlantic, and the Americas are rich in oil and mineral resources.

On the other hand, if the country were to join forces with the United Kingdom, it would mean losing access to the resources of British India and Australia, and relying solely on resources within its own sphere of influence.

Even with such a high price paid, it remains uncertain whether they can ultimately expand into the European market, as the United Kingdom and the United States have also contributed, and their power and influence have risen accordingly.

In short, such a low-return investment is not worthwhile; you can't do a losing business.

Of course, it's worthwhile if it's a domestic country taking the lead.

The meeting, which decided on important national matters, finally ended after a long day.

The president invited everyone to stay for lunch before leaving, so more than ten military and political officials once again enjoyed the special delicacies offered by Huaqing Pool.

The Chief of the General Staff began to lose focus in the latter half of the meeting, his thoughts wandering, and he found the meal bland and unappetizing.

In his view, the primary goal of his country remains the United Kingdom.

In summary, seizing the mineral resources of British India and Australia was the most cost-effective option, requiring almost no effort. Furthermore, it allowed the country to maintain complete control over Persian oil, a truly significant achievement.

It was already afternoon when he returned to the General Staff Headquarters.

His attendant told him that his first request was quite speechless—the 20th Division plan was progressing smoothly, but some people were very dissatisfied with the personnel arrangements and even sent reports to the General Staff.

"This isn't a place to listen to complaints. If you're not satisfied, go next door and talk to them."

The next door refers to the General Headquarters.

The second report was much more normal. The Air Force delegation observed the maiden flight of the new fighter jet. Everything went smoothly, and the overall evaluation was very good. The Air Force plans to mass-produce it quickly after it is finalized.

The third report concerns the construction of armored vehicle units. Many officers expressed distrust towards the heavier armored vehicles and strongly protested against the Equipment Bureau's modification of the tender documents against the wishes of the troops.

"The matter of the tanks should not be decided arbitrarily; it should be discussed and debated from all sides." He said thoughtfully, "Just wait and see. The second group of advisors has returned home with plenty of experience and lessons learned. I remember their ship is almost here; we'll have a meeting together in a few days."

"We'll arrive in two more days." The attendant thought for a moment and then reminded him, "But someone has returned ahead of schedule. He's the one Director Li from the Military and Political Affairs Department mentioned a few days ago."

(End of this chapter)