The sun never sets

The Alliance was willing to negotiate with Germany and also needed access to the Suez Canal and the Dardanelles, but was not willing to exchange core secrets, unless it was the most original aircraft carrier drawings, which the Germans would certainly not agree to.

The difference between the two parties' offers is too big, but this is not a problem, as long as you are willing to negotiate. Ask for a high price and pay a low price.

After the conditions of the negotiations between the Alliance and Germany were announced, Italian Prime Minister Mussolini was furious. When he first became prime minister, he declared that he would rebuild the Roman Empire and turn the Mediterranean into Italy's inland sea. Therefore, he has always been very concerned about the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar, and wanted to control these two strategic locations.

Although neither Spain nor Egypt agreed to Italy's conditions, Mussolini had already regarded Gibraltar and the Suez Canal as his own possessions. As long as these two strategic locations were closed, the Italian navy would dominate the Mediterranean. As for the Dardanelles, Italy didn't care that much.

But now the German government is using the Suez Canal as a condition to negotiate with the Human Innovation Alliance. What is it trying to do? Does it not take the founder of fascism seriously?

Mussolini had a high opinion of himself and had ambitions beyond his capabilities. However, the world is very primitive, and Italy is not strong enough to have much say in the international arena. Even if it was in the limelight for a short time, it soon returned to the normal state of history.

Do you really think the German government will willingly be subordinate to Italy? Don't be ridiculous. The greater the power, the greater the voice. Italy also covets Austria, which is even more intolerable to Germany.

The event that directly led to the change in Germany's attitude towards Italy came from North America. On the North American battlefield, the combat effectiveness of the Italian volunteers was completely unworthy of the title of a great power. Not only was it far inferior to the German volunteers, it was even inferior to the army of the Confederate States of America.

During the World War, the Italian army did not perform very well. Twenty years later, I thought that with the blessing of fascism, Italy's combat effectiveness would be greatly improved, but it did not.

Italy invested a lot of money and manpower in the navy and air force, and the army's equipment was still stuck in the world war period. The equipment was not updated, and the army's tactics were still stuck in 20 years ago. Except for the mountain troops, which barely kept up with the world's advanced level, the Italian army was far behind the times.

The Italian Army lacked tanks, anti-tank weapons, and advanced artillery, and most of the troops did not really believe in the fascists. Except for a small number of Montenegrin troops, the morale of other troops was only average.

With backward equipment, backward tactics, and average morale, the combat effectiveness will definitely not be high.

On the battlefield near Charlotte, the 100,000-strong Italian expeditionary force was defeated by less than half the enemy force, causing a major rout of the Confederate States of America. After the war, Huey Long placed all the Italian volunteers in the rear, saying that he would never send them to the battlefield again.

The country's strength was insufficient and the military's performance was not good. If it were not for Italy's excellent navy, its international status would be similar to that of Ottoman Türkiye.

Mussolini had not yet realized that the situation had changed, and he aggressively demanded an explanation from the German government on the content of the German-Alliance negotiations.

But what was there to explain? What did the Suez Canal have to do with Italy? German diplomats changed their usual friendly demeanor and became ferocious.

After a round of friendly exchanges between Germany and Italy, the relationship between Italy and Germany was reversed. Previously, Mussolini claimed to be the guardian of the civilized world and wanted to lead the whole of Europe.

After being educated by Germany, Mussolini finally understood that Germany needed Italy, but Italy needed Germany even more. Without Germany's protection, the Duke of France might have to send out millions of troops to flatten Italy.

Germany and Italy are both typical militarists, and the French Commune and syndicalist Britain have long determined the development policy of giving priority to heavy industry and military industry. The syndicalists reduced the consumption of daily necessities to the lowest level, and invested all the income in the heavy industry and military industry.

Over the past two decades, France's heavy industry has developed rapidly and its strength has caught up with Germany, not to mention Italy.

Chapter 866 System

Germany had many things to discuss with the People's Revolutionary League, including the right of passage through the Suez Canal and the Dardanelles, the situation in North America, trade between the two countries... and most importantly, it wanted to re-sign a non-aggression treaty with the People's Revolutionary League.

The world situation is becoming increasingly tense, very similar to the situation before the world war, but there are also many differences. No one knows when a new war will break out again on the Eurasian continent.

The German General Staff formulated more than a dozen combat plans, several of which proposed launching an offensive in a few years, first resolving the French issue on the Western Front, and then considering other issues.

The non-aggression pact not only involves the two countries that signed the treaty, but will also have an impact on the world situation. If Germany and the Alliance re-sign the non-aggression pact, it means that during the treaty period

, Germany can temporarily put aside its fear of the People's Revolutionary League and act freely.

The alliance can care less about the Suez Canal and the Dardanelles. If necessary, they can just seize the canal and the strait. The Ottoman Empire is a bit troublesome to deal with, but Egypt is easy to deal with.

The non-aggression treaty is much more important. It is no longer something that can be decided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Central Military Commission. It is a major event that requires a vote by the Central Standing Committee.

The Trade Union's intelligence work was better than that of the Germans, and was not inferior to that of the League. Many people even believed that the Trade Union was far superior to the People's Revolutionary League in intelligence work and secret fronts.

After all, the syndicalists not only have ideals, but also strict discipline. The Union has strict discipline, while the syndicalists’ discipline is harsh.

The secret negotiations between Germany and the League were soon known to Paris. Sebastian, Trotsky and other trade union leaders discussed the matter and then sent a diplomatic mission to Moscow in the hope of eliminating the possibility of the League and Germany renegotiating a non-aggression pact.

The Alliance has a good diplomatic reputation in the international community. As long as a treaty is signed, there is no precedent of breaking it. Treaties are meant to be broken, but the Alliance has never broken its promise.

"We have become a world power. We can't continue to focus on development." Lin Yongchang said to Wang Qi: "But the power of the alliance is not enough to establish a new world order."

The third five-year plan is about to end, and Wang Qi's term will also end. When this year is over, he will bow down in the Weiyang Palace and leave the stage, and it will be reported on the central news. The scene of bowing down will be filmed and may or may not be broadcast on TV, depending on the arrangements of the central government.

Wang Qi said: "If we unite with the Anglo-French alliance, or with Germany, we can establish a new world order."

Lin Yongchang shook his head. "That would only cause the war to break out prematurely."

"Yes, looking at the current situation, war is inevitable." Wang Qi frowned at first, but then relaxed, "But these have nothing to do with me. In three or four months, I will retire."

"Even though I'm retired, I'm still a consultant to the country. It doesn't mean I won't be concerned with worldly affairs."

Wang Qi laughed. "You know what? In the past few years, I sometimes really hate those consultants."

"Ok?"

"Don't look at me like that. I also have my likes and dislikes. Some retired consultants have been meddling in many matters at the central and local levels, interfering with the normal operation of the government. You should also know that veteran cadres often give greetings to local agencies."

"There are some such things. After those cadres retire, they are dissatisfied with many things happening in the local area and want to give some advice, which is understandable."

Wang Qi shook his head, "You know that's not what I'm talking about."

Lin Yongchang smiled and said, "Old cadres have made lifetime contributions to the country. As long as it is not against the law or discipline, we can just turn a blind eye and let it go."

Wang Qi sighed and said, "If......"

Lin Yongchang didn't wait for him to continue. He waved his hand and said, "Brother, you are about to retire. Do you have anything to say to the next president?"

"Has it been confirmed that it is Comrade Chen Tianhua?"

"Well, do you think there's anything wrong?"

Wang Qi shook his head again, "No, I don't think it's wrong. Comrade Chen Tianhua is very good, and the comrades in the party are very convinced. There is no better candidate than him. But..."

"but what?"

Wang Qi looked at Lin Yongchang and asked, "What if someone does the same thing as Bolangsha again?"

Lin Yongchang put away the smile on his face and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."

After Qin conquered the six states, the survivors of the six states plotted to assassinate the first emperor Ying Zheng many times. Zhang Liang once recruited strong men to strike a thunderbolt at the carriage of the first emperor in Bolangsha. However, every time the first emperor went on tour, he had the same 36 carriages, and it was difficult for outsiders to know which carriage Ying Zheng was in.

The strong man struck hard and smashed one of the chariots, but hit the secondary chariot by mistake and failed to kill Ying Zheng. After this incident was passed down, it gave rise to several idioms.

"Then I'll say it directly. Comrade Yakov said that we need to conduct an investigation and rectification of various departments. I think this makes sense."

The Hebei hero is still strong and hates evil as much as he did in his youth. Wang Qi said with emotion: "It's time for another rectification movement!"

Lin Yongchang laughed. "Yakov doesn't want to rectify the style of work. He wants to be like Zhang Tang and Ning Cheng. Russia doesn't have enough historical background. Comrades are bound to be a little rough in their actions. We can't let them do what they want."

Historically, Stalin may not have intended to kill so many people, but once the butcher knife was raised, it was difficult to put it back. Given the Russians’ love of tragedy and their self-destructive tendencies, the Great Purge could not be stopped from the beginning. The killings continued, even those who launched the Great Purge were killed. The entire Soviet Union was filled with blood and rain, and even Stalin was terrified. The original cadres were almost all dead, and the matter was finally over.

The alliance of this era had many similarities with the Soviet Union. Many people in the party were inclined towards syndicalism, and there was a real group of "Trotskyists".

But Lin Yongchang did not intend to

Learn from Stalin's Great Purge, let's just do the Rectification, it's better than the Great Purge. Human heads are not leeks, they won't grow back after being chopped off. Even leeks can't be cut randomly, in later generations, the roots of leeks were almost cut off, which caused many people to be anxious to make leeks grow faster.

There are indeed many bad practices in the party, and another rectification movement is indeed necessary. "Why don't you work for a few more years? This rectification movement will be led by..."

Wang Qi waved his hands repeatedly, "Let Comrade Chen Tianhua do it. As for me, it's better for me to retire honestly and not undermine the system of the Party and the country."

Chapter 867 Exercise

Wang Qi has always maintained the habit of practicing martial arts. Although he is 66 years old, he is physically strong and mentally agile, so he should have no problem living another years. However, since he has reached his age, he thinks he should retire and let the stage be given to newcomers.

Power is such a wonderful thing that once you have it in your hands, you don't want to give it up. There are not many people who can decisively let go of power. Many cadres are still full of energy when they retire, but after retirement, their energy and spirit quickly disappear.

Of course, there are also people who live a good life after retirement, reading the newspaper, taking a walk, playing chess every day. There is nothing wrong with a simple life.

Wang Qi was very open-minded and thought that he had contributed to the country for more than 30 years and it was time for him to retire and enjoy his grandchildren.

In 1933, the third five-year plan of the Union was completed, and the strength of the Union reached a new level. The living standards of the people in the country improved a lot, and some high-tech products entered thousands of households.

Wang Qi made several work reports in early March of the following year. The first was a summary of the "Third Five-Year Plan", the second was a summary of the alliance's development achievements over the past 3 years, and pointed out some of the problems currently facing the Party and the country. The last meeting was a retirement speech.

Thirty-five years ago, he was a great hero of Hebei in the previous dynasty. Thirty-five years later, he retired as the chairman of the alliance. Thirty-five years passed in the blink of an eye, and life was like a dream.

Chen Tianhua became the new president of the country. He is not young anymore, 55 years old this year. If nothing unexpected happens, he can serve two terms as president of the country and then retire.

The transfer of power in the alliance caused some ripples, but only within the alliance. The external strategy of the People's Revolutionary League did not change because of the change of the president. The military parade and military exercises were carried out as planned, and the negotiations with Germany and the trade unions were still continuing.

Everything was the same as usual, nothing seemed different.

However, the first thing Comrade Chen Tianhua did after taking office was to launch a new round of "rectification movement", first criticizing and self-criticizing senior cadres within the party, and then the provinces, states, counties, cities and regions.

As the saying goes, a new official starts with three fires. Comrade Chen Tianhua started with such a fierce fire right from the start that some discordant voices soon emerged below. Some comrades did not realize the necessity and seriousness of the "Rectification Movement", had many complaints about the Central Committee, and took some measures to change certain things.

However, confrontation and trickery only resulted in harsher treatment. The central government sent more than a dozen inspection teams to various places to clean up the local malpractices, focusing on investigating local public security, procuratorial and judicial agencies, and then the financial and banking sectors.

In half a year, the People's Party expelled a total of 11 members, transferred 6000 public security, procuratorial and judicial cadres to judicial organs, and two important provincial and ministerial-level leading cadres were dismissed, implicating a large group of people.

While the interrogation was still going on, the European military exercise organized by the General Staff began. The assumption of this military exercise was that Poland and the three Baltic countries were attacked, and the alliance mobilized the people of Europe to defend their homeland and transferred a large number of reinforcements from the Asian region to carry out a defensive counterattack strategy and tactics.

The scale of the alliance's military exercise this time was larger than any previous one, and a large number of new weapons and equipment were deployed, which attracted keen attention at home and abroad.

The General Staff is not really concerned about the actual combat effectiveness of new weapons and equipment, because they have already been tested many times. The main purpose of this military exercise is to test the country's mobilization and organizational capabilities, and the coordination and integration between various arms.

The flagship of the World War, Russia mobilized 80 troops in two weeks, which exceeded the Germans' expectations and indirectly led to the failure of the "Schlieffen Plan". The speed of the alliance's mobilization will definitely be faster than that of the Russian Empire, but to what extent?

The People's Army has a lot of heavy equipment, and it must rely on railways for rapid strategic maneuvers. But if a war breaks out, railway hubs, bridges, supply centers, dams and other enemy areas will inevitably be the first targets of enemy bombing.

According to the exercise plan of the General Staff, all these situations must be taken into consideration. Therefore, nearly one-third of the troops will march in the field, including a large number of mule-horse infantry divisions, motorized infantry divisions using trucks and tricycles, and armored divisions equipped with a large number of cars and tanks.

After entering Poland, the armored division left the railway line and relied on cars for supplies. When they encountered a river, they had to wait for engineers to build a temporary bridge. Even so, the armored division's mobility was very fast.

As long as they don't worry about wasting precious motor time and have enough gasoline, the armored divisions can advance very quickly. The military exercise deployed three armored divisions, and the supply requirements were very high.

Without a road system, if the armored division only used trucks for supplies, it could only advance two or three hundred kilometers before having to stop and wait for gasoline to be transported up from the rear.

If it is an actual combat, ammunition and tank parts will need to be transported from the rear, as well as replenishment of tanks and accompanying infantry.

In order to enhance the assault capability of the tanks, the exercise command dispatched a large number of transport planes to airdrop supplies. This requires a high level of coordinated combat capability of the troops, and various unexpected situations often occur whether it is airborne or airdropped.

After receiving the airdropped supplies, the armored division advanced rapidly day and night, crossing the entire Poland within a week and reaching the border between Poland and Germany. In a real battlefield, the advancement speed would definitely not be so fast, but now it is just an exercise, not an actual battle, so the speed must be much faster.

Two weeks later, the number of troops stockpiled on the border had exceeded 120 million, with more than a thousand tanks, more than three thousand aircraft, and 5000 artillery pieces, and the number of troops was still increasing.

In the third week, the standing army from Asia arrived in western Poland. The mobilized troops from the European zone continued to gather in the Polish Military District and the Baltic Navy District. After more than a week, all the planned troops arrived at the designated areas.

After the long-distance march drill, each unit carried out projects such as digging fortifications, artillery firing, infantry and artillery coordination, calling for artillery strikes and aircraft support.

The standing army performed very well, completing all subjects almost perfectly. The mobilized troops were not satisfactory. They were not bad, but they were not good either. They were just average. If such troops had enough ammunition, manpower and supplies, they could also show strong combat effectiveness, but don't expect them to have any amazing performance.

Only after a long period of experience on the battlefield can one take on more proactive tasks.

The General Staff had anticipated this situation and did not set too high a standard for the line-filling divisions. They were already first-rate in the world if they could complete the combat missions assigned by their superiors. The German Army was no better than this. Considering the equipment advantage of the People's Army, it could be said that the Allied conscripts were no worse than the German conscripts.

Chapter 868 Shock

When the Alliance conducted a large-scale exercise, intelligence personnel from various countries became active and took a large number of photos and videos. It was completely legal and reasonable to use the exercise to find out the military strength of the Alliance. Military attachés of the major powers in the Alliance participated in it. Germany, Turkey, Romania and the Syndicalist countries all sent a large number of reporters/intelligence personnel to collect information on various aspects of the exercise.

Germany, in particular, was most concerned about the alliance's military exercises. After all, it was an army of more than two million, all pouring into Poland. Who knew if the alliance would turn the fake into real?

The number of aircraft and tanks announced may not be true. Perhaps a large number of armored units and bomber units have been secretly deployed somewhere.

The Alliance's quadruple-shell heavy bombardment was also a weapon that the German government feared. Germany's strategic depth could not be compared with that of the People's Revolutionary League, nor did it have that much oil. Although it had the technology to manufacture quadruple-shell heavy bombardment, it did not have a large number of equipment.

The People's Revolutionary League was different. They had enough steel and oil, so they deployed dozens or even hundreds of heavy bombers in Belarus, or possibly even more. With just one wave, they could drop hundreds or even thousands of tons of bombs on Berlin or anywhere else in Germany.

The accuracy of high-altitude bombers is definitely not very good, but the heavy bombers of the Alliance are still a huge threat to Germany. Germany's strength is not as good as the Alliance, and now it needs to allocate a lot of resources to build heavy anti-aircraft guns, which further weakens the offensive power of the German army.

But if there were not a large number of anti-aircraft guns and interceptor units, the Alliance's heavy bombers would not necessarily drop bombs at high altitudes. Instead, they might lower their altitude to drop bombs, which would greatly improve their hit rate.

After the troops of the coalition exercise were gathered in Poland, Germany also carried out preliminary mobilization, replenished the troops on the eastern border to 120 million, and prepared plans for general mobilization at any time.

The 120 million troops have no advantage over the 260 million troops and can only take a defensive stance. It is not that the German government does not want to mobilize more troops, but every additional person mobilized will cost more money. The German government has too many projects to start, including new projects for the navy, army and air force, as well as large projects such as super cannons. It is already stretched to the limit, so every bit of money saved is a bit of money saved.

"If the Alliance had not attacked, wouldn't the money and resources Germany spent on mobilization have been wasted?"

"Who can guarantee that they won't call?"

"If we don't mobilize, there's a 7% chance that the alliance will launch a surprise attack. Only if we are well prepared will the People's Revolutionary League not rashly start a war."

The advantage of the party that completed mobilization first was too great, and Germany did not dare to gamble that the alliance had no offensive plan. The German General Staff strengthened the defense of the Eastern Front and the Western Front. The industrial strength of the French Republic had caught up with Germany, and there were 700,000 troops stationed on the German-French border all year round. In addition, with the syndicalist Britain as an ally, there was a strong call for war within the French Commune.

As long as the alliance agrees to join forces with Britain and France to attack Germany today, war will break out tomorrow. The international community regards the German Empire as a model of militarism, but when it comes to warmongering,

To a certain extent, the Anglo-French alliance is far superior to the German alliance.

During the alliance's military exercises, the German General Staff remained in a state of tension. The entire European continent was on the verge of a war, and there was no telling when an accidental shooting might occur.

Fortunately, that did not happen. After the People's Army held a 40-day military exercise in the Polish Military District, the mobilized troops were gradually disbanded, and the troops from the Asian region boarded the train and returned to their departure point.

Some troops also went to Chang'an to prepare for the upcoming military parade, and some troops remained in the Polish Military District and the Baltic Navy District.

"It is reported that the People's Revolutionary League's Polish military district has increased its troop strength to 30, and its troop strength in the Baltic military district has increased to 20. Compared to before the military exercise, the People's Revolutionary League has an additional troops on the western border."