After talking about the situation in Africa, Hoffman changed his tone and asked the navy again: "What is the situation with the fleet?" ”

"The main forces of the Japanese Combined Fleet have all returned north, and the fleet in need of maintenance will enter the Italian ports tonight, and we have everything ready. The rest of the Japanese fleet participating in the Kenyan operation is expected to cross the Suez Canal into Alexandria tomorrow evening, and then refuel at the port as planned, where the Italians have been given 150,000 tons of heavy oil and nearly 200,000 tons remaining, and the Japanese fleet may have to use more than half of it. Since the super battleship Musashi was too wide to pass through the Suez Canal, it would stay on Socotra Island with some warships for training. ”

"You can't be stingy with this little oil, and you still count on the Japanese to help fight Malta." Hoffman said with a smile, "Now that we have oil fields in our hands, Marshal Antoniscu of Romania no longer dares to his tail to the sky, and the capitalists of other countries are much more honest." Do we have any of our personnel on Socotra? ”

"Yes, the HNA has retained some of its personnel, and the rest of the pilots have been led back to the port of Kiel by General Richthofen, and their planes have also been left to the Japanese, which can be regarded as part of the Japanese planes that we have handed over, and the carrier-based aircraft pilots have boarded the aircraft carrier Zeppelin yesterday and are conducting adaptation exercises -- judging from the sea trials, the entire warship is working well, and if everything goes well with the carrier-based aircraft formation, the fleet can be dispatched around 5 February."

Keitel then added: "The main force of the Navy's Southern Fleet is currently staying near Pemba Island and Zanzibar Island, on the one hand, blockading Kenyan ports and transportation, on the other hand, covering the rapid entry of air force and land forces, and has established two airfields, with more than 80 fighters, nearly 40 bombers and attack aircraft, and initially has control over Mombasa and the surrounding waters, and is expected to have 200 fighters, more than 100 bombers and attack aircraft, and a Marine Brigade after completion." We believe that such a deployment would satisfy the Führer's request for the siege of the Allied forces in Mombasa, which may now be around 80,000 troops. ”

Hoffman thought silently for a while, and the "Tsunami" plan was scheduled for January 29, and it was agreed that the battleship formation Tirpitts would first attack from the Norwegian Alta Fjord, and after attracting the attention of the main forces of the British Navy, it would provide cover for the Zeppelin aircraft carrier to break through into the Atlantic. He nodded and said: "Operation 'Tsunami' is not the business of the Navy alone, and the control of the entire campaign must be in the hands of the Supreme Command - the success of Operation Thunder-Thurbrus is due to the skillful cooperation of the Navy and Air Force, and the Bismarck attacked alone and finally failed is a vivid counterexample." So I hope that the High Command will shoulder its responsibilities. ”

"Yes, Führer." When he heard that he had the opportunity to intervene in the navy, which was regarded as an independent kingdom, Keitel could not help but be overjoyed—now that the Supreme Command was able to command the army and air force with great satisfaction, his authority had been restored a lot, and Keitel's status had been further enhanced.

"If Richthofen's carrier-based aircraft formation is not fully adapted, there is no need to force it, I can afford to wait, the planes and ships can be replenished, and there is no hope in the short term after the loss of this group of pilots and sailors."

At this moment, the latest enemy telegram reached Hoffman's hand, and he almost didn't laugh out loud when he saw it, and the intelligence showed that the Allied JW-51 had set off from Icelandic waters on January 26 and was expected to pass through Norwegian waters in 4-5 days, just in time for Tirpitz's attack, and everything seemed to work together "seamlessly".

"This is Churchill and Roosevelt's New Year's gift to Stalin -- we should find a way to get a vote and see what is inside."

Just as Hoffmann was giving Keitel and the others a face-to-face lecture, Balke, the commander of the Greater German Division, was discussing the current situation with Rommel.

"Sir, do you want to attack 150,000 with 80,000 while also encircling and destroying them?" The Middle East Army Group has a total of 90,000 troops, and except for 10,000 who have to stay in the rear, the rest of the mobile forces that can be used are less than 80,000.

"No, it's impossible. In fact, on a battlefield as large as Persia, this number of troops is really small. ”

Balk didn't know what Rommel was thinking: "So, what is your current move for?" ”

"It's just a threat."

"Intimidation?" Balk looked confused: Rommel had a strange layout, he had only a small number of troops, almost half the enemy's army, but even this small number of troops was still divided into two parts - one on the shores of Lake Urumiye and one in Isfahan, both of which had about 40,000 troops.

"If you were a Russian commander, what would you do about the overall situation in Persia?"

"First of all, we must stick to the back road, and we must ensure that Tabriz is not lost."

"Our army is stationed on the western shore of Lake Urumiya, are you here to fight or are you standing still in Tabriz?

"This ......," Balk hesitated, "it depends on the opponent's determination and his judgment of our strength, if he is determined, he should attack decisively." ”

"And do you want him to attack?"

"Of course, the defense is in our favor, and the terrain is flanked by lakes to the east - it is impossible for the Russians to come from above, so they can only come from the north and south. Except for the oasis where we are now, the rest are hilly and highland, and we can rest on our laurels. ”

"So, how many troops does he need if he attacks? Is 60,000 enough? 80,000? 100,000? ”

"I don't think it's a problem to defend against 8-100,000 Red Army.

"He only has 150,000 troops in total, and he still needs to deploy some of them in Tehran -- do you think my troops south of Tehran can take the city?"

Balk froze, thought for a moment, and said, "What if the enemy doesn't attack, but only retreats to Tabriz?" ”

"That's it." Rommel gently pushed the southern troops to Tehran's doorstep, "What do you think of this city, I only surround it?" ”

"It's going to be very uncomfortable."

"I besiege Tehran for a week to ten days, and then ......," Rommel gently pushed the pawns on the shores of Lake Urumiye, "I let these troops make a detour from the south to attack the line of communication between Tabriz and Tehran, what do you think will happen?" ”

"Tabriz and Tehran are divided by us."

"At this time, do you dare to guarantee that our two forces from the north and south will not join hands to attack Tehran?"

Balk was shocked, and the next sentence blurted out: "What if I was ready to give up Tehran in the first place?" ”

"So...... We took control of Persia. Rommel laughed, "But do you think Stalin would be so talkative?" (To be continued.) )