At the beginning of February, German Foreign Minister Bülow went to London for talks with British Prime Minister Salisbury, and Salisbury proposed to support Germany's construction of the 3B railway, support for German forces to enter the Middle East and Asia Minor, and hand over Helgoland Island to Germany in exchange for Germany's support in the Anglo-Boer War and the Anglo-French-Sudanese conflict.

Billo was overjoyed by such a generous quid pro quo, and immediately reported to Berlin, in which he tried to get an agreement between Britain and Germany. After receiving Bülo's telegram, Frederick III and Mashal were equally surprised by the magnanimity of the British.

Both Frederick III and Marcal were inclined to come to an agreement with the British, and both the Emperor and the Prime Minister were very interested, and Jochen, though of different opinions, was not easy to refute.

From the perspective of future generations, it is naturally of great interest to be able to extend its tentacles into the Middle East, where the oil reserves will provide Germany with a complete solution to the fuel problem, and the huge wealth brought by oil extraction will continue to fund the development of German industry.

But now it seems a bit of a problem, and it is true that the opening of the 3B railway will run through the entire core of Ottoman Turkey, so that the Ottoman Empire's markets and raw materials can be controlled by Germany, but nothing more.

However, the opening of the railway caused far more problems for Germany, and the close relationship between the Ottomans and Germany had made Germany's diplomatic difficulties skyrocket. In the previous Greco-Turkish War, the Ottoman army, trained by German officers, taught Greece a lesson with German-made equipment, although Germany did not get involved at the time because of its single-minded desire to establish itself in the Philippines.

Moreover, the Greek king Constantine I was also Jochen's sister-in-law, so after the war, Frederick III also instructed his son-in-law to provide some help, export German equipment, provide military instructors and consultants, and Jochen also built that Greek officers could apply for further study at German military academies. In this way, relations between Greece and Germany were deepened.

But as long as Germany's relations with the Ottomans grew closer, and the Ottomans had tensions with the Balkan countries, Germany would always be caught in the middle.

Moreover, the biggest problem with the close relationship with the Ottomans is the relationship with Russia, how could the Jochen, a traverser that Salisbury could think of, not think of. Later generations said that Nicholas II said to the British: "If Turkey joins the Entente, then I will join the League." Whether this is a joke or not, Jochen can't be verified, but thinking about the Russo-Turkish war that lasted for more than 300 years, this is really in line with Nicky's temper. How much hatred is this?

So if Germany and the Ottomans really come together, then it will be basically useless to win over Russia, and even if they get the Middle East and gain a firm foothold, once the First World War starts, it is still a big question whether they can hold it.

Maozi going south from the Caucasus is not a big problem, but the Anglo-Indian army and the Anglo-Egyptian army that the British can draw over are all big troubles, relying on the Ottoman army that is not very good in combat? That's really not very reliable.

If the Germans were to draw troops to defend it, how could Germany have so many troops? As for the huge oil interests. Jochen said that there is really no shortage of oil in Germany now, although the Middle East has huge oil reserves, but the infrastructure is too poor, Germany has to spend money to operate, and although their oil exploitation there is not too difficult, it is also thankless to grasp Nigeria, a rich shallow oil producing area, without going to the Middle East to exploit more difficult oil fields.

If it was only to have enough fuel in World War I, then the problem of building up fuel reserves in Germany and filling the depots with oil from the United States and Nigeria was solved. The need for fuel in World War I was much lower than in World War II. The Germans now put much less pressure on fuel reserves than the Third Reich, which mechanized in World War II, and the Japanese Empire, which had a large oil-burning fleet.

Therefore, the only benefit that this 3B railway can bring to Germany is the huge market and raw materials in the core area of Ottoman Turkey, so Jochen is not optimistic about this mention.

But Jochen couldn't argue with that. First of all, Ottoman Turkey was the most desirable colony in Germany's mind, and the Philippines was no match for it. The forces of the various German classes that supported the expansion here were too great for Jochen to stop on his own.

Second, in the short term, the construction of railways will not cause resentment in Russia. This was just an ordinary German expansion, and it did not conflict with Russian interests. But in the long run, the deepening of the economic ties brought about by the railways will inevitably lead to the deepening of the political ties, and the tightening of the political ties will lead to the resentment of Russia, but it is also unrealistic for Jochen to assert to others that Germany will come into conflict with Russia because of the Ottomans.

Third. No one knows or believes that the three feuds of Britain, France and Russia will come together, and no one will believe it even if Jochen says it, as long as Britain, France and Russia are opposed, then Britain will inevitably need Germany, and then Germany will have no problem reaching into the Middle East.

Although Jochen had previously considered joining forces with the Russians to carve up the Ottomans, this was a plan that once seemed feasible. What did the Russians have to do with Germany when they broke out of the cage of the Black Sea and into the Mediterranean? The headache is also Britain, France, Austria, Italy, and Spain, which are Mediterranean countries or countries with Mediterranean powers.

Although it is difficult to predict the outcome of this event, and it is difficult to say whether an alliance with Russia will be formed, it seems to be feasible anyway. But now Germany is also a Mediterranean country, and its own interests are related, so naturally the Russians cannot be let out. So it turned out that Germany, like Britain and France, had to ensure the integrity of the floodgates that closed the polar bear of Russia in its treatment of the Ottomans.

So Jochen now had absolutely no reason to oppose the construction of the 3B railway and the expansion of German influence in the Middle East and Asia Minor.

This feeling of inadequacy left Jochen feeling a great deal of frustration. At this time, you will find that the traverser is not omnipotent, the gold finger is not driven randomly, and it is still easy for the rumbling wheel of history to crush you, a gangster with a mantis arm.

Since there is no way to stop it, then we can only work in the good direction, Jochen thought for a moment, and then said: "If the British really agree to our construction of the 3B railway, then we demand that the end of the railway branch line must reach the Persian Gulf, and if the British demand that Baghdad is the end of the railway, we cannot accept it." ”

"Well, Your Highness, you mean we need to have a port in the Persian Gulf? Well, that's a good idea, so that we have one more option for connecting with the Far East, but ......" Mashal hesitated.

"But the British will certainly object." Jochen took Mashal's words and continued: "Because it will make them feel that their pearl is threatened by us, but I don't think we can back down, this is the best chance. If the 3B railway is to be built, it must reach the Persian Gulf, otherwise its value will be greatly discounted.

And now is the best opportunity to get the British to agree to our demands, and now the British need our support, and if we are only going to build it up to Baghdad, then it will be very difficult for us to extend the railway when the British withdraw from Africa. ”

Historically, the issue of the railway terminus, which had only begun negotiations in 1903, was firmly opposed by Britain, who had withdrawn from the war, and it was not until 1914 that the two sides reached an agreement, and the final point was finally made concessions by Germany, only until Basra, and now Germany is basically useless if it does not seize this opportunity.

"Well, this one can be fought for by Birlo as much as he can." Frederick III thought for a moment, and then said: "If the British oppose it strongly, we can also make certain concessions, for example, the construction of the 3B railway can invite the British to join, and the whole line will be built by us and the British in sections, and after the completion of the railway, the management and interests of the railway can be divided into a part to the British." ”

"Father's method is very good, after the completion of the 3B railway, it can bring huge benefits to the empire, and let the British get a piece of the pie can also gag their mouths." Inviting Britain to join in the construction would reduce the political significance of the construction of the railway, increase the commercial component, and it would not matter if the interests of the railway were divided into parts, after all, the line of the railway determined that Germany would benefit the most, and it was better to divide some of the benefits than not to build the railway.

"We can also suggest to the British that France is also eyeing the Middle East, and that our plan to build a 3B railway may be opposed by the French. Didn't the British just want us to share the pressure from France? If their opposition to our plan would be tantamount to the unanimity of Britain and France, then it would be difficult for us to help Britain share the pressure from France on Africa. ”

France was the first country to set up consulates in Baghdad and Basra, and it also has a certain say in the Middle East, although the Middle East is the sphere of influence of the British, but if Germany and France maintain the same position, the British can only compromise.

Jochen's construction is actually a sue to the British, if you don't support my plan, then I have to ask the French for support, and it just so happens that now the French are also looking for the support of the Germans, and the British you can do it yourself.

"Then let Billo convey this to the British, that the construction of the railway to the Persian Gulf is the result that we must strive for." Frederick III ordered.

As for where the end of the branch line of the railway will be repaired, Jochen does not need to intervene at all, the Germans were ready to repair to Kuwait in history, so as long as the British can nod their heads, this place rich in oil reserves will inevitably become the sphere of influence of Germany in the future. (To be continued......)