The envoy sent by Franco was clever, and his master needed the equipment provided by the Germans too much, so it was impossible for him to refuse Reinhardt's request in any case.

Once the war is won, he and everyone behind him will be able to ascend to the throne of power. If you lose, there's no need to dwell on those illusory chips.

However, the envoy still wanted to struggle, and said in an almost pleading tone: "Mr. Prime Minister, the price we have paid is too great. Hope you can think about it for us, can you ........"

Reinhardt interrupted the envoy with a laugh: "Can I not think of this?" I know that you can't be too greedy. Besides, this aid will not be effective immediately, and it will not be effective until your troops are deployed. ”

Reinhardt's words were quite polite, and it seemed that he would provide himself with something else, and the envoy was relieved.

I saw Reinhardt's hearty envoy say: "In this case, I will lend you 50 more state-of-the-art planes, which will be piloted by German pilots." In addition, I sent a German panzer division to Spain to help you win the war. Don't be in a hurry to ask for the rent, just wait for you to pay it back slowly after you win. ”

There were German armored forces and air forces, and Franco's envoy naturally couldn't ask for it. It's just that this "rent", according to the routine of the German chancellor in front of him, may not be too low.

Franco's envoy only heard Reinhardt continue: "Well, the rent will be cheaper for you." It is paid at the value of 50 tons of gold, which can be repaid in lieu of resources such as tungsten ore. ”

The envoy only felt dizzy for a while, but Reinhardt still chattered: "This is much cheaper than the price we sold to the Republican Army, don't be embarrassed, who called us ideological friends." This price is not low, you must not refuse, if you still refuse, I will be really embarrassed. ”

At this time, the envoy couldn't cry or laugh, he had seen shameless, but he had never seen such shameless! The envoy wanted to plead, but Reinhardt grabbed his hands and shook hands warmly: "No need to fight, it's decided." If you want to excuse me again, I will turn my face, and it is not a great favor, so I will not be moved like this. ”

Franco's envoy had the urge to slap Reinhardt a few times, and if he didn't hit anywhere else, he would slap him in the face! It's just because this cheeky shameless man is too underwhelmed to beat.

Reinhardt, who had no self-knowledge, was still chattering: "When you win and take power, I will definitely go and meet your General Franco." Perhaps, we will be allies in the future, so if you need help, just ask. Although our German labor expedition was troublesome, we were all willing to help the suffering Spanish people out of the sea of suffering. Germans are bold and generous by nature, and I like to help others. The kind of person I am most unaccustomed to in my life is the kind of person who fights and fights for a little petty profit, the kind of person..... Phew! ”

Finally, the envoy from Spain could no longer remember how he had entered the secret chamber to sign a secret covenant with the Germans. He only remembered that when he left with a copy of the secret covenant, Reinhardt ran to the airport to see him off, waving his hand and shouting: "Go back and tell General Franco for me, asking him to accept German aid with peace of mind." To dismiss any of them would be to look down on me and to disrespect the goodwill of the German people........"

On August 11, 1936, Spain signed a secret covenant and aid treaty with Germany. Since then, Franco's envoys have achieved their goal of uniting Germany, Italy, and Portugal.

With the cooperation of the Italian Navy, the German transport fleet and the Italian transport fleet transported a large number of personnel and equipment to Portugal. A large amount of equipment promised by the Germans was delivered to the port of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, and then by road to Badajoz, the large rear under the control of Franco's army. The first phase of transport equipment alone allowed Franco's National Army to be reequipped with five German infantry divisions.

And one of the armored divisions promised by Reinhardt was the Fifth Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, led by Rommel. The division was armed with the latest modification of Tank II Type B, a light tank weighing only 10 tons, armed with a 20mm gun and two MG33 machine guns.

Reinhardt originally ordered the development of this light tank with the intention of making an airdrop light tank, but it was too heavy to meet the airdrop standard. However, as an infantry support light tank, the front of the hull of the No. 2b straight and inclined type is equipped with a meiotic gear, and it is replaced with a Bamacher HL62 140-horsepower gasoline engine, which has the advantage of being able to flexibly cooperate with infantry combat. Used in backward Spain, it was enough to defeat their republican army.

At the same time, because the T3 type of the real German armored main tank was not used, the real strength of the German armored forces could be hidden in the operation.

In addition, the Type 2B tank was also sufficient to test Reinhardt's theory of combat for armored forces. The operation of the German Fifth Panzer Division in Spain can also further improve the details of the operational theory of the armored forces, and it can be said that it kills multiple birds with one stone.

As a secret force for German aid to Franco, the Panzer 5th Division assembled in Porto, on Portuguese territory, but was not immediately thrown into battle.

Contrary to the German Expeditionary Force, Mussolini's 50,000 Italian infantry, on the third day of his arrival in Ferrer, northern Spain, rushed to attack Oviedo in an attempt to pacify the main republican army in northern Spain in one fell swoop.

In line with this, Franco, supported by 8,000 Portuguese volunteers, launched a counteroffensive in the area around Córdoba, which was about to be lost. Although he did not achieve a breakthrough, he stabilized Córdoba's defense and relieved the crisis of his front command in Seville.

At the end of 1936, the German Fifth Panzer Division was assembled in the Toledo area, but it still did not fight. Rommel, as the commander of the German-Spanish Combined Corps, has a total of 7 main divisions at his disposal, including: 1 German light armored division, 1 Spanish quasi-armored division, and 5 German Spanish infantry divisions. (Five more German Spanish infantry divisions were used to stabilize the northern front.) ）

At Mussolini's request, Italy supplied Franco's National Army with a total of 100 heavy machine guns, 50 artillery pieces, 68 old biplanes, and about 30 light combat vehicles. Unlike Reinhardt, who slammed the door, Mussolini provided these supplementary equipment for free.

The Spanish Republican Army, on the other hand, also received $2 million in aid from Mexico at the end of 1936 and some war materials, including 20,000 rifles, 280,000 ammunition, eight cannons, and a handful of American-made aircraft. This equipment further armed the 300,000-strong militia temporarily established by the Republicans. Together with the 100,000 Gew.98 Mauser rifles that Germany had previously bought for the Republican Army, the Republicans had become a paramilitary force with considerable combat effectiveness.

Having not secured the historical 500 tons of gold (all of which went into the pockets of the German government), the Comintern, under the control of the Soviet government, provided only limited aid to Spain: a Comintern column of 3,000 highly motivated fighters.

By January 1937, the Spanish National Army was surrounded on three sides.

To the north, the Italian Expeditionary Legion, which had just received more than 20,000 additional soldiers and more than 50,000 troops. The Italian expeditionary force had just fought the Santander garrison, numbering less than 4,000 men, and had crushed the main force of the Republican army in northern Spain, and its morale was high. The five German armies that were originally scattered also gathered around the Italian Expeditionary Force.

In the center, the 100,000 troops of the German-Spanish Combined Corps, which had not been engaged in the battle under Rommel's command, were ready to threaten Madrid, the capital of the republican government.

On the southern front, Franco, who had just received a Romanian volunteer regiment, was intensifying his offensive to encircle the 100,000-strong militia deployed by the Republican Army in Posoblanco.

Today's Spanish Republican Army has reached the point of fighting a war against the water.