The news of French Prime Minister Dume's visit to Germany quickly spread in the international community, and Greece and Italy reacted strongly, but this is an international game, and there are no rules in itself, so the two countries have not spoken out about it. At the same time, on the same day that Germany was negotiating with France, it was also negotiating with Italy, Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and other countries to resolve the local crisis in Europe. In fact, with the bitter lessons of the First World War, all countries did not want to go to war again, especially Britain and France, which could no longer withstand a strong wind and waves.

However, the situation is so unfortunate, when everyone wants to quiet down and develop, Greece, which has always been calm as water, has embarked on the road of dominating the Aegean Sea. If there is only a territorial dispute with Turkey, it will be forgotten, and now, the Greeks have actually driven their troops to the territory of Germany, then even Britain and France will not be able to understand the road.

Vinizelos, the initiator of the Greco-Turkish War and the de facto ruler of Greece, the "strategic grate" who wanted to restore Macedonia's glory simply heard what was happening in Washington, then sent troops to occupy Albania, ignoring the consequences, taking it for granted that it was his own land.

In the face of accusations from Britain, France and other countries, Vinizelos has only turned a deaf ear, and after emphasizing his position, he has no intention of withdrawing his troops.

Of course, even if Greece withdraws its troops at this time, Germany may not rest on its laurels, because the war against Germany mainland has been a novelty since the Napoleonic period, and Greece is unprecedented.

In the Hanseasa Palace, Brauchitsch and Hoffmann both rushed to Eric's office to report on the reorganization of the armament, because the transfer of the German Wehrmacht required Eric's warrant, and Chancellor Stresemann had no right to touch the army.

Although the Greek military force was small, but it was in a quiet corner, the German navy had not yet been formed, and the land transportation was extremely inconvenient, and this expedition to Greece to send troops from the northern part of Europe really made Hoffmann and Brauchitsch sad, so Eric had to call his Minister of Transportation, Otto Grads, to discuss the plan of this expedition.

"Ministers and gentlemen, I think everyone knows why you have been invited here, and now it is easy to solve the problem in Ljublja, the troops can be transported by car, and the distance is not very far, and the round trip of more than 600 kilometers can be completed in only one day. However, we must be absolutely sure of this war, so the army must make contact with the Greek army as scheduled. Let's talk about it. Eric gets straight to the point.

Güllers is confident in the capacity of the Veneto region, which is surrounded by the industrial area of Viennaustadt, but he can only limit himself to the president's statement.

For a while, everyone began to gossip, so lively, but there was no real practical way.

The ports of Venice and Trieste at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea are important ports in southern Germany, with undoubted cargo handling capacity and are also the main transportation hubs for Eric's oil from east to west.

Nine infantry divisions, totaling more than 250,000 people, are the defensive counterattack troops planned by Hoffmann, not including the minority garrisons that have been incorporated into the state and are on standby, and the total may be as much as 500,000, not to mention the transshipment, even maintaining such an army size costs countless money and food, even for Germany, which is developing at a rapid pace, it is a heavy burden.

"What do you think of sea freight?" Brauchitsch's proposal was a solid one, and the narrow waterway of the Adriatic Sea was the easiest way for Germany to reach Greece directly.

It's just that what makes everyone very embarrassed is that Germany, which claims to defeat the invincible opponents of all countries in the world on land, is still impoverished in terms of navy.

"Transporting troops is not a problem, but security is difficult to guarantee, especially in times of war, and the Greek side will strictly control this sea area." Gellers did not agree with this plan, because Germany did not have a naval escort, and the Greek navy would inevitably suffer heavy losses if it encountered patrols, and the air force could not play the role of escort at this time, and it was not cost-effective.

Eric stared at the ports of Venice and Trieste for a long time, and felt that Brauchitsch's proposed sea route was a good solution, and that all that was needed was escort power.

If you want to say who is the "king" in the Adriatic Sea, it is undoubtedly Italy, no matter how weak the army strength is, and the tonnage of ships is still incomparable with Germany at present.

"I think the Ministry of Defense's opinion can be considered, we can ask Italy to come forward in the matter of escorting, and we must ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal with this aspect as soon as possible." Eric spoke his mind.

"Looks like the president has a way." Hoffman is the chief of the general staff of the United Front Work Department, and it is said that he wants to solve such a problem, but it is related to diplomacy and politics, and this is not what he is good at as a military general.

"We have just been annexed to the land of Yugoslavia, and we need time for national assimilation, and even if we defeat Greece this time, we can only fight and withdraw quickly, and it is impossible to swallow it for a long time." Eric looked at everyone and said. He wanted to see the same thought in their eyes.

Germany's annexation of Yugoslavia made the world nervous, and if it went further on the Greek issue, not to mention that the British would no longer stand idly by, I am afraid that even the United States would not allow Germany to plunder so unscrupulously.

"Then so be it, let Italy come forward to escort the escort, and we can contribute part of the military expenses...... Simply, be a favor, and pay the military expenses in full. Eric continued: "Italy has always wanted to find something to do in the Balkans, and it would be a good idea to take advantage of this opportunity to make their idea a reality." ”

"Also, we can cede Rhodes, which doesn't play a big role, to Italy." Eric clapped his hands, setting the tone.

"Go and tell Deputy Minister Rathenau that although the last time Britain did not do a good job in promoting peace talks, and should not always take it to heart, but this time the Italian affairs are not handled well, and the SPD does not need to appear in the cabinet again." Eric was indeed annoyed by Ratnow's incompetence. Differences in political views can be disputed at home, but on international issues, Eric really looks down on such people.

On the Soviet issue at the beginning, Ratnow was repeatedly prevaricated and contradicted, and if it were not for the need for the influence of the SPD to stabilize the country at that time, Eric would have kicked Ratnow away.

"So decided, let's go our separate ways, if Italy agrees to escort and is willing to send its navy to assist Germany in its feint attack on Greece, Rhodes can be ceded to them directly." Eric was convinced that Italy would not miss any opportunity to expand.

Eric's order was quickly transmitted from the Hanseatic Palace to the Chancellery, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Rathenau quickly reached an understanding with the Italian Embassy in Germany.

Only two hours later, Italy replied to Berlin, and Eric was very satisfied with the reply, but always felt that this time with the help of the Italian navy could go further. Stresemann and Rathenau were informed to come to the presidential office immediately.

In the evening, the two men appeared together in Eric's office, as the Wehrmacht began to approach Venice and Trieste, and the Italian navy began to assemble to transport the Wehrmacht from Split.

When the two of Stresemann walked into the presidential palace, Eric did not have any extra polite words, and went directly to the topic, without discussing, but directly giving orders, and his style became very tough.

"Contact Miller and ask him to urge the United States to respond to the military invasion of Greece and take no less necessary measures. But don't mention our troops, and although the Balkans are not a place for the United States to intervene, we try not to give it to others. "Eric's first part was to let the United States contribute, and since Germany has been the little brother to the United States for so long, it's time for the big brother to do something for the little brother. The second half of the sentence emphasizes that the US response this time must not cross Germany's bottom line, and that the Balkans are Germany's backyard, and the United States cannot get involved.

"Mr. Prime Minister, have you finished revising your treaty with Dumei?" Eric asked.

"Not for the time being, but there will be a draft plan tomorrow, is there any additional condition that Mr. President will add?" Strezemann said quite naturally, temporary attachés are a common thing.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister is right, let France also respond to the military invasion of Greece, and it is better to let them send their navy to intervene together, so that Italy will not act alone." Eric's simple remark startled the two men, for they both knew that such a thing would be too difficult to achieve, and that France had not yet offered to establish friendly relations with Germany.

For the time being, France and Greece have always maintained close relations, and Greece was able to muster up the courage to attack Turkey largely due to the instigation of France and Britain, and the shadow of French and British intervention can only be seen through the weapons used by the Greek army in several attacks on Istanbul.

Neither Stresemann nor Rathenau could answer Eric, the request was too difficult.

"I haven't said what Germany can offer in return, what's the hurry?" Eric wants to have a good time in Europe.

"If the French navy is willing to send troops, France can give the highest priority to two Greek warships as payment, and Germany can give priority to France as a friend in the next Siam question. In the same way, the settlement of the Saar question was a key test of France's willingness to regard Germany as a friend. If France is willing to send troops, Germany can give in to the Saar question one step further. Eric's proposal is not very tempting, but for Dumei, the immediate priority is to stabilize the domestic situation, and it is undoubtedly a good fit.

The Saarland issue has always been very sensitive, and if Germany continues to make concessions on the Saarland issue, it will be easier for France's domestic order to be stabilized, especially once France and Germany are on good terms, it will be possible to discuss many issues.

"Then ......" Stresemann did not think Eric's proposal was informative, he still thought that the possibility of French troops was too low.

"If France is willing to send troops, Germany is willing to discuss with France again the question of the number of land forces in both countries." Eric finally came up with a killer move.

When Stresemann heard that Eric was willing to discuss the issue of a standing army, he realized that the intention of asking France to send troops this time was very clear, and there must be a deep reason behind this.