Chapter 680: War in the Middle East

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In Berlin in August, when the climate is hot, the trees on both sides of Linden Street seem to be scorched by the scorching sun. At this time, Kaiser Wilhelm II and his ministers were in the Imperial Palace in Berlin, waiting for news from China. On the evening of August 4, Beijing time, when the German ambassador to China, Lukas, went to meet Wang Yuze, it was still two o'clock in the afternoon Berlin time. When Kaiser Wilhelm II had taken a nap, the German ministers had already arrived at the Imperial Palace.

"Hasn't Ambassador Lucas heard back yet?" Wilhelm II asked anxiously. Germany took the initiative to ask China for oil interests in the Middle East, which made him a little unsure of how the always strong Chinese emperor would respond. And he is not sure whether this will affect relations between China and Germany.

"Your Majesty, there is no news yet. However, the Chinese have discovered super oil fields in the Middle East, and they can't use so much oil at all, and it shouldn't be a problem to give us a little bit of Germany. Although the Chinese have invested a lot of money and manpower in the Middle East, they are now also facing threats from Britain and France, and if we can help them, their situation will undoubtedly be much better! German Chancellor Hohenlohe Chillingsfister said.

Wilhelm II nodded, but if it were him, he would certainly not agree to other countries to share the interests that belonged to Germany.

"Your Majesty, Germany is short of oil, and we have to prepare for it. Now the warships and cars of the empire consume a lot of oil. As we equip more and more warships and automobiles, as well as the explosive growth of civilian automobiles, our demand for oil will increase exponentially. Oil will become an important energy source for the country, and the empire must do its best to find its own oil fields! Secretary of the Navy Alfred von Tirpitz said. The German Navy now has eight 'Nassau-class' battleships. The four ships built by Germany themselves still use coal-fired boilers. But the four ships built by China use oil-fired boilers. As soon as the two are compared, the gap is obvious. If it weren't for the trouble of replacing the boilers, Alfred von Tirpitz would have wanted to replace the first four 'Nassau-class' battleships with oil-fired boilers.

"His Excellency Tirpitz is quite right. The army has also begun to use trucks to replace mules and horses on a large scale, which has greatly improved the mobility of our troops, especially the artillery units, which is very beneficial to us in wartime! "Chief of the General Staff of the German Army, Reich Field Marshal Count Alfred von Schrieffen. Said.

The views of the two were deeply agreed with by Wilhelm II. However, Germany has no other energy source other than coal. All oil needs to be imported abroad. If you are stuck in the neck by someone else in wartime. That's bad.

"Your Majesty, I think we should build up oil reserves at once, and reserve as much oil as we can before war breaks out. When the time comes, even if war breaks out, our external ties will be cut off. It won't be all of a sudden without oil! Prime Minister Hornlowe, Chillings Pfister.

"That's a good idea! However, the establishment of oil reserves requires a lot of money. However, the empire is now very financially tight. Is there any extra money left? Wilhelm II asked. Germany's financial resources are not as good as those of Britain. In order to confront the British, the German Navy rebuilt more than 20 battleships and battlecruisers. Together with other warships and auxiliary warships, there are hundreds of warships under construction. These battleships. But they are all gold-swallowing beasts, and they have directly swallowed up Germany's already modest financial revenues. However, by this time, it was no longer possible for Germany to retreat, and it could only go all the way to the dark.

"So, we now have to see the response of the Chinese! If the Chinese agree to let us share the oil benefits of the Middle East, then the empire will be able to get a lot of oil! Prime Minister Hornlowe, Chillingsfirst, said.

"Will the Chinese agree?" Wilhelm II was also a little uncertain.

"Father Emperor, China and the empire have signed a secret agreement, everyone is in the same boat, even if the Chinese are dissatisfied, they will not refuse us!" Crown Prince William said. The last trip to China gave him a great shock. He spent a month in China, and the general feeling was that economically, China could not catch up with Germany. But there are too many Chinese, and the territory is too large, and it is only a matter of time before China overtakes Germany. Moreover, China's development in the military industry made Crown Prince William even more afraid. He knew very well that China and Germany were allies now, but if the common enemy fell, China and Germany would be at war with each other. When the time comes, will Germany be able to emerge victorious? At least, he has no confidence now.

"Even between allies, for the sake of interests, they will turn their faces. What's more, the secret agreement signed between us and China does not have an obligation in this regard. China has already exported a lot of rare mineral resources to us, which is already a great help to the empire! Wilhelm II said with a sigh. Seriously, he was a little jealous. If it had known that there was oil under the Middle East, Germany would have taken a place there anyway. You know, Germany has been co-opting the Ottoman Empire in an attempt to build a railway from Berlin to Baghdad. If Germany wants to intervene in the Middle East, it will have an advantage over China. It's just that they are too done, China has discovered oil in the Middle East, Britain and France will definitely pay more attention to the Middle East, and it will be very difficult for other countries to intervene here. Therefore, Germany can only hit China with its ideas.

"Your Majesty, I don't think the Emperor of China is a short-sighted person. China and Germany are cold in their mouths, and if Germany fails, China will also be unable to stand alone. Therefore, the union of our two countries is the best result! Secretary of the Navy Tirpitz said. He had met the Chinese emperor Wang Yuze, and he was full of praise for this young emperor.

Wilhelm II nodded, but he thought of more. Now in the face of a common enemy, China and Germany will unite. But what happens once you win? Will China use oil to choke Germany in the neck? You don't have to think about it to know this! This feeling of being controlled by others made him very dissatisfied.

At this time, a waiter walked in quickly.

"Your Majesty, a telegram from Beijing!"

Wilhelm II hurriedly took the telegram and quickly skimmed it, the telegram was not long, and he read it in three or two clicks. It's just that after reading it, his face is a little not good-looking.

"Your Majesty, what does the telegram say? Did the Chinese refuse? Secretary of the Navy Tirpitz asked.

"The Chinese refused to allow us to take a stake in China's oil companies. However, they promised to supply oil to Germany at a price of 50 per cent in the future. However, Germany must ensure that the oil can only be used in Germany and cannot be sold to other countries! Kaiser Wilhelm II said.

"Fifty percent of the price? The price is quite low. However, we still can't control our oil fields! Prime Minister Hornlohe Hillings Pfister lamented.

"Your Majesty, since the Chinese don't agree, we can't force it. Fifty percent of the price is already very good for Germany. We can take advantage of this opportunity and import more oil. As for the question of funds, it is possible to borrow money from the Chinese, don't they covet some of our advanced technologies? It is perfectly possible to sell it to them. Winning the big battle in the future is the most important thing! "said the Chief of the General Staff of the German Army, Count Alfred von Schlieffen.

"Well, reply to the Chinese, we agree to this condition. However, within the next year, China must export at least 10 million tons of oil to Germany! The main force of the British Navy, we will drag them down! Kaiser Wilhelm II said.

"Father, since the Chinese can extract oil in the Persian Gulf, then there may also be oil in the Iraqi region in the northern part of the Persian Gulf. We can use our relationship with the Ottoman Empire to try our luck. If you can find a big oil field, it will be a big oil field that belongs to the empire itself! Crown Prince William said.

"Hmmm! Let's find a way to implement it immediately! Hopefully, God willing, you will be able to find the big oil fields! Kaiser Wilhelm II said.

As negotiations between China and Britain and France broke down, both sides began to build up troops in the Middle East. Whether it's the Mediterranean or the northern Indian Ocean, the shipping lanes are busy. Ships transporting soldiers and war materiel are constantly shuttling across the sea. The pace of the big war seems to be getting closer and closer.

On August 15, the Kingdom declared war on the Hashemite family in the Hejaz region. Saudi Prince Abdulaziz, led 30,000 Saudi troops to launch an attack on the Hejaz region, officially beginning the war to unify the Arabian Peninsula.

The Kingdom of Najd, the predecessor of the Kingdom, and the Hejaz region on the Red Sea coast, are the two most important regions on the Arabian Peninsula. However, the Hejaz region was fortunate not to become a colony, and although it was heavily infiltrated by the British, it was still able to be independent and ruled by the Hashemite family. After the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it set its sights on the Hejaz region. The Hejaz region, with its holy cities of Mecca and Medina, is certainly not going to be spared by the Kingdom. Moreover, with the help of China, although the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has only just been established, its strength has greatly surpassed that of the Hashemite family. The rent of land along the Persian Gulf coast from China gave the kingdom enough wealth to wage a war to unify the Arabian Peninsula.