If the departure of the German High Seas Fleet was a source of fear and pressure to the Allies, it was encouraging news for the Allies, as both Austria-Hungary and the Turkish Empire supported the Southward Fleet. The operation was a signal, a signal that the Indian Ocean Raiders were about to begin. The purpose of a military alliance is nothing more than twofold, one is to defend against external military threats, and the other is to plunder. At present, the focus of the Allies is clearly the latter.

With the main force of the German navy stationed in the Mediterranean, the navies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Turkish Empire finally united. It is no exaggeration to say that as long as the Allies are willing, the three countries can organize a fleet that is stronger than the combined fleet of the five countries in the Italian War! More than 20 aircraft carriers and aviation cruisers of all kinds, plus no less than this number of battleships, or dozens of cruisers of all kinds, as well as hundreds of destroyers and hundreds of submarines! Just ask, who can match such a powerful fleet? The formidable Allied fleet covered the entire eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the western and central Indian Oceans. This huge fleet can rely on the advantages of fighting on the inside line and at the same time and intensively use it in a certain direction! Such a strategic advantage is terrible to think about!

For the Austro-Hungarian Empire, although the war in Italy was extremely tangled, the defeat of the navy in the Mediterranean, the collapse of the army in northern Italy, and the poor performance of the air force from the beginning to the end all exposed the gap between Austria-Hungary and the world's first-class powers again and again. Even some of the high-ranking officials of Austria-Hungary admitted that if it had not been for Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy had not taken it alone. I really don't know what the outcome will be! However, although the process is very sad, I have to say that the result is still very good. Oil from northern Italy and Libya has given the country a taste of expansion, and now they want to follow Germany for another piece of the pie!

If Austria-Hungary gained more than it lost in the Italian War. Then the Ottoman Turkish Empire fulfilled its obligations as an ally in this war. The Turks really did not give anything. The Army and Air Force barely participated in the war, while the Navy chased the Italian Indian Ocean detachment around the seas. After the war, apart from a small amount of financial compensation, it was only a privilege to trade with Mussolini. However, the Turks were not disappointed by this result, they were well aware of the relationship between giving and reporting, and they knew that the Germans did not want Turkey to gain a foothold in Western Europe.

However, this time it was different, and in Germany's plan to attack Iran, the Turkish Empire was Germany's most important foreign aid and assistance, even surpassing the role of Austria-Hungary. Germany needed the basin of the two rivers as a base. In order to reduce the burden of transportation from the mainland, the German army relied on Turkey for the procurement of some non-essential materials, such as ammunition for small arms and some artillery shells, as well as food and a small amount of medicine. Many of the weapons within the Allies were generic, and although the Turks had a rather miserable industry, the Mauser rifle cartridges produced were at least qualified. And in addition to these logistical reasons, Germany also needed the addition of Turkish troops to compensate for the lack of German troops.

It is not that the German army does not have enough offensive troops, but that in order to control a country larger than the three French areas, a large amount of military power is needed to maintain order in the occupied area, and at the same time, a large amount of manpower is needed to ensure logistics supply. From this point alone, it was impossible for the Germans to bypass Turkey. There is no pie in the sky, and in the same way, the Turks will definitely not work for the Germans in vain. That being the case. Bargaining between the two sides is inevitable.

Since there is a bargain, then both parties must know what their core interests are. The core interests of the Germans are nothing more than two points, one is the important strategic geographical location of Iran. This is especially true in areas close to the Persian Gulf. And the other point is Iranian oil. These two points formed an important strategic cornerstone for the future German attack on South Asia. Even Germany intends to build a more complete petrochemical industry system on top of the original Iranian oil industry system, which includes the production of high-grade gasoline, diesel and low- and medium-quality lubricants. synthetic rubber and so on. This would greatly reduce the logistical pressure on the German army. As for bringing the whole country under their control, the Germans do not have this idea for the time being. After all, in the plan, Iran was to serve first and foremost as a base, not a colony.

The Turks, on the other hand, wanted more, first of all, they planned to include at least the northwestern part of Iran, including Tabriz, and, if they were lucky, they also planned to swallow the Arak and Borujelder regions in western Iran. Like Germany, Iranian oil was one of the targets of the Turks, although it would eventually become the blood of the Allied chariots, either by the Turks or by the Germans. But the huge profits are still exciting for the Turks. The regions of southern Iran have already been booked by the Germans, so in addition to the oil fields in the northwest, the Turks want to get the oil fields in the Qom region! At least a piece of the pie in the name of investment!

According to the ideas of both sides, after the end of this war, Germany and Turkey will control the western, central and southern parts of Iran, and the only remaining areas are probably the northeast and east. The whole essence of the country of Iran is divided between these two countries, and if this is the case, there is really not much difference between the two sides, Germany wants southern Iran, while Turkey wants western Iran. The issue of the distribution of benefits from the oil fields can also be resolved through negotiation, after all, the Iranians value economic interests, and the Germans don't care about the mark, as long as the oil can be poured into the German chariot in the end.

At this time, Austria-Hungary, which had been a spoiler since the beginning of World War 1, began to move again! Austria-Hungary did not intend to acquire many colonies in Iran, but the development of the empire needed oil. Austria-Hungary was the most miserable in terms of the current distribution of oil within the Allies, with Germany and Turkey sharing oil fields in the Transcaucasia and the Two Rivers Valley. The oil fields of Romania and Libya were mostly German, with only a few remaining belonging to Austria-Hungary. In Ferdinand's opinion, this distribution is very unfair! The Austro-Hungarian Empire controlled fewer oil fields than the Turks! This is the last thing he can bear! Of course, he was also very dissatisfied with what the Germans did after the end of the Italian War. So in this operation against Iran, Austria-Hungary must do something to ensure that it has a place in the future allocation of resources.

"Austria-Hungary must take this step so that we can become a global colonial power like Germany, Britain and France. We need Indian raw materials and a huge market, and Iran is clearly the key to constraining our plans in advance. We need Iranian resources, and in the hope that in the future the imperial army can enter the war in India as an independent force. And not as a vassal of a certain country. Ferdinand has expressed his views at high-level meetings on several occasions. In his eyes, Germany and Austria were almost equal allies, not vassals of Germany, as the Ottoman Empire had done.

Although Austria-Hungary did not look good in the last war, in his opinion, this qiē is forgivable, and the first enemy to face is the most powerful country in the world, China, the United States, Britain and France, and even the weakest Italy can be called a great power. Secondly, Austria-Hungary was not ready for war, or for various reasons, it did not plan to prepare, according to Wilhelm II, Austria-Hungary only needed to provide supplies and bases, and Germany could easily get a thing, but who knew that the final situation became, the other party attacked in advance, and Germany that was preparing for war was not ready, let alone Austria-Hungary, which was ready to fight soy sauce. In the case of the sudden attack of the five countries, Austria-Hungary played this level, which is understandable. Of course, as soon as he thought of this, Ferdinand couldn't help but scold Wilhelm II a few words.

According to Ferdinand's idea, Austria-Hungary must receive about 30% of Iran's oil revenues and at least 25% of its oil dominance, and only in this way, together with other oil fields, can it fully support Austro-Hungarian internal consumption. You must know that the current Austro-Hungarian Empire is much larger than it was before the 1st World War. With the proliferation of automobiles, airplanes, and fuel-powered ships, the empire's energy needs were too large, which not only affected the growth of military power, but also caused a huge hindrance to economic development.

Unlike Germany, Wilhelm II enjoyed the highest power in the German Empire. Ferdinand's authority in the Austro-Hungarian Empire may have been greatly discounted, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a dual empire, and the Austrians and Hungarians within it would be at odds over various issues, which is why the country had a vast territory and a huge population base but still had not developed to par with France and Germany.

But things have changed a little now. Because both Austria and Hungary were affected by energy shortages, and after experiencing the 1st World War and the Italian War at the same time, they were blindly confident in the fighting power of the Central Powers. It was believed that the war after Germany would be a bit tortuous, but it would eventually lead to victory. On the other hand, they also underestimated the strength of the Entente, in their view, the Entente were nothing more than a foreign power, although they had an advantage on paper, but in practice, except for the British Army and the elite troops in China, the United States and France could only be described as lackluster. So Ferdinand was not afraid of the coming war!

Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 for the reward~~~, as well as the book friend syzboy, anhei016, and the monthly pass support of Orphein~~~. There is another chapter ~~~~~ later. Ask for a subscription and ask for support ~~~~~~~. (To be continued......)