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, who can match such a formidable 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 Austria-Hungary, despite the intricacy of the war in Italy, 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 have exposed the gap between Austria-Hungary and the world's leading powers again and again. Even some of the high-ranking officials of the Austro-Hungarian Empire admit that if it were not for Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, there is really no telling what the result would have been! However, although the process was tragic, it has to be said that the results were still good, and the oil of northern Italy and Libya gave the country a full taste of expansion. And now they really want to follow Germany for another piece of the pie!

If Austria-Hungary had gained more than it lost in the Italian War, the Ottoman Turks fulfilled their obligations as allies 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 end of the war. Aside from a small amount of financial compensation, it was just 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 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 two river basins as a base, and in order to reduce the burden of transportation from the mainland, the Germans relied on Turkey for the purchase of some non-essential materials, such as ammunition for small arms and some artillery shells. as well as food and small quantities of medicines, and so on. 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 was not that the German army did 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 was needed to maintain order in the occupied area, and at the same time, a large number of manpower were needed to ensure the logistics supply, and from this point of view, 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. In particular, control of 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 establish a relatively complete petrochemical industry system on the basis of the original Iranian oil industry system, which includes the production of high-grade gasoline, diesel and low-quality lubricants, synthetic rubber, and so on. This will greatly reduce the logistical pressure on the German team. As for bringing the whole country under their control, the Germans did not have this idea for the time being, after all, in the plan, Iran would first be used as a base and 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. It's the same as in Germany. Iranian oil was also a target for the Turks, although it would eventually turn into 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 southern part of Iran was already booked by the Germans. Then in addition to the oil fields in the north-west, 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. At the end of the war, Germany and Turkey will control the western, central, and southern parts of Iran, and the only remaining regions will probably be 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 oil interests can also be resolved through negotiation, after all, the Iranians value economic interests, and the Germans don't care about that 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! Austria-Hungary 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 Iran's resources, and we hope that in the future the Imperial Legion can join 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 perform well in the last war, in his opinion all this was forgivable, and the first enemy to face was the most powerful country in the world, China, the United States, Britain and France, and even the weakest Italy could be called a great power. Secondly, Austria-Hungary was not ready for war, or for various reasons did not plan to prepare, according to Wilhelm II, Austria-Hungary only needed to provide supplies and bases, and Germany could easily handle everything, 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 that 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 did not develop to the level of 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 troughed down 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 actual performance, 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)