Chapter 1673 The European Axis

Korchev's words also made Rovka's heart heavy. In fact, any country will be wary of its neighbors, especially small and weak countries that have powerful neighbors.

Just like the numerous small countries surrounding the Far Eastern Empire, the same applies to the Far Eastern Empire. In modern times, with the decline of the Far Eastern Empire, the Far Eastern Empire developed a stronger sense of apprehension towards those small countries in the past.

Take Japan as an example. In ancient times, the Far Eastern Empire would have looked down on this island nation for most of the time, but now it has become the Far Eastern Empire's biggest external threat.

As a neighbor of Germany, and with such a vast disparity in national power between the two countries, not even sharing the same language and culture, Yugoslavia's fear of Germany was undoubtedly amplified.

The Yugoslavs themselves lacked a sense of security, and from a historical perspective, they were also ruled and oppressed by the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire because of their weakness.

Therefore, even if Germany brought Yugoslavia under its rule and treated the Yugoslavs as equals, the Yugoslavs would probably not trust Germany in the short term.

Not to mention that it was simply impossible for Germany to treat the Yugoslavs equally.

Rovka said to Korchev, "We Yugoslavs will keep your warning in mind. Yugoslav independence and self-reliance will never be based on the charity of the strong."

Korchev said with a smile, "With your understanding, I believe the future of the Yugoslav nation is bright."

"Just like the development of the Soviet Union today, we have also built this greatest country in human history with our own hands."

...

It was April 1938.

At this time, the war in the Far Eastern Empire had entered a new phase. With the Far Eastern Empire's all-out efforts to resist Japan, it was temporarily difficult for Japan to find a new breakthrough in its war against the Far Eastern Empire.

Meanwhile, on the Iberian Peninsula in the west, Franco also enjoyed his moment of glory.

Madrid.

The Spanish capital welcomed its new master today, Franco, standing triumphantly atop a car, inspecting the troops.

Behind the army, much of Madrid was a scene of devastation: ruins yet to be cleared, collapsed buildings, war-ravaged civilians, and spirited National Army soldiers.

However, there's no time to worry about Franco's destruction of Madrid right now; the most important thing is to let the Spanish people know that the country has welcomed its new leader—Franco.

Before the troops marched in, Franco addressed the crowd: "Today is a day to remember for Madrid, as it has returned to the embrace of the free world... Peace has arrived!"

Splash—

He was greeted with enthusiastic applause, and some people shouted Franco's name and "Long live peace!"

Although the people of Madrid are still relatively unfamiliar with the Franco government, this day is certainly worth celebrating for them.

As the saying goes, "Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos." The citizens of Madrid, who have suffered greatly from war, have an exceptionally strong desire for peace.

Franco was very satisfied with everyone's reaction. After saying a few more words, he drove away.

After officially taking control of the country and becoming head of state, Franco still had important matters to attend to, namely meeting with diplomatic representatives from various countries, especially Germany and Italy.

After all, the Franco government is now "listed" under the guise of an extreme nationalist government, so Germany and Italy are, on the surface, Spain's most important diplomatic allies.

This is basically the outside world's view of the current Spanish government.

The Royal Palace of Madrid, Franco's new office location, where his car has arrived.

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the traditional residence of the Spanish royal family. With the throne currently vacant, Franco, as head of state, used the palace as his new office to emphasize the legitimacy of his power and the continuation of the traditions of the Spanish Empire.

In the future, he will hold his most important state events here, such as receiving foreign heads of state, presiding over major ceremonies, and cabinet meetings.

His office and many state affairs will also be conducted within the palace.

The driver opened the car door and helped Franco out of the back seat. Franco straightened the collar of his military uniform, his expression quite solemn.

Looking at this former symbol of Spanish monarchy, Franco couldn't help but murmur a sentence.

"From this day forward, the mission of Spain rests on our shoulders..."

At this moment, Spanish officials stepped forward, and Count Jordana, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said, "Your Majesty, the foreign envoys have been waiting in the palace for quite some time."

From the count's status as the foreign minister, it is easy to know that Jordana was a conservative royalist. During the civil war, Jordana was in charge of the Franco government's foreign affairs.

During the reign of King Alfonso XIII, he held several diplomatic positions, including working at the embassies in Berlin and London, and eventually became the King's adjutant.

Later, with the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic and the exile of Alfonso XIII, he also lost his position. Therefore, when the civil war broke out, he did not hesitate to join Franco's camp.

This former Spanish official enjoyed Franco's deep trust. As for his royalist identity, it was obviously insignificant to Franco, since Franco himself was also a semi-royalist.

Of course, what Franco valued more in Count Jordana's appointment as Spain's foreign minister was his stance on other countries, such as the foreign minister's cautious attitude towards Germany and Italy, which coincided with Franco's own views.

Franco asked, "Which countries have come today?"

Count Hordana said, “The countries that are noteworthy are Germany, Italy and East Africa, followed by Portugal, the Vatican, and Argentina. Other countries either did not send anyone or sent some low-paid officials.”

It's clear that the countries that sent high-ranking officials to Spain this time are basically not normal.

Germany, Italy, and East Africa were Franco's former financial backers, while Portugal is Spain's most important neighbor. Furthermore, the current Portuguese government is very similar to Franco's government in terms of ideology. Argentina is a similar case.

Portugal, Spain, and Argentina are essentially similar, all being authoritarian regimes, and far less ambitious in their foreign policy than Germany and Italy.

The reason the Vatican sent representatives was because the Franco government itself had a strong religious character.

The Franco regime styled itself as a “Catholic Crusade,” describing its victory as a “victory against atheism.”

Therefore, he attached great importance to the relationship with the Vatican and quickly gained the Papacy's recognition, which provided important legitimacy for his regime.

Franco said, "It seems that there are still quite a few countries in the world that have concerns about us, especially Britain, France and the United States."

Count Jordana said, "That should be the case. These countries are currently observing us, but I believe they will eventually discover the differences between us and Spain."

Franco could only say with a hint of regret, "That's all we can do for now. We'll focus on entertaining our distinguished guests from Germany, Italy, and East Africa. Exchanges with other major world powers will have to wait."

Of course, there was one exception in Franco's list of major world powers: the Soviet Union. Basically, during Franco's rule, the relationship between Spain and the Soviet Union did not change much.

Franco then led the Spanish officials into the reception room of the Royal Palace in Madrid to begin dealing with the visiting countries.

"Ambassador Storey, we are finally able to meet in Madrid. We will need your continued support in future exchanges between our two countries."

The first diplomat Franco met was the German ambassador, Stoller, who was an old acquaintance of Franco's, having previously worked in Salamanca just like Franco.

Ambassador Stoller said, "I also congratulate His Excellency Franco on his official entry into the political center of Spain, which will mark a new chapter in the relationship between Germany and Spain."

After Franco made a few polite remarks, he began to meet with diplomats from other countries. After all, it wasn't just Germany that was present; Italy and East Africa were not to be underestimated, but several other countries were also worth paying attention to.

The current meeting is just an "appetizer" for everyone; the real issues will be discussed in a more private setting.

night.

Still in the Royal Palace of Madrid, in a room there were only Franco, Storr, and Count Ciano. Count Ciano was the Italian representative for this occasion and also Benito's son-in-law.

Ambassador Storer then said, “Your Excellency Franco, the situation in Spain has now completely stabilized. Representatives from our three countries are now gathered here, and I think it’s time to put strategic matters concerning trilateral cooperation on the agenda.”

Without a doubt, Germany holds an absolute dominant position among the three countries, after all, Germany has the largest fist and the deepest economic and industrial strength.

Of course, Italy was not to be outdone, especially Count Ciano, Benito's son-in-law. His relationship with Benito alone gave him considerable confidence, not to mention that Italy's support for Franco in the Spanish Civil War was in no way inferior to Germany's.

During the Spanish Civil War alone, Italy sent tens of thousands of troops to Spain, and also provided Spain with a large amount of weapons and aid.

Count Ciano said to Franco, "Your Excellency Franco, you have now become the sole legitimate government of Spain, which means that the camp of nationalist countries on the European continent has been further strengthened."

"Just as Ambassador Storer said, the three most important countries in Europe should take this opportunity to strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the three countries."

"If our three countries unite, it is no exaggeration to say that European politics will be entirely under our control!"

Franco did not entirely agree with this, but he also chimed in, saying, "The nationalist camp is indeed the most powerful political force in Europe now, ranking first in Europe in terms of population, economy, industry, and military."

In terms of population, Germany, along with Italy, Spain, Poland, and western Ukraine, easily exceeded 200 million, bringing the total population of Europe to approximately 500 million.

However, the remaining European countries can be divided into three factions: the Soviet Union was a separate entity, Britain and France were in one camp, and there were also some smaller countries that were more neutral.

If they do not unite, they do not have a population advantage against the extreme nationalist camp.

In terms of economy and industry, Germany is among the top in Europe, while countries like Italy and Spain are somewhat lagging behind. However, Italy is still considered a major power, and Spain is a major European country.

Therefore, with these two countries along, Germany could theoretically suppress other political groups in terms of economy and industry. Germany alone would have an absolute advantage over any other country in Europe. In other words, the combined power of Britain and France might put some pressure on Germany.

In the military sphere, extreme nationalist countries generally have an advantage, mainly in the army and air force. As for the navy, the UK and France are indeed stronger than extreme nationalist countries.

The German and Italian navies are both quite strong, but the Spanish navy is extremely weak. If the Spanish navy could reach the level of the Italian navy, then the extreme nationalist countries would be able to compete with Britain and France in the navy.

In reality, the Spanish army and air force are far inferior to those of Germany and Italy. However, during the civil war, the Franco government received a large amount of weapons and equipment from Germany and Italy, so in terms of the current equipment of the Spanish army and air force, it can be considered to be at an advanced level in the world.

Of course, lacking a strong defense industry, if the Spanish army were to actually go to war with other top powers, it would only be able to show its true colors if the conflict dragged on for even a short period of time.

However, Germany and Italy clearly don't care too much about this. They see Spain as an added bonus to their camp, rather than an absolute mainstay.

In fact, Germany believes that by bringing together countries like Italy, it can rival other European nations, since it is now much stronger than it was during World War I.

Back then, Germany was able to break through the encirclement with Austria-Hungary. Now, Germany is a combination of Germany and Austria-Hungary, and it has Italy as an ally of the great powers, as well as a group of smaller allies in Eastern Europe. There is even less possibility of losing the war!

This assessment is based on Germany's performance in World War I. Of course, just like in World War I, this assessment by the Germans deliberately ignores extra-regional countries such as East Africa and the United States.

The general German idea was similar to that at the beginning of World War I: to achieve a swift victory and eliminate all enemies in Europe before the United States and East Africa could react.

This time, however, their confidence was even stronger than at the beginning of World War I.

Faced with the rosy picture painted by Count Ciano and Ambassador Storer, Franco calmly replied, "Spain is a staunch ally of Germany and Italy, and we have always placed our two countries at the forefront of our national relations."

"Therefore, Spain will do its utmost to cooperate with Germany and Italy."

Count Ciano and Ambassador Stoller were naturally satisfied with Franco's statement, as they believed it essentially meant that the Axis system in Europe had been fully established.

This is also the international community's view on the current situation in Europe; few people would believe that Spain would not side with Germany and Italy.

(End of this chapter)