Chapter 1645 Plotting the Central Asian Highway
Ambassador Lawrence's words pleased Markov greatly, and he responded, "The gap between the Soviet Union and East Africa is still very large. Moscow has concentrated the nation's resources to develop, and it has excellent workers, industries, and leaders."
"In the vast territory of the Soviet Union, there are obviously many towns that need to be developed and built. At present, East Africa is ahead of us in this regard."
As the capital of the Soviet Union, Moscow had a much higher concentration of resources than Rhineland in East Africa, and as the political center of many countries around the world.
In the economic sphere, Moscow was the absolute core of the Soviet Union, while the East African capital never became the economic center of East Africa, and even supported the new Frankfurt to undertake some of its industrial development functions.
In terms of transportation, Moscow is the absolute core of the country's highways, railways and aviation. East Africa also adopts a dual-core model in the fields of highways and railways, while the aviation center is the "aviation zone" in the city centers of Rhine, New Frankfurt and Kabwe.
These two aspects reveal the different development philosophies of East Africa and the Soviet Union.
Lawrence analyzed the apparent differences between the two countries' political centers, saying, "Rhine City is smaller than Moscow, but the Soviet Union lacked some refinement in urban construction."
"But I believe this is not very important to you, after all, the Soviet Union valued practicality more."
Slavs are naturally easygoing, even during the Tsarist era.
Markov didn't see anything wrong with this and said with considerable pride, "The Soviet Union wasn't as wealthy as East Africa. Our country developed later than East Africa, so in the economic field, the Soviet Union paid more attention to efficiency and practicality."
"However, in another one or two decades, I believe the Soviet Union will catch up with the average level of the world's industrial powers..."
...
In early 1937, East African and American diplomats in Moscow clearly experienced what it meant to be "treated with courtesy" by the Soviets.
Although diplomats from both countries had dealt with the Soviets in the past, they were able to deeply sense the deliberate alienation and vigilance of the Soviets.
The Soviets seem to have changed overnight, and not only in Moscow, but also in East Africa, the United States, and other countries.
With the decentralization of power by the Soviet government, they began to have more contact with East Africa and the United States, and gradually became more actively involved in various activities.
The East African Defense and Security Agency was among those deeply affected by this.
"The Cheka's activities have decreased significantly, and we've even noticed that some of their dangerous elements have withdrawn from East Africa..."
In an office in Rhine, the head of the East African Defense and Security Service, Thaleya, briefed Crown Prince Frederick on the recent unusual developments.
In East Africa, the Soviet Union's so-called "dangerous elements" were individuals identified by the Defense Security Service as potentially involved in "subversive" activities.
These activities include potentially spreading dangerous ideologies, funding anti-government organizations, and stealing intelligence and military information from East African countries.
Crown Prince Frederick lay on the sofa, legs crossed, tapping his fingers on the armrest, seemingly lost in thought.
Do you think the recent changes in the Soviet Union represent a change in some of their domestic policies?
Talleya said, "That's a possibility, Your Highness!"
"Because the Soviet diplomats we have been monitoring recently have changed a lot from the past. They are no longer afraid of contact with East Africa, especially in public places, and their activities have become more frequent."
"At the same time, the mentality of Soviet officials has also changed significantly. In the past, when we dealt with the Soviets, they were like people who wrapped themselves up tightly in black bags."
"They are afraid of being associated with us, after all, in the past, there have been many cases in the Soviet Union where diplomats were treated as traitors and purged after returning home."
"Now, it's as if they've untied the bag themselves, which is clearly authorized by the Soviet high command."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already informed Crown Prince Frederick about this change.
Crown Prince Frederick asked, "Have you obtained any official information from within the Soviet Union?"
This stumped Talya. For the East African Defense and Security Agency, if there was one country in the world that was the most difficult to infiltrate, the Soviet Union would undoubtedly be number one.
Since the end of the Tsarist era, intelligence gathering in the Soviet Union (Russia) has become increasingly difficult for East Africa, and the organization has withdrawn and reorganized on a large scale.
After the implementation of the New Economic Policy in Vladimir, the number of personnel in the Soviet Union was increased again, but little progress was made in dealing with the Cheka organization.
During Joseph's rule, the activities of the Defense Security Service in the Soviet Union became even more difficult. After all, even Soviet diplomats operating normally abroad were not trusted, making it even more difficult for East Africa to recruit personnel on Soviet soil.
Talleya said, "The pieces we planted in the Soviet Union were difficult to work with, even at the grassroots level, so it was even more difficult to learn about changes in the Soviet leadership."
"The only way to integrate Soviet intelligence data was through official Soviet channels such as the media and news, and then analyze and summarize it one by one."
"The Soviet newspapers haven't had much news lately; most of the coverage has focused on the celebrations of the Soviet Union's Second Five-Year Plan. Externally, things haven't changed much from usual."
Since August of last year, Soviet newspapers have focused their foreign criticism primarily on Germany and Spain.
In particular, it condemned Germany and Italy for interfering in the Spanish Civil War, which was also the first battlefield clash between Germany and the Soviet Union.
Crown Prince Friedrich said, "There is a high probability that the Soviet Union has now shifted its foreign policy, especially their defeat in Spain, which may have contributed to this outcome."
"Germany and Italy's support for Spain this time is truly remarkable. The application of many modern weapons in Spain, as well as the discipline and organizational capabilities of the military, are all commendable."
Talea nodded and said, "Your Highness's judgment makes some sense. According to our predictions, the Spanish Republican government is basically doomed."
"Under Franco's leadership, the rebels have now gained a military advantage, especially with the support from Germany and Italy, which has accelerated the process. The war in Spain may end this year."
The Spanish Civil War in history lasted until 1939 before finally ending, but according to East African intelligence, the war may end within a year, reflecting the growing strength of the German camp in Europe.
Although Germany supported Spain in its previous life, it had only recently been taken over by Adolf and was rebuilding its military.
In this timeline, Germany's military industry was not effectively weakened, so the quality and quantity of weapons and equipment supplied to Spain were higher than in the previous life.
The Soviet Union's military industrial capabilities were at best comparable to Germany's, but in other aspects, it was difficult to match Germany. Once Germany absorbed the original military industrial system of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its military industry would become even more powerful.
Taleja said, "Perhaps this year we will see yet another extreme nationalist state emerge in Europe."
"Moreover, although Spain has declined drastically as a whole, it is still considered a major power in Europe. This means that there are three major extreme democratic powers in Europe, and its influence in Europe has surpassed that of the Soviet Union and Britain and France."
There are only six countries in Europe that can be considered major powers: Germany, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain.
Furthermore, as a combination of Germany and Austria-Hungary, Germany was originally a more powerful nation formed by two major European powers. On paper, Germany alone could challenge a united Britain and France, or even the Soviet Union, and would have the upper hand.
Crown Prince Frederick couldn't help but lament, "In this way, the group of extreme nationalist countries in Europe has indeed become the most powerful force in Europe in terms of both number and overall strength. If Britain and France cannot cooperate with the Soviet Union, it will be almost impossible for them to deal with the German camp."
Talleya added, “Your Highness, it would be very difficult to unite Britain and France alone, as both countries have their own agendas, let alone get them to cooperate with the Soviet Union.”
"The Spanish Civil War demonstrated the weakness of Britain and France; they had effectively abandoned Spain and tacitly allowed Germany and the Soviet Union to vie for control of the country."
"Perhaps Britain and France's plan was to let the Soviet Union and Germany fight each other, and then reap the benefits from the conflict."
Crown Prince Friedrich: "This is common knowledge, but Germany is also aware of this, so the Adolf government may not act according to the script envisioned by Britain and France."
If Germany and the Soviet Union were to start a war, other countries would inevitably hand them the weapon. With the intervention of other countries, it would be difficult for Germany to defeat the Soviet Union in a short period of time.
The most likely outcome is that both countries will suffer heavy losses, while other countries will enjoy the rich feast provided by Germany and the Soviet Union after their severe damage.
Therefore, the German government will inevitably take this into account and adjust its war strategy accordingly, with the core objective of preventing other countries from gaining an advantage.
Crown Prince Frederick said, "If Germany really starts a war, they may not necessarily target the Soviet Union first. After all, the contradictions between Germany and France are not small, and Britain's attitude towards Germany does not seem like it can fully support France."
"France is now walking a tightrope. If they are not careful, they may be swallowed up by Germany without leaving a trace."
“These European countries all have their own agendas. We don’t need to rush into the fray right now. Let’s see how things develop.”
"As for the Soviet Union, you can keep an eye on it. If the Soviet Union really wants to be on good terms with us, that would be a good thing, and we might be able to get involved in some areas."
The region that Crown Prince Frederick was referring to was actually Central Asia, which, apart from Afghanistan, was basically Soviet territory.
In reality, Afghanistan is a "no man's land" and not a "Central Asian country" in the strict sense. However, since it is difficult to define Afghanistan's position in East Africa, it has been classified as part of Central Asia.
Afghanistan is in an awkward position in Asia. It can't squeeze into North Asia and East Asia. In South Asia, Afghanistan is not on the South Asian subcontinent, nor even on the outer edge of South Asia. West Asia doesn't include Afghanistan either. Central Asia was basically under Soviet control. As for Afghanistan's culture and ethnicity, it is also quite mixed.
However, regardless of the circumstances, Central Asia, including Afghanistan and East Africa, has certain ambitions. It's not that they necessarily want to turn this region into their sphere of influence, but they do want to have more pawns they can use.
In particular, it was to prevent the Soviet Union from achieving complete integration of Central Asia and then using Central Asia as a springboard to gain access to the Indian Ocean coast.
Of course, the Soviet Union must have thought the same way. They were also afraid that East African forces would infiltrate Central Asia and thus threaten the Soviet Union's "heartland" position.
Based on this, the Soviet Union naturally wanted to open up a passage to the Indian Ocean, but both Britain in the past and East Africa in the present were the biggest obstacles for the Soviet Union to achieve this.
In the past, the Soviet Union would have been unlikely to allow East Africa to extend its reach into Central Asia. Of course, this Central Asia did not include Afghanistan, because Afghanistan was actually a strategic area of competition between East Africa, Britain, and the Soviet Union, and also a buffer zone.
As for now, Crown Prince Frederick has some ideas. Since the Soviet Union has shown signs of taking the initiative to improve relations, this may well be an opportunity to enter Central Asia.
While it's unrealistic to use Central Asia to create trouble for the Soviet Union right now, if East Africa were to actually do that, the Soviet Union would definitely turn against them immediately.
However, Crown Prince Frederick still believed that it was possible to establish a land route from Gwadar Port to Shule.
In the past, the Soviet Union would certainly not have agreed, but now this matter may not be impossible to discuss.
If a transnational highway could be built, passing through Afghanistan by land, then into the Soviet Union, and finally reaching the northwest of the Far Eastern Empire, it would have enormous positive implications for the Far East strategy in East Africa.
East Africa has decided to intervene in the affairs of the Far East or the Pacific, and one of its key strategies is to make Japan suffer setbacks on the East Asian mainland, thereby accelerating the implementation of its "southward" strategy and disrupting the geopolitical landscape of Southeast Asia.
Sweep out all the powers that have been entrenched in Southeast Asia, such as Britain, the United States, France, the Netherlands, and Australia, and finally turn Southeast Asia into the right wing of East Africa.
East Africa cannot afford to antagonize these countries on its own; it would be perfect for Japan to play the villain.
Once this strategy is realized, East Africa will then have to consider defeating Japan after it has completely occupied Southeast Asia, and seize more interests and territory in Southeast Asia before the Americans do.
To achieve this, a comprehensive military advantage over Japan must be established. If Japan were to blockade East Africa west of the Strait of Malacca and the United States were to gain the upper hand, East Africa would become a laughing stock.
Therefore, in the future war against Japan in East Africa, every second counts, and it is imperative to start building military superiority over Japan now.
Military cooperation with the Far Eastern Empire was also a key aspect of this, but once East Africa brought the "Japanese devils" into Southeast Asia, the maritime communication channels between East Africa and the Far Eastern Empire would be temporarily cut off.
As for the "air routes" that East Africa is trying to build, they can play a role, but they are obviously not as effective as sea and land transportation.
Therefore, if the Soviet Union could be persuaded to allow the construction of a highway from Gwadar Port to Shule, it would be very attractive to East Africa.
As for railways, that was a complete no-go. The Soviet Union would have had a hard time accepting the construction of a transnational railway that passed through its territory, especially if it were led by East Africa.
Moreover, the area between Gwadar Port and Shule is not suitable for railway construction due to its complex terrain, harsh environment, and insufficient time.
If a railway were to be built, the wars in the Far East would probably be over by the time it was completed.
(End of this chapter)
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