Chapter 1658 Disdain
Germany's geographical location made it a battleground in Europe, and Prussia's rise and unification of Germany were accomplished through military means. Therefore, it is not surprising that militarism arose in Germany in modern times.
In comparison, Japan, as an island nation, is relatively safe. However, since the dawn of civilization, the country's expansionist ambitions have been ingrained in its very being.
In this respect, Japan is even more extreme than Germany. People like Adolf are only a minority in Germany, while Japan has no shortage of people with aggressive ideas from top to bottom.
This statement is not without basis; the current German spirit is much better than in the previous life, after all, they have not experienced the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles in the previous life.
This means that Adolf's followers are definitely fewer than in his previous life, and their quality has also declined to some extent.
In Japan, little has changed. Even low-ranking Japanese intelligence agents like Ichiro Kawasaki and Jigo Koizumi can discuss astonishing plans to annex the entire South Pacific, let alone the Japanese high command.
Without the tacit approval and deliberate guidance of the Japanese leadership, how could this group of people have such unrealistic ideas?
This is also related to the nature of their work. Their frequent activities in Southeast Asian countries and regions allowed them to predict the Japanese government's intentions in the region.
In particular, their focus on monitoring and investigating the Strait of Malacca, East African military bases, and US military forces in the Philippines over the years clearly demonstrates that Japan views Western colonial powers in Southeast Asia as potential enemies.
...
While two Japanese intelligence agents brazenly stole information about the Belitung Island military base, the East African Pacific Fleet was completely unaware of the Japanese activities.
At this moment, Commander-in-Chief Yodl of the Pacific Fleet was comfortably listening to music in his office at headquarters.
He lay on the sofa, a glass of red wine on the coffee table, and was slightly tipsy.
The radio was playing East African songs from a station in Lanfang's overseas province.
"The sea breeze blows away the summer's sorrows... Today's news highlights... International news... The Spanish Civil War... The Far Eastern Empire's war is going badly, and Beiping is in crisis..."
Yodl pricked up his ears and listened carefully to the international news reports.
Compared to previous local news about the economy and people's livelihoods, he was clearly more interested in recent major international events.
Belitung Island is not far from Lanfang Overseas Province, so the radio station focuses on local and regional news, and only broadcasts international hot topics at the end.
In recent international hot topics, apart from the Spanish Civil War that began last year, the world's attention is now clearly drawn to the war between the Far Eastern Empire and Japan.
However, it is clear that the Far Eastern Empire is at a disadvantage in the war. According to news reports, the situation of the garrison in Beiping is quite dire.
"According to a report by Maurice, a war correspondent for the Daily News, this defensive battle is very likely to end in defeat for the Far Eastern Empire..."
"The defenders of Beiping will probably not be able to hold out until mid-August."
"The international community has paid close attention to this war. Countries such as the Empire, Great Britain, and the United States, as well as the League of Nations, hope that the Japanese government will stop the war and that both sides will remain calm..."
"Japan has not given a direct response to this battle. According to sources, the Japanese military is actively pushing to expand its gains..."
"Experts predict that Japan may further escalate the war, and there is no possibility of a ceasefire between the two countries..."
After listening to the battle report, Yodl sat up, frowned, and muttered, "This year is really going to be a turbulent one! I have a bad feeling that a storm is brewing."
With that thought in mind, he stood up, went to the phone, picked up the receiver, and dialed a number.
"Hey, is Staff Officer Derison in his office? Did he come to work today? Okay, if he is, call him over here."
Yodl put down the phone and waited for Staff Officer Driesen to arrive, lighting a cigar and smoking it.
After an unknown amount of time, the cigar had burned down to a third of its length when Staff Officer Derryson finally arrived. He pushed open the door and was immediately overwhelmed by the smoke in the room.
He waved his sleeve, as if trying to drive away the smoke in front of him, and walked to the window and opened it.
"Commander, next time you should at least open the window and let in some fresh air."
Commander-in-Chief Yodl chuckled and said, "That's good. You know my usual habits."
Staff Officer Derison, who was lying familiarly on the sofa next to him, didn't say anything, but asked, "Want one for me too?"
Commander-in-Chief Yodl gestured: "It's right on the table, can't you get it yourself?"
Derison was completely used to Commander-in-Chief Yodl's mannerisms, so he didn't say much. He simply took a cigar from the open cigar box on the table, lit it with his lighter, and after it was fully lit, took a deep drag.
"What brings you here, Commander? I was planning to leave work early."
Commander-in-Chief Yodl said irritably, "I feel lucky that you, who is always absent from work, even showed up for work today."
"It's only in Southeast Asia that he would have been fired long ago. In other places, he would probably have been fired long ago."
Derison said nonchalantly, "Commander, you're wronging me. Every time I'm not at headquarters, I ask for leave in advance. If I don't ask for leave, I will definitely come to work obediently."
Yodl scoffed at his words, saying, "Hmph, you call it going to work, but you're just slacking off in the office. Besides, the people below have complained that you're often late or leave early."
"If you can sit in the office all day, I'll consider you a change."
Derison said, somewhat speechless, "Commander, can you at least examine yourself before saying that? If we're talking about the person who's most lazy in our base, you're probably the one."
"What's the point of doing nothing all day, like you lying in the office all day like this?"
Commander-in-Chief Yodl said, "You brat, how dare you talk back to me? I'm getting old, and sitting in this position is basically the limit of my career, but you're still very young."
“Young people should be energetic. If you always have this attitude, you may never even reach my level in your entire life.”
"Back in the day, your father was an outstanding man. How did he end up with a guy like you who only knows how to enjoy life? If you had put in just a little effort, you would probably have ended up somewhere else."
Derison was clearly not interested in being transferred elsewhere.
"I think life is pretty good right now. After all, the Pacific Fleet is a well-known retirement home. There's no need for high-intensity training, and no one is supervising you. Apart from the lack of living and entertainment activities, there are absolutely no drawbacks."
Upon hearing his remarks, Commander-in-Chief Yodl, somewhat annoyed, said, "You're still not satisfied with this kind of life?"
"If it weren't for your father's connections, you probably wouldn't even be able to get into the General Headquarters. The conditions here aren't bad. Although Belitung Island was developed late, it's not some godforsaken place."
"If I really put you in the base down there for training, you probably won't even find a place to cry. How about I transfer you to some islands in the Pacific Ocean for some training?"
As Commander-in-Chief Yodl stated, Belitung Island is not in bad condition as a base for the Pacific Fleet, in every respect.
Besides its top-notch facilities, Belitung Island itself is a fairly large island, with an area of nearly 5,000 square kilometers, a figure that even some tiny countries can only dream of.
For example, Andorra has a total area of less than 500 square kilometers, while Belitung Island is almost ten times its size.
At the same time, Belitung Island also boasts a thriving economy due to its abundant tin resources and an environment perfectly suited for pepper cultivation.
While not particularly prosperous, it was considered to be of a fairly average standard in Southeast Asia.
Commander-in-Chief Yodl's threat sent a chill down Staff Officer Driesen's spine. As the supreme commander of the Pacific Fleet, Commander-in-Chief Yodl had considerable jurisdiction over the area.
Especially for some islands that ordinary people have heard of, being exiled there is basically no different from being imprisoned.
Seeing Derison's demeanor, Yodl continued to tease, "Your father is one of our seniors, so I certainly won't send you to some godforsaken place. North Hawaii and Palau are good places, perfect for your training."
Derison looked at Commander-in-Chief Yodl with some resentment and said, "If I were really sent to these places, it would be no different from exile. I'd probably have to run away the next day."
“Take North Hawaii for example. It’s a remote place, but I’ve heard that the situation in Hawaii is pretty good for Americans. Maybe I can go there for a vacation.”
Commander-in-Chief Yodl said irritably, "Hmph, always thinking good things. I think it wouldn't be unfair to send you to a military court."
Staff Officer Driesen stopped joking with Commander-in-Chief Yodl and asked bluntly, "Uncle Yodl, why did you call me here?"
Yodl then composed himself, his expression turning serious as he said, "Derison, have you noticed lately that the world is becoming increasingly turbulent?"
Derison's forehead twitched.
"Uncle Yodl, why did you suddenly ask this? And this topic is too broad! You've broadened the scope to the whole world."
"I'm just a nobody who's just coasting along and waiting to die. No matter how the world changes, it's not our place to interfere!"
Commander-in-Chief Yodl ignored his words and continued, "The world is becoming increasingly unstable. There is war in Europe, and the flames of war have been reignited in Asia."
"These are just appetizers. After all, Europe still has Germany as a time bomb. At that time, the whole of Europe may be drawn into the flames of war like in the World War."
"Although Europe is not under our jurisdiction, if a large-scale war breaks out in Europe, there is a high probability that it will affect us."
"After all, Germany and Japan have been getting along very well in recent years, and both countries have the Soviet Union as a common enemy. So if Germany were to ignite the war in Europe in the future, it could very well lead to Japan stirring up a huge whirlpool in the Far East."
Derison then asked, "Uncle Yodl, are you worried about changes in the Far East?"
Commander-in-Chief Yodl said, "There are indeed concerns in this regard. If the world descends into chaos, the Far East will be a focal point, given the diverse mix of powers there: Americans, Japanese, Soviets, British..."
"So, the reason I called you here today is to give me some advice on whether we should make some preparations in advance."
Derison shook his head and said, "This is obviously a bit of worrying unnecessarily. If it were Europe, we would definitely be careful about major changes, but no matter how things develop in the Far East, it doesn't really concern us."
"Could there be any country that dares to provoke the Empire? To be honest, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for the Empire to call itself the world's number one power right now."
"Even the United States and Germany have fallen behind the empire in terms of national strength. Our industrial scale, total population, and military strength are among the strongest in the world."
"Even the United States, at most, will only engage in some minor actions, unless they completely turn against the Empire, but the probability of such a thing happening is almost zero."
Commander-in-Chief Yodl nodded and said, "You're right. There shouldn't be any country in the world with a sound mind that would dare to directly provoke us."
"However, daring to provoke the Empire and provoke our Pacific Fleet are two completely different things."
"Admittedly, the Empire is powerful, but its military strength gradually declines from the center to the periphery, and the area under the jurisdiction of our Pacific Fleet is the weakest point of the Empire."
"So I think we're not entirely safe in the Far East right now, especially since you know that the Empire's investment in the Far East has been very low in recent years, to the point that the Pacific Fleet is almost on par with the Soviet Union and Britain."
"If the United States and Japan take action against us..."
Before he could finish speaking, Derison interrupted him, saying, "That's impossible, unless those two countries have gone mad."
"As I said before, the United States is unlikely to turn against the Empire. At most, the two countries will only have some minor frictions. Moreover, our main disputes with the United States are in South America and the Pacific. Our interests are still very clear. The Empire is focused on the South Pacific, while the United States is more concerned about its interests in the North Pacific."
"From this perspective, it is Japan's recent actions that have had a greater impact on U.S. interests. So, instead of thinking about a military conflict between the U.S. and us, we should consider the reality of a war between the U.S. and Japan."
"As for Japan, our relationship with Japan is indeed not good, but Japan should not have the courage to attack us, especially now that Japan has invaded the Far Eastern Empire."
"Although the Far Eastern Empire has been declining and suffered great humiliation for nearly a century, it has a solid foundation and can be considered a major power on a global scale. Japan will likely have a very difficult time in the war with the Far Eastern Empire."
"Therefore, Japan did not unwisely provoke other countries while already at war with the Far Eastern Empire."
"Not to mention the Empire. Compared to the Empire, Japan is just an ant with a little strength. But an ant is still an ant. Even if they bite us, let alone declare war on the Empire, we can show them the gap between Japan and the world's major powers."
Japan does have a great influence in the Far East, but in Derison’s eyes, it can only be considered a regional power. Outside the Far East, Japan has almost no presence.
Even in the Pacific, Japan could only act with impunity in the Northwest Pacific, bullying countries like the Soviet Union and Far Eastern empires, whose naval strength in the Pacific was not very strong.
As an East African, Derison held Japan in even lower regard.
(End of this chapter)
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