Chapter 1665 The Soviet Withdrawal
The main objectives of building the Kabra Bassa Hydropower Station in East Africa are threefold: power generation, navigation, and water storage. Navigation and water resources are areas where East Africa has historically lagged behind, which is why the country has the resources to undertake this water conservancy project with such determination.
Among the major powers today, only East Africa has the worst water transport conditions. The United States has the Mississippi River, which connects to the Great Lakes of the Atlantic Ocean. The Soviet Union had the Volga River, which, after artificial modifications, could also flow into the Black Sea via the Don River.
As for other countries, Germany has both land and sea access and the Rhine River, a "golden waterway," while France faces the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, and its inland water network is also quite good.
Countries like Britain, Japan, and Italy do not have prominent inland water transport, but their conditions for developing maritime transport are very mature.
Then there is the issue of water resources. Among the great powers, East Africa is a country with relatively scarce water resources, and water resources are directly related to the upper limit of the scale of industry and agriculture.
Once completed, the Kabra Basa Hydropower Station will greatly improve the efficiency of East Africa's utilization of the Zambezi River's water resources, enough to make the lower reaches of the Zambezi River a future "land of abundance" in East Africa.
Minister Vasser said, "In many cities of the Empire, water resource constraints have become a significant factor affecting urban expansion as they have developed to this point."
"The most typical example should be Mombasa. Mombasa lacks large rivers and has a relatively dry climate, so the city faces water shortages."
Mombasa's population and industries are significantly larger than in the previous life, which has led to greater pressure on Mombasa's water resources.
Minister Vasser said, "If Mombasa wants to further expand its urban boundaries, water resources are a problem that must be solved. At the same time, the further concentration of population and industry will also restrict the development resources of other cities in the Eastern Province where Mombasa is located."
"Therefore, it is difficult for Mombasa to form a city cluster centered on itself like Dar es Salaam."
"The lower reaches of the Zambezi River, where Tete City is located, may become a new urban center of the empire in the future."
"However, Tete City has a strong competitor, Hinde City, in the region, so the lower Zambezi River urban cluster may present a dual-core structure in the future."
Cristiano's officials agreed, saying, "Tete and Hinde each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it is difficult for either to overpower the other. Hinde has a location at the sea outlet, while Tete has advantages in resources and land transportation."
"However, in the future, the positions of Hinder and Tete in the empire's economic landscape will be difficult to shake."
"The only drawback of our two cities is that they are somewhat remote from the main trade routes of Eurasia and from cities in the north."
The Suez Canal is the core hub of trade between Eurasia, so the further north you go on the east coast of East Africa, the more suitable it is for the development of foreign trade.
The Zambezi River is located in the southern part of East Africa, and its estuary faces the Mozambique Channel, with Madagascar on the opposite side.
Therefore, the geographical locations of Hindee and Tete make them more suitable for developing trade with Australia and Southeast Asia, partly due to the development of the Sunda Strait shipping route in East Africa.
However, in East Africa's trade with Southeast Asia, the Strait of Malacca remains the main route, while the Sunda Strait has always been the backup route because the former carries lower risks.
Australia's size is clearly insufficient to support the trade prosperity of southern East Africa, so even southern cities like Hindee and Tete focus on trade with countries across Eurasia.
Minister Wasser said, "Although the Zambezi River is in a less desirable location, it doesn't have a significant impact on the economy. The journey from Hinde to the Indian and Pacific Oceans is only a bit longer than that from northern cities."
...
Time flew by and it was now 1938.
The situation in Spain's civil war is also changing dramatically, and the health of the government and the people in Madrid is visibly deteriorating.
At this time, Madrid had been besieged by Franco's National Army for more than a year.
The city was surrounded by enemy forces on three sides, with only the road leading to Valencia in the southeast still under the control of the Republican army, becoming a fragile lifeline.
Due to the lockdown, Madrid is facing severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. Citizens are surviving primarily on rations of meager amounts of food, such as chickpeas, lentils, and the occasional horse meat. The black market is thriving, but prices are exorbitant, making it unaffordable for ordinary people.
Despite the lack of a large-scale ground offensive, the citizens of Madrid lived in daily fear of shelling and air raids.
The National Army's artillery and air force frequently bombed cities, targeting residential areas, markets, and water and electricity facilities, with the aim of destroying civilian morale.
Two Republican soldiers from France walked down the streets of Madrid. Some of them had bandages wrapped around their arms, while others had lost some part of their bodies. They were haggard and emaciated.
With the support of Germany and Italy, the National Army's blockade of Madrid was even more stringent than in the previous life, and supplies were extremely scarce.
"Martin... do you think we still have a chance to win?" Antonio asked in a low, hoarse voice.
His eyes were completely devoid of light, as dark as the streets of Madrid stained by gunfire.
Martin did not answer Antonio, but walked silently ahead, his figure appearing extremely subdued, each step heavy.
Antonio said to himself, "I don't know when this war will end. When I first arrived in Madrid a year ago, the city was still somewhat decent."
"It has now completely turned into a prison filled with waste and death."
“I still remember when we came here, Odyssey, Ross, Field… their vivid faces are still clear in my mind.”
"We are confident that we can win this war!"
"Now... our comrades... are down to just the two of us! And the war continues, and the situation is getting worse and worse..."
Antonio became increasingly dejected, and his voice grew softer and softer until it was almost impossible to hear what he was saying.
Martin, who was walking ahead, fully understood what his comrade was trying to say.
He stopped and turned his head, staring at Antonio, who was looking down, with one bloodshot eye.
"Antonio, now is not the time to give up."
Martin looked up at the gray sky and said reminiscingly, "Actually, when we came to Spain from our hometown, weren't we already mentally prepared?"
"More than a year ago, we had already anticipated the current situation; the Republican army's chances of winning this war were very slim."
"Because Franco was backed not only by Spain's deeply entrenched and corrupt class, but also by the support of two powerful imperialist countries, Germany and Italy. Their intervention in the Spanish war already doomed Spain's rebirth to be difficult."
“We were well aware when we were in France that, faced with a massive alliance of imperialism and extreme nationalism, it would be difficult for us to bring about change in Spain.”
"But why did we still come to this completely unfamiliar land to support the Spanish progressive movement?"
"Just like our French forefathers in Paris in 1871, it was a beautiful vision and a shared ideal that sustained us as we came to this foreign land to fight for the interests of the Spanish people."
Antonio was not moved by Martin's words. He said with a resentful tone, "Martin, reality has proven that so-called ideals are nothing but illusions."
"Moreover, we came to Spain with selfless beliefs, only to become cannon fodder in the hands of those dirty politicians!"
"Perhaps as you think, we have many respectable comrades here, but the upper echelons of Madrid are a hodgepodge, filled with all sorts of rotten flesh from Spain."
"Fighting for these meat-eaters, I truly feel sorry for the comrades who sacrificed their lives!"
Antonio said through gritted teeth that this was an unavoidable situation. The Republicans themselves were a mixed bag, and their existence was obviously extremely "disgusting" to idealists like Antonio.
Even though the two sides were acting under the guise of "cooperation," Antonio felt spiritually corrupted.
"If we were to die fighting in Spain for our ideals, we would have no regrets. But the thought that no matter how hard we try, we are nothing more than bargaining chips in a deal between certain people and reactionary forces makes our deaths utterly meaningless!"
Martin fell even more silent after Antonio's words. He asked, "So what do you plan to do? Give up the fight and leave, or persevere?"
Antonio shook his head and said, "I will not back down. Although the world is very sick, I will never give up on it."
"Moreover... to merely survive is nothing but a more painful torment, as long as I think of my former comrades and the tragedy of this war!"
Martin raised his arm and placed his withered hand on Antonio's shoulder: "Then let's keep fighting! Until we die."
While people like Martin and Antonio decided to fight to the last moment, it was clear that not everyone within the Republican Army shared that resolve.
In an underground office in downtown Madrid, Soviet Republican Army officer Taslov is holding a secret meeting with others.
Taslov said coldly, "Comrades, according to orders from Moscow, it's time for us to retreat!"
His words instantly agitated the people in the basement.
"Comrade Taslov! Do you know what you're saying?"
"We're withdrawing from Spain, but the war isn't over yet. Are we just going to hand Spain over to German extreme nationalists and their lackeys?"
“That’s right, I also object. So many of our comrades sacrificed their lives here, and now they’re asking us to withdraw from here? How can we face their sacrifices?”
The basement was filled with various heated protests. Taslov could feel the excitement of the crowd, and he gestured to Tolovsky on the left side of the conference table.
"Ahem..." Trolovsky said after seeing Taslov's look, "Gentlemen, now is not the time to argue."
"I think the order from Moscow is hard for us to accept emotionally, after all, Spain is where we fought. We came here for our ideals and sacrificed many lovely and respectable comrades."
"However, we must admit that if we remain in Spain, we must make a more rational choice for the cause of all mankind."
Taslov then added, "Torowski is right. Although Spain is important to us, we should have a broader perspective."
"The situation in Spain is now very clear. There is no need for us to continue investing resources and lives in this war in which we see no victory."
"Because of Germany, it is difficult for our motherland to provide strong support to Spain."
"Moreover, the Spanish Republican government itself is full of opportunists who have never truly stood with us. Instead, they betrayed and stabbed the pure idealists in the back."
"So Spain is now in a critical condition, and even if we wanted to save the country, there is almost no possibility of it."
"Moscow also saw this, which is why it made the decision to withdraw from Spain, this troublesome place."
Some people are clearly not satisfied with Taslov's explanation.
"Taslov, did we come to Spain just for profit and future prospects? As internationalist fighters who volunteered to come to Spain, we should help the Spanish people selflessly, even if it means sacrificing our lives, we should not back down."
Taslov, of course, could not accept his statement: "That's not what I meant. The withdrawal from Spain was for the greater good, not just to make mindless sacrifices."
"Our goal is the whole world, all of humanity, and definitely not just Spain."
"Of course, I understand that withdrawing from Spain means failure, but this failure is not the end, but just a twist and a bump on the road to ultimate victory."
"We will return to this land in the future to complete our unfinished work and ensure that the blood of those comrades who gave their lives for this land was not shed in vain."
"But now, we have to withdraw from here. Besides obeying orders from our superiors, preserving the future of Spain is also something we must do."
"You should also be aware that our motherland is currently under threat from Germany, and Germany itself is the most reactionary country on the European continent."
"So if we want to achieve final victory and plant the red flag all over Europe, we must first defeat Germany."
"After we return home, we will continue to fight against Germany, and we will bring back the lessons we learned in Spain to our homeland, which will also reduce the number of casualties in future wars with Germany."
Germany and the Soviet Union are still at peace, but this does not prevent Taslov from criticizing Germany as a "sworn enemy," which has always been the attitude between the Soviet Union and Germany.
Taslov concluded, "Now, no matter what you think, you must obey orders. If you feel resentful, you can make it up to Germany later."
With Taslov issuing his ultimatum, even those who were unhappy with the order had no choice but to suppress their emotions and silently accept it.
What happened in Madrid was also playing out elsewhere in Spain. As the Spanish Civil War continued to deteriorate, the Soviet government finally decided to withdraw its personnel.
(End of this chapter)
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