Chapter 1702 Strategic Deception
Neither of these scenarios is likely to occur in Italy. The Italian people clearly do not want their living standards to decline, and Benito is not a traditional politician. Even if Benito were to force Italy into the "sweatshop" model, it would mean the Italian Labour Party could make a comeback and overthrow his regime.
The Soviet Union is still exporting goods today, so if Germany and Italy make the same mistake, the Soviet Union would probably be laughing in its sleep.
It can be said that the existence of the Soviet Union put capitalist countries of that era in a precarious position, forcing them to be cautious in their attitudes toward the lower classes, especially the workers.
This forces capitalist countries to "evolve" and shift towards the welfare state model in the future. However, based on Ernst's knowledge from his previous life, this model is clearly unworkable, or rather, it can only be effective in the short term.
Of course, society is inherently characterized by tortuous development and spiral ascent; this is the general trend of history.
In conclusion, Italy has far fewer development options than other major powers. If it wants to take a shortcut, war is currently the only path that the Italian government can see as having the lowest risk.
If Italy wants to expand outwards, the Mediterranean is the only feasible direction.
At that time, the interests in the Mediterranean and its coast were mainly in the hands of Britain and France, so Benito naturally hoped that the Axis powers would clash with Britain and France.
Germany was the core of the Axis powers. If Germany had attacked the Soviet Union first, what benefits would Italy have gained?
Even if Germany were willing to share Soviet interests with Italy after the war, it would be difficult for Italy to control them, since the Soviet Union was too far away from Italy and beyond its sphere of influence.
Conversely, if Germany were to first antagonize the Anglo-French alliance, it would have a significant advantage over Italy.
Leaving aside Britain, if Germany were to attack France first, Italy could launch simultaneous attacks from all four sides, launching attacks on southern France from its own territory and expanding the borders of Italy.
While France was tied down by Germany, its vast colonies in the Mediterranean and North Africa were much easier for Italy to conquer.
Therefore, at this point, Benito would only choose to incite Germany and Britain and France to become enemies, especially France.
"Prime Minister Adolf is right. The Warsaw Pact is a piece of waste paper. Treaties are meant to be torn up, let alone a piece of waste paper that was never recognized by us, the Axis powers."
"The Soviet Union was indeed our mortal enemy, but Britain and France were also major threats. The reason they made concessions to us at the Warsaw Conference was actually because they had ulterior motives."
"They simply want to divert the trouble eastward, to make us go to war with the Soviet Union first, so that they can hide behind the scenes and plot against us."
“Even after the war begins, Britain and France may become supporters of the Soviet Union, thereby weakening the Axis powers.”
"Finally, if we and the Soviet Union both suffer heavy losses, they might jump out and steal the fruits of our victory. Therefore, I personally believe that we must first secure our internal stability before we can deal with external threats. If we want to take action against the Soviet Union, we must eliminate the destabilizing factors in Europe."
Benito's so-called destabilizing factors naturally refer to Britain and France. He actively exaggerates the threat posed by Britain and France, thereby drawing Adolf's attention.
Benito's words were clearly driven by personal motives, but Adolf felt the same way.
He said, "Benito, your view is the same as mine. One of the important reasons why Germany did not achieve final victory in the last World War was that it was fighting on two fronts."
"Therefore, if we, the Axis powers, want to dominate the whole of Europe, we must avoid a repeat of the last world war. We should first solve the problem of one direction so that the Axis powers will not be caught in the dilemma of fighting on two fronts."
No matter how confident Adolf was in Germany, he could not ignore the threat of a united front between Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, after all, World War I had already provided Germany with some war experience.
Benito said, "This is insightful, so we should prioritize dealing with Western Europe, especially France, so that we can secure our rear in the event of a future war against the Soviet Union."
"To prevent Britain and France from stabbing us in the back while we are at war with the Soviet Union."
"During the last World War, Britain and France blocked the Allied countries' overseas transport routes, thereby cutting off the Allies' imports of raw materials and strategic materials, which led to logistical problems."
"It greatly hampered the war progress of the Allied Powers, and we, the Axis Powers, should do our utmost to avoid this situation from happening again."
"To achieve this, it is necessary to control the Suez Canal or ports along the Atlantic coast, thereby breaking the geographical advantage of Britain and France."
Benito felt a little awkward saying these words, after all, Italy had nothing to do with the last world war.
At that time, Italy was not a unified country, but was divided into three countries, with Venice and Eastern Lombardy occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
At that time, although the Papal States and Naples were independent states on the Italian peninsula, they were undoubtedly aligned with the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
At that time, the Kingdom of Italy was actually aligned with the British, so even though it did not participate in the war, it was actually biased towards the Allied Powers.
From this perspective, the Kingdom of Italy at that time could be considered half an enemy of Germany.
Benito later unified Italy, relying on the original Kingdom of Italy as his base. Now he is only the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy.
Therefore, he found it difficult to say that Italy and Germany were allies in the last world war, so he could only use the "outdated" term "Allied Powers" to express it and distinguish it from the Axis Powers.
Adolf wasn't too concerned about this. Although the Kingdom of Italy and Germany weren't actually on the same side during the last World War, they weren't directly enemies either.
Now, he is more concerned with how to give Germany the upper hand in the upcoming war than with scheming against Benito here.
He listened briefly to Benito's words before speaking.
"Avoiding the Axis powers from being blockaded by countries like Britain and France as they were during the last war is indeed a huge security threat to us."
"Our Axis powers are actually in an awkward geographical position, surrounded by other major powers in the middle."
"Germany is bordered by the Baltic Sea to the north, and the passage between the Baltic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean is controlled by the British. On land, Germany is bordered by France to the west. Although France's strength has declined significantly, it is undeniable that France is still one of the world's leading military powers."
"The Soviet Union to the east is even less likely to become a channel for us to obtain important strategic resources. Moreover, in the current European landscape, defeating and conquering the Soviet Union is the most difficult task for us, the Axis powers."
"Finally, there is the south, which is the direction of the Mediterranean. We, the Axis powers, are still geographical prisoners."
"The Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal are controlled by Britain, and at the same time, Britain's naval power in the Mediterranean is temporarily superior to ours, which puts us in a very awkward position."
"The Mediterranean Sea is like a larger version of the Adriatic Sea, limiting our development."
The reason for mentioning the Adriatic Sea is that this sea area is now the main distribution and activity area of the German Navy in the Mediterranean, and it is also one of the places where Britain keeps a close eye on Germany.
Even though Britain has made repeated compromises and concessions to Germany, it has never yielded much on the core issue of preventing the German navy.
After all, what supports Britain's interests in Europe and the world is the British Royal Navy, which is ranked number one in the world.
If the German navy were allowed to grow too large, the British Royal Navy would likely lose its position as the leading navy in Europe, which would seriously threaten Britain's core and fundamental interests in Europe.
If Europe's interests and hegemony are shaken, then Britain's nominal global hegemony will naturally be thrown into turmoil.
Benito nodded and said, "Therefore, important foreign trade routes and strategic locations in Europe must be in the hands of our Axis powers, including the Strait of Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, the English Channel, and so on, so that we can truly be free from being controlled by others."
Leaving aside Germany, Italy's greed and covetousness toward the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal are completely undisguised.
The Suez Canal, in particular, is so valuable that Benito would drool over it, not to mention its strategic value.
The Suez Canal, due to its extremely important geographical location, is practically a money-printing machine.
Adolf was inevitably greedy for the Suez Canal and wanted it to eventually be in German hands, but he didn't say it out loud. For Germany at that time, dealing with the Soviet Union and Britain and France was the priority.
Only after defeating these opponents will it be time for the Axis powers to divide the spoils, and at that time, Germany will definitely kick Italy aside.
Germany now needs Italy's help to contain the military forces of Britain and France in the Mediterranean region.
Benito knew this in his heart, but he had no choice. He could only cooperate with Germany so that Italy could obtain the ticket to become a world power in the future.
Otherwise, even if Italy were to switch sides to the Anglo-French camp now, it shouldn't expect to gain more by cooperating with Germany.
After all, Germany was unwilling to cede the Suez Canal, but were Britain and France willing? The answer is clearly no.
The risks of cooperating with Germany are always less than those of cooperating with Britain and France, and Germany can offer Italy more benefits than Britain and France.
After all, Britain and France are the beneficiaries of the current world order, and they control a large number of colonies.
Adolf said, "Taking care of France first is the best strategic solution for us. The Warsaw Conference was originally intended to lull France into a false sense of security."
"Next, by taking advantage of this joint military exercise in Eastern Europe, we can openly mobilize our military forces and thus make military preparations against France."
"At that time, we will launch a surprise war against France. I think if our two countries join forces, France will have little chance of resistance."
"Once France falls, Britain should also submit to us, and then we can focus on dealing with the Soviet Union."
Adolf has made no secret of his plans for future wars, and this joint military exercise in Eastern Europe was originally an opportunity created by Germany for war.
With this joint military exercise in Eastern Europe, almost all other European countries will assume that Germany will become an enemy of the Soviet Union, thus lowering their guard against Germany.
Germany's sudden and unexpected attack on France could achieve even more astonishing results. Adolf had already made such a strategic plan and arrangement several years ago.
Now it's a direct confrontation with Benito, since Italy is Germany's most important ally, and dealing with the French also requires Italy's cooperation.
Adolf believed that Italy would not betray him, as this was in Italy's best interest, since France was the biggest obstacle to Italy's expansion in Europe and the Mediterranean.
If it were Spain, Adolf would not have revealed his strategy, even though Spain is now a member of the Axis powers.
However, all indications suggest that Spain is unreliable. Although Spain can also play a role in restraining France, Adolf does not believe that Spain has the same ambition as the ambitious Italy.
Not to mention that Spain already had some secret connections with countries like Britain and France, and Spain itself was a mixed bag of people. Franco was not a true dictator like Adolf or Benito who held absolute power.
Adolf and Benito arguably controlled every aspect of the country, while Franco needed to maintain a balance.
Therefore, if Spain were to learn of Germany's strategic intentions, there would obviously be a high risk of a leak.
Benito was extremely excited by Adolf's confession. What did he most hope for? Wasn't it for Germany to launch an attack on Western Europe first, thereby dragging France into the conflict?
He said, "After I return to the country, I will immediately arrange the final military preparations. At that time, we will launch an attack on France from the southwest region in coordination with Germany. We can be informed in advance when Germany will launch the war."
In response to Benito's urgency, Adolf waved his hand and said, "Benito, calm down."
"France is indeed our primary target in the next war, but we still have plenty of time to prepare, and to be on the safe side, Italy's actions should be carried out more covertly."
"Currently, under the guise of joint military exercises in Eastern Europe, we are slowly and secretly sending elite troops from both countries to the French border."
"It's best not to make any major mistakes in this step, otherwise the French might discover our intentions in advance, and all our efforts could be in vain."
"In order to fully lull the French into a false sense of security, after you return to China, you should mobilize resources from all sides and try to show an attitude of fighting the Soviet Union to the death."
"As long as we can convince the world that our next opponent is the Soviet Union, France will inevitably lower its guard and even turn a blind eye to our military movements."
"This will be the greatest strategic deception of the 20th century. As long as the French believe that we will wage war against the Soviet Union, they will inevitably pay the heaviest price for it."
"At the same time, what we said today should be kept as a top secret between our two countries. The fewer people who know about it, the better. I think you will know what to do when you return to Italy."
After listening to Adolf's words, Benito also suppressed his excitement.
He said, "Let's do it your way. I think when we suddenly declare war on France, their faces will be filled with shock and despair!"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com