Chapter 166: The Sorrow of a Small Country
On September 15, the two-month Middle Eastern campaign, chaotic from beginning to end, finally came to an official close.
Britain, Germany, and Saudi Arabia, representing the participating Middle Eastern states, gathered in Muscat, the capital of Oman, and signed the Middle East Agreement before a hall packed with reporters.
According to the official announcement, Jordan would establish a democratic republic, while Britain would withdraw its military presence from Jordan. Israel would become a demilitarized state, protected under the authority of the League of Nations, with the German Army stationed there and rotated every ten years. Britain would also relinquish its political privileges in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
The agreement was signed.
With the stroke of several pens, Britain's territory and influence in the Middle East shrank drastically. What remained under its protection were only a handful of smaller territories along the coast, including Oman, Qatar, South Yemen, and the Trucial states.
Saudi Arabia and Iraq immediately turned toward Germany's embrace.
Alliance agreements were signed almost at once. Large numbers of Wehrmacht officers began departing for both countries to cultivate modern military systems, while the newly established Cardolan Oil Company eagerly entered Saudi Arabia to begin oil exploration.
At the same time, German industrial products flowed toward both countries in bulk, filling ports and warehouses that had once depended on British trade.
Iran hesitated for some time, wavering between Britain, Germany, and its own instinctive caution. But in the end, it also chose to import technology from Germany.
Jordan, meanwhile, was pushed completely to the side.
After taking office, its new government immediately renounced military independence and outsourced the training of its army entirely to Germany in exchange for political sovereignty.
The day after Britain withdrew from the quagmire, France also stepped back.
France signed an independence agreement with the Syrian government and withdrew from Syria, though it continued to station troops in Lebanon.
Almost overnight, the Middle East changed from a region dominated by Britain, with France as a secondary power, into a standoff between Germany and Britain, while France clung bitterly to what remained of its influence.
As for the resistance leaders, their fates were even more revealing.
Kara Al, the Jordanian resistance leader, abandoned his initial demands for complete independence and broad autonomy before the reality of power. With German support and British acquiescence, he ascended to the presidential seat.
Xi Lal, the Syrian resistance leader, died in battle against the French. His deputy, who had already been subverted by the Internal and External Intelligence Department, stepped onto the presidential throne and became the next proxy.
The most tragic fate belonged to the Lebanese resistance.
Abandoned by Germany, they became the targets of France's postwar reckoning. Groups of resistance fighters, still shouting slogans of freedom, were hanged at the city gates.
The French Army carried out a bloody purge through Lebanon, cleansing the resistance and all suspected sympathizers with cold efficiency.
Without a great power like Germany to speak for them, rally support, or provide weapons, they received no attention from the world.
The French flag still flew above the port.
On the city walls, decorated with the bodies of resistance fighters, the Lebanese sun rose as usual.
This was the sorrow of small nations.
For Germany, however, this was undoubtedly a magnificent victory.
Without losing a single soldier, Germany had opened the Middle Eastern market, advertised the miraculous effectiveness of penicillin, and gained a flood of raw materials. In many places, a few bottles of penicillin could be exchanged for an entire shipload of resources.
Its newly discovered effectiveness against syphilis caused sales to rise even further.
The Mark became the fourth reserve currency after the Pound, the Dollar, and the Franc.
As long as the technology for mass-producing penicillin remained unbroken, the dividends brought by Germany's technological lead would not disappear.
But the victory was not without cost.
Due to heatstroke and overwork, Vorbeck fell ill almost immediately after returning to Germany. He was so unwell that he even missed the Wehrmacht's internal meeting regarding the German, Austrian, and Czechoslovakian merger.
Inside the conference room, the assembled generals quickly noticed that several areas of the Middle East on the world map hanging on the wall had been painted in striking black and red.
Click.
The door was pushed open.
Jörg entered.
Everyone stood at once and saluted.
"Advance! Germany!"
"Sit down," Jörg said.
He walked to the head of the table and glanced around the room.
"I believe Heinz Guderian has already conveyed the contents of this meeting to you on my behalf. Today's conference is mainly to discuss the merger of Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia."
Jörg peeled open a piece of chocolate.
His fondness for chocolate was no longer a secret. Because of this, Cardolan had even built a dedicated chocolate processing plant to ensure there was no possibility of poisoning or assassination.
Jörg tapped the table lightly.
The lights in the room were turned off. A curtain was pulled down over the wall. One slightly blurry slide after another was projected before the officers, and Jörg's voice continued in the darkness.
"The Austrian matter will be handled by the Fourth Armored Division under Rommel. Heydrich, explain the specific plan."
Heydrich stood and reported calmly.
"The current Chancellor of Austria is Dollfuss. He represents the Austrian Conservative Party and is firmly opposed to merger. Due to his obstruction, the public referendum has failed to proceed."
His voice remained level, as if he were discussing railway schedules rather than the fate of a government.
"The Internal and External Intelligence Department will arrange an assassination involving an extreme right-wing group and remove this obstacle."
Two portraits appeared on the slide.
"Afterward, Karl Renner of the Social Democratic Party, who supports the merger, will take control of Parliament. At the same time, he will announce that the assassination was orchestrated by extremists dispatched by the Italian government in order to prevent unification."
Heydrich adjusted the file in his hand.
"For reasons of national security, Austria will urgently request German military support. A second national referendum will then be held, accompanied by a political claim to recover the Austrian coastal territories seized by Italy under the Treaty of Versailles."
Jörg added, "To prevent Italy from using this opportunity to provoke a crisis, Rommel, you will move to the Austrian-Italian border while taking over Vienna. I want no accidents."
Rommel did not look particularly pleased.
Compared with Manstein's dramatic armored thrust to Warsaw, this assignment sounded more like a ceremonial march than a campaign. But an order was an order. No matter how simple the task appeared, he would carry it out with complete seriousness.
"Yes, Führer!"
Jörg nodded, motioning for Rommel to sit. Then he signaled for Heydrich to continue.
"On the Czechoslovakian side, the local population in the Sudetenland will organize riots. At the same time, a German-born regimental commander stationed near the border, Ang Yo Hugo, whom we have trained for some time, will privately shell the border."
After explaining his responsibilities, Heydrich sat down.
Several border defense maps obtained by spies appeared on the screen.
Jörg spoke again.
"Czechoslovakia possesses considerable military strength. According to intelligence from Ang Yo Hugo, there are three divisions stationed in the border region. They have some mechanized equipment and sufficient artillery."
He pointed to the map.
"The headquarters of two of these divisions are located in a suburban camp outside Karal City. How is the paratrooper division's night jump training?"
The commander of the 101st Task Force Paratrooper Division immediately replied, "One of our elite companies can undertake the decapitation mission."
Jörg shook his head.
"Do not aim for decapitation. Your objective is to cut the telephone lines, ensuring the frontline troops cannot verify telegrams by telephone."
His gaze then shifted.
"The main attack force will be the Third Armored Division. Listen carefully, Manstein. Since you reached Warsaw in only a few days, I will give you five days this time to bring your troops to Prague. Any problems?"
Manstein's eyes lit with excitement.
"No problem, sir!"
"The Urban Warfare Blood Wolf Infantry Division will be responsible for the secondary clearing of resistance forces inside the cities. By Christmas, I want a Czechoslovakia without riots and without rebels."
The commander of the Urban Warfare Blood Wolf Infantry Division stood at once and shouted, "Yes, sir! I guarantee I will deliver a brand-new Czechoslovakia to your dining table as a Christmas gift!"
.....
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