Chapter 1321 - 330: Profiting from Others’ Misfortune

Chapter 1321: Chapter 330: Profiting from Others’ Misfortune

The United States joining the Allies camp will inevitably have a new impact on the upcoming world order, prompting East Africa to make new judgments and arrangements for future development.

Defense Minister Pripyat said, "With the United States joining, the strength of the Allies increases significantly, even if Russia withdraws from the war, it will bring tremendous pressure to the Allies."

"According to our predictions, the war between the two major camps will further move towards attrition and a contest of depth. Unless the Allies can achieve continuous victories in the military like on the Eastern Front, they will be in a disadvantageous position in consuming resources and national power against the Allies."

If we only look at the industry, the Allies are not weak, but the Allies, including England and France, control more overseas colonies and have abundant material and energy supplies. After the United States joins the Allies, the disadvantage of the Allies in industry has completely reversed.

Therefore, there is only one path left for the Allies, which is to swiftly gain an advantage in the military, whether on the Western Front or the Eastern Front. Any breakthrough of the Allies’ blockade would greatly reduce the pressure on the Allies.

Although Russia has withdrawn from the war, this does not mean the end of the Eastern Front battlefield. The Eastern Front has now shifted further south, from the former border areas between the Allies and Russia to the line from the Balkan Peninsula to the Persian Gulf.

And the main force on this line is the United Kingdom. Since the end of last year, the United Kingdom has attacked the Ottoman Empire from multiple directions, which is also the reason why trade between East Africa and the Allies has been completely interrupted.

In the north, the British actively seek the support of Romania, Black Mountain, Greece, and other countries and forces to maintain the disadvantage of the Allies on the Balkan Peninsula.

It is quite normal for these countries to lean towards the United Kingdom, after all, whether it’s the Allies’ Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, or even Bulgaria, there is a possibility that these countries might disappear from the map of the Balkan Peninsula.

At the same time, the British attack on the Ottoman Empire has been divided into three parts: first, taking Constantinople; second, uniting with Egypt to attack the Ottoman Empire’s Western Coast from the Red Sea line; third, partnering with Persia to block the Persian Gulf.

This is basically the situation on the "new Eastern Front battlefield," compared to the original Eastern Front battlefield, it is more dispersed, but the British targeted attacks are strategic.

Chief of Staff Cristiano said, "Based on the current war situation, the Allies seem to be aiming at the following goals: firstly, enclosing the Allies completely within the siege circle, blocking their channels to obtain war energy, industrial raw materials, weapons, and other strategic resources externally."

"Among them, the Persian Gulf and the Dardanelles Strait are key nodes, which can block the Ottoman Empire’s foreign communications and, on this basis, cut off the interconnection between the Allies."

"The Ottoman Empire has the weakest strength and at the same time holds the channel for the Allies’ external communication, so the Allies are focusing on the Ottoman Empire as their current stage of war priority, which greatly helps to weaken the Allies’ forces."

"The second point is to ease pressure on the Western Front battlefield. With Russia withdrawing from the war, it means the Allies’ million troops on the Eastern Front can be invested in other battlefields."

"This will cause great pressure on France and the United Kingdom, so by creating more battlefields on the Eastern Front, especially using the terrain of the Balkan Peninsula, it is possible to better maneuver and hold back the Allies’ forces."

"The third point is to boost the confidence of the Allies camp. Russia’s withdrawal from the war is a significant blow to the Allies camp, launching a new round of offensives can help consolidate its allies’ optimistic attitude towards war."

"This also means that in the next few years, the war will become more brutal, more countries will be drawn into the battlefield, and if we account for internal civil war within Russia, the whole of Europe will become a battleground."

Given the current situation, England and France can no longer work without effort, especially the United Kingdom. Previously, the British performance on the battlefield was mediocre, far less than the full effort of France and Russia.

Although the United States joined the Allies to clean up the mess left by Russia’s withdrawal, England and France clearly do not fully trust the United States.

After all, previously, Russia and the Allies were adjacent, and neither side could reconcile without heavy bleeding, but the United States is different. The United States is separated from all of Europe by the Atlantic Ocean, which means the United States has a way out.

In the worst-case scenario, it can pull out of the war and continue to be a turtle in America, no matter what, the Allies could not possibly attack the continental United States across the Atlantic, leveraging its geographical advantages and the world’s third-largest navy, the United States has confidence in its home defense, which is why the United States dares to directly join the Allies.

Moreover, for so many years, the United States has been used to amusing itself in America; even if it is blockaded, the situation would not be too bad.

After listening to the analysis of the government officials, Ernst asked, "In this case, how should we in East Africa respond to the current changes in international affairs?"

Cristiano replied, "Your Majesty, I think we should accelerate negotiations with the United Kingdom regarding the division of influence in the Indian Ocean. Previously, the French have already set a good example, but the British have always hesitated, showing no sincerity."

"Now, intercepting Persian Gulf trade by Britain is damaging East Africa’s interests, yet the British government has not given us a satisfactory answer."

"Therefore, showing our military strength in a timely manner will also make the British compromise with the Empire in essential areas."

The United Kingdom was able to intercept trade routes in the Persian Gulf, it must have gone through multiple rounds of political and diplomatic negotiations with the East African government.

Without East Africa’s acquiescence, the British would not have succeeded so well in attacking Basra in the Ottoman Empire.

This competition mainly reflects the psychological level; improper handling of any operation could potentially lead to regional change. This psychological gambit at the national level is the norm in international relations.

Of course, this can also be understood as a political gamble, especially between small countries and great powers in political and diplomatic activities.

Cristiano said, "Although we have not taken action in the Indian Ocean, this does not mean East Africa inherently should not reap any benefits."

"Especially with the United Kingdom, in military action in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, and previously they blocked the Suez Canal and Gibraltar, all of these have truly damaged the Empire’s interests."

"Britain must give the Empire a satisfactory answer, with the most critical being to redraw the sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean, especially strategic locations like Seychelles, and preferably through negotiation, letting them fall into the Empire’s hands to further consolidate its strategic security in the Indian Ocean."

In simple terms, Cristiano’s idea is that now when Britain is weak in its global strategy, East Africa should secure some tangible benefits.

Ernst agreed with Cristiano’s viewpoints: "Indeed, no matter how the European war situation changes, the post-war world order changes will inevitably see European victors re-defining European order and suppressing other regions depending on Europe."

"We face this problem, and the United States is likely in the same situation, which tests the Empire’s strength. So, from a practical perspective, to ensure that the Empire’s future development is not limited by Europe, we ought to control more overseas colonies."

East Africa currently holds a strategic position, which inevitably turns East Africa into the object that the two major camps would woo, and this strategic position facilitates East Africa’s ability to extort both camps, unlike the United States, which has already joined the war and must follow the Allies to the end.

And at present, the Allies can hardly offer any tangible benefits to attract East Africa. Among the Allies, France has performed well by stabilizing East Africa through some territorial transactions.

But the sincerity of the United Kingdom is very insufficient, so East Africa will show an increasingly tough stance in the upcoming diplomatic activities with the United Kingdom.