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Kesselin wanted to say no directly about the hopes and conditions raised by the Iraqis, but finally sighed helplessly and agreed to send the relevant instructions to the head of state as soon as possible and ask him to decide in the end. On the one hand, Rashid continuously supplies crude oil to Germany, and on the other hand, he solicited a large amount of oil and food in China to provide emergency supplies for the African army, and also dispatched engineers and construction troops to build front-line airports for the German army. The enthusiasm of Rommel said, "in the words of Rommel, "more than the Italians!"

Rashid had great ambitions, but he also appropriately locked up Germany with favorable conditions - he believed that it was impossible for the Germans to remain unmoved.

1. Assist Germany in undertaking the construction of oil pipelines in Iraq;

2. Except for meeting its own needs, all crude oil production in Iraq will be supplied to Germany or designated countries at a 20% discount on the market price. Germany will repay arms, equipment, industrial technology, etc.;

3. Armed the Iraqi army and hired German instructors and advisers to assist the German army in fighting in the Middle East.

The first few items were just a good condition to communicate from the beginning. Iraq made three proposals regarding the territorial dispute with Saudi Arabia;

First, Germany assists Iraq in obtaining no less than 100,000 land bordering Iraq's existing territory;

Second, this region is a special economic region, with Iraq sovereignty and full leasing to Germany. Germany can garrison troops and colonize. Iraq only sends some government officials to perform civil management;

Third, all minerals in the leased land were allowed to be developed by Germany, and the interests in the first 50 years were all occupied by Germany. Starting from the 51st year, Germany transferred corresponding output to Iraq at an annual increase of 2%.

These conditions seem more harsh than leased land and sphere of influence, but don’t forget that this did not separate from Iraq, but was directly cut from Saudi Arabia. What’s more, the premise of allowing Germany to mine and occupy resources will inevitably allow Germany to compensate Iraq with better land - the interests of both sides are tied together.

On the other hand, Kesseling also communicated with the Saudis, and did not know whether the Saudis' brains were broken or what. Although the territory was surrounded on all sides and German troops were overwhelming, although he expressed his "cooperation" goodwill to Germany and released more than 800 Italians and 25 German seafarers who fled to Saudi Arabia across the Red Sea during the defeat in East Africa, this attitude seemed quite perfunctory to Kesseling. Not to mention that he was not as flattering as the Iraqis, it was even worse than the attitude of the Egyptian authorities. Not only did he repeatedly declare that he was "strictly" neutral and did not join the Axis Group, he was even unwilling to hand over the relevant property and development blocks of Mobil Oil Company in the country to Germany, but he only agreed to distribute three exploration areas for free.

From Abdul Aziz's standpoint, he chose such a reply with obvious necessity. Before the Battle of Alahman, he had announced on many occasions that the Germans could not win and had to stand with the British and Americans. At the same time, he granted Mobil's huge mining rights and collected money. Therefore, he changed his words now and may not be able to obtain German "understanding", but may lose the support of Britain and the United States. He is not like Rashid, who was a pro-German politician. He was always a pro-English faction, and this position cannot be shaken.

The second factor in making a judgment on his decision was that although the Indian Ocean is now strong, he believed that the Japanese joint fleet could not stay in the Indian Ocean forever. Germany and Italy's naval power was still weaker than Britain and the United States. Therefore, this advantage was only temporary. Once Britain and the United States freed up their hands to counterattack, he believed that Germany could not stand it at all. He had an instinctive fear of the strong strength of the American industrial power.

The last point is that it has only been more than 10 years since he completed Saudi reunification. The forces in various places were still ready to move. If he showed timidity or fear, he would definitely be attacked by the crowd. Even for the sake of stability, he could only make this statement temporarily. He was fighting a bet: before Germany resolved all problems in Persia and the Middle East, he still had time - this period of time could be delayed until the start of the British and American counterattack. He also got news from secret channels that the Soviet Union would send 150,000 troops to Persia. He believed that it was still unknown who would win the entire Middle East.

Kesseling wanted to teach this ignorant king a lesson, but the reality was cruel. The German army was insufficient in the Middle East. Even Rommel, who was always famous for his courage, could not help but tell him that the main spearhead of the army in a short period of time could only be directed at the British army in Persia.

The British did not know Rommel's pain, and the power in his hands was used to the maximum extent. From the time he crossed the Sinai Peninsula, the Great German Division moved more than 1,500 kilometers in more than half a month, and almost reached its limit. Although he was completely excited, his equipment and supplies were completely at the extreme. If he had not obtained a batch of oil and supplies after he had captured Baghdad, and then seized the British supplies in Basra, the powerful German Division would have almost no longer be able to withstand it. Otherwise, he would have not confronted the 10th Army in Avas, but had taken it directly.

If General Wilson had a counterattack like the 1st or 7th Armored Division as the core, it would be possible that the German army would be pushed back to Iraq. Unfortunately, he had only one local division, not to mention the armored division at hand, and other Indian division troops would have been frightened to tremble when they heard the title of the Great German Division swept across the Middle East. In order to supplement the front line, Rommel had to ask Guderian for reinforcements, at least the latter's troops rested under Cairo for several days. Under the coordination of Kesselin, Guderian agreed to give him the 15th Armored Division, and let the 7th Armored Division, who was about to arrive in Egypt, replace the 15th Armored Division with Major General Mandofir as the division commander, join the African Army.

Speaking of which, before the appointment of the 7th Armored Division, which had been in France, had many lieutenant generals and even generals competed for the position of commander of this famous unit, but in the end, Hoffmann's final decision, he was the most experienced and recognized as the most unlikely Colonel Mandofir was promoted to the first level and was appointed to this position. Mandofir happily took office with a dizziness that was hit by the happy apple.

According to the old rules, he was going to Rommel to obey orders, but in this way, he was transferred to Guderian's command. The combat plan and analysis he had planned before could only be invalidated, but he was not discouraged - because it was obvious that Guderian faced more and more difficult enemies. He hoped to fight several outstanding battles, on the one hand, he did not fall into the title of "ghost master", and on the other hand, he also proved himself to all aspects.

Faced with the difficulty of a major general on the front line, Hoffman could not remain indifferent. After consultation with Zeitzler and Keitel, he decided to adjust his troops again: given that the Libyan war has ended and the British prisoners are also continuing to take to Italy, the 164th Infantry Division left behind in Tobrook can be liberated. In addition to leaving an infantry regiment to continue to guard the fortress and supervise the remaining prisoners, the two Italian divisions that have been restored in Egypt will be allowed to sit in Libya. Anyway, neither Guderian nor Rommel did not like these Italians. The 164th Division was stationed in Alexandria, the 20th Motorized Infantry Division was stationed in Cairo, and then mobilized the added SS Imperial Division from France to Africa for support, demanding to arrive before the end of January, and at the same time, the Air Force mobilized another fighter wing, a bomber wing and two transport aircraft wings from the country to obey orders.

It’s not that Hoffman didn’t want to mobilize more troops, but the front line in the Middle East was too long, and it was very troublesome to replenish materials, supplies, equipment, etc., which forced him to invest in the most famous troops in the Third Reich, hoping that these troops could achieve the greatest effect. But in this way, the imperial division, which was originally planned to be transformed according to the 1943 type, was ruined again, and the relevant adaptation tasks were postponed again, and the relevant equipment was first used for the adaptation and addition of other armored divisions.

After receiving the news from Kesselin about Iraq's conditions, Hoffman thought for three hours, and finally made a decision: Since Saudi Arabia is so ignorant and occupying such an important position - he is the only one in the world who understands what it means under Saudi land, and for this, he can only repay the thunderous anger, occupy and dismember the country. It has nothing to do with right or wrong, only interests. Now Germany really needs to establish its authority in the Middle East, so this goal has attracted Saudi Arabia.

"Reply: The previous telegram has been reported that the current Saudi regime can be defined as a British-American country and must be destroyed. I agree with Iraq's proposal to settle the matter after the war in Persia is over. Now it is possible to order the Iraqi army to cross the border and provoke, create trouble, and at the same time, contact Saudi internal forces to prepare for political changes."

After sending the telegram, he stared at the map blankly, thinking a little crazy: Which one should I do with so many oil fields? He needs to think about it carefully.

After receiving the telegram, Kesseling smiled meaningfully. Without friction or conflict, how could the German army have an excuse to intervene?

Rashid signed the agreement readily. In his opinion, the Iraqi troops may not be able to beat Saudi troops, but the Germans are right next to me. If I do it, will Saudi Arabia fight back or endure it?

Just as the big chess game in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Persia was being promoted in full swing, due to the drastic changes in the Middle East, the issue of Turkey's position once again became the focus of public opinion and political attention in this country. Relevant inferences, discourses and rumors are flying everywhere, and the topics of alliances and axis are repeatedly discussed. In this atmosphere, the envoy representatives of Germany and the United States came to Istanbul one after another with different missions.

Because Germany is close to the waters, there are two senior representatives who went there, one is Marshal Keitel and the other is Foreign Minister Ribin Troop.
Chapter completed!