Chapter 995 Cairo Declaration (Part 1)
On August 15, 1944, after preliminary secret organization and coordination, and co-sponsored by Germany and Italy, the Cairo Conference of the Axis Powers was officially held.
The German Head of State, the new Italian Prime Minister Ciano, the French Supreme Head of State Pétain, the Romanian Antonescu, the Hungarian Regent Horthy, the Bulgarian Tsar Boris III, the Spanish Head of State Franco, and the Russian (Western Russia) Head of State Vlasov All the heavyweights were present.
After the Italian leader fell ill due to "illness", Hoffmann and a group of European heads of state and foreign ministers went to Rome to visit him. Mussolini could only lie in bed now, not only unable to move or speak, but even He had to be fed by a nurse to eat, his eyes were dull and dull, and he was no different from the "living dead" - other functions were considered normal in medical terms.
He didn't know that he had been plotted by his son-in-law. He just thought that he was too careless that day. When he saw Hoffman and others coming to visit him, he was grateful but also regretful - he was almost victorious, why couldn't he enjoy it?
Hoffman touched the hand of the fascist senior, sighed silently, and comforted: "Leader, don't worry, the disease will get better gradually. Count Ciano has inherited your career and will further develop this kind of disease." Carrying forward historical responsibility..."
Then Ada spoke on behalf of her father, expressing her gratitude to the head of state for his visit, and that she would further uphold and carry forward the German-Italian Axis coordination mechanism and work tirelessly for the final victory. Mussolini could not have said these words, and it was all Aida's fault. Da stood beside him and made nonsense, but a bunch of people nodded matter-of-factly.
In order to secure his position, Ciano not only hugged Germany's thigh tightly, but also said many things that were inconvenient for Germany to say based on the hints of Ribbentrop and Hoffmann, so that the German side would greatly influence him. Not only did he agree to give Italy a batch of military supplies, he also agreed to transfer technologies such as the Me-262 and advanced engines represented by the DB-603 to Italy. He also expressed the hope that Italy would participate in the Wolfgang infantry fighting vehicle production plan.
Germany actually originally designed an infantry fighting vehicle based on the 38T, code-named Rhino, which was an emergency product. Although it was still so-so, it was still not ready to be promoted to a unified axis standard. Based on the performance and upgradeability of the No. 3 tank, It is stronger, and Italy has been able to fully produce the No. 3, which is naturally not a problem for the Langguan with a lower technical level - this is equivalent to Germany diverting part of the Langguan order to Italy.
The trade volume between Italy and Japan has also been on the rise recently. Although the quality of Italian goods is not the best, it is cheaper than German goods. Moreover, Italy is short of various materials than Germany. Japanese agricultural and sideline products can be sold in large quantities in Italy. exchange, so trade between the two sides continues to expand. This is tantamount to taking food from Germany's bowl. Since Germany said it doesn't care, Italy has to be sensible. All trade is priced in German marks, and Japan has also recognized this system.
Japan also buys products from France. For example, French artillery is relatively famous. Its color is no worse than that of Skoda and Krupp. Some products even surpass German products. Even Germany itself approves of this. France was greatly relieved that Germany did not interfere with the Japan-France trade. It believed that Germany was sincere in running the EU. Therefore, both Pétain, Darlan and French domestic industrial giants sincerely sang praises of the European coordination mechanism.
Especially after Britain purchased Pakistan from Japan, France also wanted to ask Japan to buy the Indochina peninsula, the French colony that was originally given to Japan. However, France did not have much appetite and only wanted southern Indochina. Germany agreed to help in this matter, on the condition that Cam Ranh Bay would be used as the anchorage of the European Combined Fleet in the future, and the Pétain government naturally agreed.
Japan is still unconvinced about this, because the Indochina Peninsula is an important part of the absolute defense circle and the core barrier of India. But Horikichi did not flatly refuse this. Instead, he expressed an ambiguous attitude, telling the French that they could negotiate. The key was that France must be able to afford the price. The details could be discussed in Cairo.
The long-distance passenger plane that the Japanese delegation flew on was modified using the Ju-290 airframe provided by Germany. Japan has introduced more than 10 such aircraft, and 3 of them were converted into passenger planes for senior officials. This time they were all deployed.
Several important ministers including King Higashino Miyazaki, Horikichi, Tada Shun, Tani Masayuki and other important ministers were on one plane, and other major attachés, including German special envoy Cole, were on other planes. The plane took off directly from Tokyo and flew directly to Da Nang as the first stop. The Japanese side deployed a large number of air defense fighters to provide cover. Starting from the mainland, at least 100 Fw-190s or Hayate provided escort to Taiwan, Nanyang, Indochina and other places. In Da Nang After a short stop in Hong Kong, we flew directly to Delhi the next day.
As soon as it entered the Indian Ocean, the army and navy fighter jets immediately came up to protect it throughout the entire process. The navy's Do-412, Bf-319 and other aircraft also appeared. During the flight, everyone also saw the 3rd Air Battle fighter jet taking off near the Andaman Islands to express their welcome.
Ever since the Indian Ocean was attacked by Spruance, the Tokyo base camp has been deeply ashamed. Now it is run like an iron barrel, with a large number of Atlantic inspectors and colorful clouds flying all over the sky. Tiji believes that this is not safe enough. At least half of Japan's more than 60 newly obtained VII and XIV class submarines are deployed in the Indian Ocean. They have no combat missions and are just to maintain surveillance to prevent the Americans from causing trouble again. Especially since there was still a way to dispatch the main fleet to encircle and suppress the enemy last time. This time the main fleet has gone to implement the Midway strategy. If something goes wrong, there will be no place to cry.
After arriving safely in Delhi, Yamashita Tombumi organized a massive "Indian Special Exercise" in order to flatter the royal prime minister who was born in the army. He showed the blitzkrieg tactics learned from the German army to the prime minister and senior officials. It was only a scratch, but the overwhelming and powerful momentum of the attacking group and the violent advance of the mechas headed by the Tiger tanks still shocked everyone. After the military parade, Yamashita Fengfumi also presented gold, an Indian specialty. Everyone accepted it without hesitation.
Prime Minister Bose of the Indian National Government also attended the military parade. He and the leaders of the Nanjing government, the Siamese government, the Burmese government, and the Vietnamese government had been waiting in Delhi a few days ago, and then planned to go to Cairo together to have a long experience - that place where they The most they can do is wave flags, shout, clap hands, and take photos together, but they don’t dare to think about anything else.
King Higashikata Minuhiko was satisfied with the respect of the dignitaries from various countries and the service provided by Yamashita Fengfumi, and his entourage was also very happy. Only Horikichi frowned all the time, as if he was worried.
This attitude puzzled King Higashikaru Miyazaki. He thought someone from the Army was causing trouble for the Navy, so he went to ask in person at night. However, Horikichi's worries did not come from within, but because he felt troubled by the upcoming Cairo Conference. He explained He said: "Once Germany and the United States make peace, we will be directly under full pressure from the United States. The support of European countries is crucial to the empire's protracted war. Therefore, it is not appropriate to turn against major powers, and even bare relations must be maintained."
Western Russia and Eastern Russia are relatively difficult to pronounce for Japan. Japan still uses Bailu and Chilu to refer to Western Russia and Eastern Russia.
"Naked?" Army Minister Tada Shun was shocked. Did he know that the Kwantung Army had an offensive plan? He even sent a copy to himself. Ishihara Wanji thought it was inappropriate, but Tada Shun felt that he was well prepared.
"Of course." Horikichi nodded, "Chilu has a lot of mineral resources and good mecha manufacturing capabilities. Aren't you worried about the engine of the T-34 tank? Why can't you buy it from Chilu? Food is here. If it can’t be sold to Europe, Stalin will certainly welcome it with both hands.”
"That's right." Shun Tada figured it out as soon as he slapped his forehead. The rest of the T-34 is relatively easy to imitate, but the B2 engine is not easy to produce. Now Japan can only buy original Russian goods or parts produced in Germany from Europe. , the performance of the domestic engine is very unsatisfactory. The oil-for-grain exchange is now in full swing. In addition to the 200,000 tons of grain delivered by the last "lease" of Beihuatai Island, the two sides have reached an agreement on a crude oil transaction of 2 million tons in the past few months and have successively paid for it. If we can get enough B2 engines from Stalin, it will be a good deal.
In fact, Japan is more interested in buying products and technologies from the UK, because the UK's technological level ranks second in Europe. However, the two sides have not reached an agreement because of the Pakistan issue. Horikichi believes that there is no need to No matter how pretentious the UK is, it can do more or less. The key is that the relationship must be maintained well.
According to his judgment, the armistice between Europe and the United States is imminent. At that time, the armaments of various European countries can be directly opened to Japan, and fighter jets, tanks, and Axis-class aircraft carriers can all be purchased. Japan certainly cannot afford that much hard currency, nor can it buy with debt, but Japan has something in its hands that Europeans envy—colonies! The repurchase can be used as an excuse to transfer some colonies to Britain and France in exchange for the most urgently needed strategic supplies.
"What will be left of the empire like this in the future?" King Higashino Nomonuhiko complained, "We spent a huge price to seize Nanyang and suffered numerous casualties not just to return all the colonies to Europe in the end."
"We have taken India. Do you plan to take over all the territory worth more than 10 million yuan?" Horikichi said in surprise, "This is impossible, we can't hold it, and Germany will not allow us to take so much territory!"
Shun Tada complained: "In the final analysis, we are just a knife used by Germany to deal with the United States and bleed Americans."
"That's right, because the stubborn Americans are unwilling to make peace with us, so we can only continue to follow Germany and use this knife with peace of mind." Horikichi said with a bitter smile on his face, "Just because this knife is still It’s a bit sharp and can kill people, so Germany is being polite to us. If it doesn’t work, do you think the Prime Minister will be treated as a major leader when he attends the meeting?”