As Southern Africa's most important ally in the Near East, Roque has always attached great importance to its relationship with Najd. The stability of Najd is related to the oil security of Southern Africa, so Roque set his first stop in Port Elizabeth.
"King Ali is not an ambitious person. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very smart and knows what can be done and what cannot be done." Lu Rui's evaluation of Najd was very brief. This is enough. As long as the royal family does not seek death, Roque will not be stingy with Lan. Special.
To put it bluntly, rand is just paper.
There is definitely a business in exchanging printed matter for precious energy.
"The safety of Najd completely relies on the Umbrella Company. Even the royal guards are hired from the Umbrella Company. Many royal members live in Port Elizabeth all year round. They like the beach, but they don't like the sand -" Lu Rui has everything under control. If Najd If the royal family of Zhi does not cooperate, they can take over everything at any time.
Rock remained calm and acquiesced in the existence of this situation.
"Port Elizabeth now covers an area of more than 1,500 square kilometers and has a permanent population of about 500,000--" When Lu Rui started to introduce Port Elizabeth, his expression finally became vivid.
1500 square kilometers——
Rock was deep in thought. When he bought Port Elizabeth, the area didn't seem to be so big.
joke.
When Rock bought Port Elizabeth, it was still a small fishing village. Even the name "Elizabeth" was given by Rock.
A fishing village of 1,500 square kilometers is a bit too big.
In Rock's impression, Port Elizabeth seemed to be less than 10 square kilometers at that time.
It seems that Elizabeth's successive administrators have not been idle either.
As for the population, at 500,000, it is already second to none on the Persian Gulf coast.
Najd covers an area of more than two million square kilometers and has a population of only about 1 million.
Speaking of the population of Najd, the most widely circulated joke is that one year, the Kingdom of Najd suddenly discovered that the population of Najd suddenly dropped from 2 million in the previous year to 800,000.
King Najd was angry and ordered an investigation.
Later I learned that Najd had never conducted a census, and the so-called population relied entirely on estimates.
Hence the number 1 million, which has not changed for ten years.
"Our actual control area stretches from the coast of the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, and all the way north to Khuzestan in Persia. We have been committed to food production in recent years. If we can be self-sufficient in food, we can greatly reduce our dependence on shipping - —" Lu Rui has ideals. The area he circled, Luo Ke made a rough estimate and was immediately shocked.
From Port Elizabeth to the Mediterranean Sea, the straight-line distance is more than 1,000 kilometers.
As for food production——
Wait, Port Elizabeth wants to grow food in the desert. It will cost a lot of money, right?
Moreover, even if food is transported from southern Africa, the cost is probably much lower than that produced locally.
To say the least, it is not necessarily a good thing that Port Elizabeth can be self-sufficient in food. After all, in this way, Port Elizabeth will be much less dependent on the mainland.
"Stop growing food and plant trees instead. You can contact Nyasaland University. They have accumulated a lot of experience in transforming the southwest desert." Roque reminded vaguely. Whether you can understand it depends on Lu Rui. of talent.
"Okay, I'll contact Nyasaland University later." Lu Rui was more innocent than Rock imagined and didn't think much about it.
"How is the situation in Khuzestan?" Roque was hesitating whether to work with Persia to develop the oil and gas resources in Khuzestan.
While in Tehran, Roque discussed this issue with Pahlavi, but the two could not reach an agreement.
Pahlavi's asking price was a bit high. He hoped that Southern Africa would provide technology and funds, and Persia could send technicians and workers to work under the guidance of Southern African engineers.
It doesn't matter if southern Africa produces technology, but we should consider instructing the Persians. Russia and the United Kingdom are exploring oil and gas in Persia, but they have never allowed the Persians to participate.
Pahlavi has not given up and is expected to arrive in Port Elizabeth tomorrow and meet Roque again.
In Tehran, it was too difficult for Pahlavi to do anything under the surveillance of Russians and British.
"Everything is normal. We own more than 90% of the land in Khuzestan. No one can enter Khuzestan without our permission." Lu Rui hesitated before speaking, carefully looking at Roque's face.
"Say-" Rock motioned for Lu Rui to continue.
"The rebellion in Khuzestan has not completely ended yet. There are many resistance forces operating in the territory. Last year, a British drilling team entered Khuzestan and was attacked by the resistance forces. The entire army was wiped out-" Lu Rui looked calm, As if this matter has nothing to do with Port Elizabeth.
Some things cannot be taken seriously.
It is still very difficult for a group of southern Africans in Port Elizabeth to survive in the Persian Gulf. Without some means, they may be driven out of the Persian Gulf sooner or later.
As for the resistance forces in Khuzestan, although Lu Rui didn't say anything, Roque could vaguely feel that it might be Elizabeth Harbor who was behind the scenes.
I almost forgot, this certain person is a master of subversion.
There are some things that you don’t need to ask too carefully. Before the Lurui people left, Gundam hurried in. When the old king and crown prince of Nejd heard that Rock had arrived at Port Elizabeth, they hurried to greet him. Rock still had to give him this face. .
"Lord, welcome back to the Persian Gulf, this is your forever home." The old king was in poor health and gasped for breath after taking only two steps. Rock was worried that he would not be able to catch his breath.
"If you are not in good health, don't travel long distances -" Roque smiled with a smile on his face. He and the old king had just met during the Southern African Union meeting not long ago.
"Flying is very fast. Nyasaland Airlines' new special plane is great -" the old king was full of praise. When he was attending a meeting in southern Africa, he took the time to buy another plane.
Looking at what they do, buying a plane is like buying a toy for an ordinary person.
"Then you are so lucky, the plane I flew on is still an old model -" Rock deliberately joked, he is the boss of Nyasaland Airlines.
Knowing that Roque had just attended the meeting from Tehran, the old king and Roque started talking about Russia and the United Kingdom.
"The Russians are as greedy as the British. If they had not negotiated a good price with the Germans, Russia would not have joined the Allies. In other words, even if we put aside the Russians, the British, and the Americans, we can still build an international
Organization, I believe more countries will join." The old king had a lot of feelings during his stay in Pretoria. The Southern African Union is not only powerful, but also has unprecedented internal unity. The latter point is more important than the former point.
The British Empire was once powerful, but in the end it could not escape the fate of disintegration.
Although the Southern African Union does not have many members, it is much better than the fake Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is supposedly powerful, but even with its overwhelming strength, it cannot defeat Rommel's North African Army.
Shame on you!
"That was after the war. We have only one purpose now." Roque did not continue. If he wanted to do this, he would not refuse the bearded man in Tehran.
"Winning the war is also very simple. The Germans are already at the end of their strength. As long as we go all out, we will definitely be able to end the war within this year." The old king has confidence in southern Africa, and his contribution is not small.
"Third generation, come here, come here and say hello to your Uncle Locke -" The old king saw that Locke didn't answer, so he took the initiative to call the crown prince over.
The Crown Prince greets you respectfully.
Luo Ke smiled and nodded in greeting. It was easy for their family to choose a name. All three generations of their family were named Ali.
It is said that the Crown Prince's eldest son is also named Ali, which is a name that will last forever.
"Work hard young people, the future belongs to you -" Rock encouraged casually, thinking about Gavin who had already gone to London.
Gavin went to England for Operation Overlord, which would be launched in a few months.
The preparations required for the landing of millions of people are extremely cumbersome. The key is that the one million people came together from many countries. The United States, the United Kingdom, and southern Africa each contributed some. Countries such as Free France, Poland, and Belgium were also unwilling to be left alone.
Although Belgium only sent one battalion of 150 people.
The number of troops is not important, the key is attitude. Belgium is weak and the whole territory has been occupied. I don’t know how these 150 people were gathered together. Maybe there are mercenaries from southern Africa.
So after Gavin learned about these situations, his head was as big as a bucket.
"Free France sent a division, Poland sent a brigade, etc. Here is a telegram from President de Gaulle. Does Free France have troops in the UK?" Gavin didn't know much about Europe. He knew the general situation, but down to the details.
Not sure anymore.
"During the Dunkirk evacuation, the British army held back about 70,000 French troops. These troops are still in the British mainland. Both Free France and Vichy France claim to have the right to command these troops. What the British government means is -
—" Yang Shimozi ran to the side to look at the information in the middle of the sentence.
"Ha, guess what, more than 60,000 troops sent by the British to participate in Operation Overlord are French troops." Yang Smozi laughed so hard that he burst into tears.
Gavin thought that Yang Smozi's tears were not entirely sarcastic.
"Prime Minister Winston promised to send 200,000 people to participate in the war, so what happened to these French troops?" Gavin's mind did not turn around for a while. The key is that he has never seen such a shameless person.
Although the federal government of Southern Africa sometimes shirks its responsibilities, as long as it promises, it will definitely deliver without any compromise.
The British government was so shameless that it sent French troops to replace the British troops in Operation Overlord, which was a bit risky.
Operation "Overlord" was to land in France and fight the Germans on French soil.
There may also be Vichy French troops.
In this way, the morale of the French army will be greatly reduced, and they may even mutiny. This is a traditional skill of the French army.
"More than 60,000 French troops and 130,000 Indians, that is to say, the real British troops cannot exceed 5,000 at most, haha——" Yang Smozi sneered. The combat effectiveness of the Indian troops is well known, and it is purely a make-up.
If you look at it this way, the federal government in Southern Africa is actually not much better.
Roque promised in Tehran that at least 300,000 troops would be sent to participate in Operation Overlord.
Most of these 300,000 troops are composed of Southern African Union troops. They have now been determined to include 7 Congolese divisions and 4 Brazilian divisions, which total more than 160,000 troops.
In other words, Americans are the most honest-minded. Roosevelt really sent 500,000 U.S. troops, and these 500,000 U.S. troops were basically composed of white Americans.
It’s really not that the U.S. government cherishes the lives of African-American soldiers, but that the U.S. Department of War believes that African-American soldiers have problems with their understanding and are simply unable to perform combat missions.
This is obvious discrimination, which has caused great dissatisfaction among African-American soldiers in the US military. When the US military was fighting in North Africa, some African-American soldiers were discharged to express their protest.
amazing.
If it were an Indian, most Indians would be content to look after the warehouses in the rear and let the whites fight in the front. Anyway, the honor belongs to all Americans.
"So there are more than 200,000 troops dispatched in London, and the British army is also responsible for providing cover and logistical support for the landing troops." Gavin quickly looked through the information at hand, but couldn't find anything about the Royal Navy.
"The three major fleets are all in the English Channel. If we connect the warships one by one, the soldiers can run across the channel. Why do we need escort?" Yang Smozi has also been fighting for a lifetime, and he is not familiar with these twists and turns.
Well aware of it.
"There is a dinner for the War Department tonight, will you go?" Gavin wanted to call Yang Smuts, who didn't have many acquaintances in the UK.
"No, I hate those old guys from the British War Department." Yang Smuts was not polite. During the last world war, he had dealt with the British War Department all day long and hated them deeply.
The phenomenon of seniority in the British War Department was also very serious. During the last world war, Yang Smuts joined the British War Cabinet, briefly served as the British Air Minister, served as the chairman of the Wartime Supplies Priority Allocation Committee, and participated in all major decisions.
Is this amount enough?
However, in the British War Department, Lieutenant General Yang Smuts was ridiculed by the British generals because he came from southern Africa. The British generals even gave Yang Smuts a coat because of his beard.
He was nicknamed "Ram".
No wonder Young Smuts disliked the British War Office.
Gavin was helpless and went to the banquet alone.
The banquet was held in the auditorium of the British War Department, and the attendees were mainly military personnel from various countries. Gavin's rank of colonel was extremely conspicuous among a large group of shining golden generals.
Anyone who is qualified to attend the British War Department banquet must at least be a general.
So when Gavin signed the signature book, he was questioned.
"Mr. Colonel, which general did you come with?" The officer in charge of registration obviously did not recognize Gavin.
"I did it myself." Gavin was civilized and would not get angry because of this.
"Yourself?" The officer glanced at Gavin's epaulettes, and his face immediately showed sarcasm: "——Sir, this is the British War Department, not a cafeteria."
"Are there still cafeterias in London now?" Gavin smiled, he really couldn't stand the British national dish.
Gavin grew up next to Phyllis, and he was very particular about having three meals a day, not to mention fine clothes and fine food.
Southern Africa is rich in products, and even the meals provided in cafeterias are healthier than fried potatoes and fried fish.
However, these words made the officer sound somewhat sarcastic.
