What Joseph hopes is a clean Yugoslavia, with no royal government, no external interference, and no internal disputes. Everyone can work together to build a strong, new Yugoslavia.
The wish is good, but the process will be extremely difficult. Before that, Joseph must first withstand the pressure from Russia and southern Africa.
Big Beard did not reply to Milovic immediately. He knew one thing very well: the stability of Yugoslavia depends on the will of southern Africa and the United Kingdom.
At the St. Petersburg meeting, many issues could not be truly resolved, so on January 21, Big Beard once again sent an invitation to Southern Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States, hoping that the leaders of the three countries would go to Crimea for further communication.
"Tehran, St. Petersburg, Crimea - they are either the Russian sphere of influence or Russian territory. Our Mr. Joseph is very cautious and never leaves the protection of the Russian army." Yang Smuts was helpless, and the south
In early January, Africa also sent invitations to Beard, Roosevelt, and Winston respectively, hoping to hold a meeting in Pretoria or Cyprus.
Roosevelt and Winston accepted the invitation from southern Africa, but Russia did not respond.
"It doesn't matter if we go to Crimea. The Cyprus fleet can go to Constantinople. The Black Sea is also within our sphere of influence. Our airborne troops and bomber units are in the Bosporus and can support them at any time."
Martin is not worried about Rock's safety. Big Beard is just being cautious and not risking the world's disapproval.
"Winston hoped to meet with us before going to Crimea, and President Roosevelt also agreed to this suggestion." Sidney Milner was responsible for arranging Rock's trip. The purpose of this meeting was very clear.
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Everyone knows that the war is coming to an end. The Russian army on the northern front is already less than 60 kilometers away from Berlin. The Allied forces on the western front can also launch an attack on the German army at any time. After a winter of recuperation, the Allied officers and soldiers can't wait.
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Of course, there are still many problems to be solved before that.
It would be easy to completely defeat the Germans.
The key is how to divide the fruits of victory.
After the end of the last world war, Britain and France held a closed-door meeting in Paris to simply and crudely decide the fate of the defeated countries and determine the Paris System.
Now that the Paris system has been reduced to nothing, Britain and France no longer have the influence they had twenty years ago. The bearded man did not even invite the French this time, which is contempt and even more humiliating.
The bearded man will definitely not forget that after the end of the last world war, the French and the British joined forces to block Russia from the League of Nations.
This time Russia is eligible to join a "civilized society." One of the main purposes of Roque's trip is to ensure that Russia will not drift outside the international system.
Rock, Winston, and Roosevelt had determined that after the war, a new international organization would be established to replace the League of Nations, and international disputes would be resolved through conferences instead of war.
With Russia's current strength, if Russia does not join this organization, then this organization will exist in name only.
This past winter, Rock contacted Roosevelt and Winston many times to discuss how to establish a new international order.
The result of the discussion is very frustrating. Without Russia's participation, all plans cannot be implemented.
This is also the main reason why the Allied forces on the Western Front did not launch an attack last winter.
It's not winter, it's not a lack of strength, and it's not a worry about the German counterattack.
It simply means that there is no agreement on the distribution of benefits.
Now that Russia has taken the initiative to raise this issue, Roque thinks this is a good opportunity.
"Then Cyprus." Rock also hoped to communicate with Winston and Roosevelt in advance before the meeting began.
Compared to the bearded men, Winston and Roosevelt were relatively easy to communicate with.
"Winston wishes it was in Malta -" Sidney Milner said bitterly, this place is a bit sensitive.
Malta's location is very important. It is located in the center of the Mediterranean Sea. Southern Africa exchanged control of Malta through a destroyer-for-island agreement.
When Malta was exchanged, it was during a critical period of the North African campaign. Malta was invaded by the German and Italian forces and was not under British control.
After Southern Africa gained control of Malta, it drove out the German-Italian forces and completely regained control of Malta.
The UK has not had any negotiations with the island of Malta or southern Africa before.
Now that the war is coming to an end, Winston proposes to meet Rock on the island of Malta, which cannot help but make people think a lot.
"What do the British mean? Do you want to go back on your word?" Martin is sensitive. He will never return the island of Malta to the British.
Malta is so important. It can be said that if you control the island of Malta, you control most of the Mediterranean.
In the past, Britain controlled the Suez Canal and Gibraltar, turning the Mediterranean Sea into a British lake on the left and right.
Now that Britain's strength in the Mediterranean has been greatly reduced and that of southern Africa has been greatly increased, Martin still hopes to use Malta and Cyprus as fulcrums to disintegrate Britain's control of the Mediterranean. So how can Malta be returned to the British?
"It should just be a test." Yang Smozi sneered. It was too obvious that the British wanted to return to Malta.
During the Southern African Expeditionary Force's counterattack against Italy and France, Malta played a huge role as a logistics base and transit point.
There is a field airfield on the island of Malta, as well as a proposed port. The Ministry of Defense of Southern Africa has decided to upgrade the simple port on the island of Malta to a permanent port, with an estimated investment of more than 50 million rand.
Now that both Italy and France have entered the reconstruction period, the first reconstruction loan from Southern Africa to Italy was only 50 million.
The area of Italy is 300,000 square kilometers.
The area of Malta is only 316 square kilometers.
"Tell Winston that Malta is still under martial law and has no reception capacity." Roark directly objected, not giving Winston any chance to contact Malta.
return?
That's easy to say!
The number of destroyers in southern Africa was not for nothing.
"What if——" Sidney Milner hesitated.
"No ifs, tell Winston I'll be waiting for him in Cyprus." Rock simply decided to meet him in Cyprus or not see him at all.
The British Empire was indeed not what it used to be. Winston didn't even have the courage to fight Rock. When Rock arrived in Cyprus, Arthur had already returned from Legion City and greeted Rock at the airport.
"Aren't you negotiating with the Yugoslavs?" Rock is still more concerned about the Balkans. After all, Europe is a powder keg.
"Mr. Ivan Subasic has arrived in Legion City, and I have completed my mission." Arthur is very happy that the leaders of the three countries have gathered in Cyprus. This is a rare showcase opportunity for Cyprus.
Rock is still very satisfied with Arthur.
As the base camp of the Fifth Army, the Cyprus Airport is huge. In order to facilitate the landing of Rock's special plane, the airport cleared a 1,500-meter-long runway. Transport aircraft were neatly parked on both sides of the runway, as well as "flying fortresses" that were comparable to transport aircraft.
" and "Super Flying Fortress", the force responsible for guarding the airport is the Mediterranean Division, which is the trump card of the Fifth Army and is known as the Cyprus Guards.
The only person in southern Africa who is qualified to call this famous city is the Secret Service of the Palace of Justice.
The architecture of Cyprus is also very unique.
Different from the colorful Legion City, the theme colors of Cyprus buildings are blue and white, full of strong Mediterranean style. The traffic signs here are all blue with white letters, and the police cars clearing the way are also blue and white.
Rock has passed through Cyprus many times when traveling between southern Africa and Europe in the past few years. He is still very familiar with Cyprus. Like most southern African cities, Cyprus has also changed a lot in recent years. East Cape and West Cape
There are endless buildings between the two cities, almost connecting the two cities.
When Rock served in the Southern African Expeditionary Force during World War I, he presided over the construction of the island-circulating railway in Cyprus. This time, Arthur was creative and invited Rock to take a sightseeing train to East Cape. The scenery along the way was still very good.
As a bridgehead in southern Africa, Cyprus itself assumes the task of display window, so there is almost no heavy industry on the island of Cyprus, and the required industrial products are either imported from southern Africa or shipped from Port Elizabeth.
"The petrochemical companies on the island have now been relocated to Marlborough and Port Elizabeth. Cyprus will focus mainly on the cultural tourism industry and strive to build Cyprus into the most livable holy place in Europe. To this end, we have built a long
Sixty kilometers of sandy beaches, coupled with entertainment hotels and resort estates, have achieved remarkable results." Arthur accompanied him throughout the entire process.
The facilities of the sightseeing train are quite good, with spacious carriages, bright glass, and the sea on one side and the rolling mountains on the other.
In fact, the mountain is not high, and hills are more appropriate to describe it. The level of greenery is close to that of Pretoria. It is full of green, green grass, white houses, blue roofs, and even the clouds on the horizon have become lazy.
Therefore, the sightseeing train is not very fast. Occasionally when it passes through a small town, there are groups of children waving and cheering to the train. Seeing the joyful smiles on their faces, this is the best compliment to Arthur.
"What do you think of Joseph?" Rock was still concerned about the current situation.
"Which Joseph?" Arthur did not react immediately.
That's right, there are a lot of people named Joseph here in Eastern Europe, and Arthur knows several of them.
"The Russian one -" Roque was still worried about the upcoming talks.
Regardless of whether the outcome can be negotiated this time, the Allies will launch a final battle.
The Allied forces on the Western Front are dominated by the Southern African Army and the U.S. Army, while the Allied Forces on the Eastern Front are dominated by the Russian Army.
If an agreement cannot be reached before the final battle, then something unexpected may happen when the Allied forces on the east and west fronts join forces. At the very least, the Russians will be simmering with anger.
Winston's diversion of trouble to the north has had a certain effect, but now the sequelae are gradually emerging.
The Russians are not stupid either. Whether it was the early appeasement policy or the later North African campaign, they essentially hoped that both Germany and Russia would suffer.
When the Russians have no strength, they can only accept their fate.
Now the bearded man is full of confidence. The tens of millions of Russian troops are more threatening than the original German army. Rock doesn't want to go to war with Russia.
"Russia's influence in Eastern and Northern Europe has become unstoppable. Now we can only ensure Western Europe and the Mediterranean as much as possible." Arthur faced reality. The Southern African Expeditionary Force in Hungary has withdrawn in batches in accordance with Arthur's order.
The request for withdrawal was made by Russia. Now that the Russian army has left Budapest and launched an attack on Vienna, the Fifth Army has no reason to stay in Buda. In response to this, the interim government in Pest has questioned the purpose of the Southern African Expeditionary Force.
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The Southern African Expeditionary Force entered Hungary under the pretext of defeating the German army and saving the Hungarians.
Now that the Battle of Budapest has ended, the German troops have been driven out of Hungary, the Southern African Expeditionary Force has completed its mission, and even the Russians have left. If the Southern African Expeditionary Force continues to stay in Hungary, what is its purpose?
Of course you can just stay put.
However, after Arthur decided to use Hungary's voice in exchange for Yugoslav interests, it became natural to evacuate in batches.
Of course, this process may last one or two years, and it is impossible to remove them all at once.
If you help the horse, you will get a ride.
"What's the situation like in France and Italy?" Although Rock has the report from Brad's office, after all, he doesn't know as comprehensively as Arthur.
"With endless quarrels, it is impossible to reach agreement on any issue. If this continues, civil war will break out in France and Italy sooner or later." Arthur is not optimistic. Russia's influence is expanding too fast.
Roque didn't speak, feeling a little disappointed in his heart. The French and Italians were also not up to par. Probably because the weather was getting warmer and the cold was no longer the biggest threat, the French and Italians felt alive again.
This past winter, newspapers reported that at least 20,000 people died of hunger and cold in France and Italy.
This figure is definitely an underestimate, and Bullard's office estimates that this number should be at least tripled.
Civil war is actually not uncommon. Greece is currently in the midst of a civil war.
Greece was the first country recovered by the Allied forces in the Mediterranean. For a long period of time, the Allied forces implemented military control in Greece in an attempt to restore the damage caused to Greece by the war.
After the recovery of Greece, King George II repeatedly wished to return to Greece, but was always rejected by the Allies because the situation was not peaceful.
George II was also miserable. After leaving Greece, he went to Cairo and London, and lived in Cape Town for more than half a year. At the end of last year, George II was finally allowed to return to Greece.
No one expected that after George II returned to Greece, the situation in Greece quickly collapsed. In December last year, the Greek National Liberation Front prevented hundreds of thousands of workers in Athens from launching a strike. The national guerrillas and the army led by George II broke out in a long-lasting war.
The 33-day conflict gradually stopped on January 15 after the Southern African Expeditionary Force intervened.
