Rommel looked at the information in his hand and frowned slightly. He did not expect that the Allies would dispatch a Chinese force to the Middle East, which was indeed beyond his expectation. Rommel stared at the information in his hand, thoughts surging in his heart. This move by the Allies was completely unexpected. A Chinese force was transferred to the Middle East, which undoubtedly added more variables to the already complex situation. He began to carefully analyze the possible impact of this Chinese force. The Chinese army's combat style, equipment level, and tactical strategies were all unknown factors, which made Rommel uneasy. If it were the former Chinese army, he might not care so much. But I heard that with this unit, the Japanese troops fighting in Nanyang were retreating steadily. So he didn't know what the combat effectiveness of this newly added force was. Stronger than the Japanese army?

So it will definitely be stronger than the Italian army? It's just that he doesn't have a good reference, so he doesn't know how this force will fight, when and where it will play a role, and he doesn't know how much impact they will have on his combat plan. Rommel knew that he must understand the situation of this Chinese force as soon as possible in order to formulate corresponding countermeasures. He ordered the intelligence department to strengthen reconnaissance of the Chinese troops and collect as much information as possible. At the same time, he also began to re-evaluate his strategic deployment and consider how to deal with this sudden new opponent. "The arrival of the Chinese troops has made the situation more complicated." Rommel murmured to himself. He knows that in this war, any accident may change the entire situation. He must maintain a high degree of vigilance and be ready to deal with various challenges at any time. "Marshal, are you too worried?" His subordinates felt that Rommel was thinking too much. How useful could a Chinese army be? And it was only a few hundred troops. They can destroy each other with one battalion. Regarding the arrogance of his subordinates, Rommel shook his head. His rich combat experience told him that he should never underestimate a unit at any time, and must pay enough attention to the other party. Once he feels arrogant, he will When they fail. He is well aware of the complexity and uncertainty of war. With rich combat experience, he understands that no force, regardless of its size, must be underestimated on the battlefield. "You cannot underestimate these hundreds of Chinese troops." Rommel said earnestly, "War is never determined solely by the number of people." "And this is just the opponent's vanguard. When all the main forces arrive, there may be tens of thousands of people, not to mention that each army has its own unique combat capabilities and potential. We must give them enough attention." "Arrogance will only put us in danger. Once we have such emotions, it will be the beginning of our failure." After listening to his words, the subordinates began to reflect on their own attitudes. Indeed, they seemed a little arrogant. They realized that the marshal's concerns were justified. In a war, any detail may determine success or failure. It is undoubtedly an extremely dangerous behavior to underestimate the opponent. Rommel continued: "We must immediately conduct in-depth reconnaissance of this Chinese force to understand their weapons and equipment, combat style and commander's strategies. Only by fully understanding the opponent can we formulate an effective response plan."

The subordinates nodded and said they would follow Rommel's instructions. This is the excellent style of the German army. From the beginning of the war to the present, they have not slacked off or despised the enemy at all. Even if someone feels arrogant, it won't take long for them to be corrected again. The main reason was that the Soviet army had given them too much shock. The Soviet army, which they thought was easily captured, turned out to be a stumbling block on their way forward. Precisely because of this, the German army became more cautious. Not to mention, Rommel, who was familiar with the situation, knew that when the German army was facing internal and external troubles, it must not be careless and must be cautious. "Marshal, since the other party was sent by the Allies, they must be fully equipped with beautiful weapons. According to our understanding, except for the tanks, the beautiful weapons and equipment are not worse than us in other aspects. But this is the Golan Heights. If you want to It is still difficult to take advantage of the tanks," one of his subordinates said. "And the number of tanks we currently have is still too few." Before his subordinates could finish speaking, they were interrupted by Rommel. "You mean to leave this army alone?" After the subordinate's words were interrupted by Rommel, the atmosphere was a little stagnant for a while. Rommel's questioning made his subordinates realize that there might be a problem with his proposal. The subordinate quickly explained: "Marshal, that's not what I meant. What I meant is that our current focus should be on dealing with other more threatening Allied forces. For this Chinese force, we can first conduct observation and surveillance. We will deal with it when we have enough energy and resources.” Rommel frowned slightly, thinking about his subordinate's words. He understands that they currently face many challenges in the Golan Heights, and the insufficient number of tanks is indeed a thorny problem. But he cannot ignore the potential threat that this Chinese force may bring. "No, we cannot take it lightly." Rommel said firmly. "Even if they do not seem to be a major threat at the moment, we cannot take risks. We must remain vigilant against them and be ready to respond to their actions at any time. At the same time, we must continue to strengthen intelligence. Collect and understand their movements and intentions.” "Marshal, I think the current task is to merge with the Turkish troops first, complete the occupation of Persia, and at the same time open up the Caucasus region and reduce the pressure on the Eastern Front." His subordinates raised objections. "If possible, it would be best to pull Persia into the chariot. If they join us, we will relieve a lot of pressure." Hearing this, Rommel frowned deeply. I don’t know if it’s an illusion or what. Rommel always felt that this Chinese force would cause them greater trouble. But what his subordinates said made sense. If we really open up the Caucasus region, the benefits will be huge. Rommel was in a dilemma. The suggestion put forward by his subordinates to first join forces with the Turkish troops, occupy Persia, and open up the Caucasus region to reduce the pressure on the Eastern Front is indeed reasonable. If they can successfully win over Persia to join, it will undoubtedly greatly reduce the pressure they face. However, Rommel's inner worry about the Chinese troops still lingered.

His instinct told him that this seemingly small force might cause unexpected trouble. But reason told him that his subordinates' proposal was of great strategic significance. He paced back and forth, weighing the pros and cons. On the one hand, opening up the Caucasus region and occupying the Baku oil fields can weaken the potential of the Soviet army, which is crucial to the direction of the entire war. On the other hand, the mysterious Chinese army was like a time bomb that would explode at an unknown time, which made him uneasy. "This matter needs to be considered in the long term." Rommel finally said, "We cannot ignore any factor that may affect the war situation, continue to collect intelligence about the Chinese troops, and at the same time be prepared to merge with the Turkish troops and attack Persia, but during the action China must remain vigilant at all times and be ready to deal with possible threats from Chinese troops.” After hearing this, the subordinates still didn't understand. What threat could a Chinese army pose? Isn’t the Caucasus more important? "Marshal, if you are really worried about this Chinese army, it is better to ask the Air Force to send fighter planes to attack the opponent's camp. I believe that after some bombing, the opponent should be able to recognize the reality." The subordinate thought for a while and put forward his opinion again. . Hearing this, Rommel was stunned, then stood there, staring at the map, and began to think about whether it was feasible to send fighter planes. "Marshal, with this bombing, they will definitely not easily send troops to cause trouble. At least they can buy us some time." The subordinate persuaded again. Rommel listened to his subordinates' suggestions and fell into deep thought. There is some truth to what his subordinates said. Sending fighter planes to bomb the camps of the Chinese troops may be able to frighten the other side to a certain extent and buy them time to carry out other important tasks. However, Rommel also knew that such an action would be risky. Bombing may trigger a series of unpredictable consequences, such as arousing strong resistance from Chinese troops, or attracting attention and reactions from other Allied forces. Moreover, if the bombing fails to achieve the desired effect, it may put them into a more passive situation. His eyes kept moving on the map, weighing the pros and cons in his mind. On the one hand, the strategic importance of the Caucasus region is self-evident, and opening up the region as soon as possible is crucial to the entire war situation. On the other hand, he could not ignore the potential threat that the Chinese army might bring. "Then try." Rommel said slowly, "But before that, send people into Persia to persuade the other party to surrender and lay down their weapons." "yes." Rommel made a decision and agreed to try to send fighter planes to bomb the Chinese army camps, but at the same time he did not forget to advance operations in Persia. He knows that only through a multi-pronged approach can he gain more initiative in complex battle situations. Sending fighter planes for bombing is a risky strategy, and Rommel also understood the possible consequences. However, under the current situation, he felt that it was necessary to take some tough measures to deal with potential threats. At the same time, he hoped that by persuading Persia to surrender, he could expand his sphere of influence without spending a single soldier and provide more resources and support for subsequent operations. As the order was issued, the troops began to work nervously. On the one hand, intelligence personnel were sent to Persia again, with the mission of persuading surrender to contact the Persian side. On the other hand, the Air Force is also actively preparing for bombing operations against Chinese military camps, formulating operational plans and determining target coordinates. …

"The Germans ask us to surrender?" Persia, Tehran Palace. Pahlavi looked at the letter sent by his cronies demanding surrender from the German army and fell into deep thought. The withdrawal of the Soviet army gave them a brief respite and got rid of the huge pressure brought by the Soviet army. However, now the German army's requirements have brought them new difficulties. In the battle with the Turkish army, although the two sides had back and forth, the situation was still under control. But faced with strong pressure from the German army, Pahlavi had to re-examine the current situation. He knew that once surrendered, the fate of the country would be completely in the hands of the German army. This would undoubtedly be a difficult choice for Persia. Pahlavi began to convene ministers to discuss countermeasures. The ministers expressed their opinions. Some advocated resolute resistance, while others believed that negotiations with the German army could be considered to strive for more favorable conditions. After listening to the opinions of all parties, Pahlavi was still hesitant. He understood that both resistance and negotiation were fraught with risks. Resistance may lead to greater damage to the country, and negotiations may not yield satisfactory results. But he also knew that as the leader of the kingdom, he must make a decision as soon as possible to find a feasible path for the future of Persia. "Your Majesty the King, I think it is better to surrender." The confidant looked at Pahlavi in ​​front of him and expressed his thoughts. "Why?" Pahlavi did not get angry, but asked instead. For him, whoever can bring more benefits is the prerequisite for cooperation. Facing Pahlavi's rhetorical question, the confidant calmed down and said: "Your Majesty, the situation is complicated now. Although the Soviet army has withdrawn, the Turkish army's combat power is limited, and we can still deal with it." "However, the German army is different. They have shown great strength on the battlefield." "If we choose to resist, with our current military strength, we may not be able to withstand the German attack." "Once defeated, the country will suffer huge damage and the people will be plunged into dire straits." "By choosing to surrender, perhaps we can strive for some favorable conditions in negotiations with the German army and protect the interests of the country and the people as much as possible." "Moreover, the German army had an advantage in the war. If we cooperate with them, we may be able to obtain more resources and support in the future, which will help the country's development." Pahlavi listened to the analysis of his cronies and fell into deeper thinking. He understood that what his confidants said was true, but he was also worried that after surrendering, he would lose control of the country and become a puppet of the German army. He weighed the pros and cons in his mind, trying to find a solution that could protect national interests while ensuring his dominance. "What you say makes sense, but if we surrender like this, Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union will definitely not agree." Pahlavi's words were full of helplessness and melancholy. Surviving in the cracks of the great powers, the country's destiny seems to be pulled by countless big hands, making it difficult to control independently. He knew very well that once the Germans chose to surrender, great powers such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union would not sit idly by.

These major powers have their own interests to consider in the war, and Persia's actions are likely to trigger a strong reaction from them. It may face economic sanctions, military threats, or even direct military intervention. However, what if we don’t surrender? With Persia's current strength, it is almost impossible to fight against the Germans alone. In this world where the jungle prevails, the fate of small countries is always so difficult. Pahlavi looked out the window, confusion and uneasiness in his eyes. He didn't know how to make a choice in order to find a way to survive for the country in this complicated situation. He longed for Persia to have true independence, but in the face of reality, this seemed to be just an unattainable dream. (End of chapter)