Chapter 394: We can do what the Japanese army can do! The transaction here is in full swing, and the German army on the other side also needs resources. Because they suddenly found that they were running out of resources. There was a shortage of oil before, but now there are oil fields. It turns out that other mineral resources are also in short supply. Now the German army was in an embarrassing situation. Especially Speer, looking at the various gaps, he could only scratch his head. During this period, his performance was still very good. The German army's production capacity has nearly doubled, and the number of various weapons shipped from the factory has increased. The weapon gaps of the Eastern Front troops are also constantly being replenished. However, road transportation is inconvenient, resulting in a lot of weapons and equipment still being backlogged in the rear. It will take time to completely transport them to the front line.

Fortunately, Speer is not stupid and knows how to produce more transport aircraft. Especially now that the German army is not short of fuel, it is very convenient to produce a large number of transport aircraft to transport weapons and equipment. As a result, after a few happy days, I encountered new problems. There is not enough tungsten ore, and there is not enough rubber either. Synthetic rubber is really not good for certain weapons. The best thing is natural rubber. Faced with these problems, Speer must solve them as soon as possible. The atmosphere in the small headquarters was solemn and depressing. Keitel is in charge of this meeting. In addition to listening to the generals' reports on the situation on the front line, he also needs to understand the current logistics and production. "Marshal, our resources are extremely scarce now. There is no shortage of oil for the time being, and our tanks and aircraft can still operate normally." After the generals had finished discussing, Speer began to express his demands. "Steel production is also declining now, and the production of weapons and equipment is facing serious difficulties, especially tungsten ore, which is the most important resource for the production of armor-piercing projectiles. Without it, our production of armor-piercing projectiles will be greatly reduced. The other is rubber, whose demand is urgently needed to increase. " Hearing this, Keitel frowned slightly, and he also knew that Germany was currently in a very critical situation. The war has entered a critical stage, and the shortage of resources may become the trigger for Germany's failure. "We have to find a way to solve the resource problem." Keitel's voice was full of anxiety and anger. "Wait a minute, didn't our allies ship a batch of rubber some time ago? Has it been used up?" Hearing this, Speer nodded and said. "Yes, this period of time has long been used up. We have produced a large amount of weapons and equipment, and the consumption of rubber is also very large." Now Keitel knew he was in trouble. If the battle is defeated due to lack of resources, it will be really disappointing.

The only way now is to find external resource support. After some discussion, Japan in the far east became their only hope. But soon, they discovered a problem, that is, the production capacity of the rubber resource areas occupied by the Japanese army was reduced. The main reason is that the production was not high due to harassment by guerrillas. Not only that, the Japanese army itself is also expanding the scale of weapons production. As a result, the rubber collected was somewhat insufficient. So it would be very difficult to get them to sell. Now everyone became very embarrassed. If there were no rubber, I am afraid that the next trucks produced would not have tires. And fighter jets also need rubber for their tires. "Let's talk to the Japanese army first. If you are unwilling to transfer some of the rubber resources, then consider others." Keitel said directly. "yes." It didn't take long for Speer to act quickly and invite Oshima to meet through diplomatic channels. In a darkened office in Berlin, a group of intelligence officers and diplomats sat together, nervously discussing how to establish effective communication with Japan. "We have to make sure Japan understands our plight and is willing to help," said a senior diplomat. "But Japan is also at war. Will they be willing to give up their precious resources?" Another person questioned. "We must get these resources, otherwise our weapons production speed will slow down." Speer took a deep breath and said. "yes." At the same time, Japanese Ambassador to Germany Hiroshi Oshima also fell into deep thought the moment he received the letter from Germany. Japan is also struggling in the quagmire of war, and its resources are not abundant. However, he saw potential benefits that could come from working with Germany. No! In other words, he has already planned to use this resource cooperation to obtain some technical support for the Japanese Empire. "Germany's technology has always been in a leading position. If we can provide them with certain support at this time, we may be able to exchange for their advanced technology, thereby enhancing our strength in the Pacific battlefield." The military attache from the embassy immediately analyzed. "Xinxi, you are right." Oshima Hiro nodded, agreeing with him very much. "So in the next negotiations, we must fight to the death and require technical support." "Hai." Representatives from both sides sat on both sides of the long table in the conference room, and the atmosphere was tense and serious.

At the negotiation table, Speer first elaborated on Germany's predicament and urgent need for resources. They expressed the hope that Japan could provide large amounts of rubber and other important strategic materials such as tungsten ore. Hearing this, Oshima Hiroshi was not surprised, because he had already known Germany's intention. So he signaled the military attache next to him to stand up and put forward his own conditions. They asked Germany to share advanced weapons technology, military strategy and intelligence network in Europe. Naturally, the Germans were unwilling to do so. So both sides engaged in heated debate and bargaining on every issue. "Our resources are also limited and cannot be provided to Germany without restrictions." Hiroshi Oshima said firmly. "But Germany's technology is the world's leading, which is crucial to your victory in the Pacific battlefield." Speer retorted. "Then there's no need to talk?" Oshima Hiro felt that the other party was completely insincere. "No, we can provide some advanced weapons technology and even some military equipment." Speer shook his head and said. "Yes, but there is a problem, that is, how to ensure the safety of the routes transporting resources? Moreover, the technical support we hope to receive is advanced, not the kind of crappy technology. It is best to improve Japan's military industry level." Shima Hiro nodded. Hearing this, Speer looked embarrassed. Some technologies really cannot be transferred. But considering the demand for weapons on all fronts, we could only nod in agreement. Immediately, representatives from both sides began to have heated discussions on issues such as resource types, quantities, prices, and transportation methods. Every detail was full of controversy and compromise, and the atmosphere in the conference room was sometimes tense and sometimes relaxed. Negotiations were difficult. Germany hopes to purchase a large amount of resources at lower prices, while Japan hopes to obtain more technology and equipment. The two sides were at a stalemate on price and quantity, and the negotiations reached a deadlock. "Your demands are too high, and we cannot meet all your demands." Speer said with a frown. "No, your bid is too low. Our resources are hard-earned and cannot be sold at such a low price." Oshima Hiroshi did not give in. In order to break the deadlock, representatives from both sides began to seek a compromise solution. They put forward some compromise suggestions, such as installment payment, resource exchange and other methods. After days and nights of arduous negotiations, the two sides finally reached preliminary consensus on some key issues. Germany agreed to provide Japan with some advanced weapons technology and military strategies. In return, Japan would provide Germany with a certain amount of rubber and other strategic materials such as tungsten ore in batches within a certain period of time. However, the implementation of this agreement faces huge challenges. Especially transportation. You must know that the Suez Canal is controlled by the Allies. Moreover, there are also a large number of Allied warships in the Indian Ocean. Warships from both sides of the Mediterranean Sea are facing off. If you want to escort, you can only mobilize some warships to cooperate with Rommel to capture the Suez Canal.

Otherwise, facing a tight blockade of the transportation routes by the Allies, any ship trying to cross the blockade would face the risk of being sunk. Both sides began to jointly plan how to break through the Allied blockade. They considered a variety of options, including using submarines for transportation, camouflaging the fleet, opening new routes, etc. At the same time, both sides also stepped up intelligence work, trying to obtain loopholes and weak links in the Allied blockade. Although both parties have made adequate preparations, the process of transporting resources is still full of crises. Ships carrying resources struggled to move forward on the sea, facing Allied warships at all times. Although they also disguised themselves as neutral merchant ships, they were quickly discovered. The natural outcome was to be sunk. For this reason, the German army decided to mobilize some submarines from the Mediterranean to protect these merchant ships. But the Allies are not fools, so they naturally sent a more powerful fleet to intercept and For a time, the two sides fought extremely fiercely in the Indian Ocean. At the same time, the Japanese base camp in Tokyo was also worried about the war situation. On the Pacific battlefield, the . military's counterattacks became more and more fierce, and the Japanese army was retreating steadily. The consumption of resources is also huge, and reserves of strategic materials such as oil and steel are gradually decreasing. In addition, Kalimantan also suffered an attack from the Nanyang Task Force, resulting in a continuous decrease in rubber production. This makes the Japanese army very worried. Once their resources are exhausted, they may be destroyed. "The current situation of the empire is also very difficult. We must find new sources of resources." Tojo Hideki said. When Germany made a request for resource transactions, Tojo also considered whether to agree. The main reason is that they are also eager to obtain Germany's advanced technology and weapons and equipment to enhance their strength in the Pacific battlefield. However, resource transactions with Germany over long distances also face many risks. Routes that mainly transport resources will be attacked by Allied warships. It turns out that this is indeed the case. Many cargo ships have been destroyed. Despite this, Tojo Hideki still did not give up on the deal between the two parties. Depending on the technology they acquire, their power can indeed increase. But similarly, their resources are not many. In particular, steel and oil production are also declining. "Did the resources on Australia's previous map not be mined yet?" Hideki Tojo asked.

"It is already being mined, but due to the harsh mining environment, it will not be possible to expand production for a while." The secretary quickly explained. "Baga, this speed is too slow. We must have enough resources to continue to consume the rice beasts." Tojo Hideki shouted angrily. "Hai, I will urge them to increase their mining efforts." The secretary responded quickly. Upon hearing this, Tojo Hideki waved his hand to signal the other party to leave first, and then he looked at the map alone, wondering what he was thinking about. Cun Yunsheng on the other side was stunned for a long time when he learned that the Japanese army was transporting resources to the German army. This news was still told to him by Stilwell. Because Stilwell received a telegram from the White House stating that during this period many Japanese merchant ships pretended to be neutral merchant ships to transport resources to the German army, but were found by Allied warships. Cun Yunsheng was stunned when he learned the news. I dare not give blood to the Japanese army on one side, but the Japanese army on the other side actually gave blood to the German army. This left him speechless for a while. However, he found it quite strange that the German army needed blood transfusions from the Japanese army. Logically speaking, if the shortcoming of oil is solved, the German army should not be short of resources. Unexpectedly, they even cooperated with the Japanese army, indicating that they must have some resource problems. After thinking about it for a long time, Cun Yunsheng roughly guessed it. It should be rubber and tungsten ore. Most of these two things are now in the hands of the Japanese army. Of course, he also had some in his hands. As for the tungsten mine, Cun Yunsheng thought for a while. He really doesn't have much tungsten ore. Before that. No! It should be said that before the appearance of tanks, armor-piercing bullets were not used much. With the advent of tanks, armor-piercing projectiles were increasingly used. Tanks are also becoming thicker and thicker, and the caliber of armor-piercing bullets is also increasing. Similarly, the demand for tungsten ore will naturally increase. The Japanese tanks were easily destroyed, so Cun Yunsheng's demand for tungsten ore was not high. "Maybe I can try to take over this business." Cun Yunsheng touched his chin and felt that this business could be done. The first is that he has a lot of rubber plantations in his hands, and the rubber produced should be able to meet the needs of the German army.

Even if the German army's needs increase, he can satisfy it, because he can attack the Japanese cities and occupy the rubber plantations at any time. Secondly, he is a member of the Allied Forces and believes that with the Allied flag, those warships wandering in the Indian Ocean will not attack him. In the end, this business was very profitable, and he was still thinking about how to get more things from the Germans. Before, the Germans gave me second-hand junk goods, but they did not give them the valuable weapons of the great powers. For example, the high-precision Zeiss, and the hydraulic press for manufacturing 10,000-ton warships, etc. There are still many good things in Germany that make him extremely greedy. So if the Japanese army can do this business, why can't he? And he also has William as a middleman. (End of chapter)