Historically, the Mediterranean Sea was once the place with the most developed maritime economy in the world. But after the Age of Discovery began, a large number of ships sailed from the Cape of Good Hope route and the Strait of Magellan, and the relatively closed Mediterranean route was no longer needed. The natural result is that the Eastern Mediterranean and Italy, which were originally one of the world's economic centers, have declined. The main driving force of the world economy has shifted to the Atlantic coast of northwest Europe.

This historical process began in the 16th century and lasted for 300 years until the mid-19th century. The rise of Western Europe and the development of the New World in modern times, including the development of the colonies in Southwest Africa, are all related to this. But the emergence of the Suez Canal changed everything.

The concept of the Suez Canal was actually proposed by the Italians in early modern times. The Italians at that time hoped to dig the same waterway from where the canal was later dug. It is convenient for their ships to enter the Red Sea from here and then deep into the Indian Ocean. Use this to compete with the Portuguese who control the Cape of Good Hope route.

However, due to various reasons, this plan was not recognized by the Mamluk Sultan at the time. As a result, after the Ottomans occupied Egypt, the area began to decline. Especially from the late 16th century to the 17th century, the economic proportion of the Mediterranean coast has been rapidly diluted by northwest Europe.

In the 19th century, it was the French who first proposed the Suez Canal plan. The reason is also very simple. French ports on the Atlantic coast can easily be blockaded by the British navy in wartime. They no longer expected to completely defeat the British army in the naval battle, but hoped to connect their remaining bases in the Indian Ocean and the Indian subcontinent through the Suez Canal. We can also take advantage of the trend and develop eastward.

Of course, the British could not make the French wish. So they bought all the shares in the Suez Canal and gained management rights to the canal. Later, Egypt was placed under its own protectorate status and took control of this golden waterway. In this way, even if the French vigorously build their own ports on the Mediterranean, it will be of no avail. The British took control of Gibraltar, Malta and Cyprus. The three places are located exactly in the west-middle-east of the Mediterranean Sea. The British followed this route, taking the Suez Canal to the Gulf of Aden on the Arabian Peninsula, and then eastward to India and Malaya. The famous "lifeline of the British Empire" came from this.

Now Germany wants to directly buy the entire Suez Canal, and British stocks have become a piece of waste paper. Although this kind of behavior is somewhat inconsistent with business rules, it is not a big deal for Britain, which is already in trouble.

The newly established Suez Canal Company became one of the many subsidiaries of the German Zeus Company, with a revenue share of 20%: 15%: 15%: 50%. Egypt takes 10% of the proceeds, Italy and France take 15% each, and Germany takes the remaining 60%.

When Farooq saw that he not only earned 1 billion Reichsmarks, but also had 20% of the profits to be collected, he signed the contract happily; after all, the British did not even give him a penny.

After signing, Rommel asked Faruk to be taken away.

The adjutant said with excitement. "General, in this way, the Mediterranean Sea becomes the inner lake of the empire. This is an honor that only the Roman Empire had."

The Mediterranean Sea has a natural entrance and exit - the Strait of Gibraltar and an artificial canal. Of course, the Turkish Strait connects the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and can be regarded as the entrance and exit of the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, there are three entrances and exits to the Mediterranean Sea.

And they already control the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, as well as the island of Malta, known as the heart of the Mediterranean. It is no exaggeration to say that the Mediterranean is already Germany's inner lake.

the adjutant asked eagerly. "General, should we attack the Middle East immediately and take it down as well?"

At this time, the structure of the Middle East was Syria and Lebanon, which were within the French sphere of influence; Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Yemen, and Oman were outside the British sphere of influence. In addition, there are several independent countries: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Turkey, etc.

After France surrendered, the governments of Syria and Lebanon were also controlled by the French Vichy government. Bordering the British-controlled areas in the Middle East, the two sides were naturally at war with each other, but no war broke out.

In the original time and space, some royal nobles in Saudi Arabia flirted and flirted with Germany because they were dissatisfied with Britain. However, the political situation in Saudi Arabia has been controlled by the Anglo-American oil consortium known as the Seven Sisters since the 1930s, and the pro-German forces cannot make a big splash. Moreover, British troops are stationed in Oman, Yemen, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, and Egypt around Saudi Arabia. Therefore, Saudi Arabia is obedient and continues to sell oil to its allies. Went through World War II uneventfully.

Iran in the Middle East is Germany's best friend. How strong is it?

During World War I, the Qajar dynasty of Iran firmly supported the Allied Powers in their war against the Allies, regardless of the opposition of the world. To this end, British troops invaded Iran and supported proxies to overthrow the Qajar dynasty. However, even if Iran changed its dynasty, the new dynasty did not change its attitude towards Germany. During World War II, the Pahlavi dynasty of Iran still firmly followed Germany and supported its war, transporting resources to Germany. At that time, Germans were everywhere in factories and schools in Iran.

This move naturally triggered a north-south pincer attack by the Allied Powers on Iran. However, the Shah of Iran, Reza Khan, would rather subjugate his country and go into exile than betray Germany.

In fact, not only did Iran subjugate itself twice because of Germany, but Germany was also unambiguous and took good care of Iran in return. When the United States blocked Iran in later generations, Germany always supported Iran; when the United States wanted to tear up the Iran nuclear weapons agreement, Germany strongly opposed it. Even at the risk of breaking up with the United States, Germany has been conducting trade with Iran and has provided economic assistance that cannot be underestimated. The relationship between Iran and Germany can be described as mutually exclusive.

Rommel asked. "Where have the French advanced?" He asked, referring to the French troops who were running to frighten their own colony.

the adjutant replied. "The news came this morning that they are attacking Nigeria. But there are no British there and the progress is going very smoothly."

There is a country called Ghana to the east of Nigeria, known as the Gold Coast. The British focus on fishing for gold in Ghana and are not particularly interested in Nigeria. They handed over the colonial task to a so-called Niger company and behaved like a beautiful sheep. This private trading company is actually a British thug who has done a lot of bad things in Nigeria, including killing, burning, looting and everything else.

The Nigerians hated this so-called company and continued to resist. The British realized that it was better to be ruled by local chiefs, and Britain was still suitable to stand in the background. The British first conquered various Nigerian tribes by force, and then selected pro-British chiefs. Nigeria's original governing institutions remained intact. The British said: "We don't need to touch their institutions, we just need to adjust their minds." By 1914, the British merged the two Nigerian protectorates into one, still under indirect rule.

Rommel thought for a while and ordered. "Let the troops rest where they are for a few days and finish Africa first."

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