Chapter 394: What the Japanese can do, we can do too!

The transaction here is in full swing, and the German army on the other side also needs resources.

Because they suddenly found that they ran out of resources while fighting.

There was a shortage of oil before, but now that we have oil fields, we find that other kinds of mineral resources are also in severe shortage.

This put the German army in an awkward position.

Speer, in particular, could only scratch his head at the various gaps.

During this period, his performance was still very good.

The German army's production capacity increased by nearly one-fold, and the number of weapons shipped out of the factory increased.

The weapons gap of the Eastern Front troops is also constantly being replenished.

However, due to the inconvenience of road transportation, many weapons and equipment are still piled up in the rear, and it will take time to transport them to the front line.

Fortunately, Speer was not stupid and knew to produce more transport planes.

Especially now that the German army is not short of oil, it is very convenient to produce a large number of transport aircraft to transport weapons and equipment.

As a result, before we had a few happy days, new problems arose.

There is not enough tungsten ore, and there is not enough rubber either.

Artificially synthesized rubber is indeed not suitable for certain weapons.

Natural rubber is the best.

Speer had to solve these problems as soon as possible.

The atmosphere in the small command center was solemn and depressing.

Keitel was in charge of this meeting. In addition to listening to the generals' reports on the situation on the front line, he also had to understand the current logistics production.

"Marshal, our resources are now extremely scarce. We have no shortage of oil for the time being, and our tanks and planes can still operate normally." After the generals finished their discussion, Speer began to state his demands.

"Now steel production is also declining, and the production of weapons and equipment is facing serious difficulties, especially tungsten ore, which is the most important resource for producing armor-piercing bullets. Without it, our armor-piercing bullet production will be greatly reduced. Another thing is rubber, and the demand is urgently needed to increase."

Hearing this, Keitel frowned slightly. He also knew that Germany’s current situation was very critical.

The war has entered a critical stage, and the shortage of resources may become the fuse 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, didn't our allies deliver a batch of rubber some time ago? Have they run out of it?"

Hearing this, Speer nodded and said.

"Yes, it has been used up a long time ago. During this period, we have produced a large amount of weapons and equipment, and the consumption of rubber is also very high."

Now Keitel also knew that he was in trouble.

It would be really unacceptable if we were defeated due to lack of resources.

The only way now is to seek external resource support.

After some discussion, Japan, far away in the East, became their only hope.

But soon they discovered a problem: the production capacity of the rubber resources occupied by the Japanese army had decreased.

The main reason was the harassment by guerrillas, which resulted in low production.

Not only that, the Japanese army itself was also expanding the scale of weapons production.

As a result, the collected rubber is not enough.

So it would be very difficult to get them to sell.

Now everyone became very embarrassed.

If there were no rubber, the next trucks produced would probably have no tires.

Fighter jet tires also need rubber.

"Let's talk to the Japanese army first. If they are unwilling to transfer part of the rubber resources, we can consider other things." Keitel made the decision directly.

"Yes."

It didn't take long for Speer to act quickly and invite Oshima Hiroshi to meet through diplomatic channels.

In a dim office in Berlin, a group of intelligence officers and diplomatic officials 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 part with their precious resources?" another questioned.

"We must get these resources, otherwise our weapons production rate will slow down." Speer said after taking a deep breath.

"Yes."

At the same time, Japanese Ambassador to Germany Hiroshi Oshima fell into deep thought when he received the letter from Germany.

Japan was also struggling in the quagmire of war and did not have abundant resources.

However, he saw the potential benefits that could come from working with Germany.

Do not!
In other words, he had already decided to use this resource cooperation to gain some technical support for the Empire of Japan.

"Germany has always been in the leading position in technology. If we can give them some support at this time, we may be able to exchange their advanced technology and thus enhance our strength in the Pacific battlefield." The military attaché of the embassy immediately analyzed.

"Yoshi, you're right." Oshima Hiroshi nodded, agreeing with his opinion.

"So in the next negotiation, we must stick to it and ask for technical support."

"Hay."

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 explained Germany's predicament and urgent need for resources. They expressed the hope that Japan could provide large quantities of rubber and other important strategic materials such as tungsten ore.

Hearing this, Oshima Hiroshi was not surprised, because he already knew the intention of Germany's visit.

So he signaled the military attaché next to him to stand up and put forward his own conditions. They demanded that Germany share advanced weapons technology, military strategy and intelligence networks in Europe.

Naturally, the German army was unwilling to do this.

So the two sides engaged in fierce debate and bargaining on every issue.

"Our resources are also limited and cannot be provided to Germany without limits," Oshima Hiroshi said firmly.

"But German technology is world-leading, and it is crucial to your victory in the Pacific," Speer retorted.

"Then there's nothing to talk about?" Oshima Hiroshi felt that the other party had no sincerity at all.

"No, we can provide some advanced weapons technology and even some military equipment." Speer shook his head.

"Okay, but there is a problem. How do we ensure the safety of routes for transporting resources? Moreover, we hope to get advanced technical support, not common technology. It would be best if it can enhance the level of Japan's military industry." Oshima Hiroshi nodded.

Upon hearing this, Speer looked embarrassed. Some technologies really cannot be transferred.

But considering the demand for weapons on various fronts, he finally had no choice but to agree.

Representatives from both sides then began a heated discussion on issues such as the types, quantities, prices and transportation methods of resources.

Every detail was full of controversy and compromise, and the atmosphere in the conference room was sometimes tense and sometimes relaxed.

The negotiations were difficult.

Germany hopes to purchase large quantities of resources at lower prices, while Japan hopes to obtain more technology and equipment.

The two sides were deadlocked over price and quantity, and the negotiations were at a stalemate.

"Your demands are too high. We cannot meet all your requirements," Speer said with a frown.

"No, your offer is too low. Our resources are hard-earned and cannot be sold at such a low price." Oshima Hiroshi refused to give in. In order to break the deadlock, representatives of both sides began to seek a compromise solution.

They put forward some compromise suggestions, such as installment payment and resource exchange.

After several days and nights of arduous negotiations, the two sides finally reached a 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 over a certain period of time.

However, the implementation of this agreement faces huge challenges.

Especially the transportation aspect.

You have to know that the Suez Canal was controlled by the Allies.

There are also a large number of Allied warships in the Indian Ocean.

Enemy and friendly warships are facing off in the Mediterranean.

If they wanted to provide escort, they could only dispatch some warships to cooperate with Rommel to take over the Suez Canal.

Otherwise, with the transport routes tightly blocked by the Allies, any ship attempting to cross the blockade would face the risk of being sunk.

The two sides began to plan together how to break through the Allied blockade.

They considered a variety of options, including using submarines for transport, disguising fleets, and opening new shipping routes.

At the same time, both sides also stepped up their intelligence work, trying to find loopholes and weak links in the Allied blockade.

Although both sides made adequate preparations, the process of transporting resources was still fraught with crisis.

Ships loaded with resources struggled forward on the sea, facing Allied warships at all times.

Although they also disguised themselves as merchant ships from a neutral country, they were soon discovered.

The natural result was that it was sunk.

To this end, the German army decided to withdraw some submarines from the Mediterranean to protect these merchant ships.

But the Allies were not fools, so they naturally sent out a more powerful fleet to intercept.

For a time, the two sides fought fiercely in the Indian Ocean.

At the same time, the Japanese military headquarters in Tokyo was also worried about the war situation.

On the Pacific battlefield, the US military's counterattack became increasingly fierce, and the Japanese army was defeated.

Resource consumption is also huge, and reserves of strategic materials such as oil and steel are gradually decreasing.

In addition, Kalimantan Island was attacked by the South Seas Task Force, which led to a continuous decrease in rubber production.

This made the Japanese army very worried. Once the resources were exhausted, it would be their demise.

"The empire's current situation is also very difficult. We must find new sources of resources." Hideki Tojo said.

When Germany proposed a resource trade request, Hideki Tojo also considered whether to agree.

The main reason was that they also wanted to obtain Germany's advanced technology and weapons and equipment to enhance their strength in the Pacific battlefield.

However, trading resources with Germany from afar also faces many risks.

The main problem is that the routes for transporting resources will be attacked by Allied warships.

As it turns out, this is indeed the case.

Many cargo ships have been destroyed.

Even so, Hideki Tojo did not give up the deal between the two parties.

Depending on the technology they acquire, their strength can indeed be improved.

But at the same time, they don't have a lot of resources.

In particular, steel and oil production are also decreasing.

"According to the previous map of Australia, haven't any resources been mined yet?" asked Hideki Tojo.

"Mining is already underway, but due to the harsh mining environment, we cannot expand production for the time being," the secretary explained quickly.

"Baga, this speed is too slow. We must have enough resources to continue to consume rice and livestock." Hideki Tojo roared angrily.

"Haiyi, I will urge them to increase the intensity of mining." The secretary responded quickly.

Hearing this, Hideki Tojo waved his hand, signaling the other party to leave first. Then he looked at the map alone, wondering what he was thinking about.

On the other side, Cun Yunsheng was stunned for a long time when he learned that the Japanese army was transporting resources to the German army.

It was Stilwell who told him the news.

Because Stilwell received a telegram from the White House stating that during this period many Japanese merchant ships pretended to be merchant ships of neutral countries to transport resources to the German army, but were found by Allied warships.

Cun Yunsheng was stunned when he heard the news.

It turned out that while we were giving blood transfusions to the Japanese army, the Japanese army was giving blood transfusions 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, after solving the oil problem, the German army should not be short of resources.

I didn't expect that they would actually cooperate with the Japanese army. This means that they must have some problems with their resources.

After thinking 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 has a part of it.

As for the tungsten mine, Cun Yunsheng pondered for a while.

He doesn't have much tungsten ore.

before this.

Do not!
It should be said that before the emergence of tanks, armor-piercing shells were not widely used.

With the advent of tanks, armor-piercing shells were used more and more.

Tanks are also being made thicker and thicker, and the caliber of armor-piercing shells is also increasing.

Similarly, the demand for tungsten ore will naturally increase.

The Japanese army's tiny 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 was feasible.

First of all, he owns a lot of rubber plantations, and the rubber produced should be able to meet the needs of the German army.

Even if the German army's demands increased, he would be able to meet them because he could attack the Japanese cities and occupy the rubber plantations at any time.

Secondly, he was a member of the Allied forces and believed that with the Allied flag, the warships roaming the Indian Ocean would not attack him.

Finally, this business was extremely profitable, and he was still thinking about how to get more things from the Germans.

What the Germans gave us before were second-hand junk, but they didn’t give us any of the great weapons of a great power.

For example, the high-precision Zeiss and the hydraulic press for manufacturing 10,000-ton warships.

There are still many good things in Germany that make him extremely envious.

So since the Japanese army can do this business, why can't he?
And he also has William as a middleman.

(End of this chapter)