Chapter 1261 Sausage Slicing Tactics

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"It seems that we should repair the relationship with France. In fact, the establishment of diplomatic relations has been a foregone conclusion, and it should be over with just a few scoldings." Dixon, the principal private secretary to the foreign secretary, also participated in this meeting, and the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alan Wilson is also the director, and Dixon is the de facto number two. At least the personnel director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not suitable for coming over for meetings, and it is not a matter of personnel transfer.

As Dixon opened his mouth, several intelligence chiefs expressed their opinions and provided professional advice to the Cabinet Secretary-General from their own perspectives.

Needless to say, the current military strength of the United Kingdom is that the ratio of the army, navy and air force is about two to one to one. Except for proportions, the first-rate troops are in the Federal Republic of Germany, the second-rate troops are in the colonies, and the third-rate troops are in the mainland. This is basically the arrangement.

There are slightly more than 100,000 troops stationed overseas in the colonies. Not counting the details, there are 20,000 troops stationed in British Africa, 40,000 troops stationed in the Middle East, and more than 40,000 troops stationed in the Far East and Australia.

As for the mercenaries recruited from the Malays, South Pacific Austronesians, Chinese and Nepalese, they are not counted among the above garrisons. They are also under the command of the British Ministry of Defense, but they are usually counted separately.

The scale is definitely not small, not as good as France but more than Germany, and the military equipment is superior to France and Germany. The work over the years has been quite successful. It is not as good as the two monsters of the United States and the Soviet Union, but it is still much better than other countries. Oh, and if you exclude a certain big country, Britain does not have the manpower to show that it is not afraid of suffering and is not afraid of death.

Normally, Alan Wilson shouldn't show such worry. In fact, among the three intelligence chiefs and the principal private secretary to the foreign secretary, the one who has the least confidence is him, the cabinet secretary-general.

Whether they were pretending or not, several people looked optimistic, far more relaxed than Alan Wilson showed. When faced with the issue of garrison expenditure, Richard White replied, "Only the expenditure of the British military in the Middle East remains high. , since the logistics reform of British troops stationed abroad, the supply expenditure has been reduced a lot, and the Secretary of Defense said that the cabinet is very satisfied."

The so-called logistics reform is nothing more than based on the self-sufficiency of the colonial army. The specific method is actually very simple. Alan Wilson suggested to Mountbatten that the logistics troops of the colonial army should be replaced by Chinese, and the Chinese could open up wasteland and farm locally. , to solve the food problem of the colonial garrison.

For cost-saving reasons, the Chinese who took over the logistics were treated lower than the British soldiers, but they could decide on the transaction of excess supplies in addition to ensuring the supplies of the British army.

To put it simply, in the third world, you can take the food in your hand and exchange it for some needed things to make up for the lack of treatment.

This kind of thing means more work, more reward. If you can ensure sufficient logistics for the British army,

You can use the remaining excess supplies for business.

At present, we are doing pretty well in British Africa and the Far East. What about the Middle East? After all, the natural conditions in the Middle East are there, and hard work is not enough. It also requires some technological support. When the large-scale desalination plant operated by the Mountbatten Group is completed, it is hoped that the objective difficulties will be solved.

If this continues, sooner or later the cooking classes of the British troops stationed abroad will be outsourced to the Chinese. Don't think this is unfair. The Chinese are not willing to risk their lives. The cooking class is also considered as a soldier, and the benefits will not be less after retirement. Service is nothing more than raising pigs and vegetables, and both of them have a bright future.

Modern war increasingly requires financial support. Although the UK has no financial problems and the goblins in Zurich have tried to shake it up, it still needs to use money where it is most useful.

Alan Wilson is deliberately optimizing all aspects of Britain. Even if the Chinese are in charge of logistics and open restaurants in the colonies, as long as they can save investment, that is fine. There is nothing wrong with it.

"Speaking of this issue, last year's famine in Southern Rhodesia, the logistics department managed by Chinese people all had a positive image. There were no problems with the local British troops and white residents. But the black people?" Guy Liddell paused at this point. After a while, "Although it is not a violation compared to the previous agreement, but?"

"But what? When did famine break out in South Derosia? The local high commissioner was clearly talking about a local problem, but Nyerere was making a fuss out of a molehill. How many refugees had he accepted, and yet he dared to talk so much about the British? And he wanted to make a fuss about South Derosia? Will Desia also be annexed?" Alan Wilson said with a cold face and an unreasonable attitude, "We are talking about the overall issue of the current British global layout, not the details of a certain colony. The climate in Africa is unstable, and the level of black cultivation is "Lord, what do you care about us?"

"As Dixon said, it is a bit irrational to cling to the matter of establishing diplomatic relations now. Give me a professional assessment of whether we should also establish diplomatic relations, and then I will hand it over to the cabinet."

The truth becomes clearer with more debate. When France had just established diplomatic relations, Britain could not go against the United States on this issue. Alan Wilson just handed over the assessment report. Agree or disagree, that's Eden's business and the responsibility lies with Cabinet, not Whitehall.

Gu Zhuo

Three intelligence chiefs and one diplomat also discussed the Iranian issue clearly. The United Kingdom, with its core call for relevant countries to withdraw their forces from Iran and respect Iran's neutral status, stood on the side of the United States. As for the person who proposed this proposal, it was the Military Intelligence Philby, the head of Five, had the support of two other intelligence chiefs.

Alan Wilson thought about it carefully, and it seems that it is not impossible. It can even be said that it firmly occupies the moral high ground. But is the United States really willing to give Iran neutral status? He believes that King Pahlavi must be very satisfied with this call, but Washington may not necessarily agree.

"Richard, inform the United States of our proposal to reduce confrontation. If King Pahlavi adopts a tough policy and disrespects the Soviet Union, considering that the Soviet Union is a nuclear power and an army power. The United Kingdom must stand with the United States, It could escalate the situation.”

Alan Wilson said word for word, "Our suggestion is to withdraw all the power on the surface and use financial strength that is much stronger than the Soviet Union to replace the power on the surface. In this way, no country can single out Something wrong."

In the end, this meeting decided to come up with a solution that no party could find fault with. If the United States supports King Pahlavi's adventure, the United Kingdom will stay out of the matter and will not stand with the United States. If this matter is handled with the original intention of Iran's sovereignty and independence, and if the Soviet Union does not react violently, then the special relationship between Britain and the United States will be achieved.

In fact, since the Korean War, the United Kingdom has been wary of the radical policies of the United States. Every time the United States chooses a place to go to war, the United Kingdom will consider whether it will affect the United Kingdom.

And Iran is too important. The south of Iran is the sea. It is easy to say that the United States will win, but the United States has a strong navy and is trying to seduce the Soviet Union's neighbors on land. Once it loses, if Iran becomes a pro-Soviet country, Eurasia will Being cut off in the middle is a consequence that has to be considered.

At No. 10 Downing Street, Rab Butler also adopted the same view. Eden often does diplomatic work and also recognized this problem, "The radical policies of the United States are really a headache."

Eden was determined not to let the United States use risky policies. The reason was the same as Alan Wilson said, "Even if it is neutral and becomes Austria, it cannot be too drastic. If Iran's oil production really turns into a powder keg, it will kill the whole world." world."

"Even if Iran is completely neutral, as a neighbor of the Soviet Union, most issues will still tend to favor the free world." Rab Butler agreed, "Such neutrality is not unacceptable, as long as Washington should not be too greedy. We told Washington to adopt a sausage-slicing tactic and divide the Iran issue into different stages. The first stage ensures Iran's neutrality, and the second stage can lean towards us through economic benefits."

"Minister, this is a very far-sighted consideration. The international struggle cannot be rushed." After the analysis of several optimistic intelligence directors, Alan Wilson was no longer so pessimistic. His previous pessimism was just pessimism about Britain's lack of strength. If he were the United States Can people be pessimistic? Not at all!

Maybe the United States' considerations are not particularly radical, but are just to consolidate its advantages in Iran and make Iran pro-American rather than anti-Soviet.

The hostile policy of small countries must be ensured. You can really suffocate the neighboring big countries to death with a favorable environment. If you can't, the three countries divided Poland three times is an example. I believe King Pahlavi will also pay attention to methods.

Alan Wilson met with Donald again, asked what the United States' goal was, and informed the British attitude, "Iran is too dangerous, and there is a risk that Eurasia will be cut off in the middle. Once this happens, most of Europe will The country will throw up its hands and surrender."

"Don't worry, Sir Wilson, we are also trying to ensure the security of Iran." Donald promised that the United States has financial advantages that are enough to draw so-called neutral countries to be relatively pro-American.

In fact, the United States has been infiltrating Azerbaijan's territory in northern Iran, and it is confident enough to keep the Soviet Union out of control.

The United States does not want to compete with the Soviet Union in Iran. The reason is just like the British worry. The US Army is really not a strong point, and there are no US troops stationed in Iran. This is different from Vietnam, whose huge coastline is conducive to the performance of the U.S. Navy and Air Force.

"I didn't expect that now the United States has also learned to use nationalism as an excuse." Alan Wilson praised with a smile. Nationalism must be divided how to distinguish the attributes of King Pahlavi, obvious Rhee Syngman, and Chang Gong. That kind of nationalism is not something that the United States does not reject.

"The United States has always aspired to national self-determination. We dare not forget President Wilson's words." Donald said modestly, "Of course, the relationship between Britain and the United States is not within this scope."