Chapter 1023: Thorough Freedom

In Mussolini’s office in Rome, Italy, an exquisite glass suddenly slammed against the wall, shattering with a resounding clatter that shook everyone in the room.

“He knew there was oil there all along! He knew it all along! How could a jerk who hadn’t even been to Libya know there was oil there, while you idiots didn’t know anything? Why?” Mussolini screamed hysterically from his seat in exasperation.

It wasn’t that Italy hadn’t put in the effort to find oil in Libya. They had been searching that country for all kinds of usable natural resources. But all their efforts had been in vain. At least, before the Germans had come to help, Italy’s exploration activities in Libya had yielded almost nothing.

This was the main reason why he had extorted a large amount of supplies from the White Orchid Group and had sold the oil exploration rights in Libya to this German company. He had thought that what the Italians couldn’t find, the Germans certainly couldn’t either. Since no one could find it, he might as well sell it to the Germans and make a quick buck.

But who could have imagined it? The Italian army was inferior to the Germans on the battlefield, but was Italy also inferior to Germany in everything else? What the Italian engineers and geologists couldn’t find, the Germans had found in just 17 days!

That was oil! It wasn’t a river, or a piece of gold. It was the most important strategic resource for the future development of a country! But this strategic resource, which had been in Libya all along, belonging to Italy, had been sold by him, Mussolini. And it had been sold absurdly cheap. Compared to the oil, the materials and technology the Germans had paid were practically worthless.

What was despairing was that, before the oil had been extracted, who could have imagined that Libya actually had oil? Mussolini thought back to Akado’s attitude, and his German-renowned nickname, “God’s Gift”—it seemed Akado really had known that Libya had oil, and had been absolutely certain of it…

“Damn it! To use such a despicable method to plunder resources from an ally! How shameless!” one of Mussolini’s aides cursed, frowning. He had to quickly distance himself, because he had been the one who had facilitated the “oil exploration” negotiations between Mussolini and the German White Orchid Group.

But unfortunately, he wasn’t examining his own greed, nor did he remember the bribe the Germans had given him. He just kept emphasizing how the Germans’ oil exploitation in Libya was not “righteous.” Such is human nature: push the blame onto others, and then pat yourself on the back for your own “wisdom.”

“Shut up!” His denunciation did nothing to improve Mussolini’s mood. The Italian leader’s mind was now completely filled with resentment at having been conned by Akado. He looked at the aides filling the room and said directly, “All of you, think of a way, a way to get those oil fields back from the Germans!”

When it came to the problem of seizing the oil fields, these aides all shut their mouths. After all, this was an action against Germany, and everyone was very cautious in this regard. It should be known that Italy’s recent diplomatic actions had all revolved around the Axis and the Third Reich. It was for this reason that these aides were well aware of Germany’s power and had long been wary of it.

To try and find an advantage over the Germans by force was simply a joke… These politicians, cunning as foxes, just glanced at the few Italian generals sitting on the side, their faces pale as death, not daring to even breathe, afraid that Mussolini would notice them. They knew that relying on the Italian army was not even worth thinking about.

Everyone knew that the most capable general in the entire Kingdom of Italy was the Marshal of the North African Army, Garibaldi. Unfortunately, this marshal was now a strong competitor to the Mussolini government. Because of this, Mussolini had even tried every means to delay and not send supplies to North Africa.

As for the other generals, on a normal day, they were all arrogant and looked down on everyone. But at the mention of the German J Army Group on the German-Italian border, and that General Hoth, these generals became like mice that had seen a cat. The most optimistic of them had estimated that if he were to command the Italian border guards to defend against J Army Group’s attack, he could probably hold out for three days.

Looking at these silent aides and generals, Mussolini clearly felt a wave of despair. He knew that it was impossible to pose a threat to Germany by force, and he had no chance of winning in diplomacy or politics either. And so, those promises from the Americans, those seemingly ethereal promises, reappeared in his mind.

With the Americans’ help, Italy could withstand a German attack. As long as the Soviet Union did not fall, Germany could not possibly detach too many troops from the Eastern Front to deal with Italy in its heartland. As long as he, Mussolini, could hold the line, then he could cut off the supply to North Africa, and Rommel’s forces would become an isolated army, which would be completely wiped out in the Middle East in less than two months.

And disappearing along with it would be the disobedient Garibaldi, that damn traitor who had sided with the Germans! With his internal and external troubles resolved in one fell swoop, Italy could even get back the oil resources in Libya… As long as the Germans lost one war, then the entire war situation would change, and he, Mussolini, would be America’s strongest ally.

All of this, all he needed was for Mussolini to be able to hold the German-Italian border for just two weeks to a month. As long as he could hold on, then all of this would develop smoothly. The one who would die would be Akado, and he, Mussolini, would be standing on the side of the victors, to re-divide the world.

What method could be used to make General Hoth’s German J Army Group hesitate on the German-Italian border, to not come south at the first opportunity? This question stumped Mussolini. He felt that as long as he could make J Army Group hesitate for a week, he would have a way to use the Italian Navy to tear open the Gibraltar Strait defenses and to let tens of thousands of elite Allied troops into the Mediterranean.

As long as these troops could enter Italy, then to delay the German offensive on their home soil for a few weeks would not be an impossible task. And a few weeks later, the North African front would be in complete chaos. Rommel and Garibaldi would be defeated and killed. The Allies could then transfer even more troops from the North African front into Italy…

No matter how he thought about it, this plan was very feasible. And so Mussolini waved his hand, dismissed the meeting, and kept a few of his confidants behind to ask about the border fortifications. “The work of secretly strengthening several of the defensive sectors, is it almost complete?”

A general who was in charge of this matter quickly nodded and replied with confidence, “Leader, we are right under the Germans’ noses, so our actions naturally cannot be that big… But after such a long period of construction, these fortifications are already very strong.”

“The main thing is the various defensive systems for stopping a tank advance! Including anti-tank ditches, and fixed anti-tank gun positions!” What Mussolini was more concerned about was how to stop the German army from driving straight in on the border. The image of those tank clusters launching a charge had left a deep impression on him, and their combat results were indeed glorious enough. If possible, he even wanted to find some other means to transfer the German army’s few reserve panzer divisions away from the border.

“Of course! These fortifications have all been built to be very complete,” the general said, swallowing, and then immediately replied without hesitation. “The German offensive will be blocked in several areas, but we cannot guarantee just how fast the German army can advance… After all, their combat effectiveness is astonishing.”

If it were possible, the Soviet, American, British, and French armies had all wanted to stop the German advance. The generals who had commanded these elite forces were Zhukov, Patton, Montgomery, and de Gaulle. These generals, as brilliant as the stars, commanding forces far superior to Italy’s, had all failed to stop the German offensive. What did he, Mussolini, have to stop them?

“A week’s time… As long as the border guards can hold for a week, I can provide another 50,000, no, 70,000 reinforcements to the border! At that time, the German army will have no choice but to accept defeat!” Mussolini said through clenched teeth. “I will find a way to find a reason to increase the border guards to 200,000. Hoth’s J Army Group cannot possibly press forward on all fronts. At most, they can only detach 100,000 men!”

“Yes! They must maintain the pressure on Turkey… This is our highest estimate for the Germans,” an aide firmly guaranteed. “The German army does not have the extra forces to quickly reinforce Hoth’s J Army Group. We have run this simulation countless times.”

“Very good!” Mussolini clasped his hands behind his back, walked around the room, and then raised his head. “What we have said today is an absolute military secret! No one can speak of it! Not even to your own wives, or children! Understand?”

“Understood! Leader,” the few men quickly nodded and replied. Soon, Mussolini had them go back and draw up a detailed defense plan, which also included the transfer of several coastal defense units, the blockade of the ports, and the control of the airfields. There were many things to arrange, and Mussolini had to go to the American special envoy’s place to confirm the assistance the Americans could provide to Italy.

“We can provide a lot of help… Mr. Mussolini… including 67,000 elite soldiers, 200 advanced Sherman tanks, and 300 aircraft of various models for support,” the American special envoy said. His mood was clearly very good when they met. He had gotten the news he had wanted and had already completed his highest mission. “As long as your navy can knock open the gates of the Gibraltar Strait, then you, Italy, will be completely free!”

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