German Red Prince

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What Rhine needs now is not a defensive line, but a punch that can be thrown, an armored force that can confront the Commune head-on.

After receiving his father's approval, Thorne breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought he would have to work on it for a long time, because no one could guarantee that this tank would be able to adapt to future tactics, and no one could afford the consequences of failure.

With the kingdom personally involved, Thorne no longer needed to keep a close eye on things every day. He packed up all the relevant data and blueprints and, along with the previous researchers, sent them to Frankfurt to continue the work.

After dealing with this matter, King Otto spoke with Thorne about the military parade. The kingdom would be holding a national day parade in a few months, and in order to exert maximum deterrence on France, he hoped that this parade could feature something special.

Since Thorne returned from Poland, he had started building up some kind of army in the kingdom. He had mentioned this to Otto before, but Otto just thought Thorne was doing it casually and didn't pay much attention. However, Thorne's recent actions made Otto feel that it was not that simple.

Thorne's early preparation of troops was likely for future plans. In addition, the troops he formed were so secretive that even Otto hadn't heard much about them. So Otto was also very curious about what kind of force Thorne was secretly cultivating in the Rhine Kingdom.

I wonder what Otto would think if he knew these troops were intended for rebellion. Thorne hesitated when his father told him he wanted his troops to participate in the parade, because these troops were his trump cards and he didn't want to expose them too early.

However, if we can intimidate the French and get them to participate in the parade, that would be a good option. It would allow the French to see the gap between the two sides and perhaps buy us some time to develop, which would be a good thing for our future development.

Moreover, having undergone trials in his previous life, he has deeply inherited the true teachings of the Director. In this era, engaging in strategic deception is a piece of cake. He will let the French see what the power of the 21st century is all about.

Thorne agreed to let his troops participate in the January parade, but he had one more request: that he also be involved in the organization of the parade, so that he could give the commune a little Rhine shock.

Chapter 144 The First Shot of the New Year

On the Mediterranean shipping route, entire containers of goods were transported from the Anatolian Peninsula to North Africa, unloaded in Tripoli, and then sent to the North African front.

After negotiations with the French Commune, the Ottomans also reached an agreement, with the Commune agreeing to sell weapons to the Ottomans to help them strengthen their defenses. Transport ships loaded with munitions also set sail from the port of Toulon to Ottoman African territories.

In preparation for this potential war, the Ottomans even used their gold reserves. The war also became a good opportunity to effectively unite the different ethnic groups within the Ottoman territory.

In particular, Kemal's decision to transfer troops stationed in his homeland to the North African front moved many Arabs deeply.

At least for now, it's clear that if war does break out in the future, it won't simply be about using Arabs as cannon fodder.

Under the slogan of unity and resistance against foreign enemies, the Ottoman Empire was temporarily united, especially since the opponent was the Old Entente Powers. The Ottoman Empire was now considered a victorious power, while the French Republic, a defeated nation, had even lost its homeland. How dare they even think of attacking them?

Many people in the Ottoman Empire hoped that this war could break the world's stereotypes about their country, improve their international standing, and at least give their country some weight when speaking at international conferences.

At the bustling port of Tripoli, people are busily unloading various supplies from the mainland and the commune, seemingly preparing to fight the French Republic to the bitter end.

Including troops transported from the mainland, the Ottomans now had four divisions of regular troops in North Africa, which would be responsible for fighting against the French Republic.

In addition, about 20,000 militia members were mobilized locally to be responsible for logistical support and regional security in order to prevent trouble in the rear.

At the port of Tripoli, Colonel Haddad was taking inventory of the equipment. The supplies that had been brought in would only be available for a short period of time before being transported to various regions. Due to the Ottomans' lax management, there were not many fortifications in North Africa, which put them at a great disadvantage when facing enemy attacks.

What's even more ridiculous is that many of Tripoli's fortifications were built by the Italians. The Ottomans now have to thank this unsuspecting colonizer for helping them lay railways and build factories in North Africa over the course of a few years.

Without the Italian construction, it would have been much more difficult for the Ottomans to resist the French invasion.

Now we can only lament that if the Italian-Turkish War had started earlier, they would have been able to cope with the invasion more easily.

Faced with the Ottomans' active defense, the French Republic began to hesitate about whether to wage war in North Africa. If the Ottomans were prepared for war, would they still fight?

The military was embroiled in a heated debate over this, with one faction advocating for a halt to the fighting, arguing that their primary enemy was the French Commune and there was no need to fight the Turks to the death; even if they captured North Africa, it would be of no use to them.

Africa is nothing but sand; taking this place has no strategic value whatsoever. The Turks are already prepared for defense, and even if they successfully take the region, the subsequent development will require a significant investment of time and effort, which will severely delay their revenge plans.

The other side argued that the die was cast and the French Republic was prepared for war. If the plan were suddenly cancelled, it would be difficult to guarantee that the Ottomans would not launch a surprise attack. Moreover, expanding their influence to the east was clearly more practical than counterattacking the plan.

The slogan of counter-offensive has been chanted for years, but the more it is chanted, the stronger the Commune becomes. Now it can even challenge Germany. The strength of the Republic is obviously inferior to that of the Commune. Instead of long-term wishful thinking, it is better to be more realistic, attack the Ottomans to expand our own power, and even if we can't go back to Europe, we can still be a little overlord in North Africa.

Moreover, since the Commune is currently in a standoff with Germany and is being watched by the Germans, the Republic does not need to worry about being attacked by France and can launch a bold and reckless attack. This is a rare opportunity to go all out and should not be wasted.

Although the Ottomans could transport supplies from their homeland, it would take time to transport them to North Africa, and their navy was not as powerful as that of the French Republic. France could blockade Turkish shipping for a period of time to cut off reinforcements.

If France can sustain the Ottoman army through the war, and when the Turkish army faces logistical difficulties, they are likely to clash with the locals. Once internal conflicts arise, the war becomes easier.

However, no matter how fiercely they argued here, it was useless. In the end, it depended on Pétain's decision. Only Pétain could make the final decision on whether to go to war with the Ottomans.

Pétain did not expect that the Ottomans would seek help from the Commune, let alone that the Commune would agree. However, this did not make Pétain give up the war against the Ottomans.

Moreover, its allied ally had provided it with a considerable amount of weaponry. Although the British royal family had gone into exile in Canada, they remained very concerned about the political situation in Europe. Upon hearing of France's troubles, they even sent weapons across the ocean.

The political significance of this war for France outweighed its military significance. Pétain wanted to use this war to establish his authority, make it easier for him to seize power, and get rid of those who disobeyed him.

"How are our troops preparing?"

"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, three divisions have been assembled at the front. General Carter has made arrangements at the front and we are ready to launch an attack at any time."

“Send two more divisions over, along with the equipment we bought from Germany.” Pétain looked at the map and pointed in the direction of Gabes. “Tell them to move to the front lines and await my orders.”

It seems that Pétain has already decided to wage war against the Ottomans, so there's no need for those below to argue anymore; all they need to do is prepare for the upcoming war.

These five divisions were not the main force of the French offensive; they were merely the spearhead of the operation. The true main force of the French army consisted of colonial troops hastily assembled by the Republic.

After the French government went into exile in Africa, many tribes seemed to see hope for independence, because after the collapse of Britain, most of the British colonies in Africa, except for some that were partitioned by Germany, had become independent. But just when they thought they would win independence, the French showed their fangs.

The exiled government was already severely weakened, and they would never allow any division within the colony. France brutally suppressed the separatists. Although the southern region was separated from the French center of power by the Sahara Desert, this did not mean that France was incapable of managing the region.

The southern region was the most chaotic area in all of France. Far from the center of power, it was fertile ground for rebels. The French way of governing it was simple: capture these people and conscript them into the army.

Just like in this war against Turkey, France gradually arrested 30,000 young men from the south. As long as all the young men were arrested, there would be no resistance. This is the French mindset.

Those who were lucky enough would become laborers, responsible for transporting supplies and building fortifications; those who were unlucky would be sent directly to the front lines.

To prevent them from mutinying, the French equipped five men with one gun and ten bullets. As for uniforms, forget about it; France would not allocate its scarce resources to these men.

They were called colonial troops, but to put it bluntly, they were cannon fodder. Their weapons were the equipment of the local tribes, so they were quite unique.

The 30,000 people were transported from southern Africa to North Africa without any sanitary measures. When they died, they were simply thrown into the sea. As a result, more than 1,000 of the 30,000 people perished at sea.

These men are now concentrated on the North African front; they are the vanguard of the French army, testing the Ottoman firepower on behalf of the French.

"Do you know what the French would say if they wanted to sell the rifles they had left over from the war?" Mansour lit a cigarette and asked Aziz, who was standing next to him, with a smile.

“Smoking is not allowed during night patrols,” Aziz reminded.

"I know, I know. Don't worry, the French won't attack. These guys have been driven out of their homeland. They don't have the guts to fight us."

Mansour appeared very relaxed; he did not believe that France could defeat the Ottoman army with the strength of a single colony.

After all, it's an empire that's been operating for hundreds of years; how could its foundation be inferior to that of a colony?

"I don't think there's any need to draw troops from the mainland. They finally got a leisurely job, but they ran off to Africa after only a few days."

Mansour was very resentful. He had finally managed to get transferred from his original unit through connections, but before he could even enjoy his newfound freedom for a few days, his unit was transferred to North Africa for garrison duty.

“North Africa could easily hold off the French offensive with just a few armed troops, so bringing us over would be redundant.”

He glanced at Aziz again. "I'm asking you, do you know what the Frenchman will say?"

"How to say?"

"Brand new, never used, only thrown on the ground once!"

Mansur laughed after he finished speaking; he seemed to really enjoy the "frank joke" that came from the commune.

"Let's go back, it's time for the changing of the guard."

Mansour tossed away his cigarette butt and stretched. Patrolling in the middle of the night was truly exhausting. He wished he had endured a few more days of hardship so he wouldn't have to suffer in North Africa.

On the French positions, several heavy artillery pieces were undergoing final calibration, awaiting the final order.

Three minutes later, Bei issued the combat order, and five minutes later, the front line received the instructions.

"Order the artillery to fire," General Carter said, glancing at his watch. It was 3:15 a.m.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The heavy artillery positions began firing at their designated locations, and the war between France and the Ottomans began at that moment.

As the new year begins, while the European continent is still discussing the Franco-German conflict and the military parade, even bigger news will come from North Africa: the Franco-Austrian War has officially begun, and the French Republic has fired the first shot of the new year.

Chapter 145 Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse

"The enemy is well aware of our proposal to demilitarize Tripolitania, which was under Ottoman control, thereby eliminating the region's security threat to the French Republic."

"This includes the Arabs who have long been oppressed by the Ottoman regime. However, the Ottoman regime did not accept our suggestion to resolve the issue amicably, so the French Republic's army will handle this matter."

"This conflict may continue. The Ottomans can end this pointless resistance at any time, but unless the Ottomans meet the demands of the French Republic, France will continue to act until its objectives are achieved."

Pétain announced the reasons for launching the military operation against the Ottomans via radio in the early morning.

The ultimate goal of this operation was to "protect the Arab people who have long been oppressed by the Ottoman regime."

The French Republic will focus on the demilitarization of Tripolitania and bring justice to those who have committed countless crimes against civilians.

Such a reason for declaring war could best justify the French Republic's declaration of war, because in the eyes of Europeans, the Ottomans were the most unreasonable barbarians.

The Ottomans destroyed the Byzantine Empire and controlled the Mediterranean and Balkan regions, bringing profound disaster to Europe.

Due to religious and racial prejudice, the French Republic's military intervention did not receive much condemnation in Europe, after all, the French government was led by white people.

Although they fled to Africa, they were still considered one of their own, and it was perfectly normal for them to help the Arabs oppressed by the Turkish barbarians.

In the eyes of Europeans, they are the embodiment of civilization, and shouldn't civilized people act as the saviors of the world?

Even as Pétain was speaking, the vanguard of the French Republic was already heading towards Zovara.

They had previously clashed with the Ottoman garrison, but they were almost always routed at the first contact. The French demonstrated with their actual victories that even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse.

Although France lost its homeland, this did not mean that the French army had lost its foundation. The French army was still capable of dealing with the weakened Ottomans.

Because the Ottoman army never expected the French to actually attack, although the high command was prepared for war, many soldiers still did not realize the seriousness of the situation.

Especially the troops drawn from the homeland, most of whom were very puzzled by this transfer order, wondering why the Turks had to shed blood for these Arabs.

Moreover, the Ottoman Empire's adoption of European models accelerated the process of secularization, which greatly displeased the Arab Islamic forces.

The Arabs submitted to Ottoman rule, but their security and adherence to Islamic values ​​had to be guaranteed. Now that their elder brother was leading a "rebellion," the Arabs were naturally very resistant.

The Ottomans' center of power was always in Asia and the Balkans. The Arab region was a relatively indirect and unstable area of ​​rule. The Tripoli area was mainly governed by the local governor, and outside the city were semi-autonomous tribes in the mountains.

At a time when Arab regional leaders were carving out their own territories, Kemal's sudden reinforcement of troops in Tripoli was seen by the local governor as an attempt to seize power from them. Their long-standing treatment as second-class citizens had left them with no gratitude towards the Ottoman Empire.

Local powers were very resentful of this behavior by the central government. When their strength grew to a certain extent, they even began to rebel against the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, Pétain's choice of reasons for war was very appropriate, as it appealed to both Europeans and Arabs.

Now that Kemal has just begun his reforms, Pétain's choice to wage war at this time will also allow the Ottoman opposition to take advantage of the opportunity to attack Kemal.

Coupled with the distrust in the Arab region, the governors might outwardly comply with orders but inwardly defy them, or even secretly collude with the French.

The Ottoman front's command system had been completely paralyzed by the French offensive, and various contradictory messages were being sent into Tripoli.

Some units were wiped out as a whole, only to be suddenly revived and launched a counterattack upon the next telegram. French troops would appear in Sabratha, and suddenly the garrison in Zawiya would be attacked again.

Fahreddin, the commander-in-chief of the Ottoman Afrika Korps, was also in a state of great distress. He had only been in North Africa for a week and had not yet fully familiarized himself with the situation when the French launched a surprise attack on them.

Seeing the chaotic scene at the command post, he couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"Everyone be quiet!"

Fahreddin slammed his hand on the table, finally silencing the command center.

"What's all this commotion about! The French haven't even reached Tripoli yet, and so many people are already thinking about retreating?"

"What is certain now is that the French troops have advanced to the Zuwara region, still some distance from Tripoli. Our troops on the front lines have not suffered serious damage, so as long as we organize a defense, we can still withstand the French offensive."

"Send the 20th and 28th Infantry Divisions from Zawiya to reinforce Zuwara. Order the troops stationed in Zuwara to hold their ground at all costs until reinforcements arrive! Tell them I will personally go to the front lines!"

Fahreddin quickly issued the order. He knew what time meant. With all the intelligence in disarray, he had to get accurate information as soon as possible. If he hesitated because of the lack of information, the casualties would be extremely heavy.

On the front lines of the war, the French themselves did not expect things to go so smoothly. From the beginning until now, it only took them about seven hours for their troops to advance about twenty kilometers, and this was the speed at which they advanced while fighting.

The war was going too smoothly; even the French themselves found it unbelievable, considering that during the Great War, they were lucky to advance even a few hundred meters a day.

At first, they thought it was an Ottoman trap, but the signs of the enemy's rout showed that the enemy was really too weak. The troops they encountered basically fired two or three shots and then ran away. In this way, the French captured a lot of prisoners along the way.

"What's your name?" a French military translator asked Abdullah.

Abdullah looked at the group of people standing in front of him and, noticing the uniforms of some of them, knew that they were high-ranking officials from the other side.

"My name is Abdullah."

Looking at the rifles of the soldiers beside those men, Abdullah swallowed hard; he didn't want to meet Allah so soon.

"Don't be nervous, we're here to liberate you. Where are the main Turkish forces? They are our enemies."

"You? Come to liberate us?" Abdullah asked with some skepticism, not quite believing what they were saying, because it seemed that a group of white people had said the same thing more than a decade ago.

“That’s right, our real enemy is Türkiye. We want to drive the Turks out of North Africa and make the Arabs our masters.”

Although he still had some doubts about what they said, Abdullah explained the situation without hesitation in the face of the Turks' behavior.

"The Turks ran away. They withdrew before you even attacked this place, leaving nothing behind but for us to hold our ground."

Before the war, when they talked about uniting to fight the invaders, Abdullah thought the Turks had finally come to their senses. But when the war started, they all ran away. By the time they realized what was happening, the French had already attacked.