German Red Prince

Page 138

Libyan oil fields were not discovered until the 1950s, and this was not without reason. Prior to that, Italian colonists had also searched for them, but with little success, and eventually they gradually lost interest.

Thorne certainly wouldn't give up. The difficulty of extraction doesn't mean it's impossible. Germany's explosive development after the war significantly improved their industrial level. They've invested heavily this time, so they don't believe they can't find oil.

Meanwhile, in addition to Thorne, the government of the Kingdom of Rhine is also paying close attention to this oil exploration project. After all, Thorne said there was oil there. They might not believe it if others said it, but since it came from Thorne, they have to really consider it.

Thorne's mouth is blessed, like that of King Charlemagne, a man guided by God who can always know what will happen in the future.

Therefore, the kingdom also sent its own people, including some of the Rhine Kingdom's top geological experts and professional mining personnel. Several ships were loaded with equipment for oil extraction. In order to avoid attracting unnecessary attention, several merchant ships loaded with weapons were also mixed into the fleet.

With the Ottomans and France at war, it was perfectly reasonable for them to sell some weapons. These merchant ships would dock at Benghazi port, which was under Ottoman control, while the remaining ships would sail to Derna, taking a longer route to deliver the weapons to their designated destinations.

Here I have to complain about Cyrenaica's terrible infrastructure. There are practically no railways, and the roads are just simple dirt tracks. It took a long time just to transport equipment.

However, Thorne's most detailed oil distribution map of Libya saved a lot of time in the search, which aroused protests from the geologists who came with him. They said, "They didn't even conduct any surveys. They just started digging based on this map. What do they take us for? Does geology not exist?"

They believed in science more than His Highness Thorne's prophetic pronouncements, but Paulus ignored their protests. His Highness Thorne had said there was oil, so there must be. Soldiers value efficiency; they already had a map, so why bother with surveying? They would have dug it out long ago if they had wasted that time.

Scientific researchers are all stubborn. After the workers found the location by looking at the map, they started working right away. The geological experts felt insulted and refused to leave their homes every day in a huff. They wanted to see if they could actually find oil.

The workers were quite speechless. There hadn't even been any preliminary surveying; they were just brought to work as soon as they arrived at the site. This was hard for them to believe. Was this really so casual? Did they really think they could just dig a few holes and find oil?

"A few days ago, that geological expert made a bet with me that even if we dug for three more days, we still wouldn't find any oil," Hank said to his coworker as they worked.

"So, did you gamble?"

"Of course we'll gamble, how can we not gamble?"

Hank smiled. Although drilling wells in this vast desert made him a little uncomfortable, the work here was too tiring. He was exhausted every night when he got back.

Moreover, there's not much entertainment here, and all you can do when you get back at night is sleep. But the good thing is the high wages. The wages here are calculated on a daily basis, and the daily wage is several times that in China.

"Then you'd better pay attention. If you can't dig it out by today, you'll have to prepare to lose money."

The worker smiled. They had been drilling here for a while, but hadn't drilled anything down there.

"What's there to be afraid of? A day's work here pays several times more than back home. It doesn't matter if we lose money. Besides, His Highness Thorne said there's oil here, so there must be oil."

Hank appeared very confident, after all, even if he lost the bet, the loss wouldn't be significant, and besides, he trusted Prince Thorne's judgment.

264. AF lacks fresh water

Paulus, under Thorne's instructions, led the first batch of peacekeeping troops to North Africa to adapt to the environment. He never expected that he would be so trusted by His Highness Thorne.

He had always been an unknown figure, and his performance in the army was just average. He couldn't be said to be particularly outstanding in his work, but Thorne still chose him.

The Rhine Kingdom's peacekeeping force stationed in North Africa may seem like a small position, with few soldiers under its command, but the special nature of this position means that whoever becomes its commander will certainly be given important responsibilities in the future.

This is the first independent legion of the Kingdom of Rhine to be officially stationed overseas. Due to the distance, the kingdom cannot interfere too much in the legion's actions and can only give the legion some general orders. The commander has to give orders for many things himself, so being able to take on this position means that he will definitely have a bright future.

This assignment to North Africa is purely a training opportunity. If they can endure a few years here, they may eventually become commanders of some legion. In addition, Paulus's hint before his departure is that most of the marshals of the Kingdom of the Rhine are not of noble birth, but have worked their way up from the bottom.

Paulus was rejected when he was studying in Prussia because of his identity, which left him feeling lost for a while. Now that His Highness Thorne has said so, it means that he still has hope. He must handle the situation in North Africa well.

The environment in North Africa is much harsher than in China. Although Paulus was mentally prepared when he agreed to the job, he still found it difficult to adapt when he actually arrived.

As a soldier, Paulus was not a casual person. He was a germaphobe. Back in the kingdom, he would change his underwear several times a day. This made things very difficult for him in North Africa. The military base was in the desert, and even a little water was very important to the legion.

The environment in North Africa was so harsh, with strong winds blowing all day long, and sand blowing all over Paulus's face and head. It was a nightmare for him. The worst part was that he couldn't take a bath. Officers couldn't be given special treatment, as Thorne had said in his speech before they went to North Africa.

Soldiers must respect the customs and religions of the local people and avoid excessive contact with them unless absolutely necessary. Officers must also set an example by not seeking special treatment and treating soldiers as equals. Thorne simply localized the Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention, setting rules for the Afrika Korps.

This desert force is my important reliance in the future, so I must regulate it well and make it an iron army under my command.

Paulus, of course, had to follow the rules. Soldiers could only take a bath once in a long while, so he couldn't be treated specially. Everything had to be done according to the soldiers' standards. He ate and lived with the soldiers, eating the same food as them and not making any special requests in terms of meals or living conditions.

Over time, although Paulus had a cleanliness obsession and it was a bit awkward at first, he has gotten much better now. For the first few days, he couldn't sleep at night and would just wet a handkerchief and wipe himself instead of taking a bath. Now he has gotten used to it, and his time in North Africa has cured this problem.

The peaceful days lasted for a long time. The construction team drilled wells every day according to the locations marked by Thorne. The geological experts also came over almost every day to complain, saying that their presence was of no use. They hadn't done any preliminary exploration work and had just started drilling. They said it would have been better if they hadn't come at all.

Paulus has adapted. The environment in North Africa is far more challenging than back home. It's normal for these experts to come here every day to complain. They can't do anything here anyway, so it's better to send them back. What are they doing here? As mascots?

Paulus was very patient, patiently guiding these experts every day. Anyway, he didn't have much to do. The oil hadn't been extracted yet, so he didn't need to give any guidance. He was just idling around, so he might as well chat with these people.

"Colonel Paulus, we've been here for so long, and we can't do anything. We're not even allowed to go anywhere else. I'd like to ask you, what's the point of us coming here?"

Bright asked Paulus, somewhat angrily, about the fact that Paulus was a well-known geology professor in the country. As soon as he heard that the Kingdom of the Rhine was going to conduct geological exploration in North Africa, he was the first to sign up and left the university to travel thousands of miles to Africa.

After finally getting here, they can't go anywhere. For reasons of secrecy and security, these people can't leave the camp, and there are time restrictions on leaving the camp. They can't leave for more than half an hour at a time, and they have to be accompanied by soldiers. Are they here to do research or to be imprisoned?

"Calm down, Professor Bright, don't get so agitated."

Paulus poured Bright a glass of water to calm him down. After going to Africa to command the corps, Paulus's rank was promoted to colonel, and he would probably become a major general soon. This speed was like a rocket.

"Professor Bright, please don't get so agitated. These are the kingdom's rules, and we cannot violate them."

"Let's wait a little longer. I've also reported the situation to the kingdom, and we should have news soon."

"Colonel Paulus, do you think you can strike oil by starting to drill without any exploration? This is completely contrary to scientific principles and will only be a waste of effort."

"My suggestion is to stop drilling immediately and wait until we have completed our exploration before resuming drilling. Otherwise, even if we drill for another 10,000 years, we won't find a single drop of oil!"

“An oil worker made a bet with me, we bet five hundred marks, I just don’t believe that if we keep digging like this, we’ll find oil!”

As Bright was speaking, the door was knocked open, and a soldier rushed in, panting. Without even saluting, he began to report to Paulus.

"Colonel, we've struck it! There's really oil in it!"

Upon hearing this news, Paulus jumped to his feet, and Bright felt as if he had been struck on the head. They really dug it up? Without any surveying, they just drew a few circles on a map and dug it up?

This Prince Thorne is truly a "Germanic superman," pointing to a random spot and finding oil there—geology has vanished!

"What! Quick, quick, take me to see this."

Bright, forgetting his earlier sulking, immediately rushed forward and grabbed the soldier's clothes; he wanted to see for himself.

Paulus followed him out. The workers over there were cheering together. Bright ran over, touched the sticky black liquid on the ground, grabbed a lump and smelled it. It really was oil!

Holding the oil in his hands, Bright cheered. What a great discovery it was that there was actually oil in this barren place!

"Immediately seal off this area and have soldiers establish martial law! This message must not leak out!"

Paulus quickly calmed down. The discovery of oil was a major event for the kingdom, and it was imperative to ensure that no other power knew about it.

"Your Highness Thorne, news has arrived from North Africa."

That evening, Thorne also received news. The last news from Africa was in January, and now it was already mid-February. Some things had happened in the kingdom during this time, which made Thorne very depressed. He hoped that some good news would come from North Africa.

"When will our cargo ship to North Africa arrive?" Thorne asked as he opened the envelope.

"They should arrive in the next few days. Don't worry, Your Highness Thorne, the African Legion will absolutely not be in any trouble," the officer beside him reassured him.

"It's better to be safe than sorry. Military discipline must be instilled throughout the entire army to prevent a recurrence of such a heinous incident."

Thorne sighed. The problems in the army were serious, and the kingdom took them very seriously, so they had to be dealt with properly.

Opening the telegram, he found that previous telegrams had all reported on the situation during this period, and without exception, they had yielded nothing. This made Thorne lose confidence for a time, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

"Hopefully it's good news."

The telegram contained only a short line of text. Thorne breathed a sigh of relief after reading it and plopped down on his chair.

"Come on, let's go to Father's place quickly, there's been some movement in North Africa."

This time he guessed right; the code was correct.

The report contained only one short sentence.

"AF lacks fresh water."

265. Breaking the Limits

Although it was late at night, the Kingdom Council Hall of the Rhine Kingdom was still brightly lit. King Otto had just fallen asleep when he heard the report and immediately got out of bed and rushed to the council hall.

The ministers sitting in the conference hall were also incredibly excited. Just moments ago they had been grumbling as they got out of bed, but upon hearing the news, they immediately forgot everything else, threw on a coat, and rushed over.

Many people still had bloodshot eyes, but this did not affect their excitement at all. They had just received some exciting news, which was a great victory for the kingdom.

"I'm sorry everyone, it's so late to call this meeting."

So excited was King Otto that his voice trembled slightly. He could only try his best to calm himself down, but his uncontrollable expression showed just how happy he was. He hadn't heard any news that made him feel so good in a long time, and he couldn't even feel his old ailments anymore.

"Now, let Thorne tell you the good news."

Otto sat down and gestured for Thorne to tell everyone the news. Actually, whether or not he told them was irrelevant to these people, as they already knew before they came. However, Thorne still had to announce it to make it feel more "ceremonial".

"Distinguished guests, after a long period of effort and the Kingdom's hard work, our peacekeeping force stationed in North Africa, which we sent to Cyrenaica, has finally sent back news."

"Our legion, which we have dispatched to Africa, has successfully extracted oil in the Cyrenaica desert! This is a great victory for the Kingdom! This great victory signifies that the Kingdom's strategic deployment in North Africa has officially entered a new phase!"

Before Thorne could finish his report, the ministers sitting in their seats couldn't help but applaud. What did the discovery of oil in North Africa mean? The Kingdom of Prussia and Wilhelm II, in the name of the legitimate central government of Germany, controlled the unified distribution of various resources within Germany.

Allowing one of the kingdoms to control the allocation of resources across the entire country will inevitably lead to favoritism, regardless of which kingdom is in charge. The party allocating resources will certainly allocate more resources to its own kingdom. In order to maintain its advantage over the other two kingdoms, Prussia will definitely allocate more resources to itself.

Just like the initial distribution of colonies, it was originally agreed that several kingdoms would jointly take over the African colonies of Britain, France, Belgium, and other countries. However, it was later decided that the German central government would manage them. Although a long period of negotiations later resulted in the formation of a colonial management association, it was clear to everyone how much Prussia benefited from this arrangement.

If the Kingdom of the Rhine wanted to develop, it had to get rid of these restrictions and the various rules and regulations set by Prussia. The Kingdom of the Rhine chose to join the German Empire, not to live in partnership with Prussia. The decision was made by Charlemagne, for the revival of the German nation, not to become a subordinate of Prussia.

Although Germany controlled a large number of oil fields in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, those oil resources were ultimately in the hands of Wilhelm II, and thus in the hands of the Prussians. The Kingdom of the Rhine did not receive much. Now, the discovery of oil fields in North Africa means what? It means that the Kingdom of the Rhine has taken another big step forward in its economic autonomy.

History has taught the Kingdom of the Rhine that it must guarantee its own independence in order to negotiate with others; otherwise, no one will take it seriously. Although Prussia is now being polite to the Kingdom of the Rhine, it will delay any demands made by the kingdom. Prussia has the kingdom by the throat, so why should it be afraid of the Kingdom of the Rhine?

The Kingdom has now found many other channels and is gradually breaking free from Prussia's various restrictions. The Kingdom of the Rhine is not Prussia's sugar daddy and cannot remain subservient to others forever.

"Your Highness Thorne, we have now successfully extracted oil in the Cyrenaica desert. What is the yield and quality of this oil? Can it break the Prussian restrictions on us?"

A minister asked Thorne, "Successfully extracting oil in the North African desert is indeed a great victory for the kingdom. But simply extracting oil is far from enough. Only when both quantity and quality keep up can the kingdom achieve a complete victory."

"According to the reports of the accompanying geologists, the oil quality of these oils is very good and the reserves are also very large. With the successful extraction of the Cyrenaica oil field, the Kingdom of the Rhine will not have to worry about oil problems for at least seventy years. The Cyrenaica oil field alone can completely supply our kingdom."

"In that case, our next step is to further increase investment in the Cyrenaica oil field and strive to allow Cyrenaica's oil products to circulate within the kingdom as soon as possible, thereby reducing our dependence on Prussia."

One minister suggested that he was eager for the kingdom to break free from its dependence on Prussia. The economies of several kingdoms were not particularly good at the moment, and he did not want Prussia to rely on the Kingdom of the Rhine to shield it from economic shocks in order to protect itself in the future.

"We are also accelerating this process. Our cargo ships have set sail in batches. Next is the construction of the expanded Cyrenaica base. At the same time, we also want to bring Cyrenaica into our camp, so that it can become a potential ally in the future."

Planting a seed in North Africa will greatly help the Rhine Kingdom break through its future predicament. Having a potential friend in North Africa will allow the Rhine Kingdom to successfully establish a foothold there and make it easier to implement policies towards Africa in the future.

“Cyrenaica is currently an extremely poor country, and development is very difficult for it. We help them with infrastructure and economic development, so that they can have some strength and become our friends. This can reshape the political landscape of North Africa and give the Kingdom a voice in North Africa.”

If Cyrenaica gains sufficient strength, its national consciousness will surely awaken, and it will eventually choose to break free from Ottoman control. The Kingdom of the Rhine can cultivate its own power in Cyrenaica and support certain tribes. Thus, after Cyrenaica gains independence, the Kingdom of the Rhine will undoubtedly be the biggest beneficiary.

What the Rhine Kingdom needs to do next is to increase its investment in Cyrenaica in order to obtain greater returns.

266. Military Discipline Officer

As Hank was chatting with his coworkers, he suddenly seemed to smell something, a familiar scent that immediately excited him.

"Smell this! What does it smell like!"

Hank excitedly ran over and kept shaking the coworker who had just been talking to him. He could barely speak properly. They had actually found oil.

"It's oily! It's actually oily!"

The worker was also incredulous. Looking at the oil gushing out in front of him, he still couldn't believe it. Was he dreaming? There really was oil!

The workers present hugged each other and cheered. After working so hard for so long, they had succeeded. Oil had actually been produced in this barren desert!

As they cheered, the geological experts rushed out of the house. No one could believe that without any exploration or investigation, they had simply drawn a few circles on a map and found oil.

After confirming that it really was oil, Bright disregarded his image and excitedly hugged Hank, completely forgetting that he had just lost five hundred marks.

Paulus quickly calmed down; now was not the time to celebrate, and the secrecy had to be maintained immediately.

"Reinhardt, go and raise the alarm in the camp immediately. Our base needs to be placed under emergency lockdown. Also, notify all troops—and I mean all troops—to assemble immediately and seal off the camp!"

Paulus issued a series of orders. Cyrenaica oil was the kingdom's most important overseas strategy, and nothing could go wrong. All the pressure was on Paulus alone.

This is also one of the reasons Thorne chose Paulus: to train his independent judgment. In military affairs, Paulus is an excellent military commander, but he is too indecisive.

He was indecisive and hesitant in his actions, always echoing his superiors and doing whatever they said. He squandered the best opportunity and caused the Sixth Army to be completely annihilated in the encirclement.

Thorne is training him now. As a future general, how can he not have his own ideas and just wait for orders from above? The most important thing for a general is flexibility. It's impossible for him to be notified of everything. He must give full play to his initiative.

The Cyrenaica desert base has now expanded to nearly two thousand soldiers, commanding almost a regiment, and is located overseas, which puts considerable pressure on Paulus.

As soon as the alarm sounded, the soldiers in the camp immediately assembled and, following instructions, sealed off the entire camp.

"Everyone, cease all operations immediately, return to camp, seal off the oil well, and all geological experts must immediately conduct surveys and analyze the extracted oil!"

Paulus then issued orders to ensure the safety of the oil field.

Fortunately, the supplies sent from the kingdom arrived today. With such a great victory, we can finally relax a bit today.