The outstanding feature of the Ruhr Industrial Zone is that it takes heavy industries such as coal mining, steel, chemistry, and machinery manufacturing as its core, forming a regional industrial complex with complex departmental structure, close internal connections, and high concentration.
The Ruhr area's industry was the material basis for Germany's two world wars. Coupled with the Ruhr area's geographical location and convenient water and land transportation, it has become the most economically developed Golden Triangle in Europe.
This is also the capital for the re-emergence of the Federal Republic of Germany in the future. Although Germany has lost East Prussia, the land of dragon prosperity in modern times, as long as the Ruhr area remains, Germany will still be a well-known power on the European continent.
The Ruhr area deserves its name as the heart of Germany. Dortmund, Essen, and Duisburg are simply the backbone and heart of the German people. If you want to live and live well, it depends on how to stimulate the potential of the Ruhr area.
This is where the United Kingdom currently has an advantage over the United States and the Soviet Union. Alan Wilson took Mikhailovich to visit the arms king. There was actually no special reason.
If there is a selfish motive, it is to deepen the powerful impression of the British Empire in the other party's mind before leaving Europe.
Once you arrive in Africa, it is another world, and your impression of Europe is limited to this period of displacement. It may be beneficial to deepen these refugees' impression of the power of the British Empire during this period.
"Mr. Mihajlovic, I almost forgot, if you can get food in Rhodesia, London will definitely be grateful, so that support for you refugees will be more logical." Leaving detention
In the arms king's prison, Alan Wilson raised his wrist and looked at the time and continued, "The mainland side very much wants to end the rationing system as soon as possible. Of course, the British-occupied area may be a little later. If you can help London overcome its difficulties as soon as possible,
, I believe that in the eyes of London, the value of you survivors will be higher."
Alan Wilson remembers that Rhodesia was a British colony. Due to the fertile land and suitable climate, a large number of white people moved here, cultivated farmland, and established large agricultural estates.
The rich agricultural products have earned Zimbabwe the reputation of "Africa's Bread Basket" and "Africa's Granary". The seasons in the southern hemisphere are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. Mihajlovic and others went to Rhodesia just in time to catch up with the planting season.
.
All that is needed is someone to organize. Alan Wilson believes that the refugee group itself is an armed force and does not lack organization. Production is at least much easier than fighting.
This does not even require any assistance from Britain or the British-occupied areas, and Rhodesia is not far from South Africa. It is easy for South Africa's industry to produce some agricultural machinery. The current Governor-General of South Africa is Nicholas Jacobs Dewey.
special.
The British Empire still has control over South Africa at this time, and I believe that the other side will not refuse such an opportunity.
This was something he was used to, and Mikhailovich, who had been blown away by Rhodesia by Alan Wilson, readily agreed. He was reassured that the British were in need.
What worries him the most is that if the British really do good deeds without any desire, then it means that they are in trouble.
Immediately afterwards, the two went to the Krupp family's factory, where someone was already inspecting the undamaged production lines.
In the next few days, Alan Wilson and Mihajlovic visited several companies that had been closed down. At the same time, they worked with the British civil servants who took over these companies to determine which production lines for people's livelihood could be restarted.
Finally, Alan Wilson took the arms king's handwritten letter and began to go door-to-door according to the list. He called together well-known large companies in the Ruhr area, especially those whose heads had not been imprisoned.
Villa, the headquarters of the Krupp family, met with representatives of these companies.
Of course, this was all done after getting approval from London. After the meeting, he had to write a report on the process of the meeting and submit it to London for review.
London also knew that the rapid economic recovery of the British-occupied areas would be inseparable from the assistance of these well-known pre-war German companies.
Before coming back, Alan Wilson has been authorized to have a good talk with the heads of these companies.
The company representatives who came even included representatives from Rheinmetall, even though the Rheinmetall arsenal production line in Dusseldorf has been sealed by the British.
"The war is over!" Alan Wilson used this opening sentence as the first sentence to communicate with German business representatives.
The first meaning is the literal meaning, and the second meaning is that the winner is very obvious. Britain is the winner. As for Germany, its defeat was even more miserable than in World War I, and the whole country was occupied.
Looking at the subtle expressions of the heads of major companies, Alan Wilson took out the arms king's letter and showed it in front of everyone. As for the English translation, he was already familiar with it. When these people read the letter, he explained, "
Mr. Alfred is currently in prison in Dusseldorf. Oh, by the way, Rheinmetall’s Dusseldorf production line has also been mothballed and stopped. It’s me who’s talking too much.”
"The current situation in Germany is very bad, and I can say it very directly. There will be no central government in Germany in a short time, because the French are very opposed to this. According to the news we got from Paris, the French are currently
The attitude is very direct, hoping that Germany will return to a loose confederation, such as during the Holy Roman Empire."
The faces of some representatives of German companies have turned ashen. German history can be divided into two parts, before German reunification and after German reunification. The history before German reunification is, as the iron-blooded Prime Minister Bismarck said, "and extremely aggressive."
It is Germany's tragedy to have France as its neighbor. France has invaded Germany countless times over the past eight hundred years, bringing profound suffering to Germany."
As for the history of Germany after its reunification, it is very consistent with the thinking of France in 1945. "Germany showed extremely strong aggression after its reunification and invaded France three times in a hundred years. This extremely aggressive
The state should not exist in this world."
As soon as they heard that the French were opposed to Germany having a central government again, the German backbone present here was naturally filled with indignation.
I have forgotten the history of Germany's three invasions of France in the past 100 years, and can only think of the 800 years of French bullying of the Germans.
History is a bad debt, and it is not fair to every country. Just like if there were only 40 million people in British India instead of 400 million, the British Empire would have spent two hundred years repopulating South Asia.
Is there any need to wait until today when India’s local elites are fighting for independence?
First, he used the French to stir up a wave of hatred, and successfully aroused the resentment of the German dignitaries in front of him. Alan Wilson changed the subject and said, "But our British Empire does not think so. The British Empire has been pursuing European ideas for nine hundred years.
It is nothing more than balance, and only when there is balance can war not break out. Of course, some ambitious countries always slander this balancing policy."
"The British Empire has never actually contained Germany. To this day, London still believes that Germany is the balance of Europe, and is very opposed to this kind of endless revenge and humiliation. But after all, we are only one of the occupying powers, and there are also countries as far away as America.
The Americans who didn't care what the Germans thought, the Soviets who had a deep hatred for Germany, the four occupying powers, and the British Empire were very limited in what they could do."
"We are very grateful to the British for their efforts. Commissioner Allen, you can tell us bluntly what you want us to do." After several representatives of German companies chatted with each other, Rheinmetall's chief engineer Wagner said,
"Do the British want us to obey...help the managers of British institutions and restore production in the British-occupied areas?"
"To be precise, it is the civilian aspect!" Alan Wilson was very satisfied with Wagner's answer, but he did not forget to make this sentence more comprehensive. "The French will now be very guarded against any move by Germany that wants to restart weapons. This is also the case.
It is not the purpose of the UK. Our purpose is reconciliation, preventing another war from happening in Europe in the future, and avoiding the hatred caused by Germany's dilemma after World War I."
As for supporting Germany to withstand the pressure from the Soviet Union, it goes without saying that the current relationship between the two major camps of the Cold War is not bad, and both need some time to recuperate.
"Restoring production has become a top priority! How the British-occupied areas can restore prosperity as soon as possible depends on whether the companies represented by you can set an example."
"Can we find a way to resume production?" the Mercedes-Benz representative asked to confirm.
"Of course, but the premise is that the factory that resumes production must have a British representative stationed there." Alan Wilson conveyed the instructions on the London telegram, "The production links of the factory must be transparent to the British representatives stationed there. This includes, but is not limited to, personnel adjustments.
, raw material mining and transportation links.”
"We need to discuss it for a while." Rheinmetall's chief engineer Wagner finally said on behalf of the company here, "I think this request is not too much."
"It's not too much. I will be waiting for news at Villa Hugel these days." Alan Wilson pointed to the Krupp family headquarters at his feet. "I hope I can receive good news."
After these representatives left, Alan Wilson quickly took out his telegraph machine and sent telegrams to Hamburg, Hannover and London, describing the talks just now. Whether they could conquer the Ruhr area would depend on whether the representatives of these German companies could figure it out.
While waiting for the news, he listened to the radio to relieve his boredom. He heard the announcement from the radio, "Japan officially announced its unconditional surrender..."
"What a pity. Where is Bushido? Where is spiritual victory?" Alan Wilson yelled, "Why don't you keep fighting?"