East Africa extended its hand into Afghanistan mainly through Persia. Therefore, the proxies East Africa cultivated in Afghanistan were chiefly its northwestern forces. The British were pleased to see this, because the first to be threatened by East Africa's intervention there would be the Soviet Union.
Of course, East Africa could also connect with Afghanistan through Gwadar Port, but Gwadar Port lay south of Afghanistan, in an area Britain regarded as one of its core interests and as a passage linking British India with southern Persia.
Besides the Soviet Union, Britain, and East Africa, Afghanistan actively brought in Germany, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire to maintain a political balance and ensure its own security.
When the plane landed in Dihua, Hoffmann finally caught a glimpse of this "largest city" in the Western Regions. Dihua County was not large, with a population of fewer than one hundred thousand. Its economy, industry, and everything else were relatively backward, so in 1934, the Nanjing government had not approved its elevation to city status.
However, that did not prevent Dihua County from becoming the political and economic center of the Western Regions and the seat of the Provincial Government. The towns beyond Dihua County were even more backward; at present, there might not have been even three towns in Western Regions Province with populations exceeding fifty thousand.
Dihua County Airport was exceedingly crude, completely unpaved. Dust swirled across the runway amid scattered gravel, yet Hoffmann saw some unexpected people at this airport.
Bronnie said to Hoffmann, "Consul, judging by their appearance, they should be Soviets. That aircraft should be a Soviet military plane."
Hoffmann's expression darkened. "What rotten luck! It seems the Soviet Union's relationship with the Western Regions authorities is closer than we imagined. I'm afraid they may interfere with