Iron Cross

"But I can't blame you entirely. The Japanese navy not only hid it from us and the people, but also their army and prime minister." Hoffman said sarcastically, "There was a problem with the Japanese's own code and it was known to the Allies. , but can conceal the results of the failure so deeply from the country’s top leaders and people, this is a skill that we Germans cannot learn.”

"What?" Ribbentrop was completely shocked now. "Does their prime minister and government still have control over the army?"

"What's so strange about this! Japan's navy and army are different independent kingdoms. The prime minister is now held by a senior general from the army. Of course, the navy will not tell the truth to him, and vice versa. To what extent is the opposition between the Japanese army and the navy? Mercedes-Benz told me a joke that the Japanese Army introduced the same tank engine once, and the Navy paid for it again.”

"This is such an incredible nation." Ribbentrop almost stopped laughing.

"So, your first task is to immediately ask the ambassador to Japan to communicate and negotiate with Prime Minister Tojo and inform him of the true situation - the American war report is basically true. You can use this as a basis and tell him the current situation in Guadalcanal. The comparison of combat power and the possibility of failure must also be told. In addition, the fact that the Japanese code has been leaked-it is precisely because their code was learned by the Americans that the Japanese navy suffered a disastrous defeat at Midway. If Japan does not change its course, They will taste more of the bitter fruits of failure. Don't think I am an alarmist. In fact, our codes have also been leaked by the treasonous group. The British and Americans know very well that the Japanese encryption system is based on our Enigma cipher machine. It is built on the basis of "

"I will implement the task of reporting this afternoon. As for the rest..." Ribbentrop hesitated and said, "I don't know the situation of the subsequent battles.\

,""Bowman will provide you with the details."

"Yes!" Ribbentrop responded loudly, explaining the task well, which shows that the head of state still trusts him and that he still has value. Originally, he thought that today's affairs were over. When he saw Hoffman's thoughtful look, he immediately thought that what the head of state had just said was the first mission. With the first mission, there would probably be a second and third one. His Finally straightening his waist, he asked: "Führer, what is the second mission?"

"I heard that the Romanians and Italians have the idea of ​​withdrawing their troops from the Eastern Front?"

"This..." Bentrop actually knew about the situation, but he knew that it would definitely offend the Führer, so he naturally refused to report it. Now that Hoffman asked about the inside story, he felt it was difficult to answer.

"Yes, yes, no, no, why don't you answer?"

"Führer." Ribbentrop said hesitantly, "They expressed this meaning to me and hoped to convey it to you through me. I directly opposed it, and later..."

"I know what they are thinking. They just think that the benefits of the war against the Soviet Union are not big and have nothing to do with them." Hoffman waved his hand, "To be honest, their combat effectiveness is too poor! I originally held a disdain for the Italians and Romanians. I had expectations, but the generals said that this wish was unrealistic. It is more reasonable to expect that the Romanians or Italians are reliable than to believe that sows can climb trees. "

After hearing this, Ribbentrop couldn't help but want to laugh, but when he was about to laugh, he felt something was wrong, so he suppressed his smile. The flesh on his face trembled, and he looked really ferocious.

"From a purely military perspective, it is beneficial to withdraw the Romanian and Italian troops. It can save the dispatch of materials on the front line and prevent their areas from becoming the weak point of the entire defense line and being used as a breakthrough by Stalin. This matter is not non-negotiable, but we can’t let them feel that the result is too easy.” Hoffman blinked, “They should compensate us for this.”

"Führer, what price do you want them to pay?"

"I want to give them Serbia."

"Ah?" Ribbentrop was caught off guard and was stunned. What is the price? Is this a reward?

"The situation in Serbia is very complicated. The guerrillas led by Tito have caused us a lot of trouble. The field troops are not adapted to anti-guerrilla warfare, so they cannot be allowed to get trapped in a place like this. I plan to mobilize the troops there to go to the Eastern Front Fight and leave the task of maintaining law and order to these countries - they can't defeat Stalin, so it shouldn't be a problem to deal with the guerrillas, right? You can hint to them that if they handle it well, they will have a chance to be under the arbitration of the empire after the war. Obtain the territories currently under its administration. Of course, no matter how it is distributed in the end, the empire should enjoy special benefits and military passage rights on these territories." Hoffman added while clicking on the map, "These countries can include Croatia, Hungary, Romania, and Italy (Albania under their control borders Serbia), you go ask them what they mean, and then convene a special diplomatic meeting to discuss the matter. The location is at the Eagle's Nest Base Camp, where the scenery is beautiful and relatively secluded. Marshal Antonescu, the ruler of Romania, must be present, and other countries can be foreign ministers or ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary, and the time is considered at the end of this month.”

Ribbentrop knew that the true conditions of the Führer had not yet been revealed, so he quietly waited for the next step.

“Since we have made such a huge concession to Romania, they should fully guarantee the supply of oil to us. Starting next year, they should add 2 million tons of annual supply free of charge to the existing basis. At the same time, Hungary’s oil (annual production volume 2.5 million tons) and agricultural products to meet their own needs. If they need military equipment, we can also provide them with captured equipment - such as French, British, and Soviet tanks, artillery, and aircraft. We can deal with them in a relatively cheap way, including German goods. The price will be higher, which can be used to offset the agricultural products and basic raw materials they provide to the empire. Speer will tell you the specific details. In short, we will tell you. "To provide them with security and allow them to expand their territory, they should give us adequate and reasonable returns."

"Understood, I will make them fulfill their obligations according to the requirements of the head of state."

"If they refuse to submit, I don't mind looking for one or two countries to attack." Hoffman sneered. "Romanians, Hungarians, and Bulgarians are all competing to report to me the flirtations between other people and Britain and the United States. In fact, each of them has this kind of mentality. It’s not that I can’t see it, I’m just putting up with them—but my patience has its limits.”

"As you wish, Führer!"

"The third task..." Hoffman pondered for a moment, "I wonder what you think about the Jewish issue?"

As soon as he heard the word "Jews", Ribbentrop immediately put on an expression of indignation and started spouting clichés: "The Jews are a cancer parasitic on the Reich. They are the biggest enemies of our German nation and have committed crimes against the Reich." They committed an unforgivable crime, and I firmly agree and support the head of state’s decision to eliminate them all, cleanly and completely. I think..."

He spoke smoothly and excitedly, like a political candidate who devoted himself to the campaign, but the unwavering look in his eyes betrayed him. With a sarcastic smile on his lips, Hoffman said: "Stop it. Stop it, Comrade Himmler is not here, who are you shouting loud slogans for?"

Ribbentrop rubbed his head in embarrassment: "Führer, this is what I mean."

"Come on, if you really thought this way, there wouldn't be two more oil paintings and a bunch of Persian tapestries in your house last month. You said, according to your slogan just now and your act of letting the Jews go privately, I should give you What's the crime?"

Ribbentrop was terrified: How could the Führer know about such a secret thing? In fact, many high-level officials of the Third Reich, whether they were the government or the military, would receive various notes requesting the release of a certain Jew. Some of them were round-about requests from various big shots that could not save face, and some were due to refusal. With the help of these high-level officials, many Jewish figures were secretly released. Ribbentrop also completed a "business" last month, which he thought he had done. They had to be secretive enough, but they didn’t know that the reason why these things were successfully accomplished was all the result of Himmler and Hitler turning a blind eye to this. Otherwise, how could it be possible for so many Jews to be let go under their noses? ? However, although Hoffman's tone was serious, his face was full of smiles. Ribbentrop was greatly relieved, as long as he did not pursue this matter.

"Comrade Himmler's act of setting up Jewish concentration camps was relatively thorough and comprehensive, but the price was too high." As expected, Hoffman did not continue to delve deeper into this matter. Instead, he said, "In terms of resource utilization, this This batch of labor force has not been fully utilized, but we have to spend manpower, material resources, and financial resources to deal with it. This is an act that outweighs the gains and losses. From a propaganda point of view, this behavior allows Britain and the United States to obtain artillery shells to attack us, although they can ignore the sleep-talking Political preaching, but there are always some compassionate moral defenders within us who jump out to express opposition, which interferes with our work, so I plan to change the approach."

Ribbentrop waited quietly for what Hoffman would say.