Mediterranean hegemon

"Adolf! Adolf! We succeeded! We won!"

"Hermann, you commanded really well. I think you can be a marshal in the future!" Hitler excitedly patted Goering on the shoulder, "Pass the good news out. The revolutionary provisional government defeated the reactionary government attack. This shows that Germany The people support us! It shows that the party’s cause is bright and has a bright future.”

Ludendorff, who accompanied Hitler and others to inspect the positions, curled his lips: If you defeat so many thousands of people, can you become a marshal in the future? When I commanded hundreds of thousands of troops to annihilate a million Russian troops on the Eastern Front, I still haven't even become a marshal. How do you get the confidence? But now he also sneers at Sickert. Where are the 100,000 elite members of the National Defense Forces that he promised? What about the Berlin garrison that was said to be the most capable? Why did it shrink back after being hit so hard? Give up? Sigh... Iron-blooded Germany is really hopeless. The regular army and even the militia are beginning to be unable to defeat it.

Only Strasser looked very unhappy: before the war started, he repeatedly persuaded Hitler not to abandon Meng Lang and to act with caution. This was good news. Not only did the one-sided scene he expected not appear at all, but the government troops were actually defeated by stormtroopers and commandos. Now, Goering and Röhm, the old enemies, basically no longer look at him seriously. If Hitler hadn't taken the overall situation into consideration and said that he wanted to unite, how could these two people have done it? Hand yourself over as a surrender party.

"Boss, leader... Berlin sent news that Sickert has increased his troops..."

"Where did he get so many soldiers?"

"Railway workers say a lot of troops are starting to be drawn out of the Ruhr area."

"Asshole! Asshole! Sickert is Germany's number one traitor!" Hitler cursed angrily. "Instead of retaining troops to deal with the French and Belgians who occupied our land, they instead came to deal with the revolutionary regime. The reactionaries are indeed useless. Shameless traitor!"

The others were as dumbfounded as if they had fallen into an ice cave. Although everyone was extremely excited now, they were actually a little nervous. When they heard that two divisions were coming, they knew they were in trouble—the heavy artillery alone couldn't handle it. The Berlin Garrison was defeated not so much by the force of the National Socialist Party as by underestimating the enemy, being arrogant, and not adapting to street fighting. It could barely handle a regiment of thousands of people, but it would be hard to say if there were two more divisions. , let alone weapons, the National Socialist Party can be crushed to death simply by relying on their numbers.

Goering did not expect that the Wehrmacht's attitude would be so resolute. Is there no room for political compromise? ——Look at the Italians? When Mussolini entered Rome, the Wehrmacht did not intervene at all! Is Sickert's head full of shit? Doesn’t the National Defense Force claim to have always opposed democracy and supported imperialism? He never imagined that although the Wehrmacht hated the Weimar government, they also hated the lower-class workers who rebelled and came to power. Now the behavior of Hitler and the National Socialist Party is seen by the conservative Juncker class as it was by the left wing of the Socialist Party and Spartak a few years ago. The November Revolution was exactly the same.

Not only domestic political commentators in Germany were laughing at the Berlin Garrison, but the international community was also laughing: The German army, which was once known as the largest force in Central Europe, is now unable to suppress even small local rebellions? It seems that the Germans are degenerating faster than imagined! The French media was in jubilation. Well done to the "Contract of Versailles"! The anti-German Small Entente countries, including Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and the Netherlands, were all delighted.

The reaction of the British was quite different: the British did not want Germany to be overly weakened, especially after France became the dominant force in Europe. They urgently needed other forces to balance France's influence. At first, the offshore balance of Great Britain was aimed at the Germans, but now They had to be changed to the French according to local conditions, so they were really worried about the performance of the Weimar Wehrmacht - France and Belgium marched into the Ruhr area, it was just that the Germans did not dare to resist, but now they can't even suppress the local rebellion. The Germans are actually too cowardly to do this?

Is the limit of 100,000 National Defense Forces too strict? The British are muttering about whether to double the German standing army - anyway, the German navy is completely finished. A stronger German army will not threaten Great Britain, but will only make the French uncomfortable.

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This incident also unexpectedly stimulated Curzon to speed up the handling of the Italian and Greek crises. In the eyes of this group of veteran gentlemen, if Hitler comes to power, the nature of his government will be almost the same as that of Italy. Once Germany and Italy join forces, Central Europe, especially The balance of power in Southern Europe will be broken. This situation must not occur in any case. Therefore, Greece must be persuaded to accept the Italian conditions as soon as possible. The Italians' demand for US$30 million is certainly a big deal, but the Greeks' counteroffer of US$3 million is What’s even more ridiculous is that Italy’s current investment in this project is only a mere 3 million yuan?

On December 20, the British government officially summoned the Greek ambassador to inform the British decision: Once Greece goes to war with Italy, Turkey or Bulgaria due to the current dispute, Great Britain will remain silent! The meaning of this sentence is very clear. The Mediterranean fleet and British forces cannot be expected to pay for the stupidity of the Greeks.

This decision was reported by the press the next day. Curzon was furious, but the social response actually exceeded expectations: the people unanimously applauded this, thinking that the government had done a very right thing, and the shaky election situation actually turned around. It also increased by several percentage points, directly giving a shot in the arm for next month’s general election.

Only now did he realize how war-weary the people were!

The British government's decision and the response from British society reached the ears of the Greek government word for word. Faced with France's gloating about its misfortune, Britain's refusal to support it, and the small encirclement of Italy, Turkey, and Italy that encircled them step by step, the Greek authorities began to panic. Hands and feet, ready to raise the offer.

"Calais...let me tell you some good news." On December 24, before Christmas, Mussolini actually called Contini with a cheerful face. "The Greeks have relented and they sent us messages through the British." We asked for a compensation of 15 million, and I added another 2 million, and the final price reached 17 million! As a concession, we promised not to sell the other three Queen-class battleships to Turkey, and the other conditions remained the same!”

Contini laughed: The Turks could not afford the subsequent three warships worth US$6 million! The reason why I said I wanted to buy it was just to scare the Greeks. Kemal and Mussolini both knew this. Everyone had a great time playing these games!

"Then I would like to congratulate the leader! You have led the Italians to build morale, show prestige, and establish the style of a strong country. Facts have proved that the Socialist Party is a bunch of clowns. It also shows that the path you insist on is the only correct path for Italy. Development path, the party is the fundamental magic weapon for achieving all victories and the general line for the new era,” Contini said with a smile, “Youth” plans to publish an editorial after this matter is settled, pointing out that unity is the only way out for the Italian people. And unity has a specific connotation - at present and for a long time to come, the people of all Italy will further unite around the Party Central Committee with you as the leader, and further holding high the "three flags" is the only organization that will keep Italy moving forward and winning. , ideological and institutional guarantee!”

Mussolini laughed loudly: After all, he is a top student at the University of Rome, and his words are very skillful - what is the "general line", what is the "fundamental magic weapon", what is the "three flags", what is the "only guarantee of organization, ideology and system" , it sounds like a revolutionary theory with profound foundation, which is better than those old black shirt party members who only know how to flatter themselves as "wise and powerful".