The Third Reich: The Return of the King

Mainz was a little angry. He had mentioned the promotion to marshal once before when Manstein had just returned from North America.

Manstein did not agree that time, saying that he would wait until the war on the Eastern Front was over and the Russians were defeated.

Now the Russians have been almost dealt with. Unless there is an unexpected situation that no one expected, such as directly summoning meteorites to attack the German army like Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu did, otherwise the German army will never be defeated!

In this case, Manstein’s promotion to marshal was a matter of course in Mainz’s view!

Manstein was silent.

Becoming a marshal is an honor that everyone desires to get, and he is no exception.

In fact, after the last meeting with Berlin, he has been looking forward to this day in his heart.

However, when this day came, Manstein felt a little hesitant.

A soldier, from an ordinary private, promoted to a general, and finally a marshal, this is already the highest peak that they can climb!

Before becoming a marshal, he still had some hope in his heart and was able to work hard for the goal of becoming a marshal, but once he really became a marshal, this hope was gone.

He was worried that after being promoted, he would not know what to do next!

“As the number one person in the army, if you are not promoted to marshal, it will be even more impossible for others to be promoted. Think about it carefully, this is not just a matter for you, but it concerns the future of all the soldiers in the army!”

Mainz changed his strategy and tried to use the overall situation to influence him and let him give up his plan.

Manstein obviously began to hesitate. He knew that what Mainz said was true. Countless people in the German army were waiting for this promotion.

If he, the number one person in the Wehrmacht, was not promoted, then Guderian, Model and others would not be promoted, because even if they were promoted, they would be criticized. After all, even Manstein was not promoted, so why should you be promoted?

In the entire Wehrmacht, is there anyone who dares to say that his merits are higher than General Manstein?

No one dares to say such a thing!

So Manstein had to be promoted even if he didn’t want to!

Sometimes, when you are in a certain position, what you do no longer depends on your own personal will. The classes and interest groups you represent behind you will push you forward with an irresistible force.

If you don’t follow their direction, you may be crushed by this huge force.

“I understand, Führer, I agree to the promotion!”

Manstein knew that Mainz was not threatening him, but telling him that Mainz needed his help to stabilize the army.

“It’s good that you have figured it out. Marshal is not the pinnacle of your career. There are higher peaks waiting for you to climb. The war will end eventually. Maybe you can try to think about what you will do after the war!”

Mainz reminded Manstein that according to the current progress of the war, the war has undoubtedly entered its final stage, and it will not be long before the war is over.

Once the war is over, the army will inevitably be disbanded and weakened. A large number of soldiers will retire and specialize. A large number of officers will also need to leave the army and devote themselves to other industries.

These are inevitable things. After all, the war is over, and the empire cannot continue to maintain a huge force of nearly 10 million. The military expenditures of these troops put great financial pressure on the empire, and the nearly 10 million troops also occupy a lot of labor in society. Population, especially the young and strong labor force.

Without sufficient labor, social production will decrease and the economy will be affected.

Therefore, no matter from which aspect, post-war disarmament is an established plan, and it can be predicted that such a disarmament plan is bound to be massive.

According to Mainz’s expectation, at least 5 million of the German army, which currently has a total of nearly 8 million people, must be laid off.

The remaining 3 million must also be streamlined, retaining about 1 million field troops, leaving 500,000 garrison troops, and the rest are strategic arms such as the Air Force, Navy and Aerospace Forces.

Such a large-scale Too many people will be affected by the disarmament.

Therefore, before the impact of the disarmament expands, their military ranks should be raised, the corresponding reward standards should be improved, and then they should be arranged to work in a professional or retired position. In this way, the resistance of the military will be reduced a lot, provided that they can still enjoy good treatment and influence after leaving the army.

These things are complicated and difficult to do. If they are not handled properly, the empire will split on its own, and it will be a military split.

Mainz naturally does not want to see the outbreak of civil war, so these things must be handled with caution.

Manstein thinks After a while, he didn’t want to go into politics, so he didn’t plan to enter politics after the war.

Politicians look glamorous on the surface, but in fact, they are more black-hearted than each other, and the political circle is full of intrigues and scheming.

Such a circle is very uncomfortable for soldiers who come from the military.

So Manstein didn’t plan to get involved.

He wanted to go to some quieter and purer place.

After thinking about it, there seems to be only one such place, that is, the Imperial Military Academy.

As an active marshal, it feels pretty good to go to the Military Academy as a visiting professor to teach students to learn military theories and tactics.

“Being a professor? Haha, I’m afraid this is a bit difficult!”

Mainz laughed when he heard Manstein’s plan.

“I’m not laughing at your incompetence, but you have to take care of the mess in the army, so you can’t get out of the army in a short time!”

Manstein was relieved after hearing this. To be honest, he was reluctant to leave the army now!

The military system is like this. If you stay for a long time, you will not adapt to society. After all, society is much more complicated than the military.

“It may take three to five years at the shortest, or more than ten years at the longest. Before I settle the military affairs, you must be in charge of the National Defense Force. With you in charge, I think others will not dare to act rashly!”

Mainz himself has a great influence in the military. The National Defense Force can be said to be created by him.

However, since he entered politics, his influence in the military has begun to decline.

This must be very obvious at the grassroots level. Although most of the high-level generals were brought up by Mainz himself, the number of these people is too small after all.