Iron Cross

"Stalin is not a scourge, far from that scary. Don't say I haven't come into contact with him yet, so what if I do? Every political leader should be a realist." Hoffman stood up and walked to the map, gesturing. The situation between the enemy and ourselves, "We have occupied the most elite areas of Russia, including 40% of their population, 60% of their industrial resources and production capacity. How much do you think I should return to Stalin if we negotiate a peace? Stalin was not satisfied with the small amount of retreat. How much can you be satisfied with? And I insist that the necessary condition for peace is to weaken the other party to the point where it can no longer pose a threat to us - for example, the French will be very honest after their defeat, and we can negotiate peace with them calmly, and even give them A preferential condition. You have also seen the situation. The French-occupied areas are very stable and harmonious. There is no smell of gunfire. At most, there are a few flies of the resistance organization buzzing, but that is not the mainstream. "

Everyone nodded. The order in the French-occupied areas was relatively good. On the one hand, the German army respected the French and at least acted according to rules and not casually. On the other hand, the armistice conditions offered by Germany to France were not too harsh - even the French He himself believed that the terms of the armistice offered by France to Germany were much more favorable than those offered by France. Now German officers can drink coffee leisurely on the Champs Elysées without worrying about a surprise attack. The Western Front Army under the leadership of Rundstadt has only 1 military force stationed in the heart of France (excluding the Atlantic Wall and air defense force). A division, but the French didn't move at all.

"But the Russians are still far from the status of the French. In the last war, the Russians sued for peace from the empire and signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, but in less than three years they completely tore up the treaty. Later, the territory they controlled Even bigger than in 1918. It can be seen that if I don't beat the Russians, defeat them, and subdue them, even if Stalin agrees to sign the alliance tomorrow, it will be temporary. He will definitely fight back when he regains his strength. Who will lead the German people then? Resistance?" Hoffman glanced at the audience with serious eyes, "Is it you or me? Or our descendants? Gentlemen, we are responsible for history and the future, and we cannot pass our responsibilities to the next generation. ”

Everyone looked at each other in shock. What the head of state said left everyone speechless. Several generals, including Keitel himself, originally had the same idea, with a little naivety unique to soldiers: the war against the Soviet Union had achieved fruitful results, and it would be a good result if Stalin could agree to a ceasefire and negotiate peace on the spot. . But what the head of state said makes more sense. Can the Russians agree to a local truce? Can the Russians' allies, the British and Americans, agree? Even if Stalin temporarily agrees to such harsh demands, according to the temperament of the Russian people, can they endure it? If we plan to fight another war in 20 years, we should take advantage of the current situation and fight this war to the end.

Goebbels, who had been listening to Hoffmann's speech without speaking, suddenly stood up and expressed his position: "The speech the Führer just made was based on a full summary of history and a far-sighted view of the future. We and the Bolsheviks are sworn enemies. , the gap shows two completely different systems, two fates and two futures. We must insist on implementing the war against the Soviet Union to the end, whether it is an armistice or negotiating a peace, just like when we signed the "Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact". They are all expedient measures adopted by the Führer for the most fundamental interests of the German people. I firmly agree and support the Führer’s main battle: If Stalin does not surrender for one day, we will fight until he surrenders!”

After hearing Goebbels's speech, everyone suddenly understood and stood up one by one to show their loyalty.

"Actually, I can say today that the war against the Soviet Union was not initiated by us. It was Stalin who forced us to do this. Don't you believe it?" Hoffman said, "You can understand if you think about what the Russians did during the Battle of Poland. ——When we attracted the main force of Poland and gained an overwhelming advantage, Stalin stole the eastern part of Poland like a thief. Think again of the Russian oppression of Hungary, the seizure of Bessarabia in Romania, and the annexation of the three Baltic countries. , the invasion of Finland shows that Stalin’s desire for territory is insatiable. If he is allowed to occupy Eastern Europe or Russian forces gain the upper hand in Eastern Europe, who will the next target of the struggle be? There is no doubt that it will be us! Instead of taking advantage of the good opportunity last year, maybe today we will be discussing how to deal with the red iron flow rolling in from the east - are you willing to be the active offensive party or are you willing to suffer the consequences of passive resistance? "

"Also, the war against the Americans is not what I want. It was imposed on us by the Americans. Do you think I am fooling around by following the Japanese in declaring war on the United States? Am I so stupid?" Hoffman knocked. Looking at the table to raise everyone's attention, "If the Americans hadn't sent supplies, arms, and equipment to the British overtly and covertly, would our relationship with the United States have deteriorated? When we were at war with the British, the Americans had given them free money and even Packing transportation to deliver arms and supplies to Churchill, while also pointing fingers and accusing us of not violating international conventions to attack neutral ships - is this behavior legitimate? Roosevelt used American money, American guns, and American resources to borrow money from the British and Russia. To kill the German people with human hands, can you tolerate this kind of behavior? Anyway, I can't tolerate it! We have to think about the overall situation. This is not the first time that the Americans have done this - first instigate you to start a war and sell arms to make money, and then take a closer look. Opportunities are used to grab profits, and when there are no excuses, excuses are made. I don’t think so, the USS Maine in the Spanish-American War was really sunk by the enemy in the last war!”

It seemed that the head of state had not given such a long speech for a long time. Everyone was a little unaccustomed to it at first, but slowly they got used to it and nodded to show that they understood. However, everyone had doubts on their faces: The head of state just talked about so much and What does it have to do with the new approach he wants to express?

"What is the new policy? It is the fundamental intention to guide this war: from the perspective of us Germans, it is to unite the German people across Europe and open up living space; from the perspective of Europeans, it is to establish a united, energetic and cohesive and centripetal force of the European Union. This alliance will represent the fundamental interests of the vast majority of Europe and the majority of the people. On the one hand, it will eliminate the coveting and destruction of European civilization by Red Russia. This is the sacred war we are currently engaged in; on the other hand, it will Resisting the brutal interference and profit grabbing by Americans in European affairs is an arduous task that we are about to complete. Europe is the birthplace of the Renaissance and modern civilization. When we enjoy the fruits of modern civilization, develop science and philosophy, and explore great discoveries in the earth. At that time, the American continent was still ignorant. Europe has always been the center of the world. Although it fell into division permanently after the division of the Frank Empire, it will always be the pride of mankind as a whole. The decline of Europe began with the last war-because It was only at the instigation of the Americans and the international Jewish group that we fell into fratricide and turmoil. The purpose of our establishment of the European Union is to resist this fate, to speak with one voice and to fight for the value and dignity of all Europe except unity. The German people in Europe have never thought of occupying Europe alone, let alone annihilating other races." Hoffman looked at the stunned expressions of everyone and finally concluded, "Of course the new European Union needs a leader, and there is no strong one. The leader means a lack of order and strength. From a historical and realistic perspective, it is most appropriate for Germany to serve as this leader, because we are located in the center of Europe, with the widest distribution, the largest population, the most powerful power, and the largest population. Creative, most enterprising, with the most complete system and the best army, the most critical point is that Germany's leadership is not achieved through words but through actions. It is achieved through a battle of blood and fire. History. We have been given the mission of the times to lead the European people and eliminate the two major enemies, the Americans and the Bolsheviks. This will be the last war in Europe and the final battle!"

"Bah, bang, bang!" Goebbels was the first to clap his hands and loudly praised the Führer's wisdom and far-sightedness. All kinds of high hats flew to Hoffmann for free. Others were not far behind, using the highest adjectives they could think of to fully express their recognition and admiration.

"This is my preliminary idea. Comrade Goebbels can first outline the overall outline of external propaganda. The specific ideas will be gradually enriched and improved in the future. There is still a long way to go in post-war reconstruction." Hoffmann instructed, "We must make these The people of the country believe that the German army's occupation of certain places is temporary, and the material shortages and living difficulties they face are also temporary. They are all to cope with the needs of the war. As long as the war is over, the European people will live a good life. The world’s most powerful national defense, the most prosperous economy, the most advanced technology, and no one can challenge or interfere with us.”

Hoffmann turned to Himmler and said: "I think the current practice of the Waffen-SS recruiting volunteers in various Western European countries is very good and very meaningful. We should establish these international teams of different ethnic groups and different nationalities to work together. Enter the Holy War - in the future they will be part of a unified European armed force. Do not integrate these volunteers into the purely German SS, let alone the Wehrmacht. Instead, they should maintain their independence to gain the recognition of their country's people. If we can form a division, we will form a division; if we cannot form a division, we will form a brigade. We should send out reliable officers or instructors, arm their minds with national socialist education, and integrate them into the unified management and leadership of the SS. ——You are the leader of the SS, and this is your unshirkable responsibility.”

"I understand, I will do a good job." Himmler nodded respectfully, and then added, "Fuhrer, you are the supreme leader of the SS."

"Next, let's talk about the specific new policies for fighting the Soviet Union and the United States."