Chapter 312: Political Skill

In the Führer’s office, Akado was losing his temper in front of August, Krupp, and the others. The fact that the army had dared to feign compliance while secretly defying his orders was a situation that Akado could not tolerate the most. Because the lesson that the history of another world had left him was that the conflict and resentment between Hitler’s Supreme High Command and the Army High Command had directly led to the collapse of the German army on the front lines, leaving them unable to advance or retreat.

When the army’s generals had suggested that Hitler retreat, it was his insistence and stubbornness that had led to the army’s assassination attempt on Hitler during the invasion of France, sowing the seeds of mutual distrust. It had also later led to the annihilation of the elite 6th Army at Stalingrad.

In short, such a tendency had to be nipped in the bud. If it were allowed to develop, it would become a cause of failure. Although it was not apparent during times of victory, once a defeat was encountered, it would cause the massive war machine of Germany to completely collapse.

“Has Brauchitsch’s brain flooded with water? And that old fool von Bock is following his example! Does the Army High Command want to seize my power and take my life before they are satisfied?” Akado asked, his brow furrowed in anger.

“Führer, watch your words and actions,” August said, sipping a cup of strong tea with his eyes narrowed. Ever since his Chinese friends had gifted the Führer’s Residence with a batch of fine tea, August had to have a cup of strong tea every time he came. He was very fond of this endlessly evocative taste. But he was not like the Chinese literati who could tell the year, origin, and name with a smack of their lips.

“They have already disregarded my orders! They have already begun to feign compliance while secretly defying me! Arbitrarily changing my plans, arbitrarily changing the operational plan… This is a war for the entire nation! If we lose the war because this group of people is holding us back, in the end, I will have to bear the responsibility alone!” Akado said, tapping the conference table, his emotions growing more agitated as he spoke.

August smiled, glanced at Krupp, who was sitting beside him like a clay bodhisattva without saying a word, and then spoke again. “My Führer, your every word and action represents the Great German people. You are the one and only Führer of the entire country, so please maintain your restraint. Things are far from being at a point where they cannot be salvaged. In my opinion, the truth behind all of these incidents is not complicated.”

Akado let out a breath, leaned back in his chair, glanced at August, and said, “Let’s hear it.”

“First, the Army High Command has no intention of betraying you. You can easily see this from the form of their orders,” August said, pointing to the order issued by the High Command. “It only uses the pretext of having no fuel to have the various units slow down their offensive speed. This is because they want the armored forces to advance steadily, but they do not dare to defy your orders, which is why they have issued the directive in this way.”

“In addition, the French counter-attacks on the flanks have indeed become more frequent and fierce,” August said, pointing at the map. “I am mainly responsible for politics and economics, and I do not invest much energy in military affairs. But I can also easily see on the map that our Army Group A has penetrated deep on its own, and the possibility of being attacked from the front and rear is very high.”

He smiled and then continued, “If I were Field Marshal von Brauchitsch, I would also be more inclined toward caution, because the four panzer corps in General von Rundstedt’s hands are the only stake we have now. If any accident were to occur, we would not even have a chance to get back to the gambling table.”

“This plan has been repeatedly demonstrated. If it weren’t for the frontline troops respecting my orders and possessing a more positive fighting spirit, then we would already be facing the most difficult situation,” Akado said, tapping the map. “According to Brauchitsch’s wishes, Guderian’s armored forces should still be waiting for supplies near Stonne!”

“You see, my Führer, since you also agree that this is not a provocation against your personal authority, but just some on-the-spot, ad-hoc remedies made by the people below due to their worries about some tactical problems, then this problem is very easy to solve,” August said, standing up. He walked around the negotiating table and came to Akado, placing a report in front of him.

He then pointed to the report and said very seriously, “The Reichstag has formally passed a Wehrmacht reform plan. The Greater German Party and the reorganized various parties have passed it unanimously. The Reich Supreme High Command will now be the supreme command organization of the three German armed forces. And the original Army, Navy, and Air Force High Commands will all be downgraded to Operational Staffs.”

This was the difference between a seasoned politician and a pragmatist like Akado, or rather, it was the gap between the two in terms of political skill. August had, without bloodshed, used the already-hollowed-out Reichstag to pass the bill, negating the legitimacy of the supreme commands. In this way, these once-arrogant commanders would no longer have the power to directly change the Führer’s orders. It would even be difficult for these generals to feign compliance while secretly defying him as they had this time. After all, they were no longer commanders, but merely chiefs of staff.

“This way, they are only responsible for drawing up plans and offering their own opinions on the Führer’s operational intentions. They have no right to interfere in the actual combat of the frontline generals, which also ensures the implementation and execution of the Führer’s orders,” August said, looking at Akado. “However, I suggest establishing a combat evaluation agency in the Supreme High Command to fully discuss the feasibility of the operational plans proposed by you, Führer, to avoid unnecessary losses due to a lack of consideration.”

“I understand that. I will of course refer to the generals’ opinions and will not act arbitrarily,” Akado nodded, clearly very satisfied with August’s approach.

August looked at the others, then stood back at his own seat, changed his tone, and continued, “Then there is another problem. The army performed outstandingly in the invasion of Poland, and therefore, General von Brauchitsch, as the number one man in the army, was promoted to Field Marshal. There is nothing wrong with this matter itself, but the problem is that Field Marshal von Brauchitsch is a Junker aristocrat. Although he has always been loyal to the Führer, some ambitious people are still using his identity to make a fuss…”

He scanned everyone present, coughed twice, and then spoke again. “Everyone naively thinks that he is the so-called number two figure who can take over power from the Führer. This is a huge mistake—because everyone present here understands that if the Führer were to leave this place, then Germany would immediately head for destruction. The current situation is not one where we can rest easy. On the contrary, the destruction and glory of the entire of Germany are in the balance.”

“So I propose that we each go and talk to people in the military, and then have the military elect a reasonable list, to promote a general with a clean background to the rank of Field Marshal, to break the singularity of Field Marshal von Brauchitsch, and also to let those people know that Brauchitsch is not the one and only stand-in for the Führer,” August said, a proud smile on his face.

Even Akado had to applaud this true killing move by August. For the Army High Command, which had somewhat drifted from the Führer’s influence, this was simply pulling the rug out from under them. Once a second Field Marshal appeared, then Brauchitsch’s status as a Field Marshal would no longer be so unique, and those old and young remnants of the Junkers who had hoped to make an issue of Brauchitsch’s Junker identity would no longer be able to stir up any trouble.

Akado could even guess what would happen next. The army would select a list of generals, and after some maneuvering, General von Bock’s name would inevitably be on the list, and then he would be passed over. This would serve as a warning to General von Bock, to make him think carefully about whether he should stand firmly on the Führer’s side the next time he had to choose a side.

This move had struck Brauchitsch and had also taught von Bock a lesson, directly making the two most prominent generals in the army lose face. If they were sensible, then they would still have a day to make a comeback in the future. If they continued to question the Führer, then what awaited them was the fate of being relegated to the second line—just two staff officers, who could be replaced at any time.

However, this was only the second punch in a combination thrown by the mature politician, August. Although it was clever, it was far from the end. Waiting for the applause to end, August sat down and then continued slowly, “Of course, to stabilize the morale of the army and to strengthen the Führer’s control over the frontline troops, I suggest that we reserve some obedient generals for the future. For example, this time, we can use the reward of combat merit to promote General Guderian and General Rommel to lieutenant general and order them to form and command new army groups based on their panzer corps after the war.”

This was the finishing move of the military reorganization plan that August had tailor-made for Akado. First, he had knocked down the disobedient department, then he had promoted generals to check and balance each other, and finally, he had taken control of the frontline military power to maintain stability. The links were intertwined, without the slightest disorder, a perfect plan.

Akado nodded and did not speak. He just opened the report and took a look, then looked up and scanned everyone who was attending the meeting. He was no longer angry because of August’s method, but just asked with a light laugh, “What does everyone think of this plan?”

“I am in favor of this plan,” Krupp said, speaking for the first time since he had entered the conference room. His tone was firm and beyond question.

Merkel nodded. “I also agree with this plan.”

“Agreed!” everyone said, nodding.

August nodded with satisfaction. He knew that in Berlin, in the military, Akado, as the German Führer, still had a decisive deterrent power, which was also the reason why he had dared to present this integration plan. What he needed was a powerful empire where all hearts were united. What he wanted was the halo of a revived Germany—to become a great chancellor like his grandfather, Bismarck, no one could stand in his way.