Chapter 115: Führer

“Let us mourn our beloved Mr. Stresemann. May his soul rest in peace in heaven,” the priest presiding over Stresemann’s funeral said, offering a gentle blessing amidst a somber atmosphere.

At the poor man’s funeral, not a single high-ranking German official appeared. There were only a few of his regular friends and several Wehrmacht majors who had come to pay their respects on behalf of Akado and the others.

It was not that the Greater German Party was heartless. In fact, the party bestowed upon Stresemann all the honors he was due after his death. He was posthumously appointed Vice-Chairman of the Greater German Party, and his family received a large pension.

“His life was honorable and open! He always made the greatest contribution to the peace and development of mankind! He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was a truly great man who yearned for peace! He will live forever in our hearts,” the major representing the Greater German Party solemnly read from the speech written by Akado.

“Then, time will ease your pain. Your grief and remembrance will accompany this gentleman on his path to heaven. God bless Mr. Stresemann! Love and memory are eternal… Gentlemen, you may proceed with the burial,” the priest gently reminded the family members.

The reason no major figures from the Greater German Party attended this funeral was that a long-planned ceremony unfortunately fell on the same day as Stresemann’s funeral: December 21, 1933.

“Today, we stand here! We stand on German land! We stand in Berlin, this land irrigated with the blood and dignity of our ancestors! Behind me is the statue of Andre Corleone! He is a freedom fighter recognized by the whole world! He is the light of the world!” Akado proclaimed, standing before a deliberately crafted life-sized statue, delivering a speech to the tens of thousands of spectators before him.

“Before me stands a nation, a nation groaning in humiliation! After that war ended, the pride of our nation was gone! Those victors rode on our necks, behaving tyrannically, trampling our dignity at will—the dignity of the noblest nation on the European continent! You tell me, will you choose to be a free fighter like Benjamin Martin, or a slave?”

After posing the question, Akado scanned the audience with his eyes before continuing. “Perhaps you will say: Mr. Akado, I need a job, a piece of bread. Yes, you are right. Life is indeed very important. But I must tell you, there is something in this world more important than life. That is freedom! That is dignity!”

“As long as this country called Germany remains divided and weak on the map of Europe, our dignity does not exist! As long as people from other countries let out a contemptuous laugh when they mention the word ‘Germany’ in conversation, our dignity does not exist! What we need is not a piece of bread! It is living space! The living space of a nation! This living space is not achieved through begging and protest; it is achieved through iron and blood!”

Applause! Thunderous applause! Amidst a storm of cheers, Akado waved to his followers below. The communists of Germany were bleeding, and the iron batons of the SS were waving with impunity over the heads of anyone who dared to challenge Akado’s authority, but at this moment, Akado was still the greatest leader in the hearts of the German people, leading them toward a destined glory.

When the applause finally began to subside, Akado continued his speech. “When others bully us, when even the weakest nations trample upon us, we only cry out: ‘We express our strong indignation and protest.’ A person like that has no backbone! A person like that is lowly! We should make our enemies tremble with the deafening roar of our cannons! We should crush their dignity, their lives, and let them know that we are not a bunch of cowards who only know how to protest!”

“You must remember, a country that only knows how to protest is a country without a backbone! A government that only knows how to protest is a government without a backbone! When our dignity, our territory, our living space are all being trampled, a government that shamelessly protests is not what we need! In the end, you too will abandon it!”

“I am very proud that among you, there are very few such spineless people! Before me is a legion with a thousand years of unyielding blood flowing in its veins! This blood once flowed in the veins of our ancestors. They never surrendered! Now, it surges in our bodies. You tell me, are you willing to let it cool?”

“No!” countless people shouted in anger. They raised their right hands in the German salute, crazily surging against the human wall formed by the SS, hoping to get closer to their leader. The entire venue echoed with the people’s shouts. The scene once again spun out of control, and the speech was forced to pause for several minutes.

The magnesium flashes of the cameras flickered nonstop. All the reporters were documenting this thrilling moment. Akado, in his black SS officer’s uniform, looked so powerful and outstanding on the podium, making his already tall figure appear even more upright and resolute. At this moment, Hindenburg, who had stood in his way, was finally dead, and Hitler, who had chased at his heels, had been crushed by him into the dust. He was now the master of Germany, a god in the hearts of the German people.

“Fanny, he has become a great man now,” Jäger Hugo said, holding his camera and taking pictures of Akado with his right hand raised high, while asking Fanny, who was standing next to him with her arms crossed and a look of infatuation.

“No,” Fanny smiled. “Believe me! He will be even greater! I will walk with him on my arm to the altar of the gods!”

The scene finally quieted down, and Akado continued his demagoguery. “There are two things that can unite people: a common ideal and a common crime. We have a great ideal engraved on the banner of Germany, and we will shed our last drop of blood for this ideal! In Berlin today, nothing can save our motherland except this ideal! The Treaty of Versailles is a great shame! We have the determination and the reason to refuse to abide by it! Do what you want to do! Pick up a gun like Benjamin Martin, just as he led his compatriots, holding high that great banner of freedom, to bravely kill the enemy! If you desire to fight, then go and fight! And then I will be able to see whether you are seventy million slaves or seventy million unyielding Germanic people!”

As he shouted, he slammed his hand on the podium in front of him. “If that day comes, I, Akado Rudolph, will be like Benjamin Martin, charging at the very front with the great flag of our Germany! Even if I die in battle, I will enter heaven with a smile! I will meet the glorious ancestors of Germany, and I will be able to walk with my head held high to the great Frederick the Great. I can proudly say to him: I, your descendant, have not brought shame upon you. I have shed my last drop of blood for the great Germany!”

“We do not fight for slavery! We fight for freedom! We are not machines, not cattle; we are men! We are the Germanic people who have never surrendered!”

“We unite in the name of freedom! To fight for a new, fair world! We fight for everyone to have a job! We fight for those who enslave us to get off German land! We fight so that we do not have to shout protests all day! We fight for our dignity! We fight for our promises!”

“We fight to liberate this country! Germanic people, we fight for the glory of our ancestors! We fight so that our children and grandchildren can proudly declare: We are the Germanic people who never yield!”

“History will forever remember this day! The Great Germany will rise today! All that the Germanic people need to do is open your arms! Come and welcome the glory that belongs to you!” Akado stood on the high platform, waving his arms and shouting, “My compatriots, long live Germany and the German people! Long live the German spirit! Freedom, long live!”

Akado knew that his shamelessly plagiarized speech had been a complete success. He had incited countless German people, allowing this nation to rally once more, to be willing to go to war with anyone for the sake of future strength and prosperity.

Finally, he once again extended his right hand from the high platform and ended his speech to the countless followers below. “Victory!… Long live!”

“Long live Akado Rudolph!” everyone cried out, forgetting themselves.

Amidst the mountain-like cheers, the de facto commander of the Wehrmacht, Brauchitsch, along with Krupp, Merkel, and others from the Greater German Party, walked onto the podium one after another.

When everyone was standing before Akado, Merkel took a step forward and began to read the latest bill passed by the Reichstag. “According to the Special Law on the National Leader of Germany just passed by the Reichstag, Germany will no longer have the two positions of President and Chancellor for the next three years. All powers of these two positions will be the full responsibility of Akado Rudolph.”

“Long live!” the followers below cheered once more. A full minute passed before the cheers gradually subsided, and only then did Merkel continue reading the bill. “During this period, Akado Rudolph will hold the office of German Führer, command all three branches of the German armed forces, and be responsible for all government affairs.”

After speaking, he turned around and raised his right hand high. “Führer… Long live!”

“Führer… Long live!” Brauchitsch, Krupp, and all the others saluted Akado with the German salute. The followers below all followed suit, chanting the new slogan in a great roar: “Führer! Long live!”

Akado, with one hand on his belt and the other gently raised to the sky, proclaimed: “Victory! Long live!”