Chapter 27: Crisis

1923 was a year of disaster for Germany. From the very beginning of the year, it seemed that nothing was going right.

First was the French invasion of the Ruhr industrial zone, which caused production in the entire German heavy industrial region to nearly cease. The Reichswehr’s revitalization plan suffered a serious setback, and it added frost to the snow of Germany’s already collapsed economy.

The German Mark began to devalue drastically. The degree of devaluation was shocking. By the time German President Ebert reacted, a wheelbarrow full of German Marks was just enough to buy a loaf of bread.

Taking advantage of the financial crisis and the French invasion of the Ruhr, Germany’s right-wing separatists jumped out. They organized strikes and even armed uprisings, plotting to seize control of the large southern state of Bavaria and make it autonomous.

The German government was overwhelmed. Before it could even mobilize forces to suppress the right-wing separatists in Bavaria, an even more serious situation made the predicament of the Ebert-led government worse.

In September, just as the right-wing separatists were causing more and more trouble, the left-wing elements also began to create large-scale riots, shaking the governments of Thuringia and Saxony. For a time, it seemed as if Germany was about to be split into several small countries. The turmoil caused by the French invasion of the Ruhr seemed to be even better than France had expected.

“This is a good opportunity!” Seeckt said in his office, lavishing praise on Akado, who was sitting on the sofa. “Your plan was perfect! Having the Reichswehr stand by and do nothing has indeed yielded more benefits than confronting the French invasion.”

After saying this, Seeckt had Akado leave the office, because in the morning, the Reichswehr was holding a meeting to once again discuss how to respond to the crisis of the French invasion of the Ruhr. The meeting was personally chaired by Hindenburg and was very important.

Of course, the high-ranking officials attending were all of general rank, so a minor figure like Akado didn’t even have a chance to participate. Although the work he did was very important and irreplaceable, the gap in rank and his lack of seniority barred him from many high-level meetings. He could only get copies of the meeting minutes from Seeckt.

Now, Seeckt was very satisfied with the policy of inaction the Reichswehr had adopted during the French invasion of the Ruhr, even though he had once clamored about using the blood of the Reichswehr to protect German cities. But now the cities had been handed over, and Seeckt had not ordered the Reichswehr to take any action against the French.

The benefits were obvious. The permanently stationed British military attaché within the Reichswehr High Command, Lieutenant Colonel Smith, secretly met with General von Seeckt and subtly expressed the British willingness to allow Germany to slightly expand the Reichswehr, indicating Britain’s basic position of supporting Germany in the Ruhr crisis.

Furthermore, in a subsequent specific meeting, Smith also made a promise to Akado, guaranteeing British support for the Reichswehr to possess more machine guns and automatic weapons to resist possible domestic riots and a French invasion. In other words, the British in the Allied Military Control Commission would turn a blind eye to the Reichswehr’s expansion, indirectly supporting Germany’s secret rearmament and war preparations.

The US ambassador to France lodged a formal protest, demanding that France immediately withdraw all its troops from German territory and cease its mad act of invading a neighboring country. The Netherlands had always maintained friendly relations with Germany, so it also condemned France in this crisis.

Among the many voices of condemnation, one voice emerged that caught the world’s attention. In the distant Far East of Asia, in Guangzhou, China, the leader of the newly reorganized Kuomintang of China, Sun Yat-sen, issued a statement condemning France’s invasion of Germany and expressing support for the German people’s struggle against the invasion.

“700 howitzers, 10,000 Maxim heavy machine guns, 200,000 rifles, 4 million rounds of ammunition. Our Chinese friends in the Far East have finally boarded the ship,” Akado said with a light laugh as he read the newspaper.

“Of course, there’s also the approximately 300-million-dollar loan they owe the United States. This loan gives America a firmer grip on the Chinese revolutionary forces. I’ve helped China get on America’s good side ahead of schedule and given them weapons and equipment. I imagine Chiang Kai-shek will be much more confident in the coming Central Plains War, won’t he?” Akado took a light sip of his coffee and put down the newspaper.

He looked out the window. The street was filled with a crowd of protesters. People were shouting slogans as they marched past the gate of the Reichswehr High Command. Banners were smeared with red paint, looking as if they were dripping with blood. One banner read: “Bastard Government! A Country Without Defense! Get Out of Berlin!”

“Gehr! Gehr!” Akado leaned against the window frame and called loudly for his assistant. “This protest has been going on for three days now, right?”

Gehr walked into Akado’s office and nodded. “Yes, it’s been going on for about three days. And the number of people is growing! It looks like the government is under a lot of pressure.”

“Do you know why these people don’t come to protest here at the Reichswehr High Command?” Akado asked with a smile, without turning around.

Gehr was taken aback for a moment, then said with some resignation, “We are too weak. We are completely unable to resist the invasion of an enemy country! So no one blames us.”

“Weak? Unable to resist? No, Gehr. We have 200 cannons hidden in our secret base in the Alps. Almost all our army units are over-strength by a factor of two. The invading French force is only one division. We have more than enough power to annihilate it.”

“Then, then why don’t we fight back? Why don’t we drive those damned Frenchmen out?” Gehr was somewhat shocked. Although he had handled many matters with Akado, he had no way of knowing the true extent of Germany’s rearmament.

“Because once the Reichswehr enters the war, our combat strength will be discovered. The world will side with France, the military control over Germany will never be lifted, and the shackles on Germany, the Treaty of Versailles, will exist forever,” Akado explained.

He was looking for a reason to convince himself, so he had to tell Gehr a part of the military secrets. The pressure on him was too great; he needed someone to share it with.

He had painstakingly built up the Reichswehr, yet he could not fire a single shot when the enemy invaded. For the sake of future growth and strength, he had to take the lead in abandoning the oath he took upon enlistment, to betray the phrase “defend our country with our own blood.” The Reichswehr did not resist, shed no blood, and did not even break a sweat.

“The great men always have their reasons, but we just want to serve our country with loyalty once,” Gehr said, his eyes red. “We lost the last war under baffling circumstances! This time we have the ability to fight back, so why are we watching those bastards wreak havoc on our homeland?”

“We are strong enough to win this war, but we are also destined to be unable to win the next one! You want me to gamble a century of Germany’s national fortune just so you can fulfill your duty?” Akado looked at Second Lieutenant Gehr with some anger. “I am working so hard, isn’t it so that in the future, we won’t let our enemies shit on our heads?”

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant Colonel Akado! I know how hard you’ve worked! So please tell me, when can we defend our own country?” Gehr stood at attention and saluted.

“Give me 5 years. In 5 years, you will see the answer, Second Lieutenant Gehr! If you don’t see hope in 5 years, then please put a bullet in my head. Because I also swore an oath to give my life to defend our country. But today, at least, I have not done so,” Akado said bitterly.

“Lieutenant Colonel! I believe in you! For these 5 years, you will be the master I, Gehr, pledge my loyalty to! I will give everything for you!” Gehr said solemnly. “I hope you can make Germany strong once again!”

The next morning, Seeckt had Second Lieutenant Grace call Akado to his office. He sipped his coffee contentedly and said to Akado, “Just now, Ebert called on behalf of his government, inviting me to attend a special meeting.”

“You should go. I imagine it’s time for them to make a compromise,” Akado said, his eyes narrowing and a smile playing on his lips. He had finally been waiting for this moment—the moment for the Reichswehr to truly rise.

“There’s an interesting saying going around recently. That the German Reichswehr has two pillars of courage: for military courage, one must look to Seeckt; for civil courage, one must count on Akado,” Seeckt said, looking at the submissive expression on Akado’s face, which held a mix of amusement and resignation. He was in a great mood. “You’ve already been mentioned in the same breath as me, so I’d feel bad leaving you here alone.”

Seeckt picked up a document from his desk and said with a smile, “Let’s go! I’ll have you, the civil pillar of the Reichswehr, help me come up with some ideas. Let’s see what those fools in the government want to talk to us about!”

When Akado followed Seeckt into the government building’s conference room, Ebert was surrounded by several politicians, all talking at once. The political situation was a complete mess, and no one had any hope for the current government. However, as officials at various levels of this government, they still hoped to turn the tide and hold on to their positions and power.

President Ebert was wiping sweat with a handkerchief. He also never imagined that the situation would deteriorate to this extent. Seeing Seeckt and Akado walk in, he immediately pushed through the crowd surrounding him and walked up to Seeckt.

“The German Mark has begun to devalue drastically. The situation is very grim. Right-wing separatists are plotting to seize control of the large southern state of Bavaria; left-wing elements have also begun to create large-scale riots, shaking the governments of Thuringia and Saxony,” Ebert briefly explained the situation, looking somewhat desperate.

Seeckt stood there without speaking. Akado had no choice but to step forward and play the role of Seeckt’s lackey. “The Reichswehr is already aware of this, Mr. President. The situation is indeed very grim. So, what would you like us to do?”

“I just want to know, which side is the Reichswehr on now? Will you stand with us, General, sir?” Ebert asked Seeckt in a pleading tone.

“Mr. President, the Reichswehr stands on General von Seeckt’s side,” Akado said with a smile before Seeckt could speak.