Chapter 68: The Nobel Peace Prize

“You don’t plan to abide by this pact?” Stresemann asked, looking at the man before him with some disappointment. “You should know, we took this opportunity to sideline and suppress the Reichswehr, which has already displeased the Chairman! He has recently been seizing the opportunity to cultivate his own power. This is our loss.”

“Abide by the pact?” The short man waved his hand with a smile. “We only abide by pacts when it is advantageous to do so. Understood? Who told you that I, Gustav Krupp, must abide by those boring pacts?”

“Once the matter of your factory producing new howitzers is exposed, you will be sent to the gallows! Are you mad? Don’t you want to live?” Stresemann asked with some annoyance.

“I’m mad? Mr. Stresemann, if there are no profits, the hundred thousand workers in my factory will kill me just the same. Each of them spitting on me would be enough to drown me,” Krupp retorted with a sneer. “Since the Reichswehr wants to procure this weapon, then I will produce it.”

He glanced at Stresemann and continued, “You know I have already lost the arms market in the Far East. You also know what it means for me if I lose the Reichswehr’s orders as well!”

He looked out the car window at the ceaseless flow of people. “The Heinkel aircraft company has recently received some orders from the Japanese and has also produced a batch of fighter jets for the Reichswehr. The Daimler-Benz company’s civilian production line has already captured the European car market and is expanding its business to the United States. Only my business is shrinking! I absolutely cannot sit by and wait for death! Do you understand?”

“So after having just sold out the interests of the Reichswehr, we are now coming to curry favor with our master, Akado Rudolph?” Stresemann scoffed. “How do you think Chairman Akado will treat us? Throw us to the wolves of the Reichswehr and then watch as not even a single bone of us is left?”

“That old undying Karl Benz has gone over to Akado’s side and even introduced all his connections to him. Now Akado is as cunning as a fox and has split the merchant group that was originally led by me,” Krupp thought of this and couldn’t help but grit his teeth. He punched the leather armrest of the Mercedes and said hatefully, “Now we have no choice but to bow our heads to Akado as well.”

“The parliamentary elections are just around the corner. The Greater Germany Party will definitely have an advantage in the votes. Fanny’s propaganda work over there has been done very well. If I were to pick up a newspaper and read a few pages, I would also choose to support this party,” Stresemann said, realizing his mood was absolutely terrible. He didn’t even know what had possessed him to go along with Krupp’s little scheme this time.

“It is obvious that the Greater Germany Party has an advantage in the election. We haven’t done anything disloyal to the Greater Germany Party either. At most, this can only be considered an internal distribution of power. So Akado won’t do anything to us,” Krupp said, as if comforting Stresemann, and also as if comforting himself.

As they spoke, the car had already stopped in front of Akado’s apartment building. This apartment was a birthday gift from Krupp to Akado a few years ago. For Akado to choose this place for their meeting, the meaning was truly profound.

As they went up the stairs, Stresemann and Krupp saw that the landings of the staircase were all guarded by the SS in their black uniforms. Among these guards, there were even two Reichswehr soldiers carrying new submachine guns on their chests—clearly, Akado was putting on a show for the two of them, to let them know that besides the merchants and politicians, he also held a more loyal force in his hands.

“Stresemann, Krupp, sit, please sit!” Upon seeing them, Akado did not show any signs of anger or humiliation. Instead, he was gentle and elegant, making him difficult to read.

He invited the two men to sit, had Anna pour them each a cup of coffee, and then sat down on the armchair opposite them, crossing his legs with a smile.

“Heh heh, first, I must congratulate Mr. Gustav Stresemann,” Akado chuckled. “I must first congratulate you on your nomination for the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize. My intelligence personnel tell me that the dignitaries of several countries are extremely satisfied with the treaty you signed. This time, the Peace Prize is yours for the taking.”

“Chairman! Please let me explain. This time…” Stresemann said with some panic. After all, he had pledged his loyalty to Akado earlier than Krupp and could be considered an old subordinate. He had to consider the degree of Akado’s trust in him; this was his guarantee of continuing to receive support from the military and other factions.

Raising his hand to stop Stresemann’s explanation, Akado continued, “I trusted you, so I sent you to Locarno. But what you brought back to me was a treaty that caused the Reichswehr to suffer losses. Give me a reason why I shouldn’t tie you to the wheels of my tank and run you over!”

“Akado! Germany needs a breathing spell! We cannot always be thinking about revenge and war. If we can achieve our goals through peaceful means, isn’t that better?” Stresemann said hastily.

Akado snorted coldly. “Hmph! Let us act as watchdogs, to squat in front of the Soviets like two fierce hounds along with Poland? We bark twice when they come, and if they’re scared, we get a piece of steak as a reward?”

“Enough! Akado! The Greater Germany Party does not belong to you alone!” Krupp said with some annoyance.

“So that’s why this happened, right? If it were mine alone, then I wouldn’t have to endure this betrayal, would I?” Akado looked at Krupp and said fiercely, “I gave you a boundlessly broad future! And what you gave me was a shameful betrayal!”

He stood up, stared at the somewhat surprised Krupp, and said word by word, “I gave you countless orders! Just the bullets sold to the Far East numbered in the hundreds of millions! And thousands of cannons, a hundred thousand new submachine guns, hundreds of thousands of Mauser 98ks! I even gave you the concept for the newest self-propelled artillery and asked you to manufacture the future artillery system for the Reichswehr!”

He pointed at Krupp. “I provided you with the most advanced production line theories, the most advanced standardized weapon and equipment concepts. When these things are popularized, they are worth hundreds of billions! And you are still not satisfied with this?”

“I just hope that in the future new government, we will have a voice! What’s so excessive about that? I’m not betraying you! I’m just fighting for some rights,” Krupp also became annoyed.

“Hmph, you don’t just want a voice! You want your voice to drown out the voice of the military!” Akado said with a sneer.

“And what’s wrong with that? You’re not trying to establish a military government!” Stresemann was very sensitive about the matter of a military government and immediately spoke up.

“Gentlemen, I am not trying to establish a military government with the military in power, nor do I want a merchant government that easily compromises with foreign governments! What I want is a strong Germany, not a weak and rotten mess!” Akado said solemnly. “On my path to revitalizing Germany and making it the number one power in the world, whoever opposes me is my enemy!”

Akado said excitedly, “This number one world power represents being the number one strongest in industry, the number one strongest in the military. The products it manufactures will be used by all countries in the world. The currency it issues will be the world’s reserve currency. The financial policies it sets will be the world’s financial rules! Wherever its army goes is its territory!”

“Those who follow me, I will use all means to make them the richest merchants, the most influential politicians, the most powerful warriors! Are you willing to walk this path with me to the end?”

“You still trust us?” Stresemann looked at Akado, who had just been furious, and after a long pause, asked weakly.

“I will continue to trust you, until you betray me again,” Akado said, looking at the two men. “At that time, you will become my enemies, and be crushed by my wrath! Turned into the dust of history.”

“Thank you!” Stresemann suddenly felt somewhat moved, although his age and his work environment had long made him forget what it felt like to be moved.

“You will still give me the orders? Continue to give me the Reichswehr’s arms orders?” Krupp also couldn’t quite believe that after Akado’s stormy rage, he could still get the Reichswehr’s secret orders.

Akado nodded. “Of course, as long as the weapons you provide are the best. I will not abuse the power in my hands, nor will I use public office for private revenge against you. I will lead by example and keep the competition within the Greater Germany Party within the scope of a virtuous cycle. I hope you will also remember this lesson today! Because you no longer have any more chances to make a mistake.”

“Th-thank you,” Krupp finally bowed his head as well and said weakly. To him, whoever brought him profit was his ally. Even if he tried every means to gain power, it was all to serve his goal of obtaining more profit.

“Stay for dinner tonight. My treat,” Akado said, as if casually. “I’ve asked Anna to invite a chef. We’ll have a good meal here in a bit.”

“Invite us to dinner? Is there something to celebrate?” Stresemann was taken aback for a moment, then blurted out the question.

“Of course, to celebrate your upcoming Nobel Peace Prize,” Akado said with a smile. “In addition, to celebrate the signing of nine brand-new military procurement contracts for the Reichswehr.”

“We’ve just signed a pact, and you’re already planning to violate it?” Stresemann felt he was a complete joke. The pact he had worked so hard to sign, no one even wanted to abide by it for a single second.

“We only abide by pacts when it is advantageous to do so,” Akado and Krupp said in unison. After speaking, they looked at each other and then burst into laughter together.

“I told you so. Akado thinks just like me. We sign a peace pact, but we don’t forget to prepare for the next war,” Krupp said proudly.

“I, on the other hand, think that Time magazine’s words, said in reverse, are more suitable to describe us,” Stresemann said, raising his wine glass. “The Germans not only yearn for peace, they also know how to make cannons.”

“It’s all the same! We make cannons for the sake of peace!” Krupp also raised the glass in front of him.

“We fire our cannons at the enemy, and let our own people bathe in peace,” Akado followed, also raising his glass.