Chapter 79: The Parliamentary Election

In the majestic hall of the Reichstag, Akado sat proudly in his seat. Beside him sat Stresemann, Krupp, Karl Benz, Merkel, Jellinek Cassia, and the head of the Greater Germany Party’s personnel department, Loic Kater.

This man named Loic Kater had been recommended to Akado by Karl Benz. With his extraordinary abilities, he had risen to the position of head of the Greater Germany Party’s personnel department. He could be considered Akado’s head butler, single-handedly managing many of the trivial matters within the Greater Germany Party.

He had always been a loyal supporter of Akado, so he was also known within the party as “Bootlicker Kater.” But precisely because he followed Akado’s every lead, his status had risen with Akado’s success. Recently, there was even a trend of him surpassing Karl Benz to become the number four figure in the Greater Germany Party.

And the current number five figure in the Greater Germany Party was the famous Reinhard Heydrich. He had risen powerfully by virtue of his control over the SS and was known as “the Greater Germany Party’s hound,” “Akado’s running dog,” and “Rudolph’s Scythe.” Almost all SS assassinations were related to him, but no one dared to come forward and testify against him.

However, Merkel and Jellinek Cassia had also been very much in the limelight recently. Merkel had become a special envoy for the Reichswehr, frequently visiting the Soviet Union, Saudi Arabia, and even the United States and Great Britain, already showing signs of standing on equal footing with the Foreign Ministry. He also managed nearly a third of Akado’s overseas assets and was the secret voice and spokesperson for the Reichswehr.

He had proven his promise to Akado with practical actions, repaying Akado’s personal trust in him with his deeds. He did everything Akado entrusted to him very well and used his intelligence and wisdom to help Akado complete many impossible missions. Persuading the Soviet Union to develop battleships regardless of its national strength was one of his most successful achievements.

And Jellinek Cassia possessed a talent no less than Merkel’s. Relying on his relationship with his daughter, Mercedes, and the recommendation of Karl Benz, Jellinek Cassia was appointed by Akado as the new vice president of the White Orchid Group—replacing the aged and steady Reinhard (who shared the same name as Heydrich). He quickly showed his talent in sales, selling all the products of the BMW motorcycle company and the Mercedes-Benz motor company to the point where they were sold out.

But what gratified Akado even more was that Jellinek Cassia possessed the most outstanding quality of the old Prussian nobility: absolute loyalty to Akado personally. In many matters, he resolutely chose to support Akado, which also earned him the nickname “Father-in-law” within the Greater Germany Party.

These few elites within the Greater Germany Party had already been nominated as candidates for the new session of parliament. This time, the Greater Germany Party was determined to win, had made all the preparations, and was ready to occupy the parliament that should have belonged to them in the first place.

“After two long weeks of citizen elections! We have once again heard the voice of the people! God bless all the people on German soil!” an old member of parliament announced in his aged voice. “I will now announce the results of the vote count.”

“The Social Democratic Party has won 97 seats.” After announcing the scattered seats won by a few small parties, it was finally the turn of the old powerhouse, the Social Democratic Party. But because of Ebert’s assassination and several failed denunciations of the Greater Germany Party, the Social Democratic Party had suffered a serious defeat in this sudden election, being reduced to an ordinary small party.

The MP announcing the results did not pay attention to the murmuring voices below and continued to read the election results in his hand. “The Nazi Party has won 101 seats. Congratulations to Mr. Adolf Hitler! Congratulations to the Nazi Party!”

After this result was announced, a group of people in brown clothes sitting in a corner all stood up and applauded loudly. They shouted Adolf Hitler’s name, as if they had already won the victory.

The old MP announcing the results also did not interrupt their celebration. He just continued to announce the results in his hand through the loudspeaker. “As the victor of this election! The Greater Germany Party has won 217 seats. Congratulations to General Akado! Congratulations to the Greater Germany Party! On becoming the largest party in parliament!”

The moment his voice fell, the sound of the Nazi Party’s celebratory applause in the corner stopped abruptly, as if their necks had been stepped on. The scene was as comical as it could be. Many MPs from small parties covered their mouths to keep from laughing out loud, because compared to the moderate Social Democratic Party, neither the Nazi Party nor the Greater Germany Party were people they could afford to offend.

The MP paused for a moment, wanting to wait for cheers to come from the Greater Germany Party’s section, but he did not hear any—it was completely quiet there, as if this victory had nothing to do with them. So the old MP had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue, “Next, I invite the representative of the Greater Germany Party. The candidate for Chancellor in this election is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the meritorious and outstanding diplomat, Mr. Stresemann, to come to the stage and speak! Your appointment has been approved by President Hindenburg! Congratulations on becoming the new Chancellor of Germany!”

Straightening his clothes and then turning to nod at Akado beside him, Stresemann waited until Akado gave a slight nod before he straightened up and walked towards the high platform illuminated by countless lights. If there were no accidents, as long as he went to the presidential palace and was sworn in before Hindenburg according to the constitution, he would become the Chancellor of Germany.

“Do what you should do! I am very pleased that you can become the first Chancellor from the Greater Germany Party,” Akado said with a smile, looking straight ahead.

Stresemann was taken aback for a moment, his pace slowing slightly. But he still continued forward, walking onto that bright high platform. Immediately after, he raised his right arm, gave a German salute, and shouted the first sentence of his speech, “Long live the Greater Germany Party!”

“Swoosh!” The sound of chairs moving converged into a crisp sound. All the Greater Germany Party MPs stood up. A vast sea of black drowned out the brown clothes that had seemed so numerous just a moment ago. These MPs of the Greater Germany Party all stood at attention, gave the German salute, and shouted their victory declaration in perfect unison, “Long live the Greater Germany Party!”

For a full two weeks, their waiting had lasted for two weeks. Counting from that dark night, the Greater Germany Party had gone through two suffocating weeks. During this time, first Britain lodged a formal protest, followed immediately by France kicking them while they were down. Belgium finally chose to stand with Britain and France. The three countries jointly exerted severe diplomatic pressure on Germany.

The Allied Military Control Commission, which had already existed in name only, was reactivated. A large number of agents appeared on the streets and alleys of Germany. They conducted surprise inspections of the Reichswehr’s warehouses, took inventory of weapon reserves, and from time to time, visited Germany’s military training exercises to assess the combat capabilities of the German army.

However, after that article, “What is Your Choice!”, was published, the German people’s determination to resist humiliation was aroused. People took to the streets one after another, demanding that the government bring the traitors to justice and praising General Akado for his outstanding contributions to Germany’s security.

The politicians had overlooked an important question, which was that they had never considered what the result would be if they failed to kill Akado. So now they were helpless, facing the counter-attack of the organized Greater Germany Party with no ability to fight back.

It was no wonder they were panicked and powerless to resist, because it was impossible for them to defeat the armed forces of the Reichswehr—in front of the regular army, in front of the soldiers who did not reason but only executed orders, these eloquent and even righteous people were completely helpless.

Towards those who had betrayed him, betrayed the Reichswehr, Akado showed no mercy. Even though many of these people were true patriots, they only did not want Germany to walk down the path of no return to war again. In his past life, they had opposed Hitler and opposed aggression, and some had even sacrificed their own precious lives—but in this life, they chose to oppose Akado, so they were once again sent to the guillotine.

“The government will be committed to improving Germany’s diplomatic environment! Healing the wounds of war for the German people! And doing its utmost to rewrite the unequal treaties forced upon the German people,” Stresemann stood on the high platform and shouted, clenching his fist with passion.

…

Walking out of the Reichstag building, Akado, for the first time, faced the countless cameras with his slightly gaunt face. His cheekbones were somewhat prominent, which made him not as handsome as imagined, but his eyes were very spirited, shining with the light of wisdom in their deep-set sockets.

“General Akado! This is your first public appearance. May I ask, now that your party has become the largest party in Germany, is there anything you would like to say?” a male reporter squeezed to the front of Akado and asked loudly.

“The greater the power, the greater the responsibility,” Akado said as he walked down the steps. “I will lead the Greater Germany Party to victory! The Greater Germany Party will lead Germany to glory! The German people stand behind me! At this moment, I feel filled with strength! Long live the Greater Germany Party!”

“General, sir! Some people say you are expanding the Reichswehr to start a new war. How do you explain these efforts?” a female reporter asked, holding a notebook as if taking notes.

“Every country is trying its best to make its army stronger. I do not think doing so is for the sake of starting a war. On the contrary, I feel that doing so is to ensure that one’s own people can enjoy peace forever! I admire such an army, so I learn from them,” Akado said with a smile.

“General! By saying this, are you announcing that you will continue to expand the Reichswehr?” a reporter shouted from the back row.

“I’m sorry! General Akado is a bit tired today! You can ask the new spokesperson of the Greater Germany Party, Miss Fanny, about these questions! You can also ask Mr. Stresemann!” Anna, behind Akado, protected him as he got into the car, then turned around and said loudly to the surrounding reporters.

The car slowly started. The surrounding reporters still continuously asked questions. Although no one answered them, they still kept asking, until the car was far away.