Chapter 319: The Cheers

“Führer…” Fanny said, prompting him softly from beside him. The broadcast had already begun.

Akado, facing the microphone, still did not speak.

“Führer… the broadcast has already begun!” Fanny reminded him again in a low voice.

Finally, Akado spoke softly, delivering the first sentence of his speech. “Just an hour ago, my car exploded. The perpetrators have all been captured, and the mastermind behind the scenes has also come to the surface.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, “I am very confused right now, because this time, among the people who tried to assassinate me, were Germans. Many, many Germans were involved. I don’t know if it’s because I am an unpopular person in Germany. Should I surrender my power and no longer concern myself with any of Germany’s affairs?”

“We are at war with the most powerful countries in the world. I also know that for me to do this is a very irresponsible act. But I really need courage. I need your support! Tomorrow, I will hold a national referendum to vote on whether I should continue to serve as the Führer of Germany. If you think I am not competent, I will hand over all my work,” Akado said calmly.

But his surroundings were not calm. A cry of alarm rang out, and everyone covered their mouths, shocked beyond belief. Fanny wanted to step forward to interrupt his speech but was stopped by Akado’s outstretched hand. Akado just stood there in front of the microphone, his face devoid of any expression.

He continued his world-shaking speech, as if he were chatting with a neighbor. “If you still choose me, then anyone who does not obey my commands, who feigns compliance while secretly defying my directives, I will eradicate them as an enemy of the nation! Not for myself, but for our nation! I do not want the destruction caused by a few bedbugs to cause our nation to ultimately fall on the road to world hegemony!”

“The people have the right to choose their leaders! Choose me, and I will lead you all to victory. But if you choose those backward, stubborn, and humble Junker aristocrats, then I will leave this place and hand everything over to them. I am not strong. What I need is the strength of the entire people as the foundation for my governance! So I must let you choose!” Akado said with an expressionless face.

He smiled, and then continued, “Of course, I disdain to retaliate against those vile Englishmen with such a despicable method as assassination, because they can only rely on such villainous tricks to save their failed destiny.”

“I will not make any response now! Because I am not sure if I am still supported by the German people. So at this time, in the face of others’ assassination attempts, I will remain silent. But if the German people still choose me, I will give all those who provoke the rise of Germany a lesson, a lesson they will never forget for the rest of their lives!” Akado took a step back and shouted with a smile, “Long live Great Germany! God bless Germany.”

“My Führer! How can you hold a national referendum at a time like this? This is wartime. If the referendum fails at a time like this…” Fanny stepped forward and tried to persuade him anxiously. Halfway through her persuasion, she closed her own mouth.

That’s right, how could this man possibly lose? At this moment, he was so proud, as if a king were strolling in his own back garden. He was using a retreat as an advance, using the current difficult situation to consolidate his absolute power within Germany.

“I understand! My Führer! You are truly the man I have chosen! Long live Akado Rudolph!” Fanny said with a smile. “I think the Greater German Party will definitely and unswervingly stand on your side.”

The subsequent events were beyond everyone’s expectations. Even Akado had not expected things to develop in this way. Just half an hour later, the German Field Marshal, von Brauchitsch, issued a statement, announcing his separation from his Junker aristocrat status and declaring his unconditional support for any decision made by the Führer, Akado Rudolph.

In the evening, a large-scale demonstration broke out in Berlin against the Junker aristocrats for stealing the fruits of Germany’s victory. Five hundred thousand German citizens took to the streets, shouting slogans to overthrow the Junker aristocrats and to save the Germanic nation. They crowded in front of the Führer’s Residence and refused to disperse for a long time. Many Junker aristocrats, under pressure, announced that they were renouncing their aristocratic status. Krupp and others came forward to clarify, declaring that their families were orthodox German nobles, not the lowly Junker group.

The next day, the day Akado had announced the referendum would begin, all Germans crowded at the polling stations. People shouted the slogan “Long live Akado” and checked everyone’s vote. If anyone had not chosen the great leader Akado, then that person would immediately be attacked by the angry crowd.

The Führer’s move against the Junker aristocrats had surprisingly met with no legal or moral pressure and had reached a point of unscrupulousness. On this day, the SS had carried out a bloody purge of the private residences of fourteen Junker families, confiscating tens of millions of German marks worth of property in one go. And these actions, which were no different from robbery, had actually received the support and encouragement of everyone.

In just one day, the Führer’s Residence announced that the Führer Akado Rudolph’s national approval rating had reached a staggering 97%. Akado had obtained a dictatorial power even greater than that of an emperor and could legally order the arrest, interrogation, and even execution of anyone.

On the evening of the second day, a representative of the Junker aristocrats met with the Führer and, by means of a donation, expressed their support for the Führer, Akado Rudolph. Akado assigned a piece of land in the central region of Poland to the Junker aristocrats who had declared their support for him, and these nobles who were determined to support the Führer were from then on renamed the “Imperial Nobility,” to distinguish themselves from the original old Junker aristocrats.

And as the pledge of allegiance for these new nobles to join Akado’s side, these people had jointly revealed the hiding place of the German Emperor, Wilhelm II, and his children. Of course, Akado had given them a very good opportunity to show their loyalty to the Führer. He had taken a group photo with these new nobles and had it published in the next day’s newspaper with the title: “Führer and Imperial Nobility Swear to Break with the Old Junker Aristocrats.”

“Let’s hear it. Do you have any thoughts you want to share after seeing me?” Heydrich asked, entering a living room with a fire burning in the fireplace, protected by a group of soldiers. He found an empty sofa and sat down. He spoke with a smile, staring at the terrified faces opposite him. “Don’t be shy. When you were thinking of killing me, I didn’t see you with this expression.”

That’s right, Heydrich had walked into the room of the former German Emperor, Wilhelm II. His shoulder was still wrapped in a bandage, and one arm was in a sling in front of his chest. These injuries made him look a little pathetic, but they still could not hide the monstrously fierce aura on his body.

“Sir! We were framed! We did not participate in any conspiracy to assassinate the Führer,” Wilhelm II was already very old at this time. He said, lying in his chair, with tears in the corners of his eyes, “I am already so old. Can I still not let go of that throne? If you still think I am a threat, then please spare my children.”

“I don’t know if you participated or not. I only know that your eldest son was definitely involved, so you and your eldest son must die…” Heydrich said with a smile. “You see, some things are just that simple. You and your eldest son are going to die, so a few other sons dying as well is no big deal.”

“You! I want to see Akado! I want to see that so-called Führer! He rules my country and uses the power given to him by my subjects to humiliate me? Does he think he can sit on that throne himself?” Wilhelm II roared, pounding the ground with his cane.

“If he wanted to ascend the throne, at least I would support him,” Heydrich said, still with a smile on his face, but his words made one’s blood run cold. “But you will not live to see that day. Have a safe journey, our old Emperor.”

He waved his good arm, and the SS soldiers standing behind him walked up with a small bottle. A group of SS men held down every member of the Wilhelm family and began to pour the prepared poison into their mouths. Soon, the members of the Wilhelm family were lying scattered on the ground, lifeless.

Heydrich walked over, felt Wilhelm II’s neck with his hand, and after confirming that he was completely dead, he nodded with satisfaction and took out a letter from his coat that pretended to be from the British government to Wilhelm’s son, and casually tossed it at Wilhelm II’s feet.

Although no one believed that the Wilhelm II family would commit suicide at this time out of fear of being punished for colluding with the British, this gesture still had to be made. At least in the official records, there had to be a legitimate and reasonable reason. This was the last fig leaf. Although it could hardly cover up the embarrassment most of the time, there still had to be one.

Two days later, Akado once again prepared to give a speech to the entire nation. This time, he chose to stand on the balcony of the Führer’s Residence and to speak live to the millions of spectators below.

“Führer, it is time. You should make your appearance,” Fanny reminded him in a low voice from behind Akado.

Akado moved, gently patting the back of the hand of the still-unconscious Anna. He smiled and stroked the hair on the pale-faced Anna’s forehead, and slowly stood up. He spread his arms, and Fanny considerately smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes.

He turned and walked out of the room, through the corridor, through his own office, and stood before all the Berlin citizens who had come to hear his speech. He stood in front of the microphone, a confident smile on his face. He slowly opened his mouth, his voice full of confidence and courage. “Thank you for still choosing to follow me! Long live Germany!”

As his voice fell, a cheer like a landslide and a tsunami erupted from below. The sound, wave after wave, continued for a long time before gradually subsiding. Akado smiled and waited for the cheers to pass before he continued, “A few days ago, I remained silent about the assassination attempt because I did not know if I could continue to be your leader. Now I know your choice, so I must give my proper response to the shameless assassination.”

He paused, cleared his throat, and then spoke the last sentence of his short speech. “Soldiers of Germany on the front lines, please listen well—my new prisoner of war camps are still short of 300,000 British prisoners!”

“Oh!” “Long live!” “Heil Führer!” After a few seconds of silence, the crowd below once again erupted in a world-shaking cheer.