Imperial Elite

Chapter 131 The Last Brake Before Heading to Hell

As 1933 approached, the world economy showed no signs of improvement, and the storm known as the Great Depression continued.

Two minor incidents also occurred that year.

First, the Teutonic economy and society were on the verge of total collapse. This time, even the Teutonic Emperor himself went to Washington and even risked being detained to go to London to try to do something for the Teutonic Empire.

However, no government in the world, mired in the crisis, could pull the Teutonics out of the mire. Even the Teutonic Emperor, who had been asked to be extradited by London after the war, was not subject to any demands for detention and trial this time.

Because with the Teutonic general election in 1933, another person who made everyone uneasy came to power.

With a small fire in Parliament, the man with his brown legion and black guard ascended to the Teutonic Prime Minister's seat.

The man then immediately began to try to change the status quo. First, the Teutonic government announced that the Mark would also withdraw from the gold standard, strictly control capital, and direct economic resources to designated areas.

At the same time, the Teutonic Kingdom immediately began large-scale infrastructure construction, just like NATO countries. All the infrastructure that could be updated, including highways and public buildings, was included in its plans.

What followed was a secret rearmament, and the strong demand for military equipment also began to drive industrial recovery.

Stimulated by this, the Teutonic economy began to improve rapidly, to the point that many Teutons believed that the man who had by then been crowned head of state was the cure for the Teutonic rebellion.

However, the so-called secret rearmament was not entirely secret. The observation group stipulated in the Treaty of Versailles discovered the Teutons' attempt to break free from the shackles of the Versailles system almost immediately.

In response to this behavior, Gaul and Buntania chose to protest and observe.

At this time, the country was already embroiled in a serious left-right confrontation. Although everyone felt that it was intolerable for the Teutons to break free from the shackles of the Treaty of Versailles, Gaul, which was in a state of mental turmoil, still felt a sense of security due to the severe financial impact of the last invasion of the Rhineland and the permanent defensive line along the border between Gaul and Teutons that had been under construction since 1930.

The Gauls were allowed to say the toughest things to the Teutons in all diplomatic occasions, but in reality they did nothing.

While Gaul did nothing, Buntania was also embroiled in internal strife.

Although James had the Emerald Isle as a stronghold of support and allies like Winston, the return of the shadow of war brought painful memories of the past back to his mind.

Many Buntanians have begun to change their views on the Harrison family.

Yes, Joe was a war hero, and we will always be grateful for his contributions during the war.

But we don’t want another war like this, and his brother is advocating in Parliament to suppress the rise of the Teutons. Could it be that Old Joe wants to gain military merit and then return to London?
What is he trying to do? Become the Duke of Protectorate?

Don't forget, Joe really did star in the movie "The Protector of the Nation"!
And how did James get to where he is today? It's all thanks to Joe!

If he succeeds, then who knows whether the Prime Minister's residence in Bunitania will be in Downing Street or in North Sea?

In an effort to suppress the Best of Buntania party, the Conservative Party even formed a coalition government with the Labour Party, whose space for survival had been squeezed by the Best of Buntania, rather than cooperating with the Best of Buntania.

This made Buntania's stance on the Teutonic movement's secret rearmament ambiguous.

There was no response to this.

Just because Buntania didn't respond doesn't mean Joe didn't.

After learning that the Teutons were secretly preparing for war, Joe immediately ordered Wagner to begin mobilization and demanded that the Teutons immediately cease their actions that violated the Treaty of Versailles.

Otherwise, as the combat force stipulated in the Treaty of Versailles, Wagner would immediately intervene to stop such acts of breach of the treaty.

Immediately after Joe issued his warning, the Teutons protested, stating that they would never accept threats from any country, organization, or individual!
Meanwhile, London, taken aback by Joe's remarks, immediately demanded that he cease his actions to avoid escalating the current international situation.

To prevent Joe from staging another Athens incident, which was not authorized by London, London directly dispatched an observation team to Wagner to demand that Wagner immediately cease mobilization.

This action by London angered Old Joe, who returned to London for the first time in many years.

He delivered a furious speech in the House of Commons.

The speech was a success, and many members of parliament applauded with tears in their eyes, but Joe's demands for Wagner to be deployed or for Bunitania to take strong measures to prevent the Teutons from re-arming were still not enough.

Faced with this swarm of insects, Joe knew he couldn't rely on them; he had to do something on his own.

So, filled with endless disappointment with Buntania, and having once again declined His Majesty George's invitation to meet, Joe returned to Prag.

At that very moment, a special guest appeared at Joe's estate in Prag.

The guest was from the State Political Security Bureau of the People's Revolutionary Union. The reason he was able to appear before Joe was because he was holding a letter from Constantine, a friend or student whom Joe had not heard from for a long time.

The letter didn't mention much about his life over the years. After a brief greeting to Joe, he introduced Joe to the person holding the letter. This person was sent by the General Secretary of the People's Revolutionary Alliance. They hoped to establish a secret communication channel with Joe to deal with a common threat.

The representative from the State Political Security Bureau then explained his purpose to Joe.

As the Teutonic Army began rearming, the Luscan military government also started a new round of military expansion. Faced with this threat, the People's Revolutionary Union believed it was necessary to establish a special communication channel with NATO so that the two sides could communicate in a timely manner in the event of some major incident.

Because once the Teutons wanted to formally break free from their shackles and the constraints of the Treaty of Versailles, then Joe, as the only man in the capitalist country with the guts, was the only one who had the opportunity to push those beasts back into their lair.

Therefore, the People's Revolutionary Alliance is willing to provide Qiao with some support within its capacity, including intelligence.

Qiao said he would need to think about the proposal from the People's Revolutionary Alliance.

Although there was a non-aggression pact with the People's Revolutionary Alliance, Joe did not forget why he established NATO in the first place.

Now the prisoners are telling the locks on the cell doors, "We must cooperate now because a greater threat awaits us. Let us unite."

Even Joe did believe that the Teutons were a threat.

Joe must also approach this cooperation proposal with caution, as it could shake the foundations of NATO.

While Joe was pondering this, the newly elected president of Citizens also announced a major decision that year.

That is, as the largest single market and a former economic engine, Citigroup will not only abandon the gold standard, but also raise tariffs by 50 percent.

A 50% tariff is essentially a death sentence for international trade.

With such high tariffs, no normal trade can take place, and the world's largest single economy has now closed its borders.

The impact of this incident is like a small boat sailing in a storm. Some people are putting on life jackets, some are trying to save the boat, and some are trying to put out life jackets when the captain suddenly announces that the boat should be abandoned.

This decision also signaled the de facto collapse of the Versailles-Washington system, which had maintained the postwar order.

After all, the outbreak of the last war was due to the strict trade barriers imposed by various countries, which forced them to choose "open the door! Free trade!" The most important provision of the Treaty of Versailles was that postwar international trade would be free trade.

And now, this world, made up of the blood, suffering and corpses of tens of millions of people, has collapsed with a deafening roar.

Everything seems to have returned to the way it was before.

After Citibank announced its abandonment of ship, Bohemia completed the process of joining NATO almost immediately.

In the past, Bohemia, a country composed of different ethnic groups that resembled a mini-Habsburg, was generally very close to NATO, but there were still constant objections to its full accession to NATO.

After all, although Joe proved his honesty with his actions, everyone was still afraid of Wagner, this behemoth.

Now, with the collapse of the world order, Bohemia must make a choice: continue to be isolated amidst powerful enemies, or join NATO and gain a reliable ally.

This is not a difficult choice.

After Bohemia joined NATO, Joe, who had acquired Bohemia's industrial and human resources, was finally able to begin rebuilding his armored forces.

In the past, due to NATO's small population and limited land area, it was difficult to maintain a strategically valuable armored force without London's support.

Fortunately, past cooperation has made it relatively easy for Bohemia to integrate into the NATO system. After all, in addition to the Y-1 transport aircraft, Bohemia is also producing the general-purpose chassis vehicle known as "Old Joe's Happy Car".

Due to the urgency, Joe immediately proposed a tank project called "Emergency Vehicle" to Bohemia after Bohemia joined NATO.

The plan stipulated that this tank must weigh less than 30 tons, have onboard radio, be equipped with a 75mm long-barreled cannon, have an off-road speed of about 45 kilometers per hour, and have at least 45mm of frontal armor, while its height must not exceed 2.5 meters.

This tank will replace the outdated Hound tanks in the Bohemian Army, and efforts will be made to equip at least one or two armored divisions before it becomes too late.

At the same time, Joe also began to adjust Wagner's deployment.

The reason why it was previously impossible to intervene quickly was that Wagner's bases were mostly located in NATO, so both the reaction speed and the mobilization speed were slower.

So now, in order to be able to react quickly, Joe redeployed Wagner’s paratrooper regiment and the 7th Truck Transport Company to Bohemia.

As Bohemia joined NATO, the Teutons, using pretexts such as threats from the north and threats against Teutons abroad, began to publicly condemn NATO's expansion while simultaneously accelerating their own military buildup in a semi-public manner.

However, before expanding their army, the Teutons first carried out a "disarmament" in 1934, when the Führer completely purged and disbanded another armed force under his command, known as the Brownshirts.

Instead, the armed guard was led by Holtz, the Führer's loyal bodyguard, a hero of the last war who had shielded him from bullets during the failed riot and made a name for himself by wielding a short stick during the street riots.

At the same time, due to the tragic memory of the last war, the Teutons focused on armored forces from the very beginning of this military expansion.

Not only does the National Defense Force have armored units, but even the Guard, which is the head of state's private armed forces, has also directly formed armored units, starting with an armored division.

Meanwhile, the air force also accelerated its development. Although Mr. Mayer, a close comrade of the Führer, had always wanted to serve as the commander of the Teutonic Air Force, the Red Knight was still alive, and this undisputed air combat ace in human history became the leader of the Teutonic Air Force.

Thanks to a respectable personal relationship with Erich, the mastermind behind the army's mechanization efforts, the Teutonic Air Force, which was also beginning to expand, incorporated ground attack and close air support into its missions.

This almost undisguised military expansion, along with the Guard's repressive rule over the country, has naturally caused unease among some.

Some within the IDF system, specifically royalists, became increasingly intolerant of this behavior that could trigger the next war, and some began to organize to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

They even contacted members of the royal family in exile, ready to step in and save the Teutons should things go astray.

While expanding its military, the head of state consistently advocated for peace and understanding in diplomatic settings.

Especially when facing their eastern neighbor Poland, the Führer secretly presented Poland with a condition that they could hardly refuse.

The Teutons wanted to reclaim the Sudetenland, which was dominated by Teutonic peoples, and Upper Silesia, while the Poles also wanted to take back a part of Bohemia that belonged to them.

Therefore, the Teutonic and Polish powers could reach a reconciliation on the Bohemian question.

The Teutonics could take the Sudetenland and the areas of Bohemia where the Teutonic population was majority, and the rest of the region could be taken by the Poles.

Subsequently, on the fundamental contradiction between the Teutons and Poland, the Danzig issue, the Teutons were willing to make concessions.

All they needed was a railway with extraterritoriality, administered by the Teutons, that connected the Teutonic heartland with Upper Silesia, and they would recognize Poland's sovereignty over Danzig.

After all, Poland is not in a good position right now. They are surrounded by NATO to the north and south, and have the forces of the People's Revolutionary Union on the east and west sides.

There is a non-aggression pact between NATO and the People's Revolutionary Union, which means that Poland is now completely surrounded. The only relatively safe area for them is their western border with the Teutonic Kingdom. The Teutonic Kingdom respects the Emperor's decision to grant Poland independence during the war and is willing to make concessions on territorial issues. However, they hope that Poland, while feeling their sincerity in seeking reconciliation, will also work with them to resolve the border issues.

For Poland, which had always wanted to establish an inter-sea federation, the Führer's proposal was indeed very tempting.

However, there is a problem with this proposal: when they were dividing up Bohemia, would Bonitania and Gaul, as the administrators of the Old World order, just sit idly by?

Even if Bonitania and Gaul stand idly by, will Old Joe just sit by and watch?

Bohemia has only just joined NATO, and you want to take Poland from Bohemia? You're dreaming.

Unless the Teutons produce some proof that they can change the situation, Poland will not waste time on something impossible.

From Poland's perspective, the People's Revolutionary League is familiar to me, the Gallic League is my buddy, and the Teutonic Kingdom is not on my level to make secret treaties with me.

First, prove yourself. Now that you're able to sit at the table and eat, then we can discuss these issues.

Anyway, the Teutons were the ones instigating the trouble. If there was something to gain, I would follow suit. If the Teutons ran into trouble, then I would have done nothing at all.

Upon hearing Poland's response, the Führer's defenses crumbled. The Teutons could be attacked and lose, but they could not admit defeat, especially after experiencing all of this, which made their pride extremely sensitive.

After all, the last time, the most dangerous man in the Old World demanded that the Teutons stop expanding their army, but London forced him to back down.

So, could it be that London and Paris aren't as powerful as they seem?

The fact that they pushed the pro-war Old Joe back meant that they didn't actually want to start a war; they were afraid of war.
This prompted the Führer to test the waters and find out where the bottom line was for both Bonitania and Gaul.

The first step in this probing was to prepare to return to the Rhineland demilitarized zone.

As time progressed to 1936, when the Teutons began broadcasting that the treaty was unfair to them and that they should control all their territory like normal countries, they created a pretext for marching into the Rhineland.

Joe immediately sensed something was wrong, but this time he didn't say anything in public and quietly went to Bohemia.

After nearly twenty years, even the Northern Guard, whose average age was relatively low, had entered middle age and their physical fitness had declined considerably. Joe did not want to take them on any military adventures.

The previous reaction from London made Joe realize that he couldn't rely on London; he could only rely on himself.

Perhaps his younger brother could be of some help? However, Joe didn't hold out any hope for it.

But Joe still sent a letter to his brother James in London, telling him that the situation was very bad and that if the Teutons marched into the Rhineland and openly broke the Treaty of Versailles, they would have to take action if they did not want another war to break out.

Wagner's troops will enter the Rhineland immediately and drive the Teutons back, and if necessary, Joe will fight a battle with the Teutons in the Rhineland.

After receiving the letter, James urged Joe to remain calm, as Brunania was not prepared for war, especially its army, which was in dire straits. However, James also stated that he would take immediate action in London once the Teutons crossed the Rhine.

If Parliament passes a resolution to intervene, he will send a telegram saying "London is sunny." If Parliament does not pass a resolution to intervene, he will send a telegram saying "London is raining."

As March arrived, just as Joe had predicted, the Teutons announced their march into the Rhine, and their troops crossed the Rhine and entered the Rhineland region.

Joe knew this might be his last chance to stop the war, to interrupt the Teutonics' military adventure, and to drive them back to the Rhine, which would disgrace their leader.

His oppressive rule over the Teutons during this period will also backfire, and the possibility of war will be greatly reduced.

When it was eleven o'clock, Joe received a telegram: "It's raining in London."

At that moment, Joe knew that he would have to rely on himself for everything from now on.

After hanging up the telegram, Joe picked up the microphone and gave orders to the transport aircraft unit that was already ready on the runway.

"Aircraft launch! Target: Rhineland!"

As transport planes took off from the airport, Bohemian fighter jets also began to scramble to escort the transport plane formations.

Just like in the transport competition, Joe won the Y-1 transport plane, and now the Y-2 transport plane, which has been upgraded with better performance and can even take off and land on a grassy area of ​​just over 100 meters.

In the speed competition, Joe also acquired a decent aircraft. After joint development with a company in Bunitania, the aircraft not only became part of the Bunitania Air Force, but was also purchased in large quantities by NATO member states.

As the massive aerial formation began its westward flight, even a seasoned veteran like Joe couldn't help but feel nervous.

Although he had made ample preparations in terms of equipment and training, Joe was still somewhat uncertain about the outcome of the world's first airborne operation.

Especially given the limited transport capacity, Joe couldn't simply drop an entire paratrooper regiment directly into Rhineland, which made him even more nervous.

Fortunately, the radio relay had already taken off, allowing Joe to receive updates on the troops' movements at any time, instead of being stuck in the command post.

As noon approached, Joe received a report from the airlift troops who had been deployed earlier. They had successfully landed without any casualties, and all troops were now advancing towards the target area to stop the Teutons from continuing their advance in the Rhineland.

Meanwhile, the transport aircraft unit reported that they had begun their return journey and should be able to reach the airport soon.

Hearing these two pieces of news relieved Qiao, but he also ordered the second batch of airborne troops to prepare to board the plane. Once the transport plane was ready, they would immediately begin the airborne mission.

The Y-1 aircraft was designed from the outset for airborne operations.

Therefore, although the Y-1 transport plane cannot carry tanks and armored vehicles, one Y-1 transport plane can still carry two Unyielding vehicles without any problem.

Meanwhile, since the airborne operation was not interfered with, these well-trained transport planes did not choose to parachute the troops, but instead chose to land on grass and roads near the target area.

Furthermore, the extensive use of radios in the paratrooper regiments saved a lot of time in troop assembly.

After quickly assembling, Wagner's paratroopers, in what would be considered an overload by traffic police, rode in Unyielding SUVs toward their target area, preparing to intercept the Teutonic troops entering the Rhineland.

Since both the Teutons and Wagner believed this to be a near-armed demonstration, neither side left the road and proceeded openly on the highway.

Soon enough, Wagner's paratroopers intercepted the Teutonic troops on the road.

Faced with these unexpected obstacles, the Teutons who were stopped were momentarily at a loss as to what to do.

After all, when they crossed the Rhine, they were told that it was just a peaceful armed march without any fighting, and that the imperial citizens on the other side of the river would welcome them, while Brunetania and Gaul would not interfere.

No one told them what to do if someone resisted.

So after the contact, Wagner quickly deployed his battle formation and blocked the road. At the same time, Wagner's officers, carrying a copy of the Treaty of Versailles that had been prepared beforehand, came to the Teutonic troops and told them that their current actions had violated the Treaty of Versailles and that they must turn back immediately, or they would exercise the rights granted to them by the treaty to expel them from the Rhineland.

Faced with this situation, the Teutons who had entered the Rhineland were unsure of what to do. It was impossible for them to simply retreat in the face of the blockade, but they were also apprehensive about fighting these Wagners who carried equipment they had never seen before.

After all, what stands before them now is Wagner, the Wagner founded by the man who has never failed.

So the Teutonic troops stopped on the road and immediately asked for instructions from the rear: they were now being intercepted by Wagner and they should do what they needed to do.

Meanwhile, journalists with a keen sense of smell were frantically taking photos while also urging their colleagues to quickly send out the news.

With the development of public broadcasting, the timeliness of news has become increasingly important. Whether it is a national radio station or a commercial radio station, they must be faster than newspapers in the past in order to retain their listeners.

So when the gentlemen of London and Paris had just finished lunch and were about to take a nap, everyone was stunned when the radio broadcast news that Wagner was in the Rhineland confronting the Teutonic army that had illegally entered the Rhineland with the Treaty of Versailles in hand.

What's going on here?
The Gauls were shocked that the Bunitaians had actually shown such unusual courage this time, while London was astonished as to who had given them that authorization!

How dare that bastard Joe send out troops without authorization!

Doesn't he know this will start a war?!

The Teutons were just as shocked as London and Paris.

The Führer originally believed that after the last incident, Brunania and Gaul were merely bluffing, and that the so-called immortal Old Joe was all bark and no bite, and would not react to his advance into the Rhine.

However, what he did not expect was that as soon as he sent his troops across the Rhine, Old Joe actually had Wagner intercept his troops on the Rhine.

If it were Buntania and Gaul that were to send troops, he would now choose to retreat without hesitation, even though the Teutons have been secretly preparing for war for the past few years while strengthening ties with the Lucia military government.

However, the Teutons were not prepared to go to war right now. Facing Bonitania and Gaul, it was not shameful to back down; they just needed to find a better opportunity.

But now that Wagner is the one sending troops, the situation is a little different.

If it were Bunitania and Gaul opposing him, he might be a little afraid, but now Wagner is standing in his way.

Although Joe was a renowned general, he was famous for his armored vehicles, not his infantry. Now, all he had in front of him was a group of infantrymen, and considering that neither London nor Paris had made a statement yet, as well as the situation last time.

Wagner's operation was likely not authorized by London, and under such circumstances, Bohemia would not dare to act rashly, as that would only give them a better excuse to demand the Sudetenland.

and so……

After a moment's hesitation, the leader made a decision.

"Expel those Wagners, reclaim the Rhineland, and use force if necessary!"

However, after issuing the order, the leader still hesitated.

After all, it was Joe standing in front of him now, and who knew what he might pull out if he fought him.

If he were defeated by such a mercenary force, he would surely lose all prestige, and his grand vision would never be realized.

So, perhaps I should play it safe?
With this in mind, the Marshal ordered the Wehrmacht to send more troops to the Rhineland, while the Führer also ordered his elite First Banner Army to be deployed.

Although the unit was not yet at full strength, the Führer believed that under Holz's command, it would bring him victory.

As the Führer's orders were relayed down the line, the Teutonic troops, who were confronting Wagner in the Rhineland, changed their attitude after receiving the orders and began to demand that Wagner leave.

This is Teutonic territory, and their entry is illegal, violating Teutonic sovereignty.

Wagner's troops also became more vigilant after discovering the change in the Teutons' attitude.

Soon, it's unclear who fired the first shot, but Wagner's troops clashed with the first Teutonic troops to enter the Rhineland.

Then, with overwhelming firepower, Wagner's troops crushed the Teutonic forces almost instantly.

The intense firepower of assault rifles and the rocket launchers used by the paratroopers almost instantly vaporized the Teutonic troops.

Subsequently, while reporting the engagement, the Wagner commander at the front also made a decision.

Now that armed conflict has broken out, they can no longer wait on this unprotected road; they should now seize the bridge and block the Teutons on the other side of the Rhine.

Just as Wagner's troops began to advance, news of Wagner's battle with the Teutonic armed forces was also transmitted around the world via telegram.

(End of this chapter)