Germany does not seek survival

At the Berlin train station, a special person sent by the General Staff was waiting to greet Faust. After he walked out of the station, the streets of Berlin were full of women and children, and there was hardly a strong man to be seen.

On the way to the General Staff, Faust only saw a few gray-haired old men, all wearing reserve military uniforms, maintaining law and order on the streets of Berlin.

Faust sat in the General Staff's car and first passed Unter den Linden. The car passed under the equestrian statue of Frederick the Great. A crow flew onto Frederick the Great's tricorn hat and cried loudly. The hoarse and rough cry made people drowsy and inexplicably irritated.

The German General Staff is located in König Square. It is a large, plain-looking red brick building. The red bricks and stones appear a deep ochre-red under the sunlight.

Faust walked into the conference room on the first floor. Combat staff officers wearing red-lined trousers were coming and going. Judging from their temperament, they were smart and capable.

Lieutenant General Claus, Chief of Staff of Crown Prince Rupprecht, was waiting for Faust in the conference room.

In addition to Lieutenant General Claus, there is another acquaintance of Faust, that is Major Rundstedt, whom he met on the Romanian battlefield - he should not be called Major now, Rundstedt has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt was overjoyed to see an old friend. He was also very grateful to Faust: "Major, long time no see! Without you, we wouldn't have won such a resounding victory in Romania. Look, this lieutenant colonel epaulette is half the credit of your contribution."

Faust was also happy about the development of Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt. Looking at the red stitching on his military trousers, he knew that Rundstedt was not simply promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, but was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel Operations Staff Officer of the General Staff, and the power in his hands was much greater.

Lieutenant General Claus represented Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria. They were Faust's mentors. "Your Highness is busy with military affairs, but while you're in Berlin, His Highness will certainly choose another day to meet with you."

Faust saluted Lieutenant General Claus vigorously. "I'm just a minor. How could His Royal Highness the Crown Prince be so humble to me? I'm so ashamed."

Lieutenant General Klaus took off his military cap, revealing a short, golden-brown hair that bore a striking resemblance to Faust.

"Haha, Siegfried of Saint-Quentin, Trajan of Romania, you are the first hero to enter Bucharest and Tallinn. Your performance has exceeded your most optimistic expectations. Who could have imagined such a brilliant record! The newspapers back home have been showering you with praise. Perhaps you yourself are unaware of how resounding Faust's name has been in Berlin over the past six months."

Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt also hammered Faust's arm. "The General Staff recalled you to Berlin simply to get your cooperation in some propaganda activities. Faust, so many people call you the First Knight of the Reich. You are now the Red Baron Richthofen of the Army. Furthermore, your humble background is more reassuring to the people than a Red Baron's."

Faust's military record is indeed outstanding, but the General Staff attaches so much importance to him more because the German people are uneasy and their tolerance for war is getting lower and lower. Since the beginning of this year, there have been more than ten strikes in Berlin, which have seriously affected military production in the rear.

The German army could suppress the strike with an iron fist and put all the strikers in prison, but Ludendorff also understood that this was only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.

Ludendorff was now the Quartermaster General of the General Staff. In fact, his power was greater than that of the Chief of the General Staff, Field Marshal Hindenburg. In addition to holding real power in the army, he also controlled Germany's industrial and economic lifeline in the name of total war mobilization.

In order to solve the problem of public opinion, Ludendorff came up with the idea of ​​promoting Faust, a civilian war hero, and using Faust to fool the German people for a while.

Faust's treatment in the General Staff now is extremely superior. Lieutenant General Claus and Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt personally accompany him. Ludendorff, the de facto supreme military dictator of Germany, also took time out to meet with Faust in the Grand War Room.

Ludendorff, who was always arrogant, also showed a very friendly attitude. He asked them to sit down and said straight to the point:

"Faust, His Majesty intends to grant you noble status. This will facilitate publicity, and the award will likely be publicly presented on Princess Louise's birthday. The Empire wants everyone to know that our society has undergone revolutionary changes. As long as you achieve merit on the battlefield, the Empire will open all its doors."

Faust frowned slightly. He had no interest in the noble status of the Second German Empire. It would not be long before the noble title of the Second German Empire would become a completely negative asset.

Lieutenant General Claus said, "We spent a lot of effort to convince His Majesty, but even so, there are still many princes who cannot tolerate it. These people are too stubborn."

At this time, the empire was still using aristocratic status to deceive the people. William II and a group of Junkers still wanted to hold on to this honorary reward in their hands, kneading it left and right, wishing they would never let go.

How can the empire still hope to win the war when it treats the common people so harshly and unkindly?

Faust had no expression on his face and simply asked calmly, "General, do I also need to attend Princess Louise's birthday party?"

Ludendorff waved his hand and said, "You are going to represent the army."

Ludendorff looked Faust up and down again. "Your appearance is very good, which is also a plus. The army needs this kind of appearance."

Ludendorff pointed at Lieutenant General Claus and said bluntly, "Lieutenant General Claus's son was the Crown Prince's godson, but he died on the battlefield. His Majesty had already arranged a marriage for a Habsburg princess to marry a representative of the German military, but unfortunately, the marriage fell through."

Ludendorff was a stubborn man with no way of behaving as a human being. He talked about the other person's dead son directly in front of Lieutenant General Claus, and his tone was so casual that Lieutenant General Claus's expression was a little strange.

Ludendorff said, "A Habsburg princess will also be attending Princess Louise's birthday party. Major Faust, you must perform well! If a German war hero can marry a Habsburg princess, it will be very beneficial for Germany to further control the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the war."

Faust was always nice to Ludendorff on the surface, but deep down, he found the fantasies of the warmongers ridiculous.

Not long ago, Britain released the Zimmermann telegram, the content of which also exposed the pitiful stupidity of the German authorities. Zimmermann was the German ambassador to the United States. He planned to make Germany and Mexico form a secret alliance, and then support Mexico in declaring war on the United States, retaking Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and other places, so that the United States would have no time to intervene in European affairs.

After the telegram was deciphered by the British, it was quickly leaked to the press. Because the content of the telegram was so absurd, Americans did not dare to believe it at first and speculated that it was a rumor created by Britain to drag the United States into the war.

What’s funny is that Zimmerman himself admitted at a press conference that he was indeed the one who sent the telegram. Once this happened, there was no longer any obstacle for the United States to join the war. Just one day before Faust arrived in Berlin, the United States officially declared war on Germany.

Chapter 82: The Social Democratic Razor

After nightfall, the streets of Berlin become dimly lit, even Unter den Linden, once the most prosperous street in Europe.

It is not surprising that there was a blackout during the war, but that was World War II. The air forces of World War I had not yet developed the power of strategic bombing, and the Allied artillery shells could not reach Berlin like the German "Paris Cannon".

The cityscape of the imperial city was dim and gloomy, and most of the shops along the streets were closed. Faust could only feel that the national strength that the German Empire once prided itself on was now showing signs of exhaustion under the siege of the Allies.

The bad news of the United States declaring war on Germany immediately offset the joy that victory on the Eastern Front brought to Berlin.

The day before, the newspapers were still reporting in great detail on the German army's brilliant use of troops in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga. Even the citizens of Berlin, whose trust in imperial news had greatly declined, would enthusiastically discuss the series of feats of the war hero Faust during their breaks from busy work.

"Can someone really blow up an armored train on a bicycle?"

"The propaganda department must have exaggerated."

"But it can't be completely made up! It must have some basis in fact."

"Faust, have you seen his picture in the newspaper? He's such a handsome man."

……

With the empire on the brink of low morale, the German army needed to rely on Faust's deeds to boost people's morale. After some publicity, Faust became the second Red Baron Richthofen.

Both are handsome, skilled, and possess unparalleled military achievements and dignified chivalry. The Red Baron comes from a prominent family and has a noble background, which makes ordinary people look up to him and lack a sense of empathy.

Faust came from the slums of Munich, and his existence effectively countered the attacks of the Allies and socialists on the German imperial system.

Faust's success proves that under the imperial system, even those from poor backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed.

And it's not just an ordinary achievement. It's about being summoned by His Majesty the Emperor, obtaining noble status as a commoner, and having all the highest honors in the imperial army.

Even if Faust actively cooperated with the empire's war propaganda policy, according to a few words revealed by Ludendorff, Crown Prince Rupprecht was still trying to arrange a marriage for Faust with a Habsburg princess.

However, these measures could not save the German Empire from decline.

The General Staff arranged a residence for Faust, an apartment near Wilhelm Street, with convenient transportation. He could be summoned by the emperor and various army departments at any time. It was also close to the Parliament because it was said that the General Staff hoped that Faust could attend the Parliament as a front-line representative and answer questions from members of Parliament.

This is also a very twisted place in the Second German Empire.

The imperial system was a highly centralized monarchy. The emperor granted the prime minister almost dictatorial power with his divinely ordained authority. The prime minister was not responsible to the parliament but only to the emperor.

Under the prime minister, there is not an interlocking bureaucratic system, but a system centered on the prime minister. Relying on the prime minister's personal relationships, the prime minister appoints state secretaries for key departments such as justice, navy, diplomacy, and finance. The state secretary for justice, the state secretary for navy, the state secretary for finance, etc., then lead the formation of a small administrative team, which is the State Council Office.

The empire did not have ministries, but rather the offices of the chancellor's secretaries were responsible for the specific administrative affairs of the empire. The eight state offices were responsible for foreign affairs, finance, internal affairs, navy, post and telecommunications, railways, justice and Alsace-Lorraine affairs. The heads of these offices were secretaries of state, not ministers, and the relationship was essentially one of personal dependence on the chancellor.

Also, please note that among the eight state offices, there is a Navy Office, but not an Army Office.

Because the army of the German Empire was composed of the armies of several major states, it was usually responsible to the monarchs of each state. Only in wartime was a unified German army formed and commanded by the emperor.

Some important military agencies also belong to the states, such as the German General Staff. In fact, it would be more accurate to call it the Prussian General Staff. Then the Prussian General Staff, the Bavarian General Staff... the general staffs of several major principalities worked together in wartime and were called the Great General Staff.

The military itself is an ironclad department that is impenetrable and has its own interests. The prime minister has no right to interfere. Even His Majesty the Emperor, who is nominally the supreme commander of the army, must actually respect the army's own opinions.

Under this system, Germany's parliament is actually just a decoration. It can approve laws and decide whether to pass a certain law or financial budget, but it does not have legislative power itself and cannot propose a motion of no confidence in the government. The chancellor is not responsible to the parliament, and the parliament has no right to appoint and dismiss the chancellor and the government's eight state offices.

However, members of parliament are still highly respected in German society, and all aspects of German politics still revolve around this parliament which has no real power.

Especially in the later stages of the war, due to the decline in morale and public support, the status of Congress, which represented public opinion to a certain extent, continued to rise. Like the increasingly powerful General Staff, it became a double-headed eagle pulling Germany in two directions, one on the left and one on the right.

When Faust returned to the residence arranged for him by the General Staff, there was a Mercedes-Benz car parked at the door. According to Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt, this was to facilitate Faust's participation in various dinners and promotional activities in Berlin.

The apartment itself, with three bedrooms, was quite spacious for the war years of 1917, and downstairs was a café called the Green Balloon.

Many people came to the door of the cafe today, all dressed in ties, wearing top hats and leaning on crutches. The leader was particularly tall and burly, with a square face, cold and expressionless. He looked like an iceberg that was mostly submerged in the sea, giving people a gloomy and oppressive temperament.

Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt accompanied Faust back to the apartment. When he saw the group of people waiting for Faust at the Green Balloon Café, he raised an eyebrow, leaned over to Faust's ear, and whispered:

"Gustav Noske... He is the most trusted aide to Mr. Ebert, Chairman of the German Social Democratic Party."

Nosk...

Faust's spirit trembled. He had heard of this name before. Most of the famous figures of the German Social Democratic Party could basically be divided into two categories:

One group, headed by Albert, consisted of pragmatic bureaucrats who had no interest in socialist ideas and theories and focused on party affairs, organization, and elections.

One category is headed by Liebknecht and Luxemburg, and also includes the centrist Kautsky. They are all deeply engaged in Marxism, first-class theorists and masters of thought, and also very charismatic.

Only Gustav Noske was very different from both the party bureaucrats and the ideological leaders.

To understand Noske, you just need to listen to his nickname. Noske's nickname is "the razor of the Social Democratic Party". He turned to the Social Democratic Party to do some dirty work. His methods were straightforward, rough and sharp. He was a decisive and iron-fisted figure.

In the past two years, the morale of the people in the empire has been low, and the SPD's united front value has greatly increased, so the authorities put Noske in charge of solving the problems of strikes that have occurred one after another.

Noske was also extremely efficient in this regard. Originally, most of the trade unions in Germany were controlled by the Social Democratic Party. Most of the various workers' pickets that participated in strikes before the war were controlled by Noske.

Among the German working class were prestigious labor leaders, guild elders, railway and dock gangs, picket thugs of various trade unions…

Everyone has to give Nosk some face.

When Noske turned all his influence and management skills to help the empire suppress strikes, the nickname "Social Democratic Razor" began to take on a bloody meaning.

During the Krupp Arsenal strike in early 1917, Noske defeated the massive strike movement using only the pro-empire royalist workers' pickets and gangsters in the union without using any military or police help.

Noske was also a member of Congress. His status and position were much better than Faust's, so without saying much, he handed an invitation to Faust.

"Chairman Albert wishes to see you, Major Faust. Mr. Chairman believes that in order to strengthen the fraternal cooperation between the Reich and the working class, we need role models like you who come from the proletariat."

It is really ironic that a jackal like Nosk would say the word "friendship".

When he was talking to Faust, his face was expressionless, but he pulled the muscles at the corners of his mouth, just like a Frankenstein monster.

Faust remained reserved and put on his hat. He took the invitation with both hands. It did have the name of Friedrich Ebert, Chairman of the German Social Democratic Party, written on it.

The content of the invitation was Albert's cordial invitation to Faust to have dinner at his private villa.

At this time, Faust understood the intention of Manstein's words. The political conspiracy in the imperial capital Berlin was surging, and various forces were quietly making plans for the future of Germany.

As the most outstanding war hero on the German front, Faust became a chess piece worth fighting for in the layout.

Noske was half a head taller than Faust, probably 1.9 meters. He looked at Faust with his chin down:

"Major Faust, we've discovered that you were a registered member of the SPD before the war. Chairman Ebert believes that someone as outstanding as you should hold a more prominent position within the SPD. After the war, if your military advancement is not as expected, the SPD can support your election to Parliament."

Faust was reluctant to refuse the invitation of the SPD chairman, and he was also very interested and wanted to find out how Chairman Ebert, "Razor" Noske and his gang were colluding with the German emperor's authorities.

When Germany was defeated in the future, how did Ebert and others seize the highest power in Germany and rule the bubble-like Weimar Republic?

Chapter 83: Albert System

Albert's official residence, located in the Tiergarten district of Berlin, was previously a mansion belonging to the Junker family. After the war broke out, because the Social Democratic Party supported the war budget in parliament, William II awarded this house to Albert.

In front of the official residence, there is a large rose garden. In April, the flowers are in full bloom, which is truly beautiful. Faust walks into the rose garden. There is an exquisite small pavilion in the courtyard of the garden, with two marble statues in the pavilion.

Razor Nosk remained expressionless as he introduced the details in a cold tone. "After Chairman Albert received this official residence from His Majesty, he requested that the decoration be simplified, the original gilded furniture be removed, and these two statues be placed in the pavilion."

Faust said, "The one on the left is Marx, right?"

Noske nodded. "The other one is Lassalle. Marx and Lassalle are the historical figures most respected by Chairman Ebert."

There is no need to say much about Marx. Lassalle was the only leader of the socialist movement who could be regarded as equal to Marx and Engels when Marx was still alive.

But in the later period of Lassalle's revolutionary career, his thinking underwent a major shift. He decided to abandon armed struggle and instead chose to cooperate with Bismarck to achieve limited reforms.

In Albert's courtyard, there are two statues of Marx and Lassalle, which clearly show Albert's personal political inclinations.

There are six Ionic colonnades at the entrance of the official residence. After passing through the corridor, Noske took Faust into the reception room. The decoration in the living room was indeed simple and plain. The few pieces of furniture were all wrought iron style, and the walls were hung with pictures of several famous figures in the history of the German socialist movement.

In addition to Marx and Lassalle, there are also portraits of Liebknecht Sr. and Bebel.

In the inner hall, Albert sat in front of a white dining table. The dishes were already laid out, but there were not many varieties. The short and fat Albert held a silver knife in his hand and cut the sausage into slices and put them into his mouth.

Several maids stood by the long table. Albert waved to them and said, "There aren't many guests today. Major Faust might not be able to finish the food we've prepared! Please take a seat and have dinner with Major Faust and me!"

Albert's image does not exude a cold and unapproachable aura like Nosk's.

On the contrary, the Albert that Faust met tonight was just a cute little fat boy. Albert also had a funny T-shaped beard. He ate while talking, with wind in his mouth and an exceptionally gentle tone.

The servants seemed to be very close and familiar with Albert. They were not restrained at all. When Albert asked them to sit down and eat together, the maids didn't care that the guest Faust had just arrived and sat down and started eating.

Noske stood still and said, "Chairman Albert is like this, Major, please don't be offended. Our chairman always eats with servants, shop assistants, and workers. He believes that only in this way can he stay connected with the masses and truly understand what the people need."

Albert raised his silver knife and pointed it at Faust. "Major, I'm honored to have you here today. Please take a seat. I heard you joined the Social Democratic Party at the University of Munich before the war."

A servant in the mansion brought out a chair for Faust, who nodded in thanks and sat down.

"Yes, Mr. President, I joined the German Social Democratic Party in 1913."

Albert laughed heartily. "Hahaha, that's a four-year party member! When I read about the Major in the newspaper, I felt that you truly brought honor to the SPD. You're doing a great job on the front lines. It's members like you who give us the confidence to fight back against the unwarranted accusations from the right-wing parties."

"Unfounded accusations?"

Albert placed his knife and fork on the porcelain plate of sausages. "A few insignificant right-wing parties are trying to shake a giant tree with their own strength. It's ridiculous, ridiculous. They accuse the Social Democrats of secretly opposing the war. And you, Major, have proven that the Social Democrats are the real force in defending our country."

"I dare not take credit for it, Mr. Chairman."