Germany does not seek survival

Conrad looked puzzled: "Colonel Faust, what's the matter?"

Faust's face was expressionless. He took a step forward, his legs snapped together, and then he saluted Conrad and said:

"Marshal Conrad, the German and Austro-Hungarian empires have collapsed. The emperor, princes, nobles, military, capitalists... reality has proven that none of them are capable of ruling the country. We National Socialists have therefore decided to launch a revolution and let the people rule the country themselves."

"Now, in the name of the head of the Tyrolean Revolutionary Republic, I inform you, Franz Conrad von Hetzendorff, that my party has officially taken over Innsbruck. I now ask you to leave Tyrol. If you refuse the orders of the revolutionary army—"

Faust dropped his salute, pulled out a pistol in his right hand, and pointed it at Conrad: "The Republic, in the name of the Revolutionary Tribunal, will sentence you to death."

Conrad was horrified and didn't know what to do. He tried to ask Faust: "Is this a rebellion?"

Faust shook his head solemnly and denied it: "No, sir, this is not a rebellion, this is a revolution."

Conrad was unable to resist and was immediately captured by the German army. Faust did not want to kill him, and quickly arranged a vehicle to send Conrad to Vienna.

The rest of the National Socialist forces, under the command of Kesselring and Tito respectively, controlled the two major transportation hubs in the north and south of Tyrol, Kufstein and Trento. Everything went smoothly. Except for encountering resistance from a few Croat and Czech soldiers who supported the Allies, there were not many violent bloody incidents.

Chapter 141: The Betrayal of the Revolutionary Army

In the city of Innsbruck, the Austrian army only had one Dalmatian Division, which was stationed in scattered areas. The total strength was about 4,000 people. In terms of numbers, it was actually much larger than the Großdeutschland Regiment.

The National Socialist Party had already prepared a lot of soldiers in advance, and there were many National Socialist members at the grassroots level in Dalmatia. In addition, the German army attacked suddenly, and the Austrian army was unable to react in time. For a time, they were at a loss, and a large number of troops were quickly disarmed by the German army without any resistance.

It took Faust only two hours to control the entire city of Innsbruck, including the bank, train station, telegraph office, newspaper office, radio station, armory, barracks, castle...

All the important locations were controlled by the German army overnight, and Marshal Conrad became a prisoner. Soon after, he was "courteously expelled" by Faust.

Hundreds of tons of precious metals stored in the bank vault were all taken over and sealed by the German army. Faust also gave Rommel stern instructions and ordered him to lead his troops immediately to control all large factories in Innsbruck.

The actions of Kesselring and Tito's troops were also very swift. On the evening of November 3, the German 2nd Regiment and the German 3rd Regiment respectively controlled the cities of Kufstein and Trento and disarmed all the Austro-Hungarian troops stationed there.

Trento was the main defensive position of the Austro-Hungarian Empire against the Italian army at that time. When Marshal Conrad fled back to Innsbruck, he left a lot of troops in Trento. The Austrian 11th Infantry Division and the 22nd Territorial Defense Army Division, a total of two divisions, totaling 11,000 soldiers, were stationed in the city. Their force was very powerful.

The situation of these two troops was exactly the same as that of the Dalmatian Division. They were disunited from top to bottom. Senior generals and officers had almost all fled. The young nobles in the middle level either fled to Vienna or completely lost the support of the people and were not trusted by the soldiers at all.

The grassroots were controlled by the National Socialist Party. Important military positions and more prestigious soldiers were all National Socialists.

Tito was very excited. At first, he felt that the attack on Trento was too risky and that the enemy was much stronger than the Third Regiment. However, after the operation began, the German army had smooth sailing. Among the tens of thousands of Austrian troops, almost no one stood up to resist, and a large number of soldiers simply dropped their weapons and surrendered.

There were also many Austrian soldiers who had been influenced by the National Socialist propaganda and had given up hope on the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They all believed that the National Socialist's revolutionary path might be a new hope to save Austria, so they took the initiative to surrender.

By dawn, Tito and Scherner led the German Third Regiment and finally broke into the Trento City Hall. In the red-brick neoclassical building, the Austrian officials had already fled without a trace.

No one touched the various documents in the city hall, and the bank vaults and armories were also left untouched, without even a trace of damage.

Tito immediately set up sentries and, in accordance with Faust's orders, strictly controlled entry and exit, confiscated weapons, and sent troops to take over bank vaults and armories first, and then informed the entire city through the radio station.

"Trento has been officially taken over by the Tyrolean Revolutionary Republic!"

In Kufstein in the north, the situation of the raid organized by Kesselring and Guderian was similar to that in Trento, except that the number of Austro-Hungarian troops stationed in Kufstein was smaller, so Kesselring and Guderian's actions were smoother than Tito's.

In the early morning of November 4, when the sun slowly rose from the white snow line of the Alps, the red light shone on Tyrol. The entire state of Tyrol was completely controlled by the National Socialist Party almost overnight.

Around the same time, in the port of Kiel far to the north, sailors of the High Seas Fleet mutinied, sounding the first clarion call of the German domestic revolution, and within the next two days, the influence expanded to the entire country of Germany.

As soon as Faust took control of the telegraph office in Innsbruck, he dispatched Hitler to deliver a telegram: "To the whole world! Signed and dated November 3, 1918, at 11 o'clock in the evening."

Eight o'clock in the evening on November 3rd was the starting time when the National Socialist Party launched the Tyrol Uprising. It was not the time when the German army successfully controlled the entire city of Innsbruck, nor was it the time when the German army occupied the telegraph office.

Faust emphasized this time point in order to expand the influence of the National Socialist Party.

Strive for the title of the first uprising.

"The Tyrolean uprising led by the National Socialist Party fired the first shot of the German world revolution at the end of the turbulent world war."

Faust emphasized to Hitler: "This is the glory of our National Socialist Party and cannot be given to anyone else."

The Kiel sailors' mutiny was in full swing. Because it was close to the industrial and political centers of Germany, its influence at this time was definitely much greater than the National Socialist Party's Tyrol Uprising.

Faust also admired the courage of the Kiel sailors, but the Kiel sailors lacked organization. They did not belong to the Social Democratic Party, the Independent Party, or the Spartacus League. Their actions were completely impulsive and could not be considered a real revolution. They were too naive.

The title of the first uprising hero is of great significance. Instead of letting the Kiel sailors waste the fame brought by the first uprising, it is better to let the National Socialist Party play a greater role in the halo of the first uprising.

The National Socialist Party's history is not as long as that of the Social Democratic Party, and its scale is not as large as the Independent Party, but it is united and well-organized, and it implements party discipline with military discipline. Its combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of the Social Democratic Party, the Independent Party, and the Spartacus League.

Faust is already a famous war hero in Germany and has a high reputation. However, in the revolutionary field and in the minds of the working masses, Faust is still one of the "greyhounds" in military uniform. His field-gray uniform cannot win the favor of the people.

Faust really needs the title of the first revolutionary uprising, which can help the National Socialist Party immediately gain wider visibility, and Faust can also reverse his image in the minds of the people.

After the Tyrolean Uprising, Faust is no longer the most outstanding war hero in the German Imperial Army, but will become a revolutionary fighter for the people.

By the evening of November 4, the German army had completely controlled the three cities of Innsbruck, Kufstein and Trento. There were not many garrisons in the remaining cities in Tyrol, and only a small number of troops were needed to control the area.

At about the same time, on November 5, the whole city of Kiel went on a general strike in support of the sailors' mutiny. The revolution spread rapidly across the country. The news of the Kiel sailors' mutiny spread throughout the country on the 11th, along with the news of the Tyrolean army's mutiny.

……

"Extra number! Extra number!"

"German troops rioted in Innsbruck, Tyrol revolted, and the Tyrolean Revolutionary Republic was proclaimed!"

"The Revolutionary Army has captured Kufstein!"

"The Revolutionary Army has captured Trento!"

"The revolutionary army has occupied Bozen!"

"The revolutionary army has occupied Lienz!"

“Colonel Witte Faust declared that the revolutionary goal of the National Socialist Party is to achieve socialism in Germany!”

With the advanced level of communications in Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the news of the Tyrolean uprising spread throughout Europe in just one day. Telegraphs and radio played a role, and then the more famous newspapers began to rush to print special editions to spread the big news that Faust had initiated the Tyrolean uprising.

"Faust, Faust... Is that the Faust?"

At this time, the Empress Dowager Josephine of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the young Emperor Charles I had been sent by the Austrian Provisional Government to the royal villa in the countryside of Salzburg for recuperation. It was called recuperation, but in fact it was confinement.

Queen Dowager Josephine was holding a special edition of the "Wiener Zeitung" in her hand. The headline news on the front page was the Tyrol Uprising. There was a huge photo on it, which showed Faust wearing a military uniform and a black raincoat, holding a Prussian pointed helmet in his left hand and holding a black sickle and hammer flag high in his right hand.

Queen Dowager Josephine's face turned cold. She confirmed again and again, and was extremely reluctant, but finally had to admit the reality. The revolutionary leader who launched the riot in Tyrol in the newspaper was Werther Faust, whom the Queen Dowager admired very much in Berlin, and was also the young man whom the Queen Dowager helped later.

The Queen Mother felt a tightness in her chest. In her opinion, the Habsburgs had suffered countless betrayals, and she thought her heart had become numb.

But for some reason, when Queen Mother Josephine was betrayed by this young and handsome officer, the sadness and hatred in her heart were so surging and so intense that it was difficult to suppress.

Queen Mother Josephine shed a tear from her eyes: "Everyone has betrayed us."

The raging flood overflowed and destroyed the old world. In the eyes of Queen Mother Josephine, since the whole world had betrayed the Habsburgs, the Habsburgs would never show mercy to this world again.

Chapter 142: The Rise of Fascism

Princess Agnes didn't know what was going on. She was ignorant and naive. Since she was sent to the royal villa in Salzburg, the little princess had been listless, with very light golden hair that was not trimmed and scattered on her white shoulders.

The Queen Mother did not want Princess Agnes to get involved in politics, but the little princess had already opened the newspaper and read the news about Faust's revolution. She was confused at first, then lost in thought, and finally asked her mother:

"Mother... Could the Faust in the newspaper be..."

Princess Agnes's beautiful eyes were already red, and she looked so pitiful that anyone who saw her would want to hug her in their arms and ask who could have hurt such a delicate angel like this.

The little princess curled up into a ball. She felt dizzy at the change in reality, and was left with only frustration and sadness. Her shoulders were shaking and she couldn't help sobbing softly. Tears flowed down her cheeks and soon soaked her pink and white silk palace skirt.

Queen Dowager Josephine's voice was filled with resentment: "We can't just sit there like pathetic creatures in Salzburg and watch the Habsburgs' eight hundred years of foundation destroyed. If the Emperor allows the empire to fall, then the other Habsburgs should bear the responsibility. If the Emperor doesn't have the ability, then someone else should take the responsibility."

Queen Mother Josephine was absolutely unwilling to sit idly by. In her view, if the Habsburg family did not take any action, they would sooner or later face the same fate as the Tsar.

The choice was to be burned into a pile of ashes in the basement, or to fight to the death and bring about the demise of the Habsburg Empire in a spectacular manner.

This is hardly a multiple-choice question.

Queen Mother Josephine was still hesitant at first, but Faust's betrayal was undoubtedly the last straw, making the Queen Mother decide to take a risk, because the Habsburg royal family could not tolerate such humiliation.

"Mother, we can only stay in the Royal Villa and cannot leave, not even Salzburg. We can't do anything."

The main members of the Habsburg royal family are now all under house arrest in their country villas in Salzburg. The Austrian provisional government will certainly not allow them to run around and disrupt the overall situation.

Queen Mother Josephine's expression was as calm as water. "That's not a problem. The Habsburgs have been kind for eight hundred years. There will always be one or two loyal ministers willing to fight for us."

At this time, regimes in various parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed one after another, and independent forces of ethnic minorities seized power. The Austrian Provisional Government had no authority at all. Vienna itself was almost besieged, and communications were severely damaged, making it impossible to distinguish between rumors and facts.

The Austrian Provisional Government was itself in a precarious situation, and its order to place the Habsburg royal family under house arrest in Salzburg might not be very effective.

The Vienna government had no power to restrain itself. After the Italian army occupied Trieste on the southern front, it continued to advance. The Austrian army on the front line was unable to offer any effective resistance, and all the troops were defeated.

With morale at rock bottom, the Italian army easily recovered all the lost territory in the four-year war and occupied Trieste. At this time, an even more dramatic scene occurred. In Fiume, the most important port city on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, the local government of Croatia of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which controlled the area, made an astonishing move to prevent Fiume from being occupied by the Italians.

The provisional government in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, announced the establishment of the "Yugoslav National Council". This committee, which was transformed from the Croatian local government of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, included many officials from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vojvodina, Dalmatia and other places under the rule of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. It had a large number of people and considerable influence.

After the establishment of the committee, it immediately announced the abolition of the union agreement signed with Hungary in 1868, formally withdrew from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and established a united state of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs.

The Serbian government, with the support of the Allies, had just fought back to the capital Belgrade. Suddenly receiving such good news, the Serbian monarch and his subjects were naturally overjoyed.

The French and the British also supported Serbia. They did not want to see Italy occupy the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so they supported Serbia to take over the most important part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's legacy and, by the way, block Italy's way to continue expanding into the heartland of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Just three days after the Tyrolean uprising, representatives of the Serbian government, the Croatian Yugoslav National Council and other parties reached a temporary agreement in Geneva and decided to establish a united state headed by the Kingdom of Serbia.

In addition to Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia, the territory of this country also includes Slovenia, which was directly under the jurisdiction of Vienna during the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Slovenia controlled the two port cities that the Italians most wanted, one was Trieste and the other was Fiume.

The Serbian army took the initiative and, with the help of naval warships sent by Britain and France, immediately transported troops by sea and occupied the ports of Trieste and Fiume a few days later.

When this news reached the Apennine Peninsula, the Italians were furious. They had fought hard with the Austro-Hungarian Empire for years, but gained nothing. The Serbian army easily snatched away the greatest fruits of victory!

How can you bear this!

The Italians believed that according to the provisions of the London Treaty signed in 1915, these territories were spoils of war that Britain and France had already promised to Italy. Moreover, since the United States emphasized national self-determination so much, Fiume should belong to Italy because the local Italian population was slightly larger.

However, US President Wilson was pro-Yugoslav, and in order to suppress Italy and maintain its dominant position in the Balkans, France also supported Greece and Yugoslavia and opposed Italy.

The blatant favoritism of the Allies really made the Italians extremely angry. At that time, D'Annunzio and Mussolini were following the army north from Venice, had crossed the Piave River, and were advancing towards Trieste.

At this time, Serbian soldiers on British and French warships had already occupied Trieste. In order to avoid conflict with its allies, the Italian government ordered the front-line troops to suspend their advance and wait for the results of negotiations between the diplomatic department and the Allied Powers.

D'Annunzio, a high-ranking Italian officer, was the first to learn of this secret. He immediately approached Mussolini and said, "Great journalist, I have a crucial inside story. The Roman authorities have betrayed over a million Italian soldiers. They ordered the army to halt its advance, intending to sell Trieste and Fiume to the Serbs. I have ample evidence. If you have the guts, will you help me expose all this?"

Mussolini certainly would not miss such a great opportunity to make himself famous. He patted his chest and promised:

"Please give me the insider documents, give me a copy, and tomorrow I can fill every newspaper in the country with photos of the copy. The government is so cowardly and incompetent. We should call on the army and the people to overthrow the traitorous government of Rome!"

Mussolini was also extremely bold. He obtained many insider documents from D'Annunzio, so he took copies of them first, and then mobilized all his connections in the news industry to spread the copies everywhere. Then he simply printed them at his own expense, printing thousands of copies of the documents in one day, making them into posters, and posting them all over the streets of Venice.

To promote D'Annunzio, Mussolini, a highly accomplished journalist, selected a fasces (a symbol of authority) from ancient Roman history and printed it alongside a copy of the photo. He also penned a slogan:

"Fasces! Fasces! If the Roman government fails to act, the Italian people themselves must raise the fasces and overthrow our national enemies!"

The fascist was originally a symbol of power for ancient Roman law enforcement officials. It was a wooden stick with an axe inserted into it. Written in Latin, it is the word "fasces", and read as "fascism".

"Let us use fascism to severely punish Italy's enemies of the state!"

Through Mussolini's propaganda, a word that brought great disaster to all mankind in later history officially stepped onto the main stage of history.

The rise of fascism.

Chapter 143 Red National Defense Army

On November 6, 1918, the third day after the Tyrol Uprising, the weather in Innsbruck was cold that morning. Although the heavy snow had stopped, there was still winter fog. After three days and nights, the Austrian residents of Innsbruck finally figured out the whole story.

The flow of people on the streets gradually returned to the level before November 3. After the sun rose, the number of passers-by gradually increased, and many citizens finally came out of their homes after being locked up for many days.

Citizens took to the streets, asking each other what had happened in Austria in the past few days, and some began to circulate the numerous propaganda materials distributed by the National Socialist Party.

"The Revolutionary Republic of Tyrol? Ah? From now on we're no longer Austrians, but members of the Tyrolean Republic?"

"Look, the revolutionary proclamation is signed by Witt Faust, the German war hero, Colonel Faust."

"The Republic... What about His Majesty the Emperor? Will we still be considered Austrians?"

"Look for yourself at the announcement, 'A Letter from Faust, the Head of the Tyrolean Revolutionary Republic, to the German People.' It clearly states that the Tyrolean Revolutionary Republic will unify all German-inhabited lands into a freely associated socialist republic, in accordance with the principle of national self-determination."

"What about the future? Judging by this announcement, we'll all be Germans!"

"So what if we become Germans? It's a good thing. We Austrians already speak German and are ethnic Germans. Now that the Empire no longer exists, it's fine for us to join Germany. At least we have Germany's protection, and we won't be retaliated by the Slavs."

"A socialist republic... sounds terrifying. I have two shops in Innsbruck, and I'm so afraid Colonel Faust will plunder our property and exterminate our entire family like the Russians did... We businessmen, do we really need to leave Tyrol?"

"Oh! It's over, it's all over! My factory has so much machinery and equipment that I can't take it with me. The revolutionaries will definitely confiscate it! It's all over!"

……

After the Tyrol Uprising, there were several gunshots in Innsbruck, but the whole city quickly restored order. This is indeed a typical "German" style.

The Cheka led by Hitler incorporated the city police department of Innsbruck. Most of the surrendered police were incorporated into the Cheka's action brigade. They were responsible for maintaining order on the streets. If anyone took advantage of the chaos to engage in sabotage, they would be arrested by the Cheka. Therefore, Innsbruck returned to peace in a very short time.