The Rise of the Third Reich

"Marshal, how was your conversation with the Americans?"

On the evening of June 15, while having dinner with Hersmann, Adolf Hitler asked Hersmann about his meeting with Hull and Hopkins.

"The Americans are against us," Hersman said, fiddling with his glass. “Oppose our abolition of the Treaties of Versailles, Saint-Germain, Sèvres, Lausanne and Trianon, and especially Trianon! The Americans will speak out Issue a statement strongly opposing the abolition of this treaty! It is clear that Americans do not intend to watch Germany replace Britain as the master of the world.”

"Isn't there strong isolationist sentiment in the United States?" Ribbentrop interjected.

"Before we defeated France, there was relatively strong isolationist sentiment," Hersman said with a shrug, "but that has changed now... Leader, you should know that public opinion is very easy to manipulate."

"You mean," Hitler asked thoughtfully, "that war between us and the United States is inevitable?"

"You can't say that," Hersman said. "It depends on the Soviet Union. If the Soviet Union was not won over by Britain and the United States, the United States would not be able to fight with us. Because the United States simply cannot afford the casualties caused by fighting with us."

But it is impossible for the Soviet Union to join the German camp! Germany's policy towards the Soviet Union could only be to contain rather than win over the Soviet Union. In other words, there is always the possibility that the Soviet Union will be won over by the United States.

Hitler was silent for a while, just frowning at the plate of vegetable salad placed in front of him. It took me a long time to come up with this sentence: "Today the Japanese Foreign Minister also said that their actions in French Indochina have been strongly opposed by the United States. There is a high possibility of war between the United States and Japan in the future. Therefore, Japan hopes that and The Soviet Union is allied... Japan hopes that the Soviet Union can join us."

"But the Soviet Union is too expensive and we can't afford it." Hersman said mockingly, "No one can satisfy the appetite of these Russians. Their appetite is too big."

"But the Japanese plan to divide the East Asian continent with them." Ribbentrop said, "Japan thinks that is their lifeline."

"Ignore this senseless request," Hessman said without thinking. "With Japan's current national strength, if it falls into the East Asian continent, it will not have much spare power to go south. Why do we need this ally?"

Germany's purpose of wooing Japan is nothing more than to contain the United States, but there is a huge gap in strength between Japan and the United States. Japan must go all out and has no spare power to use troops in East Asia at the same time. Moreover, the current East Asian continent has generally been developing steadily for more than ten years. Although it has experienced some turbulence during this period, its overall strength is still rising.

Moreover, the East Asian continent has also obtained a lot of advanced weapons and industrial equipment through barter trade - not only the barter trade with Germany (Germany needs non-ferrous metals such as tungsten ore and manganese ore from the East Asian continent), but the scale of the barter trade with Japan is also Very big. From the 1930s to the present, the East Asian continent has always been the largest market for Japanese machinery and steel exports, with the cumulative transaction amount exceeding 1 billion ounces of silver!

Although the scale of industrial construction in the East Asian continent is generally not very large and the technology is not advanced, it can already support a large-scale, low-intensity and very long land war. If they received assistance from the Soviet Union, they could completely defeat Japan in a long war.

This is also the reason why Japan has been reluctant to take action and wants to put pressure on the Soviet Union through Germany in order to achieve the goal of carving up the East Asian continent between Japan and the Soviet Union.

Hersman smiled coldly and said, "If the Japanese were really sure, they should have intervened last year."

"Isn't that because the Soviet Union took the lead?" Ribbentrop interjected. "The Japanese had a chance to compete with them, and they were no match for them. Moreover, the Soviet Union did not enter Manchuria, which Japan valued most."

Hessman sneered: "We were not opponents last year, but are we opponents this year? Japan's navy is indeed a powerful force, but their army's strength is not as good as Poland's."

He shook his head and continued: "Moreover, most of the coal, iron ore and non-ferrous metals consumed by Japanese industry are imported from the East Asian continent. Once a war breaks out, Japan's raw material imports will immediately have problems. If Japan cannot win quickly, Japan will will turn to Britain and the United States, which can provide them with raw materials. Therefore, on the issue of the East Asian continent, we should continue to be consistent with the Soviet Union to force Japan to continue to conflict with Britain and the United States south."

Hirschman's strategy against Japan is very simple, which is to force Japan to go south to cause trouble for Britain and the United States. If this goal cannot be achieved, there is no point in forming an alliance with Japan or promoting the "Soviet-Japanese Non-Aggression Pact".

He took a sip of wine produced in Switzerland and continued: "And it is impossible for the Soviet Union to join the alliance. Even if they were to join, the only concessions would be us and Japan. How could it be the Soviet Union? This Matsuoka Yosuke's brain must not be the same. Very clear."

Hitler fell silent again after listening to Hersmann's words. After a while, he said to Ribbentrop in a commanding tone: "Go and tell the Japanese that the Italian leader and I welcome Japan to join the alliance. We will also advise France recognizes the independence of French Indochina. As for the Soviet Union... we can promote the Japan-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, which will be based on the current status quo of the East Asian continent."

After Hitler finished speaking, he looked at Hersmann again. Hersman quickly added: "One more thing can be added: We and the Soviet Union are both major countries in the socialist camp. We can exert influence on those who are also in the socialist camp and promote the signing of a non-aggression treaty between the two sides to ensure that Japan will continue to advance southward. Sufficient supply of various war resources such as coal mines, iron ore, non-ferrous metals and food.”

…

Just when Hitler and Herschmann were discussing how to use Japan to cause trouble for the United States, the Americans had the same plan. U.S. Secretary of State Hull and Secretary of Commerce Hopkins are meeting with Prince Paul, the Regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, at the U.S. Consulate General in Geneva.

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was not actually a direct product of World War I. It was the Kingdom of Serbo-Croat-Slovenia, a united kingdom that was established after the surrender of Germany and Austria-Hungary in December 1918. However, all nationalities in the country except the Serbs opposed the United Kingdom. Therefore, the then King Alexander I dissolved the Parliament in January 1929, abolished the constitution, banned the activities of all political parties including the Bolshevik Party, implemented strict press censorship, and also The country changed from the United Kingdom to a unified kingdom and changed its name to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

However, such changes and repressive measures caused a greater backlash. On April 20, 1929, the extreme Croatian nationalist organization Ustasha was established in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, preparing to use terrorist means to win independence for Croatia. On October 9, 1934, the group successfully assassinated King Alexander I of Yugoslavia in Marseille, France.

At this time, Peter II, the successor of Alexander I, was not yet of age and could not rule the country, so he was regent by his uncle, Prince Paul, who met Hull and Hopkins today.

"Your Highness, President Roosevelt and the American people are firmly on the side of the Yugoslav people. Any attempt to dismember Yugoslavia will be resolutely opposed by the United States. All actions taken by the Yugoslav people to resist the German attack will receive assistance from the United States... "

Listening to the inspiring speech by US Secretary of State Hull, Prince Paul of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia looked gloomy and terrifying, as if he was hearing a death sentence against the Kingdom of Yugoslavia!

"Mr. Secretary of State, Mr. Minister," Prince Paul was silent for a long time before speaking with difficulty, "I think you understand the independent will of the Croats and Slovenes. They have been fighting us Serbs since 1919, using peaceful means to and violent means. This should not have happened. Without the Treaty of Trianon to dismember Greater Hungary, the Kingdom of Serbia would have been more prosperous and stable than it is now. Now that Germany has become the master of the European continent, they want to abolish the "Treaty of Trianon". Treaty of Trianon, which is a good thing for Croats, Slovenes and us Serbs... Why do you Americans want to oppose it? Do you want to see Croats, Serbs and Slovenes descend into endless killing of each other? ?"

Hull and Hopkins looked at each other, both a little surprised - Yugoslavia actually had clear-headed politicians who knew that it was impossible to rule the entire Kingdom of Yugoslavia with the power of the Serbs. Therefore, it is necessary to give up some territory that does not belong to the Serbs, such as Croatia and Slovenia.

In fact, these two territories have never been ruled by the Serbs. The alliance between the Croatians and the Hungarians has existed for more than 800 years, and the Slovenes have been ruled by the Habsburg family for more than 400 years. If the Habsburg family, which has blood, feudal legal traditions and religious blessings, does not have the right to rule Croatia and Slovenia, then what qualifications does the Obrenovich dynasty, who were born as shepherds and believe in Orthodox Christianity (both Croatia and Slovenia believe in Catholicism), have? Rule Croatia and Slovenia?

"And letting Croatia and Slovenia leave Yugoslavia is also in line with the principle of national self-determination that the United States has always advocated." Prince Paul looked at the two American politicians, as if expecting them to show kindness - the nationalist sentiment in Greater Serbia is very strong now, if If the United States and the United Kingdom continue to work together to fan the flames, the government led by Prince Paul is likely to be overthrown by the Serbs. By then, the situation in Yugoslavia will be completely out of control!

But the prince soon fell into despair. The U.S. Secretary of State did not mention "national self-determination" at all, but told him in a cold tone: "The U.S. government not only looks at the present, it also looks at the future. Any country that Countries that can easily be defeated and submit to orders will receive less sympathy from the world than countries that stand up to resist - even if that resistance lasts only a few weeks."

Prince Paul understood what Hull meant, which was actually forcing Yugoslavia to rebel against Germany, otherwise it would be punished in a future peace treaty!

The prince shook his head resolutely: "Your big country is so cruel. You talk about our future, but you are far away."