The Rise of the Third Reich

"Struggle! Fight! Fight!"

In the train station square, tens of thousands of Baltic People's Stormtroopers shouted battle slogans. They were not instigated by Hessmann, but were established under the orders of Admiral Goltz. The basis is the people's war theory proposed by Marshal Goltz (Marshal Colmar von der Goltz).

The marshal who wrote the classic military work "The People Armed". He commanded the Turkish army fighting in the Middle East during the World War. He died of typhoid fever in April 1916, so he did not see the scene that broke his heart. Because he has taught at the military academy for a long time, his theories are extremely influential in the German army and are known to almost all officers.

In the United Baltic Principality, limited by the small population, the number of regular troops is ultimately limited. It has become an inevitable choice for all the people to become soldiers! So after completing the organization of the Baltic Defense Forces, the Defense Forces Command led by General Goltz began to integrate all male Baltic Germans who could take up arms, as well as some Latvian and Estonian volunteers. The People's Stormtroopers have a total strength of one hundred thousand!

Counting the regular troops of the Baltic Defense Forces and the Free Corps (currently still German troops) who are preparing to stay in Baltica temporarily, the force that the United Baltic Principality can use after Germany's defeat will exceed 250,000!

Now the main forces of the Baltic Defense Forces and the German troops stationed in Baltic States have been transferred to the Courland Peninsula and Estonia for defense. The main ones guarding Riga are the People's Stormtroopers.

Amidst the sound of slogans, Hessman came down from the speech platform and saw Mrs. Kollontai who had been waiting for a while. The latter was wearing expensive furs, dressed very fashionably, and accompanied by two entourages, as if she were a wealthy White Russian woman from Russia.

There are also more wealthy White Russians here in Riga. Most of them escaped before the Bolsheviks closed the country. There were also some who were expelled by the Bolsheviks—mainly celebrities and scholars, as well as veteran socialists (non-Bolsheviks). The Bolsheviks did not dare to attack them yet, so they expelled them.

"Ludwig, your speech level has improved very quickly!" Kollontai hugged Hessmann affectionately, "If you keep going like this, you will almost catch up with Lenin."

"Lenin? Haha, we're still far away!" Hersman saw Nagy Imre, "Who is this friend? Alexandra, he can't be your new boyfriend, right?"

If you said this to Chloe, you would definitely get a blank stare. However, Kollontai is famous for being bold and bold. She laughed and said: "Actually not, at least not yet. Let me introduce to you, Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig von Hessmann - this He is the Hungarian revolutionary Nagy Imre, the representative of Comrade Bela.”

Najib? Nagy, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers who was executed after the Hungarian incident? Hessmann always seems to encounter some people who die badly, either being shot, dying in jail or committing suicide, so he is used to it.

"Comrade Imre, welcome to the United Baltic Principality." Hersman took the initiative to shake hands with young Nagy. "Twenty million Hungarian people have begun to fight. I wish you an early victory!"

"Lieutenant Colonel, this is exactly why I came here." Najib Imre said.

"Okay," Hessman nodded, "This is not the place to talk. Let's talk after we get in the car. By the way, Chloe, give the guests some masks."

"Mask?" Kollontai frowned, "Is a cold also starting to spread in Riga?"

She was talking about the Spanish flu, which first appeared in the United States and was not very deadly at first. But in August, the cold suddenly became a murderous weapon. In the three months of August, September, and October, it swept through several Western Front participating countries such as the United States, Britain, and France. The frontline military camps were filled with patients, and thousands of soldiers died—this was probably the main reason why the Allied offensive slowed down after August.

On October 17, Ludendorff also admitted that the German front lines were also full of sick people. Then the deadly cold spread throughout Germany, including the Baltics.

…

The carriage drove to the Courland estate on the outskirts of Riga. There is the headquarters of the Russian-German Economic Promotion Company in Riga. Because Mrs. Kollontai came here secretly, it was not suitable to live in Riga. Instead, she was arranged in the secluded Courland Manor. There she will sign a secret "Mutual Non-Aggression Pact" with Baron Pierreburg, Prime Minister of the United Baltic Principalities - Baltic guarantees that Belarus will not use its territory as a base to attack Soviet Russia, nor will it use its territory as a base to attack Soviet Russia. Provide assistance to Poland and Ukraine when war breaks out. Soviet Russia promised not to invade the territory of the United Baltic Principalities...

Along the way, Kollontai and Nagy were carefully observing the situation in Riga. Riga seems quite peaceful. There are Polo stormtroopers patrolling the streets from time to time. You can also see slogans written on the walls in German and Latvian, all related to fighting to the end!

Obviously, this new Baltic United Principality has been firmly controlled by German militarists! Not even the powerful Bolsheviks could do anything about it, let alone the social democratic anti-war people.

Without these troublemakers, the United Baltic Principality would be able to fight any invader...not just the Allied forces, but also the Bolshevik Red Army!

Liberating Riga will be a tough battle!

Moreover, this Baltic United Principality may also receive support from Britain and France. Because... Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna is a monarch that Britain and France cannot oppose.

The Bolshevik Central Committee has held many meetings to study this matter, and finally came to the conclusion that this is a very clever arrangement! If the Allies want to use the Tsar to interfere in the Russian Revolution - this is almost the only way to unite the White Guards! Then they must recognize the Tsar as the legitimate monarch of Russia and deny the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. In this way, Tsarist Russia is the winner rather than the loser of the world war.

In other words, Tsar Nicholas II is still the legitimate monarch of Courland, Livland, Livonia and Estonia. He has the right to grant the three princely titles related to these four former Tsarist provinces to Grand Duchess Olga, and as the second heir to the Tsar - considering that Crown Prince Alexei suffers from severe hemophilia, Olga has a high probability of becoming the Russian empress - she is absolutely qualified to accept the three princely titles!

So from the current international law principles prevailing in Europe, as long as Olga becomes the monarch of the Baltics. Whether this country should be established is the business of the Russian Empire, not the German Empire.

Britain and France have no reason to object - unless they think that the principle of "national self-determination" in the "Fourteen Points of Peace" applies to the victorious countries.

But this is almost impossible, because it will cause chaos in the colonies of the British Empire and the French Empire.

Moreover, Olga Nikolayevna can actually become a pawn for Britain and France to subvert Soviet Russia. The White Russian forces headed by Yudenich have always planned to use Estonia as a base to attack Petrograd. But it cannot be implemented because of the opposition of the Germans. If Olga becomes the monarch of the Baltic after the defeat of Germany, coupled with the support of Britain and France, the Baltic may become a base against Soviet Russia!

If it were not for the fact that Hungary was more powerful, Lenin would definitely oppose it - but Lenin's opposition would not be useful. After all, it was not the Soviet Union but Britain and France that could threaten the existence of the United Principality of the Baltics after the defeat of Germany.

Moreover, the biggest threat to the Bolsheviks in the Tsarist family was not Grand Duchess Olga, but Nicholas II himself!

Lenin was now regretting his decision. If he had known that the Germans would be defeated so soon, he would never have handed over the Tsar.

"When will Grand Duchess Olga be crowned?" Kollontai asked about the Grand Duchess's coronation in the carriage.

"November 4," Hersman replied, "She will come to Riga in a while."

He did not intend to hide anything. Now the Soviet Union had an embassy in Germany and many friends (Spartacus), so they would definitely be able to grasp the whereabouts of the Tsar's family.

"The Tsar... will come too?" Kollontai asked about the Tsar as if he hadn't noticed.

"He won't come," Hersman shook his head, and then added, "At least I haven't heard that he's coming... Alexandra, do you know who he is? He's a big card!"

The Tsar and Crown Prince Alexei were bargaining chips in Germany's hands - used to exchange for better peace terms, so they would not be handed over easily.

"Will they live in Berlin?" Kollontai continued to inquire.

"Yes, they will live in Berlin," Hersman said.