The Rise of the Third Reich

"No... we don't have a vaccine against pneumonic plague."

Hirschman's answer surprised Hersman. He looked at Hirsch and shouted on the spot: "Lieutenant General Oshima, are you kidding me? Your Unit 731 has been conducting human experiments for so many years. There are at least tens of thousands of lives lost, but there is no vaccine. What are you doing without a vaccine? You need to kill so many people?”

"Really not..." Hiro Oshima looked aggrieved, but he was very surprised in his heart - Unit 731 is the Japanese Army's biggest secret, and they are engaged in human experiments, which is a secret among secrets...

"You are lying to me, you Japanese are lying to me!" Hersman slammed the table, "Do you think we have no biologists or bacteriologists in Germany? In fact, we have biologists and medical experts in Germany. It is the best in the world... I have asked the top 10 winners of the N Bell Prize in Biology and Medicine, and each of them thinks that the purpose of your experiments on living people is to reduce the toxicity of vaccines and test specific drugs!”

Theoretically, this is the case. Frequent in-vivo experiments are not required to produce bacterial weapons. In fact, the production of bacterial weapons including plague, anthrax, and cholera all use "mature technologies". Any powerful country can produce them in large quantities, and there is no need to This cost a lot of lives.

However, in order to produce a truly useful vaccine, repeated human trials are inevitable. In particular, vaccines to suppress the plague require frequent trials, and failure of the trials may cause casualties - at least for a bunch of people who have won dynamite awards. European biological and medical experts say so.

Of course Hersman believed it, because he knew that in another time and space, those experts from the guilty Unit 731 were protected by the United States. There must be a reason for this, and the biggest reason was that they had mastered what the Americans needed. Plague vaccine!

Because the bacteria themselves are not difficult to replicate, Americans can obtain samples of various bacteria such as plague, anthrax, cholera, and typhoid fever that 731 possesses. Because Unit 731 has used bacterial weapons on the Chinese battlefield, as long as it is used, samples will be collected, and the samples can be copied. What Americans have no way to get is the vaccine!

So Hessmann is very sure that Japan must have the vaccine, but it just refuses to give it to Germany. Because the Japanese also know that the bacteria they put in the United States will definitely spread to Europe, and Germany will distribute the vaccine everywhere by then. It is inevitable that it will be obtained by American agents. The pharmaceutical technology of the United States is much higher than that of Japan, and most of the samples obtained A vaccine to combat the plague will be produced in large quantities...

"Your Excellency, Imperial Marshal, we really don't have any." Oshima Hiroshi continued to lie with his eyes open - in fact, he didn't know that he was lying. Although he knew the existence of Unit 731, he also knew that this special unit was He was engaged in research on bacterial weapons, but how would he know the specific situation?

Hersman waved his hand and said to Oshima Hiroshi in a very rude tone: "Lieutenant General, you have just made a serious mistake. This mistake is not to release bacterial weapons to the United States, but to use your real and only one that you can rely on." Your ally Germany is also under the threat of the Black Death, and once the Black Death spreads widely in Europe because of you Japanese, your alliance with Germany will immediately collapse! Now please go back to Tokyo and Hideki Tojo. Let’s talk carefully. If he really wants to have his own way, no one can save Japan!”

…

"How is it? Imperial Marshal, have the Japanese agreed to provide vaccines?"

After Hersmann finished his meeting with Oshima Hiroshi, he immediately went to the Chancellery in Berlin to meet with Hitler who was waiting for news.

Hearing Hitler's question, Hessmann just smiled coldly: "No, the vaccine is the trump card of the Japanese! If they didn't have the exclusive control of the vaccine, how could they dare to use plague weapons unscrupulously?"

What Hersman was talking about was actually common sense in the use of bacterial weapons - without a vaccine or specific medicine, rashly using bacterial weapons against a country with very advanced medical science is literally asking for death. Because opponents will soon replicate the same bacterial weapons for counterattack. Countries that have vaccines will also do everything possible to control the outflow of vaccines while using bacterial weapons, because the vaccines themselves are also not difficult to replicate.

"Damn the Japanese!" Hitler immediately became angry when he heard Hessmann's reply. "These bastards betrayed Germany. They are Germany's enemies!" He stood up and walked quickly inside the spacious and luxurious office. He walked back and forth and waved his fists, "Marshal Reich, we should submit an ultimatum to Japan. If they don't hand over the vaccine, then they are Germany's enemies! There is no doubt that the entire Europe will be Japan's enemy!"

Hersman said to himself: "If Roosevelt hears what Hitler is saying now, he will definitely fall in love with this mustache!"

"Mr. Chancellor," Hersmann smiled at the angry Hitler and said, "It's not that serious."

"What do you mean it's not that serious?" Hitler asked. "Don't you think it's impossible for the Black Death to spread from America to Europe?"

"The risk is controllable. This is not the Middle Ages after all, and we are not completely helpless against the plague. Some vaccines and drugs are already available." Hersman said, "And we can also block traffic between European and American-controlled areas. ”

The U.S.-controlled areas Hersman mentioned refer to the entire North America plus South America's Panama (half of the country is in South America), Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and all Caribbean countries.

These countries, including the United States, have not completely interrupted their trade with Europe. Because there are still several neutral countries in Europe, such as Portugal, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Sweden, etc. Almost all of the oil in these European neutral countries is imported from areas controlled by the United States, with no less than 400,000 tons of imports every month.

The reason why these neutral countries consume so much oil is mainly because many merchant ships from the European Community and the Roman Empire carried the flags of neutral countries for trans-oceanic trade, from neutral countries around the world (such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, etc.) Import food and mineral products that Europe needs.

Of course, these ships from neutral European countries will also transport the resources needed by the United States to neutral countries in South America, and then transport them to the United States on ships flying the flags of South American countries... In fact, the warring parties use these neutral countries to exchange what they have.

Once traffic and trade between Europe and US-controlled areas are blocked, this "grey trade" between the warring parties will no longer be maintained.

"Damn it!" Hitler gritted his teeth, "Marshal Reich, do you know how much damage a complete interruption of trade will cause?"

"It won't be interrupted for long," Hersman smiled. "In a few months, everything will be back to normal."

"In a few months, will the Japanese be able to defeat the Americans?" Hitler asked doubtfully.

"It is also possible that the Americans captured the Hawaiian Islands, which would make it difficult for the Japanese to continue to introduce plague germs to the United States." Hersman said, "No matter who wins between the United States and Japan, there is no harm to us. , so now we cannot be too unfriendly to Japan..."

As Hersmann spoke, a telephone on Hitler's desk suddenly rang. Hitler picked up the receiver and put it to his ear, and the voice of Foreign Minister Ribbentrop came from inside.

"My leader, I just received an urgent message from the embassy in Lisbon. The Black Death has spread to Portugal!"

Hitler put down the phone and said to Hessmann solemnly: "Marshal Reich, we are a step too late...The Black Death has spread to Europe! We must make a statement and immediately suspend all military cooperation projects with Japan. Withdraw all technical experts and military delegations stationed in Japan, and expel the Japanese military delegation stationed in Berlin!”

Although Hersman was surprised by the rapid spread of the plague, he did not turn the matter into a conspiracy theory, but acquiesced in Japan as the culprit. But he also knows that Germany still needs Japan as a friend, and Japan's use of bacterial weapons against the United States is actually beneficial to Germany... because in the next few months, the United States will have to fight Japan in the Hawaiian Islands It was a bloody battle with heavy casualties, and in order to ensure victory, most of the main force of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet would be transferred to the Pacific Theater.

In this way, Germany can regain the initiative in the Atlantic and even have a chance to open up a situation in South America!

"Prime Minister, do we really want to break with Japan?" Hersmann quickly said to Hitler, "In order to gain a favorable position in the Atlantic and South America, we now need Japan to attract the hatred of the United States."

Hitler glanced at Hessmann and seemed to have regained some composure, "Marshal Reich, the behavior of the Japanese is unforgivable... This is the position of the entire Europe, so a temporary suspension of cooperation is necessary. This is political correctness!"

Hearing Hitler say this, Hessmann breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked: "When will we temporarily suspend cooperation with Japan?"

"Starting on February 1st," Hitler replied. "Starting from February 1, we will no longer help Japan until Japan gives Germany a satisfactory answer on the issue of the Black Death."

This meant that Hessmann had less than a month to provide aid to Japan - enough time for the upcoming Second Hawaiian Islands Campaign.

As for the situation after the Second Battle of the Hawaiian Islands, it depends on what kind of results the Japanese can achieve. If the Japanese can really deliver an annihilating blow to the main force of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in the Second Battle of the Hawaiian Islands as they have repeatedly claimed, then the world war will almost be over...