Blomberg and Flitch made eye contact and said, "Lampard, I will believe you just once, and we will not object to this matter."
"Uncle Blomberg. Thank you for your trust in me." Lin Wei stood up and gave Blomberg a Junker etiquette. Lin Wei knew how difficult it was to trust such an old-fashioned general. At the same time, he prayed that history would remain the same. Don’t let the butterfly effect happen and let Germany and Austria merge smoothly.
After the generals left, Lin Wei could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "You almost scared me to death just now. I thought you were going to quarrel with them," Linda said with lingering fear.
"Don't worry, honey, I'm still sure of persuading them," Lin Wei said affectionately, hugging Linda.
After being gentle for a while, Linda suddenly got up and shouted, "It's over, my little Albert has been staying here for so long. I don't know if he has caught a cold." After saying that, she ran to the room next to her.
Seeing this, Lin Wei felt helpless and stood up and said, "Linda, I went to the Prime Minister's Office to report to the head of state and will come back for dinner in the evening."
"I know" Linda's voice came through the door.
Hitler was very happy until the generals of the Wehrmacht stopped objecting. To be honest, if they insisted on objecting, Hitler didn't know what to do. Fortunately, Lin Wei solved this problem.
So in April 1937, accompanied by Guido Schmidt, Schuschnigg boarded the night train bound for Salzburg. The next morning, they arrived at the German border. At this time, the German welcoming team was already standing on the side of German customs waiting, including German Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Austria von Papen, German Foreign Minister Neureiter and our protagonists Lampard & Krupp.
When the other party came here, Lin Wei and the others raised their right hands, and they welcomed the Austrian Prime Minister with a Hitler salute. Then the German customs officials also raised their arms and saluted very gracefully; seeing this, the two Austrian guests also saluted back, although this is illegal in Austria. But there was nothing they could do about this situation.
Before going to Berchtesgaden, the Austrian Chancellor received special assurances from Hitler that the agreement signed on July 11, 1936 would remain unchanged. In this agreement, Germany promised to respect Austria's independence and not interfere in Austria's internal affairs. Schuschnigg was a weak and elegant head of the Austrian government, who was 41 years old.
At the beginning of the meeting, he naturally made a polite greeting and said a few words about the local scenery and weather. But Adolf Hitler interrupted him rudely: "We didn't invite you here to talk about the scenery and the weather."
Then came a hailstorm of accusations against the chancellor that the Austrian government had avoided adopting a friendly policy toward Germany and that the entire history of Austria was one of constant treason and treason. It was so in the past, and it's no better now. Now he was determined to put an end to it all. He also said that he had achieved the greatest achievement in German history, greater than any German. Anyone who disagrees with him will be destroyed.
After hearing Hitler's words, Schuschnigg felt something was wrong. However, he still patiently retorted: "Your Excellency, the entire history of Austria was an inseparable part of German history, and it was a major part. So in this regard, Austria's contribution is considerable. And Austria and Germany have already They have been divided for a long time. In order not to hurt the feelings of the two peoples, I suggest it is better not to merge!"
"Prime Minister Schuschnigg, come and take a look at this." After saying this, Lin Wei immediately took out a stack of documents from his briefcase. Schuschnigg opened it and saw that it was covered with dense signatures. He looked at Schuschnigg. With a puzzled look, Lin Wei explained, "These are the signatures of people who agreed to the Anschluss with Germany and Austria. Among them are farmers, workers, lawyers, doctors, and people from all kinds of professions. I want you to The purpose of reading this is to let you know that the historical trend of the Anschluss is unstoppable."
Although Schuschnigg did not know Lin Wei, he was well-educated and patiently said, "Young man, I think you should understand that we in Austria are not isolated in the world, and your country's invasion of Austria may mean We are going to war with the world! So for the sake of peace between Germany and Austria. I hope we can solve the problem together calmly. After all, war is not good for anyone!"
"Yes, the historical trend of the Anschluss is unstoppable," Hitler stood up and repeated it. After these threats, Hitler wanted Schuschnigg to pay attention to Austria's isolated and helpless situation. He said: "Don't think for a moment that anyone in the world can make me give up my decision. Italy? I am with Mussolini. Britain? Britain will not lift a finger for Austria. France? France could have The Rhineland stops Germany, then I would have to retreat, but it is too late for France now. Now I give you once again, and for the last time, the chance to negotiate terms."
Looking at the roaring Hitler, Schuschnigg could only ask, "So, what are the conditions of the German Chancellor?"
Hitler looked at Schuschnigg who seemed to be ready to retreat. The contempt in his eyes was revealed without any concealment. He sneered and said, "Mr. Chancellor, I think we can discuss this issue in the afternoon. Now, I am hungry."
After lunch, German Deputy Foreign Minister Ribbentrop sent a document, which was actually an ultimatum from Germany, asking Schuschnigg to hand over the Austrian government to the Nazis within a week. As for why Ribbentrop was chosen, it was Lin Wei who recommended him. Neureiter didn't like doing this kind of thing, so he pushed him aside. It also saved Lin Wei from worrying about the legacy of Weimar. The elite who came down came into conflict with Hitler.
The specific content of this ultimatum is that the ban on the Austrian Nazi Party must be lifted, all imprisoned Nazis must be released, and the pro-Nazi Viennese lawyer Dr. Seth-Inquart must serve as Minister of the Interior , he should have the power to take charge of police and security affairs. It is necessary to appoint another pro-Nazi, Glas-Holstenau, as commander, and to establish closer relations between the Austrian army and the German army through a number of measures, including the systematic exchange of 100 officers. Finally, Austria was required to be integrated into the German economic system. To this end Dr. Fischbock, a pro-Nazi, was appointed Minister of Finance.
After Schuschnigg read this document, he immediately realized that accepting this ultimatum would mean the end of Austria's independence. He has one last chance to resist. He asked to see Hitler again. Seeing that Schuschnigg had not given him a chance to speak, Hitler said categorically, "There is nothing to discuss in this document. I will not change a single bit of it. You must sign this document intact, and on three Meet my demands within a day, otherwise I will order the march to Austria."
At this time, Marshal Blomberg, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces who was specially invited by Lin Wei to attend the meeting, said, "Schuschniger, if you don't sign, the war will come to Austria. The German Wehrmacht has been mobilized. It's really that time." , Austria is in the flames of war, I hope you will consider it.”
Seeing Blomberg's reluctant threats, Lin Wei secretly watched Hitler's reaction. Lin Wei only hoped that the elites left behind in Weimar and Hitler could coexist peacefully. Without their restraint, Hitler would be in trouble in the future. I definitely don’t know where it will take Germany.
Until he saw Hitler's smile, Lin Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, internal strife did not break out for the time being, and the balance between the two factions was maintained.
Facing Hitler, a war maniac, Schuschnigg could only say, "According to the Austrian Constitution, only the President of the Republic has the legal power to accept such an agreement and implement it. Although he is willing to appeal to the President to accept it, he cannot guarantee."
Hitler looked directly at Schuschnigg and said gloomily, "You must guarantee it."
Although Schuschnigg was a veteran of political turmoil, he finally gave in to Hitler in the face of the threat of armed attack. After signing the agreement, Schuschnigg left Berchtesgaden, because in order for the agreement to take effect, it must be approved by the Austrian Parliament, the cabinet and President Miklas. It takes a lot of time. Hitler only gave him three days, which expired on the 2nd. So he immediately consulted with Miklas.
On April 16, the Austrian government announced an amnesty for the Nazis and announced the reorganized cabinet list. Artur Seyss-Inquart was appointed minister. The next day, this Nazi minister, Austria's first Quisling, rushed to Berlin to meet Hitler and accept his master's orders.
On April 20, Hitler delivered the long-awaited speech to the Reichstag. Hitler declared: There are more than 10 million Germans living in the two countries that border our borders... One thing can never be doubted. Rights - that is, the general right to self-determination - cannot be deprived of due to political separation from Germany. A world power cannot tolerate the cruel torture of its brothers of the same race next to it. It is Germany's duty to protect these Germanic peoples who cannot achieve political and spiritual freedom through their own efforts.
This was a blunt and public notice: the future of the 7 million Austrians and 3 million Germans in the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia was a matter for the Third Reich.
This declaration excited everyone in Germany. After the Holy Roman Empire, Germany and Austria were permanently divided. Although every German leader thought about reunification deep in his heart all the time, they all failed, even the iron-blooded prime minister Bismarck. And when this day actually comes, how can we not make the German people excited