Empire in Progress

Chapter 115: Sudetenland (2)

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Bang... Just when Carol Sidor thought he should say something to appease everyone, the door to the conference room was suddenly knocked open. Carol Sidor had no time to blame the guard at the door, because he saw The person he least wanted to see at this time was the German. The first person who came in, Carol Siddall, knew him as Hitler's most trusted subordinates, Lampard & Krupp. Behind him were five German generals, as well as the notorious Nazi provincial governor Seiss-Inquart and the Austrian Nazi party leader Joseph Becker.

After Lin Wei and the others walked in, they showed no sign of guests. Lin Wei sat awkwardly in the seat that should have belonged to Carol Sidor, leaning on the table with both hands and saying, "Dear ministers, hello everyone, Now, I want everyone to declare Slovakia’s independence immediately. If you don’t do this, our head of state will impose a military occupation of Slovakia.”

Lin Wei's words were like a bomb, causing the noisy conference room to suddenly become quiet again. Silence, deathly silence. After a while, Carol Siddall said with a dry throat, "Mr. Lampard, you can't do this. This is interfering in Czechoslovakia's internal affairs."

Sidor was opposed to cutting off all ties with the Czechs, so he hesitated. Lin Wei could understand this, but would never support it because it was not in the interests of Germany. So Lin Wei slowly said, "I'm sorry, Lord Sidor, I deeply regret this. But the decision made by the empire will not Changed, so I can only say sorry."

The next day, Father Tissot escaped from a monastery where he was under house arrest. Although he himself is no longer a cabinet member, he requested an immediate cabinet meeting as "prime minister". and declared that Carol Sidor was a puppet of the Czechs. Lin Wei did not expect that things would take such a huge turn, and immediately arranged a plane to take the former Slovak Prime Minister to Berlin, and immediately met Hitler.

Facing the poor priest, Hitler said angrily, "Germany has shown the greatest degree of restraint; but the Czechs have not yet known how to be grateful." In recent weeks, the situation has become intolerable. In the past, Benet "The Slovak spirit is resurrecting again." Hitler then demanded that Slovakia immediately declare "independence" and Germany protect it, otherwise it would use force to resolve it. He hoped that Slovakia would make a decision on this immediately.

Although Tiso did not express his decision at the time, he replied that the Slovaks "will prove that they will not live up to the favor of the Führer." That day, at a meeting at the German Foreign Ministry that lasted until late at night, the Germans helped Tisso draft a telegram for the "prime minister" to send as soon as he returned to Bratislava, declaring Slovakia's independence and pressing for The "Führer" protected the new country.

Lin Wei almost laughed when he saw it. He really didn't know what the people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were thinking. This telegram was actually similar to Austria's request for protection some time ago. Even the wording had not changed. I wonder if the people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had exhausted their talents. . At the same time, Deputy Foreign Minister Ribbentrop also drafted a Slovak declaration of "independence" and translated it into Slovak for Tisso to take back to Bratislava.

The next day, Father Tissot read this declaration to Parliament. Several congressmen at the meeting proposed that it should at least be discussed, but even this proposal was suppressed by the leader of the Germanic nation, Kamazin. With the support of Linwei, the leader of the Germanic peoples warned that if there was any further delay in declaring independence, German troops would come to occupy it. In the face of such threats, the suspicious legislators had no choice but to give in.

Independent Slovakia was born on March 14, 1938. The Czechoslovak Republic founded by Masaryk and Beneš has come to an end. Forced into desperation, the leaders of Prague once again helped Hitler and completed the last act of tragedy for their country.

President Hacha, who was old and bewildered, asked Hitler for an audience. When the President of Czechoslovakia came to Germany, he received all the formal courtesy that a head of state should enjoy. There was a guard of honor lined up at the station, and German Foreign Minister Neulet went to greet the distinguished guests and gave the president's daughter a bouquet of flowers. The president and his party stayed in the best room of the luxurious Adlon Hotel. There are chocolate candies specially prepared for Miss Hacha, which were gifts from Hitler himself. When the elderly president and his foreign minister arrived at the Chancellery, there was also an SS honor guard to salute him.

Slovakia and Lucinia have both declared independence, so the Prague government now only has two Czech lands, Bohemia and Moravia. Czechoslovakia, the country whose borders Britain and France had guaranteed to be intact, actually no longer existed; Chamberlain and Daladier, who had made solemn guarantees with Hitler in Munich, had long since "stepped down."

This eliminates any danger of foreign interference. But in order to be doubly safe, he had to force the weak and dim Hacha who came to see him to accept the solution he had originally planned to achieve by force. In this way he could make it appear that the President of Czechoslovakia had officially requested him to do so, and as the annexation of Austria and the Munich Conference had proved, he was the only one in Europe who had fully mastered this kind of bloodless warfare. It’s a new way to make people subjugate their country.

March 15, 1938 was the day that decided the fate of the Czech Republic. That night, Hitler met with Czech President Khacha and Foreign Minister Valkovsky in a room in the Chancellery with only a few bronze chandeliers lit. By this time Hacha had already anticipated what disaster was waiting for him. Even before his train left the Czech border, he received news from Prague that the German army had occupied the important Czech industrial city of Moravska-Ostrava and was marching along the Bohemian border. The border with Moravia was in position. Therefore, the short, elderly president tried his best not to offend his powerful neighbor as soon as he arrived in Berlin. He deeply understood that Hitler's troops had surrounded his pitifully reduced Czechoslovakia from three sides.

Foreign Minister Chvalkovsky, like his boss, tried to understand Ribbentrop's intentions from the expression on his face, lest he could not understand and anger Ribbentrop. In terms of business, he expressed his readiness to establish a customs union and provide Germany with universal preferential treatment; in terms of politics, he also acquiesced in almost every way imaginable. This short, dark-skinned foreign minister has one sentence that fully illustrates his begging and flattering appearance. "Mr. Reich Minister, if we can, we would always like to rely on you in matters of diplomacy."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Niuret, is in charge of the overall work. Now the power of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has gradually been in the hands of Ribbentrop. Under normal circumstances, Ribbentrop would not mind supporting the Czechoslovak Foreign Minister. It was a moment of relief, but in this situation, Ribbentrop could only say in his heart that there was nothing he could do to help.

To Hitler, the Czech Republic was like a red cloth in the hands of a matador that stimulates the bull. He had long since decided to wipe the country off the map. So Czechoslovakia's fate had long been sealed. At the beginning of the meeting, Hitler first said, "Compared with the Beneš regime, the current situation has not changed at all. Although Beneš is no longer in power, Beneš's ideas still exist in the new Czechoslovakia."

Finally, Hitler said gloomily that the remaining Czechoslovakia could exist entirely due to his good intentions. If Benes's tendency did not completely disappear, he would completely wipe out the country. As early as yesterday, he had ordered German troops to enter Czechoslovakia and ordered the annexation of Czechoslovakia to Germany.

After Hitler finished speaking, he asked the guests to go out. In an adjoining room, Göring and Ribbentrop intensified the pressure on the two miserable men. They literally chased President Khacha and Foreign Minister Chvalkovsky around the table, throwing the documents on the table asking them to surrender again and again in front of them, thrusting pens into their hands, and kept repeating, If they refused, the Nazi army would destroy the Czech Republic. In the face of this terrible threat, Hacha fainted. Göring asked Hitler's personal doctor Morell, who was guarding him, to give him an injection and revive him. The president finally recovered somewhat and was able to hold the telephone receiver the Germans thrust into him and speak to his government in Prague on the dedicated line ordered by Ribbentrop. He told the cabinet what had happened and recommended surrender. Then Dr. Morel gave him another injection, and his spirit improved somewhat. In this way, the finished President of the Czechoslovak Republic staggered back to Adolf Hitler and signed his own country's death sentence.

The communiqué of the talks issued by the two sides read: "During the talks, the heads of state and the president studied in a candid spirit the serious situation caused by the events that have occurred on the territory of Czechoslovakia in recent weeks. Both sides agreed that it is necessary to Make every effort to preserve tranquility and peace in this part of Central Europe. The President of Czechoslovakia declares that in order to achieve this goal and in order to achieve a final peace, he confidently places the fate of the Czech people and the Czech state in the hands of the German Head of State. The Head of State accepts "

After seeing off the two poor hapless guys, President Khacha and Foreign Minister Chvarkovsky, Hitler looked at Goering with burning eyes. Hess. Goebbels and others announced loudly, "Comrades, this is a great moment. From today on, Czechoslovakia no longer exists. This nasty country that became independent after the war has finally been wiped off the map." .

"Hi, Hitler..." Goering and others also shouted excitedly.

According to one of his female secretaries, after signing the contract, Hitler rushed into his office, hugged every woman present, and shouted: "Children! This is the greatest day of my life! I will be the greatest in my life." The Germans went down in history!"

In the end, Hitler was the first to regain his composure and said, "Goebbels, inform Lampard that it is time for him to perform and let him erase this country that now only exists on the map."

Soon Lin Wei, who had been preparing in Slovakia, received a telegram from Berlin and learned of the fate of the Czech Republic. Czechoslovakia, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed in 1918. The Czechoslovak Republic, which became independent on October 28 of the same year, has reached the end of its destiny. After a brief pause, Lin Wei first called his current adjutant, Robert C. Crawford, and said, "Robert, inform our military police, empire, police and skeletons to cooperate with the National Defense Forces to quickly occupy the entire Czech Republic. Remember, This mission must be completed before Britain and France react. As for the Viking division that is still preparing for training, they do not need to participate in this operation."

"Yes, leader, I will notify them immediately." Robert C. Crawford closed the folder and walked out immediately.

The Czech Republic is divided into a capital and 13 states: Prague, Central Bohemia, South Bohemia, Pilsen, Karlovy Vary, Usti nad Labem, Liberec, Hradec-Králové Oblast, Pardubice Oblast, Vysokina Oblast, South Moravia Oblast, Olomouc Oblast, Zlin Oblast, Moravia-Silesia Oblast.

At this time, Germany had controlled Slovakia and Lucinia, and Austria to the west was also under German control. However, the Czech Republic had been surrounded by Germany from the northeast and west. Just as Lin Wei was giving orders to the SS troops stationed in Slovakia, Marshal Blomberg, commander-in-chief of the German armed forces, issued orders to the Wehrmacht troops stationed in Germany and the troops stationed in Austria. In an instant, the Czech Republic was immediately surrounded by a torrent of steel from three sides.

Any resistance at this time was futile, so Czechoslovakia was now in the hands of the Prague government, leaving only the two Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia. Czechoslovakia, the country whose borders Britain and France had guaranteed to be intact, effectively ceased to exist.

Amidst the rumbling sound of the motor, Lin Wei boarded the No. 4 tank. As the order was conveyed, one tank after another entered the Czech territory. For some reason, Lin Wei expected little resistance, not so much A war, in fact, can be called a military parade like Germany's entry into Austria.

At first, Lin Wei even thought that this was a Czech plan. Maybe they were preparing somewhere in the Czech Republic to give the invading German army a head-on attack. In fact, it is normal for Lin Wei to think this way. The Czech Republic is located in a quadrilateral basin raised on three sides, and the land is fertile. There are Krkonose Mountains in the north, Sumava Mountains in the south, and the Czech-Moravian Plateau with an average altitude of 500-600 meters in the east and southeast. Most of the areas in the basin are below 500 meters above sea level, including the Labem River Plain, the Pilsen Basin, the Erzgebirge Foothills Basin and the southern Czech lakeland. The longest Vltava River flows through Prague. The Elbe River originates from the Labem River in the Czech Republic and is navigable. The Morava River-Oder River Valley area in the east is the area between the Czech Basin and the Slovak Mountains. It is called the Morava Tabor River-Oder River Corridor. It has been an important trade route between Northern Europe and Southern Europe since ancient times. The country has undulating hills, dense forests and beautiful scenery. The country is divided into two geographical areas, one is the Bohemian Highlands in the western half, and the other is the Carpathian Mountains in the eastern half, which consists of a series of east-west mountain ranges. The highest point is Gerlakhovsky Peak with an altitude of 2655 meters.

Among them, the Central Carpathians are also called the Forest Carpathians. They run from the Dukla Pass to the source of the Tisza River. The flysch zone is dominant here. The mountain body is narrow and the mountain is the lowest. There are many low mountain passes. It becomes An important channel for north-south transportation. It can be said that it is extremely easy to defend and difficult to attack.

However, as the SS troops deepened, they did not see the expected Czech Army. After Lin Wei contacted the National Defense Forces, the news from the National Defense Forces also showed that the Czech army did not know where it had gone and did not encounter any big forces. With such large-scale resistance, it was only now that Lin Wei concluded that perhaps the Czech Army had really followed their president's orders and was seriously preparing to merge with Germany.

Thinking of this, Lin Wei had nothing to be polite about and immediately ordered the SS to advance at full speed in order to achieve de facto occupation before Britain and France could react. This was exactly the result Hitler wanted.

Liberec Oblast, Hradec Kralove Oblast, Pardubice Oblast…

One state after another was quickly occupied by the German army, encountering minimal resistance. At this time, it seemed that all the Czechs had resigned themselves to their fate and did not offer any resistance at all.

The soldiers meticulously carried out the orders issued by the commander-in-chief, and each strategic location fell into the hands of the German army. In less than two days, the entire Czech Republic had been completely occupied by Germany. Lin Wei only knew at first that the Czech Republic was a powerful country in Central Europe. For a long time, it even played the role of Germany before World War I. Only now did Lin Wei have an intuitive impression of the Czech military strength. After Germany completely occupied the Czech Republic, in just one month, Germany obtained more than 1 million rifles, more than 43,000 machine guns, and more than 1,500 aircraft from the Czech Republic. Aircraft, more than 2,100 artillery pieces, more than 500 anti-aircraft guns, more than 3 million rounds of artillery shells, 1 billion rounds of ammunition and more than 400 tanks. Occupied Skoda, the largest arms factory at the time.

This greatly strengthened the strategic position of Hitler's Germany and enhanced its war strength. As Narodnik Air Marshal Göring told Mussolini when he visited Italy a month later: "The economic factors created by the transfer of Czechoslovakia's huge production capacity to Germany significantly strengthened the Axis powers' response to the West. capabilities of the country. Not only that, but in the event of a larger conflict, Germany now does not need to retain a division to defend that country."