Due to Lin Wei's acquiescence, the forces within Germany that opposed Japan's alliance no longer existed. This just gave Ribbentrop an opportunity, because he had already very much agreed with the plan to form an alliance between Germany and Japan. When Niuret was the foreign minister, , Germany is more inclined to China, but as China performed very badly in the war, the voice calling for an alliance with China has disappeared from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ribbentrop could negotiate with the Japanese according to his own ideas. It was for this reason that Ribbentrop met with the Japanese ambassador, General Hiroshi Oshima, at the Fuscher mansion near Salzburg. The ambassador's violent temper often led the Wehrmacht generals to believe that he was a more genuine Nazi than a Nazi. Ribbentrop told Oshima that although the war had been won, Japan should join the war "as soon as possible" "for its own interests", occupy Soviet territory in Asia, and attack Germany from both sides. The Soviet Union would be completely defeated.
Seeing Oshima Hiroshi's change, Ribbentrop struck while the iron was hot and said, "Japan's sudden dispatch of troops will definitely prevent the United States from participating in the war. The United States is not yet armed, and it will not want its navy to be endangered west of Hawaii. . With Japan sending troops, the possibility of the United States participating in the war is even smaller. As long as Japan respects the interests of the United States in other aspects, it is impossible for Roosevelt to persuade the Americans to go to war even if he uses arguments that lose prestige. Given the current situation in the Soviet Union , he will never survive until this time next year. If Japan can cooperate with Germany and make its position clear to the United States at the same time, I don’t think the Americans will join the war for the Soviet Union. By then, our enemies will be the only ones left in the world. The nominal British government-in-exile and the United States are no longer of concern after the demise of the Soviet Union. By then, Japan can acquire the British colonies in Southeast Asia and get what it wants!"
Ribbentrop's task for Japan was not to bring the United States into the war but to keep it out of the war, at least temporarily. Even after he asked Japan to attack Vladivostok, he still believed that Japan's doing so would not only help him defeat Russia but also be a means to further pressure the United States to remain neutral. Strangely enough, neither Ribbentrop nor any other German seemed to have thought that Japan had another plan of its own. It was not until much later that they understood that Japan had not destroyed the U.S. Pacific Fleet. , before eliminating their worries, they would not dare to launch a large-scale attack on Britain and the Netherlands in Southeast Asia, let alone attack Russia from behind. Yes, Ribbentrop had previously promised Matsuoka that if Japan went to war with the United States, Germany would definitely join in. But now Matsuoka has stepped down. In addition, Ribbentrop often repeatedly asked Japan to avoid direct conflict with the United States and concentrate its efforts on the Soviet Union, because the Soviet Union's resistance made it impossible for Germany to win the war. But Ribbentrop didn't understand that Japan might first consider a direct challenge to the United States.
This is not to say that Berlin hopes that Japan and the United States will reach an understanding. That would defeat the main purpose of the Tripartite Pact—to intimidate the United States from entering the war. Ribbentrop was afraid that once the United States and Japan reached some kind of agreement, it would free the United States from worries, and the United States would launch a surprise attack or enter the war faster? ? He was worried that they would reach an agreement because there were certain groups in Japan that wanted to reconcile with the United States. Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura was a member of such a group. He went to Washington in February to serve as Japan's ambassador to the United States, and from March until the last moment, he held a series of secret talks with Cordell Hull aimed at peacefully resolving differences between the two countries. These talks made Berlin extremely uneasy. To be honest, Germany did its best to sabotage the Washington talks. As early as May, Weizsacker submitted a memorandum to Ribbentrop stating that "any political agreement between Japan and the United States is currently undesirable." He argued that unless such an agreement could be prevented, Japan would fall off the axis. General Ott, the German ambassador in Tokyo, frequently visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and warned against the Hull-Nomura negotiations. When the United States and Japan continued negotiations despite this warning, Germany adopted a new strategy and tried its best to induce Japan to make the United States abandon its aid to Britain and be hostile to Germany as a condition for continued negotiations between Japan and the United States. That was in May. By summer, things changed.
In July, Ribbentrop was most concerned with instigating Japan to attack the Soviet Union, and in the same month Secretary of State Hull broke off negotiations with Nomura because of Japan's invasion of French Indochina. By mid-August, the Japanese government suggested that Prime Minister Fumi Konoe and President Roosevelt hold talks in person in order to peacefully resolve the dispute between the two countries, and then the Hull-Nomura negotiations were resumed. Ribbentrop was very unhappy with the resumption of negotiations between Japan and the United States, and the tireless Ott soon went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo to express Germany's displeasure at this development. Foreign Minister Admiral Toyoda and Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Tianha sweetly told him that the planned Konoe-Roosevelt talks would only help achieve the goals of the Tripartite Pact. They reminded him that the goal of the Tripartite Pact was to "prevent the United States from entering the war." By the autumn, as the Hull-Nomura negotiations continued, William Street reverted to the old tactics employed in the spring. In Tokyo, it resolutely demanded that Japan instruct Nomura to warn the United States: If the United States continues to take unfriendly actions against the European axis countries, Germany and Italy may declare war. In this case, Japan will join Germany in accordance with the provisions of the Tripartite Treaty. On one side. At this time, Ribbentrop still did not want the United States to join the war; his intention in adopting this method was actually to intimidate Washington from joining the war and at the same time ease the hostility of the United States in the Atlantic.
To be fair, Ribbentrop's words made Oshima Hiro very tempted, but this kind of thing cannot be decided by Oshima Hiro alone. There will naturally be people in the country who will evaluate the northward and southward strategies. This is not what Oshima said. Forget it, Hiroshi Oshima only has the right to make suggestions but not decision-making.
Ribbentrop was very disappointed with Oshima's reaction and finally said, "Once Germany is weakened, it won't be long before Japan will find itself under siege from all over the world. We are in one ship. Now. Is this the moment that will determine the fate of our two countries in the coming centuries? The defeat of Germany is the end of the ideal of the Japanese Empire. Mr. Hiro Oshima, I hope you will truthfully convey my words to the Japanese government!" This meeting was quite interesting. An unpleasant atmosphere.
Almost everyone can foresee that the United States will definitely participate in the war. As Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, of course, he also understands it very well. But if it also participates in the war, what scale of force will be used to intervene, whether it will be limited support or a full-scale war, this is It's about being particular about. Whether the US mobilized forces to fight Germany or Japan still has to be particular. The failure to meet with Oshima Hiroshi forced Ribbentrop to do the next best thing and think about how to divert the trouble to the east.
In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, everyone is working as usual. War cannot be separated from the assistance of other forces. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not become idle because of the arrival of the war. The only person who is idle may be Ribbentrop. The spacious office did not make the newly defeated Ribbentrop happy at all. Ribbentrop had always held great hopes for cooperation with Japan, but now it has proved that this is a complete failure. The pain involved cannot be understood by others. Now Ribbentrop hated the Japanese more than ever, because these Japanese made Ribbentrop feel like a clown, working hard to perform in front of others. The funny thing is that I am quite enjoying myself.
"Your Excellency Minister!" The voice came in before anyone arrived. Ribbentrop's secretary took out a telegram and said, "This is the special telegram just sent by General Lampard, commander of the Southeast Army Group!" Bentrop waved his hand to let the secretary go out, then opened the telegram and read every line. But immediately, Ribbentrop's expression became dull, and he mumbled, "Something big is coming!" Then he immediately burned the telegram and walked out of the office.
On September 24, Lin Wei returned to Warsaw. At this time, the finishing work of the Kiev Battle was almost over. The entire Southwest Front Army had disappeared. Judging from the number of prisoners counted by various units in various places, there were 700,000 Soviet Red Army soldiers. He became a prisoner of Germany, but for the entire battle, the war was still not over. The troops belonging to the Southeast Army Group have launched an attack on the Southern Front. This can be an independent campaign or can be regarded as part of the Battle of Kiev, but no one will deny that the initiative on the entire southern front has been completely controlled. in German hands.
Lin Wei sitting on the train does not mean that he knows nothing about the outside world. The Gestapo wants to inform Lin Wei of all the news that Lin Wei is interested in. This of course also includes the movements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Regarding Japan and Turkey, let They really don't have the guts to take grain from Germany's fire. Fortunately, Germany's helpers are not just the two of them. In addition to their friends in Eastern Europe, the major countries in Western Europe, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, all support Germany's war. Although Britain can't help much for the time being, as long as Britain is hostile to Churchill's government-in-exile, it will be the greatest help to Germany. A total of 200,000 French and Italian foreign SS troops have entered Ukraine. There are now nearly 5 million troops under the direct command of Germany. There is no doubt that this is the largest war in history. The whole world is watching the life-and-death battle between Germany and the Soviet Union, including the Americans who have always been watching the fire.
The train entering the station sounded a shrill whistle. The moment the train stopped, all the doors of the carriages were opened. The guards of the Leader's Guard immediately took control of the train station. Although it was in Berlin, Lin Wei's security work was also It’s not careless at all. Although there are far more people who are afraid of death than those who are not afraid of death in this world, there are always a few killers who are not afraid of death at critical moments. There are many heroic figures in history who have done this. Of course Lin Wei didn't want to be one of them, especially after learning the lesson from Britain, Lin Wei didn't want to enjoy the pleasure of being shot anymore.
After the confirmation was complete, Lin Weicai Shi Ran stepped off the train and immediately got into the car that had been arranged. There were two flags hanging on both sides of the front of the large car, one was a black lightning flag and the other had two bears, three lions and A flag that resembles the symbol of the flag of Qatar. This flag represents Bavaria. Needless to say, the reason Lin Wei got into this car was that he wanted to use his government status to challenge the Supreme Command.
However, this kind of thing cannot be done in a hurry. If there is not enough help, it cannot be called an attack. It is easier to say that it is self-humiliation. The first help Lin Wei is looking for is in the Palace of Worry-free. Not to mention the close relationship between Lin Wei's father Gustav and William II, which was a valuable asset left to Lin Wei. Although William II passed away in August, the new emperor of Germany, the original Crown Prince William, still Maintained friendly relations with the Krupp family, among which Gustav's role was irreplaceable.
Although Crown Prince William, now William III, is twenty-four years older than Lin Wei, this does not delay the communication between them. At least there has not been anything similar to a generation gap yet. The temperature in Berlin is already close to October. It still didn't make the Germans feel that it was unacceptable, but Lin Wei, who had just returned from the Soviet Union, keenly felt the difference. When passing through Minsk, Lin Wei had already felt the drop in temperature. If Lin Wei remembered correctly If so, starting from late October, the temperature in the Soviet Union will definitely drop sharply, resulting in a winter that is rare in history that year.
Although there was a huge age gap between the two, they had a very happy conversation in the Sans Souci Palace. Perhaps knowing that Lin Wei did not like these etiquettes, William III did not usually ask the servants to come up. He only came up when he was eating. A servant was waiting nearby. In the eyes of others, this was just a simple gathering, but Lin Wei knew that he had won the support of the new German emperor.
It was already dark when we came out. Lin Wei got into the car going home. Looking at the familiar Yang Geer villa, Lin Wei couldn't help but be stunned for a while. Fortunately, he reacted immediately and walked in lightly. As soon as he arrived in the garden, Lin Wei knew that there was no need at all, because he had already seen Gustav waiting there.
"Father!" Gustave was the only one there in the empty living room. He didn't know how long Gustave had been waiting for him.
"Linda and the children, I have already put them to sleep! Now we have to talk about important issues!" Gustav frowned and asked, "Have you really made up your mind? Neither Hit nor Le Seizing the command of the army from the hands of the National Defense Forces, do you really want to do this? My child, you should know the consequences of doing so!"
"Of course I know!" Lin Wei's expression was the same as when he was a child, listening to Gustave's instructions. The only difference is that the child who could only learn passively back then has become a man of his own opinion. Now Lin Wei's face is full of determination. , which made Gustav feel determination that cannot be underestimated.
Lin Wei casually pulled the ashtray over and lit a cigar under his father's nose. Feeling the air flow slowly through his lungs, Lin Wei said slowly, "Father, now the National Defense Forces and the Supreme Command have moved to the front line." The war has formed a constraint, which can be seen from the debate between Army Group South and the Supreme Command during the Kiev Battle!"
To Lin Wei's expectation, Gustav, who had been quitting smoking for a long time, also took out the cigar from Lin Wei, took a deep breath, and then said, "If this is the only way, it is not enough, it cannot be..." The reason why you deprived the Supreme Command of its command authority and interfered with the Wehrmacht!" Gustav only said one sentence, but this sentence had already made Lin Wei understand that convincing his father might be much more difficult than convincing William III.
There were only father and son in the whole living room, but it was filled with a subtle atmosphere. Time passed little by little, and it seemed that he couldn't stand this feeling. Lin Wei, who had been sitting there, moved uncomfortably, and Gustav's eyes flashed. Blink asked, "If the two major forces in the country are still fighting among themselves while fighting a life-or-death war that affects the fate of Germany, do you think Germany still has hope of winning the war?"
"It depends on whether the internal fighting can have an impact on the country!" Lin Wei replied without raising his head, "This is not the same thing!"
"Okay! Please continue!" Gustave whispered, "I hope you can give me a reasonable reason for me to support you!"
"I negotiated with General Kuznetsov, the commander of the Northwestern Front, hoping to get them to join the anti-Soviet ranks! But it succeeded. The Wehrmacht and the High Command did intervene in my actions, which was very disappointing. I don’t understand!” Lin Wei said angrily, “This way we can gather the greatest anti-Soviet force, so why interfere?”
Gustav still didn't raise his head, but his meaning was clear, continue! Lin Wei could only continue, "It's okay to always disagree with my suggestions, but in the decisive battle about fate, I have already doubted the ability of the Supreme Command to judge the current situation! Besides, I don't want to Germany has a situation like that at the end of the last war, where the military took over all departments!"
Gustav's eyes flashed and he said, "Go on!". With his father's approval, Lin Wei became more courageous and said, "Army Group Central has been preparing for the Moscow Battle for a month. The only constraint is the Third Armored Group Army on the northern front that cannot return. We The difference with the Supreme Command is that if the Northwestern Front is allowed to join the anti-Soviet forces, Army Group Northern can immediately launch the Battle of Leningrad, allowing the Third Armored Army, which is currently fighting alone, to withdraw and attack Moscow! But you should know, The Supreme Command will not agree! Once the opportunity to quickly defeat the Soviet Union is lost and it falls into a protracted war, although Germany will not be defeated, if the Supreme Command controls various departments for too long, there is no guarantee that it will not happen last time. What happened at the end of the war, even His Majesty the Emperor was ignored!"