Chapter 1703 Tensions Rise
After the Warsaw Conference, Adolf remained in Poland and, in an attempt to mislead Britain and France, went to the eastern border of Poland to inspect the troops of Germany and other Axis powers.
More than 900,000 troops were gathered near the border between Poland and the Soviet Union and along the Baltic coast. Germany's army, navy, and air force, as well as Axis forces, conducted a massive military exercise with the Soviet Union as the hypothetical enemy.
Armored forces advanced rapidly across the plains of Eastern Europe, leaving behind black mud pits filled with snowmelt and soil under the heavy steel tracks that pressed into the once white snow.
German infantry followed closely behind, seizing high ground and strategic targets and facilities set up for the exercise. Propeller planes roared overhead, and the continuous sound of artillery fire over the Polish-Soviet border constantly provoked the sensitive nerves of the Soviet troops on the other side.
On one side of the Soviet border.
On a hill in a Soviet border position built by Battalion Commander Kacherev, he stared intently through military binoculars at the Axis military exercises across the border, surrounded by the sounds of Axis gunfire.
“These Germans gave us a real hard time last night,” Battalion Commander Katcherev said to one of his company commanders, pursing his lips. “We didn’t get a good night’s sleep all night keeping an eye on them. These warmongers deserve to go to hell.”
The Soviet company commander said, "Battalion commander, I heard that recently Hitler of Germany personally visited Poland to observe the joint military exercises of the Axis powers."
"These Germans are putting on such a show now, probably just to please this German military fanatic."
Adolf's visit to Poland to inspect troops and observe Axis military exercises was no secret to the Soviet soldiers on the front lines; these were the main topics in Soviet newspapers in recent days.
"The Germans are now completely brainwashed by Hitler, or rather, Germany, a militaristic country that inherited Prussia's military genes, is inherently a bad seed," Battalion Commander Katcherev said.
"With a military fanatic like Hitler by his side, Germany will inevitably become the new source of war in Europe, and this dangerous man is also the biggest threat to our Soviet Union at present."
His company commander also completely agreed with this point; Germany's malice towards the Soviet Union had never been concealed.
"The battalion commander is right. Since this guy became the leader of Germany, there has been almost no peace in Germany."
"Their military and the news make no attempt to conceal their malice towards us. This military exercise by the Axis powers is yet another blatant provocation against us."
"The military exercises were almost right on the border, and the Germans were using live ammunition. If they hadn't handled it properly, their shell craters would have practically rolled into our territory."
Battalion Commander Kacherev lowered his binoculars, hanging them on his chest, and rubbed his brow with his black-gloved hand.
He said with a hint of worry, "I'm just afraid that the Germans' military exercise this time is fake. They might actually launch an attack from the Axis forces while they're still putting on the show."
The company commander asked nervously, "Battalion commander, that shouldn't be possible, right?"
He said that, but his tone was clearly skeptical; he couldn't even convince himself.
Battalion Commander Katcherev said with a serious expression, "I naturally hope that this terrible speculation will not come true, but Germany today is clearly not something that can be judged by common sense."
"Adolf is a madman. I've heard some of his experiences. It's said that this German Chancellor thought completely differently from normal German soldiers during the last World War."
"Other soldiers at the lower ranks have a natural sense of awe towards war, but he is the complete opposite, wishing he could carry the war through to the end."
"Even after the war ended, this guy was very dissatisfied with the outcome, and that's when he began his rise to power in Germany."
"There are many reports that the reason this German prime minister wants to become the leader of Germany is to change his regrets about the last war."
Adolf was clearly a high-profile figure in the Soviet Union, and as a result, much of his intelligence was uncovered by the Soviets.
Of course, Adolf himself never concealed his life experiences. On the contrary, they became material for his speeches and campaigns for German Chancellor, and were even compiled into books to attract people who shared his views, to incite the German lower classes, and to turn them into his followers.
Therefore, Adolf's legendary life story is not only well-known in Germany, but also not a secret throughout Europe.
However, it is clear that his life story has been embellished and packaged to make the German public more convinced that he is a "patriot".
Kacherev continued, "In any case, Adolf's fanaticism for the war, especially his hostility toward our Soviet Union, is almost an open secret in the world."
"We can never be too careful when facing such a clear and ruthless enemy."
"I think the bigwigs in the Kremlin are just as worried and stressed about Germany as we are about the front-line troops."
"Between us and the Axis powers is a vast, undefended plain, and Germany's military strength is superior to ours. If the entire Axis powers were to invade our territory, it would be a huge disaster for us."
The company commander had complete faith in Battalion Commander Katcherev's words. He said, "Based on my recent observations, we do indeed have a certain gap with Germany in military matters."
"Their level of mechanization is higher than ours. After all, Germany was already a long-established military power in Europe in the last century, and its military strength has remained at the top level in Europe for many years since the beginning of the 20th century."
"Unfortunately, we started developing too late. Even though the Soviet Union's industry made great strides through the Five-Year Plan, it still could not surpass these old imperialist countries in a short period of time."
In the decade following the Great Depression of 1929, the Soviet Union was recognized as the fastest-growing country in the world, so the Soviet people were full of confidence in their country's future.
However, this confidence needs to be based on a qualifier: "future".
The Soviets believed that given more time, it was inevitable that the Soviet Union would become the leading industrial power in Europe, and even the world.
The Great Depression of 1929 once again "proved" that the development of capitalist countries had reached a "dead end," so capitalism was like the setting sun, while the Soviet Union was like the rising sun.
The company commander said, "If we are given another ten years, the Soviet Union's industry will completely surpass Germany's, and the balance of power will be reversed. I'm afraid the Germans and imperialist countries will not give us this time for peaceful development."
He was clearly referring to the overall scale of industry. As for per capita industrial output, the Soviet Union and the old imperialist countries of Western Europe obviously still had a considerable gap.
The Soviet Union's industrial scale was now the second largest in Europe. Although it was still some distance behind Germany, he believed that ten years of peaceful development should be enough to surpass Germany.
In terms of overall industrial scale, Germany and the Soviet Union were not actually that large.
"Germany understands this too, so they certainly won't let us continue our peaceful development," Katcherev asserted.
"Germany's military has now swelled to a size that could have a significant negative impact on its economy."
"Therefore, Germany has actually reached the critical point of launching a war, and that is why we cannot be careless in this joint military exercise of the Axis powers."
"The possibility that Germany might suddenly launch a surprise attack on us at any moment is not out of the question."
"Therefore, during this period, we must keep a close eye on them with this mindset, and be prepared to fight and sacrifice for any unusual behavior."
By the end, Battalion Commander Kacherev's voice had become much heavier; he absolutely did not want to see war break out at this time.
This does not mean that the Soviet Union loved peace. Rather, the Soviet Union's rapid development at that time showed that it had not reached a bottleneck in its development like Germany. From a realistic point of view, the Soviet Union did not need to use war to promote its development.
For a country with a sound mindset, war is often a last resort, while countries with an unsound mindset, such as present-day Germany and the early Soviet Union (Russia), are examples.
Adolf enjoyed war purely, or rather, he enjoyed the thrill of leading Germany to conquer the world. In contrast, the early Soviet Union was composed of more idealistic leaders who hoped to transform the world, export violence, and attempt to overthrow the capitalist world.
The early Soviet Labour Party had lofty ideals, but in the context of the real world, their ideas were considered "madness."
After all, not everyone is ambitious and wants to achieve a world of harmony. This world is not lacking in vulgar people and those who choose to degenerate.
It's like a top student. If he works hard and makes progress on his own, ordinary people might nag him a bit, but if he demands that others do the same, he's likely to be hated.
The Soviet Union has now become much more "normalized," developing more and more with the mindset of a "normal" country. However, this has also made the Soviet Union less pure, and as time goes on, it will become increasingly corrupt internally, eventually leading to the collapse of its faith.
...
While tensions were running high between the Soviet Union and Germany on the Eastern Front, a German-led conspiracy was also brewing rapidly in the west of Europe.
In fact, the tense atmosphere on the Eastern Front was deliberately created by Germany to draw the attention of all of Europe to the long border between the Soviet Union and the Axis powers.
Few people noticed that at this moment, the military forces of Germany and Italy were quietly converging on Western Europe.
Metz, Germany.
Metz is part of the Lorraine region of Germany. After the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, Metz, along with the entire Lorraine region, came under German rule.
This city is Lorraine's most important railway hub and also a major European military town.
At Metz train station, the number of trains stopping there has increased significantly recently.
This afternoon, another train, originating from the Ruhr region, slowly pulled into Metz train station. This was a freight train.
Besides the rows of black freight cars, there were also military supplies covered by military green tarpaulins. Upon closer inspection, one could even see the sinister muzzles of steel cannons peeking out from a corner of the tarpaulin.
German soldiers from Metz, who had been waiting at the station for some time, climbed onto the train and removed the ropes binding the tarpaulin.
Then, with the skillful cooperation of several people, the entire tarpaulin was lifted, and a tank appeared in the station yard.
"Slow down, move to the left a bit." A German officer carefully directed the driver as he drove the tank off the flatbed of the train.
After a series of complex operations, the tank finally landed successfully and then, according to the previous plan, began to return to the barracks.
In addition to tanks, the train was also loaded with artillery and various types of ammunition. To transport these goods, the garrison in Metz prepared many vehicles parked outside the station.
The staff at Metz train station were all talking about what they saw.
"Old Peter, judging from this situation, do you think war is about to break out?" a young station worker asked an older employee.
Old Peter, a long-time employee of the Metz train station, was over fifty years old. He smoked a yellowed pipe and nodded heavily, saying, "Very likely."
"I saw this situation again in 1914, which was also on the eve of our war with the French."
"Various military supplies, including a large amount of weapons and equipment, were transferred from the rear to our Metz train station, and then sent to the front lines from here."
"Therefore, the possibility of a renewed war cannot be ruled out."
The employee who asked the question said, "That shouldn't be possible! After all, the Empire's elite troops have already gone to Eastern Europe to participate in joint military exercises."
"I've heard that relations between the Empire and the Soviet Union have reached a freezing point, and many people are convinced that the Empire will go to war with the Soviet Union next."
"We can't possibly be at war with the French at the same time as we're at war with the Soviet Union!"
In response to his question, old Peter exhaled a puff of smoke and then said somewhat uncertainly, "It would be unrealistic to say that it's a sure thing."
"It now seems that the Empire is indeed more likely to go to war with the Soviet Union. Putting aside the fact that the Empire's army and other allies have already deployed a large number of troops to the border of the Soviet Union and have also conducted large-scale military exercises, this is almost a direct provocation against the Soviet Union."
"Moreover, our domestic news has recently been constantly exaggerating the Soviet threat and engaging in verbal battles with the Soviet Union. His Excellency the Prime Minister has even personally traveled to Eastern Europe, which further clarifies the Empire's attitude."
"Therefore, even if the Empire were to launch a war, it would most likely start with the Soviet Union."
"Of course, there is an even more important point, which is that we have just signed the Treaty of Warsaw with Britain and France, and we should not break off relations with France in the short term."
The employee asked, "Then how do you explain the current movement of military supplies around here?"
Old Peter had his own understanding of this, guessing, "Perhaps it's a strategic consideration for the Empire! After all, the relationship between the Empire and France is rather special."
"If we really go to war with the Soviet Union, the Empire will also have to consider the possibility that France might betray us. After all, we inflicted considerable humiliation on France in the Franco-Prussian War and the last World War."
Peter the Elder's viewpoint was that even if Germany were to go to war with the Soviet Union, it would still be wary of France, making the strengthening of Germany's military forces on its western border seem reasonable.
(End of this chapter)
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