Chapter 268

< World War II - Let's Become the Mastermind >

September 4, 1942

The Capital of Germany, Berlin – Government Building

I was on the phone, smiling naturally at the welcoming voice coming from the other end.

"General Tresckow, how are things on your end?"

-It's going smoothly.

The Croatians and Slovenians are actively learning how to handle our equipment.

"That's a relief."

In the Civil War of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, we began Lend-Lease of equipment to the Ethnic Minorities against the reckless Petar II's Serbia.

First, we released the easy-to-use MP40 submachine guns and Panzerfausts, which allowed infantry to take out tanks, and then down to Panzer IVs and aircraft that required some training to use.

And General Tresckow is out in Yugoslavia with an Advisory Group from the Army and Air Force to pass on the usage and doctrines of the weapons to them.

If we just sold weapons and turned a blind eye, we would be nothing more or less than Merchants of Death.

What we wanted was not simply to make money from the Sales of our equipment, but to end the conflict in Yugoslavia.

That was why the most important issue while proceeding with the Lend-Lease was regulating it so that not too many weapons flowed in depending on the war situation, and properly managing and supervising them so that those weapons were not used for ethnic massacres.

We couldn't release too much equipment to the Ethnic Minorities and have them win a crushing victory against the Royal Yugoslav Army.

Because if that happened, it wouldn't have been strange for the Ethnic Minorities to immediately launch a counterattack and try to bring about the downfall of Serbia.

At the same time, it was also necessary to regulate it so that neither Croatia nor Slovenia became excessively strong on their own.

They were only working in Coordination against Serbia, and it wasn't like there was no conflict between them, so in that Powder Keg of the Balkans, we had to be careful not to light even a single spark.

"Since it's you and no one else, General, I believe in you."

-Haha.

I will make sure not to disappoint your expectation, Schacht. I will do my absolute best so that there are no issues whatsoever.

"That's reassuring."

Tresckow, who took on that delicate yet difficult task, was also a core working-level member on the Army side in the Black Orchestra.

He knew how to manage Resistance factions, and he had enough popularity and track record to be mentioned as Manstein's successor.

Above all, when it came to conducting complex and political operations, he would understand my intention and handle it even better than General Model.

-Fortunately, compared to your concern, extreme civilian casualties are not occurring. I will continue to manage it so that such things are minimized.

"…That is a relief. Thank you."

There was no massacre of Serbians by the Hitler-aligned Croatia, and although Petar II was immature, he still viewed the Ethnic Minorities not as targets for extermination, but as subjects he would rule.

Furthermore, I had figured they would be careful since we were watching them with our eyes wide open, but hearing it from Tresckow, who went out to the site and saw it with his own eyes, definitely put me at ease.

-However, it seems there are hardly any communists that you were concerned about?

"Hmm.

Is that so?"

Josip Broz Tito.

The bigwig of the Yugoslav Communist Party and the man who was revered as the Founding Father of the Yugoslavia Federation in original history.

I was quite surprised when I received the Report that he was out of nowhere in the Soviet Union, and working as a core faction of Yuri Andropov at that.

I was concerned that he, being born in Croatia, might attempt a Communist Revolution in his chaotic Fatherland…

As expected, considering the situation of the Soviet Union, had it just been a simple overreaction?

"Anyway, in the unlikely event, please pay special attention so that the communists do not make contact with Croatia or Slovenia. …No, rather, it would be better to lay down the law that if they join hands with the communists, we will cut off our support. So that anyone can know."

-Alright, I understand.

I will pay special attention to it.

As expected, was it because he was also a member of the Junkers? He didn't even harbor a single doubt at the request to do something this openly.

"Then, I leave it to you, General."

-Ah, yes.

Keep up the good work on your end, too.

As I hung up the phone and was lost in thought, I heard a voice next to me.

"Dietrich, I thought you didn't have that much interest in anti-communism."

I let out a smirk and answered while looking at Claudia.

"You're right, I don't have much interest in anti-communism."

Ideologies were just a part of what constitutes a Nation anyway.

Furthermore, Josip Broz Tito was a considerably capable person and a sensible one even among communists.

He wasn't a dogmatic supporter of the Soviet Union, and even in original history, he had proudly stood up to Stalin and acted as a bigwig in Third World diplomacy.

"However, in the unlikely event that a communist state is established in the Balkans, it would be trouble."

It would be a lot of difficulty.

It wasn't like he was someone you couldn't reason with, and Josip Broz Tito himself could be an alright neighbor.

Honestly speaking, he was a leader who couldn't even be compared to a bomb like Petar II.

If it was Tito, he would have been more than capable of reuniting Yugoslavia and maintaining it as a decent powerhouse in the Balkans.

However…

"More than communism itself, Germany is the problem."

We had already shown enough strength, and we had won the war.

To put it coldly, Japan was merely a target to flaunt our capabilities to and keep our fidelity to the Allied Forces, and they weren't even a proper enemy.

Therefore, after finishing the Eastern Front, we had been proceeding with disarmament step by step.

The process of transforming the economy of Nazi Germany, which was built as a massive munitions factory itself, to suit an Era of peace was absolutely necessary.

However, there was no small amount of dissatisfaction within the military regarding such a movement.

Even if it was excessively bloated, no one wanted to let go of what was already in their hands.

But here, right below Austria, which had become a part of Germany, the kingdom gets overturned and a communist state is established?

"In the unlikely event that Yugoslavia undergoes a revolution or something, the military will immediately start crying out for war."

A nation they could overwhelmingly crush just by marching in had sparked a revolution right under their chin, and they were supposed to just sit still when they had more than enough power to shatter it?

Then they wouldn't be Junkers.

I could already picture the gentlemen who were humming while raising pigs and farming running back in their military uniforms to clamor about it.

Besides, even if it wasn't those gentlemen, there were many among the Democrats in Germany who sang the tune of anti-communism.

Even the conflicting CDU and Social Democratic Party had anti-communism as their party's strict official policy.

The reason we stopped in front of Moscow was only possible because it was a situation where there was no justification and nothing to gain, only massive sacrifices.

Germany had changed a lot, but even so, it would be a problem to hold too much romantic optimism for the current Germany.

"Certainly, it seems like it."

As Claudia answered with a soft smile, I also nodded my head.

"We still need more time to change."

If it was that Yuri Andropov, he should have enough capability to properly grasp the situation where Germany was openly instilling and emphasizing anti-communism around Croatia and Slovenia.

If that happened, we could expect Andropov to persuade Tito to focus on the Soviet Union, which was still in a Civil War, rather than unnecessarily provoking Germany.

With the prestige of the Soviet Union already heavily tarnished, the romanticism for communism had died down considerably.

A realist of Tito's caliber would know that even if he returned to Yugoslavia now, there wouldn't be much he could do.

I would rather he stay in the Soviet Union and assist Yuri Andropov in leading a more normal Soviet Union.

"…It's a regret, but the Kingdom of Yugoslavia must be split apart. Whether it's for Germany's sake, or for theirs."

Even the Yugoslavia that Tito managed to integrate was such an unstable Nation that it eventually collapsed after his death.

It would be a different story if Petar II had at least the flexibility to accept our Mediation Proposal, but if not, it was better for them to split apart just like this.

Unlike original history, the Nazis had fallen apart quickly, so I didn't know how far America's Manhattan Project had progressed, but ultimately, nuclear weapons would be developed, and it was a situation where we also needed to start proper development soon.

We had to avoid the worst-case Incident where the Balkans uselessly became the fuse for World War III in a situation where nuclear weapons were developed.

If Yugoslavia was a Powder Keg in Europe that would eventually explode one day, it was better for it to undergo division with less bloodshed right now while we could control it.

As I was lost in such thoughts, Claudia let out a strange noise.

"Hmm."

"Hm? What is it, Vice-Chancellor?"

She stared at me for a moment, then gave a wide smile and said a word.

"Somehow, you've become the Mastermind of Europe."

"…"

Indeed.

-

September 7, 1942

The Capital of Germany, Berlin – Army General Staff

For the first time in a very, very long while, I felt my blood boiling.

"Hoo, hoo… These fucking Chinks are really crossing the line…"

"P-Pardon? Chi… What did you say?"

"It's nothing."

Ah, seriously, were they testing my patience?

The very first Report of a Panther's destruction was delivered from the Asian Front.

It was not uncommon for non-combat losses to occur due to terrain issues in the harsh jungles, or engine troubles blowing up from long-distance driving.

But, this was a destruction.

A loss during combat. All Hands of the crew were killed as well.

Of course, the Panther is not an invincible weapon.

No matter how much of a figurehead the Imperial Japanese Army was, a Panther going down in a chaotic melee was something that could very well happen.

But the weapon that destroyed our Panther was a Panzerfaust?

"These shitty bastards sold what we gave them to hunt Japanese tanks to the Japanese Army?"

Even Manstein was walking on eggshells around me for the first time in a while.

"This won't do, those bastards.

If we don't do something quickly…"

I was going to just let it slide if at all possible.

Because when Germany requested to scout for a warlord figure to set up as an opponent to Jiang Jieshi, both Falkenhausen and the KPG made a recommendation per my Request, but it was obvious they were trying their best to defend Jiang Jieshi in some way.

Falkenhausen earnestly explained the reality that due to the characteristic of the Republic of China, which was close to a coalition of warlords, it was difficult for Jiang Jieshi to control all the warlords even if he had no intention of doing so.

As if that wasn't enough, he even sent a lengthy and detailed explanation of China's guanxi (meaning something along the lines of fidelity or relationship) culture.

Due to the characteristic of Chinese culture that valued guanxi as much as loyalty to the Nation, there were those who cared about their relationships even with people treated as Hanjian (traitors), and that it was nearly impossible to block everything down to the trades or gift exchanges taking place through such people within individual warlord factions, or something like that.

Even the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea tried their best to defend Jiang Jieshi, even calling him 'Lord Jiang', as he was the one who had bestowed a debt of gratitude on them when they weren't the representative organization of Korea or anything, making sure to take the KPG along with him even as he was stripped of the cities serving as his Capital multiple times and had to retreat.

From my stance, demanding a recommendation from both Falkenhausen and the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was a sort of cross-checking.

For two purposes at once, to also confirm which side they valued more between the Republic of China and Germany.

Especially regarding Falkenhausen, who was close friends with Jiang Jieshi, I had doubted whether he was more loyal to Jiang Jieshi and the Republic of China Government than to Germany and our Government.

But Falkenhausen defended Jiang Jieshi with all his heart and soul, to the point where there could be no better, while flawlessly submitting his reports on the warlords just like the KPG.

To the point where I felt sorry for doubting his loyalty.

So I was holding off on it, both because I felt sorry about openly screwing over Jiang Jieshi—who was a member of the Allied Powers anyway and could be considered a benefactor to Korea in original history—and because it was bothersome to intervene in the chaotic situation of China.

…At least until I received today's Report, that is.

"Hoo, hoo. Chief of the General Staff."

"Y-Yes, sir! Minister!"

"Let's revise the Operation a bit."

If things went according to the original plan, it was a plan to save Jiang Jieshi and recapture the Continent of China in one breath by encircling and annihilating the Japanese Army, but…

"We should just leave the Republic of China to keep wrestling with Japan, and we must open another path."

Even Britain hadn't sold off the equipment they received as support to an enemy Nation!

Ah, the amazing Chinese.

Truly astonishing.

I really liked that wonderful China so much.

Since I liked it so much, it would be even better if there were more of them.

We had a candidate.

The Leader of the Shanxi Clique, Yan Xishan, who was highly evaluated by both Falkenhausen and the KPG.

It was already impossible for the southern or western regions of China where Jiang Jieshi's influence was strong, and if we were to back and raise a warlord, that sphere of influence would inevitably be North China, including Beijing.

Since Yan Xishan had his main Strongpoint, Taiyuan, occupied by the Empire of Japan, he was desperate enough to take our hand without a second thought, and since he had already washed blood with blood with the Chinese Communist Party multiple times, there was little concern he would get close to the Soviet Union even if he seized North China.

He had the ability to flawlessly control his jurisdiction, to the extent that even after fleeing when he opposed Jiang Jieshi in the past, he returned to Shanxi and managed it like a king, and he was also an excellent domestic administrator who was even called the Model Governor among warlords.

He was also one of the rare Chinese warlords who had a decent relationship with the KPG, so there couldn't be a better candidate than him.

"…Minister?"

Seeing Manstein sporting a sour face, I can tell what kind of expression I'm making without even looking.

As expected, I had to put an end to this damn playing politician quickly.

If I stayed like this for another 10 years, I would become a bad-tempered person like my father, no, even worse than my father!

…But until then, I had to do my job properly.

Cultural relativism, guanxi, or bullshit, what the hell did we care?

Those bastards didn't show us respect, so why should we respect their culture?

If they didn't show us respect, we had no choice but to switch to a party that had no choice but to willingly respect us.

Hah, fine.

I would gladly be their damn Mastermind.