Germany does not seek survival

Albert smiled with satisfaction and said, "Major Faust, for the past six months, the SPD's newspapers have been fully promoting your deeds. Soon, His Majesty will confer upon you Junker nobility at Princess Louise's birthday party. By then, we all hope that Major will not forget that he is a member of the SPD."

Noske stood behind the dining table and pointed out, "After the Party organization discovered your deeds, Major, they mobilized our grassroots organizations and public opinion forces across the country. That's why, in just six months, your name has been heard in every corner of Germany."

Faust knew that his military exploits were indeed unparalleled, but the fact that the "Hero of Saint Quentin" had become a national idol in Germany in such a short period of time was indeed due to the full support of the Social Democratic Party.

Albert intended to win over Faust: "You still have many opportunities, Major. I know that the General Staff plans to have you train twelve new battalions. The SPD's grassroots organizations across the country can help you find the most suitable troops."

Friedrich Ebert was the man who built the SPD's party machinery. It was also under Ebert's leadership that the SPD rapidly expanded from a party not even among the top three in German politics to the largest party in the country.

Rosa Luxemburg described Ebert as a shriveled orange, and Liebknecht also strongly criticized Ebert, believing that he lacked true faith in socialism.

Ebert's greatest characteristic was pragmatism. His principle was "organization first." He believed that all beliefs and ideas were empty; only organization was real. He considered how the Social Democratic Party made money, how it manipulated workers, how it developed its grassroots, and how it held elections...

For twenty years, Ebert painstakingly integrated various unions, guilds, gangs, hometown associations, and chambers of commerce from every dark corner of German streets. He trained tens of thousands of full-time party management cadres, arranged the work of full-time cadres, mobilized the work of staff, technicians, instructors, and journalists, and led the election campaign...

Ebert standardized the organizational status of the party bureaucracy and made it the absolute core of the SPD. Radical left-wing thinkers such as Liebknecht and Luxemburg were naturally marginalized. Even centrist theorists such as Kautsky, known as the "Pope of Marxism", were squeezed out of the mainstream.

During these twenty years, the SPD completed the "Ebert system" reform, and the passionate workers' movement was replaced by professional and rational party bureaucracy. All political activities of the party had to follow strict discipline from top to bottom, and "stability and unity" became the party's top priority.

"The General Staff must have a corresponding plan for the new unit's personnel."

Faust remained calm and said, "If we appoint too many Social Democratic Party members, the General Staff might have objections..."

Albert said nonchalantly, "Are you worried about Hindenburg or Ludendorff? Don't worry, General Hindenburg won't bother with such trivial matters. Ludendorff is indeed stubborn and narrow-minded, but don't worry, the Prince of Baden supports us. Ludendorff won't turn against the Prince of Baden just yet."

Prince of Baden was a dove representative among the heavyweight princes in Germany. He did not oppose the war, but believed that after the United States entered the war, Germany's hope of victory was very slim, so Germany should negotiate with the Allies as soon as possible to strive for a decent peace.

Faust saw Albert's view, just like the Prince of Baden's, and asked directly, "Mr. Chairman, do you think that with the United States entering the war, it is no longer possible for Germany to defeat the Allies directly?"

Albert shook his head and said, "Defeating the Allies directly? That's a pipe dream! Even if Ludendorff could lead his army to Paris, he couldn't reach London. Even if he could reach London by chance, he couldn't reach the United States and Canada."

Albert sighed with deep regret. "I don't want to see Germany lose this great national crusade, so we must strive for a respectable peace. Ludendorff is too stubborn. He doesn't understand this. He has no understanding of diplomacy. He's resorting to unrestricted submarine warfare, leaving no room for compromise between us and the United States."

By the end, Albert's meaning was very clear: "Major Faust, your prestige in the army and your influence on the soldiers are very important. If the Prince of Baden decides to remove Ludendorff in the future, we will have a place for you."

Manstein had said before that there were undercurrents in the imperial capital, with both the war and peace factions trying to win over Faust, using every possible means, including conspiracy and intrigue.

Faust did not want to get involved in political conspiracies, so he accompanied Albert to dinner with dignity, but he did not make a clear statement on any key issues.

After the dinner, Albert signaled the servants of the official residence to send Faust away. After Faust left, Albert smiled and said to Nosk:

"Germany can't win. These soldiers won't be able to show off their power for long. What do you think? This Faust. The Grossdeutschland Regiment might be incorporated into the Imperial Guards in the future. If the war ends, whoever controls the Imperial Guards will control the situation in the Imperial Capital."

Noske disagreed: "Chairman, we also have our own armed forces. We can't be too superstitious about the army. I think we should hurry up and gather more of our party's pickets in Berlin."

Albert shook his head. "The pickets only have a few guns. If civil unrest breaks out, neither the workers' pickets nor the Berlin gangs can stand up to the army."

Albert stroked his funny T-shaped beard again. "Faust, this guy, I'd never heard of him before the war. He's a commoner who took advantage of the war to rise to prominence. He's very smart, very secretive, and doesn't express his views. I like this kind of person. If possible, we should win Faust over to our side."

Albert finally raised his head, looked at the portrait of old Liebknecht hanging on the wall, and sighed:

"It was Comrade Liebknecht and Comrade Bebel who promoted me to this position. They have been very kind to me, and I have always remembered this over the past twenty years. One must never forget one's roots. We must find a way to get Comrade Liebknecht and Comrade Luxemburg out of prison."

Noske thought for a moment and then said slowly, "Chairman, Liebknecht and Luxemburg are both too radical. If we really release them, I'm afraid they will cause chaos in the future..."

Albert snorted coldly: "I don't think they can escape from my palm."

Chapter 84 Soldiers Come to the Rescue

The empire had been flourishing and prosperous since its unification in 1871, but in just forty years, every aspect of it had become rotten to this extent.

When Faust returned from Chairman Ebert's official residence, he had a deeper understanding of the deep-seated problems of the German Empire.

Without talking about what will happen to the empire after defeating the Allies, just look at its current situation. The undercurrents in all aspects and the struggle for power are not obvious on the surface, but beneath the iceberg, there are actually huge waves, which Faust can still feel.

Since ancient times, the rise and fall of a country is often "its rise is rapid, its fall is sudden". From Frederick the Great to Chancellor Bismarck, from Prussia to Germany, the rise of Germany is really an effort to survive from death. It is because of fate that it has achieved today's rapid rise in the cracks between the great powers.

Germany became strong in just one generation, developing from a battlefield among European countries to a country that could compete for world hegemony and "challenge the weight of the tripod". But for it to decline to the point where it would no longer be qualified to compete for hegemony, it actually only took one generation of wrong choices.

Faust and Rundstedt sat together in the back seat of a Mercedes-Benz. The driver in the front was also a sergeant arranged by the General Staff. Faust guessed that the driver must be Ludendorff's man, so he didn't take it to heart. There was nothing shameful about his conversation with Rundstedt.

"The ancient Greek tragedy writer Sophocles said in Oedipus Rex that the wealth that fate gives us will eventually be taken back by fate."

Faust said calmly, "People say that when the wallets of the nouveau riche burst, their descendants will starve. Tell me, is this true of the Empire today? The United States has declared war on Germany, but our politicians and bureaucrats seem completely unconcerned, their concerns focused on other things."

Among Western proverbs and idioms, there are many sayings similar to "The grace of a gentleman will be cut off after five generations." For example, many German novels describing businessmen often use the proverb "Three generations from shirt to shirt." The general meaning is that the first generation starts from scratch, the second generation maintains the business, and the third generation squanders it all and returns to the starting point.

Lieutenant Colonel Rundstedt was not fully aware of the underground activities of the National Socialist Party, but he had some awareness of it. He vaguely knew that Faust was very ambitious and was by no means a pure minister of the empire. Hearing Faust's words, Rundstedt looked at the driver sent by the General Staff in the front row and broke out in a sweat.

"Major Faust, that's not what you're saying." Rundstedt said nervously. "Don't you dislike Social Democrats like Albert? After all, they support the Reich's war policy. Perhaps it's because of the recent successes on the Eastern Front that everyone feels that the US declaration of war isn't that scary."

Faust shook his head. "The United States has a population of 100 million, 100 million highly educated, industrialized people, more than the entire nation of Germany. Furthermore, they're located on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. This means that while the Americans can come to Europe to attack us, we can't go to North America to attack the Americans."

"American steel production is four times that of Britain and twice that of Germany. American coal production is close to half of the world's total, and American oil production directly accounts for more than 60% of the world's total."

"If the war continues, the lights of Europe will gradually go out, and European capital will continue to flow into the United States for safe havens. Germany's industry and capital will be ravaged by the war. The longer the war lasts, the weaker Germany will become relative to the United States, and the stronger the United States will become."

Rundstedt said, "Don't forget another thing: the United States is an industrial and economic superpower, but a weak army. Americans have never fought a full-scale war against a European power and know nothing about military affairs. Before the US military receives training from the Allies and truly grows into a qualified modern army, Germany can take the lead in defeating Russia and France."

"and then?"

Faust asked, "Then, can Germany land on the British Isles? Even if Germany defeats France and Russia, if we continue to maintain the imperial system, it will be impossible to integrate the manpower, resources, and industrial capacity of the conquered territories. In that case, Germany will still find it difficult to land in Britain with its own strength. If we cannot remove Britain, Britain and the United States will be able to counterattack the European continent at any time. The result will be just like the failure of Napoleon's continental blockade policy. The European hegemon will gradually become disabled through repeated bleeding, and finally give Britain and the United States an opportunity to land on the European continent."

"You are speaking defeatist language, Major Faust. Please cut yourself some slack."

Now the upper echelons of the empire have bestowed many rewards on Faust. Rundstedt is concerned about Faust's future career and does not want him to continue to speak recklessly.

Faust didn't say anything more. When the car drove back to Faust's new apartment, before getting out, Faust grabbed the driver and said with a smile, "Do you think what I said makes sense?"

The driver, a mere exempt soldier, was stunned by the question. It took him a long time to utter a few words: "Germany... Germany can definitely defeat the United States. There don't seem to be any powerful countries in the Americas."

In fact, the national strength data of the United States in 1917 were clearly visible. From population to industry, it was completely many times stronger than Germany.

However, most Germans still regard the United States as a backward American country and have an almost inexplicable strong sense of superiority towards the United States.

Anyone who can completely abandon this sense of superiority can easily conclude that Germany is bound to lose based on the data on paper.

A major cannot save the German Empire, and Faust is not interested in this. The collapse of the empire is a good opportunity for him to rebuild his country.

The Germany conquered by the king, unified by the chancellor, and defended by the marshal must ultimately be saved by the soldiers.

But in the process...

Faust sighed softly. Before seeing the ideal country, did you want to avoid the sea of ​​blood by not stepping on it?

When Faust returned home, the General Staff was considerate enough to arrange for a maid to take care of his daily life. In the German army, this was a standard of living that only officers at the general level could enjoy. Faust's status was special, as a nationally renowned war hero, so he could hold the rank of major and enjoy some of the same preferential treatment as generals.

The maid looked to be only in her teens, fair and tender, very beautiful, with long red hair with golden tints tied up and a white lace ribbon on top of her head.

"Sir, here are your washed clothes. Your room has been cleaned. I live in the maid's room downstairs. If you need anything, just ring the bell and I will come up right away."

The maid's voice was also very delicate. To Faust, it seemed that she sounded just like a little girl.

The maid held the ironed casual clothes in her hands. They were a few light-colored starched shirts and a dark flannel tailcoat. "Next Tuesday is Princess Louise's birthday party. This suit is for you to attend the party."

Faust took the dress from the maid. He also noticed that the maid, who looked only in her teens, had thick calluses on her fair hands, which were the result of long-term physical labor.

"Miss, what is your name? How should I address you?"

The maid was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Faust in surprise, as if she was wondering why the most famous war hero in the country was so nice to a servant.

"I..." The maid nodded her cute little head gently, "Major, you can just call me Lala."

"Lala?" Faust thought, this seems to be a female name that only Slavs or Orthodox Christians would give. "Aren't you a Lutheran?"

Lala had a pair of clear eyes, and they sparkled when she talked about her faith: "I am, Major, I am a Protestant, um... I am a Sorbian."

It turned out to be the case.

The Sorbs are a minority in Germany. They are the minority of Slavs in eastern Germany that have not yet been assimilated. They have a very low social status in Germany, much lower than that of the Poles, who are also a minority.

Because the Sorbs have never had their own country like the Poles in history, they were easily assimilated. Up to now, there are only about 100,000 Sorbs left in Germany.

Faust smiled. He remembered that Mr. Engels had satirized German women in many of his articles. He said that German women often had thick waists and big arms, and were called dragoons. They had very masculine looks. However, the little maid's facial features had oriental style. It turned out that she was a Sorb, a branch of the Slavs.

"Would you like anything to eat?"

As the sky grew darker, Faust was in Chairman Albert's official residence. He was in a bad mood and had hardly eaten a bite of food.

His stomach growled at this time, and he wanted to eat with the maid Lala.

Faust laughed at himself again. He insisted on bringing the maid to dine with him. His behavior was just like that of Chairman Albert who was used to dining with workers. He could not escape the suspicion of putting on a show.

Lala was very curious about Faust. As a little maid, she naturally had some admiration for the empire's war heroes. Since they could have a meal together, Lala wanted to ask Faust more about the war on the front line.

Chapter 85: The Gotha Merger Was a Mistake

The candlelight flickered on the silver candlestick, casting a flickering light on the medals that Faust had casually placed on the table. The fat from the roasted pork knuckle was condensing along the edge of the coarse earthenware plate, and the sauerkraut in the porcelain bowl looked very appetizing.

The maid Lala, with her flour-stained apron hanging down, brought Faust another plate of fragrant bread.

Faust picked up his knife and fork and cut into the pork knuckle. The fat and gravy spread between the knife and fork. "To be able to eat fresh pork knuckle today, the conditions in Berlin and at the front are really different."

Lala's hand around the plate suddenly tightened, her gray-blue eyes misting over. "No, no, Major, Berlin isn't what you describe. In fact, conditions back home aren't very good either. The people are tightening their belts, trying to save as much as possible so the soldiers on the front lines can have a better life."

Faust's knife and fork stopped in mid-air: "That's right, I was wrong."

Lala's eyelashes trembled slightly. She had been standing by the table. After Faust asked several times, the little maid finally sat down at the table. Then, holding her little face, she asked curiously, "Can you tell me about the front line? I read the newspaper every day, and my favorite stories are about you. Everyone says that Major Faust is as brave as the knights of ancient times."

The aroma of burnt bread mixed with the scent of Riesling wine lingered under the carved ceiling. Faust didn't know where to begin:

"...On the front lines, the snow in the Carpathian Mountains was so thick it could bury half a warhorse. The thing that impressed me most about the battles on the front lines wasn't any victory, but the body of an officer I saw in the trenches. When he died, he was still clutching a photo of his wife and children..."

Faust stared into Lala's shining eyes and wondered if he shouldn't tell her such cruel and boring stories. Perhaps the little maid only wanted to hear stories about the heroes on the front lines.

Lala smiled brightly, "The heroes on the front lines have endured so much hardship. We're just working in the rear, and no matter how hard we work, we can't compare to your dedication."

Faust shook his head: "Please bring me the wine."

Lala stood up obediently and went to get the red wine. She accidentally knocked over the salt shaker, and white crystals scattered on the tablecloth, just like the unmelted snow on the battlefield last winter.

Lala quickly wiped it with the tablecloth, and Faust immediately noticed that there were several light brown old scars on the little maid's arms.

"Have you ever been seriously wounded?" Faust couldn't help but ask, "The scar is very deep. This is not an ordinary wound."

Lala didn't care. "I work for the royal family. When I was working there before, they found out I was Sorbian and got drunk and got angry. They said the Sorbs were traitors to the empire and were always trying to collude with Russia to rebel. The scar was left from that time. It was pierced by glass shards."

The Sorbs had been farming along the Elbe River for centuries. During the German Eastward Expansion, the Germans crossed the Elbe River, plundered the Sorbs' land, and squeezed out the indigenous people, turning the natives into lower-class citizens in Germany.

Faust asked, "Where are your parents and family?"

Lala shook her head: "I have never seen my mother or father. My father died in 1914."

Some salt from the salt shaker also fell on Faust's pants. Lala knelt in front of Faust and wiped it carefully. "Working for the royal family is actually very good. When I was a child, I worked in a noble family. They often beat me with a broom and said that the Sorbs should leave Germany instead of taking over the Germans' living space."

Lala seemed a little unconvinced: "I am obviously German."

"We have Sorbs in our army too, and they are just as brave as the Germans," Faust said. "They are all Germans, there is no difference."

Lala said happily, "Yes, now I can iron military uniforms for heroes every day, which is also a contribution to the empire. In fact, I also want to work on the front line. If only I could go to the battlefield kitchen, I would grind potatoes into powder to make trench biscuits, and use pine needles to make tea for the wounded..."

"Everyone says that after the Empire wins, the Sorbs will be much better off! May victory belong to Germany and to its loyal sons and daughters."

Faust couldn't tell whether Lala was a tamed lamb or a bird that voluntarily entered the iron cage, but it didn't matter anymore.

Lala was a maid serving the Hohenzollern royal family. In fact, her income and treatment were not bad, but she was too young to control all the income. Her parents were no longer around, so a lot of money fell into the hands of her relatives.

Faust asked Lala, "Have you met Princess Louise? I can take you to her birthday party."

Lala stiffened her neck and said, "Major! Don't look down on me. I could have been at the birthday party anyway. The party is supposed to be organized by servants like us."

Faust laughed. "Sorry, I offered an extra olive branch."

Lala also laughed: "You are a human being."

She placed Faust's palm on her forehead and said, "I really hope that a hero like you can always be safe and sound on the battlefield. May your sword always be sharp and can always fight to defend Germany..."

Faust said, "I'd like to know what you do behind the scenes to organize the lord's banquet."

Lala blushed slightly. "It's just menial work, nothing to say. It's nothing compared to a soldier like you."

Faust was still curious: "Why don't you tell me about it?"

"Nothing much to say, just menial work. Chopping vegetables in the kitchen, moving ingredients, ice buckets, and wine, laying velvet tablecloths on every table for the banquet, washing and setting the tableware, all the trivial work that is not worth mentioning."

During the critical period of the war, soldiers on the front line died in battle and the people in the rear were living frugally, but the princess of the Hohenzollern royal family was able to hold a luxurious and extravagant birthday party. The difference between people is indeed huge.

"We have to polish the malachite vases shipped from Potsdam until they reflect your eyelashes, and we also have to take care of the thousands of white roses that the princess loves. There are also many desserts and cakes that need to be frosted with gold foil..."

Hearing the maid say this, Faust felt that it was really outrageous. Even if this birthday party had the additional purpose of winning over the Austro-Hungarian Empire, such a grand ceremony and extravagance would really chill the hearts of the soldiers lying on the front line in the ice and snow.

The empire is at its peak, can it still be prosperous at this time?

After dinner, Lala brought another letter. This was the letter that someone delivered when Faust visited Chairman Ebert's official residence today. The signature on the letter was also a member of the Social Democratic Party. Faust was not unfamiliar with this name.