Seven Seas Beacon Fire

If you try to sell Marks now, you won't be able to find anyone. After all, who needs Marks that are sold by weight?

The question is, how much US dollars, British pounds, or Chinese dollars do they have available right now?

Ludendorff gritted his teeth. He was truly in a bind, with money to burn. His current predicament brought back unpleasant memories of the Western Front. He had come to the Western Front with the glorious victories he had achieved on the Eastern Front, ready to end the war completely. However, his operational plans were always severely constrained by manpower and resources.

Even after the armistice was signed, Ludendorff still felt that he was just one step away from victory. It wasn't until after the war in Letania ended that Ludendorff learned that the Allied Powers had prepared more than 6000 tanks for a major counter-offensive, with the Gallic Kingdom alone having prepared more than 3000 tanks.

Where will we get this money?

Selling your home to help others in need? Selling the big house you live in now?

Leaving aside how much the big house would be worth in Letania now, the idea of ​​it was obviously not even in Ludendorff's mind.

For traditional Leitanian officers like Ludendorff, although they considered themselves loyal to the country, this loyalty was not so absolute if it infringed upon their personal interests as Junker officers.

"Let's gather as much as we can, and give them a deposit first. Once it's done, as long as that Crown Prince agrees, we'll be able to get more. They'll naturally get their share then."

This meant they were going to issue IOUs, but Ludendorff's words made his men look miserable.

If you, Ludendorff, were to personally go out and use your connections to organize those veterans, perhaps you could manage to do so on credit. But if we were to organize them, those veterans wouldn't even know who we are!

Therefore, some of Ludendorff's young men were already having second thoughts. One cautiously stepped forward and advised, "General, we've bowed down to the Gauls and the Victorians before. The Tang Empire was once our ally, and they're already being quite generous by repaying 500 million dragon coins. We don't need to..."

This man's statement made the others nod in agreement. Yes, they couldn't quite understand why General Ludendorff insisted on clashing with the Crown Prince of the Tang Empire on this issue; after all, he was a kind and honest man.

Ordinary people may not know the situation, but does that mean the general doesn't know either?

“I know what you’re thinking, and I’m not afraid to tell you. The reason we yielded to Gaul and Victoria before was because those two countries could actually send fleets to blockade our coastline and send troops to interfere in our internal affairs. Those damned Gauls had even dismantled equipment in our Ruhr industrial zone to pay off debts. Our country doesn’t have the capital to offend them now.”

But the Tang Empire is different. I know this may be a bit shameless, but the Tang Empire would never send armed forces to target us. No matter what we do, we will not suffer the most severe retaliation.

Therefore, this is a great opportunity for us to maximize our gains. I am a gambler right now, and we have a few options at the table: either we can make a small, safe profit to improve our current situation but without fundamentally changing things in the long run, or we can take a risk and gain long-term financial support with a low probability. Even if we fail in the end, we haven't lost any of our chips, have we?

This is shameless! Now, if Letania wants to rise again, it needs shamelessness! It needs shameless bastards!

Sorry, coo coo coo

Sorry everyone, the second update was delayed. The main reason is that I unexpectedly ran into an old classmate today. We had dinner, watched a movie, and went shopping together. I got home very late, and then I just didn't have any inspiration...

I will definitely make time to finish this chapter next week.

Besides, who said the plot of F1 movies is outrageous? A green Ferrari can even go to the podium. I think the plot is quite reasonable!

Chapter 398 A Certain Four-Character Game Player Behavior

"Where did you find so many people?"

When Ludendorff arrived near the Reichstag building in Berlin, he was greeted by a massive crowd that had completely blocked the streets in front of the building.

Just two days earlier, Ludendorff was worried that his right-wing group lacked sufficient funding to gather enough people for demonstrations.

Now he obviously doesn't need to worry about that anymore; he originally planned to gather about seven or eight hundred people.

800 people may not sound like much, but in reality, how many great things in human history have been accomplished with just 800 people?

Zhang Liao, with 800 men, was able to intimidate Xiaoyao Ford.

From the attack on Xuanwu Gate to the Jingnan Succession Law, weren't these all things done by 800 people? In this respect, Mount & Blade players actually have a more intuitive understanding of the number of troops involved.

But now, looking at the number of people gathered on the street, it's more than 2000, and it seems that there are still a few more people coming here.

Ludendorff was fairly aware of the capabilities of the right-wing youths under his command. Given the limited total budget, how did these imposters manage to assemble so many people?

We can't exactly go to the slums and lie to the people there, saying we're handing out eggs in front of the parliament building today, can we?

“General, most of the people who came here today weren’t from our organization.” The person in charge of liaison at the scene approached Ludendorff with a somewhat distressed expression. “You know how little funding we have right now. How could we possibly gather so many people?”

"Then these people..."

"It was that crazy woman who helped organize it."

When Ludendorff heard his men say that the current situation was the work of that madwoman, his brows furrowed deeply. He had a deep impression of that witch who was gradually gaining fame in Letania... no, now more and more people were calling her the Saintess, and he had a very deep impression of that madwoman.

However, his deep impression of him was mainly based on the crazy woman's somewhat excessively obsessive personality. He couldn't remember when this crazy woman's influence had become so terrifying.

There are over 1000 people gathered here today, all because of that crazy woman. You have to understand, getting ordinary people to worship the saint and getting them to storm the parliament building at the saint's call are two completely different things.

"How did you manage to get that crazy woman to do all this for us?"

Ludendorff still finds the current situation hard to accept. Not only him, but his right-wing subordinates also feel that the energy this crazy woman they took in on a whim is now beyond their control.

“This…” The two right-wingers looked at each other, and finally the older one spoke up:

"Here's the situation, General, you know what that madwoman went through before, so we just told her that everything we did this time was aimed at those Jewish bankers, and then..."

Another younger person added: "Then that crazy woman burst forth with unimaginable energy and efficiency. She asked us how many people we needed, and we said the more the better. Then that crazy woman said she would mobilize those believers."

The older one continued, "We were a little skeptical at the time about whether she could really mobilize people with almost no money, but that crazy woman said..."

The conversation between the two was almost like an Eastern crosstalk performance, with the young man mimicking Sylvie's tone at the time: "She can't make those believers wholeheartedly worship God in such a short time, but she's confident she can get them to join her in killing people."

Ludendorff's eyelids twitched. Regardless of whether that madwoman was a slut or a saint, this sounded more like something out of a Syracuse gang.

However, the fact that he was able to gather more people than he expected was good news. It meant that he had enough leverage to compete with both the Eastern Crown Prince and the current government of the Republic of Letania.

"Where is Sylvie now? Is she here too?" Ludendorff clenched his fist, a little excited. "I need to see her right now!"

"She's there." Someone pointed in that direction. Ludendorff looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a petite girl standing at a traffic booth at the intersection. One of the girl's hands was on a flagpole with a black and red Iron Cross flag flying on it, while her other hand was making exaggerated gestures to match the impassioned speech she was giving.

A crowd gathered around the girl, and as she waved her fists, the onlookers waved their hats and cheered excitedly. The uproar even made the police officers who had gathered with their shields feel somewhat bewildered.

Ludendorff instinctively took a step forward, but then stopped in his tracks.

He found that the leg he had wanted to take was now unable to move.

How am I supposed to go see that crazy woman?

When he first learned that most of the people present today were gathered by that madwoman, he was thinking about how he could affirm her as a "war hero," just like a king knights, by giving her affirmation and encouragement.

Although he disliked the crazy woman's pretentious act, if she could help him consolidate his power in Letania's current political arena, he wouldn't mind elevating her status within the current right-wing groups, or even securing her a place in the future far-right political party.

But now, Ludendorff looked at the frenzied crowd, at the arms waving in unison with the woman, at the synchronized responses, and at the thunderous applause that lasted for so long…

Even from this distance, Ludendorff could sense that Sylvie, though not particularly elegant, was undeniably charming and captivating in her speeches.

Or rather... her charm and infectiousness are a bit too strong.

After I walk over there, will I really be able to calmly and confidently give this woman my affirmation and honor, just as I had imagined in my mind?

Or, in the eyes of those fanatical followers, do they care whether this woman gains honor and recognition from them?

If I were to give this woman a place in a future far-right political party, given her current mobilization capabilities and influence, would I still be able to maintain a firm grip on that party?

Should I go and meet that woman again?

-------------------------------------

"So... Ludendorf arrived at the scene and left without doing anything?"

Zhu Miaoyun, who had been in better spirits these past two days, drank an extra bowl of medicinal soup today and lay on the bed with her legs propped up on Li Che's lap, chatting with him casually.

Li Che told Zhu Miaoyun about the interesting or important things that had happened in the past two days to cheer her up. After all, Zhu Miaoyun was not like the cunning, cold-blooded, and ruthless, yet incredibly intelligent, imperial sister in a third-rate military novel he read in another world, "The Great Ming Sea Power," who could simultaneously be the male protagonist's sister, strategist, comrade, most subtle adversary, and most beloved person.

Zhu Miaoyun's little brain, to put it in terms of high emotional intelligence, is very useful and powerful within its own professional field, a specialized type of processor. However, if you want to discuss serious political issues with Zhu Miaoyun, her intuition is even worse than Deepseek's.

Despite this, Zhu Miaoyun still enjoyed discussing these things with Li Che, giving the impression that she was both incompetent and playful.

"Yes, we originally thought he would give a speech or something, but it turned out that it was only that 'saintess' who was stirring up the crowd the whole time."

As Li Che spoke, he gently stroked Zhu Miaoyun's jade-like feet with his hand. Perhaps he accidentally touched a ticklish spot on Zhu Miaoyun's skin, because Zhu Miaoyun curled up her toes and then kicked him with a hint of annoyance.

Li Che smiled knowingly, "Want to hear what happens next?"

"Hmph! You're just taking advantage of the fact that I can't go out these past two days!" Zhu Miaoyun hissed like a kitten and simply pulled her foot back: "I'm not letting you touch me anymore. You stinky men, you used to like bound feet in ancient times, and now you like jade feet. You're all such gentlemen!"

Li Che held up a finger and shook it: "That's not right. My princess, your liking for jade feet is completely different from your previous liking for men with small feet. Don't confuse me with those guys. There are fundamental academic differences between the two."

Zhu Miaoyun: ? ? ?

I was just mentioning it casually, how did you manage to bring it up to academic matters?

You LSPs are even getting into academics now?

"You're talking nonsense again, aren't you?"

“Absolutely not.” Li Che shook his head: “Before I transmigrated, some friends in the group researched why people in ancient times would like small feet that look very deformed, even though such deformed small feet have no aesthetic appeal at all.”

In fact, women with bound feet in ancient times did not take off their socks during intimate moments, because the socks covered their feet, so the deformed organs could not be seen. The ancient concept of "three-inch golden lotus" included the entire "outer packaging".

"And your feet, so clear and flawless, with almost no calluses, could only be possessed by a pampered young lady who eats a healthy, balanced diet, lives a stable life, has perfectly fitting and comfortable shoes, and doesn't walk much. What we admire is this pure beauty of the Creator; that's what we call..."

Before Li Che could finish speaking, a pillow filled with the girl's shame and indignation was thrown at him: "How can you be so shameless!"

"How is this shameless? This is cultural history!"

"Pah!" Zhu Miaoyun stuck out her tongue: "Even if Ludendorff wasn't giving a speech on the spot, he's already pulled people up. I saw someone say earlier that there are nine ways to solve the problem. I want to see if our Crown Prince has nine ways."

"Do I need to use all nine methods to deal with them?" Li Che's hand climbed onto Zhu Miaoyun's ankle again: "Ludendorff's little scheme is a secret in his own eyes. To put it bluntly, our current situation is like the classic scene in Let the Bullets Fly, where the good guys are being held at gunpoint."

Ludendorff dared to do this because he was certain we wouldn't send a fleet and marines across the ocean to interfere in the internal affairs of a traditional European power for such a trivial matter. And the reason he didn't dare use the same tactic against Victoria and Colombia was naturally because those two countries currently possessed the forces capable of taking over Letania.

Zhu Miaoyun asked with some curiosity, "So that means your so-called nine methods don't include the use of force?"

“Of course not.” Li Che shook his head: “Our own military force is too far away, but that doesn’t stop us from borrowing some from our local friends.”

"Could I borrow some?"

"Young lady, have you heard the story of Wang Xuance?" Li Che asked with a wicked smile.

"Of course I've heard of it, but Wang Xuance's opponent is, after all, Third Brother. Which country can you borrow troops from now that you're in Europe?"

“Gallic territory is the top choice, of course.” Li Che chuckled. “Don’t forget that although our trip to Gaul didn’t achieve any major breakthroughs in many aspects, Marshal Pétain and I had a very pleasant conversation, didn’t we?”

When Pétain was mentioned, Zhu Miaoyun showed obvious disgust: "Are you talking about that country that lasted longer in World War II than the Soviet soldiers who held out in the Pavlov Building?"

Li Che laughed heartily: "Don't underestimate old Pétain. He's fully evolved now, understand?"

"Complete form? You mean he just finished a battle and is in top form?"

“No, he hasn’t given up yet!” Li Che grinned. “Ludendorff thinks he can negotiate with me by sending some people to the streets? I’ll make him understand that the reason I’m here is because I’m kind-hearted. If I weren’t kind-hearted, I could turn around and go to the Gauls right now. For the same 500 million Dragon Dollars, the Gauls would definitely be willing to use physical means to help me get the talent, technology and equipment.”

"

Chapter 399 Jiang Gan Steals the Book by Imperial Decree

From national hero to traitor, Pétain's life in another world was complex.

As a "world-renowned general" recognized in both worlds, Pétain was in a bitter position.

Perhaps in terms of the ability of a senior general to command operations, Pétain was certainly not the strongest in his time, nor was he the kind of commander who was good at using very sophisticated and complex tactics to quickly gain an advantage on the battlefield.

Pétain's strength lay in his unparalleled strategic foresight; indeed, compared to other universally acknowledged top-tier generals of his time, Pétain's overall strategic vision was arguably the strongest.

Firstly, he was among the first to realize that the signing of the Treaty of Versailles did not mean the complete end of the war in Europe; he predicted that it would only be 20 years of peace.

Those with even a slight understanding of history are no strangers to this, after all, the prophecy he was told and the fate of him and his country during World War II can be described as full of a sense of destiny and contrast. Just like many scoundrels like to persuade prostitutes to reform or enjoy watching respectable women go into prostitution, many history enthusiasts like this kind of contrast.

Anyway, it's a Western country. If the experience were to be gender-modified into a female character, she would either be a Western female knight or an Eastern fairy. Those who know, know.

However, what many people don't know is that, as one of the first people to recognize the problems left over from World War I, given his status and position, it's impossible that he didn't try to resolve this predicament.

After all, having experienced the devastating First World War, no Gaul wanted to fight another world war.

In fact, even before the Treaty of Versailles was signed, Pétain strongly demanded that an armistice should be predicated on the dismemberment of the German Empire, reducing the Second Reich to the status of the duchies of Prussia, Bavaria, and Württemberg. However, the problem was that a certain troublemaker almost immediately rejected this suggestion.

After discovering a troublemaker and focusing their main efforts on maintaining the balance of power in Europe, Pétain resorted to establishing the Rhineland as a buffer zone, but as we all know, this suggestion was ultimately misdirected into a demilitarized zone in the Rhineland.

Pétain strongly advised that the Sarou mining area be strictly guarded, but the domestic scoundrels actually let the Germans take it back easily in order to get the money back as soon as possible.

Even before the outbreak of World War II, Pétain explicitly emphasized that Germany and Austria-Hungary should not unite, and that Germany should not invade Czechoslovakia and Poland. However, he ultimately orchestrated the Munich Agreement and wanted to sit back and watch the Germans continue to fight the Russians to the east.

In fact, Pétain's experience was a microcosm of a group of French people at the time. By applying this perspective to the French experience in World War II, you can better understand why the French fought in World War II like a joke and why the French surrendered so easily.

Without him.

It's like playing War Thunder, driving a team of Chinese actors with British, American, French, and Italian troops, while the opposing team consists of the Russian Federation, Greater Germany (for sure), and Little Sweden (for sure). As soon as you enter the game, you look at your teammates and find that none of them are level 100 generals except for you. Then you look at the starting vehicles and see things like the Canadian Leopard 2A4M, clickbait titles, and Rams.

There was no other way but to grit our teeth and fight. You suggested that everyone should grab the high ground and flank the enemy on this mountain map, but hardly any of your teammates took your advice. Those newbies driving gold tanks with open lines were just going to have to grind against the enemy's T80BVM and all sorts of heavily armored panthers.

You finally managed to cut through the enemy lines with guerrilla tactics, thinking you could quickly take down the points you lost, only to find that all your remaining American teammates had taken off in the air and were then taken down one by one by the enemy's area anti-air and armored units.

If you lose all three points within the first three minutes, leaving only three survivors including yourself, will you still be in the mood to continue driving?