Chapter 1070: Hearts and Minds

It was simply impossible to describe the sheer scale of the shadow Stalin had cast over the hearts of the Soviet people. He labeled anyone who did not obey his rule as an enemy, and then had their entire family executed or sent to the frozen wastes of Siberia to die. Under such high-pressure tactics, his grip on power seemed even firmer than Akado’s in Germany.

This was why, despite the Soviet Union suffering defeat after defeat, not a single dissenting voice had emerged. But this time, Stalin had heard rumors he did not want to hear, and his own orders had been ignored by a group of politicians in faraway Chelyabinsk.

The unfortunate thing was that he could now only roar at the people around him; he had no way to deal with those distant people who defied his rule. Since last week, the weapons and ammunition sent from the Chelyabinsk direction had begun to dwindle. This was another reason for Stalin to believe they were no longer reliable.

He was now suspicious of everyone, which was the real reason why he almost never left the Kremlin. Even with countless “Wolf Knights” of the Soviet Union’s own making by his side, he still felt his personal security was in jeopardy. “Get out! Don’t try to challenge my patience and my bottom line again! Do you understand!”

After his tirade, an exhausted Stalin threw his pipe down on the desk. Disheartened, he waved his hand at the attendant he had once trusted, dismissing him. He didn’t want to say another word. Only after he heard the door close did he bury his head in his arms.

Outside the window, the sound of German artillery thundered once more. These 150mm howitzers could already fly over the front lines and strike the buildings on the western edge of Moscow. It was no longer the expensive railway guns or super-heavy artillery shelling the city, but the much lighter, conventional medium artillery of the army.

A shell flew over the long distance and finally slammed into the corner of a building in western Moscow. After a loud boom, the sturdy building did not completely collapse. Only a corner gave way, revealing the floors stacked one on top of the other.

The surrounding Soviet soldiers, as if they hadn’t even seen the building’s collapse, ran across a nearby street with their rifles and ducked into an endless alley. They were already accustomed to the constant destruction and collapse of the buildings around them, accustomed to the sound of enemy cannons and the endless need to take cover.

This place was still a long way from the front line, so what they were experiencing was not the most brutal battlefield. Just ahead of them, German and Soviet troops were fighting fiercely for every trench. That was the real Shura’s field, covered in corpses. That was the true, terrifying hell that devoured men’s lives.

The capital of the Third Reich, Berlin. Inside the Führer’s residence, Akado was holding a cup of coffee, admiring Fanny—who was like a ripe fruit—as she reported on the popularization of television sets and news broadcasts. Her long, slender legs were taut in flesh-colored stockings, a sight that would make any man’s blood boil.

Fanny was the Führer’s forbidden fruit. This was already an open secret in German high society. Everyone kept silent about the Führer’s romantic affairs, tacitly accepting the “slight blemishes” in the private life of this young Führer, who was not yet 40. Of course, in public, Akado still maintained his image of propriety. Anna and Fanny were merely two colleagues who met frequently for work.

At the Wolf’s Lair, Akado had finally been unable to control himself and had found an opportunity to taste the forbidden fruit with Fanny. The long wait had made their relationship feel somewhat natural, and Akado hadn’t even hidden this matter from Mercedes. And so, this strange family had been formed, with its odd structure of one man and three women.

“My Führer, war-themed films have made people lose their appetite. The relevant cultural regulatory departments are currently shooting several romantic feature films to enrich people’s leisure lives.” Fanny didn’t mind in the slightest that Akado’s appreciative gaze was sweeping over her long legs as she gave her report. On the contrary, she felt the thrill of a secret affair, which gave the female Minister of Propaganda an exceptionally exhilarating experience.

“The Berlin television tower is under construction.” The reason the two of them were not embracing and “studying their work” was because there were other officials from the propaganda department in the conference room. One of them was reporting on the construction of the television network: “The construction speed is very fast. It is estimated that the signal will be able to cover most of the Berlin urban area.”

The ancient television tower suddenly gave Akado the illusion of returning home, because in the 80s and 90s, China was still using a batch of television towers to cover its TV broadcast signals. Whenever he saw that tower in the distance, growing taller and taller, he would be reminded of the similar landmark building in his hometown.

“Führer, General Kesselring has arrived! He is waiting for you in the next room.” An officer knocked on the door of the conference room and then stood at the entrance with his hands behind his back, his chin held high, to remind Akado that the air force general he had invited had arrived. After saying this, the officer withdrew from the conference room, closing the door with a perfectly subtle sound.

“Gentlemen, the purpose of our campaigns is to make the Empire’s tomorrow a better one. We are not warmongers, nor are we arms dealers. Remember our original intention for starting this war. That is the most important thing!” Akado said with a smile, standing up to conclude the day’s discussion. “No matter how glorious the army’s achievements, they will eventually fade with the arrival of peace. But the work you are doing will accompany the development of the Empire to the end of the world.”

As Akado spoke, he walked to the door. He suddenly stopped, turned his head, and said to the officials of the propaganda department, who had all stood up to salute him, “A part of the livelihood of the Empire’s people depends on you. I hope you can do everything I wish for, to make the Empire the happiest and most joyful country in this world.”

As he himself had said, he was not a warmonger. To start a war was just a process of realizing his ideals. He did not like war for war’s sake. So he had continuously developed the people’s livelihood, overhauled all kinds of infrastructure in the German-occupied territories, and had invested millions in roads, railways, airfields, and even the telephone network.

In fact, apart from a portion of the Eastern Front, the rest of the German-occupied territories had all developed to varying degrees. Especially in the Western European occupied territories of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as well as Denmark and Norway in Northern Europe, these regions had all received countless amounts of German aid and had developed their own economies. Because the resistance in these areas was relatively small, most of Germany’s investment had also yielded more considerable returns.

“Long live the great Führer, Akado Rudolph!” As Akado pushed open the door and walked towards the room where Kesselring was waiting for him, he could still hear the voices of the officials in the room, their hands raised high, shouting the slogan.

“Ah, General Kesselring, please forgive me for disregarding your busy schedule and calling you back from the Wolf’s Lair while you were inspecting the Eastern Front Air Force,” Akado said with a smile as he entered the room, offering an apology first. But Kesselring was not in the habit of being disrespectful to Akado. Seeing the Führer enter, he immediately jumped up from his seat and raised his arm.

The recent long-range strategic bombing had allowed the German Air Force to break free from the constraints of a tactical air force for the first time. When they had attacked London, the German army, due to its own limitations and the distance to the target, had not tried such a thing. But now, from the bombing of Ulyanovsk, they had tasted another kind of victory, which had thrilled the entire air force high command.

“My Führer, I must congratulate you with great excitement. Because of your foresight, the German Air Force now has an almost infinitely broad future!” Kesselring reported to Akado with a proud smile. “We now have the ability to stop flying behind the army’s tanks, to stop making it our primary mission to cover the army! We can attack the enemy independently, and we can destroy the targets in the enemy’s heartland, faster and from further away!”

Akado laughed along with him, a hint of imperceptible disdain in his smile. If, with the guidance of someone like him, who knew the patterns of future warfare like the back of his hand, the German Air Force still couldn’t defeat its enemies, that would be a real joke, wouldn’t it? And so he patted Kesselring on the shoulder, signaling him not to get too excited.

After Kesselring had composed himself, Akado finally spoke. “At this stage, I do not think it is a good thing for the air force to conduct independent attack missions. Therefore, I am ordering you to put away those ahead-of-their-time ideas. To concentrate on covering the army and completing the Battle of Moscow is the top priority.”

“Yes, my Führer!” Kesselring, of course, would not disobey Akado, so he immediately replied. Even though Akado was pouring cold water on the air force right in front of him, Kesselring still felt that this was a sign of the Führer’s personal trust and favor. And so his reply was extremely firm, a firmness that was built on Akado’s infinite personal prestige.

“Very good! I have great faith in your abilities! That is why I entrusted the air force to you, and you have indeed not disappointed my expectations,” Akado said with a nod. He looked at his trusted and beloved general and finally revealed the real reason he had been summoned back from the front. “I am going to promote a batch of generals who have performed exceptionally well at the front. You are one of them. Prepare yourself. Tomorrow, I will personally preside over your promotion, along with Army Generals Model and Keitel.”

As he spoke, Akado patted Kesselring, who was standing there, stunned. “Congratulations, Herr Field Marshal of the German Air Force.”

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