Chapter 556: The German Town
A car with the license plate of the Berlin Garrison Command sped down the highway, its black paint reflecting the brilliant sunlight. This type of car was a special reception vehicle for generals of the German Wehrmacht. It did not belong to any one person but was responsible for receiving generals returning to Berlin.
However, this car was not currently driving on the streets near Berlin; it was at least 100 kilometers away. But this morning, the people in the car had received orders to go to a small town near Berlin.
“A car?” A German civilian put down his tools, looked up, and, while wiping away his sweat, eyed the Wehrmacht vehicle with suspicion. The civilians here had no great fondness for military vehicles, a reason connected to the last major military expansion.
This small town had a large population and could be considered a large town. The last time the German Wehrmacht had expanded its army, it had taken a full 14,000 new recruits from here in one go. So the people of the small town had an instinctive sensitivity to military vehicles.
“Why are they here again?” a woman next to him, who was stacking bundled hay into a car, said with the same look of resentment. “The last time they came, they conscripted almost all the young men in the town, and not a single one has been approved for leave to come back yet.”
“It is our duty to fight for the country. Stop being so sentimental,” the man who was repairing the car scolded his wife in a stern tone. “Have you seen the monument erected at the entrance to the town?”
Hearing the scolding, his wife closed her mouth with a resentful look. Their eldest child, at only 21, was already a veteran of more than half a year of war. He was now serving in North Africa. A photo sent back showed that he was already a sergeant and a squad leader, and looked much darker.
The car stopped in the small town’s square. A major general waited for his aide to open the car door before he got out of his car with dignity. At this time of year, it was no longer necessary to wear the greatcoats issued to German generals. He was only wearing his general’s service dress, the major general’s stars on his shoulders shining brightly.
He walked around the car and looked at the stone monument erected in the center of the town, his face seemingly filled with reverence. He stared at it for a long time before he finally came out of his thoughts and nodded apologetically to his aide.
“Let’s go in…” The major general looked at the civilians around him who were watching him with uneasy eyes and felt that his presence here was indeed likely to cause a misunderstanding. He said to his aide, “To the mayor’s office!”
His aide nodded and, clutching a briefcase, followed behind the general. Two young German army soldiers stood at the entrance to the administrative hall in the center of the town. Seeing the general walk towards them, they were clearly excited. “Attention! Long live the Führer, Akado Rudolph!”
“Heil Führer!” The general gave a slight nod to dismiss the salute and continued to walk forward. Since the beginning of the war, German administrative units had been garrisoned with some light infantry responsible for security. These soldiers were new recruits who had just been trained and were frequently rotated. Almost all newly conscripted soldiers had to train for one month, then be responsible for guard duty and other tasks for another month, before being sent to the front to participate in combat.
Of course, this rule was not being strictly followed now. The front was waiting for more soldiers to replace the losses, so most of the soldiers were sent to the front after only three weeks of training and a hasty week of rest.
“General! If you have any business, you could have just called our Wehrmacht command post here. Why trouble yourself to come here in person?” the mayor said, sitting in his office without getting up to greet him. After all, the two belonged to different departments, and there was no need to be overly polite.
“I have come this time under orders to find the heroine of this letter,” the major general said with a smile, having his secretary open the briefcase and take out a letter with a corner stained red with blood. The paper seemed a bit wrinkled due to the bloodstains, but it was clear that the letter had been very well preserved along the way.
The mayor was taken aback for a moment, then frowned and stared into the general’s eyes. “A spy case? We don’t have any important military bases here. This kind of thing doesn’t happen often! And it’s a woman? Could there be a mistake?”
The general laughed. “Don’t guess wildly. You’ll know when you see it. Field Marshal von Brauchitsch personally inquired about this matter. It has already been filed with the propaganda department and, after verification, will be used as propaganda material for the Reich at an appropriate time.”
Confusion filled the mayor’s eyes. He took the letter and began to read it carefully. The lines of text, stained with blood, gradually smoothed his brow, and the expression in his eyes changed from confusion to emotion.
I don’t know if you will think of me. Perhaps you won’t. But I am indeed thinking of you at every moment. I imagine what kind of person you will marry, how you will spend your beautiful youth… As long as you are well, I will be happy even in heaven…
At that time, I will propose to you, we will have a wedding that everyone will envy, we will have lots of children, and we will live happily together until we are a hundred years old—Forever yours, Bode.
The mayor closed the letter, stood up with a smile, and took out a bottle of what looked like a decent French red wine from the cabinet beside him. He handed an empty glass to the general. “You know, more than half a year ago, we sent over 14,000 fathers and sons from here to the battlefield. When you came here this time, I thought you were here for more recruits.”
It was clear that this Mr. Mayor had originally had no intention of treating the military personnel with good wine. No matter what these generals came for, it seemed to always be bad news: they had lost a battle and needed to conscript more men; they were here to catch spies or collaborators. In short, the local government did not like these German Wehrmacht generals. They represented a whole lot of trouble and endless bad news. But it was clear that this was not the case this time, so he brought out the fine wine.
“In fact, we have no plans for a larger-scale mobilization in the short term. The Führer hopes to end the war, but it is clear that the Soviets and the Americans want us to continue fighting. This is not something we can achieve just by wishing it,” the general said, taking the wine glass and politely allowing the mayor to fill it.
The mayor nodded. “But this time, I will do my best to assist with the military’s request. I will arrange for people to find this girl at once. She should receive this love from afar.”
“Thank you!” The general took a light sip of the fine wine, then smiled and pointed to the stone monument outside. “Do you still believe what is written on that stone?”
“Of course!” the mayor replied immediately, without a moment’s thought. “We firmly believe in the words on it. It is our belief and our oath!”
The general solemnly agreed. “It is because of you that we all firmly believe that the German Reich will become the world’s foremost power.”
The mayor glanced at the general, then turned and called his secretary, arranging for people to search for a certain family in the town. Germany’s wartime household registration was very strict and orderly, so the assistant quickly found the current address of Koria’s family.
“Shall we go together?” the general asked, standing up after getting the result he wanted and making a suggestion to the mayor.
“Together!” The mayor nodded, and the two walked out of the house together.
Soon, they drove to Koria’s house. There, they found the girl, Koria, who was helping her mother with her chores. They asked to confirm her identity and also mentioned the boy named Bode. It was clear that the girl knew this Bode and talked animatedly about her somewhat foolish neighbor and classmate.
“Miss, I think he will never come back. Here is a letter he left for you. I hope you can accept it,” the general said with regret, saluting the young girl and then handing the letter to her, who was standing there stunned.
Soon, the sound of crying came from the room. In the quiet little town, it was like the rustling of branches in the wind, heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching. With the passing of a life, this love might never have a result, but it still existed, engraved in this era, leaving an eternal mark.
“Why? Why didn’t you tell me to my face? Why?” Koria cried, hugging the blood-stained letter and sitting on the floor. She must have liked Bode too. Who could have known that the first letter of confession would be the final farewell for the two of them?
The mayor patted the girl’s shoulder and comforted her. “He was a hero who sacrificed himself for Germany. Everyone in the town will be proud of him.”
The general stood silently for a long time at the foot of the stone monument in the small town before he got into his car and left. As he was leaving, a majestic song was being sung in the small town. Everyone was shouting slogans of sacrificing for Germany, excitedly shouting the name of the soldier, Bode, their voices rising and falling in waves.
During the First World War, this small town had sent 10,000 soldiers to the front. Soon, these 10,000 soldiers had almost all been killed in a single campaign. The people of the small town did not fear death. They immediately gathered another 10,000 men and continued to fight for their motherland.
In the end, a total of 30,000 people from the entire town had gone to the battlefield, fighting against the British and French enemies on the brutal Western Front. In 1919, only a little over 2,000 soldiers from the small town had returned to their homes. They had erected a stone monument in the center of the town to commemorate their fallen relatives. On the monument was engraved a line of words: Even if we all die in battle, Germany will live on forever.
The sun was setting in the west, and its golden afterglow covered the stone monument, as if plating it with a layer of gold. But the simple stone monument was still simple, solemn and imposing.
Published: 2025-09-05T01:16:03.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-27T18:08:37.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c556-german-138142701
Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com