Chapter 673: Clown and Protagonist
To preserve the Italian fleet’s absolute superiority in the Mediterranean, Mussolini had put up the biggest stake he could find: he brought a full 30,000 Italian assault badges to be awarded to all the German paratroopers and pilots who had participated in the airborne operation. He even brought a large sum of money to offer condolences to the families of the German paratroopers who had died in battle. In short, Italy’s approach was: as long as you don’t ask us to fight, everything else is negotiable.
When he met Akado, Mussolini showed his utmost sincerity. In front of the cameras of numerous media outlets, he laid a wreath at the cemetery for the fallen German paratroopers and bowed in tribute. He also took on the entire pension for the wounded and fallen soldiers—at a standard twice the normal rate.
“My Führer, 400,000! 400,000 Italian volunteer soldiers to join the German army and fight for the Third Reich! They will be completely under German command. In addition, we will provide another 300,000 men to be trained by the German Wehrmacht and fight in coordination with them,” Mussolini said to Akado in an almost pleading tone. “Italy’s war preparations have never really been completed. It is unrealistic to mobilize two million troops now. To be able to come up with 700,000 is already everything we have.”
Mussolini was indeed telling the truth. After all, a portion of Italy’s army was still in North Africa. To be able to spare 700,000 troops for the Eastern Front was a very sincere gesture. In fact, Italy’s territorial expansion had arguably reached its limit. Even if it sent more troops to participate in the war, it was unlikely to gain any more peripheral benefits.
Germany had not made any excessive demands in the Mediterranean. It had only signed the “Balkan Peninsula Express Corridor Agreement” with Turkey and Italy. The agreement stipulated that Germany could build and use a composite rail and road transport line stretching from Germany to Athens. In the future, it could also independently or jointly develop oil and gas pipelines along this route.
This ensured that Germany had a convenient transport corridor to the Mediterranean, which was enough for it to control the crucial, unsinkable aircraft carrier of Crete. Moreover, once it controlled the Suez Canal, Germany could continuously transport Middle Eastern oil to the German mainland. What no one knew was that Germany actually had another trump card: an unknown reserve of North Sea oil and gas fields. If one added the supply from the Romanian oil fields, it would be enough to meet Germany’s future energy consumption.
With Mussolini putting on a posture of being completely at his mercy, Akado had no reason to kick him while he was down. Because Mussolini had taken the initiative to offer a sky-high price for the pensions of the fallen paratroopers, Akado even gave up the idea of holding the Italian naval generals accountable.
Of course, Mussolini also nodded and agreed to Akado’s demand for the port of Alexandria in Egypt and the Suez Canal. He only used this major bargaining chip to secure a certain share of Middle Eastern oil. This exchange even had a hint of servility, making Akado feel that the Italians had truly realized their mistake this time.
After seeing off the returning Mussolini, Akado stood on the Berlin station platform with his hands behind his back. He felt that this meeting had been somewhat unexpected. He couldn’t say what was wrong, but he had a gut feeling that something was not quite right. So he stood there in a brief daze, hoping to recall any flaws in the entire meeting process.
August stood beside him, a serene expression on his old face. In the end, he decided not to let Akado worry about such a small matter and revealed the secret: “The Italians are inconsistent. It’s not surprising that they conceded so readily this time. But the fact that they didn’t show the slightest bit of unwillingness is what we should pay attention to.”
“What do you mean? The Italians have an expert advising them?” Akado frowned. He really couldn’t remember any commendable strategic master from Italy during World War II. This nation was just accustomed to switching sides based on which way the wind was blowing. As for strategic vision, there seemed to be nothing special.
“If there were an expert by Mussolini’s side, then the Italians wouldn’t have hastily sent troops to France, wouldn’t have been so cluelessly defeated in Ethiopia, and wouldn’t have ended up in such a mess now,” August said, shaking his head. “It’s very simple. If the Americans aren’t behind this, then I’ll be damned.”
“The Americans? You mean? The Americans are in contact with Italy?” Akado’s intelligence department in Italy had reported on this. The United States and Germany—or rather, the United States and the Axis—had not officially fallen out, so the U.S. embassy in Italy was still quite active. At the very least, they frequently met with high-level Italian officials and seemed to have signed some insignificant economic agreements.
“The several spy cases that Gascoigne has recently cracked, including the recruitment of small capitalists and other peripheral spies, all have some American shadows behind them,” August said, one hand behind his back, the other leaning on a cane. He started to walk towards the stairs at the side of the platform, and Akado also began to walk, keeping pace with the old man.
“The Axis group accounts for almost half of the world’s industrial base. It also possesses the granaries of Ukraine and Poland, and most of the ore and industrial raw materials are in its grasp… If it is well integrated, it can even be said to be in an invincible position,” August said as he walked. “If it were me, and I couldn’t break a huge alliance with external force, the best way would of course be to divide and conquer it from within.”
“Isn’t that a bit ridiculous? Although Italy is in the heart of Germany, the Mediterranean is in my hands. As long as Gibraltar and the Suez Canal are still under our control, even if Italy betrays us, what kind of trouble can it cause?” Akado felt that this was a plan he would not have made. At least on the surface, this kind of doomed subversion was meaningless.
“The goal is not for Italy to actually defeat us,” August said. Of course, he also did not believe that Italy alone could create an unmanageable crisis for Germany. But he continued, “Shaking the alliance system of the Axis powers is already a good business with low investment and quick returns. After all, the Americans just made a bunch of offers. Just like with Australia changing its flag, just disgusting us is enough for them to break even.”
He stopped at the top of the stairs and then turned to look at Akado. “My Führer, I’m not worried about Italy causing any trouble now. I’m worried that if the war enters a stalemate, it will stand up and ruin our plans. It may not be enough to succeed, but it’s more than enough to cause failure.”
Akado nodded in agreement with August’s thoughts. He thought carefully and then said, “Two options. Either we act now and solve it once and for all… or we leave Hoth in place and wait for them to make the first move, then we will have a legitimate reason.”
“Keep a close watch on the hostile forces active in Italy, then draw up a feasible contingency plan. Let’s go with the second option,” August also said after some deep thought. “If we act on our own initiative now, we won’t have any tangible evidence. In the end, it will seriously affect the trust within the Axis. After all, making our numerous allies feel that we are too tyrannical is not a good thing.”
After speaking, August walked down the steps with Akado into an underpass. The light here became slightly dim. Akado waved his hand, signaling the guards and entourage following behind not to come. Some of them guarded the entrance, while others immediately turned around and ran to the passage on the other side.
In the tunnel, August seemed to suddenly remember something and said to Akado, “I almost forgot. Earlier today, a formal protest came from the American side, demanding that we no longer try to approach the Middle East. Privately, they revealed to our diplomats that they are willing to give up a portion of their oil shares, hoping that we will maintain the current line of actual control in Egypt.”
Akado burst out laughing. “The Americans are getting more and more ridiculous. When they could win, they said they would fight. When they can’t win, they actually think that by giving us a little bit of money, they can end the war whenever they want. Do they take our Third Reich for beggars?”
“Then we?” August’s eyes lit up, knowing that Akado might be planning a bigger move this time.
“Continue to play dumb!” Akado said without much thought, giving a solution that had been used for a long time. “Since they didn’t mention why their troops in the Middle East appeared in Egypt, we’ll just keep fighting towards the Suez Canal! They can either swallow this bitter pill in silence, or they can flip the table and fight a real, no-holds-barred war with us!”
As they spoke, the two of them walked out of the underpass. At the exit, SS soldiers maintaining order and security were already standing in line, along with military generals and foreign reporters who were not from state-controlled media like the Greater German Newspaper. They had been waiting here for a long time, pressing their shutters at the most powerful man in the Third Reich.
“Mr. Führer, what do you think of the results of your talks with the Italian leader, Mr. Mussolini? Are they satisfactory?” “Mr. Führer, may I ask if you think the military cooperation in North Africa will be extended to the vicinity of the Suez Canal?” Everyone kept asking questions they were interested in, staring at the protagonist of the questions with expectant looks.
“My meeting with the Duce was very pleasant. We cooperated and consulted on many issues. The specific content is classified and not convenient to disclose, but the friendship between our two countries is unchanging,” Akado said with a smile, facing the reporters’ flashes and speaking in a nauseatingly official tone.
Since the sordid performance has begun, then let’s all take the stage together! Akado thought to himself as he waved at the camera. When the curtain falls, we’ll see who is the clown, and who is the protagonist!
Published: 2025-09-17T08:51:55.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2026-02-16T17:52:19.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c673-clown-139090279
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