Chapter 858: The Corner Forgotten by God

Vlasov was, at this moment, truly riding high. The great victory at Kharkov had left a deep impression of the 1st Ukrainian Army on the German military high command. This unit, being relatively close to its supply base and using German training and weapons, could cooperate deeply with the German army, and therefore its performance was much more eye-catching than that of the Italian expeditionary force.

The 1st Ukrainian Army, due to heavy losses, had also entered a period of rest and refitting. This much-praised unit had received more attention from the German army, and its replenishment work had proceeded very smoothly. The Germans had even provided a good number of Panzer III assault guns and 75mm anti-tank guns to arm this hard-fighting friendly force.

And as the commander of this unit, Vlasov’s loyalty had also been “tested.” The Minister of Propaganda, Fanny, had molded this anti-Soviet figure into the image of an international freedom fighter, who frequently appeared on foreign radio broadcasts.

Because the German army was experiencing a shortage of manpower, Vlasov, after the battle for Kharkov, had been ordered to form the 2nd Ukrainian Army. However, this work was required to be carried out slowly to avoid arousing resentment in the Ukrainian region. The work of appeasing the families of those who had died in the Battle of Kharkov had also begun at the same time. The huge losses had also made the local people less interested in joining the army.

Hearing that the great liberator, Führer Akado, wanted to see him, Vlasov immediately put down his work and rushed to the Wolf’s Lair to have an audience with his top superior. Vlasov had always had an instinctive fear of this young Führer. Everything he had came from this seemingly gentle man, but he could not see through this dictatorial ruler who was shrouded in myth in Germany.

Standing at the door of Akado’s office, he stood at attention, doing his best to show his capable and astute side. He raised his arm high and, while saluting, shouted a resonant slogan: “Heil Akado Rudolph, our Führer!”

“Ah! You’ve come! Sit. I still have some documents to deal with,” Akado said, looking up at Vlasov but not getting up to greet him. He just said this and then lowered his head again to deal with a pile of messy problems from the homeland.

Old August’s health was getting worse and worse. This was an unchangeable fact. The subordinates the old man had trained, although they had learned a lot about how to handle economic and internal affairs, lacked the courage and boldness to make decisions and could only frequently submit their plans to the Führer.

By the time Akado had finished the work in his hands and had looked up again, he finally spoke to Vlasov, who had been waiting for a considerable time. “You see, I have a lot of things to deal with every day, so I had to make you wait here for a while.”

“My Führer! To be able to learn your spirit in your office is Vlasov’s honor!” As a traitor to his country, Vlasov knew he did not have a second chance. He immediately stood up, afraid of leaving a bad impression on his current master.

Akado smiled and nodded, then continued, “The reason I have summoned you this time is to hear your opinion. You know the Empire has a very huge demand for human resources. So… take a look at this document.”

Vlasov took the document that Akado handed him and respectfully bowed his head to read it. He then looked up at Akado, thought for a few minutes, and then replied, “My Führer, is… is this appropriate?”

“These criminals in the prisons, their crimes were all confirmed during the Soviet rule. Some are unforgivable, but some… still have some value that can be used, don’t they?” Akado asked, looking at Vlasov. “Do you think the practice of releasing a portion of the prisoners is not feasible?”

“My Führer, although this method has been used in wars throughout history, and its effect is not necessarily bad, the soldiers recruited by this method, in the end, cannot be compared with normally conscripted soldiers,” Vlasov said with some trepidation. “Historically, there have been many problems with such criminal armies.”

Akado smiled, then walked to Vlasov’s side, patted his shoulder, and said, “That depends on how these troops are used. After simple training, you will send these troops to Stalingrad. Understood?”

To use prisoners as soldiers, to be consumed at Stalingrad? This was truly a terrifying method. Even if only one out of ten of these soldiers could kill a single Soviet soldier, in the eyes of the German army, it would still be a profitable business, right?

Thinking of this, Vlasov nodded and chimed in, “My Führer, the method of training a little and using a little is feasible. To use these people to supplement the front lines can effectively reduce the casualties of the main force. This is also a fact.”

What Akado wanted was to reduce the casualties of the main force. As for how high the casualties of these Soviet criminals were, that was not something a German Führer needed to consider. With the war having reached this point, all Akado could do was to commit all his strength at once to strive for the ending that belonged to him.

In another timeline, Germany’s failure, besides the well-known various reasons, had another important reason: Germany had not carried out a full mobilization at the beginning of the German-Soviet war. This had caused Germany to miss a good opportunity when it should have exerted its strength, due to insufficient preparation.

And in this world, Akado had, in fact, already mobilized all of Germany’s strength in stages. Germany’s war potential had, in fact, already been mobilized by more than 80%. The entire Third Reich, while maintaining a regular army of nearly 7 million, was also implementing a tense wartime production system. Now, unless the Führer personally gave the order to enter a state of total war, Germany simply could not squeeze out any more manpower. Moreover, due to the need for European industrial integration, Germany needed more workers and staff than in the other timeline, which had led to a significant decrease in the total number of conscripts. Even with a full mobilization, the available manpower would not be much.

So, facing this dilemma, Akado had to make more and more reasonable use of the resources of the occupied territories, including human resources. In the African theater, there was already a Belgian expeditionary force. Although it was only a paltry battalion, it was better than nothing. The matter of France sending troops to Somalia and other regions in North Africa had also been settled. The local French colonies had also recognized Vichy France and had joined the great family of the Axis.

Northern Britain, where Chamberlain was, had also responded to the request of the Axis group and had sent its own expeditionary force to the Eastern Front to fight against the Soviet Union. The scale was one regiment, and its symbolic significance was also greater than its practical role.

Akado, who was familiar with history, knew that these vassal states had no potential to be tapped, so he turned his attention to the Soviet prisoners of war and the prisoners in the occupied territories’ prisons. It should be known that in another timeline, the German army, on the decline in 1944, could still scrape together 550,000 “Russian Liberation Army” soldiers. So there was no reason to doubt that the current Germany could expand its Ukrainian and Belarusian vassal forces by about 600,000.

“First, find a way to raise 100,000 men. The 20,000 best will be assigned to your army group. The remaining 80,000 will be sent to the Stalingrad direction!” Akado ordered Vlasov. “Marshal Vlasov, if this matter is handled well, then in the future, the friendly allied state of Russia of the Third Reich will surely have a place for you.”

Vlasov’s eyes lit up. To be subordinate to others in Germany was, in the end, not as good as being in charge of a region in Russia. If he could become an existence like Chamberlain in Northern Britain, he could at least be considered a major leader of the Axis. This change in political status was definitely something to be excited about.

For the sake of his own beautiful future, and the dream of revitalizing Russia and freeing it from Stalin’s evil rule, was about to be realized. Vlasov looked at Akado with excitement, saluted at attention, and said, “My Führer! Please leave this matter to me, Vlasov. For the Axis, for the Third Reich, for you! I, Vlasov, am willing to give my life!”

An iron gate was opened from the outside. Pairs of helpless eyes looked at the entering German SS officer. They did not speak, just stared at the person who had come in.

“Today, on behalf of the Third Reich, I extend an invitation to you, who have been deprived of your freedom by the Soviet Union,” the SS officer who had entered the cell asked with his hands behind his back. “Is there anyone who is willing, for themselves and for the freedom of their families, to overthrow Stalin’s evil rule?”

No one answered his question. They had been in this prison for a long time. The relatives of some of them had already been sent to Siberia, their fate unknown. And they themselves, some were here for opposing Stalin, and some were just thieves.

“Let me put it more clearly. In a little while, you will all be sent to a concentration camp to work until you are tortured to death,” this SS officer said casually. “Before that, five people from this cell will be randomly selected to be taken to the firing range and shot. Those who volunteer to join the army now are lucky enough to not have to go through so much suffering… I will ask again now, is there anyone who is willing to join the army and fight against the Soviets?”

“I am willing!” a young man with glasses raised his hand. A few others, seeing him raise his hand, also followed suit. Soon, a few soldiers led them out of the cell and to the outside of the iron bars.

They saw that people were also being released from the other cells. These people were being escorted to a square, where they would have to go through procedures such as a physical examination and registration. And inside the cell, a new round of killing began. The punishment system the Germans had spoken of was absolutely real and would never be discounted. At this moment, God seemed to have forgotten these dark corners.

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