Battle of the Third Reich Volume 4 Chapter 13

Volume 4, Chapter 13

“All rise!” With a loud voice, the officers quickly stood up from their seats. A few moments later, Xu Jun energetically walked into the meeting room. Behind him were his three loyal adjutants. Hans, Dorgen, and Randolph. Also with him where two young officers in dark Gestapo uniforms.

Xu Jun walked up to the conference table and nodded to the officers standing around.

“Gentlemen, sit.”

“Yes, Deputy Fuhrer.”
“Yes, Commander.”

All of the officers bowed their heads and neatly sat in their chairs. The adjutants each found the seat reserved for them while the Gestapo officers sat against the wall.

Xu Jun continued to stand as he glanced sharply at the officers. The table was split into two sides. The left being comprised of the black-uniformed SS and Waffen-SS officers. On the right where his own Army officers. Now with the arrival of Xu Jun’s forces, it disrupted this division. The SS officers, Dorgen and Randolph sat beside Muller on the right. Meanwhile, Hans sat to Xu Jun’s left as his military aide.

Xu Jun did indeed feel that this scene was quite interesting. However, it was not the time to think of such a thing. There were much more pressing issues to deal with. And to solve these problems, it would require the support of the officers gathered here.

“Gentlemen.”

Xu Jun began to address those officers, his face a serious expression. This caused all of the officers to readjust their posture and sit straighter. They could tell that whatever the Deputy Fuhrer was about to say was very important.

Glancing around, he felt very satisfied with the response from the officers. He continued: “First of all, I want you to know that I have taken note of your infinite loyalty towards Germany. Your unparalleled courage has gained my heartfelt appreciation and admiration. You are the pride of Germany and are worthy to be examples for those who come after you. Your outstanding performance will surely be commended.”

Pausing, Xu Jun glanced again at the officers. They were still sitting in their seats with sharp and serious expressions. However, the trace of excitement in their eyes could not escape his notice.

Continuing: “Yesterday, I think everyone must have slept a sleepless night like I did. It is normal that some of you would still have questions about yesterday’s actions. To this, I am not at all surprised. After all, those that you arrested and executed yesterday may have been your colleagues, your fellow comrades, and even your former commanders. They may still seem like good people to your eyes. And you may wonder why I ordered for their arrests and executions.” Xu Jun said these words as he looked at the ranks of the SS officers.

“This all fine. What Germany needs is an officer who has his own ability to judge right from wrong. And although you had doubts, you still unhesitatingly executed the order. Completing it to the fullest extent. This is the most valuable quality of a German officer. Yes, loyalty! This is the quality that every German officer and soldier must hold in their hearts. It is because of your loyalty to Germany that I will tell you why I issued that order.”

Then, Xu Jun turned his head to take a look at the Army officers.

“Some of you must also be wondering about this operation. Now is the time that I’ll answer your questions. Bring it over.”

Xu Jun’s last sentence was directed towards the two Gestapo officers. Once Xu Jun’s order was heard, the two young officers stood up quickly.

“Yes, Deputy Fuhrer.”

All officers looked curiously at the two Gestapo officers. At that moment they noticed that each of the two officers held a large briefcase in their hands. It looked as if it was completely packed with doc.u.ments as it was bulging outwards. They opened the briefcase and brought out a large pile of doc.u.ments onto the table. After that, the two officers respectfully took a step back and continued to stand behind Xu Jun.

“Look, gentlemen, these are the reasons I ordered the arrest and execution of those people. You can see what these sc.u.m have done. After you’ve read it, you will understand fully my motive. I believe that as you read these things, you will surely be as angry and disgusted as I was.”

Finished speaking, Xu Jun made a gesture to Hans. He nodded and started distributing the pile of doc.u.ments to each of the officers.

Hans gave a brief warning as he pa.s.sed out the stack of papers. “Each one of these doc.u.ments is different. So, after you have read your share, you can exchange opinions with the others. However, keep in mind that these doc.u.ments are very sensitive and confidential. The content of these doc.u.ments must never be leaked. Anyone found to do so will be tried for high treason."

Everyone was shocked to hear that such a confidential matter was being revealed to them. The officers immediately nodded to express their understanding. Then they respectfully received the doc.u.ments and began to carefully read through them.

As the room descended into silence, Xu Jun turned and walked to the window of the conference room. Taking a moment to admire the summer scenery of Warsaw.

The room was now completely silent. Only the occasional sound from the flipping of pages could be heard. Although Xu Jun was looking out of the window, he was still paying close attention to the officer's reactions. His entire plan relied on this moment, he could almost feel sweat along his face.

Xu Jun really only had one reason for coming to Warsaw. Originally, he had come to destroy the s.p.a.ce beacon that was hidden within the city. Honestly, this was a very simple task as he already had Jack's memories. However, because of that, he had to admit the genius of that person. When Jack had lost contact with the Eagle Group, he already guessed that someone would be sent to arrest him. Hence, he hid the beacon with the hope that the Eagle Group would be able to retrace its origin.

Understanding this, he decided to hide the beacon in Poland. Mainly as it was impossible for those "futurists" to search all of Europe. Hence, their search area would most likely be limited to Germany. As for where in Poland, he decided on an old department in Warsaw's Old Town. Coincidentally, history stated for him to also establish the entire Old Town as a Jewish quarantine zone. He also arranged for a solid wall to separate the entire area off. While at first glance it may seem that it was to isolate and ma.s.sacre the Jews, it also held a secret purpose within it. Because this was an isolation zone, not just anyone could walk in. Even if some Jews had accidentally found the beacon, they would unable to do anything to it. To add onto that, an even more vicious plan was concocted. He wanted to change the Jews living in the apartment every year. Ensuring that his secret was hidden deep.

Unexpectedly, although Jack was nervous for some time, there were still no signs of any people from the future. Thus, he started to relax his vigilance. Thinking that perhaps they had forgotten about himself. So, in the following months, he resumed his “work”. Xu Jun had to search his deepest memories to find this information.

This trip’s goal in Warsaw was to destroy that beacon. Since he was bringing so many people, he had an interesting idea. He had read plenty of stories about ancient emperors disguising and walking among the common folk. Enjoying the simple lifestyle. This motivated him to come up with a plan to truly enjoy this vacation. However, he did not expect that he would be forced to acknowledge the n.a.z.i atrocities on his very first day in Warsaw. The scene of death made a huge impact on Xu Jun’s mind. He had long known this diabolical page in human history. However, it did not occur to him how brutal it would be. Historical records would do little justice to the true extent of the carnage. This incident caused him to change his plans. Deeply troubled and infuriated with these ma.s.sacres, he wanted to bring a stop to such flagrant crimes against humanity.

At the time, he never expected things to evolve in this direction. As soon as he returned to the hotel that day, he immediately began to plan against those butchers. Calling forth his shadow forces, he made his meticulous calculations. First, the Gestapo in Warsaw. Then the local officials. Finally, the Army command. Everything was plotted to mislead that man. The plan was very successful, Tiffel really stormed in as expected. Xu Jun had originally wanted to execute him directly. However, he came to the sudden realization that this was a great opportunity to sweep Poland clean of those slaughterers.

Contrary to his expectation, the next stage slowly diverted from his intended plans. Xu Jun almost felt as if he was losing control of the whole operation. When Xu Jun saw the thick list of arrests that needed to be made, he knew that the Gestapo would not be capable of accomplishing it by themselves. So, he decided to summon the help from the Waffen-SS. But the operation expanded like a s...o...b..ll rolling downhill. The more troops that convened, the greater the scope this crackdown became. As more n.a.z.i officials were added to the growing lists, he had to call even more troops. Finally, all Waffen-SS forces garrisoned near Warsaw were a.s.sembled. The goal became the complete purge of all n.a.z.i government officials in Warsaw.

Next, the brewing chaos in Warsaw begun to attract the attention of n.a.z.i officials in a few other big cities in Poland. Xu Jun started to feel a bit uneasy at this variable. However, this was not something that could be stopped now. Furthermore, if he continued to stall for time, it would leave rivers of blood to flow through the city streets all across Poland. With no other option, Xu Jun brought out the full extent of his “Bishops” in Poland. Causing fierce skirmishes to erupt in cities throughout the country. Xu Jun’s original plan the small-scale arrests finally became a ma.s.sive sweep of Poland.

This was definitely not a trivial matter. In the history of the n.a.z.i party, this purge was second only to the “Night of the Long Knives”. In those days, the “Night of Long Knives” completely smashed the top leadership of the SA in a single night. This mighty and lofty organization was thrown away as ashes in mere hours. Although the size of this purge was not as big as the “Night of the Long Knives”, its impact was arguably much greater. This purge simply uprooted the whole of the Party’s management in Poland.

Those who were sent to Poland were the backbone of the n.a.z.i party. They were the most determined, cruel, and cunning members. Their extreme loyalty and dedication were their common traits. However, the losses of these officials were not the most crucial factor. One of the top leaders of the n.a.z.i Party, the Deputy Fuhrer of Germany, the warlord of the German Army, led the Waffen-SS to purge their colleagues. The shock and uneasiness that this would bring will certainly outweigh the actual losses.

But, this situation was not a step Xu Jun wanted to take at the moment. Giving him a slightly helpless feeling. Well at least, he was relieved that his officers were willing to stand with him. His adjutants provided a great amount of psychological support. Based off information and advice from his “Bishops”, he was able to formulate new plans on how to proceed. When he saw the confidential information regarding the situation within the Party. He felt a sudden realization.

This incident has indeed went too far. Hitler, as the Fuhrer of Germany and the head of the Party, would never sit idly to such blatant rebellion and this trampling of his supreme authority. Xu Jun would certainly be punished, most likely executed, for this incident. Without a doubt, Hitler’s retaliation will be fierce and b.l.o.o.d.y.

The question now is how to counter the Fuhrer’s retaliation. It would not be wise for Hitler to openly oppose him. Xu Jun's influence among the ordinary Party members and the German people is no less inferior to that of the Fuhrer. Thanks to Jack’s incitement and organizational ability, his connections stretched across Germany. It was also good that Reinhardt von Straud had declared himself as an apostle sent by G.o.d to rejuvenate Germany. And after his two magnificent victories, all of Germany cheered for their young general. In the present situation, if Hitler blatantly attacked, he would throw himself in a disadvantageous situation.

However, Hitler will soon figure out the presence of Reinhardt’s shadow organization. Leaving him at an impa.s.se. If he's rash, he may be faced with a crazy a.s.sault by those shadow forces. Plunging the entire country into turmoil. This was something Hitler could not risk. Moreover, Hitler does not have the strength to conclude this matter fast enough. The Army was never very supportive of the Fuhrer. The generals were perfectly clear on how much the Fuhrer didn’t trust them. At least, with the Deputy Fuhrer, it would be possible to hold onto their positions after this incident. The generals also knew that if they were to bend their knee to Hitler. The first ones to leave them would be their own troops. Xu Jun’s prestige among the ordinary soldiers and junior officers was simply overwhelming. No one could predict what would happen when the order was given to suppress the Deputy Fuhrer. Moreover, the bulk of the Army’s soldiers are stationed on the French front. This meant those in the Party would be unable to utilize these soldiers even if they wanted to. For Hitler to recall his primary forces back to Germany now, the consequences would be disastrous.

Perhaps. .h.i.tler could make use of the Luftwaffe’s and the Navy’s ground forces. But compared to Xu Jun’s current strength, they were nothing. If Xu Jun were to rendezvous with the German Army. The morale of any force facing him would be shattered until they were nowhere to be found.

The three Waffen-SS Divisions most loyal to Hitler were now actively engaging in France. There was no method of utilizing them. After all, the faraway water does not put out the nearby fire.

Xu Jun now has a firm grasp on the entire Polish Waffen-SS. Adding up to a total of more than 50,000 personnel. These units were all involved in the purge. Each unit was more or less stained with blood. If Hitler was to punish Xu Jun, the commanders of these units would be strung up along with him.

This detailed a.n.a.lysis made Xu Jun certain that Hitler would not dare openly retaliate. But this was definitely not the end of this conflict. Hitler was sure to find other methods of dealing with him. Yet, even if a new conspiracy arises, Xu Jun was not too nervous. In the history of Europe and China, all sorts of plots were concocted. But compared to a historian with detailed knowledge of all types of machinations, Hitler was a bit inexperienced.

Xu Jun made up his mind last night. Since his relationship with Hitler was destroyed, it would bring about no end of troubles. At least, his current strength was not much worse than Hitler’s. Furthermore, he could also keep track of Hitler’s actions through his “Bishops”. Although the winner is undecided, with Xu Jun’s sophisticated planning, perhaps the final victor would be himself.

“General, these doc.u.ments are real? I really cannot believe that there is such sc.u.m! These degenerated, despicable parasites!” Muller’s shout knocked Xu Jun out of his deep thoughts and back into the real world.

[MD: So this is my second to last chapter. I have a little treat planned when I release v4c14.]