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墨書 Inktalez
"That's really exaggerated!" At the back door of the National Socialist Party headquarters, Strasser watched as bags of banknotes were continuously loaded onto trucks, feeling somewhat emotional. "The Juncker nobility is truly wealthy; even their relatively poor military aristocracy has provided us with over a hundred billion Marks." Otto, standing next to Strasser, nodded in agreement; he had never seen so much money in his life.
As soon as the banquet ended yesterday, Strasser sent someone to pack all the generous cash donations from the Juncker nobility and take them to the bank to exchange for gold or foreign currency. After all, with so much money, its purchasing power might shrink by half by tomorrow.
However, it was clear that no bank could exchange such a large amount of money. The National Socialist Party had to mobilize all its members to march to banks across Berlin, and a large group of people worked tirelessly until now to finally complete the exchanges.
"What should I do with this? With so much money, can I go to the nightclub for the rest of my life without worrying about it? I could order the top acts there every day."
Otto was clearly lost in his own fantasy time. Strasser felt a bit helpless; how could his brother be so out of touch? He remembered that historically, Otto was a staunch National Socialist, regarded as a brave and resilient fighter by later generations. Yet, the Otto beside him seemed like a different version altogether.
"This arrangement for the funds has already been discussed at the party congress. One-third is allocated for the party's propaganda and development in Berlin, one-third is for strengthening the party's armed forces—Vanguard, as Strasser named it, to distinguish it from Rom's Stormtroopers. The remaining funds are set aside as reserves for the upcoming midterm elections of Congress."
"If you want to go to a nightclub, I suggest you go sell your butt for money," Goebbels joked, "Look at your strong thighs, magnificent chest muscles, the red light district must have some ladies interested in you."
"What are you talking about, Goebbels."
Otto, filled with anger and embarrassment, swung his fists and chased after Goebbels, who was laughing as he fled. Despite his small stature and being a cripple, Goebbels had exceptional running skills, and the two of them managed to reach a strange balance—one chasing and the other running away. Strasser watched the two of them in a mix of amusement and exasperation. At that moment, a member of the National Socialist Party ran over to report.
"Leader, the National Defense Forces have sent someone to see you."
So soon? Strasser was somewhat surprised by Ludendorff's efficiency. He immediately headed to the reception room at headquarters.
Before long, Strasser met the person he wanted to see. A tall figure with blonde hair, Rommel stood at attention in the reception room. Upon seeing Strasser enter, he immediately saluted.
"Hello, Mr. Gregor, Lieutenant Erwin Rommel reports to you." Although both held the rank of lieutenant, Rommel showed Strasser respect. After all, aside from Strasser's party position, his identity as a Member of Parliament compelled Rommel to adopt a proper attitude.
Strasser returned a military salute.
"Welcome to your arrival, Lieutenant Rommel." He glanced behind Rommel, finding it empty.
"Just you alone? What about the others?"
"In fact, I came here first because I happened to be on vacation in Berlin." Rommel felt a little embarrassed, in fact, he had received orders from the army last night, but he happened to be out shopping with his wife.
"It's okay, we can discuss it first. Do you know why I asked you to come?"
Strasser didn't mind; in his view, it was enough for just one of the four people on the list to show up, especially if it was Rommel. In his past life, Strasser had been a loyal fan of Rommel, and now seeing him in person was incredibly exciting. As he spoke, Strasser led Rommel through the door of the conference room.
"I certainly know that; it's precisely because I understand the task at hand that I'm puzzled, Mr. Gregor. Shouldn't you have the General Staff of the Army's officers guide you on military chess simulations? Why do you want me, a company commander, to teach you?" Rommel said, somewhat confused.
"Because for me, the most critical aspect of the military chess simulation in three days is not about operations or strategies but rather theoretical issues. If I wanted to fight using trench warfare tactics again, I could easily ask the General Staff of the Army's officers for help. But the results have already shown what happened in 1918," Strasser replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"The minds and thoughts of those General Staff have become rigid, I need more creative minds to help me."
"Am I that kind of person?" Rommel was somewhat puzzled, how come he didn't realize his talent for creativity.
"I have checked your record, Rommel lieutenant. In the European war, when you first participated in battle, you led 3 soldiers to defeat an attack by about 20 French Army soldiers. In a battle in the Carpathian Mountains, you led the troops along a little-known mountain road, continuously moving for 50 hours, capturing over 5000 enemy soldiers and 30 cannons. I believe this is enough to prove your creativity."
"I didn't expect you to understand me so well." Rommel was somewhat surprised. "I have reviewed the background of each of you, and I chose you precisely because you each have outstanding qualities, definitely not mediocrity. So, I will now tell you some new things, hoping that your minds can grasp them."
Strasser looked at Rommel, who was listening attentively, and asked directly, "What do you think is the most important thing during an infantry attack?"
"Firepower," Rommel answered without hesitation. Although he had not yet written his famous book "Infantry Attacks" in 1937, he was already contemplating the forms of future warfare, though he had not yet summarized it into a systematic theory. This was also a benefit of Seeckt's "100,000 National Defense Forces Plan," which allowed any non-commissioned officer at the company level or above to think at the operational level. Outstanding individuals like Rommel had even begun to study the patterns of future warfare.
"That's right. If an army is at a numerical disadvantage, it can adopt strategies that rely more on automatic weapons or rapidly increasing firepower to overwhelm an enemy with superior numbers." After seeing Rommel nod in agreement, Strasser continued to ask, "What kind of weapons can provide sustained and precise powerful firepower?" "Heavy machine guns? Self-propelled artillery? Mortars?"
Rommel suggested several answers that he believed were correct, but Strasser denied them all.
"It's a tank."
"A tank? Are you talking about that thing the British used in the Great War? I admit it looks impressive and intimidating, but its firepower is no match for self-propelled artillery, and landmines can easily immobilize them. I've had the privilege of seeing the tanks that Germany secretly experimented with this year, and to be honest, they are just armed tractors," Rommel said dismissively.
Strasser smiled, knowing that he needed to instill in Rommel the concepts from future military theory classes, so that he would recognize the importance of tanks as a weapon earlier on.
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