Chapter 18: Gifts

On the matter of arranging Rheinhardt Heidrich, Zhang Hainuo's initial plan was to send him to Brazil or the United States for intelligence work. However, after several long conversations with him, Zhang Hainuo ultimately recommended him to the British Intelligence Department under the Navy Staff of the Naval Staff.

On December 19, 1928, Heidrich boarded a ship bound for England. His new passport bore the name Haske Luger, a horse performer from Latvia.

Although England wasn't far, Zhang Hainuo finally found a relatively ideal position for this potential danger. He believed that as long as Heidrich wasn't exposed to Nazi ideology and figures like Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler, the chances of him becoming a "devil" would be greatly reduced, at least not becoming one of the Nazi's internal power wielders.

During his spare time, Zhang Hainuo's favorite place remained the apartment of the Redels along the river in Telpitz. Mrs. Redel apparently enjoyed listening to his fantastical stories, and her excellent cooking skills were also admired by Zhang Hainuo. Although Mrs. Redel remained busy, the two still often discussed topics related to naval construction. Zhang Hainuo's "decades-ahead cognition" indeed provided Mrs. Redel with much inspiration—concepts like shipborne radar, amphibious assault ships, anti-submarine helicopters, and carrier battle group operations sounded like predictions from a science fiction writer at the time, but they were technically feasible at that time.

However, any practical naval officer like Mrs. Redel wouldn't entirely rely on these novel affairs for the revival of the navy. Zhang Hainuo gradually realized that Mrs. Redel's ideas still had much in common with those of Emperor William II. That is, to establish a fleet capable of contending with the British Navy, defeat it as it did in World War I, and ultimately create a new era of maritime power for Germany.

At this point, Zhang Hainuo naturally thought of the historical "Plan Z." This ambitious plan, formulated by Mrs. Redel and approved by Hitler, aimed to build battleships symbolic of German spirit and excellence. It was a dream of both a traditional naval officer like Mrs. Redel, influenced by the idea of fleet decisive battle before and after World War I, and the head of the Third Reich, who was a staunch authoritarian. In the paintings of this Austrian, who had always dreamed of being an artist in his childhood, one could often see the shadow of large warships—Hitler had a strong preference, if not obsession, for large warships. Building giant battleships that symbolized the spirit and excellence of the Germanic people had always been his dream.

If Mrs. Redel were given enough time to complete Plan Z, there might still be a chance to realize the unfinished dream of the Second German Empire. However, from the perspective of German strategic resources and economic models, it was simply impossible to undertake such a huge naval construction plan during peacetime—unless substantial resources were obtained from neighboring countries, which would lead to the outbreak of war, trapping German naval construction in a vicious cycle.

This was also a problem that Zhang Hainuo had been considering for a long time: the submarine and raiding ship route must cut off the sea routes vital to Britain's survival at the beginning of the war, causing the vast empire to suffocate and perish before it was fully mobilized. Once the British Navy, like in history, deployed large numbers of anti-submarine forces and used its advantage in the main fleet to strangle Germany's surface raiding warfare, the predicament of the German Navy in World War II would replay itself; the aircraft carrier route had both advantages and disadvantages—advantages in naval air superiority, but disadvantages in the expensive construction cost of aircraft carriers and the required escort forces. If the war still broke out in 1939, the German Navy simply could not afford to build enough destroyers and cruisers while concentrating on building aircraft carriers. The harsh sea conditions of the North Sea were also a disadvantage; if the battleship route were chosen, it would return to the old path of World War II.

In addition to these concerns, Zhang Hainuo also needed to face another point: he was currently only a small naval lieutenant, and he had no say in the route of German naval construction. All he could do was use his intimate relationship with Mrs. Redel to influence his decisions on naval strategy.

Of course, he had another "advantage," which was his familiarity with Adolf Hitler.

In early November, Zhang Hainuo, the head of this special project group, received a second-hand Mercedes assigned by the Navy General Staff. Although it was far less luxurious than Mrs. Redel's, Zhang Hainuo still drove it excitedly around Berlin and then headed straight for Munich. This time, he was not stopped at the gate of the NSDAP headquarters, and he quickly met Hitler, who had just returned from vacation a few days ago.

When Zhang Hainuo, dressed in naval officer uniform, appeared in front of him, Hitler still greeted him with a smile—although he had complained to Hess and "Hans Lomester" a few days ago that this guy had not consulted him before making such an important decision, but at the urging of "Hans Lomester," his displeasure disappeared, and he decided to find a way to connect with the high-level officials of the Navy through Zhang Hainuo.

The influence of the Navy domestically was far less than that of the Army, but if the support of the high-level Navy could be obtained, it would not only be beneficial to expand the influence of National Socialist ideology in the Navy but also through the naval leaders to meet those wealthy businessmen who had long provided equipment and built ships for the Navy. Every one of them was a rich man, and a donation from them was more than a mass rally fundraiser for the NSDAP!

"Hainuo, congratulations on your return to the German Navy! Here's a little gift. I hope you like it!" Hitler solemnly took down a square wooden box about as long, wide, and high as an adult's forearm from his bookcase, then placed the box, which had been painted, on the desk and gestured for Zhang Hainuo to open it.

At the moment of opening the box, Zhang Hainuo was so surprised because inside it was a large wooden model of a warship. Its workmanship was extremely exquisite, with every detail such as turrets, bridge, masts, funnels, side gunwales, and even anchor chains lifelike. At the bow and the top of the two masts, there were German naval flags from the Second German Empire period!

"It's the Seydlitz!" Zhang Hainuo turned his head joyfully to look at Hitler. Although it had been a whole decade since he last saw this "unsinkable ship," he would never forget the shape and layout of this warship. The "three fish" emblem under the model's ship made him feel nostalgic for those days.

With his hands behind his back, Hitler smiled kindly, at least on the surface. "Yes, the unique 'unsinkable ship' in the world, the glorious and great Seydlitz!"

"Dear Führer, thank you so much!" This was the most sincere thing Zhang Hainuo had ever said in front of Hitler. Over the years, although he often mentioned Seydlitz, he had never been able to own such an exquisite model. As he examined the model again, he felt that every part of it was so close to the real thing, as if the actual Seydlitz had been scaled down proportionally.

Hitler, who was never one to refuse others' thanks, was no exception this time. Pointing to the model, he said, "This is something I saw in a friend's study when I visited him. Thinking that you once bravely fought on this warship, I decided to buy it. My friend was reluctant at first, but after hearing about your deeds, he gladly transferred it to me!"

As Zhang Hainuo closed the box again, he said as Hitler wished, "This is the best gift I've received in recent years! Dear Führer, I don't even know how to thank you!"

"Hainuo, you have made so many contributions to the party, so consider this my personal thank you to you!" After inviting Zhang Hainuo to sit down, Hitler himself returned to the large chair behind the desk. At Hess's timely delivery of coffee, they sat on the sofa next to Zhang Hainuo.

"Hainuo, I heard from Hans about your last visit here, but I was on vacation in the countryside at the time. I'm sorry to have made you come here for nothing!"

Hitler's tone today was so friendly that Zhang Hainuo was a little unaccustomed. He responded, "My last visit was a bit presumptuous, but fortunately, Mr. Lomester helped me out, or I would have been stopped by the guards at the gate!"

"Hahaha! I've heard Hans say the same thing!" Hitler laughed without malice. "We've had many new members join our party in the past two years, so you should come and see us old friends more often, which is also a good way to get to know the new ones here!"

Zhang Hainuo accepted this subtle criticism first, then explained, "I've been busy with a big business deal for the past two years, so I couldn't spare the time! Now that the business is over, I happened to hear about the promotion of an old friend who served on the Seydlitz, so I made a trip to the Navy, and when I came back, I put on this naval uniform!"

"So it seems that our Hainuo has had quite a good luck lately!" Hitler said expectantly.

"Luck of the draw!" Zhang Hainuo took out an envelope from his briefcase, "Here's a bank draft for $30,000, which is the biggest result of my hard work over the past two years. Now it's contributed in my name!"

After a slight hesitation, Hitler pushed the envelope back to Zhang Hainuo. "Hainuo, our previous agreement was for you to raise funds for our party overseas, but this is different. This is your own hard-earned money!"

Before Hitler entered politics, his National Socialist Party was never flush with cash, a situation that only improved after he became Chancellor of Germany. In the 1933 elections, 25 industrialists led by Krupp and Farben collectively donated 3 million marks, equivalent to 1.2 million US dollars at the time, finally resolving the financial crisis of the Nazi Party.

Seeing through Hitler's deliberate attempts to defer, Zhang Hainuo and Hitler engaged in another round of polite exchange regarding the envelope.

"While serving in the navy, one can receive fixed allowances, not to mention that the new department I am in charge of does not receive any small annual financial appropriations!" Zhang Hainuo pushed the envelope into Hitler's hands with this reason and joked, "Unfortunately, official appropriations cannot be used privately, otherwise, it would be good to donate them together!"

Hitler, however, did not smile. He looked at the envelope in his hand with a serious expression, as if he could see through the surface paper and read the words on the bank draft inside. This time, he did not express thanks again.

"Hainuo, do you think the senior ranks of the navy will accept our National Socialist ideology? Or have they already been influenced by us?"

From a historical perspective, the answer to this question is negative. Although Redel sympathized with and to some extent endorsed Hitler's National Socialist ideology, the navy under his leadership remained apolitical. As for whether ninety-nine percent of the entire German population, including newly recruited naval recruits, were influenced by this ideology after Hitler came to power, that's another matter.

"Respected Führer, I need to spend more time in the navy to qualify to answer this question!" Zhang Hainuo replied ambiguously, "Although the navy has a tradition of not asking about politics, as long as it is a just revolutionary cause, I believe any discerning person would support it!"

This kind of answer at least temporarily blocked Hitler's attempt to infiltrate the navy. Shortly after, he summoned Hess, Rommel, and Eitween and drove to a cafe in the city center, where they drank coffee and reminisced. During this time, Zhang Hainuo intentionally or unintentionally mentioned the name of Hermann Göring. Hearing this, Hitler and the others expressed regret and vowed not to give up their efforts to catch the culprit. It was evident that Hitler's grief was sincere; after all, before the Beer Hall Putsch, Göring had devoted all his resources to assisting him in training the Stormtroopers and was extremely loyal to him. But what Göring's reaction would be upon learning that Hitler blamed his death on "despicable Jews" was unknown.

In comparison, Rommel seemed somewhat despondent. After being dismissed from the army, he now personally oversaw the training and daily work of the Stormtroopers, appearing to be in high spirits.

Because Hitler was due to personally address a rally at a sports arena in Berlin in a few days, the group discussed driving directly to Berlin. That night, Zhang Hainuo stayed in a hotel next to the Nazi Party headquarters—although Hitler now had a large apartment in the bustling district across the Isar River, he showed no intention of inviting Zhang Hainuo to stay there, perhaps considering it his private domain, or perhaps not wanting his niece Geli to interact with outsiders.

According to insiders, Hitler was so infatuated with Geli that he "constantly circled around her, his eyes filled with affection, pretending to be in love." She often urged him to go shopping with her, and he hated it when "Geli tried on hats and shoes, picked fabrics in bundles, and chatted earnestly with female shop assistants, sometimes for over half an hour, only to find nothing to her liking and leave empty-handed." Although Hitler knew that this situation would happen every time they went shopping, he "followed her like a gentle lamb each time."

At the same time, Hitler was also a strict uncle. He limited the social activities of this lively and active girl to restaurants and beer halls, occasionally allowing her to go to the theater. At her earnest request, he even allowed her to attend a penitential ball, but the conditions were strict: she must be accompanied by Max Amann or Hoffmann, and she must return by 11 p.m. Hoffman warned that these restrictions made her very unhappy, but the Führer replied that he had a responsibility to keep a close eye on his niece. "I love Geli, and I could marry her." However, he was determined never to marry. He said that Geli thought it was a restriction, but it was actually a wise move. "I am determined not to let her fall into the hands of adventurers or swindlers."

Early the next morning, two Mercedes cars set off from Munich towards the north. Leading the way was Hitler's red new car, driven by a handsome young man named Maurice—this man later fell in love with Geli and secretly engaged her, almost driving Hitler crazy.

Hess and Eitween sat with Hitler in one car, while in Zhang Hainuo's old Mercedes were the limping "official photographer" Hoffmann and Hanfstaengl—the latter, though recently neglected, still remained the Nazi Party's top external liaison person. Hoffmann, who operated a photo studio in Munich, often accompanied Hitler on his speaking tours and was responsible for photography. These photos would often appear in the next day's People's Observer: the leader in Berlin, the leader among the masses, the leader in battle!

Long time no see, Zhang Hainuo and Hanfstaengl chatted happily all the way, talking about recent financial developments in the United States, where almost every American was making a fortune in the booming market; they talked about competition among South American countries and conflicts among small nations, mocking the brawls in the Boer War model; they talked about recent situations in Britain and France, laughing at the political comedies in various circles.

Halfway through, Hanfstaengl took over the driving from Zhang Hainuo. The worldly-wise Hoffmann then talked about stories from the photo studio, where amusing incidents seemed to happen every day. Hoffmann also mentioned his young employees, especially the lively and energetic Eva Braun—this name surprised Zhang Hainuo; he had forgotten that Hitler and his mistress Eva met through Hoffmann.

Regarding the relationship between the Führer and Eva, Hoffmann didn't say much, only mentioning that Eva didn't know who Hitler was the first time she met him. But after that, whenever Hitler came to the photo studio, he would usually bring flowers and candies—Hoffmann regarded this as a purely gentlemanly gesture.

In Berlin, Hitler addressed nearly 10,000 listeners on the issues of national and state revival. Because of concerns that hostile elements might disrupt the rally, the Nazi Party deployed large numbers of Stormtroopers and SS members. Here, scenes of bloodshed did not occur; those attempting to disrupt the order by shouting were quickly dragged away by the vigilant SS members, which Zhang Hainuo found somewhat unbelievable. In order to maintain a long and impassioned speech, Hitler drank over a dozen bottles of mineral water in just over an hour. By the end of the speech, he was almost soaked in sweat from head to toe, a sight Zhang Hainuo had never seen in his life.