Krupp

　　After Strauss agreed to Lyon's offer, the approximate date of the wedding was quickly determined, tentatively scheduled for the first weekend of the spring of 1926. So Comrade Lyon can still enjoy a single life for about half a year.

　　The complicated affairs did not let him go because Leon was about to say goodbye to singleness, and life was as busy as ever.

　　After finalizing the marriage, Leon rushed to Essen, where he was to visit the German arms magnate Gustav Krupp and discuss the new artillery of the army and navy. Now that Lyon no longer travels by train, Lufthansa has arranged a special plane for Lyon as a travel plane for Lyon.

　　Berlin is 531 km in a straight line from Essen and used to take more than eight hours by train, but now it takes just over two hours by plane.

　　Located in the heart of the Ruhr industrial region in Germany, Essen plays an important role in German industry, but its fate has been mixed.

　　In 1922, the Compensation Commission demanded that Germany deliver a total of more than 13.86 million tons of coal to France and Luxembourg in the first 11 months of 1922 as compensation for defeat, but by this time Germany's industrial capacity had been greatly damaged by the Allies, so Germany delivered only 11.7 million tons in 11 months.

　　At the end of 1922, the Indemnity Commission declared that Germany had not fulfilled its delivery obligations for that year.

　　On January 11, 1923, despite the opposition of Britain and the United States and other countries, France and Belgium argued that Germany had not fulfilled its delivery obligations for the previous year, the need to send a working group to supervise production in the Ruhr industrial area was used as an excuse to send troops to occupy the entire Ruhr industrial area.

　　For a time, the voice of protest in Germany was high, and the then German Chancellor German Chancellor Kuno ordered passive resistance, announced that the French and Belgian occupation authorities cooperated, recalled the ambassador to Paris and the minister in Brussels, and stopped paying all compensation to France and Belgium.

　　Miners and railway workers in the occupied territories fought with strikes or sabotage, and all railway and water traffic to France and Belgium through Germany was paralyzed.

　　The French and Belgian occupation authorities immediately took coercive measures to control the management, production and distribution of coal, to prohibit the export of commodities from the occupied areas, and to impose coal taxes and other customs duties. All Germans who participated in passive resistance, including their families, were arrested, imprisoned, fined, deported and even executed.

　　By mid-June, Germany had lost the Ruhr industrial area and had to pay huge subsidies to the occupied areas, resulting in a severe economic crisis at home, and the entire German economy was on the verge of collapse.

　　Prime Minister Kuno had to announce his resignation on 12 August and be replaced by G. Stemsmann.

　　As soon as Stussmann took over as Chancellor, he declared an end to passive resistance and supported the negotiations between the Rhine-Westphalia Coal Syndicate and the International Industrial and Mining Control Mission and the Fabirul District Control Committee.

　　On November 23, the two sides signed an agreement stipulating that the coal syndicate would resume deliveries of coal and coke to the Allies as compensation in kind from Germany, and France and Belgium would receive 18% of the total coal production and 35% of the total coke production.

　　Thus, France achieved its goal of plundering and controlling the Ruhr industrial area. It was not until 1 September 1924, when the Franco-Belgian occupation forces began to withdraw from the industrial zone, that Essen returned to German arms. When the Krupp family occupied Essen in early 1923, the Krupp family moved the entire Krupp company away from Essen and did not return until recently.

　　The plane landed slowly at Essen Airport. After getting off the plane, Lyon did not stop much and took the car directly to the famous Villa Houger of the Krupp family.

　　The Krupp family had already known in advance that Lyon would be visiting, so they carefully prepared lunch and were greeted by Gustav himself at the door.

　　Leon's car soon arrived at the door of the villa, and Leon in the car saw Krupp standing straight at the door, he smiled and got out of the car, and shook hands with Krupp who greeted him here.

　　After shaking hands, Krupp invited Leon into the villa and said with a smile: "Knowing that you are coming over, I specially asked Beta to prepare food, and leave it at my house for lunch today." "

　　Because Leon has been secretly developing armaments, he has always been friends with Krupp, who is an arms magnate.

　　Leon laughed and said, "Well, I've never tasted Madame Beta's craft."

　　The two sat down on the sofa in the living room, and then chatted about some homely things.

　　"I heard that you are going to marry the Qianjin of General Strauss's family, when is the time set?" Didn't she come over today? Gustav said curiously.

　　"We'll probably get married on the first weekend of next spring, and you'll definitely be able to come to our wedding then." Leon said happily, "Sophia went to Italy and said that she wanted the Pope to officiate our wedding." "

　　"Oh, haha. Okay, I'll definitely come then. Gustav smiled heartily.

　　"Dad, General Leon, mom says lunch is ready!" A 20-year-old boy ran over and told the two to go to dinner.

　　"This is little Alfred, right? He really looks like his great-grandfather. Leon looked at the boy in front of him and said with a smile.

　　Alfred Krupp, son of Gustav Krupp.

　　Alfred Jr.'s great-grandfather, the founder of the Krupp Arms Company, was also called Alfred Krupp, which shows Gustav's high hopes for him.

　　Speaking of which, we have to talk about Gustav's origin and Krupp company, Gustav, formerly known as Gustav von Pollen Onder Harbahei, was a diplomat in the Second German Empire.

　　In 1902, Beta Krupp's father, Friedrich Krupp, the second president of Krupp Arms, committed suicide due to a scandal, leaving the young Beta alone. At that time, everyone thought that the young Beta could not control the huge Krupp company alone, so Kaiser Wilhelm II, in order to prevent the Krupp company from falling into the hands of political opponents, personally chose Beta, and then chose the young Gustav.

　　The two married in October 1906 with the blessing of the Kaiser, and Gustav also changed the surname Krupp at the behest of the Kaiser. Gustav did not disgrace the surname Krupp, and during World War I, he led the Krupp Arms Company to supply thousands of artillery pieces to the Empire in war, and also developed famous artillery such as "Grand Beta" and "Paris Cannon".

　　After the war, Krupp Arms was dismantled by the Allies a number of important machines, and even Gustav himself was convicted as a war criminal, which dealt a huge blow to Krupp and Gustav.

　　However, Krupp did not collapse, because in 1902 Vickers, which specialized in making shells for Britain, leased a patent for a new shell fuse from Krupp Arms, which the British used to kill many German soldiers on the battlefield.

　　As a result, Vickers had to pay a large sum of money after the war to Krupp for the patent for the fuse, depending on the number of German casualties.

　　This was seen as a shame by Gustav, who vowed to wash his stains with the blood of Britain and France, and with this money, together with the grants given to him by the Weimar government, he restored Krupp production in just one year after the war, which is why he firmly supported Lyon in secretly arming Germany.

　　"My son is really not as good as his grandfather, he is too naughty now." Gustav looked at his son and said.

　　Although he said so, the pride in his eyes could be seen by anyone.

　　"General Leon, I adore you the most! You are a hero of Germany! Alfred said as he looked at Leon with bright eyes. He, like all young people in Germany today, believed that Lyon was Germany's greatest man, and that he had led Germany back to prominence.

　　Leon smiled and said: "I just did what I had to do, and the future of Germany depends on all Germans." "

　　"Leon, since Alfred adores you so much, let him follow you, and it's better to let him enter the barracks to practice." Gustav suggested.

　　"Yes, but being a soldier is very hard." Leon patted Alfred next to him on the shoulder and continued, "Let's eat first, and we'll have to talk about artillery in the afternoon." "

　　"Yes, yes, let's go to dinner first.