Celebration

Although the German Armed Forces entered the Rhineland and became a farce, and although the frequently mobilized German armored forces showed some hidden strength in Germany, the Defense Force stumbled back to the Rhineland. Because several French soldiers opened fire, nearly 1,500 Germans were forced to retreat to their starting point, and half of the German armed forces were in a hurry—this had almost become a joke among the top military powers of the world. And this new German armed force was now perceived as a flock of sheep in the eyes of the French, with the German Wehrmacht even ranking behind the Japanese army in the new combat effectiveness assessment. However, the Wehrmacht still became the savior in the hearts of the German people.

They were warmly welcomed by the local people in the Rhineland region. Although some of these soldiers rode tall horses, and although some of these soldiers also carried outdated Mauser heavy machine guns, they were still showered with flowers and stopped by the girls to receive their kisses. For most Rhineland residents, the arrival of the armed forces was a cause for celebration. Every time a Defense Force soldier wearing a helmet passed through a city, citizens would flock to the streets to greet them in the warmest manner. They jumped and yelled, sang patriotic songs, and cheered.

At the spontaneous welcome ceremony, the young girls gave the officers bright red carnations. The national flag of Germany covered the streets. A reporter lamented what he saw and heard: "The local residents are so enthusiastic that the soldiers of the National Defense Force are obviously not enough for the girls."

A gentleman who went to the church in Cologne heard that the army of the motherland was coming, and immediately turned around and walked towards the main square. While walking, he said, "God! I want to invite the first soldier who shakes hands with me to drink like I did on the day I joined the army in 1914! Today I'm going to take a drunk with him! Long live General Rudolf Arkado!"

In Frankfurt, Aachen, Düsseldorf, Koblenz, and other cities, the situation was the same—patriotism was everywhere. Under the propaganda offensive of Fanny, Arkado once again became a hero of the German people.

The ordinary people could almost bring them into the abyss of war regardless of Arkado. Under the suppressed atmosphere of the economic crisis, they found any exciting news very comforting. Although after a deep analysis, it was not difficult to see that this was definitely a crazy adventure conducted by Arkado commanding the National Defense Forces, but under the cover of the victory, a foolish behavior akin to suicide had become a deliberate display of dauntless spirit. This was the power of publicity and propaganda. It could use people's dissatisfaction with reality, expand the gloom in people's hearts, and then burst out to become an unprecedented force that could be used.

But not all Germans were ecstatic about entering the Rhineland Demilitarized Zone. A large part of those who had doubts about this were senior generals from the Army. They knew very well that the army had almost doubled its secret expansion, but it was still far from having the strength to fight the western neighbor France.

In 1930, Germany could use no more than 200,000 troops, about 10 divisions; France could mobilize 100 divisions to fight. Because of the fear of the French counterattack, Arkado did not dare to over-stimulate the French nerves. According to the plan to enter the Rhineland formulated by Bock and Arkado, Germany only had three understrength light infantry divisions entering the Rhineland. Their strength was only 1500, poorly equipped.

These troops did not have heavy weapons, only equipped with machine guns and rifles, and they tried their best to lower their profile to avoid any threat to the French border, hoping to reduce the possibility of confrontation. Because of the German aid agreement, and the low-key move, and finally the spontaneous counterattack of several French people, this time reclaiming the Rhineland became a joke.

On the night of the celebration, Arkado picked up a glass of wine at the banquet and said to the officials and parliamentarians who came to prepare to make up for the mistakes he made: "From today! The German government will fully exercise the absolute sovereignty of this demilitarized area! Long live the German people! The Great German Party will win!"

All people, including those who were not yet members of the Great German Party, raised their right hands and shouted "Long live the Great German!" Arkado raised his hand to indicate that everyone should be quiet, and then, in the eyes of everyone, he continued his speech: "At this moment, in western Germany, the German army is moving towards their future peacetime station. They will become the protector there. Until now, I still firmly believe that we will continue to keep our two vows."

He said while extending his index finger and middle finger: "First, in order to regain the honor of the nation, we vowed never to succumb to any force! Second, we vowed to work harder than ever to deepen the understanding between nations. Germany will not destroy peace."

This was a deafening performance. In the cheers of "We will win!",

Arkado sweated and walked down the lecture platform exhaustedly, with a smile of satisfaction in the corner of his mouth. He had won! After betting this time, he truly took control of Germany's future. "Arkado! Sometimes I really doubt that you are a natural media manipulator! You are more professional than I thought," Fanny said, putting her hand on her left hip with a fascinated expression.

"In any case, today is our victory." Arkado replied with a deep breath and smiled,

"So my speech was finally used."

"Yeah! You have become a real charmer, Arkado!" Fanny looked at Arkado's face with a smirk: "I heard that you kissed your female secretary this afternoon?"

"Yeah! So I think you should choose a better one than me..." Arkado was preparing to talk to Fanny about the relationship between them. As a result, Fanny kissed his lips. Her lips weren't short; she raised her toes and hugged Arkado's neck just enough to reach his lips. "Woo..." The tongue was so soft—this was the thought that flashed through Arkado's mind, and he closed his eyes to enjoy the girl's impoliteness. Lips, Fanny pressed her right index finger on Arkado's lips: "Dear! I said I don't mind being a woman in the shadow! Your wife's position will make Miss Mercedes worry about it! I am satisfied as long as you are your lover."

God! Determined to be a mistress! Still such a pretty strong woman, don't you want my life! You tempt me so much, I made a mistake! Arkado struggled hard.

"You can come to my house at any time, I'll wait for you!" Fanny smiled sweetly, let go of Arkado, and looked at the adoring Anna next to her, raised her eyebrows: "Okay! Today I still have to rush back to the Propaganda Department, there are still several topics about the Rhineland waiting for me to review... I won't disturb the two! Have fun!"

Arkado glanced at Anna next to him and smiled slightly: "Ahaha, she is still like that, haha, hahaha." "I didn't say anything," Anna snorted. "Anyway, you are a big business now, I just need to be with you every day."

"Lord General!" Geer came over with a glass of wine, his face reddish, and he seemed to have drunk a lot: "You are our hero! Long live the German Party!"

While shouting, he stumbled while holding the glass and walked past Arkado. "It seems that everyone is under a lot of pressure," Arkado looked at Anna with his arm and smiled. "Thank you for the words you said to me, really thank you."

"For so long, I have been by your side. I feel that a person like the General is the leader of our German people, so I support you and support you with my love and all my enthusiasm!"

Anna said with a red face... The banquet lasted until late at night, and the carnival of the German people lasted for a long time. For example, soldiers wearing black SS military uniforms took a truck and carried flags across the streets of Berlin and the square in front of the presidential palace. At the rally and parade, they shouted the long live slogan of the Great German Party. The various thoughts and factions within the German government were unified by the powerful German Party.

On the surface, it seemed that the German government had become the policy executor of the German Party, and even the Nazi Party, which had been tempted to move, had disappeared at this moment. The Grand Deutschland Party, in the speech of the Congress, heatedly promoted this victory. The fanatical action also inspired radicals within the government. They all joined the Grand German Party from their original organizations because they found that their radical and delusional statements did not yet have the radical actions of the Grand German Party—when they clamored to expand their armies and prepare for war, the Great German Party had already sent troops to take back the Rhineland Demilitarized Zone.

In any case, Arkado had become a big hero in Germany. His approval rate in an unofficial poll report had reached a staggering 72%. Some analysts had pointed out that as long as he proposed to participate in the next presidential election, he must succeed Hindenburg as the next German president. However, it was not known for what reasons, Arkado was not interested in the presidency. He also personally told the media on the first weekend of the return of German rule in the Rhineland that he had no intention of running for the next German president.

As an apology for the delay in the operation of the Rhineland, and gratitude to Arkado for this time, President Hindenburg, dragging his sick body, attended the subsequent celebrations held in Cologne City. He deliberately arranged for General Arkado Rudolph to stand on his right during the event. The person standing on the left side of Hindenburg was the German Chancellor and former Foreign Minister Stresemann, who was also from the German Party. This signal made it very clear that the Great German Party had begun to dominate Germany.