The Rise of the Third Reich

Franconian Palace, Bruges, Belgium.

The thunderous sound of artillery came into the ancient Frankish Palace from the southeast and two directions. This was the German army advancing near Bruges that was bombarding the Belgian army's defensive positions outside the city of Bruges.

At the Frankfurt Palace, the Belgian King and Commander-in-Chief of the Army Leopold III, Queen Astrid, Prime Minister Herbert Pierrot, and the King's Advisor British Admiral John Brownlow Keyes were attending the ceremony. Meeting with Prince Bernhard, husband of Princess Juliana of the Netherlands.

Prince Bernhard is a member of the German royal family and was once a cavalry officer in the German Wehrmacht. He was naturalized in the Netherlands after marrying a Dutch princess. However, he still maintained close contacts with the top brass of the Wehrmacht and Kaiser Wilhelm's court. Today he took the risk from the Netherlands to reach Bruges, which is surrounded by war, just to convey the quite sincere peace conditions offered by Germany:

1. Belgium handed over the German lands it occupied after World War I;

2. The Belgian government returns all reparations paid to Belgium by Germany in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles and the Keynes Plan (in-kind reparations are also converted into cash);

3. The Belgian government promises to join the European Customs Union and the European Monetary Union when Germany requests it;

4. Belgium’s colonies will serve as shared colonies in the European Customs Union and the European Monetary Union;

5. The main cities and ports of Belgium will be occupied by Germany until the end of the combat operations against Britain and France, but most of the powers of the Belgian government and parliament will be retained, and the German garrison will not interfere with Belgium's civil and judicial affairs;

6. If the Belgian government is unable to repay the compensation, Germany has the right to obtain part or all of the equity interests in Belgian steel plants, arsenals, and mines as compensation. If there is insufficient, Germany will waive its right to recourse;

7. Before the end of combat operations against Britain and France, Belgian troops and military installations will be placed under the management of the German Wehrmacht.

"What is the European Monetary Union?" Belgian Prime Minister Herbert Pierrot said with a calm face. "Does Germany want to seize Belgium's monetary sovereignty so that Belgium can become a vassal of Germany forever?"

"The European Community will be a federal country in the future," Prince Bernhard said. "Each federal member will naturally give up part of his sovereignty to the federation. Not only will the Belgian franc not continue to exist, but the German mark, the Polish zloty, the Slovak franc The krona, the Hungarian forint and the Luxembourg franc will not exist, and even our Dutch guilder will most likely be replaced by the European mark.”

"You, the Netherlands, too..." British Admiral John Brownlow Keyes was surprised, "Germany is preparing to invade the Netherlands?"

“It’s not that,” said Prince Bernhard, “Germany wants to use peaceful means to achieve its goals... If the Netherlands joins the European Monetary Union, the European Bank responsible for issuing the Euromark (the original European Development Bank) will start from Geneva, Switzerland. Move to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which will become a world financial center like London and New York.”

Of course being a world financial center means lots of money! Amsterdam would replace London and Paris as long as the Netherlands agreed to join the European Monetary Union - a guarantee given by the German Emperor to the Queen of the Netherlands.

"Do you, the Netherlands, want to join Germany in opposing the British Empire?" Admiral Keyes asked loudly.

"No, we will not take the initiative to declare war on anyone," Prince Berhard said seriously, "We, the Netherlands, will continue to remain neutral."

"But you will join the German Zollverein?" Admiral Keyes asked.

"Not the German Customs Union, but the European Customs Union." Prince Bernhard corrected Admiral Keyes.

“And you’re planning to use Mark!”

"Euromark, this is the international currency used by the future European Monetary Union," Prince Bernhard shrugged. "This will not happen immediately. It may take another year or two."

Wait until the Germans land on British soil? Admiral Keyes thought to himself: The Netherlands' position is clearly towards Germany, but it still wants to wear a cloak of neutrality, and at the same time wants to get a share of Germany's spoils. How abominable!

But now the British Empire has nothing to do with the Netherlands, and it is impossible to attack the Dutch mainland. The only means that can be taken now is a "limited embargo" to restrict the Netherlands from importing war materials to help Germany.

However, for General Keyes, how to deal with the Netherlands' "pro-German neutrality" is not an issue he needs to consider. The position of the Kingdom of Belgium is what gives him a headache.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Prime Minister," Admiral Keyes asked after Prince Berthardt left the Frankish Palace, "Belgium will not succumb to German violence, will it?"

"Of course, Belgium will not surrender!" said Belgian Prime Minister Herbert Pierrot.

"But the war will be over soon." King Leopold III's answer made Admiral Case feel nervous. The "weak" king said: "The situation now is much worse than in 1914. There will no longer be a force to resist Germany on the European continent. The Germans won the war, and Europe will eventually become a European-German-led community." …How can we in Belgium resist?”

"Your Majesty the King, the final victory will not belong to Germany!" Admiral Keyes hurriedly persuaded, "The defeat of the coalition forces is only temporary. You and the Belgian government can go to London to continue leading the resistance. The people of Belgium will fight under your leadership We will fight Germany with guerrilla warfare until the day of victory."

Leopold III shrugged, "Admiral, do you think the Flemish people will fight the Germans to the end for hundreds of square kilometers of German-speaking states and Walloon factories and mine shares?"

Of course this is impossible! The Dutch-speaking Flemish and French-speaking Walloons have always been incompatible. Since the Walloons were the majority when Belgium became independent and had economically developed heavy industrial areas, they dominated Belgium for a long time before World War I and looked down upon the Flemish. Moreover, the Walloons are pro-French and speak French, while the Flemish speak Dutch and are more pro-German. Therefore, when the German army invaded the Flemish areas during the last world war, it was welcomed.

Although after World War I, due to the decline of Belgium's heavy industrial areas and the economic and population growth of the Flemish areas, the population ratios of the two sides reversed. The Flemish people gradually gained the upper hand, but the contradiction between the Flemish and Walloon people not only did not ease, but also became more intense - the Flemish people did not want to stay in the same country as the Walloon people at all. If the Germans annexed Wallonia, the Flemish would only be grateful to Germany.

"And the Belgian franc," Admiral Keyes said, "Belgium will lose its currency!"

Leopold III still shook his head, "Belgium has done its best. We have resisted for 15 days. Isn't that enough?"

"Your Majesty, the government cannot agree to surrender," Belgian Prime Minister Herbert Pierrot shouted. "The government will not surrender."

"Okay," the King of Belgium nodded, "you go to London or somewhere else, I will stay in Belgium and be with my army and people. I am the commander-in-chief of the Belgian army, and I will give the order to cease the war!" He glanced at British Admiral Case, "Today is the 24th. I will send a peace envoy to the Germans at 12 noon on the 25th. The Belgian army will stop resisting before 12 noon on the 26th." "

…

"Dutch origin? No, I can't say that. Although I have several relatives living in the Netherlands, my family's history is much longer than that of the Netherlands. The history of the Heinsberg family can be traced back to the Frankish Kingdom. Vassals of the Lorraine Dynasty, there were no Netherlands or Belgium at that time..."

"It's so ancient, so you must be a German noble."

"Yes, I am the heir to the Marquis of Heinsberg, and our family also has the title of Earl of Arter."

"Alter? Alter near Ghent?"

"Yes, this is Artel. One of my ancestors was a vassal of the Principality of Flanders, and later became loyal to the Duke of Burgundy, and then became a vassal of the Habsburg Dynasty, and finally was conquered by Napoleon. The person was driven away, but the title remained..."

It was Hessmann's eldest son Rudolf who was talking loudly with a group of Belgians, oh, it should be Flemish people in an area surrounded by German troops in Ghent. He accidentally landed near the Belgian army's position yesterday when he parachuted, and then became a prisoner - there is no tradition among German soldiers that they would rather commit suicide than be captured, and Rudolf is a Catholic, and committing suicide will go to hell. of.

However, the Belgian soldiers who captured him (actually the Ghent militia) treated him quite favorably. It's not because the Belgians know how to treat prisoners preferentially, but because those Belgian militiamen regard Rudolph as one of their own!

This sounds strange, but it is quite normal in Belgium, a country where political life is all about the struggle between the Dutch-speaking Flemish and the French-speaking Walloons. Rudolf not only speaks very fluent Dutch (his hometown is on the edge of the Netherlands, and he also has a manor and residence in the Limburg province of the Netherlands), but he also shares the same religious beliefs with these Flemish people - —They are all Catholics.

We have a common language and a common religion, so of course we are our own people. As for the ongoing war, in the eyes of many Flemish people, it is a matter for the French, British and Germans and has nothing to do with them.

And the war would soon be over, at least for these Ghent militiamen. The SS "Adolf Hitler" banner unit has now occupied most of Ghent and surrounded the remaining part. Military envoys have been sent to persuade them to surrender.