On January 30, 1933, the chill of midwinter had not yet dissipated across Central Europe, but in Germany, the brightly coloured swastika had enveloped the whole country in a frenzied red. 1.5 million National Socialists and 2 million brown-shirted stormtroopers took to the streets after evening to celebrate the historic victory of National Socialism in Germany – and their leader, Adolf? Hitler, who had been officially sworn in as Chancellor, became the nominally most powerful giant in this great country. This former army corporal and Austrian street painter is now like a golden phoenix in the sky, soaring into the vast sky!

At the beginning of the day, the whole city of Berlin seems to be at night, and countless stormtroopers sweep through the streets under the linden like waves; The night sky was lit up by a blazing torch, and the sound of military music and drums and cheers shook the sky. Standing on a windowsill in the presidential palace, Hindenburg watched the crowd marching below, his staff hitting the floor to the beat of a military march: he was clearly glad that he had finally chosen a chancellor who could arouse the people in the traditional German way. A few hundred meters away at the Chancellery, Hitler stood in front of the window and danced excitedly, his arms constantly raised to salute the crowd that swept through the procession, and his dark and brown eyes were full of tears. Nine years ago, he was a prisoner of the Bavarian authorities, and could be punished at any time for treason with life imprisonment. No one understands how many bitter tears he has paid for this moment today, and how many lonely and lonely sleepless winters he has survived!

However, as in the moment when the National Socialist Party won a stunning victory in the general election two and a half years ago, Hitler quickly calmed down from his euphoria and began to think about his next move. At this time, he was far from holding full power in Germany: only three of the 11 cabinet members were National Socialists, and sixty percent of the seats in the parliament were occupied by people from other parties. Hitler had to create a pretext to purge all parties and individuals who opposed him. Amid the cheers of the stormtroopers, his eyes fell through the thick night to the ancient Roman-style dome of the Capitol not far away.

Late at night on February 27. The Capitol suddenly burst into flames, and the fierce flames lit up half of the sky; Hitler and his followers rushed to the scene at the first time and swore that this was a monstrous crime of the Communists who were unwilling to accept the victory of National Socialism in Germany and intended to initiate a revolution. Hitler and several members of the National Socialist Party were familiar with the flames: it was under their arrangement that a group of SS soldiers who were absolutely loyal to the leader had sneaked into the Reichstag through underground heating pipes a few hours earlier and had poured a large amount of gasoline and other flammable materials on the fire. Once the fire broke out, the National Socialist Party could blame its main political enemy, the Communist Party of Germany.

If it were to be based solely on the plans of the Nationalists, it would have been a clumsy and false political struggle: because the Nationalists, who had written and staged the arson farce, would not be able to capture any evidence, and this would inevitably attract a different kind of scrutiny from other parties and the public. However. Luck had befallen Hitler since 1933. Shortly after the SS soldiers were evacuated from the underground pipes, a person with arsonism sneaked into the Reichstag, and this deranged man named Luble was a member of the Dutch Communist Party!

The fact that the Nationalists discovered a deranged Communist arsonist who was determined to do what they had decided to do is a coincidence that can only be described as providential. Lub was arrested on the spot after the fire broke out, confessed to setting the fire, and the Berlin police also searched his body for lighters and other things that started the fire. Although there are still many doubts about the arson case, such as how Luble was alone in just two minutes. It made the whole central hall burn violently, but for the National Socialist Party and Hitler, it didn't matter anymore.

The next day, Hitler was at Hindenburg's nod. The "Law for the Protection of the People," which allowed the human rights and freedoms stipulated in the Constitution to be trampled under their feet, began a comprehensive crackdown on Communist Party newspapers and organs. The stormtroopers of the Brown Shirts, commanded by Rohm, swept through Germany's major cities like a storm, arresting and detaining all the top and mid-ranks of the German Communist Party, and the party's life in German politics came to an end. With this political annexation. The National Socialist Party finally achieved a single majority in Parliament that more than a dozen previous governments could not have dreamed of. Hitler took advantage of the victory, and half a month later obtained crucial legislative power from President Hindenburg, which made him an athlete with a starting pistol. It is easy to control the whole of Germany.

Soon, a series of actions were carried out like a storm in the country. The German Communist Party, which had no arguments in the Reichstag arson, was dealt a devastating blow and was directly ordered to dissolve and ban it; Several core leaders were either imprisoned or fled abroad to seek political asylum, and within a few days the entire party was shattered and no longer existed as a political force in Germany. Within days, other parties, led by the Social Democrats, followed in the footsteps of the German Communist Party: trucks laden with brown-shirted stormtroopers rampaged through the streets of cities, then broke into their buildings, seized equipment, and arrested people. The occasional faint protest was instantly drowned out in the beer bottles and chair legs in the hands of the stormtroopers, and turned into a miserable cry of pain.

The fields are green, the trees are bursting with new shoots, and the March breeze lazily sweeps over the Kiel Naval Base, bringing a touch of warmth that is different from that of midwinter. Fang Yan, who was outside the whirlpool of the storm, quietly watched Hitler maneuver in the domestic political arena, knocking down those political opponents who were strong and powerful in the middle one after another, and realizing his grand blueprint of controlling the country step by step. After Hitler took power, Fang Yan did not go to Berlin to find this old acquaintance who had already made a fortune like ordinary people: first, as a naval officer, he could not show excessive enthusiasm for politics, and second, he had nothing to sell to Hitler except congratulations. Hitler, who was now busy attacking his political opponents, must have been so busy that if he hastily approached him, it might be counterproductive.

Considering that the people in his family were by Hitler's side, Fang Yan did not join in the fun, but continued to improve his professional quality in Kiel with peace of mind. To this day, he is at ease in his second officer position on the Nuremberg light cruiser, and he is able to complete everything flawlessly, whether it is routine maintenance or ocean-going exercises. And on the list of personnel recommended for promotion this year, Fang Yan is also at the top of the list, if nothing else, at the age of 25, he will definitely be able to become a captain of the destroyer captain level.

"Big news, the new Chancellor Hitler will visit our Kiel military port on March 25 to inspect the fleet!" One afternoon, Fang Yan, who was on the battleship, learned the news through the ship's radio. The young sailors were all excited, and the smiles of joy on their faces were completely visceral: although the German Navy had always been far from politics under Raeder's leadership, what German youth did not aspire to Hitler's piercing right-wing ideas? What's more, Hitler's personal experience also has an unparalleled attraction and affinity for them: 15 years ago, Hitler was just an inconspicuous corporal, but today he has ascended to the throne of chancellor, which in itself is a living and glorious example that can inspire people to move forward!

Looking at the smiling comrades around him, Fang Yan's heart was unusually calm. He could sense that Hitler had not come to Kiel just to inspect the troops, but to take the opportunity to deepen his ties with the navy and to continue to maintain the current support of the armed forces. With Hitler's coming to power, his relationship with the Wehrmacht has become more and more important than that of Ernst? An uneasy rift appeared in the stormtroopers commanded by Rohm: at this moment there were 2 million members of the stormtroopers, almost 10 times the number of the Wehrmacht, and he was unwilling to be subordinated to the Wehrmacht, and he had increasingly expressed his desire to become Minister of Defense.

Naturally, such conditions could not be accepted by the Wehrmacht. Röhm's brown-shirted stormtroopers were just a bunch of rabble thugs fighting in the streets, which was completely different from the lean Wehrmacht of beggars and aristocrats; And when the news of the corruption and depravity of Rohm and other SA leaders spread, the shock and disgust of the Wehrmacht generals deepened. If Hitler had dared to support Röhm's actions, the Wehrmacht would have overthrown the National Socialist Party, and with the strength accumulated by the Wehrmacht over the years, it would undoubtedly be as easy as digging for something!

In this matter, Hitler was undoubtedly much more shrewd than the megalomaniacal Röhm. He was well aware that he was far from being able to shake the power of the traditional Prussian officer corps, and that without the support of, or at least the acquiescence of, the Wehrmacht, he would never have been able to become the chancellor. In addition, in the long run, only a well-trained and well-educated Wehrmacht could realize the external expansion of the "Great Germany" in his mind. Rohm's stormtroopers have ended their historic mission, and now it's time to retire.

However, Hitler could not directly turn against Röhm. After all, the latter controls a staggering number of armed forces, and if not handled carefully, it will inevitably lead to disastrous consequences; And the comrade-in-arms between Hitler and Röhm for many years also made him reluctant to have a face-to-face showdown with his old friend. After many trade-offs, Hitler finally decided to convey his unwavering support for the Wehrmacht to the Wehrmacht group led by the Army through contact with the head of the Navy. This would not only dispel the military's suspicions about him, but also not excessively irritate Roma's emotions. In addition, Hitler also wanted to stop by to see his old friend, and after so many years, what kind of situation had he grown? (To be continued.) )