Immediately after the dismissal of two of the highest-ranking soldiers, Hitler began a complete restructuring of the Wehrmacht.

Hitler abolished the post of Minister of Defense that Blomburg had once held, and put himself in charge of the three services; The War Department, which was subordinate to the Minister of Defense, was also abolished and reorganized into the "Supreme Command of the Armed Forces" (OKW), which would henceforth become famous, under which both the army and navy would be subordinate. Hitler was its supreme commander-in-chief, and below him there was a staff officer, but he had a loud title: "Minister of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces". This position was given to the flattering artillery admiral Keitel. After much deliberation, Hitler chose Brauchitsch as the new commander-in-chief of the army, a general who was far more enthusiastic about the National Socialist Party than Fritsch.

At the same time, Foreign Minister Newright was also dismissed by Hitler. Ribbentrop succeeded him with a shallow mind and a deferential attitude, acting only as a mouthpiece. At the diplomatic level, Hitler had already shown his unparalleled genius, and all decisions were made by him!

It was for this reason that the People's Observer, the mouthpiece of the National Socialist Party, published nothing more than the shocking headline on February 5, 1938: "All power is highly concentrated in the hands of the Führer." Only this time, Dr. Goebbels did not say much. From that day on, the last conservatives who had hindered Hitler were eliminated, and the power of diplomatic, economic, and military decision-making was concentrated in his hands, and the armed forces were directly under his command. Hitler, who had solved his internal troubles, threw himself into the annexation of Austria. While in Berlin, he closely watched the reaction of various forces to the Austrian turmoil, and soon saw the flaws in Vienna.

On 12 February, in view of the growing tensions in Austria, Hitler and Austrian Chancellor Schüschnigg held a summit meeting in Berchstedgarden. Hitler was extremely aggressive at this meeting: he proposed that even if Schüshnitge did not resign, he would appoint Inquart as Minister of the Interior with powers in charge of police and security affairs; In addition, Hüschnitge had to appoint another pro-Nazi Graz? Holstray is Minister of Defense. If Hüshchnigg refuses. Then 20 divisions stationed on the German-Austrian border would have marched at once.

Under Hitler's threat, the helpless Hüschnigg finally had to compromise. He was saddened to find that Italy had thrown himself into the arms of Germany, and no longer cared about the independence of Austria; And Czechoslovakia did not want to get involved in this matter, and offended Germany, a strong enemy, in vain. Britain, France, the Soviet Union, Poland and other countries were either slow to react or watched from the sidelines, and no one was willing to bother with this "little thing" in Austria's internal affairs. On February 16, Schüshniagg, who returned to Vienna, announced the list of the reshuffled cabinet: the head of the army, the Minister of Defense, was officially reinforced; Inquart also got his wish to become Minister of the Interior, and mastered the formidable internal state apparatus.

This appointment undoubtedly sounded the death knell for the independence of the First Austrian Republic. The fact that Inquart was in control of the police made the National Socialists in Austria even more formidable: they went about rioting and violently expelling government officials from their local offices. without fear of any punishment. As a result of the unstable situation, the normal economic order in Austria was plunged into an unprecedented state of chaos, with a large number of foreign accounts and withdrawals from its own people in banks. Fearing that something would happen, foreign trading houses cancelled orders from Vienna one after another. Foreign tourists, who turned out to be one of the main sources of the Austrian economy, were also scared away. At this time, Schuschnig's government was like a drop of water under the scorching sun, and it was dying at an irretrievable speed.

After weeks of desperate suffering, the scathing Schüschnitge made his last ditch on 9 March: he announced that a referendum would be held four days later on 13 March, leaving it up to the Austrians to decide whether to maintain their current independence. Or to be part of Greater Germany. This move immediately caused Hitler to feel great anxiety and anger. The Austrian National Socialist Party has not even reached a majority of votes, and if this referendum is allowed to take place, it is very likely that Austrians, who are mainly Catholics and have centuries-old feuds with Prussian Germany, will make a choice that is not in their favor!

Hitler immediately summoned his important generals. and straight to the point that Austria should be occupied by force. March 12 was set as the deadline for the offensive, and the three armies stationed in southern Germany immediately began to mobilize for war. In the early morning of the 11th, Berlin issued an ultimatum to Vienna: the ultimatum demanded that Hüschnigg must resign within 24 hours, cancel the referendum, and at the same time order Austrian President Miklas to appoint Inquart as chancellor.

March 11th is a very ordinary and ordinary brilliant spring day. However, at the Chancellery in Berlin, an impatient Hitler walked around his office over and over again. He was waiting not only for Austria's submission, but also for Mussolini's indication. Although a few months ago Mussolini had expressed to him that he did not care about the fate of Austria. But when a conquest was imminent, Hitler was still extremely worried, or rather fearful, of Mussolini's reversal of the rhetoric that could lead to a series of diplomatic butterfly effects. Towards midnight, Prince Philip of Hesse finally called from Rome: Mussolini said that Austria was irrelevant to him.

"Please tell Mussolini that for this sake I will never forget him! Never, never, never! Hitler, who grabbed the phone, was so excited that he made what was probably the most resolute vow of his life to Philip on the other end of the receiver, "I will never forget him for this matter, no matter what happens." If he needs any help or is in any danger, he can be sure that no matter what happens, even if the whole world unites against him, I will stand with him. ”

So, what measures did Britain and France take to stop German action on this crucial day? Nothing. At that time, France was again in a state of governmentlessness. On 10 March, Chancellor Chateaun and his cabinet resigned, and on the 11th of the day, no one could do anything about Paris. In Britain, Chamberlain, who held high the banner of appeasement, had been prime minister for more than half a year, and Eden, the only foreign secretary in the cabinet who opposed this position, also resigned from his post last month.

In response to the German ultimatum, the Chamberlain government simply "protested in the strongest possible terms." Even with such superficial efforts, the German government replied mercilessly with the contemptuous reply that "Austro-German relations are only a matter for the German people, not for the British government."

In the early hours of March 12, Austria finally gave in on the brink of an ultimatum. President Miklas appointed Inquart as Prime Minister in a state of great distress and despair, and accepted the list of his cabinet ministers. Inquart, who had been impatient for a long time, immediately sent this telegram to Berlin: "After the resignation of the Schüschnigg government, the Provisional Austrian Government, which considers itself to be the task of establishing peace and order in Austria, sends an urgent request to the German Government for support in this task and for help in preventing bloodshed. To this end, it demanded that the German government send German troops into Austria as soon as possible to re-establish order. ”

Hitler immediately accepted Inquart's "request" and ordered the troops on the Chenbing border to march on the entire line of Austria. Since the latter's Minister of Defense was pro-Nazi, the Germans did not encounter any resistance during the march. In a very short period of time, the whole of Austria was able to change its flag. At noon on March 12, Hitler, who could not contain his inner emotions, immediately took a plane to his motherland, which he had been absent from for 25 years; For a few hours, Austria's picturesque river valleys and mountains were visible from the side windows of the JU-52 transport plane.

Thorn strand taper blade, overhanging roof beam. Once Pengju, thousands of miles soar. Talents gallop and return home.

The sturdy landing gear came to a steady stop on the lawn. The hatch opened, and a familiar mixture of camphor and bluegrass wafted into Hitler's snort, making his heart flutter for a long time. He slowly stood up and walked down the ladder step by step with his support on the railing, just a few steps, but Hitler seemed to have walked half a life.

The scene of Lin Si's hometown does not seem to have changed much from the depths of his memory, with reckless hills, gurgling streams, green trees, and Qianmo countryside...... The Roman-style bungalows dotted in this picture-like scene are so harmonious, tranquil, and yet beautiful. The carefree childhood never seemed to have passed, but had always been waiting for him in this paradise homeland; The faces hidden in the depths of his heart flew in front of his eyes, including the strict father who gave cold and dedication, and the gentle and loving mother who was obedient to him and cared for him meticulously.

Hitler's body began to tremble slightly, and his hands clenched into fists; Joy, excitement, sadness, desolation, and happiness were intertwined into a turbulent heart, choking his throat like a needle cone, making it difficult for him to breathe. Tears clouded his vision, spilled down his sockets, and flowed like a waterfall on his cheeks.

The Führer of the German Empire could not shed tears. Because he alone carries the fate of 67 million people, he must be as strong and calm as mountain steel at all times. However, when the heavy course of 40 years of ups and downs surged like a flood, even Hitler could not resist the waves that had precipitated the vicissitudes of time! (To be continued.) )