A drizzle of rain shrouded the sky in a foggy curtain, and in his office at the naval headquarters building in Berlin, Raeder was sitting silently in his chair, dazed. On the large square table full of papers in front of him, there was a gramophone at some point, and the black record swirled merrily in the middle, and the magnificent music was played loudly.

There was a knock on the door and a creak open, and Schniwinger, the chief of the Navy's General Staff, walked in with a memo in his crisp admiral's uniform. Seeing the other party's blank appearance, Schnywinger sighed secretly and said, "Marshal, are you still entangled in the matter of General Brom?" ”

Raeder slowly raised his head, trying to give a polite smile to his comrades in front of him. He snapped off the gramophone button, and said in a hoarse low voice, "I should have seen it." Jonas Brom was a follower of the Führer from the very beginning, and they hit it off at the Landsburg prison in 1924. Over the years, it has really been hard for him to spend so many years and energy in the navy. I think that at the beginning, I had planned to train him as the future commander-in-chief of the navy, but now it seems that it is ridiculous to the extreme. ”

Schnywinger frowned and said, "I'm afraid you're serious, right?" Admiral Brom had written a mere piece of music, the nature of which was no different from that of the other officers and men of the Navy singing the praises of the Führer. You know, many years ago, a lot of music in praise of the Führer spread among the army, and you did not order a ban. ”

"This is the musical association, which has just been published today, and the comments on "The Song of Hitler's Führer" were written by Mr. Richard Strauss himself." Raeder pointed to a newspaper on the table, then reached out and brought it to Schnywinger, and said calmly, "Although you don't pay attention to this on weekdays, please take a look." In addition, there is Dr. Goebbels's evaluation on it, and you may understand it after reading it. ”

Schniewenger took the artistic-rich newspaper, and unconsciously picked at the corner of his eye. This old boss is really versatile, not only writing articles that are first-class in the navy, but also having a deep knowledge in the field of music, and subscribing to this professional publication every week. He frowned and found the place that Reddell was pointing, only to find that the imaginary obscure words did not appear, but instead seemed very straightforward and plain.

“…… In the past, our music was too focused on the stacking of notes, but neglected to refine the expression and refinement of our true inner self. Today, this song by General Jonas Brom resets the benchmark for true music for us. The whole piece is magnificent and exquisite, the beginning and the end are perfect, even if you listen to it repeatedly, you will not get bored, and you have achieved the highest level of integrating emotions into the notes and melodies. ”

“…… There is no doubt that this chon-like song must have been composed by General Jonas Brom. The music is full of his righteousness as a soldier and the majesty of a general; And the high-pitched and fiery rhythm style, as well as the uncarved and concise main theme, are just in line with his experience without professional music training, which allows him to express his inner emotions without being out of the ordinary. Through this piece of music, we see a holy soul full of admiration and loyalty to the Führer, without which such a deep note would never have been written. ”

Schniwenger's gaze shifted downward, and a comment signed by Goebbels came into view: "...... What is remarkable is that this piece of music is not only melodic, but also has lyrics that are equally soothing and perfectly in tune with the melody of the music. The lyrics distill the countless great achievements made by the Führer in seven years into just a few sentences, which makes people think and blood boil in the singing. The most subtle thing is that the two "long live" cheers burst out at the peak of the song, and the surging and passionate melody immediately poured out the infinite admiration for the Führer. ”

"In the face of the Führer's brilliant exploits that shine with the sun, any words of praise will look pale and shriveled, and only the most original and purest 'long live' cheers can fully vent our rushing emotions and express the ultimate worship and support. I am incredibly convinced that this is the work of General Brom's true feelings. ”

“…… This is the sincere word of the heart, this is the praise of loyalty. With his Mass consonant, General Jonas Brom perfectly fulfilled the sacred declaration of allegiance of a soldier to the Führer. Let all the military and civilians follow the example of General Brom, read the Führer's books, listen to the Führer's words, do what the Führer says, and be good soldiers of the Führer! At the end of the commentary, Goebbels saw the dagger and took advantage of the situation to play his old tune.

"You saw that, right? We, the hero of the navy, with a fervent and sincere admiration for the Führer, wrote this song that even Mademoiselle Strauss praised. At the same time, it also stuck a dagger in my back. ”

The corners of Raeder's mouth hooked up a little sneer, and he sneered: "Since the end of the war on the Western Front, I have been committed to exposing the facts, trying to eliminate the Führer's reputation in the navy - the Battle of France was originally won by the army, and it has only a small relationship with the Führer's so-called 'military genius'. But now, Jonas sang the praises of the Führer, calling him a saint from heaven and a conqueror of Europe; What's even more excessive is that he actually colluded with Goebbels in private to put this extremely lethal song in the documentary that reverses right and wrong. ”

"With Jonas's shrewdness and wisdom, could he not understand the consequences of his actions? The position of the head of state will become even more exalted than that of Frederick the Great, and he will even break away from the human realm and become a god totem of the whole people's faith! How else can I control and stop the spread of the Socialist Party into the navy? Not to mention that Jonas himself still has a huge influence among the young officers and soldiers, and his words and deeds are enough to make many people change their minds! It is now clear that Jonas had defected to the National Socialist Party, and that the reason for his support is written in this ode: he was a staunch defender of boundless loyalty to the Führer. ”

Hearing Raeder's words of bitter regret in anger, Schniewenger couldn't help but fall silent. Although he did not study much in the field of art, he could still get some hints from the few comments that Raeder showed him: Jonas Jonas's admiration for Hitler seemed to have broken through the sky, even to the point where he could blossom across disciplines and write a Chant of Führer Mass. So, what is his political position now? Could it be that from now on, he began to wave the flag for the National Socialist Party in the navy?

After some time, Schniwenger broke the silence in the room and whispered again: "Although you may not want to listen to these words, I want to remind you that you can't do anything with General Brom yet. ”

"First of all, there is no Navy statute that prohibits active-duty military members from composing an ode to their leaders. Second, General Brom led the carrier-based air force to support the Army in the Western Front, and the Navy Command has not yet commended him, let alone degraded it. Finally, even if General Brom does begin to work for the National Socialist Party, it would be better not to break with him openly, but to seek a compromise with him privately. ”

"Why should I bow down to his junior, is it because his family controls the naval yards and economic resources? I've already gotten inside information that the Führer removed his greedy uncle from office just this summer! Raeder roared, anger in his eyes that seemed to erupt. Schniewenger looked at him with a complicated expression, his lips twitched for a moment, and finally spoke: "Although you are the commander-in-chief of the navy, the Führer is the supreme commander of the imperial armed forces!" How Marshal Blomburg came to a curtain, have you forgotten? ”

Before the words fell, Raeder seemed to have been struck by lightning, and instantly froze in place. In a flash of light, he had grasped all the unspoken subtext of Schniwenger. A strange and intense chill crept up from his back spinal cord, and in the heat of July, Raeder shivered as if he were in the middle of winter.

As Goebbels propagated, Germany today is a world away from what it used to be. The victory in the Battle of France enabled Germany to sweep away the Western threat that had oppressed it for hundreds of years, and the armistice agreement concluded between Germany and France gave Germany an offensive platform to encircle Britain from the west, and the maritime strategic situation became unprecedentedly superior. In this case, how much more did Hitler need to have Raeder, the old helmsman, help him lead the navy and win the war?

If Raeder and Fang Yan, who had defected to the National Socialist Party, tore his face, it was tantamount to tearing his face with Hitler, then would the latter tolerate Raeder continuing to stay in the position? Napoleon had already said that a soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier, as long as Hitler removes Raeder, there will definitely be a long list of people who want to be and have the ability to be commander-in-chief!

Looking at Raeder, who was in pain and confusion, Schnywinger comforted with difficulty: "Don't be too pessimistic. In fact, there is a good chance of success in privately persuading General Brom to compromise. After all, he is an officer you have cultivated, and he must have a deep friendship with you that is different from ordinary people; And judging from his performance in the navy over the years, he is also rarely enthusiastic about the National Socialist Party. As a result, the situation doesn't get worse than you might expect. ”

"But what does that change?" Raeder's voice was hoarse, and he said abruptly, "I can only delay the time when the Navy is controlled by the National Socialist Party. Once the current repressive ban is relaxed, the Navy will lose its true character within a few years and become a tool of that disgusting party organization. More importantly, its efficiency and high professionalism will also be eroded, which will only be detrimental to Germany. ”