The Austrian Chancellery is housed in a three-story building in Vienna. This majestic building is full of art, and it is no less impressive than Reinhardt's chancellery in Berlin.

In the early spring of March 1937, the Austrian Chancellery welcomed a friendly and welcoming heavyweight.

Two Austrian soldiers stood on either side of the gate of the Chancellery, with serious expressions. They held in their hands the Steyr MP34 submachine gun manufactured by Steyr-Manlisca GmbH in Austria.

If anyone tries to break into the Chancellery, two Steyr MP34 submachine guns can shoot 1,000 rounds in a minute, knocking each other into a sieve. It is a pity that today they can only watch the "friendly" German Chancellor Reinhardt enter the solemn Austrian Chancellery.

Not far away, on the main street, a row of black Mercedes convertible cars are approaching at a constant speed. Less than a year later, these public cars, which were gifted by Germany to the Austrian government only last year, took on German officials and became the reception convoy for Reinhardt's visit.

On the third floor of the Chancellery, in the office of Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg, the man who leads Austria's only legal political party, the "Fatherland Front" and is also the chancellor of Austria, is drinking bitter coffee and tasting Reinhardt's intentions.

This German legend, who leads the Socialist Workers' Party, Germany's only legal political party and is also the head of the German Chancellor, apparently came to Austria with some purpose.

Recently, there have been endless "calls for merger" in Austria, and the Austrian police have secretly investigated the shadows of many Germans. The German government's initiative to provide a large number of jobs for unemployed workers in Austria some time ago has also won the favor and recognition of the people.

At this moment, Reinhardt made a surprise visit to Vienna, the capital of Austria, and fools knew its purpose.

"Reinhardt's heart is known to passers-by!" A close minister of Schuschnigg broke the silence and said: "The German chancellor has never done anything meaningless. Judging from his past experience, everything this person does is likely to have a deep meaning. ”

"That's right," said Holmer, the commander-in-chief of the Austrian Army, who was the hand-picked of Schuschnitge, "Reinhardt visited British Prime Minister Baldwin two years ago, and then the British acquiesced in the return of German troops to the Rhineland Demilitarized Zone and supported Germany and France against the League of Nations. He met with Polish President Pilsudski once last year, and the following month the Poles cooperated with Germany in their political repression and military threats against Czechoslovakia. ”

Speaking of this, Holman swallowed his saliva, looked at Schuschnigg's face, and continued: "I heard that at the beginning of January this year....... Reinhardt made a public visit to Italy to meet with its leader, Benito Mussolini. But now he's coming to visit you in Austria........"

Holman hints, Schuschnigg had actually heard by now. According to the German chancellor's style, most of the two countries he visits this year will have a "collaborator" in Italy or Austria.

Austria is also a powerful country in Central Europe, with a standing army of 300,000 well-trained troops. But compared to the Kingdom of Italy, which controls the entire Italian peninsula and has a million-strong army, it can control the Vienna system, after all, it is still a step behind.

If Germany were to find an ally between the two, Schuschnigg knew that the German Führer would certainly give priority to joining forces with Italy.

"Prime Minister!" A confidential secretary stumbles into Schuschnigg's office, sweating profusely and interrupting the discussion of several high-level executives in the room.

Looking at this confidential secretary who didn't know how to be polite, Schuschnigg frowned, waved his hand and said, "The German Chancellor is coming?" Kindness...... I know the time, just ask him to meet me in the meeting room on the second floor. ”

"No....... No, Your Excellency Prime Minister. The confidential secretary gasped, shook his head, and said, "The German chancellor's motorcade has not yet entered the gate." ”

"What's that?" Schuschnigg suddenly hated the question-and-answer confidential secretary and was ready to take the time to replace him.

After two more breaths, the confidential secretary finally said the news that made him look so hurried: "I just received a report that Rossi, the right-hand man of Italian leader Mussolini and the inauguration of Italy's deputy prime minister and minister of security, commented in public that 'Italy has had enough of the drudgery of standing guard for Austrian independence', and the Italian state ** news agency published this speech........"

"It seems that this is the attitude of the Italian government." Schuschnitge held his forehead and said with a wry smile: "Without the umbrella of the Kingdom of Italy, what can we do to compete with Germany!" Could it be that it could not be relied on the mediation of the League of Nations?! ”

In the office, there was silence. In front of these generals and politicians who followed Schuschnitge for many years to the pinnacle of Austrian power. The intent behind the whole thing is pretty clear. Moreover, judging by the reaction of the Italian government, there was no intention to conceal their intention to unite with Germany.

Since Schuschnigg mentioned the League of Nations, then everyone understands the worst intentions in his heart. There are many "records" in the League of Nations, and there are two that are more typical recently:

1 Mediated the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, which eventually led to the annexation of Ethiopia.

2 forbade the Germans to return to the Rhineland Demilitarized Zone, and then the Germans occupied the Rhineland.

Schuschnigg's reference to the mediation of the League of Nations was actually a subconscious or subconscious acceptance of the annexation of Austria by Germany. After all, everyone knew that Austria could not afford to fight Reinhardt's army alone.

Last year, it was only by sending four divisions from Italy to the Brenner Pass and sending an urgent telegram to the Austrian government promising Italy to support Austria's independence, which was able to reluctantly suppress the vigorous domestic insurrectionists.

This year, the domestic "democrats" who are trying to force a German-Austrian merger are more organized and more prudent than last year. And the attitude of the German government has gradually begun to move closer to these mergers, and even secretly support and guide them!

Schuschnigg's choice was actually arranged from the very beginning. Austria could not enter into a military conflict with Germany, and there would be no major international power to assert Austria's independence. As long as Schuschnigg was not a madman or a war maniac, it would have been impossible for him to mobilize Austria's seemingly large army of nearly 300,000 to confront Reinhardt's 500,000 new talents.

"Let's go, it's time for us to get ready to meet the Führer who has been blown into the sky." Schuschnigg said calmly: "If you can't hide, you have to face it after all." Perhaps, this is not a bad thing for Austria......."

As a politician, Schuschnigg is well aware of how capable he is. If he goes against the sky and insists on working against Reinhardt, who has obvious advantages and is expected by everyone, he will probably not end well.

On the contrary, while his government now chooses to bow to Reinhardt's government, it will lose a lot of status rights, but it will also keep a lot of things. It is better to make voluntary concessions than forced compromises, and this is the basic judgment that a calm politician needs to have.

Schuschnigg put down the coffee cup in his hand and said lightly: "I have already decided to sign an agreement with the German Chancellor at the negotiating table that I am not very comfortable with." ”

The cronies silently looked at the old leader who was more with them, eclipsed.

There is something Schuschnigg does not say, and that is that once Germany and Austria were united, only one of the two current Germanic chancellors would remain. And one of the two sets of leadership groups will inevitably be disbanded.

One country does not tolerate two masters!

These people here will obviously be the part of the future that will be kicked away........