Chapter 134: The Meeting of the Führer (Part II)
When it comes to the head of the Third Reich, the first image that comes to mind is neither a military genius nor an efficient mass demagogue, but a mad, hysterical dictator and the culprit who brought the Third Reich to its demise.
But at this moment, in addition to those things that cannot be changed - the same family background, the same date of birth, the same hair and face shape, Adolf Hitler, who was sitting opposite Chentian, was completely like another person, a shy and unsociable 40-year-old middle-aged man, a few wrinkles had just climbed up his sideburns, and his skin that had been exposed to the sun and rain all year round looked very rough, because of the injury, there was not much blood on his face, but he was obviously stronger than the one in Chentian's impression.
There were only three people at the huge table, Adolf, Chentian, and Juliana.
The table was full of food that was very attractive in both color and smell, but none of the three paid attention to the food, Chentian's eyes were on Adolf, Juliana's eyes moved back and forth between Chentian and Adolf, and as for the only guest here, Adolf, a major officer from the German Marine Corps, sweated with surprise and bewilderment, and on the other hand, his eyes lit up with excitement from being able to have lunch with two of the most honorable men in the country.
Is this the famous Demon King of the Mixed World?
Chen Tian denied this question in his heart, without the pain and shame of defeat, but also affected by the chaotic situation and the so-called revolutionary atmosphere, the Adolf Hitler in front of him was a brave and competent German mid-ranking officer, even in his own troops, he was a taciturn man, of course, when it came time to mobilize the soldiers before the start of the battle, he would show his eloquence in due course.
Without Hermann Goering, without Rudolf Hess, and without Goebbels, would this person still have a chance to become the demon king of the world and change Germany and the world?
The answer in Chen Tian's heart was very contradictory. The absence of such circumstances does not negate the potential of this man, knowing that from the moment he was born, rebellion was already predestined, and his life in Vienna gave him a profound understanding of reality, and at the beginning of the Great War he disdained to join the Austrian army because he saw through the decay and decline of the Habsburgs, and the enthusiasm for war, even madness, reflected another aspect of human nature.
"Your Majesty?"
Just as Chen Tian was immersed in his thoughts, Juliana on the side whispered a reminder.
And so on. The atmosphere was going to get very awkward, and Tatsuten quickly realized it.
"Major, I forgot about the wound on your hand...... Is it okay to eat like this? ”
Such an opening statement even surprised Chen Tian himself, after all, the lines designed by a playwright are likely to be useless in actual situations, not to mention that it is difficult for Chen Tian to imagine which direction such a meeting will develop before this, whether it is a sight to come, or a blunt scene.
Obviously, this question also caught Adolf on the other side off guard, but fortunately, this "celebrity" who has attracted Chentian's attention at least did not behave on this occasion:
"Your Majesty. It's a bit tough though. But at least you can use a fork and a spoon! In fact...... It has been a great honour to have lunch with you and Her Royal Highness, even so...... There won't be any regrets! ”
"Major, you don't have to worry. The scolytes will cut the food for you! Juliana smiled and comforted Adolf, "It's just an informal dinner, you see, there's no outsider here...... I mean, Your Majesty! ”
"yes!" Chen Tian hurriedly responded, for him, a monarch who doesn't like to socialize very much, a queen like Juliana, who grew up in a royal family and has a good grasp of etiquette and words on various occasions, is undoubtedly a very useful supplement, but in the eyes of outsiders, the combination of the two is still based on politics as the most important factor after all.
Adolf, who was still able to move freely, gently tugged at the napkin and whispered:
"Her Royal Highness...... You're so gracious! ”
Chen Tian nodded to the attendant officer on the side. Signaling that the dinner party can officially begin.
The finest roe from Russia, the roasted rabbit cooked by the royal chef, the appetizing fried steak, the fragrant pine mushroom and clam soup, and the local mackerel and prawns, this is a normal lunch for Chen Tian and Juliana, but it is definitely a rare delicacy for soldiers like Adolf who have only recently come down from the front.
During the meal, Chen Tian and Juliana tacitly reduced the frequency of talking. So that this special guest could concentrate more on the food, and it was evident that Adolf was indeed hungry, and he did his best to maintain the proper demeanor during the meal, but he forgot that no one would eat half a rabbit, three steaks, a fish, and a plate of soup at a high-level dinner attended by members of the royal family, even though the food was cut by the attendants before being put on his plate.
Fortunately, Tatsuten and Juliana didn't mind this, but looked at Adolf who was still eating kindly. Before the temperature of some of the food on the table dropped to the point where it needed to be reheated, he finally put down the spoon in his hand, and the attendant immediately removed the plates on the table and replaced the three of them with after-dinner coffee and tea—Chentian and Adolf's were coffee, and Juliana drank tea.
"I've seen your deeds in General Hartman's report, and to tell you the truth, you're one of the few officers I know of who can combine wisdom, courage, and command, so I've had such a dinner party arranged, and they're kept it a secret until you get here!"
Chen Tian's words can be regarded as a supplement to his reason for inviting Adolf to dinner, although this invitation does not have to have any reason, but Chen Tian hopes that this explanation can make Adolf feel more at ease, after all, it is impossible for him to tell him about another world.
Adolf stood up from his position, "It is my honor to be appreciated by His Majesty, and it is my supreme reward to be able to have lunch with Your Majesty, and now I only hope to recover from my injuries as soon as possible and return to the team as soon as possible, so that I can contribute my strength to the cause of the empire and Your Majesty, even if it is at the cost of my own life!" ”
It would not be surprising that these words of ambition came out of the mouth of any other person, but who was this person in front of him? Others don't know, but Chen Tian is very clear.
Is he really willing to be subordinate? His hidden ambition has lost the opportunity to sprout and grow?
At this time, Chentian suddenly had an indescribable feeling that once a certain branch of history changes, many things will change, but this change is by no means complete, Hermann Goering died on the battlefield, Rudolf Hess opened a small factory after retiring from the army, Goebbels worked as a teacher at Heidelberg University, but Dönitz, Raeder, Guderian, Manstein, and Rommel have a life trajectory that is quite close to history, and most of their talents have been recognized. In particular, Dönitz and Guderian have long been household names in Germany. In contrast, Adolf is still an obscure one.
Chen Tian waved his hand and motioned for Adolf, who looked excited, to sit down.
"Major, your courage and loyalty are beyond doubt, and your contribution is fully worthy of this medal!"
As a part of the preparation, the attendant standing beside Chentian opened a delicate wooden box, and a medal with only two colors, blue and gold, was lying quietly inside, and the cross composed of four arrows was a comfortable blue between sky blue and sea blue, and between the four arrows were four golden eagles with wings ready to fly.
This is the second largest Blue Max Medal in the German team, second only to the Grand Cross, and for a German ** from a civilian background, it is already a very high honor to receive the Blue Max Medal.
Chentian stood up, took the medal out of the box with his own hands, walked up to Adolf, gently pinned it to Adolf's chest, and saluted.
"Your Majesty......" Adolf had tears in his eyes, and since the moment he was told at the door half an hour ago that "His Majesty the Emperor invites you to lunch", he had been in a dream, even happier than he had been dreaming.
Just when Adolf was so excited that he didn't know what to say, Chen Tian patted him on the shoulder, "Come on, I think we can have a good talk!" ”
Adolf nodded vigorously.
"Is that okay?" Chen Tian smiled and looked at Juliana who was sipping tea, the former Dutch princess was originally very keen on tea from the East, this time to visit the origin of tea is naturally indispensable to taste all kinds of famous tea, but in Chen Tian's opinion, her English drinking method of pouring milk into tea can not taste the true taste of tea.
"Of course!" Juliana elegantly held the teacup, the happy major in front of her was certainly not a dangerous person, what else would the men talk about together besides the military they were passionate about?
So in the following time,Chen Tian and Adolf had a face-to-face long conversation in the study,At the beginning, Adolf was still a little restrained,So Chen Tian deliberately chose some more relaxed topics like military career、Battlefield anecdotes,Adolf gradually let go,When it comes to Austria, especially Vienna,Adolf showed his knowledge of humanities, history and art,Talk a lot,Unconsciously, Chen Tian changed from the protagonist to the audience,Adolf became a speaker from a guest, He not only gave Chentian, an art layman, a small lesson about modern art, but also did not shy away from pointing out some shortcomings in the existing establishment, equipment and combat mode of the Marine Corps. Surface blockade warfare would be a more appropriate conventional mode of warfare.
The three-hour long talk gave Chen Tian a deeper understanding of the Adolf Hitler of this world, but before he could reposition Adolf, the injured man, who had problems even walking freely, had to honestly heal his injury first.