Chapter 57 Circle

The train that Lynn was on from Germany to Holland looked very short, not counting the locomotive, there seemed to be only seven or eight carriages from front to end, the passenger and freight carriages were almost half to half, the passenger carriages were quite full, and what kind of goods were in the freight carriages, Lynn did not know, but it is difficult to see the prosperity of Germany today as before the outbreak of the Second World War as Germany sold a large number of industrial products abroad. As for the future development trajectory, who can say clearly in this confusing environment?

In the carriage, which distinguishes between first-class soft seats and second-class ordinary seats, Lynn calmly sits in an inconspicuous corner reading the newspaper. In order to distinguish himself from his earlier image when he pretended to be a Norwegian businessman for public activities in Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries, he shaved off his favorite beautiful upper lip mustache, cut his hair into an almost short-cut haircut, chose young and relatively cheap clothes, and wore shoes on his feet that he bought in Berlin for only a dozen marks. On the overhead rack was a tawny suitcase resembling a large picnic basket, containing a change of clothes, hygiene items, and several German translations of law and diplomacy, and in the pocket of his coat was an identification document and an official appointment document issued by the Cabinet Personnel Committee of the German Provisional Government, attesting that he had left Germany for the Netherlands as a diplomat—albeit of a low rank, but as a representative of the diplomatic service abroad, he had the most basic rights of passage and diplomatic immunity.

The contents of the Allied supervised Berliner Zeitung were so lackluster that there was nothing to chew on, so Lynn put the newspaper down every once in a while, looked at the scenery outside the window with a very casual attitude, and quietly observed the situation in the carriage. The compartments without partitions were full, with a majority of formally dressed adult men, small groups of three or four families with women and children, and in the second-class seats by the door sat two Dutch servicemen—their uniforms similar to those of the British Army, with epaulettes and chest ornamentation indicating that they were royal officers loyal to the Queen of the Netherlands.

After repeated observations along the way, Lynn could basically confirm that a handsome young man like himself was not so conspicuous on this train. Although his image was once featured in the Berliner Zeitung as a night hero, Berlin was in a state of near siege at the time, and the circulation of the newspaper had fallen to a very weak influence. Voutridge's hand-drawn profile shots are simply not enough to accurately identify a person's face.

As the train passed through northwestern Germany, the dilapidated villages and abandoned factories in her sight made Lynn feel inexplicably sentimental. As the commander of the Nuremberg operation, he caused a high-level earthquake to the Western allies with a wave of his hand, and even set off a storm of resistance with great influence in Germany, but there are too many tragic heroes in history, and the failure of Goering, Keitel and others has become a dark cloud to cover the glory of this operation. At this moment, he was far away from his close comrades-in-arms, and even a personal adjutant like Tanze could not continue to follow him, and it didn't feel like he was moving to a new post, but was tragically exiled. Even though it was not their homeland, the exiles could not help but feel hesitant as they watched the German borders fade away......

It was dusk when the train arrived in Amsterdam, and as he walked out of the platform with a troubled look, Lynn saw at a glance the man sent by the German Foreign Office's charge d'affaires in the Netherlands to pick him up, a middle-aged man with a bloated figure and a tired expression holding a sign with Lynn's name written in German.

"Mr. Horst from Berlin?" He spoke German with a southern accent in a slightly languid manner.

"Yes, Hugo. Horst was ordered to serve as second political secretary at the chargé d'affaires in the Netherlands. Lynn confirmed in all seriousness. …,

"Luckily!"

After shaking hands with Lynn, the middle-aged man didn't mean to help him carry his luggage, but turned around and walked towards an old Mercedes-Benz sedan parked on the side of the road. Only then did Lynn notice that he was walking with a very lame and seemed to be almost incapable of running, was he injured in the war?

Somewhat laboriously stuffing himself into the cab, the middle-aged man waited until Lynn sat in and closed the door before starting the car, and then said in a self-deprecating tone: "I was wounded in Belgium in 1914, I was discharged before I entered France, I played no role in that war, I did not do anything bad, and after the war I moved to Holland and where I am now." You can call me Seidler, or whatever you like, Uncle Seidler or Uncle, they like to call me that. ”

In just a few words, the sense of distance when shaking hands has disappeared, and the uncle's easy-going attitude has given Lynn a new look forward to this trip to the Netherlands, and the tree-lined road and the clean and bright sky outside the car window have eased his heavy mood a lot.

The car drove steadily onto the road, and the uncle said in the nagging tone of Lynn's impression of "the capital's brother": "Although the war more than thirty years ago ended in failure, except for the invasion of Belgium, Germany's military and diplomatic performance was actually quite wise, at least in the Netherlands, and the friendly atmosphere towards the Germans continued until the German army entered the country." Even so, the old neighbors were very tolerant and understanding of us, and they liked to call people like me friendly antiques, while the Germans who carried guns into Holland were treated by what they called a new lawn mower that they cooed—very good at mowing the grass, but bent when it hit the stone gears. ”

Lynn smiled, a relief that has not been seen since the Nuremberg operation, as if leaving the hustle and bustle of the big city to fully enjoy the freshness and tranquility of the countryside. After laughing, he wondered curiously: I wonder what a German living abroad like Uncle Seidler thinks of a seemingly violent diehard, and if he knew his true identity, would he sympathize, hug, or just kick him out of the car?

"The Dutch are actually quite gentle and friendly!" "But you're new to Holland, so it's better not to go to a strange and remote place, let alone speak German," he said. I heard you don't know Dutch? That's okay, English is one of the official languages of the Netherlands and everyone understands it. Amsterdam is the largest and most modern city in the Netherlands, and although it was traumatized during the war, it has gradually regained its former beauty after two years of repair and reconstruction. Honestly, I'd rather live a peaceful life here, don't you...... Being so young and learned, and having a few years of good training, is very promising to become a good diplomat in the future, but never engage in dangerous war diplomacy like Ribbentrop. ”

Although Amsterdam is a big city in the Netherlands, it is less than a 10-minute drive from the train station to the agency in the city center. The Provisional Government of Germany has just been established, diplomatic relations with other countries have not yet been fully restored, and Germany and the Netherlands are still only diplomatic departments stationed in each other's offices to be responsible for diplomatic liaison. On the street with the Dutch flag fluttering on the roof, Lynn saw a humble pointed house with the German flag in the distance, and before turning into the yard, the uncle pointed to a majestic building next to it and said: "Well, this is the former headquarters of the German occupation forces, and the Dutch specially chose the house next to it as the new site of the agency, they are warning us not to make the mistakes of the past!" ”

Lynn looked at it curiously, it gave the impression of a solemn high court, with a row of high stone steps in front of the door, and four thick pillars supporting the palace-like eaves in front of it. …,

There will be a gap between comparisons, and the agency on the side is simply a hunting dog at the feet of the royal guards, not to mention the shortness, the style and color of the building are still quite simple, if it is not clean, the occasional glance may be regarded as a refugee shelter.

There were no German soldiers on duty at the entrance of the "refugee camp", and a middle-aged man who looked like a policeman sat in a simple wooden sentry box. Before entering, the uncle waved his hand at him through the car window, and spoke Dutch, which Lynn didn't understand. The guy grinned and made a strange expression, and manually lifted the bar that was blocking the doorway.

"Except for the office room, the equipment and personnel have not yet arrived, and the Dutch police will help us guard the door for the time being, and they will still be replaced by German soldiers in the future, I hope they will not be attacked by rotten eggs when they stand here." The uncle still had a light-hearted and teasing tone when he explained to Lynn.

For such an inconspicuous second-level political secretary as herself, Lin En thought that no one would come out to greet her, but she didn't expect the uncle to point to the old man with gray hair and beard and wearing a black tuxedo under the porch and said, "Oh, that's our chargé d'affaires Feng. Baron Mayne, quickly waved hello to him. ”

At first glance, Lynn seems to see the role of a housekeeper often in the movie, humble and docile, and he can't see the steady and alert temperament of a diplomat at all. At first, Lynn completely dismissed the waving greeting as a joke, but when he saw his new boss waving at him, he had to wave awkwardly, and when the car stopped, he quickly opened the door and went down, stepping on the soft dirt floor to the old man.

"Hello sir, I'm Hugo, Second Political Secretary from Berlin. Horst! ”

"Ah, a handsome young man! We hope you enjoy our stay here. The old man smiled and stretched out his hand, and Lynn realized why he regarded him as a butler rather than a noble gentleman, because he did not carry a cane in his hand, which was more ornamental than practical, nor a close-fitting retinue, except for the elegant dress, which was very simple in all respects.

"Engaged or married?" The other party's first question caught Lynn off guard, and at this time his mind was the beautiful and charming wife Dinah and the cute baby in swaddling clothes, but everything belonged to Lynn. Gargo, "Hugo. Horst "is a 25-year-old bachelor, although he has just obtained a promising public office, but judging by the eyes of future generations, he is still a male dick with no house, no car and no savings.

"Not yet!" Lynn replied with an embarrassed look that this expression similar to shyness seemed to Mr. Chargé d'Affaires to be the main reason why the young man was still "nameless" to this day.

"Ha, I have a niece who is about the same age as you, so you should be able to talk better!" As soon as the baron said this, Lynn couldn't stop crying and laughing.

Although it was the first time they met, and the other party was his subordinate, the baron took his arm without scruples and led him inside: "Fortunately, the train is not late, come on!" We can go for a whiskey and in half an hour the guests should arrive, and tonight we have a little welcome dinner for you, a family style banquet......"

After half a glass of whiskey, the baron began to talk endlessly, about his life since he moved to Holland after the end of the First World War, about what he knew about the Dutch, about how the Dutch royal family and the people respected the old German emperor Wilhelm II who was in exile, about his favorite bridge, about the horses he had raised, and Lynn quietly acted as an listener, and the words he had prepared were completely useless. The baron went on to talk about his diplomatic work during the Second Empire, when the international atmosphere was very different from what it is now, and he felt that diplomacy was not always so serious, and that life could be very easy if he learned to keep it a secret. …,

After about half an hour, the guests of the baron's banquet arrived one after another. In Lynn's opinion, the so-called family banquet was effective and complex, and in addition to Uncle Seidler and the other three current staff of the agency, there was also another old German nobleman von Fernandes, who had lived in Amsterdam for many years. Baron and Baroness Martuszaka, Dutch diplomat Groot and his wife, Royal Dutch Navy officer Van Holck, and von Holke. The niece Sarah mentioned by Baron Mayne.

During World War II, the Dutch mainland was also devastated by the war, but they had the advantage that most of their merchant fleets at sea were retained in Allied ports or requisitioned by the Allies until they were returned after the war, so the post-war situation was much better than that of Germany, as evidenced by the abundance of food and wine on the table. Despite the presence of outsiders, the relaxed atmosphere of the family banquet still makes people feel relaxed. The furnishings of the baron's residence were not luxurious, and the only people who could be seen were a middle-aged steward and two maids, and the number of guests was not too many, and they were able to cope with it with ease. At first, Lynn's attention was entirely on the guests, and when a maid refilled the plate in front of him, he almost froze at a casual glance, this thin young woman looked like a copy of Alice from the side, and the color and length of her hair were very close to the impression of Alice, but she was still a little shorter than Alice, and her thin skin was not healthy and smooth. Although it was only a false alarm in the end, Lynn couldn't help but think of Alice's charming eyes full of sadness, the long, straight, sexy legs in suspenders, and the cute and poor little Catrili. I should be idle for a while, should I find a chance to inquire about the news of their family?

To Lynn's left sat Mrs. Groot, a blonde woman wearing a violet tulle dress with a low neckline, revealing a considerable part of her white breasts, but wearing too much makeup, and the smell of perfume on her body gave Lynn a very tacky feeling. As for her husband, Mr. Groot, he was a great man of seven and a half feet, with thick eyebrows, a large nose, and thick lips, as if everything was plus-sized. He also speaks very loudly and has a great appetite for food. He came to the dinner table laughing, and he laughed at whatever he told him, and he laughed no matter what he said. His dark blue coat matched his wife, and he wore a fancy plaid shirt with a large beige bow tie. He smoked only cigars, which looked very funny between his fat fingers, which looked like sausages.

Lynn has no desire to talk about the cheesy Groot, and to his right is the baron's niece, Sarah, so it seems that this arrangement also has "ulterior motives". On the whole, the petite young girl looked quite pleasing to the eye, she did not deliberately dress up, but wore a beige knitted dress common to working women of the era, her hair as brown as autumn leaves tied up with a plaid handkerchief, a pair of women's rimless glasses on the bridge of her small, fair nose, and a gentle and elegant meal on her plate, occasionally smiling in English with the Dutch officer Van Holker on the other side of her, talking about how someone they both knew.

Among the people at the table, the inertial thinking of the military made Lynn naturally most interested in the lieutenant officer of the Royal Dutch Navy, and his armband was a submarine design, which meant that his position had a lot to do with the submarine. The Royal Netherlands Navy, though small, relied on a good industrial base and secret submarine cooperation with Germany during the interwar period, and the Netherlands was at the forefront of submarine technology, and the snorkel devices of German U-boats were the "windfall" of the invasion of the country. A dozen months ago, Lynn and Andriy had come to the Netherlands with a checkbook, and although they did not have the opportunity to buy a shipyard for the construction of submarines and other military ships, the advanced diesel engine production line was of great significance to the maintenance and improvement of the existing submarines of the Empire.

"Mr. Van Holke is a submarine officer, right?" After thinking about it, Lynn chose this slightly layman's way of talking.

Before the feast began, the baron had already introduced each other's strangers to each other, and the broad-faced, well-eyed officer replied kindly: "Yes, the dispatch officer of the 2nd Submarine Detachment of the Royal Navy. Held, a very beautiful port, you must have not been to it yet! If you want to visit, you are always welcome, Uncle Seidler knows how to get there, or I will drop by when I get back to base from Amsterdam! ”

*J@a