Chapter 33 The Mentor Got His Comeuppance
The United Baltic Principality is the homeland of the Germans!
Baron Pierburg declared: Every Baltic German must be prepared to fight!
Hersman arrived in Riga with Karl Haushofer. At the train station, they saw slogans of the Baltic local self-government and large recruitment advertisements posted everywhere on the platform. Karl Haushofer said to Hersman: "Haha, from Berlin to Riga, it seems like going back from 1918 to 1914 when the war just started."
Hersman tried hard to search for memories of 1914 in his mind, which was very beautiful! At that time, everyone believed that the German Empire was the most powerful country in the world, with an invincible army and navy. Lieutenant Hersman, who had just graduated from the military academy, went to the military camp in Königsberg to report with the feeling of winning the jackpot. The streets of Berlin and Königsberg were full of cheering crowds, and there were long queues in front of every recruitment point. At that time, Hessmann fantasized that he could become a major after the victory of the war and win the favor of a noble girl - most of his fantasies came true, except that the war was not won!
A salty cold wind blowing from the Gulf of Riga swept across the platform, pulling Hessmann back to reality from his beautiful memories. He smiled bitterly at Karl Haushofer: "At least we can still keep the United Duchy of Baltic... It's not a complete loss, right? Maybe this German country will be the key to our winning the next war."
"The next war?" Karl Haushofer shook his head, "I'm afraid it will be many years later. There was 40 years of peace after the Franco-Prussian War. There should be 50 years of peace after this war, right?"
In fact, it's only 20 years! Hessmann thought: If we lose again, you and I will both die! Unless you give up everything and go home to farm after the war...
"Let's go, we have to go to many places today..." Karl Haushofer said, "We have to race against time!"
They came to Riga to attend a secret meeting-because the second plan of the "Courland Plan" was launched, many things need to be adjusted. All parties involved in the "Courland Plan" naturally have to hold a meeting.
In addition, after attending this secret meeting, Hersman will go to Moscow to have difficult negotiations with Lenin in the name of the general manager of the Russian-German Company.
The two quickly walked out of the Riga Railway Station. At the exit of the station, two German soldiers with rifles on their backs checked their documents and then let them go immediately.
The security outside the railway station was strict, and there were soldiers with live ammunition everywhere-Riga has been under martial law since a few months ago. This was implemented according to the advice of the Stasi. At the same time, there was a ruthless suppression of various Russian, Latvian and Estonian revolutionaries! The German revolutionaries were arrested and expelled. Public opinion was also strictly controlled. Only newspapers approved by the Stasi could be published. They were full of content advocating war and terrible things about Russia.
Before getting on the taxi, Karl Haushofer bought two local newspapers in Riga and gave one to Hersman. After getting on the car, Hersman opened the newspaper and started reading. On the front page of the newspaper, the sensational news was published in thick and bold black words: Petrograd had another large arrest, more than 2,000 people were arrested, and 1,000 of them were executed without any trial!
"Another 2,000 people were arrested, just in Petrograd!" Haushofer shook his head. "If this same madman came to power in Germany, we would all be shot!"
Historically, at the end of World War I and in the following years, there were many European countries where red and white confrontations occurred. However, there was no second Soviet Union (Hungary almost succeeded), and the ruthlessness of the Bolsheviks in the Soviet-Russian Civil War was probably an important reason - class enemies like Karl Haushofer were alert!
"Yes," Hessman put away the newspaper, "this is a matter of life and death, but it is also an opportunity for us."
"What opportunity?"
"Of course, it is an opportunity to use the Soviet Union to maintain Germany's vitality... I think the bigwigs of the Allied Powers don't want to see a wave of red revolutions all over Europe, right?"
"Of course. But... Germany must not have any signs of a red revolution!" Karl Haushofer said firmly, "This is not allowed! Whoever dares to do that must be prepared to die!"
Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg are really going to do this! Hessman thought, so they will die soon.
"Of course it's not Germany, it's another country. I think I can discuss it with Lenin this time... It's also good to create more trouble for the Allied Powers!" When Hessman and Karl Haushofer were talking, the carriage had stopped in front of a huge yellow castle building. This is the headquarters of the German garrison in the Baltic region.
...
General Rüdiger von der Goltz, the commander-in-chief of the Baltic Defense Army, looked very stern, his facial features seemed to be carved out of granite, and his eyes were particularly sharp, like a true leader. He also accomplished a great thing in the first half of 1918 - helping the Finnish White Army defeat the Red Guards!
This earned him a high reputation and he was considered the right person to defend the United Baltic Duchy. In history, he also undertook the same mission, but was defeated in Estonia due to insufficient preparation and limited strength (even though he had already conquered Latvia, he was still dissatisfied, otherwise there would really be a small East Germany in history). However, in this time and space, Hessman's "Courland Plan" planned to use 100,000 troops to defend the United Baltic Duchy. Moreover, Hessman also planned to let the United Baltic Duchy and Soviet Russia sign a "Non-Aggression Pact" to provide another insurance for the Baltic Republic.
"Your Excellency the Admiral, this is an order for the United Baltic Duchy to establish diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia and sign the "Non-Aggression Pact." Hessman opened a black folder with an iron cross mark, which contained a top-secret order signed by Marshal Hindenburg.
The signing of a diplomatic agreement with the Soviet Union was stipulated in the "Courland Plan", but this matter was not something that the Baltic Ministry of Foreign Affairs could promote, and only Hessman could do it. And it was not ordered by the German Foreign Ministry, but directly by the Chief of the General Staff. This was determined by the current situation of secret cooperation between Russia and Germany.
Admiral Goltz glanced at Hindenburg's signature, then raised his head and stared at Hessman's eyes: "Lieutenant Colonel, do you really think it is necessary for the United Baltic Principality to sign such a treaty with the Bolsheviks in Russia? I think you already know what they did in Russia?"
"Yes, Admiral!" Hessman answered in an affirmative tone, "Currently, the United Baltic Principality and Soviet Russia are not tolerated by the Allies, which will be the basis for cooperation between the two countries. As for what the Bolsheviks did... I think they are just doing what they have to do!"
"It has to be done? Is it necessary to shoot so many unarmed nobles and civilians?" Admiral Goltz disagreed. He was a traditional aristocratic officer, and of course he was very disgusted with the fact that Russian nobles were killed by the Bolsheviks, and he also despised any killing of civilians.
"It was just to protect themselves," Hessman said, "most of those who were killed were old nobles and capitalists who were against the Bolsheviks. If they were not completely suppressed, the Bolsheviks might fail. Admiral, I think you know how the Finnish White Guards dealt with the Red Guards, right?"
"Humph, those people deserved it!"
Hessman looked at the sharp-eyed admiral in front of him and said in an extremely serious tone: "If you fail in the United Baltic Principality, hundreds of thousands of Germans will become slaves of other countries, and the warriors of the Baltic Defense Army will be killed and arrested like the Finnish Red Guards. At that time, Woodrow Johnson, George Clemenceau and Lloyd George will also use the most vicious words to attack our warriors... So, vicious means are not a problem, the problem is that we must win, even if we act like the Bolsheviks!"
"Haha, young people nowadays are becoming more and more radical, and there are not many gentlemanly manners." Admiral Goltz suddenly showed a gloating smile, "But if you do too many bad things, you may be punished. The leader of the Russian Bolsheviks was punished. I'm afraid your task will be difficult to complete."