I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 774: Field Marshal Hindenburg

Berlin Sanssouci Palace.

In mid-May, it is the season when grape flowers bloom. The blossoms sway on the vines, spreading a light fragrance in the breaking sunlight, bringing a sense of joy.

However, they cannot dispel the shadow in William II's heart.

William II strolled through the vineyard, intending to relax, but the surrounding flowers only caught his eye without entering his consciousness.

William II's mind was consumed with thoughts of Hindenburg.

He regretted it already, believing he shouldn't have dismissed Fajin Han to serve as commander of the Ninth Army Group.

Before doing so, William II had not considered one issue: Who would serve as Chief of General Staff? Who else is qualified for the role?

William II originally thought it was simple—remove Fajin Han and appoint another General as Chief of General Staff.

Yet…

Hindenburg was invincible on the Eastern Front. If Shire was "France's Mars," then Hindenburg was "Germany's Ares."

(The image above is of Ares; Mars is the war god of Roman mythology, Ares is the war god of Greek mythology)

Although William II believed it had to do with luck.

If Fajin Han and Hindenburg exchanged positions, having Fajin Han handle the Eastern Front against Russia while Hindenburg faced Shire on the Western Front, the one now called "Germany's Ares" would be Fajin Han, not Hindenburg.

But the facts are the facts; war offers no ifs.

The only defeat on the Eastern Front was unrelated to Hindenburg—the Russian Army's Brusilov Offensive broke the defense line of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

At that time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire still had an independent army, always unwilling to comply with Hindenburg's command and insisted on independent operations.

Reality, however, gave the Austro-Hungarian Empire a harsh slap.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire's failure indirectly proved Hindenburg's ideas were correct and visionary.

If Hindenburg had not sent reinforcements to block Brusilov's forces, Austria-Hungary could have collapsed entirely.

In this situation, who else could serve as Germany's Chief of General Staff to command the entire army?

Though William II was unwilling, the entire nation turned their gaze to Hindenburg. All military officers and soldiers hoped Hindenburg would command them, and even the ministers believed only Hindenburg could save Germany.

What could William II do?

Forcefully appoint another Chief of General Staff?

Only to be ousted amidst a torrent of criticism within days? 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Bringing Fajin Han back?

Even if William II could swallow his pride, Fajin Han wouldn't return, as he was forced out due to numerous defeats on the Western Front.

Having achieved no military merits, he certainly could not return to be Chief of General Staff and command Hindenburg.

"What a foolish act!" William II fell deep into self-reproach.

But it was too late for regret now; he had to hand the command of the national army to Hindenburg, making Hindenburg the decider on both the Western and Eastern Fronts.

Austro-Hungarian Army included.

William II heard Hindenburg was forcing Austria-Hungary to yield command.

Hindenburg had valid reasons:

"Only by truly uniting in shared command and tightly synchronized intelligence sharing can we hope to utterly defeat the enemy."

"Consider the Austro-Hungarian Army's predicaments faced on Italy, Romania, and the Eastern Front under the Russian Army's offensive."

"If unwilling to do so, the conclusion could very well be total annihilation."

The last statement was laced with an obvious threat, discernible to anyone, including Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary.

(The image above is of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of the Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire)

William II knew Joseph I would ultimately compromise.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire wasn't strong enough to refuse.

She was entangled simultaneously on three fronts: Italy, Romania, and Russia.

If Hindenburg ceased support, Austria-Hungary faced the danger of national extinction.

Faced with a choice between yielding command to Hindenburg or extinction, any sane person would make the correct decision.

Thus, Hindenburg would control all forces, ascending to become the most powerful person in Germany.

"Your Majesty." A guard approached to report: "Marshal Hindenburg has arrived, waiting for you in the reception room!"

William II felt a "thud" in his heart, a flicker of displeasure in his eyes.

Conventionally, since William II was in the vineyard, Hindenburg, as a minister, should have come to find the emperor.

Now, however, Hindenburg waited in the reception room, sounding as if William II was to meet him.

Yet William II dared not voice this: "Very well, tell him to wait a moment."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard complied and retreated.

William II did not plan to head back immediately, intending to let Hindenburg wait a bit longer to assert his dignity.

However, he soon realized he probably wasn't qualified to do so now.

Without Hindenburg's approval, William II might not even be able to mobilize an infantry company.

Hesitating for a moment longer, William II sighed and began walking down the vineyard's stairs towards the reception room.

...

The reception room entrance originally lacked guards, now two stood by, presumably Hindenburg's men.

They were unarmed; when William II approached, they stood upright and saluted, yet they exerted an immense, invisible pressure on him.

Hindenburg stood gazing out the window at the outdoor scenery, feigning ignorance of William II's arrival, chin up and hands crossed behind, appearing as someone waiting for a report from subordinates.

(The image above is of Hindenburg in 1916)

Only upon William II's approach did Hindenburg suddenly "notice," turning to salute: "An honor to meet you, Your Majesty."

Suppressing inward displeasure, William II warmly invited Hindenburg to the sofa, attentively ordering coffee and fruits.

"Everything going smoothly, Marshal?" William II inquired, "I hope your workload isn't too heavy."

It would be best if you proposed focusing solely on one front, allowing me an excuse to transfer the Western Front to another.

Yet Hindenburg offered no such opportunity, his tone calm: "No need for concern, Your Majesty. In fact, I find Chief of General Staff duties much simpler than being the Eastern Front's Commander-in-Chief."

"Oh, really?" William II smiled, a hint of bitterness in it.

"Indeed." Hindenburg took a sip of coffee: "Previously, as Eastern Front Commander, I always worried about the higher-ups reallocating my troops. Now, there are no such concerns!"

William II's smile faltered momentarily.

Previously, William II and Fajin Han enacted the "West then East" policy, sporadically transferrring troops from the Eastern Front to patch Western Front holes.

Hindenburg's words seemed innocuous on the surface but were, in truth, bragging before William II.