Volume 4, Chapter 8
All the SS officers and soldiers were looking with horror at the handsome young man standing in front of them. This coldly smiling Deputy Fuhrer. Dressed in an Army general uniform, decorated with numerous gorgeous medals. One of the top leaders of the Party.
“How do you want to explain your insurgency? Dr. Tiffel?” Xu Jun sneered towards the dumbstruck Tiffel before him.
“No! No… Vice-Head, you must listen to my explanation. This was a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I swear to the esteemed Deputy Fuhrer that this matter was entirely a big mistake.”
“Misunderstanding? You led the soldiers, raided my area, kicked down the door and charged into the room. Even pointing guns at me and my men. Or did I hear incorrectly that you would shoot anyone that moved? If this is not blatant rebellion, then what is?”
“This… This is, this is.”
Tiffel could not think of any justification for explaining this matter. Everything was done by himself. No unit was responsible for his mistaken judgment. “It was just misinformation. Misleading information? Yes, that’s right! Since I started to investigate the special tour group, all parties have given me false information! This was a trap! Not only did I fail to see through it, I even happily took the bait!
But, why exactly is it necessary to set such a sophisticated trap? Who’s the one manipulating of all this, is it the Deputy Fuhrer in front? … No! It shouldn’t be him. Having the authority of Vice-Head, getting rid of a small SS officer like me was akin to squashing an ant. It makes no sense to spend so much time and effort to trap an insignificant officer like me… Unless… The trap’s goal is not me but…”
In just a few seconds, countless questions and answers flashed in Tiffel’s mind. Finally, he felt as if he uncovered the real answer.
Tiffel was now absolutely confident in his judgment. If he could persuade the Deputy Fuhrer, then not only could he keep his life, he may make a small contribution.
Tiffel quickly said. “Dear Deputy Fuhrer, your excellency, please believe my words. This matter really was a misunderstanding. Suddenly after some careful thought, behind this matter may be a big conspiracy. It was only that I was subjected to the deceit of those conspirators and was exploited by them.” Tiffel feigned a look of grief.
He also secretly watched Xu Jun’s expression as he was talking. With his life possibly on the line, he was anxious about what would happen. The result left Tiffel very satisfied. As he expected, the Deputy Fuhrer frowned at his words and had an intrigued expression.
“So, Dr. Tiffel. You say that you were exploited, merely a p.a.w.n for the true conspirators. I can’t say I understand your meaning. Give me a good account of everything from the ground up and tell me why it is a conspiracy.” Xu Jun said chillingly.
Even with that strict gaze, it felt as if a big boulder was lifted off Tiffel’s heart. Finally, he noticed the vast amounts of cold sweat that soaked his undershirt. This feeling, it was like returning to Earth from a trip to h.e.l.l. So long as the Deputy Fuhrer was willing to listen to his own interpretation of the situation, it would all work out. Tiffel was confident in his rigorous a.n.a.lysis and accurate thinking. Paired with his natural eloquence, there was little doubt that he could not sway the mind of the Deputy Fuhrer. There was still the issue of this environment…
Tiffel whispered to Xu Jun. “Vice-Head, I would like to immediately report to you my experiences, but here…” He looked at the room of people.
“Hmm, very well. This is truly not a place to talk about such important matters. Hans, go talk to the lobby manager. Arrange for a larger conference room. Oh, and give this to him.” Xu Jun pulled out a small box from his pocket.
“That lobby manager did a good job arranging everything for me. I believe he mentioned something about his son’s birthday. Anyhow, give this as a present.”
“Yes, General.” Hans politely took the little box.
“It is a white and gold eagle emblem. Tell him that as long as he serves the Reich with loyalty, he will receive the rewards deserved to him. No matter his status.” Xu Jun smiled and answered.
“No!” Ferguson shouted inwardly.
Hearing the Deputy Fuhrer mention the lobby manager, Tiffel’s mind was once again thrown into a daze. “G.o.d, how could I be so unlucky. It seems that the Deputy Fuhrer even took a liking to those Polish mongrels. A gift to manager’s son… and I actually sent someone to get rid of him.” Tiffel desperately prayed that his idiot subordinate would procrastinate like usual. If not, then that Polish mongrel, no, that Polish uncle, would be executed… If the Deputy Fuhrer knew that Tiffel had casually killed someone that he was satisfied with, there was no saving him.
“Hmm?” Feeling the cry that managed to leak out, Xu Jun’s face cooled down several notches.
Frowning, he asked Tiffel. “Lieutenant Colonel Tiffel! Did you say ‘no’? Do you have a comment?”
“Ah, no, no, I have no opinion. You misunderstood me. I just wanted to say that it was not necessary for your aide to arrange the meeting room. I would be more than content with making the arrangements. I am also familiar with the lobby manager. I can do it.” Tiffel felt a cold sweat began to run down is back constantly.
“Oh, is that so? Very well, Hans, allow him to do it. Also, notify me immediately after arranging the meeting room, I still have some things to ask you. Finally, have your men provide security for the area.”
“Yes, Vice-Head.” Tiffel promptly answered.
Then he swiftly turned to face the other SS officers and practically flew back down the stairs. His men quickly following behind. Now it was Xu Jun, his officers, and the SS soldiers in the room.
The soldiers were now in an awkward position. Their palms sweaty as they faced the cold glares of the Army officers. Tiffel seems to have found a reason to defend himself; a great opportunity to shrink his responsibility. But they’re different. They are just a bunch of low-level soldiers that committed a heinous sin. They pointed their guns at high-ranking officers, even worse, one of them was the great Deputy Fuhrer. No doubt, they would be used as scapegoats for this whole incident. Even if they are not executed, they will be sent to a labor camp for the rest of their lives. Thinking of this, the soldiers had a gloomy heart.
“General, did you believe that man’s word? Is his mischief allowed to go unpunished?” Muller was quietly sitting the couch before asking Xu Jun.
“Don’t worry, Muller. He is still useful to me. You will soon understand why. However, how could I punish him? Should I shoot him? How then should I deal with these soldiers? Shoot them as well?”
Xu Jun’s quiet but clearly audible words sent blizzards through the soldier’s backs.
“They were just following orders, that much can be understood. But, they were still too excessive, right?”
Xu Jun stood up and walked up to one of the squad leaders and asked: “Are you the captain of this company, 2nd Lieutenant?”
“I am, Vice Head!” The junior officer shouted in a loud voice as he heard a glimmer of hope from Xu Jun’s words.
“Your name and position.”
“Waffen-SS 77th Sturm Company Commander, 2nd Lieutenant Shackett.”
“These are your men?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How many people have you brought?”
“The entire Storm Company, 93 in total. Your Excellency.”
“Hm, there are only over thirty men here.”
“Sir, the other soldiers are blocking the floors. The others are guarding the exits.”
“Why did Tiffel send you here? Does not have his own special operations team?”
“That I do not know, Vice-Head. Our company has been stationed on the outskirts of Warsaw since the initial occupation of the city. Today we suddenly received orders from the SS command to carry out an arrest mission. But we did not expect it to your Excellency. If so, we could have rather shot ourselves than dare. At the time, Lieutenant Colonel Tiffel had just stated there was a criminal posing as an officer. We have been deceived by him and beg you to forgive our crimes.” The 2nd Lieutenant almost cried out.
“Oh.”
Xu Jun nodded then turned around and quietly discussed with Dorgen in a corner of the room.
“Do you know how to handle them?”
“Vice-Head, they are only some Waffen-SS, a simple combat unit. It seems they did not partic.i.p.ate in yesterday’s ma.s.sacre. More importantly, they did not defile the SS’s reputation. They were only faithfully executing orders, so I think that we should not blame them. But they should still be punished for shooting in your presence.”
“Do you know why I secured your promotion last night?”
“I am not clear.”
“Actually, it was done before the start of the vacation. But I only handed it to you last night. Any idea why?”
“I don’t know, Vice-Head.”
“I wanted to examine you and my officers in Warsaw. Especially you, Dorgen. I want to know if you deserved my trust and confidence. With the result, I was very satisfied with our performance. You really are the embodiment of the righteous and honor-bound principles of the SS.”
“Thank you very much for your gracious words. I am proud that I have pa.s.sed your test. However, if this was the test, did you know long ago that this would result in genocide?” Dorgen asked Xu Jun.
“Yes, I know everything about this incident. This time, in addition to a vacation, the most important task was to rectify the discipline of the SS and identify the virus. But I did not realize that the situation would be even worse than imagined.”
“So, you wish for me to resolve this problem?” Dorgen inquired.
“The main thing is that your contribution has indeed fulfilled your new promotion. How could I hand over the Polish SS if you were not promoted to a Colonel?”
“What… You want me to manage the Polish SS? Do you not want me to stay with you?”
“Just for the time being. As long as I stay here for a few days, you can smoothly become the SS commander here.”
“Is that so…”
“Don’t worry, Colonel. You will know your job when the time comes.” Xu Jun’s face reveals once more a slight smirk.
“General, what did you say to Colonel Dorgen? Muller asked, still sitting on the couch. He and the other officers had been staring at the two men for a seemingly long period of time. For the two to whisper to each other so secretly, and from the expression on the Commander’s face, someone is about to have some serious bad luck.
“We were talking about the good obedience of little Tess, haha.” Xu Jun turned to Muller, and he crouched down. Patting the head of the little Jewish girl, he said. “It seems she’s not scared anymore.”
“When those guys first burst in, it did shock her. But she’s fine now.”
The shy girl shrunk back into Muller’s arms. Occasionally glancing at the currently somber SS soldiers. Xu Jun could still see some traces of fear in her eyes.
Xu Jun sighed and shook his head. Standing back up, he turned to the junior SS officer. “2nd Lieutenant Shackett.”
“Yes, Vice-Head.”
“I have decided to forgive you for the crimes you committed.”
Shackett immediately froze after hearing Xu Jun’s words, but then quickly responded and exclaimed: “Thank you very much for your grace! I really don’t know how to express my grat.i.tude to you, my…”
“Hold, I have not finished. I still need to punish you for firing on my officers.”
After listening to Xu Jun’s words. Shackett’s smile suddenly solidified and lowered his head. Yes, it’s already a crime to point a gun at an officer. He stood anxiously waiting for Xu Jun to announce his punishment. In the corner of his eye, he could see the shaking soldiers behind him.
“I now declare that the Waffen-SS 77th Storm Company to be disa.s.sociated from the Waffen-SS.”
“That’s it, we were expelled. Committing suicide is better. How can we face our friends and family now?” Shackett sighed to himself in frustration.
Xu Jun looked at those frowning soldiers. “The 77th Storm Company is to be transferred to the Cerberus Corps. The unit will be under the direct supervision of Colonel Dorgen. It is to be your task to complete all tasks he hands to you. Do you understand?”
Xu Jun’s words, for the soldiers, was hard to believe. What is this so-called “punishment”, it is simply a reward! What is this about being taken under the Cerberus Corps? To become a unit under the Army’s most decorated independent force was an honor. The soldiers were almost crying out of excitement. This was simply a blessing for them.
Their determination skyrocketed, the sudden urge to become the fiercest and most valiant soldiers ran through everyone’s minds. To be loyal to this Deputy Fuhrer that showed them such magnanimity, it was fulfilled onto death.
Xu Jun gave a surprised look at the soldiers. The trembling and shaking stopped, everything became quite still. Standing in front of him was a group of soldiers, standing proudly and full of energy. In addition to their grat.i.tude and excitement, there was a sense of confidence and pride.
Shackett stepped forward before being stopped by Xu Jun.
“You do not have to thank me or swear loyalty to me or the like. But, I hope that you can prove it through your actions. Needless to say, it is time for you to receive the orders from your new commander.”
Shackett quickly took a step back and had all the soldiers neatly lined up in two rows. The soldiers that fainted where rudely awakened and told to quickly stand in attention.
“Well, Dorgen, it is your turn.”
“Yes, Vice-Head.”
Dorgen took a simple step forward and shouted. “You have heard the words of the Deputy Fuhrer! You will use your actions to show your loyalty and thankfulness. Now as overall commander, I will execute the order of the Vice-Head. Use the highest level of security to block off the entire building! Leave a group here to protect the safety of the Deputy and commanders. The overall details are the sole responsibility of 2nd Lieutenant Shackett. Do you understand?”
“Understood!” The several dozen soldiers loudly shouted.