Chapter 71: Strong Wind
"I understand."
After hanging up the telephone, Jörg studied his reflection in the mirror.
A long black raincoat covered him from throat to boot, with only the collar left exposed, where the gleam of the Iron Cross stood out sharply against the dark fabric. In his left hand was the Luger P08 Paul von Hindenburg had given him, the magazine already fully loaded.
Beside him, Guderian was even more heavily equipped. He had already put on a steel helmet.
After all, this was not a picnic, and no one could guarantee that the night would pass without gunfire.
Jörg finished his cigarette, crushed the butt into the ashtray, and spoke in a calm voice that carried the weight of an order.
"Those without rank do not need to come. Notify every officer with shoulder insignia and combat experience to assemble on the parade ground at once. Fuel all armored cars and tanks."
He paused, then added,
"We are going to take over the Reichswehr."
On the other side of Berlin, Bogg had also made his call to General Staff Headquarters.
At that moment, Seckt sat stiffly behind his desk, his expression growing darker rather than lighter as Christmas drew near.
This was already the third joint letter he had received. Compared with the earlier ones, the wording this time was far harsher, to the point of openly demanding Jörg's expulsion from the Army.
He did not believe such a wave of pressure had arisen on its own.
Thinking of that, Seckt glanced toward Drew, who was seated to the side, then quickly looked away.
Still, part of him believed this was not entirely a bad thing.
Drew had indeed been right about one matter. He had been too lenient with Jörg.
Many of the accusations in the letters were either exaggerated or baseless, yet one point, according to Seckt's own investigation, was undeniably true. Jörg had begun carrying the Progress Party into the Army. Officers from various formations were being transferred in increasing numbers, and many of them owed their future not to the Reichswehr, but to Jörg's political vision.
When Jörg returned, Seckt had already decided he would have a serious talk with him.
Young men were allowed to make mistakes, but not on the question of the Army's foundation. Not on this.
Drew, sensing the change in Seckt's mood, leisurely lifted his black tea and took a sip.
Beside him hung the Christmas gift he had brought, a hand embroidered tapestry depicting a biblical warning:
The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.
As he adjusted the tapestry on the wall, Drew said in an almost casual tone,
"To be honest, Seckt, I think you are too soft. For a hungry wolf like Jörg, you either drive him back into the deep forest, or you beat him to death with one blow."
He turned his head slightly.
"If you hesitate, he will bite you."
Seckt shook his head.
He knew Jörg was ambitious. But he also believed Jörg would never point his sword at the Reichswehr. He trusted the young man's character.
Instead of agreeing, he looked at Drew and said quietly,
"You speak too much, Drew. Whatever his faults, Jörg has rendered great service to Germany and to the Army. That does not vanish simply because he has flaws."
"Everything you just said is nonsense."
Drew smiled.
"Nonsense? Not necessarily. Even with you suppressing him, he still dares to play games inside the Army. And do not forget, the Berlin police are also his people. With the President ill and Mr. Hindenburg absent on holiday, with no news from him at such a time…"
He got no further.
The sharp ring of the telephone cut through the room.
Seckt picked up the receiver.
"Who is this?"
"Mr. Seckt, this is Hans Bogg, Mayor of Berlin. I have an urgent situation that must be reported directly to you. Just now, I received a special order from the President demanding the dismissal of Vito, the Chief of Berlin Police."
He hurried on before Seckt could interrupt.
"But something went wrong. Vito refused to obey the order, and the majority of the police are following him."
"This is not mere insubordination, Mr. Seckt. Berlin has nearly ten thousand policemen, and the security police possess substantial militarized firepower. If this force moves against the Reichstag or William Avenue, Berlin could see a second Kapp Putsch."
Seckt's expression changed immediately.
He understood at once how grave the matter could become, but he did not issue an order at once. Instead, his mind raced.
Something was wrong.
Why would the President personally intervene in the dismissal of a police chief? There was a Commissioner above Vito. Any dismissal should have passed through the normal chain first. It should never have gone through a mayor.
The procedure itself was absurd.
And the timing was even worse.
The Army had just begun turning against Jörg, and now the police suddenly rebelled? It was too neat, too convenient. Almost as if someone had arranged the stage in advance.
But then another thought followed close behind.
What if it was real? What if this had happened suddenly? What if Jörg truly had begun preparing something unlawful, something the President had discovered before anyone else?
Was he preparing an armed seizure of power?
No.
That made even less sense.
With his ability, Jörg could simply wait and eventually climb there openly. And besides, he was still in Norway. How could he have orchestrated all of this from abroad?
One thought collided against another until Seckt's mind became a knot of doubt and urgency.
Yet even then, he did not reach for the second telephone.
Instead, he called the secretariat.
"Connect me to the President's office."
After a brief wait, the secretary answered,
"Your Excellency, the hospital reports that the President's condition has worsened, and he is temporarily unable to take calls."
Seckt's unease deepened.
"Then connect me to the Chancellor. Immediately."
Watching the minutes slip away, thinking of the possibility of armed chaos inside Berlin, Seckt's voice rose without his noticing.
"I need confirmation of an order. Right now."
Drew did not let the moment pass.
"Seckt, calm yourself."
His tone was steady, but his words came like hammer blows.
"This is not the time to search for perfect truth. A police chief with armed men under his command is refusing a government order, and that same chief is closely tied to Jörg. That already explains enough."
"Even if there are doubts, one thing is certain. Disobedience is real. His guns are real."
He stepped closer.
"We do not have time to waste. Send troops to suppress the rebellion. It is Christmas. Workers and civilians are all on the streets. If something happens now, Berlin will be thrown into total chaos."
"Send the rapid reaction force stationed in the capital, and the former Royal Cavalry Regiment as well. Refusal to obey the state is treason. They should be arrested on the spot."
He let the next sentence fall with deliberate weight.
"And I believe it is necessary to place Jörg's First Armored Division under control before anything else."
Drew's words rang in Seckt's ears like an alarm.
They also led him exactly where Drew wanted him to go.
"You are right, Drew."
Seckt reached for the telephone, then stopped halfway.
He shook his head sharply.
"No. No, that is not right. There will be no executions. No large scale bloodshed. Control is the priority."
He took a breath and steadied himself.
"There must be no bloodshed."
Only then did he place the call.
"Is this Demengnade?"
His voice turned cold and commanding.
"In the name of the Commander in Chief of the Reichswehr, I declare Berlin in a state of emergency. Take your men at once and blockade every police station in the city. Prevent any police rebellion and any possible civilian unrest. Disarm Chief Vito."
Then he spoke each word with severe emphasis.
"But I must stress one point. Do not open fire unless they fire first."
He tightened his grip on the receiver.
"Do not open fire."
.....
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