Chapter 102:

May 18, 1940

Berlin, Northern Germany The deadline Britain had given France was the 19th, but France seemed to be hesitating until the very last moment, as there was still no movement.

A considerable number of Abwehr agents had infiltrated Italy and France, but it seemed they were now well aware that we were conducting espionage operations, making it difficult to gain anything.

Well, just for what the Abwehr has done so far, I'm already greatly indebted to Director Canaris and Deputy Director Oster.

At the hotel, I was meeting the secret envoy from Spain who had finally arrived.

"It is an honor to meet you like this, Vice-Minister of the Chancellery. I am Agustín Muñoz Grandes."

"Welcome to Germany, General Grandes. I am Dietrich Schacht. I hope you had a pleasant journey."

Agustín Muñoz Grandes, sent by Franco, had gained considerable respect within the Spanish military for his feats during the civil war, and was said to be one of the five most powerful figures in Spain today.

Grandes showed a hint of admiration when I gave an immediate answer in Spanish without an interpreter.

"Oh… haha, your Spanish is as fluent as I've heard. The sea journey was fine, aside from being a little tedious."

Of course, I was called upon as an interpreter in the Condor Legion.

This is the most convenient thing about being in Dietrich Schacht's body.

Since I can speak German, French, English, and Spanish all properly, I can converse directly in most diplomatic meetings without even needing an interpreter.

"First, His Excellency the Caudillo has prepared a gift to congratulate the establishment of the German Fourth Reich and the appointments of the Chancellor and you, Vice-Minister."

A gift? What is this sound that reeks of corruption?

As I subtly narrowed my brow, an attendant, who received a look from General Grandes, placed a case on the desk.

"General. It seems the Caudillo has a slight misunderstanding.

The German Fourth Reich is a nation preparing for democracy. The idea of influencing a deal with a personal gift is…"

General Grandes, listening to my words, smiled faintly and slightly opened the case.

A wristwatch? A mechanical watch…

"It is a top-of-the-line watch made by Breguet of Switzerland, Vice-Minister."

Whoa.

Not a watch with a second hand that ticks, ticks second by second like in modern times, but one that moves smoothly like flowing water. Before my eyes was an elegant wristwatch that looked brilliantly expensive at a glance.

Just how much is this thing worth? For now, I know it at least far exceeds my monthly salary.

"I-It's a magnificent watch."

"Of course, Vice-Minister. It's the same brand used by Napoleon and Queen Victoria."

General Grandes, seeing me captivated by the watch, replied in a proud tone, then added with a subtle smile.

"We have prepared two, for you and the Chancellor, Vice-Minister."

"T-Two of these…"

Wow, honestly, if I refuse this on my own, won't my father scold me? For a gift meant simply to build some acquaintance, it carries considerable weight.

…My attempt at self-justification was shattered by a cough from behind.

"I apologize, General. We are grateful for the Caudillo's consideration in preparing this, but due to our position, we cannot accept such a valuable gift."

General Grandes subtly narrowed his brow, then sent a dissatisfied look behind me before replying.

"Ahem, I had no intention of burdening you, Vice-Minister."

General Grandes looked a little disappointed, but I was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Ah, the back of my head is burning. It was obvious that, even without looking, a pathetic gaze was piercing me.

Claudia had followed along as an aide to record the contents of the meeting, and I almost took an ultra-luxurious watch as a bribe right in front of her…

No, setting that aside, Spain, which should be in chaos from the civil war, is sending something like this as a bribe? Thinking about it calmly, I felt a chilling sensation.

Anyway, I feel like my compatibility with that Franco guy is just terrible.

"My experience meeting the Caudillo while I was with the Condor Legion was also a memorable event for me."

I could never forget it.

I was in the middle of interpreting a request to inflict collateral damage on his own people, and the result of that was Guernica.

"Haha, the Caudillo also said he was deeply impressed by you, Vice-Minister."

As General Grandes said that, he was cautiously studying my expression.

At the time, he might have just dismissed me as an interpreter, but Franco must have been quite dumbfounded when he heard that the man who interpreted such a 'secret request' had overthrown Germany's fascist regime and become a high official in the new government.

That might be why he sent a bribe too excessive to be seen as a simple gift, but from my standpoint, it was impossible to view Franco favorably.

The Condor Legion, which greatly aided the Nationalist faction in the Spanish Civil War, is a dark history of supporting fascists from the perspective of the German Fourth Reich, and an irony for a regime that started a revolution in Germany against the fascists.

We cannot simply shift all the responsibility onto Hitler and the Nazis and ignore it.

Supporting the Nationalist faction was first proposed by Director Canaris, who had a strong anti-communist disposition, and high-ranking commanders of the Condor Legion like Thomas, Sperrle, and Richthofen are still serving as generals in the Fourth Reich's National Defense Force.

"Then, could I hear the purpose for your request for talks with the Fourth Reich from behind the scenes, after having annulled Germany's interests that Spain had promised as the price for the Condor Legion's devotion?"

Of course, there is the original sin committed by the German army in Spain, but aside from that, the blood shed by the members of the Condor Legion on Spanish land is wholly Germany's.

In any case, we shed blood for the Franco regime, and the interests they provided were the price for it, yet they arbitrarily annulled it.

I myself rolled through the fields, facing the risk of death, and lost countless subordinates, so I had no intention of just letting this issue slide.

General Grandes, with a slightly uncomfortable expression, cleared his throat and began to speak.

"There is some room for misunderstanding regarding that matter. As you know, Vice-Minister, the Nazi regime exploited Spain's situation right after the civil war to demand excessive interests."

Well, Hitler did tear away quite a harsh amount, but…

"However, that was compensation for the Condor Legion's devotion, and also the price for the loan Spain borrowed from Germany during the civil war.

Well, setting all that aside, you wouldn't deny the procedural problem of a one-sided annulment of the deal, would you?"

After all, that wasn't something they were just taking for free. While piling up MEFO-bills like a mountain, Hitler also supported Spain with considerable funds, military supplies, and military force, and in return, he tore away the mining rights to the mines in northern Spain.

Spain, with its economy in chaos due to the civil war, had no money to pay Germany, so they were paying with resources.

"Of course, there were some procedural problems with that, Vice-Minister.

But in Spain, rather than a permanent suspension, it was a preliminary measure for renegotiation—"

"Not a preliminary measure, but rather, you first responded to France's request, and then, seeing the situation, you felt the need for some insurance and decided to renegotiate, isn't that it?"

General Grandes fell silent. Thinking about it, it's an obvious matter.

They only requested talks at the point when France started to seriously screw us over.

"That is not the case, Vice-Minister. Did we not also contribute to the German Civil War by selling weapons during the Fourth Reich's coup? It's just that we also have a stance for the sake of our fatherland, which led to this situation."

Of course, when they sold the weapons, they must have thought that improving the troublesome public security thanks to the surplus of arms, and the revival of the German Empire was better than Hitler, who tried to strip them excessively harshly.

Surely they couldn't have known that we would suddenly declare the revival of democracy in that situation? General Grandes was almost breaking into a cold sweat.

"Well, I don't know what your stance is. But in any case, to make a deal, you need to have some cards to play, don't you? Germany is very dissatisfied with the current situation and will not lightly forget your nation's actions."

"Ahem, there will be compensation for that part.

We intend to proceed with the export of mined tungsten through Portugal, and if you wish, we can also arrange a tungsten deal with Portugal."

Exporting through Portugal.

So, they want to pull the wool over everyone's eyes, making it look like they're not selling to Germany.

"I'm aware that your country is negotiating to re-dispatch a military advisory group to China and trade tungsten.

But isn't the distance for a deal with the Republic of China too far?"

"Well, at least they won't cut off the deal midway through."

Grandes, though slightly embarrassed by my sharp reaction, offered a rebuttal.

"In any case, I understand Germany's demand for tungsten is considerable. It would be better to have diverse trading partners."

He's not wrong.

Honestly, to rely solely on the deal with the Republic of China is problematic, as Germany has virtually no control over the Mediterranean Sea.

If they facilitate a deal with Portugal, which is relatively close and the largest exporter of tungsten, and also resupply the resources they were originally supposed to provide via a detour, it's not bad for us.

The problem is…

"Seeing as you're going to such lengths to please France, it seems France must have offered something quite substantial?"

Although the German Fourth Reich declared the revival of democracy and professed anti-fascism, its relationship with Spain was not that bad.

Leaving my personal preferences aside, neither Germany nor Spain had a reason to go out of their way to antagonize an important trading partner.

A price great enough to risk losing the friendly acquaintance with Germany, which had been maintained reasonably well from the time of the Condor Legion until now, even after the regime changed.

France must have offered something of that magnitude, which is why, after France was cornered, they can't completely cast us aside, even keeping a foot in with Germany.

To explain it merely by his acquaintance with Pétain is insufficient; Franco is a thorough opportunist and nationalist. The problem is, what on earth is the price France could offer them?

"As you know, Germany and France have long since passed a neutral relationship, General. This is not an issue we can overlook simply with compensation for the annulled deal."

Once Franco, who is maintaining a dictatorship after massacring a huge number of his own people, severed ties, we were determined to treat them as hostile.

Especially since it's a country that Britain and America already view unfavorably, for us, who are trying to rebuild democracy, to let it slide just for economic reasons is difficult, as they are showing signs of becoming an ally to our clear enemy nation.

"That matter is beyond my authority to discuss."

A man said to be one of the five most powerful in Spain says it's beyond his authority? This in itself could be a kind of hint.

"Vice-Minister, you must be well aware that France will cause some kind of trouble anyway."

"That is true, but."

General Grandes opened his mouth cautiously.

"On the condition that we arrange a trade deal with Portugal and resume exporting tungsten via a detour, if Germany guarantees Spain's independence 'in case of emergency,' we will maintain neutrality."

What is this, a riddle? I don't know what they'll do, but if they maintain neutrality, they want us not to touch Spain in an emergency?

"You have no intention of betraying France, but if France's success is not assured, you will maintain neutrality to guarantee Spain's safety?"

Perhaps because I spoke too bluntly, General Grandes hesitated for a moment but soon nodded his head.

"That is correct, Vice-Minister. If you accept, Germany will be able to obtain tungsten through an easy route again, and you will be able to avoid making an enemy of Spain in the current incident."

The words sound nice, but in the end, it means they might side with France if it looks like France will succeed.

Look at these guys.

I was dumbfounded, but at the same time, my mind was busy with calculations.

It would be great if the Panzer IVs equipped with 75mm main guns and the Pak 40 anti-tank guns could be supplied quickly, but realistically, that's still a long way off.

Therefore, to counter France's heavily armored B1 heavy tanks or the Soviet tanks that Poland and Finland are facing with our current equipment, tungsten-cored armor-piercing shells are desperately needed.

Even if the 88 anti-aircraft guns and heavy field artillery are effective, relying solely on them would make us no different from the Nazi German army of the original history.

So, we need tungsten right now.

A lot of it. Even though we are trading with the Republic of China, honestly, the distance is far and we have to cross the Mediterranean, so in a situation where France is advertising it will cause trouble soon, it's also true that it's unsettling to rely solely on them.

"Hah, very well. I agree. However, taking into account that your country unilaterally suspended the deal, I would like to receive three times the usual amount of tungsten trade this month. At the same time, I would like you to arrange the deal with Portugal immediately."

This damn opportunistic dictator Franco is really not to my liking…

But if I kick this away here, the only conclusion is that they will definitively stick to France, their only lifeline.

I don't know how the situation will change, so it's better to build up a large stockpile of tungsten for now.

"…If it's to that extent, I will have to get approval from my home country, but let's try to discuss it, Vice-Minister."

A deal between democratic Germany, which was once fascist, and fascist Spain, which drove out democrats and communists; a deal between a potential ally of France and an enemy of France.

"Very well. I say this out of an abundance of caution, but I hope Germany and Spain will not have to meet as enemy nations. For the sake of our respective fatherlands."

General Grandes flinched slightly at the words 'respective fatherlands,' but soon replied plausibly.

"Of course, we have not forgotten the devotion of the Condor Legion. As an anti-communist nation, we too wish to maintain friendly relations with Germany."

You're good with words.

It's not like I wanted to do it, but it felt like I was confronting the sins of the past, so my mood was quite bad.

Knowing full well we were on different pages, General Grandes and I shook hands with smiling faces.

All for the sake of our fatherlands.

No matter how I think about it, it feels like concluding a non-aggression pact, but since things have completely deviated from the original history anyway, it's not like I can read the future.

An unknown storm is approaching, so there's no choice but to prepare for the rough seas as much as possible.