A Song of Ice and Fire Volume 3 Chapter 22 The Chessboard (Three)

  In the summer of 1938, Sudeten Germans who were in favor of unity with Germany demanded autonomy from Czechoslovakia. This was a movement that caused great unease between Germany and Czechoslovakia. Hitler used the sentiment of the minority to begin propaganda that Czechoslovakia was persecuting the German people, attempting to blame any future conflict on the government of Czechoslovakia.

  As German troops invaded Bohemia, Hitler agreed to a peaceful meeting in Munich.

  Hitler, Chamberlain, Daladier and Mussolini met in Munich, the conference was held on the following day. After negotiations, Britain, France and Italy agreed that Germany would have the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. Of course, according to Hitler's words, the Sudetenland had always belonged to Germany, he just let it return to the embrace of the German motherland again.

  Not a single Czechoslovak representative was present at the conference, realizing they had been betrayed by their allies under pressure from France and Britain, the Czechoslovak government reluctantly handed over the Sudetenland to Germany.

  Hitler hosted a lavish dinner for the three leaders that evening and gave a speech in which he claimed: He was now satisfied, and the expansion would stop here.

  Chamberlain returned to Britain with a document signed by Hitler, the title of which was heavily ironic: "Peace for our time".

  After the annexation of Sudetenland, Hitler began to prepare for a larger action, frequently sending spies to the Tiso region, trying to incite some Slovak patriots around Tiso or more or less forcing them to declare Slovakia's independence. After that, he drafted a memorandum secretly discussing with the Hungarian government the possibility of dividing Czechoslovakia.

  The appeasement policies of Britain, France and other countries have sown bitter fruits for themselves. The policy of appeasement is one that does not resist aggression, indulges in it, yields to it, sacrifices others at the expense of itself, colludes with and compromises with the aggressor.

  The origin of this policy dates back to the aftermath of World War I, and its most active proponents were countries such as Britain, France, and the United States. Before the 1930s, appeasement policies mainly manifested in supporting defeated Germany, backing Japan as a bulwark against the Soviet Union, and suppressing people's revolutions. This can be glimpsed from the Versailles system and the Washington system. The Dawes Plan, Young Plan, and Locarno Pact further concretized this policy.

  By the 1930s, especially after the outbreak of two wars, in the face of serious challenges from fascist countries such as Germany, Italy and Japan, appeasers like British Prime Minister Chamberlain, representing Britain, France and the United States, sought to maintain their vested interests and gain temporary security at the expense of other countries' interests, seeking compromise with aggressors and attempting to shift the disaster to the Soviet Union.

  The conclusion of the Munich Agreement may have been a mistake in itself. Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy agreed in principle to the transfer of the Sudeten territory from Czechoslovakia to Germany, on the terms and conditions set out in the annex attached hereto and by this agreement they are bound to take the necessary steps as a result thereof and assume responsibility for seeing that the terms of this agreement are carried out.

  The contents stipulated that from the day of signing of the Munich Agreement, the German Wehrmacht would withdraw from Czechoslovak territory without damaging any existing installations and the Czechoslovak government was entrusted with carrying out the evacuation without harming these installations. The German troops would occupy the territories inhabited by Germans in stages.

  In fact, the German Wehrmacht did not withdraw from Czechoslovak territory at all; on the contrary, some commanders ordered their troops to continue advancing under arms. The Wehrmacht's troops fanned out into the Sudetenland, quickly occupying this hotly disputed region along the Czech border, reenacting the scenes that had accompanied the German entry into Austria a few months before. Huge crowds waved swastika flags and threw flowers at the marching soldiers, greeting the troops of the Third Reich.

  The Nazi officials in the Sudetenland also sprang into action, quickly taking control of government departments in the region and getting to work. The Sudetenland was a highly nutritious supplement for the German government, with high-density industrial areas where arms production was 4.6 times that of British armories. This annexation indirectly unearthed a treasure trove for the Wehrmacht - the ?koda Works, which designed the excellent T-series tanks, sending the military into raptures and leaving them breathless.

  Hitler announced a message in Munich, he took a good look at the land that had returned to his ancestral home, the first stop was Ansfelden in Austria, where he would deliver a speech and then take a special train via Ybbs and St. P?lten railway to Vienna.

  Hitler had always hoped to return to the place where he wandered as a teenager, and through this, prove to the world that even someone who was once down on his luck could find a future through hard work, relying on his own two hands and wisdom to climb high and become the master of a country.

  Hitler was in high spirits, his repeated successes with adventurous actions having raised his prestige among the people to an unprecedented height. Just as he had announced this program, Himmler arrived with Reinhard Heydrich.

  "Our Fuehrer, we urgently implore you to cancel your trip!" Himmler had been fortunate.

  Heidrich immediately produced a document explaining his purpose. According to reliable information, Heidrich's security agency had discovered that the remnants of the Storm Troopers, led by Heinse, had been active in the country recently.

  "After thorough verification, the IVD department (the security agency's department for investigating opponents of the regime) confirmed that Stormtrooper Heinze had defected; he had secretly returned to Munich three years ago but quickly disappeared again. Department VI (intelligence) confirmed that Heinze had reached some sort of agreement with the Polish government."

  The smile on Hitler's face did not disappear. As early as three years ago, when Heinz returned home to make contact, the Imperial Security Agency had already discovered that it was not pursued in order to know what Heinz wanted to do, but the fact that he obtained made Hitler very disappointed; after Heinz returned home, he only stayed for a short time of three days and disappeared again without any action.

  Hitler had hoped that Heydrich would be able to get in touch with Jung or the Defence Force and obtain evidence of their intended rebellion. Unfortunately, the Security Service was unable to obtain any such evidence, which is not a reflection on its incompetence; it has been proved from several sources that Heydrich owed his escape to General Leeb's rescue operation under the "Case West" plan, and he was able to move freely back and forth between Poland and Germany only because he had received help from within the country.

  Hitler wanted Hines to bring out more opponents, he has been preparing, preparing to eliminate the influence of the National Defense Army and Jung at one stroke, and remove the shackles on himself, that 'Sacred Land Wesi Agreement' is suffocating him!

  The situation is now becoming clearer, and Haynes must have had contact with Junker and the Defense Army, or even; Haynes may be a pawn of Junker and the Defense Army, whose existence is intended to pose some kind of threat.

  Hitler asked: "Are you saying they want to assassinate me?"

  Himmler and Heydrich tensed up instantly, they didn't dare respond.

  Hitler burst out laughing, "They don't have the guts to do this!"

  "But..." Himmler and Heydrich both thought Hitler was too confident.