"Haah!"
Wilhelm yawned widely; under normal circumstances, he would have been in bed by now. But today, a special guest had arrived late at night, the Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov.
Originally, Molotov was supposed to visit the next day, but right after getting off the plane, he was taken to the palace and led into Wilhelm's private meeting room.
There were only three people in the entire room: Wilhelm, Reinhard, and Molotov.
Molotov was deeply puzzled by William's arrangements, which did not adhere to diplomatic etiquette.
After some initial pleasantries, once seated, Wilhelm got straight to the point. "I presume Foreign Minister Molotov's visit today is to 'hold us accountable' for the Winter War in Finland?" Because of Germany's covert support, this time around, the Soviet Union was facing a tougher fight than in the original timeline, with greater casualties.
Molotov was inwardly shocked; he hadn't expected Wilhelm to bring up the matter proactively.
Was he fearless or just ready to openly confront them? After pondering for a moment, Molotov steadied his mind and said in a deep voice, "We've had a conflict with Finland, but suddenly, the Finnish army has a lot of German-made weapons. How do you explain that?" By now, they had suffered over half a million casualties, with deaths reaching 100,000.
The main reason was that the Finnish weaponry had suddenly upgraded from shotguns to cannons. Not only did they equip Bf 109s and Jackal tanks, but they also operated them very adeptly.
What did this indicate?!
Clearly, Finland had been reinforced, significantly reinforced by some country!!
Looking across Europe now, who else could it be but Germany?!
Wilhelm smiled. "Our German weapons are top-notch, so naturally, many countries try to replicate them. The German equipment in the Finnish war doesn't necessarily mean we supplied it." Before Molotov could press further, he continued, "But since your country believes we supported them clandestinely, then let's say we did."
"!!"
He admitted it!!
He shamelessly admitted it!!
Molotov opened his mouth in surprise; Wilhelm's candid admission completely caught him off guard! He had expected the Germans to deny it to the end! How very frank, no, how very arrogant!!
A surge of anger rose in Molotov. He gritted his teeth. "This is a serious violation of the treaty!"
Previously, the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact was signed, which included a clause that "if one of the contracting parties is at war with a third country, the other contracting party shall not provide any support to the third country." According to this clause, Germany should not have interfered in the Soviet-Finnish War, but in reality, they were covertly supporting the Finns!
Wilhelm remained calm and unruffled, showing no change in expression. "Oh? So, what does your country plan to do? Declare war on us?!"
"!!" Molotov was momentarily at a loss for words. If it weren't for damn Finland, at this moment, the Soviet Union could indeed tear up the agreement, mobilize its forces, and start a war on Germany's eastern front. After all, the Soviet Union did not want to see a powerful, unified Western European empire to its west.
Watching Molotov's face turn from green to red, Wilhelm continued to jab at his heart. "Your country can't even handle little Finland, and you want to challenge us, the Germans? It's laughable. I suggest you pretend you don't know about this matter. If it becomes public, we might openly support Finland, even send troops there."
Molotov felt like he was about to cough up blood from the tightness in his chest; he took a sip from the glass in front of him with a trembling hand.
Wilhelm was right. Currently, the Soviet Union was beleaguered by the Winter War, and compared to the German forces sweeping through Europe, the Soviet army's combat effectiveness was pitiful. The Soviet high command had reached a consensus that the construction of their mechanized forces was a long way off, and until they had armored units that could match Germany's, the Soviet Union was not suitable for a large-scale war with Germany.
Since they couldn't openly confront each other, they had to maintain the facade of friendship.
After gulping down a large glass of wine, Molotov brought up another matter. "I heard our aircraft carriers have been completed?"
"Those two aircraft carriers?" Wilhelm's smile was somewhat strange. "Oh, those aircraft carriers, they indeed have been completed and are undergoing sea trials. However, they've been requisitioned by the German Navy, and we won't be able to return them to your country anytime soon."
With a loud "bang," Molotov slammed his glass down onto the table. "You!"
This was going too far!
Did they think the Soviet Union was afraid of them?!
"Are you determined to go to war with us?!"
Wilhelm shrugged. "There's an old saying, 'How can one sleep soundly beside a sleeping tiger?' The Soviet Union is a great threat to Germany. How much effort do we have to spend guarding against you? It'd be best if you were eliminated. But, Foreign Minister Molotov, there's no need to worry. Although we are indeed preparing to attack your country, now is not the time. We must at least deal with Britain first and rest for a while before we can act. So, I'll have to trouble you to buy us some time and placate Stalin."
"What?" Molotov wondered if he was hearing things, but then Wilhelm continued, "I believe Foreign Minister Molotov will stand with us, joining the camp to resist Stalin."
"Ridiculous!" Molotov stood up abruptly, ready to leave in a huff.
"Not ridiculous at all! Just take a look at this newspaper." With a wave of his hand, Reinhard, who had been silent until now, pushed a newspaper in front of Molotov.
Molotov glanced at it, seeing the bold headline, "Germany's Most Loyal Friend, Molotov Reveals Stalin's Ugly Scheme!" Below was a photo of Molotov shaking hands with Wilhelm. Of course, the photo wasn't the main point; it was an old picture from Molotov's previous visit.
Molotov picked up the newspaper instinctively and read the content, which was about a supposed agreement between the Soviet Union and Britain, where Britain would cede its Indian colonies to the Soviet Union in exchange for the Soviet Union declaring war on Germany.
"This, this!!" Molotov's face turned deathly pale.
Wilhelm said leisurely, "Just now, Foreign Minister Molotov accused us of trampling on the treaty? Now tell me, who trampled on the treaty first?"
Molotov blurted out, "This, this is absolutely a rumor; we've never made such a deal!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Wilhelm gave a sneer of contempt. "If you haven't done it, then there's 'nothing to fear if one's actions are upright,' right? Even if we distribute this newspaper, it would have no effect, would it?"