After a series of farcical delays, the Congress finally managed to complete a vote by raising their hands. At this moment, Krupp and Streisman, seated below, were beaming with smiles. A man in a suit ascended to the high platform at the front of the hall and cleared his throat with two loud coughs before announcing, "Cough! Cough! Next, I declare on behalf of the President of the Congress. As the majority of Congress members have voted by raising their hands, the Congress has made the following decisions!"
He surveyed the room, his gaze sweeping over the parliamentarians before he looked down at his manuscript, his demeanor solemn and reverent. His hoarse voice then resonated through the German parliament hall. "First! Congress recognizes that the Grand German Party is legal. The German People's Party is dissolved and all its members are merged into the Grand German Party."
"Second, seven of the non-partisan parliamentarians announced their membership in the Grand German Party, and 133 former members of the Social Democratic Party have also joined."
"Third, Major General Akado Rudolf, Chairman of the Grand German Party, Mr. Gustav Krupp, Vice-Chairman, and Minister Gustav Streisman, also Vice-Chairman, are hereby made Honorary Special Members of Parliament. Their voting and proposal powers will take effect immediately."
"On a personal note, congratulations to the Grand German Party for becoming the second largest party in Congress! Congratulations to the President of the German Party, General Akado Rudolf, for achieving such extraordinary accomplishments at such a young age." He set down the manuscript and led the applause. The entire congress hall erupted in applause as the Grand German Party, having caught the old Social Democratic Party by surprise, secured an unprecedented victory in the congressional battleground.
"The German President Hindenburg and the Defence Forces General Command have jointly issued the following order," Akado announced, reading aloud from a command letter at the headquarters campus. "Recognizing the status of the Grand German Party in the army and supporting the Grand German Party in the National Defense Army. Henceforth, all military personnel are to exclusively support the Grand German Party, and no other party propaganda will be permitted within the military ranks."
As he finished, he lifted his gaze to meet the eyes of the officers and soldiers below, his blue eyes piercing. He paused, waiting for their response, desiring a specific reply. After a moment, some officers and soldiers began to respond. "Long live the Great German!" shouted an officer, breaking the silence. "Long live the Great German Party!" Soon, more voices joined in, growing louder and more synchronized.
"From today, the national army will implement new ceremonial standards. The old traditional military salute is abolished, and the new military salute will be adopted. This involves raising the right arm to a 45-degree angle with fingers together, symbolizing 'Germany, its people, and supreme interests above all!' When saluting, one must shout 'Long live the Great German!' This ceremony will be known as 'Deutsches.'"
Akado continued his speech, and immediately, Gore, standing to his left, stretched out his right arm and shouted, "Long live the Great Germany!" All the officers below mirrored the gesture, their arms rising like a dense forest, their voices unified: "Long live Big Germany!"
Meanwhile, at military camps on the outskirts of Berlin, soldiers from the 1st and 15th divisions raised their right arms high, chanting in unison, "Long live the Great German! Long live the Great German Party!" Ren, observing from the stands, turned to Hulk and remarked, "Look at that, this is the army, this posture, this momentum, it's exhilarating to behold."
"It's not just the sight that's invigorating, but also the 20 new cannons in the equipment warehouse behind the barracks," Hulk replied with a grin, glancing at Ren. "I heard that the push for unified weapon specifications and simplified logistics support came from Chairman Akado himself. He's truly no ordinary leader."
"Back in late 1918, when President Akado Rudolf was just a second lieutenant in our gas defense unit, I knew he was destined for greatness," Hulk added nostalgically. He had been a commander back then, and Akado merely a second lieutenant. Times had indeed changed, with Akado now his superior.
"Indeed, the chairman is a cut above us both. I appreciate you introducing me to him back then," Ren said, giving his old friend a serious look.
"Let's not dwell on that. The flag-raising ceremony this morning is over," Hulk interjected, waving off the thanks. "No need for gratitude, aren't we brothers after all?"
"Absolutely, from now on, we fight together for the greatness of Germany," Ren agreed with a broad smile. Together, they raised their right arms, echoed by others around them, as the school's slogan reverberated powerfully across the campus.
At the Defense Forces General Command campus, everyone present raised their arms, signifying their allegiance to the Grand German Party. Akado looked on, immensely pleased. His Grand German Party had finally emerged into the public eye, revealing its formidable strength like a dragon baring its fangs.
"Read the newspaper! Read the newspaper! The German Party was established yesterday! It aims to improve the people's living standards and become the most influential political party in Germany!" a newspaper boy shouted energetically. His father, a key technical worker in a factory and a new member of the German Party, had encouraged him to drum up support for the party that morning. Now, the boy and his friends filled the street with their cries, echoing the party's triumph.
Thanks to the decisive victory in Congress, President Hindenburg had consented to another covert procurement plan for the National Defense Forces. On this day, Akado secretly authorized the purchase of 60 P-2 tanks from the MAN company, funded by the government's secret budget. This maneuver spared Akado's personal funds, which he then funneled into the secret accounts of the National Defense Forces. In addition to the weapons sourced from China, the Defense Force acquired an additional 60 P-2s privately, bolstering the armored divisions under Guderian and Rommel with a total of 120 P-2 tanks. Now, Guderian's 25th Armored Division boasted 100 tanks, more than half its intended complement, although still below the planned 160 tanks for a full armored division. The division served as the instructional core of the entire National Defense Force's armored units, and while the new tanks alleviated some of their equipment shortages, they were far from sufficient.
The newly formed 26th Division, under the advisory of Rommel, was stationed in the renowned German city of Hanover, far from the French border. This division was immediately equipped with 80 tanks and was actively engaged in exercises to evaluate the real-world capabilities of the armored forces.
Moreover, Akado had equipped the 1st, 15th, and 22nd main infantry divisions with a new weapon, the 88mm long-barrel anti-aircraft/anti-tank gun. This artillery piece could easily penetrate more than 50 mm of steel plate armor at a distance of 1000 meters and could also serve as air defense for field troops. Although still in the experimental phase, each division was symbolically equipped with about 20 of these guns, collectively referred to as 88 mm field guns. To obscure their true purpose, these divisions were also outfitted with four 150 mm caliber heavy artillery pieces each. However, these weapons were openly issued to the troops, completely disregarding the watching officers from the coalition arms control committee.
Another innovation, the new M25 helmet designed by Major General Akado Rudolf, began mass production. The first batch of these helmets, which would later become the famous M35 standard helmet of the German Army, was shipped to distant China aboard the newly launched 15 Hercules-class transport ships to equip Chiang Kai-shek's needy forces. This order not only provided Akado with the funds needed to purchase tanks and new anti-aircraft guns for his troops but also allowed him to equip the German forces with over 300 radio sets. The M25 helmet's appealing design and superior craftsmanship attracted other foreign buyers as well, with Spain purchasing 100,000 helmets for its military. These orders kept the German helmet factories busy and bolstered support for Akado Rudolf and his party, the Greater German Party, which was closely tied to the military industrial complex.
By the end of February 1925, Akado had implemented another significant change for the National Defense Force. More than half of the soldiers and officers had joined the Grand German Party, and the unit was now equipped with 180 new P-2 tanks, nearly 200 aircraft, and a total force exceeding 300,000 soldiers.
However, before these developments, at the end of 1924, Akado had taken a crucial step that would profoundly influence his own destiny. Through his connections, he had managed to get the German Bavarian Supreme Court to accept the prosecutor's protest against Hitler's early parole. As a result, Adolf Hitler, who was supposed to be released on December 20, 1924, remained incarcerated until the end of February 1925. Although Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" was still published and continued to garner sympathy and support from many, Akado's strategic move substantially delayed the reorganization time of the Nazi Party, which had been planned to coincide with Hitler's release.
In early 1925, Akado had thus demonstrated his formidable influence, like a tiger baring its sharp fangs. The future would show whether the Nazi Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the joint arms control committee would be able to withstand his maneuvers.