Chapter 3

Although he had been mentally prepared for the Führer's vegetarianism, when the dishes were served, Hoffmann still felt a chill in his heart. In front of him were only two plates of food: one was a dish of candied fruit made from milk, oatmeal, apple puree, walnuts, lemon, and other ingredients; the other was a vegetable salad, consisting mainly of a few pieces of cabbage and lettuce, along with peas and lentils, with not a trace of meat. In front of the others, however, were plates filled with caviar from the Black Sea, salmon from Norway, and ham or bacon from Bavaria. Hoffmann felt his Adam's apple moving as he struggled to suppress his saliva. He wanted to shout, "Give me the same lunch as them," but considering the unclear situation, he could only forcefully suppress this most basic desire.

"Schmundt, do you have any good suggestions regarding personnel appointments?"

"After careful consideration, I believe General Zeitzler can effectively take on this role..."

"Zeitzler?" Hoffmann was a bit surprised. He knew that historically, Halder had served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Army until September 24, 1942, before being replaced by Kurt Zeitzler. Could it be that the Führer had been planning to replace him a month earlier?

"Four days ago, General Zeitzler commanded the forces in Dieppe and thwarted the British and Canadian offensive. According to the prisoners, the attacking force numbered 6,000, but General Zeitzler eliminated 60% of them, giving them a memorable lesson. I believe he is an optimistic and dedicated soldier who can be an excellent Chief of the General Staff."

Martin Bormann also chimed in, "Although there are other recommendations, both Goering and I believe that General Zeitzler is a suitable candidate."

"I know him; he has always shown outstanding performance as the Chief of Staff of Army Group D." Hoffmann nodded. It seemed that Goering, Martin Bormann, and Schmundt had reached a consensus, and Zeitzler's appointment was almost certain. After swallowing a mouthful of candied fruit with difficulty, he asked, "Who else has been recommended?"

Martin Bormann and Schmundt exchanged glances, unsure of Hoffmann's intentions, and could only honestly answer, "Some have recommended Field Marshal Manstein and General Guderian..."

"Manstein has other duties! As for Guderian..." Hoffmann pondered for a moment. He needed to carefully consider how to use this person. After the failure of the Moscow campaign in December 1941, Guderian had a significant conflict with the Führer, and due to the machinations of others, he was forced into retirement. Although Guderian's reputation and military achievements surpassed those of Zeitzler, he had a fatal flaw—his cold and aloof personality, which made him difficult to work with for most army commanders on the Eastern Front. This was a critical issue for the role of Chief of the General Staff. "This position is not suitable for Guderian. I have other tasks for him. It would be a waste to have him on leave. The Chief of the General Staff will be Zeitzler."

Hearing the Führer's final decision, Schmundt visibly relaxed. Although Zeitzler was capable and had recently achieved success in Dieppe, he was relatively young and lacked seniority, having only recently been promoted to Lieutenant General (equivalent to a Brigadier General in the British and American armies). Schmundt's recommendation of Zeitzler for the position of Chief of the General Staff was partly motivated by personal interests, as Zeitzler was his close friend. Goering's agreement was mainly because Zeitzler's lack of seniority made him easier to control.

Hoffmann's mindset had now become more balanced. He decided not to complain about the bizarre nature of his time travel or the awkward position he found himself in. He was determined to do his best in this role—seeing it as a real-life version of "Hearts of Iron," but with a much higher cost of failure—either a corpse in the bunker of the Reich Chancellery or a noose at the Nuremberg Trials. He was determined to use his professional knowledge and historical foresight to lead Germany down a different path. An initial adjustment plan had already formed in his mind. After casually eating some of the vegetable salad, he said, "Send telegrams to Zeitzler and Guderian immediately, and hope they can arrive for dinner tonight. I want to have a meal with them. Oh, and adjust the dinner menu for me. Give me some jam and white bread, and if possible, add a fried egg!"

"As you wish, Führer." Schmundt, who had just started cutting into a steak, hastily put down his knife and fork and rushed to the secretariat to give the instructions. Hoffmann glanced at his steak and swallowed again, reluctantly tearing his gaze away—he could replace the Chief of the General Staff without hesitation, but he could only make minor adjustments to the menu.

Bormann was clearly taken aback. They were talking about Zeitzler, so why was Guderian also being summoned? Before he could recover, Hoffmann added, "Send the recent telegrams, battle reports, and letters to my office. I need to stay updated on the latest developments on the front."

As the sky grew darker, Frau Junge reported that General Guderian, who had arrived by special plane, was waiting to be summoned. Hoffmann pushed aside the documents on his desk. "Let him in."

Guderian's appearance was almost exactly as Hoffmann remembered. Although he had been transferred to the reserve, he was still dressed in a crisp uniform, with the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on his chest, a reminder of his significant contributions to the Third Reich in the campaigns in France and Poland. He saluted respectfully, with a slight look of confusion on his face.

Hoffmann stood up and extended his hand. "It seems you've had a good rest these past few months. You look a bit heavier."

Guderian shrugged; the Führer's opening remark was not very humorous.

Hoffmann gestured for him to sit down and said, "Tell me, how many times have you cursed me in your heart these past few months?"

Hearing this, Guderian's face turned slightly red, and he became a bit awkward. The unpleasantness of being kicked out of the army by the Führer in a fit of anger was still fresh in his mind. There had been no shortage of open and hidden complaints, but now that the Führer was speaking to him amicably, as a pure and proud soldier, he found it difficult to lie or flatter. He didn't know how to respond.

Seeing his discomfort, Hoffmann smiled. "It seems you've cursed me quite a few times, too many to count. But today is not the time for settling scores. I was misled by others and acted too impulsively in your case. I must apologize to you."

"Führer, I..." Guderian stood up, suddenly agitated. Being kicked out of the army a few months ago was a moment of great humiliation for him, but now that the Führer had personally apologized, all his resentment and anger seemed to vanish. "I shouldn't have said so many offensive things to you."

Hoffmann was pleased with Guderian's response. Guderian and Halder were different. The former, though he had many complaints after being forced into the reserve, remained loyal to the Führer. The latter, on the other hand, was one of the main conspirators in the military's plot to overthrow the Führer and was involved in the July 20th plot. Regardless of his reasons, from the Führer's perspective, he found it difficult to understand and accept such betrayal.

"Let's put the past behind us. Now is the time to look forward." Hoffmann had to admit that the Führer's oratory and charisma were ten times greater than his own. He stood up, habitually waving his hand, and asked in a serious and calm tone, "Mr. Guderian, are you willing to be as loyal to me as before? Are you willing to continue dedicating all your wisdom and strength to the Empire?"

Guderian snapped to attention. "Respected Führer, I will be infinitely loyal to you. I will dedicate all my strength to the sacred cause of the Empire, even at the cost of my life."

When the weary Zeitzler also appeared, Hoffmann immediately had the Führer's personal adjutant, Heinz Linge, notify the restaurant to serve dinner. Through the afternoon's interactions, Hoffmann found that Heinz Linge continued to treat him as usual, with no suspicion at all. Even some habits that did not conform to the Führer's usual practices were automatically seen as normal changes after the Führer's dizziness, which made Hoffmann feel more at ease. He was becoming increasingly confident in this time travel game.