Chapter 7

Krugger's cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead. Now he was unarmed, and even his only sidearm had been confiscated before entering the meeting room. His face was a picture of woe, his teeth chattering visibly as he spoke in a trembling voice, "Le... Leader, I... I have always been loyal to you."

"Loyalty? Is this how you show your loyalty to me?" Hoffman ignored the pitiful Krugger and instead turned to point at Krugger's capable assistant, the Chief of Staff of the Central Army Group, Lieutenant General Henning von Tresckow, and said, "Arrest this traitor."

Before anyone could react, three fierce-looking guards rushed forward and grabbed Tresckow by the arms. As he struggled, Major Günsche came over and punched him hard in the stomach. Tresckow curled up in pain, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and glared at Hoffman with hatred.

"The famous core figure of the resistance organization—General Tresckow. I hear you organized more than three assassination attempts against me. I didn't expect you to be caught in such a situation, did you?" Hoffman sneered. The advantage of being a穿越者 (穿越者: time traveler) was great. Normally, these people would only be exposed after the July 20th incident, but he could now expose them one by one. "Guards, check his briefcase outside carefully for any bombs."

Everyone looked at each other in shock. The situation had exceeded their tolerance and imagination, but no one dared to move with the MP38 submachine guns pointed at them.

A moment later, Major Günsche ran over and reported the discovery of a timed bomb in Tresckow's briefcase. Though his voice was not loud, everyone heard it clearly. Hoffman felt the hairs on his back stand up. If he hadn't already decided to remove this cancer and made the necessary arrangements, he might have been killed today, becoming a tragic victim.

Hearing that there was indeed a bomb, the faces of the other attendees turned pale—no one knew how many casualties an explosion in such a confined space would cause! Fortunately, the Leader had discovered their plot.

"Leader... Leader..." Krugger cried out, rushing over, "I never agreed to participate in their conspiracy."

"So, you admit you knew about their plot?" Hoffman smiled coldly. "Krugger, if you had the courage to join the resistance, I would respect you. But you are indecisive, neither daring to report their plot to me nor to participate in it. You are a pitiful, shameless, and worthless worm! Take him away and lock him up properly. Let Himmler interrogate him!"

Krugger's face turned deathly pale. Major Günsche didn't hesitate, tearing off his collar and shoulder insignia. The poor Field Marshal trembled and wept, filled with regret.

"Is there anyone else among you who is a co-conspirator? Step forward voluntarily, and you can save others from being implicated." Hoffman's cold gaze swept over the crowd. No one spoke, no one moved, and no one dared to meet his eyes. The air seemed to freeze.

"Unwilling to step forward? Then I will name names. Friedrich Fromm!" At Hoffman's loud command, the guards rushed forward and arrested the Infantry General serving in the High Command. Though he was not well-known, Hoffman knew his significance—using his position as Chief of the General Staff Office and Head of the Reserve Army, he had placed many conspirators in key positions within the Army Headquarters and had planned a military coup to seize Berlin. However, he was pragmatic. Seeing the situation, he submitted without resistance, not even attempting to defend himself.

Everyone drew a sharp breath, not expecting another arrest. Field Marshal Keitel, the Chief of the High Command, turned pale and twitched. The Leader had caught such a high-ranking conspirator right under his nose, making him feel as if the sky was about to fall.

Amid Tresckow's curses, Krugger's pleas, and Fromm's silence, the guards quickly escorted the conspirators out. The meeting room door slammed shut, and everyone's hearts finally relaxed.

"The meeting will continue. General Weichs, do you have any objections to your new position?"

Now, Weichs dared not say a word, mechanically shaking his head and sitting down. However, he was no longer paying attention to what Hoffman said next. His mind was preoccupied with the resistance group: Tresckow's arrest was a bombshell. He had served under two Central Army Group commanders, Bock and Krugger, and Field Marshal Bock was his uncle. He might have already organized a conspiracy network. As expected, the Central Army Group would soon launch a purge of conspirators. The thought of taking over such a mess, with Himmler and the SS involved, made his head ache.

With Weichs silent, no one else dared to speak up for Paulus, especially since everyone's mind was on the conspiracy group, and no one dared to question the Leader's decision. The subsequent personnel appointments were smoothly adjusted. Manstein not only took over as commander of Army Group B but also assumed command of the 6th Army. General Ferdinand Schörner, the commander of the 19th Mountain Corps and conqueror of Greece, unexpectedly became the commander of the 2nd Army—a purely infantry army with a large编制 (编制: establishment) of nine divisions and one brigade, clearly a good position. According to tradition, his rank would also be promoted. Hoffman had a deeper understanding of Schörner's abilities and loyalty, and this seemingly routine personnel adjustment marked the beginning of a series of changes in the front-line core command.

Through the personnel and deployment adjustments, everyone now understood the overall situation. In the 180 divisions on the Eastern Front (including over 20 Axis divisions), the southern wing had the largest share, with 96 divisions. Among the A and B Army Groups forming the southern wing, B Army Group, where Manstein was located, had 60% of the troops, including the 6th Army, which had the strongest striking power with 14 elite German divisions. Everyone looked at Manstein with envy, but they also felt he deserved the position.

After announcing other scattered personnel appointments, Chief of the General Staff Field Marshal Zeitzler began explaining the next phase of the Eastern Front strategy. Zeitzler's capabilities were not to be underestimated. In just one night, he had transformed Hoffman's brief strategic intentions into a meticulous and reliable military deployment. He picked up a pointer and began explaining on the map, "According to the Leader's instructions, the forces under the Eastern Front Command will remain at their current levels for the next six months. No new infantry divisions will be formed unless in special circumstances, but the personnel, supplies, and technical equipment losses of the current units will be replenished on an emergency basis. Overall, in the coming months, we will adopt an offensive defense strategy, focusing on eliminating the Russian forces rather than capturing strategic points. We hope that through a year of adjustment and replenishment, we can gain a decisive advantage over Stalin in the southern sector next year."

"Southern sector?" Everyone was puzzled. Besides the Eastern and Western Fronts, there was now a Southern Front?

"The Commander-in-Chief of the Western Front is Field Marshal Rundstedt; the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Front is the Leader himself; the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Front is Field Marshal Kesselring, and General Guderian will replace Field Marshal Rommel as the Commander of the Africa Corps." At Zeitzler's signal, Guderian stood up to brief the general situation of the Southern Front. The reappointment of Guderian did not surprise anyone. With so much happening today, even the most unexpected orders would not seem strange. Many were relieved that Guderian would not be causing trouble on the Eastern Front. However, when they heard the Leader's order to transfer two armored divisions and three motorized infantry divisions from the Eastern Front to reinforce the Africa Corps, everyone, especially the Army Group commanders, felt a sharp pain in their teeth. No one wanted this to happen to them. However, it seemed inevitable—after all, the Southern Front had oil resources. Zeitzler's stance was clear: the Central Army Group and the Southern Army Group would each contribute one armored division and one motorized infantry division, and the Northern Army Group would contribute one motorized infantry division. The specific units would be determined by the High Command after the meeting.

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