Chapter 1

Captain Ludwig von Hessemann rode in a hired carriage from the Army General Hospital branch in Zossen to the Great General Staff in Berlin's Königsplatz. The cold and damp weather of Berlin in February was very much like his current state of mind. He had woken up in that wretched, dilapidated hospital over a month ago, as a German militarist wounded on the Eastern Front of World War I... but he clearly remembered that before he lost consciousness, he was a Chinese student named Lu Xiaohua, studying at the First Natural Science College of Humboldt University in Germany!

"Damn Germans! Damn old Schlieffen! Damn brainwave experiments..." Leaning back against the carriage seat, Captain Hessemann cursed in standard Mandarin. As a former "German fan," Lu Xiaohua had been quite superstitious about all things "German," which was why he had come all the way to Germany to study—now it seemed like a huge mistake. If he hadn't come to Germany, he wouldn't have met the scientific madman Professor Schlieffen, and he wouldn't have been tricked into participating in a supposedly harmless brainwave control experiment. As a result, his pure soul had inexplicably crossed over into the body of a German Imperial Army officer from a hundred years ago.

While Lu Xiaohua had always been fond of the concept of "crossing over" before it happened to him, it wasn't easy to accept when it actually did. This wasn't like being a dragon lover who fears dragons; it was waking up in a dirty, dilapidated military hospital, with bandages on his head, feeling as if his body was falling apart, and having to say goodbye to everything he loved—his parents, siblings, studies, and the girlfriend he had finally managed to win over—before facing a new life that was likely to be tragic!

Yes, it was very likely to be tragic!

Because the era in which Lu Xiaohua found himself reborn was itself a tragic one—now it was March 1917, and World War I was at its peak, with countless lives being consumed by the flames of war, and Europe almost reduced to ruins. For the German side, defeat was still over a year away.

With the historical and military knowledge that Lu Xiaohua, who no longer trusted the Germans, possessed, he couldn't think of any way a German Army captain could save the Second Reich from its impending doom.

Even if Captain Ludwig von Hessemann, who had graduated with excellent grades from the Grosslichtenfelde Military Academy, received a notice to report to the Great General Staff at Königsplatz... what could a captain possibly do at the Great General Staff?

At most, he would be fetching tea and running errands. According to the memories left by Captain Hessemann, who was a Junker and had a good education, fetching tea and running errands at the Great General Staff was a necessary step for most German military elites to rise in rank. He would shuttle between the Great General Staff, foreign embassies, and army units for many years, accumulating various experiences and gradually advancing. By the time he was in his forties or fifties, if he was lucky, he might become a general, a division commander, or a director in the Great General Staff... If he wanted to advance further, it would depend on whether the Emperor of the German Empire favored this German Army elite who could speak five languages, was of average height, slightly plump, had many freckles on his face, and had a very likable smile.

Of course, this path to promotion in the German Army was no longer meaningful for the current Hessemann, as he knew that the Second German Empire had only a little over a year left.

Since Lu Xiaohua had crossed over into a German Army captain rather than a general, no one could save the empire that was mired in war. After the defeat, Germany would be emasculated and bound by the Treaty of Versailles, with the size of the Reichswehr reduced to a mere 100,000 men. Hessemann was lucky to remain in this small army without losing his job, and the prospect of promotion and wealth would have to wait until the Führer came to power...

By the way, where was the Führer now? Was he recuperating in a hospital or in a trench on the Western Front? Should he go and get to know him early? When the Nazis came to power, he could become a marshal or something? But... could Hitler, that madman, win the world war this time? If he lost again, he, as a Third Reich marshal, might end up on the gallows!

Thinking of the gallows, Hessemann felt his neck tighten and his breathing become difficult. He reached out to push open the carriage window, and the cold, damp air blew into the carriage, dispelling the chest tightness and shortness of breath. His gaze turned to the street outside, and the carriage had already entered Berlin, traveling down the Kurfürstendamm. The street was very quiet, and although it was noon, there were few pedestrians—most able-bodied men had been conscripted, and all places had become desolate. Berlin, a large city, was still better off; if he went to the countryside, it would be even more desolate, with large areas of land left uncultivated due to the lack of labor.

The shops and restaurants on the street were deserted, with half of them closed—these shops and restaurants had no goods to sell. Only the shops supplying rationed goods had long queues... For Germany, this world war had been too long and too large. Pre-war reserves had long been exhausted, and with too many workers turned into soldiers, Germany's production had suffered a severe blow. Moreover, due to the British naval blockade, Germany could not import the necessary supplies from overseas.

All these factors combined made it increasingly difficult for Germany to supply its needs. Not only was it hard for ordinary people to get enough food, but even the meals in the Army hospital where Hessemann stayed had become worse... It seemed that this defeat was inevitable.

What about the next world war? It would determine whether he would end up on the gallows, and he had to think carefully!

Captain Hessemann's brows gradually furrowed, and his mind was filled with memories of the Second World War from his future life, as well as various in-depth analyses of the German side in the Second World War from military forums.

If we set aside the high-minded banners of democracy, freedom, and anti-fascism, the Second World War, like the First World War, was a challenge by late-rising powers to the old-established empires—primarily Britain and America. If one looks at the maps before the First and Second World Wars, it is clear that most of the undeveloped and underdeveloped territories in the world were British or American colonies or spheres of influence.

Among them, the British Empire was the largest, known as the "empire on which the sun never sets," with colonies all over the world! It also had the rich lands of India and South Africa (which produced gold). Moreover, the British Empire had the world's most powerful navy, the master of the seas!

The democratic lighthouse of America, on the other hand, had fewer colonies but a vast sphere of influence—America claimed that the Americas belonged to the Americans, and except for Canada and a few small European colonies, the entire continent could be considered part of America's sphere of influence!

Additionally, America had important colonies in the Pacific, such as Hawaii and the Philippines, and its homeland was rich and vast, capable of supporting the world's largest economy, with a bright future.

Moreover, in terms of culture, thought, systems, and capital, America was quite similar to the British Empire!

According to some non-mainstream economists in the future, both the British and American empires were countries controlled by big capital and big conglomerates. Since there was no boundary between capital in Britain and America, the transfer of world rule from Britain to America made no difference to these hidden conglomerates—they could easily move their capital from Britain to America and use America as a shell to continue ruling the world!

However, if world rule were to fall into the hands of the state-centric German Empire, it would be the end of the world for the British and American conglomerates—although Germany had many famous conglomerates, the country was ultimately ruled by the state-centric Army, not by the financial elite.

If in Britain and America, the conglomerates owned the state, then in Germany, the Army owned the state. The conglomerates had to serve the Army and the state, not the other way around.

Based on this, the ruling conglomerates in America would never want to see Britain defeated by a country other than America in the world war! They were even less willing to see a Europe dominated by German state-centric forces...

According to this theory, the essence of the two world wars was the struggle between international capitalism and the state-centric forces of late-rising powers.

And the result of both struggles was a complete defeat for the state-centric forces of the late-rising powers! In the eyes of some keyboard politicians in the future, this was somewhat inevitable—because the international capitalists were united in the world wars, and although there were contradictions between the British and American empires, which were controlled by big capital and big conglomerates, these contradictions did not turn into conflict. On the contrary, the state-centric late-rising powers in Europe, such as Germany, engaged in a deadly struggle with each other.

Similarly, the late-rising powers suppressed by international capitalism, such as Germany and Russia (including the Soviet Union, which practiced socialism in one country), not only failed to unite in the world wars but also fought each other to the death, spilling their blood and becoming the stepping stones for America, the "chosen country" of international capitalism, to ascend to the throne of hegemony.

"What a tragedy!" Hessemann groaned in pain, as if he could already see the noose around his neck.

"No! I can't let the evil American imperialism hang me... I must think of a way!"

As he muttered in Chinese, the carriage suddenly stopped, and the elderly driver called out, "Captain, we've arrived at Königsplatz."