章 103: Chapter 181 The Battle of Poland (End)
"I have three ambitions, all of which concern the fate of the nation: first, I have the final say in all important matters; second, leading the army to attack distant lands, capturing their rulers and questioning them, and third, regardless of kinship, marrying all the most beautiful women in the world."
This statement comes from Emperor Hailing, Wanyan Liang. It can be said that this is his life ambition. Regardless of Wanyan Liang's character, his ambitions are quite grand. Power, strength, and beauty—these are the highest ideals for a king or even an ancient person.
Wilhelm realized that he had already achieved the second goal. As for the third, with his current identity, status, and reputation, it should be easy for him to accomplish if he wanted. However, he valued the country more than beauty and could restrain himself.
"Extra! Extra! The President and Marshal of Poland have been escorted to Berlin and are about to be tried!"
"Come and see! Warsaw has been occupied! Great victory!"
German newspapers widely reported the news of the Polish President and Marshal being taken back to Berlin for trial, and the entire country was immersed in unprecedented joy.
What the people were most proud of was the strength of the motherland. However, no one expected that after twenty years of suffering, the empire would become so powerful. In just half a month, they defeated the main forces of the "Eastern Europe's First Military Power", not only capturing the enemy's capital but also seizing their president and marshal.
While Britain and France were dumbfounded by Germany's miraculous operation, they almost jumped up when they regained their senses. They sternly condemned Germany and Romania, angrily accusing them of violating international morality. They ordered Germany to immediately release the captured personnel and hand over the confiscated eight hundred tons of gold.
Romania's Foreign Ministry, still using the "extradition treaty" as an excuse, evaded the issue. The German Foreign Ministry didn't bother to respond, but Goebbels published an article, ridiculing Britain and France for their despicable behavior.
Despite their tough talk, Britain and France still didn't dare to initiate an attack on Germany. They pinned their hopes on Germany defeating Poland and continuing eastward, clashing with the Soviet Union.
However, the Soviet Union was unexpectedly uncooperative. By now, the German troops had breached the eastern defenses of Warsaw. If only the Soviet Union could break through their border defenses, Britain might even instruct the exiled Polish government to order the eastern front forces to retreat, allowing Soviet forces to advance.
Unfortunately, with the whole Polish government apparatus now in German hands, the British could do nothing even if they wanted to help the Soviets. All they could do was watch from afar and feel helpless.
Speaking of the Soviet Union, Wilhelm was also quite speechless. The German army had already broken through Wyszków in the east of Warsaw, and he even deliberately issued orders to stop advancing and stay in place to rest and replenish supplies, waiting for the Soviets to break through and advance westward.
Whether it was the heroic Polish soldiers on the eastern front or the seemingly useless Soviet troops, half a month had passed, and the Soviet army had not been able to break through the border defenses. Wilhelm thought that, having exposed Voroshilov and Yezhov's lies, Stalin would send a more capable person to continue the offensive. Unexpectedly, Stalin launched a new round of purges. The Western front's attack was stalled, and nobody cared. Wilhelm keenly felt what it meant to outsmart oneself. However, he couldn't be blamed for this, as the original timeline did not have this large-scale purge.
The current situation is that the Polish forces lack the strength to launch a counterattack, and the Soviets have not received orders to continue their offensive. Both sides are just staring at each other.
On this side, the "letters of intent" from the highly motivated frontline soldiers are pouring in like snowflakes. The mail management office at the headquarters is filled with letters of intent from various military units. Even von Rundstedt approached Wilhelm several times, trying to indirectly inquire about the reasons behind Wilhelm ordering the frontline forces to stop advancing.
Helpless, Wilhelm issued the order to continue the offensive.
With renewed vigor and ample supplies, the German forces advanced more than a hundred kilometers in one go, leaving only a little over a hundred kilometers to the Soviet-Polish border.
The Polish commanders on the eastern front were also in a difficult situation. Although they held off the Soviets in front of them, the Germans behind them were pressing hard. In a couple of days, the enemy's guns might be at their backs. It was like being caught between a rock and a hard place. Additionally, they had completely lost any reinforcements, and running out of ammunition and supplies was just a matter of time.
Feeling cornered, they began contemplating their options. The demise of Poland seemed inevitable, and they had nowhere to escape. After all, the neighboring countries were the Soviet Union, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Germany. They had heard about the fate of the Romanian government officials who fled to Romania through broadcasts. Despite some resentment for Romania's despicable actions, they silently thought, "They deserve it!"
After all, these soldiers risked their lives on the front lines, and these guys managed to sneak away without even saying goodbye? Did they deserve to stay here and wait for death?
The commander of the Rovno Group Army, Sławek Rokossovsky, tentatively proposed surrendering, and it received unanimous agreement from the other commanders.
Now, the remaining question was to whom they should surrender.
The Soviet Union?
The commanders scoffed at the idea since the Soviets hadn't even breached their defenses. Surrendering to them would be humiliating.
That left Germany.
After reaching a consensus, the commanders sent messengers to the German forces located just over a hundred kilometers away to discuss surrender. With over four hundred thousand soldiers under their command, they felt their bargaining chips were substantial. They demanded a sum of money, a certain rank, and requested to retain their personal guards.
The German forces sent the messengers back, and in the meantime, they took Białystok. By this point, it wasn't so much capturing as it was the enemy voluntarily surrendering.
After some discussion, the commanders sent messengers again, reducing their demands. They now requested a large sum of money and a relatively unimportant rank.
However, these messengers were once again sent back, and the German forces advanced another 30 kilometers.
On the same day, Józef Beck, the former commander of the Łódź Group Army, announced the formation of the interim government of German-occupied Poland in Warsaw, with himself as the interim leader. Since President Mościcki and Marshal Śmigły took away all their loyal subordinates while fleeing, no one raised objections. Of course, no one dared to object, especially considering the increasing number of German POW camps.
As the first act in office, Józef Beck issued the order for Poland to surrender unconditionally.
The remaining commanders finally realized that their remaining bargaining chips were almost nonexistent. This time, they only requested assurance of their personal safety.
With the German forces now at their doorstep, accepting these conditions, the commanders ordered all their soldiers to lay down their weapons and assist the Germans in establishing POW camps, where they themselves ended up.
Soon after, a steady stream of German troops took over the Polish defensive lines.
The 18-day Polish campaign came to an end. The German forces occupied "most" of Polish territory, while the Soviet forces, from launching the attack to the end of the battle, had only advanced five kilometers.
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