On March 7, 1938, Heinz Guderian, Inspector of Mobile Troops, sat in his command vehicle equipped with a radio. The road ahead was blocked by a lifting barrier, with the flags of Germany and Austria hanging on either side.

Before Guderian could speak, his adjutant had already jumped off the command vehicle and called down several German soldiers from the tank behind to help lift the barrier. Soon, the road to Austria lay open to the German army. As the adjutant returned to the vehicle, he heard his superior order, "Write a slogan: Destination, Vienna."

Armored units always carried various signboards during operations to point out directions for the troops. Hearing the order, the adjutant immediately jumped out to get to work. Guderian stifled a small yawn. The order to march into Austria had only reached him on the afternoon of March 5. March 5 was a weekend, and many officers had returned home to be with their families. Guderian himself had stayed up all night with his staff preparing for this ad-hoc operation, and they had to send people out to recall the officers and men who had left the barracks. Many officers were dragged from the beds of their wives or lovers and brought back to camp. Those fellows hadn't rested well either.

Thinking that the German panzer forces would have to march for two days, Guderian didn't have much confidence in his boys. Standing up in the command vehicle, Guderian looked behind him; the highway was filled with German tanks and trucks, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Based on Guderian's understanding of armored warfare, the commander should be as far forward as possible, so his command vehicle was at the very front of the entire army. When the adjutant returned, Guderian issued another order, "The entire army is to take a dose of Pervitin at 12:00 today. Also, have the forward units inform all Austrian gas stations along the route in advance to provide refueling services for our tanks..."

The adjutant quickly pulled out a small notebook to record this, then got out of the vehicle. Guderian couldn't wait for the adjutant to catch up; he ordered the driver, "Depart! To Vienna!"

The driver, who had been waiting for the order, immediately stepped on the gas. The command vehicle quickly crossed the border and entered Austrian territory.

Behind Guderian, hundreds of tanks and dozens of trucks from two panzer divisions began to move, following the lead vehicles.

By this time, Hitler had already arrived in Austria and announced that Germany and Austria would soon hold a plebiscite to determine whether the two countries should merge into one. There were not many cars on the road. Seeing the German tanks rumbling towards them, vehicles voluntarily pulled over to the side of the road. The Austrian passengers who had made way got out of their cars and waved to the German armored forces, some shouting, "Long live Germany!" and "Are you going to Vienna?"

To the ears of the German panzer troops, Austrian German sounded roughly like a Henan person listening to a Hebei person—the accent was obviously different, but completely intelligible. So the officers and men greeted the Austrian people in German with Bavarian, Hessian, and Cologne accents. In this harmonious atmosphere, the German armored forces drove straight ahead towards Vienna.

At 10:00 AM, the troops had fully entered Austria. Guderian ordered a temporary halt to organize the long-distance march formation. In a long-distance march, there had to be sufficient intervals between each unit, as well as various coordination measures. Even if the march into Austria was like a march through their own home, Guderian's baseline as a military strategist would not allow him to turn this march into a comical "long snake" formation.

During the brief reorganization, news that the first tank had broken down was relayed to Guderian's command vehicle via radio. Guderian was not surprised at all. Before this march into Austria, he hadn't received any prior notice. After receiving the order, he had immediately told the armored units scattered across Germany to rush to the Austro-German border. Many tanks that were due for maintenance had driven over a hundred kilometers from their bases just to reach the border. If all these tanks made it to Vienna, *that* would be what surprised Guderian.

At this moment, the adjutant, who had caught up in another vehicle, came out of a nearby travel shop, followed by two German soldiers carrying a large stack of travel brochures. The shop owner followed behind them, clutching the money the adjutant had stuffed into his hand, saying repeatedly, "I don't want your money, I really don't."

Faced with such enthusiasm, Guderian's adjutant stopped and saluted the shop owner. "Sir, I can understand your love for Germany. But we, the German Army, are an army of honor. Robbing the people is a crime we can never accept. So please, you must accept this money."

Hearing this answer, the shop owner, moved to the point of red-rimmed eyes, stopped and looked at the German officers and men walking towards the command vehicle. Suddenly, the shop owner shouted, "Long live Germany!"

The shop owner had only shouted out of his own emotion and didn't expect a response. Unexpectedly, the officer who had given him the money immediately raised his right arm and responded, "*Sieg Heil*."

Watching the soldiers stride forward, tears burst from the shop owner's eyes. In these years, it wasn't just Germany that had been oppressed by the Treaty of Versailles; life in Austria had been very difficult too. Now, finally, an army had come to protect the country!

The adjutant reported to Guderian, "General, we've obtained travel maps. I'll immediately arrange for them to be distributed to every tank."

"Get in the car once the arrangements are made. We need to get to Vienna as soon as possible!" Guderian replied. The operation had been too hasty; there were only enough maps to distribute to regimental and some battalion-level commanders. Although travel maps couldn't be used as military maps, this advance wasn't for fighting anyway.

At 12:00 noon, the troops took Pervitin. That night, the troops didn't rest at all, driving their tanks along the Austrian highways with full energy. The night wind was very cold, but it couldn't extinguish the inner and physical drive of the German officers and men. Moreover, marching at night had an advantage: since there was no one on the road, they wouldn't be greeted by the enthusiastic Austrian people.

It was fine at the border, but once they entered the cities, Austrian people who heard the news flocked to welcome them. Presenting flowers, giving food—this feeling of brotherhood moved Guderian greatly, but it also brought the trouble of slowing down the march. At night, which was originally unsuitable for marching, the armored forces could actually advance without stopping.

By 10:00 AM on March 8, seeing Vienna right before his eyes, Guderian asked his adjutant, "How many tanks can make it to Vienna?"

The adjutant flipped through the telegrams received along the way and found the latest one. On the telegram, the adjutant had scribbled the statistics of broken-down tanks. He read, "About 20% of the tanks have had some malfunctions, and 10% have broken down and are awaiting repair."

Guderian just nodded. He jumped out of the vehicle and headed straight for the twenty tanks in front of him, then jumped onto the first tank and shouted to the commander, "Enter Vienna."

"Jawohl, Excellency," the tank commander responded loudly, then started the tank.

Seeing Vienna getting closer, Guderian confirmed in his heart once again that after returning, he must strengthen the push to increase the number of mobile maintenance vehicles for the armored forces. Some old fogeys always liked to increase the number of tanks; fearing that maintenance units would squeeze the funds for producing armored units, these old guys especially didn't want to hear news about tanks needing repair. If so many breakdowns occurred during a peaceful march like the advance into Vienna, the road conditions wouldn't be this good when the armored forces engaged in field warfare. Would they just leave precious tanks parked by the roadside then? No matter how much the old fogeys disliked it, they had to increase the number of maintenance vehicles.

As soon as the German tanks drove into Vienna, large crowds of Austrian people parading in their Sunday best noticed Guderian's troops and surged forward in excitement. Compared to Vienna, other Austrian cities were very small. Even those small cities had impeded the tank column's passage, let alone now.

In the blink of an eye, all the tanks of the advance unit entering Vienna were surrounded by Austrian people and couldn't move. The armored troops, feeling both helpless and moved, opened their hatches, leaned out, and shouted to the Austrian people, "Compatriots, thank you for the welcome. Could you please make way for us?"

Before the words fell, the excited Austrian people next to the tanks immediately gave the officers and men big hugs and kisses. Flowers were also immediately stuck into the collars and chests of the German armored troops.

Fortunately, there were Austrian police nearby. They hurriedly came forward, pulling and persuading the people to clear a path. The German armored forces passed through the channel filled with cheers and flowers, driving onto the square in front of the Austrian Chancellery. At the entrance to the square, the SS in black uniforms had set up a security cordon. Seeing the armored advance unit arrive, bedecked with so many bouquets that they looked like festival floats, an SS *Obersturmbannführer* immediately stepped forward and blocked the lead tank Guderian was riding in. The SS officer spoke very politely to Guderian, who was leaning out, "Excellency, please wait a moment. General Keitel will give you orders shortly."

General Keitel had just become the Chief of the High Command (OKW) a little over half a month ago. Hearing that his superior would personally give him orders, Guderian, the Inspector of Mobile Troops, realized that he had finally arrived in time for the highlight: Hitler's public speech to the Austrian people at the Chancellery. Although the goal of entering Austria was to take over Austria's entire national defense, arriving for such an important moment was an unexpectedly perfect outcome.

Before Guderian could say anything to the SS officer, he saw General Keitel walking briskly through the narrow passage left by the Austrian people, accompanied by his adjutant. Guderian could stand in the tank to speak to the SS officer, but seeing his superior, he immediately jumped out of the tank and saluted General Keitel.

General Keitel returned the salute and said happily, "You've arrived at a good time. Five minutes from now, the Austrian military band will play the *Wehrmacht* anthem. You will immediately lead your troops across the square to be reviewed by the Führer and the Austrian people!"

Being able to be the first organized unit to arrive in Austria for the review, Guderian was overjoyed and quickly asked, "What speed for the review march?"

General Keitel hadn't expected this actually very important detail. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Pass through the square at cavalry speed."

Five minutes was just enough time to pass the order down. But Guderian received even better news: another 40 tanks and 17 trucks had arrived at the rear of the column. Thus, 64 tanks and 16 trucks drove onto the square at the speed of cavalry on parade. To make the column look more imposing, Guderian ordered the tanks to march in double columns.

Hitler was currently standing at the edge of the Chancellery balcony. The square was packed with his Austrian compatriots. Hitler had already wiped away two tears of excitement; now, seeing the German armored forces rumbling across the square in neat formation, he raised his right hand to acknowledge them.

The German tank commanders had already opened their hatches and exposed their upper bodies. Seeing Führer Hitler raise his hand, they all raised their hands in salute. Maintaining the salute posture, they accepted the review of the German Führer and the German people amidst the tsunami of cheers.

There were many reporters from Germany, Austria, and foreign countries in the square. They took photos and filmed, recording this historic scene.

News quickly spread to London, Paris, Washington, Moscow, and the Chinese capital. Even the Chinese government, which had publicly expressed hostility towards the Nazi German government, made no statement on this. Regardless of how many private tricks Hitler had played in the Anschluss, the entire process was indeed peaceful, and the vast majority of Austrian people did not oppose the merger. For the Chinese government to oppose the Anschluss would not be politically advantageous.

Soon, a plebiscite on the Anschluss was held, and over 99% of the German and Austrian people supported the merger. Before the results of the plebiscite were even out, Hitler sent a handwritten letter to Italian Prime Minister Mussolini. In the letter, Hitler didn't stand on ceremony but made a promise to Mussolini, "...No matter what predicament you find yourself in, you can be certain that you will receive my most sincere friendship and help. With warm comradely greetings, Adolf Hitler."

This gratitude was by no means fake. The Anschluss was of immense significance to Hitler. It meant that Germany had gained seven million well-educated people, industrial strength with a considerably high level, and the large amount of gold in the Austrian treasury.

As early as 1935, Hitler had wanted to annex Austria. After visiting Mussolini in Italy, Hitler mistakenly thought he had Mussolini's tacit approval. On July 25, 1934, he instructed the Nazi Party to assassinate Austrian Chancellor Dollfuss in Vienna.

Unexpectedly, this action angered Mussolini, who considered himself Austria's protector. He immediately mobilized four elite divisions to the northern Italian border, taking threatening measures against Germany. This forced Hitler to halt the annexation of Austria. Later, during Italy's invasion of Ethiopia and Italy's support for Franco, Hitler fully supported Italy.

These expenditures were not small sums for Germany, but compared to the current benefits of the Anschluss, they seemed insignificant. In Hitler's view, Mussolini had no obligation to support him at this time, yet Mussolini had supported him out of friendship. This was a friendship that had to be repaid.

After the results of the Anschluss plebiscite came out, Hitler immediately ordered the imprisonment of Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg, who had opposed the merger, as well as other opposition figures. Hitler's attention then turned to the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.

As early as 1934, Hitler had begun preparing to annex Austria and the Sudetenland. Austria was already in hand; naturally, the Sudetenland was next.

Less than a week after the Anschluss, Hitler summoned Konrad Henlein, leader of the Sudeten German Party (SdP), to Berlin and demanded that he take action immediately.

On April 12, with Hitler's support, Henlein issued eight demands, including equality with the Czech government, complete autonomy, and compensation for all losses suffered by Germans due to inequality since 1918.

The news of the Anschluss made the upper echelons of the United States feel the threat of war drawing closer. Roosevelt himself had long been resolved to enter the war. Seeing that the American elite had finally sobered up somewhat in the face of reality, Roosevelt immediately had the Democratic Party push the "Two-Ocean Navy Act" proposed by Carl Vinson in Congress.

Soon, the Democratic Party Chairman brought Roosevelt a partial demand from the Republican Party: "Cancel the proposal to upgrade the status of the Philippines."

Roosevelt did not want to abandon the goal of building the Philippines into a US bridgehead in Asia, but it was no longer his turn to be willful. If he gave up this opportunity for cooperation, it would mean the United States would lose half a year of war preparation time. Out of necessity, Roosevelt indicated to the Democratic Party Chairman that if the "Two-Ocean Navy Act" could pass, he was willing to abandon the proposal on the Philippines' status.

In American politics, the President is responsible for setting the national direction. The Senate manages legislation and personnel, while the House of Representatives manages the review of bills and holds half of America's financial power. Within the legislature, it is a very complex and exquisite arena of interest gaming.

It wasn't until June 19, 1938, with the US economic crisis intensifying, that the Republican Party was forced to compromise. The "Two-Ocean Navy Act" was passed.

The Two-Ocean Navy Act stipulated that the United States would add an extra 12 billion dollars over three years to build a two-ocean navy. This included 12 new battleships and 18 new aircraft carriers. By 1941, the United States would possess 24 battleships and 24 large aircraft carriers. According to requirements, the US Army and Navy air forces would possess a total of 20,000 combat aircraft, and the number of pilots would reach 35,000.

US bills must be published. On the second day after the bill passed, He Rui saw a clean version with information unrelated to the military and military industry removed.

"Could Roosevelt finally not hold back anymore? Haha." He Rui laughed. It was evident that China's development had indeed brought huge pressure to the United States. Without pressure from China, the US would never have passed an additional 12 billion dollars in military spending; they would likely have only passed about 4 billion dollars.

Judging by the Two-Ocean Navy Act, the United States had substantially broken all restrictions of the international naval treaties. This was exactly what He Rui liked most. He Rui immediately had Li Runshi prepare a Chinese Naval Construction Act, announcing the number of ships China would build to achieve naval balance in the Pacific region.

In another timeline, foreign governments always liked to attack China's military spending for lack of transparency. In the eyes of the Chinese, foreign governments were just picking quarrels and stirring up trouble. But the reality might not be so. European and American countries were always ready to turn their swords against their allies of the previous moment, so they had no scruples about announcing military spending and military construction. If potential adversaries could be scared by this military spending, it was actually quite good in the eyes of the West.

China, on the other hand, prioritized maintaining stability, so even if it built up its military, it kept it hidden. This was to avoid triggering a drastic reaction from the other side.

Since the United States had announced its shipbuilding first, the He Rui government did not hide or tuck anything away but publicly announced reciprocal shipbuilding. In the eyes of imperialist countries, there was no more reasonable justification than this. As for whether the United States would engage in a shipbuilding race because of the provocation, He Rui didn't care.

More importantly, according to the rules of the imperialist game, since it was the US government that first announced the shipbuilding plan, the He Rui government could completely brand the US government as the chief culprit in destroying peace. As long as China won the Sino-US war, the European and American cultural system would truly acknowledge China.

In such a low-level civilization as Europe and America, no matter how flowery the rhetoric or how exquisite the steps, the essence of their low-level civilization has never changed.