Europe has ushered in a long-lost peace.
In Munich.
The snow stopped for several days, and then heavy snow fell again.
There are many pedestrians on the street, always accompanied by a slight cough. The pedestrians hold cloth bags and go to various shops to buy items.
Judging from their hurried expressions, it seemed like they would lose money if they didn't spend all the money.
At one end of the street, retired soldier Gandalf Naray was walking down the street wearing a military uniform and carrying two large cloth bags. He asked everyone he met what was going on.
He has sleek, three-parted hair and a short mustache on his upper lip.
Gandalf grabbed a middle-aged woman who was running past him and asked puzzledly: "Hey, madam, can you tell me what day it is today? Are there discounts on the whole street?"
The middle-aged woman took a look and saw that the person in front of her was wearing a military uniform and had a bandage on her left hand.
Instead of thanking the soldiers who defended her home and country, she showed disgust and pushed Gandalf away.
The middle-aged woman pointed at Gandalf and said loudly: "It's all you, it's all you! You lost the war and made us bear the burden. Why don't you devils die on the battlefield!"
The middle-aged woman left, and she disappeared along the street into the snowy sky as if she was running away.
Gandalf couldn't come to his senses for a long time.
He was born in Austria and was just a soldier. In the past few years, he had been fighting in the army in the north and south.
He fought in Italy, resisted Prussia, and participated in the anti-French war.
After the fall of Germany, he joined the rebels in Gneisenau and fought against the French in the mountains and forests.
In the Leipzig Fortress, Gandalf was resisting the French army on the front line. A cannonball hit his side, and the flying stones injured his left arm.
At that moment, Gandalf's will was stronger than ever, for Austria, for Holy Rome, for Prussia, for Germany...
Eventually, the war ended.
At the beginning, the higher-ups concealed the fact that the Treaty of Versailles was signed and carried out large-scale disarmament.
Many soldiers returned to their hometowns with honor and the feeling of being praised and grateful by their hometown people.
But what they were waiting for was the ruthless disgust of their hometown.
Gandalf walked silently on the streets, countless people looked at him and avoided him.
On a bench, Gandalf gently pushed aside the heavy snow with his right hand and was about to sit down and rest for a while, but he saw a newspaper.
The words "Treaty of Versailles" came into view.
Gandalf picked up the newspaper and read it. Gradually, his body began to tremble, and two lines of tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.
Prussia won the war, at least pushing the front to Luxembourg, and the German region was actually recovered.
But the reality is that it failed miserably.
As a victorious country, it had to pay reparations to France.
Is there any heavenly principle?
For the first time, Gandalf felt hatred for the upper class, and his hatred for France rose to the top.
He put the newspaper away and went into a beer hall around the corner.
The business in the beer hall was not good. There were only a few customers lying on the table, drunk.
Gandalf came to the bar under the surprised eyes of others, and took out a dozen marks from his pocket.
"A glass of beer and a plate of peanuts."
The boss was only busy scrubbing the wooden cups and ignored Gandalf.
"I said..." Gandalf placed a dozen marks on the bar, knocked on the bar hard, and said loudly: "Have a glass of beer!"
The boss put down his wooden cup and pointed at the small blackboard behind him and said sarcastically.
"Soldier, are you illiterate? Just want a beer for twelve marks?"
Upon hearing this, Gandalf looked at the small blackboard and was instantly shocked by the high prices.
The menu is crookedly written on the small blackboard, and the prices at the back are very high. Judging from the white patches, prices have changed many times in recent times.
A glass of beer costs 27 marks.
Gandalf rubbed his eyes. He confirmed the price again and looked at the boss with anger.
"27 marks, why don't you grab it? Before joining the army, it only cost 7 marks a cup. How expensive is it just three years ago?"
"You also know that it was before joining the army?"
The boss took away Gandalf's 12 marks, filled him with a glass of beer, took an empty plate, grabbed a handful of fried peanuts, put them in front of Gandalf, and smiled at him.
"I'll sell you the price I paid two days ago and find a place by yourself."
Gandalf did not take it immediately, but asked doubtfully: "Two days ago? Didn't prices double in just two days?"
Gandalf looked at the face of his boss Gujing Mubo in surprise. He couldn't believe it.
The boss put the twelve marks into the wooden box, turned around and explained to Gandalf.
"Do you know the Treaty of Versailles?"
"I know, I read the newspaper this morning."
"newspaper?"
The boss glanced at Gandalf in surprise, looking at his dusty appearance, he understood.
"The newspaper stopped publishing a few days ago. The newspaper company was given a discount to the French to offset the debt."
Offset...
Gandalf's mind tingled when he thought of the huge number.
The boss continued: "Not only the newspaper office, but also many factories, shops, etc. were confiscated and handed over to the French.
do you know? Since the signing of the treaty, prices here have been rising crazily. It’s only been two days, the days to come are going to be sweet~”
The boss said this, but his face looked filled with hatred, which Gandalf saw.
The boss continued: "I think many civilians have been very rude to you along the way, right?"
"Indeed."
"That's because you won the war, but lost the politics. The compensation of 960 million Ming silver coins means that all of us will have to live without food or drink for the rest of our lives!"
"But what does this have to do with me, a soldier?"
Gandalf pointed at himself, and the boss patted his shoulder and said.
“It is because you are a soldier that they impose their resentment on you.
They hate you, why don't they attack Paris in one go?
I hate why you resisted. If you were annexed by France, you wouldn't have such a huge compensation.
In short, the people have countless reasons to hate you. "
Gandalf was silent, this world was too crazy.
Soldiers who shed their blood for the sake of their country and nation have become the target of beatings.
But Germany's enemies enjoy all this as a matter of course.
This is a kind of exploitation, a kind of slavery.
Gandalf walked to a table in the corner with a beer glass and peanuts, and the boss's low words came from behind him.
"I don't resent you. I, Heinrich von Gotthard, never resented the army. In other words, what the entire German people really resent is the French and the British..."
At this time, several soldiers broke in from the door. They were wearing French military uniforms and entered the beer hall with a document.
The leader slapped the document on the bar.
"From today on, this pub belongs to us French people. Are you the boss? Please leave, now!"
