Ribbentrop and his team risked their lives crossing the Alps and successfully entered Austrian territory.
Upon arrival, they immediately made contact with Constantin Gebbs, a member of the Austrian parliament who supported the union with Germany, seeking an update on the current situation.
"The situation in Austria is extremely unstable," Constantin began. "The former Austro-Hungarian army consisted of multiple ethnic groups. Some were disbanded directly at the front after the empire's dissolution, while others returned here. In Vienna, many of these troops are from the Balkans—Slovenes, Serbs, Croats, and Pineblacks—as well as remnants from Hungarian and Czech units."
Constantin's excitement was palpable upon seeing German representatives. Without support from Germany, promoting the German-Austrian union would have been nearly impossible. Austria lacked sufficient forces to defend against foreign troops or suppress unrest internally.
Ribbentrop leaned forward. "How many troops do you currently have under your command?"
Constantin hesitated but knew he had no choice but to answer. "Currently, we have fewer than 50,000 soldiers. The foreign armies here number around 150,000. Our forces are insufficient. For now, we can only rally support with slogans; we cannot enforce the union militarily."
Hearing the numbers, Ribbentrop felt a headache forming. As a trained soldier, he understood the risks of being so vastly outnumbered. Yet, he only frowned slightly—he did not despair.
The Austrian people, though apprehensive, saw the composure of the German representatives and felt a spark of hope. Perhaps the Germans could actually resolve this crisis.
Constantin asked urgently, "Lieutenant, how many troops can you send to help us?" He knew that if 100,000 German soldiers could reach Vienna, the situation would stabilize immediately. The foreign armies would have no choice but to withdraw. Austria, unlike the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, had no desire to dominate these newly independent states; their focus was survival, not provocation.
But how many troops could Mainz actually deploy? As a colonel, he had authority over only the 2,000 men under his direct command.
"General, you can't be serious," one subordinate protested. "Are you planning to fight 2,000 against 150,000?"
"Does Austria not have 50,000 troops?" another added, confused.
Mainz's gaze snapped to the speaker: Captain Rogorigues Herman of the second battalion, 1st Guards Infantry Regiment. Rogorigues, a capable officer, had long harbored resentment at Mainz's rapid rise, attributing it to aristocratic privilege. Now, he saw an opportunity to vent his jealousy.
"Captain Rogorigues," Mainz said coldly, his voice sharp as steel, "are you planning to disobey?"
Rogorigues snorted. "You're just a regimental commander. What authority do you have to move troops independently? I'll report this to the Judge Advocate General's Office!"
Rogorigueswas not afraid of Mainz at all, he snorted coldly and moved directly out of the Judge Advocate General's Office to threaten Mainz.
Mainz's expression hardened. There was no room for insubordination. "Very well. If that's your choice, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Mainz gave an order, Himmler, who was already ready to attack, rushed forward with a brisk step, punched the opponent in the stomach, and then took another over-the-shoulder fall before the opponent bent over and turned into a shrimp in pain, and subdued the opponent in two moves!
Everyone was very surprised, they didn't expect Himmler, who looked young and thin, to have such strength, which made them all break out in a cold sweat, but fortunately they didn't look for death like Rogrigues just now!
"Anyone else have objections?" Mainz asked, his tone icy.
Silence answered him.
"Good," Mainz said, surveying his men. "Take stock of your equipment. Austria is the target. Prepare to move out."
The troops moved with precision, aware that the fate of the German-Austrian union rested on their shoulders.