Mao requested an audience with Hitler, and the Jade Emperor approved it. When Mao met Hitler, they felt an immediate familiarity, as if they had known each other before.

Hitler was four years older than Mao. Upon seeing Mao, he shook his hand and cheerfully said, “Hello, little brother!” — “little brother” being the affectionate Chinese term he used. Remarkably, this was the only Chinese phrase Hitler knew. Mao instantly felt a warm closeness, and the friendly Chinese address made him feel even more at ease.

Mao responded, “Hello, elder brother! We feel like old friends meeting again!” Hearing Mao, Hitler felt even more intimate. As the old saying goes: “A turtle meets an old tortoise—a pair of old buddies.”

Hitler got straight to the point: “You should have started by treating me as your senior brother. That alone could have prevented the Chinese civil war and saved countless lives. But you chose to follow Stalin as your master, learning his methods of purging and killing your own people. Anyone who disagreed with you was punished or killed; you ruled by terror. I only pointed my gun outward, targeting Jews. You, as Stalin’s student, ignored the Japanese but killed your own people. People say, ‘Good at civil war, incompetent at foreign war.’ True, isn’t it?”

Mao could not argue: “I admit that for now. But I’m not a fascist—you are.”

Hitler spoke candidly: “Yes, I openly admit it—I am a fascist. My senior, Italy’s Mussolini, became a fascist before me. Do you know what ‘fascism’ means? Unity of the masses, one will, one power, one leader, and fighting for the poor—that is fascism.”

Mao said, “You fought for the poor? I do the same!”

Hitler replied, “I genuinely fight for the poor. You do not. I sympathize with the poor because I was once so poor that I begged on the streets. I was born poor. Do you know what my name means?”

Mao said, “I don’t know. What does it mean?”

Hitler said, “‘Hitler’ in German means ‘the one who lives in a small house.’ That’s why I lived frugally my whole life. You, meanwhile, toured mountains, enjoyed women, and built twenty palaces across the nation—all while tens of millions starved. And you still frolicked and indulged yourself.”

Mao was left speechless.

Hitler continued: “My intentions were good; my heart was good. I did not rule by terror, nor did I purge or kill my own people. Stalin and your methods combine fascism with totalitarianism: one leader, one will, claiming to fight for the poor. We differ from you in two ways. First, your ‘fascism’ is terror and mass killing. We kept democracy internally. Second, you claim to serve the people, but you manipulate the ignorant to commit violence and terror. We focused on construction and genuinely helped our people. Internally, we were clear. Externally, we made mistakes and waged war, which harmed Germany.”

Mao had to admit: “I understand these two points. You are a fascist of peace internally, a fascist of terror externally. You committed great sins in starting wars—but why did you start wars?”

Hitler confessed: “Waging war is my greatest sin. I believed Germans were superior and wanted to rule others by our methods. During the war, I made grave mistakes and ultimately failed.”

Mao curiously asked: “What mistakes did you make in World War II?”

Hitler explained: “WWII was a joint scheme between Stalin and me. He attacked Eastern Europe; I attacked Western Europe. Later, I realized Stalin was treacherous, seeking to expand the Communist International. He was cunning and dangerous, and I needed to eliminate him. My ambitions grew—I wanted German supremacy across Europe. My ambition was too great, and I acted hastily, attacking Stalin before consolidating Western Europe. Had I secured Western Europe first, appeased Britain across the channel, kept the U.S. out, and stabilized the West, then attacking Stalin would not have been too late. Concentrating forces on Stalin then would have changed the world’s trajectory. Mao, little brother, without Stalin, the Chinese Communist Party would have struggled. You would have had to cooperate with Chiang Kai-shek, peacefully founding the nation, and China would have avoided civil war disasters. Isn’t that a good thing? So, my mistakes also harmed China.”

Mao listened to Hitler, who reasoned everything so well that Mao could not find any rebuttal. He could only admit: “Indeed, if it had been as you said, there would have been no civil war in China. Everything that followed would not have happened.”

Hitler solemnly said: “You have sinned; you must bow in repentance and start anew. Like me, repent early, seek God’s forgiveness, as Confucius said, ‘Then others will look up to you.’”

Hitler also added: “I have repented for over seventy years, behaving well all this time. Recently, God may consider loosening restrictions on me. I hear that consultations are underway to see if I can regain partial freedom.”

Mao pondered Hitler’s words, thinking: Both of us were fascists, but I regret learning from Stalin instead of Hitler. I fell for Stalin’s methods and now suffer in the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

After their conversation, Mao and Hitler shook hands, bid farewell, and their spirits dispersed.

NEXT: 4. Zhu Yuanzhang (1328–1398)