Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

Joachim was working to consolidate his fortifications in Cilicia, but his enemies did not stop there.

In Upper Silesia, in the Cázvito region.

Compared to the struggles in other parts of Germany, this place was strangely calm.

The morning mist shrouded this industrial heart of Germany, casting a shadow over its ownership.

But once you break through the fog and walk into the street, you'll see posters from the left wing plastered all over the streets and alleys.

Slogans that could be seen everywhere read "Strike for the workers".

A series of left-wing slogans, such as "Let the emperor die."

Without a doubt, just like Breslau before it, this place is firmly in the hands of the left-wing workers.

"Rosa, their operations in Berlin are facing obstacles. Should we transfer some forces from Silesia to assist them?"

Ernst Meyer felt a headache coming on as soon as he received the telegram requesting help.

He has only just consolidated the fruits of the revolution in Upper Silesia, and the hearts of the people have not yet been won over.

Sending troops to Berlin at this time would undoubtedly have made the newly established revolutionary regime teeter on the brink of collapse.

Besides, the soldiers nowadays are unreliable. Although the soldiers' council has assured them that they can control these former German troops at any time, you can't judge a book by its cover. Who knows what those officers, who were educated in the old era, are thinking?

Therefore, Ernst Meyer now finds every step extremely difficult.

However, the complicated tasks did not overwhelm him, because he was not the only one standing in the core power position in Silesia; there were also two Poles.

He, along with Joseph Binishkevich and Wojciech Kortivan, formed a grand coalition of leftists in Silesia.

"If it's for the greater good of the revolution, I think it's entirely possible."

"We can draw enough troops from several garrisons in Upper Silesia." Joseph Binishkevich and Wojciech Kortivan exchanged glances and smiled simultaneously. "Once the situation in Berlin is largely settled, we can then take advantage of the situation to spread the flames of revolution throughout Europe."

"To spread the revolution throughout Europe..." It must be said that for the leftists of this era, the phrase "to spread the revolution throughout the world" could satisfy all their fantasies.

But Ernst Meyer clearly had more concerns: "If we mobilize the troops in Upper Silesia, our rule here will be unstable. The conservatives in Silesia are still very powerful, and they could restore the monarchy under our noses at any time."

"They won't cause us any more trouble," Wojciech Kortivan blurted out. "Now, both Upper and Lower Silesia are within our sphere of influence. There aren't enough royalists to rally together against us anymore. Now we just need to move the army to Berlin and take control of the government there..."

"If I were to be transferred from the army here, could you guarantee that those Poles wouldn't rebel and cause separatist movements?"

Ernst Meyer interrupted the other person and bluntly expressed his concerns.

Ernst Meyer also knew his two companions well: Joseph Benishkevich, who advocated for Silesia's autonomy, and who had repeatedly threatened in public to separate Silesia from Germany, a stance he could not accept.

Even if Ernst Meyer was an internationalist, he did not want Silesia to separate from German territory.

A person who is willing to cede his country's territory cannot be called an internationalist; he can only be called a traitor.

"Of course," Wojciech Kortivan readily agreed. "I will try to persuade those Poles who are dissatisfied with Germany to calm down, but after all, this is a critical moment, and we must all prioritize the revolution."

"If that's the case, then I can send a letter to those people in Lower Silesia right now." Although Ernst Meyer was full of doubts about what the other party said, he still had to make some compromises for the sake of the revolution: "Have that guy named Ludwig issue an executive order to mobilize troops to Berlin."

.......

Joachim followed Ludwig Edeler and learned about government affairs.

Of course, on one hand it's about learning, and on the other hand it's about surveillance.

He also used his power to gain more status for himself.

Starting yesterday, some factories in Lower Silesia that had not yet been requisitioned were forcibly requisitioned by Joachim in the name of the workers' association.

Then, through low-price acquisitions, they were forcibly brought under Joachim's control.

For this reason, Joachim's army no longer faced a shortage of uniforms.

Some arsenals even resumed production and began arming Joachim's Free Legion.

"Military discipline must be strictly enforced, and we must not relax our vigilance, especially at times like these."

Joachim walked down the corridor, giving Manstein instructions on what to watch out for: "Those who rape women shall be shot, those who oppress the people shall be shot, and those who rob shall be shot."

"In addition, it is especially important to verify the identities of members of the Freedom Legion. I do not want any leftists in the army I recruit."

"I will carefully examine them, Your Highness."

Manstein nodded repeatedly.

"We must also keep a close watch on those left-wing elements, and our soldiers must also properly disguise their armbands; those who should wear them should wear them, and those who should shout slogans should shout them."

"In short, we must disguise Lower Silesia as a stronghold for leftists, making them feel that this is still their territory, the domain of the resistance fighters."

"I understand, Your Highness."

"Besides these, is there anything else you need to order?"

"What is the current organizational structure of our legion?"

"You said you'd give me a solution today."

Joachim, who had walked ahead, suddenly stopped and turned to stare at Manstein: "You haven't forgotten, have you, Captain?"

"Of course not, Your Highness."

"We have already drafted the specific plan, and now we are just waiting for Your Highness to confirm the name."

As he spoke, Manstein took out a plan and handed it to the prince.

The latter did not take it, because he also had a document in his hand, which was about Silesia's financial statements for the past few days. What he wanted to know most right now was how much money he had left and how much his army could expand to.

So Joachim said, "Read it to me."

As he spoke, he continued to look down at the documents. Joachim had recently been learning the art of multitasking from Ludwig Edeller.

This is a good opportunity to hone my skills.