Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

History is sometimes written in a single night.

An invitation from Breslau: Your letter has been received, Mr. Mayer.

I completely agree with your idea.

The Cilician army is ready, but so far there are still some shortcomings, as they are all Cilicians.

Therefore, they are not very enthusiastic about going to Berlin. As a result, the morale of the Silesia army is currently low and they urgently need your help to calm them down.

Please bring your entourage and comrades to Breslau to discuss matters with me. I will prepare a welcoming ceremony for you here.

Once the army has been appeased, I will travel with you to Berlin to push the world revolution to its climax.

Your loyal friend: Ludwig Edelmann......

Ernst Meyer had no doubts about the letter from Breslau.

He was confident that he now had the situation in Silesia under his control, and that a powerless imperial bureaucrat posed almost no threat to him.

Therefore, upon receiving this letter, he was only focused on the urgency of world revolution and did not consider the dangers it contained.

He was dressed like a working-class man as he entered the room.

This disgusted Ludwig Edeller, who was dressed extremely elegantly tonight, but he held back for the sake of what would happen later.

Suppressing his disgust, he forced out his hand: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Meyer."

"I've heard of you many times in Silesia, but this is probably our first meeting."

"It's my bad reputation, I've heard I've been on the Empire's wanted list many times."

Ernst Meyer also loathed this imperial bureaucrat.

Especially considering the other person's business elite attire—look at that sharp suit, that luxurious cane... and then look at that gold-plated watch on his hand.

What part of us wasn't stripped from the working class?

However, the German Republic has not yet been overthrown, and without an appointment from Berlin, he cannot easily remove this puppet from power.

So even though he felt nauseous, he had to force himself to endure it.

"I'd heard of it before, but now... my friend, you are the true hero of the Republic."

Upon hearing these words, Joachim, who was acting as Ludwig Edeller's adjutant, was deeply moved.

I laughed immediately. So you call yourself "Patriot," huh?

But on second thought, Ludwig Edeller, this imperial bureaucrat, seemed increasingly dangerous. He himself loathed the working class, yet now he could wear a mask and chat with him so casually, which was truly unfathomable.

As for Ernst Meyer, who was talking to him, he was wearing a faded shirt on his upper body and patched overalls on his lower body, and he was also wearing a cheap mechanical watch on his wrist. This was a typical German worker's outfit. Although Germans were once very wealthy, that was before the war.

Currently, with the war having devastated Germany's economy and society, the entire country is experiencing extreme shortages of supplies. The lives of ordinary working-class people are particularly difficult; they may not even be able to support themselves after a month's work, let alone their families.

Look at his eyes again; as the saying goes, the eyes are the windows to the soul.

Joachim could see right through his eyes, into his heart brimming with passion and revolutionary fervor.

The world is truly still young.

Composing himself, he watched the two walk side by side into the conference room.

He then turned and gave Manstein a look, who nodded and left in silence.

He then followed the two men to the conference room.

"What's this young man's name?" Ernst Meyer had just sat down when he saw Joachim coming towards him.

"Friedrich." Ludwig Edeller, without even glancing at Joachim, casually gave a pseudonym and continued in a concerned tone, "I heard you've been working terribly lately. Is it because of the political affairs in Silesia?"

"Mr. Meyer?"

"Does he only have this first name and no surname?"

Ernst Meyer was clearly drawn to the sharp-eyed young man, as if he were prey being watched by the hunter, which made his hair stand on end.

He felt uncomfortable all over, but luckily he noticed the red armband on the other person's arm.

Then look at the badge and insignia he wears around his neck.

Only then did I feel a little relieved.

Why are you so panicked?

Apart from that imperial bureaucrat, everyone here is one of our own.

They are all party members... they would never do anything malicious to themselves.

He had a firm grasp of the situation.

"Of course there is a Falkenhorst," Ludwig Edel continued his string of lies. "His ancestors were Polish, or rather, Polish who considered themselves German. You know, in East Prussia there was a group called Masurians, and they were people from that area, Polish-speaking Germans."

Ludwig Edeller had no desire whatsoever for Ernst Meyer and Joachim to speak.

Therefore, he spoke with extreme indifference and tedium, as if he were stating a fact.

The latter, however, was unusually enthusiastic; his aging body was full of vitality.

"Well then, buddy, it's nice to meet you," Ernst Meyer said very considerately in Polish.

The latter smiled, turned his head away, and said nothing more.

Ernst Meyer, having made a fool of himself, looked Joachim up and down before turning back to Ludwig Edeler: "Mr. Edeler, now that we're heading to Silesia, I can help you solve any problems you encounter."

"Berlin needs us very much right now, and we can't afford to delay for even a moment."

"There are still many problems, and we can't send troops out anytime soon." Compared to the former's impatience, Ludwig Edeller became calm and composed, his smile no longer obsequious, but etched with deep-seated sarcasm: "Besides, there are many problems you can't solve either..."

"If I can't solve it, then why did you call me here?"

Ernst Meyer fixed his gaze on the other person, his tone clearly annoyed: "You were the one who asked for a solution, and now you're the one preventing it. What are you going to do?"

"What else can we do? Of course, we'll show you the problems I've received."

"What's the problem?"

"According to intelligence from the Allied Powers, the British and French are preparing a referendum in Silesia. They intend to use the Polish influence there to permanently secede Silesia from Germany." Ludwig Edeller's dull tone finally filled with joy and excitement: "Therefore, I believe our current priority is not to defend so-called Berlin, but to protect the whole of Silesia from Polish invasion."

"And I can tell you definitively that your comrades feel the same way; they've been waiting for this opportunity."

"Therefore, in order to preserve Silesia, I think it is necessary for us to carry out a major purge in Silesia and eliminate all the Poles in the left-wing fortress."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ernst Meyer and his comrades widened their eyes in surprise.

I can't believe what I'm hearing here.

A massive purge?