Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

"We must indeed remain true to our times."

It took Joachim a long time to recover from those words.

But he still had his own thoughts: "However, the method you suggested isn't the best method."

"Your Highness, what is your method?"

"You should know that there is a Polish pianist in the United States."

"Ignatius Jan Paderewski?"

Nikolai had obviously heard of Paderewski and knew a little about his itinerary.

"It looks like you received the message too."

In fact, Nikolai knew more about Paderewski than Joachim had imagined. Leaving aside the former's title of international piano master, the things the latter did in 1914 were enough to attract Nikolai's attention. He was a famous leader of the Polish independence movement and had even formed a Polish volunteer army in North America.

Not to mention that the latter has already announced that it will pass through Poz in a month and return to the newly formed Republic of Poland.

Nikolai had long loathed him and wanted to kill him.

However, lacking instructions from above, Germany is currently in a state of chaos and has no energy to deal with the border conflict provoked by Poland.

For the current German government, Poz is a place that can be abandoned.

It originally belonged to the Polish people. Since they want it, then give it back to them.

"Who doesn't know that guy demanded a visit to Potts like a victor?"

"So you should know what to do, right?"

"I'll arrange for someone to assassinate him immediately, to ensure he doesn't reach Pots alive," Nikolai said coldly.

"You may have misunderstood me." Upon hearing that the other party intended to assassinate Paderewski, Joachim quickly intervened, "I didn't mean assassination..."

"What does Your Highness mean?" Nikolai on the other end of the phone was clearly stunned, his mindset still stuck in the era where assassination could solve everything: "Isn't silencing that guy forever the best solution?"

"If assassination is the best solution, then why did world wars still break out?"

There was an unusual silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone was genuinely thinking about the problem.

"So what we need to do next is lure them out. The order you issue next is not to silence them, but to relax them."

After talking with Nikolai, Joachim already had the answer to the problem of Bozi in his mind.

So he spoke calmly and eloquently: "Relax everything that can be controlled. Polish newspapers can be published, Polish rallies can be held, Polish speeches can be given, and if the Polish want to strike, that's fine too. Even if production in the entire Poz region comes to a standstill, it's not unacceptable."

"In addition, the German communities there are to be nominally dissolved, and a public announcement will be made that German influence will be completely withdrawn from Poz."

"If the Poles want to go out and party, or loot German shops, let them do so. The army should not be deployed, and the police should not maintain order."

"Apart from avoiding the Polish-infested train stations along the way, everything else can be abandoned."

In short, everything made the Poles lower their guard.

“But this will undoubtedly embolden those Poles, Your Highness,” Nikolai said, clearly unable to accept it. “And our compatriots there will be left unprotected; they will be abused by those Poles.”

"If it were before, I definitely wouldn't have done that."

"But now, Walter, do you think we have a choice?"

Joachim glanced at Manstein, who nodded and turned to leave.

He shifted to a more comfortable position while holding the phone and continued, "A country that has been completely defeated has no dignity. Although we have now signed a peace agreement, all the high-ranking officials know that it is not a peace agreement, but a surrender."

"Therefore, for the sake of the country's victory, under the overall circumstances, some things still need to be prioritized."

"To bring our country to victory, sometimes we must make sacrifices; it is all for the motherland, it is all for Caesar."

Upon hearing that it was for His Majesty the Emperor, Nikolai's heart skipped a beat. After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, he said, "You're right. I should listen to you, Your Highness."

"Also, tell those professional spies to keep busy and write down the entire list of troublemakers."

"Will you settle scores later?"

"Forehead......"

Joachim was momentarily speechless upon being called upon. After a long pause, he could only manage to say, "It's just about treating the sick and saving lives."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Joachim gave Nikolai a few more instructions before hanging up the phone.

After the call ended, he went to the windowsill and lit a cigarette. The Second Empire had left behind quite a lot of legacies.

At least by using the cheap title of Wilhelm II, he could fool many smart people into working for him.

With a deep frown, Joachim carefully considered his next plan, determined to make sure his operation in Pots was carried out well.

Only by accomplishing what others cannot can one gain immense prestige.

"Your Highness, this operation is highly secretive. Who should we recruit for it?"

Just as Joachim was pondering this, Manstein returned.

He had a cigar in his mouth and the Free Corps roster in his hand.

"The more people the better." Joachim stubbed out his cigarette. "What we're going to do this time is very bloody, so we need to mobilize a lot of people, but not more than half of our original number. Something could go wrong in Upper Silesia at any time. We're one step away from Poz, and Upper Silesia is one step away from us."

"So we must leave a reliable person here, and I think Heinrich is a good choice." Manstein, trying to figure out Joachim's thoughts, replied, "As for Guderian, he still needs to train new recruits, so we can't do without him here either."

Since joining Joachim's camp, Guderian has been appointed as the master of recruit training, responsible for training all the recruits of the Free Legion.

This position was originally intended for Manstein by Joachim, but Manstein declined it and instead recommended Guderian.

Since that incident, Joachim recruited Heinrich as the captain of the guard.

He was a trusted confidant in this Freedom Legion.

"I can't live without Heinrich. What do you think of Model?"

"He's a heartless guy who likes to talk back to me. I don't like him."

"A few days ago, they ruined the jobs of several of my classmates. These past few days, they've gone even further, bringing cooks and communications soldiers to the training ground."

"Your Highness, sending these utterly incapable fighters to the battlefield is tantamount to sending them to their deaths."

Manstein spoke frankly about his opinion of Model, paused briefly, and then continued, "Of course, if Your Highness thinks he is suitable, then so be it; however, I still reserve my opinion."

"I think it's inappropriate to give such a lot of trust to someone who just joined our ranks."

Model was one of the last names on Joachim's list to arrive.

He was on the Western Front at the time, and Germany itself was in chaos.

Therefore, taking a bus along the way is neither convenient nor easy.

But Joachim still gave him important responsibilities, which made Manstein very jealous, as he felt that Manstein was being treated almost as well as he was being treated.