Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

"So, Model, do you think you're trustworthy?"

Joachim clearly knew that Model had already gone outside, so he directly asked in Model's direction.

"I believe my loyalty to my country is stronger than Manstein's."

Model walked over; he was wearing a German military uniform.

He was carrying a large stack of documents, clearly there to report to Joachim.

He had just arrived and hadn't even had a chance to knock on the door yet.

Then Manstein criticized him, which would be hard for anyone to accept.

Moreover, Model's personality is more like that of a lone wolf, so he naturally wouldn't show Manstein any mercy: "Besides, I've risen to this position all by my own abilities, unlike some people who rely on the flattery of their ancestors."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Who makes a living by flattery and empty praise?" Manstein retorted sharply.

"Alright, stop arguing. You are all my right-hand men."

"He is an indispensable figure in the revival of the motherland." Joachim acted as a mediator between the two, and then turned to Model: "Model, you stay here and help me keep an eye on those old bureaucrats. I don't trust that Ludwig guy at all. He will definitely do something after I leave."

"And Your Highness, what about Alfred?" Model asked. "After you left, I had no way of guaranteeing that I could control his Sixth Army. General Alfred was my superior in every respect, and I had no right to command him."

"What if we can't take command?"

The prince's eyes turned playful. He couldn't help but glance at Manstein one last time.

As expected, the other person was also staring at him at that moment, and the two immediately exchanged feelings.

So Joachim smiled and said, "Erich, please help me out."

"Hmph!" Manstein crossed his arms and didn't answer.

.......

Heavy rain enveloped Poz, while eastern Germany rarely sees rain during the winter.

Not to mention that the neighboring province of Silesia hadn't received a drop of rain at all, which greatly annoyed the German soldiers stationed there.

Of course, this is partly due to the heavy rain, and partly due to the increasingly tense atmosphere in Poz City recently.

We've received word from above that the Poles are preparing a major uprising to drive out all the Germans here.

This undoubtedly put the German police and troops stationed here on high alert, even though they knew why.

The chances of Poz remaining in Germany are slim, but as land that the Kingdom of Prussia ruled for hundreds of years, there are still people here willing to faithfully carry out orders from their superiors.

This is precisely why the left, center, and right factions in Germany have almost united here.

But despite their alliance, it was extremely fragile.

The three parties had strong internal conflicts, but they only united because of the threat from the Poles.

This is precisely why the Poles seized upon the contradictions between them and skillfully sowed discord.

German rule here is so precarious that German police now walk the streets in constant fear, suspecting that the locals might attack them.

Although, according to official statistics, the German-speaking population of Posen is approximately 51%.

However, the overwhelming leaflets secretly distributed by the Poles, proclaiming an uprising, still made the Germans here uneasy.

So much so that if the Poles glared at them, the German police wouldn't dare confiscate their leaflets, and even the curfew was practically ignored.

This made the Poles here even more mocking of the Germans' cowardice, as if these Germans were not as strong as they had imagined.

Fortunately, orders came from above, ordering all troops and police to withdraw and return to their camps.

The curfew was lifted, and freedom of speech was relaxed.

This brought a huge sigh of relief to all the German soldiers and police officers, who were finally relieved that they wouldn't have to bleed anymore.

The Poles nowadays think it's reasonable, believing that the Germans here have resigned themselves to their fate.

Naturally, cheers erupted throughout the street from the Polish people, and then the red and white flag of Poland began to fly openly in the street.

The camera zooms in slightly, showing the residence of a Polish member of the Reichstag.

Władysław Kazymiž Seda watched the German soldiers and police gradually disperse from the streets, and couldn't help but wonder, "What on earth are these Germans up to? Why did they suddenly withdraw?"

"Any news from above lately?" Vadizław turned to his secretary and couldn't help but ask.

The "upper echelon" that Władysław was referring to was naturally the Berlin regime. Having been a German for half his life, he naturally referred to Berlin as the "upper echelon."

"There has been no specific notification yet, but we generally know that the Germans have completely relaxed all restrictions on us."

The secretary's voice was unusually excited; the person who was assigned to this position by Władysław was naturally a Polish.

Poland, oppressed by Austria, Prussia, and Russia for centuries, finally broke free from their shackles at this moment...

How could he not be excited?

"Is it true?" Władysław's voice became excited; this was his lifelong dream.

Did the Germans really give up their rule in Poz so easily?

You should know that the governor of Poz province had dealt with him before, and the man was extremely loyal to the emperor and the Berlin government.

Moreover, during his time in Poz, he relentlessly pursued Germanization policies and was extremely hostile towards Polish nationalists.

The fact that the other party suddenly let go gave him a sense of unreality... It was all an illusion.

"It's true, of course." The secretary's voice was almost choked with emotion as she handed the phone to her superior: "If you're worried, you can call the higher-ups yourself. I'm sure they'll give us a satisfactory answer."

"call!"

Władysław picked up the phone and dialed. He and his secretary held their breath, waiting for a reply from the other end.

"Transfer me to the Governor's Office."

"Vice-President of Władysław, I am Governor-General Hans von Stepkamer. What do you have to report to me?"

"Your Excellency, I would like to ask what is going on with the Polish carnival in the streets?" Suppressing his excitement, Władysław asked with concern.

"Your Excellency, at a time like this, is there any need for you to pretend with me?" Tepkamer on the other end of the phone had long since lost interest in bureaucratic pleasantries. "Aren't those Polish nationalists all being secretly funded by you? Now that we Germans are planning a complete withdrawal from Poz, isn't that exactly what you wanted?"

"Isn't this what you've been most looking forward to?"

"Are you really planning a complete withdrawal?"

"Are you unable to understand human speech?"

Władysław was taken aback by Tepkamer's question. After a moment of silence, he continued, "What will happen to those assets?"

"What else can we do?" Tepkamer on the other end of the phone curled into a malicious smile: "Blow up everything you can't take with you. We Germans would rather destroy all our assets than leave them to you."

"But there are still many Germans in Poz." Upon hearing that the other side wanted to blow up all the assets, Władysław panicked: "What will happen to them if you destroy the assets?"

"Why should I care about them? I am an official of the German Empire, not the Republic. I am only responsible to His Majesty the Emperor."

"Now that His Majesty the Emperor is gone, I am only responsible for myself."

"Please don't do this, I can negotiate with you."

"I guarantee that as long as you hand over your complete assets to us, we can extract a large sum of money from them to provide you with personal compensation."

Compensation? I'd rather have your heads as compensation!

Tepkamer, this old Polish, had long harbored a deep hatred for these Poles, and now they were trying to bribe him.

He felt utterly disgusted, but since he had received an order, he had to obey: "Alright, come to the official residence tonight at 6 p.m.... I promise you and I will have an unforgettable night."

The night was dark and windy; it was the perfect time to take a long knife and kill someone!