Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

"It seems you already know who I am," Joachim said, looking down at the other man.

"To be honest, I have seen you and I have seen His Majesty the Emperor. I will never forget your face and his face."

Władysław answered quickly because he felt his mouth was dry.

"That's why you run away when you see me."

"I'm curious, weren't there rumors that you went to Silesia? How did you end up here?"

I have no obligation to answer your question.

Joachim knew perfectly well the meaning behind the other's words; it was nothing more than a probe into the current situation: "You just need to listen to my conversation with him from now on."

These words were tantamount to an ultimatum to Władysław. Although Joachim said nothing, it was as if he had said everything at that moment.

They were completely unprepared for the Germans' actions in Posen today, which will cost them dearly.

He considered all sorts of possibilities, but never this one.

Wasn't Joachim a fallen prince? Hadn't he severed ties with his father?

In just a few days!

Where did he get the power to turn the tide in Bosen?

No matter how hard he racked his brains, Władysław couldn't figure it out...

But Joachim didn't give him time to consider. He looked at Tepkamer and asked, "Is everything ready?"

"Everything was ready, Your Highness." Finally seeing his savior, Tepkamer replied excitedly, "Have your troops arrived?"

Joachim glanced at his watch: "The entire city will lose power in five minutes."

"As for our troops, open all the windows, you'll see soon enough..."

Upon hearing this, Tepkamer quickly opened all the other windows.

The Governor's Palace of Posen is situated on one of the few high points in the city, offering panoramic views of the entire city.

So by simply peeking out, Tepkamer was able to see the entire city under the night sky.

Countless torches were seen arranged in dozens of routes, from the highway to the police station, from the side road to the hospital, from the power plant to the barracks.

Finally, under the governor's watchful eye, they gradually converged on the Polish area!

The Germans began their retaliatory actions against the Poles.

......

Joachim’s Mercedes drove slowly down the streets of Posen, the city’s main thoroughfare.

By this time, the place was already bustling with noise, as large numbers of Polish men were arrested by the Germans and driven out of their homes.

Of course, there were some seriously injured among them, their wounds on their bodies and faces inflicted by Joachim's soldiers.

As for the reason for these wounds, there is no doubt that they were labeled as Polish separatists.

So Joachim's almost fanatical nationalists naturally didn't give them a friendly look, and just kept hitting them with their gun butts and fists.

"How did the arrest operation go?" Joachim asked calmly, looking at Manstein as he waited for Manstein's report.

"Everything went smoothly, and the list of names has been almost entirely captured." Manstein nodded calmly. "The only exception is the guy you mentioned. According to the interrogation, he's still in Warsaw, reportedly awaiting orders from the Warsaw authorities."

"Joseph Dobor-Musiniki?"

"It's him."

Is the news reliable?

"We broke a few of his teeth, so he couldn't possibly be lying to us."

"That's good." Joachim nodded slightly, then turned to look at the crowd beside the car: "What should we do with these Poles? I don't have a good solution for now..."

"Do we need to adhere to humanitarian principles?" Manstein didn't know how to deal with these Poles either.

Do you have any suggestions?

"We can't possibly kill all the Poles here."

Under Joachim's gaze, Manstein spoke his mind: "As you said before, we should take out the key figures and main leaders first, and not hold the others accountable, or just punish them slightly. We can't make things too big here, or it will escalate the regional conflict into an international dispute."

"You actually considered international disputes?" Joachim was greatly surprised.

"I've also been thinking about the international situation lately. One can't stay in one place forever, Your Highness."

"You've truly made me see you in a new light, Erich."

Joachim nodded in agreement, which was considered as acknowledging Manstein's opinion.

However, he still intended to ask Model for advice, so he decided to go back and make a phone call first.

After all, a phone call won't take long, and even if time is tight, it won't make a huge difference.

Joachim was somewhat lost in thought when, at that moment, the car suddenly came to a stop.

The inertia caused Joachim's head to slam heavily against the front seat. He was annoyed: "Wolf, how do you drive?"

"Your Highness, I'm so sorry, a child suddenly appeared in front of us... I had to brake."

"Where did this child come from?"

"It's just ahead, Your Highness."

Joachim held his head with his right hand and looked out the window. He opened his mouth, about to start cursing.

But then he noticed that a child, as thin as a bean sprout, had appeared in front of the car at some point.

The child was already paralyzed with fear from the Mercedes, his little hands covered in mud, as if he had been playing in the mud.

"Judging by his hair, he looks Polish."

Wolf retorted irritably, "Your Highness, I'm getting out of the carriage now and leaving him aside immediately."

"These Poles are so annoying."

Joachim rubbed his cheek, finally realizing that being so rough was not a good thing.

It didn't align with his own moral compass, and on that impulse, he inexplicably got off the bus.

He hugged the Polish boy tightly: "Little one, where did your mother and the others go?"

"Why did you leave me here all alone?"

The Polish boy was already frightened by Ludwig's military uniform, and when he heard the familiar German, he almost immediately collapsed into Joachim's arms.

When he came to his senses, he immediately began to struggle incessantly against Joachim, trying to break free from the German's clutches.

Before Joachim could react, the boy broke free from Joachim's grasp and slipped into the crowd.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Wolf asked, looking at Ludwig.

"fine."

Joachim nodded somewhat absentmindedly: "Perhaps I'm overthinking things."

He then got into the car.

Upon returning to the governor's residence, Joachim eagerly called Silesia: "Transfer me to the governor's residence in Silesia and have Model answer the phone."