Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

The call was answered after a short while.

A familiar voice came from the other end of the line; it was Model: "Your Highness, is that you?"

"it's me."

"How's the plan going?"

"Everything went smoothly, Posen is ours now."

"That's good. Everything is going smoothly on my end, except that Ludwig is a bit restless. He sent a telegram to His Majesty the Emperor."

"Was it just a telegram?"

"He didn't say anything. I've already taken him into custody. However, the royal family has replied that they will be sending people to Silesia soon."

"Who is it?"

"It seems to be Crown Prince William."

"What is he doing in Silesia? Is he trying to seize power?"

"I'm afraid that's the case."

"We'll talk about his problem later. There are some things I need to ask you."

Joachim was not surprised that Crown Prince William was coming to Silesia.

After all, his so-called elder brother was just a good-for-nothing in his eyes. What could he do alone in Silesia?

What can it do?

He didn't believe that his elder brother, Crown Prince William, was a succubus who could win over his men with a wave of his hand.

"What is it? Please tell me..."

"We captured a large number of Poles in Silesia. Apart from the key figures who were killed by us, I don't know what to do with the rest."

"Manstein's advice was to deal with the fanatics and leaders, and ignore the rest."

After speaking, Joachim fell silent, waiting for a response from the other party, hoping that Model on the other end of the phone would give him a satisfactory answer.

"And what are your thoughts, Your Highness?" Model asked in return.

"My opinion leans towards that, especially after seeing a Polish child today... I just couldn't bear it."

The more Joachim said this, the more softened he became, his conscience constantly churning within him.

"Does Your Highness think this is the right thing to do?" Model asked.

"I have no idea......."

"Does Your Highness still wish to protect Posen?" Model asked again.

"think......"

"If that's the case, Your Highness should know that the vicious French and British are pressing us step by step. Germany is currently in a critical moment. We have fewer people and less equipment than them, and our international standing has plummeted. So even if you control Posen now, they will still hold a so-called referendum in the future."

"And the result of the referendum is a game between the two sides."

"There will be bloodshed between the Poles and the Germans again. If we win, everything will be fine."

"But if we lose, our reputation will be ruined, and our career will plummet."

"Everyone, both domestically and internationally, wants to see you lose!"

"But you're determined to win against them!"

These few words made Joachim's breathing quicken on the other end of the phone.

However, Model continued: "So I don't want to see the German nation lose, I only want to see us win on this land."

"So, do you think the same way I do now?"

"Yes..." Joachim had already made up his mind, and answered in a hoarse voice.

"If you share my thoughts, then let's be prepared to die a gruesome death and declare war on the world!"

"I will follow your cause to the ends of the earth."

"What if I go to hell?" Upon hearing this, Joachim on the other end of the phone laughed and asked with a sense of relief.

"Then I'll go to hell with you!" Model replied passionately.

Upon hearing this, Joachim's mind went blank.

He suddenly felt a surge of pride welling up from his chest and rushing to his brain: "Okay, I understand."

"It's never wrong for a person to be ruthless, no matter when."

"People only lose their temper with those who are good to them, because they know you will be forgiving."

"The same logic applies to dealing with these Poles. They don't even look at the kind of life they had in Germany or Russia."

"The Empire granted them some autonomy, but they've become incredibly arrogant... and now they're even demanding independence..."

"I will use every means to keep Silesia and Posen firmly under German control."

"Victory belongs to you, Your Highness."

"I await your victory news in Silesia."

Joachim nodded slightly, then hung up the phone: "Wolf, call Manstein over, I have something for him to handle."

Indeed, he does need to be a bit more ruthless now.

He has no right to sympathize with anyone now; since he made the decision to go to Cilicia, he has no way out.

As Model said, whether it was the Kaiser, the Republicans, or the leftists, they all wanted to see him lose.

If he reveals even the slightest weakness in the Silesia region, he will face utter annihilation.

Under such circumstances, what right does he have to show his kindness and sympathize with the plight of others?

He could only keep moving forward and lead his men to victory!

"Your Highness, is there something you need from me?"

Although he had a vague idea of ​​what Joachim had decided, Manstein still asked the question out of habit.

"How much do you know about the people arrested today? What is their background?"

Joachim asked directly.

"We've learned pretty much everything: some Polish landowners, some Polish intellectuals, social activists, village chiefs, and some officials in the Posen governor's office."

"Have all the Polish newspapers been cleared out?"

"The reporters and editors-in-chief were all arrested, and the newspaper office was burned down."

"The soldiers have done a good job." Joachim nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on Manstein. "But in addition, we must prevent these people from taking any chances and avoid them continuing to promote so-called Polish separatism in the future."

"I will have our soldiers teach them this."

"It's not education, it's the mass execution of those Poles."

"All the Poles?"

"no."

Joachim looked at Manstein with a serious expression: "Those journalists you just mentioned, the Polish landowners, the Polish intellectuals, the social activists, the village chiefs, and those so-called officials—pick them all out of the crowd, gather them together, and execute them all at once!"

"Mass executions?" Manstein felt goosebumps rise on his skin, chilled by Joachim's gaze. "Not even a basic trial?"

"We don't need to put separatists on trial," Joachim said coldly, staring at the other man. "If you don't kill the enemy, the enemy will kill us."

"Do not show mercy to the enemy; defending our German territory requires no weakness!"