Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

Crown Prince William ultimately fled in a sorry state.

He was originally at his wit's end, but in adversity, true loyalty was revealed.

A hotel staff member led him to another way out.

Watching Crown Prince William and his entourage flee, Alfred couldn't help but turn to his old partner, Ludwig Edeller: "Today I've really seen you in a new light. I never expected that at a time like this, you would still have such feelings for the royal family... You've changed my attitude, you social Darwinist."

"Don't say that. Each of us has our own cross to bear."

"So how will you explain this to His Highness? They will definitely trace it back to you."

"I'm not afraid, I just did what I thought was right."

"If His Highness Joachim wishes to kill me, then so be it."

"If fate has already made its choice, then I will not change my own fate."

Ludwig Edeler had also heard some of what Joachim had done in Potseh.

The letters those soldiers wrote to their families weren't as tightly sealed as his.

Although those letters never reached their families, they were intercepted and opened by the Silesian post stations en route.

So the thought of the other side killing so many people made Ludwig Edeller feel cold in his hands and feet.

But then he thought, even if he really died, it wouldn't matter, since the empire he served had already been destroyed.

The emperor he served, Wilhelm II, was unable to shoulder the burden of Germany, yet he had already dedicated half his life to the empire.

Even though the empire has been destroyed for so many days, he still can't imagine what his life will be like without the empire.

Therefore, he was willing to make some contribution to the German royal family, even if it meant sacrificing his life, he felt it was worthwhile.

"..." Alfred looked at him and nodded silently, remaining silent for a long time.

.......

"So in the end, he still managed to escape?"

Joachim certainly had no intention of killing his elder brother. It was better to let an incompetent person live than to kill him and bear the infamy of fratricide.

Moreover, he plans to leverage the reputation of the German royal family in the future.

Joachim also felt that killing his elder brother was not a worthwhile deal.

"Yes, it's said there's an inside man."

Manstein calmly reported to Joachim.

The latter was calmly eating, swallowing the beef in his mouth, when Joachim spoke up: "If nothing unexpected happens, it's Ludwig Edlergan's, isn't it?"

"All the evidence proves that only he had the ability to escape with Crown Prince William at that time..."

"Your Highness, should we pursue this matter?" Manstein asked tentatively.

"How should we investigate?"

Joachim tapped the stool, gesturing for him to sit down and talk to him: "My goal is to drive that future guy out of Silesia; killing him is pointless."

"Our current objective remains dealing with the Poles. By the way, what's the situation in Berlin now?"

"At the workers' congress held in Berlin on December 16, the moderate wing of the Independent Social Democratic Party suffered a major defeat, and the left wing took control of the situation."

"Furthermore, some have put forward a program demanding the full arming of the people, and they believe that replacing the Prussian army is necessary. Establishing a people's army that conforms to the militia ideology is in line with the attitude of the soldiers' council, and according to the Berlin Daily, many people are advocating for the abolition of the status and symbolism of the military, thereby thoroughly promoting democratization."

"Any news from the General Staff?"

"Everything indicates that the garrison troops and the field troops returning from the front are rapidly disintegrating, and a large number of soldiers, except in Silesia, have been influenced by revolutionary ideas."

"The General Staff has already devised a plan, which is said to involve using reliable field armies to blockade the capital, completely disarm the revolutionary forces, and eliminate the left-wing elements among them..."

Hearing about the current chaos in Germany, Joachim shook his head repeatedly: "Isn't this a seizure of power?"

"In a sense, that's true; the highest levels of the military are giving Albert dictatorial power."

"Look, our President Albert is about to become the next emperor."

"As your father said, whoever controls the General Staff will have unlimited power, and that person will be the Emperor of Germany."

"These words were not spoken by my father, but by Bismarck."

"I still need to study more."

Joachim felt uneasy upon hearing Manstein's words.

But he quickly put those negative emotions aside: "Let's get back to the situation in Berlin... Any other news?"

"I've heard that the Weimar Naval Division is currently clashing with the Supreme Army Command, supposedly over funding issues. They've taken the Social Democratic Party's garrison commander hostage and occupied the Chancellor's office. General Groner is trying to persuade President Ebert to use force to permanently expel them from Berlin..."

"The Weimar Naval Division you mentioned, is it the same organization as the People's Naval Division?"

Upon hearing this, Joachim was somewhat dazed and completely bewildered.

In his mind, wasn't this People's Navy Division a controllable armed force formed by the Social Democratic Party?

Moreover, most of its main members are members of the Social Democratic Party, the Independent Social Democratic Party, as well as syndicalists and members of the Spartacus League...

Shouldn't such a composition be quite stable?

How could such a thing happen?

Moreover, although this unit is nominally a division, it actually only has about 1500 people.

Their numbers were even fewer than Joachim's troops, so how could such a force possibly lack funding?

"That's exactly what you said."

"His full name is Weimar People's Naval Division..."

"So why don't they have military funding?"

"It's probably because the issue of their compensation hasn't been resolved, and the Supreme Army Command doesn't trust them."

"So it's a case of officials forcing the people to rebel?"

"Your Highness, these free legions that are not officially recognized are funded by their own resources."

"Their actions were spontaneous and shouldn't be accountable by the government." Manstein felt it necessary to defend the Supreme Army Command: "Besides, the whole thing is absurd. To occupy a country's prime minister's office simply because they can't afford funding is undoubtedly blatant treason!"

"Moreover, I think General Grener did a good job. His discipline had deteriorated, and this is how you deal with such unruly soldiers."

"There is no doubt that we should deal them a heavy blow and then announce their disbandment."

"I didn't say this was wrong; I was asking what if they hadn't fought before?"

"You think General Grener will lose?"