Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

The admiral was balding, had a long face, low cheekbones, but sharp eyes.

He was dressed in a dark naval marshal's uniform, his chest adorned with medals, and he looked exceptionally dignified and tough, exuding the austere air of a Prussian soldier.

"Your Highness."

The admiral saluted Prince Leopold.

Both were Imperial Marshals, so they were equal in rank, but in terms of peerage, the Navy Marshal was inferior to Prince Leopold.

The latter nodded and pointed to Joachim beside him: "This is His Highness the Prince, I believe you have already met him."

"Thank you, Admiral, for taking time out of your busy schedule to come to Breslau. On behalf of the Government of Lower Silesia, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you."

Joachim extended his hand openly, instead of saluting like a soldier would to a naval admiral.

This clearly demonstrates his attitude: he and the Admiral have a cooperative relationship, not a superior-subordinate one.

This surprised the latter slightly, causing his extremely long, forked white beard to tremble slightly.

But he quickly accepted this way of meeting, reaching out to shake Joachim's hand: "I'm sorry, Your Highness, for keeping you waiting. The situation in Berlin is really unpredictable right now. One moment the weak democrats are in control, and the next the Bolsheviks are in control. So I have to stay in Berlin a little longer."

"And they've been making some big moves lately; I've heard they're planning to completely dismantle Prussia..."

Releasing his grip, Tirpitz walked into the room, revealing news from Berlin as he went.

"Dismembering Prussia?"

Joachim's eyebrows twitched. This was completely different from the history he remembered. Could it be that his arrival had caused such a dramatic change?

Although he was somewhat anxious and eager to know more about the dismemberment of Prussia, he did not show it.

But he maintained a calm demeanor, sitting down casually opposite Tirpitz: "This is not good news. Whose idea is this?"

Prince Leopold sat between the two of them.

"Of course, it's the idea of ​​the democrats; they intend to make Prussia a federal state."

As Tirpitz spoke, he observed Joachim's expression: "Where's Manstein? I don't see him."

Tirpitz naturally knew Manstein, and although Manstein was still young, he had already made a name for himself in the German military in terms of their relationship and military achievements.

Moreover, he had Hindenburg's connections, so it was impossible for Tirpitz not to know him.

"That boy is handing over some things to Hoffman. I plan to leave something for our prince while I'm still in office."

Compared to Tirpitz's imposing presence, Prince Leopold's demeanor was somewhat reserved, though his gaze remained sharp enough to inspire fear: "You know, I cannot defy the will of Berlin; they do not want me to remain in this post."

"Retirement is your best option, Your Highness."

"This is an inevitable trend, and neither you nor I can stop it."

Tirpitz nodded slightly; he had done his homework before coming.

Berlin is determined to bring Prince Leopold down, and even if he personally intervenes, it won't stop them.

After saying that, he turned back to Joachim: "Does Your Highness also agree with this?"

"I disagree," Joachim retorted directly. "Life in this world is about fighting against fate. Everyone says this trend is unstoppable, but I insist that even if it means facing a million opponents, I will still go!"

"Hmph, Your Highness's words do have some merit..."

Tirpitz opened his mouth, about to say something.

The door opened again, and Manstein strode in.

Upon seeing Joachim, he exclaimed, "Your Highness, the affairs here have been handed over; all that remains is for you to sign..."

But Manstein froze halfway through his sentence.

He looked at Tirpitz in disbelief: "Marshal Tirpitz? What are you doing here?"

Tirpitz looked at Joachim, who shrugged and smiled, "This is a secret meeting."

Having received a clear answer, Tirpitz reprimanded you sternly, "That's a question I should be asking you! You've given up your job in the army to come here and cause all this trouble. Don't you know that as long as you stay in the army, your future is bright?!"

Although he was terrified of Tirpitz.

But Manstein still mustered up the courage to give his own response: "But I feel that my future is brighter with Your Highness, and we are doing something meaningful."

"Hmph, you should just go back to the army and stay there. Politics isn't for you."

"Alright, now that you're here..."

"Then sit down."

Joachim smiled and patted the empty seat next to him: "Sit here."

With Joachim's permission, Manstein was granted a pardon.

He quickly walked over to Joachim and sat down next to him.

Although he had already sat down, Manstein's mind hadn't caught up yet, and he appeared unusually tense.

He stood ramrod straight with his hands on his knees.

He seemed like a completely different person.

Timid and fearful.

"Your Excellency Marshal, look how frightened this child you've become."

Prince Leopold chuckled, smoothing things over, and poured a glass of wine for everyone present: "Let's continue with what we were just discussing. What did you mean by dismembering Prussia?"

Without a doubt, this was the news Prince Leopold most wanted to hear.

After a moment of silence, Tirpitz spoke: "That's not the point. The main thing is that they want to break down traditional territorial divisions and establish a federal state."

"Does this mean Bavaria will also be partitioned?"

Prince Leopold pressed for an answer.

Joachim felt relieved; so that's how it is.

"In a sense, that's true," Tirpitz said solemnly. "But the parting of Bavaria is not the point; the point is that Prussia will be divided, that's the point."

Tirpitz's emphasis on this point is very interesting. For the conservatives, it meant completely dismantling Prussia.

This undoubtedly dismantles their power and simultaneously increases the difficulty of restoring the monarchy.

This was unacceptable to Joachim and Tirpitz, who still hoped that Prussia would dominate in future German governments.

After all, this was the largest state in the German Confederation, occupying two-thirds of the country's territory, so who controlled Prussia?

Whoever controlled all of Germany!

"What about Bavaria's autonomy?" Prince Leopold's heart clenched.

"Still don't understand, Your Highness?"

"When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?"

"Weakening Prussia is essentially undermining Bavaria's autonomy."

Joachim already understood what the Berliners were up to: "The dismemberment of Prussia is not the goal, but rather to consolidate democracy in this way and bring all the reservation rights in various places under Berlin's control. When the power of the local areas is in a balance, Berlin will naturally gain supreme authority."

Upon hearing this, Prince Leopold became even more disheartened.

Tirpitz's eyes slowly brightened.

As for Manstein, he remained seated obediently, as if he were a child in an unfamiliar environment, unusually reserved.

He listened respectfully to the three people's remarks.