Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

No one can get along with you for no reason. If someone takes you along for no reason, they must be plotting something in secret.

That's why Joachim spoke frankly with Tirpitz.

"You have truly impressed me. You are unlike any of the princes I have ever met."

Tirpitz put down his glass and gestured for Joachim to pour.

While waiting for the latter to pour the wine, he continued, "Indeed, you are the one most worth investing in, and the one most likely to regain the throne."

"So, Fleet Admiral, what's your price?"

Joachim had already understood the hidden meaning in the other party's words, so all he needed to do next was to offer conditions that the other party could not refuse.

Joachim, realizing this, became even more relaxed.

He tilted his head slightly, staring at the admiral with amusement.

"The price I'm asking for isn't much; after all, your ascension to the throne has already fulfilled a great wish of mine."

"A weak democracy is a poison to the German people; we must restore absolute monarchy."

After a brief pause, Tirpitz established the core of their alliance: to completely overthrow the republic and restore the German monarchy.

This is precisely the point of consensus between Joachim and Tirpitz; Joachim knew it without Tirpitz saying so.

"Anything else?"

Joachim retorted with amusement, "What Tirpitz just said was as good as nothing at all."

His real move, and his price, came later.

"The remaining task, of course, is to rebuild the great navy."

Tirpitz presented his true price. On the one hand, building a massive fleet for Germany was his lifelong dream. On the other hand, he also wanted to use Joachim's influence to shift the blame for Germany's defeat. Tirpitz naturally could not admit that it was because of his naval competition with Britain that Britain sided with the Allies. Therefore, he needed Joachim's future policies to pay for his reputation, at least so that he would not be remembered with infamy.

Moreover, Tirpitz has no hope of ever ransoming the British naval fleet that is currently being held captive.

Given the British character, it was impossible for them to return this massive fleet to Germany. Therefore, the future of the German Navy lay in building its own fleet.

In other words, Tirpitz didn't know the contents of the Treaty of Versailles. If he did, he would probably be kicking himself right now.

He preferred to send the high seas fleet to the North Sea for a major showdown with the British rather than hand it over to the British for supervision, because a war would at least result in mutual destruction for both countries.

In that case, the German Navy could at least have a perfect farewell.

Instead of being severely restricted by the Treaty of Versailles and dying a miserable death like an underdeveloped child.

注：德国庞大的公海舰队自1918年11月11日康边停战协定签署后，18号就于威廉港出发，21号驶入苏格兰斯卡帕湾。

Although nominally under surveillance, the ship had already been taken over and disarmed by the Royal Navy. Although German sailors remained on board, the guns were locked, the ammunition was surrendered, and the ship was completely incapable of fighting.

"What else is there besides this?"

Joachim continued to ask.

"Unite the right wing, reclaim lost territories, regain colonies, establish German hegemony in Central Europe, and realize the land under the sun." Tirpitz, without the slightest hesitation, stated the political program put forward by the Fatherland Party in 1917 directly to Joachim: "In my judgment, Alsace and Lorraine are doomed to perish; the French will certainly take those places back. Therefore, our next war will be to reclaim these places, and we will also annex Luxembourg and large swathes of Belgian territory. We must establish absolute superiority over France."

"So what's your opinion on Austria?" Joachim feigned ignorance. News of the establishment of the German-Austrian State had already spread throughout Europe, and they had issued a public telegram demanding unification with Germany. Tirpitz couldn't possibly be unaware of this, so Joachim's question was purely an attempt to elicit information from him.

However, the latter knew that Joachim was trying to trick him into revealing information, so he frankly expressed his thoughts.

In any case, since he would be an important ally for the other party in the future, there should be no rift between ruler and subject: "It is impossible for the Austrians to join Germany, Your Highness."

"You and I think almost exactly the same thing."

"Great minds think alike," Tirpitz smiled meaningfully. "Do you know Bohemia?"

"Is that the newly formed Czech Republic?"

"Yes."

"As you know, the territory of this newly formed German-Austrian Republic includes the Sudetenland Mountains. If those Bohemians want to break free from our German control, then they must control those mountains, because only by controlling those mountains can their nation-state continue in this world; otherwise, they will only become our vassals in the future."

"Then why not just cede those territories to Bohemia?"

Joachim responded casually that the German prince still wanted to probe the admiral's background.

As a leader, or rather, as a future emperor, cunning was his nature.

"Therefore, Austria is unlikely to join us in the future, because their joining would mean that our country will become strong again."

After a brief pause, Tirpitz chuckled. "If that's the case, then I think it's worthwhile to give up Arthas and Lorraine, as well as some lands in the east. After all, our empire has never shrunk, has it?"

"But the British and French will not allow us to do that."

Tirpitz deliberately drew out his words, waiting for Joachim to respond; this was a test.

"Sometimes if the straight road is blocked, we can take the detour."

Joachim said.

Tirpitz's eyes gradually lit up as he looked at Joachim: "But this is difficult..."

"Wrong. This is not difficult. The Habsburg rule in Central Europe has collapsed. A weak Austria cannot stop our will. As long as we find the right opportunity, we can unite the two countries."

"Then I can seize this opportunity and, as a hero, put Hohenzollern back on the throne of the empire."

"History will prove that dismembering the Habsburgs was absolutely the stupidest thing the British and French ever did."

"Although we failed, no one in Central Europe can stop our will to move forward."

"Serbia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Greece are not worth mentioning at all."

"Difficult days, though painful."

"But we will achieve true victory sooner or later."

"You're absolutely right."

Tirpitz could already picture the complete unification of Germany just from the words alone, and his breathing became rapid.

The aging body only felt a surge of heat rushing from the heart to the whole body.

"Therefore, I think our National People's Party needs to change some of its platform, and we need to change our name."

Joachim spoke skillfully, and he cleverly used the word "we".

"What's your name?"

"Greater German Fatherland Party!"

"What about the political platform?"

"We should not put the political program of restoring the monarchy on the agenda; we should put the interests of the motherland first."

"Because in a sense, with the dissolution of the empire, the oaths of allegiance surrounding the Hohenzollern family have been dissolved. There is no need for us to provoke the existing political system immediately. Moreover, putting such a conspicuous political program on the agenda will only arouse more hostility and further prolong the time it takes for us to restore the empire in the future."

"What we need to do most right now is to seize power. Only when we have power can we make any further plans."

"We need to bring more people into our circle, and we need to let them feel the hatred of national and personal grievances."

"But does this mean that the monarchy cannot be restored in Germany?" Tirpitz was somewhat worried because the current National People's Party is a very pure party, which wants to restore the monarchy and establish a regime in the open.

Now that the circle is expanding, what if it becomes a mixed bag in the future? Will the monarchy still need to be restored?

If Joachim fails to take control of the party in the future, then the inevitable outcome for this new party will be a split.

Joachim did not answer, but picked up the wine bottle and poured Tirpitz a glass of red wine: "If the guy who will inherit the Hohenzollern throne in the future is a good-for-nothing, then there is no need for the monarchy to be reborn in Germany. As the saying goes, the right of kings is divine."

"If someone is destined to become emperor, then no one can stand in his way."