Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

"Your Highness, look here."

It was raining outside, and a reporter from The Times was pointing his camera at Joachim.

The latter, in turn, struck a rather imposing pose as he desired.

With a "click," a photo of Joachim in military uniform was taken.

What is your newspaper's circulation?

"It's probably around 2 copies. The Times is the flagship of the Empire, so it targets a relatively high-end elite."

The reporter pondered for a moment before answering, and then began to organize the film reels in his hands.

Have you considered publishing a daily newspaper for the general public?

Joachim asked again.

"For the general public, you should go to the local Berlin newspaper, GG. Their circulation is around 20 copies, mainly targeting the lower and middle classes. If you want to distribute to the lower classes, then you can only rely on cheap and popular tabloids. The Berlin Illustrated Evening News might be a good choice."

This journalist is clearly a close confidant of Hugenberg, otherwise he wouldn't know so much about the media empire under Hugenberg's control.

"So, what's your recent promotional focus?"

Joachim asked again.

"Anti-republicanism, anti-Semitism, and the idolization of you."

"So, does that mean the whole of Germany will soon hear my voice?"

"That's true in a sense, but it will take some time. Even with official support, Mr. Hugenberg's annual sales only account for 30% of the total sales in Germany. Not to mention that the current imperial government has collapsed, so sales should plummet to around 24%."

"That's already very impressive." Joachim nodded slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

But at that moment, Wolf returned after seeing Tirpitz off, and he opened the door to greet Joachim.

"Your Highness, good afternoon."

Wolf appeared somewhat expressionless, which left Joachim at a loss.

He certainly knew what Tirpitz and Wolff had talked about, but he had no way of telling Wolff about it.

Because, deep down, Wolf was definitely the best choice; he was close enough to Joachim and loyal enough to him.

More importantly, he was ruthless and had already done a lot of dirty work under Joachim.

But precisely because of this, Joachim was even less able to speak about the matter directly.

He couldn't go against his conscience, because he had genuinely considered Wolf a friend from the beginning, yet now he was about to push him into the fire.

He simply couldn't accept it, even though Joachim was a vengeful person.

When Joachim saw that Wolf was carrying something, he wanted to go over and take it, but then he hesitated.

Because it was somewhat inappropriate, he stood there, his hands and feet becoming superfluous.

He stretched his hand forward, but quickly pulled it back.

Until Wolf noticed his predicament.

He smiled at Joachim and took out a pack of expensive cigarettes from his pocket.

He handed one to Joachim, and held the other in his mouth: "Your Highness, do you remember the night the Empire collapsed?"

"I remember, Wolf."

Joachim was somewhat embarrassed, patting his pockets with both hands and looking around for a lighter.

"The lighter is with me, Your Highness. Have you forgotten all about it?"

He took out a lighter from his pocket and lit it for Joachim, who just stood there, speechless and at a loss.

"So, Your Highness, do you still remember that line?"

"I remember, we were friends."

"Yes, we are friends."

Wolf turned his face to the side for the first time in front of Joachim, now standing shoulder to shoulder with his prince.

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his face, half in light and half in shadow: "So, Your Highness, I am willing to do anything for you."

"Even if it means bearing all the bad reputation, I'm willing to do it."

"Wolf......."

Joachim, who was originally cold-hearted to the core, showed an expression of shame and indignation for the first time.

At that moment, her eyes welled up with tears, and she was almost about to burst into tears.

He was genuinely moved.

As the saying goes, there are countless relationships, but self-interest comes first.

No one would take all the blame for a so-called, illusory friendship.

Especially during such a low point, Wolf was even willing to go to such lengths for Joachim...

"Joachim..."

Wolf called Joachim by his name for the first time.

Joachim did not answer, but silently walked to the window.

At this moment, the German prince stood by the window for a while, his eyes filled with tears.

A moment later, he turned around, his voice incredibly hoarse: "I'm very grateful to you... my friend."

.......

Joachim's photo was printed on the front page of The Times.

The title is "Heroes Fighting in Pots".

The above briefly describes Joachim's deeds in Pots and Silesia, mainly using phrases like "righteous and awe-inspiring," "fighting for Germany," and so on.

However, it is worth noting that Joachim's name is incomplete.

The word "Hohenzollern" was deliberately omitted, clearly an attempt to distance itself from Wilhelm II.

So when the right-wing movement in Germany was at a low ebb

The newspaper had only just been published when it became a hit with the German right wing.

As if they had all conspired together, all the German right-wingers rallied to support, praise, and spread the news in the newspapers.

The right wing's high-profile actions naturally attracted the attention of the left wing, and news about Joachim became the best-selling newspaper content in Germany today.

News about Joachim is everywhere in Germany.

Therefore, the Times newspaper was naturally delivered to the Presidential Palace as well.

When the newspaper was handed to President Abbott, he glanced at it and immediately erupted hysterically: "What on earth are those right-wing guys trying to do?"

"Aren't we causing enough trouble already?"

With that, President Albert tossed the brand-new newspaper onto his desk: "Call Hugenberg and tell them to come to the Presidential Palace for a meeting immediately."

"What exactly are they trying to do? A coup?"

"Why bring out a member of the royal family?"

"Uh... it seems His Highness Joachim is no longer a member of the royal family; he has broken ties with his father."

President Abbott's secretary whispered a reminder from the side.

"That won't do either. Everyone knows his ambitions."

Lighting a cigar, Albert gradually calmed down: "That guy is better than his father and his brother. We absolutely cannot let him become the face of the right wing!"

"Otherwise, the republican system that Germany had worked so hard to establish would completely collapse!"

"So what do you suggest we do? The right wing has already pushed him out."

"His Highness Joachim's deeds are already widely known."

"It's already too late to stop these newspapers from being published."

"He is now a hero to all of Germany!"

"A German hero?"

"Can a butcher be considered a hero?" Albert sneered. "Don't call Hugenberg."

"go!"

"Bring those radical leftists here!"

"They want to create a brand, don't they? Then let's thoroughly discredit and smear Joachim!"

"We're not the most anxious people right now; there are people who are more anxious than us!"