Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

"Your Highness, you are becoming more and more like us."

Ludwig Edeler came to Poz from Lower Silesia and sat in the living room of Elizabeth's house.

While eating the breakfast Elizabeth had made, he flipped through the newspaper in his hand.

This is a newspaper under Joachim's control, called "Patriotic".

One glance is enough to be startling, because Joachim spent a lot of money to develop the photos, so the newspaper looks very good, and the price is unusually low, obviously a loss-making deal, but for the purpose of political propaganda, the money is well spent.

Joachim also had a copy of such a newspaper, which roughly stated how many massacres the terrorists in Poz had caused in Poland and how much damage they had inflicted on the Polish people. It then gave a general explanation of the origins of the refugee crisis. In short, it placed all the blame on the terrorists in Poz and pointed the finger at Polish Interior Minister Tugut and Major Taczak, who had been arrested by Joachim.

The Berlin government has now delivered a diplomatic note to Warsaw, demanding an explanation for their actions in Poz.

Warsaw, however, did not back down, directly denouncing the Germans' crimes and claiming that their actions were solely to protect their compatriots in Poz.

They also requested that the Allied Powers send envoys to conduct verification.

The French were eager to embarrass the Germans, so they quickly mobilized their forces and threatened to form a joint investigation team to conduct an investigation.

Americans and Britons were also greatly shocked by this incident and are verifying it with Berlin.

Joachim genuinely despised Ludwig Edeller, the reactionary leader of Social Darwinism. Seeing that the other man was trying to get closer to him in words, he quickly distanced himself: "We are not alike at all, not even to the core."

"You don't know about the Schörner incident?"

"Scherna, what's wrong with Scherna?"

Joachim leaned closer to Ludwig Edeler: "Isn't he perfectly fine?"

"Are you genuinely unaware, or are you pretending?"

Ludwig Edeler scrutinized Joachim, then paused, his tone pausing: "It seems the other party really doesn't know about that matter?"

"What exactly happened?"

"It's nothing, just a small matter."

Ludwig Edeller casually changed the subject while sipping his milk, glancing at the newspaper in his hand: "I recently heard that the Allied Powers are sending an investigation team to investigate this matter. Are you prepared?"

"The pressure from Berlin is immense!"

"Albert has called me several times already."

"I've already thought about this."

Although Joachim was slightly puzzled, now was not the time to dwell on that trivial matter; he had more important things to do: "I will keep them silent; I have plenty of ways to do it."

"Besides, even if Americans criticize us for suppressing separatists, they do the same when dealing with domestic violence and riots."

"They still deployed the army and police, and they still arrested people and caused bloodshed everywhere."

"They are suppressing the people and students, while we are quelling a separatist movement. What right do they have to criticize us?"

"You have a mess at home, yet you're meddling in other people's business."

"What? Are you trying to use the issue of Native Americans to criticize them?"

Ludwig Edeler frowned; these words made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He had used those same words to reprimand Joachim, but now that Joachim was using the same argument against him, he had nothing to say.

But the practical problems still need to be solved. He suppressed his displeasure and asked, "This is not a good case. On the contrary, it will offend the Americans."

"I think you need to straighten out your stance now," Joachim said, looking at him critically.

"What do you mean?" Ludwig Edeller found Joachim's words rather inexplicable. He had no empathy for those Poles, so why was he trying to correct his stance?

"Scherner forcibly dispersed those people, but he did it rather cruelly."

Joachim felt he needed to say a few words in defense of Schörner. He thought Ludwig was referring to that matter, and indeed, Schörner's decision to expel women and children without men from Germany was indeed somewhat cruel.

But this isn't a game where you can start over if you fail.

This is a life-or-death struggle, and weak and pointless sympathy is meaningless.

This is highly unreasonable and inappropriate at this time.

If Joachim hadn't traveled to this world, then Germany losing Posen and parts of Silesia would have been a foregone conclusion.

Besides, the Poles weren't exactly saints either; when they occupied these lands, they were pushing for so-called Polishization.

Even in the summer of 1919, in history, even though Poland agreed to laws protecting so-called minorities.

So what can we do?

In the end, wasn't it still secretly promoting the so-called Polishization?

Ordinary Germans had their citizenship revoked, their employment restricted, and their land confiscated.

Wasn't this how the approximately one million people of German descent in the Posen Corridor were driven out?

By 1939, the German influence on these lands had been almost completely erased.

Therefore, Joachim did not see any problem.

This is simply a matter of reciprocal retaliation.

If the Germans lose, the Poles will use the same methods against them.

"But these are extraordinary times, and our struggle with the Poles is a brutal battle between nations."

"..." Ludwig Edeller remained silent, unsure how to respond. It seemed the other party truly did not know about this matter.

Seeing that Ludwig remained silent, Joachim spoke again: "Let's go back to that matter. Do you know what those Americans are most afraid of?"

What are you most afraid of?

"Or rather, what do capitalists in the world fear most?"

"Of course, it's that damned syndicalism."

"That's right, our next step is to make Germany red!"

"We can cooperate with Russia covertly."

"You mean...playing the Russian card?"

Ludwig Edeller was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he felt a chill run down his spine.

How could this world have become so absurd?

And they want to bring German syndicalism to power?

This is ridiculous! Is it an alien invasion?

How can right-wingers like them cooperate with left-wingers?

"That's right, play the Russia card." Joachim pointed to the newspaper in his hand. "Nothing in this world is permanent. If Britain and France can unite, then we can rekindle our old friendship with Russia. Besides, we're not the only ones in the world who hate Poland."

"The Russians to the east hate them even more."