Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

"We are now comparing the materials we found with those found by the Polish side."

"This fully reflects the fact that the Germans started this whole thing."

"But there are indeed large-scale ethnic clashes between the two sides in this region, which is a fact that we cannot deny."

"Could I have a cigarette?" The French investigator, his voice trembling slightly, looked at the photos. "These photos are truly disturbing. How many people did they kill here...?"

"I don't know. There are already hundreds of people counted so far, and thousands more are missing."

The British commissioner, standing nearby, nodded slightly at the French commissioner, then took out a cigarette and handed it to him.

If you look closely, you can see that his fingers are trembling incessantly.

Clearly, the mutual killings between Germans and Poles on this land far exceeded their imagination.

"Ugh..." The French official, who had just recovered, immediately gagged as he thought about the scenes the Germans had taken them to see today.

"So how should we write our investigation report?"

The American commissioner standing to the side appeared somewhat indifferent. He wasn't particularly interested in this racial feud far away on the European continent; he was only responsible for protecting the interests of the Americans.

"Put all the blame on the Germans." The French commissioner raised his arm. "All the evidence points to the Germans striking first. Since the Germans struck first, we have no reason to side with them. Let's tell the truth and let the world see the vicious side of the Germans."

"......."

However, no one agreed with his point of view, and after he put forward the idea, the room fell into an eerie silence.

Why aren't you all saying anything?

The French commissioner found his colleagues somewhat unreasonable: "Aren't we here to investigate the facts?"

Yes, we're here to investigate the facts, but we're all here to serve politics.

The British commissioner glanced at the French commissioner, then took a deep drag on his cigarette.

In the end, the American told the truth. He slowly raised a cigarette between his fingers and said, "We are indeed here to investigate the facts, but we are also serving a political purpose."

"What do you mean?"

Have you seen the news from China?

"What, what news?"

"The red of Berlin has swept across the country."

"Wasn't there some rioting there? Didn't the National Defense Forces already quell it?"

"You're being far too naive."

The British commissioner chimed in: "Just yesterday, the syndicalist republic of Bremen was declared established. Berlin is already finding it difficult to contain the red forces within the country, and Bavaria is completely red."

"so what?"

The French commissioner clearly realized something, but he was still somewhat unwilling to give up, unlike the two men.

He still has a conscience.

"So now we face a problem: is Germany moving to the far left or to the far left?" the American commissioner began. "Undoubtedly, moving to the left will give the working class unrealistic fantasies and may even ignite a rebellion within our country. We cannot allow that damned syndicalist plague to spread to us."

"If Poland was the first line of defense against the Bolsheviks, then Germany was undoubtedly the second."

"We cannot allow the Bolshevik plague to spread to our core areas, once the whole world is stained red."

"I have no idea how nightmare the scenario we're about to face will be."

"Then let them get infected. In short, I'm going to expose the truth."

The French commissioner remained undeterred and issued threats.

"Then I will not sign the investigation results."

The British commissioner stated his position very frankly: "Because revealing the results of the investigation would be the last straw that breaks the camel's back, I do not want the Berlin Republican regime to fall. I have received clear instructions that we need a Berlin regime that honors the peace treaty, not a Berlin regime that is preparing for the next war."

"Yes, we've all received the information. You may not have received instructions from Paris." With a cigarette dangling from his lips, the American commissioner said arrogantly, "Perhaps we should take a break?"

"Perhaps you'll receive news from Paris around this time."

"Don't you two have any passion in your hearts?" The French commissioner pointed at the two men with righteous indignation, veins bulging on his forehead, clearly extremely angry.

"Hot-blooded?"

"Don't use passion as a pretext."

Upon hearing this, the British commissioner's eyes widened for a moment, but quickly narrowed back to slits: "Don't think we don't know what you French are up to. You just want to take this opportunity to completely dismantle Germany."

"But Your Excellency, I can tell you clearly."

"You want to completely dismantle Germany? That's impossible."

"All countries are now looking forward to peace, and no one wants to start a war again."

"If the French want to act alone, we won't stop them," an American official chimed in. "However, the moment you take action, the Bolshevik plague will spread to your country."

"When workers go on strike, soldiers mutini, and revolution is ignited, think about who will die then?"

If the French were determined to rebuild their European hegemony, thereby completely dismantling Germany.

The British attitude was to divide up the German colonies.

They did advocate weakening Germany, but they also opposed excessive exploitation of Germany.

Because once the German revolution occurs, those so-called reparations will be meaningless.

It's important to understand that Britain had no territorial claims against Germany; they were simply hoping these reparations would cover their debts to the Americans.

Moreover, they also needed to retain a certain amount of German power to counterbalance France, in order to ensure that France would not dominate continental Europe and become the next Germany.

Not to mention that the Germans can also serve as a firewall to some extent.

As for the American attitude?

In fact, they were similar to Britain; they opposed excessive punishment of Germany to prevent German retaliation.

So of the three countries, only the French wanted Germany dead; however, France at present was not capable of confronting Germany.

The war was reignited, and a coup occurred in the country shortly afterward.

"Therefore, we must consider the bigger picture in everything we do."

The British commissioner stepped forward, patted the French commissioner on the shoulder, and then casually raised his hand: "I'm here to put an end to this conflict."

"The allegations of mass killings of Poles by the Germans are completely unfounded."

"Moreover, our investigation revealed that the Germans provided very effective protection for the Poles. They not only refrained from carrying out large-scale massacres against the Poles, but also indirectly protected them."

"In particular, the proposal put forward by former German Crown Prince Joachim to establish protected areas for ethnic minorities is a good example for us to solve ethnic conflicts."

"Of course, there are indeed ethnic conflicts and small-scale casualties between the two sides in the region, but we believe that this was absolutely not the intention of either side."

"It was only a small group of insurgents and terrorists hidden among the masses who committed these bloody acts."

"They are sabotaging things behind the scenes, trying to break this land out of German rule."

"Originally, with the rebellion quelled, we intended to return this land to German rule."

"But considering the opinions of the Poles here, I propose organizing a referendum."

"The ownership of this land shall be determined by the people's choice."

"Agreed!" The U.S. commissioner raised his hand. "The investigation should end here."

"Speak," both men said, their eyes simultaneously turning to the French commissioner.

Under the watchful eyes of the two men, the French commissioner paused briefly, but then raised his hand: "I agree as well."

Later, he added, "But I want to reiterate that both sides are at fault! I demand that both sides apologize to each other on this issue."

After saying that, he seemed to have lost all his strength and collapsed onto the sofa.