Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

Potsdam outskirts

A Mercedes-Benz drove into President Alberto's temporary residence.

Just a few days ago, President Ebert was the de facto president residing in Berlin.

However, he has now been driven out by the red forces.

They fled to Potsdam like stray dogs, awaiting the progress of the Wehrmacht's suppression.

However, things didn't go as planned. The National Defense Army's suppression efforts were slow to progress, and the revolution seemed to be escalating.

In Bremen and in Bavaria, sparks of revolution have begun to ignite.

Therefore, President Abbott is now under considerable pressure.

He repeatedly sent telegrams to Lüttwitz, who was in charge of the crackdown, urging him to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

However, Lüttwitz remained unmoved. As long as the so-called revolutionary government of Berlin did not attack the armory, he remained... as immovable as a mountain.

The car stopped, and the guards responsible for protecting the president quickly approached.

The guard came in and opened the car door for the owner of the Mercedes.

The person getting off the bus was dressed in a suit and tie, and it was clear at a glance that he was of high status.

"Mr. Hugenberg, the President is quite busy right now and may not be able to see you."

"He's been driven out of his own capital by those leftists, what else does Albert have to do?"

The man known as Hugenberg was arrogant and showed no respect for the German president.

Let's zoom out and take a look at his attire.

He wore a dark, conservative suit, was somewhat overweight, had full cheeks, and wore a pair of round-framed glasses, a trendy item of the time.

He had the air of an arrogant capitalist.

As he spoke, Hugenberg took out $100 from his briefcase and handed it to the other man: "Give me another heads-up."

"Alright, Mr. Hugenberg, I'll go and report this again now."

.......

"What could he possibly want from me here at this time?"

The electricity in the outskirts of Potsdam had been cut off as the revolution progressed, so the president, hiding in his room, could only make out the visiting card Hugenberg handed him by the dim sunlight. However, he didn't even glance at it before throwing it into the trash can: "Just tell him I'm not here, I don't want to see him."

To be honest, Albert is in a lot of trouble right now. Since taking office as president, he has been criticized not only by the left but also by the right.

The left wing condemned him for harming his comrades, while the right wing accused him of stabbing them in the back.

In addition, the German judicial system itself is too right-wing, and many of the judges in the Republic today were born in the imperial era.

This is precisely why they are fundamentally opposed to republicanism and democracy, and lean towards nationalism.

So I heard that Hugenberg's lawyers are using this opportunity to get him completely kicked out of office.

So Albert really doesn't want to see Hugenberg right now; he probably knows what the other man wants to ask.

They will either use this opportunity to shake the foundations of democracy, or they will make even more excessive demands.

Moreover, he believed that he had not done anything wrong in 1918, when 40 munitions workers in Berlin went on strike, demanding an end to the war and for peace.

Although Albert, as the leader of the Social Democratic Party, joined the strike committee, his aim was to control and end the strike as soon as possible in order to ensure the supply of munitions to the front lines and prevent the revolution from spiraling out of control.

But what was the result?

He was caught in the middle, and the left wing directly called him a traitor.

Hugenberg and other right-wing figures directly blamed him for the defeat.

How can they completely disregard the facts?

Are you trying to shift all the blame onto him?

Now, even the people of Berlin are criticizing him.

Albert was caught in a bind, pleasing neither side.

Is it his fault that we can't win a world war?

"But what if he doesn't want to leave?"

The guard, having taken the money and done the job, retorted in a completely unhelpful manner, "Then we won't be able to explain ourselves."

"Then let him wait."

Albert stood up from his chair, pacing back and forth angrily: "Doesn't he like to wait?"

"Let him wait outside, don't let him in. Let's see how long he can stand there!"

.......

"The President told me to wait, so I'll wait."

Compared to Albert's anger, Hugenberg appeared calm and composed.

He got back into his Mercedes and rolled down the window.

He lit a cigar with the help of his driver; time was on his side, and he wasn't in a hurry.

And so they waited from day to night.

Until Hugenberg downstairs started defiantly eating his steak.

Albert realized that dragging it out wasn't a solution.

Germany is currently in a critical situation, and he must reach a reconciliation with the right wing.

Only in this way can the republican government be consolidated.

Thinking of this,

So the president bent down with his noble back and, with a struggle of thought, picked up Hugenberg's invitation from the trash heap.

There wasn't much actual content inside, just a report from the Joint Investigation Committee about Potts.

"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."

"..."

"But taking into account the opinions of the Poles here, it is proposed to hold a referendum in the near future."

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

Referendum...

Albert astutely grasped the core essence of it.

Referendum!

If used properly.

This was a golden opportunity to consolidate the republican regime and make him a hero in Germany.

But this also means a risk: blindly supporting the right wing could allow it to gain power.

It should be noted that right-wing forces are extremely strong in Germany. If someone were to seize this opportunity to regain the throne, wouldn't the republic be doomed?

This is like drinking poison to quench thirst!

But we can't do that... if the Bolshevik revolution in Germany were to spread throughout the country.

Then their Social Democratic Party will definitely be purged by the far left, and when the republican government is gone, their lives will be over too.

Well, it wouldn't be bad if it went back to how it was before.

At least they can still fight in parliament.

With that in mind, Albert no longer hesitated and directly wrote the letter of appointment for "Joachim" as prime minister on his desk.

"Bring that guy in, I'll give him what he wants."

After saying that, he casually tossed the appointment letter onto the table.

He's almost given up on life right now.

There are bad things everywhere, and there are jerks everywhere.

Left-wing, right-wing, royalists—modern Germany has all sorts of weirdos and monsters.

After waiting for a few minutes,

Hugenberg walked in with the air of a victor.

He swaggered around, appearing remarkably relaxed: "Good evening, Your Excellency President."

Good evening, Mr. Hugenberg.

Albert looked at his old rival's face.

My heart was filled with mixed feelings, and I didn't know what I was thinking.

But he maintained a poker face: "What brings you here?"

"Your Excellency the President is aware of the referendum, isn't he?" Hugenberg said.

"I know........"