Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

In Breslau, a river flows through the city where Frederick the Great rose to power.

Joachim's troops patrolled along the river, in what was also the German-populated area of ​​Silesia.

For this reason, speaking German here would not result in attacks from the Poles, so they could finally relax after being tense all the way.

The young soldier Hans, watching the butterflies fluttering about, finally felt a sense of relief.

He was a new recruit who had never been on the battlefield before, so he inevitably had some reservations when killing people.

He rubbed his slightly numb cheeks and subconsciously looked towards the warehouse in the distance, which was oozing blood.

They killed quite a few people there today.

They killed about twenty or thirty left-wing fanatics there, and the camera slowly zoomed in.

Two or three men with union armbands on their arms were piled together by the soldiers.

One of the bodies bore the rank of captain, clearly indicating he was in charge of the warehouse; his head had been pierced by a bullet.

The bullet entered through the back of his skull and exited through one of his eyeballs.

And that's why the red and white brain matter gradually flowed out of the wound.

Everything looked so terrifying.

The camera zooms out, revealing Manstein standing beside the corpses, a cigar dangling from his lips, smoking leisurely.

Manstein held a cigar in his mouth, smoke rings rising, as he calmly recorded the history of this arms depot with both hands.

"Good morning."

"Where is His Highness?"

Yesterday, Heinz Guderian, who was reporting to Joachim with the government's transfer order, greeted Manstein and asked directly about Joachim's whereabouts.

"He's throwing up outside the door."

"What happened?"

"Killing is easy, but he can't stand the smell."

"As a member of the imperial family, it is indeed difficult for him to do these things."

"His Highness said he wants to break through his own limits."

"You don't have to kill people yourself."

"It's a direct confrontation with the enemy, not an execution of prisoners of war. What's there to say?"

Manstein put the notebook into his pocket, straightened his gloves, and hung them on his outer belt: "Let's go, I'll take you to see him."

"We still have a lot to do today, Heinz."

"Um......"

Guderian nodded and followed behind Manstein. As a newcomer, he was naturally not as familiar with the place as Manstein was.

It takes time to get used to your new job.

The door slowly opened, and he saw Joachim sitting on the steps, desperately drinking water.

Killing his enemies didn't burden Joachim psychologically; the only thing that weighed on him was...

It was the smell of these dead bodies that reminded him of unpleasant memories from his past life.

His grandfather had died at the time, and his grandmother, who had mental health issues, did not know how to use a mobile phone.

So he was only discovered at home two or three days after he died.

When his family discovered him, he already exhibited signs of gigantism... and his body also began to smell...

That night, he saw his father secretly crying for the first time.

He was such a man of steel, yet he could cry...

Composing himself, Joachim noticed the movement behind him and turned around to see the two people who had arrived.

"You've arrived?"

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

"It's not a big deal. Even if you're sick, you just have to tough it out at this time."

Joachim stopped thinking about anything else; he'd save the memories for later.

What he needed now was ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness: "Heinz, your arrival has saved me from my immediate predicament."

"But now I have a question for you: what exactly brought you here?"

"I am a soldier, and I obey the orders of my government."

"Now you have a chance to save the government right in front of you, aren't you going to cherish it?"

"I don't know, I just obey orders."

"You'll soon find out that what we're doing is meaningful." Joachim's expression turned serious as he stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. "What we need to do is identify those dreamers who only talk big, so I need more manpower now."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Recruit more soldiers, and Manstein will allocate supplies and salaries to you."

"How many people do you need?"

"We can recruit a lot of people who are idle on the streets."

"I can't find enough officers to arrange these things..."

"Manstein will write to his friends to inform them to serve in my army, so you don't need to worry about that."

"But recruiting troops requires government approval."

"We are not recruiting soldiers."

"We are not fighting for the Hohenzollern family, we are fighting for the land beneath our feet."

"Very well, Your Highness, I agree."

"But does your identity need to be revealed?"

"Sure, but I'm not afraid of the government's pursuit. Don't worry about my safety, because I'll be cutting ties with the royal family soon."

Joachim patted Guderian on the chest and, under the other's shocked gaze, left with Manstein.

He and the young man, Manstein, still had many things to deal with.

But halfway there, he stopped and looked back at Guderian.

Manstein, standing beside him, looked puzzled. "What's wrong, Your Highness?"

"Give this young captain 10 months' salary, drawn from my assets."

......

Joachim handed over all the work to Guderian.

Of course, he wasn't idle either; he also took Manstein and his driver Wolf to conduct on-site investigations throughout Silesia.

After some investigation, Joachim had to admit that Frederick the Great's conquest of Silesia was an extremely cost-effective move.

It would have been worth it for Prussia to fight another seven-year war back then.

This place is incredibly rich.

Silesia was the second largest industrial region in the German Empire after the Ruhr, and it not only had the industrial heart of Katowice, but also a series of heavy industrial cities.

For Joachim, who was eager to strengthen his power, resources such as coal and steel were absolutely the most needed nourishment.

Once this place is captured, it will undoubtedly become an excellent springboard for Joachim to seize power in Berlin.

However, he still faces a series of troubles, such as the increasingly rampant left-wing elements here. Their left-wing activities are definitely not good for Joachim, who wants to pursue his dreams. In addition to them, there are also the Poles who are trying to seize the heart of the industry in the shadows. These guys who have just broken free from the shackles of Germany have not hesitated to extend their claws to Silesia. Joachim cannot let them run rampant here.

Thinking of this, the German prince bent down and picked up the poster of the Polish separatist from the ground.

They broke free from the shackles of Prussia and returned to the embrace of the Polish family.

Germany could no longer suppress the emerging separatist movements in Silesia.