Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

Brodokdov-Rancho ultimately agreed to Joachim's order.

When he later explained to Shedemann, he claimed that Joachim had given him the Prime Minister's decree.

"So, Prime Minister, what's the code name for this operation?"

Goltz followed Joachim, asking for the operation's code name.

"......."

Joachim, who was walking ahead, paused for a moment, then turned around: "How's Operation Fortress going?"

"Operation Fortress is indeed a very good name," Gortz nodded in agreement behind Joachim.

"Don't you think that's a bit unlucky?"

Joachim raised an eyebrow slightly, some unpleasant memories swirling in his mind.

"Then, Your Excellency the Prime Minister, think of another one."

Golts shrugged in reply.

"Operation Griffin?"

"Never mind, that's unlucky too."

"......"

After a moment of silence, Joachim finally gave his definitive answer: "Let's move in Loiten!"

"Operation Loiten... Your Highness!"

Upon hearing the code name, Goltz licked his suddenly dry lips, and his eyes became moist.

That's how high their expectations are for themselves.

The name "Leuten" represents a myth of victory for the entire German Empire.

It originates from the decisive victory commanded by Frederick the Great that turned the tide of the war.

This refers to the Battle of Leuten.

Gradually, through embellishment and creation by later generations, it became a myth of Prussia and the Second German Empire.

Therefore, for a traditional Prussian soldier, this was the greatest honor.

This also represents Joachim's expectations of him.

"Yes, I believe you can definitely complete this mission."

Joachim turned around and patted him heavily on the shoulder: "And I believe only you can stubbornly crush the Russians' stubbornness!"

These words caused Goltz to be astonished once again.

None of the Prussian soldiers who rose to such high positions had not read the biography of Frederick the Great.

These were the words Frederick the Great once said to his brother.

Goltz's eyes were already brimming with tears, and he felt a little dizzy: "Your Highness, I will definitely complete this mission!"

"I will definitely be able to crush the Russians' stubbornness."

"Yes, that's good to know."

Joachim nodded slightly, a hint of encouragement in his eyes as he met Goltz's gaze.

Then he turned around and said, "You don't need to follow me for a bit. I need to smooth things over."

"The first shipment of munitions from Königsberg will set sail at 6 p.m. tonight."

"You can act on your own!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

.......

After learning of Joachim's audacious plan.

Even someone as bold as Tirpitz felt somewhat dazed.

This idea is incredibly audacious—using violence to force negotiations!

And on what basis could Joachim be certain that Red Russia would compromise?

But it only took Tirpitz a few breaths to go from dazed to convinced. Once he came to his senses, his eyes were filled with determination, after all, this young man had indeed created many miracles.

After a brief silence, Tirpitz spoke again: "So Your Highness intends to mobilize the entire nation's naval forces to ensure Gortz's operations in the Baltic Sea, is that right?"

"Yes, in a sense, this was a resounding slap in the face to the Allied Powers and Red Russia!"

Joachim nodded slightly: "Now everyone is convinced that we have no potential for war, so let's prove with our strength that we Germans are not lambs to the slaughter. If they want to draft a harsh treaty for us, then let them completely defeat us first..."

"But what if the war continues?"

"The war cannot continue..."

"They've been playing for four years already, and the French have lost a generation of young players. Do they really want to keep playing?"

"Perhaps without a ceasefire, both sides could continue to endure this..."

"The dawn of peace has now broken. Anyone who reopens the war on the Western Front will be infected with the Bolshevik plague. Therefore, the Allied Powers care more about their heads than our lives."

"Alright, Your Highness, I believe you..."

"So I'll leave the naval affairs to you. I have no connections there, and I know absolutely nothing about naval command..."

"The navy doesn't have much strength left at the moment." Tirpitz paused for a moment, considering the current state of the German High Seas Fleet: "To be honest, we only have some old and weak fleets left, but if we use these to escort the ships, it can still meet Gortz's requirements."

"But the question is, can the Ruhr region supply that much coal?"

"I'm afraid not..."

Currently, the Ruhr region is still in the midst of a major strike. Although Joachim is nominally the prime minister of a national government, the area he actually controls is still very limited, basically only most of Prussia.

Large states like Saxony and Bavaria still have their own governments that don't obey the central government's orders, but Joachim can't deal with them now; he has to wait for the right time to intervene.

"That……"

"The strategic coal reserves have already been used; we won't have to wait until next winter..."

"In addition to these, I have signed Chancellor's Order No. 1, ordering all German merchant ships and cruise ships adrift in the Baltic Sea to stand by, and the German Navy may requisition them at will!"

"The German government will compensate them individually afterwards!"

"Is it necessary to do this, Your Highness...?" Tirpitz was clearly taken aback by Joachim's determination.

"Of course it's necessary!" Joachim suddenly scoffed. "Rather than signing a surrender treaty and paying these things back to the Allied Powers, I'd rather use them on the battlefield!"

"Victory belongs to us! Lord Tirpitz!"

"Should we use the Zeppelins too?" Tirpitz asked, a hint of teasing interest creeping into his voice. "They have a large carrying capacity, and since they don't need to bomb London anymore, we can use them to transport weapons..."

"Transporting weapons..."

Upon hearing this, Joachim's eyes suddenly lit up: "Lord Tirpitz, do you think Zeppelin's voyage could reach Ireland and then make a round trip?"

"That's definitely more than enough..."

"Whether it's the early, middle, or current Zeppelin airships, they can all do this."

Although Tirpitz was the father of the German High Seas Fleet, he still had some knowledge of the German airship force, and even the earliest Zeppelin airships could make a round trip.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?"

"Do you have any thoughts?"

"I've heard things have been a bit unsettled in Ireland lately. What do you think about us getting some weapons and equipment transported there via Zeppelin airships?"

Joachim couldn't help but chuckle mischievously at the thought of what he was about to do: "I'm sure those British would be thrilled to go and cause them trouble..."

"Then you should go find Paul von Leto-Volbek. He's experienced in this; he's a master of guerrilla warfare." Although Tirpitz thought Joachim's idea was a bit far-fetched, as long as it could cause trouble for those British, Tirpitz would wholeheartedly agree!