Iron and Blood: A Triumph of the Will

The person was walking very fast. Joachim had barely glanced at him when the person pushed open the door.

"Your Highness, I was shocked to hear that you had been attacked."

"I'll be right there. Are you alright? Are you feeling alright?"

The man walked anxiously toward Joachim, looking him up and down.

Joachim waved his hand and pointed to a cut on his left eyebrow: "It's safe, just a scratch from glass on my eyebrow."

"Look at that guy next door, his face is covered in cuts."

After saying that, Joachim pointed to Heinrich, who was almost disfigured, beside him.

Because he was smoking when he was attacked, his body was closer to the window.

When the vehicle overturned, almost all the glass shards landed on his face.

That person wasn't in the mood to look at Heinrich.

Instead, he continued to look at Joachim: "It's a good thing you're alright, otherwise I wouldn't know how to explain it to His Majesty the Emperor."

"It's nothing, these things don't matter."

"The most urgent task now is to find out who is behind them."

Joachim shrugged and said to the man in front of him, "You know this isn't the first time they've attempted an assassination like this. They already did it once before attacking us."

"How dare they!"

"You know Robert Schmidt, right?"

"They're the ones who killed that guy."

Nikolai's face remained unchanged upon hearing that Robert Schmidt had been killed.

He doesn't care whether those damned Social Democrats are alive or dead.

His only request while he's in Germany is that Joachim stay safe.

Otherwise, he truly wouldn't be able to explain himself to His Majesty the Emperor to whom he served.

Moreover, Joachim is now a banner, a banner of imperial restoration.

Therefore, he absolutely cannot get into trouble.

"That's easy, leave it to me."

"Where are the prisoners we captured?"

"It's right next door," Heinrich interjected from the side.

Only then did Nikolai look at Heinrich properly, but he quickly looked away.

Then, without uttering a single unnecessary word, he said, "Just leave it to me."

After saying this, he gave Joachim a military salute, slammed the door, and left.

Prussian soldiers have always valued efficiency.

"He's an oddball." After Nikolai left, Heinrich said to Joachim, "I sensed a cold aura about him, and he seemed to resent me and look down on me."

"All intelligence chiefs around the world are like this, so let's be more understanding of him. He's under a lot of pressure right now."

Joachim smiled at Heinrich.

......

"Clang!"

The door was flung open, and Walter Nikolai strode in.

He stood at the doorway and stared intently at Wolf, who was in charge of the interrogation.

Wolf was startled by the man's gaze and was about to retaliate, but seeing his fierce eyes and the rank insignia on his uniform, he had no choice but to shut his mouth.

Nikolai glanced at him, then strode forward and asked directly, "Have you asked about these people?"

"I've already asked."

Wolf was somewhat uncomfortable with the question and frowned.

But his body language betrayed him, and he made way for the other person.

"What kind of questions were asked?"

"The mastermind...the motive..."

"So?" Nikolai stared at Wolf again, his gaze sharp and piercing. "Did you say it?"

"Not...not yet."

"So what are you doing now?"

"Playing house with these people?"

"We have already used torture to extract a confession, but they just won't talk."

"Torture and forced confessions... Hmph!"

Nikola snorted and stepped forward to shove Wolf away.

He strode forward, drew his bayonet from his waist, grabbed a prisoner's arm, and stabbed him hard.

Then it was twisted, and blood immediately gushed from the injured arm...

The prisoner was in excruciating pain.

.......

"Those people have already said that it was those red thugs who did it; they all belong to that organization."

In the blink of an eye, Nikolai returned to Joachim's room with the confession.

Both of them were astonished by his efficiency: "So fast?"

"That's efficiency." Nikolai nodded with some pride, handing the statement to Joachim: "Your Highness has recently pushed those Red thugs a bit too far, to the point that they have no choice but to take desperate measures..."

Before Joachim could speak, Heinrich looked at Nikolai with some skepticism: "Is the intelligence accurate?"

"..." Faced with the questioning, Nikolai just stared at him intently without saying a word, while Heinrich also stared at him. The two stared at each other for a long time, their eyes filled with a contest.

"I trust Nikolai," Joachim began, trying to smooth things over. "He's an expert in this area..."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. Interrogation is one of my specialties."

"Do we need to provide an explanation to the Presidential Office regarding this matter?"

Heinrich continued, "Now it's not just the president who knows, many other people know too..."

"We will continue to expand our influence, but we will not reveal who the killer is..."

Joachim glanced at the report in his hand, and he had his own thoughts. This might be a very good opportunity.

"Then... what should we do with the prisoners we captured?"

"Shoot them all or what?" Heinrich spoke hastily, seemingly eager to prove himself: "Or perhaps send him to court..."

"Just send them directly to a military court."

"Since they chose assassination, they should bear the corresponding responsibility..."

Nikolai's eyes showed no pity for these young men. The assassins of Joachim were all young, not even 20 years old. According to the laws of the German Empire, they would not be sentenced to death.

So Nikolai directly suggested sending them to a military court to be prosecuted for treason... and then making an exception for them!

"There's no need for that. Keep only the one or two most important ones."

"Release everyone else..."

Upon hearing this, both Heinrich and Nikolai were taken aback. Heinrich hurriedly said, "Your Highness, you cannot be soft-hearted at this time!"

"That's right. If these desperados think that there will be no consequences for a failed assassination, then the first and second waves of assassinations will soon follow."

A flash of resentment crossed Nikolai's merciless eyes!

"Furthermore, we will announce this to the entire nation, to show the people of the country just how despicable these labor union members are!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"They all deserve to die! They must not be let go!" Nikolai and Heinrich finally reached a consensus on one thing: how to deal with the murderers.

"Although I also really want them to die."

"But some things can't be done just by talking about them."

"We need to consider the bigger picture and refrain from announcing the killer's identity for now."

"That's it. What's the date today?"

"March 15th..."

"Hmm, then it should be soon!"

"Our most important task right now is to restore order in Berlin!"