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"What business is it of you 11 District people if we Germans establish a special zone on Honshu Island?" The hot-tempered German civilians finally refused to be "good boys" anymore. They rolled up their sleeves and trousers, and for a time, Honshu Island was in complete chaos. The streets and alleys were filled with a friendly and harmonious festive atmosphere amidst the fighting between Japanese and Germans.
Fortunately, no gunfight occurred, thanks to the enthusiastic reporting of gun manufacturing sites in Area 11 by the German people.
Such an unprecedented People's Boxing Championship finally woke up Suzaku Kururugi's stone head. The "Great Melee" lasted for three days before he finally approved the military and police to use force to intervene in the conflict between civilians—of course, only allowing the use of non-firearm equipment such as batons.
The Britannian military and police, who had been holding back their anger, finally found an outlet. Every time they went on a mission, regardless of which side started the fight, they would usually kick the people from Area 11 in the head first.
The German Aryan Special Forces did not participate because they needed to protect Marie Bell's personal safety, while the American and Soviet officers and soldiers were still busy stealing the limelight from the Imperial Army and police—the Japanese boys were no match for the Slavs' size. As for the American soldiers, upon hearing that they could safely beat up the Japanese, they all happily went all out to kill them.
Reporters naturally followed behind the military and police, setting up their cameras to broadcast to every household's television. The result was predictable—television viewers could easily notice the distinctive blue and white uniforms of American and Soviet soldiers among the dark mass of military and police, and naturally, they would also notice the American soldiers cursing and swearing.
Ordinary Britannian citizens would naturally be delighted, but people in Area 11 would be so annoyed they'd smash their TVs, including those "activists" who escaped from police and military pursuit.
They decided to pull off a ruthless heist. Driven by their desire to bully the weak and satisfy their lust, they set their sights on "girls" dressed in blue and white uniforms, just like the Slavic strongmen and Yankee lads.
……
Not long after, an explosive news story caused a sensation in Japan—a female soldier who was drunk was "besieged" by about 10 Japanese soldiers when she went into a convenience store to buy alcohol in the middle of the night.
What was supposed to be another critique of the daily lives of men in Japan, particularly their lower bodies, took a turn for the worse after subsequent reports surfaced.
When reporters visited the hospital, they found the young Japanese men involved in the incident lying on their respective hospital beds, their faces bruised and swollen, wrapped in bandages and with casts on. One of them was still in the ICU.
Just as the reporter was staring blankly at the ward, a girl with a band-aid on her face and only a little gauze on her arm patted the photographer on the shoulder, indicating that she was the victim—oh right, the key point is that she didn't even use a cane and walked over from the next ward by herself.
The reporter suddenly realized upon seeing the blue and white uniforms worn by the female soldiers and the Russian names on their identification tags: Could this be one of the Soviet female soldiers recently recruited by the armed security regiment from the prisoner-of-war camp?
"I express my remorse for this violation of drinking alcohol while on night duty. Regarding this fight, I will cooperate fully with the investigation. After all, not only me, but the entire Tokyo Concession wants to know how a completely drunk Slavic female soldier managed to beat ten Japanese soldiers to the ground..."
This absurd and comical report added a touch of lighthearted humor to the daily bloodshed in Area 11, and the civilians of the German Confederation came up with another brilliant idea.
Before the punishment for the Soviet female soldier involved was announced, German civilians preemptively launched a rally demanding that the 11th District Governor's Office declare the female soldier innocent.
The format of the rally was also quite unique. Unlike the previous practice of people in Area 11 blocking highways without a word, Germans reported the size of their group and the location of the rally to the military and police in advance, and the military and police would also be present to witness the entire rally process.
Three more days passed, and every television program broadcast in the Western Pacific featured these 50 or so well-behaved German civilians, standing quietly on the sidewalk in front of a park gate, holding up signs to passersby and vehicles, a stark contrast to the people of District 11 who constantly associated rallies with vandalism and looting.
"Why should we wrong them? Why should we still favor the people of Area 11 at this point!" Before long, not only did citizens of the Empire from the Korean Peninsula and the Philippines voice their support for the Germans, but even many noblemen couldn't stand it anymore.
They wrote to Suzaku and Nunnally, "Elisabeth and Princess Kelly brought us so many laborers from District 45 who are far more reliable than the people from District 11, and you've turned such a good hand into such a mess?"
……
"I remember saying that if the Federation's incorporation fails, it will speed up the announcement of District 45. And when the entire Britannian Empire sees a new 'member' coming among us, it doesn't want to look down on the people of District 11, does it?"
Seeing that the situation in District 11 remained unresolved day after day, Schneizel seemed to be getting restless. His meaning was also very clear: if the conflict between the people of District 45 and District 11 was not resolved, the work of assimilating and pacifying the rebellious sentiments in District 45 would be greatly hindered in the long run.
Kylier understood this as well, but unlike his sister, he and his brother Schneizel had not yet reached the point of mutual suspicion.
So, going with the flow, when Nunnally and Suzaku were undecided, he defied public opinion and exonerated the female soldier. As for the aftermath of the Kofu massacre, Maribel also listened to his advice and personally oversaw the repair of the Kofu city streets.
As for the "German Special District," it was certainly inappropriate to establish it at the moment. With the consideration of appeasing both sides first, after discussing it with the generals of the expeditionary force, Kylier issued a notice to the German civilians in the 11th district.
……
"A notice to all German-American undocumented residents in the 11th ward: Anyone who can identify landmarks, sculptures, or historical materials in German cities such as Berlin, please register at the Tokyo Concession City Hall as soon as possible. Those who contribute will be rewarded, blah blah blah..."
A few days later, when Stasevich and Hanks met privately, they saw this news in the newspapers they were holding.
“This is great news, comrade.” Hanks smiled and pushed up his glasses. “Britannia opening up to the world and allowing its citizens free movement is just around the corner, which will make our work much easier.”
“So you need to hurry now.” Stasevich understood. “In addition, I now have sufficient evidence to prove that Britannia is taking civilians from our world at a significantly reduced rate.”
“I knew all along that there was resistance from people back home, so it’s not our fault, there are understandable reasons.” Hanks curled the corners of his mouth and shook his head. “But thankfully, one of the girls in our mutual aid association managed to get a spot.”
As Hanks spoke, he pointed to a figure in the distance with a full head of long white hair.
"A girl? Are you sure that's not an old woman?"
“Hmm, I can’t quite imagine how a girl could turn her hair white overnight from worry.” Hanks shrugged at Stasevich.
“Okay, then remember to tell her to find this person.” Stasevich quietly slipped a note into Hanks’ pocket—it contained information about Blanco, the American soldier who had previously smuggled himself back to Berlin. “Speaking of which, wouldn’t a girl like that be inconspicuous in a crowd while on a secret mission?”
“Of course, because her name is more prominent. Do you know about the airships that we Germans built decades ago?” Hanks smiled slightly. “I never imagined that Count Zeppelin had a little-known great-granddaughter.”
Chapter 330, Section 423: German Past (Part 1-2)
"Germany was the starting point of the entire 45th District colonial plan, and the Germans were also the first experimental samples for assimilating the people of the 45th District. In addition to understanding what they could do, we also need to understand what they wanted."
This is Schneizel's unchanging philosophy as the mastermind behind the scenes, and naturally, every high-ranking official in District 45 knows it by heart.
It was supposed to be the Marquis of Louisse's responsibility, but Elizabeth unexpectedly asked to participate—perhaps because Berlin had acquired a special place in her heart, or perhaps she wanted to relieve the frustration of the previous defeat in Hamburg.
A few days after his brother issued the announcement in District 11, he gradually gathered more than 150 German civilians and sent them back to Berlin, including a Soviet colonel named Andreievich who had been imprisoned in the Tokyo concession. According to Karonville, some secrets that even Germans might not know were in his mind.
The people returned to their own country's capital, and in just over six months, they felt that much had changed. They probably couldn't believe that the invaders had gone to such lengths to rapidly renovate every corner of the city in preparation for their future colonial plans.
Apart from complete ruins, the workers and engineers in Britannia did not alter the city's architectural layout. Instead, they either repaired existing buildings or rebuilt them on their original sites. The aim was to avoid accidentally digging up one of Berlin's "national lifelines," which could hinder future assimilation efforts.
The Brandenburg Gate, the Parliament Building, and the museums displaying a wealth of artifacts and works of art were left untouched by the Britannians. They didn't even dare to dig up the flowerbeds and lawns in the residential areas with excavators. Only the unfortunate Victory Column was destroyed. General Malendo initially tried to appease Schneizel by removing the bronze statue at the top and taking it back to District 11 as a gift, but then he blew up the stone column.
"I'm glad you've learned restraint and patience, Marendor. At least you haven't caused us any more trouble."
Along Charlottenburg Street, from the Victory Column to the Brandenburg Gate, are reliefs commemorating outstanding Rhine descendants—King Frederick William III of Prussia and Queen Louise, as well as statues of Wagner, Goethe, and even Moltke the Elder, Ronne, and Bismarck, all of which miraculously survived the ravages of World War II.
A single misstep prevented Elizabeth from comforting these commoners, and from seeing the faces inscribed on these stones, and from learning about the rich history of Germany through them.
They were politicians, military leaders, musicians, and writers. As role models for a nation and elites of human civilization, they led Germany to the center of the European and even the world stage—none of them had the innocent souls of countless victims at their feet.
The German civilians acting as "guides" continued their patient narration, while the generals and high-ranking officials listened intently. Elizabeth couldn't help but ponder silently—how many beautiful tales has Germany left us in our world?
After European nobles fled to the Americas and intermarried with the newly formed Britannia, the history of the EU seemed to be separated from the world by the Atlantic Ocean for more than a hundred years.
Today, the EU is in complete disarray, and its leader, France, is increasingly weakened, leaving only Germany and Poland to lead the resistance. All that remains for the world to see are the silhouettes of their soldiers on camera. Elizabeth desperately tries to recall the books in the imperial palace, but aside from the genealogies of the imperial nobility, she can hardly find any German names among the authors of musical pieces and poems.
……
Germany has contributed countless pioneers to the world, including one of the pioneers in the history of human aviation, Count Ferdinand Zeppelin.
Although no one was willing to erect a statue in his honor, the generals of Britannia still came to know him, simply because among the commoners was a lady who called herself Sulian, the great-granddaughter of Count Zeppelin, and one of the few commoners who could understand some English.
Led by several German intellectuals, including Soviet Colonel Andreyavitch, Elizabeth and others set off from the Reichstag building, making a large counter-clockwise circle to the Brandenburg Gate. They then continued north, crossing the Spree River, and arrived at a stretch of riverbank where greenery and ruins coexisted.
This is the Berlin Veterans Cemetery, where Germany gradually emerged from Central Europe under the guidance of the great men who rest here.
The remains of Count Gerhard Scharnhorst are buried here, as are Field Marshal Schlieffen and General Moltke the Younger, and of course, the Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen, who became famous during the First World War.
"Thirty years ago, a crimson scene graced the skies above the Franco-German border: German warplanes painted in blood red with the Iron Cross clashed with British and French warplanes painted with red noses and concentric circles. They soared like untamed eagles and dueled like sword-wielding knights in armor, amidst the cacophony of artillery fire and bullets in the trenches..."
"...Back then, the sky was like a paradise where boys could dream and make their names. Everyone remembered the Red Baron flying across the front lines to the enemy's rear, just to drop a wreath at the funeral of an enemy pilot... But no one ever imagined that the Red Baron would fall from the sky, as ordinary as a bee that had reached the end of its life and fallen to the ground..."
Mrs. Zeppelin's enthusiasm for telling stories only grew stronger, but the Britannian people were somewhat skeptical.
"Soaring through the sky like a knight"? "Crossing enemy lines just to drop a wreath"? How could this be District 45 from 30 years ago?
Look at today, the front lines where the US, the Soviet Union, Britain, France, and ourselves are confronting each other, the battlefield in the sky has long since become a ballet theater for biplanes, but a death zone dominated by aircraft machine guns and anti-aircraft guns.
From the Red Baron crashing to the ground like a worker bee to the pilots dying in the sky like dogs without any reason—the first impression of Area 45 has always been that of a war-torn land devoid of human laws. What has it brought to the world in these short 30 years?
……
“Your story is fascinating, madam. But could you tell me about the other people who have passed away peacefully? For example, those sleeping under that pile of rotten stones?”
Among the crowd, Count Hohenzollern and General Trossa pointed to a large pit in the distance. Strangely, when Lady Zeppelin looked in that direction, the joy that had been on her face immediately vanished.
"Ahem, let me speak." This time it was finally Colonel Andreevich's turn to speak. "Look, these places are different from the targets of the previous ones. They look like they were specially blown up, right? That's right, you guessed it!"
Yes, the Berlin Military Cemetery was once the final resting place of heroes, and after the Nazis came to power, it also became the final resting place for many swastika flags.
Field Marshal Reichenau, Air Force Minister of Armaments Udet, and Quartermaster Minister Todd were among them, as was Reinhard Heydrich, the Black Prince of the Third Reich and the second-in-command of the Gestapo. After the Battle of Berlin, their tombstones were all blown to pieces by the Allied forces, and all the decorations and monuments were confiscated. Only their bodies were not moved elsewhere.
“Just as Mr. Caronville asked me before, Ms. Elizabeth,” the colonel cleared his throat, “I will take you to several places around Berlin over the next few days and tell you everything I know about Germany in the past. However, I suggest that you do not take these civilians with you when you leave the city. After all, you saw the expressions on their faces when I mentioned Heydrich’s name just now.”
Almost unanimously, the common people, including Mrs. Zeppelin, looked at the colonel, then at the unrecognizable ruins of the graves, and an indescribable resentment had already spread across the ground.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth seems to have misunderstood its meaning.
"It's getting late. Let's send these civilians back. After all, I don't want them to fight with the colonel." The princess summoned the guards and then General Marendo, who was accompanying her.
"I'm giving you a task, as compensation for blowing up the Victory Column: restore the Veterans Cemetery to its original state. Also, I need a perfect restoration plan for the Führer Bunker and the monument on its original site."
"What?" Lady Zeppelin heard the words spoken by the princess and wanted to rush back to argue, but she was pushed onto the bus to the resettlement house by the crowd.
……
As night fell, Berlin seemed no different from what it had been six months earlier, shrouded in darkness. Apart from the streetlights that were turned on as required, there was almost no light source for pedestrians to see the road clearly. Germans returning home could hardly see that the collapsed ruins on both sides had been replaced by bright and shiny buildings.
The previous water and power outages have been replaced by a blackout due to abundant resources—a regulation unprecedented in Britannia's war history.
Initially, the Marquis of Louis-Sébastien, who came to "monopolize" civil affairs in the 45th district, was naturally vehemently opposed to Elizabeth's move. However, he was soon intimidated by her and fearfully chose to compromise. The nighttime activities of the immigrant Britannian citizens were almost entirely moved underground, into the Berlin subway network, which had long been transformed into an underground city.
Thanks to the keen senses honed by the officers and soldiers of the expeditionary force in the 45th district, no criminals or rebels have ever fled from the 11th district to cause trouble in Berlin. Therefore, the officers and soldiers' patrols at night are more of a formality, to reassure the civilians living here.
Even as Her Highness Elizabeth's personal guards, the two captains, Grafria and Iska, would occasionally patrol near the Brandenburg Gate. "After all, their ceremonial rifles are quite handsome," the ordinary soldiers remarked.
What's rather strange is tonight. Colonel Andreavich led Elizabeth to Oranienburg, north of Berlin, where he hoped the princess could give him some shovels and hoes, saying that a terrifying secret belonging to the German nation was buried underground there.
Excavation work? Dirty, tiring, and purely physical labor? Then let's leave that to the troops stationed there, along with the princess's guard duties.
"Secrets? What secrets could there be here?" Grafria and Iska led their subordinates along Wilhelmstrasse, looking around at the renovated buildings. This was the heart of German rule, bustling, solemn, and dignified, seemingly revealing a clean and pure side to this lost nation in past images.
The Chancellor's Office, the Air Force Ministry, the Ministry of Justice, the Imperial Ministry of the Interior, the Army Library, the Deutsche Bank building, and the headquarters of the Gestapo stand here, echoing the Reichstag building not far away—they already knew that the Gestapo was the secret police force of the Third Reich, but they obviously did not yet understand what was hidden behind such a prestigious and disciplined entity.
……
The crowd stood there blankly on the street for a long time, looking around, before being awakened by the sound of police sirens.
Military vehicles and police with flashing lights could be seen everywhere on the streets, completely surrounding Wilhelmstrasse from all sides, something that had never happened before in Berlin!
"Stop!" Grafria stopped a police car when she sensed something was wrong.
"Sir, we have received reports from the public," the police officer replied. "Someone is vandalizing the site of the former Imperial Chancellor's Office!"
"The Prime Minister's Office?!" The two captains were taken aback and immediately jumped into the back seat.
Two police cars and several soldiers had already arrived ahead of them. In the flashing headlights, they could vaguely see two policemen pinning a young girl with white hair to the ground.
"Isn't this the Lady Zeppelin whom Her Highness received during the day?" Iska recognized her immediately and ordered the soldiers and police to put away their guns.
At this moment, Grafria also brought a flashlight—beside Mrs. Zeppelin lying on the ground, besides the saplings that General Marendor had arranged to be planted, there was also a hoe covered in mud. The once flat land now had several rows of pitted ditches.
"Wait a minute? This is the backyard of the Prime Minister's residence?" Graflia suddenly felt her heart jump into her throat, vaguely sensing that the place where Mrs. Zeppelin had dug open had a strange color.
The yellowish-brown sand contained some grayish-white powder mixed with pebbles, as well as some pure white specks.
“This shouldn’t be ashes and human teeth… right?” Grafria instinctively swung her flashlight at the nearby Führer’s bunker, and turned to Iska with a trembling voice, “Do you remember what Her Highness told us… how the German Führer of this world was buried?”
"No... never mind!" Iska frantically instructed the police, "Take her to jail first! I'll go report to Her Highness the Princess right away!"
"We won't let you get away with this! Give us back our great-grandfather's things! Give Germany back to us!" Madam Zeppelin was pushed into a car by the soldiers and police, her angry rebuke echoing like a ghost in the empty streets. "You liar! You've deceived all of us!"
……
The soldiers and police dispersed, and Grafria called the guards back as well, leaving herself alone to sit on the curb in front of the Prime Minister's residence.
"What kind of disappointment could drive a girl to curse a head of state? What kind of hatred could drive a girl to risk her life to have her bones ground to ashes?"
An overwhelming unease hung over her like the shadow of William Street. Rather than fearing Elizabeth's accusations, she was unsure how to view Nazi Germany, which just a minute ago held such mystery and tranquility in her heart, yet was despised by countless American and Soviet soldiers.
"General?" At this moment, Marendor, who was traveling with the princess, heard the news and rushed back.
Following Grafria's directions, Marendor looked around the outside of the Führer's bunker, but simply nodded calmly.
"What happened?" the captain of the guard asked, puzzled. "Your Excellency, what was your excavation operation at Oranienburg?"
“It went very smoothly, extremely smoothly.” Marendor’s expression was calm, but there was an indescribable sense of horror in it. His finger trembled slightly as he pointed to the crater next to the bunker. “Believe me, if the citizens of Britannia knew that we had committed such inhuman crimes, they might do the same.”
Chapter 331, Section 424: German Past (Part 2)
Oranienburg is situated on a plain 26 kilometers north of Berlin. As a small industrial town, it appears unremarkable even on a map of Brandenburg.
The same was true for the Britannian soldiers, so much so that when the Soviet army broke through the Berlin blockade, it quickly abandoned the area. As Berlin moved further and further away from the war, its name remained in the hearts of the expeditionary force's high command in another way.
This place served as a training ground for expeditionary soldiers to personally explore the weapons of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain, and also as a testing ground for engineers to develop new weapons. The gentle sounds of gunfire continued day after day, and few people paid attention to the houses in the northeast of the small town, the houses surrounded by walls and watchtowers.
In a triangular area, with the midpoint of one of the sides as the center, several long, narrow houses were arranged in concentric circles radiating outwards. By the time the soldiers arrived, some of them had already been demolished.
Every room had long been emptied, whether belonging to the Soviet army or to their former owners. Some rooms were furnished with comfortable beds by Britannian soldiers, while others were used as warehouses. As for the blast furnace that remained in the distance, it was fitted with some waste gas treatment equipment and used to burn garbage. Many open spaces remained untouched to this day.