German Red Prince

Page 106

Although this design still has some problems, its role cannot be denied. These activities can attract the vast majority of the people to participate in the country's political development, and reflect the democracy of the Kingdom of the Rhine to the greatest extent. During this period, people will also pay attention to the development of political events, understand the policy positions of various parties, and think about who they should vote for.

During this period, some members of the public will also submit their suggestions and ideas to these parties to form bills in order to obtain better political rights.

The theme of this special Kingdom meeting revolved around the economy, as instructed by King Otto. In addition, during the military parade, King Otto first proposed the concept of the "Rhine Dream," so members of parliament from various parties also focused their work on the economic aspect. Some left-leaning parties even seized the opportunity to conduct in-depth investigations in various places to expand their influence.

Old Lübeck got up early as usual that day to prepare the bread. As the pillar of the family, he was always the first one up.

After looking at the children who were still fast asleep, old Lübeck couldn't help but sigh. These little guys had been making quite a splash lately. Ever since the military parade, they'd been showing off their commemorative medals everywhere they went. They'd really been having a blast these past few days.

After tidying up, Johanna got up too. She wanted to help old Lübeck tidy up the shop. Although the family's house wasn't big, it was divided into several areas. Upstairs was where the family usually lived, and downstairs was old Lübeck's bakery.

After the two went downstairs, Old Lübeck heated up the oven, while Johanna took out the fermented dough and prepared for the next task.

There was still some time before the bakery opened, and most people were still asleep, so the two of them weren't in a hurry and slowly busied themselves inside.

Old Lübeck was talking to Johanna after taking out the first batch of freshly baked bread when a knock on the door interrupted them. This made the two of them a little curious: who would come so early?

"Maybe it's those members of parliament. Didn't the newspapers say the kingdom was going to hold a special meeting soon? I guess it's some party's members coming to conduct an investigation," Old Lübeck guessed.

"Let them hold whatever meetings they want, whatever investigations they conduct, I just hope they can give Lübeck a few days off. I heard he's patrolling the front lines every day, it's so dangerous. With the French making such a fuss, I'm having nightmares every night."

"Raising children all these years, isn't it all so that one day they can serve their country? Are they just going to stay here and run this run-down bakery?"

“I actually hope he can stay here and keep the shop. There’s no danger there. He can take over after Lübeck gets married, and we can help take care of the kids. That would be great, instead of me having to worry about him all the time on the battlefield.”

Old Lübeck listened to Johanna's words and remained silent. After opening the door, he saw a tall, thin young man standing there, carrying a large bag and wearing a large hat that obscured his face. However, Old Lübeck had a strange sense of familiarity about him.

"Sir, you've come too early. The bread has just been made for the first batch. If you want to buy some, you may have to wait a while."

“I’m in a hurry and I need to get home,” the young man said to old Lübeck, then walked into the house without ceremony. “Get me some bread, warm.”

After hearing what he said, old Lübeck went back and wrapped up a few pieces of bread, handing them to the young man. But the young man did not leave after taking the bread; instead, he found a chair, sat down, and began to eat.

"Sir, that'll be thirty pfennigs in total."

Seeing that he wouldn't leave, old Lübeck said from the side, "It's a bit of a headache to run into someone who's here to cause trouble so early in the morning."

"Do I have to pay for your bread?" The young man asked with a smile as he sat down and took off his hat.

"Lübeck? You're back?"

Old Lübeck could hardly believe his eyes. After seeing his face clearly, he slapped Lübeck on the head.

"Why didn't you say you were coming back? And you even ate a piece of my bread for free."

"Lübeck? Let me see."

Johanna rushed over when she heard old Lübeck's exclamation. She had thought it was someone causing trouble and was about to chase them away, but it turned out to be her own child returning.

Johanna walked up to Lübeck and pinched and rubbed his face, still unable to believe it was her son. After all, he hadn't been back for quite some time since he joined the army.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and wake the children up. Tell them to take a good look and see that their brother is back." Johanna kicked the still-dazed old Lübeck, then turned to look at him.

“You’ve lost weight and grown a lot taller. What’s wrong with eating a piece of bread? Eat whatever you want when you get back.” After saying that, she glared at old Lübeck. Seeing Johanna’s look, old Lübeck obediently went upstairs to wake the children up.

"Is it dangerous on the front lines? Are you injured? Will the French come to harass us?"

Faced with his mother's nagging, Lübeck answered slowly, saying that he was relatively safe on the front lines. Although there had been conflicts, they were not in his jurisdiction. The food in the army was also good, and his life was quite comfortable.

Upon hearing that their older brother had returned, the children quickly got up and chattered around Lübeck. Lübeck smiled and took out the things he had brought back to share with his younger siblings.

"Why are you back this time? Is the army on leave?" Old Lübeck asked.

"It's similar to a vacation; it's a military transfer. I was selected and will be sent to another region, so I was granted a special vacation."

"Other places? Where are you?" Johanna was somewhat pleased to hear that she had been transferred, as being transferred elsewhere was safer than being on the front lines.

"The Kingdom and Cyrenaica have signed some cooperation treaties, and I will be transferred to North Africa for garrison duty."

“North Africa? Not Germany.” Upon hearing that it wasn’t in her home country, Johanna became nervous again. “Isn’t there a war going on in North Africa? Is it safe for you to go there? Can you apply to not go? It’s too dangerous there.”

"Mom, how can you just not go to the army? Besides, we're going to Cyrenaica to do some maintenance work, it's very safe."

Lübeck took a package out of his backpack and placed it on the table. "Besides, there's a stipend for this trip to North Africa, 2,000 marks per person. I won't need that much over there, so I'll leave this money to you."

After Lübeck finished speaking, Johanna knew that her child's departure was inevitable. As an elderly mother, she couldn't stop these things from happening, and could only sigh silently, praying that her child would return safely.

The leave period quickly came to an end, and the soldiers who were about to set off bid farewell to their families. Dressed neatly, they listened to their superiors' instructions. This trip to Cyrenaica was of great significance, as it was the first time the Kingdom of the Rhine had truly stationed troops abroad, so there were many things that needed to be explained.

"Warriors of the Rhine, may the eagle of Charlemagne protect you! Now, set out!"

As the officer concluded his remarks, Lübeck boarded the transport ship, taking one last look back.

Faced with a completely unfamiliar land, none of these people knew what awaited them there.

Chapter 181 Good Wine for Friends

The atmosphere at the New Year's Eve banquet hosted by the Nationalist government was very harmonious. Most of the invited foreign guests were the Nationalist government's trading partners, as well as some international friends.

They came from various countries and were among the few "overseas friends" of the Nationalist government.

Among them, the most important to the Nationalist government was the cooperation team from the Kingdom of the Rhine. The cooperation between the Kingdom of the Rhine and the Nationalist government accounted for the vast majority of trade. Therefore, Chairman Mao Zedong personally received the members of the delegation from the Kingdom of the Rhine who came to China and greeted them warmly.

Before Lieutenant General Milch Strachewitz came to China, Thorne had already spoken to him, saying that the Nationalist government, as an important trading partner of the Kingdom of the Rhine, was key to the Kingdom of the Rhine breaking through the existing framework in the future, and that it was essential to maintain friendly relations with them.

Milch, of course, did not forget Thorne's instructions, so as soon as they met, he took out the things Thorne had asked him to bring and handed them to the National Government as a gift.

"Hello, Lieutenant General Milch, welcome to Guangzhou."

Chairman Mao greeted Milch, and the accompanying interpreter quickly translated what he had just said to Lieutenant Colonel Milch.

Upon hearing Chairman Mao's greeting, Milch quickly responded. He turned around, waved to his adjutant, and the officials following behind stepped forward and took out several thick stacks of file folders.

"Before I came to China, His Highness Thorne mentioned you to me. His Highness said that you are a person who loves reading very much. Last time he came to Guangzhou, His Highness was in a hurry, so he did not bring any gifts. His Highness was very regretful after returning to his country. So when he sent us here this time, he specifically instructed us to bring you some books."

"Oh? You even brought me something?" Chairman Mao was somewhat surprised after hearing Milch's words, but he still acted very naturally.

"Then please thank Your Highness for me. However, I've never been abroad, nor have I studied in foreign countries, so I can't understand your original works," Chairman Mao joked.

“His Highness Thorne specifically instructed me, so please rest assured, Chairman Mao, these documents have all been translated.” Milch said, opening the thick file folders. “His Highness Thorne said he is very concerned about some of the difficulties and problems China is currently facing, and that you will definitely need these documents.”

“Then I’ll have to take a good look.” Chairman Mao took the books and started flipping through them. “The Barefoot Doctor’s Manual and the Militia Training Manual. If you hadn’t told me, I would have thought they were written by Chinese people.”

"This was found and translated by His Highness Thorne from King Charlemagne's library. King Charlemagne's collection was absolutely the most extensive in all of Germany, containing books from various countries."

"These two books should be very relevant to the current situation of your Nationalist government. His Highness Thorne also said that if you have the opportunity to come to Germany, he will definitely invite you to visit Charlemagne's bookstore."

"His Highness has high hopes for the National Government and wishes you success in unifying the entire Chinese region in the future. These two books should fully address the many problems you face. In addition to these books, His Highness Thorne also asked me to bring you penicillin and other drugs newly developed by the Kingdom of Rhine, which I hope will also be of help to you."

"Then please thank Your Highness properly for me. I will definitely pay him a visit if I have the chance." Chairman Mao shook Milch's hand and invited them to sit down. "Please, we Chinese like to talk while we eat. Let's discuss this in detail at the dinner table."

“Then we won’t stand on ceremony.” Milch nodded and followed Chairman Mao to his seat.

"Lieutenant General Milch, is this your first time in China? I wonder if these dishes suit your taste?"

“I’m open to all kinds of good food,” Milch smiled. “There are Chinese restaurants in Frankfurt, and I’ve been there a few times, so I know a bit about Chinese cuisine.”

“That’s just a small part. China is a vast country with abundant resources, and we have many good things.” Chairman Mao served Milch a bowl of chicken soup. “Just take chicken for example. There are dozens of ways to cook it in Guangzhou alone, not to mention other places. We are a hospitable people. All visitors are guests. We welcome you to come and visit us.”

“I’ve heard a Chinese proverb before.” Milch took the chicken soup that Chairman Mao handed him. “I’ve heard that there’s a Chinese proverb that says, ‘We welcome friends with good wine, but we meet wolves with hunting rifles.’ If I were like those Prussians, I probably wouldn’t be able to eat these good things.”

"Haha, I didn't expect Mr. Milch to know so much about Chinese culture." Chairman Mao smiled. "That's right. Although we are a hospitable people, we are only warm to our friends. As for those wolves and tigers, we only have hunting rifles."

After that, he began to introduce the foreign guests sitting around him. "This is Mr. Edgar Snow, who came all the way from the United States to conduct interviews and investigations, so that the world can get to know us again. This is Mr. Louis Alley, a New Zealander, who is our consultant for industrial construction. He helped us build many technical schools and trained many outstanding talents for us."

"These two are Mr. John Magee and Mr. Hans Heber, members of the International Red Cross, who work in our Ministry of Health."

As Chairman Mao introduced them, Milch greeted them one by one. There were also many friends from other countries present. Surprisingly, some of these countries were practically mortal enemies, but the atmosphere here was very harmonious, and there were no conflicts.

Almost all of these people who came to China voluntarily were internationalists, which was very rare in an era when nationalism was rampant.

"This is Minister Zhou, our Foreign Minister. Mr. Milch, you can also ask him any questions you may have."

"Minister Zhou? Are you Mr. Zhou Enlai?"

"Yes, I am Zhou Enlai. What? Lieutenant General, do you recognize me?"

“Of course, of course I know him.” Milch seemed very happy. “Wasn’t it you who led the troops that liberated Nanjing back then? Minister Zhou, you were quite famous in Berlin at that time. Almost every newspaper was reporting on the troops that reached Nanjing.”

As a German, Milch did not show much disgust towards the army that liberated Nanjing and caused the East Asian forces that Germany had painstakingly supported to collapse in an instant; instead, he was very gloating.

When the eight provinces were united, Prussia monopolized most of China's trade. Now, the relationship between the Nationalist government and Prussia has reached a freezing point, which has benefited the Kingdom of the Rhine. Given the current relationship between the three kingdoms, Prussia would be overjoyed to suffer a setback.

"Minister Zhou, I heard that you reorganized Sun Chuanfang's German-equipped troops after the liberation of Nanjing. Is that true?"

"Yes, when we liberated Nanjing, Sun Chuanfang's German-equipped troops surrendered to us. After reorganization, we now have a German-equipped division of about 20,000 men." Zhou Enlai nodded, confirming the authenticity of the matter.

"Given the current economic level and military strength of the Nationalist government, we cannot build more German-equipped troops. Even the original 40,000 troops can only be reduced to 20,000. I wonder if Mr. Milch has any good ideas."

"Of course, Minister Zhou, based on my understanding of the current situation in China, if we can cross the Yangtze River, your National Revolutionary Army should be able to sweep across the north without even having to deploy German-equipped divisions. These German-equipped divisions should be used on a larger battlefield, right?"

“Mr. Milch, as you know, China is currently very poor and weak, and many foreign powers covet our territory. China needs to build a stronger armed force to prevent their invasion.”

“I completely understand what you mean,” Milch said, handing several documents to Zhou Enlai. “Minister Zhou, these documents are the purpose of our visit.”

Zhou Enlai took the document and glanced at it, then smiled and relaxed, "Next up is Mr. Laumilch."

The Rhine Kingdom will assist China in building its military industry, and will provide military equipment to China before the Chinese military industry is fully established, in accordance with the "Five-Year Military Industry Development Plan," the "Army Reform Proposal," and the "Proposal on Reorganizing the Chinese Army."

The National Revolutionary Army's military quality far surpasses that of most of the troops of the Qing Dynasty and the Fengtian government in the north. The Kingdom of the Rhine only needs to properly arm this army and then provide it with some professional training to help the revolutionary army gradually move to the forefront of the world.

This was the best Thorne could do: help China train an armed force capable of matching the Japanese army, so that there wouldn't be such a huge casualty ratio on the battlefield in the future.

During the War of Resistance against Japan, China suffered more than four million military casualties and more than thirty million civilian casualties. Therefore, it was very necessary to build a strong army as early as possible. Thorne did not want the same human tragedy as his world to happen again in this timeline.

Chapter 182 Tiger Brother

With the New Year approaching, the tension in China has subsided considerably.

It seems as if the Nationalist government, the Qing dynasty, and the Fengtian regime had agreed in advance that there would be no major military actions during this period.

The custom of celebrating the New Year is ingrained in the Chinese people. Everyone tacitly agrees that it is a rule not to have any conflicts during these days. Everyone is busy celebrating the New Year. The garrison troops stationed in Beiping even received silver dollars and were given an early holiday.

With no movement from the Qing Dynasty, Fengtian in the north naturally wouldn't make any moves either. After all, if you were to start a war at this time, let alone whether you could win, the soldiers below would probably curse their superiors' mothers hundreds of times in their hearts.

January temperatures aren't high, let alone in the Northeast. Snow started falling a long time ago. In some places, the snow is almost ankle-deep, and in others, you can sink in and not be able to pull your foot out for half a day.

Temperatures of minus 10 or 20 degrees Celsius are not something most people can endure. Months in advance, families need to stock up on winter necessities, stuff the cellar with winter vegetables, and prepare firewood for the kang (a heated brick bed) in advance so they can have peace of mind during the winter.

Wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat and wearing a dog-skin hat, Sister Biao struggled through the snow carrying a large bag. The heavy snow lashed at her face like blades, forcing her to raise one hand to shield herself, which made things a little easier.

Logically speaking, most women at this time should stay at home sewing and washing clothes, cooking, or at most have some land at home, raising some chickens and ducks, and can go out to run around. They are basically supported by men, but Sister Biao obviously belongs to a small minority.

People call her Sister Biao, and there's a reason for that. It's said that her family wanted her to marry off some consumptive Japanese devil. To put it nicely, it was a marriage, but it was really a sale. I heard that they even tied her up to be taken there, but she managed to escape.

Sister Biao, who had escaped, proved herself capable and found a job in a textile factory in the city. At that time, it was difficult for women to find work, and there were always people who liked to gossip. There were only a few positions available for women.

The textile factory closes late, and there are always a few idlers who like to loiter around the factory gate, talking nonsense. In the past, these female workers would just hide or walk in groups, but things have changed since Sister Biao came.

A few old crooks who liked to loiter around the factory gate didn't know what was going on and tried to take advantage of the situation. As a result, Sister Biao came up with a stick and gave them a good beating. After that, they didn't dare to come over again. This incident also made Sister Biao the elder sister among these female workers, and they respected her very much.

Back home, with the door closed, the world inside and outside felt instantly warmer. Taking off her hat and hanging it on the wall, Sister Biao took off her thick cotton-padded coat and caught her breath. She then took off her gloves and carefully examined her hands. These were her livelihoods, so she was very careful to protect them, fearing she might get frostbite.

After putting their things away, they went into the inner room. As soon as they entered, Sister Biao saw two men lying sprawled on the kang (a heated brick bed), sleeping like dead pigs. The table was also a mess, with unfinished food and half-empty liquor left on the kang.

Seeing this scene, Sister Biao was naturally furious. She went out of the house, brought in a basin of cold water, and poured it onto the heated kang.

"oops!"

Suddenly doused with cold water, the two men on the kang (a heated brick bed) howled. After recovering and wiping their faces, Tiger was about to curse when he saw Sister Biao standing angrily in front of the kang, and he swallowed his words.

"Sister Biao is back? You guys chat, you guys chat, Brother Hu, I'm leaving now."

Seeing this, anyone with a brain would know that this was not a place to stay. Xiao Liang quickly got up from the kang, put on his clothes, tidied himself up, and ran out, leaving Tiger alone sitting on the bed. The room fell into an eerie silence.

"Hey, Xiao Liang, we ran into each other on my way back and chatted for a bit." Tiger decided to break the awkward silence first.

"Didn't you go out to look for work? Did you find any?" Sister Biao asked coldly.

"This, this..." Tiger looked slightly embarrassed, scratching his head and stammering, unable to speak.

"I'm asking you a question!" Sister Biao grabbed Tiger's ear and yanked it, making Tiger howl in pain.

"Hey, hey, be gentle, stop pulling, stop pulling!" Tiger rubbed his ear, wincing in pain.

"We did go look for it, but... we just couldn't find it," Tiger said in a low voice, taking two steps back.

"Didn't find it? If you didn't find it, come back and drink it!"

Sister Biao was furious and grabbed her shoe, ready to hit Brother Hu.

"What can I do if they can't find me? I found out that three more factories have recently closed down. Can you blame me for not being able to find work?" Tiger Brother defended himself loudly, protecting his head.

Tiger, who had been waiting with his eyes closed for a beating, waited for a long time without any movement. When he looked up, he saw Sister Biao sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) angrily, without saying a word.