German Red Prince

Page 173

"Comrades, do you know that the Prussians failed to capture a single city on the Weser River? They didn't take any of the four cities: Briadingen, Black, Lemweid, and Bremen, and it was all a surprise attack. With this level of skill, they dare to fight us?"

The use of the term "comrade" is a unique feature of the Rhine Kingdom's army. It's unclear when it started, but it's said that during the Battle of Leipzig, King Charlemagne shouted "Comrades, follow me!" and this term stuck in the army, with soldiers addressing each other as "comrade."

Hearing Lister's words, the soldiers in the bunker smiled. To be honest, the morale of the Rhine Kingdom's army was very low. When Hess broadcast that the King of the Rhine Kingdom and his two princes were all dead, the kingdom had not made any response, nor had any of the three shown up. The only one who showed up was the Queen, who only granted the current Rhine Prime Minister Goebbels the power of emergency decrees.

Everyone is eager to know the current state of the royal family. The war they are waging is a war of defense, a war to protect the kingdom. But if the king is gone, whose kingdom are they protecting? Even if they win in the future, what will it matter? How long can a kingdom without a king ultimately exist?

The Rhine people still have deep feelings for the royal family. After all, Charlemagne's reputation is too great, and the previous kings have been quite decent. Prince Thorne's performance in recent years has given the Rhine people hope. Even if the succession is passed from brother to brother, it would be an acceptable ending. But now all hope is gone.

Military judges played a crucial role in the army. Although they were called military judges, their main function was to organize the army. It was because of military judges that the soldiers defending Bulak did not collapse and maintained a certain level of organization.

Ulrich was wiping his helmet when the soldiers realized just how powerful it was once they were on the actual battlefield. Because the helmet was shaped like a water ladle, it was nicknamed the "water ladle helmet" by the soldiers and was generally disliked. However, on the battlefield, these water ladle helmets saved their lives.

A bullet nearly killed Ulrich, but it bounced off his helmet, leaving a bullet mark. Although they were soldiers, they still felt tense when war actually came upon them. These oddly shaped helmets could really save the lives of these soldiers, so they tightened their helmets, not even taking them off when resting. No one knew whether tomorrow or an accident would come first.

The deafening roar of the artillery shells became a lullaby. In the past few days, the defenders of Bulak had been hit by countless shells, and they couldn't sleep without hearing the shelling.

The Weser River defense line gained enough time, and the Kingdom of Rhine also recovered from its initial state of confusion. The kingdom was already in a state of mobilization, so it was able to quickly mobilize troops from the rear. Model brought a total of seven divisions to reinforce the Weser River defense line.

Model went to the Weser line with the worst-case scenario in mind, but he found that he had underestimated the Rhine army's organizational ability. The four main cities of the Weser line were not lost at all, and they miraculously held out until he was able to take command on the front line.

Model was known for his defensive prowess in the army, but after observing the situation at the front, he decided against it this time. Prussia's battle plan was riddled with flaws, and such impromptu attacks, unless they maintained an absolute advantage, would inevitably lead to defeat once the enemy had time to react.

During his time teaching at Charlemagne's Military Academy, Model also learned a lesson: offense is the best defense. Although the kingdom seemed to have suffered more defeats than victories, it had not been truly crippled. Now that he had brought new reinforcements, it was only natural to launch an attack.

Prussia's biggest mistake this time was transferring all of its Hamburg garrison to the front lines. They were unaware that the Kingdom of the Rhine had begun infiltrating Hamburg long before, and Model, with ample troops, decided to launch an offensive.

From Bremen to Hamburg, Model assembled his troops, preparing to make a big dumpling for Prussia.

384. Pushing Hands

Thorne is currently lying in the hospital without any reaction, as is Prince Andreas. In this situation, if only one of the princes wakes up, the problem will actually be much better.

The only thing that can be confirmed now is King Otto. Despite the doctors' best efforts, King Otto could not be saved. In fact, he was already dying when he was taken to the hospital, and the subsequent treatments were only enough to keep him alive.

The people didn't know what had happened, only that the Kingdom of the Rhine was being attacked by the Kingdom of Prussia. Hess said on the radio that the Kingdom of the Rhine had launched a surprise attack on them first. The people of the Kingdom of the Rhine also had a lot of reason to suspect that the derailment of the king's train was the work of the Prussians.

The news of King Otto's death has not yet been announced, and in fact, even Prince Andreas's coma has not been made public. Goebbels has faced so many thorny issues not long after taking office. It is precisely in times of crisis that a person's true ability and level are revealed.

The people of the kingdom need to know the truth, but at least not now. Knowing the truth will only cause panic and will not solve anything. As the prime minister of the Kingdom of Rhine, he is responsible to the people of the Kingdom of Rhine. Furthermore, the revolution is the same whether there is one more person or one less person. It is impossible for the revolution to fail without Thorne and his people; it will only be more difficult.

Before Thorne joined them, the German Communist Party had already made many attempts. This time, they had more power than ever before, with their own armed forces and officers. Goebbels and Thälmann had a long talk and had prepared for the worst. If Thorne did not wake up, the Socialist Party of Labor would join the German Communist Party in launching a revolution across Germany, just as Thorne had previously thought.

The king's train derailed, and the prince fell into a coma after his coronation. Many things have happened in the Kingdom of the Rhine recently, so the Kingdom's council has not held its regular meetings for a long time. Goebbels actually has great confidence in the military strength of the Kingdom of the Rhine. Before he fell into a coma, Thorne said that the reorganized Rhine army was far superior to the Prussian army, and that Prussia could not truly defeat the Kingdom of the Rhine.

Regarding the deployment of the army, Model, Guderian, and Rommel have all led their troops to the front lines. Goebbels believes they will soon bring back good news. However, although he has great confidence in the army, the public's assessment of the war is not very optimistic, because the Rhine Kingdom's enemy is not only Prussia.

Influenced by the war ten years ago, the trench warfare model was still etched in the minds of ordinary people. The Prussian army was advancing too fast. Most people in the Kingdom of the Rhine were worried that Prussia's rapid actions would force the kingdom's soldiers stationed on the Franco-German border to withdraw, resulting in a two-front attack that would affect the whole of Germany and lead to another world war.

However, such worries were clearly unnecessary. The more than 100,000 soldiers stationed on the Franco-German border had not moved at all. Thorne had given those soldiers a strict order: even in the worst-case scenario, if the Prussians really defeated the Kingdom of the Rhine, these soldiers could not be withdrawn.

Liberation must be one's own liberation. Relying on any external force will only lead to exponentially increasing costs afterward. The French have a blood feud with Germany. If the Commune were to liberate Germany, Germany would never be able to recover and might even be dismantled by the French, unable to maintain even a semblance of unity.

Prussia's Army Group B was indeed advancing very aggressively and was already very close to Frankfurt. Many people in Frankfurt were trying to escape to Switzerland or Austria. However, the rapid advance of Army Group B was actually a deliberate act by the Rhineland army.

With supply lines growing longer and the level of mobility within the Prussian army weakening, the spearhead of this offensive force was becoming increasingly vulnerable. Even if the Kingdom of the Rhine did not attack, they would soon stop to regroup. Guderian and Rommel's troops had already made their final preparations.

The trap was set, and they were just waiting for the other side to walk right in. Guderian was going to teach them a lesson about what a real blitzkrieg was. With their current pace of advance, how dare they call it a blitzkrieg? He was confident that he could make Prussia spit out everything they had swallowed in just three days.

Unlike usual, the main street leading to the Royal Parliament in Frankfurt was lined with soldiers. Then a carriage slowly approached from a distance, led by a guard of jesters dressed in traditional jester uniforms, carrying the Royal Flag of the Kingdom of the Rhine. The people of Frankfurt saw that familiar blue flag and golden crown once again.

Long live the kingdom!

Pedestrians who stopped on both sides of the street took off their hats in respect. They were very excited. Could it be that His Majesty the King had woken up? If His Majesty the King had woken up, everything would be much easier.

However, the person in the carriage was not the king as everyone thought, but the queen. In the current Kingdom of Rhine, Queen Martha is the only legitimate representative. Her husband's sudden death and the unknown fate of her two sons are a huge blow to a wife and mother. But the kingdom needs her now, and she absolutely cannot fall.

Following the fine traditions left by King Charlemagne, his queen at the time did not have a prominent status like the queens of other countries. They had been together before King Charlemagne rose to power; she was just an ordinary girl from a peasant family.

Although her birth was ridiculed by various European royal families, it did not affect the queen's reputation in the Rhineland, and her story is still told in the Rhineland today.

Thanks to this tradition, later kings, like Charlemagne, mostly married ordinary people. Not marrying into other royal families has one advantage: there will be no conflicts of interest between the couple. It also effectively prevents the royal family from being directly overthrown by other families in the event of an accident.

In the current situation, a marriage alliance with another royal family would be very troublesome. However, Queen Martha was previously just the daughter of a writer in the kingdom, which helped her avoid this awkward situation.

Today, the Queen did not wear a long dress as usual, but instead wore a military uniform to preside over a meeting of the Kingdom Council, which surprised many onlookers. Goebbels had previously told Queen Martha that in the worst-case scenario, she might lose two more sons, but the Kingdom could not afford to lose any more members of the royal family. In other words, no matter what, the Queen had to hold on, at least for now, because the people of the Kingdom needed her.

As the ruling party of the Kingdom of the Rhine, the Socialist Labour Party, Goebbels and other members of parliament arrived quickly. This may be the last time Goebbels attends a meeting as the leader of the Socialist Labour Party. Goebbels is not worried about the upcoming military action; what he is worried about is how to get the people of the Kingdom of the Rhine to accept the process of the kingdom becoming a republic.

The influence of the royal family was too strong. Such prestige could not be shaken by Goebbels, a newcomer who had just become prime minister. Just like in Prussia, even though Emperor William's prestige had declined to such an extent, Hess still needed to support Crown Prince William to gain enough influence.

Unlike France, which is a revolutionary base and constantly learns from the deaths of royalists and the king, Germany now accepts the monarchy as much as the French accept the republic. They consider it a matter of course. The emperor led them to unification and defeated the French, and such a halo cannot suddenly disappear.

With Thorne's prestige, the Kingdom of Rhine might be able to achieve peaceful political change. Thorne has even joined the party, the crown prince has joined the party, and the "reactionary leader" has joined the communists. If Thorne publicly announces the transition to the republic, the Kingdom of Rhine will not have any major objections. However, the current situation is really hard to say.

Perhaps only Goebbels can play the "bad guy," force the abdication, and act as the driving force to complete the change of political system.

385. Wake up

In the Kingdom Council, according to the usual rules, the king should have sat in the highest seat, but this time it was Queen Martha who sat in that seat.

However, just like the procedure when the King presided over the meeting, Queen Masha stood in front of her seat, and all the members of parliament stood up and sang the national anthem of the Kingdom of the Rhine after the prelude of the music ended.

A roar as loud as thunder.

.......

"Dear motherland, please rest assured, we will steadfastly guard the Rhine, guard the Rhine."

The King's last speech united the entire kingdom, and now, in order to consolidate the kingdom's strength, Goebbels will also begin his speech. This genius, whose oratory skills are comparable to Adolf's, is about to deliver an important speech today.

"Please take your seats, gentlemen."

Previously, it was always the King who said this, but now, after Queen Martha finished speaking, the members of the Labour Socialist Party took their seats, and Prime Minister Goebbels, as the Kingdom's Prime Minister, extended his hand to the Queen, who was seated in the main seat, and began his speech.

"Tonight, I would like to take this opportunity to give a speech to everyone, because we have reached a critical moment in the war. In the past month, we have been subjected to a despicable sneak attack by Prussia. There was no declaration of war or ultimatum, but Prussian bombs suddenly rained down on the cities of the Kingdom of the Rhine, and the Prussian army launched a large-scale invasion of the borders of the Kingdom of the Rhine."

"Afterwards, the Prussian ambassador met with the foreign minister of the Kingdom of the Rhine and said that the two countries were at war, but it was this same ambassador who had previously been babbling to the people of the Kingdom of the Rhine that Prussia was a friend, and almost an ally."

"Hess is a heinous, ruthless, and insatiable devil. He orchestrated a conspiracy using extremely clumsy methods, framed the King and people of the Rhine Kingdom, and tried to justify his war plot by pinning his ambitions on us."

"We respect Chancellor Tirpitz, a true German who dedicated his life to Germany. We respect this Reich Chancellor. But Hess, besides his theory of racial and ethnic superiority and his own self-contradictory notion of German reunification, has nothing else."

"The German people are a rational people. We have produced many philosophers and thinkers, but Hess and the nation showed the most insane side. This theory is about tyranny and brutality, about barbaric aggression, surpassing all forms of despicable human behavior. He wanted to lead Germany into the abyss."

"Today he says that unifying Germany is for the German people, but tomorrow he will attack France, Austria-Hungary, and Eastern Europe, and he can say it is for the German people. He is destroying the German nation and trying to lead Germany into an abyss called 'Great'."

"The war machine rolled over the Rhineland, carrying out a brutal massacre. This was Hess's so-called unification of Germany. He wanted a Prussian Germany, not a German people's Germany. I saw fully armed Prussian officers and large numbers of Prussian troops sweeping across the borders of the Rhineland like locusts. Behind this arrogance, behind this sudden attack, I saw a small group of villains who planned, organized, and launched this terrible war against the Rhineland and the German nation."

"The Prussian attack did have a significant impact on us. A week ago, because the situation was still unclear, I found it difficult to express my opinion, as I am not a professional. The Prussian army launched a large-scale offensive from Hanover, with about 100,000 troops setting out from Hanover, intending to take over the Kingdom of the Rhine in one fell swoop."

"This is very dangerous, and I must admit that if their so-called invincible Army Group B were to attack Essen instead of Frankfurt, our army could be divided and could suffer huge losses."

"The enemy launched a fierce attack from all directions. Their main force far outnumbered the troops we deployed at the front, and their firepower was also much fiercer than ours. The artillery at the front was almost never stopped for 24 hours."

"However, the artillery attacks that made the Prussians proud did not make us back down. On the Weser River defense line, our mere 30,000-plus defenders held off nearly 70,000 Prussians, preventing the enemy from advancing an inch in the first few days of the war. The four cities along the Weser River are still in our hands."

"Our army did not give up, nor did our people. In the Northern Theater Command, countless taxi drivers risked their lives to join the battle, transporting the wounded, soldiers, and supplies."

"Along the entire northern defense line, there is a private convoy of nearly two thousand men. They are not regular troops, but they resolutely rushed to the battlefield, braving enemy artillery fire. Even under such difficult conditions, our soldiers and civilians continued to carry out rescue operations, almost without rest, rushing to the war zone day and night. This is enough to measure their contribution and courage. Our people did not back down, and the kingdom should not give up!"

"In the early stages of the war, during a long series of fierce battles, our soldiers stationed on the front lines fought against equal or greater numbers of enemy troops under surprise attacks, struggling on the land where our ancestors lived. The Prussians broke their promises; they deceived the people of the Rhine. When the Kingdom of the Rhine joined the North German Confederation, their king promised that our descendants would live in a peaceful land. But now they have broken their promises. The Prussians are trying to subdue us with swords, drive us away, and then seize the land where our ancestors lived."

"I am fully convinced that as long as everyone does their job properly and without any negligence, and continues to act correctly as they are now, we will prove that we are capable of defending our homeland, weathering the storms of war, and surviving the threat of Prussia."

"In any case, this is what we must do, this is the determination of everyone in Her Majesty's government, this is the will of our parliament and the entire country."

"We will not waver. We will fight to the end. We will defend our homeland no matter the cost. We will fight in the cities, we will fight in the attics, we will fight in the fields and streets, we will fight on the hills. We will never surrender!"

"Even if most of our homeland is occupied by the enemy and we are plunged into famine, we will continue to fight. King Charlemagne and the heroes of the Kingdom of the Rhine protect us, and we will surely save and liberate this old world with our mighty power! Long live the Rhine! Long live the Kingdom!"

"Long live the Rhine! Long live the Kingdom!" Queen Martha also stood up and shouted the slogan loudly.

"Long live the Rhine! Long live the Kingdom!"

Members of parliament chanted slogans, not just in parliament, but in the streets, in buildings, and in every corner of the Rhine. The speech was broadcast to every household. Marshal Schulz had already formulated a battle plan. As long as the entire Kingdom of the Rhine remained closely united, Goebbels would have no reason to worry about what was to come.

The entire kingdom was united like never before. It was at this moment that good news finally arrived. Goebbels' speech was broadcast to every household. In the hospital, there was also a radio by Thorne's bedside. After shouting "Long live the kingdom!" at the end, Thorne's hand twitched.

This immediately drew the attention of the doctors who were observing the situation. The twitching of her hand indicated that she was regaining consciousness, which meant she would wake up soon.

"Long live the Rhine! Long live the Kingdom!"

The slogan was repeated over and over on the radio. Slowly, Thorne opened his eyes. The prince was awake. This was absolutely fantastic news. Now Goebbels' last concern had disappeared. All that was left was to give Prussia a good kick in the ass.

386. Thirsty Bavaria

Thorne felt his body was out of control, and everything in front of him was pitch black. Many things flashed by like a revolving lantern, making it feel unreal. He saw many familiar people: Goebbels, Adolf, Guderian, but he couldn't do anything.

"Long live the Rhine! Long live the Kingdom!"

Intermittent sounds rang in Thorne's ears, growing louder and louder, as if a powerful external force was dragging him from one time and space to another.

This sensation made Thorne suddenly open his eyes, and he thought he had traveled through time again.

"His Highness is awake! His Highness is awake!"

The doctor in charge of the care jumped up immediately. With his shout, the door to the room was pushed open, and seven or eight doctors rushed in to check on Thorne's condition.

"Can Your Highness hear me? Can you move your body?"

A group of doctors surrounded Thorne and examined him. He had been lying in bed for a long time. When Thorne woke up, he felt pain all over his body. He was very lucky. The train derailed and the carriages were thrown dozens of meters away, but he did not break any bones. He just fell into a deep coma.

How long have I been lying there?

Thorne struggled to sit up in bed and took a while to catch his breath. His last memory was being thrown aside by the immense inertia, and then he opened his eyes to find himself in the present.

“Almost a month,” the doctor replied.

"A month?"

Thorne never expected to be lying in bed for so long. When the train derailed, his first thought was of that damned Huanggutun. The Northeast didn't get bombed, but he did get stuck in a train derailment.

"How is my father? What about Goebbels? What happened?"

Thorne had countless questions to ask, and seeing the expressions on the faces of the people present, he knew something must have happened.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has passed away."

Listening to the doctor's words, although he was reluctant to admit it, the fact could not be changed. King Otto was already in critical condition and there was nothing that could be done after he was sent to the hospital.

Thorne remained silent. Although he and Otto had no real connection, and Thorne, a transmigrator, had absolutely no dealings with him, and because he rarely met with this "father" in order to develop the power of the Rhine, Thorne still felt a strange sadness. This Otto was not only a good king, but also a good father.

His rule in the Rhine Kingdom was well-received by the people, and he had not committed any major mistakes. Moreover, King Otto tacitly approved of Thorne's sweeping reforms in the Rhine Kingdom. As a prince, he could not do many things without the king's authorization.

How could those high-ranking military officials possibly listen to the orders of a prince? In implementing reforms in Thorne, the king granted Thorne considerable power. After spending so much time together, it would be a lie to say there were no feelings involved. Thorne had already integrated into this family, and he did not feel the infighting and complex power struggles typical of royalty within it.

To be honest, he was very envious of Thorne. Thorne's life should have been that of a carefree prince, perhaps just a faint mention in history, but who wouldn't envy such a life?

"It's been a month. Father has been gone for a month. Shouldn't my brother have ascended the throne by now?"

The people present looked at each other, clearly Thorne was unaware of what had happened during this time, and they dared not tell Thorne, fearing that he might not be able to cope if he heard the news.

"Your Highness should rest first; a little more time won't make a difference."

"What's a little longer? Andreas's gone too, right?"

Thorne had already guessed how devastating the death of his father and the coma of his younger brother would be for the crown prince. He was the heir whom everyone was looking forward to, but his health simply wouldn't allow him to ascend the throne. Even if he did manage to take the throne smoothly, his body wouldn't allow him to hold it for long. That's why Thorne had previously said he supported his brother's ascension to the throne and that he himself would never ascend the throne, but he could help handle things.

The crown prince was in poor health, and Thorne was clearly more suitable than him. Although he was very reluctant before, he had softened his stance recently, which made the prince, who did not want to ascend the throne, even more determined. However, before he could make up his mind, one died and the other fell into a coma. Such a sudden blow would be impossible for even an ordinary person to react to, let alone someone with a heart problem.

The prince was in very poor health at the time of his coronation. As soon as he was crowned king, he was sent to the hospital. It is unknown how God arranged it, but an hour before Thorne woke up, the newly crowned king passed away forever.

The doctors were actually in despair. They predicted that Thorne would not wake up and would remain in a coma, or that he would wake up as a cripple, conscious but unable to move. Some even began to pray that Charlemagne's spirit would protect the kingdom.

Amidst despair after despair, a miracle finally occurred: the most promising prince, who had been in a coma, awoke!

After Thorne finished speaking, no one present said anything. Thorne struggled to get out of bed, wanting to see off his kind-hearted brother.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, let me walk the road ahead."

After taking one last look at his brother, Thorne made up his mind. He had a rough idea of ​​what was going on: the royal train had derailed, the king had died, and Prussia was going to let this golden opportunity slip by. If Thorne were Hess, he would definitely mobilize his army immediately. If they didn't fight now, when would they?

Goebbels' speech had just ended, and the Queen had stepped down from her seat when suddenly someone rushed toward the senator. The Gestapo and Stasi, who were responsible for protecting the hospital, received the news immediately and reported it to Goebbels.

"Your Excellency, His Highness Thorne has awakened!"

Yes, he was awake. Just that one sentence made Goebbels so excited that he almost lost his balance. He swayed and grabbed the arm of the person next to him tightly.

"you sure?"

"It's absolutely true! His Highness Thorne has already gotten out of bed and started walking around!"