German Red Prince

Page 174

After repeatedly confirming, Goebbels approached Queen Martha, who had stabilized the entire kingdom during this period and was truly worthy of the title of the Kingdom of the Rhine.

"Your Majesty, Prince Thorne has awakened!"

Upon hearing this, Queen Martha's reaction was similar to Goebbels'; she swayed slightly, but quickly regained her composure and simply nodded.

Outside the parliament, countless citizens waved their hats to greet the Queen. This time, Queen Martha returned the greeting while riding on horseback. This image earned her everyone's respect and inspired the fighting spirit of the people of the Rhine.

The news of Thorne's awakening was not immediately spread. He knew that Goebbels would not tell him either. As mentioned before, Thorne's biggest concern was not Prussia, but Bavaria. Bavaria would never get involved in the mess unless they believed they had a sufficient advantage.

Prussia is now winning one victory after another. If Bavaria doesn't act soon, it won't get a single penny. Thorne is just waiting for Bavaria to take a bite out of this juicy piece of meat, the Kingdom of the Rhine.

And that was indeed the case. With Prussia's successive victories in the early stages, Bavaria was starting to lose control, and its army slowly began to assemble on the Rhine border.

387. Entry

Bavaria, within the German Empire, operated in a fragmented manner, with each country seemingly doing its own thing and not actively participating in German internal affairs. The Kingdom of Bavaria was also the most independent within the German Empire, essentially a small kingdom within the empire.

They maintained good relations with Austria-Hungary. Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire was now a nominal entity and a federal empire, they still had a very good relationship with Austria. King Karl I did not have strong expansionist ambitions. He was a pacifist, so in the eyes of the radicals in the country, Emperor Karl was the biggest obstacle to the progress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

However, since they won the war, this monarch at least maintained the framework of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Moreover, this emperor advocated democratization and liberalization, and the political environment in Austro-Hungary under his rule was a hundred times better than that in Germany. Apart from economic and ethnic issues, the Austro-Hungarian Empire's power in Europe could also be ranked among the top three.

Emperor Karl still enjoys high prestige domestically, but a few years ago His Majesty contracted the flu. Although he recovered, his health has declined significantly, and it is uncertain how much longer he can remain in power. The Aryan Party in Austria-Hungary is no pushover; they share a mutual respect with the Prussian National Party.

The problems within Austria-Hungary are an expansion of the German problem. In the past, Austria-Hungary could simply copy the answers, but now that Germany is engaged in conflict, it's no longer easy to copy the answers. The Aryan Party is becoming increasingly restless.

Promoting nationalism is also a basic tactic of the Aryan Party, especially in an environment like Austria-Hungary, where it has a better market than in Germany. Now that the German Civil War is underway, they are eager to win over Bavaria or even send troops to help Bavaria, so that they can intervene in the German Civil War, take back everything they have lost, and reaffirm who is the true heir to the German throne.

However, since the person in charge is Emperor Karl, no matter how loudly they make a fuss, it's useless. But the National Party next door is also their teacher. Wilhelm II is currently in a state of uncertainty. The German government is led by Crown Prince Wilhelm. Perhaps in Austria-Hungary, they can also have a classic replay.

Because of Emperor Karl, Austria-Hungary maintained contact with Bavaria, but it was still quite restrained, and their exchanges were mostly in the economic field. However, Bavaria was clearly getting impatient, as Prussia's victories in this phase had greatly worried them.

At the very beginning of the war, Prussia approached Bavaria, hoping to join forces to attack the Kingdom of the Rhine. At the time, Bavaria neither agreed nor refused. In the early stages of the war, it was best to remain neutral and observe from the sidelines. Bavaria understood this very well and continued to watch the war unfold.

However, the performance of the Kingdom of the Rhine greatly surprised them. What was going on? After more than ten years of military preparation, they couldn't even defend against the first offensive? Prussia hadn't fought a war in a long time, and the Kingdom of the Rhine's army was quite formidable when they last fought Poland. This situation was clearly beyond their expectations.

Seeing Prussia's successive victories, it would be unwise to remain neutral at this point. If Prussia were to integrate the entire Kingdom of the Rhine, its strength would increase significantly. Once it took over the Ruhr industrial region, Bavaria would have no chance of turning the tide. They would fight whoever was winning. As the Prussian army drew closer to Frankfurt, Bavaria decided to follow suit.

King Rupprecht was a field marshal of the German Empire who had commanded many famous battles during the war and possessed a certain military mindset. Now that Prussia was winning smoothly and the Bavarian army was still stuck at home, how could he, as a field marshal, possibly stay put?

Although Bavaria is not very strong, it is still one of the three kingdoms. Now that two of the kingdoms are fighting each other, it can take advantage of the situation by going in and picking up the scraps. Its troops can still handle the situation. Bavaria is also a well-known industrial manufacturing kingdom. They also have the Austro-Hungarian Empire as an "ally". In terms of weaponry, the penetration rate of heavy equipment is still very high.

Seeing Prussia achieve victory after victory, King Rupprecht also wanted to get involved, otherwise it would be too late. However, this marshal clearly underestimated the Rhine's strength. He was indeed an excellent marshal, but that was during the Great War. Times have changed now.

The three kingdoms of the German Empire, in terms of both territory and population, were roughly 532: Prussia accounted for half, the Rhineland for 30%, and Bavaria for 20%.

After the establishment of the empire, the Prussian system was implemented throughout the country, but the armies of the three kingdoms were still retained. According to the Imperial Military Law promulgated in 1874, the Kingdom of the Rhine provided 30 percent of the imperial army, Bavaria 20 percent, and the remaining 50 percent came from Prussia. The purpose of this was to ensure that Prussia maintained absolute military superiority.

The empire was divided into 21 military districts, which were assigned to various kingdoms. Each military district was responsible for recruiting and training troops, and each also commanded its own legions during wartime. Most of the legions of the German Empire relied on this relationship to enhance their organizational strength. However, this military system gradually loosened later, especially after Germany won the war, and the Imperial Military Law became virtually defunct.

Germany's densely populated areas were mainly in the Rhine Valley and Saxony-Silesia, two densely populated regions, one in Prussia and the other in the Rhine, and the German Empire's conscription tended to increasingly involve civilians.

The 20th century saw a preference for urban youth with moderate levels of education, and the highly urbanized Rhineland could also provide a large number of high-quality people. In the Kingdom of the Rhine, more than 70 percent of officers at all levels came from non-noble backgrounds, which is one of the reasons why Thorne's reforms in the army were so successful.

The Rhine, this ancestral land, should be the most prosperous region in all of Germany, with a high level of urbanization, abundant resources, and a large population. That's why so many brave soldiers emerged during the war. Now that Bavaria is coming to cause trouble, Thorne is more than happy to do so. He's actually afraid that Bavaria won't come.

The news of Thorne's awakening was strictly kept under wraps. He intended to conceal the news until Bavaria was drawn into the fray. Otherwise, given Bavaria's cautious attitude, they might not necessarily get involved, and if they did, they would be in trouble by siding with Austria-Hungary, which would be a problem that needed to be addressed together.

The Kingdom of the Rhine has a deep foundation; it can fight ten against one without suffering serious damage. Model's army has already marched north and timely reinforced the Weser River defense line, making the Weser River truly an impregnable fortress.

The troops advancing from Hanover towards Frankfurt were pushing too fast, leaving their flanks too vulnerable. The fact that they weren't stopping despite such a dangerous advance made Thorne wonder if the enemy had lost their minds, or if they truly believed the Kingdom of the Rhine was only that weak.

"Your Highness, will Bavaria really take action?"

"Yes, definitely."

Thorne pointed to the map, certain that Bavaria would attack the Rhine.

"Back then, the Rhine was just a small duchy. Within the Confederation of the Rhine, Bavaria was the absolute leader. Later, the Rhine rose to power, and Prussia, in order to contain Bavaria, basically integrated the original Confederation of the Rhine, which led to the current kingdom. This made Bavaria very angry within the Confederation of the Rhine, and the Kingdom of the Rhine has always had territorial disputes with the Kingdom of Bavaria."

“Bavarianism was absolutely the dominant force in southern Germany at the time. Even the Rhine initially followed their instructions. Now, the borders of southern Germany are the places where Bavaria most frequently makes a fuss. In their minds, Württemberg and Baden should belong to Bavaria. Now that the Kingdom of the Rhine is about to be “defeated” by Prussia, how could they possibly give up such a good opportunity?”

Just as Thorne was explaining the situation to everyone, news arrived just in time: Bavaria had indeed become restless, and their border troops had opened fire!

378. A devastating blow

Müller was a new recruit who had only recently joined the Bavarian Army. He felt that serving in peacetime was very easy.

He enjoyed a period of peace and thought this kind of life would last a long time until he retired, but an unexpected event happened soon afterward.

Müller has a vivid memory of that day. He was writing a letter to his mother when his comrades rushed into the room and turned on the radio. Then the voice of the Imperial Chancellor Hess came through the radio, and then something Müller could not believe happened: Prussia declared war on the Kingdom of the Rhine.

He never dreamed that Germany would be at war again, and that it would be a civil war. Although it was a German civil war, Bavaria did not participate. The war had not been over for long, and Müller did not have much enthusiasm for it. He just hoped that it would end as soon as possible.

Although Bavaria did not participate in the war, its army still issued orders to urgently mobilize and assemble at the border. The situation in the Kingdom of the Rhine was becoming increasingly dire, and perhaps the war would end soon without Bavaria's involvement. However, this was just Müller's idea.

"beep--"

The officer blew the whistle, and the troops were assembled immediately. Muller quickly straightened his clothes, grabbed his rifle, and ran to the square. The soldiers stood there in neat rows, listening to the officer's next order.

"Gentlemen, the kingdom needs us now."

Upon hearing his superior's words, Müller's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Bavaria was about to enter the fray?

"Prussia has launched an offensive against the Kingdom of the Rhine. This is a lesson they deserve. In the Confederation of the Rhine, the Rhine was just a small duchy, but they stole the southern German region that rightfully belonged to us through trickery. Today, by order of His Majesty the King, we will reclaim this land that belongs to us! We will re-liberate this southern German region that has been illegally occupied by the Kingdom of the Rhine for a century. Baden and Württemberg will forever belong to the Kingdom of Bavaria. Long live Bavaria!"

"Long live! Long live!"

The officer was shouting hysterically up there, and Muller was just mechanically repeating what he was told. Although he really didn't want to, it seemed that they were going to be herded to the battlefield like livestock.

Right there in the square, the troops began distributing ammunition. Muller received his bullets, loaded them one by one into his gun, and then boarded a vehicle with the rest of the troops. He didn't know if he would be able to come back alive this time.

In the Württemberg region, the Kingdom of the Rhine and Bavaria had a territorial dispute, and the two countries were arguing fiercely over the border issue. Finally, they agreed to draw up a demilitarized zone, leaving this area vacant, and the troops stationed in both kingdoms moved back. This time, the Bavarian troops were to voluntarily cross the demilitarized zone.

The trucks gradually drove through the demilitarized zone within the Kingdom of Bavaria. The surrounding environment was eerily quiet. Everyone jumped off the trucks. Bavaria was going to extremes even more than Prussia, launching a war without a declaration of war. The army slowly crossed the border and entered the demilitarized zone within the Kingdom of the Rhine.

Müller gripped his rifle tightly. The place was unusually quiet, probably because all the troops had been sent to the front lines due to the war with Prussia.

King Rupprecht also wanted to take a gamble and see how the Kingdom of the Rhine would react. If the other side reacted too strongly, he would retreat and criticize the army, saying that it was the army's "unauthorized action" and had nothing to do with the kingdom, and that it should be severely punished. But if the Kingdom of the Rhine did not react, he would first occupy the demilitarized zone on the other side, move the border forward a bit, and then slowly advance, nibbling away at the enemy without using force.

If the Kingdom of the Rhine is indeed in trouble, then the troops need not worry; they can simply lead the charge. King Rupprecht would bet that he could take Frankfurt even before Prussia.

Muller's troops continued to advance, the surroundings were quiet, and everyone's hearts were in their throats, fearing that there might be an ambush or a sneak attack from the shadows.

"No passage allowed! This is the Rhineland border!"

Finally, just as they were about to cross the demilitarized zone of the Kingdom of Rhine, someone came out to stop them. However, there were very few of them, far fewer than their troops. But they had been ordered not to fire unless absolutely necessary, so they were easy to deal with.

"Ahead lies the border of the Kingdom of Rhine. If you take another step forward, war will ensue!"

After giving a verbal warning, the soldiers on the other side raised their guns. It seemed that the other side was also unsure of themselves. They clearly had a numerical advantage, so what was there to be afraid of?

It seems that the entire army of the Kingdom of the Rhine has indeed been sent to the Prussian front. Frankfurt is completely overwhelmed. Half an hour has passed, and there are still just as many people on the other side, yet no one has come to reinforce them.

“Württemberg and Baden are inherent territories of the Kingdom of Bavaria. I advise you to leave as soon as possible. This land was illegally occupied by the Kingdom of the Rhine at the Leipzig Conference for nearly a hundred years. Now the Kingdom of Bavaria wants to take back this land. Please leave as soon as possible, otherwise we will take coercive measures.”

The other side remained unmoved. The small border guard team stood on the border without retreating an inch. Seeing that these people did not react, the Bavarian commander lost patience. Since the other side had almost no defenses on the border, he had to act quickly. By the time the Kingdom of the Rhine remembered that his troops were already stationed there, it would be too late, and they would have no choice but to swallow their anger.

The inability to fire meant they could use any means other than shooting. The Bavarian soldiers began pushing and shoving, relying on their numerical advantage to force their way through the checkpoint. They were confident that the other side would not fire, as the Kingdom of the Rhine was currently too weak to fight on two fronts.

"Soldiers! Reclaim our land! Southern Germany will forever belong to Bavaria!"

The leading officer had already taken out the national flag and led the soldiers to charge forward. The few Rhine border guards tried to stop them, but they were outnumbered and were surrounded and pinned to the ground by the group on the other side. The others seized the time to advance towards the Rhine border.

The moment he stepped into the Kingdom of Rhine, Müller felt no excitement, not even a flicker of emotion. Looking at the cheering others, he felt a strange fear welling up from the bottom of his heart. It was too quiet here, and eerily quiet, as if countless eyes were watching him.

This unease made him grip the rifle tighter, and under the influence of this feeling, Muller unintentionally released the safety of the rifle, the worst part being that he didn't even realize it.

The soldiers who successfully entered the Rhineland cheered, which made them lower their guard. Suddenly, one of the Rhineland border guards broke free of his restraints and charged at Müller with a short knife in his hand.

The menacing expression froze Muller in place, rendering him unable to move. However, months of training had given him a mechanical reflex, and before his mind could even process it, the action was complete. He pulled the trigger, and with a deafening gunshot, the soldier fell to the ground, his fate unknown.

The soldiers present were stunned for a moment. They fired? They actually fired? Everyone froze on the spot, even the officer was dumbfounded. They had already achieved their objective and were just waiting for the follow-up troops. He was going to get a promotion when he got back, and good days were waiting for him. Now all those fantasies were completely shattered by this gunshot.

"Those damn bastards finally fired!"

The troops lying in ambush behind them were already itching to fight back. They wanted to rush over and teach this group of soldiers, who were still celebrating after crossing the border, a lesson. However, they had been ordered to wait for the other side to fire first before they could retaliate. A few soldiers volunteered to go up to lure the other side into firing. It was almost a death mission, but they still went.

Hottman finally heard the gunshot. Looking at the soldier lying on the ground, not knowing whether he was dead or alive, he knew he had to take revenge.

"Comrades! Defend the Rhine! Fight back against the invaders!"

It was all a conspiracy. They were just waiting for you to come. Now Muller fully realized how ignorant his actions had been. Countless tanks and armored vehicles rolled out from their hiding places, followed by intense artillery fire. Then Muller saw shattered corpses and soldiers frantically fleeing back.

The officer who led him there was cut in half at the waist by a machine gun. He was screaming loudly as he crawled forward, supporting himself with his hands.

Muller had completely lost the courage to pick up his rifle and collapsed to the ground. He felt completely dazed; everything seemed so unreal. The screams and gunfire seemed to have nothing to do with him. A shell landed near his superior officer, and the massive impact knocked Muller over. In his last moments before losing consciousness, he thought that perhaps he would be here forever.

Holman, having just repelled the Bavarian army that had occupied the area, rushed to check on the fallen soldier. Fortunately, Müller was a new recruit with poor aim; the shot hit his arm but was not fatal.

"You are the heroes of the kingdom, and it is people like you who gave the medal of courage its soul."

These soldiers who volunteered to block the Bavarian army deserved the Medal of Courage, and the kingdom now had ample reason to launch an offensive against Bavaria.

Holmann's army will not stop at the border. When Thorne was making the plan, Bavaria was the first place he attacked. During Thorne's coma, under the command of Field Marshal Schulz, the army did not deploy haphazardly in general. The several elite corps deployed on the Bavarian border did not move.

Holmann's army was just the vanguard; elite troops followed. From the moment Müller fired his gun, fate was sealed. The Rhine Kingdom's right hook, while destroying Bavaria, would also deliver a heavy blow to Prussia's vulnerable underbelly.

379. Counterattack

It rained, a rare occurrence, and the heavy rain lasted for several days. This rain mirrored the mood of every Rhine soldier. The kingdom's strength was considerable, but the battle was indeed very frustrating. The Prussian army, at its fastest pace, had penetrated nearly a hundred kilometers into the territory.

Guderian had barely slept well since arriving at the front from Frankfurt, and the rainy weather only made his insomnia worse. To be honest, he was quite conflicted. He was originally a Prussian officer, but later followed Thorne to "jump ship" to the Kingdom of the Rhine.

Although Guderian's rank was reduced to lieutenant colonel due to an accident, he was quickly promoted back to colonel and has now been urgently appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Rhine Panzer Army. The pressure of having an outsider, especially a Prussian, command the Rhine Panzer Army is unimaginable, and Guderian believes that Model must feel the same way he does right now.

Seven divisions were sent to reinforce the Weser River defenses. Their roles were clear: Guderian was in charge of the assault, cooperating with Model to encircle the enemy on the front lines and extend the front to the Rabe River. Thorne had said many times before that the German Civil War must not last too long, otherwise it would be very troublesome once Austria-Hungary and the Commune realized what was happening.

The Commune is still preoccupied with Spanish affairs; the deadlocked elections and the Spanish crisis have left them no time to attend to Germany, making this the perfect opportunity.

Commander-in-Chief of the Rhine Armored Army Group—this title sounds impressive, but the Kingdom of Rhine has very few armored divisions that have completed reorganization. His position as commander-in-chief only involves the central breakthrough operation, specifically the breakthrough in the Kassel direction.

The civil war broke out too early. Thorne estimated it to be around 1931 or 1932, but Prussia started in 1929. This meant that the Rhine Kingdom's armored forces had not yet been equipped with enough Panzer II tanks, and the Panzer I tanks were only just meeting the demand.

The armored forces are the kingdom's absolute elite. Thorne has invested heavily in building an army in the Kingdom of Rhine, and like Rommel's armored grenadiers, now is their time to shine.

Several days of heavy rain made Guderian very irritable, which greatly affected the tanks' combat capabilities and might prevent them from effectively killing the enemy. However, there was also good news: the vanguard of Army Group B had advanced to Kassel. Due to the weather, their advance had slowed down, which was also due to supply issues. Army Group B was now exhausted and needed to stop and rest.

"Colonel Guderian, our troops are approaching the reserve area. Kolbach, Buttville-Dongen, Humberger, and Melsungen, we are ready to launch an offensive against the enemy in Kassel at any time."

As Guderian listened to his adjutant's report, he began to draw on the map, connecting the dots to form an arc that had surrounded Kassel from three directions.

"The attack will begin in an hour; it's our turn to counterattack."

After Guderian finished speaking, he walked out of the house. His adjutant followed and tried to put a trench coat on him, but Guderian shook his head and refused.

Guderian's command post was in Melsungen, only about 30 kilometers from the front line. This was also the main force of the attack. Kolbach and Melsungen were the main forces of Guderian. Their mission was not to attack Kassel, but to advance into the Minden area behind Kassel and cut off the enemy's retreat route.

The armored forces were making tense preparations, checking their tanks, starting the engines, and ready to set off at any moment. They were about to rush to Minden in one go.

"Captain, all ready!"

Blitzt had been disciplined last time and worked in logistics for quite some time, but this also made him more familiar with tanks. He personally inspected all the tanks in the tank platoon. What was coming next was not an exercise, but actual combat, and all the men in his tank platoon had to return intact.

Due to the war, the armored forces underwent another reorganization. Blitzt's armored platoon was now assigned to the 8th Company of the 3rd Armored Division. Tanks were in short supply at the front. Of the twelve tanks in their tank company, only three were Panzer IIs, and the rest were Panzer Is. As the platoon leader, he only had four tanks under his command.

The army is full of men, but the 8th Company is an exception. Their company commander is a woman. When Blitzkrieg was assigned to his Panzer II tank, he was still yelling. But when he arrived at his new unit, the woman cured him of that problem.

A female officer, and an armored officer at that—that was quite a rarity. Blitzt suddenly felt a surge of relief, and the pain of having his tanks taken away was instantly alleviated.

Hannah's studies were interrupted. Due to the war, almost all the students at the military academy graduated early. They were senior students, so graduating early didn't have much of an impact. This combat exercise was essentially their graduation thesis. In any case, the person in charge of command was their teacher, Guderian, and they didn't even change their advisor for this graduation thesis.

"Understood. The attack will begin in one hour. Go and get ready."

Hannah has a great talent for military affairs, but this is her first real combat experience, so it would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous. Dudman went with Model to the Weser River defense line. Because of the urgency of the situation, Model went to the front line as soon as he received the news. He was the first of all the officers to leave, but he still didn't forget to take his good student with him.

Model's team is currently focused on defense, primarily supporting Guderian. They will only launch an attack when Guderian achieves significant results. With seven divisions, their current focus is on defense, so if Dudman takes the field to command, they are relatively safe for the time being.

"How are the preparations going?"

Guderian's words interrupted Hannah's thoughts. She immediately stood at attention and saluted Guderian.

"Colonel, all ready. Await the order to attack."

"The actual combat hasn't started yet, and I'm not here to give orders, so relax."

"Good teacher."

Guderian went to the 8th Panzer Company to check on the situation. Everything was in good order, which pleased him. He thought his student was quite meticulous.

"Blitzkrieg!"

"To!"