German Red Prince

Page 197

"Long live the revolution! Long live the victory!"

The streets were filled with crowds waving red flags and cheering; their revolution had succeeded, the first revolution in Prussia had triumphed.

Looking at the cheering crowds in the street, Heydrich knew that the uprising was only half successful; now, the Rhine army was just waiting to arrive.

Kiel is an important port in northern Germany, and judging from the map, if it succeeds here, the Rhine will control the Schleswig region.

That would ruin Prussia's plan to reinforce their troops here and stab them in the back, and Rhine would have no worries at all, only needing to push forward.

Heydrich's plan was that Prussia would likely send a large reinforcement after receiving the news, as the location was too important for them to simply hand over.

The Rhine army can come, but there's no sure when. Before the main reinforcements arrive, Heydrich must organize an effective defense.

"We have already occupied the key locations within the city, and the entire city is under our control. What should our next move be?"

The members of the provisional committee gathered together, watching Heydrich await his next orders.

"Kiel has been successfully liberated, but we cannot let our guard down. It is an important city in Prussia, and they will not willingly give it up to us."

“Celebration is fine, but it would be better to leave it until after the liberation of the whole country. Now is the time to fight. Notify the party cadres at all levels to organize the soldiers and workers and mobilize the citizens of the city. We must defend the fruits of the revolution.”

At Heydrich's command, cadres at all levels quickly sprang into action, and the entire uprising proceeded in an orderly fashion, unlike the chaotic situation in Hamburg.

It's closer to the Rhine, so a little chaos there doesn't matter. But it's dangerous here. There are many variables in an uprising here, and even a little chaos could cause the uprising to fail.

Heydrich had no idea when the Rhine army would arrive. Although when he was telegraphed, the news from Frankfurt indicated that the army had liberated Hamburg, Heydrich didn't know how long it would take for them to get there.

The uprising in Kiel will surely spread very quickly, and Heydrich can only gamble on the hope that the Rhine army will arrive before the Prussian army.

In terms of speed, the Rhine army has never lost, and this time it is Rommel who is leading the team.

In fact, even if Prussia knew about the Kiel uprising, it was too late. After Hamburg was lost, Hanover was also lost.

They had hoped to withdraw some troops, but one surrendered and another revolted, leaving very few soldiers on the front lines.

If we gather the remaining soldiers and head north to recapture Kiel, who will defend against Guderian's forces? If they advance any further, they'll reach Berlin. Is Kiel more important or Berlin?

Even though Ludendorff received the news, there was nothing he could do, and he dared not gamble. Last time he gambled and lost the northern defense line; if he lost again this time, Berlin would be lost.

He dared not touch the troops that had retreated from the front lines. Having learned his lesson many times, Ludendorff had become wiser. Instead of directly reinforcing Kiel, he chose to support Lübeck below.

Even if the Rhineland occupies Kiel, as long as Lübeck is in Prussian hands, they can be prevented from advancing further south.

“Inspect all Prussian naval ports, and if there are any suspicious persons, it is better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.”

As expected, two sailors' mutinies occurred, and Ludendorff began an investigation into the navy. The two mutinies were so close together that it seemed as if they had been planned.

If no investigation is conducted, all of Prussia's naval ports will rebel, and then they will have no way to escape.

Ludendorff's situation is much worse than Hess's. His focus is no longer on whether he can launch a counterattack, but on how long Prussia can hold out.

If they can hold out a little longer and wait for the international situation to change, then they still have a chance. But once a third party intervenes, the outcome of the entire war becomes uncertain.

The officers below were all making arrangements for their own escape routes, and Ludendorff was no exception; he had stopped sending troops from Eastern Europe to the front lines.

Those are his future assets. If he sends too many, he won't be able to control those Eastern European warlords when he runs away.

Prussia chose to abandon Kiel, and Heydrich was eventually met by the Rhine army. The two armies waving red flags met victoriously, and next came Lübeck, which blockaded the entire Schleswig.

443. We, your humble servants, are ready to fight to the death.

What does it mean to be alone? For Adalbert, his current situation is exactly that of being alone.

As a German emperor, he was not well received in Flanders. Even though he did many things for the good of the locals, they just didn't appreciate it. He was just trying to win their favor.

The German Civil War presented Adalbert with an opportunity, and in the early stages he even saw hope of regaining the Luxembourg region. However, the subsequent defeats and the Rhine Revolution filled him with fear. If the German revolution succeeded, there would be no place for a king to stand on the European continent.

France and Germany, two great powers, both succeeded in revolution. I ask you, which monarchical state in continental Europe could withstand that?

Now, when revolution is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is the bloodshed in France. When Ludendorff sent a special envoy to negotiate with Adalbert, although he hesitated for a while, he had no choice but to join the war.

Ludendorff was willing to provide Flanders Wallonia with sufficient assistance, including soldiers and weapons. Adalbert also knew about Prussia's betrayal of its allies during the war, but he was related to William by blood and was practically a member of Prussia. Would Ludendorff dare to betray him?

In the early stages of the war, Ludendorff did not sell out Flanders and kept his promise, sending troops and weapons to Flanders in a steady stream. While the weapons were in place, the fighting strength of the Flanders army was far inferior to that of Belgium in the past. During the war, Belgium's will to resist was astonishing, but now it had been completely defeated.

What Adalbert least expected was that they actually turned back halfway through the fight. Weren't these guys always clamoring to take back the Luxembourg region? So now that we've actually put them in the line of duty, they've retreated? Afraid to make a move? If they were too afraid to make a move, why were they so enthusiastic about it in the first place?

When he hadn't taken back the Luxembourg region, the Belgian people cursed him; when he tried to take it back, the Belgians still cursed him. Ordinary people couldn't stand this, let alone a monarch of a country.

Whether one is angry or not is another matter. In any case, after declaring war on the Rhine, Wallonia in Flanders was already in turmoil. The Wallonia region declared an uprising in a high-profile manner. This area was backed by the French Commune and was also a socialist sympathy zone, so it was inevitable that the French would infiltrate it.

Not long after the declaration of war, an uprising broke out here. The rebels claimed to be supporters of the Rhine Revolution. Adalbert could not possibly conscript a single soldier to fight for him. They had risen up in rebellion to overthrow the monarchy.

The only region they can control now is Flanders. With the help of the Germans, they have barely managed to suppress the trend of "welcoming back the old emperor" in Flanders.

In short, the situation is very dire. News has reached the palace that Liège has fallen and the Rhine forces have successfully occupied the area.

The combined Flanders and Prussian troops, numbering nearly 50,000, couldn't even hold out for five days in this city. In the past, during months or years of guerrilla warfare, the front line might only advance a dozen kilometers.

Liège inflicted such a devastating defeat on Germany in World War I, yet the Rhineland managed to capture a key border town in Flanders in just five days.

Moreover, this army of 50,000 was originally supposed to advance towards Aachen and Cologne, but it was driven back before it could make any progress.

Originally, in the postwar territorial partition, Germany's demand was that it gain an absolute advantage over Belgium, and Belgium gain an absolute advantage over France.

Now look what's happened. These decisions have directly ruined Adalbert and Ludendorff. The fortresses in the Walloon region, originally intended to defend against France, have now been turned against them. Only Liège, the only fortress on the border with Germany, was advantageous and was used by Belgium for self-defense. Now it has been captured in five days, leaving the area from Liège to Brussels completely undefended.

With Liège under their control, Rhine had essentially secured victory. Adalbert had hoped that Liège would buy him at least three weeks, but in reality, it didn't even last a week.

Ludendorff was generous enough in the early stages, giving everything he could. However, with the complete collapse of the northern defenses, the port suddenly became deserted.

When asked, he was told to wait for further notice. At this point, Adalbert could probably guess that he had been betrayed, and Ludendorff probably thought that occupying Frankfurt was a joke.

Not only did no aid arrive, but the Prussian soldiers who had fought in Flanders were also going back. They would withdraw as many as they could. The only thing that comforted Adalbert was that Kiel had been occupied by the Rhine, and the remaining soldiers could not leave. They had nowhere else to go, so they had to stay and help.

The repeated defeats at the front lines caused unrest in the rear, and people began to take to the streets again to protest against Adalbert. The king was immune to this. The Walloon rebels could not be eliminated, and the Rhine troops were winning victory after victory. Beset by internal and external troubles, he really should hang himself from a crooked tree.

Tired, let it all end. Failure is a foregone conclusion. Adalbert is fed up too. After so many years of hard work and dedication, people still don't appreciate you. He's disheartened. I'm done playing.

Adalbert hadn't attended any military meetings for many days, and he didn't care about that. He locked himself in the palace all day, and no one outside knew what the monarch was doing.

At this point, Adalbert had completely lost interest in politics and was already planning his escape. Ludendorff had already figured out his own way out, and he couldn't just sit and wait to die, waiting for the Rhine army to come and hang him. Adalbert was going to leave Flanders Wallonia.

It's definitely not safe to stay in Europe. Given the current situation, the Rhine will inevitably seize leadership from Germany. At that time, Germany and France will definitely carry out a complete transformation of Europe. Staying here will inevitably lead to trouble sooner or later. We must "move out".

The four countries of Britain, France, Italy, and Germany radiated across Central and Western Europe. Spain was not safe either, not to mention Eastern Europe. After the Rhine victory, the Imperial Pact would definitely be completely dismantled, and Ludendorff was also very likely to unify Eastern Europe and wage war against Germany, so that region was not safe either.

The Scandinavian Peninsula seems relatively safe for the time being, but it is also very close to the European continent and is very vulnerable to influence. It is not a place to stay for long. A bunch of countries have been excluded from the European continent, and Africa has also been excluded. Although it is part of the Imperial Convention, this region is a separate entity, and I am really afraid of being "taken down" by local forces if I go there.

Africa is off-limits, Asia is too far, South America is in turmoil, and the United States is in chaos. It seems like the whole world is unsafe. In such a vast world, there is not a single place where a monarch can find refuge.

After much deliberation, Adalbert decided to go to Canada. After all, George V and William II were cousins, and he was William II's son. Although Germany and Britain were at war during the Great War and had driven them to Canada, countries are countries, and relatives are relatives; these are two different things.

Having chosen a location, he now needed to hurry and make his escape. He had already secretly arranged for all his wealth to be organized and transported away; all he had to do was get out of there.

Looking at the protesting citizens of Flanders, Adalbert snorted coldly. He hated them now. So they liked their old king so much? Fine, let him come and save them. I'm off. Albert I is currently in Canada. It would be quite a sight for Adalbert to go there now.

It is highly unusual for a king to remain out of sight for such a long time. The Walloon rebels and the Rhine army are approaching, and everyone is waiting for Adalbert to come up with a plan.

The group pushed open the palace door and were surprised to find it empty. Under the cover of night, the king left this sorrowful place with endless despair.

On the table in the palace was only a handwritten abdication edict by Adalbert, which roughly meant that he was quitting, he was running away, and that Albert should come to save them, and that he was returning the throne to him.

This, this... Your Majesty, we were ready to fight to the death, why did you surrender first? Running away is fine, but why didn't you inform them? They would have run away too!

444. Public opinion guidance

The French Commune has been quite lively lately. The election, which had been deadlocked for several months, has finally made progress, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the election, which had exhausted everyone's energy, came to an end.

The advantage gained by the Solidarity Front was overwhelming, because all French people realized that the time for a world revolution had come.

France should not be as hesitant as the Labour Party was in exporting revolution. The order of German imperialism is visibly collapsing, and now we must boldly move forward and completely break this shackle.

The revolution in the Rhineland was key to the progress in the French elections. After Germany entered the civil war, the French elections finally made some progress, and the vote count was obvious when the Rhineland declared its revolution.

Maurice became the new General Secretary because the Unity Front had an absolute advantage this time, and the Jacobins and Sorel factions also had an absolute advantage in the French Committee of Public Safety.

Therefore, the current commune government has greater administrative efficiency than the Labour Party era, when they had to balance the power of various parties.

At that time, the French Commune was still relatively weak and was in an important period of development. The Workers' Party's task was to maintain government stability and promote production.

As the commune's power continued to grow, the political balance was bound to be broken. Since the outbreak of the German economic crisis, the Workers' Party had been unable to control the government.

It can be said that they withdrew from the historical stage after completing their mission. In the more than ten years since the French Revolution, with the victory of the Solidarity Front, the Labour Party has almost withdrawn from the government.

Maurice has firmly controlled the government thanks to the overwhelming advantage of the United Front. He is now very concerned about the revolution in Germany. Not only Maurice, but all French people are now very concerned about their neighbor's war.

They didn't know much about what was happening in Germany, only that there was a war on the other side and that the king had abdicated. For the French, whatever happened in Germany, as long as it was bad, they were at ease.

The Rhine Revolutionary Government was very powerful and advanced almost triumphantly. Maurice kept receiving news from the Rhine that they had successfully broken through the northern defense line and blockaded Schleswig.

The Rhine region in central Germany has achieved an absolute victory, and it is only a matter of time before they reach Berlin. Now, Maurice should be considering how to deal with this newly emerging Germany.

To be honest, Maurice never expected a revolution to happen in Germany, let alone a revolution carried out by a kingdom with the full force of its nation.

According to the analysis of French researchers, the German revolution should be seen as a series of interconnected events, like sparks igniting a fire.

They predicted that an economic crisis would break out in Germany, and estimated that this crisis would lead to a German revolution, with workers taking to the streets in industrialized cities and launching violent struggles.

Such resistance was extremely weak, so it was the French who came to the rescue, providing weapons and aid to guide this small spark of German resistance and ultimately lead to victory.

The situation has completely deviated from the script. They never expected Germany to go into civil war. Hess's rise to power was somewhat unexpected, and his willingness to start a civil war was even more surprising.

The commune, adopting a spectator's perspective, quietly observed the changes in Germany: the civil war led by Hess, the Prussian coup, Ludendorff's seizure of power, and the Rhine Revolution.

These events, which should have made world headlines, happened one after another in the past few months. It wasn't until the revolutionary government achieved successive victories that the commune suddenly realized that they couldn't be of much help in this revolution.

Maurice sent commissioners to try to make contact with the revolutionary government in order to find out the nature of their revolution and their attitude toward the French Commune.

Surprisingly, they also wanted to make contact with France, and their attitude was surprisingly good. They even exchanged views with France on the Alsace-Lorraine issue and hoped to establish good relations with the Commune after the revolution succeeded.

The Commune's international brigade is doing very well in Flanders. If it succeeds here, after the German Revolution succeeds, Britain, France and Germany will be united on the map, which will greatly facilitate communication between the revolutionary regimes.

Now that Germany is on the verge of success, Maurice needs to act quickly and do some propaganda in France to let the French people know about this revolution and the Rhine.

War is a continuation of politics, and public opinion is a tool of politics. The German Revolution originated in the Rhineland. To make people feel good about this revolution, it is necessary to change the French people's impression of the Rhineland.

The Rhineland and France have intricate connections; without Napoleon, the Rhineland might not exist.

The Rhine's predecessor was the Confederation of the Rhine, which was previously an ally of France, but it betrayed France severely.

The Battle of Leipzig essentially established the Rhineland's long-standing enmity with France. France had been indoctrinating the Rhineland with hatred, and the sudden shift in the political climate was likely unacceptable to the public.

These issues gave Maurice a headache. How could he get the French to accept the Rhine by shifting the focus?

"Perhaps we should try a different perspective?"

Morris suddenly had a flash of inspiration: why not try a different perspective? The Rhine and France are sworn enemies because they have had many conflicts, which is from a war perspective.

Now, let's look at it from a different perspective, from a political standpoint.

Although the Rhine was a kingdom in Germany, its political atmosphere was reformed by Napoleon and was the most democratic of the three kingdoms.

Looking at political similarities, France is most proud of its ideology. If the French people can see that the politics of the Rhineland align with their understanding, then it will be much easier to work on public opinion.

Quickly summon the political minister; it's better for him to handle these kinds of public opinion and propaganda matters.

Morris told him a few key points. The first was to promote the political system of the Rhineland, emphasizing that the Rhineland had undergone Napoleon's democratization reforms.

Only by elevating one's own image can one naturally immerse oneself in the role.

Then comes the history of the Rhine, with a focus on the Rhine royal family's attitude towards Marx, how this mentor of the proletariat evaluated the Rhine, and a historical perspective on the Rhine.

Then came the Great War, and the characterization of the Rhineland in the war had to be changed. It had to be changed to say that they were dragged into the war by German imperialism.

The key point to introduce is this war, which was not a civil war in Germany, but a war of the proletariat against imperialism, a revolution.

Let alone the average French citizen, even Maurice himself finds it hard to accept that he is suddenly changing those deeply ingrained concepts.

But this was necessary. The Rhine Revolution government had already expressed goodwill, and the French Commune couldn't very well try to attack them after their success, could it? What would other countries that had successfully revolutionized think?

After hearing the General Secretary's demands, the political minister also looked troubled; the sudden change in the wind was not something that could be accepted in a short time.

However, since the other side has already undergone a revolution, France must also respond. The Rhine expressed goodwill, and France should do the same.

The thought of a red wave sweeping across Europe filled Maurice with excitement. If Germany had a revolution, how far away could the world revolution be?

445. Invitation

"Liberate Brussels!"

The Rhine army and the French International Brigades captured Liège in less than a week, an astonishing speed that thrilled everyone.