German Red Prince

Page 92

The Arabs resigned themselves to this, figuring it would just be a matter of changing the leader anyway. They figured all this fighting was just serving the Ottomans, and since the Turks had fled, why should they risk their lives?

Upon hearing this news, Katru and de Gaulle were somewhat surprised. They hadn't expected that all the Turks had run away. No wonder the troops they encountered collapsed at the first contact. What was the point of fighting if the main force had all fled?

If Abdullah's suggestion is true, then the most important thing now is to keep moving forward and make a rapid advance before the Turks can react. With a bit of luck, they might even be able to take Tripoli directly.

After learning about the situation, Katru no longer hesitated and headed at full speed toward Zuwara. Zuwara was an important supply point and a bridgehead to Tripoli. If they could take it quickly, the war would be much easier.

Chapter 146 The March of the Steel Torrent

While Europe was still discussing the Franco-German military parade, even bigger news came from North Africa: the war between the Ottomans and France had become a trending topic in Europe.

The topics in the newspapers instantly shifted from the military parade to which North African country was more favored, or how long the Ottoman Empire could hold out in this war.

The majority of the population in Germany supported the French, and although they were allies with the Ottomans during the war, this did not prevent them from discriminating against the Turks.

The Deutsche Welle even compared carrots to the Ottoman Empire, asking whether the carrots would spoil first or the Ottoman Empire would make peace with France first.

Many German citizens are betting on carrots, because judging from the battle reports of the past few days, France has already unilaterally crushed the enemy.

Moreover, in the spirit of watching the drama unfold, citizens of many European countries began to raise funds for France, hoping that they could defeat these Ottoman barbarians.

Although the fighting in North Africa diverted much attention, it did not mean that Europeans were not paying attention to the military parades of Germany and France.

On the contrary, they were more concerned about the situation on the European continent than North Africa. After all, no matter how much trouble North Africa caused, it would not affect Europe. The war there could only become a topic of conversation among the citizens.

Military parades are a different story. The exchange of observers between Germany and France for military parades is clearly a way to probe each other's strengths and assess their own capabilities. To put it bluntly, if this parade reveals the disparity between the two sides, war might break out the very next day.

After so many rehearsals, I wonder how well both sides are prepared. I heard that the person in charge of the military parade in the Kingdom of Rhine is Prince Thorne, a prince who has only recently emerged in the last year or two. The whole kingdom seems to have a lot of confidence in him.

It's unclear whether he can bring any surprises to the crowd, as the kingdom seems to be keeping this parade very secret, with not a single word leaking out.

There has been no official explanation, only that a lot of people have been hired to make arrangements, and the specifics will only be revealed on January 18th.

The Kingdom of the Rhine attached great importance to this military parade because it needed to demonstrate its power to France and therefore had to put on a show.

But it seems that the kingdom really doesn't have anything worth mentioning. Maybe they should just take out those few heavy cannons that have been stored away.

Traditional armed forces certainly couldn't intimidate the French, so this parade needed to bring something different. That's why King Otto allowed Thorne to participate in the event; the guy always liked to come up with something new, and perhaps he could bring some unexpected surprises.

Thorne invited people from all walks of life to watch the parade. In principle, a military parade is an internal military matter. In the past, the parades were just a matter of royal family and military representatives inspecting the troops. This is the first time that Thorne has invited people from all walks of life to watch the parade.

Not only did he invite people from all walks of life, but he also invited many big names in the art world to participate in the preparation of this military parade. From the design of the venue to the arrangement of the troops, Thorne had a very clear plan.

These innovative actions puzzled many in the military, given the significant importance of the parade. They feared that Thorne's reckless actions would trigger a severe chain reaction.

However, at King Otto's insistence, everyone followed the arrangement. Who knows if this prince will bring another miracle?

"Hello, Your Highness Thorne."

"Hello, Mr. Furtwängler, it is an honor to bring you from Berlin to the Rhine."

As a renowned German conductor and composer, Furtwängler is a treasure of the entire nation. This legendary figure succeeded the late conductor Nikisch in 1922, taking the conductor's chair of the world-famous Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. At that time, he was only 36 years old.

In 1927, Furtwängler also became the conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. With three major orchestras from Germany and Austria under his command, his influence on the international music scene is self-evident.

"Your Highness summoned me all the way from Berlin, not just to flatter me, right?"

“Of course not.” Thorne smiled. “The main reason we invited you here is to have you compose some marches for our parade. You are the most famous musician in Germany, so we would like to have you help us.”

Furtwängler had no reason to refuse this request; such creation was a piece of cake for him.

"Don't worry, I can deliver the final draft to you in just a few days."

“Thank you, but there’s one more thing I need to trouble you with.” Thorne handed Furtwängler a sheet of music. “What do you think of this score? Is it suitable for playing during the parade?”

Furtwängler took the sheet music from Thorne, glanced at it, and hummed the tune softly. He was quickly captivated by the music.

Furtwängler sensed a powerful momentum; from the music, he could almost see a mighty army slowly marching towards him.

“It’s perfect. I think this kind of music would be ideal for playing during a military parade,” Furtwängler praised.

"Your Highness, may I ask who composed this piece? I would like to meet the composer who could create such a ceremonial and solemn work."

"Well..."

Thorne scratched his head sheepishly. He figured he'd have to wait another seventy years to meet the composer of the piece, and as a freeloader, he was too embarrassed to admit that he had written it himself.

If someone claimed to have written it themselves, an artist of Furtwängler's caliber would probably have been exposed after just a few questions.

"The composer of this piece is quite low-key and doesn't like to be disturbed. It took me a long time to finally get this piece from him."

"I'm not very good at music, so I'd like to ask you to take a look at whether it would be appropriate to play during the military parade."

Thorne didn't know if this Chinese-style melody was appropriate for a German-style military parade, especially since it was almost a hundred years later.

But the march was indeed very powerful, and Thorne really couldn't bear to give it up.

"I see. That's a real pity. To be able to create such a piece, that composer must have been a man of great character, not caring much about fame or fortune," Furtwängler sighed, expressing deep regret.

“Your Highness Thorne, this piece of music is very suitable for playing during a military parade. However, its majestic momentum is not something that ordinary troops can handle. If Your Highness could choose a suitable branch of the military to accompany this march, it would definitely intimidate the French.”

"Thank you, I appreciate your help." Thorne politely thanked Furtwängler. Since the maestro had approved, he had no worries about playing the piece on the day of the parade.

“Your Highness, I have another question. What is the name of this march?” Furtwängler asked with some curiosity.

“This one?” Thorne was in a great mood now. “It’s called ‘The March of the Steel Torrent’.”

Chapter 147 French-Style Military Parade

Göring never imagined that a letter of introduction could change his life so drastically, nor did he expect that the Kingdom of the Rhine would alter the fate of the entire Richthofen team.

During those quiet days, Goering never forgot the feeling that flying brought him. When he was lucky, he could experience the thrill of flying in his dreams, but now he could truly feel the excitement of soaring through the sky and truly experience the joy of flying.

After Thorne agreed to let Göring stay at Rhine, Göring did not hesitate to find his former Richthofen teammates.

Although he maintained long-term contact with his teammates after the war, it was never able to return to its former scale, and many of them had moved on to other industries and declined Göring's invitation.

In short, not many people came to the Rhine with Göring. Most pilots had already gotten used to the peaceful post-war life, and even with Adolf's letter of recommendation, Thorne would not immediately appoint Göring as the commander of any air wing.

Although he was a war hero, that was more than ten years ago. Göring has been retired for so long and still needs time to hone his skills. It would be absurd to appoint him as a regimental commander right away.

Moreover, the air force is a place that values ​​technical skills. If their skills do not meet the standards, Thorne will not allow them to serve in the military. After the assessment, Göring and the selected team members were reorganized into a flight squadron, with Göring as the squadron leader, and were assigned to the 4th Rhine Fighter Wing.

This military parade was a joint military parade of the Kingdom's land, sea and air forces, and can be considered a grand military parade for the Kingdom. The Kingdom holds both small and large military parades. Unless there are special circumstances, the Kingdom usually chooses to hold a small military parade. This time, however, it was because of the French that the Kingdom held another grand military parade.

Coincidentally, the last grand military parade was also due to the French, and the one before that was also due to the French. This is the third grand military parade in the Kingdom of the Rhine since the beginning of the 20th century.

The first was a display of military strength on the eve of the Great War in 1914, the second was the Victory Day parade in 1918, and the third is this deterrent parade.

After rigorous selection, Göring's air squadron stood out from the air force wing of the Kingdom of the Rhine and was chosen to join the air formation in this military parade.

The selected squadrons then underwent further evaluation, and Goering's squadron ultimately emerged victorious, becoming the first flying squadron in the Air Force formation.

The selection of this flight formation also proves the strength of the Göring Formation. As an ace pilot in the Great War, his ability is as good as ever.

In the military, strength speaks volumes. Since Göring's air squadron could win first place based on its own merit, naturally no one would gossip about him being a "nepotism hire." The air squadron he led changed from "that squadron" to "Göring Squadron."

Göring also attached great importance to this military parade, hoping to seize this opportunity to make his name once again resound over Germany.

This sky is where he once fought, and now he can fly over it as part of the first formation, which can be considered as fulfilling his long-cherished wish.

The two giants of German aviation have flown to faraway places, and Göring hopes to follow in their footsteps.

Thorne had been working tirelessly for days to prepare for the parade, striving to showcase the power of the Rhine Kingdom.

He invited several famous composers from all over Germany to create marches for the parade, and he himself had already produced several pieces. Thorne even brought out the background music from the Steel Four Axis.

The total number of troops participating in this parade is approximately 15,000. These 15,000 people passed various tests because they were to demonstrate the spirit of the kingdom's army, so the selection requirements were extremely strict.

These people have undergone several months of training and should not have any problems in the upcoming parade.

On the morning of January 18th, the Rhine Kingdom's observation delegation was already prepared to travel to France to observe the military parade in their Eastern Theater.

Under the watchful eyes of reporters from major European newspapers, the leader of the Rhine Kingdom military observer group shook hands with the head of the French Eastern Military District.

Reporters on the scene raised their cameras to record this historic moment, knowing they couldn't miss a single detail, as these details might become headlines the next day.

The atmosphere at the scene was not as tense as everyone had imagined. Representatives from both countries behaved very harmoniously and amicably, which disappointed many reporters who were waiting to see a show of things. They had already written their articles and were just waiting to see if the two sides would clash.

This was Thorne's first time visiting the French Commune and setting foot in socialist France. He was filled with curiosity about the country, having never heard of it before.

The French people on the field were not as bad as the German newspapers portrayed them to be. According to German propaganda, the Commune should have been full of exploitation and famine, and political terror was everywhere.

Thorne felt that Germans must have viewed the Commune in the same way modern Europeans and Americans viewed North Korea—as terrifying as could be.

However, the French people present all looked well and were in good spirits, not at all like those described, much less like the losers of the war.

The postwar reconstruction of the French Commune went very well; the very place where the parade was held was completely destroyed during the war.

Thorne was a Rhineman and knew the history of this place well. The French had shed a lot of blood here, and their choice of this place as the site for military parades was self-evident.

As the Internationale played, the French present stood up and sang the song, which was composed during the Paris Commune. Many of the journalists present, including those from the British Commonwealth and the Socialist Republic of Italy, also joined in, which made the journalists from other countries very embarrassed.

The Internationale is considered a "forbidden song" in other parts of Europe and is strictly prohibited from being sung. If you sing this song in Germany, you may be severely beaten or even sentenced to three years in prison.

If the impact is even more egregious, the charge of inciting subversion of state power can be directly attached, which would immediately lead to the death penalty.

After the Internationale ended, the military parade officially began, and the armed forces of the Eastern Theater began to appear one after another. In 1928, European countries were in a period of equipment transition, and the armies of many countries began to change their equipment. The French Commune was no exception.

As the elite force of the Commune, the Eastern Theater Command received priority in being equipped with weapons. Although the Commune Army was mostly equipped with Lebel or Bertier rifles, some units in the Eastern Theater Command had already been equipped with the new MAS rifle.

The commune's army department had high hopes for this newly designed rifle. Although it was ugly and crudely made, it was very sturdy and highly reliable.

Some experts classify it as one of the most cost-effective rifles, and with the French army's latest development of modern rimless ammunition, this rifle will become the standard rifle of the French army in the near future.

The commune's army was also transitioning to a new era, best reflected in its uniforms, with the distinctive navy blue uniforms of the French army becoming increasingly rare during the war.

In order to sever ties with the previous French government, the Commune army changed its uniforms to tan.

Blue was too conspicuous on the battlefield, and the brightly colored uniforms caused the French army a lot of trouble back then, which is why the Commune's army made adjustments.

The commune's army was the people's army, and it could not pursue luxury. This brand-new uniform was simpler and not very conspicuous on the battlefield, which helped the soldiers hide, making it the best choice.

In the original world, the French army's combat effectiveness in World War II was extremely low, and the war between Germany and France seemed to have ended before it even began.

That's because France, as a victor in World War I, had already paid too high a price, and they didn't want to shed another generation's blood to continue the next damned war.

This provided a plausible excuse for France's lackluster performance in World War II. Coupled with the immense boost that Germany received from revanchism following the Treaty of Versailles, France seemed to surrender without offering any resistance.

But France was different now. In the war, France lost to Germany again. This was another major defeat after the Franco-Prussian War. As the former hegemon of Europe, the dignity of the French people was trampled on, which is why the Second Revolution was launched.

The Second French Empire failed, the Third French Republic failed, once by Prussia and once by Germany, two consecutive major defeats, and two cessions of territory to sue for peace.

The French eventually realized that feudalism and capitalism could not save France, so they took up the banner of socialism and established the Second Commune.

Chapter 148 Showing Off Muscles

The second largest army in Europe, the strongest army among socialist countries worldwide, the French Commune National Guard—from the moment they appeared, Thorne could feel their imposing presence; there was a strange sense of familiarity about them.

Duclos rose to inspect the troops. As the commander-in-chief of the National Guard, he was the most respected person among all the Commune soldiers. The atmosphere was very enthusiastic, but whenever the Commune soldiers below the platform passed by, Thorne always felt a chill down his spine.

What's with those vicious looks from these guys? Do they all hate me that much? I bet they're all thinking about hanging themselves and then sweeping me into the dustbin of history.

In this era, the commune's army, in terms of morale and fighting spirit, Thorne felt, was in no way inferior to the German Third Army; the French soldiers were equally full of martial spirit.

Moreover, driven by a national spirit of "desire for revenge," their fighting power could be multiplied several times over. If they were to fight the Commune, the chances of them being able to invade Paris again would be extremely slim.

Because every step forward can trigger bitter memories in the hearts of every French person, and it may be another house fight that starts from the living room, moves to the bedroom, takes over the kitchen, and then fights for the bathroom.

Perhaps it was because Germany committed such heinous crimes that a monster like the Commune appeared in another time and space, letting Germany experience what it's like to have a dangerous neighbor.

"What does Your Highness Thorne think?"

Jacques Duclos, the head of the Eastern War Zone of the Commune, asked Thorne, who was standing to the side, with a smile. Thorne was an active advocate for war within the Commune.

He was also one of the Commune's elders, and Duclos advocated starting the war against Germany quickly to buy enough time to complete the world revolution as soon as possible.

Moreover, ever since he became the General Commander of the Eastern Theater, he has been planning an attack on Germany. The army of the Eastern Theater is like a Damocles' sword hanging over the Rhineland, and who knows when it will fall.

Although the German Empire was more than twice the size of the Commune, and the French Commune was in no way capable of challenging Germany, whether in terms of industrial capacity or population.

However, under Duklo's leadership, the commune miraculously recovered after the war, arming the people in a very short time and giving it the ability to confront Germany head-on in its early stages.

He himself led his troops to repel several German armed interventions, preventing France from following in the footsteps of Soviet Russia.

He was also a military innovator in France, and the Commune's first armored force was built under Duclos's guidance.

As a veteran figure of the Commune, Duclos's influence was felt throughout France's defense construction; it could be said that he single-handedly supported half of the Commune's army.

What could Thorne say about this bigwig who had achieved success in both the original world and this world? In the original world, this bigwig led the French Communist Party to fight guerrilla warfare on the mainland and launched the liberation battle of Paris before the Allied forces arrived.

The same martial virtue permeates this world; indeed, a master is a master wherever he goes.