German Red Prince

Page 183

402. Ludendorff seizes power

"Witzleben, do you plead guilty?"

In court, the judge, seated at the front, asked Witzlerben, who was on the bench, a question.

Witzler didn't speak. At this moment, he hadn't quite realized that all his hard work and risks had been taken, only to have the credit stolen? Ludendorff had been driven out of Berlin for so long, how could he still have such power and influence in the army?

"You have the right to remain silent."

"Now I will pronounce the sentence: Witzlerben is sentenced to ten years in prison for inciting a coup and threatening his superiors; Kluge is sentenced to eight years in prison as an accomplice."

The Chief Justice pronounced the verdict, sentencing all those involved in the coup to more than five years in prison. However, Ludendorff did not execute them outright, as they were members of the military, and Ludendorff was one of them; he could not be too ruthless.

But the remaining people were different; Ludendorff's main concern was dealing with the SA and the National Party.

Fortunately, Stroheim was quick-witted. When Hess asked him to go, he didn't just blindly run over. Instead, he stayed in Berlin and watched the show from the sidelines. When Ludendorff started his operation, he immediately followed suit. This time, he not only escaped punishment but was also promoted.

Hess was placed on the dock, his role reversal so swiftly. Not long ago, he was the judge who sent Strasser and Rosenberg to prison, and now he was a prisoner just like them.

Hess's rise to power was inseparable from Ludendorff's influence; he was Ludendorff's shadow, remotely controlling Berlin. Now that the real leader has arrived, there's naturally no need for Hess to do anything.

Moreover, Hess was also rebellious. Ludendorff had planned to declare war on the Kingdom of Rhine. Hess wanted to seize his prestige in advance to build up enough prestige to eventually betray his master. Fortunately, the Kingdom of Rhine delivered a powerful blow that stunned Hess. Otherwise, Ludendorff might have been truly helpless.

As for the National Party and the SA, Ludendorff, being a member of the military, naturally wouldn't let them go. These people were, in the end, just tools in the hands of tools, and Ludendorff looked down on them. Basically, all the National Party and SA officials who were arrested were sentenced to death.

Some were hanged, others were taken out and shot, but Ludendorff spared some of the higher-ups, like Hess, who is perfectly fine now; Ludendorff couldn't let him die like that.

Prussia was already at a disadvantage throughout the war. Ludendorff's troops in Eastern Europe had not yet been transferred here. Continuing to fight would be very disadvantageous for Ludendorff. The Hess regime was the one that launched the war against the Kingdom of the Rhine. Now, this political party has been banned, and Hess has been arrested.

Ludendorff could hand Hess over to the Kingdom of the Rhine for disposal. The old regime could not represent the new regime. Ludendorff wanted to sign a ceasefire agreement with the Kingdom of the Rhine and shake hands in peace. Of course, Ludendorff's peace-making was only a temporary delaying tactic. Once the more than 100,000 troops from Eastern Europe arrived, he would immediately resume the war.

According to Ludendorff, the Kingdom of the Rhine would not refuse; the civil war could have been avoided, and no one wanted to see Germany fighting amongst itself. However, he was thinking from the perspective of a nobleman and a kingdom. Thorne was now considering announcing the true nature of the war to the public.

Hess, the army, Ludendorff—these people's disturbance in Berlin nearly brought the entire army's command system to a standstill. The troops below were unable to receive any instructions when sending information up. The Kingdom of the Rhine was still unaware of what had happened; all they knew was that the Prussian troops on the front lines seemed to have suddenly become as fragile as paper, ready to crumble at the slightest touch.

After holding Dransfeld, the Red Army brigade returned to Frankfurt for a rotation, and the two forces successfully captured Göttingen in one fell swoop, occupying an important stronghold in the south.

The General Staff devised a completely new plan: the Southern Front would advance from Göttingen toward Brunswick and Wolf, not to attack Hanover directly, but to outflank and capture Wolf, encircling it.

There was a reason for devising such a plan. Model was a defensive master, but now there was no need for defense at all. He had crossed the Weser River and was advancing unstoppably, reaching the vicinity of Rothenburg.

The troops preparing for the uprising in Hamburg and Kiel have already been arranged, so Model doesn't need to fight anymore. Once Rothenburg is captured, his mission will be over.

Hamburg, in alliance with Kiel, could blockade the Jutland Peninsula to the north and encircle Hanover to the south. Model was also preparing to divide his forces, feeling that he had too many troops. He planned to send Dudmann with a portion of the troops to Jutland while he headed south to join forces with Guderian.

With successive victories against Prussia, Bavaria was even more dominant. The airborne troops launched a surprise attack on Ulm, and Bavaria sent several waves of troops but failed to recapture it. Rupprecht probably wanted to slap himself for being so foolish as to start a war with the Kingdom of the Rhine. Even if he had waited a few more days, he wouldn't be being beaten so badly now.

Bavaria's military strength was never strong to begin with. It would have been better if they had just stayed home and lived their own lives. Instead, they had to be greedy for that little bit of land, and now they are being beaten to a pulp by the Kingdom of the Rhine.

Rupprecht was a very good marshal, but that refers to his exceptional performance during World War I. Times have changed, and Rupprecht is completely unable to adapt to the current tactics. Even his personal micromanagement could not change anything.

The Kingdom of the Rhine valued Rommel highly; he was one of Thorne's key generals. Most of the generals were busy fighting Prussia, while Bavaria was Rommel's home turf, a battlefield where he could fully display his military talents.

After capturing a unit that had come to reinforce him, Rommel's troop movements became even more unpredictable and flexible, making them difficult to understand. His troops could appear in the west, in the east, or anywhere else, causing panic in Bavaria. They were fighting traditional positional warfare and had never seen such a flexible force before.

Because his troops were unpredictable, swift in action, and often delivered fatal blows from the shadows, Rommel earned a resounding nickname—the Jungle Lynx.

Rommel was not in a hurry to take Munich in one fell swoop, but instead continued to conduct mobile operations in various regions of Bavaria.

Occupying Munich under the current circumstances would not bring any benefits. Rommel would have to constantly use mobile warfare to eliminate Bavaria's manpower. The Kingdom of the Rhine actually does not have many troops in the Munich direction. If Rupprecht were to seize an opportunity to fight a decisive battle, it would be hard to say.

If Rommel were to rashly attack Munich, it would mean that his army would be trapped there, and Rupprecht would have the opportunity to gather his forces and fight a decisive battle against him. Rommel's forces would certainly not be as numerous as Rupprecht's, and he would not be confident of a complete victory in a decisive battle.

We should continue to conduct mobile warfare, using superior numbers to outnumber Bavaria and gradually deplete their forces. It won't be too late to launch a decisive attack when the time is right.

The war in the Kingdom of Rhine has been fought very quickly, and significant results have been achieved in a very short time.

Riding this wave of momentum, Thorne decided to reveal the true nature of the war: it was not just a war against aggression, but a war of liberation, a war to break free from the shackles of war.

403. Who is the legitimate successor?

"Hey, get up!"

Robor kicked the bed, waking up Hyjal who was still sleeping.

The Red Army Brigade rose to fame at the Battle of Dransfield. A force of several hundred men not only captured the city but also held it against an attack by several thousand men, holding out until reinforcements arrived.

Such fighting spirit is undoubtedly admirable. Of course, the Red Army brigade suffered heavy casualties in this battle. Of the hundreds of soldiers, only a few dozen were wounded in the end. In the defensive battle, as long as they were not unable to move, the wounded were brought up to fight.

This heroic unit was withdrawn from the front lines after reinforcements arrived and returned to Frankfurt to rest. I heard they were going to be awarded medals, but they didn't ask for anything. Being able to return to rest after such a brutal battlefield was a blessing in itself.

"Guess what? This time, the higher-ups have approved a week's vacation for us."

Ropol seemed very happy. A week's vacation was not a short time. The front lines were currently winning almost entirely. If they took a week to rest, they might have already reached Berlin by the time they got to the front.

"In a week, when we get back to the front lines, we'll probably be able to go to Berlin for a drink."

Haigar yawned, rolled over, and went back to sleep. He didn't want to get up so early, since he finally had a day off.

"Still sleeping? You can't stay in bed all week, can you?"

"I wish I could lie in bed and sleep through the rest of my life in this week."

Fighting on the front lines requires constant vigilance, and I hardly get any sleep. So when I get back, I just collapse into bed and fall asleep. I remember when I was withdrawing from the front lines, I fell asleep in Hyjal before I even got on the train. No matter how much I called, I couldn't wake up. I had to be carried onto the train by others.

Not only him, but many others fell asleep while walking. Attacking and defending a city is just too exhausting.

"Not everyone has the same energy as you, Comrade Political Commissar," Haigar mumbled sleepily, his eyelids drooping, before drifting off to sleep again.

"Alright, alright, you guys go to sleep, sleep until you drop dead."

Ropol walked out cursing, but as he left, he shouted a warning to the passing trucks not to honk their horns unnecessarily.

The current battle situation is quite clear. Even the residents of the Kingdom of the Rhine are no longer as panicked as before. From the direction of Bremen and Göttingen, the troops of the Kingdom of the Rhine are advancing towards Hanover, and it is estimated that they will be able to take it soon.

Once Prussia reaches this Prussian stronghold, which is closest to the Kingdom of the Rhine, Prussia will have no hope of a counterattack, and the initiative in the war will completely fall into the hands of the Kingdom of the Rhine.

Although the Rhine royal family has not appeared in public for a long time, and the queen rarely makes an appearance, the main work of the government is now handled by Prime Minister Goebbels. However, the people have adapted to this lifestyle. In fact, whether there is a king or not does not affect people's lives now. People's nostalgia for the royal family is mostly due to the leadership. From Charlemagne to the present, there has never been any trouble.

Look at Prussia, people have a deep affection for the Hohenzollern family. It's because of this civil war that Prussians are practically cursing Wilhelm II to death.

The royal family has not shown their faces, which was actually Thorne's arrangement. Goebbels has been doing the official work for the Kingdom of the Rhine these days, while Thälmann has been doing the work behind the scenes.

Thorne's war was not about creating another empire, so the current priority was to transform the country. He couldn't take too big a step, or he would run into trouble. Thorne understood this principle.

Therefore, he cannot immediately transition the government to socialism. Socialism is a dangerous force, and this propaganda has been going on in Germany for over a decade. If he rashly does this, it will definitely push many people to the opposite side, thus prolonging the war, which is highly inappropriate.

Therefore, he proposed an idea: the war should be fought in one step, while the government should be built in two steps. The war should be ended in one go, but the government should be built in two steps. First, a democratic country should be established. After the country is unified and politically stable, the second step is to establish a socialist order.

Thorne divided liberation into two steps: liberation at the level of war and liberation at the level of politics. A war is simple, but liberating the mind is a long process. Especially considering the German people's acceptance of socialist ideas, this two-step approach was actually very necessary.

"Your Highness Thorne, people from Prussia have arrived."

Thorne rested in the hospital for a while and is now finally allowed to move around freely by the doctors. He can leave the hospital, but he still cannot participate in work too much. He is only allowed a few hours each day to handle things.

"Someone's here? Who's here?"

Berlin is full of Gestapo and Stasi spies; you can tell what they're up to just by looking at them. Berlin was quite a spectacle recently, with several groups of actors putting on a grand show for the Rhineland. The Rhineland was also busy with its own preparations during the Berlin coup.

Seizing this opportunity, they launched a bold attack and captured many strategic locations. Thorne was also watching from the sidelines in Frankfurt. This Hess, I really didn't expect him. He seemed like a very capable person before, but he was defeated so quickly. The National Party lost power in this coup.

After the military coup succeeded, a thorough purge of the National National Party was launched, demonstrating the deep hatred the military held for the party, especially the SA (Storm Troopers). Their actions were described as "unrestrained," effectively besieging Berlin and carrying out a frenzied purge of the SA.

Almost all of the SA's top brass were sentenced to death, either by firing squad or hanging. The SA had already suffered heavy losses from the bombing, and then the army purged them, which meant the SA was completely finished.

The SA in Berlin was finished, not to mention the rest of the country. The SA, which numbered over a million and was the largest paramilitary organization in all of Prussia, was wiped out overnight.

Later, there was another coup within the army, and Thorne also learned who was sitting in Berlin now: Ludendorff, a German hero from the Great War. The reason he sent people here was no surprise; Ludendorff represented the new Prussian government and wanted to negotiate with the Kingdom of the Rhine.

They ignored us when the fighting was so fierce, but now that things are clearly going badly, they want to come and negotiate? How is that possible? Are they just playing around? They're like kids who don't know any better, declaring war recklessly.

“Your Highness Thorne, Ludendorff has sent people to negotiate, and it seems we can’t very well refuse. After all, he represents a new government, and the one who started the war against us was Hess. Now Hess has been ousted in a coup, and it seems we can’t really do anything to a new government.”

Goebbels expressed his concerns: Ludendorff had played his cards very well. It was Hess's National Party that declared war on the Kingdom of the Rhine, and now it had been defeated. Moreover, the Prussian government had declared the National Party an illegal party and banned it, leaving no room for maneuver. This was not a good time to talk.

"Who says we can't do anything? We still have William, don't we?"

Peace talks? How could there be peace talks? There's no reason to start a war of liberation halfway through, and Thorne is already fully prepared.

Wilhelm was not only the King of Prussia, but also the Emperor of the German Empire. Fine, now I've established a democratic republic, and I'm also a legitimate ruler, no longer part of the empire. I'm not under your jurisdiction; I am the legitimate ruler of Germany. Who wants to negotiate with you?

404. Long live the Republic!

"William II, is Hess in charge? The Chancellor's power is immense; could he mobilize the army without William's permission?"

“Even if William didn’t give permission, he must have had royal approval. Otherwise, Hess would never have been able to mobilize the army. Now that Hess has been replaced, what’s the use? He’s not in charge.”

"Although Hess has been replaced by Ludendorff, William is still here. Ludendorff dares to play the role of a dictator, but no matter how bold he is, William's prestige is there. Does he dare to depose the emperor? As long as this old man is still on the throne, we will always have a reason to continue the war."

"A ceasefire now is not only something we disagree with, but also something the people of the Rhineland will not agree with, and even less so with those fallen soldiers. We are not fighting for an empire, we are fighting for the future of every German citizen!"

The Kingdom of the Rhine would definitely not negotiate with Prussia. Thorne also knew that the negotiations were just a pretext. How could Ludendorff have good intentions? He had previously tried to expand his autocratic rule but was overthrown by several kingdoms. Now that he had finally returned, he was bound to retaliate.

Poor Wilhelm II. Thorne doesn't know what Wilhelm is thinking now. Will he regret letting Tirpitz retire? After the old prime minister passed away, all sorts of charlatans started to run rampant. Wilhelm II is both incompetent and loves to play around, and now he's nothing.

If Tirpitz had been in charge for a while longer, things probably wouldn't have turned out this way. With Tirpitz's seniority, Hess wouldn't have dared to act recklessly. With his abilities, things shouldn't have escalated to this point.

"Your Highness, what should we do with the Prussians now?"

"Hmph, do you think I don't understand what Ludendorff is up to? He's dumped this hot potato on us, what's he trying to do?"

"All of Germany now wants to end this civil war. They want us to be the bad guys. If we refuse, well, now we're the bad guys. They started the war, and now that they can't beat us, they want us to be the bad guys. What kind of logic is that?"

“He wants to negotiate, so I’ll show Ludendorff the Rhine’s resolve. I dare to give up a kingdom, but does he dare to make William roll down?”

Thorne had made up his mind. In fact, they had been preparing for this for a long time. Now that the Prussian envoy had come, they would take this opportunity to make the Kingdom of the Rhine a thing of the past, and from now on there would only be the German Democratic Republic.

"Prime Minister Goebbels, Comrade Thälmann, be prepared, the Kingdom of the Rhine is about to become history, we must take a step forward."

"I understand."

Goebbels didn't say anything more after hearing Thorne's answer, and silently nodded. It's rare to see someone voluntarily step down from a monarchy to a republic, but Thorne didn't feel any guilt. After all, he had already switched sides to the communism long ago. He could just consider his years of princely life as a dream.

Ludendorff used an open strategy; if he refused, he would become an enemy of Germany. At this point, no one wanted to continue the war. It was a meaningless war; the three kingdoms were originally one family, and continuing the war would not benefit anyone.

A Prussian envoy came to discuss the solution, but Goebbels did not receive him directly. Instead, he kept him waiting for a while and invited him to attend the upcoming celebration. What celebration? The coronation ceremony of the crown prince.

The royal family, who hadn't been seen in public for a long time, finally appeared, and Frankfurt was unusually lively since the start of the war. It was said that today was His Highness Thorne's coronation ceremony, and the entire city of Frankfurt was deserted. The Kingdom of the Rhine had already lost two kings in succession, which was a huge blow.

Thorne's abilities have only suddenly become apparent in the last few years. If such an outstanding prince could become the next king of the Rhine Kingdom, then naturally no one would object.

The coronation ceremony was a grand affair, and the people needed such a day to celebrate. Not only in Frankfurt, but also in the troops fighting on the front lines, people turned on their radios to listen to the reports of the coronation ceremony.

Thorne was also closer than ever to becoming a "reactionary leader"; just one step away he would be king.

This coronation ceremony was extremely complicated; even the clothing worn was very particular, and he could only wear it critically here.

The clothes and accessories Thorne is wearing now are all antiques, passed down from generation to generation. I don't know how much they're worth. If he were to sell these things, he could probably raise enough for another armored division.

"Let's show off a bit, this is the last time these old guys will make an appearance."

Thorne turned around in front of the mirror, and the music outside started playing; the ceremony had begun.

"Are you ready?"

“Everything is ready,” Goebbels replied from the side.

Thorne is planning to pull off a big heist and make international headlines with this coronation ceremony.

"Your Highness Thorne, are you sure it's alright?"

"The Queen will understand, my father will understand, and the ancestors of the Rhine will understand. I think King Charlemagne must have thought about this day when he was alive. Times are progressing, and someone always needs to take the first step. I was just fortunate enough to be that person who took that step forward."

The red carpet stretched forward. Unlike other kingdoms, the coronation ceremony of the Kingdom of the Rhine took place on a large, high platform.

The red carpet stretched from the palace to the high platform. The crown prince had to walk from the palace to the platform in person. This process symbolized that the king and the entire kingdom were subject to the supervision of the people, and that their legitimacy was recognized by the people.

Thorne held the royal scepter in his hand and dragged a long robe as he walked step by step toward the throne. It was a red carpet leading to power. Thorne felt a little nervous in the atmosphere. This was his first time being king. If you don't count the time he was crowned king among the children at the village entrance, this was his first time.

"His Highness Thorne is walking toward the throne. The coronation ceremony is about to begin, and the descendants of the Whistler family will place the crown on the head of our new king."

Whistler's relationship with King Charlemagne was quite extraordinary. Before his death, King Charlemagne talked with Whistler for an entire night, and no one knows what they talked about. This has become a secret guarded by the Whistler family for generations. Several of the most mysterious places in the kingdom are guarded by Whistler's descendants.

As a symbol of royal power, the crown of the Kingdom of the Rhine was also entrusted to Whistler's descendants for safekeeping.

Thorne was already seated on the throne. The entire square was now completely silent, even the music had stopped. A young man carried a cushion on which the crown rested, following behind an old man.

The old man picked up the crown and held it in his hands.

"Nikolas von Thorne, are you willing to take on this responsibility and be accountable to the German people?"

"I am willing."

Thorne nodded. Before donning the crown, there was the famous Three Questions of Charlemagne, a process that had to be completed for one to be considered truly successful in ascending the throne.