German Red Prince

Page 144

Seeing the dejected state of the Storm Assault Team, the armored soldiers became excited. Their era was over, so they should stop worrying about losing face and retire in peace.

Who won?

As Tres was cheering, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder and asked him a question.

"Look at these tanks, of course our armored corps won!"

"You guys are pretty good."

"Of course, don't you know who trained our troops?"

While still showing off, Tres glanced back and saw five or six officers surrounding a young man, including their Colonel Guderian.

The officers stared at them with cold eyes, and when they looked at the smiling young man, Teresa immediately knew who he was.

"Your Highness Thorne!"

Teres yelled, and the square immediately fell silent. The two sides were so engrossed in the fight that they didn't realize they had caused such a commotion that they had alerted almost all of the military's top brass.

280. The Future of Stormtroopers

"Who won here?"

Thorne looked at the cheering armored soldiers behind him and suddenly asked a question.

"Can't you see? Of course we won! These Storm Commando soldiers are useless; they can only talk big. When it comes to actual skill, our armored soldiers are far superior!"

"Indeed, you guys are quite impressive, bringing tanks all the way here. If you dare to drive tanks to the square today, what if you're dissatisfied with the kingdom's policies tomorrow? Are you going to drive tanks to the government building?"

"Hey, how can you talk like that?"

The man was about to retort when he turned around and saw a group of officers standing behind a young man. Among these officers was Colonel Guderian, who was looking at them with a cold expression.

Armored forces were the culmination of Guderian's efforts; in Prussia, this concept remained merely on paper.

It was only after Thorne invited him to the Kingdom of the Rhine that Guderian had the opportunity to truly begin building up the armored forces.

Every tank and every soldier in the armored forces is the result of his hard work, and the armored forces are now gradually developing.

Thorne kept his promise. Although he was sidelined for a while, the kingdom began to develop new tanks. Although the first tank was not what Guderian had imagined, the second tank gave him a pleasant surprise.

The armor with an average thickness of 40mm looks very reassuring. Although the Panzer II has only just completed its design and production and the output is not very high, Thorne also said that the Panzer II is only a transitional tank, designed to bridge the gap between the 1920s and 1930s.

The development of the Panzer II is also to accumulate enough technical experience. To put it bluntly, it's to use the Panzer II as a practice tank. Once enough experience is accumulated, the production of subsequent tanks will be easier.

Compared to other smaller tanks of the same period, the Panzer II was already quite large. It was more mobile than those heavy tanks and had more firepower than those smaller tanks, which made Guderian quite satisfied.

However, just as Guderian was about to continue building his armored divisions, this incident occurred: an armored battalion got into a fight with someone and, without orders from superiors, drove its tanks out of the barracks.

When someone ran over to tell Guderian, he almost lost his footing. Getting into a fight was one thing, but to actually drive a tank out like that? Driving a tank out without orders from superiors was a serious matter; if investigated, it could lead to a military court.

Thorne's words just now chilled him to the bone. If he dared to charge into the square in the military camp today, he would dare to charge into the kingdom's government building tomorrow. As a soldier, how could he be so disorganized and undisciplined?

He had also heard about what was happening on the border. He heard that some soldiers had defected to the French Commune. Although the royal government had given the matter a cold shoulder and made no move on the surface, the military had still carried out a major reshuffle in the Alsace military district.

Thorne had said not to punish them excessively, but while they could escape the death penalty, they could not escape punishment. Although the head of the military region was not directly dismissed, he was promoted in name only and demoted in reality, and was relegated to the sidelines.

Although Thorne attaches great importance to the development of armored forces, this does not mean that he will let them off the hook if they make mistakes.

"Line up!"

Guderian stepped forward and roared, his face grim as he surveyed the group of armored soldiers.

The armored soldiers, having just finished their fight, were no longer excited and naturally realized what they had done. Fighting in the military was no small matter.

Blitzcrank climbed off the tank and quickly lined up; he too had been blinded by anger.

Now that he was fully awake, cold sweat began to break out on his forehead. How could a tank be driven out of the military camp without authorization? If this were investigated, he was afraid he would be shot.

"What are you doing here! Are you trying to embarrass me! Where is your discipline! You've disgraced the armored forces!"

Guderian began to berate the 7th Panzer Battalion that was causing trouble, ostensibly scolding them, but actually protecting them.

Fighting in the military camp is no small matter, and punishment is definitely necessary. Guderian's scolding of them here is actually an attempt to plead for them and hope that the punishment will be lighter.

"Did the kingdom go to great lengths to build you up just to cause trouble? You're actually fighting your own people! You're quite the bullies among your own kind! If you're so capable, why don't you dare fight the enemy to the death!"

After finishing his tirade, Guderian saluted Thorne again.

“Your Highness Thorne, the armored soldiers are causing trouble. It is my fault for mismanagement. Please punish me.”

Upon hearing Guderian apologize to Thorne, the armored soldiers below could no longer sit still and began to plead with Thorne for leniency.

“Your Highness Thorne, punish us if you must. This has nothing to do with Colonel Guderian; it’s all our fault.”

"Shut up! Haven't you caused enough trouble already?!"

Guderian turned around and started scolding him. It was just one thing, and now this problem has arisen. Doesn't he think he's busy enough?

Fighting within the military is a novelty, especially on such a large scale. Thorne had almost never heard of it before. This incident further solidified Thorne's determination to appoint military discipline officers within the army. Discipline within the military was indeed problematic; even his most valued armored troops had run into trouble.

"Tell me, why did you fight?"

"They started it!" the armored soldier said, sounding very aggrieved. "This group of Storm Assault Team bullies us. They're arrogant and deliberately provoked us, attacking our men!"

The armored soldiers began to complain to Thorne, and after listening to their descriptions, Thorne roughly understood what had happened.

The cause was actually very simple: the armored soldiers did not salute the Storm Commando when they saw them, and then a verbal altercation and fight broke out between the two sides.

It started with two people fighting, then it escalated and ended up like this.

Thorne also discerned the deeper conflict in their words. If it were merely a simple brawl, it would never have escalated to this scale. Military discipline is not just for show; there was clearly a significant conflict between the two sides, to the point that they were completely disregarding the military discipline of the Kingdom of Rhine.

This is a conflict between two branches of the military. Thorne only now realizes how much of a storm his military reforms have stirred up within the army.

The armored troops displaced the Storm Commando, rendering this elite branch of the military mediocre. The widespread use of submachine guns made this unit almost superfluous, which is why they are so resentful.

Thorne assured him that he hadn't thought that far ahead when he developed the submachine gun; who could have known that a submachine gun would generate so many rumors?

"You guys are pretty united, you even brought out tanks," Thorne said with a smile.

"Everyone, return to your barracks now and await further action. Colonel Guderian failed to discipline his troops properly; he will be demoted by one rank. No objections?"

Hearing this decision, the armored soldiers were somewhat dissatisfied. They were the ones who started the trouble, so why weren't they punished? They wanted to say something, but Guderian immediately stopped them.

Although the other side provoked the incident, they did bring out their tanks, which is much more serious than the other side provoking the incident. Degrading them by one level to save the entire armored battalion is already quite lenient.

"Thank you, Your Highness Thorne!"

Guderian nodded and saluted Thorne.

"What are you all standing there for! Get back here now!"

Under Guderian's reprimand, the victors slunk back to their camp.

This incident also made Thorne realize the importance of the Storm Commando. Such a unit should indeed be taken seriously, and it was a real pity to see them eliminated like this.

281. Military Judge

Not long after the defection of soldiers from the Alsace military district, another brawl has broken out in a military camp.

Before the previous issue was resolved, a whole host of other problems arose, which explains why the military personnel all looked grim.

The rule that the military should not get involved in politics actually benefits the military personnel the most. The military maintains relative independence, which means that the kingdom must consult with the military on all matters. There are too many advantages to be gained from this. Now, apart from this matter, it is a foregone conclusion that the kingdom will use this opportunity to reorganize the military.

Some people in the military even began to suspect that Prince Thorne was the mastermind behind these events, that he orchestrated them all with the aim of weakening the military's power and then taking military power into the hands of the government. Appointing military discipline officers was just the first step; it was feared that in the future, the military would be directly responsible to the government.

Such a guess is to overestimate Thorne. He doesn't have that much ability or energy to do such a thing. He's already struggling with everyday matters, so he doesn't have that much scheming to do.

These events are simply too coincidental; it's like a pillow being delivered to someone who's about to fall asleep. By using the defection of soldiers to put his own people into the army, and now with this serious incident of soldiers fighting, Thorne can take this opportunity to promote military discipline throughout the entire army.

Those officers who were making a fuss before can shut up now. Look what they've done to the army! And they still have the nerve to come in front of him and say this and that.

The violent brawl between the Storm Commando and the armored troops caused quite a stir in the military, and almost all of the high-ranking military officers were aware of it.

If there's a problem, it's something that needs to be dealt with immediately. They definitely wouldn't dare touch the armored forces, as they are the focus of the kingdom's military construction and the apple of Prince Thorne's eye. If they were to touch them, it would be disastrous.

Moreover, in handling the problem, His Highness Thorne has already criticized the armored troops, and even Colonel Guderian was demoted one rank. The armored troops are His Highness Thorne's elite forces, which he proposed and established himself. This approach is already quite lenient, isn't it?

They can't handle armored forces, or rather, they dare not handle them, but if they can't handle armored forces, can't they at least handle the Storm Commando?

Although the Storm Assault Team is the kingdom's elite military force, it's the only one that's easy to deal with right now. After the kingdom established armored forces, this type of military force has indeed become dispensable. Since it's no longer of any use, it might as well be disbanded.

Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. Soon, the news that the army was going to disband the Storm Commando Team reached the barracks. In the past, people would never have believed such news, but the situation was different now. Such a serious incident as fighting in the barracks must have solidified the army's resolve.

This chilled the hearts of many soldiers. The Storm Commando had been established for over ten years, and even if they hadn't achieved great things, they had certainly put in a lot of hard work. It was unacceptable for such an honorable unit to be eliminated so hastily.

The matter is still unresolved, but the soldiers below are already restless. They can't just watch the Storm Commando team be disbanded and have its future ruined in their hands; that would be a disgrace.

“This was caused by me, it has nothing to do with the commando team. I am willing to go to a military court. The Storm Commando Team cannot be disbanded!”

One should bear the consequences of one's actions. Metz was the one who started this, so he should be the one punished. If the Storm Commando is disbanded because of this, it would be worse than death for him, and he would live in regret for the rest of his life.

The incident wasn't dealt with immediately. Thorne simply told everyone to return to their camps and left, awaiting further instructions. Waiting for instructions was the most agonizing part, as no one knew what would happen. Since Prince Thorne hadn't gone far, Metz decided to go and apologize in person. He was willing to accept whatever punishment was given, as long as the Storm Assault Team wasn't disbanded.

While they were busy apologizing to Thorne, the armored forces were also busy. Guderian was demoted one rank and his shoulder insignia were immediately replaced. The armored soldiers were very dissatisfied with this punishment. They were the ones who started the trouble and the ones who attacked first. Why were they punished instead of the Storm Commando?

Looking at the expressions on the faces of these people, each of them still very dissatisfied, Guderian felt exhausted. He had to worry about the construction of the army, and he also had to manage the discipline of the army. He didn't have that much time. At this moment, he felt that it was a very wise thing for Prince Thorne to set up a military discipline officer. Otherwise, just maintaining the discipline of these people would exhaust him to death.

The armored forces were established under Thorne's supervision, and Thorne's punishment of them was to protect them to some extent. If this matter were to escalate, it would be bad for everyone and could seriously affect the future development of the armored forces.

"You guys are pretty bold, daring to cause trouble in the army. Did we armored troops come here to fight our own people?"

Guderian coldly surveyed the area, and the soldiers of the 7th Battalion who were being reprimanded did not dare to raise their heads. Many of the officers here were trained by Guderian himself. Guderian had quite a few students in the military academy. They were scolded by their teachers back then, and they continued to be scolded by their teachers now that they had graduated.

"You guys are all pretty well-trained militarily, aren't you? Using infiltration and encirclement tactics against your own people, are you even proud of it? What kind of skill is it to attack your own people?"

"And you, you platoon leader, have you lost your mind? How dare you drive the tank out of the barracks? Without orders from your superiors, you drove the tank out of the barracks without authorization. You'll be charged with treason, you'll be court-martialed, and you'll be shot! I've said before that the core quality of armored soldiers is to remain calm. Do you guys even have a shred of composure?"

"Don't think this matter will just end like this. Your entire battalion's leave for this year is canceled. Blitzkrieg, is that how you use those tanks? Do you like to show off? Switch all the tanks in your platoon back to Panzer I tanks, and you're going to work in logistics for two months!"

Guderian was the soul of the armored forces, and his portrait still hung in many military camps. His words carried considerable weight. The armored troops had no arrogance in front of him and were extremely obedient. This punishment was already very lenient; at least their positions remained unchanged. Blitzt was only relegated to the back for two months of logistics work.

After training the armored forces, Guderian had to go find Thorne immediately. He had also learned that the Storm Commando was to be disbanded. The Storm Commando was an old unit with a lot of influence in the army. If it was disbanded because of the armored forces, his unit would have a hard time in the army.

Thorne is unaware of this matter yet. What he is thinking about now is to use this incident to further strengthen the power of the military discipline officer. Using that name is no longer appropriate. This incident shows that the kingdom's army needs not only military discipline but also military law.

Using the title "military judge" would be more appropriate.

282. Win over more officers

The military brawl gave Thorne another chance. If the last border defection could be considered minor, this time it was no small matter.

After this incident, the military no longer had any excuse to prevent Thorne from reforming the army.

Separation of military and political power is extremely dangerous for any regime. Power is very alluring, and people's sense of morality should not be overestimated.

If the military were truly independent of politics, Hindenburg and Ludendorff wouldn't have been able to sideline Wilhelm II.

Why did no one dare to stand up against Ludendorff and Hindenburg during their dictatorships? Wasn't it because they controlled the military?

Don't overestimate the morality of military officers or the integrity of politicians; during the dictatorship, no politician stood up to oppose Ludendorff and Hindenburg.

If the military did not interfere in politics, Ludendorff's dictatorship would not have been possible, and Wilhelm II would not have been able to regain power, since Tirpitz, who helped him seize power, was a naval admiral.

Using the power of the navy to overthrow the army's field marshal, how can this be called the military not getting involved in politics?

Therefore, Thorne was very disgusted by this statement, which was nothing more than a facade, a fig leaf for the army.

If the government ever does something they don't like, a coup d'état wouldn't be difficult for them.

I was "forced to rebel." The yellow robe wasn't something I wanted to wear; it was put on me by the soldiers after I took a nap.

Thorne needs to further strengthen its control over the army. The military discipline officer is a measure by the kingdom's government to restrain the army, and further strengthening the power of the military discipline officer will allow the kingdom to better control the army.

Another aspect is ideological infiltration. Only an army with strong beliefs can unleash powerful combat capabilities. This is what military judges need to do: to further infiltrate the army with their ideology.

Because of this incident, military judges were given even more power; within the military, military judges are the embodiment of military discipline.

They can directly deal with soldiers who make mistakes on the front lines according to the military discipline of the Kingdom of Rhine. Thorne is making the duties of military judges increasingly resemble those of political commissars.

The first incident was due to soldiers deserting because of psychological problems caused by various reasons, so the most important role of the military discipline officer is to boost morale.

Thorne made the military discipline officer the representative of the kingdom's government, responsible for the ideological education and stress relief of the soldiers.

This can subtly influence the soldiers, allowing ordinary soldiers to remain loyal to the kingdom.

At the same time, the military discipline officer can raise the soldiers' ideological awareness through education, which in turn leads to courage and enthusiasm in combat. With this arrangement, a Rhine soldier with a military discipline officer and a Rhine soldier without a political commissar are completely different.

This heinous incident has further strengthened the role of military discipline officers, extending beyond simply educating soldiers to include a new function: supervising the troops.

In the future Rhine Army, military judges will also be responsible for maintaining military discipline. Soldiers who cause problems will not need to be taken to the rear for trial under certain circumstances. Military judges will have the power to deal with soldiers directly, and may even execute them.