German Red Prince

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"Nikolas von Thorne, are you willing to take on this responsibility and be accountable for Germany?"

"I am willing."

“Nikolas von Thorne, are you willing to take on this responsibility and be accountable for the King’s authority?”

Everyone held their breath. As soon as Thorne agreed, the band would start playing music. Not only the people of Frankfurt, but every citizen and soldier listening in front of the radio held their breath. The Kingdom of the Rhine was about to welcome a new monarch, a great monarch.

Thälmann was in the audience, and not only him, but also the workers from Darmstadt, as well as countless soldiers from the Red Army Brigade, the Youth League, the Communist Party of Germany, and the Socialist Labor Party. Everyone was waiting for Thorne's last words.

Thorne could feel his adrenaline surging, even more so than when he was on the battlefield. So this is what it feels like to become king.

His mouth was almost about to open in agreement, but Thorne's gaze was fixed on the crowd below, where pairs of eager and expectant eyes were looking at him.

Thorne thought about it. He hadn't done anything earth-shattering in his previous life. Now, the power to decide history was in his hands. For his ideals and for the future, let him be a hero this time.

What did Charlemagne's three questions mean? First the people, then the nation, and finally power. Thorne now understood. His predecessor had been reminding him that the crown was hanging above Thorne's head, held up by the old man's hands. As long as Thorne agreed, the crown would be placed on his head, and the coronation would be successful. Thorne would then officially become the new king.

"I do not want to."

Thorne's voice was clear, and he spoke each word distinctly.

"Huh...?"

Some people were already cheering, but they quickly realized, "What? They don't want to? What's going on?"

Why refuse this right?

The old man was not surprised at all; this was the first time such a thing had happened in the kingdom. But as if he had known all along, he asked this new coronation plot that no one had heard of in a hundred years.

"If I am to be responsible to the people and to Germany, then I must relinquish my power as a king. Only in a truly equal country can the people have true and complete power."

Thorne took the crown directly with his hands, then stood up from the chair. No one had ever seen such a scene before, and everyone was stunned.

Thorne knelt on one knee, placed the crown and scepter symbolizing royal power on the ground, and then took off his robe, renouncing the power of the royal family and embracing the power of the people.

Seeing this, Goebbels acted quickly. He nodded, and the people next to him rushed over with a red flag and handed it to Thorne.

"Long live the free, equal, and unified German Republic!"

The red flag fluttered in the air, its bright red color illuminating everyone.

"Long live!"

Thälmann cheered, the soldiers of the Red Army Brigade and the workers of Darmstadt cheered, and the atmosphere ignited the whole stadium, which instantly erupted in cheers.

What is this? In order to establish a democratic republic, this crown prince actually voluntarily gave up his right to inherit the throne. What incredible courage that takes!

"Long live our German Mother! Comrades! The era that follows belongs to the people!"

"Long live freedom!"

The whole square cheered, and the music changed. The singing of "Defend the Rhine" grew softer and softer, and another piece of music followed closely behind the Rhine national anthem.

"Auferstanden aus RuinenUnd der Zukunft zugewandt,Lass uns dir zum Guten dienen...Und die Sonne schon wie nieUber Deutschland scheint,Uber Deutschland scheint!"

The royal flag of the Kingdom of the Rhine was slowly lowered, the blue, white and black flag became history, and the royal flag of the kingdom was also slowly lowered. The old era came to a complete end, and the black, red and gold flag was slowly raised and fluttered in the wind.

The German nation will rise from the ruins.

The Kingdom of the Rhine has made headlines with the royal family relinquishing power and declaring the establishment of a republic. This completely changes the nature of the war, turning it into a battle between the republic and the monarchy. This contradiction is irreconcilable, and Ludendorff's fantasy is naturally impossible to realize.

The entire republic cheered that day as the royal flag was lowered and the black, red, and gold flag fluttered across the land.

"I swear! I will fight for the German nation and for the establishment of a democratic republic!"

In the army, the political commissar was leading the soldiers in a swearing-in ceremony, clarifying the nature of this war: this was not a civil war between kingdoms, and every soldier had to understand that this was a war of liberation.

The entire kingdom was abuzz with activity, and Thorne returned to his residence, reflecting on the coronation that morning—it had been quite an exciting event.

Just then, the old man who had crowned Thorne that morning suddenly appeared, carrying a box in his hand.

“Your Highness Thorne, King Charlemagne once told my ancestors that if any of his descendants voluntarily relinquished the throne, they should bring this box to him. Your Highness Thorne, now you only need to answer one question for me. If you answer correctly, you can personally open this box that has not been opened for a hundred years. Are you ready?”

"I'm ready."

Thorne nodded; he also wanted to know what the old man had left him.

"Odd changes to even."

"The sign indicates the quadrant... huh?"

Thorne was completely dumbfounded. What the hell was this? Was this some kind of secret code between time travelers?

“Very good, Your Highness Thorne, you are the one King Charlemagne has been waiting for. You can open the box now, and my mission is complete.”

Is this the secret that the Wheeler family has guarded for a hundred years, in order to pass it on to the next time traveler?

Thorne opened the box with excitement. His senior was definitely a time traveler. What would he leave behind?

"Establishing a republic and moving towards socialism, finally someone knows the purpose of all my plans. You're a time traveler too, right? Since we can't change the future world, let's make it a little better. Keep it up."

"Keep it up..." Thorne stared at the note and fell silent.

"I will."

405. Betraying teammates

"Our determination to completely annihilate imperialism will not change. This is not a defensive war for the Kingdom of the Rhine, but a war of liberation for the German nation... Ludendorff's ceasefire proposal is a sinister trick and is impossible to achieve... The only option is complete surrender... Long live the German people..."

Listening to the speech on the radio, Ludendorff angrily kicked over his chair. He had never been so angry before. He hadn't been gloating for long before this news greeted him. Sure enough, there wasn't a single normal person in the Kingdom of Rhine.

Thorne didn't even ascend the throne! How could he resist such a huge temptation and abdicate? He actually relinquished the power of the royal family!

The Kingdom of the Rhine no longer exists in the German Empire; it has become a historical term. Now, there is only one regime in western Germany called the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Germany. The nature of the entire war has also undergone a fundamental change. It is no longer a conflict between monarchs, but between systems. This is an irreconcilable conflict. Look at the French Revolution; the emperor's head is still hanging at the city gate.

Thorne did not ascend the throne; power automatically transferred to Goebbels, the elected prime minister of the Kingdom of the Rhine. The public had been accustomed to this for some time, and it did not cause much of a stir. Thorne voluntarily renounced his inheritance, and later he broadcast to everyone a letter that King Charlemagne had not published years before.

"The world trend is overwhelming, those who follow it prosper and those who oppose it perish. If future generations choose to voluntarily give up the throne, it is the choice of the times, and it is what I hope to see. The Schermetz family should not become a stumbling block on the road to progress for the German people. Just as we rose up against the rule of the French, the Schermetz family should always stand at the forefront of the people."

This series of actions kept the Rhine Kingdom from getting into trouble. Besides, with the Gestapo and the Stasi watching, what could possibly happen?

The army changed its oath of allegiance from the king to the German fatherland and people, vowing to fight forever for fairness and justice. The structure of the government also changed; although Goebbels became the prime minister of the revolutionary government, the general secretary of the Socialist Labor Party became Thälmann.

Thälmann now holds two positions: General Secretary of the Communist Party of Germany and General Secretary of the Socialist Party of Germany. With the revolutionary government now established, the Socialist Party of Germany has accomplished more than half of its mission. The next step is to begin the long process of merger and gradually transfer leadership to the Communist Party of Germany.

The Communist Party of Germany was a legal political party within the kingdom, and now that the republic was established, it no longer needed to hide itself. The revolutionary government began to reorganize the Red Army brigade and build the National People's Army of the republic. Previously, the Red Army brigade was limited to a very small size, but Thorne had secretly learned from the Third German Army that this was not an army, but just policemen carrying long guns.

With the lifting of various restrictions, the People's Army began to expand in size, growing to 30,000 in a very short time. Many old troops were also reorganized, and the new government quickly had a brand-new force with faith and a certain combat capability. These people would be deployed to the front lines to continue advancing toward Berlin. It was estimated that another 20,000 troops would be mobilized to the front lines, mainly to reinforce Rommel's troops and quickly resolve the war in Bavaria.

The flags on the city walls changed. The black, white, and blue tricolor flag, symbolizing the kingdom's century of glory, was lowered, and a new black, red, and gold flag was raised. There were always some people who were not used to it, such as the elderly. Most of these people were born in the last few years of Charlemagne's reign, and the era of Charlemagne I left the deepest impression on them.

Many of Charlemagne I's policies were a continuation of those of King Charlemagne. These elders, who lived through the most glorious first forty years of the kingdom, had a deep affection for it. Now, in this new era, they have become some of the most steadfast conservatives in the kingdom.

However, the political atmosphere in the kingdom is relatively good, which has prevented these people from becoming royalists. If a more extreme group were to emerge, the country would definitely fall into division. In order to maintain the stability of the provisional government, the Stemmetz family's influence in the Rhineland is much greater than that of the German Communist Party. Therefore, Thorne now has to step forward and become a mediator between the radicals and the conservatives.

Although Thorne did not become king, he soon became president of the provisional revolutionary government after a unanimous vote at a meeting.

Of course, the president of the provisional revolutionary government was also temporary and had no real power. After the establishment of East Germany, the position of president never existed again.

With the political reforms in full swing in West Germany, the troops temporarily ceased operations, creating a brief ceasefire, which presented Ludendorff with his best opportunity.

Thorne has publicly declared his break with the Reich, and there is nothing to discuss. The most important thing now is to quickly transfer the troops from Eastern Europe to Germany and bring them to the front lines, so as to overthrow the provisional government while it is still unstable.

"Marshal Ludendorff, the troops in Eastern Europe are on their way and will arrive at the front soon. What should our next move be?"

With Ludendorff gaining power, Manstein, who had been suppressed for so long, finally got his chance and was able to participate in the formulation of war plans against the Rhine. It can be said that Manstein has now completely lost all confidence in this war.

Prussia is no match for the Rhine at all now. If Hess had used his brain a little more, been more cautious, and followed his plan to launch a northern encirclement campaign, there might have been a chance of success. At worst, it would have forced the Kingdom of the Rhine to make peace, but that would have given Prussia an absolute advantage among the three kingdoms in the future, so it wouldn't have been a losing proposition.

Hess insisted on taking a risk that completely negated Prussia's advantage. In Manstein's view, Ludendorff's more than 100,000 troops were only delaying the demise of Prussia. The best outcome was for the Kingdom of the Rhine to annex Bavaria, while Prussia would fight a war of attrition on the front lines until both sides were exhausted and then negotiate a peace.

Then Prussia integrated Poland and Eastern European countries to form a new Kingdom of Greater Prussia, which, together with the Rhineland and Austria, formed three German states. This was the best possible outcome for the German Empire; more likely, it would have been directly overthrown by the Rhineland.

"Manstein, what are your thoughts?"

"Marshal, my idea is simple: deploy the Eastern European troops to Hamburg, Hanover, and Leipzig to build defensive lines, control these three important cities, and fight a war of attrition against the Rhine. They want a quick victory, so we'll wear them down. The longer it goes on, the more advantageous it will be for us."

"You mean, abandon Bavaria?"

"Marshal, this is not something we can decide whether we want to or not. Given the current situation, we can no longer control them. Moreover, it was Bavaria that provoked us. We cannot allow the army to get bogged down in another war. The most important thing now is to preserve our strength and fight a war of attrition with the Rhine."

“I will consider your idea, but I need to inform His Majesty William first.”

Ludendorff nodded, already tacitly approving of this move; he was going to betray his teammates.

The so-called report to William was just a formality. William looked much more haggard after waking up, and his current condition was even worse than when he was in a coma. He couldn't even speak. If Ludendorff went a few more times, he would probably drive William crazy.

The emperor never imagined that so many things would happen during his coma.

He had never seen Germany in such chaos. At this time, Wilhelm was quite pitiful; he had become a puppet to be manipulated and had lost all the dignity that an emperor should have.

The power he cherished as his life, the power he held so tightly in his hands, is now all gone.

406. France's attitude

The news of the establishment of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Germany caused quite a stir throughout Europe, and the French were probably the most concerned about it.

The French have been quite active lately, and although they have established a socialist regime, the struggle over its policies has never stopped.

The current ruling centrists will continue to follow a syndicalist path, while the anarchists will pursue a firm anarchist path, and they also have very close ties with Catalan anarchists.

During the heated phase of the election, the most popular candidate was actually the Unity Front, a coalition of Jacobins and Sorels. The public was generally dissatisfied with the current course of affairs, but in order to maintain national unity, the Workers' Party did not choose to change course. The Unity Front's political demands were to further strengthen the central government's power and implement the Soviet system.

The anarchists' policies were too idealistic, and the next election was essentially a battle between the labor faction and the Unity Front. Sorel died shortly after visiting Mussolini in Italy, but his experiences in Italy still had an impact when they reached the country, and the Unity Front gained more supporters.

Maurice Torres, a Jacobin, had always envisioned a genuine Leninist path. Although Lenin's revolution failed, it did not mean his ideas were wrong; it was simply that the external reactionary forces were too strong in suppressing them. This path still had a chance in France.

With the election approaching and the French national character at play, street protests have noticeably increased recently, with clashes breaking out in some areas. The labor faction wants to maintain the status quo, but given the current situation, that seems impossible.

There are also contradictions within the Unity Front. Valois is too radical, so radical that he seems more like a dictator than a communist. Because of his support for the Catalan rebels, the influence of the Sorel faction within the Unity Front has increased significantly. If the Jacobins do not take action, they are likely to lose their leadership position in the upcoming Front elections.

This is what Morris fears most: if the Jacobins lose power within the Unity Front, Valois will be free from restraint, and who knows what he might do after that?

France has been paying close attention to the war with Germany; the French are happy to watch the spectacle of imperialist dogs fighting each other.

The government meeting was filled with heated debate about whether or not to attack Germany at this time. Radicals believed that this was the best opportunity to reclaim lost territory, take advantage of the German civil war to recapture Alsace-Lorraine, and perhaps even use this opportunity to invade the heart of Germany and complete the liberation of the European continent in one fell swoop.

Others believe it's better to observe for now. The German civil war is best suited for France, as the infighting among the Germans is most beneficial. France can focus on building up its strength and watching them fight amongst themselves. If France rashly joins the war, it might unite them against France, which would be counterproductive.

Because of this, the conservatives thought the radicals were a bunch of brainless lunatics. Although the Rhine was busy fighting a civil war, there were still more than 100,000 troops stationed on the border. Why would they be so stupid as to wait for you to beat them up?

Radicals, on the other hand, believed that conservatives were a bunch of cowards. The Eastern Theater Command had the most elite French troops, including a considerable number of armored forces. What were they afraid of? They had 100,000 troops, but not every place had 100,000 troops. Why not just pick the weakest point and launch a concentrated attack?

Almost every government meeting turns into a heated argument, which reveals the divisions within the government. Although the labor faction is adept at mediating disputes, it's time for them to take sides.

France is at a crossroads. Having almost recovered from the war, France no longer needs a centrist, but rather a clear path to guide people forward.

The German civil war is still unresolved, and not long ago an even more significant piece of news broke: the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of the Rhine chose to abstain from the throne, transforming the entire country into a republic. The Kingdom of the Rhine has now established a new democratic government, which is undoubtedly the most significant news in Europe.

The French government quickly followed up to see what the Rhine was up to. The sudden change of flag by the Kingdom of the Rhine caused great discomfort to its old rival. "I was just waiting to take you down, why did you surrender?"

"Chairman, the main force of this newly established revolutionary government in Germany is a party called the Social Labor Party, which should be similar to the Social Democratic Party. This party was the ruling party before, and now it is in a coalition government with the Communist Party of Germany."

France is paying close attention to this newly formed interim government. Is this new democratic government friend or foe? According to the investigation, the Socialist Labour Party became the ruling party of the Kingdom of the Rhine a long time ago, when the old king was still alive. In other words, this force was tacitly allowed to develop by the royal family.

Moreover, the timing of this party's emergence is quite peculiar. It is not an old party in the Rhine, and in fact, it did not exist before. It only appeared recently. However, as soon as it appeared, its influence grew exponentially, and in less than a year, it became the leading party in the Kingdom of the Rhine.

Their party chairman, who is now the interim prime minister, Goebbels, was just a lawyer before the background check. What qualifications did he have to form a political party? And even if he did form a party, where did he get so much funding to expand it to this size?

It looks like there's someone behind this, and this party is cooperating with the Communist Party of Germany, but why does it seem like the Communist Party of Germany is manipulating this party?

How could such an influential party willingly hand over leadership to the Communist Party of Germany? Just like the current Solidarity Front, we haven't seen Valois give leadership of the Sorel faction to Maurice.

Morris was getting more and more confused and kept scratching his head. After listening to the report, he felt that something was amiss, that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it or know exactly what was wrong.

"The German Communist Party, they joined the Comintern, but they didn't tell us anything about it."

Among the established socialist regimes, France had the greatest influence. The Commune naturally wanted to act as the big brother, advising the left-wing forces in countries that had not yet established proletarian regimes.

As France's neighbor, the French Commune has consistently provided substantial aid to German left-wing parties. Many of these parties received French support, including the German Workers' Party and even Hess's National Socialist Party, the precursor to the National Party, which had previously received assistance from the Commune.

Therefore, Wilhelm II was actually the biggest "traitor" in all of Germany. The German Communist Party had frequent contact with the Comintern because they desperately needed a "backer" to help them overthrow the imperial German hegemony. However, they never mentioned these things at the conference.

What does this mean? It means that within Germany, they had a force they could rely on, and this force was precisely what facilitated this change of kingdom.

"Since the new regime wants to establish a republic and overthrow the imperial government, it can be considered a half-friend. It should at least send someone to see what's going on."

Morris decided to test the waters. Since everyone had the same enemy, maybe they could have something in common?

Moreover, the Sorel faction's actions in Catalonia have drawn too much attention, and the Jacobins also need to take action. Morris is going to send someone to Frankfurt; he has a premonition that this action will have a decisive impact on the upcoming election.

407. Access