German Red Prince

Page 200

Sheriff York was completely bewildered. Who was this old friend? What did he want with him at this time?

"Got it. I'll be there right away."

York sighed. People like them who work in government departments definitely have more access to information than ordinary people, and all sorts of rumors and gossip circulate among them.

It is said that His Majesty Wilhelm II is to relocate, and Field Marshal Ludendorff is also to relocate. At that time, General Rundstedt and Major General Manstein will be ordered to defend Berlin to the death and turn it into a meat grinder.

The Yorkshire Chief's entire family lives in Berlin. What will happen to his wife and children if things turn into a meat grinder?

"Hello, Sheriff York."

Upon seeing the man stand up, Sheriff York immediately recognized him: wasn't that Adolf? What was he still doing here?

Shouldn't he have gone back to Rhineland when the store closed down? Sheriff York even felt a pang of regret at the time.

"Mr. Adolf? You haven't returned to the Rhine? Why are you still in Berlin?"

Given his status, for him to dare come to the police station at this critical juncture is practically walking into a trap. You have to understand that right now, any Rhinelander in Berlin could be accused of being a Rhineland spy.

“I’ve been in Berlin the whole time, Sheriff York.”

Adolf smiled. Since he had the guts to come, he must be absolutely certain of success.

“Sheriff York, I am a Rhine spy, now you can arrest me.”

"Huh? Mr. Adolf, are you kidding me?"

Sheriff York doesn't know what Adolf means. He came over just to say this. Is he coming to turn himself in?

"Mr. Adolf, we are friends. Is there anything I can do for you?"

“Sheriff York, you’re right, we’re friends.” Adolf’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“I can find a way to get your family out of Berlin.”

Hearing Adolf say this, Sheriff York became serious. It was impossible for Adolf to have come all this way to play a joke on Sheriff York.

If you can send your family away, what's the price?

451. Doing work

Sheriff York has been worried about this matter lately, as the fighting is getting closer and closer to Berlin.

He was a police chief, and only a chief. He couldn't possibly have the connections and influence of Ludendorff and his ilk, who had planned their escape routes well in advance. They were just a dispensable number in this war.

After Adolf finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the office once again. Sheriff York sat in his seat, struggling with his emotions.

This gentleman came over and readily admitted that he was a spy for the Rhine. If he were to send Adolf to prison, he might receive commendation from the Prussian government.

He might be commended; there are plenty of Rhine spies in the prison, it's almost full. Who knows if there will be a reaction from above if he arrests Adolf.

Even if Adolf really was a Rhine spy, what would Chief York gain by locking him up? Was he waiting for the Rhine to attack so he could deal with him?

Right now, Sheriff York has no interest in this damn war; all he wants is to get his family out of here.

Suddenly York became alert. How did Adolf know that he wanted to send his family away after disappearing for so long?

"Mr. Adolf, are you spying on me?"

“Surveillance? Sheriff, I don’t like that term. We’re friends, aren’t we? Back when my tavern was still open, you came to patronize it every day.”

Adolf took off his hat and looked at York with a serious expression.

“Sir Sheriff, I’ve come to help you. You are one of my few friends in Berlin, and this war shouldn’t affect you and your family.”

After Adolf finished speaking, York stood up from his seat, locked the office door, and let out a long sigh.

“Indeed, Mr. Adolf, this is a damned war, and I just want it to end as soon as possible. Mr. Adolf, I suppose your help comes at a price?”

York smiled wryly. If Adolf knew that he wanted to send his family away, then he must have some tricks up his sleeve. He really was a spy from the Rhine.

It's truly unexpected that His Highness Thorne had already begun planning and preparing for this war several years ago. He was able to see so far ahead. Since Rhine had already started planning years ago, is there any chance for Prussia to turn the tide?

"No, no, no, Sheriff York, we are friends, and you don't need to pay any price."

Adolf waved his hand and lowered his voice.

“Sir Sheriff, I’m here to point you in the right direction. Do you think Prussia can win this war? You don’t have to answer me, but I know you already know the answer in your heart.”

"The Rhine army could reach Berlin in just one week. Do you want to disappear along with the old imperial government, or do you want to advance with the new government?"

Anyone with eyes can see that Prussia is going to lose. Now Adolf has come and given Inspector York an opportunity and a way out. It remains to be seen whether he can seize it.

What do you want me to do?

"It's nothing, we just hope that you can provide us with assistance during the Battle of Berlin. Don't we both want to end this damned war as soon as possible?"

Providing assistance means enabling them to revolt when the time comes; Manstein is currently strapped for cash.

Ludendorff entrusted him with the task of defending the city, but did not give him any more troops. How could Berlin be saved with these second- and third-line soldiers?

"I'm here to offer help? You trust us that much?"

With only a handful of police officers at the police station, even if they successfully revolted, what could they do? The Berlin garrison could drown them with a single spit from each of their soldiers.

“Many hands make light work, and we’ll find a way. Now it’s your turn, Sheriff York, do you want to join us?”

The saying "Many hands make light work" made Yorke's senses jump again. Good heavens, were there more spies than just Adolf in Berlin? How many people had already been turned? Just thinking about it made Chief Inspector Yorke's forehead start to sweat.

If Adolf wanted to stage an uprising in Berlin, frankly, he didn't need Chief York. He had already done his job with the Berlin garrison, with a large number of them doing one job and getting paid two.

He came to York not only to get Ribbentrop out of trouble, but also because he genuinely wanted to help his old friend.

"Can you really send my family away?"

“Sheriff York, I guarantee with my personal honor and life that your family will be safely delivered to the Rhine control zone.”

“Alright, Mr. Adolf, you have convinced me. I am willing to cooperate.”

Sheriff York extended his hand, and Adolf stood up as well. The two shook hands solemnly.

“It’s been a pleasure working with you, Sheriff York. You’ve made the right choice. I can tell you that Ludendorff has left Berlin now. Such a government is not worth your life.”

"You know the Marshal's itinerary? How many of your men are actually in Berlin?"

York was surprised that even someone like him, who was in the government system, couldn't be sure, yet Adolf, an outsider, knew so much about how many Rhine spies were still in Berlin.

“Sir Sheriff, we have the people behind us. Millions of people in Berlin are on our side. With the people’s help, what can be hidden from us?”

"It seems I did make the right choice."

Sheriff York smiled with relief. The moment the thought of joining the Communist Party arose, he suddenly felt a sense of vastness and freedom. So this was the feeling.

The two talked for a long time in the office. Sheriff York opened the door, smiled, and saw Adolf out. Being able to take his family out with him, a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"By the way, Sheriff York, I'd like to ask you for a small favor."

"I will definitely help within my capabilities."

"It's like this, Sheriff York. A friend of mine, he's just an honest, law-abiding wine merchant who accidentally offended some big shots who accused him of being a Rhine spy. Now he's in jail."

“My friend’s family is waiting for him. He is really not a Rhine spy. He has been framed and wronged. I hope you can release him so that he can be reunited with his family.”

"Haha, of course, no problem at all, Mr. Adolf. What's his name? I'll release him right now."

Sheriff York had come to terms with it. So many so-called Rhine spies had been arrested in prison, but what was the result? Berlin had been infiltrated like a leaky sieve. What was the point of keeping these people in prison?

“Ribbentrop, sir, an honest and upright wine merchant.”

“Yes, Mr. Adolf, he will be reunited with his family immediately.”

Sheriff York was very efficient; he immediately called an officer to bring Ribbentrop out. The guy had been suffering for days and was terrified. When the police brought him out, he thought he was going to be shot.

Having successfully retrieved Ribbentrop, Himmler burst into tears upon seeing his brother. Adolf had kept his promise, and now they would need the two of them to help him.

Sheriff York had just agreed to Adolf's request when someone arrived at his house.

"Hello, Mr. York, we have been sent by Mr. Adolf to help get your family out of Berlin."

Four Gestapo officers stood at the entrance; they were the officers in charge of this mission, experienced and absolutely trustworthy.

"After we send your family out, someone will contact you."

York had packed his luggage and watched his family walk away into the distance. He knew he was now on the Rhine's warship.

As the front lines continued to shrink, the Prussian army suffered more and more defeats as the war progressed.

Rundstedt abandoned the defense of Magdeburg and instead moved his troops to Brandenburg, hoping to buy some time for those men.

452. The building is about to collapse

"Burn all these documents."

"Take these away and send them to the train station."

In those important government departments, a group of executives are busily burning down confidential documents and taking away what needs to be taken away.

Ludendorff had already planned his escape route, but he had blocked the way for others, making it much more difficult for the citizens of Berlin to flee.

Some people spend a lot of money to have someone take them out, but most of the time they end up with nothing. There are a lot of scammers these days. Some people are willing to pay money to save their lives. It's so easy to scam money.

Some people go bankrupt trying to buy a train ticket out of Berlin, so in a way, Sheriff York was indeed very lucky.

Adolf found him to offer him a way out, without any cost. He nodded, and his family was sent out of Berlin. Gestapo transport, you can trust us.

Ludendorff prevented Berlin citizens from leaving the city; he wanted to keep them inside as much as possible so that they would be restrained if fighting broke out in the Rhine.

They claim their army is the people's army, right? Well then, I'll fill this city with people and see whether Berlin or the people are more important.

A fire was lit inside the large oil drum, and Manstein stood in front of the fire in a daze, throwing the classified documents into the fire one by one.

"What are you thinking about, Erich?"

While he was lost in thought, Lundstätter walked up from behind, also carrying a pile of documents, and like Manstein, he threw them into the fire pit.

"General."

After throwing down the documents, Manstein saluted Rundstedt. The fact that he still dared to accept the position of Commander-in-Chief was admirable, not to mention that he chose to stay in Berlin.

"General? I won't be a general for much longer."

Rundstedt waved his hand. "General of the German Empire? How long can he remain a general of the Empire? How many soldiers does he have under his command?"

Ludendorff took all the elite troops with him. How could a bunch of third- or fourth-rate troops possibly stop the Rhine's advance?

Magdeburg has been occupied by the Rhine.

Using the fire in the oil drum as fuel, Rundstedt lit a cigarette. Magdeburg had fallen, and now Brandenburg was the only city left in Prussia.

Brandenburg was not expected to hold out for long either. Brandenburg was only about 60 kilometers away from Berlin, and Manstein and Rundstedt were well aware of what the fall of Brandenburg would mean.

"As the commander-in-chief of Prussia, the only place I can command now is Brandenburg. If Brandenburg falls, I'll be a commander without troops. Berlin will be your home ground."

If someone asks, "Isn't there a large army in the direction of Leipzig?" Yes, there was indeed a large army in the direction of Leipzig, and these were quite elite soldiers. However, unsurprisingly, they were taken away by Ludendorff.

With an army of old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers under his command, how could he possibly push back? It's already quite an achievement that he was able to hold his ground.

"General, aren't you leaving? I don't think Brandenburg can hold out for long. Rhine's morale is high right now, and Brandenburg's defenses could be breached at any time."

“Me? Do you think I can leave? Prussia needs me, I can’t leave.”

Rundstedt took a drag of his cigarette. He had truly done his duty to defend Berlin to the death. This old officer had not chosen to leave; he was determined to hold out until the very last moment.

Prussia is a kingdom that values ​​military might. If the Rhineland attacks and all the high-ranking officers flee, it would truly disgrace Prussia's century-old honor.

"Field Marshal Ludendorff has left Berlin."

Manstein wasn't too surprised to hear Lundstätter's words; to be honest, he would have been surprised if Ludendorff hadn't left.

Ludendorff and Hindenburg came and went; the highest leaders of the German Empire came and went like a revolving door, arriving for a few months and then leaving again.

Although Ludendorff is nominally in charge of the German Reich government, he has already fled to Eastern Europe, and Rundstedt is now in charge of both the military and the government.

Ludendorff left behind a mess, and Rundstedt has to sort it out. Such a large Prussia is now only able to rely on a general to maintain its dignity.

One has fled, but another hasn't. After Ludendorff left, he basically relinquished control of Berlin and is now busy organizing the defenses in Eastern Europe.

The Rhine revolutionary army has reached Berlin; we must not allow them to advance any further. We must completely halt their advance at the front lines.

They've abandoned the Berlin affair; there are still so many old people locked up in jail. Witzleben and Kluge were previously released and placed under surveillance, but now even that's no longer needed. Lundstätter has dropped the charges against them.

Marshals are all shrewd people, and Mackensen knew what the situation was. Lundstätter wanted him to come out and take charge, but the guy just pretended to be sick and hid away.

If it were at the very beginning, he might have been able to take charge. At that time, Prussia still had hundreds of thousands of troops. Now that the fighting is almost over, why is he jumping out?