German Red Prince

Page 84

"Dead? How did he die? Suicide?"

“It wasn’t suicide. He had been in a coma since I arrested him. Someone switched his medication. He was poisoned.”

"Poisoned?" Thorne couldn't help but complain. "This Frenchman is really ruthless. I guess the French intelligence agencies put in a lot of effort to kill him."

The French probably used spies planted in Germany to do this. With such an important figure killed, there would definitely be a thorough search throughout the Rhineland. The fact that a pawn that had been lying in wait for so long was used here shows that France really went all out.

"The man is dead, but what about his intelligence? It's enough to put the entire kingdom on alert; the information in the intelligence must be quite important."

“The matter of intelligence is classified, and someone like me is certainly not qualified to inquire about it. Your Highness can ask the General Staff or go to Prince Otto,” Butler Hamo replied.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Butler Hammer." Thorne looked up at the already dark sky. This was really troublesome. What if France suddenly stabbed him in the back? He'd be caught in the middle.

Thorne had no choice but to take a gamble. It was too early; France was unlikely to start a war rashly. However, he had to accelerate his plans. Regardless of who his first enemy was—William or France—Thorne needed to have enough strength to protect himself before the revolution could begin.

By the time we returned to Frankfurt, it was almost dawn. The level of security in Frankfurt was the same as along the way, or even more so.

Armored vehicles were also seen at some intersections in Thorne, and the citizens seemed very nervous, perhaps because of France's sudden expansion of its military.

Most of these people had experienced the last war, and to experience a second one in their lifetime was unimaginable. The number of people on the streets did not decrease but increased, and many people began to hoard supplies, hoping to stockpile as much food as possible before the war arrived.

In times of war, food rationing would be necessary, so everyone is hoarding scarce resources. To prevent this from continuing, the kingdom has imposed purchase restrictions on some goods, but these restrictions have also led to a boom in the black market.

Goods are often sold for several times the price on the black market, and even then, it's hard to snatch them. Fortunately, Thorne brought along the city management officers. Thorne created this organization as the predecessor of the Stasi. After the Stasi gradually became independent and some departments were subdivided, the organization's power began to weaken.

Previously, urban management officers were on the same level as the police, or even higher. Now, they are responsible for fewer things, and their main duty has become maintaining urban order. The task of cracking down on the black market has naturally fallen on their shoulders.

Even though they were downgraded, these urban management officers still have a high level of professionalism, and under their cleanup efforts, the market order in the kingdom has improved significantly.

The kingdom is now in a state of panic because of the French military presence. The panic among the people is mainly caused by the kingdom itself. It tells its people not to panic and that there will be no conflict, but with soldiers patrolling the streets, anyone would panic if you told them there would be no conflict.

What exactly happened can probably only be found out once we get to the palace. Thorne himself wasn't very sure either. If France really started a war and attacked, his first thing to do would probably be to choose a suitable telephone pole and hang himself in a dignified manner.

He also knew something about the French Revolution. In the socialist revolution in France, the heads of capitalists and nobles who were killed because they didn't have time to escape were really worthless, like cabbages.

The French Revolution succeeded, and the purge of the old forces took two years on and off. The noble bloodline that remained in France at that time has probably been wiped out by now. If they were to attack again, I would be the first to lose my head. Just thinking about it makes my neck ache.

The palace seems quite busy today. Thorne inquired and learned that it was because General Folbek recently returned from Africa, and Otto wanted Thorne to meet him since he was returning from abroad. In addition, Otto could also take this opportunity to discuss matters with everyone, including those in France.

Thorne knew Folbek well; he was a master of African guerrilla warfare who led fewer than 20,000 soldiers to make hundreds of thousands of Allied troops wander around Africa. Thorne was still a little excited at the thought of meeting these famous figures soon.

Before getting to know these people, Thorne had other things to do. His main businesses were in Darmstadt, and after being away for so long, he wanted to see if Darmstadt had changed.

Just as he was about to leave, he ran into Guderian, who had come to submit a report. The encounter was awkward. Thorne had tricked Guderian with just a few drawings, and now, without even a trace of him, he just dumped him in the academy and left. Even Thorne, with his thick skin, felt a little embarrassed by this kind of scumbag behavior.

Guderian came here to submit a report on behalf of the Academy. If any innovative theories are generated in the Academy, reports must be submitted to both the Royal Family and the Military for research. He came here to submit a report that had been modified after simulation, but he did not expect to run into Thorne, who had just returned.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Guderian bowed.

"Hello, Heinz." Thorne scratched his head. "How are you doing at the academy? Is there anything you need? I'll have someone send it to you."

“Very good, Your Highness. Everything is going well at the academy. A few days ago, the academy also received a new batch of tanks, which allows me to better put some of my methods into practice.”

Tanks? Thorne frowned and thought for a while. Could it be the No. 1 tank that he had given them to practice on? He didn't expect it to be built so quickly. It's only been a few months and it's already in mass production.

"Don't worry, these tanks are just for training," Thorne said somewhat awkwardly, afraid that Guderian would think Thorne was trying to fool him with these things.

The infantry tanks that the kingdom is currently using for its army are all larger than this tiny No. 1 tank. These small tanks, which look like they're made of paper, certainly cannot support the blitzkrieg that Guderian envisioned.

"Heinz, don't worry, we are working on the next step of the research. These tanks are just prototypes. My next plan is to design a tank that weighs between ten and fifteen tons. Research always takes time, and I will definitely produce a tank that you will be satisfied with when the time comes."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Guderian saluted Thorne. He was somewhat disappointed when he received the tanks from Thorne; they were quite small and not what he had imagined. Guderian didn't want to charge into battle with these tanks; he estimated they wouldn't offer much of an advantage in a fight against France.

Hearing Thorne say that these tanks weren't actually for combat use, Guderian breathed a sigh of relief. In real combat, the tanks they would bring out would at least be similar in tonnage to those of France. France's armor research started earlier than Germany's, so these tanks would probably just be sitting ducks on the battlefield.

Darmstadt is not far from Frankfurt. After saying goodbye to Guderian, Thorne arrived quickly. Darmstadt hadn't changed much since Thorne left, but it was much better than when he first arrived. The streets had been renovated and the environment was much better.

Now is not the time to admire the scenery. Thorne's most urgent task is to find Thälmann, a member of the Communist Party in Germany who should have some connections in France. Thorne wants to know from him what France is planning.

When I went to find Thälmann, he had just come out of the workers' club. Given the current tension between Germany and France, it's best to keep a low profile. I'll have to talk to Thälmann about some things that shouldn't be discussed now.

Goebbels has probably stopped working in Berlin as well. If he were to be accused of being a "communist sympathizer" during this period, it would be troublesome, even though Thorne is indeed a communist sympathizer.

Thaler seemed very happy to see Thorne, who had been away for so long and was finally back. However, Thorne didn't have time to catch up. He quickly asked about the situation in France, what was going on in France lately, and why there were so many things happening. Wasn't he afraid of war?

“We can’t really say anything about the French side,” Thallman said, sounding somewhat troubled. “These are matters of domestic importance in France. They discuss these internally, and even the officers who have fled to France can’t participate, let alone us.”

"However, France is unlikely to start a war now, that's for sure, because we've received notification from France that they're going to hold a World Proletarian League Congress next."

"If we were to start a war, now is certainly not the time to hold a meeting. Moreover, the foreign troops in France have not been mobilized, and the exiled organizations in France have not received any instructions."

Hearing what Thallman said, Thorne's tension eased by half. The French Foreign Legion was composed of left-wing individuals from various countries who had fled to France. These people were organized to evade the restrictions on the number of regular French troops in the Treaty of Versailles.

They are not recognized as part of the French army. These people are the troops that France can mobilize the fastest to respond to, and they are the French "regular army" on the surface. The mobilization of these people shows that France is really preparing for war.

According to Thorne's recollection, in this world, a workers' uprising occurred in Bavaria in 1924, and these people were transferred to the Franco-German border, as France at the time genuinely intended to wage war against Germany.

Although the Bavarian workers' uprising was quite fierce at the time, and the insurgents even occupied Munich, it was quickly defeated in the suppression. If these people had really started an uprising in Bavaria, France would probably have already gone to war.

Thorne breathed a sigh of relief. This dangerous neighbor was indeed nerve-wracking, but his judgment was basically correct. France would not start a war without six or seven years of preparation.

Even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. No matter how much Germany declined, it still had colonies dozens of times the size of its own country, and a bunch of smaller allies in Eastern Europe. This gap was not something that France, after losing all its colonies and struggling for more than a decade through layers of restrictions, could catch up with.

Given this irreconcilable conflict, Thorne only hoped to complete the revolution and prevent a possible second world war.

Chapter 130 Using the Law to Subdue the Law

These are special times, so Thorne also needs to keep quiet. He gave Thallman a few instructions: don't continue the publicity for now, and wait until things calm down.

He had just returned and was unaware of the situation here. Thorne had been temporarily handling things in Darmstadt, but after he left, he found someone he could trust to continue here. So much time had passed, and he wondered how Thorne's former businesses were doing.

"How's it going here lately? Has penicillin production gone up?"

"Penicillin production is much higher than before, and with Commanders Thomas and Heydrich here, everything is normal."

"That's good."

Thorne nodded in satisfaction after hearing this. "If it matures, our penicillin can be launched on the market, and our funding problem can be solved when we expand into overseas markets."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. A letter has been sent from South America; it's from Joseph."

"Joseph? How is he in South America?"

Thorne became interested upon hearing this. Joseph going to South America—the thought alone was exciting enough. A max-level expert refreshing the village—he wondered if the book he had given him before would be of any use. That was the greatest help Thorne could give him.

"Joseph is doing alright in South America, but he has encountered some difficulties, which is why he wrote to us."

"Encountered difficulties? There are actually problems that can stump him?"

“Your Highness is not familiar with South America, is he? Joseph has indeed encountered some problems.” Thallman sighed. “The situation in South America is different from that in Europe, and Joseph’s situation is also very bad.”

Thallman explained to Thorne that he was gradually learning the whole story. Joseph had come to him for help because Patagonia did not have enough power to deal with Argentina. Joseph hoped that Thorne could break Argentina's diplomatic blockade so that they could at least earn some foreign exchange.

Argentina is now considered the little tyrant of South America. Patagonia alone cannot defeat it head-on. Chile is two-faced, so it seems Joseph is indeed having some difficulties there.

"We'll talk about it later. I'll consider it." Thorne thought for a moment. Sending the fleet over to do business wasn't too difficult. He could just arrange it later.

Now Thorne is more concerned about something else. When he came back, he heard about the French agents and suddenly remembered that he also had a group of them. They were still training with Thomas, and he wondered how they were doing.

“What about Heydrich and Thomas? Let’s go see them,” Thorne asked Thallman.

"He's probably still there. I feel like Thomas's been corrupted by him; he hardly ever comes out these days." Thallman waved his hand helplessly.

Heydrich and Thomas would spend the entire day at the Darmstadt headquarters, a building that terrified Thälmann always avoided. As a result, the two of them would go in and not come out for almost a whole day.

Thorne arrived at the gloomy house that Thälmann had mentioned. This house was one of Thorne's trump cards, serving as his eyes and ears in Germany. He wondered if Thomas and Heydrich had any information about France.

At this time, Thomas and Heydrich were also investigating related intelligence. Since the Stasi were in charge of foreign intelligence, Thomas did most of the work. Heydrich wanted to help but couldn't, so he could only vent his anger on the people he had captured.

"Do you have any useful intelligence?" Heydrich asked Thomas.

"What intelligence could there be? The investigations always reveal the same things. The French border is very quiet. Not only us, but the soldiers on the front lines can also sense it. They broke the treaty just to build a defensive line."

“I have a feeling it’s not that simple. Have you found out what’s been going on in Arthas Lorraine lately?” Thomas suddenly asked.

“That French agent?” Heydrich’s head throbbed at the thought. “You said it yourself, France doesn’t seem like it’s at war, so this is probably fake too. I wasted a lot of effort looking for clues, trying to stage a riot there and then launch an attack. That was such a stupid idea. They can’t even handle the weapons.”

“That area has always been a key focus of the kingdom. They’ve built many fortresses there. Wouldn’t it be suicide to break through from there? The French are playing us, putting on a show for us, trying to scare us.”

"Now the kingdom has to be wary of France. A lot of sand has infiltrated from Berlin. It's a pity we can't take action, otherwise they'll be in for a world of hurt."

Heydrich expressed great regret. His Gestapo's main task was to handle internal affairs of the kingdom, and he couldn't touch these people who had infiltrated the kingdom; he could only keep an eye on them, which gave him a huge headache.

As the two were talking, Thorne walked in. Thomas and the others were very happy to see each other after so long.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. You're aware of recent events. What's your take on things in France? Do you have any intelligence on that?"

“According to recent information, the French army has indeed not been mobilized; they are simply repairing the border defenses,” Thomas said, getting straight to the point after hearing Thorne’s words.

“That’s right. The French agents in Lorraine were most likely a hoax, designed to keep us on our toes,” Heydrich added.

The two men handed Thorne a large stack of documents and began analyzing France's intentions. Listening to their analysis, Thorne became more and more convinced of his own judgment that France would not go to war.

However, it was enough for the few of them to know this information. Since the various kingdoms were relatively independent, Berlin could not directly intervene. Most of the intelligence was transferred from the kingdoms to Berlin, which gave them a lot of room to maneuver. How could they let such a good opportunity slip by?

“Heydrich, I just heard that you’ve been monitoring people coming from Berlin. Now you’re secretly leaking this intelligence to them, but you’ll have to make some modifications.”

Thorne grinned wickedly. France wouldn't attack now, so Thorne relaxed, but the Kaiser couldn't.

Let's modify this intelligence slightly to make William nervous. Otherwise, why would he bleed? Doesn't this guy just want to crush Rhine like in the Great War? Let's grant his wish.

By slightly modifying the message, William would continue to fund the border defenses, ensuring a steady stream of funding. Thorne was overjoyed at the thought of taking advantage of William.

"By the way, Thomas, how's the person I entrusted to you doing?" Thorne asked after learning about the situation in France.

Thomas knew from Thorne's words that he was asking about the people he had taken in before. "Those people are still in training, and they should be able to be sent out soon."

Hearing Thomas's words, Thorne nodded. He still couldn't remember such things. Sending them out without training them for a period of time would be suicidal.

"The international environment is becoming increasingly tense. There have been some disturbances in North Africa recently. We must be fully prepared, because who knows when war will break out."

If the French Republic and the Ottoman Empire were to actually go to war, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for Germany. Although France was confined to Africa, it could still deal with the Ottomans.

France's Allied brothers might not help him, but the Ottomans were in an even worse situation. Egypt and the Ottomans were in conflict, and the surrounding countries all had some kind of conflict with them. If the two countries went to war, Germany could also get involved, and then North Africa would also have a foothold for Germany.

After giving some instructions, Thorne returned to Frankfurt. Darmstadt was doing alright, but the current environment wasn't great, and no matter how much it developed, things wouldn't improve much.

Although things are relatively stable for now, no one knows what will happen in the future. The economic crisis that will change the world may still be waiting for him.

When he got back, they were already waiting for him. Thorne took a deep breath. He hadn’t seen any of the generals from the Kingdom of Rhine since he arrived. Even if he had, they were just ordinary high-ranking officers. The highest-ranking officer he knew was Schulz, who had fought alongside him in the war.

The people inside this time are all officers from the General Staff of the Kingdom of Rhine, a group of heavyweight figures in the Kingdom of Rhine. Thorne made a mental adjustment, so that he wouldn't say the wrong thing when he went in.

As a socially awkward person, Thorne is not good at interacting with others, especially when there are a group of big shots sitting in the room.

There's no need for an introduction to Folbek; the mere presence of this African war god is enough to tell who's here. Schulz is also here, and even the Kingdom's Chief of Staff, August Wilhelm Haye, is here.

King Otto and Prince Andreas also attended the meeting, apparently waiting specifically for Thorne's return. The prince's impressive performances in Poland and Darmstadt had indeed impressed the king.

The theme of the meeting remains unchanged. Thorne's mind has been almost entirely focused on France lately, from the Commune to Africa, it's driving him crazy. What goes around comes around, and this time Germany will experience the terrifying pressure of the Third German regime firsthand.

This discussion concerns the intelligence on the French agent who was about to burn. From the still-intact plan, it was deduced that the French intended to instigate a riot in the Alsace-Lorraine region, using it as a point of attack for France.

If this area falls under French control, they will have two options: attack from the Alsace-Lorraine region and break through the entire Rhine defense line, or use this area to draw away most of the kingdom's forces and then break through from the north.

The intelligence indicated that France would provide weapons to the resistance forces lurking here, allowing them to choose the right time to rebel. It was this intelligence that put the kingdom in a dilemma.

Even if this intelligence is false, the kingdom still has to keep an eye on this place to prevent any trouble. However, since the occupation of this area, no one living here has identified themselves as German.

Their relationship with the kingdom is very poor. If the news is false, continuing the search here could easily provoke discontent among the locals. If they are pushed too far, things could really get out of hand, and the kingdom doesn't want something like the Bavarian workers' uprising to happen.

This isn't Bavaria; they're not directly facing France. When the workers occupied Munich, the French Foreign Legion had already begun operations. If a large-scale disturbance were to break out on the border, France would probably take action as soon as the commotion became even slightly significant.

If the intelligence is true, that's even more impressive. It means that France is really serious and has already begun to attack Germany. They are completely unprepared, and it's very likely that the French started planning the next major war the moment France was defeated and the Commune was established.

The treaty Germany made to avoid provoking France wasn't actually that harsh; if the Republic had come to power, there probably wouldn't have been another war.

But Wilhelm, that old fellow who loved to stir up trouble, insisted on aiding the Commune. The Commune's current conflict with Germany was not just about revenge, but more about ideological conflict. He had dug a pit for himself.

Thorne listened to them talk for a long time, mainly about how to deal with the Alsace-Lorraine region. He didn't know if the French intelligence was true or false, and if they took action rashly in this area, he couldn't guarantee that something would go wrong.

"How about we return this land to France?" Thorne suddenly spoke up, then realized he had said the wrong thing when he saw everyone's eyes were on him.

This statement was astonishing, and everyone was shocked by his words. They began to doubt Thorne's abilities. Was this guy scared out of his wits by the commune? The Rhine Kingdom had put in a lot of effort during the Franco-Prussian War, and he just said he would give it back without batting an eye. Didn't all those people die in vain?

Obviously, no one would accept spitting out what they've already swallowed, but Thorne knew that the root of the Franco-German conflict was the Alsace-Lorraine region. If that region were returned, the Franco-German conflict could be reduced by half.

However, it is indeed a bit early now. Returning it now would be dangerous, as it would make us seem like we're easy to bully. But holding onto this hot potato would be troublesome.

Thorne thought that if the revolution succeeded, this area would definitely be abandoned, and then regional and ideological conflicts would be gone. He might even be able to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

"I was just saying, don't take it seriously." Thorne couldn't stand the intense gazes from the others. "Why are we always trying to solve this problem? We need to know that the French are behind this, so why don't we just go and cause trouble for the French?"

Thorne's mind raced, and he began to explain his plan: "The French are making things difficult for us in Alsace-Lorraine, so why don't we go and make things difficult for the French in return?"