The soldiers looked at William blankly.
They had heard on the radio that the German Empire had fallen and even the emperor had fled.
Would there really be an emperor in the future?
“The failure of this war is not your responsibility, but the responsibility of the generals, marshals and even the emperor.” You are heroes, warriors, and guardians who sacrificed their lives for the German Empire.
Your blood will not be shed in vain, and your sacrifice will not be forgotten!
The entire nation of Germany will remember your contributions!
Even if others forget, I, Crown Prince Wilhelm, the sole heir to the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire, will never forget!
With the help of a loudspeaker, Crown Prince Wilhelm’s voice resounded throughout the camp.
Countless soldiers stopped what they were doing, instinctively straightened up, and looked toward their emperor.
Riding a white horse and standing on a high place, William, bathed in sunlight, seemed to be draped in a divine cloak.
The ‘holy light’ pouring down on him through the dark clouds stung the soldiers’ eyes, making them unable to look directly at him.
This scene had a tremendous visual impact on the soldiers present, leaving an indelible impression of Crown Prince Wilhelm in their minds, such as sacredness and majesty.
Having achieved his goal, Crown Prince Wilhelm rode his white horse down the hill.
Know when to stop and don’t be greedy.
Otherwise, if the sun gets covered by clouds later, he won’t be able to keep up the act!
Of course, relying solely on language to inspire people and establish prestige is far from enough.
We need to bring out something real!
Upon returning to his camp, he immediately entered the system space and spent another 50,000 military merit points to purchase a large quantity of food, clothing, tents, and other supplies urgently needed by the army.
He personally delivered these supplies to the neighboring military camp, once again gaining favor with the Polish Army.
After receiving supplies such as food, clothing, and medicine, the morale of the German Army visibly improved.
In just a few days, this German Army, which had previously been ragged and demoralized, was completely transformed and returned to being a well-dressed, highly motivated, and disciplined iron-willed army!
The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the entire Western Front.
When these former heroes were defeated on the front lines and their country was in turmoil, it was the Crown Prince who brought them light and hope!
Working for that government in Berlin whose name I don’t even know, I went hungry nine times out of three!
By following the Crown Prince, one gains dignity, bread, and even the occasional treat of meat like ham and luncheon meat.
When comparing the two sides, the soldiers all had their own scales to weigh which side they should follow for a better future.
The situation in Germany is currently very chaotic, with both the left and right factions busy vying for power.
No one paid any attention to this defeated army waiting to be disbanded at the front, leaving them in a very awkward situation.
But Crown Prince Wilhelm knew very well that in chaotic times, force was the most important thing.
As long as the army stands with us, the so-called left and right wings in the country, the Social Democratic Party, the Spartacus alliance, and even the German Communist Party are no match for us.
Under normal circumstances, gaining the support of the military would require a huge investment, and even then, it wouldn’t be guaranteed to be reliable.
But at this critical moment, he managed to obtain 200,000 tons of supplies by spending only 50,000 military merit points!
This money was absolutely well spent; to hesitate for even a second would be to disrespect this strongest army in Europe!
…
In just a few days, Crown Prince Wilhelm gained the loyalty of more than half of the German Army in the Western Front, and his prestige in the army grew day by day, showing a trend of surpassing Hindenburg, the Reich Marshal and the God of War of Germany.
Some Royalist radicals in the army even clamored to lead the army back to Berlin, wipe out all the villains, and help Crown Prince Wilhelm reclaim the throne.
Crown Prince Wilhelm himself hasn’t even made a statement yet, but the military bigwigs are already getting restless.
On December 12, Field Marshal Hindenburg personally went to the Army Group B headquarters to persuade Crown Prince Wilhelm to remain calm.
“Sending troops at this time could very well plunge the empire into a civil war, at which point external forces would inevitably seize the opportunity to intervene, and the entire German Empire would be in danger of falling apart!” Hindenburg was truly surprised that the Crown Prince had such a way of winning people’s hearts.
In just half a month, their strength has grown to this extent.
As expected of a family with a history spanning over a thousand years, the House of Hohenzollern’s accumulated wealth is truly terrifying.
Hindenburg was unaware of the system’s existence and assumed that Crown Prince Wilhelm had managed to acquire so many resources in this chaotic world thanks to his royal connections and family influence.
This forced him to reassess the power of the royal family to determine whether to side with the Republicans or the Royalists.
Tens of thousands of tons of supplies is not a small amount even in peacetime, let alone in wartime.
Hindenburg knew he absolutely did not have that kind of power; looking across Europe, there were only a handful of families with that kind of influence.
Even Berlin’s provisional government might not be able to do that.
But Crown Prince Wilhelm accomplished it quietly and without alerting anyone.
What does this tell us?
This demonstrates that the House of Hohenzollern and the Royalist forces behind the Crown Prince wield far more power than he had imagined.
Although the Republicans’ propositions gained considerable support, they did not have an army.
The Spartacus and the German Communist Party did have armed workers, and the Soviet Union was backing them up.
However, the workers’ armed forces only had light weapons, no heavy weapons, and had never been tested in actual combat.
Their combat effectiveness was certainly far inferior to that of the regular German Army troops who had fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the front lines.
As for the Soviet Union?
Frankly, Hindenburg didn’t think much of the new regime created by the Russians.
Back on the Eastern Front, he defeated the Russians with inferior forces, causing them to lose their country twice.
Given the Russians’ limited capabilities, they would have difficulty dealing with the White Army within their own borders, let alone launching a large-scale military expedition to Central Europe to support the German workers’ revolution.
Therefore, the left wing is nothing to fear.
After much deliberation, Hindenburg discovered that Crown Prince Wilhelm, whose situation had initially appeared disastrous, had unknowingly become the most powerful force within Germany.
Thus, Hindenburg, who had initially been somewhat tempted by the conditions offered by the Republicans, had to give up his ambition to become president and began to plan for his own future.
Although I can’t become president, it wouldn’t be bad to be prime minister under the new emperor.
Judging from Crown Prince Wilhelm’s current actions, it’s impossible to say he’s as wise and capable as Frederick the Great.
But at least he’s much more reliable than his impulsive, erratic, and unreliable father.
William glanced at Hindenburg and wondered if it was just his imagination, but the old man seemed much more respectful than before.
“I understand your concerns, but we must first pacify the internal situation before dealing with external threats.
If the domestic turmoil is not quelled as soon as possible, the struggle between the left and right will only further damage the foundation of the empire!” The right wing is relatively manageable; they are entrenched in political centers like Berlin, so the harm they are causing so far is relatively small.
But the left wing was somewhat fatal; the Ruhr Industrial Area, where they were concentrated, was the heart of the empire.
If they are allowed to continue their destruction, the empire’s industrial system will suffer an irreversible and enormous blow!