“The Americans say we still have a unit resisting and not executing the withdrawal order.
Send a telegram down to inquire and see which unit it is!” After receiving the accountability telegram sent by Marshal Foch, Hindenburg could not help but frown.
The empire’s allies have already surrendered, soldiers at home are uprising, workers are rioting and even revolting, and even the Emperor has abdicated and fled.
Continuing to fight at this time is meaningless, other than increasing pointless casualties.
Moreover, Germany has no deep hatred for the United States.
What is the point of relentlessly attacking the Americans at this time, other than offending them and adding another enemy to our list?
The telegram was sent out quickly.
Army Group A, under the command of Bavarian Crown Prince Rupprecht, replied that it was not them; they had already begun orderly preparations to withdraw from their positions after receiving the order.
“If it is not Army Group A, then it must be Crown Prince Wilhelm’s Army Group B.” Ludendorff also frowned.
“Before His Majesty abdicated, did he not send a telegram to notify the Crown Prince?” When it came to matters involving the Crown Prince, Hindenburg’s expression was also very serious.
Although he was nominally the commander-in-chief of the German Army on the Western Front and could issue orders to the two Army Groups under his command.
But Crown Prince Wilhelm’s status was noble; if the other party truly did not obey his orders, there was really nothing he could do about it.
“You will have to make this trip yourself, go and discuss it properly with the Crown Prince, and try your best to persuade him to withdraw his troops.” Ludendorff was a die-hard Royalist; not only did he not oppose what Crown Prince Wilhelm was doing, but he even secretly approved of it in his heart.
Previously, when Wilhelm II abdicated and fled, he had strongly opposed it and was also very disappointed.
And now, seeing that the Crown Prince did not choose to be a deserter but was fighting like a man, Ludendorff felt very gratified and was very willing to help him.
The German Empire absolutely cannot be without an Emperor.
If the Emperor is gone, who will protect the interests of the Junker nobility in the future?
From this point of view, the interests of Crown Prince Wilhelm are tied together with those of the Junker nobility!
Hindenburg nodded; indeed, there was no better way.
If it were other generals or nobles, with his status, a single telegraphic order could dismiss them, but this tactic would not work when facing the Imperial Crown Prince.
It can be seen from the fact that the Crown Prince refused to execute the General Headquarters’ order and successfully persuaded the entire Army Group B, with over 700,000 officers and soldiers, to stay and fight with him, that he has considerable prestige in the army.
Unless his cooperation is secured, Army Group B will not withdraw.
Just as Hindenburg set off for Army Group B, the news that the German Army had achieved a great victory on the front line, annihilating 40,000 enemy troops, spread back home as if it had grown wings.
And the person secretly promoting the spread of this news was none other than Ludendorff.
“Mention the Crown Prince’s name more in the reports, so that everyone in the empire knows about the Crown Prince’s heroic deeds on the front line!” Driven secretly by Ludendorff and the Junker nobility behind him, this news spread across the country at an extremely fast speed.
The situation, which was originally in a state of panic due to the Emperor’s abdication, unfavorable conditions on the front line, and news that the Allied Powers might impose military control over Germany, had actually improved slightly.
And Crown Prince Wilhelm, who led the German Army to defeat the Americans on the front line, naturally became the focus of public discussion.
Western Front, station of Army Group A.
“Good, good, good, well fought!
Our Crown Prince has finally shown some backbone!” Marshal Rupprecht said the word “good” three times in one breath after seeing the relevant reports.
Originally, he actually looked down a bit on Crown Prince Wilhelm, this distant cousin who was younger than him.
His promotion to Marshal and becoming the commander of Army Group A was purely based on his personal strength, with his royal status only providing a little assistance.
But Crown Prince Wilhelm was different; this guy had almost no special ability in military affairs and only became the commander of Army Group B because of his status as Crown Prince.
Regarding the actual command of the army group, Marshal Rupprecht almost did everything himself, personally participating in and directing many large-scale battles.
On the other hand, Crown Prince Wilhelm hardly possessed any command ability; the command work of Army Group B was decided by the chief of staff and several army commanders discussing it.
But this time, the fact that he dared to defy the General Headquarters’ withdrawal order and led the German Army to fight a beautiful victory truly shocked him.
He was absolutely convinced that this operation must have been led by Crown Prince Wilhelm, because even with his status, he would not dare to defy Marshal Hindenburg’s orders, and those staff officers of Army Group B wouldn’t dare even if they had ten thousand times the courage!
The only person with the courage to make such a decision is Crown Prince Wilhelm!
It seems this cousin of his is not entirely useless; he can still shoulder responsibility at critical moments.
Originally, when the Emperor issued his abdication edict and went into exile, Rupprecht, like other great nobles, had already prepared for the fall of the nation.
The Emperor has abdicated, the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia cannot be saved, could their Kingdom of Bavaria be spared?
Once the Kingdom of Bavaria was removed from the map, as a member of the defeated side and a former royal family member, he would only be able to go into exile overseas, just like Wilhelm II.
But now, things have changed again.
The shot fired by Crown Prince Wilhelm on the Western Front has allowed him to see hope again.
“Regardless of whether it was the Crown Prince who fired this shot, our Army Group A must back him up.
Pass on my order: have the frontline troops stop retreating, return to their positions, and prepare for battle!” If the Crown Prince did not abandon the army and run away, how could they run?
If they ran, wouldn’t that expose the flank of Army Group B to the enemy?
Although he knew very well that relying only on the power of the two of them would likely be insufficient to stop the empire’s defeat or even its collapse.
But as long as there is one in ten thousand chances, he must take a gamble!
The news of the German Army’s great victory and the American Army’s crushing defeat did not only spread rapidly in Germany.
On the side of the Allied Powers, this news also attracted widespread attention from the public of various countries.
The French and British, who were already weary and even numb to the war, felt both angry and worried when they learned of this news.
They were angry that the Germans still refused to surrender, and worried that the war would expand again.
Originally, they had already prepared for the armistice, but now, the situation had taken a new turn, and they might have to return to the front line again to become cannon fodder in some trench.
As for the Americans who had taken a beating, because they joined the war late and had not suffered too heavy casualties before, they were not as war-weary as the French and British.
Upon learning the news that the Germans had gone back on their word, not only refusing to surrender but also daring to fight back, the Americans were filled with righteous indignation and vowed to teach the Germans a painful lesson!