Chapter 262: The Royal Family Members

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On January 10, 1938, the weather was still very fine. The golden sunlight streamed into the bright glass windows, making the whole room seem full of vitality. A noble lady was having breakfast at a huge dining table. Opposite her sat an elderly man. This man was dressed ordinarily, but he had a very distinctive, thick, and snow-white beard.

“Thank you,” the lady said. She was wearing a magnificent dress, which gave a very proper impression. She nodded her thanks to the servant who was pouring her wine, then looked at the old man. “Congratulations. In the end, your country has risen again.”

“If I were still the ruler of that country, you know I would not have given such a foolish order to attack the Netherlands,” the old man said softly. As he spoke, he elegantly cut his steak with his knife and fork.

The lady let out a soft “hmph” through her nose. It was unclear whether she was savoring the fine wine or agreeing with the old man’s words. “This Akado Rudolph is very formidable. If you had had such a person by your side when you were in power, perhaps the one sitting opposite me now would be the refugee King George.”

“Wilhelmina… I still have a certain amount of influence in Germany. You don’t need to worry about the safety of the Dutch royal family,” the old man said, forcing a slight smile. “And I am very confident that as long as I operate properly, I can even get my throne back. I don’t mind giving this Führer the position of Chancellor. Even a hereditary one would be no problem.”

“Wilhelm, I would rather accept the arrangements of my ministers. After this meal, I must go to the port. There, I will board a British destroyer and leave the Netherlands to form a temporary government in Britain,” Queen Wilhelmina said with a sigh. “If Germany had bypassed the Netherlands as it did in the last war, I wouldn’t mind taking in another refugee Führer… but now my people are suffering, so this Führer is my enemy!”

“I really hope that fool hears your words,” Wilhelm said with a bitter laugh. “To challenge the world with Germany is an extremely unwise move. I have already failed, yet someone else wants to try… I don’t even know what adjective to use. Foolish? Or stubborn?”

“No matter how brilliantly he fights in the Netherlands, he is still no match for the British Empire at sea. So Germany will still face the fate of being blockaded and will ultimately be defeated when its accumulated energy is exhausted,” Queen Wilhelmina said with conviction.

Wilhelm II nodded. “This is a nightmare that the German Navy cannot escape. Even the navy that I painstakingly built up for decades could not do it. How can this upstart Führer possibly do it in just a dozen or so years? My foundation was much greater than his!”

“So I advise you not to be in such a hurry to return to your country to claim some throne, otherwise you will really be sent to a court-martial this time!” Wilhelmina advised. “Come with me to Britain. Your cousin won’t make things difficult for you, and his incompetent ministers will at least need you to divide and break up a portion of Germany’s strength.”

“I can consider it, but my price is not low… Once the war is over, I must at least have the position of King of Prussia,” Wilhelm II said after some thought, waving his dinner knife.

“That is indeed not low!” Wilhelmina nodded. “But I believe that this time George will agree to your terms, because now everyone wants to end the war as soon as possible! You know, peace is not easily won. You all suffered great losses in the last war.”

As she said this, a servant hurried into the room. It seemed that something major had happened. The servant looked a little anxious, so anxious that he had even forgotten to knock before entering.

“Your Majesty! An urgent telegram from Britain,” the servant said, walking behind the Queen and speaking in a low, hurried voice. “The news is very important.”

“It’s alright. Wilhelm is my friend. There is no need to hide any intelligence from him. After all, I will be leaving here in a little while today,” Wilhelmina said to the servant with a smile. “Read it out.”

“Yes… yes!” The servant hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head, picked up the telegram, and read it out. “Queen Wilhelmina, I regret to send you this telegram, but I must inform you of this accident truthfully: a few days ago, a task force of the British Royal Navy was heavily damaged by the German Navy. We have temporarily lost command of the sea off the coast of the Netherlands. At present, I am unable to send a destroyer to protect your journey to Britain. I hope you will understand.”

“What?” Wilhelmina was aghast and turned to look at her servant. Wilhelm II was also so shocked that he stood up from his chair.

“I suggest you travel by plane to Belgium or leave Rotterdam on a Dutch destroyer, but I must truthfully inform you that at present, neither of these two methods is safe… King George VI of the British Empire,” the servant finished the entire telegram, steeling himself, and then stood there without another word.

“I think we had best meet with the envoy from Germany…” After a long silence, Wilhelm II finally spoke. “I will go and contact my people over there and see if I can get more detailed information.”

This investigation was no small matter. The Dutch Queen and the former German Emperor, who immediately learned the course of the naval battle, were both shocked by the German Navy’s combat record. In the Battle off the Coast of the Netherlands, which had just ended a short while ago, Germany had, with half the strength of its High Seas Fleet, sunk one British Royal Navy aircraft carrier, one battleship, one cruiser, and two destroyers, and had subsequently captured two old-fashioned destroyers and returned in a great victory.

This naval battle, which could be said to be the largest in the world since the Battle of Jutland, had ended in a complete victory for Germany. From beginning to end, the British fleet had not even seen the true face of its opponent. The British Navy was forced to contract its forces and to give up its plan to engage the German fleet in the North Sea, silently preparing for the future Anglo-German naval showdown. This contraction was no small matter; it was tantamount to selling out the whole of the Netherlands to Germany.

At this time, Queen Wilhelmina had completely lost her nerve. The two escape routes mentioned by the King of England were simply not feasible in her view. Traveling by plane was almost no different from sending herself to her death. Wilhelmina had heard countless times of the prowess of the German Air Force, and her own air force had long since been routed.

Originally, going by sea was the safest. In her original understanding, the Dutch coast near the English Channel was undoubtedly the backyard of the British Royal Navy. But now, this route was also impassable. Wilhelmina did not dare to joke with the safety of the royal family. No one could guarantee that the German Navy, which had just crushed the British Navy, would not be deployed to intercept them.

So now, while pinning her hopes on Wilhelm II successfully ascending to the throne, Wilhelmina was considering how to surrender gracefully, no longer considering the matter of going to Britain at all. Thus, when she received the definite news, she summoned the German special envoy, Merkel, who had been left waiting outside the city.

This German special envoy’s respect for the Dutch royal family was beyond Wilhelmina’s expectations. As soon as they met, he greeted the Queen very politely. “Your Majesty, the esteemed Queen of the Netherlands! The German special envoy, Merkel, at your service! I have come in the name of the German Führer to discuss the future of the Netherlands with you. Please do not worry about anything. Germany will protect the safety of the Dutch royal family. I hope you can become friends with the Führer.”

“The Netherlands has always maintained its neutrality. I do not understand why the so-reasonable German Führer would do such an outrageous thing,” Wilhelmina said to Merkel with a sigh. “He should know that attacking a neutral country is an extremely heinous act.”

“Your Majesty, in order to fight against the impending invasion of the Comintern, the Führer must integrate the strength of all of Europe to contend with it. Rather than saying the Netherlands was invaded by Germany, it would be better to say it has been brought under the protection of the Third Reich,” Merkel said, speaking this “shameless robber’s theory” without even needing a draft. He had spoken this kind of high-sounding nonsense to cover up aggression so many times that he himself had come to believe it.

“Moreover, Your Majesty, I think you are not happy with what I have said and think I am being an alarmist,” Merkel said, looking at the displeased Queen Wilhelmina. “But the reality is very obvious. As the Queen of the Netherlands, you must alleviate the suffering of the Dutch people. But because you are more inclined toward Britain, you have missed the optimal time to surrender. I can only express my deep regret for this.”

Wilhelmina’s heart skipped a beat, but she did not want to show weakness. She stared at Merkel and asked, “What do you mean by that? Are you threatening me?” She frowned as she spoke, with a hint of queenly majesty.

“A threat? No, no! This is not a threat at all! I am merely stating a fact that is about to happen,” Merkel said, shaking his head in denial. “If I have not misremembered the time, you are about to hear the voice of the devil.”

“What do you mean?” Wilhelmina felt that something bad was about to happen. A deep sense of unease filled her heart.

“Wooo… wooo…” Suddenly, a piercing air raid siren echoed through the sky.

“Just half an hour ago, the German Air Force carried out the Führer’s ‘Final Blow’ operational mission, taking off from 30 frontline airfields to conduct a comprehensive bombing of Rotterdam,” Merkel said, looking at his watch. “One hundred and seventeen bombers will bomb Rotterdam to give Your Majesty a reason to agree to surrender.”

“My God! Are you insane? Rotterdam is full of civilians!” Wilhelmina screamed. “I have a telephone here! And a telegraph! Send a telegram to your Führer at once! Tell him I agree to surrender! I will agree to any conditions! Please do not bomb, please do not bomb my people!”

Merkel nodded. “No problem. I will send a telegram to General Kesselring at once and ask him to cancel this bombing operation.”

Looking at the dense formation of Do-217 bombers gradually approaching in the distance, Merkel walked out of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands’ living room with his head held high.