Chapter 25

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Chapter 25: Secret Currents

"Your Highness, you are dressed in evening attire today, exuding charm and wit in your demeanor and speech. You look like a gentleman who frequents noble gatherings in England all year round, quite different from the German barbarians."

"Your dress looks lovely today, you make a wonderful companion," he said.

Leader One held a champagne glass in one hand and guided Catherine with the other, both of them smiling and complimenting each other in the banquet hall.

In the surrounding area, many of the Prussian nobles were gathered in small groups. Compared to the elegance of Leader One and Catherine, the others seemed a bit rough. One of the viscounts even ate and drank to his fill, then unbuttoned his coat playing with his belly.

This was a banquet at the Prussian state parliament. The liberal and progressive noble parliament members were quite decent, but the Junker class and conservative noble parliament members truly embodied the term barbarians.

Catherine noticed a man in the crowd, gently pulling Leader One towards him.

"Your Highness, this is the Speaker of the Parliament and leader of the liberal party, Rutherford Bittenfeld, my distant cousin."

Rutherford and Catherine’s blood relationship was actually very distant. The Bittenfeld family split into two branches hundreds of years ago. The Rutherford branch had long been in France, only returning to Prussia after the Napoleonic Wars.

Leader One shook hands with him, and judging by his Mediterranean hairstyle, he must have been in foreign lands for a long time.

"Prince Redel, I’ve heard a lot about you," Rutherford said in German, not fluent in the language.

Three people were chatting about uninteresting topics and arrived at an empty area in the banquet hall.

"Mr. Leader, may I ask what you think of the king?" Leader One asked.

"Oh, His Majesty the king is a interesting person, very charismatic. We liberals admire him greatly."

Catherine whispered to Leader One, "My uncle thinks the king is foolish and very ignorant. The liberals are very unhappy with him."

Leader One, "What about the Rhine incident?"

"Oh, in reality, the parliament has not received related issues, the king is very charismatic."

Leader One, "His Majesty the king might… possibly, not be feeling well."

Rutherford’s expression changed instantly, he pondered for a moment and then shook his head lightly, "The king is in good health."

Leader One nodded and continued, "If the king is unwell, he might need to go back to Hohenzollern Castle for rest, and Berlin might need a prince regent to help with his duties."

Rutherford, "Oh, in that case… getting sick is something that can’t be avoided, the king might indeed be feeling unwell."

Leader One, "This prince regent must work wholeheartedly for the country and the people, striving to achieve the people’s vision. Mr. Rutherford, you are the Speaker of the Parliament, leader of the liberal party, you should be able to represent the people, right?"

"Of course, I need… I mean, the people need freedom of speech, freedom of the press, transparent administration, economic freedom, reduction of military expenses, tax cuts, restriction of aristocratic privileges, and so on."

Leader One, "I believe Your Highness the Regent will work hard to achieve the people’s vision."

Rutherford, "But does the prince regent have enough capability?"

Leader One smiled and said, "The military is also concerned about the health of His Majesty, the King. Assuming that His Majesty is indeed sick, the military also hopes to have a prince regent. Seven generals already have a candidate in mind."

Rutherford, "When is His Majesty the King getting sick?"

Leader One, "In a week."

"If His Majesty the King does get sick, the Parliament can only look for a capable prince regent. However, that prince regent must meet my… the people’s vision."

"Of course, Your Highness the Regent is a person of his word."

Later that night, Leader One and Catherine finally left the banquet hall. They had a few drinks, their faces turning rosy in the wind, with the dimly lit oil lamps along the road.

The Parliament side was settled, the next step was to negotiate with the military, to see what conditions those Junker officers would offer.

The next day at the pub, Leader One saw ten people.

Moltke, Ron, and eight elderly men from the General Staff Department, judging from the seats and the expressions, seemed to be led by Marshall Steinmetz.

"To put it bluntly, His Majesty the King may fall ill. The Parliament has decided to crown a Prince Regent. Marshal, what are your thoughts on this?"

"We do not wish for the king to fall ill, and we will ensure his well-being."

"Perhaps it would be better if he fell ill?"

"No, those damn members of Parliament are always thinking about cutting our military expenses and reducing our size. The Prince Regent selected by the Parliament naturally represents them," the Marshal said disdainfully.

"The Regent Your Highness will never ignore national defense and put the country’s safety at risk," explained Leader One.

The marshal looked over suspiciously.

The marshal had someone bring out a document, with "Prussia Military Reform Plan" written on the file cover.

"If Your Highness the Regent can implement this, I think even a coup would be acceptable," he said.

Leader One briefly glanced at the document and said, "Your Highness the Regent will read this thoroughly, but I believe he will meet the army’s needs."

The old heads at the General Staff Department were a bit dim-witted. They thought Leader One was just a spokesperson, guessing that Prince Wilhelm was behind the scenes. They had no idea how bad the relationship between Leader One and Wilhelm was.

Someone asked, "Who will be the prince regent?"

Leader One laughed, "I have no ambitions, I am not interested in being prince regent, I have never touched power."

The marshal frowned, "It wouldn’t be you, would it?"

Leader One said, "Even if someone doesn’t seek power for themselves, they still feel responsible for benefiting the country. If everyone expects them to do it, the best way to benefit the country is to take charge. That’s when they must take on the responsibility."

Marshal looked up in surprise and said, "It’s really you."

The secret meetings for two days were successful. The military and the parliament seemed unsure. They were willing to support Leader One if he could offer them benefits, but there was a catch.

The military and the parliament would not get involved in the coup process. Whether Leader One called for it or the king summoned them, they wouldn’t take part in the fight. They would only support the winner afterward.

Over the next four days, Leader One had discussions with the Archbishop of Cologne, representatives from the Rural Junkers, Berlin City Parliament, and the Prussian Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment Commander. The first three were fence-sitters, while the cavalry regiment was willing to switch sides in battle.

Leader One offered them significant benefits: one thousand hectares of land for each person. He promised to help them gain honor and privilege by changing their image.

The Imperial Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment was notorious for their bloody parades. Leader One pledged to help them clean up their bad reputation and present a new image representing glory and justice, earning the people’s love and admiration.

It was unclear whether these people preferred glory or the one thousand hectares of land. Eventually, they decided to assist Leader One in the coup.

With the Imperial Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment on their side, Leader One was almost certain of success. They would begin the operation tomorrow, with the only uncertainty being his second brother, Prince Wilhelm.