Chapter 26
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Chapter 26: Stormy Weather
Sanssouci Palace is located in the northern outskirts of Potsdam City, covering an area of ninety hectares. It was personally designed by Frederick the Great in the 18th century. It is not the largest palace in Germany, nor the most luxurious, but it is definitely the most outstanding royal garden in Germany.
Since the time of Frederick the Great, Sanssouci Palace has always served as the residence of the Hohenzollern family, the royal palace of the Prussian monarchs.
Throughout its history, Sanssouci Palace has never been involved in any wars. It has survived through the Napoleonic Wars, dynastic conflicts, and even World War I and World War II without being attacked, preserving it intact into the 21st century.
Catherine, "Fire!"
Leader One, "Stop! Do not fire."
On March 19, 1835, the coup forces lined up outside the main gate of Sanssouci Palace, Leader One changed into military attire and rode a tall horse, inspecting the area.
Catherine and her eleven Magic Energy Knights wore intricately patterned armor, gleaming in the sunlight with their elegant black color.
Following them were four hundred militia, armed with various weapons – some had Mauser rifles from the Academy of Engineering, some had Fujian rifles, others had matchlock guns, and there were even two bronze short-barreled cannons.
In front of the rebel army stood the Prussian Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment in neat formation, along with 112 Magic Energy Knights. They seemed to be guarding the palace gates, but in reality, they had already made a deal with Leader One to betray at any time.
Catherine wanted to fire the cannons to start a revolution, but Leader One stopped her. How could they bear to bombard the beautiful Sanssouci Palace? It is a treasure in architectural history.
"Think more, shed less blood, you know? A bloody coup is not desirable," said Leader One.
The defense of Sanssouci Palace itself was very weak, with only the Imperial Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment stationed there. There was also a brigade of guards in Potsdam City, but they were far away. Additionally, the military personnel from the General Staff Department were also in collusion with Leader One.
His older brother, the current king, would summon soldiers to rescue, but they would take their time and only arrive after an hour. An hour was enough for Leader One to deal with the situation.
"Hans," called Leader One.
"Lead the militia into retreat, into the oak forest over there. The Imperial Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment will follow you. Just fire some shots randomly in the forest," instructed Leader One.
"Catherine, your knights can enter through the side gate of the palace, go up twenty steps through the vineyard, and bring my brother out from a room on the third floor of the main palace," directed Leader One.
The people started to act according to Leader One’s orders. There were loud sounds of horse hooves, fighting, and gunfire in front of Sanssouci Palace. Everyone seemed to be giving their all in the battle, yet they all seemed like players in a theatrical atmosphere.
The loyal soldiers of the king, Prussian Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment, were chasing fleeing soldiers into the forest. Catherine and eleven Magic Energy Knights went around, leaving only Leader One outside the main gate of Sanssouci Palace, walking slowly with his horse.
As a child, Leader One grew up in Sanssouci Palace, where he had Beethoven, Goethe, and Gneisenau in his childhood. Those who had taught him were now gone, including his unfamiliar parents, the king and queen.
In his teenage years, Leader One was already a famous young talent in the royal family. No one could have imagined that one day he would do such a thing – the first royal coup in Prussian history, the first fratricide in Hohenzollern family history. A person with a very low inheritance ranking was about to become the prince regent.
Main hall of Sanssouci Palace, living room.
Catherine politely knocked on the door before pushing it open. She was dressed in exquisite armor, stained with dirt, holding a large sword with a blood-soaked blade that had stained the expensive Osman blanket.
Behind her were eleven Magic Energy Knights, also full of murderous intent. As they rushed into the palace, the loyal servants of the king resisted desperately, but Catherine and her group killed them all with powerful blows, slicing them in two with a single stroke.
"Respected king, you are ill. We need to take you to Hohenzollern Castle for rest," Catherine said.
The current king, Frederick Wilhelm IV, sat calmly on a small sofa, admiring a painting on the table titled "Knight, Death and Devil."
The king lifted his head, maintaining his royal dignity, "You have failed. At this moment, the unforgivable rebels who started the uprising have already been hanged."
Catherine didn’t know what he was saying, she quickly walked to the window and saw that Leader One was still strolling on his horse at the palace gate.
"Your Majesty, you are really sick, please come with us," Catherine raised her sword.
"I am the King of Prussia, the king of the Prussian people, the king of the nobles, the king of the Junkers," Frederick Wilhelm IV shouted loudly, "Who dares to kill me!"
Catherine wanted to behead him right away, but remembering the prince’s orders, she sheathed her sword and knocked the current king unconscious with a punch.
Catherine, wearing full body armor and iron gloves, delivered a heavy blow that made the current king’s body go stiff for a moment, luckily he was still breathing and not dead.
The king was tied up like a rice dumpling with coarse hemp ropes. Catherine and the knights took him away from the palace, placed him on a horse and went to report to Leader One.
"Your Highness! The king seems to have a trick up his sleeve, he just said some strange things."
Leader One was not surprised.
Leader One selected two Magic Energy Knights, and then asked Hans to bring a hundred men to escort the king to Hohenzollern Castle for recovery. Take good care of my dear big brother and let him spend the rest of his life quietly recovering in the castle.
Hohenzollern Castle is where the family comes from. It is located at the edge of the Hessian forest, about 65 kilometers south of Stuttgart. The area around it is wild and forested for miles. The castle has been abandoned after many wars and hasn’t been rebuilt yet. Big brother lives there, and let’s hope he can fix up the family castle during his free time.
"The others are going with me to Berlin to see what plans my big brother has left behind."
At this point, the coup was very close to succeeding. All it needed was for the military and the parliament to make a statement. The current king was taken away, and the Palace Guards who came to rescue him were late.
The Imperial Guard Heavy Cavalry Regiment, at this moment clearly showed their support. Leader One called everyone to go to Berlin, and they obediently followed him.
The group hurried towards Berlin City and arrived at the outskirts at dusk, only to hear astonishing news.
The current king secretly trained a force of 1300 men, while Prince Wilhelm also had over 800 men and a few Magic Energy Knights. Leader One’s older brother thought the mastermind behind the coup was his second brother, so the current king’s secret force and Prince Wilhelm’s troops clashed in the Berlin city center.
Leader One laughed, saying, "The King and Prince Wilhelm fighting, one dead and one injured. Regent Prince Redel sounds like music to the ears."