Chapter 25
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 25: The Future of Germany
Bismarck delivers ‘Iron and Blood’ inaugural speech in Parliament
Anna’s speech at the parliament quickly spread throughout all of Prussia, causing a huge uproar that can be described as earth-shattering.
She wants to unite Germany through war, solve all problems through war, she is a war maniac! Crazy!
No one used to support Anna, everywhere were opponents, but after the powerful speech, overnight a bunch of enthusiastic supporters emerged, including military heroes, interest groups related to the army, radical factions eager for Germany’s unification, war enthusiasts, all became loyal followers of Bismarck.
"Prussia needs a Prime Minister like this! War! Unification!"
Prussia has been suffering since the Napoleonic Wars, the humiliation of the French army capturing Berlin in eighteen days, the unwillingness of Germany’s division at the Vienna Congress, the Austrians bullying for so long…
When everything was ready to be resolved, Prussia was unwilling to be a small country bullied by others, the people of Germany could not bear the division of hundreds of years, those cursed French, those cursed Austrians, and the Danes occupying German territories, war! War! War!
Anna’s supporters make up about twenty percent of the total population of Prussia, the remaining eighty percent are still opponents.
And even more opposed.
"To let such a national criminal take office, she really wants to destroy Germany, dear me."
"To hell with your talk of iron and blood, we just want to live peaceful lives. We don’t want to go to battle and die. It’s easy for you to talk, why don’t you go to the battlefield with your iron and blood!"
"Can’t anyone stop this troublemaker? Can’t we just have peace? Why do we have to go to war? Why is Bismarck made Prime Minister, that jerk!"
In Anna’s first week as Prime Minister, she didn’t accomplish much. Offices across Prussia temporarily closed down because things couldn’t get done. A nationwide unlimited fighting competition was taking place in Prussia.
Anna’s supporters and opponents were fighting in cities and villages. Bloodshed kept happening one after another, the country’s order collapsed. Workers didn’t go to work, shops stayed closed, farms were left unattended. Everyone was fighting with those who disagreed.
The most intense phase of the Liberal Revolution was not even one-tenth as severe as this.
Perhaps it was the actions of the prince regent that made the Great Revolution very mild compared to other countries, very quiet, not allowing the people to release their anger, resulting in this chaotic outburst of iron and blood.
"The Times": Prussia plunged into civil war, more intense than the Crimean War.
"Figaro": Prussians are good at attacking their own people, but collapse immediately when the French attack.
"Kleine Zeitung": The German nation is full of artistic spirit, while the Prussians only know how to be aggressive. Austria should revoke Prussia’s German citizenship.
All countries came to see the chaos in Prussia, and even the attention on the Crimean War was overshadowed. People watching the scene thought this Prussian civil war was more interesting than the Crimean War?
The government was frantic to restore order, the army was busy stopping riots in various places, but the palace remained calm and peaceful.
All good things are done by the prince regent’s benevolent governance, while all bad things are caused by Bismarck. No matter what chaos Prussia faces, it will not affect Leader One.
The area around his palace was even quieter than usual, and Your Highness the Regent was comfortably napping in a rocking chair.
The whole country’s work had stopped, government affairs were on hold, and even as prince regent, there was nothing to do. Well, it’s not bad, can relax and be a lazy fish.
"Your Highness, think of a solution quickly, we can’t continue like this," Freeman advised.
"Prevention is better than cure, let things take their course, let them make noise, make as much noise as possible, and everything will calm down." Leader One said nonchalantly.
Anger was building up, conflicts were escalating, there must be a way for outlet, now Anna’s supporters and opponents were fighting, which meant the people were venting their anger on each other, and this was a good thing for the ruling class.
Catherine has been very busy lately, leading the secret police to raid houses during the chaos, using the chaos to weaken the nobles, weaken the Junkers, all good.
Intelligent people understood the strategy of the Prince Regent of Prussia. The French media mocked the Prussian leader as "Redel’s monkey," criticizing the prince’s manipulative tactics.
The editor-in-chief of the Rheinische Post wrote over ten thousand words, across eight pages, condemning the Prince Regent for allowing chaos to escalate intentionally. This was not only a mockery and persecution of the people but also a betrayal of Redel’s past ideals.
Leader One did not agree. The Regent King of the People was a joke from the beginning, always standing against the people.
Nevertheless, Leader One genuinely fought for a better life for the people, and he was proud of that.
The Iron and Blood Cup Unlimited Fighting Competition lasted for ten days. Prime Minister Mrs. Bismarck bypassed the prince regent and ordered the restoration of normal order nationwide with a firm attitude. The military began to maintain stability and arrest those causing unrest, gradually restoring peace to Prussia.
Of course, Leader One couldn’t order the restoration of order, or it would seem like he was in league with Anna.
Coincidentally, the Military Observation Team from Prussia returning from the Far East. Major General Hans and Lieutenant Colonel Mantofel, who had endured hardships, landed ashore, setting foot on their homeland.
They found chaos at the port, with a huge amount of goods piled up, garbage strewn on the streets, and traces of arson in many places. From the port to Berlin, the entire country was in this state.
"Damn it, how did the country become like this?" Hans asked in confusion.
"Did the French invade? Did Prussia surrender again?" Mantofel asked himself.
The chaos of the Iron and Blood Cup had not yet passed. The two of them looked confused, unable to understand how things had turned upside down after two years away from home.
Berlin, in the office of the prince regent.
Leader One looked at the two wild-looking men in front of him, momentarily unable to remember who they were. Oh… it was Hans and the short Mantofel, back from the Far East.
"Japan has signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce? We need to go exchange the official documents again. Hans, you go… Oh, Hans, why did you faint? Doctor, come quickly to treat our colleague… General Hans."
Hans did not want to go back to that cursed place in the Far East no matter what. The journey by sea was like a trip to hell, with Indian chefs who seemed to cook for demons. It became a nightmare for Hans, causing him to wake up trembling in fear.
Seeing that Hans was really struggling, the prince regent asked him to rest well and selected someone else to go to the Far East.
Upon hearing the prince regent’s words, Hans, who had just fainted, suddenly came back to life.
"Hans has made great contributions to Prussia. Go find Ron and promote him to Major General. Mantofel, you’ll be promoted to Brigadier General. Each of you will be rewarded with ten thousand pounds." The prince regent took out a stack of medals from the drawer and personally adorned the two men with them.
Suddenly, Hans felt all his pain disappear. As a commoner, he couldn’t believe he was promoted to a general. He had worked so hard for this promotion, ah…
Wait, what?
Ron is already the Minister of National Defense, Moltke just became the Chief of Staff as a general, Catherine got promoted too… Hans had a thousand things to say, feeling inferior to his colleagues because of his commoner background.
It’s not bad at all. Without Your Highness the Regent, Hans, a commoner, would never have been able to become a general. The stars on the shoulders are firmly controlled by nobles and Junker officers.
With the end of the national martial arts competition, Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor, has become a famous figure in the country of Prussia.
Overall, Iron Chancellor is a derogatory term mocking her desire to lead Prussia and Germany into war and destruction. It’s a joke from the elites. In the eyes of the people, you are the Iron Chancellor, but to us, you are begging for food, and are a question from foreign leaders, Mrs. Bismarck, are you really tough? We can see she’s flattering the British Empire and not daring to provoke France.
Anna’s goal is straightforward – she wants to turn the derogatory term Iron Chancellor into a positive one.
Can she do it?
She faced trouble right at the start of her job when Cabinet Secretary Schultz tried to undermine her and take away her power.
"I am the Prime Minister of Prussia, why am I not receiving a weekly state report! You are hiding information from me!"
Baron Schultz explained, "Madam Prime Minister, I have not been hiding, I just haven’t reported."
Anna [○･｀Д´･ ○]ツ┏━┓
"There’s no difference between hiding and not reporting."
"Hiding is neglect and deceiving your superior, not reporting is a routine behavior for administrative efficiency, after all, you have to deal with national affairs, you don’t need to worry about trivial matters."
The Prime Minister is the head of government officials and of course cannot waste time dealing with trivial matters. Time should be spent on major affairs, and what is important? What is not important? This is decided by Cabinet Secretary Schultz.
In office for over six years, I have never seen a weekly state report, which Schultz finishes and directly sends to the prince regent.
Anna said seriously, "I need to see what the prince regent sees and what he doesn’t see! I need to know everything about Prussia!"
Schultz flipped through the book, "At nine ten this morning, the Ministry of Education and Science placed an order for office supplies with the Feder stationery factory, including pencils…"
"Enough, Schultz. I challenge you to a duel."
This is Prussia, a brave Prussia, with the new Chancellor Bismarck known for his tough stance.
Hamfley and Jimhack = Romeo and Juliet
Schultz and Bismarck = Romeo and Kublai Khan
The style is completely different. Schultz tried to trick Anna but almost got beaten up. Even the Cabinet Secretary’s office is talking about you.
Schultz called Anna barbaric, too barbaric.
Anna confidently said, "I’m a Junker from the village, a Prussian brute. If you can’t handle this, don’t play."
Baron Schultz had to back down first, feeling intimidated. But he’s not completely intimidated. He will continue finding ways to deceive Anna, knowing that the more they clash, the more secure his position as prince regent will be.
Anna’s first priority as Chancellor was to reform the military service, extending the two-year service to three years. This had been delayed due to various obstacles, and Ron himself couldn’t handle it.
Three years of military service is crucial for the rise of Prussia. At this time, Anna has already planned out the script for the royal war, she just needs the right timing and the three years of military service.
The issue of military service involves all aspects of the country, and people from all different social classes oppose it. If they want to make a change, they need to satisfy all social classes.
Factory owners and landowners are concerned about manpower. If everyone goes to the military, who will work for them?
The old military aristocrats and Junkers are worried about decentralization of power. The military is expanding by half due to military service reforms, leading to a significant increase in the demand for officers, which may result in many civilian officers emerging.
Common people do not want to join the military because serving in the Prussian army is too tough and tiring. The training is strict, the officers like to scold and punish, the allowances are low, and the wages are not as good as working in a factory.
France and Austria do not want Prussia to extend the length of military service, fearing that a too powerful Prussia will threaten them.
Anna plans to start comprehensively from domestic and foreign affairs, using the ongoing Crimean War to exaggerate the strength of the French army. She wants to show that Prussia is no match for France, then forge a fake French war plan against Prussia to incite hatred between Prussia and France.
Giving concessions to the capitalists, ensuring the "privileges" of the military aristocrats and Junkers, improving the conditions of the military, increasing allowances, changing the distribution of military uniforms from two to three sets per year, and issuing dashing pointed helmets to all officers.
After implementing this series of tactics, Anna still needs to go to parliament to act tough and persuade the members to agree to extend the military service law.
Members of parliament represent the people’s voice. If parliament approves it, do you still dare to oppose? The elected members agreed, if you disagree, vent your anger at the parliament members.
Finally, the prince regent issued a decree confirming the execution, indicating that the prince regent, out of concern for the people, did not originally want to pass this kind of law, but the cabinet of parliament all agreed so the prince regent had no choice.
The whole plan will be completed within four to six months to amend the Prussian military service law, a long-standing issue for Ron easily solved by Anna.
After Leader One looked at Anna’s plan, he thought for two days and then signed and approved it.
Anna’s methods may leave some hidden dangers, but there is no time to further refine them. With the dynasty war about to start, there is no time to slowly ponder the military service issue. Let the hidden dangers be, once the German war machine starts, it can’t be stopped.
As for the future dilemma caused by Bismarck’s policy in Germany, Leader One has left a way out.
Blue Star is not Earth. The international situation on Blue Star has a huge variable, which allows a breakthrough in the stalemate of Germany’s development.
Redel is not Wilhelm I. Redel is a true monarch with authority, capability, and foresight. He maintains a balance between the conservative and progressive factions in parliament, weakens the Junker class, and ensures that the country’s development follows his design through the civil servant system led by Schultz.
Anna is not Bismarck. Compared to the Iron Chancellor in Earth’s history, Anna has limited power and cannot truly control the country. She cannot rule over the king’s head, dictate national strategies alone, and can only work within the boundaries set by the prince regent.
So, the future of Blue Star Prussia and Germany depends on the path chosen by Redel, a path different from Earth’s history.
