Abolishing the Hipper Plan

Under the gaze of the German people, His Majesty Eitel entered the Reichstag building.

After arriving in the conference room, Eitel sat at the head of the table and looked at Rommel beside him.

"Any news from Guderian?"

Rommel stepped forward. "Your Majesty, not yet, but judging by their marching speed, they should be nearing Lübeck."

"The armed forces in Lübeck are insignificant. Wilhelmshaven, beyond Lübeck, is the naval rebellion's main base."

"More than eighty thousand naval personnel are stationed in Wilhelmshaven."

When Rommel finished, he looked up at Eitel. Eitel rested his chin on his right hand, his left index finger tapping the tabletop.

Seeing this, Rommel did not disturb His Majesty Eitel.

It was something His Majesty Eitel only did when thinking.

As for Rommel, he only needed to report the intelligence His Majesty required.

Before long, Eitel stopped tapping his finger on the table. "Have Prince Max brought here."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Upon receiving the order, Rommel acknowledged it, turned, and left the room.

A while later, a bald man wearing a military uniform adorned with numerous badges entered. Though he looked bald, he actually still had a few hairs, just not very noticeable ones.

Looking at Prince of Baden Max, Eitel inexplicably saw him as a certain headmaster fond of micromanaging.

The Prince of Baden entered with a rather ugly expression. Rather than salute, he coldly regarded the newly enthroned emperor.

"Prince of Baden Max, or perhaps I should say, the current imperial chancellor."

"What, do you have that much against me?"

Eitel chuckled and looked straight at Prince Max, without the slightest retreat in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, the imperial chancellor, Prince of Baden Max, pays his respects."

Faced with Eitel's gaze, Max finally gave way, though his greeting remained cold and stiff.

Eitel laughed at the sight of Max.

"I know you. One of the leading advocates of moderate reform. You've been pulling quite a few little tricks behind the scenes."

"Without authorization, you announced my father's and my elder brother's abdications."

"Advocating peace negotiations, attempting to shake the empire's foundations!"

With every sentence Eitel spoke, Max's face grew a shade paler.

At the final point, Eitel drew the pistol at his waist and aimed it at Prince Max.

"Everything you've done is enough for me to execute you on the spot."

Looking at the gun aimed at him, Max's previously straight back instantly slumped.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I did it."

"I did it all for the German Empire. We cannot keep fighting this war."

"The navy in the rear is planning demonstrations, and workers' movements are springing up throughout the country. Once someone fires the first shot, an uprising and revolution sweeping the nation will burn the empire to ashes like a fire."

At this point, Max ignored the muzzle before him, stepped forward, and earnestly clasped Eitel's hand.

"Your Majesty, we truly cannot keep fighting. Think of the German Empire. Think of its people."

Seeing Max like this, Eitel's previously sharp gaze softened, and he slowly lowered the gun in his hand.

He looked at Prince Max. "Chancellor, how could I not understand what you're saying?"

"The war will continue for one month at most."

"Peace negotiations are imminent. I merely want to secure a few more bargaining chips at the negotiating table."

Eitel stood and looked at the battle map in the conference room. An immense defensive line stretched from the Belgian coast to the eastern side of Verdun, separating the two warring sides.

"There is no longer any need to keep fighting this war."

Prince Max looked at Eitel before him, his gaze somewhat dazed. He had never expected His Majesty Eitel, who had ascended the throne amid the fighting, to be so far-sighted, and he felt ashamed of his own shortsightedness.

"Your Majesty is wise. This old man was muddleheaded."

"What you did was quite right. At least, there was nothing wrong with your plan."

"Do you know where your main problem lies?"

Eitel looked at the repentant Max and asked in a low voice.

"Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Eitel's words puzzled the already somewhat aged chancellor.

"Your mistake was thinking the enemy too mild."

"Those jackals of the Allies can hardly wait to tear a great chunk of flesh from our empire."

"The proposals in Wilson's Fourteen Points are quite right, but the enemy may not abide by them."

Max was somewhat shocked by Eitel's words.

"Aren't they afraid of our army?"

"Even if we negotiate peace, our army is still here. We still have enough deterrent power. They wouldn't dare!"

"Why wouldn't they?"

Eitel's hand swept across the Hindenburg Line and pointed to Sedan Fortress behind the Meuse River Line.

"Once the Meuse River Line falls, the enemy will launch a massive offensive and cut the supply line along the Sedan Railway."

"At that point, we will no longer have a say."

His fist struck the marker for Sedan Fortress heavily, a trace of ferocity in Eitel's eyes.

"If we want to negotiate, we must hold the entire Hindenburg Line!"

"If we want enough of a say at the conference, we must demonstrate our determination to fight to the end!"

"Do you understand?"

His Majesty Eitel's words made Max's lips tremble. He stared blankly at the map before him, turning His Majesty Eitel's words over and over in his mind.

"But Your Majesty, what are we to do about the unrest at home?" Max murmured.

Seeing Max like this, Eitel returned to his chair and sat down.

"I came back this time precisely to quell this unrest."

"My troops will soon reach Wilhelmshaven."

"Although I trust him greatly, I think he still needs a little help."

As he spoke, Eitel beckoned Rommel over. "Before returning, I already heard about the Hipper Plan."

"The High Seas Fleet is no match for Britain's Royal Fleet to begin with."

"It is only human nature for the navy not to want to throw their lives away. The empire cannot waste its strength on internal strife over something like this. I want you to issue an order immediately: the Hipper Plan must be halted."

At this point, Eitel tore a sheet of paper from a notebook, wrote "Order" on it, and signed his name below.

He handed it to Prince Max. "If anyone obstructs you, tell them it is my order. Have them come speak to me."

"I want no mishaps in this matter."

Looking at the order in his hands, Max was once again stunned by the emperor's way of doing things. It was the first time he had ever received such a rudimentary order.

Yet in his heart, this sheet of paper weighed a thousand tons.

With the emperor's backing, he had ample authority on the grounds of legitimacy.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Max stepped forward, solemnly bowed his head and accepted the sheet of paper, then turned and left.

Eitel watched Max leave the room, stood, and looked toward Wilhelmshaven's position.

"Guderian, I've done everything I should do for you. I hope you won't disappoint me."

Meanwhile, in the Port of Lübeck, a Stormtroopers member brought a man in naval attire before Guderian.

"Sir, the rebel leader has been captured. How should we deal with him?"

"Time is short. Execute him on the spot."

"We must reach Wilhelmshaven as quickly as possible. His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for news of our victory."