The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1944 The Battle of Knigretz (Part 2)
Captain Zergen knew very well that this was different from the past; it wasn't a random, surprise attack, but a real war, one he had witnessed before.
Captain Zergen was right; in fact, Franz had prepared a full 500,000 rockets for this war.

They were about to face a deadly web woven from tens of thousands of rockets, and what lay before them was the true face of hell.

Countless rockets, trailing plumes of flame and billowing with fire, didn't dazzle like a meteor shower; instead, they completely blotted out the sky. The red flames and black smoke tumbled and rolled in the air, as if the end of the world had arrived.

Even Frederick William's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

"Christ, Jesus, God! What is that?!"

Like a dead river hanging upside down, countless rockets poured down.

"Crown Prince, run!"

The officers and guards nearby roared, but their ears were already filled with shrill screams.

Frederick William was dragged along and ran instinctively. It was probably the most embarrassing moment of his life, but no one laughed at him because many others were running too.

Some people knelt on both knees, not daring to look directly at the sky, and repeatedly made the sign of the cross while mumbling incoherently.

"The heavens have fallen, the stars have dropped—is this the punishment for our fratricide?"

This was especially devastating for the Catholic Prussian troops, as the Austrian Empire itself was a protector of Catholicism.

On the other hand, Prussian priests generally opposed going to war with the Austrian Empire, and the Prussian Catholic Church resisted fiercely, not only suspending all sacraments but also openly promoting anti-war rhetoric.

This is both support for Austria and a counterattack against the long-term suppression by the Prussian government.

Some even predicted that the Prussian army would suffer a devastating defeat and pay the price for its choices.
However, the Prussian government viewed it as the enemy stepping out on their own. As for closing churches and stopping Mass, it was a double blessing for them, since they had wanted to do it for a long time.

They should seize this opportunity to completely eradicate this heresy from Prussia, but they also need a source of faith to back them up.

This prompted a counterattack from Protestant organizations within the country, with each side viewing the other as heretics and resorting to any means necessary.

Within just a few days, numerous religious massacres and martyrdoms occurred throughout Prussia. Although the Prussian government forcefully suppressed them, it was difficult for ordinary Prussians to remain unaware of what was happening around them.

This illogical scene seemed to confirm the priests' claims, as if they were under a curse.

Otherwise, why would heavenly fire descend to claim their lives?
Explosions rang out one after another, sending debris flying and blood and flesh splattering everywhere. The dense explosions continued to resound from all sides.

Iron discipline was gone, because the officers had been blown to pieces and were barely recognizable.

Some people lay down on the spot trying to cover themselves with mud, some pulled their companions in front of them to protect themselves, and some shouted "Mommy! Mommy!" and ran around.

But all that was in vain; the flames of the explosion stretched and twisted them before completely engulfing them.

Time and space are becoming blurred, and wave after wave of rockets are being thrown down, like a tireless river flowing endlessly.

Crown Prince Frederick William fled surrounded by people, but soon the number of people around him dwindled, but fortunately the tent was right in front of him.

But as a rocket struck, his command tent instantly turned to rubble. He suddenly realized that it wasn't safe there, and he immediately thought of the area under the carriage.

However, right before Frederick William's eyes, a rocket accurately struck a wagon loaded with supplies, sending vegetable leaves and potatoes flying everywhere, and crushing the people hiding underneath into a bloody pulp.

Frederick William forced his brain to work; it seemed that Franz Joseph I had sent him a carriage on his birthday.

However, because it was too bulky, he and his friends always jokingly called it a prison cart, but it was precisely because it was so amusing that they kept it with them.

"Get in the carriage!"

Frederick William shouted, and although those around him could not hear him clearly, they knew they had to obey.

The dense explosions wiped out four-fifths of the people around him, but thankfully they managed to take refuge in the nearly broken-down carriage.

The once spacious carriage was now extremely crowded, with two guards, three staff officers, eight generals, and a Prussian crown prince in addition to the coachman.

Even with such weight, the carriage was shaking constantly because the entire ground was trembling.

They didn't know what was happening outside, but the smell of burning, unburnt gunpowder, and heated soil and grass stems kept coming.

"Your Highness, is it really safe here?"

A close confidant of Frederick William asked.

Before he could finish speaking, a rocket accurately hit the carriage, but fortunately the carriage was heavy enough that it only shook slightly.

However, that was only from the outside. The people inside were being tortured, especially the sound of the explosion, which was like being struck by a large bell.

The enclosed space amplified the damage several times over. If the carriage hadn't undergone special shockproof and explosion-proof treatment, the consequences would likely have been far more severe than just bleeding from both ears.

Even so, the impact caused excruciating pain to those inside. To be honest, these people were seasoned veterans who had ridden in those old-fashioned, un-sustainable horse-drawn carriages; a mere bump was nothing more than child's play to them.

However, the impact made their stomachs feel like they were being churned, and they felt like their brains were about to liquefy.

But this is just an appetizer.
It is unclear when exactly, but the frequency of the explosions began to decrease, the torment began to ease, and the smoke and dust began to rise, no longer being penetrated by new rockets.

With the final, pattering explosions, the torment of sound finally ceased.

Smoke drifted in, but no one dared to make any other move, as if they were not a group of soldiers, but a flock of lambs to the slaughter.

Finally, Frederick William moved. He laboriously loosened the bolt and then kicked the door open. Thick smoke, mixed with the smell of gunpowder and burning, rushed in, forcing them to climb out of the carriage.

The ground was warm to the touch. Brushing aside the smoke and dust that obscured my vision, I saw craters of all sizes scattered across the ground, with smoke rising from the center of each crater. Flames flickered weakly in different places, struggling to stay lit.

The ground was covered with irregularly shaped, charred, pasty substances, still smelling of burning fat. There were countless curled-up corpses, and a few blurry figures amidst the smoke.

Frederick William ignored the advice of those around him, because he couldn't hear them at all.

Through the smoke of battle, Frederick William saw that those people were still alive, and he couldn't help but show a look of joy.

“Soldier, I am Crown Prince Frederick William, reporting your unit number.”

He didn't receive the usual loud reply, nor even a single complaint.

There was only a group of bewildered, numb people, and some were talking to themselves as if they were thinking of something happy, or as if they were thinking of something sad, laughing and crying, crying and laughing, or even half crying and half laughing.

The flag of the Kingdom of Prussia burned forlornly, the flag bearers fulfilling their mission with their lives. But some things cannot be accomplished even at the cost of one's life; now only a pile of charred corpses remained, barely alive from the intense heat.

There was no blood on the ground, only a mixture of human bodily fluids and melted fat.

"I am Frederick William, the Crown Prince of Prussia! I command you to stand up!"

His eardrums had already ruptured, and he could not hear any sound other than his own. In fact, because the interference was eliminated, his own voice was clearer and brighter, but this only intensified his sense of loneliness.

"what!"

He roared and rushed out, not knowing where he was going. He didn't know how long he ran.
The patter of gunfire still echoed across the battlefield. The Prussian soldiers who were still putting up a fight were neither particularly loyal nor particularly brave; they were simply not receiving orders.

Prussian military law was extremely strict, which forged iron discipline but also created an extraordinary apathy.

Some Prussian soldiers dared not do anything without orders from their superiors. In fact, it wasn't just Prussia; the same was true in Britain, which was known for its freedom and humanity. This is why we saw hollow square formations charging towards Maxim machine gun positions.

(However, almost every documentary film made by the British has been altered to show elite British troops using Maxim rifles to inflict heavy losses on Prussian infantry phalanxes.)
This could no longer be called a battle; it was a one-sided massacre. Austrian soldiers shouted in German for the Prussian troops to surrender, but they were mostly met with bullets.

A new round of artillery bombardment began, followed by the cavalry's mopping-up operations. Unlike their near-Eastern campaigns, the infantry, while clearing the battlefield, did not engage in ruthless slaughter; instead, they focused on providing medical aid.

In fact, most Austrian soldiers had never experienced such a war, and they did not understand why the two sides were fighting to the death. They did not feel that surrendering to their homeland, Austria, was a shameful thing.

In fact, generally speaking, if the enemy wants to surrender, they don't even want to give them the chance. Those Prussians should be grateful; after all, it's better to live a miserable life than to die, and life under Austrian rule wasn't so bad.
The apocalypse created by 300,000 rockets made old Moltke almost unable to believe his eyes. He now had only one thought in his mind: to escape this hell on earth as soon as possible.

Honor, dignity, and future—all can be discarded.

The prince was still at the front and had not yet returned, so he couldn't care less. The fates of the noble generals on both flanks were unknown, but he didn't care about that either.

He and his soldiers had only one thought: to escape back to Prussia, go home, and return to their families.

Nothing else really matters.
They didn't know how long they had been running, but the Oder River was just ahead.

There weren't many words to say, and at this point, Old Maoqi had no desire to continue.

"Once we cross that river, we'll be home!"

"Home!"

The remaining Prussian soldiers felt a jolt in their hearts. What beautiful, lovely words! Even though it was full of nagging and there were always disagreements, it was a place where they could feel at ease.

The soldiers charged frantically down the hill, determined to leave this land that was not theirs. They were willing to spend the rest of their lives atoning for their sins, hoping only for peace and safety.
However, with a long blast of the whistle, something seemed to be approaching from afar, billowing black smoke.

It should be a train. Does a train think it can block your way?
That's wishful thinking!

The Prussian soldiers didn't care about any of that; they charged forward frantically, knowing that once they crossed the railway line, they would be one step closer to home.

In fact, most people subconsciously believe that the train just happened to be passing by. After all, railways have a fixed direction, so how could they be used to hit people?

As for blocking the road, that's even more unrealistic. Wouldn't the people on the train be risking their lives? Besides, there are gaps between the train carriages, and there are doors.

how is this possible
With a screeching sound of brakes hitting the rails, the train came to a stop right in front of the Prussian army.

As the car door slowly opened, instead of Austrian soldiers, rows of strangely shaped tubular weapons appeared inside.

People eager to get home didn't care about anything else; some people raised their guns and started shooting.

What happened next added another layer of unease to the minds of many Prussian soldiers.

Hundreds of machine guns simultaneously emitted a "rat-a-tat" sound, and blood and flesh flew everywhere they passed. The bodies of the soldiers hit would instantly explode and be torn into pieces like an overripe watermelon.

Limbs and severed arms flew everywhere, and even a mere scratch could make a person spin and twist like a top.

From a distance, all one could see was a cloud of blood mist, which even revealed a strange beauty under the sunlight.

The previous fervor vanished instantly, replaced by a deeper fear that brought back unbearable memories.

However, the shooting only lasted a short while before a white flag was suddenly raised inside the carriage.

A white flag can signify more than just surrender; it can also imply negotiation, and in this case, it clearly represents the latter.

"Surrender, brothers. Germans don't fight Germans."

We didn't have to risk our lives. The empire was simply trying to make everyone's lives better than before.

Emperor Joseph I has ordered that as long as you surrender, your crimes will not be investigated, and you will be sent home after the war ends.

Otherwise, we will have no choice but to completely annihilate you here.

You have only five minutes to think. That concludes my answer.

The Prussian soldiers, still reeling from the shock, looked at each other, their hearts pounding and their breaths nearly stopping. The brutality of the war had exceeded their limits of endurance.

"I surrender!"

"I surrender!"

"Don't kill me!"

The Prussian soldier at the front threw his rifle hard to the ground, breaking it in two.

The Prussian soldiers around him dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground, raising their hands. Sergeant Tallinn and the surrounding soldiers looked at Captain Zergen, who said helplessly.

"You should surrender. We've already lost."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and at that very moment, Captain Zergen pulled out a finely crafted pistol and put it in his mouth.

Long live Prussia!

"boom!"

Captain Zergen fell to the ground, and many other Prussian officers did the same.

The soldiers were made to surrender in order to avoid further meaningless sacrifices, while suicide by gunshot was to preserve the last honor of the Prussian soldiers.