German Red Prince

It seems that this prince is truly prepared to renounce his right to the throne.

"elder brother!"

Thorncong awoke from his reverie to find Sophia standing before him, her face full of anticipation.

"What is it, Sophia?"

"Do you know why you came back this time? You get to eat cake if you guess right."

That's how children think; they're quite imaginative. Just by looking at Sofia's expression, I could tell it must be her birthday today, otherwise why would she be so excited?

"Let me guess, is today Sofia's birthday?"

"You guessed right!" Sophia clapped her hands happily. "So, brother, where's my present?"

"A gift?" Thorne was a bit overwhelmed. He was doomed; he hadn't prepared anything. Looking at Sophia's expression, he knew the consequences of not being able to produce a gift.

"Look! What's that!" Thorne suddenly pointed to the side, and in that moment he quickly took something out of his treasure chest.

"The gift is here!"

Sophia happily accepted the gift that Thorne had pulled out from who-knows-where—so many dolls and fairy tale books, she wondered where he had gotten them from.

“You must learn to share,” Thorne said, pointing to Arya and Daisy who were playing there. “Go and play with the other children.”

Watching Sophia run away, Thorne walked over to Thomas, wanting to know how the recruited "special personnel" were doing these days.

"Everything is proceeding according to plan, Your Highness Thorne," Thomas replied confidently.

Thorne nodded. Soon they would be able to truly complete their training and be sent to where they were supposed to be.

“These people will live in anonymity for the rest of their lives. They are all heroes, and their lives must be taken care of.”

"I understand, they will be fine."

The banquet began soon after, celebrating Princess Sofia's birthday. Some of Thorne's old friends were invited, but Holman was clearly caught up in unpleasant memories upon seeing Heydrich and Thomas, and almost fell over. Fortunately, Heydrich caught him in time.

Aside from Adolf and Goebbels in Berlin, who are too far away and can't get away, we'll have to wait for the next time we can get together.

However, Thorne still specifically asked Adolf if he had accompanied Eva to the movies. After asking, he was still not sure and also asked Goebbels. Only after receiving an affirmative answer did he nod in satisfaction.

Guderian and Model were also invited, and King Otto even inquired about their military thoughts, which flattered them somewhat, given how long they had been sidelined. Hannah and Dudman seemed to be on the verge of marriage, and he was genuinely happy for his friends.

After the party ended, everyone started chatting. Thallman and Joseph went to find Rogert, clearly very curious about this fascinating royal secret.

The children were playing together with the things Thorne had given them, and Queen Martha was chatting amiably with Margaret and the others. Thorne was about to go and catch up with his good friend when King Otto called him away, saying he had something to tell him.

Thorne followed, and he had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. He knew that his father had definitely come to ask him about the inheritance.

Sure enough, after a moment of silence, King Otto told Thorne about his physical condition and Andreas's situation, and asked him about his thoughts on succession.

Thorne had already made his decision before he returned: he would never succeed to the throne. He had no interest in the royal throne and would do his best to help his brother manage the country.

"I knew you'd say that." King Otto shook his head with a wry smile. You know your brother's health condition. Even if he ascends the throne, he certainly won't stay on for long. Besides, the prince has no children. What will happen to the Rhine Kingdom's future if Thorne doesn't succeed to the throne?

“We know what you’re thinking. You’re busy, and there are many things to deal with in the kingdom. You must have your reasons for not thinking about these things right now, and we understand. Your brother and I have discussed it, and since you don’t want the right to inherit the throne, we won’t make things difficult for you.”

"but......"

Otto then changed the subject, "After your brother ascends the throne, you will be the Supreme Regent, enjoying the same power as the King, helping your brother handle affairs. If the throne becomes vacant, you will be the first in line to the throne."

"But......"

Thorne realized that his brother knew he didn't want to succeed to the throne while he was alive, so he had a different plan: make him the regent to handle affairs for him. Then, when he passed away, Thorne would become the first in line to the throne, and he could die in peace.

"Don't say anything more, I'm tired, Thorne," Otto stopped Thorne from saying what he was about to say.

"Here is the key to Charlemagne's bookstore. Since you're back now, go in and have a look."

Thorne took the key; this was a study only the king could enter, so it seemed Andreas had made up his mind.

"This is your brother's idea. Go in and take a look. Don't let him down."

Thorne took the key and walked towards the study deep inside the palace. Beside the study stood an old man, who was very old.

According to his elders, he is a descendant of Whistler, the legendary general who was redeemed by King Charlemagne.

The old man took the key and, just as he had helped other kings before, opened the door for Thorne. He was quite surprised to see Thorne, because the current king was still alive and he was not the heir.

However, he still fulfilled his mission, helping Thorne open the door and extending a hand to invite Thorne inside.

“The path to salvation lies within it.”

He suddenly said something cryptic, leaving Thorne somewhat bewildered. After entering the study, he saw what was inside.

This room is huge! It's filled with all sorts of books, including many classics, like the famous "The Prince," as well as many books that don't belong to this era, like "How the Steel Was Tempered" that Thorne saw on a bookshelf.

Based on what the old man had just said, Thorne felt that it wasn't that simple.

“The path to salvation lies within it.”

He was very familiar with this famous line; this line from The Shawshank Redemption must have some kind of meaning.

Thorne searched the area and indeed found something different. "I didn't expect there to be a little trick inside."

Perhaps it was some wish of that time traveler, hoping that future generations could fulfill it. You wouldn't know how to operate those mechanisms if you didn't understand some modern knowledge.

After activating the device, Thorne saw a hidden door. He took the key he had found, opened the door, and the sight inside made Thorne's eyes widen.

Thorne emerged shortly afterward. He was truly astonished by what he had just seen in Charlemagne's bookstore. So that's what they meant by redemption. Thorne smiled knowingly. Let him fulfill the wish that the time traveler couldn't complete.

After coming out, Thorne went to find Joseph and pulled him into a corner.

"Are you going to South America?"

"Yes, Your Highness Thorne."

Joseph was a little curious. Was this why he had been called over?

"Imagine what would have happened if your revolution had succeeded?"

"After success?"

Joseph was completely bewildered and had no idea what he was talking about.

Seeing Joseph's reaction, Thorne began to sing slowly.

"An unbreakable alliance of free republics, a great alliance forever united, long live the will of the people! Long live the unified and great Soviet Union! Glory belongs to our free nation, the camaraderie of the people is our reliable fortress! Let the banner of the Soviet, the banner of the people, guide us from victory to victory! The sunshine of freedom shines upon us through the storm..."

"Here are these things for you. I wish you success."

Thorne gave the book he had taken from the secret library to Joseph, hoping that he could complete his unfinished ideal and build a great alliance.

"Ten Days That Shook the World? What is that?"

Joseph looked at the things in his hands: a red flag, a book, and a musical score. He would soon understand Thorne's meaning: he wanted to build another great alliance, carrying his dream!

Thorne understood what his predecessor meant: revolutionaries must first revolutionize themselves; the dragon-slaying sword must be pointed at oneself.

"What follows will be a great era!"

After explaining his situation, Thorne also shared his thoughts with his father: he wanted to leave Germany for a while, as there were many other places in the world he wanted to see for himself.

Leave Notice 2

Sorry guys, I really can't take it anymore. My fever has come and gone so many times, and now it's back to 40℃. I'll rest for a few days and then update again. (?_?)

A World in Flames

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Japan's Ambition

"A butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon rainforest of South America can cause a tornado in Texas two weeks later."

This is the famous butterfly effect, which was analyzed and proposed by American meteorologist Edward Lorenz in a paper submitted to the New York Academy of Sciences in 1963.

1926年12月25日凌晨1点25分，日本的大正天皇病死在叶山行宫。凌晨3点25分，皇太子裕仁在行宫内继承皇位，成为第124代天皇，并且在临时会议上确定新年号为“昭和”。

Although there are some differences between Japan in this worldline and the original world, they are still largely the same; otherwise, it would be called the inertia of history.

In March 1927, Japan experienced a financial crisis. According to the original history, Japan had experienced an economic crisis and a disastrous defeat in the invasion of Siberia in 1920, and then the Great Kanto Earthquake of magnitude 8.1 occurred in 1923. Logically speaking, the damage to the economy should have been staggering.

The earthquake caused devastating damage, and banks lent money to the private sector for reconstruction. The already poor economic climate led to many of the loans becoming bad debts, ultimately resulting in a severe financial crisis less than six months after Emperor Hirohito's accession to the throne.

Therefore, this crisis has been brewing for a long time. Under this crisis, Japan is almost on the verge of collapse, and it is common for ordinary people at the bottom to sell their children in order to survive.

Like many countries that launched wars of aggression, Japan's newly appointed Prime Minister, Tanaka Giichi, proposed a "internal crisis, external solution" plan, preparing to invade Northeast China.

The disastrous defeat in the Siberian campaign mentioned earlier was orchestrated by Tanaka Giichi, who served as an army staff officer during the Russo-Japanese War. In 1925, he retired with the rank of general to run for prime minister and was successfully elected in 1927.

Based on his seasoned political experience, Tanaka Giichi believed that the newly enthroned Emperor Hirohito was incapable of managing a Japan that had experienced the Great Kanto Earthquake and the banking crisis.

At that time, the Japanese people were eager for the country to resolve the crisis. A large number of unemployed workers and people from the lower classes joined the army to prepare for the invasion of China. Sending troops to Northeast China could both alleviate the domestic crisis in Japan and divert attention from internal conflicts, as well as gain control of the Japanese government, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

But things are different now. Japan's favorite tactic is to gamble on the fate of the nation, and this time it has gambled correctly. The Russian October Revolution led Japan to successfully intervene in the Far East situation and support the Transmugal Republic, preventing the original crisis of defeat from occurring and even allowing Japan to recover its losses.

This successful intervention also allowed Tanaka Giichi to become Prime Minister of Japan two years ahead of schedule, earning him the reputation of a "capable general." Because of the success in the Far East, despite the economic crisis and earthquake, Japan's economy is still able to maintain itself, the Taisho Democracy continues, and no signs of militarism have emerged.

Currently, various ideologies such as liberalism, socialism, communism, anarchism, women's liberation movement, and national political participation movement are emerging in Japan, creating a strong atmosphere of freedom and democracy. Asahi Shimbun calls this "the golden age of Japanese civilization."

In short, thanks to Tanaka Giichi's series of maneuvers, Emperor Hirohito is now praised as a "democratic reformer," which has earned him considerable prestige in less than a year since his ascension to the throne. This has also made the Emperor very satisfied with this prime minister, calling him "the Tirpitz prime minister of the East."

1927 was an inconspicuous but crucial year because two events occurred in East Asia that year: one in China and the other in Japan.

The newly enthroned emperor has gained great prestige in the past year or so. The young man, who is only in his twenties, now hopes to make his mark and surpass the achievements of his ancestors.

Because Tanaka Giichi took office earlier than before in this timeline, the Imperial Conference was held earlier than usual that year.

This conference was originally known in history as the Eastern Conference. At that time, Japan was facing serious internal and external crises, including a financial crisis and internal class contradictions. In order to get rid of the crisis, it was eager to arm itself to invade China and then conquer the Asian continent.

However, the nature of this meeting is different from the previous one. Japan now considers itself the strongest country in Asia, and its vision is that there will be three forces in the world in the future: the European and African order led by the German Empire, the American power led by the United States of America, and the Asian power led by the Great Japanese Empire.

Japan believed itself to be the only country in all of Asia qualified to challenge these major powers, and its story of gradually reclaiming sovereignty from a colonized nation to become a regional hegemon was so inspiring that it was like a novel protagonist's tale. It was certainly worth learning from for all the oppressed and colonized countries at the time.

However, Japan is currently just a regional hegemon. It has won a few battles and gained some fame by gambling on the fate of the nation, but it is still relatively inexperienced compared to the hegemons that have grown over a century. The old European powers have incredibly deep pockets. Even the French Republic, which has retreated to Africa, still has considerable capital.

If Japan wants to truly rise from a regional power to a nation with a voice on the international stage, it must defeat its strongest enemy at present—the German Empire.

The German Empire has inevitably become the biggest stumbling block on Japan's path to rise, as its influence and sphere of influence in East Asia have severely hampered Japan's development.

The most obvious example is in East Asia, specifically in China. Among the more powerful forces in China, the French Commune supported the Guangdong Revolutionary Government, Japan supported the Fengtian Government of the Three Northeastern Provinces, and the German Empire supported more than one power: the Qing Empire that controlled Zhili, Sun Chuanfang's Eight Provinces Alliance, and various local warlords in western China—all of which were made in Germany.

Moreover, it's not just in East Asia. In Southeast Asia, Germany controls Vietnam and has established German East Asia. They also have influence in Malaysia and the Indonesian archipelago. Japan's current control extends as far as Taiwan. Any further west has been blocked by Germany. If Japan wants to develop, it must drive Germany out of Asia.

Therefore, Japan no longer mentions the "leaving Asia and joining Europe" theory. Instead, Japan proposes "Asian unity," stating that "Asia belongs to Asians," aiming to build an Asian union and create a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."

None of the other Co-Prosperity Spheres are as perverse as this one. This one is slightly better. Currently, Japan is focusing its main efforts on driving out the Germans, so although it looks down on other Asian countries, it hasn't done anything outrageous. At least its reputation is much better than that of the Germans.

After Tanaka Giichi came to power, he began to ease relations with China. In foreign policy, he adopted the principle of non-interference in China's internal affairs, respect for national self-determination, and the implementation of enlightened policies. It is said that he was discussing a plan to return Taiwan to China, but it was temporarily shelved due to military intervention.

Anyway, Japan will support any effort to drive Germany out of Asia. When the Guangdong Revolutionary Government rose up, the Special Higher Police even cooperated with the Revolutionary Government to obtain intelligence on Germany, and much of the equipment was made in Japan.

This meeting reaffirmed the plan to unite Asia and completely expel Germany. However, after the meeting, Tanaka Giichi received very bad news.

Upon receiving the intelligence, Tanaka Giichi dared not delay and immediately went to Emperor Hirohito to discuss the next steps, because if handled improperly, all their efforts would be in vain.

"Guangzhou, inside man, German East Asia, warship..."

Leave Notice 3

My fever has subsided. I'll resume updates after my final exams. Sorry about that (?_?)

Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Storm is Brewing

"What did the Germans say?" Hu Hanmin asked, twirling the pen in his hand.

"The German envoy is waiting outside. Shall I call him in?"

"Wait outside?"

Hu Hanmin stopped writing, and the pen fell to the ground.

"What era are we in now? Why are you being so blatant? Do you want everyone to know that I, Hu Hanmin, am colluding with the Germans?" He suddenly stood up, flicked his sleeves, and stood by the window.

"It was my oversight!" The person who came in quickly bowed his head and admitted his mistake.

"The Northern Expedition is now at a stalemate. We won't gain anything from this protracted war of attrition. What our people need is rest and a ceasefire. We should have accepted the German mediation earlier, but Liao Zhongkai simply wouldn't listen and insisted on going his own way, hanging out with those Communists every day. Instead of upholding the Three Principles of the People of the late Premier, he's studying the Communists' so-called communism. If this continues, our Kuomintang will be nothing but a shell of its former self!" Hu Hanmin said slowly and methodically, looking at the bustling crowd on the street below.

"Let the German envoy meet at the usual place; this is not the place to talk."