Germany does not seek survival

Faust inquired, "When will the Grossdeutschland Battalion participate in the battle again?"

Major Rundstedt said, "The Corps Commander has decided to place the Grossdeutschland Battalion in reserve. You do not need to participate in the initial battles. Don't misunderstand. This is not to deprive you of the opportunity to make meritorious contributions. Instead, we need to wait for the most appropriate time to allow the Grossdeutschland Battalion to enjoy the glory of entering the Schudok Pass."

The Grossdeutschland Battalion fought three battles in a row within a week. Although the battles were not intense, the march through the mountains took a huge toll on everyone's physical strength.

The 22nd Army has sent two full divisions of troops to launch a flanking offensive towards the Skuduk Pass through the road opened up by the Grossdeutschland Battalion. Everything is going smoothly at the moment and the Romanians are unaware of it. The remaining troops of the 22nd Army are now launching a diversionary attack on the Romanian army from the front of the Skuduk Pass.

In the Carpathian Mountains, artillery fire rang out. The Romanians took advantage of the terrain, defended themselves on the mountain, and fired from high above, repelling the German attacks time and time again.

Lieutenant General Galvitz walked out of the headquarters. He, Rundstedt, Faust, and the others all stood in the snow at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, watching the battle together. Galvitz lit a classic cigar and said slowly:

"What we have to do is wait here quietly until the other two divisions attack the Skuduk Pass from the flank and rear. By then, Romania will be finished."

The German offensive on the Skuduk Pass was only diversionary, so when they encountered strong resistance from the Romanian army, the soldiers immediately retreated. This gave the Romanians unrealistic self-confidence, making them more courageous and focusing their attention entirely on the front.

In order to reduce losses, Galwitz stopped using German troops to attack after noon, and instead used Austro-Hungarian troops to attack the pass.

Faust and Major Rundstedt both looked at their watches. Rundstedt, still feeling nervous, said, "Lieutenant Faust... you will soon be promoted to captain. The corps commander and I have reported your achievements to our superiors. All officers of the Grossdeutschland Battalion, with the exception of Colonel Epp, who has not yet arrived at the front, will be promoted one rank."

Faust touched the badge on his neck and said with a smile, "If I rise a few levels, you will all call me Your Excellency."

Faust added: "I hope that the martyrs of the Great German Battalion who died in the three battles will receive the main honors and their families will receive the greatest protection."

At this time, Faust was still considering the treatment of the soldiers killed in the Great German Battalion. Little Mustache and Rommel were all touched. Little Mustache's eyes turned red and tears filled his eyes.

Rundstedt also showed great respect for Faust: "I promise you that I will do it."

On the other side of the pass, two full divisions of German troops had completed a long circuitous march. The more than one hundred artillery pieces they carried shook violently, and the shells that had been transported here with great difficulty by horses all fell accurately into the Romanian positions in the Skuduk Pass.

After the huge explosion and smoke, the flames illuminated the pass position. Amid the waltz of artillery fire, tens of thousands of agile soldiers rushed forward one after another.

The casualties were unexpectedly light, and the German army achieved maximum surprise. The Romanians were shocked and realized that their retreat had been completely lost.

Next came the frontal attack. On the front, even at the army headquarters, everyone could hear the sound of artillery coming from behind the pass.

Galwitz laughed heartily. "German bastards! Good fellows from Bavaria and Württemberg, go cross the Carpathian Mountains. Our honor is to capture Bucharest, the capital of the Kingdom of Romania, on behalf of Germany!"

The full-scale offensive began, and all the troops of the 22nd Army were engaged in the battle. The morale of the Romanian front-line defenders was shaken and finally collapsed. The originally impregnable Skuduk Pass melted quickly under this series of attacks, like ice and snow in the sun.

The Romanians retreated in an orderly manner at first, but under the repeated fierce attacks of the German army, the retreat turned into a rout, and the rout turned into a flight, and finally the army was completely defeated and collapsed.

The fog completely dissipated, and it was not until the end of the battle, when the Romanians had basically collapsed, that Lieutenant General Galwitz ordered the Grossdeutschland Battalion to join the battle. This would minimize casualties in the Grossdeutschland Battalion and could be considered a reward for Faust and his party.

Just an hour and a half later, Faust drove through the Skuduk Pass in Lieutenant General Galvitz's Mercedes-Benz. Infantrymen passed by the car one after another, and the marching pace of the army heralded victory.

In this battle, the Romanian army suffered about 10,000 casualties, and a full 42,000 soldiers surrendered to the German army. The prisoners were densely packed like mountains, and the captured artillery, ammunition, oil and food were piled up like mountains.

The 22nd Army did not stop its victory. Romania had no more soldiers behind the Carpathian Mountains, and its only fresh force was still fighting against Mackensen's Army Group and the Bulgarian Army.

Bucharest, the capital of Romania, now has its doors completely open to the 22nd Army. After 1798, Bucharest became the second largest city in the Balkans after Istanbul. Forty years after the construction by Carol I of the Hohenzollern family, Bucharest is indeed elegant and beautiful, more like a Central European city than the stereotypical Balkan city.

The Dambovica River runs through the city, and several lakes strung together by the Corentina River surround the city like a beautiful necklace. There are many parks in the city, as well as gorgeous flower beds and carpet-like lawns, covered with green everywhere.

But now the whole city was in shock. The royal family and the government had fled in panic to the Russian-controlled area. The Freedom Park commemorating Carol I and the Snagov Lake Church where Vlad the Impaler was buried were all easily controlled by the German army.

The German column passed through the Arc de Triomphe built by the Romanians in imitation of Paris. Faust sat in an open car, and the salty wind from the Black Sea blew in his face. The victory came too quickly and caught people off guard. A country with a population of eight million was conquered just like that.

The Arc de Triomphe is a tradition of ancient Rome. Two thousand years ago, after the Roman Emperor Trajan conquered this place, he held a triumphal ceremony.

Two thousand years later, the people who had been conquered by Rome began to believe that they were descendants of the Roman legions, so they also regarded themselves as Romans and imitated all Roman rituals.

But who doesn’t want to be the second Trajan?

Faust sighed, "I hope this is the last war between Germany and Romania."

Rommel, who was also sitting in the back seat of the car, frowned slightly and asked, "Captain Faust... What do you think Germany will do after conquering Romania?"

The expression on Faust's face was not one of joy, but of pathetic pity: "What do you think? The generals of the General Staff have only one plan, and that is to squeeze out the last grain of food from Romania."

Chapter 51: Your Majesty's Pure Nature

During the third winter of the war, East Prussia was still a land dominated by agriculture. Pigs and chickens ran around in the stone-walled yards, and the famous Trachnen stallions bred a steady supply of war horses for the German army.

Most of the province's residents lived a self-sufficient life on the estates of Junker landlords. There was only a recently built highway connecting the town to the countryside, and most of the roads were dirt roads that were only suitable for carts and small trucks, lined with chestnut, beech and birch trees.

Two hundred years ago, the first monarch of the Hohenzollern royal family was crowned in Königsberg, the capital of East Prussia, and ascended the throne of Prussia.

Two hundred years later, the mountains and rivers remain the same, the winter in East Prussia is still as long, and the Castle Lake is covered with ice and snow. This lake was originally dug by the Teutonic Knights to drain the swamps of the Pleger River. Later, Frederick the Great's father, "Soldier King" Friedrich William I, built the famous Blood Court Tower next to the Castle Lake.

This tower was originally a secret room for torturing prisoners, but in modern times it has become a wine storage room famous throughout Prussia. William II stayed here every time he came to Königsberg.

Today, the shores of Castle Lake are crowded with people. The soul of the Eastern Front, Marshal Hindenburg, is waiting with a large group of people. William II first takes a train and then a car from the town of Spa on the Western Front to Königsberg on the Eastern Front.

Marshal Hindenburg was tall and looked like the Prussian elder that William II loved most. His plump belly pushed his open double-breasted military coat up high.

The people on Hindenburg's left and right were General Ludendorff, the brain of the Eastern Front, and Major General Max Hoffmann, the chief operations staff of the Eastern Front. Hoffmann wore a pair of dust glasses, and Ludendorff wore the German army's iconic gray cloak.

The waves of the Baltic Sea beat against the coastline of East Prussia. The place where successive Prussian monarchs were crowned and ascended the throne is right at their feet. How could the Germans give it up easily?

The Germans had carefully built fortifications along the Angrape River and across the Insterburg Gap; in the eastern swamps, the roads were built on elevated causeways, thus confining the enemy to the narrow embankments above the level ground.

In addition, the entire East Prussian railway network crisscrossed the country, making it easy for the defenders to move around and quickly move from one front to another to attack any wing of the enemy.

The great victory of Tannenberg achieved by the trio of Hindenburg, Ludendorff and Hoffmann at the beginning of the war depended on this.

Wilhelm II, wearing an imperial cloak and a pointed helmet with an eagle statue on it, walked up to Hindenburg, handed him the scepter, and laughed heartily:

"Victorious Commander! My Iron Man! With the old marshal as Chief of the General Staff, I believe the Imperial Army will soon break the deadlock and win for me the greatest victory in German history."

During the war, someone erected a huge wooden statue of Hindenburg in Berlin. The statue was very close to the Victory Column, next to the Reichstag and the Bismarck Monument. Everyone who donated a certain amount of money could hammer a nail into the statue until the wooden Hindenburg was turned into an iron-plated Hindenburg.

After William II learned about this, he liked to use "Iron Man" as his nickname for Hindenburg.

Hindenburg took the marshal's baton from William II with both hands and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, all our victories are due to your guidance."

William II was always rude to officers of civilian origin, but his attitude towards an old Junker like Hindenburg who had served the Hohenzollern royal family for several generations was very different.

Wilhelm II patted the medal on Hindenburg's chest and said, "Old Marshal, let me hear your good news."

Hindenburg confidently reported to the Emperor: "Our army has completely contained the Russian Brusilov Offensive. In the Balkans, our army swept through Serbia with lightning speed and captured Belgrade... The news of victory continues."

Just as Hindenburg was speaking, a staff officer from the Eastern Front General Staff squeezed through the crowd and came to Hindenburg with a telegram in his hand.

"Marshal, Marshal...! The war in Romania is over!"

Hindenburg remained calm, seemingly unmoved. He slowly took the telegram, glanced at it, and then smiled faintly at William II.

"Your Majesty, another piece of good news. The 22nd Army captured Bucharest, the Romanian capital, this morning."

After Hindenburg finished speaking, he ordered the staff officer who had delivered the letter, saying, "Manstein, have the Operations Department draw up a plan requiring the Danube Army Group to cooperate with the 22nd Army's operations to completely annihilate the remaining Romanian troops and prevent the remaining enemy from escaping."

William II received so many victory reports today that he couldn't hold back his smile. The corners of his mouth were almost curled up to the level of a horn, and he was so happy.

"The old marshal is worthy of being my victorious commander! Why, was it Falkenhayn who defeated Romania?"

Hindenburg shook his head. "No, Your Majesty, General Falkenhayn is still in Vienna. The 22nd Army captured Bucharest on its own before reinforcements arrived."

William II was stunned for a moment: "Huh? Where is Mackensen's Army?"

Hindenburg replied, "Your Majesty, it had nothing to do with Mackensen's Army Group. It was General Galwitz, commander of the 22nd Army, who occupied Romania. According to Lieutenant General Galwitz's report, the important reason for this victory was the outstanding performance of the Grossdeutschland Assault Battalion."

"Grossdeutschland Jäger Assault Battalion? What unit is this?"

"Your Majesty, it is the unit to which you awarded the Blue Max Medal."

William II touched his head. He still couldn't remember that he had awarded Faust the Blue Max Medal in Spa not long ago.

Hindenburg reminded the emperor: "Your Majesty, this unit comes from Bavaria. It is a new type of unit established at the instruction of Crown Prince Rupprecht."

Kaiser Wilhelm II didn't particularly like the Bavarians, but he was still delighted by the good news. "I'm very pleased today. How about this? Issue an immediate decree to commend the Großdeutschland Battalion. Who is their commander? Give them a generous reward, a medal, and a promotion in rank and position. Whose child is the commander of the Großdeutschland Battalion?"

Hindenburg said, "The commander of the Grossdeutschland Battalion was a child of the Epp family. However, Your Majesty, during the Romanian Campaign, this Epp commander was not at the front. According to Galwitz's commendation order, the commanders of the battle were Erwin Rommel and Witt Faust."

William II could only remember the names of the Junker noble officers, and he was disappointed: "They are all civilians? What a pity."

William II's casual question undoubtedly made Hindenburg's "brain" Ludendorff feel uncomfortable.

Although Ludendorff's name contains the word "von", his family was actually from the middle class. His great-grandfather served as a soldier during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded a commendation, so he got the title "von". However, he did not obtain any manor land, so he was not a real Junker.

Ludendorff's chief of staff, Max Hoffmann, also came from a middle-class family, and was also displeased by William II's words.

Ludendorff said sinisterly, "Your Majesty, perhaps you could grant them a title of nobility, so that you don't have to worry about war heroes always coming from the common people."

William II said seriously: "They haven't done enough to be awarded a noble title!"

Hindenburg was worried that if William II continued to speak, he would offend more and more people, so he quickly called his staff and took William II into the castle to rest.

After Kaiser Wilhelm II left, Ludendorff shuddered and said, "Your Majesty is so pure, can he stand the test of history?"

Hindenburg held out his hand to stop Ludendorff's disrespectful remarks: "Your Majesty means no harm..."

Hindenburg then asked Manstein, the staff officer who had sent him the telegram, "Did Galwitz have any special comments on Faust?"

Faust had already become famous in Saint-Quentin on the Western Front, and this time he created a brilliant battle-level victory in Romania. Although his rank was only captain, he still attracted Hindenburg's attention.

Manstein, the full name of this staff officer is Erich von Manstein. He is Hindenburg's nephew and comes from the top Junker family in Prussia. He is also the most popular among the young generation of Junker aristocratic officers and is said to be the one with the most military talent and talent.

Those who are familiar with history should know that Manstein was also the tough guy who had the best chance to compete with Zhukov for the title of the world's number one general in World War II.

Chapter 52: The Knights of the Sword

In addition to the Castle Lake, the most famous scenic spot in Königsberg is the world-famous "Seven Bridges".

After William II entered the castle to rest, Hindenburg and his entourage sat in front of the Cramer Bridge, the first of the seven bridges built, and started talking.

There is a famous story about the Seven Bridges of Königsberg in the history of mathematics:

In 1736, the great mathematician Euler visited Königsberg and discovered that there was a very interesting traditional activity in the local area. Seven bridges were built on the Pleger River that flows through the area to connect the entire town. Every Saturday, the citizens would take a walk across all seven bridges, hoping to find out whether there was a route that could only be passed through each bridge once and the starting and ending points must be at the same place.

This traditional activity aroused Euler's strong interest. Euler proposed his own solution in his paper "The Seven Bridges of Königsberg". Through mathematical modeling and combining the one-stroke theorem in the network, he finally proved that it is impossible to walk across all seven bridges without repetition. While solving the problem, he created a new branch of mathematics: graph theory and geometric topology.

Coincidentally, Euler was 29 years old when he solved the Seven Bridges Problem, the same age as Manstein is now.

Manstein had carefully read the reports of Lieutenant General Gallwitz and Major Rundstedt. He said:

"From my observation, Faust is the soul of the Grossdeutschland Battalion. He is much better than Colonel Epp. This unit was actually established by Faust. His role is greater than Rommel's, and it is obvious that he is also respected by people like Rommel and Kesselring."

Ludendorff did not like Manstein. He never liked this kind of nobleman who relied on nepotism to speak in front of Hindenburg:

"According to you, Faust is so outstanding, but now he is only a lieutenant? The General Staff is so blind."

Manstein remained extremely polite and humble in front of Ludendorff: "Your Excellency, Quartermaster General, Faust was not a graduate of a military academy and he has a disability. He was drafted into the army very late as a conscript. Lieutenant General Galwitz has recommended him and promoted Faust to captain."

"As far as I know, Faust was originally recommended by Crown Prince Rupprecht?"

Ludendorff's eyes were cold. He always had a special feeling of hostility, jealousy and contempt towards the nobles in the military. Even Hindenburg, who had been kind to Ludendorff, and it was said that the two were like husband and wife, one inside and out, Ludendorff still did not have a good impression of Hindenburg's nephew Manstein.

Manstein chose his words carefully. "The Grossdeutschland Jäger Assault Battalion is a new type of unit initiated by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Faust himself distinguished himself through his service on the Western Front. He had no initial connection to the Grossdeutschland project. He was probably chosen because he was born in Munich."

Ludendorff could hear that Manstein's words and deeds showed that he had some intention of protecting Faust. Hindenburg and Ludendorff on the Eastern Front had already defeated Falkenhayn in Berlin in a palace fight. They certainly did not want to see another commander in the army who could challenge their position, even if he was a royal family member.

Hindenburg put a pipe to his lips and puffed away. "After the Romanian campaign is over, what do you think of moving the Großdeutschland Battalion to Warsaw or to Courland?"

In the German context, Courland is the Baltic coastal area including Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, because in ancient times, German immigrants established the Duchy of Courland and the Livonian Order here.

On the Eastern Front, the German army had occupied most of Lithuania and half of Latvia. In Poland, the German army had also successfully captured Warsaw.

Only on the southern wing of the Eastern Front, because the southern wing was mainly under the responsibility of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was the backbone of the Russian army's Brusilov Offensive broken, and the Russians were forced to retreat to the Galicia region within the Austro-Hungarian Empire in one breath.

The Galicia region is a gathering place for Poles in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It must be said that the ethnic policy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was much more relaxed than that of Germany and Tsarist Russia. The Austrian government allowed Poles to use Polish in the administrative and educational systems.

Polish socialists who were persecuted by Russia were also allowed to move freely in Krakow, the most important Polish city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Manstein said, "Poland's flat terrain doesn't lend itself well to the Jäger corps' strengths. The Grossdeutschland Battalion would be more suitable for deployment to the Courland Peninsula. This peninsula is densely covered with coniferous forests, swamps, sand dunes, and lagoons, and the terrain is difficult. Large armies would struggle to launch offensives in such complex terrain, but it's well-suited to small, elite units like the Grossdeutschland Battalion."

Hindenburg exhaled a cloud of smoke from his pipe and said, "You can also find an opportunity to have Faust come to Königsberg or Kovno. Manstein, aren't you very interested in him? This would be a good opportunity to meet Faust and see his abilities."

Ludendorff paid little attention to Faust and the Great German Camp. He turned to another question and said:

"Pilsudski's Polish Legion should also be transferred from Warsaw to Courland. It is not suitable for the Polish Legion to remain in Warsaw for a long time. This will cause all kinds of unnecessary trouble. In the worst case, it may even lead to the Polish Legion being out of German control."

Hindenburg agreed and said, "Yes, let's also transfer the Polish Legion from Warsaw to Courland. The Poles are asking for too much, and we can't possibly meet so many outrageous demands. Besides, a regicide like Piłsudski is never worthy of our trust."

The Piłsudski mentioned by Ludendorff was the leader of the Polish Socialist Party and the father of Poland who later defeated the Soviet Red Army in the Soviet-Polish War.

Before the outbreak of World War I, Poland was divided among the three major powers of Germany, Austria and Russia. It had been more than a hundred years since the country was destroyed. The largest piece of Poland was annexed by Russia. Piłsudski mainly worked in Russia in his early years.

Piłsudski helped a Tsarist revolutionary named Alexander Ulyanov build a bomb to assassinate Tsar Alexander II.

Alexander Ulyanov had a younger brother named Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, who later adopted the more famous pseudonym Lenin.

Before the war, Piłsudski received support from the Austro-Hungarian government and established a military academy in Krakow, Austria-Hungary, to train Poles. After the outbreak of World War I, Piłsudski established the Polish Legion on this basis. Initially, it had three brigades, but now it has been expanded to two divisions.

Ludendorff said harshly, "The Vienna authorities harbor ulterior motives regarding the Polish issue. The Austrian government always claims that granting Poland true independence would buy us a million new troops. Are the Poles so easily controlled? If they were truly granted independence, the Poles would surely betray Germany."