German Red Prince

Because it was now the National Revolutionary Government, the International Brigades mainly assisted the Kuomintang in carrying out the domestic revolution. However, the Kuomintang was still essentially a bourgeois party, which the Comintern could not fully accept and remained somewhat wary of.

Currently, the left wing holds the upper hand within the Kuomintang. The Comintern only maintains friendly relations with these left-wing members of the Kuomintang; it does not favor centrists and right-wingers, and rumors circulate internally that the centrists are "doves" and the right-wingers are "dogs."

This is also why the International Brigades did not directly approach Guangzhou to establish a branch; the two sides are only cooperating temporarily because they share the same goal.

The French Commune wanted to weaken Germany's influence in East Asia and isolate Germany, while the Guangzhou government wanted to strive for the liberation of all of China and for China's independence.

The two sides share common interests, which is why they have begun to cooperate. However, the ideological opposition means that such cooperation cannot last.

The Comintern has now approached Mao Zedong and discussed the matter with the Central Committee, which has agreed. This indicates that there are indeed some problems in Guangdong, and the Central Committee is already preparing contingency plans.

"China still has a long way to go in the future."

Chairman Mao took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, intending to smoke one, but when he opened it, he found that there were no cigarettes left in the pack.

"Xiao Zhao, go buy me a pack of cigarettes." Chairman Mao put the cigarette pack on the table, turned around and called out towards the door.

"Little Zhao, Little..."

While wondering why there was no movement, Chairman Mao suddenly realized that Xiao Zhao had been dead for a long time.

"Ugh."

Chairman Mao lost his appetite for smoking and didn't want to write anymore. He put on a coat and went out of the house.

Hunan is currently undergoing a period of vigorous development, and people no longer need to hide in the deep mountains every day as before. Although Changsha has been liberated, Chairman Mao did not go there; he still stayed in the old revolutionary base area.

Revolutionaries should not be blinded by victory. They must maintain a simple and hardworking style. The revolution in China is not over yet. They cannot relax now. They cannot become the second Li Zicheng. The core members of the Red Army are still here learning and training, drawing strength from the people.

He walked outside and looked at the scene on the road. It was already early April, and the early rice had begun to be sown. Farmers in the paddy fields were busy, and the army would also be organized to work in the fields after their training.

The local tyrants and bullies were all driven away and driven far away. The peasants formed Red Guards to protect their property and spontaneously supported the Red Army, the people's army. Their weathered faces wore smiles, smiles from the bottom of their hearts.

Schools were also established. Children are the future of the country. Free schools were set up wherever the Red Army controlled the country, so that children who could not afford to go to school could study there. At the same time, they were provided with convenience and care.

When Chairman Mao heard the sound of children reading aloud, he felt a strong urge to go and quietly went to the school to watch.

Katayama Sen was teaching these children, who ranged in age from six to sixteen. Although the children wore tattered clothes and the conditions here were very simple, their eyes shone brightly. Seeing them like this, Chairman Mao smiled from the bottom of his heart. Only when the children have a future can the country have a future.

As get out of class was about to end, Katayama Sen, who was inside the room, also saw Chairman Mao. He chuckled and pulled Chairman Mao, who was peeking at him, inside. Chairman Mao, who had been caught, was also smiling, scratching his head like a child who had done something wrong as he walked in.

"Hello, Mr. Mao!"

The students in the room all stood up and bowed to Chairman Mao on the podium. They didn't know anything about Chairman Mao; they only knew that this was their teacher, Mr. Mao.

"Chairman Mao, please say a few words." Katayama Sen waved to the students below, signaling them to sit down and look at Chairman Mao, wanting him to say a few words.

"Come on, students, let's clap!" Encouraged by Katayama Sen, the students below all clapped.

"Oh, you," Chairman Mao said with a smile, pointing at Katayama Sen, "I only came here to learn a few things, and now you're making me write a self-criticism?"

"Then I'll be so bold as to say a few words." Chairman Mao picked up the chalk and wrote two words on the blackboard behind him: "Youth."

"The world belongs to you, as well as to us, but in the final analysis, it belongs to you. You young people are full of vigor and vitality, like the sun at eight or nine in the morning. Our hopes are pinned on you," Chairman Mao said, looking at the children below whose eyes were shining.

"China's future is in your hands, and your prospects are bright. There was a bearded German man named Karl Marx who once said that the spirit of an era is represented by the spirit of the youth, and the character of an era is represented by the character of youth."

"What does this sentence mean? It means that you are the future, the future of the country, and the future of the times. When the younger generation has ideals and a sense of responsibility, the country has a future, the nation has hope, and we will have a continuous and powerful force to achieve our development goals."

"Our country is still a very poor country, and it is impossible to fundamentally change this situation in a short period of time. If we want to become strong, we must rely on our efforts now. This is the task of our generation: to build a strong and prosperous China for you. The establishment of the socialist system has opened up a path for us to reach our ideal state. We must continue to move forward along this road."

"What you need to do is to protect the powerful motherland that will come in the future. You are full of energy, less superstitious, less worried, fearless, and dare to think, speak, and act. Young people should have this kind of spirit. If there are any corrupt elements in the country in the future, you should not hesitate to strike them down. I hope you will always maintain your firm beliefs so that we can continue to move forward on the road of socialism."

“There was once an emperor named Li Shimin. He asked his subordinates, ‘Is it more difficult to conquer a country or to maintain it?’ I think it is more difficult to maintain it. Conquering a country may only take a few years or a dozen years, but maintaining it can take decades or even centuries. I hope you will always maintain the vigor and spirit of your youth, always keep your sincere hearts, and not be corrupted in the future, and not become the kind of people you used to hate the most.”

"In the future, I hope that when you encounter difficulties, you won't just lie on the ground and wait for us to come back, but will make efforts to change things yourself. In the future, you are us!"

"We vow to build a prosperous and strong China for you. You must protect the new country that we have worked so hard to build in the future, and not let it degenerate, and not let the tragedy that is happening now happen again. This is our request, our wish, and what I want to say to you young people."

"Can you do it?"

After Chairman Mao finished speaking, Katayama asked the students below the stage.

"Yes!" the students below shouted in unison.

"Good! Good! Good! That's what young people should look like!" Chairman Mao clapped with a smile.

"Class dismissed, students!"

As he watched the students pouring out of the classroom, Chairman Mao’s eyes grew even more determined. These children had to help with chores at home and do farm work after school. For the sake of these children, he was determined to overthrow the old society!

"Take a look at the children's drawings."

Katayama Sen pulled out a stack of draft paper from the table, and Chairman Mao took the drawings and began to look at them carefully.

"These drawings were what I asked them to draw before the start of the semester and after they had been studying for a while. They were called 'My Future Self'. Before they started studying, most of their drawings were of farmers planting crops and herders herding cattle. Their imagined future was just that their families could have a few more acres of land and a few more cows."

"After studying for a period of time, they are different. Their futures become more diverse. Some want to become scientists, some want to become engineers, and some want to become generals. Their futures become richer, their horizons broaden, and they are no longer confined to the small place in front of them."

After looking at the paintings, Chairman Mao smiled and looked at Katayama Sen.

"For their sake, we must be ruthless towards the enemy. Their future will not be like ours; their future will certainly be bright and much better than ours. But we will not envy them, because our generation is to accomplish a work of astonishing historical significance. For their sake, and for our own sake, we must continue to strive!"

“That’s right, Chairman Mao!” Katayama Senya said excitedly, “Our generation must accomplish a task of astonishing historical significance: to continuously liberate and utterly destroy the old world! To sweep it completely into the trash can!”

Cao Yu had just returned from his propaganda work. He was among the first group of people to follow Chairman Mao, with absolute loyalty to his beliefs and a strong love for communism. During the counter-revolutionary movement in Changsha, he broke through the encirclement with Chairman Mao and came to the Hunan-Jiangxi base area. They gradually developed and strengthened their base, and the spark eventually became a prairie fire that spread throughout Hunan.

"Political Commissar Cao, the Chairman is looking for you." Cao Yu had just returned when someone approached him.

"I'll go right away." He put on his hat and walked towards the house in front.

"report!"

"Come in," Chairman Mao said with a smile, looking at Cao Yu who was standing there.

How have you been lately?

"Report, very good! The propaganda work has been very successful, and the people have great trust in us!"

"Very good!" Chairman Mao nodded with satisfaction. He greatly admired this comrade with firm beliefs.

"The Comintern has decided to establish the China branch of the International Brigades, and we have been put in charge of selecting a group of comrades to form the Chinese Battalion. The Central Committee has also agreed to this. You have a high level of education and a lot of experience. After our meeting, we decided that you would serve as the battalion commander of the Chinese Battalion. What are your thoughts?"

"I guarantee to complete the mission! I will absolutely not let the Chairman down!" Cao Yu stood at attention, saluted, and solemnly said to Chairman Mao.

"Good! Good!" Chairman Mao also stood up and looked at Cao Yu who was standing there.

"Pack your things. The organization needs you to go abroad to study advanced military technology to lead the Chinese battalion. You must study hard while you're abroad. We can't let our Chinese battalion lose to the other brothers."

"Yes!"

"You're not going to France this time, nor to England." Chairman Mao took out his credentials and other documents. "You're going to Germany this time. Germany has the world's most advanced military technology. You can learn a lot there. At the same time, the Qing Dynasty to our north has Germans behind them. Their tactics were also learned from the Germans. Only by learning from the enemy can we defeat the enemy. By learning advanced tactics from Germany and finding their weaknesses, we can defeat the enemy and truly liberate all of China!"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

The next morning, Cao Yu left Hunan for Guangzhou, where he was met by his comrades and boarded a ship bound for Germany.

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Real Society

Some time has passed since the last legislative upheaval. The unrest caused by that incident put a lot of pressure on Berlin's security. During those days, the York police chief was extremely busy, organizing a large number of police officers to patrol the streets every day.

Even so, many unexpected incidents still occurred. The most serious one was that rioters committed violence on a city road, injuring two innocent citizens and engaging in a fierce gun battle with the police who arrived at the scene.

It was only after this shooting that Sheriff York realized the extent of illegal gun smuggling in Berlin; these thugs even had grenades?!

God knows how corrupt the military has become. Sheriff York reported the matter to his superiors, but received no response. He then inquired and learned that several high-ranking military officials had suppressed the matter. If this matter had been exposed, who knows how many people would have been arrested, and everyone's source of income would have been cut off.

Chief Inspector York was well aware that these were probably just the tip of the iceberg. In Berlin, there was probably nothing they couldn't do, only things he couldn't imagine.

The reason why the unrest in Berlin was so severe that ordinary police were unable to effectively suppress it and the army had to be deployed was because a legislative issue would not have caused such a commotion. The main reason is that the economic situation in Germany is no longer what it used to be, and the people took this opportunity to vent their pent-up discontent.

In the past, Germany's economy was booming, with plenty of jobs and employment opportunities, and the national welfare system was excellent. Who would cause trouble for no reason? But now, Germany's economy has clearly stagnated, welfare is being cut, the number of unemployed workers is increasing, and development is becoming increasingly slow.

For example, the large European market dominated by Germany allows Germany to import large quantities of cheap grains and various crops from Ukraine. Crops grown on the black soil are of much higher quality than those grown in Germany and are also much cheaper. This further squeezes the survival space of German agriculture, forcing many farms to declare bankruptcy.

Germany's industrial planning also involved relocating a large number of factories to the populous but underdeveloped Eastern Europe to reduce costs and vigorously develop the financial industry domestically. This did indeed lead to some economic development in Germany, but in the long run, it was clear that the disadvantages outweighed the advantages. Seeing this situation, the government encouraged companies that had moved abroad to return home. However, capitalists have no country in their eyes, only profit. Once they calculated that the cost of returning home would be higher, who would go back?

In short, the situation in Germany is not optimistic, and Chancellor Tirpitz and the Ministry of Finance have been trying to find solutions.

Wilhelm II was almost seventy years old and was interfering in fewer and fewer matters. However, Germany was not a constitutional monarchy, and he was still an emperor with real power. Interfering less did not mean he was not interfering at all; he still liked to interfere in some plans.

Although he has lost much of his youthful vigor, he can still argue with Tirpitz for hours without taking a break.

Although the security situation in Berlin has greatly improved, with the army patrolling daily and the situation being better than before, one should still be careful when going out.

Adolf also temporarily brought Eva to stay at the shop; it was safer there, and he was really worried about her living alone. Thorne also sent a lot of men over, so most people wouldn't dare to cause trouble.

Adolf would personally take Eva to and from school every day, and he would only leave after watching her enter the school. The relationship between the two was clearly much better than before.

Goebbels remained the same, advocating for the rights of nearby workers and publishing articles in the Rheinische Zeitung. The German Labor Rights Protection Association and the KFC Foundation, established by Thorne, were also handed over to Goebbels for management, ostensibly to train Goebbels' abilities, but in reality, it was Thorne slacking off. With so many things to manage, how could he slack off?

As for Ribbentrop and Himmler, the two brothers have been incredibly busy lately. If Ribbentrop is recommending his Snow beer to a restaurant in Berlin, you'll almost certainly see Himmler nearby, undoubtedly promoting his family's premium chicken.

Ribbentrop's life is getting better and better. He's very eloquent and his sales are very effective. This is good news for Himmler, who is not good with words. Before, when he went to sell his products alone, few people paid attention to him. Now that Ribbentrop is with him, the sales of their products have skyrocketed. This is a win-win situation.

The KFC in Berlin was open as usual that day, and quickly became busy as always.

"Hey, Mr. Adolf, the usual!"

The door was pushed open, and a Chinese man walked in from outside. Adolf looked up, saw him, and greeted him with a smile.

"Welcome, Mr. Pan."

"How have you been lately?" Pan Xiaoyu asked, taking a cup, pouring water into it.

"Not bad, here's your set meal." Adolf had someone bring the plate to Pan Xiaoyu; it contained fried chicken and soda, which was his current favorite.

Pan Xiaoyu only realized how exciting life was in Europe after arriving there. The prosperity here was incomparable to that of Beijing. He still remembers that on his first day, a gunfight broke out while he was walking on the street, and the police and rioters were caught in the middle, shooting at each other.

But he felt no fear at all, only excitement. This was so thrilling! This was the life he had always been looking forward to!

In the few days he had been there, he had explored every corner of Berlin, visiting both the public and the private. Although he came from impoverished China, his family situation was definitely better than that of 90% of Germans. He also frequented many brothels and patronized the businesses of those "fallen girls." Because he was extremely generous, he was quite well-connected in Berlin.

He discovered this fast food restaurant not long ago. Seeing the huge KFC Colonel Sanders statue at the entrance, he initially thought it was a clothing store selling clothes for the elderly.

It wasn't until he came in that he realized what a wonderful place it was. The soda and fried chicken were absolutely delicious; he had never eaten anything so good in China.

"Mr. Adolf? Is Eva really your daughter?" Pan Xiaoyu asked Adolf as she took the plate.

"what happened?"

"Based on my long-term observation, it doesn't seem like it."

When Pan Xiaoyu first came over and asked Eva what her relationship with Adolf was, Eva said first that she was Adolf's daughter. So for a long time, Pan Xiaoyu thought that Adolf was her father. But recently, based on his observations, it seems that's not quite right.

“What do you think?” Adolf retorted.

"Like lovers," Pan Xiaoyu said with a serious expression.

"puff-"

Eva, who was drinking water, spat it out when she heard this. Her face turned red, and she looked at Pan Xiaoyu angrily.

"Just kidding, just kidding, I was just making it up." Seeing Eva's expression, Pan Xiaoyu probably understood. He was a seasoned player in love, and she had indeed lied to him before. He had to admit, Europeans really knew how to play the game.

“Eva is not my daughter, nor my lover; she is just a little girl who came here to work,” Adolf explained.

"I understand, I get it. To express my apologies, I'll treat you this time!"

He turned to the people eating and shouted, "Everyone, eat whatever you like! This meal is on me!"

The people below cheered. They had witnessed the generosity of this young man from the East; he liked to give them free meals when he was in a good mood.

"Where is Mr. Goebbels?" Pan Xiaoyu looked around but couldn't find Goebbels.

"He went out, he has something to do." Adolf glanced at his watch. "He should be back soon, the meeting is about to start."

"What will this rally be about? I heard about it a few days ago, but I didn't understand it. What does all this talk about struggle and equality mean?"

This young man, who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, had no burdens or worries, and never had to worry about food or clothing. How could he possibly understand what class struggle was?

Just as he was sighing to himself, Pan Xiaoyu suddenly noticed a familiar face walking in from outside. It was an Asian face. Could it be Chinese?

Cao Yu has been in Germany for some time now, studying at a military academy there. He usually comes here to listen to lectures. He only recently discovered this place. After listening to Goebbels's speech, he was quickly captivated. He never expected that such speeches and ideas would be allowed in Germany.

"Hi, hello." Pan Xiaoyu greeted Cao Yu first.

Cao Yu was surprised to hear familiar Chinese; he hadn't expected there to be Chinese people here.

"Hello," Cao Yu replied.

"I never expected to meet a fellow Chinese person here!" Pan Xiaoyu exclaimed with delight, having run into someone from his hometown.

"Hello, my name is Cao Yu, and I'm from Changsha."

"My name is Pan Xiaoyu, and I'm from Beiping," Pan Xiaoyu said excitedly as she grasped Cao Yu's hand.