German Red Prince

Soon after, the new helmets were tested by the end of 1942. The test results showed that the protective performance of the two new steel helmets far exceeded that of any steel helmets used by the German army, and the wearing comfort was also excellent. This was the predecessor of the M56. Thorne did not have an artistic interest in the mustache. Compared with aesthetics, his life was more important.

“We’ll find out by testing it.” Thorne picked up a steel helmet. “How many have been produced so far? Wear them all.”

"Approximately 500 units were produced in total, all of which can be worn directly."

"Alright, let's take it to the military camp and try it out."

The soldiers in the barracks are changing into new uniforms. Rommel's company has put on the latest uniforms provided by Thorne. These uniforms, designed by the Rhine Army Ministry, the Frankfurt School of Fashion Design, and Hugo Boss and Karl Dubby, were recently completed.

The military of the Kingdom of Rhine, after seeing these new uniforms, also became envious and began to consider replacing the army's uniforms.

Hugo Boss was incredibly excited. When Thorne approached him, his company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Now, if the military took a liking to their uniform designs, orders would pour in, and his company would be saved.

The soldiers were very excited to receive their new uniforms. They stood in front of the mirror, turning around and around. They were the first to receive the uniforms, and the new uniforms were much better looking than the previous ones. The colors and styles were very beautiful, and they were reluctant to get them dirty.

This outfit paired with a helmet is simply the epitome of perfection; there is absolutely no other military uniform in the world that is more beautiful than this.

Thorne arrived just as they changed their clothes. He nodded at the soldiers in their new uniforms, noting how spirited they looked.

"How is it, Erwin? The new uniform is pretty good, isn't it?"

"Your Highness, it's excellent. The soldiers are very pleased."

"That's good." Thorne nodded. "I brought the latest model of steel helmet, let's change into them together."

"A new helmet?"

The soldiers got excited again when they heard this. If the new uniforms were so good-looking, wouldn't the new helmets be even better?

"This is it, put it on." Thorne picked up a new steel helmet and patted it.

"this......"

The more excited I was just now, the more disappointed I am now. Is this helmet that looks like a pot? It's so ugly! Compared to the current M16 model, this helmet is a disaster.

"Haha, don't be put off by its ugliness, this helmet is pretty awesome."

Thorne could tell from the expressions on everyone's faces that they thought the helmet was too ugly, so he decided to show them the helmet's performance.

He placed the new helmet and the traditional M16 helmet at a distance. The new helmet had been tested and performed very well, so he wanted to show these people just how strong it was.

Small arms firing and explosives tests revealed the obvious results: the M16 helmet was damaged in some places, while the new helmet had no serious damage, only some dents. This level of protection made soldiers completely ignore its appearance.

War is not a beauty pageant; war is about risking one's life. This near-perfect protection allowed soldiers to quickly accept the new helmet. Although it looked a bit strange, it seemed alright after a while.

Thorne nodded as he looked at the newly equipped army. The new Standard Type 27 combat uniforms and the new M27 steel helmets made the soldiers' image closer and closer to Thorne's inner vision.

At least the skin has been changed now, though not completely. The next step is to transform the internal structure and completely reshape the army. This requires a large number of loyal revolutionaries to join the army. This is a huge undertaking that cannot be completed overnight, at least not at present. We can only take it slowly.

The First Guard Company, this newly equipped army, was the prototype of the later National People's Army.

Chapter Ninety: The First Half of a Revolutionary's Life

After explaining some routine matters, Thorne bid farewell to everyone and boarded the train with Thälmann. He was about to leave Darmstadt for a while.

It's been almost several months since my last trip to Berlin. I wonder how Adolf and the others are doing. I should go and see them.

The fates of these people have changed, at least compared to Thorne's original world. What would have happened to them if he hadn't traveled here?

In a world where Germany won World War I, the future would certainly be different from the original timeline, but Thorne dares to guarantee that a second world war would also occur in this world, a great war between ideologies.

Adolf's tavern will probably have to close again by then. He will also be involved in World War II, but not as a commander. Like in World War I, he will be a participant.

Will he fight for Germany, or for an ideal he believes in?

Himmler would probably be eager to try it out. Compared to his love of agriculture, he clearly prefers to realize his value in the army and is keen on carrying a gun to the front lines. I wonder if Himmler would faint at the sight of blood in this world. I hope he doesn't pass out before the battle even begins.

Goebbels has a physical disability, so he will most likely not be able to go to the front lines. However, his ideology has clearly shifted to the left. If World War II were to break out, he would definitely stand up against German imperialism and end up in jail a few times.

What will become of the Kingdom of the Rhine? With both World War I and World War II being major battlefields, his father was already beyond his capabilities. Whether he could still lead the country during World War II was uncertain. His brother, Andreas, was in very poor health, and the future of the Kingdom of the Rhine was also unknown.

Thorne often lamented that if he hadn't traveled through time, this insignificant prince would most likely have lived a life of idleness and waiting to die. If he were lucky, Germany would have won the great war, and he, as the prince, could have continued to live a carefree life.

If he's unlucky, he and his family will probably become history. The French communist fighters will not let these feudal remnants go. After the French communist revolution, countless people were killed in the suppression of counter-revolutionaries.

But now the fates of these people are about to change. Their fates changed the moment Thorne secretly vowed to change the world. Thorne will work with them to move forward for that ideal.

"Joseph, why did you choose revolution in the first place?" Thorne asked, looking at Joseph sitting there. He was curious whether Joseph in this timeline had the same reason for devoting himself to the revolution as he did in his own world.

“Me?” Joseph paused.

“I don’t know how to explain it.” Joseph shook his head. “I feel that this era needs change, at least to allow ordinary people to survive, so I choose revolution.”

“I am different from you. I was born in a small village in Georgia. At that time, Georgia was both poor and ignorant. Being able to wear a nice set of clothes and have a full meal was a luxury.”

“Did you know? My mother thought I could become a pastor. She was a devout believer and had several children before I was born, but they all died young. I was born with health problems, but I ended up being the only child in the family to survive.”

"So my mother believed that my birth was a blessing from God, and she had very high expectations for me from a young age. She worked hard all her life, hoping that I would no longer be poor, could live a more decent life, and be respected like those pastors."

“When I went directly to the second year of preparatory school at the Gori Orthodox Church School, my mother already thought I could become a pastor in the future, and I thought so too at the time. I was developing in the direction of pastor. I wrote lyrical poems at that time, and I also received a scholarship while studying at the Tbilisi Theological Seminary.”

“But I didn’t graduate from that seminary in the end, and I also lost my qualification to become a pastor.” Joseph took the cigarette Thorne offered him, lit it, and started smoking.

“I read books about Marxism at the seminary and spread Marxist ideas at the school. I was expelled for spreading Marxism at the seminary.”

“I found that God seemed unable to save the world. One of the main reasons I wanted to become a pastor was that I felt that I could save people after becoming a pastor. The priests also kept telling me that I could save suffering souls after becoming a pastor. But I found that I could not save them. The poor people were still suffering. I was confused, but the priests’ answer was always to wait for God’s response.”

"So I began to doubt whether God really exists and whether He is useful. After I came into contact with socialist ideas and read some revolutionary books, I finally found the answer: there has never been a savior, nor gods or emperors. If we want to create human happiness, we have to rely on ourselves."

"Why should we place our hopes on a vague and ethereal god? Why pray to something that doesn't exist? Why wait for someone else to bestow something we can achieve on our own? So I started to despise this kind of hypocritical faith. Rather than thinking about it every day and wasting time on prayers, I think it's more practical to do it myself."

"That's how it went after that. I joined a local revolutionary group in Georgia, organized workers, and spread revolutionary knowledge. After that, I left Georgia and went to various parts of Russia to follow Lenin in carrying out the revolution in Russia."

Joseph's eyes were shining, but soon dimmed again. "Later, Lenin was assassinated, and the October Revolution failed. After the failure of the October Revolution, I did not leave, but returned to Georgia. The revolutionary situation in Georgia at that time was actually not bad. The Messamedas party was very powerful in Georgia. The revolution we launched there was initially very successful, and we quickly overthrew the local government and established Soviet power."

"However, due to the turmoil in Russia, the Ottomans seized the opportunity to move north into the Caucasus. Although we tried our best to resist, we ultimately failed to defeat the Ottomans. Georgia was occupied throughout the country, and the revolution was brutally suppressed. Many revolutionary comrades fell under the Ottomans' guns, so I left Georgia and went to France."

"However, Georgia was later restored under German intervention, and I should thank you for that." Joseph smiled wryly. "At least the Germans were much more civilized than the Ottomans. The Germans kept people alive to leech off them, while the Ottomans devoured them whole."

"So what are you going to do after that?" Thorne asked.

"After that?" Joseph thought for a moment. "After that, I don't plan to stay in France anymore. It's too boring to stay there all the time. I'm not a theorist, I can't sit still. I want to get moving. Although I always fail in my revolutions, I don't want to stop here. As long as I live, I will fulfill my vow. Maybe I'll find an opportunity to go somewhere else to carry out a revolution."

"I wish you success." Thorne poured a glass of wine and toasted Joseph.

"Thank you."

Joseph took the wine and drank it all in one gulp.

The train finally pulled into Berlin station. Joseph and Thälmann left first; they needed to contact the people sent by the Polish side. Thorne had already told Thälmann to come to KFC to meet him when he was ready.

After they parted ways at the train station, Thorne went to KFC. From the outside, it seemed much busier than before he left, with quite a few customers. Thorne nodded; it seemed to be doing well.

So next, it's time to meet up with these old friends.

Chapter Ninety-One in Berlin

KFC was as busy as usual today, with many people coming and going. Because it offers almost all high-calorie foods, a meal here can provide a lot of energy, so most of the customers are workers.

These people work hard all day, and after get off work they come here to sit for a while and have a meal. It's not particularly expensive, and there's free coffee too.

Adolf was greeting customers inside the shop, and Eva was also helping out. The shop was quite busy, so Eva arrived early.

"Mr. Adolf, are you free tomorrow?" Eva asked as she approached the front desk.

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"A new movie will be showing in Berlin cinemas tomorrow, and I want to go see it."

"Tomorrow? Don't you have class tomorrow?"

"Am I supposed to work all day?" Eva rolled her eyes, clearly speechless at Adolf's reply.

"Yes, of course, no problem, Eva. You don't need to ask me for leave," Adolf said to Eva without even looking up.

Hearing Adolf say this, Eva didn't know what to say. Was he really stupid or just pretending? Didn't he realize that?

"Can you come with me?" Eva continued, hoping that this wooden man would understand her purpose and accompany her.

"Together?" Adolf looked up at Eva, whose face was full of expectation.

"Let me see." He took out the notebook next to him and started looking at it. "I have to go to the branch to check the situation in the morning, I have to refurbish the tables and chairs at noon, I have to do the bookkeeping in the afternoon, and in the evening, I'm sorry Eva, I don't think I have time."

"It's okay, if tomorrow isn't possible, then the day after tomorrow, or the day after that, you should be free, right?"

"Actually, you can go by yourself. It doesn't really matter whether I go or not."

"Then you can just keep busy all day!" Eva ran away after hearing Adolf's words. She was a little angry now. Why was he so clueless?

"It seems our Mr. Adolf has angered a young lady."

A voice suddenly came from ahead. Adolf looked up when he heard the familiar voice and was surprised to see Thorne.

“Mr. Karl, or rather, His Highness Thorne!”

Upon seeing Thorne, Adolf excitedly approached, "Your Highness, why are you back?"

"I came back to check. Who was that lady just now...?"

"Oh, they're students who came here to do odd jobs."

"What's your name? Why do you seem a little angry?"

"What's your name?" Adolf scratched his head.

"Eva Braun, she wanted to go to the movies, but I didn't have time to go with her, and she seemed to be angry, I don't know why."

“Eva Braun?” Thorne was taken aback when he heard the name. Was there no escaping it? Was this the irreversible inertia of history?

"How long has she been here?"

"It's been a while, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, she just invited you to a movie. You'd better go. It's not good to refuse a lady's invitation. Don't always keep yourself cooped up in the restaurant," Thorne casually joked.

He patted Adolf on the shoulder and went to find the others. Goebbels was giving a lecture, spreading some knowledge. Sure enough, there were many people listening to the lecture. The front was full of people, all listening attentively. There were even some people of Asian appearance. Thorne was a little surprised to see two people of Asian appearance listening to the lecture. He didn't expect that there would actually be foreigners listening to the lecture.

Judging from the current situation, everything is proceeding according to plan and is developing well. Thorne believes that his ideal will gradually be realized.

"Your Highness Thorne!"

Suddenly someone called out from behind. Thorne turned around and saw Himmler.

"Hello, Heinrich."

"Hello, Your Highness Thorne." Himmler was very enthusiastic, because he had made a fortune after contacting Thorne. His chicken sales were very good, and he had recently started selling fried chicken as well. Although he started his business later than Thorne, HFC fried chicken was selling just as well as KFC fried chicken.

"Come and try my newest fried chicken."

Himmler brought out the latest flavor of his HFC fried chicken and wanted Thorne to try it.

Thorne held the fried chicken in a purple box. The logo on it was similar to Thorne's KFC logo, except that the Colonel Sanders had been replaced with Himmler, which made it somewhat strange.

Is this fried chicken mustard flavored? Thorne was a little scared, but he still took a bite.

"It tastes good." Thorne nodded and picked up a beer from the side and took a sip.

"Hmm? This beer is pretty good." He glanced at the label. "Snowflake Beer? Where is this from?"

“It was done by a friend of mine,” Himmler said with some pride. “My friend is a champagne merchant. He knows a lot about wine. The two of us studied the recipe a little and he came up with it.”

Just then, his champagne merchant friend came over.

“Your Highness Thorne, this is my friend, Sim Ribbentrop.”

"Greetings, Your Highness Thorne." Ribbentrop greeted Thorne. He had heard Himmler talk about this prince of the Rhine Kingdom long ago and knew what a legendary figure he was.

Thorne's brain was truly reeling. Eva and Ribbentrop—what was going on? Could these people really have attracted each other on their own? Had they connected on their own? Sure enough, the inertia of history was unavoidable; even Thorne's arrival wouldn't change anything.

Seeing that everyone was there, Thorne snapped his fingers happily. It was good that they were all there; now all that was left was to wait for the representative from Hamburg and Thälmann to arrive.

Meanwhile, on Thälmann and Joseph's side, after saying goodbye to Thorne, they went to the previously agreed location, where comrades sent by the Polish side were waiting for them.

"Joseph, what are you planning to do after contacting your comrades in Poland? Instead of staying in France, are you going back to Russia or Georgia?"

“Yes, I don’t plan to go back.” Joseph still couldn’t forget the image of his mentor collapsing in front of him. He didn’t want to go back to Russia or Georgia. He wanted to go somewhere else, leave France, or rather, leave Europe.

“I plan to go to the Americas.” Joseph smiled at Thallman. “The revolutionary situation in the Americas is very good now. The revolutionary enthusiasm of the people there is very high, so I plan to go. I heard that the Patagonian Workers’ Camp has been established in South America, and many international patriots have gone there. I also plan to go. I have already written my application.”

"You know what? I even learned the language there. It was really hard to learn, but thankfully I've almost mastered it."

"Then I wish you good luck, Comrade Joseph."

After delivering Joseph to the designated location, Thallman left. Joseph and his Polish comrade exchanged a secret code, and after confirming their identities, the Polish man nodded.