"Your Highness, a telegram from the Minister of the Navy!" a staff officer reported to Qin Tian.
Qin Tian took the telegram and, after reading it, a glimmer of relief passed through his eyes.
"The Minister of the Navy has already given the order. The 1st Marine Division is on its way to Berlin. It is expected that they will arrive by tomorrow morning. The 1st Marine Division is the most elite among the five Marine divisions. Once they arrive, the rebels within Berlin will be no match for them," Qin Tian said.
When he had initially suggested to Admiral Tirpitz to establish the Marine Corps, part of his reasoning had been to strengthen the navy's capabilities. The other part was to ensure he had naval support should the need ever arise. Now, it seemed, that time had come.
"Your Highness, if the only force involved in the rebellion is the Imperial Guard, the 1st Marine Division will undoubtedly be able to handle them. However, we must prepare for the worst. If other forces are involved, the situation could become more complicated," Major General Manstein cautioned.
Qin Tian nodded, realizing that he had perhaps been too optimistic in his thinking.
"Send a telegram to General Hindenburg, instructing him to lead an infantry division and the 9th Armored Division to Berlin to quell the rebellion. If there is resistance, show no mercy," Qin Tian commanded.
The 9th and 10th Corps were newly established, tasked with defending East Prussia and Poland, and they were made up of Qin Tian's trusted men. Most of the officers were drawn from the 8th Corps. Similarly, the 11th and 12th Corps had commanders from the 8th Corps, so Qin Tian had full confidence in their loyalty and capabilities.
"With one infantry division, one armored division, and one Marine division, we should be more than sufficient," Major General Manstein remarked.
Each German army corps included an armored division. Of the eight main armored divisions, the 9th Armored Division was among the strongest and most complete, stationed on the Eastern Front. The Imperial Guard, stationed around Berlin, had no armored units. The arrival of the 9th Armored Division in Berlin would decisively crush any opposition.
"Also, order the other divisions to continue following the previous orders. No unauthorized actions without my command," Qin Tian added.
If other forces were involved in the rebellion, they would reveal themselves soon enough. Qin Tian trusted that, with his authority, there would be few who dared to defy him after receiving orders. In that case, quelling the rebellion in Berlin would be much easier.
"Yes, Your Highness. I will closely monitor all divisions," Major General Manstein said.
Qin Tian nodded. "Have the commanders of the Western Front corps come to Versailles immediately. Before returning to Berlin, I need to communicate with them and align our strategies. No matter how the situation in Berlin escalates, the front line must not falter. If it does, all our efforts will be in vain."
In Qin Tian's view, a rebellion involving the Imperial Guard in Berlin was a trivial matter. Once the forces he had mobilized arrived, the problem would be resolved swiftly. The real priority, however, was the Western Front. The rebellion in Berlin could not be allowed to affect the battle there. He was determined that Germany must achieve victory in this war.
"Yes, Your Highness, I will send telegrams to the commanders on the front immediately," Major General Manstein replied.
"By the way, Your Highness, what of the Crown Princess and the young Prince? Are they still in Berlin? What is being done to ensure their safety?" Major General Manstein asked with concern.
"Rest assured, by God's grace, they left for Munich last week. I will send a telegram to Munich, instructing them not to return to Berlin for the time being," Qin Tian replied.
It was precisely for this reason that Qin Tian felt confident enough to send troops into Berlin to suppress the rebellion. He had been fortunate; had Princess Gundelinde and his son still been in Berlin, he would have been far more cautious.
"God bless!" Major General Manstein exclaimed, and immediately set off to send the telegram.
Once Manstein had left, Qin Tian's expression darkened.
A rebellion in Berlin had been completely unforeseen. Given the favorable situation at hand, it was outrageous for such an unexpected event to occur. Qin Tian was furious and deeply dissatisfied with his intelligence department for failing to detect this sooner. However, now that the incident had already unfolded, assigning blame would be futile. What mattered now was uncovering why the rebellion had erupted in Berlin and, more importantly, who had orchestrated it.
"Dammit, who is behind this rebellion?" Qin Tian muttered, a headache forming.
Although Qin Tian had many enemies, such as the former Chief of Staff Moltke and Major General Prittwitz, whom he had pushed out of the 8th Corps, he did not believe that either of them had the ability to mastermind such a rebellion.
Furthermore, while Qin Tian had undoubtedly made enemies over the years, he did not think that any of those grudges had reached the point of sparking a rebellion. After all, the chance of a successful rebellion was slim, and failure would bring disastrous consequences, often paid with one's life.
Given the high stakes, Qin Tian was certain that not everyone would have the resolve to take such a drastic step.
Even if the rebellion succeeded, how could its leaders justify it to the military and the people? Without a legitimate reason, the citizens would never accept it. At that point, it would not be easy for the rebels to secure their position.
Qin Tian had never anticipated that Crown Prince Wilhelm would awaken. To him, the prince, who had been a vegetative state, posed no threat. In fact, Qin Tian had once believed that Wilhelm was as good as dead, destined to remain in a coma until his natural end. But who could have predicted that a miracle would happen? After such a long period of unconsciousness, Wilhelm had suddenly regained consciousness, an occurrence beyond anyone's expectations. It was this unexpected turn of events that likely enabled the success of the mutiny he had orchestrated.
Since he could not yet determine who had masterminded the rebellion, Qin Tian decided not to press further for now. Once the rebellion was quelled, everything would become clear in due time.