Berlin, the Imperial Palace.
The bloodstains in the grand hall had been thoroughly cleaned, the carpets replaced with fresh ones, and the body of Kaiser Wilhelm II had already been removed. Yet, the acrid stench of blood seemed to linger in the air, as though it could never quite dissipate.
Prince Wilhelm sat in the hall, his face a dark storm cloud. Although the coup seemed to have succeeded, it was far from complete. The city of Berlin, along with the Imperial Palace, had fallen into their hands, but what good was that? The one thing they feared most had come to pass.
After the coup was set in motion, the prince's primary goal was to deceive Qin Tian into coming to Berlin, where he could be placed under house arrest—or worse, eliminated entirely. Only then could they be certain of eradicating any future threat. After all, Qin Tian controlled over seventy percent of the nation's military strength, a force far beyond the prince's own grasp. The imbalance in their power was so vast that if Qin Tian discovered their treachery, could their coup possibly still succeed?
Moreover, the prince had initially planned to force Kaiser Wilhelm II to abdicate and pass the throne to him. But unexpectedly, he had killed Wilhelm. This only made the situation more complicated. If this fact became public, the consequences would be dire. His chances of ascending to the throne were slim—no German citizen would ever accept a son who had murdered his father as their emperor.
Duke of Württemberg entered the hall, his expression grim.
Upon seeing the duke's troubled face, Prince Wilhelm felt a sudden unease in his chest.
"Has something happened with the Fourth Legion?" the prince asked, his voice tense. The Fourth Legion, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, had become the prince's most crucial force. If they could return to Germany, they might stabilize the situation. But if something had gone awry with that unit, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"The Fourth Legion has betrayed me," the Duke of Württemberg spat bitterly. "Damn those von Fabek and Holmes! They've turned against me and followed Oscar's orders. I've lost control of the Fourth Legion."
Without the Fourth Legion, the duke's power and status would be severely diminished. This failure of the coup would cost him dearly, perhaps even his life. Had he still commanded the Fourth Legion, he might have bargained with Qin Tian, but now, he was utterly helpless, like a lamb to the slaughter.
"How could this happen? Isn't the Fourth Legion largely made up of soldiers from Württemberg? How could they ignore your command?" Prince Wilhelm asked, his face etched with shock. The loss of the Fourth Legion meant their coup had little chance of succeeding now.
"Your Highness, we underestimated Oscar's influence within the army," the duke admitted. "My men reported that Oscar sent a telegram to the Fourth Legion, ordering them to return to their barracks. Von Fabek and Holmes, those two traitors, obeyed him without question and rushed off to Versailles. I regret not seeing their true nature sooner. Now, look at where we've ended up."
The duke's voice dripped with resentment, tinged with regret. But now, such reflections seemed pointless.
"What should we do now?" Prince Wilhelm asked, his voice hollow.
The duke fell silent. He had no idea what to do. If possible, he would have fled Berlin at once, as though nothing had happened. But could he simply pretend nothing had occurred? Qin Tian had surely learned of his involvement in the rebellion. Once the revolt was quashed, he would never let the duke go unpunished.
At that moment, Moltke entered the room, his face equally grim.
Seeing this, Prince Wilhelm's heart sank. He knew another piece of bad news was coming.
"Count Moltke, what has happened?" the prince asked.
"Your Highness, the First Marine Division has arrived in the outskirts of Berlin by train and is now advancing towards the city," Moltke reported.
"What? The First Marine Division? What kind of unit is that?" Prince Wilhelm frowned. When he had fallen into a coma, the Marine Division had not yet been formed, so he was unaware of it.
"Your Highness, the Marine Division was established at the behest of Oscar and Tirpitz, with the Emperor's approval. It is essentially a naval force specialized for amphibious assaults, but its equipment is top-notch, and its combat strength rivals that of the army's elite units," Moltke explained.
Prince Wilhelm was speechless. The Navy had control of such a formidable ground force, an asset that would greatly enhance their military power!
"Can our Imperial Guard hold them off?" the prince asked.
But Moltke did not answer, and the Duke of Württemberg opened his mouth, only to remain silent.
Prince Wilhelm immediately understood the implication: the Imperial Guard stood no chance against the Marine Division. Should a battle ensue, the Imperial Guard would be swiftly defeated, and their coup would be doomed.
"My God! What should we do now?" Prince Wilhelm moaned, feeling as though he had made an irrevocable mistake. If the coup succeeded, perhaps he could still become emperor. But if it failed, death was certain. After all, he had killed his own father, a crime of the highest order.
"Your Highness, although the situation is unfavorable, it is not yet hopeless," Moltke said, trying to offer some solace. "There may still be a chance for us to turn things around."
At that moment, distant explosions rumbled in the distance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of artillery fire reached their ears, causing Prince Wilhelm's face to turn even more ashen. Though he had graduated from military academy and served in the army, he had never been on a battlefield.
"They've opened fire! How dare they fire upon Berlin? This is the capital of the Empire!" Prince Wilhelm's voice rose with anger. "Tirpitz has sent troops into Berlin and attacked without the Emperor's orders—this is outright rebellion!"
But in his fury, he seemed to forget that it was he who had initiated this rebellion.
His face, previously contorted with rage, now betrayed a flicker of unmistakable fear. Clearly, the sound of gunfire had unsettled him deeply.