Moltke was dragged away by the guards, stunned by the slap he had received from QinTian. He had not expected such an assault, and as he struggled to resist, the guards, fierce as wolves, held him fast, leaving him only the option of hurling curses.
"Damned Oscar! How dare you strike me? I will not let you get away with this!" Moltke fumed.
"Hmph! You truly don't know your place!" QinTian replied coldly.
The ministers and military officers loyal to QinTian recognized the change in his demeanor. It was clear that he was no longer merely angry; he had been pushed to the brink of seeking bloodshed. Despite Moltke's high rank in Germany, the audacity of those who had participated in the rebellion and assassinated Wilhelm II could not be forgiven. It was no wonder QinTian was so enraged. Though the imperial power in Germany was heavily restricted, and it was not within the emperor's power to decide another's life or death without legal proceedings—especially when it concerned the nobility—these men had committed an unforgivable crime. No one believed that those involved in the coup would escape justice. Their sins were so grave that even God would not forgive them.
"Your Highness, please, try to bear this loss with grace. None of us could have foreseen that Prince Wilhelm would do such a thing," Prime Minister Bilo said, his face pale. The assassination of the Emperor, especially at the hands of his own son, was an unthinkable tragedy of monumental proportions.
"Your Highness, our primary concern now is to quell the rebellion and restore order to the Empire. We are still in the midst of a war. If the empire's position in this conflict is compromised due to this, the consequences will be dire," Foreign Minister Vashit added.
QinTian nodded. "I understand. As for the matters of governance, I leave them to your discretion."
General Hindenburg had already issued the order to attack. The German forces—101st Infantry Division, 9th Panzer Division, and the 1st Marine Division—had launched their assault on the palace.
At that very moment, inside the palace, Crown Prince Wilhelm and his supporters were in a state of frantic anxiety, like ants on a hot pan, scurrying about in a desperate bid to control the situation.
"Will Count Moltke succeed this time? I hope that Oscar falls for it. If he doesn't, what are we to do?" Crown Prince Wilhelm paced, his mind in disarray. All his hopes rested on Moltke. If Moltke could lure QinTian into the palace, they might still have a chance to reverse their fate. Otherwise, they were doomed.
Though Wilhelm was QinTian's older brother, he knew that after his reckless killing of Wilhelm II, QinTian would never show him mercy. If they failed now, his fate would likely be sealed, either by a poisoned chalice, a bullet, or even a noose.
"With Count Moltke's influence, he should be able to persuade Oscar to enter the palace. After all, they don't know that His Majesty is already dead. By threatening with the Emperor's safety, Oscar would have no other choice," Duke of Württemberg optimistically remarked.
One could hardly blame him for his optimism. If they continued in a state of fear, there would be no point in holding on. Surrender would be the only option. Ordinary soldiers might choose to surrender, in hopes of preserving their lives. But these men, the masterminds of the rebellion, knew full well that surrender would offer them no refuge. Thus, their confidence was all but shattered.
"Your Highness, fear not. God will surely protect us. We will win this battle," General Prettwitz assured him.
Crown Prince Wilhelm gave a bitter smile. Would God protect him, the man who had murdered his own father? He did not believe in such divine protection.
At that moment, a barrage of gunfire and cannon sounds echoed from outside the palace.
The faces of those inside the palace turned ashen.
"The Crown Prince, they've begun their attack! A large number of enemy troops, shielded by tanks, have launched a fierce assault on the palace. We may not be able to withstand it!" a blood-soaked captain of the palace guard reported.
"It's over, it's really over!" General Prettwitz collapsed, unable to rise.
The others, too, felt their strength drain from them, as though their very bones had been pulled from their bodies. They knew, without doubt, that Moltke's plan had failed. This was why the army and the Marines had launched their attack. It was clear: they were now trapped with no escape.
"Damn it! Oscar doesn't even care about Father's life? He orders the army to attack without hesitation, doesn't he fear the consequences?" Crown Prince Wilhelm raged. He seemed to forget, in his fury, that he himself had not hesitated to kill Wilhelm II. How could he, a patricide, dare to accuse QinTian of being indifferent to his father's death? No matter how ruthless QinTian had been, he could never sink to Wilhelm's depths.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Marshal Gortz asked.
"What should we do? How would I know? Can the palace guards hold off the enemy? If not, then it's only death for all of us!" Crown Prince Wilhelm said darkly.
The palace guards, clearly, could not withstand the onslaught of the elite army and Marine forces. Especially with the enemy deploying numerous tanks.
With Wilhelm II now dead, the attacking forces had no reason to hold back. Although heavy artillery was not used, the tank's cannons posed a lethal threat to the palace guards.
"Boom!"
The tanks crashed through the palace's outer walls, followed by waves of infantry pouring in.
The battle was utterly one-sided. The palace guard, though brave, could not hold out against the devastating offensive from the army and the Marines. Hope had completely abandoned them, and their morale crumbled. In such circumstances, their swift collapse was inevitable.
In less than half an hour, the army and Marines had captured the palace, and all the major conspirators in the rebellion were arrested.
When QinTian, accompanied by his guards, entered the palace hall, he found the conspirators seated, heads bowed in defeat.
As they saw QinTian, many of them showed expressions of fear, clearly dreading the punishment they would face.
"Oscar, you have won. I never thought I'd end up losing to you," Crown Prince Wilhelm said, his voice heavy with resignation.
"You despicable wretch! You even murdered Father! You are worse than a beast!" QinTian roared, his fury giving way to action. He stormed over to Wilhelm, seized him from his wheelchair, and struck him with a vicious punch, sending him sprawling to the ground.