Published at 13th of February 2023 07:07:06 AM

"Protest! Protest! We are Germans, and the Kingdom of Wurttemberg cannot be independent!"

"Withdraw the declaration of independence!"

The square outside the Wrttemberg Palace in Stuttgart was crowded with people from all over Stuttgart. They held slogans and shouted slogans to protest the Wrttemberg royal family's declaration of independence.

For the people of the Kingdom of Wrttemberg, they are unwilling to leave the German Empire and become citizens of the so-called independent Kingdom of Wrttemberg.

The current German Empire is a superpower. After winning this war, it will become the world hegemon. As for the Kingdom of Wrttemberg, let alone whether it can truly achieve independence. Even if independence is achieved, the land area is small and the population is not large. Such a country is not even a second-class power in Europe. Naturally, the people are unwilling to change from the citizens of a world hegemon to the citizens of a third-rate small country all of a sudden.

Besides, the people of the Kingdom of Wrttemberg also consider themselves pure Germans. They are the same Germans as the rest of the German Empire. In this case, the Kingdom of Wrttemberg should not and cannot be independent.

After the Wrttemberg royal family declared independence without the government's permission, the anger of the people was ignited. They gathered in the square in front of the palace to protest. Demand the retraction of the independent statement. If the kingdom hadn't been under strict guard by the guards, and even the guards had set up machine guns, maybe the angry people would have rushed into the kingdom, arrested the two Fortunatus brothers, and handed them over to the central government.

But the performance of the people also made the two Fortunatus brothers very angry.

"Damn it, why don't those untouchables understand our good intentions? Everything we do is for the Kingdom of Wrttemberg and for the good of everyone! It's really unreasonable for them to openly oppose me ! Fortunatus stood in an office on the second floor of the palace, looked through the window at the angry crowd gathered outside the palace, and could not help but curse.

Of course, he kept saying that it was for the Kingdom of Wurttemberg and for all the people of the Kingdom of Wurttemberg. In fact, it was not for himself, but he himself wanted to be the king of the Kingdom of Wrttemberg, and he wanted to control the power of the independent Kingdom of Wrttemberg. The so-called interests of the people are just an excuse for him, a fig leaf.

"Brother, what should we do now?" Gregor was a little worried.

Originally they expected that after the declaration of independence, the people would definitely respond to them immediately. In this case, they have enough qualifications to bargain with the central government. Even if independence cannot be truly achieved, it will certainly be able to take the opportunity to expand the independent power of the Kingdom of Wrttemberg. Maybe it can become a highly autonomous country like the Kingdom of Bavaria. At that time, Fortunatus will be the king of the kingdom, and Gregor will also be the duke. But the current development of the situation seems to have a huge gap with what they expected before!

Fortunatus is also like an ant on a hot pot. He knows that if the time is delayed, it will be more unfavorable to them. The German army is obviously already marching towards Stuttgart, and the time left for them must be running out.

"Has the 4th Army responded? Are von Fabeck and Holmes still unwilling to accept our command?" Fortunatus asked.

Like his lost father, Fortunatus also placed his hopes on the 4th Legion. I hope to rely on the 4th Army to bargain with the central government. It's a pity that before the Duke of Wrttemberg was hanged, he lost his influence on the 4th Army. What's more, they love brothers?

"I haven't received any news yet. Von Fabeck and Holmes are obviously determined to betray us!" Greger said.

This made Fortunatus' heart sink uncontrollably. Without the support of the army, they are simply vulnerable to the army of the central government of the empire, and they will be crushed to pieces in an instant.

"Your Highness, the vanguard of the army is about one regiment, and it is about to arrive in Stuttgart." A guard officer reported.

"What? How did they come so fast?" The two brothers Fortunatus and Gregor were shocked.

The establishment of the Royal Palace Guard is not large, only more than a thousand people. Such an organization is enough to defend the palace, but it is not enough to control the whole of Stuttgart, let alone confront the elite troops of the army that suppressed the rebellion. Isn't that letting them go to die?

"Damn it, let the guards set out immediately to capture the Daimler Automobile Company and other important factories. If the army dares to attack, they will blow up those factories. At worst, we will fight them to the death!" Fortunatus said. Said with a grim face.

"Brother, if we do that, we will completely tear ourselves apart with Berlin. Berlin will definitely let us go." Gregor was a little worried.

The importance of those factories is self-evident. For the ongoing war of the German Empire, they can all play a very important role. If they destroy the factory, it is very likely that they will be sentenced to war crimes of sabotage and crimes of endangering national security. At that time, they might follow in the footsteps of the Duke of Wrttemberg and be hanged directly.

"Gregor, we have no other choice. Ever since our father was hanged by that guy Oscar, they won't let us go. So, we can only fight them!" Fortunatus gritted his teeth Said.

Gregel thought for a while, but nodded.

After receiving the order, the palace guards were ready to go. However, as soon as he left the palace, he was blocked by angry people.

The intelligence personnel mixed in the crowd shouted loudly, telling the public that these guard members were going to attack the factory. Suddenly, the anger of the people was ignited. They surrounded the guards and asked them to put down their weapons and surrender.

The commander of the guards paled from fright. He ordered the guards to open fire and disperse the crowd. However, no one obeyed his orders. After all, these guard members were all recruited from Stuttgart and its surrounding areas. Among these people, there are also their relatives. How could theirs open fire on their loved ones?

So, the members of these guards put down their weapons and surrendered. The commander of the guard, seeing that something was going wrong, quickly withdrew to the palace. This made the two brothers Fortunatus and Gregor very frustrated. They faintly felt that the choice this time was really a big mistake. However, now there is no regret medicine to take.