The Rise of German empire

"His Royal Highness..." Von Falkenhain was very anxious and wanted to prevent Oscar from using the succession to the throne as a bet.

Moltke and Plittwitz couldn't help flashing a gleam of joy in their eyes. Pulling Oscar down from the position of crown prince was what they longed for. However, they originally thought they had no chance. But they never expected that Oscar would take the initiative to use the crown prince position as a guarantee. This is undoubtedly a god-sent opportunity! As long as the 8th Army fails to withstand the Russian attack in future wars, then Oscar will definitely resign as Crown Prince on his own initiative.

If Oscar is no longer the crown prince, he won't be able to inherit the throne, and he'll just be an ordinary prince. Moltke and Plittwitz naturally no longer need to be afraid of Oscar's revenge on them. All the worries in their hearts naturally dissipated.

Moltke and Plittwitz had already made up their minds. Once the war breaks out, they would do everything in their power to cause trouble for Oscar. Let the 8th Army be defeated by the Russians in the war as much as possible. In this case, Oscar would lose.

In their eyes, personal interests were undoubtedly the most important. As for national interests, those could be put on the back burner.

William II sat on his throne and saw all this in his eyes. He took a deep look at Moltke and Plittwitz, and then said to Oscar: "Oscar, have you thought it through? You can't joke about these things."

King William II knew very well that Oscar was a person who never fought unprepared battles. If he dared to make such a decision, he must be sure. However, this was about the succession to the throne of the German Empire! No one could take this lightly.

"Father, I'm not joking, I've already thought it through." Oscar replied solemnly.

King William II nodded. "Okay, let's proceed as His Highness the Crown Prince wishes. If the 8th Army fails to withstand the Russian attack in future wars, Oscar will resign as Crown Prince."

Hearing what William II said, Moltke and Plittwitz couldn't help but smile.

"Father, now that I've made such a promise, can the reform of the military system of the 8th Army continue?" Oscar asked. He placed such a big bet, wasn't it for the continued advancement of the military system reform? Of course, it seemed like Oscar was taking a risk. But Oscar believed that the 8th Army, which had completed the reform of the military system and was equipped with new weapons, would undergo a radical change. Combat power would be greatly improved. At that time, let alone resisting the Russian attack, even defeating the Russians was not impossible. As long as he could win, Oscar would naturally fulfill his promise, and no one would ask him to resign as Crown Prince.

"Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, what do you think?" William II looked at Moltke.

"Your Majesty, since His Highness is so confident, let His Highness carry out the reform of the military system in the 8th Army. If it can be successful, it will be a great thing, and it can even be promoted in the entire army." Moltke's expression was serious, but there was a hint of a smile on his face.

Although he said so, in fact, he clearly thought that Oscar had no chance of winning. Although the combat effectiveness of the Russians was terrible, they had a lot of troops! The standing army of more than one million troops, once mobilized, could expand the number of troops to five or six million, or even more. Even if it was just the standing army launching an attack, it could not be resisted by the hundreds of thousands of men in the 8th Army.

"Since this is the case, then let this matter be settled as it is!" William II said.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Everyone replied.

Everyone left the office of William II one after another, but Oscar was left behind.

"Oscar, you were too impulsive just now. I don't know, how did this happen between you and Moltke? You are the crown prince of the empire and my son. Moltke is the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Army, and even more so, my playmate from childhood to adulthood. Your relationship is very stiff, which makes it difficult for me." William II looked distressed.

"Father, I've always wanted to improve the relationship with the Chief of Staff. I even proposed to name the second-tier battlecruiser the 'Moltke-class' battlecruiser in order to ease the relationship. But it's a pity that the Chief of Staff seems to have a prejudice against me, and has been looking for trouble. Now, he is pressing harder and harder. I have no choice but to stand up and fight." Oscar looked very innocent.

"Well, well, I'll let you go. However, this time you've made the succession to the throne a bet, are you really sure? Once you fail, you will never have a chance to go back on your word." William II looked a little worried.

"Don't worry, father, this is the result of my deliberation. I believe that after the reform of the military system, the combat effectiveness of the 8th Army, which has been replaced with new weapons, will be doubled. Even if the Russians cannot be defeated, but holding on for six to eight weeks should not be a problem." Oscar seemed very confident.

King William II nodded. If Oscar could really do it, it would be great. However, if Oscar couldn't do it, even if he was the emperor, it wouldn't be easy to show favoritism on this issue.

William II finally gained some confidence in Oscar after learning about the content of the military system reform and the weapons and equipment of all levels of troops from Oscar in detail. He thought that Oscar might really be able to create miracles.

Of course, this was not enough, and it was also necessary to prevent others from using other malicious means. William II also made up his mind that if Moltke took the initiative to make trouble again, he would never tolerate it again.

Oscar didn't stay in the palace for long, as he still needed to go to the German Arms Company and urge them to produce the weapons and equipment needed by the 8th Army as soon as possible. After making such a bet, Oscar had no way to turn back, and could only go one way to the dark. Therefore, he had to do his best.

Of course, in Oscar's heart, he also hated Moltke for keeping getting him into trouble.

"Moltke, this time, we are going to die forever. When the 8th Army defeats the Russians, I will see what you have to say. At that time, I'll make sure you can't be the Chief of the General Staff. Don't even think about keeping it!" Oscar swore secretly.

Oscar was not a saint in the first place, and it was impossible for someone to slap him on the left cheek, and he would just offer the other cheek. Moltke and Plittwitz treated him like this, so he naturally wanted revenge.