Born in Magdeburg in 1805, Field Marshal Edwin Freire von Mandolfeld was a major in 1828 as a cavalry major in the 1st Royal Prussian Hussar Regiment, became chief of guard to Frederick Wilhelm IV, and in 1857 was promoted to chief of the Prussian military cabinet, a position he held until 1878, when he retired from the post of military chief of the German Empire under Kaiser Wilhelm I.

Since the old Marshal Mandolfer left the 1st Hussar Regiment (the famous skull cockade, from which the cap badge of the SS skeleton division of World War II also originated) into the military cabinet, he has not been on the front line to command operations, but behind the three dynastic wars, especially behind the brilliant achievements of the three heroes of the German Empire, it is inseparable from the selfless support of the old Marshal Mandolfer in the military cabinet.

You must know that the military cabinet chief is in fact the right hand of the king in military affairs of the old emperor Wilhelm I.

And Count Ron, Marshal Moltke and other proud generals are just sharp swords in their right hands.

Marshal Mandolfer the Elder, who was also a recipient of the Order of the Black Eagle of the German Knights, a member of the Order of Merit of Germany, a member of the Blue Marx Club, and an honorary colonel of the 5th Prussian Dragoon Division forever.

After listening to the old emperor's plans, the old Marshal Mandolfil did not immediately agree to Wilhelm I's request, and immediately joined the military cabinet meeting to support General Kuschel.

Instead, he said that he needed a little time to understand the opinions within the army, and finally decided whether to support General Kuschel or General Albertier.

The implication is that even if the old emperor supports his son, he must first put the interests of the country first out of the honor and dignity that a military Junker should have.

Looking at the old Marshal Mandolfel, with his stubborn hair and beard, the old emperor could only advise the old marshal that in addition to the opinions of the army, he should also listen to the opinions of people in German political and economic circles, such as the old marshal's cousin Otto von Mandolfel.

In addition to the old Marshal Mandolfel in the army, the Mandolfel family also had the famous political figure of the old marshal's cousin, Otto von Mandolfel, in Prussian politics.

From 1850 onwards, Otto von Mandolfer, Prussia's most famous barrister, was permanently appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Prussia by Frederick Wilhelm IV.

It was only in 1862-1866 that the two positions were held by the elder Chancellor Bismarck, and when the Austro-Prussian War ended and the old Chancellor Bismarck became Chancellor of the North German Confederation, these two positions again fell to the cousin of the elder Marshal Mandolfer, where he remains to this day.

As the draftsman of the Prussian constitution of 1848, he clearly stated that the Prussian government should be a mediator of conflicts of interest among the Prussian people, rather than a participant in the competition with the people.

During his tenure as Prime Minister of Prussia in 1856, he removed the Prussian government's state control over the coal, steel, and financial industries and promoted the privatization of these industries.

During his tenure as Prime Minister of Prussia, in order to limit the criticism of the German press, Chancellor Bismarck once severely attacked the German press by means of taxation, that is, a heavy tax on all news media.

When Otto von Mandolfeld returned to the post of Prime Minister of Prussia, he adopted a more gentle approach, no longer censoring the press, but by publishing articles in important newspapers that were favorable to government policy, so that he could both accept the supervision of the news media and justify the actions of the government.

This was a major shift in the relations between the Prussian press and the state, and the Prussian government did not impose rules on the press, but operated with all the media, on the stage of the press, which, in the words of Otto von Mandolfel, was to "develop with the broad participation of the masses in public affairs".

The reuse of Otto von Mandolfeld was, in fact, a balance in Prussian politics and an art of power for Frederick Wilhelm IV to the old chancellor Bismarck, a man who could not be used in troubled times.

Needless to say, Otto von Mandolfel's political freedom was the same as Crown Prince Frederick's.

With the exception of Edwin and Otto, the two heads of the Mandolfir family, the second generation of the Mandolfir family either served as officers in the Prussian army, German politics, or prominent lawyers and economists.

By the way, the Edwin von Mandolfer family had a total of 7 children, Ernst Mandolfil was the youngest son of the old Mandolfel Marshal in his sixties, and in addition to the elder brother Hasso, Ernst had five older sisters.

It can be said that everything about the Mandolfer family is closely linked to the two generations of emperors of the Hohenzollern family, and it is the cornerstone of the Junker family that truly supports the German Empire.

Listen to your cousin's advice as much as you like, but Marshal Mandolfil listened to the old emperor's suggestion, and soon Sir Grusen, the largest capitalist from Marshal Mandolfel's hometown of Magdeburg, received the old marshal together with Otto von Mandolfel.

After learning that Chile contains huge metal treasures, especially that there are huge copper reserves, the old Marshal Mandolfer, who understood the important role of copper in the military field, did not hesitate to become a staunch supporter of Crown Prince Frederick.

Then, the old marshal began to travel back and forth between his home in Potsdam and the Charlottenburg Palace, and after several visits to the old emperor, he finally decided to attend the military cabinet meeting.

When he first participated, the old-fashioned General Kamek, under the "goodwill" reminder of General Albertir, questioned whether the retired Marshal Mandolfil was still eligible to participate in the military cabinet meeting of the Imperial Front.

After all, the members of the Military Cabinet are His Majesty the Emperor and the active generals of the Empire, and even if a retired marshal is qualified to attend, he does not have the right to speak or vote.

General Kamek's troubles were, in the eyes of William I, a mere technical problem.

At the second meeting of the Military Cabinet attended by the old marshal, Prince Erich von Hartmann, the new chamberlain of Wilhelm I, who succeeded the insane Prince Alexander, announced that according to the decree of Emperor Wilhelm I, Marshal Mandolfil had been ordered to serve again, and in accordance with the qualifications of Marshal Mandolfel, the old marshal was once again officially joined the Imperial Military Cabinet under the permission of Emperor Wilhelm I.

General Kamyk was speechless about this.

General Albertier, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and quietly looked at the old emperor sitting above him, and secretly figured out in his heart that since he became the head of the military cabinet, the old emperor has always been a hands-off shopkeeper, and the daily management of the German army has always been his own decision.

But today, it seems that he underestimated the wisdom of the old emperor, and the reappearance of Field Marshal Mandol was not only able to suppress the opinion of the War Ministry, but at the same time, as his predecessor, Field Marshal Mandol still maintained a huge influence on the military cabinet and even the military power of Germany as a whole.

"It looks like the wind is going to change." Thinking of this, General Albertil couldn't help but feel a dryness in his mouth.

How could an old emperor who could control the three heroes of the German Empire and Marshal Mandolfer, and who fought three dynastic wars, lack the wisdom of management?!

The balance of power in the military cabinet is back to zero.

Zero, this is not the original intention of the old Marshal Mandol, a draw is a failure in the eyes of the old marshal.

After deciding that Field Marshal Mandolfer would be able to participate in the meetings of the Military Cabinet and have the right to speak and vote, at the fifth meeting of the Military Cabinet, the old marshal began the typical and unrelenting offensive performance of the Prussian Army.

"In my eyes, this Germanic national volunteer army can be regarded as another manifestation of the Prussian National Guard." The old marshal looked at the crowd at the military cabinet meeting and fired the first shot.

"The Prussian National Guard was a form of reserve for the Prussian Army, which remained the army of the Reich. His Majesty has already said in previous cabinet meetings that in the case of Chile this time, troops cannot be sent in the name of the German Empire. General Kamek retorted.

"General Kammik, please note that the reserve is not active duty, and the National Guard is essentially nothing more than a militia organization within the empire, in every federation." Marshal Mandolfil turned his head to glare at General Kamyk, his white beard, which was born to grow upwards, and turned upwards violently, with unruly gray-white hair, like a cannibalistic white tiger.

"The National Guard of the Kingdom of Prussia is only the personal armed forces of His Majesty, not the army of the German Empire." Looking at General Kamek, who seemed to have been punched in the stomach, Marshal Mandolfil came to a domineering conclusion, "Therefore, the Germanic National Volunteers went to Chile without violating the promise of His Majesty the Emperor and not sending troops in the name of the German Empire!" ”

"Your Excellency the Field Marshal, members of the House of Commons (House of Commons), have always opposed the expansion of the number of reserve soldiers." General Alberdir reminded with a smile on his face, seemingly harmless.

"Karl Twästen?!" Marshal Mandol glanced meaningfully at General Albertier, elongated his tone, and said sarcastically, "Is that the middle-aged man who lost to me, a 70-year-old man, in a duel?" ”

The generals present laughed unscrupulously, even in front of the old emperor, this occasion that requires constant attention to etiquette.

General Albedir blinked, and after glancing at the old emperor who couldn't help laughing, he seemed to laugh the loudest, and even the serious and somewhat terrible General Kamek couldn't help but laugh at the end.

"I fought him once with a sword for the government budget of the National Guard." Old Marshal Mandol glanced at the members of the military cabinet again, held his head high, and said proudly, "I am 74 years old this year, and I am still willing to duel with him again for the national guard status of the Germanic National Volunteers." ”

Now, the laughter is even stronger.

"My generals." The old Emperor Wilhelm I held back a smile and reminded, "To Mr. Speaker Twisten, keep all due respect, especially you, Ed. ”

Only then did the laughter in the East Wing of Charlottenburg Palace subside.

"Cunning old thing." General Albertil looked at the old marshal with a smile and cursed in his heart.

I wanted to expand the war and turn the issue of the Germanic National Volunteer Army into a dispute between the Council of States and the government over the military budget, but I didn't want Marshal Mandolfil to be fooled at all, but instead brought the matter to the issue of personal duels and grievances.

If you really want the old emperor to agree to send the Germans to participate in the Pacific War to support the Chileans, it means that the Bolivian and Peruvian federal armies supported by himself and Wadsey have lost political support from Germany.

Economic speculation without political support will not only make no money, but it may be an extravagant hope to lose less money.

"This must be stopped!"

"General Kamyk, in the name of His Majesty the Emperor, sent military personnel abroad to fight, is there any legal basis for support in the Uniform Code of Military Affairs?" General Alberdir asked the Minister of War, who was sitting beside him, who had obviously lost his fighting spirit, with a sincere face.

"Oh?!" General Kamek's hint to General Albertil was obviously stunned, and he subconsciously looked at the legal code at hand.

"No need to look it up!" Marshal Mandolfil interrupted, "Sending troops to protect the Germans in the name of His Majesty is a contract made thousands of years ago. ”

"As early as ancient Roman times, the northern barbarian kings and nobles of this land, if they wanted to maintain their rule, had to take the lead in defending the people in exchange for the loyalty of the people under their rule."

"For thousands of years, as the descendants of the barbarians of the north, we, the emperors and nobles of the Germanic, Frankish, and Anglo-Saxon peoples, have always kept this contract, have always honored it, never violated it, and fought for the honor of the nobility like valiant knights in the face of the enemy."

"The emperor's duty to protect his subjects is the same as the divine right of the king, which is God's demand for the honor of the monarch."

"Today, in the name of His Majesty, sending troops to defend the Germanic people in a distant land is exactly what His Majesty the Emperor is doing his duty!"

Marshal Mandolfil said that this contract from the barbarians of the Far North was, in simple terms, "The rights and duties between the monarch and his subjects are equal, and if the monarch fails to fulfill his duty, the subjects have a legal reason to end his rule." ”

Wilhelm I did not want to, and the generals here did not dare to, give his subjects a reason to end the de jure rule of the Hohenzollerns, so the only way was to prove the legitimacy of his power.

Hearing this, Emperor Wilhelm I stood up, looked around at the generals, and said in a firm and slow voice without the slightest hesitation.

"According to the contract I have signed with my subjects, I will defend my subjects with my sword, and it is my duty and honor as Emperor of the German Empire, as well as the duty and glory of my generals."

"Those who are willing to fight for the country and the honor of the family, please stretch out your hands and draw your swords!"

Sword, contract and honor, the three cornerstones of the House of Hohenzollern.