.“ You're going to Spain? ”

At this moment, Chen Tian couldn't believe his ears, because before this, his little crown prince had never shown such courage - entering Spain was not an ordinary military operation, where Germany did not have absolute military superiority, and judging from the precedent of multinational joint forces, there were crises lurking everywhere.

However, those clear eyes were full of determination at the moment.

"Yes, Father! I know that my experience is not enough to command a legion, so I hope that you will approve me to go with the army to Spain as an ordinary officer! ”

Andres raised his head and chest, standing in a standard emperor's posture.

"Would you like to fight with blacks?"

"Yes!" Next, Andres said something that Chen Tian couldn't refute: "Like me, they are all soldiers of the German Empire, and they are all His Majesty's most loyal soldiers!" ”

After a long silence, Chentian motioned for Andres to sit down and listen to him.

"The overall casualty rate of the troops we sent to fight in Spain before was one-third, and the casualty rate of the officers was slightly higher than that, I don't know what the casualty rate of the staff officers of the battalion headquarters was, but I knew that it was very dangerous to go to Spain! You are the only crown prince of the German Empire, and the people, the army, and the nobility expect a lot from you! ”

"The main reason why I asked that question this morning was to see your stuff and the language explanation you just had, and I didn't really ask you to go to Spain! If you really want to command a campaign as a commander, there is a chance in the future! ”

"I know that! Father! Andres's tone was not so strong, but he didn't mean to give up.

Chen Tian has never been afraid of war, but today, he has an unprecedented worry in his heart.

"Can you tell me why you suddenly wanted to go to Spain?"

"For a dream!" At 19 years and 2 months, Andres gave an answer that is commonly used by the protagonist in fairy tales.

Chen Tian didn't refute this seemingly naïve answer, because he also had a dream, but he was awakened by the cruel reality before his dream was finished. At this time, he already had an idea in his heart. One can be said to be the best of three worlds.

"I remember that you were trained at the East Prussian Armored Academy......"

"Yes, Father! I trained there twice, once for two months and the other for only four weeks! Andres replied truthfully.

"What do you think of the Empire's new chariot?"

"Father refers to Tiger-1? Ah, that's an indestructible monster, and so far no one has been destroyed in actual combat! Speaking of the Empire's first heavy tank, Andres's admiration was palpable.

A smile flashed at the corner of Chen Tian's mouth, Tiger-1 was indeed very strong. But the fact that it has not been destroyed so far does not mean that its defense has reached the point of perfection, and in a large-scale war of similar strength, even the strongest battleships and aircraft carriers may be sunk, let alone such a tank. However, the appearance of the Tiger-1 has not been around for a long time, and its status in the minds of German officers and soldiers is still quite high, and the improved Tiger-1B prototype aimed at further improving the capabilities of this heavy tank in all aspects has been completed.

"Being a tankman is tiring and hard!"

Chentian's tone did not mean to question, it was a sincere reminder, and it was also a request.

Andres thought for a moment and replied, "I understand. Father! In fact. I've always wished I could get a chance to drive a tank on the plains, and I tried it when I was fighting in South Asia, but the road conditions there were so bad! ”

"That's not it!" Chen Tian laughed. "But there is no shortage of mountains and hills in the Iberian Peninsula!"

Andres nodded earnestly.

"Yes, Father!"

Chen Tian put his hands together on the table, "Okay, since you insist on going, I won't stop you anymore!" However, you will have to wait three months, and during these three months, I will find you an experienced instructor who will allow you to master the combat performance of this tank as much as possible! In three months, I'll give you a special gift! ”

"Thank you, Father!" Andres then stood up and owed a royal courtesy. Although it was a serious face, Kechen saw joy in his eyes.

"It's so fragrant...... "Chentian sniffed with his nose, and the tempting aroma of barbecued food was wafting from outside.

"Let's go, it's been a long time since I've tasted the craft of our Count Ollie, who was one of the best barbecue masters in our military academy!"

Chen Tian put his hands behind his back, and the two walked side by side towards the outside of the tent.

※※※※※※※※

Four weeks later, at the 7th training ground of the East Prussian Armored Academy, two hulking Tiger -1s were moving slowly between the two mounds, their thick black muzzles always pointing at distant targets.

Suddenly. The muzzle of the tiger obituary in front of it flashed, and a loud bang spread throughout the training ground, and a second later, a ball of flame rose less than five meters away from the white target. Immediately afterward, the tank behind it also fired a shot at the target after an emergency stop, and the shell hit the target squarely.

After a while, both tanks had climbed down the hill and stopped, and one of the officers, with his athletic skills, jumped down from the tank behind him and climbed up to the turret of the tank in front of him in a few steps. At this moment, the door of the commander of the turret in front of him also opened, and out of it came a very young officer, whose handsome face and black tank uniform looked even more heroic.

"Your Highness, you see, this is the difference between shooting in the middle of the march and shooting in short stops!"

The officer who came from the tank in the back saluted and said respectfully.

"Well, that's right! The effect is indeed obvious! The young officer took off his hat with one hand and a handkerchief from his jacket pocket with the other to wipe the sweat from his face, "But Lieutenant Conrad, this is not the palace, you can just call me Captain!" ”

"Yes, Captain!" The latter replied respectfully.

"Do you also need to pay attention to shooting accuracy when you are in Spain?" The young officer asked curiously.

"Uh...... Captain, to be honest, it is a cruel thing to pay attention to the accuracy of shooting in Spain! Lieutenant Conrad, who had not long ago been a second lieutenant tank commander, had a gloomy expression as he recalled his experience in Spain.

There was a slight ripple in the young officer's clear eyes, and the change seemed to be more than just Conrad's words themselves.

"Let's rest for half an hour!" His words were addressed to every member of the two tank crews.

As summer approaches, the temperature is gradually rising, because of the engine. The temperature of the tank cabin in the march is often several degrees or even more than ten degrees higher than that of the outside world, and although the Tiger-1 adopts the most advanced ventilation device at present, and the comfort has been greatly improved compared with the previous 3 and 4 tanks, the temperature is still the enemy's enemy of the crew.

The crown prince spoke, and the rest of the tank crew got out of the tank, and they either ran to the back of the tank to relieve themselves or find a piece of land to sit down next to the tank, while Conrad took out a box of "eagles" from his pocket. I pulled out one, but I hesitated.

"Smoke it, it's okay!"

Andres saw the officer's hesitation, although he didn't smoke himself, but he had been in the command for a long time, and if nothing else, he must have smelled a lot of smoke.

Conrad comfortably put a cigarette in his mouth, looked at how many were still in the box, and threw the whole pack to his artillery commander Eber.

The dark-skinned Abel looked sunny, and he took the cigarette case. Only one was taken. The rest is divided among the rest of the crew.

"Have you seen the Spanish royal family or the nobility when you were in Madrid?" Andres asked very blandly.

Conrad recalled, "Uh...... Never seemed to have seen it, they should have slipped south before we arrived! Right. Eber! ”

Abel glanced at the two of them, took off his cigarette, and straightened up, "Yes, I haven't seen a single spaniard in a gorgeous costume or a luxurious carriage!" ”

Andres was a little more relieved.

"Captain, we did see some of them when we were resting in southern Spain, how? Do you know anyone? After two weeks with the crown prince, Conrad was no longer as inhibited as he had been at the beginning, but he was still more careful when he asked questions, although Andres did not see a trace of the crown prince's shelf.

"Hmm. Sort of! Andres lowered his head and rubbed a Spanish silver coin with a shiny edge and a slightly darker center.

"Lieutenant, how could our honorable Royal Highness not know the Spanish royals?"

It was the driver of Andres' tank, a short non-commissioned officer with a somewhat collapsed nose and a square face, although Andres was just as restrained as everyone else when he first arrived, but after getting along for a long time, he regained his lively nature, often telling jokes and anecdotes to liven up the atmosphere, although this was a bit flattering. But who wouldn't want to be favored by the crown prince and have a smooth path in life?

"Oh, I've met Alfonso XIII and a few Spanish dignitaries, but I'm not very familiar with them!"

Mr. Andres said in a chatting tone with friends that many had impressed many with his approachability, but others feared that such a personality would make him run into trouble when he ruled the country in the future.

"I met some people 3 years ago when I was traveling in Spain as a private person!"

"Well, there must be a beautiful lady among those people!" Conrad seemed to be commenting on the incident as a person who had come from the past.

"Passionate Spanish girls and fanatical Spanish bullfighters are obsessed!" The non-commissioned officer said busily.

"Every country has something he is obsessed with, isn't it?" Andres stared at the silver coin in his hand carefully, as if he could see old memories from it.

"I love the streets, the hotels and the quiet mornings in the small coastal towns of southern Spain!" Conrad recalls it poetically.

"It's like looking at the beach there!" Collapsed nose said with envy.

"Perhaps...... I still prefer the Trevi Fountain in Madrid! Andres carefully put away the coin, "Let's hope it's not leveled by artillery fire!" ”

"Will we go back to Madrid?" Conrad closed his eyes and shook his head in pain, he thought that he would never return to Spain, but he did not expect that his superiors would let him, the Tiger-1 commander who had been in Spain for the longest time, serve as the instructor of the crown prince.

Instructor of the Crown Prince of the German Empire, a position that Conrad could not refuse.

"Alright, check our gear and get back to training!" Andres jumped out of the tank with agility, as if he were the stern instructor.

Time flies, summer winds bring blazing sunshine, and scorching heat reigns over the continent. Every day. Whether it's good weather, bad weather, or ghost weather, Andres and his team keep training, sweat soaking their clothes again and again, the sun leaves a healthy color on their faces, and many times, the crown prince of the German Empire takes a wrench to overhaul equipment like an ordinary soldier, wearing only a vest; Many times, those hands that normally only need to hold a pen and paper have been burned red by the hot parts while repairing the engine.

The hard work and sweat eventually paid for the mastery of technology and tactics. When Andres was able to command his team as skillfully as the other commanders, the March period was not long in coming.

This morning, Andres was practicing squad tactics with Conrad's crew, when a small car drove from the direction of the Armored Academy's parish, and from above came a major, whom Andres recognized, and he was responsible for his training grounds, ammunition, fuel, and spare parts supply.

"Your Highness, please go to the main training ground with your crew, Your Majesty is waiting for you there!"

"Father is here?" Andres was a little surprised, "I'm still ...... in this car"

"Your Majesty would like to see your heroism on the tank. Oh. And this Lieutenant Conrad. Congratulations, you have been promoted to Captain, please take your crew to the main training ground with Your Highness! The Major said very politely.

"Then we'll go now!" Andres climbed back into the turret. Commanded:

"Now, let's unload the shells in the chamber and the bullets in each machine gun, and then move towards the main training ground!"

At this time, more than 100 tanks and armored vehicles had been assembled on the side of the main training ground, which covered more than 10 hectares, and unlike most of the German army's armored vehicles, these combat vehicles were all painted with traditional German gray instead of yellow and green camouflage. Although their colors are somewhat monotonous and quaint, they are by no means old goods from the warehouse.

The 30 Tiger-1, 32 4-C, and 16 3-F assault guns are all new guys, while the "Heavy Cavalry" all-track infantry fighting vehicle with a rated capacity of 18 people, the 1930 half-track personnel carrier equipped with a 20-mm cannon and a 50-mm mortar, the "all-round" self-propelled anti-aircraft gun equipped with four 20-mm guns and a Mercedes-Benz eight-wheeled truck, these are also the latest and most top-of-the-line equipment of the German Army!

On the viewing platform, Chen Tian looked at this neatly equipped "armored battalion" with satisfaction. In fact, its size is close to that of an ordinary army armored regiment, and the officers and men who operate these new equipment are re-selected from Germany's most prestigious Royal Combat Army, and as long as they run in for a certain period of time, their combat effectiveness will surely reach the highest level of troops!

"Our Royal Highness the Crown Prince is also going to have his own direct troops, hey, this is really enviable!"

Count Olivon Kahn said with a smile on his face.

"At his age, I was also the nominal commander-in-chief of the East Prussian officers!"

Chen Tian talked about this past "without showing weakness", and at the end he teased with Ollie:

"Why don't you also build a direct earl's guard for our count?"

Ollie waved his hand and smiled, "I still want to live to be a hundred years old!" ”

The seventh training ground is less than 5 kilometers away from the main training ground. Less than a quarter of an hour later, two Tiger-1s, still covered in mud, drove in from the south side of the training ground.

"Let's start the ceremony!" Chen Tian said to the attendant behind him, and soon, the military band in front of the viewing platform played the army march, and the officers and soldiers on the other side quickly stood in front of their respective chariots, all of which surprised Andres, who did not know beforehand.

"Come here, my brave little Andres!"

Chen Tian took a pennant that had been prepared long ago from the attendant officer.

"You've done what I've never done! The royal family is proud of you, and the empire is proud of you! Now, I present this banner to you, and I hope that you will continue to work hard and take up the sacred duty entrusted to you by the Empire! ”

Although he was very surprised by all this, Andres acted very calmly, showing royal honor in his gestures, and all of this was the result of Chen Tianda's deliberate cultivation when he was a child.

The pennant reads: German Empire - Royal 1st Panzergrenadier Battalion!

"This is your first direct force!" Chen Tian whispered in his ear.

The look of surprise only flashed in Andres' eyes, and his very respectful Chaochen Tian owed.

"Thank you, Father! I will live up to expectations! ”

"Now I officially announce the promotion of Captain Andres Willem von Hohenzollern to Major of the Imperial Army and the appointment of Major Andres Willem von Hohenzollern as Plenipotentiary Commander of the Royal 1st Panzergrenadier Battalion!"

Through the microphone, Chentian's voice spread to the ears of everyone present. The "plenipotentiary commanders" knew very well what this meant, that the most elite armoured weapons and men would be replenished at the first time, no matter how much they were lost, and that in a few years they would be the core of the new Praetorian Guard, so that now everyone would be proud to be part of this force, and although their first mission was to go to Spain with the newly formed black legions, none of them were disappointed, discouraged, or timid.

In this world, the resurrection of the "grenadiers" is closely linked to imperial power, which is not only a symbol of elite, but also a symbol of loyalty and courage.

"Major Andres Wilhelm von Hohenzollern, you only have one month to familiarize yourself with your troops, the Black Corps is about to begin, and your battle journey will begin!"

※※※※※※※※

"Count Ollie, let's play a game!"

"Your Majesty, what game?"

"You command the Black Corps, and I'll provide air and sea support, see how many points we can score in Spain?"

"Your Majesty, this is a very good game, but is it too powerful for us to be gamers?"

"Being strong is interesting, isn't it?"

"Alright then, when does the game start?"

"Now!"