Chapter Thirteen: The Triumph of the Will

  The bell in the auditorium rang out.

  Xu Yang wore a brand new uniform of the National Defense Army lieutenant, hand in hand with Lily who was wearing a wedding dress, slowly walking towards the witness altar.

  Today is the day of voting, and next will be a high-intensity struggle. No one knows how to let God know after 'not doing it today', and how this strange couple should witness the happiness of their marriage.

  "Dong dong......" The bell's sound was lingering and prolonged.

  ……

  Adolf Hitler, Hall von Staaken... one vote!

  The people of the Election Commission, under fair supervision, immediately record the number of votes.

  Harold didn't come to attend Xu Yang and Lily's wedding, it's really a pity.

  ……

  Today, Xu Yang's companions are about to be transferred away. They sit in the witness seats of the church with their female partners, each promoted one level, and the military uniforms on them shine with lieutenant stars.

  The first row of seats in the auditorium was occupied by dozens of generals, who gently clapped their hands to bless the newlyweds.

  The entire church was empty except for the relatives of the newlyweds and men in military uniforms. It was a soldier's wedding, also witnessing the arrival of another era.

  Xu Yang and Lily stopped at the altar, both of them looked up at a red-robed bishop who was presiding over the wedding.

  The cardinal in red robes held the Bible, slowly opening his mouth, his voice full of solemnity, accompanied by the beautiful singing of the church choir beside him, the music playing hymns, with a very sacred atmosphere, "We witness before God and our loved ones..."

  The man and woman are now about to become husband and wife, although they don't understand each other, but this is already a predetermined thing.

  Two newcomers held hands and bowed their heads over the Bible.

  The cardinal in red robes smiled benevolently and asked, "Do not forget how sacred all this is. Are you willing to share joys and sorrows with her for the rest of your life, love her, respect her, comfort her, protect her, and build a happy home together? Do you wish to do so?"

  With solemnity and sanctity, the church choir changed its rhythm under the melody of the piano and sang "God Bless".

  Xu Yang turned his head to look at the face behind the veil, seeing her face filled with a happy blush. Shyness and boldness combined, she also turned her head to look at Xu Yang, her eyes full of longing.

  ……

  Adolf Hitler, Hal von Staak... one vote!

  Witnessing and supervising, the grand hall for ballot counting only had sounds coming out when ballots were being counted. People sat quietly in their chairs, intently watching the vote-counting board.

  The Nationalist Party occupied a large part of the hall, with everyone holding their breath as they watched the votes being counted.

  Whenever partial vote counts verified by statistics came in from various places, they always stretched their necks to pay attention to every single number.

  Hitler's breathing was heavy, his tone filled with regret and apology, "My partner, I'm extremely sorry... We won't be able to attend Kahn's wedding after all. What a shame, it's the most regrettable thing in my life!" Without pretence, he truly felt deeply disappointed.

  As a father, Hal felt no one was more sorrowful and regretful than him for not attending his only son's wedding. However, he thought it over and realized that his son had chosen this day for a reason. He said: "Our victory will be the best wedding gift for Kahn."

  ……

  Xu Yang gazed into Lily's eyes and slowly said: "I'm willing!"

  The red-robed bishop took the crucifix necklace from around his neck with his left hand, kissed it on the lips, and placed it in Xu Yang's outstretched hand. This represents God supervising whether the man will keep his vows.

  The cardinal in red robes shifted his gaze to Lily, slightly raised the right arm holding the Bible, and solemnly asked again: "Do not forget how sacred all this is. Are you willing to be with him through joys and sorrows, love him, honor him, comfort him, bear him children, and build a happy home together? Will you do that?"

  At this time, Xu Yang reached out and gently lifted the veil from Lily's face, allowing her to show herself in public as a sign of sincerity to God and respect for all who had come to attend the wedding.

  Lily slightly raised her head, and from the beads of sweat on the tip of her nose, it could be seen that she was very tense. "I'm willing!"

  The red-robed bishop overlapped the two, symbolically binding their hands together with a crucifix necklace, indicating to the audience that "your future actions will be watched by God, sincerely blessed. Now please have the groom kneel down slowly on one knee..."

  Xu Yang's right hand was still connected to Lily's right hand, he slowly knelt down on one knee, his left hand took out a ring from his pocket.

  The cardinal in red took a cup of holy water from his assistant, sprinkled it on the two newcomers, and muttered some unintelligible incantations. After about a minute, he stopped muttering, "Now please have the man put the witness object on the woman's left ring finger."

  Although the ring is small, it is an indispensable decoration at the time of marriage. Its brilliance and color have an unexpected charm. How to fully play its charm and truly reflect its role?

  Xu Yang raised a V-shaped ring with a single gemstone high, and Lily cooperated very well by stretching out her left hand, extending her ring finger.

  The ring finger, since ancient Rome, has been accustomed to wearing the wedding ring on it, and it is said that this finger is connected to the heart, making it the most suitable for making sacred vows. Moreover, there are important acupoints on the ring finger, and wearing a ring on it can moderately press the muscles, having a calming effect on emotions.

  The ring was slowly put on, and from Lily's happy expression, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she was the happiest woman in the world at this moment. The Stark family and the Bodelrich family had been waiting for this day for a long time, and for these two families as well as the entire Junker class, it was not just a wedding, but a symbol of much greater significance.

  ……

  The counting hall of the National Assembly has entered its final stage, and in five minutes, the results of the election will be announced. The previous count was only a statistic within the Berlin area, from which it is impossible to see the result.

  Tension creates a contradictory psychology of oppression and excitement; people who smoke, desperately one after another, engage in chronic suicide. Those who like to use drinking to relieve tension have already made dozens of trips to the toilet. From the atmosphere, everyone looks disheveled. On the surface, however, everyone appears calm and composed.

  Hitler suddenly said: "Shouldn't they be finished by now?" In the deep and quiet hall, this voice was so eye-catching.

  Perhaps someone will understand it as; Hitler is asking if the voting has ended or not.

  But Harl understood what Hitler was asking. He glanced at his watch and said: "There's still half an hour, Kahn's wedding will be over."

  "Ah!" Hitler bowed his head, seemingly lost in thought, as if muttering to himself: "Perhaps it's for the best? He spared me a direct confrontation with those generals from the Defense Army. However...it's truly regrettable."

  He seems to have some lingering concerns?

  ……

  Ding dong......

  The church bell tower rang out with a loud peal, and under the cheers of the guests, Xuyang held Lily's hand and walked out of the church gate.

  Xu Yang's companions, they held flower baskets in their hands and desperately scattered petals.

  Furi Ang-Odin-Galirichi's behavior was the most despicable, on a day that should have been joyful, he was instead sniffling, scattering flower petals and muttering under his breath: "Damn cousin, why did such a beautiful woman like Lily fall into his hands. It's so detestable..." He crudely used his sleeve to secretly wipe away his snot, "Ah-woo... should I take back all the gifts I gave to my sister-in-law (Lily) when she was five?"

  ……

  "Dong Dong!" Two completely different places rang out with the sound of a bell at the same time.

  ……

  The results of the vote count in the National Assembly have been announced, with the ruling party winning 58.56% of the votes to secure victory in this election.

  Hitler and Goebbels emerged from the Reichstag building, facing a sea of supporters on the opposite side of the street, who joined hands and shouted: "Sieg Heil!"

  ……

  Victory! Victory from willpower!

  From this day on, Germany turned over a new page in her history.