《Re: Blood and Iron》


 Chapter 1: Reincarnation

    Chapter 1: Reincarnation


    ?


    "Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided - but by iron and blood." - Otto von Bismarck


    Karl sighed heavily after reading this quote from a historical text disyed on his phone. He instantly shut down the device and stared out the window of the bus, which he used as daily transportation to and from work.


    In the modern era, Germany''s ce in the world was different than it had been in the past. It was no longer a great military power, one which would take thebined efforts of the entire world to bring down.


    Rather, it had be a wealthy and industrious nation. One which was at the head of an economic and political entity known as the European Union.


    But with its repeated defeats in the prior century, it was Karl''s belief that the German Nation and the people within it had lost something great. Something unique to their culture that would never again return to this world.


    And as much as that may pain him, his beliefs were a minority in this new era. In his youth, he had decided to take up the path of his ancestors and enter the German Military, the Bundeswehr, which it was now known as.


    While he had some minorbat experience in Afghanistan, in his old age, he now knew that waging wars on behalf of foreign interests, and those of international corporations was not an honorable experience.


    These days he was well past the age of fighting, and was instead employed as an instructor at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College where young officers were forged into capable leaders and hopefully one day generals.


    Today''s lecture was one of unimportance. Why would anything he had to say really matter? Germany was well behind the other major powers in terms of military capabilities.


    And though Russia had been making aggressive moves in the east, it seemed like a mere fantasy that a global war would break out with them, one that would involve the mobilization of the Bundeswehr.


    It was with these thoughts heavy on his mind that Karl sat on the bus, waiting for it to arrive at his stop. But something was wrong. The bus appeared caught in an unusual amount of traffic. With no signs of moving forward.


    He was just about to get out of his seat and ask the driver what themotion was when the sound of automatic gunfire echoed from not too far away. Automatic weapons? Here in Hamburg? There was only one thing this could possibly mean.


    The muscles in his body, which had bergely atrophied with old age, and ack of training suddenly sprung into action. Years ofbat experience in the Global War on Terror propelled the man forward and out of the bus.


    He may not have a gun or even a knife on him. But he could not sit idly by while innocent people were massacred. Screams rang throughout the air, some blood curdling, others filled with terror. And yet the echoes of automatic fire continued to drown them out.


    Eventually, Karl rounded the corner and found the source of themotion. A small group of men, armed with AK pattern rifles, and wearing distinctive headscarves were shouting in Arabic as they fired into the crowded streets of Hamburg.


    "Ahu Akbar"


    In years past, such an event would be almost unthinkable, but due to Germany''sx migrationws, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of military age migrants had flooded the country, and Europe in general.


    Terrorism was just "part and parcel of living in a big city" as was famously quoted by the former mayor of London. And Hamburg was no exception to this rule. But this did not strike fear into Karl''s heart, rather what he felt in this moment was a sense of cosmic irony.


    Despite decades serving in the German Military, not once had Karl been given the opportunity to actually defend the fathend and its people. Now in his old age, with a broken down and weary body he was given a chance. A chance to do something that would honor his ancestors. While rounding the corner, it became abundantly clear that one of the terrorists was holding a young woman hostage. No, she was not a young woman, but an adolescent girl. That was a far more urate descriptor.


    Knowing that the police had yet to arrive at the scene of this attack, and were likely moments away, Karl feltpelled to act before this young girl could be killed, or worse.


    He quickly jumped out from behind the corner and attacked the nearby terrorist who held the young girl hostage. Doing so, by grabbing hold of the terrorist from behind, instantly putting him in a neck crank.


    An act which shocked the man, as he was not expecting an attack. Before he could fire his weapon, Karl utilized every ounce of his strength and the oldbat techniques he had learned in the army to break the man''s neck.


    The man fell to the floor, along with his victim, but unlike the terrorist, she was still breathing. Before Karl could make another move, a burst of gunfire rang throughout the air, and he realized by the stinging sensation in his chest that he had been hit by one of the other two men.


    Using hisst ounce of strength, Karl screamed at the young girl to run as his legs buckled beneath him.


    "Go! Save yourself!"


    The girl ran off, not even giving a second nce to the middle-aged man who had saved her. Nor a simple thank you. But none of this mattered to Karl. The corruption of the youth, and theirck of concern for anyone else was just a symptom of muchrger problems with this cruel world.


    He would rather die an honorable death here and now, defending his people, then to continue wasting away in a meaningless life, for a future that was void of any hope or happiness.


    Hisst thoughts were about how bitter he was towards this world, and its current degenerate state.


    "This fucking world...."


    *bang*


    Utter darkness enveloped Karl. He could not speak, nor could he scream no matter how much he wanted to. But there was something else he noticed as he lied there. There was no pain where he had been shot. Was he alive, dead, or waiting to be judged for his sins in life? He had


    no idea.


    Nor did he really believe such things were true. If God really existed, then Karl was owed dearly for the suffering he had endured in this pitiful and meaningless existence. And as if his prayers were suddenly answered a light began to be revealed at the end of the tunnel of


    darkness.


    Instinctively, he crawled towards it, only to find himself blinded by the overwhelming illumination of the outside world. Or was it something else? Either way, he had no idea where he was, or what was happening. His only hint was the voice of a man in the background.


    "It''s a boy! Congrattions mydy..."


    Without any control over himself, Karl was soon given to his mother after his umbilical cord was cut. He could barely make out her facial features as his new mother clutched him to her chest with a warm and loving smile on her wary face.


    It was only after experiencing this jarring sensation that Karl came to the realization that he had been well and truly reborn.


    Perhaps if he had a proper rity of vision, then Karl would notice that things were not as he expected them to be. He was not in a hospital, as he was experiencing a rebirth. But rather a luxurious bedroom of what was clearly a residence.


    Not only that, but the d¨¦cor was antiquated. It would have been fashionable a hundred years ago, or perhaps longer, but not in the modern day. And then there was the staff. Nurses and maids attended to the Lady of the House and her newborn son. They did not look like they themselves were dressed appropriately for the 21st century, which he had died in. Just what was going on? Then the mother forced Karl to look her in the eyes. She was tired, obviously so having just been throughbor pains for several hours. But she gave the boy a name before being carried off to be taken care of by his wet nurse.


    "My son... From this day forth you shall carry your father''s name, Bruno..."


    Karl, or Bruno as he was now known, was carried off as his mother drifted into sleep. Without


    his father in sight. He was soon taken to rest in a crib, where a pretty young woman spoke to him. Her words were thest thing he would remember of his rebirth before he himself lost


    his consciousness.


    "Young master Bruno, you have been afforded the highest honor of being born the 9th son of the von Zehntner family. Having been named after your esteemed father, I have no doubt you will aplish great things in life... Rest now..."

 Chapter 2: A Sudden Engagement

    Chapter 2: A Sudden Engagement


    ?


    Five years had passed since Bruno''s rebirth in this new world. And it became immediately apparent to him that he was no longer in the 21st century, which he had perished in prior to reincarnation.


    Curiously enough, he had been born before the folly and wrath of a bygone era. One that would permanently change the fate of Germany from a mighty empire to yet another subordinate state of globalism.


    The year of his rebirth was 1879, a full eight years after the unification of the German Empire. Though the German people were finally united, it was a time of economic downturn. One that wouldst until the 1890s.


    Despite this, Bruno was fortunate insofar as he was born the 9th son of a minor noble house within the Kingdom of Prussia, one that possessed significant wealth due to their status as war industrialists.


    This house, despite being forged less than a century ago during the Wars of Napoleon, had be quite wealthy as they had a talent for engineering machines of destruction which were purchased and employed by the German Army.


    Bruno''s father was a wealthy and busy man. He had connections to the military as a former officer himself, as well as the politicians in the Reichstag. Making him fairly important in the society that Bruno found himself in. This meant that he was seldom home, or capable of spending time with his newest son.


    As for his brothers, the oldest was already nearing the end of high school, where he would soon ship off to the Prussian Military Academy, as was tradition in the von Zehntner family. After all, they were founded in the heat of battle, and so, too would their sons experience the


    same.


    Whereas the youngest of Bruno''s older brothers was only two years ahead of him in age. He had no sisters to speak of, and because of this, if he wished to one day be the head of the house, he would have a long and vicious battle ahead of him.


    But Bruno had muchrger ambitions. Rather than be the head of a minor German noble household. His goals were to prevent the fall of the German Reich in 1918, and instead ensure its dominance in the century toe.


    And it was because of this that he decided to live out the early days of his childhood to the best of his ability. And that meant that Bruno spent the majority of his time studying everything he could within the Manor''s library.


    Very early on in his new life, Bruno had proven himself capable of walking, talking, reading, writing, and performing basic feats of arithmetic well before a young child should have the means to do so.


    This was not necessarily because he was born with any greater degree of intelligence. But rather because he maintained the memories of his past life.


    Still, it was shocking to the family. From their perspective, an unparalleled genius had been born into their house. And this was only further proven so, as Bruno''s disy of knowledge increased with each passing year. Especially as the young child began to read every book in the family''s library.


    But such exceptional feats at such an early age had its drawbacks. After all, his mother had a tendency to speak frequently and boastfully about her beloved youngest son''s exceptional talents, which were multifaceted and continued to expand with age.


    While this would createrge expectations for his future by many powerful figures in German society. It also created many enemies for the boy. Not only among the scions of the other noble families within his own age group, but especially among his brothers.


    Despite only being five years of age, Bruno frequently found himself the victim of bullying and harassment, of which the mostmon perpetrator was the youngest of his older brothers, Ludwig.


    Ludwig was a normal child, perfectly average in every way aside from the position of his birth. And he was deeply envious of the special attention and praise that his younger brother, Bruno, received from both of their parents, as well as their instructors. Whichmonly manifested itself in temper tantrums.


    Today was no exception. Ludwig had tripped Bruno as he was walking out of the family manor''s library, and towards his own personal quarters, while carrying a stack of books. The texts which contained knowledge that would be considered quite advanced for Bruno''s current age scattered on the floor.


    Meanwhile, Bruno himself received scratches on the top of his knees. The pain was mild to Bruno, who in his past life had been shot multiple times even before his death. But it was the disrespect that caused him to dust himself off, and walk past his brother with a cold look in his sky-blue eyes.


    This act ofplete and total indifference towards him only further enraged Ludwig. It wasn''t just the way that Bruno was better than him at everything that so aggrieved the young child. But it was the way that the boy would brush off every attempt in which Ludwig would make to express his fury.


    Because of this, Ludwig got in Bruno''s way, and pushed him to the floor violently once more. Only for Bruno to rise to his feet for a second time without the slightest care. Once more dusting himself off, as he tried to walk past Ludwig and defuse the situation.


    Showing suchck of care for his elder brother''s petty and childish attempts to hurt him maybe the mark of a mature individual, which was something his mother would praise him for. But to Ludwig it was a simple act of contempt, and because of this he grabbed hold of Bruno''s cor and began to scream at him while raising his fist.


    "You little bastard! You think you''re so great! Well, let me show you!"


    However, before Ludwig could strike his younger brother, a servant came rushing towards the both of them from down the hall. She had not seen the two noble scions scuffle, but rather she was here for another purpose.


    And the moment she entered the area, Ludwig backed off, not willing to get caught bullying the prodigal son. He acted as if he was friendly to Bruno the entire time. Rushing towards the woman who had been both of their wet nurse as if demanding a hug.


    "Helga!"


    The woman named Helga however ignored Ludwig, running past him, where she knelt down in front of Bruno. There was a serious look in her eyes. It wasn''t anything grave, or concerning, but Bruno had by now long since memorized the expression the woman would make whenever the Master of the House would personally request her toe find him. And sure enough, those were the words she spoke.


    "Young master Bruno, your father has tasked me toe fetch you. He has an important announcement to make to you. Come this way, quickly!"


    Ludwig was pouting when he saw that Helga had ignored him once more for the sake of his little brother. Apparently, she noticed this as she was holding onto Bruno''s hand and ushering him forward. She called out to the older of the two siblings and assured him he would make time for himter.


    "I''m sorry young master Ludwig, but your father''s orders are absolute. I will have to y with you some other time!"


    And with that said, Ludwig''s attempts to bully his younger brother were well and truly crushed. At least for the time being.


    Bruno entered his father''s study. And was surprised to find that the man was not alone. Rather, not only was his mother by the man''s side. But there was another family standing across from them.


    A middle-aged man dressed in a heavily embellished military uniform stood by his father''s side. Along with him was a beautiful woman, no doubt in her early twenties, who was wearing avish dress. And in between the two of them stood a young girl who appeared a year or two younger than Bruno.


    As someone who had been properly raised with noble etiquette. Bruno immediately bowed before his father and the Prussian General while announcing his presence.


    "Noble father, General, I havee to find you as requested. If it pleases you both, may I know what this is about?"


    The middle-aged man, dressed in a Prussian General''s uniform twirled his finely groomed and waxed imperial mustache as he gazed upon Bruno, and his manners. The man was clearly giving an approving nod to Bruno.


    Almost as if he was surprised by the boy''s proper disy of noble etiquette. As for Bruno, he kept his head bowed until he was given permission to return to a proper standing position. But before such a thing could be granted, the General shifted his attention back to the boy''s father, where he spoke to the man who went by the same name as his youngest son.


    "Lord Bruno, is this the child? The young prodigy I have heard so much about?" The house which Bruno hailed from was one generally regarded as being junkers. Though they were full-fledged nobility. The gaze which the middle-aged man shot towards Bruno''s father was filled with contempt.


    No doubt this man was from the old nobility, and if Bruno had to guess he was from a family which earned their status during the medieval period, when grants ofnd were given in ordance with feudal responsibility.


    This was in contrast to Bruno''s family, which had earned their noble title less than a hundred years ago via merit inbat. To an ancient noble family, like the middle-aged general was from, Bruno''s family were mere upstarts, ones whose power and influence in the Reich was unfitting of theircking heritage.


    As for the young girl standing in front of her father. She was a shy and skittish creature. The moment Bruno entered the room, she hid behind her mother and peered out from behind as if she had just seen something frightening.


    She, like Bruno had fine golden blonde hair and light azure eyes. Her long and silky hair was tied into twin braids. If Bruno actually had the mind of five years old, he might have developed a crush on the young doll like a girl at first sight.


    But Bruno had barely taken notice of the girl, or her unusual behavior. He had no interests in


    such things. After all, though his body was that of a five-year-old boy, it held the memories of a man well past his fifties. How could he possibly care about a young girl such as this?


    It was because of this that Bruno would never have anticipated the words which the General would speak next.


    "The boy''s manners are quite good, considering his heritage, and I see no imperfections to speak of. You have raised this boy quite well. I have decided you will marry him to my youngest daughter."

 Chapter 3: Foiling a Dastardly Scheme

    Chapter 3: Foiling a Dastardly Scheme


    ?


    Bruno had an expression which matched that on his father''s face. He was astonished by this proposal. Sure, it wasmon knowledge that engagements were made between noble families throughout history and in many cases the parties involved were quite young when they first urred.


    But he was the 9th son of a Junker nobleman from a family whose nobility was less than a hundred years old. Why would this general, who clearly looked down on his family, propose such a thing? Unless... Sure enough, just as Bruno began to suspect that there was some hidden meaning behind this engagement his father''s expression shifted.


    At first, the man was shocked, and he had every right to be, as he knew more about the circumstances behind the "offer" than his son did. But when the Lord finally recovered his senses, he could not help but clench his teeth and curl his fists.


    It took every ounce of the man''s strength topose himself, as he knew the consequences of behaving recklessly here and now would be dire. He then posed a question to the middle-aged general, who was sneering at him while twirling his mustache as if the Lord''s reactions were something to take great enjoyment in.


    "Your Grace, am I to understand that you intend to betroth the daughter of your mistress to my true-born son?"


    It suddenly hit Bruno when he heard these words. This little girl was a bastard? It made sense when he thought about it at greater length. I mean why would a middle-aged man have such a young bride, unless of course it was either a second wife, or a mistress?


    And this would also exin the timid nature of the girl, who was practically shaking as she hid behind her mother. Bastards were seldom treated as family by the nobility, and were often bullied and harassed by their siblings, far more than the likes of which Bruno had endured these past few years.


    A hint of pity appeared in the boy''s blue eyes as he gazed upon the timid rabbit who was being sold off to his family, and for no less tragic reasons. Though Bruno suspected there was more to this offer than met the eye. Perhaps there was still some hidden meaning behind it.


    With this in mind, Bruno shifted his gaze to his father and mother. Both of which looked like they were just about to throw the Prince and his family out of their house for daring to hurl insults at them within their own home. But somehow, they found the strength within themselves to remain calm.


    Judging by the fact that his father had used the term your grace to deal with this general, the middle-aged man was likely a Duke. Or perhaps a mediatized Prince. Bruno wouldter find out that his assumptions were correct, and the general was indeed a Prince from the ancient and high noble family von Bentheim of whom had been raised to the status of "Princes" by King Frederick William III in 1817.


    But at this moment, what type of noble this man was, insofar as their exact title, if they still held control of their ancestralnds, or for how long they had held such a lofty position Bruno did not know, but he did not have time to think about these matters as the middle-aged Prince quickly responded to the Lord''s statement.


    "Oh? What is this? You and your lovely bride seem so offended by my offer? You should be honored that I am willing to marry my daughter into a family with such acking heritage. She may not hold my name, but my blood runs through her veins. Perhaps some actual noble blood will do you up jumped peasants some good, don''t you think?"


    Now the man was no longer even hiding his insults. And Bruno knew his father''s breaking point was near. Because of this, he sighed internally. If his father insulted a Prince, and a general in the Imperial Army no less, the consequences would be severe for their family. Sure the von Zehntner family in this timeline may hold a bit of wealth, and a fair degree of influence within the Military and Reichstag. But topare their family to this Prince, it was likeparing a lieutenant''s power to that of a Field Marshal.


    No doubt if the Lord acted without decorum here, it would be catastrophic to his family''s future. And because of this, Bruno stepped forward. Fully willing to be the sacrificialmb for the sake of his family and his own personal future.


    "Apologies for my interruption but I would like to express my opinions on the matter. If that is eptable to you, your grace..."


    Bruno''s father eyed him carefully. The boy was exceptionally intelligent and mature for his age. But to intervene now, and address the Prince and not him. There was very clearly some kind of scheme going on in his little mind. The man wanted to interrupt his son from making a mistake, but he was too slow to do so.


    The Prince raised his brow and gazed upon Bruno as if he were a truly unique specimen. Most children his age would be utterly unaware of the significance behind this discussion. Or its hidden meaning. Yet this boy seemed to have followed the exchange between the two noblemen perfectly.


    Wasn''t this a bit too terrifying a disy of intelligence and wisdom for a mere child to possess? Still, he did not know why, but the Prince wanted to see what the boy would say and because of this, was quick to nod his head and ept Bruno''s request.


    "Go ahead boy, speak..."


    Although Bruno had the memories of a middle-aged man, he had been reincarnated and born anew. Because of this, he was still a young child, and so he decided to y to these strengths.


    In doing so, he shot a kind smile at the young girl whose future was being discussed along with his. Before making a statement, that would save his family from speaking out of turn against their betters.


    "I would like to thank you for your benevolence your grace. It would be my honor to marry your daughter, whether she is officially recognized by your family as a member of your house or not..."


    This remark stunned the Prince. The truth of the matter was, he had not fully intended to marry his bastard daughter to Bruno. Rather, his reason foring here today was to sabotage the von Zehntner family who he despised.


    After all, the von Zehntner family was venerated among many of the newer nobility who had earned their title over the course of thest century through gantry in battle. Or through grand achievements in science and culture.


    If theyshed out against an older and more established noble family like that of the Prince''s it could be used to nder all the new noble families. And that was the Prince''s real goal.


    But there were more people concerned about Bruno''s statement than just the Prince. For example, the boy''s mother was quick to cry out in shock. Trying to tell her boy to shut his mouth in the most motherly way she could.


    "Hush child, you don''t know-"


    But her husband who raised his hand to silence her quickly stopped her. The man had few interactions with his youngest son over the years. But he had heard tales of the boy''s genius. During their few encounters, The Lord knew that his son was harboring a frightening degree of intellect and wisdom, far more than a boy his age should possess.


    Not only that, but he had been keeping tabs on all his sons and their growth throughout the years. Among them all, Bruno alone stood out at such a young age. Because of this, the Lord gazed down at his son with a stern gaze and asked him a simple question. Depending how Bruno answered would determine his fate.


    "Bruno... Do you know what you are saying right now?"


    What the Lord was really saying was, do you understand the consequences of your actions, and the effects it will have on your future?


    To which Bruno responded with an equally severe gaze, as well as a slight nod of his head to his father, uttering a single word in response. And yet this word contained far more fortitude than it otherwise would have, especially whening from a five-year-old boy.


    "Perfectly..."


    Bruno''s father quickly sighed and shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if to soothe a headache. After which he turned to the Prince who was still staring at the boy, as if something was wrong with him. The Lord''s response ultimately shook the middle-aged Prince from his stupor, making him fully realize that his ns had not gone as expected.


    "You heard the boy. I have no choice but to ept your proposal. My son Bruno, and your daughter Heidi will be married when they bothe of age. Or are you willing to retract your offer for reasons unknown to us all?"


    It was evident by the expression on the Prince''s face, and that of his young mistress that they did not know immediately how to respond to this. They fully expected the Lord to refuse the offer and hopefully even make a scene.


    Which they could use to tarnish the family''s reputation, painting them and those like them as little more than ill-bred peasants masquerading as nobles. But this small boy had interfered, taking the weight off of his parents'' shoulders, and carrying the burden on his own. It was


    truly bewildering.


    Before they could fully decide how to proceed, Bruno took the advantage, approaching the young girl, who was still hiding behind her mother. Bruno wore the most kind and childish fa?ade he could possibly manage, as he grabbed hold of the girl''s hands and smiled at her. All the while confirming the deal was done.


    "So your name is Heidi? it is a pleasure to meet you mydy, my name is Bruno. We are to be married when we are older, so I hope you will take good care of me when that dayes!" The girl was not nearly as articte as Bruno was, as she was, after all, a normal child. But she broke out into tears when she saw how kind Bruno was treating her, and instinctively hugged


    him.


    An act which shocked him. Bruno''s first instinct was to pull away, but his mother looked at him with an affectionate gaze upon seeing his kindness. Ultimatelypelling him to stay put while his young fiancee struggled to mutter the proper etiquette between her sobbing


    into his shoulder.


    "I... I wi... I will be in your care..."


    At first, Bruno did not understand why the girl was sobbing. But it took him all of a few


    seconds to process that this was perhaps the first time anyone had ever shown her any kindness in her life, and because of this he fully epted the girl''s gesture, albeit while at a total loss for words.


    Though the Prince, on the other hand, was beginning to panic. He had long since lost control of the plot, and his anxiety continued to get worse until, of course, Bruno shifted his gaze


    towards him.


    The boy mustered the most shit-eating grin he could manage, showing the Prince that this battle had ended in Bruno''s victory. Causing the middle-aged man to damn near suffer a heart attack as he copsed back onto the nearby desk. All the while struggling to breathe.


    His mistress quickly began to panic, not showing the least bit of concern towards her daughter''s emotional outburst, and instead checking to see if the man was alright.


    "Your grace! Are you alright!?!"


    Though he appeared to be on the brink of death. All it took was for the man to rationalize that


    he had been bested by a mere child in order for him to eventually recover from his panic


    attack.


    He would ultimately recover hisposure, after his embarrassing disy, and storm out from the room entirely, leaving his mistress and their young daughter to follow shortly


    thereafter.


    "You... I.... We''re leaving!"


    Heidi''s mother pulled her away from Bruno, promising the girl that they would visit again before long. Whereas the girl would wipe the tears from her eyes and blush as she was dragged away by her mother, using all of her courage to wave goodbye with a forced smile to the boy who would one day be her husband when they both grew up.


    As for Bruno, he waved back to the girl with a perfect smile. And once she and her family were out of range, his expression sank back to a cold and stoic visage where he sighed heavily before turning to his father, who gazed upon him with what appeared to be displeasure. Bruno''s father, having grown up among soldiers had a bad habit of breaking etiquette when


    he was angry with his family, and was quick to call his son out for being a scheming prick in


    the most vulgar of terms that would normally be ill-befitting of a noble Lord.


    "You little shit... Just what are you nning?"


    Bruno simply looked back at his father, remainingpletely emotionless as he made a


    single statement before walking off.


    "Nothing that you need to concern yourself with, father..."


    After saying that, Bruno turned around and walked out the door. While his father copsed in


    his seat and vented his frustrations to his wife.


    "That little brat is going to be the death of me one day..."


    As for Bruno''s mother, she was filled with nothing but motherly affection towards her little


    genius who had rapidly be her favorite child, and rubbed her husband''s shoulders while assuring the man that everything would be alright.


    "On the contrary, our little boy just saved us a great deal of trouble..." Ultimately, the Lord could not disagree with his wife''s words. Had Bruno not been so quick


    thinking, and had not been willing to take a bullet for the family, then they could have ended up in real trouble. If Bruno was so capable at such a young age, then perhaps his father would have to pay more attention to him from here on out.

 Chapter 4: Shifting the Blame

    Chapter 4: Shifting the me


    ?


    Another two years had passed since that fateful day when Bruno found himself suddenly engaged to the bastard daughter of a princely family. And during this time, she became the only real friend the boy had.


    Heidi would visit Bruno''s family home as frequently as her father would allow. Where the two of them would mostly spend time together in the family library. The collection of knowledge within it was quite vast. Even if many of the subjects were woefully outdated by the standards of the 21st century.


    Bruno would treat the girl nicely, but he had an awkward time when dealing with her. In his past life, he was a middle-aged man with no family to speak of. He never really had any interaction with children outside of his own childhood.


    Because of this, he had a difficult time understanding how to socialize kids his own age after he had been reborn. But Heidi made this easy on Bruno, as she just seemed to be happy to have someone to speak to about her daily life and the problems in it.


    When Bruno was not having "y dates" with his young fianc¨¦e, which was supervised by both of their mothers. He was in ss. Having begun his primary education earlier than most. But he did not go to a public institution, or a private one for that matter.


    Rather, his father had spared no expense to ensure private tutors who were masters of every field of educatione to his home and teach the boy personally. Outside of these two activities Bruno either spent his time in self learning, or ying chess.


    It was during this time that Bruno discovered something shocking about himself. It could not necessarily be confirmed. But it was definitely something he believed to be true. And that was the fact that his enhanced intelligence was not simply the result of him having memories from a past life in a world far more advanced than the one he currently lived in.


    Rather, his new body, more specifically its brain appeared to be at a genius level intellect. In his past life, Bruno, or Karl as he was known then was above average in intelligence, but nothing really special.


    It allowed him to perform well in the military as an infantry officer andter as an instructor at the Bundeswehr Command and Staff College. But he was by no means a literal genius. And this difference was demonstrated by how quickly he picked up the game of chess in this new lease on life.


    During this time, Heidi naturally took an interest in chess, as Bruno wasmonly ying against himself during their time together. She begged him for weeks on end to teach her how to y the game until he finally relented.


    It took her months to finally get skilled at the game and confident enough to challenge Bruno to an actual match. Where he ruthlessly and relentlessly obliterated her time and again. Naturally causing the girl to be upset with him for not going easy on her.


    His response was callous, and could be surmised as an old gamer quote from his past life "git gud" which caused the young girl to remain angry at him, and pout for the next two weeks of their gatherings. Eventually, however, she got over this. And life continued as normal.


    Bruno had mastered the game in roughly a year''s time frame. Competing against men much older, and with much more experience in the game where he would thoroughly dominate them. This could not be said to be the same in the life he had lived before this one.


    Rather, although he understood the basics of chess at that time, his skills were poor, even after being raised to y the game. He never came close to the title of Master, and by the time he abandoned the game entirely, he knew it would never be a reality.


    Yet after a mere year of dedicating an hour or two to chess a day. Bruno knew he was well beyond the level that would be considered a Chess Master in his previous life. Perhaps the youngest in history. He could easily see five to ten moves ahead of his opponent, and if he really concentrated, it might be even more than that.


    He had so thoroughly stunned his chess instructor that the man had given up trying to best him. Stating that the boy was on a level well beyond his own. And it was when Bruno began to understand that his brain in this life had a significantly higher processing power that he began to address subjects of higher learning in his spare time.


    By the time his seventh birthday came around, Bruno''s father had determined that he was old enough to begin learning how to train with firearms. And his father possessed quite a healthy collection of firearms.


    After all, he was the owner of a weapons manufacturing nt that manufactured everything from revolvers to howitzers. Not only that, but it was not until after the Great War had ended that most nations began enacting some form of gun control upon its ordinary citizens. And the German Empire was no exception to thisck of restrictions during this time.


    Currently, the year was 1886, being seven years after Bruno''s birth. This meant that the standard issue weaponry to the Imperial German Army was the Mauser model 1871/84 bolt- action rifle, and the Reichsrevolver 1879, both of which his father possessed in his personal arsenal.


    In his past life, Bruno had little means to train with such obsolete weaponry. In the 21st century German Nation, you would mostmonly find such items as museum pieces. But he was aware of their existence and knew how they functioned.


    The Mauser 1871/84 was a stopgap measure that was designed by the German Empire topete with modern advancements in military weapons. Being one of the first, if not the first, nations to adopt a metallic cartridge firing bolt-action rifle.


    The German Empire developed a variant of the Mauser 1871, in 1884 that was fitted with a tubr magazine allowing it to chamber more than one round, unlike the original. They also included a built in extractor to eject the shell casings after they were used. In addition to this, the Mauser 1871/84 was issued with a new, and more modern style bay.


    This was a more cost-effective means of modernizing the Imperial German Army''s standard infantry rifle in order topete with more powerful repeating firearms that recently came into y on the global stage.


    Something that other nations couldn''t really do, because the previously issued single shot rifles they used were of designs other than bolt action. It was a simple, affordable, and practical solution to a serious issue. But such methods of modernization usually had many drawbacks.


    In the case of the Mauser 1871/84, it was heavy, really heavy. The original model of 1871 already weighed a whopping 4.5kgs, or 9.92 lbs, but with a ten round tubr magazine which contained the mammoth 11.16x60mmR cartridge, this weight only increased.


    For some reason, in thete midte 1800s, militaries across the globe had the idea that the most suitable cartridge for waging war against your fellow man was one that was capable of taking down a charging buffalo with a single shot.


    It was overkill, and this was clearly realized in the final days of the 19th century when more modern and smokeless military cartridges were developed. But it would still be another two years before the Gewehr 1888 Commission Rifle was released.


    And that meant that for the time being, Bruno was being taught how to fire a rifle whose recoil was quite literally capable of knocking a small child like himself on his ass. Not to mention its weight was difficult for a seven-year-old to shoulder.


    Still, his father was determined for the boy to learn how to properly shoot at a young age. And because of this, they went out to the firing range that was built on their personal property.


    The von Zehntner estate was quite massive, and was located in a rural area outside of Berlin. The wealth their family had gained by bing merchants of war was no doubt extensive, and their primary residence naturally reflected this.


    It wasrge enough to safely contain a firing range. And when his father handed Bruno the unloaded rifle, he was quick toment on the basic rules of gun safety. Before eventually teaching him the loading procedure.


    It admittedly took Bruno some time to getfortable loading the rounds into the built in


    tubr magazine. Such methods of storing ammunition within a firearm were only reallymonly found in shotguns within the 21st century, and even then, that was apletely


    different design.


    But After loading 10 rounds, and racking the bolt, so he could load another into the tubr magazine. A technique his father had not taught him, but was surprised to see that the boy figured out on his own. Bruno aimed the sights safely down range, and towards the barrels of hay that rested on the berm roughly 100 meters out.


    Because it was difficult for him to stand and shoulder such a weapon, Bruno sat at a table and rested the rifle on a sandbag. It was amon tactic used for precision shooting. But in Bruno''s case it was really his only way to learn how to fire such a heavy rifle at such a young


    age.


    The hay barrels he aimed at had targets painted on their ends, and Bruno could easily line up his sights. Which he did so as his father talked him through the process.


    "Alright son, so you''re going to want to take your rear aperture, and line it up with your front


    sight po-"


    *Bang*


    The gunshot rang throughout the ear, providing a deafening sound to those who were within the immediate vicinity of the rifle. And just as quickly as the shot was fired, so too was the bulls-eye struck on the hay barrel down range.


    Bruno exhaled deeply after firing the shot. Astounding his father once more that he knew to


    hold his breath while taking aim. With a simple motion, he lifted the bolt up and pulled it back while ejecting the spent cartridge before sending it back to home with a solid push where he repeated the process, once more cutting off his father as he gave voice to his astonishment.


    "How in the hell did you-"


    *Bang*


    Once more the man''s words were drowned out by the gunshot, which apanied the .43 caliber projectile as it tore through the air, and struck the target no more than 1mm away from where the previous one hadnded.


    Despite performing a marksman tier grouping during his first shot, Bruno exhaled deeply and shook his head. He was displeased with the fact that he had to use iron sights, rather than an


    optic.


    But it was still well over 100 years before such a thing became standard issue to infantry rifles. As for Bruno''s father, he stared in disbelief at his son''s performance.


    It took him several seconds toe back to his senses, where after seeing Bruno turn on the


    safety of the rifle and ce the weapon back on the table, the Lord smacked his son across the back of his head and demanded an answer for how he knew such things despite this supposedly being his first time shooting.


    "You little shit! Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that? Did your mother let you fuck


    with my guns while I was away on business!?!"


    Seeing this as an excellent opportunity to screw with his siblings whomonly bullied him.


    Bruno put on a masterful disy of innocence as he proimed his older brothers to be the


    culprits.


    "I''m sorry, father, I was unaware that I could not shoot without your permission. Ludwig and Kurt said it was okay, and took me out to the range multiple times thisst year. Was I not


    allowed to do so?" Ludwig and Kurt were the two youngest of Bruno''s older brothers, and were the most immature as a result. While his oldest siblings had more important things to worry about and thus couldn''t be bothered to harass their youngest brother.


    These two particr brothers purposely found trouble with Bruno whenever they possibly could, and could be quite nasty when doing so. Apparently, Bruno''s fa?ade was perfect because his father was immediately outraged by this prospect. Going on a rampage like Bruno


    had never seen before.


    "Those little bastards! They have no idea how much fucking trouble they are in! When I get my hands on them, they will wish they were never born!"


    Having thoroughly enraged his father and shifted the me onto his siblings. Bruno would


    walk away from the incident without any form of punishment whatsoever. As for Ludwig and Kurt, they soon found themselves shipped off to boarding school.


    Meaning that Bruno had once more proven himself to be a scheming and devious little brat. One that solved the problem of his rampant bullying and harassment rather permanently. If there was one thing that Bruno learned on this day, it was that you should never touch a man''s firearms without his expressed permission or presence.

 Chapter 5: The Cruelty of This World

    Chapter 5: The Cruelty of This World


    ?


    Another three years or so passed since the day Bruno had cunningly sent the tworgest nuisances in his life off to boarding school. He seldom saw Kurt or Ludwig after that. Only during the holidays, and there appeared to be a deep sense of fear in their eyes whenever their gazes met his.


    It indeed took them a while to piece together that Bruno had effectively, and purposely sent them away to boarding school, more specifically the Royal Prussian Cadet Corps. It was the foremost military school for Prussian Youth. And graduating from it sessfully garnered one and their family great esteem.


    To graduate from the Cadet Corps was not a requirement to enter the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute. Which was the primary institute for educating future officers of the Prussian andter Imperial German armies. But those who graduated from the Cadet Corps generally were given more favorability when it came to admissions.


    This may have eventually worked in the favor of Bruno''s older brotherster in life, who were by no means capable of entering the Main Cadet Institute otherwise. But they would no doubt have a gruelling childhood as a result.


    As for Bruno himself, he knew that he did not need to attend a military school in order to gain admission to the Main Cadet Institute, or the Prussian War College, for that matter. After all, in his previous life he had been a high-ranking Military Officer, one who after retirement was capable of being an instructor at the modern equivalent of the Prussian War College where generals were made.


    Because of this, he was able to live at home in a peaceful environment, one which helped foster his growth. Over the years, Heidi would continue to visit his home, under the supervision of both of their mothers, and the two of them would grow much closer.


    But despite all of this, Bruno had yet to be formally invited to the Prince''s estate. Which was where his young fianc¨¦e resided. That is, until shortly after his tenth birthday. Bruno received a letter which conveyed such intent.


    This was strange to the boy. Why wait all these years to do this? What was the Prince nning? It had been five years since hest saw the man, and foiled his ns to make his family look like a bunch of ill-mannered peasants.


    And during this time Bruno had not heard his fatherin about the Prince once. It was almost as if things were progressing swimmingly between their two families. Yet the fact remained, Bruno had not been invited out to the Prince''s estate to personally meet his family until today.


    As much as Bruno wanted to believe that there was some greater conspiracy going on in the background, and to avoid it if at all possible; he really had no choice but to answer the summons. And because of this, he arrived at the Prince''s estate at the requested date.


    The moment he arrived at the gates of the Prince''s pce, Bruno began to understand the difference between a family like his, and a family like the one which Heidi belonged to. Everything that could possibly be gilded with gold was done so. Even the iron gates outside the estate''s walls were covered in such a luxurious material.


    The main building itself, which housed the Prince and his family, was significantlyrger than Bruno''s home. And his home was by no means small, especially whenpared with the standards of the 21st century. It was, after all capable of housing a family of eleven in extremely luxurious conditions.


    But like all things in life, there were levels to fortune. And it was very apparent as Bruno''s carriage passed through the gates and entered the driveway just outside the main entrance that he was dealing with a different breed of wealth.


    As Bruno stepped foot out of the carriage, he noticed that Heidi and her Mother, along with a single servant who were there to greet him. Nobody else from the main family had bothered to show him any face, which, as a guest from another noble family that was invited to their home, was quite the insult.


    Still, Bruno did not make a remark on this, and simply smiled as he approached his young fianc¨¦e, and gave her a friendly hug, remarking on how much she had grown since hest saw her, which was just a month or two ago.


    "You always astonish me with how much you grow in between our visits. At this rate, you will soon be taller than I am!"


    Heidi giggled at Bruno''spliment, it was obviouslyced with humor. The two of them were two years apart, and Bruno was quite tall for his age. Still, she was quick to greet the man she would one day marry with proper noble etiquette, even if she herself was a bastard. Taking a step back from the boy and performing a proper curtsy.


    As for the girl''s mother, the rtionship she had with Bruno as his future mother-inw was quiteplicated. She lived to please the Prince, so long as she could do so, she could remain living on his estate in a life of luxury.


    Sure she may not live in the main house with the proper family. But she had her own manor on the grounds which was quite luxurious, equal to if not superior to the von Zehntner manor. However, despite Heidi being the Prince''s daughter, the man did not really care for the girl, and made no moves to make her life better. Or worse, for that matter. He was simply indifferent to her.


    And on top of all of this, the Prince still held a grudge against Bruno for spoiling his ns all those years ago. Meaning that even if Heidi''s mother thought Bruno was a rather excellent match for her daughter, one that would no doubt raise her own prestige, what with being the mother-inw of a trueborn Lord, she still couldn''t outright show her approval.


    Because of this, her expression was rather cold towards Bruno as he greeted her as well.


    "Miss Krieger, it is a pleasure as always..."


    When Bruno said this, he did not bow towards the woman, as he would do to the noble woman of higher prestige. Instead, he simply smiled andplimented. Rather as a lowborn woman herself, it was Heidi''s mother who was forced to bow to him, and refer to him with the proper honorifics.


    "My Lord... Although it pains the master, he has informed me that he will not be joining us for dinner tonight. Rather, I have invited you out here, with the Lord''s permission, so that you can spend some proper time with your fianc¨¦e. It has, after all been nearly two months since youst seen each other. If you would please follow me, Heidi and I will escort you to the manor in which we reside..."


    Bruno nodded his head and followed Heidi and her mother to their own small portion of the massive estate. All while looking back upon the primary residence, which was essentially a pce in size and scale. He could only surmise that this entire invitation was the Prince''s way to put Bruno in his ce.


    Eventually, the group all arrived at the Manor on the estate grounds. It was indeed simr in size and scale to Bruno''s own family home. But not nearly as luxurious, if he was being


    honest.


    Still, it was a much better residence than amon girl of poor background like Miss Krieger could ever hope to marry into, or possess herself. And because of this, Bruno naturally understood why she decided to be the Prince''s mistress. However, once inside the building, Heidi''s mother was quick toe up with an excuse to run off.


    "Well, so long as the two of you are attended by the young Lord''s guards, and Gertrude here, I suppose it would be fine for me to go off and check to see if the kitchen staff is running on time. Heidi, do be a good girl, and show your future husband around our home, will you?"


    Heidi nodded towards her mother. There wasn''t the usual excitable, or joyful expression that Bruno hade to expect from the girl whenever they interacted. Rather, she appeared slightly timid, as if disobeying her mother would have grand consequences. Nor was her voice


    anything but monotone.


    "I will do as you say, mother..."


    This surprised Bruno, but after the girl''s mother had wandered off, she returned to her usual happy self as she questioned where Bruno wanted to y around at first.


    "I''m so happy you have finallye to visit, My Lord. You don''t know how happy this makes me! So, where would you like to go first?"


    Despite being engaged to Bruno, Heidi was still the bastard daughter of a Prince and amoner. Which means that until the day they were officially married, she would continue to refer to Bruno, who was of higher social standing with the proper terms. Especially when


    they were not alone.


    Bruno had wanted a proper tour, and immediately asked for it. Hoping to see the differences between the home of a Prince''s mistress, and that of a nouveau riche and a recent noble


    family like his own.


    As Bruno was guided through the girl''s home, he noticed that Heidi''s maid was keeping a close eye on him. Why exactly he did not understand? Perhaps she wanted to make sure he did not try anything inappropriate with the girl?


    But he was not yet at that age would hormones would override his reason, nor did he have any such intentions towards the young girl. As far as he was concerned, he was simply protecting his family''s interests by continuing to see her.


    And though he would never admit it, he had grown to see his future wife as a close personal friend, and felt a duty to protect her, even if he had no romantic feelings towards the girl


    whatsoever.


    Ultimately, Bruno chose to ignore these nces. That is until he and the girl went out into the yard, where they found that a group of teenage girls were lying in wait for them in the


    gardens.


    These young maidens varied in age by a few years, but there was no mistaking it. They were true noble girls. Most likely the legitimate daughters of the Prince. Why they were waiting in the small, albeit beautiful gardens which were outside their father''s mistress''s home? Well, Bruno had a thought regarding this in mind already.


    And his suspicions were concerned when Heidi suddenly stopped in her tracks upon seeing her half-sisters. Timidly hiding behind Bruno and shaking as she held his hand tightly forfort. Bruno naturally did not shy away from the girl. She was genuinely terrified her sisters who quickly approached them with smug grins on their faces.


    The oldest of which appeared the age of adulthood. Not far away at all from being married off


    to some noble scion. Due to her age, she was naturally taller than Bruno was, standing in front of him and looking down on him with a smirk that oozed with self-satisfaction. When she spoke to Bruno, it was with a mixture of contempt, but slight surprise.


    "So you''re the Junker''s son who has been engaged to this little piece of trash? I have heard rumors about you.... They say you''re an unparalleled genius, and an expert marksman despite your age... I have to say, I''m a bit surprised, you''re a bit cuter than I thought you would be.


    You should consider it your greatest honor that this youngdy has decided that you will escort her for the evening. Come with me and leave thismon tramp where she belongs!" The girl''s younger sisters looked at her with confusion. Weren''t they going to use their privilege and status to make their little half-sister eat bugs in front of her fianc¨¦e? Why all of a sudden was she changing the plot?


    But before they could ask the question, the young woman reached out to grab Bruno''s wrist in


    an attempt to force the boy away from his fianc¨¦e by force. Heidi was just about to break out into tears when she realized that her oldest sister, the one who most frequently came to make trouble for her, was going to take her friend, not her fianc¨¦ away from her. However, before the tears could fully develop, the most shocking thing happened. Bruno forcefully pulled his wrist away from the young Princess before pping her across her face. All while speaking to her in a stern tone. Like that of an outraged parent lecturing an errant


    child.


    "The only trash I see here is you lot. What sick machinations did you have in mind when you decided to lie in wait for us here? Tell me, what cruel plot did you three bitchese up with to torture this little girl who, as far as I am aware has never wronged any of you!?!"


    All three of the Prince''s trueborn daughters were stunned into silence by Bruno''s actions. All


    the while, the oldest of the trio broke out into tears over the stinging red handprint on her cheek.


    She had never in her life been disciplined before. Not by her father, and most certainly not by her fiancee. Why would she? She was practically a princess, and quite the beautiful one at that.


    To think that this mere child, this mere Junker''s son, would actually p her. It enraged her. Her expression became hideous as she recovered her senses, and when she did so, she pointed and screamed at Bruno, threatening him with her father''s eventual retaliation.


    ''Wh.... Who do you think you are you little shit!?! You little Junker''s son! You darey a hand


    on me!?! My father will hear of this, and when he does you will lose that hand you dared to


    strike me with!"


    After saying this, she stormed off. Where her sisters scurried after her, leaving Bruno to sigh


    in relief. He turned around, hoping to find that Heidi had calmed down after he stood up for her. But instead, she immediately broke out into tears and clung to him. All the while expressing how sorry she was forgetting him in trouble on her behalf.


    "I''m sorry! I''m so sorry Bruno! It''s all because of me! If I was never born, you wouldn''t have


    to suffer on my behalf!"


    The girl was terrified that Bruno would literally lose a hand for pping the face of the Prince''s eldest daughter. As for Bruno, his expression was both serious, yet warm. As he grabbed hold of the little girl''s cheeks and assured her that everything would be alright.


    "Don''t you ever talk like that again, Heidi! You should never me yourself for the cruelty


    which this world inflicts upon you. It was not you who decided to be born a bastard. That was God''s decision. And he alone bears the responsibility for what has been done to you. But so long as I am by your side, it is my duty, as your fianc¨¦e, and in the future, your husband


    to protect you from that cruelty. Even if I must make an enemy of your father, and suffer his wrath because I dared to perform the role that he should have been fulfilling all this time." Heidi continued to cry when she heard this. But it was not tears of guilt that ran down her


    adorable little face, rather it were tears of joy. That Bruno had chosen to protect her and stand by her side. Even when faced with the harassment of her sisters and the retaliation of his father. Which no doubt would soon arrive.

 Chapter 6: Silent Submission

    Chapter 6: Silent Submission


    ?


    It did not take long for the young Princess to return to her father and report what Bruno had done to her. Granted, as a young woman aggrieved, she purposely left out certain details that painted her in a bad light, and may have justified Bruno''s behavior.


    Because of this, the Prince quickly arrived at the manor which Heidi and her mother resided in, with several armed guards by his side. These were not soldiers of the army, nor did they wear military uniforms. But they were veterans who were paid a hefty sum to protect the Prince and his family.


    Upon arriving in the gardens where Bruno was in the act offorting Heidi, the Prince quickly pointed at the boy and demanded his guards surround him.


    "That''s him! That''s the little shit who struck my daughter, seize him!"


    Bruno quickly acted on instinct, cing Heidi safely behind him, as the multiple armed guards came to apprehend Bruno for assaulting the Prince''s daughter. There was just one problem. When the man closest to Bruno reached out to grab him, Bruno quickly grabbed hold of the man''s wrist and swept him to the floor with a hip throw.


    He had in his past life learned the basics of grappling and unarmedbat in the army. It wasn''t exactly something he specialized in, but he knew how to throw a grown man to the ground. And despite being only ten years old, with the right technique and leverage it could be aplished.


    The guard hit the ground, while hisrades quickly lowered their rifles at Bruno, and Heidi, meanwhile Burno held his captive in an armlock, while shouting at the Prince to calm himself. "Your Grace? Is this how you treat your guests? Attempting to arrest them in your own home with armed mercenaries? Under what grounds do you dare?"


    The Prince had always been cautious about Bruno, especially after being bested by the boy when he was a mere five years old. To him this was a simple mishap on his part, and he justified his loss by saying he could not have anticipated that the boy would develop a crush on his bastard daughter and immediately agree to his offer of betrothal. Nor that the Lord who was Bruno''s father would ept such a childish mistake.


    Nevertheless, the Prince had kept a close eye on Bruno and his development over the years. And he knew that the boy was indeed more intelligent and wise than he should be at his age. Still, he did not believe he would fall prey to the boy''s cunning twice. And was quick to announce the chargesid against Bruno to his face.


    "What grounds do you say? I''m arresting you under charges of assaulting a nobledy. Do you have the gall to deny these ims?"


    There was a smug look on both the Prince''s face, and that of his daughter who brought this matter to his attention. Meanwhile, Heidi had fallen to her knees, and was trembling at the intense conflict that was taking ce at this minute. She was shocked to see Bruno release his prisoner and pat the man on the back, before addressing her father''s statement in a way which she had not anticipated.


    "Assault? That would depend on how you define the term? Did I p that young maiden by your side who I presume to be your daughter? Most certainly? But were my actions justified? Absolutely so...


    Did your daughter tell you why I left that mark upon her face? It was because she dared toy her hands on me, a noble lord, without my permission. She attempted to force me away from my fianc¨¦e without my consent.


    I do after all have the right to defend my person, do I not your Grace? If an older woman is attempting to take me away from where I am supposed to be, and from the supervision I am protected by. What ill intentions could she possibly have towards me?"


    When the Prince heard this, he eyed his daughter with a fearsome gaze. She had not mentioned that she tried to force Bruno away from his fiancee, and physically so at that. She may be a literal Princess, but she was still a woman.


    One who had a fiancee. Regardless of her intentions, she had acted in a way that, if spun sessfully by her father''s enemies, could reflect very poorly on their family.


    And because of this, he was quick to confirm whether or not this was true. He knew his daughter would never lie to him, especially when some pressure was applied. Perhaps because of this, his voice was filled with suppressed rage.


    "Is this true? Did youy your hands on this boy?"


    The young Princess, perhaps because she had been spoiled her entire life, did not see why this was such a big deal. So she wanted to go y with this little boy, and perhaps leave a mark on his neck that would traumatize his little fianc¨¦e. What was the big deal? It''s not like she nned to go all the way with him!


    Because of this twisted and narcissistic mindset, she was quick to confess to her crimes, so to speak.


    "Yeah? And? I just grabbed his wrist. It''s not like I-"


    *smack*


    Even Bruno''s mouth fell agape when he saw the Prince backhand his daughter across the face. He knew the girl well enough to guess what her intentions were and was quick to chastise her for it.


    "You fool! Do you have any idea what the repercussions of your actions are? This boy''s father is a prominent member of the Junker faction.


    They maybe nothing more than up jumped peasants, but if words get out that you tried to do something inappropriate with him, there will be hell to y. I''m sick of you causing problems simply because you are upset with my affairs. Go to your room and reflect on your actions. You will not be eating tonight!"


    Bruno was honestly astonished that this alone had quelled the dispute between him and the Prince. I mean, he had prepared several other threats to get out of this situation in one piece.


    For example, the disrespect he was shown on this day, by receiving a formal invitation by the Prince, only to be pawned off to his mistress''s manor, was enough to outrage the entire Junkermunity.


    The Junkers were a prominent faction in Prussian politics, but now that the German nation had be unified by Prussia, they were prominent across all the Empire. Junker was a term to describe those noble families like his own that were young and minor.


    But they were anded nobility and tended to have arge degree of authority over all of Germany''s arablend. Combine that with their recent foray into the Military leadership, and the formation of a political coalition around them. And they had be a prominent faction in the German Reich.


    The Junkers were in stark contrast to the ancient nobility that had gained their titles in the Medieval Era, and had amassed their wealth over centuries. Naturally, the two factions were


    at odds with one another.


    Seeing as how the von Zehntner family were wealthy industrialists who manufactured many of the Imperial Army''s weapons. It was safe to say that by showing Bruno such disrespect; the Prince was showing disrespect to all Junkers, including the current Chancellor Otto von


    Bismarck who came from such a background.


    Bruno had this card in his reserves, in case his threats of spinning the young Princess'' actions into being something woefully inappropriate was not enough to convince the Prince to stand down. But ultimately, his first attempt had done the trick. With the Prince quickly settling the matter with an apology and the dismissal of his bodyguards.


    "My apologies Lord Bruno. My daughter''s actions were indeed worthy of a p to the face. It appears to me that my staff may have misunderstood my orders, and sent you here to my mistress''s home instead ofing to visit me personally first. This has all been a giant misunderstanding. If you woulde with me, I would like to personally wee you to my


    estate."


    Bruno eyed the man carefully. It was abundantly clear to him that after threatening to expose his daughter''s intentions, even if they were exaggerated, the man had caught on that Bruno had seen through his schemes. And was trying his best to rectify them in order to not give the boy more to condemn him with.


    It was a smart move to pin the me on servants, and because of this Bruno had been forced into a corner as well. He had no choice but to go to the main estate and visit the Prince and his proper family, who no doubt would be far more hostile to him, especially after this drama


    that had just unfolded.


    However, Bruno was insistent that he was not going alone, and was quick to demand Heidie with him. This was his way of escaping any potentially dangerous situation that may follow. As he knew the Prince would not allow this and would be forced to settle.


    "Are you forgetting someone, your grace? I havee all this way to see my fianc¨¦e at her home. While I do appreciate the invitation to get properly acquainted with your family, it was my understanding that this visit was meant to further foster the bonds between myself and


    my future bride.


    Or was I mistaken? I mean, if I were to have been so mistaken, then I wonder why your servants thought it would be appropriate to send me over your mistress''s residence without even allowing me to properly pay my respects to the head of the house?"


    In his haste to cover his tracks, the Prince had yed right into Bruno''s hands. Bruno had quickly sprung a trap on him. And that was to make it, so that Heidi, his bastard daughter, who had never been permitted to step foot into the primary residence within the Estate, could


    do so at longst.


    This was a serious problem, due to the fact that the Prince''s wife was quite the envious woman. And though she begrudgingly allowed her husband''s mistress and illegitimate daughter to live on the grounds of the estate, it was under the condition that they would never


    be allowed into her home.


    Bruno, of course waited very patiently for the response of the Prince who was trying to think all of this through. And how to get out of the predicament he was currently in. Ultimately, the Prince made the smart move of deciding to call an end to this visit prematurely.


    "Oh dear, this entire day has just been one giant disaster hasn''t it? I do apologize for the inconvenience I have caused. I fear at this point it would be best to simply call an end to this catastrophe once and for all.


    Lord Bruno, I will make sure that those responsible for today''s events are thoroughly rebuked for their failures, and promise that during your next visit you will be appropriatelypensated. How does that sound?"


    The truth of the matter was, Bruno did not want to leave the Prince without having a way out


    of this mess. As far as he was concerned, this was a petty matter between the two of them that was better off being swept under the rug.


    However, he wanted certain assurances that Heidi would not receive any form of retaliation from either the Prince, his family, or anyone in his employ because of this. And he was quick toment on this matter before epting the offer of simply parting ways. "That sounds fair to me, your grace. I am, after all quite exhausted from this whole ordeal. However, before I go, I want your personal vow that neither Heidi, her mother, or anyone in their employ receive any form of grief because of this whole incident.


    And while I would not presume you would stoop so low as to dishonor yourself, I do fear that your daughters have ill intentions towards my fianc¨¦e. Especially after this ugly business just


    now.


    I also fear that they might cowardly scheme against the girl, her mother, or her servants by using members of your house against them. So long as you ensure their safety from any form


    of reprisal, I promise you I will let this matter go and speak of it to no-one, not even my


    father."


    As much as the Prince was absolutely seething right now. He could not make it apparent on his face. Bruno had thought of every little thing to press him into a corner where he had to drop


    the matter entirely.


    He could not punish Heidi for today''s events, nor could he inflict any suffering on her mother.


    Or vent his frustration on the girl''s servants. He was well and truly forced to let go of today''s incident. And by a ten-year-old brat, no less.


    Because of this, the man was forced to utterly quell his rage. And agree to the terms Bruno had


    presented. epted his defeat with a silent submission, while verbally expressing it as a


    draw.


    "Of course, I would never wish for innocents to be caught up in this messy business. Had I known my daughters were mistreating your fianc¨¦e sooner, I would have stepped in. This has truly been an enlightening experience, on which we have both benefited from."


    And though the Prince said these polite words, he was thoroughly pissed off from everything


    that happened this day. He would take his leave immediately thereafter, using the maid who attended to Heidi to properly send Bruno off.


    Meanwhile, the Prince would return to his office, and vent his rage the only way he could as


    per his agreement, and that was by throwing a hissy fit in his office. Tossing tables over, and breaking everything that wasn''t worth anything of value from his perspective.


    As for Bruno, he would say his farewells to Heidi, and assured her that things would be


    different from now on. Though the girl was reluctant to part with him after everything that had happened, hepelled her to see reason with his goodbye. "Though I wish I could say that it had been a pleasure, I would be lying if I did so. Still, with


    all things considered I did enjoy the time I spent with you today. I''m just upset that we could not enjoy dinner together.


    There is no need to be afraid. After a p like that, I doubt your sisters will dare find trouble


    with you again. And your father has promised to restrain himself and his staff around you. Things should be much better for you from now on."


    Heidi silently nodded her head and blushed, averting her gaze from Bruno. Despite the roller


    coasters of emotions she felt today, she was very happy that Bruno hade to visit, even after everything that had happened.


    Because of this, she made an act that thoroughly surprised Bruno as he stood in her doorway,


    being led out by her maid. The girl leaned in close and pecked Bruno on the cheek, causing the boy, with the mind of a middle-aged man to lose hisposure, and track of thought. After


    which she thanked him with a sheepish tone before running off, too embarrassed to stay any longer. "Thank you... For everything!"


    Bruno stood in the doorway,pletely absent minded, his conscious state only returning, and his heart only settling after the girls'' maid giggled, no doubtughing at him.


    "It seems the Young Lord''s heart can be moved after all. You''re a very lucky boy. Even though


    you don''t know it, Heidi works very hard for the future. Outside of her studies she spends most of her time learning how to cook, and clean, and maintain a proper home." This remark only further caused Bruno''s mind to be thrown into disarray as he looked at the


    satisfied smile on the maid''s face. She then leaned close and whispered something in his ears that he found to bepletely rming.


    "Be careful, young Lord... The Prince has eyes and ears everywhere. He has been watching


    your progress for years, and after today''s efforts he may even begin to move against you in the shadows. He''s threatened by your intelligence. You must be very careful moving forward!"


    After saying this in the most severe tone possible, the maid returned to her usual self, smiling


    at Bruno as she spoke to him as if he were a child, escorting him to his carriage where his escort remained awaiting his arrival.


    Though they were shocked that the young master was heading out so soon, well before


    dinner, Bruno would not tell them why. Only that everything was fine, and he simply felt the sudden urge to return home.


    As promised to the Prince. What happened on this day remained entirely among the parties


    involved. For after hearing what the maid had said, Bruno had suddenly be much more cautious. So much so that he felt the need to adjust certain things about his future ns and behaviors going forward.

 Chapter 7: Belle of the Ball

    Chapter 7: Belle of the Ball


    ?


    Following the warning that Bruno received from Heidi''s maid, he immediately began to change how he depicted himself. He had not properly thought through the consequences of what disying such a terrifying intellect and cunning nature at such a young age would have on him.


    Until now, he had disyed the potential to be a world ss genius like that of Da Vinci, Newton, or Te. A man capable of changing the very world around him. And while such expectations came with many perks, it created as many, if not more dangers.


    Because of this, Bruno spent the next five years "dumbing down" his public persona. As if he peaked in childhood, Bruno suddenly went from being known for having the potential to be a peerless genius among humanity to a peerless genius among kids his own age.


    Even his parents were not clued in on this, and assumed it was simply a matter of age and personal development. That he had reached a bottleneck as he grew older. And while his father came to expect less of him, his mother still considered Bruno to be her favorite son, her little genius.


    Bruno''s initial ns to attend university at an unusual age were thwarted by his own genius. Instead, he was forced to endure the following years of schooling with those his own age, attended a private academy for Germany''s elite and noble youth in the day. While returning home to his peaceful family life in the afternoon.


    Five years passed like this, and the suspicions of Heidi''s father, a man by the name of Prince Gustav von Bentheim-Tecklenburg had finally subsided. He too bought into the fa?ade that Bruno created for himself.


    Gustav was a man of esteemed power and wealth. His family was of ancient and high nobility. And had once been rulers of their own vastnds.


    However, following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire theirnds were annexed and mediatized by the Kingdom of Prussia. Where in 1817, they were elevated to the status of princes, and in 1854 were granted a hereditary seat in the Prussian House of Lords.


    There was a reason the man was so prideful about his family''s position and was so antagonized by the Junker upstarts such as Bruno''s family. But with his eyes no longer lingering on Bruno the boy had been able to develop quite swimmingly.


    Over the course of the past five years, Bruno continued his independent studies, not only mastering the basic subjects that were required for graduation from the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute, but he also began to explore skills that would be necessary for his future ambitions of leading Germany to military and political dominance in theing century.


    Subjects he had ignored in his previous life such as politics, economics, and mechanical engineering became the primary interests of his personal study. But in addition to this, Bruno began to master the art of fencing.


    The era of the sword had long since passed. Guns and bays had reced the need for close quartersbat in most cases. And though the militaries of the day continued to delude themselves with chivalric notions of cavalry charges, the sad truth of the matter is such units became obsolete decades ago.


    But that was neither here nor there. There was a tradition of academic fencing among the German nobility, as well as its military. And though duels were ouwed years prior back in 1851 within Prussia, andter in 1871 when Germany was united under their banner.


    The fact remained that Duels to first blood were still amon urrence among the nobility, and the military to settle disputes, and would remain so until the outbreak of the Great War in 1914. Which was still decades away.


    Because of this, Bruno spent a considerable amount of time over the past five years mastering a variety of sword styles in case the need should ever arrive to defend his honor, or that of his


    woman.


    Eventually, his fifteenth birthday came and passed. Where Bruno was invited to a gathering of noble youth, for the celebration of Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, who was the daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm the II.


    Bruno and his family were only invited to such a prominent gathering due to his father''s position in the Reichstag, which he had been elected to as a representative of the Junker coalition during the previous year.


    Though his father''s aims were far more ambitious as he sought to be appointed to the Bundesrat which was the higher of Germany''s bicameral legiture, and more specifically be ced on the Committee of Land Army and Fortresses Which would naturally allow himself to ce his own family''s arms corporation and its products as a priority in terms of future military procurement.


    But to do that, Bruno''s father would need to make connections to the Kaiser, who was also the King of Prussia. Meaning that this ball gathering for the Princess'' uing second birthday was the perfect opportunity for such matters.


    Bruno was not the only one of his siblings afforded the honor of attending this event. In fact, it would be a gathering of thousands of noblemen and their families at the Kaiser''s personal pce. And tonight was the night of the event.


    Bruno looked at himself in the mirror. He had grown so much since first reincarnating into this world. In his past life, he was a rtively mundane looking man. Especially as he grew older, one would not think much of his appearance.


    But in this life he had been reborn as a noble scion, and in all honesty his facial features were not half bad. In fact, he was rather handsome by the standards of the day. His golden blonde hair was neatly parted into a style that would be fashionable in theing decades. While his rtively muscr and athletic physique was hidden behind the ultra-luxurious tailcoat which he wore.


    By no means had Bruno neglected his physical training in this life and instead was in far better shape than most men of the day. Physical fitness would be a supreme requirement for his future military career, and he was preparing for that day, which appeared to be nearing ever closer.


    There was a knock on Bruno''s door as he adjusted his bowtie so that it was perfectly straight. Followed by a familiar voice. The voice was feminine, like that of a young girl who was quickly blossoming into a woman. It was meek, and quite embarrassed, as it called out to Bruno from behind.


    "My Lord... Are you ready?"


    Bruno was honestly slightly surprised that his date for the evening hade to personally gather him for the event. But he quickly pushed this to the back of his mind and opened the door to reveal his darling little fianc¨¦e.


    Despite having the memories of a middle-aged man from his past life. Bruno was currently a teenager physically. His body was flooding with hormones that controlled his thoughts. And because of this, when he gazed upon Heidi''s teenage form, as she was dressed in avish Victorian style dress, while wearing the apanying jewelry he couldn''t help but get slightly flustered.


    He had no idea when they were kids that the girl he would one day married when they became adults would be such a beautiful woman, and she still had plenty of time to further develop Bruno was forced to shake his head, and remind himself that he shouldn''t be having


    any inappropriate thoughts.


    But it was hard to do so, with the young woman bashfully averting her gaze from the boy, while her face was as equally flustered as his. Rather than wear her usual twin braid style, she had tidied her golden locks into an elegant bun.


    And if Bruno was being honest, it added an air of maturity that the girl did not normally have. The two of them persisted in a state of an awkward silence, until ultimately Heidi interrupted it, stammering while she did so.


    "My... My Lord... You really should not have spent so much on this dress and jewelry... It is unbefitting for a bastard like me to waste so much of your money...."


    It was not as if Bruno knew why Heidi felt this way. Though he had stopped her bullying problems at home. The ridicule she would receive by the noble girls who were friends with her sisters was something he had no control over.


    And because of this, the girl was still deeply self-conscious about her position in life. Bruno alone had the ability to convince her to be more confident of herself. Which he was quick to do so, with a charming smirk, as he grabbed hold of her dainty chin and forced his fianc¨¦e to look


    him in the eyes.


    "My Lord? I have told you this a thousand times, Heidi, but I don''t like it when you refer to me by my title when we are alone together... Besides, I spend my money how I please, is it a sin for me to bestow my future bride with a wardrobe worthy of her beauty?" Heidi''s face was as red as can be. She seemed to have a hard time expressing herself, and quickly ran off, no longer able to face Bruno after he said such embarrassing things to her.


    "I''ll wait for you in the automobile my... Bruno!"


    Once she was gone, Bruno sighed and shook his head, thinking how much he would have fallen for the girl if he didn''t have his old memories in his head. But give her five more years when she was finally an adult, and even he wouldn''t be able to resist such feelings. After thinking this, Bruno left the corridor and entered the grand hall of his family''s manor, where he saw his brother Ludwig and his parents waiting patiently for his arrival. Ludwig was the only other of their children who had not yet reached the age of majority and moved out after marrying their fianc¨¦e. Kurt and all of Bruno''s other siblings would meet them at the


    venue.


    When Bruno''s mother saw her youngest boy enter the venue, she ran up and hugged him. She always disyed a little too much motherly affection towards him. His mother''s name was Elsa, and frankly, she matched the image that immediately came to mind when he heard the name that should otherwise belong to a princess.


    Elsa couldn''t help but make an embarrassing statement about her youngest child and his current refined appearance.


    "My baby boy is all grown up! You will be the most handsome young gentleman at the ball!"


    Ludwig couldn''t help but immediately rolled his eyes at the scene presented to him. No matter how old Bruno became, their mother would still treat him as if he were a small child.


    Even Bruno was embarrassed by the overly affectionate behavior, and shoved his mother


    aside, while chastising her as if he were the parent.


    "Enough, mother... I''m no longer a child. It''s not eptable for a woman your age to be so


    handsy with me!"


    Elsa pouted like a girl half her age and pulled her son''s ear while lecturing him about his


    audacity to scold her.


    "Who do you think the parent is between the two of us, young man!?! Dear, are you just going to sit there and not properly discipline our son?"


    Bruno''s father, who shared the same name as his youngest son simply looked at his wife and


    sighed heavily in exhaustion. She had always been this way with their youngest child. Perhaps it was because the boy was her youngest that she continued to treat him like a baby. But ultimately, no matter how many times he scolded her about it, she would continue to do so. He was resigned to endure such embarrassment, and instead simply told the family to get into the automobile so they could head to the venue.


    "Alright that''s enough, Bruno. Your young fianc¨¦e is already waiting for you in the automobile. As for you Ludwig, your own betrothed is already at the venue, waiting for you to arrive. So let''s not waste any further time!"


    With this said, the family set off in their luxurious able to their destination. While the automobile was by no meansmon, and horse travel was still the primary means of travel within cities like Berlin. The wealthy did have ess to early forms of such vehicles which were invented a mere eight years prior, and Bruno''s family was no exception to this.


    After arriving at the Kaiser''s pce, and being properly greeted into the main hall where a massive gathering of nobles was taking ce. Bruno took Heidi''s hand, who was shaking with anxiety, and led her into the venue. Many eyes were drawn to the two of them.


    Not only because of Bruno''s family''s recently established position within German politics.


    But because they were shocked that the Rumors were actually true. Until now, Bruno and Heidi had never truly been to a public event such as this together.


    Bruno after all had a tendency to avoid such social gatherings, as he had no interest in rubbing shoulder with a bunch of rich snobs who acted like they were superior to them because their great-great-grandfather may have invented something like the toilet brush.


    No, he would rather mingle with people who had more promising talents, still at his father''s


    behest he was forced to attend today. And since it was a social gathering, he naturally brought his young fianc¨¦e with him.


    Heidi was well known for being the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy Prince. And there had been rumors that a engagement existed between her, and the youngest son of a wealthy Junker. But now it was fully confirmed. And people stared and made whispers among one


    another.


    But there was one thing that people did not expect, and that was the fact that the young bastard girl would, when dressed up, exhibit the qualities associated with her noble bloodline. Her elder sisters were at the event and stared with hideous expressions at their youngest half sister.


    Who, despite being just barely capable of embracing the moniker "teenager" was already


    more beautiful than any of them. When dressed in such luxurious attire, which Bruno had spared no expense on her behalf, she was the one who looked the most like a fairy-tale princess among them.


    And this was naturally a factor which contributed to the amount of onlookers both she and Bruno received as they entered the venue. Knowing how frightened Heidi had be due to all the looks and whispers she was receiving, Bruno shocked her by pulling her into his arms,


    and stated the words that absolutely made every noble girl and woman in attendance furious beyond measure.


    "Don''t worry about the onlookers. They are simply jealous of your natural beauty. Now, how about the two of us go have some fun?"


    Even though the attention she was receiving was truly a dreadful experience for the girl, so


    long as Bruno was by her side, she was quick to follow him with a smile on her face. "As you wish, My Lord!"

 Chapter 8: A Duel of Honor

    Chapter 8: A Duel of Honor


    ?


    Bruno had little concern for making connections on this night like his father did. In fact, he had already stuck out more than he wanted to. He felt this was due to how bright Heidi shined next to him.


    Completely unaware that he himself had caught the interest of several young noble maidens was envious towards Heidi not only because of the regal beauty which she emanated but also because she was with Bruno.


    Instead, the two of them enjoyed themselves, as if this entire event had nothing to do with them, as if they were all alone. And not surrounded by a litany of pampered noblemen and


    women.


    The two of them had barely paid attention when the Kaiser himself, the ruler of the German Empire appeared at the venue, along with his two-year-old daughter who this extravagant event was being thrown for.


    Although he paid little attention to the man, Bruno did notice the Kaiser. In his past life he was well aware of this man, and the bad reputation he was unfairly given due to the defeat of Germany in the Great War as well as the abominable treaty of Versailles that followed.


    Unfortunately for the Kaiser, he was med for many of the problems that gued Germany following the end of the war. Most of which were actually the faults of the Social Democrats and their precious Weimar republic.


    A state which sought to submit to France, as well as the interests of international


    corporations, both of which had a desire to bleed Germany as much as possible for sins they were not responsible formitting.


    It was revenge, in and simple. For the humiliating defeat which the French suffered at the hands of the Germans in 1871. And unfortunately the Kaiser was the one who took the me for it all. But there were still well over twenty years before such problems manifested themselves.


    And because of this, Kaiser Wilhelm II was a beloved figure in the German Reich. Bruno took note of this historical figure, before returning his attention to Heidi who had no interest in things like politics, or noble hierarchy.


    The girl''s anxiety hadrgely faded away throughout the night as she focused her attention on her future fianc¨¦, whom she had known and gotten along with since they were young children. Though Bruno didn''t realize it, she was quite literally counting down the days before she turned eighteen and could marry him. Which was still another five years away.


    This was partially out of a desire to be free of her family, but far more so because she had long since fallen in love with the boy. Which, as she entered her teenage years, only further intensified with new and embarrassing desires.


    Bruno was only slightly aware of the girl''s feelings towards him. He really didn''t know exactly how strong they were. But he himself still treated the girl as a close friend, and someone he was bound to protect because in the future they would indeed be married.


    Romantically speaking, he had yet to consciously be aware of any feelings towards her. Even if they were bubbling in the background of his hormone addled mind. Because of this, the two of themfortably chatted in the background of the event.


    Entirely unaware that there had been a very sinister set of eyestching onto the couple. And those were the eyes of Princess ra von Bentheim-Tecklenburg, who was the eldest sister of Heidi''s. By now she was in her early-twenties, and was fully married to a Prince from a proper Principality.


    After being pped by Bruno years ago, ra had never forgiven the man, nor her half-sister Heidi who from then on she was not allowed to directly bully or harass. Still, she had used her influence to get her peers to pressure Heidi whenever they could.


    Because of this, Heidi spent most of her days locked away inside her mother''s manor, waiting for those days when Bruno coulde to visit her or vice versa. As any attempt to make friends was thoroughly dashed by her sister''s petty need for revenge.


    But on this day, ra drank a bit too much wine after witnessing her half-sister outshine her. And when she was speaking to her husband,ining about Heidi and Bruno. She let something slip that she shouldn''t have. Especially after the woman''s husband questioned why she was so angry.


    "ra, darling, why does it bother you so? The boy you speak of is the ninth son of Junker, and that girl is a bastard. They are beneath the concern of people such as ourselves...." ra''s husband was not just a Prince of a proper principality, but he was the third in line to the throne. Only if his two older brothers passed away, then he would be the reigning Prince, after their father finally kicked the bucket that is.


    Germany had several small principalities, that were states that did notpare to the muchrger and more significant states such as Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, et cetera. But through theplicated process of the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, and the unification of the German Empire, somehow these minor regions kept the prestigious title of Prince and Princesses.


    This man was one of those Princes, and he, like ra''s father had a disdain for the lower and newer nobility. Let alone bastards andmoners. But ra was really upset about people that should otherwise be beneath her notice. And this confused the man. Intoxicated as she was, ra grit her teeth and hissed the truth, which she was never supposed to reveal.


    "I know that... But that little shit... He dared toy his hands on me, and I can never forgive him for that!"


    A sense of rage went down the Prince''s spine. That teenage boyid a hand on his wife? When, and in what manner? Was it violent or sexual? Or God forbid sexually violent!?!? The very idea enraged the man as he quickly set his wife aside and began to walk towards Bruno.


    "Wait here one moment. I want to have a chat with this little boy!"


    Instantly realizing that she had said something she shouldn''t have. ra tried to grab the Prince''s wrist and prevent him from making a scene, but she was apparently so drunk that her depth perception was off. As for her cries to halt his actions, they were drowned out by the sound of the festivities in the background.


    "Wait! You can''t!"


    Bruno was on the dance floor with Heidi when a man in his early twenties came walking towards him with a stern expression on his face. Years of paranoia caused by constantly being on the lookout for Prince Gustav''s spies had taught Bruno to keep his head on a swivel at all times, and he quickly ceased his dance with Heidi, who was too caught up in the moment to understand what was going on.


    For safety reasons, Bruno ced the girl behind him as he stood brazenly in front of the man who approached him. Much to his shock, and everyone else in the ballroom, Prince Julius von Lippe pulled off his white glove and pped Bruno across the face with it. Immediately shouting some nonsense at him, while challenging the fifteen-year-old boy to a duel. "You little brat, you dare toy hands on my wife! I demand satisfaction! Apologize to my wife this instant, or find me at dawn and we will settle this like proper men!"


    The echo of the Prince''s p was like that of a gunshot going off. It immediately drew everyone''s attention to what was going on. The 21-year-old Prince had actually just pped a fifteen-year-old boy and challenged him to a duel.


    But duel''s were technically ouwed in society, and at this point were so antiquated and anachronistic that many of the guests snickered in the background at Julius'' behavior. But the man was so outraged he had not caught this.


    Still, to have the nerve to challenge another man to a duel in front of the Kaiser. Some people''s opinions of Julian were that he most certainly did notck courage. Bruno would normally like to settle a matter such as this with diplomacy.


    After all, angering a Prince, even one from a minor state like Julius was a bad idea. But when he saw ra''s vicious expression in the background, Bruno immediately knew what had happened. The Princess had gotten drunk and said something about what happened five years ago to her husband.


    Bruno had one option now: appeal to authority, and hopefully the Kaiser would break this rabble apart before any serious injury was done to either party. Or make an enemy of both Julius, and by extension his father-inw, who himself was seething in the background. But the fury in Gustav''s eyes was not aimed towards Bruno, who he had settled this matter years ago when it had first urred. Rather, his wrath was directed towards his errant daughter who had revealed something that could have a very negative effect not only on her own family and upbringing, but on that of the Prince she was married to. Ultimately, Bruno decided not to back down, and instead appeal to the authority of the Kaiser who was watching the developments with great interest, while those around him whispered


    about the audacity of what was happening.


    "Though I don''t know what I have done to offend you, if you challenge me here in front of so many witnesses, you arepelling me to ept your offer. That is, of course, if the Kaiser would permit something as roguish as a duel."


    The reality of the situation was that the honor of the woman in question being fought over


    was not that of the Princess ra, but rather of the bastard girl known as Heidi Krieger. After all, this whole ordeal started because Bruno dared to defend her against her older half- sister''s attempted abuse.


    Few people knew this, but for those who did, it was something they did not want to be public. And because of this, Heidi tried to get Bruno to stop before the Kaiser could respond.


    "My Lord, you don''t need to do this! There is no need for you to risk injury for the sake of someone like me!"


    Bruno had a stern expression as he eyed Prince Julius, but when he turned around and responded to Heidi''s concerns, it was one of nothing but warmth. He patted the girl''s head in front of everyone, while assuring her that he was happy to defend her honor.


    "Do you think I fear a halfwit who so brazenly challenges a teenage boy to a duel despite not knowing the full circumstances behind his petty rage? I would be honored to take up the


    sword on behalf of your honor, My Lady..."


    The crowd began to whisper among themselves regarding all kinds of things. Despite being a bastard, Bruno had referred to Heidi as "My Lady" which was wholly inappropriate to do so,


    as such a term implied noble status.


    Second, he said he was taking up this duel on behalf of her honor, but the Prince had


    challenged Bruno on behalf of his wife''s Honor who was the Princess ra von Bentheim- Tecklenburg who Bruno had apparentlyid his hands on.


    After a brief spread of rumors, people quickly realized Heidi was ra''s half-sister, and that


    Bruno had likely offended the Princess on the girl''s behalf at some unknown time and ce. Needless to say, Julius was confused by this development, as it was nothing like his wife had


    told him.


    As for the Kaiser, he was sufficiently inebriated to have taken an interest in this plot development. Sure a duel would not exactly be legal in this day and age. But as long as it wasn''t to the death, then wouldn''t it just be a nice disy of fencing for his guests?


    It was, after all his beloved daughter''s second birthday, and what better way to honor the girl


    than by having two men fight at her celebration. Because of this, the Kaiser broke out into apuse, stealing everyone''s attention away from the drama as he gave permission for the duel to be held here and now in his home.


    "Wonderful! Simply wonderful! The passionate disy of youth! It''s a perfect scene for us all to enjoy, isn''t it? Though a duel to the death would most certainly vite thew. I would not be above permitting a fencing exhibition between the two of you.


    Would you two young gentlemen perhaps be interested in a bit of mensur? The winner, of course, will be determined by whoever yields first. So how about it?"


    Bruno sighed heavily. He realized that he should not have expected the Kaiser who had been known in his past life for having fanciful thoughts towards war, and chivalry to prevent this duel from taking ce. And realizing that he had no other chocie, Bruno was quick to ept


    the offer with a respectful bow.


    "My Kaiser, it would be my honor top perform a bout of fencing with the Prince here as an honorable disy for your daughter''s second birthday."


    Prince Julius had a smug smirk on his face. This boy wanted to beat him in a bout of fencing?


    He himself was a regional mensur champion. What could a mere child have inparison to


    his skills? With the Kaiser''s permission, the two men were handed swords of the epee variety. This was not your standard epee of modern sport fencing. Its de was sharp and its point was intact.


    Normally, the fencers would be given a pair of protective goggles and some form of body


    armor.


    But in this case, only the swords were given. After all, this was a duel disguised as a fencing match. The ballroom floor was vacated with all parties other than the fencers gathered to the


    side, many of which had drinks in their hands as they made bets on who they thought would win the bout.


    As for the referee, it was the Chancellor himself. With the infamous Iron Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck having retired a mere four years prior. This meant that the man acting as witness


    and referee for the duel was none other than Leo von Caprivi, who made sure the two fencers were aware of the rules before going at it.


    Heidi did not have the nerve to look and watch Bruno get hurt. She wanted desperately to look


    away and look back only for things to be perfectly normal. As if this duel was a mere fanciful


    thought. But something within her told her that it was her duty to watch the man she loved fight on


    behalf of her honor. And as embarrassed as she might be in that moment, so much so that she couldn''t open her eyes and express her thoughts at the same time. She mustered the courage


    in that moment and shouted a sentiment that would not be forgotten by anyone who bore


    witness.


    "You can do this, my love! I believe in you!"


    Bruno was testing the bnce of his de when he heard this, while waiting for the duel to


    begin. His face became flustered as he heard the words "my love" so shamelessly be spoken


    by Heidi. It took him a second to recover, and when he did so, he chuckled and shook his head. His opponent was grimacing at Bruno''s nonchnt nature. The boy was clearly not considering him to be a threat. And because of this, there was a gruff tone in his voice as questioned Bruno''s actions.


    "And what pray tell is so funny?"


    Bruno sighed as he took a fencing stance with his epee, pointing the de in the direction of


    his opponent. There was a confident expression on his face as he said the words that enraged his opponent.


    "How can I possibly have the face when mydy expresses such love for me?"


    With this, the bout began and before Julius even realized it, his torso had been pierced by his


    opponent. It was not a mortal wound, but the de did indeed pierce the flesh and was quickly withdrawn.


    Julius and the crowd were in disbelief at how swiftly and skillfully Bruno had moved. Had it


    been a duel to first blood, then the bout would have been decided just as it had begun. But this


    duel would only end when one yielded.


    And the Prince was a stubborn fool. He howled in pain like a pig that had been stuck by a


    spear, while screaming at Bruno for his attack.


    "You little shit! You stabbed me!?!"


    Bruno stared at his opponent as if he was an idiot before expressing this sentiment aloud. One that caused the entire crowd, except for ra to break out intoughter.


    "I mean honestly, your grace? What were you expecting? This is a duel, not a knittingpetition! Now do you yield? Or do I need to poke a few more holes in you before you see


    reason?"


    Julius was in disbelief. He was a regional Mensur champion. And yet this boy, this fifteen-


    year-old child, has struck him so swiftly? Where was his honor? Where was his face after enduring such an insult?


    He quickly thrusted his de towards Bruno, and vicious at that, aiming for Bruno''s eye in an attempt to blind him. But Bruno''s reflexes were swift. Acting on mere impulse and muscle


    memory, he parried the de, and struck the Prince in the shoulder with another aggravating and piercing blow.


    Upon seeing the Prince try to so grievously wound him, Bruno saw no point in showing mercy.


    At first he had decided to give the Prince a fair fight, in order to maintain some face for his lofty title.


    But after witnessing the fool try to blind him for no reason, Bruno took off the kiddy gloves and increased the speed and intensity of his thrusts. Piercing the man''s body again and again and again, until his blood had seeped through his white dress shirt and stained it red. Yet time and again Julius would raise to attack Bruno, only for his attempts to be quickly


    thwarted, resulting in another counter attack that struck his body. There were so many holes in Julius'' torso that he was now in danger of dying from blood loss. Ultimately forcing the referee to step in and call an end to the contest.


    The Kaiser''s Leibgarde quickly restrained Julius who went out of control as he realize he had


    beenpletely and utterly humiliated in his attempt to protect his wife''s honor, and by a fifteen-year-old boy no less.


    "This isn''t over! So long as I can still breathe I will not yield!"


    But the referee had called an end to the contest, no matter how much determination the


    Prince may have, he lost. And was escorted to a proper clinic to treat his wounds, and rather forcefully by the Kaiser''s Leibgarde.


    After the fight was over, and his de was returned to the Kaiser''s staff, Heidi rushed over


    and hugged Bruno. There were tears in her eyes. She had clearly been very anxious while watching the duel. And she even searched Bruno for wounds. Yet there was not a mark on his flesh. Once she had finished, she cursed him out for being so foolish.


    "You damn fool! I was so worried about you! Why would you do something so stupid?" Bruno smirked and patted the girl''s hair silky golden hair, before saying the first words that came to his head, which he thought would make him look like a proper nobleman. "For your honor, mydy? I would dly give my life!"


    Heidi was truly stunned into silence when she heard these wordse from Bruno''s mouth.


    Though Bruno didn''t realize it, his nonchnt statement had actually reached the depths of the girl''s heart. If she was already head over heels in love with the boy, she was now dedicated


    to being his dutiful wife for the rest of her life. She wiped the tears in her eyes, and leaned in close, taking advantage of Bruno''s embarrassment towards his own shameless statement to kiss him on the lips. Thoroughly causing the boy''s brain to meltdown. Bruno stood there in silence as Heidi finished her peck on the lips, before she made a statement that would force Bruno to honor his remarks.


    "I''ll hold you to that promise!"

 Chapter 9: Entering the Academy

    Chapter 9: Entering the Academy


    ?


    Contrary to what Bruno''s father initially believed would happen following his son''s duel with the Prince of Lippe, the Kaiser was not at all offended by the boy''s actions. And was actually quite pleased with his performance. Going out of his way to approach Bruno''s father and establish ties with him.


    Because of this, Bruno''s father and the Junker coalition would gain a significant amount of favor in the Reichstag''s next election. And in theing years, Bruno''s father would be appointed to the Bundesrat as he desired.


    Despite Prince Julius'' grievous injuries, he did not perish, and instead made a full recovery. And though he wanted to take vengeance on Bruno for humiliating him to such a degree, his father condemned him in the most severe of terms, and made sure that the Prince would not make any trouble.


    Another two years had passed in the blink of an eye. Bruno finished up his schooling without incident and applied for admission to the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute. With the personal rmendation of the Kaiser himself.


    Who had begun keeping a close eye on Bruno ever since his performance on that fateful night. Bruno was epted with ease into Prussia''s foremost military academy for training new officers.


    Like most military academies, Bruno would be forced to live in the barracks. Meaning he would not be able to return home for some time. Because of this, he gathered his mother, father, and young fianc¨¦e together in his home. Where he said his temporary farewells, as he would not be able to see any of them until the holidays when they were granted leave.


    Both Elsa and Heidi were in tears, as they did not want to wait so long to see the boy, no, the young man, return from the academy. However, his father had a look of pride on his face, as he congratted Bruno on getting admitted to the academy like his brothers had before him. "Bruno, I had no doubt that someone of your talents would get epted to the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute. Your talents are exceptional, perhaps even peerless among those your own age. But you wille to understand that your noble status means nothing where you are headed off to.


    Gone are the days where nobility gain esteemed positions in the military because of their heritage. The Army is a ce of pure meritocracy. You will gain your position when you earn it, but you must start out from the bottom like everyone else.


    I rmend that you do not behave poorly towards those ofmon birth, as they too will be alongside you as your fellow cadets. And it would be unwise to make enemies simply because our family has earned the honor of being called Lords."


    Bruno naturally had no intentions of looking down uponmoners. He had never done so in this life, and the reason for that was simple. He still had memories of his past life where it was an era long after the monarchy and noble families had fallen from power and glory.


    Because of this, he had no such arrogance simply because his family was born into a higher social ss. Thus, he nodded his head and assured his father he need not worry about such things.


    "You don''t need to fret over such matters, Father. Since when have I ever treated someone poorly simply because they were amoner?"


    This assuring statement caused Bruno''s father to smile and nod his head in agreement with his youngest son''s remarks.


    "Indeed, you are not like your brothers. Since a young age, you have had an air of wisdom and maturity that usually onlyes with exceptional life experience. I do not worry about you in the slightest. Now, I believe you have twodies waiting to say their farewells to you."


    Bruno shook his father''s hand before turning to address his mother. Despite the fact that she was in her mid forties, she looked as if she were ten years younger. She was crying profusely over the idea that her youngest son had finally be a man.


    No matter how much she tried to resist the urge to hug her youngest son, Elsa could not do so. She clung tightly to Bruno and made him promise that he would be okay.


    "My baby boy is all grown up, and going off to the Academy. Promise me, Bruno, that you will write to your mother every day! I want to hear how life is treating you in the Army! If anyone dares bully you, you tell your mother and she will straighten them out real quick!"


    Bruno had to force himself away from his mother''s embrace. He had long since grown ustomed to her overprotective nature. But he would also never make a promise he couldn''t fulfill. Because of this, he was quick to reject his mother''s request, but assured her everything would be fine.


    "Rx mother, it''s not like I am going off to war. I''m simply attending a Military Institute of higher learning. I''ll be fine."


    The woman tried to hug Bruno again, but he evaded with his catlike reflexes. Meanwhile, his father patted the woman''s shoulder and held her in ce with his firm grip to ensure that she didn''t try to keep the boy any longer. After all, there was another young woman who required Bruno''s attention far more than his mother.


    Though she was only a bastard, and an unrecognized one at that. Bruno''s father had long since grown ustomed to Heidi being a good match for his son, and had even begun to refer to her as a young "Lady" in private, despite her not being a noblewoman. Bruno gave his father a slight nod of approval before walking over to Heidi who, like his mother was crying. She had grown up even more since that ball two years ago. And was now physically mature, even if she was not yet legally an adult.


    Bruno wiped the tear from the young maiden''s eyes with his finger. Before hugging her tightly, he assured the young woman that he would be back before she even realized it.


    "Heidi, must you really cry over something like this? It will only be a few months before we see each other again. You''re a grown woman now, one that I will one day be proud to call my wife. Surely you can wait for my return. After all, if I am ever called off to war, you will be required to wait much longer."


    There was no fear in Heidi''s eyes when Bruno said one day he will be marching to war. Rather, she simply smiled and nodded her head. Assuring him that she would faithfully await his


    return.


    "I promise, I will wait until youe to find me. And in two years, we can finally be married!"


    Bruno pat the young woman''s silky golden hair, as he had often done in the past when they were children, and said goodbye, while the family servants grabbed his trunks and escorted them out the front door to the automobile.


    "This is goodbye for now, Heidi. I will see you in a few months..."


    After saying this, Bruno walked out the door of his family''s manor, which had been his home since his reincarnation into this era. He did not take a second to look back, fully embracing his future. One which he hoped would allow him to lead Germany to victory in theing century. So that the past mistakes of his previous life could be thoroughly rewritten.


    Upon arrival at the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute found himself lined up with all the other cadets, as a drill instructor barkedmands at them. As someone who had previously undergone a simr experience in his past life, Bruno was well ustomed to such harshness. After basic orientation, Bruno was forced to change into his cadet uniform, along with all others, and was escorted to the Barracks where he met with several other young men. The Officer Corps of the German Army was filled with many men of noble blood. But there were alsomoners among their ranks as well.


    The young man who had the bottom bunk that was shared with Bruno had been born into a wealthy merchant family, albeit one without any noble titles. After all, it was the age of industry, and because of this manymoners were wealthier than noblemen.


    But for whatever reason, either ack of military gantry, or a failure to provide to the Reich''s scientific and cultural achievements. They remained as the status ofmoners. Heinrich Koch, a man of such birth, was quick to introduce himself to his new bunk mate. "The name is Heinrich Koch. It is a pleasure to meet you friend. And you are?" Bruno smiled as he shook the man''s hand. Like he had told his father, he held no contempt for themoners, and if they were capable men, which one would have to be to attend this university, he would be happy to establish ties with them.


    "Bruno von Zehntner, and the pleasure is all mine Heinrich."


    Heinrich''s eyes widened when he heard this. His experience with nobles had been a mix of good and bad. Many were happy to exchange pleasantries to his face, but were more than willing to smear his reputation behind his back. While other just openly looked down on him because of his family''smoner status.


    Because of this, he had developed a good judgement of character from a young age, and could usually tell when someone was sincere or not. And he could tell by a single exchange of names that Bruno was unlike most nobles he had met. Because of this, he was quick toment on


    this.


    "A young Lord without an unearned sense of ego? Well, that''s refreshing. I wonder, what kind of family did you grow up in to have such a humble attitude?"


    Bruno chuckled when he heard this and began to speak of his family''s background. They were a recently established house. One which earned their nobility through blood and iron in the Napoleonic wars. And one who raised their sons to be soldiers.


    Because of this, he had grown up with a sense of duty to the Reich and its people. As well as a more humble attitude. When Bruno exined all of this, the man nodded his head, fully understanding why he was not like the others.


    Unfortunately, one of the other noblemen within the barracks overheard him and was quick to


    approach Bruno. After all, he had made quite a name for himself after besting Prince Julius two years prior, and nobles seemed to have long memories.


    "Hold on a second. Did I hear you correctly? Bruno von Zehntner, as in the guy who bested Prince Julius von Lippe in a duel of honor? That''s you?"


    Bruno looked over at the man who said this and was quick to confirm he was indeed that man.


    "That''s correct. Although it was really just a glorified fencing match. Why do you ask?"


    The young nobleman was quick to push Heinrich aside and introduce himself, which was something that Bruno found distasteful.


    "I have heard a lot about you. They say you''re a peerless genius among those your own age. Although, I have been known to be something of a genius myself! I look forward topeting


    with you!"


    Bruno looked at the man with an odd expression. Almost as if he was looking at an idiot who self-proimed himself to be more intelligent than he actually was. Which was somethingmonly found among stupid people.


    And because of this, he leaned over and whispered to Heinrich, inquiring just who this young


    man was.


    "I''m sorry. Who is this guy supposed to be?"


    Heinrich sighed. He was well aware of who this man was. He was infamous for abusing his privilege as a nobleman, and that of his father who was in the Reichstag.


    "That is Erich von Humboldt. He thinks he is some kind of prodigy. But in reality he is a bit of


    a durd. The only reason he is here is because his father intervened on his behalf and pulled some strings. Normally that isn''t supposed to happen, but when your father is in the Reichstag, certain shady deals can be made behind the scenes..."


    Bruno was curious about this, he had earned his ce in this school, what with his unapparelled academics, as well as the fact that he earned the Kaiser''s favor through chivalric action who was more than happy to write a letter of rmendation on his behalf.


    But that was the extent of the help he received from the Kaiser. Kaiser Wilhelm II was not willing to personally pull strings to get Bruno admitted, as the rtionship between the Kaiser and Bruno''s father was not that deep. Nor did Bruno or his father ask such a massive


    favor.


    It was these kinds of people who Bruno despised. But he did not say anything to Erich. Because he figured that a guy like him would wash out of the Academy in a few weeks, maybe a few months at the top.


    And so Bruno''s life in the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute. It was a ce where lifetime friendships would be forged. And where Bruno himself would earn his ce as an officer in the Imperial German Army.

 Chapter 10: A Day Long Awaited

    Chapter 10: A Day Long Awaited


    ?


    Life in the Academy was tough, but fair. It was no walk in the park, but because Bruno already had experience in this regard from his past life, he was more than capable of fulfilling what was required of him.


    In fact, he excelled where others hadgged behind. Even the drill instructors could not help but express surprise at Bruno''s ability toplete the tasks required of him. Despite having no formal military training, the boy could march, salute, run, and shoot with the best of them.


    On top of this, Bruno performed with the highest marks in all subjects, whether it was strategy, tactics, mathematics, science, history et cetera. He had demonstrated a clear mastery of all.


    In addition to this, Bruno appeared to be quite innovative and forward thinking when it came to the subject of grand strategy. Gaining praise from all of his instructors for his revolutionary use of tactics within war games.


    In the three years that Bruno spent in the academy, he had grown close to two of his fellow cadets. Heinrich Koch, and surprisingly the arrogant young nobleman Erich von Humboldt. As Bruno had anticipated, Erich had a hell of a first week at the Academy.


    Growing up as a pampered nobleman, Erich was in no shape to perform the physical tasks required of them as Army Cadets. But through sheer perseverance, he had survived, and somehow managed not to get cut from the roster.


    As a result, he became much more humble and realistic about his own limitations. Going so far as to begin approaching those who excelled in various fields searching for their guidance. This was an admirable quality which attracted Bruno''s attention.


    Erich would ultimately improve his performance over the first semester, to the point where Bruno had no problem including him into his study group, as the man had actually turned out to be a hidden talent he could make use of in the future.


    Today was the day before Bruno''s wedding day. Heidi had just turned eighteen a few weeks prior. Whereas Bruno was twenty years old at this very moment. He would be granted a day of leave from the Academy to attend his wedding.


    But that would only happen tomorrow. For today, he was still at the Academy. Currently discussing the ongoing geo-political situation among his two friends. Heinrich and Erich.


    "The Kaiser challenges the British Navy on the seas. This Naval Arms race is destined to cause conflict between our two great nations. And if handled poorly, will result in a war on a scale which will cost the lives of tens of millions of men on both sides.


    But it may very well be a decade and a half before such a war breaks out. My immediate concern is the outbreak of war within Qing China. As we speak, the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, or the Boxer Movement, as we moremonly refer to them as. Have gained considerable size and strength.


    The Boxers are an anti-imperialist, and xenophobic movement which seeks to expel all non- Chinese from the nation by force. They have already attacked our missionaries and merchants. At their current rate of aggression, it is only a matter of time before they grow bolder. Their slogan is quite literally "Kill the foreigners! ughter the followers of the foreign devils!" If they are allowed to continue to gain power and the Qing Dynasty chooses to support them even further. Then I fear the end result will be military intervention. I give it a year at most before such a thing urs if things continue to progress like this.


    Now, the Chinese may be a few decades behind us in terms of military technology, but they have made great strides towards modernization these past few years. Because of this, they should not be underestimated under any circumstances. Such a thing could lead to a humiliating defeat.


    It is because of this I intend to volunteer for the East Asian Expeditionary Corps the moment I graduate from this academy. Which should be just in time to getfortable with my new unit before we deploy to Northern China to put down the Boxer rebellion..."


    Matters in China were far away on the eastern side of the world. Few Cadets cared to actually bother themselves with learning of such matters. But Bruno would have a thorough conversation with his fellow cadets about the subject, educating them on the importance the region had towards the future.


    By the end of the discussion, both Heinrich and Erich seemed eager to take part in the war alongside Bruno. With Heinrich being the first to voice his agreement to volunteer for the East Asian Expeditionary Corps as well.


    "Fuck it, why the hell not? What''s the point of joining the Army if you don''t actually get to see battle? Besides, I hear China is an ancient and mystical ce. Full of many beautiful women, it would be a shame not to visit at least once in my life!"


    Erich nodded his head in agreement with this statement. With their performance in the Academy, they would likely be given priority to wherever they desired to serve. And China sounded like it would be a good ce to gain some properbat experience. Especially if Bruno was so confident that war was about to erupt in the region.


    As for Bruno, he smirked before responding to Heinrich''sment about beautiful Chinese


    women.


    "I''ll leave the localdies to you two. I''m a married man as of tomorrow. And I don''t intend to take a mistress."


    Heinrich immediately patted Bruno''s back andmented on his situation as if it were something undesirable.


    "That is the one thing I do not envy about you nobles. Imagine getting married upon reaching adulthood. Where is your opportunity to live and have fun?"


    Bruno however shook his head. He had experienced quite a bit of "fun" in his youth during his past life. But his greatest regret as he got older was never getting married or having any children.


    He would not ruin such a valuable opportunity given to him in this life by entertaining in such hedonism. Because of this, he shook his head and sighed, sounding like an old man as he lectured Heinrich on his words.


    "You will understand when you''re older..."


    Both Heinrich and Erich broke out intoughter when they heard this, mocking Bruno for his words.


    "What do you mean when we''re older? You''re the youngest cadet in our year! Mr. I graduated from High School a year earlier than everyone else!"


    With that, Bruno would continue to have fun with his friends before going back to his studies for the day. He would have a long and peaceful sleep that night, because the next day he would be getting married.


    Bruno was up bright and early the next morning, he was transported to his family''s estate where he would prepare for the wedding, which was being heldter that day at a church in Berlin. As a Prussian his family were protestants, not that Bruno cared for religion at all.


    Still, the entire family had gathered. And not just his father, mother, and siblings. But all of his uncles, aunts and cousins as well. In addition to this, Heidi''s mother was present. As for her father, and half-siblings.


    None of them dared show up at a bastard''s wedding. Heidi had never been legitimized, and thus, for them to show up to her wedding would be some kind of recognition that she was a von Bentheim-Tecklenburg, which she was not.


    Because of this, the girl was walked down the aisle not by her father, but by Bruno''s father, who had in many ways been more of a father to the girl in her youth, than her own. Bruno stood at the altar, dressed in the most luxurious tailcoat tuxedo of the era.


    While Heidi walked down the aisle to the sound of the music, with a bouquet of white roses in her hands. Wearing a Victorian style wedding dress that was suitable for a princess. All the while her hair was one more tied up in an elegant bun.


    Even Bruno''s breath was stolen away when she approached the altar, and the veil over her head was removed. Throughout the past three years at the military academy, he had seldom seen the girl, only on holidays.


    But whenever they did see one another, it was a warm and loving atmosphere. He had to admit, now that she was eighteen, and they were about to get married. That over the past fifteen years of being childhood friends, he had fallen under the woman''s spell.


    And because of this, Bruno simply smiled, and made a whisper towards his young bride while the Lutheran Priest was going through the motions, preparing his long-winded speech before


    the vows could finally be said.


    "You look absolutely stunning... I am truly at a loss for words..."


    Heidi smiled, and blushed, trying not to make it obvious that she was speaking to Bruno while the priest was continuing with the traditional wedding speech. She couldn''t help but make ament about Bruno''s appearance. Albeit far more lighthearted.


    "You don''t look so bad yourself..."


    Eventually, the part where the Priest asked about the vows came. Where the young couple both said the words "I do" before being granted to kiss one another. Where Bruno approached, his young bride and held her tightly in his arms. cing a wholesome kiss on her lips, and thus sealing their marriage as husband and wife from this day forward, until final


    days.


    The wedding reception was held in Bruno''s family home. For the time being as a cadet, Bruno did not have his own home as he was living in the Barracks. But that would change shortly after he graduated.


    Or so he thought. But during the night of festivities, drinking, feasting, and plenty of gifts to the newly married couple. Bruno''s father approached him and took him aside. He wanted to have a few words with the boy in private.


    The two of them entered the balcony of the Family''s estate, where the light of a full moon


    was high in the air. Bruno figured his father was going to say something about how proud he was, like he had done the day he entered the military academy. But instead, the man surprised him by tossing him a set of keys.


    Bruno''s heightened reflexes caught the keys, where he stared at them with curiosity. That is until the old man finally spoke up and revealed what they unlocked.


    "Those are yours now. I recently purchased this old manor, not far from the nearest military base. It''s a quaint little home, one that has been thoroughly renovated to make use of all the modern technology that the two of you have grown up with.


    You and Heidi can make it your home as you build your family together. Consider it my


    wedding gift to you, son."


    Bruno was surprised that his father had bought him an entire house. But only for a second.


    When he thought about it, he realized the cost of such a home was a drop in the hatpared to his family''s wealth.


    They were quite wealthy, more than enough to afford such an expensive present as a wedding


    gift. But, still, Bruno had yet to reveal to his father his ns to go to war, and he was quick to do so as he felt guilty about owning a house he would not have the luxury to spend much time


    in.


    "Father, this is more than I could ever ask of you... But when I graduate I intend to volunteer to the East Asian Expeditionary Corps..... I won''t be home outside those few weeks of leave I am granted each year. At least not for the first two years of my service. After that, I''ll request a transfer back to Berlin... Don''t you think it would be cruel to ask Heidi to live in such a home by herself?"


    Bruno''s father was naturally surprised by what his son had said, but he was not ignorant of the ongoings in China. He, too, was certain that Germany would be deploying troops to the region within a year''s time. And because of this, he was quick to ask his son if he understood


    exactly what he was getting himself into.


    "Bruno... You are aware of what''s going on in China right now, yes? Are you really going to go off to war so soon after graduating from the Academy?"


    Bruno''s father naturally knew about war and its horrors. He had earned an Iron Cross in the Franco-Prussian War. He had also fought in the Austro-Prussian War a mere five years prior. So he was more than experienced enough with battle to understand what Bruno himself was


    walking into.


    But Bruno''s confidence was more than enough to quell the man''s fears. As the young man was quick to announce that he was not so foolish as to underestimate the enemy. "Contrary to popr belief, the enemy are not savages. They are quite advanced, and though


    victory is certain should the Reich go to war in China, let alone alongside the other Great Powers, we will still need capable officers if we wish to mitigate our losses.


    I am confident enough in my own ability to lead men into battle. And besides, my generation


    has yet to earn any honor or glory for our house on the battlefield. Wouldn''t it be poetic that it was the youngest of us who first did so?"


    Bruno''s father sighed heavily and shook his head. He looked up at the stars and thought to himself for a few moments before finally responding.


    "You''re a man now, so you have a right to choose your own future. If you wish to go off to


    China and fight for our family and nation. Then that is your right. But regardless, I still think it would be best if you and Heidi moved into the house.


    It''s close enough to the nearest military base so that when you do finally transfer back home,


    you will be well within your rights to live there as an active duty officer. And the house is


    small enough that your wife will be able to take care of it by herself. Although if she does wish for servants, I can spare the expense.


    Now I have held you up enough. It''s your wedding night. And I think it''s time you and your


    bride spent some proper time alone together. After all, tomorrow you have to be back at the Academy. So go, enjoy yourself while you can!"


    Bruno smiled and nodded towards his father, stashing the key to his new manor away in his pocket, before running off to regroup with Heidi. They would continue to enjoy the festivities before retiring for the night together for the first time as husband and wife.

 Chapter 11: A New Assignment

    Chapter 11: A New Assignment


    ?


    A year came and went, from the time Bruno had his wedding night, until the day he graduated from the Academy and officially entered service within the Imperial German Army as a


    commissioned officer.


    As the most exceptional cadet to graduate in his ss, Bruno was immediately awarded the rank of First Lieutenant. Whereas the rest of his ss graduated as Second Lieutenants.


    Bruno was immediately granted the position he requested, which was being assigned to the East Asian Expeditionary Corps. And was given two weeks of leave before shipping off to his new unit.


    After all, by now China was thoroughly embroiled in the early stages of the Boxer Rebellion, and it would be a matter of months before the Eight Nation Alliance was officially formed in response.


    When Bruno returned to his home, he was not surprised to find to find that Heidi was waiting for him. She appeared to have been notified in advance of his temporary leave and was quick to greet her husband at the door of the quiet and quaint manor.


    They had only seen each other over the holidays during the past year, despite being newlyweds. And as much as Bruno wanted to take her out to some ce extravagant for a proper honeymoon. He was not able to do so because of his military obligations.


    Still, to see the young woman''s loving smile as she weed him home was a sight for sore eyes indeed. Of course, her smile immediately vanished, and turned into concern when she saw Bruno''s face, quickly approaching the man and grabbing hold of his chin. Carefully examining his cheekbones on the right side of his face.


    "My god, what has happened to your face? Are you alright? Who did this to you?" Bruno grabbed hold of Heidi''s hands with his own and lifted them off his face. He had a confident smile as he exined the blemish that was cut horizontally on his cheekbones. "Rx Heidi, it''s a simple fencing scar. I received it during a contest with a student from the Bavarian Military Academy. After my duel with Julius all those years ago, I was practically forced to join the Mensur team at the Academy. And by the way, I won the match, so don''t go pitying me as if I''m some kind of loser."


    The scar was neither hideous norrge. It was left by a ncing blow, and was quite small, no matter how noticeable it may be. Hedi, of course pouted as she heard Bruno had gotten hurt taking up the sword again. And she lectured him on his reckless actions as a result.


    "You shouldn''t be risking your health simply because they asked you to take up fencing on behalf of the academy! I''ll go get some alcohol and I''ll try to clean it up!"


    Bruno wanted to tell the girl there was no point, as the wound was old, having suffered the blow several months ago. By now it was thoroughly scarred and there was nothing she could do about it. But she nevertheless ran off to fetch the first aid kit.


    In reality, the moment she turned the corner, she rested her back on the wall. Her face was thoroughly flush as she tried to calm her beating heart. Although she scolded her husband, Heidi thought that the scar he had received was rather dignified and actually enhanced his already handsome appearance.


    Before long, she returned to Bruno and carried on with her pointless attempt to "disinfect" the scar.


    ---


    After spending a lovely night together, eating a home cooked meal prepared by Heidi, and then absconding off to the bedroom. Bruno pulled out a pack of cigarettes as he stepped out naked onto his bedroom''s private balcony. He lit up a smoke and stared at the crescent moon above.


    There were a lot of thoughts on his mind. Particrly because he had not actually told Heidi yet that he had volunteered to lead a toon of soldiers in the most chaotic part of the world as of this moment. One that Germany, and the other Great Powers would no doubt be sending troops to in two months during the botched Seymour Expedition.


    Today was June 20th, 1900, and while Bruno lie with his wife in the safety andfort of Berlin. The Siege of the Legations had already begun. At this very moment, the Boxer Movement and the Qing Dynasty wereying siege to the embassies of several foreign nations located in Peking, or what wouldter be known as Beijing.


    This, of course, included the German Embassy. It was only a matter of time before the Eight- Nation Alliance was formed. In theing days, the Great Powers would march into Peking with the intent of relieving their besieged embassies, and restoring order to the region through military force.


    Unfortunately, unless history changed, there was no way for Bruno to participate in these battles, seeing as the Germans who fought in them were Marines from the Seebataillon. Whereas he was a newlymissioned officer in the German Army.


    Despite this, there would still be plenty of opportunities to participate in the war effort. While his duties would primarily consist of acting as an upying force. There were still remnants of the Boxer Movement, which needed to be put down.


    It was with these thoughts in mind that Bruno finished his cigarette. All the while he felt the gentle hand of his wife touch his back, as she hugged him from behind, before asking him a question in a somber tone.


    "Is everything alright? You have been out here smoking for the past hour..."


    Bruno could no longer hide the truth from his wife. Until now, he had been neglecting to tell the woman about his ns for the immediate future. Partially because they had not been set in stone until his deployment orders were in hand.


    But also because he didn''t want to her to worry excessively. Now, however, the time hade to tell the truth. He turned around with a heavy sigh, after putting out his cigarette and leaving what remained of it in the ashtray.


    "I have been assigned to the East Asian Expeditionary Corps. In two weeks I''ll be shipping off to China. I''m afraid we only have a few weeks together before I have to leave again..."


    Heidi was mortified at hearing Bruno''s words. And not for the reason that Bruno initially thought she would be. The young woman stumbled backwards, almost as if she had lost her footing. Naturally, Bruno quickly ran to the woman''s side and carrier her back to the bed where he sat her down, while checking on her condition.


    "Heidi! Are you alright? What''s wrong?"


    It took Heidi a few seconds to process what Bruno had said, but when she did, she looked at him with eyes that were almost praying that she hadn''t heard correctly, and asked him a question which he found to be strange.


    "You''re being shipped off to China? But... Aren''t tensions rising in that part of the world right now? You''re not going to be in danger are you!?!


    The reason this question was shocking to Bruno was because international disputes urring on the other side of the world weren''t exactly information that was easily essible to the public. This wasn''t the 21st century where anything that was happening around the globe could be instantly looked up by billions of people the moment it urred.


    Hell, it would easily be another hundred years before the inte was invented. Even telephones were a rarity nowadays, mostmonly found in wealthy households, and were only capable of local connections at that. Other than perhaps in the hands of government


    personnel.


    How Heidi possessed such information caused Bruno to pause and interrogate her about it. "Heidi? How do you know what is going on in China right now?"


    Heidi immediately panicked. She hadn''t thought through the logical conclusion of her question. And immediately tried toe up with some proper response to satisfy her


    husband''s inquiry.


    "I... That is to say... I was in the market the other day and I heard some woman say that she was worried about her son who is stationed in Tsingtao! She said there was some kind of rebellion


    happening across the country!"


    While this was feasible, especially if the woman was a family member of a soldier. It was still highly suspicious because of the way that Heidi was acting. But Bruno ultimately put it to the back of his mind. And decided to shift the conversation back to his initial intent.


    "So you are aware, then? Yes, it is increasingly starting to appear that was between the Qing Dynasty and the Great Powers is an inevitability at this point. And if I''m being honest with you, Heidi, I requested this assignment."


    The young blonde beauty appeared as if she had just been dealt a mortal blow. She was not expecting Bruno to say that this was all his idea. In fact, she was going to ask if there was any way he could be reassigned until she heard that. Heidi couldn''t help the tears that were forming in her eyes, as she asked why, why he felt the need to put himself in so much danger. "I just don''t understand. Why would you do such a thing? Why would you knowingly request a position that is guaranteed to send you intobat? Aren''t you afraid?"


    Bruno shook his head and sighed as he hugged the young woman and patted her head as hemonly did when they were children. It definitely helped her ovee the dread she was


    currently suffering from.


    There was a supremely confident tone in his voice, as he swore he woulde back to her in


    one piece. "You wouldn''t understand why I feelpelled to do this, even if I tried to exin my


    reasoning to you. Just know it is something I have made up my mind about. This is something


    that I need to do...."


    Heidi would not try to persuade Bruno to abandon this desire of his. Though she couldn''t understand what was worth risking his life and well-being over. She would support him in any way she could. Even if that meant simply waiting for him to return to her.


    "Alright, if you really must do this, then I will not stand in your way. But Bruno, you have to promise me. Promise me you wille back to me alive and well..... I can''t stand to think about living all alone in this world for the rest of my life without you...."


    Bruno chuckled when he heard this, and patted the young woman''s hair once more, before


    pinning her on the bed and kissing her neck. In between his actions, he made a solemn vow that no matter what happened he would always return to her side.


    "No matter what maye my way, I will always find my way back to you Heidi, this I swear


    to you..."

 Chapter 12: The Horrors of War Part I

    Chapter 12: The Horrors of War Part I


    ?


    Two weeks came and went in the blink of an eye, and before Bruno knew it he was out the door and being shipped off to China. As he had already suspected, the war, for the most part was


    already over by the time he actually arrived.


    When hended ashore in Northern China, the Qing Dynasty had already been forced to submit to the Eight-Nation Alliance. Despite this, 15,000 German soldiers from the East Asian Expeditionary Corps were still deployed to China to help stabilize the war-torn region, and in doing so, put down the remnants of the Boxer Rebellion.


    Counter-Insurgency was the one thing that Bruno had actualbat experience with. Having been deployed to Afghanistan in his previous life for this very purpose. And he was confident in his ability to perform the role as needed.


    Bruno had been assigned to the East Asian Expeditionary Corps as an Infantry Officer. And naturally, his uniform reflected this. Current issued uniforms were still of the Prussian Blue Variety, as the Field Grey variants had yet toe into existence, and would not be a standard issue until yearster.


    Normally, an infantry officer of this era would be equipped with a sword and a pistol as his standard issue weapons. But considering Bruno''s father had achieved his goal of getting on the Bundesrat Land Army and Fortificationsmittee. Bruno had used his family connections to get himself a rifle.


    The Gewehr 98 was the standard issue rifle to the Imperial German Army at this time. And it was an excellent firearm at that. Fed via stripper clips into an internal five round magazine. The Gewehr 98 could deal death to an opponent at 1,000m via its potent 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge.


    Of course, one would have to have impable eyesight and expert marksmanship to pull off such a feat. Which Bruno just so happened to have both of. In addition to his Gewehr 98, Bruno had also gotten his hands on a Modell 1900 Parabellum pistol. Moremonly known as the 9mm Luger.


    Because of this, he was unusually well equipped for an infantry officer as he marched through the Chinese countryside at the head of his toon. It had been two weeks since he had stepped foot in Northern China, and until now, all he had been able to do was to perform the duties of a glorified sentry.


    Without expressed permission, he was not allowed to step foot outside of the base. And after two weeks of this, he had grown rather bored with his lot in life. Luckily for him, the Companymander announced the night before that their unit would be going on a Punitive Expedition early in the morning into a region that was well known for Boxer activity.


    Aside from Bruno, the other toonmander in hispany was his old friend Heinrich from the Academy. The two of them marched side by side, while smoking, as they chatted about their takes on the ongoing conflict, and the wastnd of a countryside they marched through.


    "There''s no doubt about it... This ce has been thoroughly ransacked by the Eight-Nation Alliance and its forces."


    Heinrich nodded his head in agreement with Bruno''s assessment of the situation. Whether it was another German unit before them, or one of the other Great Powers, the vige in the distance that they were walking towards had clear signs of smoke in the air. The man took a puff from his cigarette before expressing his thoughts on the matter.


    "How much you want to bet it was the Russians? I''ve heard rumors from Erich. He has been sent out on patrol twice now, and both times he came across a town looted by the Russians. We''re talking dead bodies in the streets, homes plundered for their wealth. And well, the women... It makes my heart bleed hearing what happens to them..."


    Bruno took a long drag on his cigarette before exhaling a plume of smoke. It had only been a year since the first of the Hague Conventions were signed. It was an era where War Crimes were a recent concept.


    However, while all the Great Powers had signed and ratified this convention and the stiptions within it that would protect prisoners of war and civilians. Along with various other regtions on how to conduct warfare. China had not done so.


    And as far as the Great Powers were concerned, those who did not sign or ratify the Hague Conventions were not protected by its rules. It was because of this that Bruno had a more callous attitude when discussing the alleged atrocities of the Russian Army.


    "Unfortunate as it is. The Chinese really only have themselves to me. Had they ratified the Hague Conventions like the rest of us, such actions would be considered War Crimes and the men responsible would be held ountable for their actions.


    As much as I hate to say it, the most we can do is abide by the Rules of War ourselves, even if our allies choose not to. We''re neither generals nor heads of state. Like it or not, we simply don''t have the power or authority to hold our allies to the same standards that we ourselves adhere to."


    Though Heinrich could understand the man''s sentiment, he was a lot more empathetic towards the victims of the war than Bruno was. Bruno however was not the type to care about civilian casualties on a battlefield.


    In his past life, he had seen the effects that urred when highmand prioritized the mitigation of coteral damage at the expense of total victory. And the results were not great. If it meant ending the Boxer rebellion once and for all, then by all means he would give themand to shell an entire vige if the insurgents were using it as their base of operations.


    From Bruno''s perspective, such determination was needed to win a war. Anything else was just asking for operational failure. This was a perspective on warfare that Heinrich clearly did not understand, seeing as how he knew the man had no practicalbat experience to speak of, despite being amissioned officer. At least not at this time.


    While Bruno and Heinrich were casually chatting, an echo of gunfire rang throughout the distance. Causing them and all their men to immediately be alert. Not a second after the shots had fired, thepanymander issued themand for Bruno and his men to scout the area, and see what exactly what was happening in the vige.


    "Lieutenant, take your toon and establish a vantage point. I want to know what is happening in the vige before we march into it! Report back to me after you have confirmed the situation!"


    Bruno nodded his head, and threw up a salute to the Captain, responding in the affirmative before taking the forty or so men under hismand to do as they were told.


    "Yes, sir!"


    After saying this, Bruno ran off, with his rifle in hand towards the hill above the town. Where he and his men took defensive positions under his orders. Even though the boxers were primarily equipped with swords and spears, a few of them had firearms, and one could never be too careful when fighting a war.


    But when Bruno gazed upon the plundered vige and the ongoing atrocities within it. Even he had second thoughts about his more callous outlook towards warfare and the civilians


    affected by it.

 Chapter 13: The Horrors of War Part II

    Chapter 13: The Horrors of War Part II


    ?


    Bruno was quick to send a runner back to hispanymander, informing him that the Russians had already assaulted the vige. In response, he was given the order to regroup with thepany in the town and help reinforce the Russian position.


    By the time he and his men managed to do this, the Russians had gathered a group of civilians, both men and women, and of all ages. Where they had tied their hands behind their backs, while lining them up against a wall to be executed.


    The situation in the town was a disaster zone. It was one thing to shell an enemy position that was entrenched among civilians, and disregard those civilians and the casualties that would result in pursuit of destroying the enemy. But it was another thing entirely to loot, rape, burn, and pige a vige after victory had already been achieved.


    From Bruno''s perspective, callous as it was, these things were simply uneptable and truly met the definition of the term "war crimes." Because of this he did not immediately approach hispanymander when he regrouped with his units, rather he walked up to the Russian officer in charge, restraining the urge to deck the man across the face, and instead shouted at him in Russian as if he were a Moscow native.


    "What the hell do you and your men think you are doing!?!"


    The Russian Captain was surprised to see that a German officer spoke Russian so perfectly, and after snapping out of his daze was quick to respond to Bruno''s question with a conceited smirk on his face.


    "These savages attacked my men as we peacefully entered the area with the intent to


    establish security in this war-torn region. We are only executing those responsible for crimes against the Tsar and his Royal Army!"


    Bruno could not believe the audacity of these words. The people who were lined up to be executed were very clearly civilians who had been affected by this vicious retaliation.


    At the same time, women and girls were lying in the streets, whether lifeless, or in shock by the horrific crimes they had endured. Bruno did not know. All the while children appeared to be lying on the ground in pools of their own blood.


    The town itself had been set aze, and anything remotely of value was gathered in the center, where Russian soldiers carefully inspected it all to make sure it was something they could sell for profit. This wasn''t retaliation, this was aplete and total massacre.


    Because of this, Bruno waspletely and utterly disgusted by such reprehensible behavior. This was not how an officer in the service of a Monarch was supposed to behave, let alone a nobleman, which, judging by the fact that Russia had just abolished serfdom a few decades prior, these officers most likely were of such status.


    With all of this in mind, Bruno could hardly control his temper as he grabbed hold of the Russian captain''s tunic and chewed him out as if he were the man''s superior officer.


    "Have you gone utterly mad? These are clearly civilians! Even if there were boxers among them who attacked your troops, does that justify such a massacre? And what of the women and girls I see lying in the streets, stripped naked and murdered by what I presume to be the hands of your men? How will you justify that?


    You are no better thanmon brigands! I will report these crimes to yourmanding officer as soon as I am back at base. Just you wait! You and your men will be lined up in front of a firing squad before the week is over!"


    The Russian Captain, seemingly enraged by Bruno''s threat, was quick to pull his pistol on the German Lieutenant. An act of clear hostility against the German Empire. He tried to intimidate Bruno while his men were still harassing the locals in the background.


    "Lieutenant, you must be new here, so allow me to give you a fair warning. This is how things are done in this backwards country. We are free to do as we wish now that the Qing Government has surrendered!


    If you intend to cause problems for me and my men, then I have no qualms burying you in this savage wastnd!"


    The fact that the Russian officer had pulled his revolver on Bruno had provoked a response by the Germanpany of riflemen, who quickly raised their weapons towards the Russian soldiers who were roughly equal in number. Albeit too focused on their criminal actions to notice immediately what had happened.


    Bruno acted on instinct, quickly grabbing the muzzle of the Russian Captain''s m1895 Nagant revolver and shifting it aside, while kneeing the man in the groin. Ripping his revolver out of the man''s hand, and pointing it towards its owner''s temple, who had fallen to his knees and was throwing up his guts after having one of his testicles bust open by the vicious strike. There was a stoic expression on Bruno''s face as he said the final words the Russian captain would ever hear before outright executing the man on the spot.


    "You pulled a weapon on an officer in the Kaiser''s Army and deliberately threatened him in front of his men. Do not me me for myck of mercy!"


    *Bang*


    The shot resounded in the air as Bruno pulled the trigger, sting the Russian officer''s brains onto the grass by the wayside. The gunshot finally attracted the attention of the Russian soldiers, who were clearly intoxicated, no doubt having drank their fill of the vige''s local spirits.


    Upon seeing that an officer beneath hismand had clearly been threatened by the Russian Army, the German Captain had no choice but to order his men to round up the Russian soldiers who had engaged in brigandry. His orders were expressed while he red daggers at Bruno for provoking such a mess.


    "Men! Apprehend these brigands, and if they dare to resist open fire on them!"


    The Russian soldiers, having been too intoxicated and focused elsewhere to realize what had happened, quickly turned around to face the German soldiers with their rifles in their hands. Provoking a response from Bruno who ordered his men to massacre the Russians.


    "Open fire!"


    The German soldiers of Bruno''s toon opened fire on the Russian soldiers, killing dozens of them on the spot. Meanwhile, Heinrich, who was equally enraged as Bruno, if not more so due to his more empathetic nature, was quick tomand his men to do the same.


    After all, thepanymander had ordered the men to shoot the Russians if they resisted, and they were clearly doing so.


    "You heard the Lieutenant, open fire!"


    The German Captain felt as if he had just watched the world burn, as the situation rapidly spiraled out of his control. The Germans soldiers, acting under the orders of their officers, gunned down the Russian soldiers. Who themselves were only able to fire off a few wild shots before being riddled with bullets.


    The exchange of gunfire onlysted a moment. But it was enough to cause a major international issue. Even so, once the Russianpany was dead with their corpses bleeding


    in the streets.


    Bruno approached the various civilians who had been lined up for execution. He pulled his bay out of its scabbard and began cutting the ropes that bound their hands. Speaking in mandarin to them as he did so.


    "Go! This vige is no longer safe for you. When the Russians hear what has happened here, they will retaliate further!"


    Bruno had shocked Heinrich with his mastery of two foreignnguages. And was quick to approach Brunomending the man, while the Captain cleaned things up in the


    background.


    "You speak Russian, and Chinese? Since when?"


    A bitter smile formed on Bruno''s face as he looked at what had happened here in this vige. He shook his head before responding to Heinrich''s words, almost as if his mastery of multiplenguages was a simple thing.


    "I had a lot of spare time growing up, so I learned a fewnguages. It''s not a big deal. Still, if you spoke Russian, then you would know what that bastard said to me. He said this is just how things are done here... So apparently, Russian soldiers aren''t the only one engaging in such criminals acts across Northern China... The Reich might be just as guilty as the Russians are...." As Bruno finished saying this, the Captain in charge of hispany came up to him, practically foaming at the mouth as he pped Bruno across the face.


    "You insolent cur! Do you have any idea what you have done here!?! If not for the fact that we have eyewitnesses who can attest that the Russian officer threatened you, this whole incident could spiral into a war between the Reich and the Russian Empire!


    Why did you have to open your stupid mouth? This is war, not some knitting contest! And these things are bound to ur! Stupid, na?ve child! That''s what you are! I''m going to have to report this to the Lieutenant Colonel when I get back to base! You should be prepared to face the consequences of your actions!"


    Bruno had already known when he decided to confront the Russian officer that things would likely develop into the mess that they had. But if he had to sit idly by and watch innocent civilians be executed and raped in front of him. Then he would rather put a bullet in his brain than live with such guilt.


    It was one thing to be ruthless in the pursuit of victory, or even to enact violent retribution upon partisans who uwfully took up arms and attacked your soldiers. But... To behave so viciously towards unarmed civilians after the battle had already been won? That was simply the act of a savage, no matter how civilized he may proim himself to be.


    That was a solid belief that Bruno stood by, no doubt inspired by the ideals of the 21st century, which he had lived in during his previous life. And he would not forsake these ideals no matter what may happen to him as a result.


    Because of this, he was fully prepared to ept any consequences that might follow this conflict between German and Russian soldiers within Qing China that he had caused, and in doing so altered the timeline in ways he could not possibly have imagined.


    Upon returning to the base, the incident at the Chinese vige was reported up the chain ofmand. Bruno was initially apprehended and put in the brig for his actions.


    But when the Colonel reported the incident to the General in charge of the German upation in Northern China, a man by the name of Alfred von Waldersee, the General himself reported the incident to the Kaiser, as this was an international incident he did not want the responsibility of handling.


    Kaiser Wilhelm II was at home, peacefully enjoying his breakfast in Berlin when he received word of what had happened in China. And how the Tsar''s forces were gearing up for retaliation against the German East Asian Expeditionary Corps for the massacre of their


    soldiers.


    Normally he wouldn''t care about such a petty matter, and would instead order the execution


    of the man responsible for causing the incident in question as a means of appeasing the Russians. But when he heard the name Bruno von Zehntner, he was quick to take an interest in the subject.


    "You said the man responsible is Lieutenant Bruno von Zehntner. You mean the ninth son of Lord Bruno? How very interesting? Tell me exactly what happened...."


    Once the Kaiser heard that the Russian soldiers were engaging in acts of Brigandry against the local poption, and that Bruno had valiantly confronted the criminals in question. Only to be threatened with a pistol to the forehead for daring to say that he would report them to the


    proper authorities.


    The Kaiser was quick to scoff at the absurdity of the Russians and their attempts to spin this whole situation as if they were the victims. In fact, it truly aggravated him. The Kaiser was a man who had lofty ideals of warfare and notions of chivalry. Because of this, he became quite outraged at the whole scenario.


    "My God, did such a thing really happen? Then why exactly is the Lieutenant being held in the brig? If what you say is true, he confronted a group of brigands and responded appropriately to the situation. It''s not like he ordered their execution on the spot, instead he stated only that he would be reporting their crimes to the proper authorities.


    To think the Russian Officer in charge had the audacity to pull his sidearm on one of my officers? Bruno should bemended for his actions not condemned. Release him at once. Meanwhile, I will contact the Tsar and settle this whole dispute once and for all.


    Oh, and Chancellor... I want an immediate investigation to be held to see if any of our own soldiers are engaging in such uwful activities during the upation. If so, have them stripped of their ranks and titles before facing a firing squad!"


    The Chancellor was not surprised the Kaiser would react this way upon hearing what really happened, or at least what happened from the perspective of the German soldiers who were there. As for the conversation between the Tsar and the Kaiser the effects that discussion would have dire effects on future rtions between the Russian Empire and the German


    Reich.


    By the time the German upation of Northern China was over, it was found that over 100 German soldiers had been engaging in simr crimes, resulting in their execution, as well as the stripping of their ranks and noble titles.


    In doing so, this sent an example to the German Army that the rules of war must be followed at all times even during an upation of what many considered to be a savagend.

 Chapter 14: The Butterfly Effect

    Chapter 14: The Butterfly Effect


    ?


    Bruno was released from his cell a few days after the event. And during his captivity he had plenty of time to think about the consequences of his actions. His actions though minor, would cause many changes in the timeline. Not only here in China, but on a global scale.


    And the following two weeks of patrols proved this was correct. Bruno did not know exactly what transpired in the conversation between the Kaiser and the Tsar. But a full on negotiation regarding zones of responsibility took ce for the continued duration of the upation of Northern China.


    German and Russian soldiers had no direct contact with one another after the incident which Bruno was responsible for. And that was not the only change. Military Police began a thorough investigation of German troops and their movements during their patrols and punitive expeditions.


    If anyone, no matter the rank or noble title, was caught engaging in crimes such as looting, murder of unarmed civilians, rape, et cetera. Then they would be summarily executed via a firing squad.


    In addition to this, the Kaiser investigated what had been stolen from the Qing Dynasty by its soldiers who did engage in acts of Brigandry, finding that several cultural artifacts and relics were taken during the upation.


    The Kaiser immediately ordered the return of these items to the Qing Dynasty, and punished those responsible, as well as those up chain ofmand who either wittingly or unknowingly allowed such actions to take ce.


    Bruno''s reputation was mixed after this. For those with a sense of justice, he became an almost mythical figure. And was well respected among their ranks. But for those who had more sinister personalities, he became a blight. The man responsible for the eyes of the Crown being set upon them.


    In addition to this, the Company Commander who scolded, and rmended the imprisonment of Bruno following the incident at the Chinese Vige was demoted, whereas Bruno was given a promotion to take his ce.


    In just a few weeks of being deployed, Bruno had been granted the rank of captain. And was now in charge of a fullpany of two hundred riflemen. Of which he had four officers beneath hismand.


    Two of them were Heinrich and Erich. Who were far more willing to back Bruno''smands in the field than the other two, whose loyalties were more towards their previous captain.


    Following the incident between Germany and Russia, the other nations of the Eight alliance began to follow with Germany''s strict adherence to thews of war. Not wanting to suffer a simr incident, or spark needless conflict between themselves and the German Reich. The way which the Eight Nation Alliance conducted itself was vastly different than it had been in the life Bruno had initially lived.


    The amount of suffering caused to the Chinese people was mitigated out of a fear of provoking the Kaiser. Whose sense of chivalrypelled him to punish his own men who engaged in such atrocities.


    After this issue was brought to his attention, the Kaiser simply could not ignore it. Holding the East Asia Expeditionary Corps to a higher standard than they otherwise would have been as Colonial Soldiers.


    In addition to this, several nations began returning the Cultural relics and artifacts that they had plundered during the initial fighting, and the first two weeks of the upation. Still, a few nations did notply with these standards. But for the most part, things had changed overall in this timeline.


    And Bruno estimated the consequences of his actions would have a far more severe effect in the years toe. For example, in four years a war would break out between Russia and Japan over disputes in the East.


    In the history of his previous life, the German Empire had provided an exceptional amount of material aid to the Russians during this war. And had even sent military advisors to aid them in their efforts.


    But unless the rift between the German and Russian Armies, which Bruno had caused in this new timeline, was mended soon, then it would appear Germany would not be providing in this aid, and perhaps might even instead give it to the Japanese.


    If that were to happen, then it was entirely possible for the Japanese to side with the Central Powers during the Great War. Meaning that German Colonial possessions in the Pacific and East Asia would note under assault by the Imperial Japanese Military.


    This was all theoretical of course, and Bruno had no way to prove these things would indeed ur, as there were still fourteen years before now and the Great War. During this time, any number of things could happen to change the oue of world politics even further, as this minor incident during the Boxer Rebellion had already done so.


    Still, the fact remained. Things had changed. The entire oue of the Boxer Rebellion would be different as a result of Bruno''s actions. And the immediate future, if not mended appropriately, would change as well.


    As a Captain, Bruno had more degree of control over his unit, and whether or not they formed patrols or acted as sentries on base was up to his decision, or at the very least he could put in a request to the Battalionmander.


    For him, spending his days on base was less than an idea. Not that it was particrly a bad experience. It was more so the fact that he felt his time and efforts could be better used in the field.


    And because of this, Bruno ordered regr patrols for hispany. Who marched into the Northern Chinese countryside to pacify any Boxer remnants that still remained. After what he had done during his initial excursion into the field, the Chinese locals had a much better attitude towards Bruno, and the German soldiers in general.


    Thus, as Bruno marched alongside his soldiers into another vige, with his Gewehr 98 shouldered, the local vigers came out to greet them. Though the soldiers under hismand didn''t speak Mandarin, Bruno did, and was quick to converse with the civilians who offered him and his men things like bags of rice to take back with them to their base.


    The soldiers under Bruno''smand tried to march forward, as they refused the offers of gifts which the civilians tried to bestow upon them. As for Bruno, the vige leaders came to


    greet him.


    They at first were making small talk with him, praising the Germans for the rtively benevolent way in which they treated the locals whenpared to some of the other nations upying China.


    But after a bit of conversation that Bruno found tiresome, one of the elders leaned in close and gave him a fair warning about the actual state of the vige.


    "This vige is currently under the upation of the Boxers. They are armed with rifles and are lying in wait for you down the main road. They intend to ambush you after the crowd disperses. Do not me the vigers for distracting you. We have no choice in the matter." Bruno silently nodded at the Vige elder. Which was his way of assuring the man he had heard what he said, and would not be taking retribution on the vigers for their act of deception. After doing this, he whistled towards Heinrich, who was busy flirting with the local women. When the man heard his rank and name shouted at him, he quickly snapped to


    attention.


    "Lieutenant Koch!"


    After forcing himself away from the localdies, much to his ownment, Heinrich marched over to Bruno and was quick to ask the man what was happening.


    "Captain, may I ask what is so urgent that you must pry me away from such lovelydies?"


    Bruno gave the man a stern gaze, looking directly at him, while facing his back to the Boxers down the main road. He gave the man a motion with his eyes that silently pointed towards the hostiles while he spoke in a low voice towards his lieutenant.


    "I''ve got actionable intel from the vige elders. Supposedly, this town is upied by the boxers, they are armed with rifles and are lying in wait for us within some of the buildings


    down the main road.


    You and your men are to circle around and nk their position. I want you to take the fuckers out before the rest of us walk in an ambush, understood?"


    Normally Heinrich would be saluting Bruno in response to his orders, due to the difference in rank between them. But Bruno had ordered his men not to do such a thing when they were in


    an active Warzone.


    The reason was simple: a salute signified that he was the officer in charge, and that could make him a target of the local insurgents. Which was a lesson he learned from hisst life


    during his deployment to Afghanistan.


    Because of this, Heinrich nodded his head before regrouping with his toon. He waved goodbye and blew a kiss to the localdies before he and his men covertly split off from the Company to perform the task they were given.


    The boxer remnants had seized control of the local vige a mere week before. It was an act of desperation as they had run out of supplies while hiding in the hills.


    They were equipped with a variety of rifles, some of which were looted from the soldiers of the Eight Nation Alliance which they had killed in battle previously, while others were supplied by the Qing Army prior to their defeat, and upation by the Great Powers.


    The man in charge of the local Boxer cell was equipped with a Hanyang Type 88 bolt-action rifle. Which itself was a domestically produced copy of the earlier German Gewehr 88. He was sitting and smoking, while one of his men armed with a French Lebel Model 1886 rifle aimed down his sights through the window of the building they were upying for the sake of their


    ambush.


    The leader of these insurgents put out his half-smoked cigarette and slightly pulled back his bolt to ensure a round was chambered before approaching the man in the window with the Label rifle. Tapping him on the soldier while motioned with his head for him to take a break. "Rx. It looks like the locals are ying their part. It will be some time before the Germanse down this section of the road. Go take a piss. You have been standing there with your rifle raised for over an hour."


    The boxer silently nodded his head and allowed the leader to take over his post. Having kept


    his rifle raised for an hour his arms could truly use a proper rest. However, the moment he shut the door to the room behind him, and walked down the halls. He found himself face to


    face with a group of German soldiers who were progressing down the corridor with their weapons raised.


    The man was just about to call out to his friends. When Heinrich rushed forward with his rifle, and the bay which was attached to it. Stabbing the man in the heart. And pinning him to the ground. Where he put his foot over the boxer''s mouth. Ensuring that he couldn''t alert his fellow insurgents.


    Thest thing the man saw as the light faded from his eyes was the sight of five German soldiers move beyond him, where they stacked up on the door. Preparing to kick it open and


    kill the men inside.


    After thoroughly dispatching the Boxer to the afterlife, Heinrich rushed forward towards the door. He himself was quick to motion towards his men to do what was necessary. The door was kicked open immediately after, and the boxers inside were startled by the fact that the Germans had discovered them.


    They tried to raise their weapons in response, but it was toote. The five German soldiers


    unloaded on them, spending their entire five round internal magazines riddling the Boxers with bullets.


    Thest thought on the insurgent leader''s mind was that he and his men had been betrayed by


    the vigers, and how they were a bunch of traitors to the Chinese nation for selling out their fellow countrymen to these foreign upiers.


    Heinrich and his men quickly loaded another five rounds into their rifles with their stripper


    clips, tossing the thin sheets of metal aside after they were done with them. Once their weapons were properly armed, Heinrich sighed heavily.


    He and his men had spent thest hour climbing through these buildings, engaging in close


    quartersbat with the enemy. And this was the only time they had needed to fire their


    weapons.


    They had caught the enemy with their pants down, and now that it was over, he suddenly felt


    the urge to have a smoke. His hands trembling from the hour long stress he had just endured, Heinrich reached out to the half-smoked cigarette which the Boxer leader had left in the ashtray, and finished it with a long and heavy drag.


    He and his men would regroup with the rest of thepany shortly after, having only two of their soldiers suffering minor wounds. Where, after performing first aid on the wounded, they would continue with their patrol. On this day, another vige was liberated, and the German upation in Northern China was one step closer toing to a proper end.

 Chapter 15: Tear Gas and Mortars

    Chapter 15: Tear Gas and Mortars


    ?


    Bruno and hispany of riflemen would continue on with their patrol for the rest of the day. Coming across several other Boxer rebels on their route. It was bing increasingly clear that the Boxers were acting out of desperation.


    The overwhelming majority of their movement had been thoroughly obliterated in the early days of the conflict. What remained were a fraction of their initial numbers, many of which had resorted to banditry and brigandry in order to stay alive.


    Rumors of contact with the Boxer rebels spread like wildfire across the military base upon Bruno''s return. It was a rare urrence, after all, there weren''t many of them left, and their remaining cells were spread across the Northern Chinese countryside. Hiding where they could, and taking from the locals whenever possible.


    To the men on the base it was surprising that Bruno''spany had multiple incidents with the Boxer rebels, wiping them out to thest man in every encounter. While sustaining limited casualties. Under Bruno''s watch, not a single man beneath hismand had met an end. Albeit, some had been inflicted with minor wounds.


    It had only been a month or so since the upation began, and already things were progressing smoothly on Bruno''s end. He proved very quickly to have a mind for counter insurgency.


    Having learned how to think like an insurgent in his experiences within Afghanistan. Bruno was uniquely in a position to anticipate when and where the Boxers would strike, and how they would do so.


    The battalionmander began relying more and more on Bruno''s inputs, as hispany alone appeared to having the most contact with the enemy. After weeks of conflict, things started to settle down. As less and less Boxers remained active participants in fighting against the foreign upation.


    Currently, Bruno was in a room that one might consider being the "officer''s club" on base. It was amon gathering ce formissioned officers, whether to discuss the war effort, or to simply have a smoke and a beer.


    Either way, Bruno refused to partake of alcohol while deployed. Believing, even if he was located within the safety of the base, that there was always a danger present. And it was the fact that he was the only onepletely sober in this discussion, which caused several of his peers within the battalion to make fun of him.


    "Every day we gather here to drink, smoke, and talk about the operations, and every day you refuse to do so, Captain von Zehntner. I''m starting to think you must be some kind of religious fanatic... Are you sure you don''t want a beer?"


    Bruno was leaning against the wall in the back of the room, watching the other officers entertain themselves with nicotine and alcohol. He himself was in the act of smoking a cigarette when he responded to the Captain''s remarks.


    "On the contrary, I am the direct opposite of a religious zealot. In fact, I am quite open about myck of faith. But even so, it is an objective truth that partaking of substances that dull the senses is incredibly unwise while you are in the middle of an active Warzone.


    You never know when the base coulde under attack, and what would happen if that urred while the Officers in charge were all intoxicated? My sobriety is a matter of professionalism, not morality. Which is something that you would know very little about Captain Mueller...."


    Bruno had been on the receiving end of Captain Mueller''s harassment ever since he was freed from his cell. The man was one of those officers who was investigated for war crimes. And while Captain Mueller had been cleared of any potential wrongdoing. Bruno understood that the man was most definitely aware of what was happening and looked the other way the entire time.


    Combine that with the envy towards Bruno for the repeated sesses in the field which culminated in gaining the ear of the Battalionmander, and it was no wonder why several of the other captains treated him with hostility.


    The moment Bruno used Captain Mueller ofcking professionalism he rose to his feet, clearly antagonized by the remarks, as well as slightly buzzed. Just enough that his judgement had been affected by it.


    However, before the may could properly aggress towards Bruno the Battalionmander raised his voice. Having just entered the room to witness what was happening.


    "Captain Mueller, stand down!"


    The captain looked over at the Lieutentant Colonel who called out to him and immediately felt himself sober up. It became abundantly clear as he was chewed out by the Battalionmander that Bruno hadid a trap for him. Making sure that he would make a fool of himself just in time for the Lieutentant Colonel to witness it.


    After being forced to sit down and remain silent, Captain Mueller red daggers at Bruno, who continued to smoke with a smug smile on his face. It was not until the Lieutentant Colonel began speaking about their uing operations that Bruno put out his cigarette and joined the other captains at the table.


    "Alright, for starters, I would like tomend Captain von Zehntner for his excellent disy of gantry in the field. Hispany alone has the lion''s share of kills,posing of 82% of all rebels killed in battle by this battalion.


    Now the reason I have gathered you all here is to announce our next punitive expedition. To put it simply, because of our Battalions'' repeated shes with the enemy, they have now effectively been driven into a corner. With the losses they have sustained over thest few weeks, they are bound to be gathering in a single location.


    And Thanks to input from Captain von Zehntner towards suspected areas of Boxer activity, our scouts have surveyed the region and found thest stronghold of which the remaining Boxers are hiding within.


    Captain von Zehntner, due to the yourpany''s achievements on the battlefield so far, I will be granting you the honor of being in the Vanguard as we assault the enemy fortifications. You will be supported by the Battalion''s attached artillery battery, who will bombard the Boxer''s position prior to your assault.


    You will also be supported by Captain Mueller, and Captain Bauer''spanies who will be shortly behind you in the initial assault. If you have any questions or concerns for me, now is the time to voice them..."


    Bruno remained silent as he looked at the map that was sprawled out in front of him. As he expected, the remaining boxers in the region had holed up at the top of Mount Cangyan within the Taihang Mountain Range.


    More specifically, they were likely using the Fortune Celebration Temple, which was built into the cliff side as a base of operations. This was an incredibly difficult position to assault for multiple reasons.


    To sessfully eliminate the hostiles, one would need their forces to climb a single stone staircase up 360 steps to get to the summit. Where the only way into the facility was via a stone arch bridge spanning across a narrow gorge. This bridge also acted as a support for the entire templeplex.


    Sure, they would be supported by artillery, but that had the potential to create catastrophic problems for them all. Assuming the 75mm Field Guns even reached the base of the summit and were positioned in a way that could sessfully strike the temple. There was a very real possibility of an avnche.


    Having arrived in September, and spent thest two months in China, it was now winter, and such a strike on a narrow cliff side could bring the entire mountain''s worth of snow down on themselves with the amount of explosives they would be lobbing at it.


    When he thought about all of these potential consequences that had a high potential of bing reality, Bruno was quick to voice opposition to the n. Even if it meant taking a


    much greater risk.


    "With all due respect, sir, the enemy fortifications are located on a cliff side, which is directly beneath a steep incline. If weunched an artillery strike in such a location, the potential for causing an avnche is high. Higher than is worth taking such a risk.


    Besides, sir, the artillery battery attached to our battalion is equipped with field guns, not mountain guns. How exactly do you propose we haul those things up 1,000m worth of elevation? The ws with this n are myriad, and the risks to our own troops are even


    greater."


    The Battalionmander had not thought through these matters. It was true that getting their field guns up the mountains would be a difficult task. And Bruno was right. They could bring down an avnche on top of themselves if they tried tounch a strike on the enemy fortifications.


    But without artillery support, his men would quite literally be engaging in a frontal assault, as there was only one way to advance into the enemy position. The casualties would certainly


    be great if this happened.


    Because of this, he found himself at an impasse and was quick to ask Bruno how he thought they should best proceed, considering the fact that Bruno was the one who had clearly poked


    the holes in his strategy.


    "You may have a point Captain. But if we do not support the operation with artillery before the assault, then there will be mass casualties, as you and your men will be walking right into a fortified position. So if you have any better ideas on how to proceed, please enlighten me."


    Bruno indeed had a much better idea of how to handle the situation. However, it would require sending a message to his father, as well as the need to wait long enough for his prototypes to be manufactured, tested, and then shipped off to China from the fathend. Because of this, he was quick to make this request, as he knew they were not in an urgent need to press forward, and that this was the best way to minimize casualties. "Lieutentant Colonel, if I may be so bold. I have a n that could effectively solve the ws with our current strategy. However, you should be aware, this n requires substantial preparations. Not only will I need to get in contact with the fathend, but I will also need a month or two for the goods to be transported to our base.


    If you can promise to hold off the assault until these preparations are made, and simply encircle the enemy position in the meantime so that they cannot escape. I can guarantee you minimal casualties, while also assuring utter annihtion of the enemy."


    The Lieutentant Colonel was intrigued by this promise that Bruno had given him. Like Bruno had suspected, he was quick to grant approval, as the lives of his men were more important than a swift victory against the rebels and theirst stronghold in the region.


    "So long as you keep your word, I will grant you approval to contact whoever you need to speak to in the fathend. However, be aware, if this operation of yours results in a failure, or more casualties than are to be expected I will hold you responsible for it!"


    Bruno immediately saluted the Lieutentant Colonel, responding in the affirmative as he did


    so.


    "Thank you, sir!"


    After saying this, Bruno was granted permission to send a telegraph back home. Where he contacted his father, giving him the chemical form for CS gas. Or moremonly referred to as Tear Gas. While also creating the means for its deployment via the use of lightweight


    80mm mortars.


    Lightweight mortars were an invention of the first world war. In the year 1900, mortars were generally veryrge bore artillery pieces that required the same means of transportation as howitzers and field guns. They simply fired at a different arc hence why they were called


    mortars.


    What Bruno had sent his father via telegram was a detailed ount on how to manufacture a


    lightweight 80mm mortar that could be carried and operated on the move by a small team of men. It was a revolutionary concept for the year he was in.


    And had the potential to change the nature of warfare as the world currently knew it. That was


    assuming, of course, anyone other than the Germans learned about this device and how to copy it.


    The mortar he designed was based on the ones used by German Paratroopers in WW2. In his past life, it was known as the kz 8 cm GrW 42. The weapon weighed 26.5kgs or 58.4lbs and could be broken down into three pieces for ease of transportation.


    As for the chemical form of CS gas, that would normally not be invented until the 1920s.


    And at this time, there was no outright ban on the use of chemical warfare. Even though the first of the Hague Conventions was signed a year prior.


    Because of this, there were no moral qualms using Tear Gas to smoke the Boxer Rebels out of the temple, and into the open where they could be fired on while in a temporarily disabled


    state.


    This also gave Bruno the ability to disy his vast knowledge of mechanical engineering and chemistry for the first time since reincarnating in this world. Knowledge which he had gained in both his past life and his current one. Bruno''s father responded, affirming that he would begin the production of the 8cm Lightweight Mortars immediately, and would use his powers as a member of the Committee for Land Army and Fortifications to approve emergency deployment of the device once it had been tested briefly for functionality and safety.


    It would be a month or two before the prototype weapon was shipped off to China, and in the


    meantime the Battalion which Bruno served in would encircle the enemy at Mount Cangyan while waiting for their revolutionary new weapon to arrive.

 Chapter 16: Obliterating the Enemy

    Chapter 16: Obliterating the Enemy


    ?


    The encirclement of the Boxer''sst stronghold within the region was held for close to two months. There was only one way in and out of the temple, and it was secured by the German soldiers who took turns keeping watch.


    After only one attempt to leave the temple, which resulted in the deaths of twelve boxers. The rebels stayed put within the temple for the remainder of the "siege."


    At first they thought the Germans were trying to starve them out with their encirclement. But they had enough supplies tost through the end of winter. And because of this, they thought the German leadership was foolish to make such attempts.


    Eventually, however, the day arrived where the German Battalion got their hands on their new prototype weapon. As it was Bruno''s design, he quickly worked together with those men in hispany who were most mechanically inclined. Putting it together in no time.


    There were a few dummy rounds included in the munitions case. So that Bruno and his men could properly zero the weapon on the enemy''s location. Nobody besides the Battalionmander really knew what Bruno''s n was.


    Nor did they understand what exactly Bruno and his men were fiddling with. From their perspective, it was a short and thin steel tube. They couldn''t possiblyprehend that this one weapon would forever change the nature of warfare in this world.


    Bruno had no practical experience with operating mortars. In his past life, he was an infantry officer and was not adequately trained on their operation. But due to the fact that he designed the damn thing, based upon a newfound understanding of mechanical engineering via studying the subject in his life, and a basicprehension of how mortars functioned in his past life. He figured it out pretty quickly.


    Once the weapon was zeroed in, Bruno ordered the men tounch one of the dummy rounds to test the weapon. The echo of the mortar round sting off alerted all troops in the immediate vicinity as the shell flew up into the air, well above the target before falling down in the center of the temple za.


    To the Boxers inside theplex, this was a bizarre sight. A metallic object shot up into the air and fell into their position. But it caused no damage to any of the structures, or the men within them. They began tough and shout at the Germans as if this was somehow a failure on their part.


    But Bruno ordered another dummy round to beunched just to ensure the weapon was indeed fixed in the right position. And again, an explosive st echoed across the mountain range, while another inert roundnded on the za, a foot or two away from the initial target.


    None of the Boxers understood what was happening, or how the next round would be their undoing. But upon seeing that the prototype mortar was functioning wless, Bruno gave an order to hispany to take up positions at the bottom of the staircase and to be prepared to begin their assault.


    "On my mark, prepare to charge the enemy!"


    The men quickly got their weapons ready, and in position as they waited for themand. Bruno then gave the order for the mortar to fire. And when it did this time, the Boxers weren''tughing anymore.


    The detonation of the air burst mortar round, which contained an aerosol version of CS gas immediately caused all the men caught up in its mist to begin choking and oozing snot from their noses, while crying profusely.


    Yet it was not a single round which affected them. Bruno ordered theunch of all shells on the temple zaplex. With each round fired, the mortar team became more and morepetent at their jobs.


    The time between each round fired became shorter while they continuously fired into the Temple za. Eventually the entire area was full of tear gas, while the boxers affected by it had no means to retaliate, and were instead flooding out of the fortified buildings and the makeshift defenses they had made trying desperately to get some clean air to breathe. Once they were on their knees choking on the gas, Bruno ordered his men to assault theplex. They quickly rushed up the staircase, not suffering from a single round fired at them as they approached the temple za. Remaining a safe enough distance away from the tear gas to not be affected by it.


    The German soldiers then formed ranks and opened fire on the temporary disabled rebels, who were riddled full of bullet holes by the sudden attack. Once the CS gas cleared, the German soldiers flooded into theplex, making short work of any boxers who remained. The assault ended as quickly as it began, and with no resistance from the rebels holed up inside the temple. Had the Battalion not waited until the mortar and the tear gas arrived, then the casualties they would have sustained taking the templeplex would have been severe.


    Once it was confirmed that all rebels had been eliminated, Bruno ordered the team to break down the mortar and pack it back up. All the while the Battalionmander approached him in shock at what he had seen.


    "I will admit, I was growing impatient waiting for this mysterious weapon of yours to arrive. Had I been forced to sit here for another week, I would have ordered the assault, regardless. But I''m d I didn''t....


    This thing you have here, I have never seen anything like it before. It''s like a mortar, but much smaller, and lighter weight. Easily carried and operated by a small number of soldiers. Even capable of being lifted up to such a high elevation with rtive ease.


    The lives of hundreds of your fellow soldiers were spared because of you and your n. Victory on this day is yours, Captain, not mine. I''m curious though, what exactly is this device you waited so long to get your hands on?"


    Bruno had a smug smirk on his face. He didn''t take credit for the invention, rather he imed it was the product of the engineers who worked for his father.


    "You should thank my father''spany, and the talented men who work there as engineers and chemists. Without them, this new lightweight mortar would not exist in this world." To a certain extent this was true. Bruno might have a proper knowledge of mechanical engineering and basic chemistry. But he was not omniscient. Though he had knowledge of the future about how mortars woulde to evolveter on in this century. He himself got many things wrong when designing it.


    These errors were solved by his father''s engineers, and the chemists they coborated with toe up with the functional designs of the two weapons that they were currently testing in the field. As for the Lieutentant Colonel, he couldn''t help but suspect Bruno yed arger role in the development of the lightweight mortar and CS gas than he was letting on.


    Still, he didn''t bring these suspicions up, and instead made ament about how warfare would forever be changed as a result of this weapon.


    "Whoever is responsible, the Reich owed them a great deal. I will write to the General personally and tell him about this wonderful new mortar your family has developed. With any luck, we can keep this weapon a secret from the other great powers, giving us an edge should the daye where we must take up arms against them!"


    With that said, the Mortar which Bruno designed would be further developed, tested, and experimented on. In theing years, the German Empire would keep the existence of their lightweight mortars a secret from their rivals on the global stage. While further expanding on the variety of calibers, they could sessfully be chambered in.


    While Bruno continued to contribute to the upation of Northern China by the Eight-Nation Alliance. His wife was at home waiting for his return. It had been nearly three months since Bruno first left Heidi''s side. And by now, there was a noticeable bump on her belly.


    Thest time Bruno had visited Heidi, he had just graduated from the Academy, and was granted two weeks of leave to spend with his wife before being deployed overseas for the foreseeable future. During this time, he had thoroughly impregnated the woman.


    He had the opportunity to do so over the holidays while he was in his final year of the Academy. But chose not to for a series ofplicated reasons. This time, however, his perspective had shifted.


    Seeing as he was about to enter a Warzone, Bruno saw it as a prudent time to leave an heir behind, as doing so would ensure that his family would provide for Heidi should the worst happen to him during his deployment.


    Of course, Heidi had only found out she was pregnant a month or so after Bruno had left her side. Currently, she was sitting on the sofa, while wondering what kind of expression Bruno would make when he found out he was a father.


    Heidi was so entranced with the idea of being a proper family together with Bruno that she had forgotten an important letter was supposed to arrive today. And it took her some time to regain her rity where she immediately fetched the mail, which should have arrived by now. When she saw the seal on the letter and the family which it belonged to, she was quick to take a deep breath before opening it. Once she did so, she read its contents. The message itself, if read inly was merely an exchange of pleasantries between two family members. But when decoded in the way the Heidi and her cousin had agreed upon, it read as follows.


    "Dear Lady Heidi von Zehntner,


    It has been some time since Ist sent you a letter. I regret to inform you that I have been quite busy as ofte. What, with the nature of my work, is it any wonder that I have been unable to properlymunicate with you?


    You will be pleased to know, however, that I have not forgotten your request. And have been


    following the career of your husband quite closely. No doubt this is the least I can do to repay the favor which my beloved little sister owes you.


    There has been much talk of your husband, Captain Bruno von Zehntner, and his contributions


    to the war efforts around the office. And I have it on good authority that the old timers in the Central Division even n to have him attend the Prussian War college once the war is over. That is, of course contingent on his continued sess in the field.


    If your husband continues to perform in the way has so far, then the man has a bright future in


    the Army, and may even one day be a general. I know you worry about his safety, as I''m sure my sister would feel the same were I in your husband''s situation.


    But you can rest assured knowing that if the rumors are to be believed, he is deeply concerned about his own safety and the men beneath hismand. If so, he won''t needlessly put himself in danger. And with the attention he has been gathering, I doubt hismanding officer would risk such a thing as well.


    I only have one other thing to report. I do not intend to worry you about this matter, as it is currently being taken care of by my friends in the field. But there appears to be a conspiracy among several of your husband''s fellow officers to eliminate him, and y it off his death in the field as a fatality caused by the enemy.


    As I previously stated, you do not need to worry about this matter. As I already have my men working on apprehending the conspirators and bringing their criminal actions to light. By the time you read this letter, they should already be in prison awaiting their execution.


    That is all I have to report for now. I do look forward to a time where you and my sister can get together once more. After all, you are now officially a nobledy, albeit through marriage. And there is no reason for the two of you to hide your friendship any longer.


    In the meantime, I will continue to monitor the situation regarding your husband''s career, and let you know if there are any further developments. You will always have friends among my family and those of our allies. No matter what kinds of games your bastard of a father may


    y at.


    -Sincerely,


    Your cousin, Prince Karl Georg von Bentheim-Steinfurt."


    Heidi smiled at the letter before raising it over a nearby candle, and lighting it ame. It, along with the words contained within were thoroughly burnt to ashes. After all, it was quite the criminal act for her cousin to report ssified and internal military information to her. And thest thing she wanted was for the man to get in trouble.


    After all, if he came under investigation, then it would be revealed that she used a favor which the Princess of Bentheim-Steinfurt owed her from their years together as children, to coerce a military officer into giving her ssified intelligence on the War in China.


    If such a thing urred, then she could be in serious trouble along with her cousin Karl Georg, who worked as an analyst at the Information Division of the German Army''s High Command. Which was Imperial Germany''s foreign intelligence bureau.


    But Heidi was just so worried about Bruno''s wellbeing. That she could not help but check up


    on him. Nevertheless, the two of them took precautions in the sharing of such sensitive information. Creating their own form of encryption to exchange letters freely, and openly without anyone thinking the wiser.


    Which after burning the evidence, Heidi pulled out a pen and paper, and began to write back


    to her cousin in the same encryption style of the letter she had received. What the letter contained exactly, only the two of them would ever know. But suffice to say the timid little rabbit that Bruno had married had more connections that could aid him then he could


    possibly realize.

 Chapter 17: An Opportunity for Promotion

    Chapter 17: An Opportunity for Promotion


    ?


    A rather shocking event followed the victory at Mount Cangyan. Though peace had finally settled in the region which Bruno''s unit was responsible for the upation of. Especially with the threat of the Boxer Remnants eliminated.


    Controversy immediately arrived. As the military police arrested several soldiers, both Non- Commissioned Officers and Commissioned Officers were implicated in a plot to assassinate


    Bruno.


    Among these conspirators included Captain Mueller who Bruno had frequently feuded with over petty matters. However, despite this sudden turn of events. Bruno was not entirely surprised.


    His actions thus far had definitely made many enemies. However, what did astonish him was the fact that an officer within the military police approached him, and whispered something to him that seemed significant even if Bruno was unaware of it.


    "Your friends in the Information Division send their regards..."


    Friends in the Information Division? Bruno was naturally aware of what this organization was. It was essentially the department of Military Intelligence for the Imperial German Army. But why exactly was someone in the Information Division watching his back? As far as he was aware, he had no contacts in such an important organization.


    Still, Bruno simply acted as if he knew what the Military Police officer was talking about, putting on a stern fa?ade, and nodding his head as he thanked the man for his efforts.


    "You and the boys back at the Division have my thanks. If you ever need anything that I can help with, you know where to find me..."


    It didn''t hurt to establish ties with the Military Police and the officers within it. Especially since the Military Police seemed to have a good impression of Bruno as a man of justice like many of its members were.


    And because of this, the Military Police officer nodded and assured Bruno if he needed his support, he woulde look for him. After which, the conversation ended. As the Military police had far more important matters to attend to.


    After a list of Officers, and Senior NCOs were dragged off to await their Court Martial and sentence. The Lieutentant Colonel in charge of the battalion in which Bruno was a part of approached him and apologized on behalf of the unit.


    "I''m sorry Captain. I was unaware that the men beneath mymand were conspiring against you. You have proven to be an exceptional member of this unit, and to think they would reward your merit with such treachery. I''ll make sure that the new officers who rece them are well aware of the consequences of such behavior!"


    Bruno nodded his head and epted the Lieutentant Colonel''s apology. It''s not like he could tell the man to go fuck himself because he was ignorant of such a conspiracy against one of his officers. I mean, hell, Bruno was ignorant of it as well.


    Still, he was curious why the Information Division was protecting him. Who within their ranks had he impressed to such a degree. Bruno couldn''t possibly know that it was his wife Heidi who had used her connections with the other half of her family, which she was more friendly with to keep an eye on him and anyone who might be moving against him.


    Nor could he know that his actions so far had thoroughly impressed military leadership, who once they became aware of this conspiracy, would make moves to protect Bruno. After all, if he continued on such a path of sess and innovation, then he was a future general worth fostering.


    The next two weeks were rtively peaceful. The battalion which Bruno was attached to continued their patrols, to ensure that the countryside within their area of responsibility was both pacified and stable. But with the Boxers in the area having been fully wiped out at Mount Cangyan, there was no trouble to be had on their patrols.


    Instead, Bruno was approached by his Battalion Commander, and sequestered in the man''s office for a private conversation. Which immediately made Bruno suspicious. It was rare for him to have a private conversation with the Lieutentant Colonel, and after recent events he suspected it would be a serious matter.


    "Please sit down, I have an important matter to discuss with you...."


    Bruno did as he was told and waited patiently for the Lieutentant Colonel to begin the conversation. But the man seemed more concerned with making Brunofortable as he reached into his cab and pulled out some distilled spirits that had been brewed by the locals.


    It was part of his private stash, which, after pouring a ss for himself, he gave one to Bruno as well. Bruno initially rejected the offer with a motion of his hand, but the Lieutentant Colonel seemed unusually insistent as hemanded Bruno to drink with him.


    "Drink, Imand it.... Believe me, you''re going to want to loosen up for this conversation..."


    Considering the severity of his statement, Bruno did asmanded and downed the whole ss of alcohol in a single gulp. Surprising themander who thought that Bruno''s sobriety was a sign of his feebleness towards alcohol.


    Bruno was not the least bit intoxicated. He was an experienced drinker, after all. Having his fill of beer, wine, and distilled spirits after bing an adult. It was a natural part of noble celebrations and feasts to drink to your host.


    After seeing Bruno had drank the alcohol, the Lieutentant Colonel sighed before getting straight to the point.


    "Let me juste out and say it. The French have requested our aid in the territory which they are upying. They have suffered small losses over these past few months. And apparently word has reached their ears that we have already pacified the area under our responsibility.


    Because of this, they are requesting armed support. And since you are the man who has proven to be most capable ofbatting the rebels. I have decided to dispatch you and yourpany to advise the French on how to defeat their adversaries.


    No doubt this will put you in needless danger. And you have more than proven yourself here in China. So much so, I am making an unusual exception by allowing you to reject my request if you simply desire to sit back and rx at the base for the rest of the winter.


    But I will have to dispatch someone else to take your ce, and with Captain Mueller and several of the other officers having been arrested for conspiracy of assassination. I am left with very limited options."


    Bruno remained silent for a short while as he thought about what was happening. It was January 1901, after a nearly two month long siege of Mount Cangyan and the Temple which the Boxers were hiding within. The end of the German upation was rapidly approaching. Through his actions, Bruno had sped up the German victory in China, and it was entirely possible that within the next few weeks the East Asia Expeditionary Corps would be disbanded, and its volunteers would be returning home to the fathend. Something that was supposed to happen in the Spring ording to his previous life''s history.


    If he went home now, he would have more than made a name for himself, that would allow him to gain favorable positions in the Army going forward. But, if he took up this offer to advise the French, he may be left behind longer than the rest of the Battalion.


    Even then, acting as a military advisor to the French, and proving himself capable in such regards, may very well open the door to a simr role in a few years when the Russo-Japanese war broke out. With these ambitions in mind, Bruno ultimately decided to ept the


    position.


    "Lieutentant Colonel, you don''t have to worry. I will have the Boxer remnants defeated by the time the snow melts, and the leaves bloom from the trees."


    It was an arrogant promise. After all, it was currently January, and Bruno did not know the exact nature of the French situation right now. But he had more than two months to fulfill his promise, and as far as he was concerned that was all he needed.


    The Lieutentant Colonel smiled when he heard this and was quick to respond to Bruno''s bold ims with a promise of his own.


    "If you really aplish that, I will personally send a rmendation to the Central Division that they make an exception and consider epting your application to the Prussian


    War College after this war is over."


    Bruno was surprised to hear this, but it gave him even more motivation to aplish the task within the time frame that he had boasted. Admission to the Prussian War College was highly selective. Normally, one would require a minimum of five years'' service as an officer just to be able to apply for the exams. Which themselves had a high failure rate.


    Of course, exemry performance on the battlefield had a way of hastening one''s promotion.


    Wars weren''t exactly something that happened every year. One could go an entire military career without seeingbat. And even a few months of battlefield experience gave Bruno an edge over hispetitors who had stayed out of the Boxer rebellion.


    Still, only a hundred applicants would normally be admitted to the Prussian War College, and


    after three years'' worth of education and exams. Those who graduated were between five and eight in total. Such an attrition rate wasparable to special forces selection in the 21st


    century.


    However, those who graduated from the Prussian War College were permanently posted to fill vacancies in the General Staff. Meaning that if Bruno seeded in this endeavor, he would be one of the youngest generals in the history of the German Empire. Meritocracy was the name of the game, and since Bruno had proven himself an exceptional officer in the field, despite only beingmissioned for roughly half a year. He may very well get his wish. Of course, there was an equal chance someone higher up in the ranks who was jealous of his rapid rise would block his attempts to enter the Prussian War College. Meaning he would have to slog on for another few years, before meeting the minimum requirements to apply again. Either way, there was plenty of time until the Great War began, which was when Bruno needed to be a General by if he were to change Germany''s destiny. And hence he had plenty of time to prepare.


    Either way, Bruno epted his new post and was quickly transferred along with his unit to advise the French on counter-insurgency tactics.


    Captain Leon Sinir was a French military officer, he was a few years older than Bruno, and had served in the French Army for four years prior to the outbreak of the Boxer Rebellion. He was among those units who were first to fight in the conflict, and had taken part in multiple battles so far including the Battle of Peking.


    Still, his unit had suffered these past few months from repeated ambushes and other skirmishes with the Boxers. While the Boxers were primarily armed with swords and spears. Believing their inner Qi could protect them from bullets. Making them easy to deal with. There were those among them with a more realistic approach to warfare. These units would hide behind cover, and making use of firearms and explosives to deal with


    the French. The casualties which the French army sustained so far were minor, but no less than two dozen of Leon''s own soldiers had either been wounded or killed in action.


    Meanwhile, the Germans had already dealt with the Boxers in all the areas which they upied. As a result, the General inmand of the French upational forces requested support from the German Army, something that was humiliating to even think about for


    many of its soldiers.


    Leon''s father was killed in the Franco-Prussian war. And as a young boy, he watched as the Prussians and their allies marched into the French Pce of Versailles and dered themselves a new Empire, which they boldly stated was the new and supreme authority over Europe. Thus ending French hegemony in the continent.


    To say he fully supported French Revanchism was an understatement. Leon hated the Germans and the humiliation they had caused him, his family, and his nation. He would never


    forget, and he would never forgive.


    Thus, it was no surprise when the ruddy-haired man spat on the ground in front of Bruno''s feet when he came face to face with the advisor who the Germans had sent to aid them in their


    efforts to put down the Boxer Remnants.


    Leon was not afraid to speak his mind, however he did so in French believing that the Germans couldn''t understand him.


    "To think our general would stoop so low as to ask the Boche for help? What a coward!"


    Bruno simply smirked when he heard the disrespecting to him from the French officer. He spoke in perfect French, shocking Leon and his troops as he insulted the French Army. "Perhaps if you baguette munching surrender monkeys were remotely capable of performing your jobs, we wouldn''t be here to teach you how to properly wage war..."


    The silence that existed after this was deafening. As the French stared at Bruno with wide, and hateful eyes. Needless to say the tension between the two units immediately reached a breaking point.

 Chapter 18: Attache to the French Colonial Army

    Chapter 18: Attache to the French Colonial Army


    ?


    The term which Bruno had used to insult the French soldiers was one taken from his past life. Whether it was invented or merely poprized in thete 20th century, Bruno was not entirely aware. But its origins lie in with the French surrender in 1940, a mere six weeks after the conflict with Germany began.


    This was something that Americans had never let the French forget, despite actually being allied with the French Resistance throughout the remainder of the war. And naturally certain more nationalist leaning Germans had picked up on the term.


    Because Bruno had his memories from his past life, he was quick to shove the insult in Leon''s face after the man had tantly disrespected him, first by spitting in his direction, and then by using a French derogatory term for the German people.


    He had not provoked the man at all, but the revanchist sentiment was strong among the French poption following their defeat in 1871. And this hatred for the Germans would continue for decades toe.


    Culminating in their deration of war against the German Reich in 1914, as well as the imposing of the abominable treaty of Versailles in 18, which due to the punitive actions taken against the German Empire, for literally no reason other than French pettiness, ended up being a direct cause for the Second World War a mere two decades after the fact.


    No doubt Leon would be one of the men lining up in 1914 to fight against the Germans, and assuming he stayed in the French Army until then would probably be a high-ranking officer by then. Far more powerful than he currently was.


    But Bruno would not let the Germans be defeated in this timeline now that he had been given a chance to change the future. Hell, he had already changed the timeline with several minor actions in the Boxer Rebellion.


    As for Leon, he naturally took the term Bruno had used as an insult for the French surrender in 1871, despite just now hearing it for the first time in his life. And was damn near ready to attack Bruno for his words, despite him himself starting the dispute. That is, until the French General who invited Bruno and his men stepped in and defused the situation.


    "What is going on here? Captain Sinir, I hope you are not causing trouble with our new advisors?"


    Leon was forced to cease any further hostilities he had nned when Major General Henri- Nics Frey stepped forward to personally wee Bruno to the French upied territory. He immediately threw up a salute to the French General, as did Bruno and his men, as a sign of respect for the man''s position.


    "General, I was merely introducing myself to the German Captain!"


    Although General Frey eyed Leon with suspicion, being well aware of the man''s prejudices towards the Germans. He did not say anything further, instead stepping past his own officer to greet Bruno, and was quite friendly in his introduction.


    "Major General Henri-Nics Frey, it is a pleasure to meet the man who is responsible for the victory at Mount Cangyan. I must say, a tricky situation you found yourself in. The enemy holding up in fortified templeplex with only one entry point, exposed to enemy fire, and a steep cliff above full of snow preventing you from striking it with artillery?


    I don''t know how you managed to eliminate the rebels without a single casualty, but assuming we have the time I would love to hear the details of your strategy!''


    Bruno was surprised how well versed the General was in his victory that took ce not too long ago. However, he would not dare reveal how he emerged victorious, as to do so would be to leak a powerful advantage the German Army was now preparing for future conflicts.


    Man-portable mortars had the ability to change the nature of WWI. After all, when they came into prominence, especially in WW2, they had pretty much reced the nature of heavy static machine guns, which trench warfare in 1918 relied heavily upon.


    Bruno also had ns to implement better machine guns, but he would need to rise through the ranks of the German army, and further exploit his father''s connections to the Land Army and Fortificationsmittee if he wanted to implement these designs into service.


    Thus, he simply responded cordially, dismissing the French General''s request in the politest way possible.


    "I''m not one to boast, but if the General wishes to hear about the victory at Mount Cangyan in more detail, I''m afraid it will have to wait until after we have solved your insurgency problem.


    My men are more than willing to provide support wherever needed, but I do want to make it clear we are here in an advisory capacity and do not intend to be thrown into position as a recement for your own soldiers."


    General Freyughed at Bruno''s words. He was indeed surprised the man could speak so fluently, and with a dialect that made it seem he was like a native Parisian. Nor did he take Bruno''sst remarks seriously, as he assured Bruno his soldiers would not be seeing any actualbat during their patrols and punitive expeditions.


    "Not to worryd, I assure you my men are more than up to the task of fighting these damned rebels. But your insight on how to best deal with them would be most weed."


    After this, the General left his captain behind, while taking Bruno, as well as the toonmanders beneath Bruno''smand to a more sheltered area where they discussed at length the best way to draw out and eliminate the rebels. Following a simr path that the Germans had used to thoroughly annihte the Boxer Remnants in their area of upation.


    And before long, Bruno found himself, interestingly enough, on horseback riding beside the French General who deployed his battalion into the snowy countryside to hunt down and eliminate the rest of the boxers.


    Bruno''spany was in the rear, protecting himself, and the General, alongside the artillery which would be used to pound the enemy positions when spotted. As for General Frey, while he and Bruno smoked cigarettes on horseback, he was quick to ask Bruno''s opinion on the war, and the region in general.


    "You''re young, younger than a captain ought to be. I heard about that nasty business with the Russians. I presume the fact that you wear the insignia of a captain on your shoulders means that you reced the thering fool who tried to reprimand you for standing up against vitions of the Hague.


    Just because the Chinese did not sign or ratify the convention, does not mean that we who belong to nations who had done so should not be expected to abide by them. It''s a sickening loophole, and I''m d someone put a stop to it."


    Bruno was surprised that the French General was in agreement with him in this regard. Initially, he was callous towards the plight of the locals. Believing that they themselves were to me for not signing the Hague Convention of 1899.


    Despite this, Bruno quickly shifted his opinion when he actually witnessed the atrocitiesmitted in front of him. Reading about War Crimes that had happened in the past, and witnessing them in person, were twopletely different things.


    At that moment, his conscience wouldn''t allow him to simply stand by and watch as War


    Crimes weremitted in front of him. Sure, he had suffered quite a bit because of what he did. But at the end of the day, he didn''t regret it. And he was quick to give voice to this


    sentiment.


    "It was moments before we stumbled across the ransacked vige that I rather coldly stated to one of my fellow officers that there was simply nothing we could do about such things.


    That we weren''t powerful enough topel others to follow the same standards that we ourselves adhered to. To force others to abide by our values and how conducted ourselves in a


    time of war.


    And yet, no more than five minutes passed before I came across the scene of the Russian soldiers and the crimes they weremitting. I was aware that these things were happening, and I didn''t care until I was confronted with it. Forced to witness it with my very eyes. I''m not a sentimental person, nor an empathetic one. Had the boxers used the vige as a stronghold, I would have ordered it to be shelled without hesitation or remorse. Even if the entire town''s civilian popce died in the barrage.


    But there''s a big difference between being ruthless in the pursuit of victory, and being sadistic towards those who have already surrendered. What the Russians did was wrong, and my conscience did not permit me to simply walk away and pretend it wasn''t happening. The consequences of my actions are no doubt more severe than I currently understand them to be. And may very well lead to future friction with the Russian Empire. Yet at the very least, they helped put an end to the needless suffering that was taking ce here.


    After everything that happened, I came to te realize that despite being a mere lieutenant, my actions have more power than I could have possibly imagined when I firstnded in this


    country."


    The French General remembered every word that Bruno had spoken. At first, he had assumed the man was the sentimental type for the way he treated the locals.


    But when Bruno revealed he had no qualms shelling a position held by the enemy, even if civilians were doomed to be caught in the st, he began to realize that the young German Captain in front of him was a man of significant fortitude.


    Bruno wasn''t a monster. He had no desire to inflict suffering on anyone could it be avoided. At


    least not based on what he had just said, and the actions he had taken so far. But he was by no means a saint. If given the chance to engage in evil for the sake of victory, he would disregard his soul and take the path of least resistance to triumph.


    Given the chance to rise to a prominent position in the German Army, Bruno would be a


    formidable enemy in the years toe should Germany and France find themselves at war. And because of this, General Henri-Nics Frey made a mental note of the name Bruno von


    Zehntner.


    The French General would be keeping a close eye on the Bruno''s exploits during the years that followed. Let alone the next few months as they fought together to put an end to the Boxer Rebellion, or more specifically those remnants who still dared to take up arms.

 Chapter 19: The End of Winter

    Chapter 19: The End of Winter


    ?


    Bruno spent the next month identifying and mapping out the exact locations where the Boxer remnants would hide when he and General Frey were plotting the French punitive expedition. Through repeated skirmishes with the enemy, he had discovered their precise whereabouts, and the locations they were most likely to set up ambushes.


    Unfortunately for him, despite the fact that his presence was requested by the French Colonial Army in an advisory capacity, General Frey hadrgely neglected his suggestions. And repeatedly walked into enemy attacks without a regard for the advice Bruno had given him. Whether it was because the French General was testing him, and his knowledge of the enemy tactics. Or simply because he thought having a German advisor was a mere novelty. The initial pleasantries which General Frey greeted Bruno with had be nothing short of tiresome at this point.


    Today was no different, with the French General yet again ignoring Bruno''s advice, and in doing so, marched his troops directly into an ambush that Bruno had predicted with absolute precision. The Boxers who took part in the attack were not of the normal variety which Bruno hade into contact with during his time in the German-upied Zone.


    These men, for the most part, did not wield firearms and explosives to a degree of proficiency that was worthy of being called an insurgency. Rather, these were the moremon variety of Boxers, those that Bruno honestly had no idea how they survived this long when considering their delusional take on warfare.


    For whatever reason, the Boxer Movement, or at least those in charge had convinced thousands of men that with their qigong powers they could render bullets useless against their flesh, as well as perform other feats that simply were not possible if one were living in objective reality.


    Perhaps if the world functioned off of the tropes that weremonly found in Eastern Fantasy novels, then these things could be true. But in the real world, such ideas were delusional. There was no such thing as magic in this world, and because of this no matter how hard you tried to "channel your Qi" you were not going to stop a bullet from taking your life.


    These Boxers however had a damn near religious faith in their alleged qigong powers, and charged at the French colonial soldiers wildly from beneath a nearby ridge where they had waited for the enemy to approach. It took some time for the French to adjust their weapons so that they were properly aligned with the enemy''s assault.


    Bays had not been affixed, and because of this the French soldiers fired off a single and shaky volley at the enemy. Using the same tactics with their Lebel 1886 bolt actions rifles that they would have used if this battle was taking ce 50 years earlier when muskets ruled thend.


    This only made it easier for the Boxers, armed with swords and spears to inflict casualties on the French soldiers. With the first line falling quickly by the wayside. They had walked right into an ambush yet again. This was despite Bruno''s previously warning that there was a high likelihood the enemy would be lying in wait at ridge.


    Bruno sighed heavily and shook his head as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit a smoke. Meanwhile, General Frey who looked through his binocrs was honestly surprised that Bruno''s hunch had proven correct, and rather haphazardly responded as if the injuries his men were currently sustaining were not a big deal at all.


    "Well, I''ll be damned. It would appear that you were correct in your assumption Captain. I suppose it would have been wise to follow your advice to proceed with caution and fix bays before marching past the ridge."


    Despite the fervor in which the Boxer remnants fought, they were ultimately outnumbered by the French Army, who managed to fix their bays and fight in the melee together with the enemy. Ultimately winning the skirmish, albeit while suffering minor casualties. More than two dozen men were wounded in the ambush, and another six had been killed outright.


    After finishing a long drag on his cigarette, Bruno flicked it away, which fell by the wayside of the horse which he was mounted on. His voice was more stern than it should be as he responded to General Frey''s whimsical statement.


    "You requested my presence here so that I could advise you... I would assume that from now on you will listen to my advice, yes?"


    General Frey was honestly a bit resentful that his gut instinct had proven to be incorrect this time. And because of this, he sighed, and nodded his head, before confirming what Bruno had already suspected.


    "I suppose there is more to your methods than I initially thought there would be. Very well, if you have a suggestion, I will hear it now..."


    Bruno pointed towards the lines of the Boxers that were beginning to break and route. His voice was cold, almost icy as he advised to strike the fleeing rebels with artillery so that they could not return to their base of operations with their lives intact.


    "Thest thing we need is these assholes returning to their base of operations and reporting our position to theirrades. I have a general idea of where they are hiding. What you need to do is line up the artillery battery you have apanying this infantry battalion, and open fire as soon as they get out of danger close range.


    What remains of the boxers should be wiped out by the barrage. And I would suggest you do so quickly, less we lose an opportunity to gain the advantage."


    Frey did not hesitate to listen to Bruno''s advice any longer, yelling at his artillery battery to get the guns in position and to open fire on the fleeing enemies as soon as they were out of range of the French soldiers on the front lines.


    It took longer than Bruno would have wanted for the French artillery battery to get their guns deployed and in action. But with severalrge explosions in the distance, what remained of the Boxer Remnants who had ambushed the French were thoroughly turned into mincemeat. After which, General Frey was quick to inquire as to whether or not Bruno actually knew the whereabouts of the remaining boxers.


    "So... Were you telling the truth? Do you know where the Boxer remnants are hiding?"


    Bruno nodded his head and was quick to yell at one of his soldiers in German, which General Frey did not understand.


    "The map! Get me the map!"


    A soldier quickly ran past Bruno and gathered the map before handing it to hismanding officer. Once Bruno received it, he spread the piece of paper out and pointed at three locations within the mountain range where the Boxers were most likely hiding, or what remained of them within the French upation Zone.


    "We have two options on how to proceed. The first option is to take the men that are with us at this moment have and assault the enemy positions which would require a three day march from our current location.


    After doing so, we can encircle the enemy fortifications andy siege to them. With our current artillery, we only have enough manpower to bombard a single location. Meaning the other two units would have to take their objectives with a head on assault. Such a thing would incur heavy casualties. But would end the campaign as quickly as possible.


    The other option is to fall back to our base of operations and in doing so, gather our reinforcements. Recruit the efforts of every soldier in the area who can fight, other than those necessary to maintain the garrisons. And then use those forces to surround the three enemy strongholds and take them all out at once. Preferably via triggering an avnche in each zone with our artillery.


    The choice is up to you how to proceed. But if it were me, I would choose the secondary option. It''s a safer and more sure way to eliminate every single hostile with a single


    coordinated campaign."


    General Frey thought about Bruno''s remarks for some time in silence. Both options were viable solutions to the problem at hand. But it would easily take a week or two to gather the necessary reinforcements, let alone march them to the enemy strongholds.


    Still, the extra artillery would be a godsend, and triggering an avnche on each location would be a way to eliminate the enemy by expending their own blood in the process. Because of this, he chose the second option. It was not like the enemy had anywhere to go now that the winter was at its fiercest.


    As for Bruno, he didn''t care either way. He was still well within the time frame he had been given to aplish the task by hismanding officer. And it was not like the blood that would be shed was that of his own men.


    However, Bruno was indeed surprised. When General Frey chose the safer of the two options. Which would take longer to finish this campaign. But he did not refute the man''s choice. And instead helped coordinate the mustering of thousands of French soldiers and the apanying artillery batteries for the sake of the Winter Campaign.


    It had been nearly a month since the French Colonial Army in Qing China began mobilizing its forces to assault the three remaining Boxers strongholds within the upational Zone. And currently, the boxers were heating up their hands over the fire.


    The winters in Northern China were cold. Especially for the locals. And today was a particrly brutal day, the winter winds kissing the cheeks of those unfortunate enough to not have some form of shielding from the elements.


    The men were bundled up in as thick of winter clothing as they could get their hands on. Trying desperately to stay warm. Though they had sent out an ambush earlier in the week to strike at the French Army. They had not heard from them since.


    Leading many to believe that they had been wiped out to thest man. Morale was low, especially as supplies dwindled. But they still had some semnce of hope. As long as the winter faded and spring came, they could renew their offensive and perhaps even gain new


    recruits.


    So long as the French didn''t find them here, then there was a chance to fight again and expel the foreigners from China once and for all. They had no idea that at the base of the mountain, far enough away to not be affected by what was toe, the French army had gathered. The French soldiers were just as bundled up as their Chinese counterparts, albeit with thetest in cold weather military uniforms. They themselves shivered as they tried to get the artillery loaded. As for Bruno, he was dressed rather lightly all things considered. Whether it was his past life, or his current one, he handled the cold better than most. If he was born in America, he would have been that stereotypical white boy who wears a tank top and shorts in freezing weather. So long as it didn''t dip into the negative Fahrenheit, he had no need for clothing that covered his entire body.


    Still, the temperatures had dipped below the negative, and because of this he wore a coat over his tunic. But that was the extent of his extra garb. Bruno did not wear a scarf to protect his neck and face from the elements, nor did he even feel the need to wear gloves. Instead, he kept himself warm with a healthy dose of nicotine. As he gazed upon the preparations, the French were making. General Frey however, was fully bundled up as he inquired about whether or not Bruno was actually a human being.


    "I''m curious. Does the cold not affect you? I have known a few men in my time who were


    rather resilient to the winter elements, but you appear to be something akin to a mythical creature... Are you even human at this point?"


    The temperature was currently -20 celsius, which as far as Bruno was concerned was tolerable so long as he wore a jacket and full pants. And because of this, he rather boorishly responded to the French General as if he could not be damned to care about the current blizzard.


    "If it dips below -23 I may deem it necessary to wear a pair of gloves. Can we please focus on the assault? Oh, it looks like they''re ready. Care to give the signal?"


    General Frey''s attention instantly snapped back to the matter at hand. The artillery had been deployed and was ready to fire. They were simply waiting for orders to do so. Because of this, General Frey was quick to give it. Wanting to return home to Paris and get out of this war once


    and for all.


    "Open fire!"


    With the echo of half a dozen guns, and the sound of their shells exploding on the mountainside. Bruno watched and waited for the end of the Boxers who were holed up in the


    mountains.


    And like a frightening force of nature, it came momentster. As the snow packed on the


    mountain''s side came crashing down upon the rebels, burying them under several dozen feet of snow. Of which their bodies would never be recovered.


    And just like what happened here, so too did this ur at the other strongholds, which were thest of the Boxers in French upied Territory. Bruno had fulfilled his promise. Before the winter faded, and the leaves bloomed from the trees the Boxers had been defeated. Now all that was left was to wait for the order to return home.

 Chapter 20: A Peaceful Spring

    Chapter 20: A Peaceful Spring


    ?


    It was not long after coordinating three avnches on as many Boxer strongholds that Bruno was recalled back to the German Area of Responsibility. Throughout the winter, the other officers in his unit had primarily spent the time within the safety, warmth, andfort of the base.


    Bruno however, was in the field, orchestrating the deaths of thousands of rebels. He had gained a reputation in this conflict. A man who was brutally efficient in finding and eliminating the enemy. With only a single engagement, he could sniff out where the others were hiding, and once he got their scent, it was all over.


    Because of this, the French soldiers who had served under his advisory capacity gave him a nickname that rapidly spread among the members of the Eight-Nation Alliance. One that he only became aware of when he returned to base, and was greeted by his Battalion Commander.


    "Le loup de Prusse" Or in English "The Wolf of Prussia."


    The war hadsted less than a year. By the time the German soldiers of the East Asia Expeditionary Corps had arrived in China, it was already the fall. And now, with winter nearing its end, and the objectivespleted. The Kaiser issued the order to disband the primary volunteer force and return its soldiers to the Fathend.


    In addition to this, the Kaiser issued the minting of amemorative medal to be given out to all the German men who participated in the war effort. Which Bruno, along with the men beneath hismand, would be awarded upon returning home.


    It was another 40 days before the German vessels docked in Hamburg. After which it was a short train ride back to Berlin where his wife awaited him. Bruno had been effectively transferred to a local Infantry Unit within the area but was once more given a short break before having to report to his new post.


    The moment the man entered his home dressed in his military uniform and with his first medal pinned to his chest, he was greeted by his young wife. Who ran up to him and hugged him. Thanking God that he returned home safely as she did so.


    "You''re back! You''re really back! Are you hurt anywhere!?! Please let me check? Oh, thank the Lord God Almighty for sending his angels to watch over and protect you while you were gone! Are you hungry? I received word in advance that you were on your way home, and went out of my way to cook a proper meal for you! Come, let me take your coat!"


    Heidi was so excited to see Bruno home safe and sound that she was behaving rather erratically. Bruno of course had his attention immediately drawn not to what she was saying. But the size of her belly. From the time Bruno had marched off to war, and the time he hade home. Nearly eight months had passed in total.


    The woman was nearing the ending stages of her pregnancy, and as the father of her child, Bruno was not even aware of this fact the entire duration. Because of this, he was quick to usher the woman to a seat, despite the fact that he was physically exhausted from a long journey home after a rtively brief but stressful war.


    "Heidi... You''re pregnant! Why didn''t you tell me in any of your letters? Come, sit down. You shouldn''t be moving around so much for my sake!"


    The young woman was happy that even after going off to war, her husband cared so much about her health that he was quick to forsake any of his ownfort to ensure that she was well looked after.


    And after having the woman sit down at the table, Bruno himself served the food. While they discussed well into the night what had happened in thest eight months between the two of them.


    Not wanting Heidi to worry about him any more than she already had. Bruno neglected to mention key details, like the various skirmishes he was a part of, or the conspiracy to assassinate him by his fellow officers, or the fact that he had been temporarily imprisoned for his actions against the Russians.


    He had no idea that Heidi knew about these things all along. Instead, he was more interested in talking about what had been going on in her life. Rather than what he had experienced in China. And after a lengthy discussion, the two of them retired for the night.


    For the first time in a very long time, Bruno felt at ease as he drifted into unconsciousness. Gaining the best night''s sleep he had since he first left Berlin all those months ago.


    The following morning, Bruno found himself with a letter in the mail. It was addressed to him by the Lieutentant Colonel who was in charge of his battalion while he served in the East Asia Expeditionary Corps.


    The letter was informing him that he had personally sent a letter of rmendation to the General Staff, more specifically the Central Division of the German High Command. This letter glorified Bruno''s achievements in the field and his capabilities as a leader.


    It also rmended that the General Staff grant an exception to him. Insofar that he should not be held to the minimum requirement of being an active duty officer in the Army for five whole years before he could apply to attend the Prussian War College.


    And while the results of this rmendation were unknown for the time being. Bruno was honestly happy that the Lieutentant Colonel had lived up to his promise. For the meantime, Bruno intended to worry about such matters after his leave of absence ended.


    As of this moment, he was more concerned about cooking a lovely breakfast for his pregnant wife, and seeing through the birth of their first child. Which he sincerely hoped was a son. Bruno would continue to have a peaceful two weeks.


    Before reporting to his unit at the end of it. Where he would find that the life of a soldier in the Fathend would have much higher expectations than life as an Expeditionary Soldier sent abroad.

 Chapter 21: A New Generation of Military Equipment Part I

    Chapter 21: A New Generation of Military Equipment Part I


    ?


    The year was 1901. In thirteen years, the Great War would break out. While machine guns had existed for thest 20 years or so, they were sparse and mostly used in colonial conflicts. There was a certain air of arrogance among the European powers, or more specifically their military leadership who were focused on the main army.


    Machine guns were seen as a crude tool whose only use was mowing down savages. By 1914, when the Great War broke out, the Imperial German Army, who was one of the first nations to truly embrace the concept of the machine gun, had less than 400 total in their entire arsenal.


    The French, who would be their initial rivals had perhaps two machine guns for every battalion of soldiers. It was a woefully foolish oversight on behalf of the European powers who would quicklye to realize the effectiveness of machine guns. Even if at the time they were heavy, cumbersome, and static weapons.


    Bruno, having two weeks to himself, decided he would begin designing the initial concept blueprints for three weapons. All of which he hoped would give Germany the greatest advantage possible over the course of the next decade as they prepared themselves for the uing war.


    First and foremost, as much as the Mauser 98 was the pinnacle of military bolt-action rifle designs. The technology already existed to produce a better infantry rifle. The only problem was that the gun designers of the era had not yet perfected how to properly make a semi- automatic rifle that was suitable to military conflicts.


    But Bruno was aware of these things. At least in theory. He had a particr interest in firearms in his past life, no doubt due to his time as an infantry officer. And had a general understanding of the basic principles that went into designing self-loading rifles.


    He may not be able to make something as modern as a G36 assault rifle. Such a thing required modernposite materials which would note into existence until at least half a centuryter. Nor would he be able to provide an optic for every rifle.


    But such a thing did not matter in this era. Nor were such weapons ideal for the trenches of the Great War, whose fighting often took ce initially over distances greater than what a modern assault rifle was practical at.


    No, Bruno felt that a full power, semi-automatic rifle was more suited to such a conflict. And in his past life Germany had made one such rifle during theter days of the Second World War.


    The Gewehr 43, as it was known in his past life. Was a semiautomatic rifle, chambered in 7.92x57 Mauser. It had a detachable 10 round magazine. And a built in dust cover which would prevent mud and debris from entering the action.


    If issued to the standard infantryman in the German army, such an increase in firepower and rate of fire would overwhelm the enemies charging at the German trenches. Especially if employed in conjunction with a general purpose machine gun, and a submachine gun.


    The Gewehr 43 operated under a principle called the short stroke gas piston. It was a concept employed in many semi-automatic, automatic, and select fire tforms. Even ones designed in the 21st century.


    However, unliketer designs, the weapon featured a more unique pper locking bolt mechanism, rather than the more standard rotating bolt which becamemon in most modern rifle tforms following the second world war.


    In addition to this, the rifle was designed with a built in scope mount on its receiver. Which could be paired with a zf 4 telescopic sight. Though Bruno would also design this quick detachable optic for use among German marksman. He doubted the Reich''s ability to mass produce it for every infantryman.


    Though there were some design ws with the rifle that needed adjusting. At least the rifle as it was initially fielded. Its gas system was ridiculously overpowered, so much so that it actually damaged several internalponents over time and use. This waster optimized by Americanpanies in the decades after the war had ended.


    And Bruno would need to fix this. In addition to this, the riflecked a bay lug. Which would be crucial in the trenches. Though there were records of prototype designs fitted with a k98k bay lug. Which Bruno took inspiration from as he added this feature to his variant of the rifle.


    Aside from this, certainponents would need to be beefed up in proportion, as they had driven brittle, and prone to failure. Whether this was because the rifle was employedte into the war, and was thus often rushed during production. Or simply because of inherent design ws. Bruno honestly didn''t know.


    But he would have years to perfect this rifle design. And would have his father''s entirepany of weapons engineers to look over his blueprints and fix anything that missed his attention.


    With the first draft of the Gewehr 43 auto-loading rifle finished. Something that, as mentioned previously could be improved upon at ater date. Bruno moved onto designing the second most important weapon that came out of the First World War.


    The sub-machine gun entered the Great War during its final years. Despite this, it proved to be an effective weapon not only for NCOs in the field but also for crewman and pilots.


    The design Bruno had in mind was expensive and time consuming to manufacture. But in his past life it had been nicknamed the Rolls Royce of submachine guns due to its superior quality. The weapon he selected for production was, of course the Steyr-Solothurn MP-34. The MP-34 was contracted by the Austrian firearms manufacturer Steyr, to the Swiss arms corporation Solothurn during the interwar period in Bruno''s past life, because of the restrictions imposed by the treaties of Versailles and Trianon which prohibited the Germans and the Austrians from manufacturing sub-machine guns.


    It could be chambered in a number of cartridges, but for the sake of his needs, Bruno replicated the 9x19mm Luger design which currently saw service in the form of the Luger Pistol.


    It was a handgun cartridge also known as the 9x19mm Parabellum and had proven to be the most popr pistol cartridge adopted by military,w enforcement, and civilians alike even into the modern era.


    The MP-34, as it was known in his past life, which, like the other firearms Bruno was currently making initial drafts of, would likely be given a designation in this life. Operated via the open bolt blow-back action. Most sub-machine guns used some variation of direct blowback with an open bolt, and the MP-34 was no exception.


    It utilized 32 round detachable double stack magazines. And was effective out to 200m with a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute. It was a fairlyfortable gun to shoot all things considered, and had other features built into it that were umon, such as a bay lug, and a magazine loading system.


    After designing the MP-34 a rough variation of it. Bruno then began work on the general purpose machine gun he intended to produce for the German Army. The concept of a General Purpose Machine Gun or GPMG was created by the Germans during the interwar period.


    The idea was to have one machine gun that could fulfill any role which the military needed. Could it be used by infantry? Yes! Could it be pped onto a transport vehicle? Absolutely! Could you mount it coaxially with a tank turret? You bet your ass you could! Was it possible to put it on an aircraft? 100% guaranteed or your money back!


    And while the MG-42 was designed to rece the earlier MG-34 design during the war. It never really was able to do so. As for certain design reasons, it was incapable of being deployed via means other than as an infantry weapon, or mounted on the top of a light utility


    vehicle.


    Because of this, and the fact that Bruno wanted to simplify the lines of production in the military. He opted for the MG-34. Which while having a slower, albeit still substantial rate of fire, and was slightly heavier, despite having a slimmer profile. Could be used in any capacity which the German Military needed it.


    The MG-34 was an air cooled, recoil operated, open rotating bolt machine gun. Which could fire at a variable rate of 600 - 1,000 rounds per minute, which was selectable via a switch on the grip. All the while making use of the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge.


    This would be the same cartridge used in the Gewehr 43, and was currently used in the Gewehr98. Meaning ammomonality would exist between riflemen and machine guns, thus simplifying logistics and military procurement.


    It had an effective firing range of 2,000 meters, and a quick change barrel system, which standard doctrine dictated every 200 rounds to swap out the barrel, lest it overheat, or cause other problems such as the cooking off of ammunition in the feed tray.


    While one might consider it to be heavy, weighing int at just over 12kg, or slightly over 26 lbs, it was still substantially lighter than the other machine guns of this current era, the lightest of which being the Vickers which weighed a whopping 23kgs, or 51 lbs.


    The rtively lightweight, and overall profile of the firearm meant it was man portable, and could be fired from a standing position by the gunner who wielded it. This gave the German Army a significant advantage over their enemies.


    Who, when being overrun by the enemy would not be able to carry their machine guns with


    them, thus losing ess to a critical piece of equipment. This also meant that the machine gun could be moved with the rest of the unit during an assault. And deployed at a moment''s notice in case of sudden contact with the enemy.


    Finally, it made use of a metallic belt, unlike the cloth belts of the current era. Meaning that it would reliably feed even in the worst of conditions. All in all, if Bruno had his way, the German army would have an enormous advantage in terms of firepower and mobility when it


    came to their army.


    These were all advantages that could prove to end the Great War much earlier than it had


    during his past life, if the Germans yed their cards right that is. As for how Bruno nned for these weapons to be used. The standard doctrine of the German Army in WW2 at a squad level was exactly what Bruno was going for in this life.


    Because of this, he nned to give every NCO a submachine gun, one man a general purpose machine gun, to be operated by himself, and another soldier who carried and loaded the ammo. While the rest of the eight men in the squad were equipped with a rifle. In this case, rather than the bolt action k98k, he nned to have them issued with the semiautomatic G43. Of course, to do this, Bruno would need to send these designs to his father, who would, in turn approve them for prototyping. Where the designs would be tweaked and perfected by his engineers, who in turn would spend the next 4-5 years making sure they were perfectly functional, before shipping them off to the military arms trials where they could finally be approved for service.


    Only after all of this would the weapons be mass produced and issued to soldiers. The entire process could take up to a decade to fully be issued to soldiers. Giving Germany roughly three years or more to fully equip their army with the next generation of infantry weapons


    that Bruno had just designed.


    Despite having spent nearly an entire three days working on these designs. There were plenty


    of other things which Bruno needed to invent or improve upon within theing days that would have to go through a simr and lengthy process in order to be adopted by the Army.


    These included new uniforms, helmets, gas masks, artillery, airnes. Et Cetera. None of which Bruno could manufacture without the aid of his father''spany. Or gain the approval for adoption without his father''s influence within the Bundesrat.


    Needless to say, Bruno would have to spend years fighting tooth and nail to get the German


    Army properly equipped for the uing Great War. And he would need to make use of his father''s wealth, influence, and power to seed in this endeavor.


    But that path to victory was never won without the shedding of sweat, blood, and tears. And Bruno was more than happy to pay such a price to ensure the Reich emerged victorious in this new millennium.

 Chapter 22: A New Generation of Military Equipment Part II

    Chapter 22: A New Generation of Military Equipment Part II


    ?


    As much as Bruno spent his time developing new weapons for the Reich. Which hopefully would be adopted into service and mass produced in time for the uing Great War that would begin in the following decade, assuming the timeline had not shifted to the point where it would move up.


    Bruno also spent a lot of his days with his wife, Heidi. While he would cook breakfast and lunch for her, because she was eight months pregnant, and he wanted her to rest as much as possible. He would often neglect lunch, as he was too busy with blueprints.


    Causing the woman to voluntarily make a meal for the both of them, and bring it to her husband while he was hard at work in his home office. Despite Bruno''s attempts to keep his wife off of her feet during such a crucial time. She very much enjoyed doing small things like cooking for her husband, and utterly refused to be robbed of it.


    Forcing Bruno to ept her hospitality for at least one meal of the day. Which was most often lunch. Aside from spending time with Heidi after the day''s work was over. Bruno continued to work on developing the next generation of equipment for the German Military.


    In addition to this, he sent a letter of rmendation to his father to gain the licensing required to contract production of the Browning auto-5 shotgun within their own factories. It was a deal that would take much time to be negotiated. But frankly, Bruno knew it was the best shotgun of the era.


    The Browning Auto-5 was a semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun developed by John Moses Browning, an American gun manufacturer who was absolutely brilliant. And in my ways considered the greatest firearms manufacturer of all time. Even in the 21st century, many of his firearms designs were still employed in 21st century battlefields by modern militaries. The browning auto-5 had already been patented by John Moses Browning as early as 1898. But it would not begin production until a year from now in 1902. And because of this, Bruno intended to wait until it had begun production before sending his father a letter requesting licensing rights from the legendary firearm designer.


    Instead, for the time being, he focused on more important things, as the shotgun, while having a role to y in the trenches, was not exactly a critical development needed to be adopted as soon as possible.


    Bruno immediately began to work on military uniforms. The legendary field grey uniforms of the German Army had only begun experimentation within colonial units like the East Asian Expeditionary Corps, which was now disbanded. But they had seen service during the winter of 1900 within China.


    However, it would still be several years before they were fully implemented across the entire German Army. For now, rather than go with the 1907/10 pattern uniform, which was already obsolete by the time the Great War began, having still made use of the old boiled leather pickelhaube helmets.


    Bruno went straight to the most efficient uniform of the war. The 1915/16 pattern uniform with the matching Stahlhelm. This uniform not only got rid of superfluous designs such as the red lining on the edges of the uniform and the visible brass buttons, which made the wearer more visible while in the field.


    But it also added a hardened steel helmet which would protect the user from shrapnel and fragmentation. At the start of the Great War in Bruno''s past life, every nation was still equipping their soldiers with either a cloth hat or a boiled leather helmet. Neither of which really did much to protect the wearer.


    However, in 1916 the Stahlhelm was introduced to the German Army, around the same time other nations began adopting simr steel helmets. When these hardened steel helmets were introduced, it was said the 75% of all head injuries caused by shrapnel and fragmentation had practically disappeared over night.


    This would do wonders to the German Army in this timeline if the German soldiers were immediately equipped with such uniforms. In addition to this, Bruno designed a new set of load bearing equipment.


    The harness was made of brown leather and was based on the muchter US Army issue ALICE harness. It was an inverted Y-strap harness. Which actually dispersed the load more evenly across the body than the earlier Y-strap style harnesses used primarily by the German Military.


    In addition to this, this new style of load bearing equipment had four magazine pouches, each of which was designed to carry two 10 round G-43 magazines. Plus the one in the rifle giving the user 90 rounds of ammunition to use in a firefight.


    Which, while may pale inparison to modern load outs, was still about 10 rounds more than were standard issue to US riflemen in ww2 who were equipped with the venerable M-1 Garand.


    Aside from this, Bruno designed a basic gas mask modeled after the m1915 gas mask issued to German soldiers in the Great War. It was carried in a canister simr in design to those soldiers during that time as well.


    There was also a standard bay scabbard that Bruno introduced to the load bearing equipment, which held the k98k pattern bay Bruno had issued to the G-43 rifle variant he had designed for use in this timeline.


    The other pieced of equipment that would exist on the load bearing belt, would be consist of a standard E-tool, a canteen, as well as a dump pouch. Where one could drop their spent magazines after using them.


    Variations of this load bearing equipment were designed to make use of MP-34 magazine pouches, MG-34 belt containers, and even 12 gauge shells. Ensuring that no matter what the infantry load out, his soldiers would be well equipped for battle.


    Finally, after spending much time designing the new uniforms, Bruno moved onto artillery. The list of different artillery pieces fielded by the German Artillery alone during the Great War was... Extensive...


    To put it simply, Bruno wanted to simplify the production of artillery into four specific models. Each of which filled a different role and utilized a different caliber. The smallest of which is Bruno based on the interwar period 7.5 cm FK 16 nA. Which was utilized by the Wehrmacht in the early days of the Second World War during Bruno''s past life.


    As the name suggested, this artillery piece utilized 75mm shells. It was of the horizontal sliding block design, which was standard among German artillery units. And quickly became the norm in Bruno''s past life for most modern artillery, as it was a robust, reliable, and efficient means of operation for arge bore field gun.


    In addition to this, it had a hydro-pneumatic recoil system. Which would also be the norm during the second half of the Great War within Bruno''s life, as the earlier Hydro-Spring recoil mechanism proved to fail under the substantial round counts which the war effort


    demanded.


    But even hydro-spring recoil systems were not yet the norm, and were only now being developed for service. Meaning the introduction of the superior hydro-pneumatic system was a huge improvement over the current generation of equipment being developed by all of


    Germany''s rivals.


    The 7.5cm field gun also utilized a gun shield to protect the artillery crew from enemy fire, and was transported via box trial for ease of transportation by horses.


    As for the second artillery piece which Bruno designed, it was muchrger in scale, but still the second smallest intended for service. Whereas the 7.5cm gun had an effective firing range of 12,300 meters or 13,450 yards. The 10cm, or 105mm gun design had an effective firing range of 16,500 meters or 18,045 yards.


    It was a big step up in terms of firepower, and range over its little brother. Other than being chambered for arger shell, and having a longer barrel. It really was just a scaled-up version of the 7.5cm field gun. Having a simr overall design and function.


    The third piece of artillery was evenrger still. Unlike the previous two designs which were either made at the end of WWI, or introduced into service during the interwar period in


    Bruno''s previous life.


    This field gun was the standard piece of heavy artillery by the Wehrmacht in WW2 and was a devastating overall design. So much so that the 21st Finnish army still operated a modernized variant of it by the time Bruno died in his past life.


    The 15cm SFH 18 Howitzer fired a 15cm, or more specifically a 149mm shell at an effective range of 18,200 meters or 19,900 yards. This was however, with rocket assisted projectiles. Otherwise, its range was actually inferior to that of the 10cm field gun. Firing at an effective range of 13,325 meters or 14,572 yards.


    Still, Bruno beefed up the design, and extended the barrel, making it fire a 155mm shell, instead of 149mm shell. And increased the bore size and barrel length to amodate this. In addition to this, he added a gun shield, which was far more important in the Great War than it


    was in WW2.


    Bruno also changed the carriage system, originally designed to be carried into position by trucks from a split trail. The gun was instead given a box trail that waspatible with being


    towed by horses.


    As for the final piece of artillery Bruno designed was both thergest caliber of the various howitzers that were intended to see service in this new era of warfare. While at the same time


    having the shortest firing range.


    The 21 cm M?rser 16 was technically ssified as a mortar by the German Army in Bruno''s


    previous life. But it was, in actuality a veryrge bore howitzer. And was used by both the Imperial German Army during thetter stages of the Great War, as well as in the Second World War, which followed a mere two decades after.


    Its effective firing range was 11,100 meters or 12,100 yards. But it made up for its inferior range with a massive 211mm shell. Which would cause anyone unfortunate enough to get within proximity of the shell''s detonation to have a very, very bad day.


    Bruno also made sure to employ the variant of the gun that had its shield. As it not only increased the aesthetics of the piece but also protected the crew from gunfire and shrapnel alike.


    With these four artillery pieces introduced in 1914, as well as the three lightweight mortar designs currently being experimented in the 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm calibers. Bruno was confident that these advancements in artillery could provide an enormous initial advantage at the outbreak of war.


    Of course, like the next generation of firearms, which he had already designed the initial


    concept blueprints for. These new uniforms and artillery designs would need to undergo multipleyers of prototyping, testing, military trials, and political bickering before ever being adopted for service, let alone mass produced.


    All in all, Bruno expected it to take anywhere from six to ten years before the German Army actually began to field such masterful pieces of equipment. But with his father''s support, and the power of the Junker coalition behind him. Bruno genuinely believed that by the time the Great War finally began, the Imperial German Army would be in a much better position than


    its rivals.


    In theing years, there would be one critical piece of equipment that needed to be


    invented, but it would have to wait until the Wright Brothers invented the first airne in 1903. Bruno may be ambitious, but he had no intentions of stealing the credit for such a critical invention by the men who were actually responsible for its creation.

 Chapter 23: A Visit to the Bundesrat

    Chapter 23: A Visit to the Bundesrat


    ?


    Bruno''s father was shocked when his son came to personally visit him. As a member of the Bundesrat, and the current head of the Land Army and Fortresses Committee, he had long since handed off control of the family''spany to his eldest son, Franz. Franz was much older than Bruno. By the time Bruno was five, he was already nearing the age of university.


    He had proven himself a capable businessman after retiring from the military. Where he served as an officer during a time of peace, only ever making the rank of captain before ending his military career in the shortest period possible.


    It was because of this significant age gap between the two brothers who sat at the opposite ends of the age spectrum. That Bruno had very little contact with Franz, only ever seeing him at family gatherings for the majority of his life.


    But Bruno had a good rtionship with his father, and because of this he made an appointment to see the man in his office in the Bundesrat as he wanted to personally get the man''s permission to begin the experimentation, and prototyping of the various designs he hade up with over thest week.


    There was still a week to go before Bruno had to return from his leave to service. And because of this, he decided this was an excellent opportunity to take Heidi out on a date in the city.


    As their house was more on the outskirts, closer to the nearest military base. He made sure they had everything they needed for the venture before piling Heidi into his personal automobile.


    Automobiles were still a recent creation, which only the filthy rich could afford. Luckily, Bruno came from such a family. And his automobile in particr had a covered awning over it, which protected the driver and passenger from the sun.


    Heidi appeared to be in an unusually good mood as she leaned against Bruno while he drove the vehicle to the interior of the city. It was rare for them to go out of the house together, especially since Bruno was an active duty officer in the military and had been deployed for thest eight months or so to China.


    Because of this, she had a warm and loving smile on her face as she enjoyed the mild drive to the city. As for Bruno, he made it abundantly clear for the third time since asking Heidi out that he had business to attend to with his father before they could truly enjoy themselves.


    "I just wanted to say one more time, I''m going to speak with my father about something. Which should not take more than half an hour. After that, we can go get something to eat and maybe go shopping a little."


    Heidi giggled when she heard Bruno repeat this for the third time since this morning when he first announced his ns. She was quick to make fun of him for continuing to repeat the same thing.


    "Dear, it''s fine. It''s been a while since you have seen your father. You''re more than wee to spend an hour or two with the man if need be. I''m sure what you have been up to these past few days is far more important than entertaining me.


    I''m a patient woman. I waited eight months for you to return to me safe and sound. I can wait another few hours for you to get your work done. As long as you don''t forget about me


    entirely, I honestly don''t care how long you two take."


    Bruno had to admit, his wife hardly resembled the timid little girl he had once grown up alongside. Perhaps she had matured even more than him thesest few years. And that was saying a lot since he had the memories of a fifty plus year old man inside his head.


    Still, it made his heart skip a beat to know that his wife was so understanding, and because of that, Bruno was quick to wrap an arm around her, and drive with one hand. Making sure she was close to him, as it was something he would not experience often the next time he was sent off to war.


    Eventually, the two of them arrived at their destination. Where Bruno gave a helping hand to his pregnant wife so that she could step out of the automobile. Where the two of them entered the Bundesrat with little issue.


    Once Bruno found his father''s office. He was quick to bid his wife a temporary farewell before entering to speak with his father about important matters of national security.


    "I''ll be back as soon as I can...."


    The moment after, Bruno closed the door to his father''s office behind him. Heidi sighed and shook her head while expressing her own thoughts aloud.


    "Honestly, who would have thought that you would propose to visit the Bundesrat to me on the same day I am meeting with someone here myself? What are the odds?"


    After saying this, Heidi walked off to another office, where one of her distant family members was waiting for her arrival.


    The moment Bruno stepped into his father''s office, the man weed his son with open arms. It had been too long since they had seen each other. In fact, Bruno had not seen the man since the day he graduated from the Military Academy.


    His father was now a middle-aged man, his golden locks long since greyed. And while he was clean shaven in the past, he now sported a stylish beard, even if such things have long since fallen out of fashion.


    There was a genuine look of joy on the man''s face as he hugged his youngest son before weing him to his office.


    "And what can I do for the young wolf of Prussia? That''s what they''re calling you, you know? A rather fitting nickname after what I have heard about your exploits in China. I must say, you impressed more than just your old man with your ability to hunt down the rebels and eliminate them to thest man.


    It might not be my ce to say this, but I hear that even those old veterans in the Central Division were rather impressed by your performance. But where are my manners? Can I get you something to drink, son? You must be parched from the journey here from your humble home."


    Bruno wore a kind smile as he epted his father''s offer with the utmost courtesy. After all, his father was still a lord. And a high-ranking member in the Bundesrat. Even when the two of them were alone, Bruno would always treat his father with the respect he deserved.


    "I can''t think of a more fitting way to start this conversation. Thank you Father. I would dly drink anything you offer."


    The middle-aged man broke out into a smile as he pulled out a bottle of scotch that had been aged for 25 years. No doubt a pricey bottle, one that would normally be reserved for a great celebration. But to a wealthy war industrialist like Bruno''s father was his every day drinking material.


    The man poured two sses, one for himself, and one for his son. Where he made a toast that they both drank to.


    "To victory!"


    Bruno responded in kind, before taking a sip of the Scotch. While he may not drink in the field, or on duty. He was right now acting as an ordinary civilian, and did not mind having a slight taste of whiskey before going out for a proper meal with his wife.


    Because of this, Brunomented on the quality of the whiskey. Something he was quite knowledgeable about.


    "Smooth, very smooth. And quite favorable to that. Do I detect a hint of sherry? A rather unique vor, but I know of a few distilleries in Scond who will change to a sherry cask in thest five years of the aging process."


    Bruno''s father chuckled when he heard this and shook his head. Making ament on his son''s brilliance as he did so.


    "You always were a little genius. That''s why your mother loves you so much. She has been


    dying toe visit you and your wife ever since you first returned. But I''ve kept her at bay for the time being. Still, the both of you shoulde visit the estate before you no longer have


    the opportunity to do so.


    Anyway, I believe that''s enough catching up, son. You came here with a purpose, right? What can I help you with?"


    Now that the small talk had been out of the way, Bruno set his ss aside before pulling out the documents he had within his brief case. Which were the various initial drafts of the blueprints he had made for the next generation of weaponry. He had a rather smug look on his face, and a confident tone in his voice as he exined what gift he had prepared for his father. "Oh Father, you misunderstand. It''s not about what you can do for me, but rather what I can do for the Reich. I had some time to myself thisst week, and I prepared a few shall we say conceptual designs for what I believe would be an enormous improvement to the German


    Army and its arsenal.


    They''re far from perfect, but if given to the engineers at the family''s factories, they could easily be made into something quite functional. I know you yourself have extensive knowledge, so why don''t you give them a look, and you tell me if my efforts were worth the time I spent drawing these up?"


    Bruno''s father''s eyes widened when he heard this. His son was a peerless genius among his own age group and had a very functional knowledge of mechanical engineering. He was, after all the one who came up with the design for the lightweight mortars which the familypany was currently experimenting with.


    There was no doubt that these mortars would revolutionize warfare as the world knew it. So if


    his son came up with even further designs, there would be no hesitation on his part to give them a thorough inspection.


    He quickly put down his ss of whiskey as well and looked over Bruno''s designs. That was, needless to say world changing. Bruno''s father looked over each and every blueprint repeatedly, as he tried to look for various improvements that could be made.


    And he indeed spotted a few, but at the same time, the concept drafts of these weapons were more thorough than most would be. The middle-aged man looked at his own son as if he was far more intelligent than he had initially thought, and was quick to ask a certain question that


    came to his mind.


    "Tell me the truth Bruno, you have been holding back since you entered adolescence haven''t you? Toe up with these in a mere week. It''s unheard of. These weapons, to even conceptualize them would take a mind far greater than my own toe up with.


    I mean, hand held machine guns, self-loading rifles. These concepts have been theorized, but


    nothing has proven to be practical so far. I mean, this rifle alone is years ahead of the current prototypes, which keep proving to unreliable in field testing. And yet you came up with all of


    these in a week?"


    Bruno''s father wasn''t wrong. Though early semi-automatic rifles existed as far back as the mid-1880s, they were incredibly unreliable,plex, andcking in long-term durability. They were more of a novelty, or proof of concept than they were an actual functional firearm


    capable of military usage.


    Now that Bruno had decided to reveal the full extent of his intelligence, which he had been hiding for over a decade. He felt the need to fully show off. And he did so with a confident tone


    in his voice.


    "You''re not wrong in your assumptions, father. I do apologize for concealing the extent of my intelligence. But when I was ten years old, I was alerted to the fact that Heidi''s father had deemed me a future threat to his family and their political faction.


    He was even sending spies to watch me and my exploits carefully. Because of this, I put on a


    fa?ade that I was far less intelligent than I actually am. But none of this really matters at the moment. What matters is whether or not our engineers have the ability to perfect these designs, and our factories have the means to produce them.


    Can you use the family''s abilities and your personal authority in the Bundesrat to get these weapons adopted within the next decade?"


    It took several moments of silent thought, but after realizing just how genius these weapons were, and having a thorough understanding of the Reich''s current manufacturing abilities. Bruno''s father nodded his head before making a solid promise to his youngest son.


    "I''ll send these over to Franz. Considering just how advanced these are, I''m going to make sure the existence of these blueprints is considered our family''s greatest secret.


    In the meantime, I''ll begin making the necessary preparations to have these weapons of yours properly adopted into service by the time we have perfected the designs and have met the manufacturing requirements to mass produce them.


    I promise you, son, within ten years at thetest, these weapons of yours will begin being


    issued to the German Army."


    Bruno was satisfied with this conclusion. Now all that was left was to go meet with his wife


    and have a lovely meal together. With this in mind, he bade his father farewell and promised


    to stop by the family estate with Heidi for dinner sometime within the next week. Before meeting up with his wife outside.

 Chapter 24: Letters of Recommendation

    Chapter 24: Letters of Rmendation


    ?


    While Bruno was visiting his father in an attempt to convince the man to help him perfect his blueprints and introduce them into service over the following years. Heidi had a meeting of her own within the building which housed the members of the Bundesrat and their offices.


    The family she was born into as the illegitimate daughter of a mediatized Prince wasplicated to say the least. But such was the nature of nobility. The von Bentheim family was split into two separate divisions.


    Heidi was born the bastard daughter of Prince Gustav von Bentheim-Tecklenburg, and due to the nature of her birth her rtionship with that side of the family was strained to say the least. However, her rtionship with the von Bentheim-Steinfurt half of the family was actually quite good.


    A windfall in her youth gave Heidi the opportunity to befriend the young Princess of the von Bentheim-Steinfurt family. Who she was distantly rted to. Though they referred to themselves as cousins, their actual family rtionship was far more removed than that.


    By mere chance, she had saved the young Princess''s life, and in doing so not only gained the favor of such a powerful noble family, but a lifelong friendship with her distant rtive. It was the father of said cousin who Heidi was visiting today.


    After all, the man''s family was heavily involved with the High Command of the German Army. With his son being a member of the Information Division, and his younger brother being a general in the Central Division.


    Heidi sat across from her distant uncle, who had a warm smile on his face. He was surprised to see the young woman, who he considered like his own daughter, to be visiting him at this time. But it was most certainly a wee surprise at that. One which he could not help but give voice to.


    "I''m d to see your marriage to the Junker boy has been a happy one. And I am sure he is the reason you are here correct?"


    Seeing as how the man wanted to get straight to business, Heidi immediately nodded her head, no longer standing on ceremony as she made her request of her favorite uncle.


    "Uncle, your brother is in the Central Division am I right? If I''m not mistaken, he has some degree of power over whose applications to the Prussian War College are epted, right? Bruno may not meet the minimum requirements of having served five years in the Army as amissioned officer. But he has more than proven himself in the field during the Boxer Rebellion. Would you please-"


    The young woman was stopped by a motion of her uncle''s hand. He did not appear angry that she was trying to use her connections to help her husband climb through the ranks of the Army more rapidly than his peers. After all, such was the nature of politics. Instead, he quickly surprised Heidi this his response.


    "Say no more... I''ll be frank with you, though you are not allowed to repeat what I''m about to say outside these doors. The Central Division has already received two letters of rmendation for us to push your husband through the application process.


    One was from his former Battalion Commander, a full-fledged colonel whose review of the boy was quite glowing. The other, surprisingly, came from the French General who your husband acted as a military advisor to during the final months of the campaign.


    We were surprised to see that a general from a foreign nation, let alone the French would personally write a letter of rmendation on behalf of one of our officers. Needless to say your husband was immediately investigated for potential ties to the French Republic.


    Don''t you give me that look. It was a formal procedure. He was quickly cleared of any potential wrongdoing. And the letter seemed like a genuine matter of respect from a man who served alongside your husband.


    After careful consideration, the Central Division had decided that your husband will be attending the Prussian War College when the new semester starts in the fall. So, I assume you will be happy to know that for the next three years, at least. Your husband will be in a safe position toe home to you every night. That is, after all the primary reason you havee to see me, correct?"


    Heidi was embarrassed to admit it, but her uncle''s words were spot on. She just wanted Bruno to be safe, and by her side after he spent the first few years of their marriage away from her


    arms.


    Sure, she also wanted him to aplish his dreams of rising through the ranks of the German Army, and since their interests co-aligned perfectly, why not try to use her connections to advocate for the man?


    She was surprised however to see that such efforts were unnecessary, and that her husband was so impressive that he had even earned the respect of what many Germans would consider a hostile general.


    Naturally, Heidi was quick to thank her uncle for seeing her on such short notice before departing from the room. Where once he was alone, the man poured himself a drink, and sipped from it, all while staring out the window of his office.


    "The Wolf of Prussia, huh?"


    Sitting on the man''s desk was a copy of the letter which General Henri-Nics Frey had sent German High Command. The words of praise he had written to what could be considered his nation''s most hated enemy would surely be considered treasonous by those more Revanchist minded French politicians.


    "Not since Napoleon has a man so gifted in the arts of military affairs stepped foot into this mortal ne. And though I grieve to think about what consequences the contents of this letter may have on the future of my nation. I still feelpelled to state that this mere Captain of Infantry, Bruno von Zehntner, is a titan of war waiting to be awakened.


    From the perspective of a foreign general who has learned from this young officer''s wisdom. I believe it would be most prudent for you all to expedite the process in which he rises through the ranks of the German Army.


    I can only hope that future generations of my nation''s leadership find the notion of going to war with the Reich to be ill advised. For the day wille when this man stands unparalleled in the field, and when such a future finally arrives, may God show mercy to France and her


    people."


    This was just a small excerpt of the letter which the French General had written in his full rmendation of Bruno. But it was more than enough for the Central Division to take notice. And had ultimately been the deciding factor in showing Bruno unprecedented privilege.


    Bruno''s meeting with his fathersted longer than the one Heidi had with her uncle. And because of that, the moment he finally left the man''s office, he found his wife sitting patiently for him. As if she had never left to begin with.


    Despite their close rtionship, Bruno was unfamiliar with Heidi''s ties to the von Bentheim- Steinfurt family. And because of this, he had no suspicions that she had wandered off to advocate on his behalf. Instead, he was happy to see that she was still right where she was seated when he first left her there.


    "I''m sorry for the wait, darling. Now how about we go find a nice ce to have lunch?"


    Heidi also did not make ament about where she had gone or who she had seen. Instead, she grabbed hold of her husband''s arm and smiled. Allowing him to escort her out of the Bundesrat and back to their automobile, which took them further into the city of Berlin.


    The two of them stopped at a nice, quiet, and quaint little restaurant that served Vienna style cuisine. After ordering their separate meals, Bruno noticed that Heidi was continuing to stare at him, while resting her chin on the palm of her hand.


    At first, he thought that maybe there was something on his face, but when he realized this wasn''t the case, he was quick toment on why she had so suddenly be enamored with


    him.


    "Is something the matter? Why are you staring at me like that?"


    Heidi couldn''t contain her thoughts towards the man any longer, and was quick to reveal some of the things she had learned over thest few months. Things which Bruno wanted to


    keep to himself.


    "The Wolf of Prussia? It has a nice ring to it doesn''t it? I''ve heard stories about you, from the wives of those men who fought in China. You know the ones whose husbands wrote back to their wives with detailed stories of their adventures in a foreign and mysticalnd. Strange how they are so open about their experience in the military, while your letters to me were more... Reserved."


    Bruno honestly did not know how to respond to this statement. Heidi was raised like many people in thetter half of the 19th century, and the early 20th century. On grandiose ideals of honor and glory, which a man could earn on the battlefield through heroic action. During this era, war was perceived as a rite of passage for all men to walk through, and that to


    do so was an almost chivalric adventure. Such notions were usually put to rest the moment a man had any actualbat experience, as war, even a rtively minor conflict like the Boxer Rebellion, was no walk in the park.


    No doubt the men who sent these letters to their wives, making it seem like they had gone on a camping trip, did so to protect them from the reality of the situation. But Bruno was not the type of man to do such a thing.


    He was not going to lie, or sugar coat what happened in the war. To do so would dishonor the memories of the fallen. Instead, he simply pulled out a cigarette and made a brief and blunt statement as he exhaled arge plume of smoke from his lungs.


    "I did what I had to do over there for the sake of the Fathend, and that''s all there is to say


    on the matter...."


    Heidi who was very interested in Bruno''s perspective of the war could only pout as the man


    refused to borate. This was of course his way of protecting her from the things he had seen and done. From the true horrors of war. While at the same time being honest and true to the memories of those who died.


    Ultimately, the subject would be switched when Bruno refused to budge on his position, and the two of them would instead talk about a far more pleasant subject while enjoying the rest


    of their date together.

 Chapter 25: First Day at the Prussian War College

    Chapter 25: First Day at the Prussian War College


    ?


    Bruno''s life over the following week was rather peaceful. He spent every day at home with his wife. Free from any real worries that may have otherwise caught his attention. Luckily for him, he was not being deployed to some far-away corner in the world.


    And instead, when the time came to resume active service, he was still able to return home to his wife every night. As their old manor was located close enough to the military base to be considered within the eptable range of off-base housing for those soldiers who were already married.


    As for Bruno''s new unit. He was attached to another Infantry Company. He had a newmanding officer and new subordinates. What with Heinrich and Erich being sent off to other units across Prussia? Bruno found himself in a new and unfamiliar setting.


    His daytime job during a time of peace was fairly simple. The usual bullshit that infantry had to do when there was no war to fight. Maintain physical standards, and every now and then go through some shooting drills. Other than that, the soldiers were left in the barracks with little to do. Mostmonly turning to drinking and gambling to pass the time.


    Bruno himself, as the leader of the Company was relegated to a desk job during the hours he was not actively training hispany of riflemen. And because of this, he found his peaceful time in his new unit rather dull.


    However, it was only a few weeks of this mundane activity before Bruno received a letter from the Central Division. It was not sent to his home, but rather given to him personally by his new battalionmander. A man who eyed the medal pinned onto Bruno''s chest with a sign of respect.


    He himself was a veteran of the Franco Prussian War, and had earned himself an iron cross during the conflict. In addition to this, he wore the Centenary Medal, which was an award established by Kaiser Wilhelm II, which honored the hundredth anniversary of his grandfather''s birth.


    This Medal was issued to soldiers only two years prior to Bruno''s graduation from the Academy. And because of this, he did not have one to boast as well. Even so, the Colonel seemed to respect the fact that Bruno had volunteered to fight in the Boxer Rebellion, something that most of the Army, himself included had neglected to do.


    It was because of this that his tone was more kind to Bruno than it normally was to his other subordinates, especially as he handed the young captain the letter in his hands.


    "This is a letter from the Central Division of High Command, addressed to you personally. I have not read its contents, nor has anyone else for that matter. Whatever the reason, I suspect it is of grave importance. So stop what you''re doing and focus on this."


    After saying this the Colonel departed after a short salute. Where Bruno opened the letter to find some surprising news. It would appear that his application to the Prussian War College had been epted. There was a time and ce designated for him to take the entrance test.


    It would appear that his Colonel''s letter of rmendation had been enough to convince those in the Army''s High Command to make an exception for Bruno, and to waive the five- year minimum requirement that all other potential applicants would need to enter the academy.


    Because of this, Bruno was quite convinced that he should begin studying for the test effective immediately. That is, after he concluded the mountain of paperwork that was on his desk.


    Time flew by, and the weeks turned into months. In the end, the autumn came, and Bruno had passed the first series of tests that were required to enter the Prussian War College, and with flying colors, no less.


    As an instructor at the modern equivalent of the Prussian War College during his past life, Bruno was naturally well aware of what would be required of him to pass the test. And had long sincemitted the material to memory.


    Hell, as an infantry officer from the 21st century, Bruno had a far more vast understanding of modern strategy, tactics, and logistics than his instructors would have. Even so, if he wanted to be the youngest General in German military history, then he would need to spend the next three years of his life dedicating all of his spare time to being one of the bold few who would graduate from this unique military institute.


    The first thing Bruno noticed upon sitting down in the first of his lectures was that he was surrounded by men of superior rank and was quite a bit older than he was. At 22 years of age, and less than a year in the military, Bruno had already surpassed the norm by receiving a battlefield promotion to captain.


    In addition to this, he, unlike everyone else around him, was granted the sole privilege of attending the Prussian War College without meeting the minimum five-year service requirement. And it was because of this that he received many strange looks from the other students.


    The first thing they would notice would be Bruno''s young face. The second thing they would notice would be the bronze medal pinned to his chest, which signified his participation in the Boxer Rebellion, something he alone seemed to have in this ss.


    The third thing they would notice would be Bruno''s shoulder tabs, which signified the rank of Captain. Because of this, those who had a proper understanding of what had happened in China immediately put the pieces together. With one man identally speaking his thoughts aloud.


    "Is he the one they call the Wolf of Prussia?"


    When this was said, all eyes turned to Bruno. After all, with the rumors they had heard of the young upstart, they figured he would be a far more menacing figure. But Bruno was a rather refined young man. His facial features were handsome and noble. Even his dueling scar was far from as menacing as others in his ss wore with pride.


    Sure, he was tall, and athletic, but not imposingly so. It was honestly quite surprising to them all to think that a man renowned for hounding the Boxer Remnants into oblivion was actually such a normal looking young man.


    Bruno simply nced over at all the attention he had gathered on his first day and sighed. He did not say a word, nor did he need to as the moment after the instructor entered the room. He was dressed in a rather prestigious officer''s uniform, one that no doubt belonged to the


    cavalry.


    In addition to this, he wore many medals on his chest, seemingly having participated in the various conflicts that led to the rise of the German Empire. There were over fifty years'' worth of medals pinned to this man''s chest.


    And that made sense, as he was clearly elderly. What with a bald head and a snow white imperial beard. The man looked remarkably simr to the current Austrian Kaiser Franz Jospeh I. Despite his years of service to the military, his rank had never quite reached that of the General, which would exin why he was a mere instructor.


    Instead, he bore the proud insignia of a colonel on his shoulders as he began to yell at the various cadets in front of him, all of which jumped out of their seats to meet his orders.


    "Attention!"


    Bruno was naturally used to such a thing, considering the fact that he was now enduring his second life of military service. The grizzled old veteran was quick to look at the newest batch of cadets andmented on them all.


    "You are here because you are the finest officers which the Reich has to offer. Look to your left, and then to your right. The odds are that only five of you will graduate from this institute within the next three years.


    Those by your side will fail to endure the strictness of this academy and the standards that are required of you all. But after whittling out the weak and ipetent, make no mistake, those who remain will be assigned to vacant positions in the General Staff.


    I am to be your primary instructor when ites to military strategy, tactics, and logistics. If you fail even one of my exams, you will be booted out of this college and sent back to your units. So, despite the fact that you have all passed the entrance exam, we are going to start with a test of your knowledge regarding the tactics that our enemies employ.


    And make no mistake, when I say our enemies, I mean the French. You, in the back, the youngd bearing the insignia of a captain. I hear you were personally rmended by the General in charge of the French expedition to China.


    Supposedly, you were attached to his unit as an advisor. Surely you understand the French Army and its abilities better than anyone here!?! Go on then, enlighten us all!"


    Having suddenly be the center of attention Bruno sighed internally. Regardless, this was


    a trial he needed to pass if he wished to graduate from the Prussian War College and gain a favorable position within the Army.


    Even so... Bruno couldn''t help but feel as if the instructor was using this as a chance to purposely expel him from the College... Which was something that he could not allow to happen under any circumstances.

 Chapter 26: Impressing a Veteran of the Old Guard

    Chapter 26: Impressing a Veteran of the Old Guard


    ?


    Bruno remained silent for some time. He was asked about the primary enemy of the Reich. It was no secret that bad blood existed between the French and the Germans. It was a rivalry that was as old as time itself.


    But Bruno was silently debating with himself whether he should answer his honest opinion, or blow smoke up the instructor''s ass. No doubt by the look of his cavalry uniform, and the fancy medals pinned to his chest the old timer was a war hero. But Cavalrymen utterly refused to admit that their style of warfare had long since been obsolete.


    Cavalry regiments still existed even now among all major European Powers, and that was despite them having been proved utterly ineffective in the Crimean War nearly fifty years prior. With the prominence of machine guns that would ur in theing days, at best cavalry could be used as scouts, that is until mechanization entirely reced them.


    Ultimately, Bruno decided to voice his honest opinions. He wasn''t going to get anywhere by being a brown nose. And because of this, he was quick to speak his mind.


    "With all due respect, the French have an antiquated idea of warfare. They have two machine guns per every infantry battalion. This is woefully inadequate for the wars that are toe. But if we''re being fair, then the Reich suffers from a simr deficiency.


    The technology of arms is rapidly advancing beyond our means of transportation. And it is because of that we will soon find ourselves engaging in warfare, not via the means of encirclement tactics or mass maneuverability.


    But rather static warfare based in trenches, fought in overwhelming waves of men to ovee the rate of fire which entrenched machine gun positions possess. The best solution to this problem would be to focus on a war of defense against France.


    Preparing stout fortifications on the Franco-German border in the years leading up to the conflict. Where we can bleed the enemy dry while sustaining minimal casualties of our own, as we will not need to waste valuable lives in pursuit of ineffective counter charges.


    We are not looking at a rapid conquest as was obtained in 1871. Rather, a long and brutal war of attrition, where every life sustained, is a victory in and of itself. Let the enemye to us, and bleed against our defenses while we bombard their futile charges with artillery and machine gun fire alike.


    Cavalry will fall by the wayside, as it is the stubborn refusal of the old guard to let it die that has maintained its position in warfare, albeit on life support. At most, they will fulfil the role of scouts on the edge of the battlefield.


    But the era of mass cavalry charges died with the Light Brigade, and to continue believing such things will win battles is nothing more than the folly ideals of a bygone generation. While the French and their generals cling to such lofty notions, those in charge of the Reich''s Army do so as well.


    And unless wee to understand the true nature of how battles will be fought in this century, we will inevitably and needlessly be sending men to their deaths when the war finally arrives not in some distant colonial battlefield, but here in the heart of mother Europe..."


    Many of the students stared at Bruno for a long time in utter silence. His opinions were not exactly the norm in the military outside those who fought in colonial battlefields where machine guns were moremonly employed as human wave reducers.


    And having the gall to tell the instructor, a veteran officer of the Cavalry, that his way of warfare was outdated and foolish. Many of the men in Bruno''s ss were waiting for him to be chastised by the instructor, whether it was a matter of pride on the man''s part, or simply a strong belief in the old ways. It was almost universally believed that the old colonel would call Bruno out for his oundish remarks.


    However, the old instructor gazed at Bruno quietly for some time. His thoughts were only known to himself. He did not make a condemnation of Bruno''s perspective, but neither did he praise the young captain. Instead, he simply stated for the man to be seated.


    "An interesting perspective. You may be seated young man. We will now conduct our first lecture."


    The lecture was long and drawn out. It contained information that Bruno already knew. And had long since memorized during his past life. Nevertheless, it was clear that many of the other students were struggling to keep up with the instructor''s pace, who was unusually energetic for a man of his age.


    In the end, the ss was dismissed, but before Bruno was able to escape, the Instructor called out to him.


    "Captain von Zehntner, I would like a moment of your time..."


    Fearing that he had provoked the old man, and his pride as a Cavalry Officer, Bruno sighed heavily as he stood at attention in front of the man''s desk. Waiting for his scolding to take ce.


    The old officer surprised Bruno however when he broke out a pot of tea and began preparing it for the both of him. There was a curious look on his face as he spoke to Bruno in a way that the young man had not anticipated.


    "Rx, Captain. I''m not going to chew you out for your answer. In fact, I am rather curious about how you came to this conclusion. As far as I''m aware, you have only been deployed to China, and machine guns were notmonly utilized by the East Asia Expeditionary Corps. So I must ask where this insight of yourses from...."


    It is not like Bruno could just say; I have memories from the 21st century, and history will prove that I am right. Because of this, he quickly came up with a convenient exnation as to why he thought this way.


    "My family runs an arms corporation. We produce weapons for the Reich and its army. I have witnessed firsthand the capabilities of machine guns and modern artillery alike. I am also aware of current developments towards these weapons and how advanced they will be in theing decade.


    Among designs which are currently employed, a single machine gun team has the firepower of half a battalion. If deployed on the battlefield in sufficient numbers, it won''t matter how many men you send to encircle the enemy they will simply be eliminated by such overwhelming fire.


    And if they are not, then the artillery will do the rest. If you were to personally operate a machine gun, and had the slightest degree of foresight, you would easily be able to see that our current understanding of warfare is rapidlying to an end.


    But if you want a real life example of this, just simply observe what is happening in South Africa right now with the Boers. The widespread implementation of Machine guns in this war has proven my thesis to be correct.


    Trenches are being used in increasinglymonality within the region, and it would be a mistake to overlook this, and instead assume that the next war fought between the Great Powers would rather be like that of the Franco Prussian War which by now thirty years has passed since its end."


    The colonel remained silent for some time. The tea was ready by the end of Bruno''s statement, and he quickly prepared a cup for himself and his newest student. After the two had sipped in silence for several minutes, the old instructor finally gave voice to his opinions on Bruno''s inference, with an approving nod of his head.


    "Ipletely agree with everything you have said. Unfortunately, the majority of High Command feels differently, and you are bound toe across many young officers in this very college who will not recognize the legitimacy of your arguments.


    I look forward to watching your progress over these next three years and sincerely hope that someone as forward thinking as yourself manages to be among the five graduates. After all, if war is to really break out between the Reich and France, then we will need men like you in positions of power. Now go, I have held you up long enough, and your next instructor will not be as patient as I am."


    Bruno was surprised that an aged, and veteran cavalry officer would agree with him, but when he considered that the man was an instructor at the Prussian War College, it was not impossible that he would have a better understanding of warfare, and its future developments than others with his background.


    Because of this, Bruno saluted the man before walking off. Where he would undergo a series


    of sses on a variety of subjects before finally retiring back to his manor for the night. Where his pregnant wife would greet him with a liter of beer in one hand and a te of food in the other. Hoping to help the man rest and recover so he could begin anew the following day.


    As for Bruno''s words, they would stick with the old instructor, as he wrote a letter to a friend of his. Discussing the need for observers to be sent to South Africa to properly watch the developments on the modern battlefield that were taking ce in the region.


    Bruno would not immediately realize it, but his statements made during his first day


    attending the Prussian War College would have another subtle effect on the timeline. And how


    Germany would make its preparations for the uing conflict, which it believed it would


    one day soon have with France.


    A war that was closer than anyone currently realized. And would be far more devastating than anyone could have ever predicted.

 Chapter 27: Rest and Respite

    Chapter 27: Rest and Respite


    ?


    Upon returning home from his first day at the Prussian War College, Bruno wanted nothing more than to copse into his bed and get a good night''s sleep. But would Heidi allow the man to get some rest without properly filling his stomach?


    Not at all. Like a proper wife, she ensured her husband''s health was maintained. And because of this, she greeted Bruno at the door with a liter of beer in one hand and a te of food in the other.


    Even Bruno had to admit, as exhausted as he may be, the tter of schnitzel, fried potatoes, and spaetzle was more than enough to convince him to eat a meal with his woman. Though the two of them were Prussian, Heidi was well versed in any number of regional German cuisines and how to properly prepare them.


    And she herself had a particr love of South German recipes like thosemonly found in the Grand Duchy of Baden, the Kingdom of Bavaria, and the Archduchy of Austria. She had spent many years of her life perfecting the art of cooking, in preparations for the day she and Bruno were properly married.


    And now that the two of them were living such a life, she could finally watch the man happily devour the food which she had prepared for him. Naturally, Bruno was happy to have a home cooked meal made for him by a beautiful woman. Because of this, he ate with a sense of gusto, whileplimenting Heidi on her efforts.


    "I''m going to cry the next time I get deployed and I have to subsist off of army rations... You have ruined me for any cooking but your own... I hope you''re proud of yourself!"


    Heidi was indeed proud to hear such praise from her husband, but she was quick to switch the subject to his first day at the Prussian War College, and whether or not he was having a difficult time.


    "So, how was your first day? Are the sses as hard as I have heard that they are?"


    Bruno was quick to shake his head while washing down the food in his gullet with a taste of beer. He then dug back into the Jager schnitzel that his wife had prepared for him, while answering her in between bites.


    "Not at all, but I have long since mastered such subjects. If anything, what they are teaching me is a mere refresher of what I have already memorized since childhood."


    Heidi was not surprised in the slightest by this. Though Bruno had long since disguised his intelligence as being inferior to what it really was. She alone was aware of this fact even if he had never outright told her. Well, that was besides the man''s father who he had recently revealed this secret to.


    Because of this, she knew with absolute certainty that Bruno would be among the graduates. And would probably be the most excellent graduate of the Prussian War College who had ever attended its hallowed halls.


    Hence why she responded with a loving smile and a verbal expression of her confidence in the man she loved.


    "I''m d to hear that. I know that you will graduate with perfect marks when the timees to do so!"


    Bruno nodded his head while continuing to focus on his meal. He wouldter that night climb into bed with his wife at a respectable hour, before repeating the same process the next day.


    Captain Leon Sinir had returned home to France, a month or two after the Germans announced their withdrawal from China altogether. His time in the region was a valuable learning experience, but even then, he was not exactly pleased with the results that the French Colonial Army had achieved.


    After all, they relied on German advisors to seek out and destroy the remaining rebels within their area of responsibility. To Leon, who was a Revanchist to the core of his being, this was an utter humiliation to the French nation and its people.


    Even if General Frey, and several officers under hismand, Leon included, were awarded with medals for their contributions to the campaign, Leon took no pride in the bit of ribbon and metal that had been pinned to his chest.


    Life in France following the Boxer rebellion was roughly the same as it was in the rest of Europe. Nobody knew that in the following decade one of the world''s most tragic wars would take ce. And Leon continued on with his military career in the day, while perusing the streets of Paris and the loose women within them at night.


    Leon wasn''t just Bruno''s opposite insofar as he was a French Military Officer, while Bruno was German. Personality wise, and politically, the two were as far apart as can be. Bruno was a man of staunch tradition, and a fervent monarchist. His loyalty was to his family first, then his people, and finally his nation.


    This was reflected in his objectives for this new life. Insofar as he nned to aid Germany in the uing Great War, not only to secure German hegemony in the following century, but to preserve the monarchy and its traditional way of life.


    Leon, on the other hand had no family to speak of. His father died in the war of 1871, and he had never settled down with a wife of his own. Preferring thepany of loose women and wine rather than the more conservative life which Bruno embodied.


    In addition to this, Leon''s political views were on the opposite side of the spectrum as Bruno. Whereas Bruno was all about "Kaiser, Gott und Vatend." Insofar as although he may be secr to the point of being atheistic in practice, he still supported the Church and its role in society.


    Leon however was not just atheistic, but anti-religious in general. In addition to this, he had many views that were sympathetic towards the Marxists in France, and the radical rhetoric which they espoused.


    The man was hedonistic to his core, spending his paycheck on prostitutes and wine, rather than Bruno who used his money to provide for his wife and unborn child. Tonight was no exception. He was wasting away in a pub with a few of his fellow soldiers. All the whileining about what had happened in China to men who had yet to see actualbat.


    "You have no idea the humiliation we suffered over there... General Frey should be hanged as a traitor to the Republic! He requested a German advisor to support our efforts. And it was this so-called Wolf of Prussia who led our forces to victory over the Boxer Remnants, not our actual general!"


    The other French Officers by Leon''s side were not nearly as intoxicated as he was. Nor did they fully share his sympathies. Believing the man was exaggerating. And were quick to express this sentiment to his face.


    "Would you rx? It was a mere colonial scuffle! Who the hell cares if General Frey sought the insights of a German Officer for aid in putting down the rebels? What matters is the fact that we won. It''s not like we are currently at war with the Germans. On the contrary, we were temporarily aligned with the Germans and several other nations in China.


    It is only natural to seek aid from your allies in a time of war. Especially if they have already dealt a death blow to the enemy in their own area of upation. You''re letting your hatred for the Germans cloud your perspective.


    Anyway, Leon, you take care of yourself. My wife will kill me if I stay outte again with the both of you. I''ll see you tomorrow at the base, alright?"


    Leon did not say a word, and merely red at his friend. The man was married and already had several small children? Something Leon simply scoffed at. As he took another swig from his winess. The other officer who was with him expressed a simr sentiment, leaving the Captain to stew in his own hatred.


    He would show them. Those damned Germans! The French would have their vengeance for 1871, and the Alsace-Lorraine would be returned to its rightful owners! Within his lifetime, he would see the banners of France waving over the disputed territory once more, or he would


    die trying!


    Because of this, he paid his bill, and drunkenly wandered off into the streets of Paris, looking for another random woman to warm his bed for the night. Bruno may not know it, but his actions in China had thoroughly outraged the French Officer, one who vowed to make it his life''s work to counter Bruno''s own desires.


    Whether Leon would prove to be a worthy adversary, or would fall by the wayside like so many of Bruno''s other enemies. Only time would tell. The future, after all, was not set in stone, and Bruno''s actions so far had already changed how things were destined to y out. The certainty of an Entente victory in the Great War had be a mere memory of the man''s past


    life.

 Chapter 28: Irreparable Damage to Foreign Relations

    Chapter 28: Irreparable Damage to Foreign Rtions


    ?


    As Bruno predicted, rtions began to sour between the Russian Empire and the German Reich following the end of the Boxer Rebellion. No doubt due to the actions Bruno had taken, standing up in the face of war crimesmitted before his very eyes.


    And because of this, the Kaiser and the Tsar were currently meeting in neutral ground within Vienna to discuss their disputes. The Russians felt humiliated following the deaths of their soldiers at the hands of the Germans.


    Despite thorough investigations into their War Crimes, they refused to admit any wrong doings, specifically because China had not signed nor ratified the Hague convention in 1899, and because of this was not protected by its regtions.


    With this mentality, they pursued justice in the face of their losses at the hands of the German Army. The Kaiser, of course, had no intentions of condemning Bruno for doing the right thing. Nor did he n to keel over to Russian demands.


    The Tsar may be his cousin, but the Russians were a backwaterpared to the rest of Europe. Everything about the Russian Empire, whether it was its economy, agricultural output, cultural development, or its military might have been severelygging behind that of its neighbors to the West.


    While the west had already industrialized for decades and had managed to introduce mechanized agriculture in the previous century. The Russian Empire was woefully behind in the times. Trying their best to catch up, they only began to industrialize at the end of the 19th century. And they, as a civilization, would not be fully industrialized until the very end of the


    Great War.


    Even then, it would ultimately be the Empire''s sessor state, during the early days of the Soviet Union where the process of industrialization within Russia would finallye topletion.


    This was in stark contrast to the Reich, who had long since reached a full state of industrialization. They could mobilize millions of men in the event of a conflict and give them modern weaponry. Something the Russians would struggle to achieve due to theircking industry.


    It was with this in mind that the Kaiser did not fear any threats his cousin may make and instead behaved rather confidently in these negotiations. Tsar Nichs II was without a doubt the onecking confidence as he struggled to press the Kaiser to relent to his demands.


    "It is simply uneptable! Over one hundred of my men lie dead because of the actions of your soldiers! It was a betrayal of our alliance, and I will not stand for it! I demand the officer who gave the orders to be handed over to the Russian Empire to stand trial for his crimes!


    In addition to this, I demand reparations for the aggrieved families of those who were murdered by the hands of your soldiers."


    The Kaiser however would not back down in the face of such demands. In fact, he was quite confident that there was little the Russians could do to force his hand in this regard, and because of this he was rather calm, as he sat there in front of his cousin, tantly rejecting his request to his face.


    "An officer in the Russian Army pulled his sidearm and threatened an officer of the Reich. There were dozens of eyewitnesses who can testify to this. In addition to this, after my officer correctly responded in defense of his life towards a criminal who threatened him, the men in your army raised their rifles in an attempt to shoot my own.


    It''s only justice that they were all gunned down on the spot. Perhaps if your men weren''t engaging in war crimes, they wouldn''t have felt the need to resort to such thuggery to protect their own necks. Your demands are simply unreasonable, and I have no reason to meet them.


    We havee all this way, and at the end of the day, you have still chosen to behave like an immature brat, Nichs. I''m very disappointed in you..."


    Nichs''s expression turned sour when he heard his cousin''s words. He felt the need to do something to save face and immediately threatened economic sanctions against the Reich if he did not get what he wished for. A bold move, but a foolish one.


    "If you do notply with my demands, then be prepared to face the consequences. Let''s see how the Reich does when I impose sanctions against it!"


    Kaiser Wilhelm II looked at his cousin as if the man had been born a half-wit. He quickly exined why this was a bad idea, one that would affect the Russians more so than it would the Germans.


    "Do you really believe such a course of action is wise when the Russian Empire is so heavily reliant on trade with Europe? Let''s not even talk about luxury goods such as silk, sugar, and wine. Your entire poption relies on imports from Europe for necessary resources such as wool, x, linen, leather, tallow, and pig iron.


    How will your industrialization proceed without the iron gained from Europe? Do you believe I am not capable of convincing the other Great Powers to sever ties with you over such ridiculous sanctions?


    Your reputation has taken a hit in the west following the atrocities that your menmitted in China. It would be incredibly unwise to push your luck any further. Though, I suppose if you must proceed with such foolishness, you won''t me me for being ruthless, now will you?"


    Nichs stared at Wilhelm with an intense sense of fury and concern in his eyes. What exactly did the Kaiser mean by that? Was he threatening him? The Tsar was quick to demand a straightforward response from his cousin.


    "Are you threatening me with war, Wilhelm? Do not think Russia is so unprepared for such a conflict!"


    Wilhelm simply rolled his eyes, and sighed before exining that he was not threatening a direct war with the Russian Empire, but rather his intentions would reveal themselves should Russia proceed with sanctions.


    "Not in the slightest. A war between the German Reich and the Russian Empire is in neither of our interests. But, don''t be surprised if I end up supporting any future enemies you might make in theing years as a way to recover from the economic losses sustained during your sanctions.


    Assuming, of course, you actually go through with such a threat. Which I would heavily advise against. "


    Frankly, the Tsar had no idea how to respond to this. Whereas the Austrian Kaiser was sweating bullets in the background. He was chosen to act as a mediator between the two Great Powers of the world. And yet, things had rapidly spiraled out of his control. He tried to calm the two youngsters, but their fury was something an old man like him could not keep up with.


    "Now, now... The two of you are letting your tempers get the better of you. Let''s try to think this through rationally. Wilhelm, can''t you grant some kind of concession to Nichs, even something minor? Such as a formal apology?"


    Wilhelm however was stubborn and utterly refused to budge on this issue out of principle. Voicing the absurdity of such apromise with a heightened and offended tone. "Apologize? For what? The Russians are clearly at fault here. If I apologize for the deaths of every war criminal in the field, what kind of face would I have as a monarch? If anything, Nichs should be apologizing to me for the horrific way which his men behaved in the field, and their poor attempt to silence my men who observed the atrocities they weremitting!"


    Ultimately, there was no agreement to be had. The Tsar would return to Russia, bitter and emboldened. Following through on his threat to impose economic sanctions against the


    Germans.


    While the Kaiser responded to such endeavors by making formal contact with the Empire of Japan, who were already having squabbles with the Russians over disputed territory in Manchuria and Korea.


    As Wilhelm predicted, the sanctions imposed by the Russian Empire had a greater effect on


    the Russians than they actually did on the Germans who simply made up for the cease of trade between the two nations by instead exporting the same value worth of materials and goods to


    the Empire of Japan.


    And in doing so, the timeline had once more shifted from its original state. Rtions between the German Reich and the Empire of Japan would continue to improve. Whereas the Russian poption became increasingly belligerent towards the Tsar as a result of their failing industry, and its inability to meet their demands.


    If things continued to progress this way, it was highly likely that the Kaiser would send German military advisors to the Empire of Japan when war officially broke out between them and the Russians in three years. Potentially culminating in the Japanese joining the Central Powers when the Great War finally arrived a decadeter.


    Such a future, would no doubt be beneficial to the Reich. And they would have Bruno to thank should this be the reality of this new timeline.

 Chapter 29: A Solemn Vow

    Chapter 29: A Solemn Vow


    ?


    While rtions worsened between the German Reich and the Russian Empire. The German Military had taken advantage of a great opportunity. One which few of the Great Powers fully realized at this moment.


    Spurred on by the rmendations of an instructor at the Prussian War College, having himself received inspiration from one of his students. The German Army''s highmand approved the deployment of Military Observers to the ongoing war in South Africa between the local Boers and the British Colonial Army.


    It was perhaps the first real example of modern warfare in the world. With extensive trench systems, widespread use of machine guns, and the mass deployment of more modern artillery systems.


    Because of this, the German Military sent several officers to observe the conflict, record what they witnessed, and to make their own observations about whether or not such warfare would in the future be present on the European continent.


    Surprisingly, one of the officers sent to South Africa by the Germans, who was assisting a higher ranking Colonel was none other than Brunos'' friend, and formerrade-in-arms Heinrich Koch. Who by now had been promoted to the position of First Lieutenant.


    He was standing afar, on the British side of the conflict, gazing through a pair of binocrs at the battle that was taking ce a far enough distance away that he need not worry about taking a stray bullet, or being hit by a Boer shell.


    The young lieutenant was making ament to the Colonel who was tasked with leading the observation mission while watching the carnage unfold in the distance.


    "I take back everything I said about that noble bastard... The man understands warfare. I have to give him that..."


    The colonel was confused about who his subordinate was talking about, and was quick to inquire about the exact meaning behind Heinrich''s words.


    "And who pray tell is this noble bastard you are speaking about?"


    Heinrich had neglected to mention to his superior officer that he had previously served beneath themand of Bruno whose name and reputation had spread like wildfire among the German officer corps following his feats in China. That is, until now.


    "Who else but the Wolf of Prussia? The guy talks a lot about the future of warfare, but I never expected his viewpoints to have been proven correct and so soon at that... I am begrudged to admit it, however, after seeing the Boers defend against the British charge just now, I''m quite confident that guy knows more about how the nature of warfare will evolve then he lets on."


    The colonel was slightly surprised that Heinrich knew the rising star of the German Army on a personal level. And was quick to inquire about the nature of the man.


    "I''m assuming by the way you speak of the man, that you''re a friend of Captain Bruno von Zehntner''s, or at the very least an acquaintance? Are you trying to say that he predicted the developments we are currently witnessing? May I ask when exactly he spoke of such things?" Heinrich continued to observe the ongoing conflict in the distance through his binocrs while speaking of his time together with Bruno in the academy. There was an almost nostalgic and wistful tone in his voice, despite it being a mere year since they had graduated.


    "As far back as our first year in the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute the guy would talk about how warfare is rapidly evolving, and how in theing decades we would be faced with such difficulties to ovee.


    Honestly, the guy was brilliant. But the arrogance which he spoke made us take what he had to say with a grain of salt? I mean seriously who could predict the future and how war would eventually be fought with such uracy?


    If I had to put an exact year on it, I''d say he started talking about these things around 1896. That was our first year together at the Institute after all...."


    It would be one thing if Bruno somehow knew about the ongoing developments of the Second Boer War, which started in 1899, but to predict that such things would happen a full three years before the conflict began? The colonel was beginning to believe that Bruno was some kind of military visionary.


    Especially since he had been sent to South Africa under the rmendations of a man currently acting as one of Bruno''s instructors at the Prussian War College. Now that he thought about it, there was no doubt this was because of some statement which Bruno must have made.


    One thing had be abundantly clear to Heinrich, and the other German officers sent to observe this conflict. Machine Guns would be an invaluable tool on the modern battlefield.


    Their development and production would immediately be rmended by the Observers to German High Command as the foremost priority of the German Army''s future procurement. Which was something that would eventually, in the years toe, lead to the adoption of Bruno''s own designs in this regard.


    Things were moving quickly behind the scenes. With rtions between the German Reich and Russian Empire hitting an all-time low, and the German Military beginning to adopt machine guns en masse. Bruno had through rtively minor actionspletely and utterly changed the future of this world.


    This was something he had begun to suspect, but was in no way able to confirm, as he was not privy to such major developments. Instead, he focused his attention on his daily efforts to attend the Prussian War College, ace his exams, and eventually return home to his loving wife at the end of the day.


    Heidi had recently given birth to her and Bruno''s first child. And because of this, Bruno had temporarily hired a maid to help around the house. He was by no means impoverished. After all, as a captain in the German Army, he received a rather decent paycheck.


    Of course, Bruno also came from a wealthy family, who were more than willing to help support any child rearing costs that he may incur during and after Heidi''s pregnancy. Because of this, the woman was rather forcefully kept off her feet during this time. Even if she personally wanted to be more active in taking care of her home.


    Life was simple during these days, and Bruno found himself in a peaceful state. Reminiscing about the day that Heidi give birth to his first child. Which rather than held at a public hospital, was conducted in thefort of their own home, with the support of the family


    physician and nursing staff.


    Perhaps it was because of the woman''s natural physique, butbor was rtively short, and less painful than it otherwise normally would have been. With a healthy baby girl being born on the morning of September 10th, 1901.


    Bruno and Heidi had been considering a name for the child for some time. And ultimately they decided on the name of Eva for their infant daughter. The baby girl looked much like her parents, sharing the same eye color as the two of them, and would eventually share the same golden blonde hair as well.


    The child was taken off to the spare bedroom to rest in her crib, where she would be looked after by her mother after she recuperated from giving birth. And while Heidi was resting peacefully, Bruno approached his young daughter who was staring up at him silently with her


    azure blue eyes.


    There was a stern expression on Bruno''s face as he made a promise to his firstborn child. One he intended to keep even if it one day cost him his life.


    "With your birth, I make a solemn vow to you my daughter Eva. That in theing years, I shall forge a better world for you to live in than the one I was born into. The mistakes of the past will be rewritten, and you will grow up in a powerful and prosperous Reich. One whose culture and traditions shall be preserved until the end of time. This I swear to you, under pain of death, and eternal damnation should I fail to fulfill my promise."


    After saying this, Bruno walked away from his newborn daughter. Intending to continue the work he had already started in this life. And to see the path which he had begun to traverse upon until the very end.

 Chapter 30: Proper Compensation

    Chapter 30: Proper Compensation


    ?


    Within one of several arms factories that the von Zehntners own, a group of engineers were working together toe up with a functional prototype for one of several designs which Bruno had given them.


    His first drafts were crude and needed much work to perfect if they were to ever be adopted into service. But they were detailed, and urate enough to create a functional prototype off of. Even if the weapons tforms operated via means that were well beyond the current era. The first of the three small arms that were chosen to be manufactured into a crude prototype was the easiest of the three to manufacture. Which was the Gewehr 43 auto-loading rifle. The weapon would undergo a new destination in this alternate timeline when it was adopted.


    But at the moment, the engineers and machinists hade up with a semi-functional prototype, which they designated the "Gerat 01." After much argument between the engineers and machinists, the lead designer at the arms factory was highly critical of Bruno''s design. Citing concerns that many engineers of the era had when it came to the practicality of auto-loaded firearms.


    The man had a smug attitude as he expressed this very sentiment to Bruno''s oldest brother, a man by the name of Franz von Zehntner, who was also the head of the von Zehtnner arms corporation after his father retired to pursue a career in politics.


    "My Lord, Franz. Although I don''t doubt the intelligence of your youngest brother. I must assure you that I have been working on the development of smalls arms and artillery alike for over forty years of my life. And I am telling you, this design is severely wed with its approach.


    If we drill a port into the barrel to tap gas from in order to propel the piston, it will cause unnecessary erosion to the barrel itself. The service life of such a design is too limited to be properly adopted as a military rifle. This is a mere novelty, not a service weapon. Why must we perform such an exercise of futility?"


    Franz however trusted Bruno and his superior intelligence. Even if the design proved to be faulty, the experience gained from this venture could be used to further develop a more practical auto-loading rifle in the future. And because of this, he dismissed the lead engineer''s concerns.


    "Just humor me Fritz. I am well aware of your expertise, but this design intrigues me no less, and I will see this prototype properly seen through to its ultimate end. Whether that is as a recement for the Gewehr 98, or simply a means of experimentation for future designs." While Bruno had given a general blueprint of the rifle and its overall design to his family, the reality was that there were more that were required to make a functional rifle. Such as theposition of steel, and the heat treatment of variousponents which were critical to the functionality, reliability, and durability of a service rifle.


    And Bruno honestly did not know exactly what type of steel and heat treating the Germans had used in his previous life for their Gewehr 43 rifles. He had made educated estimations based upon his understanding of engineering, metallurgy, and material science. But to say that his estimations were perfect without substantial trials would be arrogant beyond belief. Bruno was not the only one who thought this way. Everyone working on the project knew that these things would need to be tinkered with over a span of years to reach a state of perfection. And it was with this in mind that the machinists finished off thest parts required for the prototype rifle before assembling them together into something semifunctional.


    They had not necessarily built a fully functional rifle. Rather, they merely constructed a prototype receiver with barrel assembly, bolt carrier group, gas piston, and a functional trigger assembly.


    It had been nearly two months already since Bruno first gave the designs to his father, and finally a prototype had beenpleted for what would supposedly one day be the Reich''s primary service rifle.


    After making sure that everything was properly assembled together, and that there were no ring issues with fitment or functionality, the machinists took the barreled receiver assembly towards the test firing range. Where they attached a string to the trigger and inserted a single round in the chamber.


    After all, they had not yet fully manufactured a magazine for the rifle to make use of. This was, after all their first prototype. With a round properly seated into the chamber, the test firing team stretched the string back behind a safety barricade, where they made it abundantly clear to everyone nearby that they were going live with the rifle''s first test.


    "Clear the area! Firing in three.... Two... one!"


    *Bang*


    The first round fired sessfully without anyponents breaking, exploding, or being otherwise dislodged from proper fit and function. The short stroke gas piston functioned as intended, flowing back into the receiver, and tapping the bolt mechanism, which fell rearwards, unlocking the bolt and ejecting the spent casing before hitting the back of the receiver where it was forced back forward.


    Had there been another round seated in the magazine, it would have properly stripped it out of the magazine and chambered it where the rifle could have potentially been fired a second time. But since there was no such feature at this time, the result of sessful firing and extracting itself was considered a massive sess.


    Several engineers and machinists broke out into cheers as they stepped forward to the boss of theirpany and proudly proimed a sess.


    "My Lord! The first test firing has been a sess! This design truly shows promise!" Fritz, the lead engineer, was scowling. He suspected the rifle would function as proimed, after all the design seemed to lead to such a conclusion. But he still believed drilling a hole in the barrel for a gas port would cause long-term durability problems, and because of that he was quick to make this sentiment known to all who were present to hear it.


    "I never said it wouldn''t function. But how long can that barrel hold up until it erodes into a useless tube of steel?"


    Franz had naturally taken note of the lead engineer''s concerns, and gave an order to the test


    crew.


    "I want you to continue testing this prototype until it fails. After that, determine the cause of failure, and see if the second prototype can be redesigned around these points!"


    The engineering team and machinists responsible for this project were far more hopeful that this weapon would seed than their team leader. And because of that, they were quick to ept this challenge with much enthusiasm.


    "Yes, my Lord!"


    Franz then turned to Fritz and made it clear that they had other projects to work on. And that his efforts were better of spent there.


    "As for you, until this prototype fails, your expertise is needed elsewhere. I would suggest you begin working on our new artillery projects."


    Naturally, Fritz had noints of being reassigned elsewhere. He, too, felt that his expertise was wasted on such a project, one that he wholeheartedly believed was doomed to fail. And because of this, he had a bit of a smug expression on his face as he epted this new task of his as if it were a gift.


    "Thank you, my Lord. I assure you, I will do my best to make sure that these more promising projects seed without incident!"


    With this said, the prototype for the Gewehr 43 Rifle would continue its development over the course of several years. After all, there were manyponents and materials in the rifle that needed to be perfected before it could ever be adopted by the military and see service on the


    battlefield.


    Yet the teething pains had begun, and soon enough, with sufficient effort and resolve on the part of the engineers these issues would disappear entirely. And from them would emerge a rifle that would prove to be a vast advantage for the German Army when the Great War finally reared its ugly head.


    Bruno had just gotten out of the Prussian War College for the day. And was resting back home. His wife had just given birth not long ago, and was now ensuring that their newborn daughter


    was healthy and happy.


    Meanwhile, he had a liter of beer in his hand, and a stack of letters in the other. The mail hade today, and as he was sifting through it, Bruno noticed something peculiar. There was a letter with his family''s coat of arms emzoned upon it.


    The coat of arms of the von Zehntner family was a divided background with a sable and argent partition. On the sable side was an argent wolf with gules ws and tongue. It was standing in the rampant regardant position. On the left side, which was the argent partition, there was a


    gules wolfsangel.


    It was said that Bruno''s grandfather had selected this as his family''s coat of arms because he himself had grown up in a family of hunters, and during his youth he had ensnared and killed a wolf with an old-fashioned wolf''s trap.


    When Bruno opened the letter, he saw that it was written from his family''s arms corporation. And that there were several checks included inside, giving him a substantial sum of money, as a "consulting fee'' for the designs that Bruno had given them. Designs, which his brother had gone to the patent office with immediately after obtaining them.


    The equivalent exchange with modern US Currency would be a hundred thousand dors for every design he submitted. Making Bruno''s eyes nearly jump out of their sockets. His life had always been subsidized by his family, whose wealth was vast.


    But this was basically his family''s way of properly paying him for his work. Even if it was given away freely to the family as a contribution that would one day make them untold fortunes. Bruno had received a rather substantial share without even asking it.


    Heidi came into the room with their infant daughter Eva in her arms. Having heard Bruno''s breath became erratic in the other room and was quick to ask if he was alright. "Did something happen? I heard you breathing funny just now? Do you need to see the


    doctor?"


    Bruno''s hands were practically trembling as he struggled toe up with the words to


    describe what he was looking at. But in the end, he took a deep breath and a swig of his beer before looking at his wife with an excited expression on his face.


    "Heidi, dear... There''s no easy way to say this, so I''m just going toe out and say it... We''re


    rich!"


    The woman simply looked at her husband with a confused expression on her face. That is, until he properly exined what he had done and how his family hadpensated him for his efforts. It was only then that a wide smile appeared on her face, where she surprised Bruno by not asking for a single penny to spend on herself or the child.


    "You should save and invest that money. I mean it''s not like we are hurting for cash right now thanks to your sry, so there is no point in spending it on frivolities..."


    It took Bruno a moment to realize he was in the early 20th century, and not the 21st century,


    meaning that people in general were far more moral and sensible than they had been in his


    past life. Leaving him to believe that he was truly reborn in an era which he should have been in the first ce. With a loving smile on his face, he walked over and kissed his wife on the lips before doing the same to his daughter''s forehead. After which he spoke his thoughts aloud with a


    warm and gentle tone within them.


    "I think that is an excellent idea!"

 Chapter 31: War in Manchuria

    Chapter 31: War in Manchuria


    ?


    Three more years passed in the blink of an eye. And Bruno had an exceptional time at the Prussian War College. Though its nature was highlypetitive, with each of the students seeking to be one of the five or so men who would eventually graduate and fill the vacant roles in the General Staff. Bruno''s peers quickly came to respect his knowledge and insight into military matters.


    Whether it was strategy, tactics, or logistics. Bruno excelled in every regard. And his thesis papers on the future of warfare had unknowingly changed the German High Commands'' ideas on how war would eventually be fought in the European Theater should the daye for a conflict to arise among the Great Powers of the World.


    In the end, Bruno seeded in his goal, bing not only one of the five officers to graduate from the Prussian War College. But also bing the most sessful in his ss.


    Having aced every exam with perfect scores, he had proven to himself, his instructors, and the other generals who were keeping a close eye on his progress that he had what it took to proudly boast the rank of Generalmajor.


    Generalmajor was the lowest rank among generals within the German Army, at least in this era. Its modern equivalent within the US Army would be that of a Brigadier General. Even so, it meant Bruno had rapidly risen in the ranks, and at the mere age of 25 he was now the youngest general in the history of the German Reich.


    He proudly wore the insignia of a Generalmajor on his cor, and his shoulders, walking around his new office with his shoulders high, and his singr medal proudly disyed on his chest. No doubt he wascking in medals whenpared to his peers. Which was one of the many reasons some of the other generals looked down on Bruno.


    Though he had had proven himself inbat, which was more than most officers in the Army could currently say. He was stillpletely and utterlycking in the experience that his peers considered worthy of holding such a prestigious rank.


    As for his home life, Bruno''s family had grown in these three years. After Eva''s birth, Heidi quickly became pregnant again, having a son who was named Erwin roughly a year after the day Eva was born.


    This trend was followed by another daughter being born a year after Erwin, who Bruno and Heidi decided to name after Bruno''s mother. Elsa was the youngest of the three siblings, and by now, was only a year old.


    After being given the rank of Generalmajor, Bruno was granted a position at the German High Command, where he was currently working a desk job. This meant that he was close to home, and could easily live with his family during these peaceful times.


    Of course, while Bruno''s life in the Reich had been peaceful and prosperous. The same could not be said for other parts of the world. Russia and Japan had, as predicted begun to feud over matters in Korea and Manchuria almost immediately after the Boxer Rebellion ended.


    Though the Russian Tsar had promised to vacate the region following the end of the Boxer rebellion three years prior, he had instead fortified his position, sending 100,000 soldiers over the course of the next three years.


    In addition to this, he began building fortifications in the area, and began assisting the Korean Empire in its attempts to reject Japanese influence in the region. All of these disputes had suddenly and violently erupted into war.


    The Russo-Japanese war erupted in the early months of 1904. Of which Bruno would not graduate until the end of spring. At first, the Germans maintained an official stance of neutrality. This was despite them shamelessly providing material aid to the Empire of Japan under the guise of civilianmerce.


    After all, the rtions between the German Reich and the Russian Empire following the Boxer Rebellion and Bruno''s actions within it had worsened to an all-time low. The vast material support which the Germans provided in the previous timeline did not flow into Russia in this one. Meaning that the Russian Army was suffering from ack of supplies in addition to ipetent leadership.


    Meanwhile, as previously mentioned, trade flourished between the German Reich and the Empire of Japan. Further strengthening the rtions between them. So much so that in 1902, a mere year after Bruno had begun his tenure at the Prussian War College, the treaty that was destined to be signed between the Empire of Japan and Great Britain did not manifest itself in this timeline.


    Rather, a treaty of military cooperation was assigned between the German Reich and the Empire of Japan. It was not a formal defensive, or even offensive alliance. But a promise between the two empires, to cooperate together with their global ambitions.


    This was a move that Bruno had not anticipated, but one that isted the Empire of Japan away from the Entente, which it otherwise would have joined as a result of this treaty when the Great War began in 1914.


    Meaning that it was starting to look more and more likely that as a result of Bruno''s interference in the timeline, the Empire of Japan would join the Central Powers in 1914 when the war officially broke out.


    But for now, this was a mere possibility for the future, one of many. Instead, Bruno was more focused on matters at hand, and somehow getting himself sent over to Manchuria to aid the Japanese in the conflict between them and the Russians.


    After a mere two weeks of being assigned to the German High Command as a glorified assistant, Bruno finally made a request to his superiors. He did so with a solid salute and a sign of respect to those Generalfeldmarschalls who were at the highest ranks of the German Army.


    "With your permission, I would like to be sent to Manchuria to act as a military advisor to the Empire of Japan!"


    This was a rather surprising request to the old men in charge of the German Army, as up until now there had been no realmunication between the Empire of Japan and the German Reich for military assistance beyond material aid.


    Even so, Bruno was considered a go-getter by some of the other generals. The type to volunteer in any capacity that would allow him to lead soldiers into battle. General Alfred Graf von Schlieffen was the current chief of the General Staff within the German Army. And he was quick to reject Bruno''s request for a variety of reasons.


    "I appreciate your desire to prove your worth in the field, and gain more valuable experience. You are, after all the youngest general in history, Generalmajor von Zehntner. But I must say that the Empire of Japan has yet to request any aid from the German Reich other than that of material assistance.


    If we were to propose sending military advisors to them, it may insult their pride... Unless they deliberately make the request of us. I simply cannot grant you permission to head to


    Manchuria..."


    Bruno was about to argue this point, when another famous general who he had learned about by studying the history of his past life stepped forward. General August von Mackensen was one of the most prominent andpetent generals in the German Reich.


    As a result, when the man spoke, even the Chief of the General Staff was forced to listen to him. He had a gruff and masculine voice as he gave his support on Bruno''s behalf.


    "The Japanese are rapidly trying to modernize their military to match that of the Great Powers. Would they really be so offended by us offering them a helping hand? We have, after all established a treaty of mutual cooperation with them just a couple years back. I see no reason that would prevent us from at least making an offer of further assistance.


    If they ept, then send the boy. He may hold the rank of Generalmajor, but he has yet to properly prove his worth in that regard. Let Manchuria be his proving ground. I mean what exactly do we have to lose? If he helps the Japanese achieve victory against the Russians, despite the odds against them, then wouldn''t that bring glory to the Reich as well?"


    Bruno had to force himself from scoffing when he heard the phrase "despite the odds against them." He knew that with or without German support. Japan would win this war. But he also knew that it would be a shocking thing to the western world where the Great Powers lie.


    As much as Russia may be considered a backwater part of Europe, the Great Powers still epted the Russian Empire as one of them no matter how distant they might do so. The same could not be said for the Empire of Japan who at best were considered by Europeans to an upstart on the other side of the world, and at worst as inferior in every way.


    It was because of this that the world would be surprised when Japan inevitably emerged victorious in this conflict. Something that was even more sure to happen now that the Russian Empire was no longer receiving material and military aid from the German Reich.


    After careful consideration of the matter at hand, Generalfeldmarschall Alfred von Schleiffen ultimately relented, and decided he would listen to his peer''s advice.


    "Very well, I will mention this matter to the Kaiser. If his majesty deems it necessary to reach out and make an offer of support to the Empire of Japan, then we will dispatch Generalmajor Bruno von Zehntner and a cadre of officers to assist him in Manchuria.


    That will be all for now, Generalmajor, I am sure you have plenty of work to do in the meantime. You are dismissed!"


    Bruno saluted the Chief of Staff once more time before departing as he was ordered. The conversation between the Kaiser and the Emperor of Japan would ultimately determine whether or not Bruno was sent to Manchuria to further disy his abilities in the field.

 Chapter 32: A Proper Farewell

    Chapter 32: A Proper Farewell


    ?


    Knowing that the Empire of Japan was almost certain to ept the German Reich''s request to dispatch military advisors to Manchuria. Bruno returned to his home after his day''s work at the German High Command headquarters.


    When he stepped through the door to his home, he was greeted by his three-year-old daughter who came running towards him for a hug while announcing his presence to the rest of the family.


    "Daddy''s home!"


    The girl was quite adept at the Germannguage despite only being three, showing off that she had inherited some of her father''s intelligence. Bruno, of course picked the young girl up into his arms, and kissed her forehead while asking where her mother was.


    "And where is your mother, little girl? Is she in the kitchen cooking dinner?"


    There was a wide smile on the young girl''s face as she confirmed that Heidi was indeed making dinner for her husband and their three children.


    "Mommy''s in the kitchen! Daddy, y with me!"


    Seeing as he just got off work for the day, Bruno wanted to rx for a bit. But he could never say no to his daughters. Because of that, he wandered off to go y with Eva, and whatever game she hade up with for the day.


    Before long, Bruno was greeted by his wife, dressed in an apron, as she confirmed that dinner was ready.


    "Hey, honey, will you gather the kids for dinner? It will be ready in five minutes!"


    Of course, Bruno nodded his head. He forced himself to wear a warm smile, despite knowing thatter that night he would have to tell the woman he loved that he was once more being sent off to war. Still, he masked the trepidation in his voice perfectly, confirming he would do as she asked.


    "No problem, we will be in the dining room in a minute!"


    After which Bruno ran around the house, collecting his other two kids, carrying the youngest and the oldest in his arms, while his son Erwin followed behind. Bruno''s parenting varied differently between his son and his two daughters.


    His daughters he nned to give them everything he could, and raise them to be proper nobledies who would one day marry exceptional men who could provide for them and their future families.


    But his son... Well his privilege was the dirt beneath his feet. He would have to live a life where everything he gained was obtained through his own merit. That''s not to say he was cruel to the boy, but if the boy wanted something, he would have to work for it.


    After sitting down at the table with his wife and three children, Bruno enjoyed a nice, and healthy home cooked meal. While spending time together with his family. Inquiring about what they had all been up to while he was at work.


    His children were, after all far too young for to begin attending school yet. Even so, the eldest of them, Eva had already begun basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, taught to her by her mother who herself had excelled in her studies when she was still in school.


    Eva had lots to talk about regarding her daily activities. While Erwin was more reserved, only speaking to, when he himself was addressed by his father. In addition to this, he always referred to Bruno by the title "Sir", which his daughters did not.


    Heidi could tell something was amiss, though. Bruno was being a little too affectionate with his family, almost as if he was trying to make up for something. And because of this, she remainedpletely and utterly silent during the meal. Which was unusual for her.


    After dinner was over, Bruno entertained his family by the firece with stories from the past. Since tales of fantasy that he grew up with in his previous life had yet to be written, Bruno instead regaled his son and daughters with the damn near mythical tales of historical figures.


    From the legendary exploits of Alexander the Great to Caesar''s conquest of Gaul. All the way to the Christianization of the Saxons by the sword of Charlemagne. They learned at a young age about history''s greatest men, and their aplishments.


    At the end of the discussion, Bruno''s young son, Erwin, who himself was barely capable of speaking, turned to his father with wide and bright eyes, saying the words that sounded awfully familiar to Bruno himself.


    "I want to be like Alexander!"


    Though Erwin was not exactly what you would call fluent with the German Language, unlike his older sister who, despite only being three years of age, spoke like a kid several years older.


    He could still form small sentences and understand many of the things which his father told him. Which was more than the vast majority of 2-year-old kids could manage. Showing that he, too, had inherited a superior form of intelligence. A trait held by all of Bruno''s children, whether or not he realized it yet.


    Upon hearing his son have such grand ambitions, Bruno smiled and patted the boy''s head. His words would forever live on in Erwin''s mind.


    "That''s a great goal to have, but you must remember my son, nothing in this life is achieved without struggle. Work hard, and I am sure that one day your name will be remembered throughout history. Or don''t and be forgotten like the rest of us..."


    After an hour or two of "story time," Bruno and Heidi put their children to bed in their respective rooms before retiring to their own. Heidi had obviously been in a rather foul mood the entire night, barely speaking at all. And it was after they had bathed and dressed in their sleepwear, did Bruno finally mention this having climbing into bed with the woman.


    "Is something the matter, dear?"


    Heidi was pouting silently, having turned over onto her side that was the opposite of Bruno. Even he understood what was going on and was quick to give voice to it.


    "I should have figured you would have picked up on it... You know me better than just about anybody, maybe even myself. I''m sorry I didn''t tell you earlier. I was nning to do so tonight, after the kids had been put to sleep.


    Yeah... You guessed correctly, in theing days I will most likely be shipped off to Manchuria, as a military advisor to the Imperial Japanese Army in their war against the Russian Empire. But it''s not going to be like the Boxer Rebellion. I promise!


    I''m a general now. They can''t afford to send me to the front lines. This isn''t the era of Alexander, where such amander would lead his men into battle. I''m under no such falsehoods. I''ll be safe in the rear, with the Japanese Generals, helping them with strategy, tactics, and logistics. The actual fighting will be done by men much younger than I."


    Heidi finally turned over and stared Bruno in the eyes. She was clearly quite annoyed by the fact that he was leaving again. Despite this not even being a war which the Reich was officially


    waging.


    "Must you really go? Can''t they send someone else? Why must it be you!?!"


    A gentle smile curved itself upon Bruno''s lips as he hugged the woman tightly to him beneath the covers and kissed her forehead. While stroking her silky golden hair, he assured her that everything would be fine.


    "You know as well as I that I am the youngest general in the history of the Reich. There are many among the General Staff who see me as undeserving of my position. And someone who rose through the ranks too quickly. They intend for Manchuria to be a proper test of my abilities in the field. It''s not something I can deny. And if I am being honest, I volunteered for


    it..."


    Heidi could only harrumph and pout even more when she heard her husband''s shameless admission at the end of his statement. He almost got away with it too, but he had to be too


    honest for his own good.


    Still, she very much enjoyed that part of Bruno''s character. He was an honest and loyal man. Such a thing was a rarity in this world, especially among the nobility. Because of this, Heidi couldn''t stay mad at her husband, and instead could only groan as she epted him for who


    he was.


    "Ugghhh.. Why must you always volunteer for things like this! Whatever, I married you knowing your character, I only have myself to me. As long as you promise me to return in one piece like thest time, then I suppose I can forgive you..."


    Bruno couldn''t help but think of a term from his past life that originated in Japan and was


    popr within Otaku culture for women who behaved like this... He found this part of his wife''s personality to be adorable, causing him to jump on top of her and kiss her on the lips.


    "My little Heidi is so cute!"


    Heidi immediately blushed and tried to get Bruno off of her, having not mentally prepared herself for such a sudden "attack".


    "What are you doing!?! The kids are still awake! They will hear us!"


    But eventually Heidi relented to her husband''s advances like she always did. Muttering something beneath her breath that Bruno barely heard.


    "I suppose it''s alright since this will probably be thest time in a long time..."


    With that, Bruno had a proper farewell with his wife. Soon after, he would receive confirmation that he would be shipping off to Manchuria, and with a few familiar faces to aid


    him in his efforts.

 Chapter 33: Reuniting With Some Old Friends

    Chapter 33: Reuniting With Some Old Friends


    ?


    It had been years since the Boxer Rebellion came to an end, three to be exact. And during this time, Bruno had gone his separate ways from the friends he made at the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute. Though he had kept in contact with the men the best he could, via letters which were still the primary form ofmunication in the world.


    Bruno had quickly risen through the ranks of the Imperial German Army, bing the youngest Generalmajor in history. Meanwhile, Heinrich and Erich had been promoted to the rank which Bruno previously held. Captain, also known as Hauptmann, in the Germannguage.


    Surprisingly, when Bruno arrived at the Prussian naval base in Danzig, he found the two young captains standing there, boasting their newly obtained cor and shoulder insignia while smoking a couple of cigarettes and catching up on what had happened over the past few years.


    Erich was boasting about his older brother, who was several years older than him, and already a prominent member of the Kaiserliche Marine, also known as the Imperial German Navy.


    "Yeah, I just received word from the family, my brother Hermann has been promoted to the rank of Captain within the navy. He''s recently been assigned to a cruiser in the East Asia Squadron as itsmanding officer. I wouldn''t be surprised if we see him while in Manchuria!"


    Heinrich blew a puff of smoke in Erich''s face, responding with rtive disinterest to his old friend whose boastful nature when it came to the topic of his family continued even now that he was in his mid twenties.


    "I suppose that would be a treat, now wouldn''t it... Oh shit! General, we were just waiting for your arrival!"


    Heinrich immediately snapped to attention when he saw Bruno step forward. The man was dressed in the uniform of a Generalmajor. The only thing Bruno was really missing to appear like the old men who were sending him to Manchuria were several more medals, and a Sash belonging to one of the major orders of Merit.


    Even so, his uniformmanded immediate respect from anyone who saw it. Heinrich and Erich were no exception. Who put out their cigarettes and snapped to attention when they saw their old friend approach them.


    Bruno simply smiled and shook his head, before demanding the two of them not be so formal with him.


    "At ease, you two... I must admit I''m surprised they sent both of you to assist me in this mission. Heinrich was to be expected. The man performed admirably as an observer in South Africa from what I have heard. But, Erich? I have not heard much of your exploits these past three years?"


    Erich sighed and shook his head. Defending hisck of achievements by the position he was forced in.


    "With all due respect, sir... It''s hard to aplish much when you''re assigned to an infantrypany during a time of peace. I''m amazed I managed to gain the rank of captain despite doing nothing but being a glorified desk jockey these past few years."


    Indeed, what Erich said was true, and Bruno was personally just giving him a hard time due to the rtionship they had as friends. However, he was quick to make these two men understand the situation they were now in. And how they should conduct themselves when they arrived in Manchuria.


    "Alright, let me make something perfectly clear to you two. We are here to act in an advisory capacity, not to win any heroics on behalf of ourselves. Our objective is to assist the Imperial Japanese Army in their war against the Russians, and that is all.


    Still, you two might want to keep a weapon nearby, as you never know when things might end up going south. I myself, as you can see by my holster am well prepared for such a possible scenario."


    Attached to Bruno''s belt was a ck leather holster which contained a luger pistol. In addition to this, there were several magazine pouches on the other side. Showing that Bruno appeared to be ready and willing to engage inbat should the need arise.


    Luckily for him, Heinrich and Erich appeared to show the same sentiment as they patted their own holsters, while assuring Bruno they were also packing.


    "Not to worry sir, we are well prepared for the expedition!"


    Knowing this, Bruno nodded his head and looked off to the docks, where arge cruiser was setting down anchor and being tied off. Eventually the officers of the ship came ashore, dressed in their Naval Uniforms they approached Bruno and the two officers by his side. Along with a small contingent of infantry, who were there to protect Bruno, Heinrich, and Erich. The naval officer in charge was a man in his mid-thirties. And sported the insignia of a Naval Captain, also tranted to Kapitan Zur See in German. The man looked sternly not at Bruno, or Heinrich, but at Erich. Who himself stared at the Naval Captain with surprise in his eyes.


    Suddenly, the Naval Captain''s expression changed as he stepped forward and embraced Erich. Shocking both Bruno and Heinrich with his greeting.


    "There you are little brother! It''s been years since Ist saw you! You are a Captain now? Well, a Captain in the Army... Still truly impressive! I''m honestly surprised they didn''t tell me I would be ferrying you to Manchuria as well!"


    Erich seemed embarrassed to be so boldly embraced by his older brother in public, and while on duty no less. Bruno, of course faked a cough, to let the man know that he was being watched. Where he immediately let go of Erich, and saluted Bruno while introducing himself. "Captain Hermann von Humbolt at your service, sir! It is my honor to escort the General and hispanions to Manchuria! If there is anything you require of me and my crew during our voyage, just let me know and so long as it is in my capacity to fulfill, I will do so at the first given opportunity!"


    Bruno returned the man''s salute, unsure of how to act now that he had suddenly regained his sense of professionalism. Because of this, he just responded with the standard professional courtesy he would give any other officer in the military.


    "Thank you, Captain, we will be in your care these next two months..."


    With this said, the Naval Captain whistled towards his sailors to grab the belongings that Bruno and his attach¨¦ had brought with them. All while escorting the three officers onto the deck of his cruiser.


    "She may be a bit old, but I promise you, the Hansa will carry you safely to your destination. If there''s nothing important that you have forgotten, then let''s get this show on the road shall We?"


    Naturally, Bruno would not reject the Captain''s courtesy and instead joined him onboard the Protected Cruiser. It was known as the SMS Hansa, named after the Medieval Hanseatic league. It was an old vessel, of the Victoria Louise ss of protected cruisers.


    The vessel had beenid down and entered service in the 1890s. And because of this, it now saw service in the East Asia Squadron, deemed unfit to serve in the High Seas Fleet, which only obtained the most modern additions during the ongoing Naval Arms race between the German Reich and the British Empire.


    It was still a year away before the HMS Dreadnought would begin its construction, which would only add fuel to the fire that was the Anglo-German Naval Arms race. After all, the Dreadnought would forever change the course of how battleships were developed. Not that they would see much service when the Great War finally surfaced.


    After all, Dreadnought Battleships were considered too expensive, and time consuming to produce by the Admiralty of all nations who possessed them. And because of this, they werergely kept out of service, when they could have been employed to great affect in a multitude of naval battles.


    In the end, such massive machines of destruction would only be used in a single Naval Battle during the Great War, and never again afterward. Something that Bruno couldn''t help but think was a waste when he saw his first warship up close.


    Perhaps this captain, who Bruno did not recognize from his past life, would go on to be a powerful admiral in his own right. Especially if Bruno formed a close friendship with him over the course of the next few months and altered his destiny as a result.


    Maybe then, the Imperial German Navy could be effectively convinced to alter their course of naval warfare, one that, if kept in line with its current trajectory, would inevitably provoke the Americans from joining the war effort.


    But that was a matter that would need to be considered over the course of many years. For the


    time being, Bruno supposed he would spend the next two months at sea, building a proper friendship with Erich''s older brother. Even if Hermann did not be an Admiral of significant renown, it never hurt to make friends in high ces.

 Chapter 34: Finding Ways to Entertain Oneself

    Chapter 34: Finding Ways to Entertain Oneself


    ?


    The trip to Manchuria would easily take a month and a half, perhaps even longer. Because of this, Bruno spent his days getting ustomed to the crew of the SMS, Hansa, and the officers on board it.


    When he wasn''t smoking on the deck, chatting with the sailors, and gazing off at the many seas and oceans of the world, then he was within the interior, either ying poker with Heinrich and Erich. Or chatting with the Captain and his subordinates.


    Life in the Navy was different than that of the army. And when having dinner with the Captain of the vessel one night. Bruno made a humorous remark about this.


    "Quite frankly, I''m not the kind of man to spend my life at sea. I''d rather not drown in the ocean should the ship go down. Give me a bullet to the dome, or a quick death by artillery any day of the week. The sailor''s life is not for me!"


    Contrary to the grim nature of Bruno''s joke, Captain Hermann von Humboldtughed at it before making fun of the young general for his words.


    ''Oh? Are you perhaps not confident in your ability to swim General? Don''t worry there are plenty of life preservers and rafts on board this ship. God forbids something happens on our journey. I''ll make sure to toss you one!"


    Seeing how the Captain was a good sport about his rtively crass remarks, Bruno responded to this banter with some of his own.


    "Oh, I''m quite confident in my ability to swim. But I''m only human. The odds of me swimming to shore in the event that we sink in the middle of the ocean are virtually zero. But who knows, maybe mermaids really exist and will save my drowning ass because I''m so good looking. Though how I would face my wife afterward, I fear to even think about..."


    The Captainughed at Bruno''s words, while pouring him another drink from the bottle of distilled spirits he had taken from his private stash for this asion. He couldn''t help but make ament about that, and how his brother had been avoiding the topic of marriagetely.


    "Speaking of, Erich is already in his mid-twenties, and still has yet to take a wife. He has rejected any attempts by the family to set him up with a good girl. I''m starting to think he might be into men...."


    Silence remained for several seconds as Bruno drank from his liquor. He wanted to make it appear as if he knew something about Hermann''sst remarks, but was unwilling to speak. In doing so, he caused Hermann to be quite anxious, as the man quickly spoke his thoughts aloud.


    "Don''t tell me that boy is, actually?"


    Seeing this as an excellent opportunity to get back at Erich for some of the pranks which the man had yed on Bruno during their years at the Academy, Bruno sighed heavily, before leaning in and whispering a little white lie to his friend''s brother.


    "You didn''t hear this from me, but when we were in China together, I heard rumors... Now I can''t confirm they are true, but.... From what I heard, Erich had a thing for the local erm... How do I put this? Crossdressers...."


    Hermann''s eyes opened wide when he heard this, it was clear that he was abundantly outraged from this revtion. Obviously, this was a lie on Bruno''s parts. But it''s not like Hermann was well educated on what happened in China outside of the German colony of Tsingtao where his ship would often dock.


    Because of this, he fully believed Bruno''s words, and stood up from his seat, tidying his uniform as he made onestment to his guest before storming off to find his little brother.


    "If you will excuse me, I believe I have some family affairs which I need to straighten out." After which, Hermann left the captain''s quarters in a hissy fit. Where Bruno remained seated with a wicked smirk on his face. He silently sipped from his ss before finally uttering a remark when he was sure he was the only one who could hear himself speak.


    "Well, this should provide some entertainment for the next few days..."


    Needless to say, the chewing out that Erich received and suddenly at that from his older brother was deeply confusing and irritating. It took him all of two minutes to realize Bruno must have made up some bullshit to get him in trouble with his family.


    And because of this, the man approached Bruno in his quarters. He had a smug smirk on his face, as he chuckled and admitted that Bruno had indeed got him good this time.


    "You know, it took two hours to convince my brother that I was not a homosexual. He threatened to go to my family and have me cut off! All in all, I would have to say well yed... But don''t think that I''m just going to let this slide! I''m going to get you back for this by the time we arrive in Manchuria! Just you wait!"


    Bruno scoffed and shook his head. He knew this would provoke a prank war between the two men, like they had waged during their years at the academy. After all, it had been less than a week on board this military vessel, and already Bruno was bored out of his mind.


    Why else would he cause such drama? Entertainment was hard toe by while you were stuck on a ship for over a month without reprieve. And thus he responded to Erich with a smug tone in his voice.


    "Challenge epted. However, let''sy some ground rules. We are not allowed to do any pranks that cause injury either to one''s person or character. At least not which can easily be ovee like the one I just did. Other than that, anything goes. Sound good?"


    Erich nodded his head and quickly agreed to these terms with an equally confident tone of his


    own.


    "You''re on! Just you wait, I''ll have you on your knees begging for an end to this contest by the time the week is over!"


    After saying this, Erich left Bruno''s quarters. No doubt scheming how he would get back at the man for the shit he just pulled. As for Bruno, he himself was already in the middle of concocting a little surprise of his own.


    In Bruno''s hands was a crude device, one which he had fashioned on board the ship over thest two hours while Erich was being chewed out. It looked almost like a grenade. However, it was neither a fragmentation nor a concussion grenade. Both of which were lethal when detonated.


    Rather, it was a rather crude shbang. Well, that wasn''t exactly urate. It was more like those civilian legal "shbangs" that were primarily used in airsoft matches during the 21st century. To put it simply, the device was made of a cardboard tube, with a small powder


    charge within it.


    Bruno had fashioned the device from materials found on board the ship, and had rigged it inside of Erich''s trunk. So that the next time he opened the thing for a change of clothes it would go off, and in doing so temporarily disorient him.


    It was not loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage, nor was the sh bright enough to blind him other than very briefly. Even so, Bruno had essentially invented the first shbang, and for the purpose of trolling his friend and subordinate in a war of pranks.


    Actually, now that Bruno thought about it, he had neglected the creation of concussion and fragmentation grenades for service in the army. Something he would no doubt have to remedy when he returned to the fathend after this war in Manchuria was over.


    For the rest of the evening, Bruno decided to spend his spare time reading a novel. That is until he heard a loud bang ur in the room next to his, followed by the screaming of his friend who had no doubt just triggered the booby trapped trunk.


    The noise generated by the detonation of the sh grenade was no doubt enough to cause people to rush to the scene. Where they found Erich on the ground, disoriented while cursing


    up a storm.


    "Motherfucker! What in the holy fuck was that? Bruno! You fucking prick!"


    Bruno quickly entered the scene, where the emergency crew had already stepped foot into the room looking to mitigate any damage that may have urred as a result of the detonation they heard, as well as find the source of it.


    Naturally, Bruno wouldn''t admit to what he had just done. Instead, the man had his novel in one hand, and an ignorant fa?ade on his face as he asked Erich just what the hell had happened


    to him.


    "Oh? What did I do? I was just minding my own business reading a novel when I heard a loud banging from your room. Naturally, as your good friend, I quickly came over to check on you. Thank the Lord you are alright!"


    By now Erich had recovered his senses. He genuinely thought he had been caught up in an explosion and had died for a second there. As a result, he looked at Bruno, whose ignorant fa?ade had switched into a devilish grin, and immediately decided getting back at Bruno was not a price he was willing to pay.


    Because of this, Erich got to his feet and dered the Prank war was already over less than a day after it had begun.


    "That''s it you crazy motherfucker! I''m not ying your sick game anymore! This is over!"


    After saying that Erich stormed off, he would get over his anger and admit that Bruno got the better of him. A few hourster, after sulking in silence. As for Heinrich who witnessed the whole affair, he could only shake his head and make ament on his two closest friends and


    their childish behavior.


    "Fucking idiots..."

 Chapter 35: Tenno Heika Banzai!

    Chapter 35: Tenno Heika Banzai!


    ?


    The rest of the journey to Manchuria was rather smooth. Albeit a boring one. Still, by the time Bruno stepped foot at the naval base which the Japanese were using as a foothold in the region, Captain Hermann von Humboldt had grown quite fond of Bruno.


    His initial goal of establishing rtions with a promising naval officer had seeded. And Bruno promised to keep in touch with Erich''s older brother as he and his attach¨¦ stepped foot off the SMS Hansa, and entered the Japanese naval base.


    There were both members of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the Imperial Japanese Army stationed within it. Seeing as how they were dressed in foreign uniforms, they were quickly approached after stepping foot onto the docks by representatives of the Japanese General Chief of Staff.


    Naturally such an important figure would not be present in the theater of war himself, but would rather be back in Tokyomanding the war effort from The Japanese homnd. Instead, Bruno found himself in coordination with a bunch of lower ranked generals, some of which were of a simr status to himself.


    The Japanese Generals were professional, as they greeted Bruno with the utmost courtesy. Making use of a German trantor to properlymunicate with Bruno and the men who had joined him as part of his attach¨¦.


    "It is a great honor to personally receive the Generalmajor himself. I have heard many stories about the Wolf of Prussia and his time spent in China during the Boxer Rebellion."


    Bruno surprised the Japanese Generals by speaking in perfectly fluent Japanese. While he did possess an ent at the moment. Within two weeks, he would be speaking as if he were a Tokyo native.


    "The honor is mine. The Kaiser has entrusted me with aiding our allies in Japan with a swift victory over the Russians. And it is my hope that with my expertise I can assist you in reducing your casualties. Now, if you don''t mind, I would very much like to see the current condition of the front lines."


    The Japanese generals were quick to get Bruno up to speed on the situation at hand. Port Arthur was currently under siege, and had been so since the beginning of August 1904, which it was currently nearing the end of. Despite this, all frontal assaults to attack the Port had resulted in thousands of casualties for the Japanese.


    Bruno, having fully studied this war in the past, was aware of what needed to be done to secure a major tactical victory. Without his intervention, it would not be until December where the Japanese forces eventually broke through and seized a strategic hilltop, where they could line up theirnd artillery and bombard the Russian Fleet. In doing so, sinking all of its major capital ships.


    This would be an enormous victory for the Japanese and would lead to their dominance in the Seas surrounding the area. Since this had yet to happen, Bruno nned to speed up the efforts by several months. Taking this point in the summer, rather than in the winter.


    When he announced the n to seize this hilltop for the use of stationing artillery over the Port. The Japanese thought Bruno saw this as an exercise of futility, and were quick to voice their opinions in this regard.


    "With all due respect, Genemajor, while I understand the reasoning behind your logic. I fear such an assault will incur massive casualties and will only result in failure. It is unwise to make such an attempt at this time."


    Knowing full well that this was the immediate path to victory, Bruno''s words were quite stern with the Japanese generals, causing him to make a deration that he would soone to regret in an attempt to spur the Japanese generals into action.


    "This is the quickest route to victory. With the Russian fleet destroyed, their general will have no reason to try to continue defending the city! They will be forced to retreat to Mukden. Where we shall pursue them, encircle them, and eliminate the Russians to thest man! Once their army is defeated in such devastating numbers, the Tsar will be forced to pursue peace! If you are now willing to order the assault on 203 meter hill, then I will lead the charge myself! Gather your men. The time for victory is now!"


    Though Bruno had promised Heidi he would remain safely in the rear in an advisory capacity. In a heated moment, he had challenged the Japanese Generals and their sense of courage. This, however, would ultimately backfire on Bruno, as the Japanese Generals saw this as an opportunity to pin their repeated failures on Bruno, rather than rise to the asion to seed themselves. As a result, they were quick to ept his challenge for this purpose.


    "Very well, if you are confident of seeding at the helm of the charge. Then we will order our men to follow you into battle. Themand of the Third Army is yours. Do with them as you please. But just know that we expect nothing less than total victory! Should you fail to achieve your ims, we will naturally hold you responsible for the losses sustained during this campaign...."


    Bruno suddenly realized that he had put his foot in his mouth. He only understood now that the Japanese Generals had suffered losses that were considered intolerable by the Emperor. Soon enough, the General Chief of Staff would demand drastic action from these Generals lest they be removed of theirmand.


    Because of this, Bruno suddenly realized that he had just volunteered to take the me for these men and their failures. But that would only be the case if he did not achieve victory in this battle.


    Knowing that victory was certain if he made the proper preparations, Bruno ultimately steeled his resolve and epted the offer to lead the Army into battle if the Japanese Generals were unwilling to do so. He had no reason to suddenly back out now that such an opportunity to make a name for himself had been granted to him.


    As a result, Bruno scoffed, and made a briefment, before marching off to begin making his preparations for the assault on the 203 Meter hill.


    "When I have won this war for you all, I expect to be rewarded appropriately for my efforts!"


    Though the Japanese Generals thought that Bruno was being arrogant. They had yet to see what he was capable of. And because of this, Bruno quickly went to work, first organizing the army and taking note of its current inventory.


    Then by preparing sappers toy explosives at the base of the Russian fortifications. And finally, on the 1st of September 1904, a whole four months before Japan was supposed to emerge victorious in this battle. Bruno ordered the attack to begin.


    The Russians stationed in the defenses of 203 Meter hill were not the least bit expecting an assault by the Imperial Japanese Army when they were woken from their sleep early in the morning on September first. Previous engagements had taken ce at a different battlefield known as 174 Meter Hill. Which had resulted in abject failure for the Japanese attackers.


    But when the satchel charges that had been covertlyid at the base of the Russian fortifications were detonated, and arge chunk of their stronghold destroyed with it. The Russians were quickly awakened. Only to find themselves being pounded by the 11 pound Armstrong guns of the Imperial Japanese Army.


    With each boom, dozens of Russians were caught in the st. Quickly reducing their numbers as the minutes went by. The barrage continued for well over an hour before the whistle was blown. Shockingly, it was not a Japanese officer giving the order to assault the battered


    hillside.


    Rather, a man wearing a German uniform stood at the head of the charge, rushing forward with a type 30 Bolt-action rifle in his hand, and its bay attached. As if he had been waiting two whole lifetimes for this moment. Bruno shouted the words he had said repeatedly in


    video games from his past life.


    "Tenno heika banzai!"


    All while leading thousands of Japanese soldiers through machine gun and rifle fire alike! The Russians had no idea what was happening. They were not even aware of the preparations the Japanese were making to assault this hill.


    As themon belief among the Russian leadership was that the Japanese would once more try to take 174 Meter Hill instead. As for Bruno, he suppressed whatever fear he felt as bullets whipped past his face and body, narrowly missing him and instead dropping the bodies of the Japanese soldiers beneath hismand.


    Given the opportunity, Bruno took aim with his rifle and fired a shot down range. Which prated through the skull of a Russian officer, who himself was raising his Nagant revolver over the edge of the trench line. After doing this, Bruno racked the bolt on his rifle, ejecting the spent case while sending a fresh round into the chamber.


    Once he had done this, Bruno continued forward along with the rest of the Japanese soldiers who were temporarily under hismand. The scene of a German General brazenly leading Japanese soldiers into battle, would be immortalized by a Japanese painter who was currently serving in the Imperial Japanese Army at the Battle of 203 Meter Hill.


    One which would depict Bruno being the first to enter the Russian Trench Line with an army of Japanese soldiers at his back.

 Chapter 36: Mud and Blood

    Chapter 36: Mud and Blood


    ?


    How exactly did Bruno find himself in this situation, despite holding the rank of Generalmajor? Well, if he had to reflect on his actions that led to this point. He would say that he made an error when calcting human nature versus the societal conditioning.


    For years in his past life, he had learned that the Empire of Japan and its soldiers were fanatically loyal to their Emperor, so much so that they were willing to charge through machine gun fire with swords in hands in order to achieve victory.


    And while that may be true for the individual soldiers that areposed of the Army. The same level of zeal and bravery evidently could not be found in the Japanese leadership who were notpelled by Bruno''s challenge and instead used him as a scapegoat to mask their repeated failures.


    There was just one problem with this scheme.... Bruno emerged victorious in his charge up 203 Meter Hill and somehow managed to survive the conflictpletely unscathed. Currently Bruno was standing within a trench line, having secured the entire hill, he was covered in blood. Just as the de of his bay was.


    But it was not his blood. No, it was the blood of the many Russians he had killed, either by shooting them in close quarters, or by stabbing them through their vitals with his bay. In fact, Bruno wasn''t just covered in blood, but mud as well.


    After all, trench warfare was incredibly dirty business, and he had slipped and fallen on his ass during one of his melee encounters. How he managed to survive, well perhaps the Lord God almighty really existed and had sent a guardian angel to protect him.


    Even now Bruno struggled toprehend how he managed to escape from a dangerous position, and instead kill the man who had tried to take his life. Heinrich and Erich had boldly followed Bruno into the field. They were no doubt pissed at the man for so recklessly charging through machine gun fire.


    But even so, they followed after him, and survived somehow or another. Albeit, they weren''t nearly as lucky as Bruno was. Heinrich had a ncing blow from a bay to his forearm. While Erich had been shot in the calf by a Nagant Revolver.


    Neither of which was anything more than flesh wounds. Which were currently being treated by the Japanese medics, along with all the others who had been wounded in the fighting. At the same time, the two men were speaking to Bruno. What exactly they were saying, Bruno didn''t know. He was, after all out of sorts, so to speak.


    Instead, after his focus shifted from the sea of corpses whichid lifeless in the trenches to that of his subordinates, Bruno could finally hear what they were saying.


    "As we speak the 11 pound guns are being moved up the hill into position to attack the Russian Fleet. Despite losing this battle, the Russians have made no attempts to move their ships.


    No doubt afraid of trying to break through the Japanese Blockade. Within the hour, we can expect the Russian Fleet to be lying at the bottom of the harbor. As crazy as this day has been, I think we just won the war...."


    Heinrich wasn''t exactly wrong with this assessment of the situation. Without Port Arthur, and the Russian Fleet within it, the Russian Army would be forced to withdraw, where if all went as nned, their army would be surrounded and eliminated at Mukden.


    In his past life, this was the bloodiest battle of the war, and was thergestnd battle of the early 20th century prior to the outbreak of the Great War in 1914. But Bruno nned to mitigate casualties on the Japanese side, while ensuring the entire force of 292,000 Russians was wiped out to thest man. Forcing the Tsar to surrender much earlier than expected.


    It was not until the artillery was in position and fired on the ships in the harbor where Bruno''s mind fully reconnected to reality. As exhausted as he was after doing something so suicidal. Bruno''s lips curled into a malevolent smirk as he turned and faced his subordinates.


    His back was faced with the destruction being wrought in Port Arthur below, all while he made a bold announcement.


    "You are indeed correct, Heinrich. Today marks the beginning of the end of the war. By now, the Russians will have learned of their defeat here. Their reaction, no doubt will be to pull the relief force which is marching this way back to Mukden. Where we shall follow them, encircle them, and decimate them in a single decisive battle.


    For now, however, we should return to those bastards who sent us here to die. I am quite certain they will have to rethink how to deal with us after the victory we have achieved on this day..."


    Bruno did not wait for either of his friends to follow him. He simply walked off down the hills. He had led an army up and towards the Japanese Generals who waited in the siege camp below.


    The Japanese Generals were astonished. Bruno had sessfully led the Third Army in an assault on 203 Meter Hill. Gaining control of the highest vantage point above Port Arthur, and using it to sink the Russian Fleet in Asia.


    It was a major victory for the Japanese in this war, one that, if handled correctly could very well end the war much earlier than expected. In addition to this, none of them had the right to im credit for this victory. As they had tasked Bruno with leading the third army, expecting him to fail spectacrly and perhaps even die in the process.


    In doing so they nned to me their repeated failures on him. However, with this victory, everything they had done would certainlye to light. Bruno would be rewarded for his efforts by the Emperor, despite being a foreigner. Meanwhile, the Generals who had been in charge of the siege up until this point would be thoroughly reprimanded for their failures.


    It was an almost unbelievable situation to be in. And this disbelief was even morepounded when Bruno entered the military camp, covered in blood and mud, all the while the Japanese soldiers saluted him and voiced their utmost respect.


    Bruno had earned the respect of the men hemanded into battle. It was, after all not every day that a general led his own troops into battle. Let alone a foreign general who was tasked with leading them.


    Even so, Bruno had imed a body count of well over two dozen in this battle. And the Japanese soldiers respected him not only as amander, but as a warrior as well. By now, the officers beneath the Japanese generalmand had already reported the situation back to the Japanese maind.


    And because of this, the Japanese generals could not try to hide what really happened here on this day. As for Bruno, he approached the Japanese generals, seemingly without any indignation towards them. As he saluted the men and reported his sess.


    "Victory is ours. Today, September 1st 1904, Port Arthur has fallen. If I may be so bold, now is not the time to celebrate. Rather, we should gather all our forces in the region and march on Mukden where the Russian relief army is no doubt falling back to at this moment.


    If we defeat the Russians at Mukden, the Tsar will be forced to surrender. And the war will officially be over. Now, would you gentlemen like the pleasure of properly leading your forces, or are you going to insist that I, your foreign advisor do so again?"


    The Japanese generals looked at each other and instantly began moring amongst themselves for the right to lead their forces at Mukden. As for Bruno, he began making the proper preparations on behalf of whoever ended up in charge.


    He did not know it yet, but the Japanese Emperor would have the battle of 203 Meter Hill properly investigated. And upon finding out that the rumors were true, that the German Military Advisor had takenmand of the Third Army and led them to victory at Port Arthur, would reward Bruno with one of the highest honors the Emperor of Japan could bestow


    upon military officers, whether domestic or foreign.


    But that was a story for another time. For the rest of the evening, after making his preparations Bruno spent it properly cleaning himself up. After all, it was not exactly befitting of a German General to be covered in mud and blood.


    Because of this, he would have a long and silent time to reflect on what happened today, and how in the future he could prevent such another dangerous scenario from urring. Either way, Bruno had tasted real trench warfare. And though it might not be the same as what existed during the Great War.


    His experience at 203 Meter Hill would stick with him for the rest of his life. No doubt, the next generation would have an extremely difficult time engaging in such battles across the


    Western Front.


    But that was not his concern as by then he would likely have risen to the highest rank in the German Army and would never need to personally step foot in the Trenches. Or so he hoped.

 Chapter 37: Mamushi

    Chapter 37: Mamushi


    ?


    Though Bruno was not consciously aware of it as his thoughts were currently towards more pressing matters. The investments he had made upon receivingpensation from his family for his designs that thoroughly paid off, and it had only been a handful of years since then.


    Taking advantage of his knowledge from his past life, Bruno reached out to several key historical figures who would be making a major name for themselves in theing years. For example, the Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford and twelve other investors who created thepany with a mere 28,000 US dors.


    Granted at the time that was a lot of money. But to Bruno who gained millions from his designs. He was able to reach out to Henry Ford and fulfill the role of those 12 investors in exchange for 50% of thepany.


    In his past life, Henry Ford only possessed 25.5% of thepany due to the amount of investors he had. But in this life he split thepany 50/50 with Bruno who was his only investor. Aside from that, Bruno had also invested in the likes of Coca C and Pepsi both of which were founded in the 1890s, but had yet to really reach the peak of their gains.


    In addition to this, Bruno also invested in the likes of Firestone Tire and Rubber, Quaker Oats, J.C. Penney, and Texaco all of which were major brands in the 21st century. He also had ns to invest in other majorpanies that would be found over the course of theing decades such as Harley Davidson, General Motors, and a number of aerospacepanies.


    To put it simply, Bruno had set himself up for guaranteed financial sess, building a fortune that could go on to support his family for theing century. But of course, Bruno had no time to pay attention to such matters at the moment.


    After all, he was currently in the middle of a Warzone. And because of this, he was invited by the surviving soldiers who he had led into battle the previous day to join them for a meal in the evening after he had managed to wash away the mud and blood which coated his figure and uniform.


    Though he was a foreign general, who had initially been sent to Manchuria to act in an advisory capacity to the Imperial Japanese Army, as far as the individual soldiers of the Third Army were concerned, Bruno was one of them. Because of this, they held cups of sake up in the air and toasted Bruno for his great victory.


    "To the Great Mamushi, whose swift and lethal attack at 203 Meter Hill achieved aplete and total victory for the Empire of Japan here at Port Arthur! Kanpai!"


    Bruno was confused at first. Because of this, he leaned over and whispered to one of the nearby officers, inquiring just who the Colonel was referencing when he made the toast.


    "Mamushi? Who is that?"


    The officer chuckled and shook his head, drinking from his cup as he responded to Bruno''s question with a smile on his face.


    "That''s what the soldiers are calling you. Mamushi, it''s the name of a venomous serpent from Japan. Your assault on the Russians was so sudden and destructive that they didn''t even have the time to properly form a defense. They were dead before they even knew what hit them. Much like what would happen if one were attacked by a Mamushi."


    The Germans called Bruno the Wolf of Prussia because he had ruthlessly sniffed out and ravaged the Boxer Remnants who were hiding in Northern China''s countryside. While the Japanese called him Mamushi in reference to a venomous pit viper native to the Japanese homnd.


    This was after Bruno hadunched a sudden and devastating strike on the Russians before they could properly respond, seizing 203 Meter Hill and ending the Siege of Port Arthur in a single day. A siege that hadsted a month so far, and would havested significantly longer without Bruno''s actions.


    Bruno was starting to realize that he was picking up nicknames wherever he was deployed. Which was a testament to his own capabilities in the field. Something that could only cause him to smirk as he drank the Sake in his cup.


    It was while he was reflecting on this that the colonel who had made the toast walked over to Bruno and saluted the man before speaking to him as if he were his own general.


    "Sir, without you, victory would not have been achieved here in Port Arthur. And I have heard that our orders are to pack up tomorrow morning and begin marching to Mukden. I have the feeling that this war ising to an end much sooner than it should. And I have you to thank for that, and the lives of my men, who no doubt would have suffered far more should this conflict were to continue waging on for another year."


    Bruno returned the Japanese Colonel''s salute. The man was much older than he was, and was no doubt a veteran of several wars. And because of this, Bruno treated the man with respect, almost as if he were a superior officer to himself.


    "With all due respect, Colonel, your men would have achieved victory by the year''s end without my interference here. Even so, it would not be boastful of me to say that I sped things up by insisting on seizing 203 Meter Hill rather than continue with the failed offensive at 174 Meter Hill.


    And you are correct, tomorrow we will begin marching to Mukden. The n is to encircle the Russian Army there and eliminate them in a single decisive battle. Once that has happened, the Russian Tsar will be forced to sue for peace.


    When word reaches the Russian people that they lost nearly 300,000 men in a single battle, he will have his hands full with revolutionary sentiment. And because of that, he will not be able to continue the fight for Manchuria and Korea.


    However, the result of the Battle at Mukden will rely upon the performance of you and your men. I fear I won''t be in charge this time around, as your generals seem almost anxious to prove themselves after the victory here at Port Arthur."


    The colonel, perhaps gaining a loose tongue after bing slightly inebriated was quick to voice his thoughts on the Japanese Generals who shamelessly leftmand of the Third Army


    to a foreigner.


    "Those fools will be lucky if the Emperor doesn''t call for their heads upon returning to Japan. Such a shameful disy. Trying to pin their failures on you, an allied general, because they had theck of foresight to see that your strategy would seed.


    If I had the ability, I would personally send a letter to the Emperor requesting for their immediate removal frommand. Nevertheless, it is not my ce to do so. Even then, that did not prevent me from leaking news of what happened here to the Chief of Staff, and the Emperor himself."


    Bruno was surprised to hear that the Colonel had already acted to secure the truth of what happened at Port Arthur. After all, this meant that the shameful Japanese Generals could not try to take credit for Bruno''s victory.


    And because of this, he was quick to thank the Japanese Colonel for his efforts.


    "You have my thanks."


    With this said, Bruno shared a drink with the Japanese Colonel, before ending the festivities for the night where he returned to the tent he had been given as his personal quarters for the duration of themand. He fell asleep thinking about home, and how he would spend time with his family when he was finally able to return.


    Bruno was awoken the following day, earlier than was necessary. There was a Japanese soldier of a low rank, standing outside his tent, who addressed him with the utmost respect as he made a shocking decree.


    "Generalmajor Bruno von Zehntner, there is a letter here for you from the Emperor himself. I have orders to hand it over to your hands personally, and only your hands. Would you please


    permit me entry?"


    Bruno climbed out of bed, barely managing to get himself dressed ordingly, before opening the tap of his tent where he saw a young Japanese soldier handing him a letter which indeed bore the seal of the Japanese Royal Family.


    He then thanked the soldier for delivering the letter, before dismissing him entirely. Once Bruno was back inside thefort of his tent, he opened the letter and read its contents, which were indeed shocking.


    Rather than move with in its advance to Mukden. Bruno was being personally summoned to the Japanese maind to meet with the Japanese Emperor himself. And if the letter was to be believed, he would be heavily rewarded for his victory at Port Arthur.


    Because of this, Bruno quickly finished getting himself presentable before wandering through the camp where he met up with Heinrich and Erich. When he handed them the letter, they were shocked, remaining silent for some time until eventually Erich voiced his thoughts


    on the matter.


    "Wait a second, what does this mean for us if you''re separating from the Army?"


    Bruno had a stern expression on his face and shook his head as he exined exactly what the


    intentions were.


    "This means the two of you are to stay here with the Army, and act as advisors to the Japanese Generals on my behalf. Not to worry, I have left ample notes on the strategies, tactics, and logisticalworks I have devised to properly win the battle of Mukden with as few casualties


    as possible.


    It will be your jobs to convince those old fools to follow my notes, rather than act rashly in a vain pursuit of glory. So... Good luck with that. As for me, I''m headed off to Japan to speak with the Japanese Emperor and receive some kind of reward for my efforts. I hope that I will be able to see you at Mukden before the battle begins, but if not. Godspeed my friends..." Bruno would hand over a notebook full of his efforts these past few days that he had written down in his spare time. As promised, the book contained everything that was needed to achieve victory in the swiftest amount of time, and with the lowest amount of casualties.


    After which, he said his farewells before departing on a ship which docked in Port Arthur. It would be a brief journey from Manchuria to Japan. Where the Japanese Emperor and his Royal Family were awaiting him.

 Chapter 38: The Order of the Rising Sun

    Chapter 38: The Order of the Rising Sun


    ?


    The journey to Japan was a brief one. After all, Manchuria was but a stone''s throw away from thend of the Rising Sun, and because of this Bruno was soon greeted by the envoys of Emperor Meiji himself when hended in Tokyo.


    The man who had restored Imperial power, and ended the reign of the Shogun. He was an imposing figure in Japanese History and one whose exploits Bruno was all too aware of. The attendants made sure Bruno was precisely aware of the proper etiquette that should be maintained in the Japanese court.


    In addition to this, they made sure he was properly groomed. He had after all spent the better course of a month in an active Warzone, and another two months prior to that at sea. But when Bruno stepped out of the bath, and clothed by the servants who attended to him. He looked in the mirror and saw that he was much better looking than normal.


    His stubble had been cleanly shaved, and his skin was treated with various local remedies. It was far more pale, and glistening than it normally would have otherwise been. Yet it was not a sickly paleness, rather there was a healthy glow to it.


    The mensur scar which was inflicted upon him years prior by now had a smooth texture, and just below the eye, horizontally cut into his cheekbones, giving him a slightly intimidating presence. In addition to this, his golden blonde hair was properly styled in ordance with the fashions of the time. While his azure blue eyes reflected back upon his own appearance. All in all, Bruno had to admit he looked rather dashing, almost like a proper nobleman, rather than the appearance of a soldier like he normally kept. Currently, Bruno was dressed in his military uniform, which had been properly cleaned and pressed into perfection.


    His medal, which he earned by participating in the upation of Northern China during thetter stages of the Boxer Rebellion was pinned perfectly to his left breast, above where his heart lied beneath.


    Frankly, Bruno wished that he had more medals, but the Iron Cross would not be issued to soldiers again until 1914 at the onset of the Great War, and as for far more prestigious orders of merit and chivalry he had yet to properly perform on the battlefield in a way which met the requirements for such honors.


    Because of this, he was probably the general with the least amount of medals in the world. Which was only natural, considering his young age. Now that he was properly bathed and groomed, Bruno stepped foot outside the quarters he had been given.


    Where he was led by several officers of the Imperial Japanese Army to the great hall of the Royal Pce where he would be forced to kneel before the Japanese Emperor, and receive the man''s gracious award.


    Upon entering the Great Hall, Bruno believed he was gazing upon a scene straight out of fantasy. All the highest ranking military officers of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy were gathered, standing on the sides along with their wives and children as they chattered quietly among themselves regarding the fabled Mamushi.


    A foreign general who took charge of the Japanese Third Army in Manchuria and broke through the Russian defenses at 203 Meter Hill. In doing so, he sunk the Russian Asian Fleet and conquered Port Arthur for the Empire of Japan.


    The tale was almost too mythical to believe, and there were naturally those among the higher echelons of the Japanese Military who whispered this among each other. Meanwhile, the Japanese Royal family was gathered near Emperor Meiji.


    His children and grandchildren had all presented themselves for this asion to witness the bestowing of one of the Empire''s most prestigious awards upon a foreign general.


    Though rare, such things were not unheard of, as there were several generals and admirals within the ranks of the Japanese Military who themselves had awards from the Great European Empires.


    Bruno''s eyes were held firm towards Emperor Meiji, though he did cast a brief nce at the man''s family. One of his young granddaughters quickly hid behind her mother when she saw Bruno''s eyes focus themselves in her general direction, mistaken them for fixating on her personally, rather than her family as a whole.


    Once Bruno was finally standing before the Japanese Emperor, he was met with quiet whispers. He, after all, had failed to kneel before Emperor Meiji as was a custom within the Japanese Court.


    A man who Bruno recognized as Prince Katsura Taro who was the current Prime Minister of Japan, and a distinguished General of the First Sino-Japanese War which took ce from 1894 to 1895, stepped forward and shoutedmands at Bruno.


    "Kneel before the Emperor!"


    Bruno however shook his head and stared not the Prime Minister but the Japanese Emperor directly in the eyes as he responded to him with a stern tone.


    "I am a citizen of the Reich, and a general in his Majesty''s Army. I kneel only before the Kaiser. You have invited me here as a guest and representative of the Reich. It would be inappropriate for me to kneel before another monarch."


    Prince Katsura Taro became flustered upon hearing Bruno''s words, which he perceived as insolence, and was just about to shout insults at him, however before he could do so the aging Japanese Emperor raised his hand to silence his court while addressing Bruno personally.


    "That is fine... It is good to see a man so loyal to his emperor. It is true that I have requested your presence here in my home as a guest, and though you were offered to my services as an advisor for the War in Manchuria, my spineless generals shamelessly burdened you withmand of my army.


    And yet you did the unthinkable, assaulting 203 Meter Hill, and using its advantageous position to annihte the Russian Fleet harbored in Port Arthur withnd artillery. A feat which I dare say may never again be replicated in history, and has most certainly given us the advantage in this war with the Russian Empire.


    As a show of my gratitude, and recognition of your iparable contributions to the war effort as well as your valor on the field of battle, I hereby bestow upon you a great honor. The Order of the Rising Sun 4th ss!"


    After saying this, the Japanese Emperor shouted something in Japanese that Bruno missed, before one of his generals stepped forward with a fine wooden case that had a red velvet lining within it. Lying on top of this lining was a gold and white medal with a red gemstone in the center representing the sun and its rays.


    Emperor Meiji grabbed hold of the medal and pinned it to Bruno''s left breast. Quite frankly, Bruno was not anticipating such a prestigious award. It was, after all something rarely given out to foreigners. But from the Japanese perspective, it made sense to honor Bruno this way.


    He had made up for the failures of Japan''s own generals by achieving a significant victory at Port Arthur. One that had the potential to end the war in a Japan''s favor. Such a contribution naturally deserved a recognition of equal value.


    This wasn''t just a way of giving Bruno recognition for his victory by appropriately honoring him. But also was a way to mend the rift between the Empire of Japan and the German Reich


    before it even began.


    After all, if the Kaiser learned of what happened from the Japanese Generals in Manchuria towards his personal representative, the rtionship that was forged between the Empire of Japan and the German Reich over thesest few years had the potential to crumble into dust. Having appropriately rewarded Bruno with an appropriate medal for valor, Emperor Meiji was restoring the Kaiser''s faith in their rtionship. It was a pre-emptive effort on the Japanese'' Emperor''s part by making up for the failures of his own generals and their schemes. Naturally, Bruno quickly understood the implications of his award, and graciously epted Emperor Meiji''s gift, as well as showing him respect for his actions.


    "I humbly ept Emperor Meiji''s benevolence. Though I do not feel I am worthy of such an honor, I will wear this medal with pride from this day until the end of my days!"


    Emperor Meiji nodded his head with a stern expression of recognition and continued on with the remainder of the ceremony. After it was over, there would be a party thrown in honor of Bruno''s achievements. One which would allow him to be far closer to the Japanese Royal Family than he initially estimated he would be able to when he first set out for Japan.

 Chapter 39: Entertaining the Nobles of Japan

    Chapter 39: Entertaining the Nobles of Japan


    ?


    After receiving the Order of the Rising sun in its highest ss, Bruno found that the Japanese Generals and admirals had quickly begun to treat him differently. Perhaps they were unaware of the prestigious honor he was to be awarded, or they simply looked down on him as a foreigner until the moment that Emperor himself pinned that medal to his chest.


    But regardless of the actual reason for this sudden change in behavior, Bruno now found himself being treated as a war hero of the highest caliber. Generals and admirals alike took the opportunity to approach him, and give a brief but respectful toast in honor of his achievements.


    While several of them shamelessly tried to curry favor with the man by introducing their daughters and granddaughters, entirely unaware that Bruno was already very happily married. Bruno did not entertain these offers, and merely respectfully acknowledged the women and girls while refusing to be in conversations alone with them.


    Even one of the Emperor''s sons was shameless enough to introduce his daughter, a princess of the Empire of Japan, who was in fact the young girl who timidly hid behind her mother when Bruno had earlier in the day gazed upon her general direction.


    Like she had done just a few hours prior, the young girl, who was no older than ten, hid behind her mother in a disy of shyness that instantly reminded Bruno of his wife when she was younger. Perhaps because this girl, like Heidi resembled a rabbit in nature. Bruno took a more friendly approach as he introduced himself to her with a warm smile.


    After all, she was a princess unlike the other nobledies who had been introduced to him so far. Because of this, Bruno was forced to interact with her in order to show respect to her Royal Father and grandfather. Both of which were keeping a close eye on how he interacted at this g.


    "You don''t need to be so scared little princess. Though my people refer to me as the Wolf of Prussia, I am far as predatory as my namesake."


    The young princess had ck hair, which was styled into twin tails with blunt bangs. Her eyes were as dark as ink, and her skin as pale as jade. Her dress was far more traditional as far as Japanese attire was concerned.


    The Empire of Japan had gone to great lengths after the Meiji restoration to mimic the Western Empires. Whether it was in terms of modernization of their military or their choice of clothing. Yet this girl seemed to be wearing a more traditional kimono, as she hid behind her mother. Only opening up when Bruno put on a smile for her sake.


    She was quick to ask why Bruno was named after two very dangerous animals. After all, she herself had heard her father refer to the man as Mamushi, which was a dangerous and venomous snake on the Japanese maind.


    Because of this, she had instinctively grown to fear the Foreign General, as the concept of war and death were deeply disturbing to her more innocent mind.


    "I don''t understand. My father refers to you by the name of Mamushi, which is a dangerous serpent. But your people call you a wolf? Why are you named after such frightening animals if you yourself are not so dangerous?"


    The girl had gained the courage to speak to Bruno, but her eyes showed great fear towards him. He was, after all taller, and more robust than any of the other men in the room. And the scar beneath his eye was menacing to a young and sheltered princess like herself.


    Bruno however smiled and drank from his cup of sake, while addressing the Princess''s question. Her father and mother were eying him with curiosity, especially with how he would respond to their daughter.


    "Now that is an interesting philosophical question which you have just posed to me. One which I am not sure you will fullyprehend my answer to at your age. In truth, from the moment I put on this uniform, I will transform into whatever I need to be for the sake of my nation and people.


    I will even be as monstrous as the fabled Oni if that is required of me. But that does not mean that within my interpersonal rtionships, I am such a fearsome figure. In fact, I am a loving husband and father once I have taken off this uniform.


    My wife would hardly call me monstrous when I havee home after a long day''s work. In fact, it is her fury that I must fear once I have entered our own personal world. One that is free from the worries of therger world beyond our doorstep.


    Human beings aren''t so simple that they can simply be defined by the duties which they must uphold for the sake of their family, folk, and fathend. Nor can they be judged wholly based upon the actions they must take in defense of those three things. You wille to understand this when you are older...."


    The Princess''s father and mother were surprised by the depth of Bruno''s answer. Nevertheless, the two of them nodded their heads in approval after hearing him speak.


    As for the young princess, she herself seemed to understood more than her parents expected her to, and in doing so quickly posed another question that threw a wrench in Bruno''s ns to free himself from such a dreadful image which the girl had concocted of him within her own mind.


    "But you are currently in uniform... So, which are you, here and now? The venomous serpent, the ravenous wolf, or the wholesome gentleman?"


    Bruno found himself in a predicament. His choice of words did indeed depict himself as a different person depending on whether or not he was performing his duties as a military officer. And it was ultimately based upon this fact that Bruno wisely chose the correct answer. "I am whatever the Kaiser needs me to be. In this circumstance, though I wear the skin of a wolf, I must tame myself for the sake of tonight''s peaceful festivities. Tomorrow, however, I will be shipped back to Manchuria where the beast within will take over.


    But a princess such as yourself need not concern yourself over dreadful matters like that of war and battle. After all, so long as I am there to advise your generals, you need not fear such horrors ever reaching the shores of Japan. Rather, it is the Russians who will need to learn to tread carefully when I am near."


    Contrary to what the Prince of Japan and his wife were expecting, their young and timid daughter broke out into a fit ofughter. She understood the meaning of Bruno''s more metaphorical speech and was quick toment on his particr way of speaking.


    "You''re funny. You call yourself a wolf, but you appear no different from an ordinary man. I like you onii-san! I''m Sakura by the way, it is nice to meet you!"


    Bruno felt slightly embarrassed when he heard the Princess address him so informally. Her parents were quick to reprimand her for doing so, all the while Bruno poured himself another drink to cope with the current situation.


    He had, after all been an enormous weeb in his past life. Not that he let anyone at work know about his hobbies. To hear a cute Japanese princess call him by the fabled term "Onii-san" what was there not to enjoy about that?


    Not that he had any particr interest in the girl outside of an intrinsic desire to protect her. Was this the power of what one called moe? After several moments of her parents scolding her, the girl was forced to bow before Bruno and formally apologize for herck of decorum. Bruno, of course waved it off, saying he was not the slightest bit offended. After which, the girl''s parents dragged her away. But not before she could properly wave goodbye to Bruno. Who, after a brief discussion with the man, she had apparently be quite friendly with. As for the Japanese Emperor, now that Bruno was alone, he saw this as a perfect opportunity to approach the man. There were some matters which he wanted to discuss with Bruno in private. And because of this, he sent one of his personal aides to approach the foreign general


    in this regard.


    "Generalmajor Mamushi, the Emperor would like to speak with you in private. If you would


    follow me, please..."


    Bruno put his ss of sake down, which he had just finished, and followed after the personal attendee of Emperor Meiji. Judging by the fact that the Emperor wanted to speak with him in private. Bruno suspected that this would be an important matter regarding the war effort, and perhaps even the overall geo-political situation of the world.


    Because of this, he was quick to steel his resolve for the discussion that was toe. As Bruno expected, it would have a major impact on the future of this timeline.

 Chapter 40: The Coming of a Great War

    Chapter 40: The Coming of a Great War


    ?


    Bruno stepped foot into a room which had arge map disyed across a table of substantial size. It was a global map, or as the world''s borders currently stood. And there were pieces disyed upon it representing Russian and Japanese forces.


    The Russian Army, as Bruno anticipated had fallen back to Mukden, and was currently building fortifications in the area. Meanwhile, the Japanese Third Army and its supporting elements were on the move to encircle the Russian position as per Bruno''s suggested strategy.


    When the Japanese generals saw Bruno enter the room, their attention quickly shifted to him. As did Emperor Meiji''s who was standing over the map and moving pieces that represented his own forces. His expression seemed stern as he weed Bruno into his personal war chamber.


    "Generalmajor, I am d you could take a break from the festivities to join us here for more important matters. The officers which are subordinate to you have done an excellent job advising my generals in the field on how to proceed with Mukden.


    The battle willmence as nned within a fortnight at the most. Just in time for you to arrive and witness the end of this war once and for all. Though that is not why I called you here, Generals, Admirals, you are dismissed."


    The various Japanese Generals and admirals nodded their heads in understanding, and saluted the Emperor before walking off. Giving Bruno various stares as they did so. No doubt they were envious of the favor which this foreigner had curried with the Japanese Emperor.


    And once they were gone, Emperor Meiji sighed and shook his head before speaking to Bruno with a tone filled with sincerity.


    "I have to apologize for those old men. They do not look kindly upon foreigners, especially those from the European Powers. It is not umon for our Empire to be looked down upon as a third rate power by your people. Which is something which I wish to change with this war..."


    Seeing this as an opportunity to speak, Bruno looked upon the map, and the current lines where the battlefield had been drawn. He was quick toment on the over-all situation of the war, and Japan''s standing in the world.


    "Regardless of whether or not I personally intervened at 203 Meter Hill the battle would have been won by January of 1905 at thetest. I simply saw an opportunity to speed up the victory that was inevitable.


    Though the Russians may not seem like it they are running out of supplies. No doubt as a result of the Tsar''s hostilities towards the Reich from which they previously relied upon imports.


    Had rtions not broken down between the German Reich and the Russian Empire, they would have been able to put up a better fight. But fortunately for you, the Kaiser has had a falling out with his cousin, and has instead chosen to support you in this war.


    At this rate, I can say with certainty, that the war will be over by the time the leaves fall from the trees. Onest advance at Mukden, and the Russian Army in the east will be obliterated. Leaving the Tsar with no choice but to surrender.


    I have said it before, but things are not as stable as they appear within the borders of the Russian Empire. Revolution is on the horizon, a normal defeat here in Manchuria would spark a small scale conflict in the home front.


    But the death of over 300,000 Russian Soldiers in this war? The revolution will be of a muchrger scale. And that is the ultimate goal here. Annihte what remains of the Russian forces at Mukden and spark civil unrest within the Russian mothend.


    Your victory in this war will catapult Japan''s standing from a third rate empire into a major contender with the other Great Powers of the world. Japan may very well be the only non- European nation to attain such a status. As all others who have tried over the years have since fallen in the mes of war. An honor to be sure..."


    Meiji felt aplicated sense of emotions after hearing Bruno''s words. Was this really Japan''s victory if it was achieved via the support of foreign military advisors? Would the other Great Powers of the world see it that way?


    Regardless, he had more important concerns on his mind, and was quick to ask Bruno for his opinions on such matters. It was evident to the Japanese Emperor that this young general clearly had a mind for more than just warfare. He seemed to have a great foresight into the world of geopolitics. And naturally, he wanted Bruno''s opinions on the subject.


    "Be honest with me, Generalmajor. You appear to have a great understanding of subjects other than warfare. I have no doubt that is what led to you having such an esteemed position despite your youth. So tell me, how do you perceive the world, more specifically what wille of this conflict after we have emerged victorious?"


    Bruno walked towards the map and motioned towards several pieces representing the various armies of the great powers of Europe. Including the German Reich, and the Russian Empire. Quickly asking for permission to move them.


    "May I?"


    Meiji did not see a reason to prevent Bruno''s demonstration, and was quick to express permission to do so.


    "By all means, proceed."


    Bruno then grabbed wooden pieces that were off the table and pushed them into Russia, representing a new faction.


    "Russia, as previously stated will be forced to deal with internal rebellion. The Tsar''s poprity is not as strong as the other European monarchs. And dangerous sentiment is already being bred within the borders of the Russian Mothend by dissidents. Marxists to be exact.


    A defeat against the Empire of Japan would be a severe blow to the Tsar''s prestige. But theplete annihtion of the Russian Eastern Army at Mukden? A disaster that may spell the end of the Tsar and his entire bloodline.


    No, such a thing can''te to pass. Marxism is a destructive and dangerous ideology. Appealing to fools and idealists who fail to understand human nature. And it is thisck of understanding of human nature that will inevitablypel them to engage in the worst human atrocities ever recorded in history. That is, of course, if they manage to gain power in the first ce. Such is the nature of utopian idealism.


    If pushes to shove, and the Tsar fails to stem the tide of this revolution, I will do whatever is necessary to crush the Bolsheviks. Even if it means temporarily resigning from my post to act as a general on behalf of the Tsar.


    This toxic ideology cannot be allowed to foster in the hearts and minds of the people. Even if


    it means brutal retaliations against its proponents and those who support them silently in the


    background.


    However, crushing Marxism is but one of many of the trials we must face as a world in this new century. There is a more immediate threat, one that is far more sinister. Believe it or not, the Great Powers have already begun to form alliances in the background.


    Serbia has aligned itself with Russia, and Russia has thrown its lot in with France. Meanwhile, the German Reich and Austro-Hungary have put aside their petty differences and formed a


    pact of their own.


    Italy stands on the fence, as they always have, and cannot be trusted by either side they profess their loyalty to. While Britain seeks to maintain its dominance over the seas. A dominance which the Kaiser questions with each passing day. No doubt this foolish naval arms race between the British Crown and the German Reich will result in irreconcble


    differences.


    To put it simply, one event is needed, a single spark, so to speak, to light the powder keg. And boom, the entire world will be at war. It is inevitable at this point. Especially now that Austro-Hungary has set its sights upon the Balkans.


    A Great War ising. Those of us who can study the world and its current geopolitical situation know this to be true. And soon enough, the Reich will begin preparations. It''s just that I fear our current ns for such an eventuality are destined to lead to disaster.


    It is my hopes that by the time the war breaks out, I will be of sufficient Rank and Status to have deterred this line of poor strategic thinking, and instead put the German Reich in a position to emerge victorious when war finally rears its ugly head.


    The question, however, that is on my mind, is not the future which the Great Empires of Europe face. But rather that of Japan..."


    Bruno then moved the pieces of the Japanese Army into position to seize Manchuria and Korea for itself. After which he posed an interesting question to the aging emperor.


    "So, Emperor, I must ask... When war finally breaks out, who will you side with? The German Reich, or the British Empire? Depending how you decide to proceed with this question will determine which territorial gains you capture in the Great War that is toe.


    I assure you, our attention will be preupied with the War in Europe, and because of this it would be easier to seize the possessions of the German Reich within the Pacific, limited they


    may be.


    But though there is a greater risk, and the casualties you would sustain would no doubt be more severe. I must ask the question, would it not be better to take control of the territory which Britain, France, and Russia possess in Asia, considering the vast nature of their colonial territory in the region?"


    Bruno had proposed a scenario which Emperor Meiji had not anticipated. He would think long and hard in silence about this matter as it was critical to the future of the Empire of Japan.

 Chapter 41: An Important Decision For a Later Time

    Chapter 41: An Important Decision For a Later Time


    ?


    Emperor Meiji thought for some time on what Bruno had said. It would be reckless to dere his support for one faction or the other here and now. But what the German General had said made perfect sense.


    It was only a matter of time before some incident set off a global war. And when that happened the war which he was currently fighting would seem like child''s y. Still, Bruno had at least been honest with him and said that siding with the British would result in an easy victory against the Germans in the Pacific.


    And it would allow him to seize some ground in China and Mysia that would be a foothold in the region that he currently didn''t have. But at the same time, Bruno had also said that siding with the German Reich would allow for even greater gains, especially if he properly prepared his army for theing war, which many nations were still unaware of being a certainty.


    Greater gains of course came with greater risks. But from the sound of it, Bruno nned to tie up the British, French, and Russians in Europe. Not to mention the conflicts that would be urring in Africa as well, something with the Empire of Japan had no stake in.


    Meaning the risk would be a lot less than it would otherwise be if the entirety of the British Colonial Army were sent to the Pacific to deal with the Japanese incursion. It was with these thoughts in mind that Emperor Meiji finally gave voice to his musings, albeit not necessarily deciding on a course of action at the moment, but rather further questioning Bruno about what he perceived to be the future of warfare.


    "So, say I decide to side with the German Reich, andmit myself tobating the British colonial forces in Asia. What exactly would be your rmendation to achieve a certain victory?"


    Bruno looked at the Japanese Emperor with a smug smirk. It was clear the man had bought into the interest of seizing significant portions of Britain''s Asian colonies; he was just hesitant to do so out of fear of fighting the British Army.


    But did he really need to fear such things when Bruno was a man well versed in the future of warfare? Because of this British pointed to the map, back to Manchuria where battle lines were currently being drawn between the Russian and Japanese forces.


    "The answer lies in Manchuria! Or more specifically, the war you are currently waging. Surely by now you have seen the usefulness of machine guns, correct? There''s just one problem: the guns of this era are too cumbersome, and are wielded with ack of proper strategic thinking by the generals in charge of their deployment.


    Both you and the Russians employ such weapons as if they were artillery, despitecking the proper range, and the explosive power to operate as such. It''s amon misconception that all nations are currently struggling with.


    But Machine guns are not some artillery piece to be wielded in the rear of formations. Rather, they are best suited to the front lines. With the current weight of such firearms, they are best suited as static pieces to defend trench lines and other fortifications from an enemy''s charge. However, such a strategy itself is limited in thinking. Who says the machine guns of tomorrow must be heavy, and cumbersome devices that can only operate and moved by a team of men? Pardon mynguage, but for fuck''s sake, most armies still have such weaponry on wheeled carriages to be dragged by horses.


    Limit the weight of the designs, get rid of the water cooled features, which only exasperates the issue. Rece such antiquated designs with air cooled barrels that can rapidly be changed in the field by the men operating the machine gun. And have one man fire the weapon while the other changes the ammunition and spare barrels.


    With the weight savings, such a weapon can be used both defensively, and offensively. Supporting the charges of your riflemen as they assault an enemy position, rather than waiting for the counter charge as a static weapon of defense.


    The reality is that France has perhaps a hundred machine guns in their current inventory, maybe less. In a decade they will have what? Four hundred? When you think about the effectiveness of such weapons, it is almost a criminal degree of ipetency not to invest in their manufacture and development, no?


    By equipping your army with mobile machine guns, and plenty of them. You will be leagues beyond your British rivals. Not only that, but you will be able to out maneuver their forces, and out-gun them to a significant degree in every engagement should you y your cards right.


    Assuming you form an Alliance with the German Reich, ourbined Naval Prowess in the region will be more than enough to tie up whatever Fleets Britain dares to send to the Pacific. After all, the main fleet will be busy engaging our own in the Antic.


    I assure you, although it may not seem like it at the moment. By the time the war breaks out, the Kasierliche Marine will be more than prepared to deal with the British Navy. Or at the very least keep their efforts concentrate in the Antic so that they can''t send reinforcements to deal with the Imperial Japanese Navy.


    Now that I have given you a hint on how to properly prepare for theing decade. How will you proceed? Will you be so shameless as to use my own advice against me and my nation? Or will you pursue a proper military alliance with the Kaiser after this war is won?"


    Meiji had taken all the information that Bruno said to heart. And he was indeed aware that machine guns had proven to be an exceptional counter to Russian forces during this war. But his ns for the further development of such weapons were from the limited perspective Bruno had outlined.


    Now that the man had given his two cents on the future of machine guns and their development, Meiji was almost excited about contacting the Empire of Japan''s military arsenals to begin experimenting with such a design as soon as possible.


    However, as for Bruno''s proposal of a formal military alliance between the German Reich and the Empire of Japan, it would take some time for him toe to a proper conclusion of this matter which was critical to the future of his nation, and because of this Emperor Meiji responded as such.


    "I thank you for your wisdom on these matters, but I am sure you know how important of a decision this is, not only for me, but the entirety of Japan and its people. Because of this, I will not make a proper deration on who I will support until after I have thought through the matter in greater detail.


    However, I wish to thank you once more for your insights, as well as your achievements on the battlefield. Get some proper rest tonight, because tomorrow morning I will be shipping you back to Manchuria so that you can properly see through what you have started. Good luck Generalmajor, and I wish you great sess in your future endeavors..."


    Bruno saluted the Japanese Emperor and responded with an equal matter of respect before departing for the evening. He would be granted a temporary stay in one of the guest vis of the Emperor''srge estate. Whereupon the next morning he would, as the Emperor had stated find himself boarding a ship heading back to Manchuria.


    Uponnding in Port Arthur, Bruno took the first convoy back to the front lines where he regrouped with his friends andrades. All of which were surprised to see the shiny new medal pinned to Bruno''s chest. And Erich was quick to express his envy through witty banter.


    "Well, look at you Generalmajor! You finally are starting to look the part. All you need now is a medal to hang from your neck, and a few more pinned to your chest, and you will be just like those old men at the Central Division. They''re going to have to respect you now!"


    Bruno simply chuckled when he heard this. He indeed was quite proud of receiving Imperial Japan''s highest honor. Well, technically, it was the second highest, but the only award higher than this was reserved for the Royal Family of Japan, as well as in some rare circumstances


    foreign heads of state.


    Because of this, it was the highest honor, one who was neither of those two things could realistically receive. As for Heinrich, he was quick toment something inappropriate, which was his natural state of being.


    "So tell me, I''m dying to know. Were there any pretty Japanesedies for you to take advantage of at the party?"


    After hearing this statement, Bruno frowned at his friend, and shook his head, before condemning his words in a not so obvious way.


    "Heinrich, if I wanted to cheat on my wife, I would have done so with the dozen or so Chinese broads who were practically throwing themselves at me when we were departing from


    Tsingtao..."


    When Heinrich heard this, his face turned sour. He held quite a bit of pride for the appeal he had to the opposite sex. And though he scored plenty in China, there was one instance which he would never forget. Or forgive entirely.


    When he and the others were leaving China after months of upation, it was not Heinrich who was the focus of the local Chinese women within the German colony of Tsingtao as they said their farewells to the German soldiers. Rather, it was Bruno, who had ignored the women and theirst-minute advances entirely. Something which Heinrich found to be a deep wound


    to his pride as a man.


    For Bruno to shove this back in his face, it was the man''s way of silently saying "Don''t lump me in with a degenerate yboy like you.." Because of this he could only force augh and scratch the back of his head, while admitting his words were indeed inappropriate.


    "Sorry about that, boss. I know how seriously you take your marriage. I won''t make a remark


    like that again..."


    Bruno was smiling, but his eyes were a bit more fierce as he made sure Heinrich knew that he


    was holding him to such a promise.


    "Be sure that you don''t..."


    After which Heinrich and Erich quickly brought Bruno up to speed on the current state of the Japanese Third Army, and the enemy Russians who were hunkering down in Mukden. The final battle of the Russo-Japanese war was about to begin, and months before it was supposed to had Bruno not intervened in this world''s timeline.

 Chapter 42: Ongoings Within the Homefront

    Chapter 42: Ongoings Within the Homefront


    ?


    Bruno had no way of knowing it, but while the man was making his way to the front lines of the Russo-Japanese War once more. His wife was at home receiving news of his recent achievements on the battlefield and the prestigious awards he had been granted by the Japanese Emperor.


    Heidi had just gotten off the phone, while her kids were in the background, engaging in various youthful activities. After hearing the tales of the legendary Mamushi, and his feats at 203 Meter Hill the normally timid and docile woman''s fingers clenched around the cord of the phone quite tightly.


    She was conflicted internally. On the one hand, she was furious that Bruno was forced to break his promise to her by the shamelessness of the Japanese Generals in the field. Who tried to use her husband as a scapegoat to cover for their own repeated failures at Port Arthur.


    At the same time, she was enamored with the idea of her husband returning home with such a prestigious award wrapped around his uniform. Something which only enhanced the attraction which she felt towards the man.


    Still, the nature of her grievances did not go unnoticed by her young son Erwin who walked up to her and checked on the condition of his mother.


    "Mommy... Are you okay? You look angry..."


    Upon realizing that the wrath she felt towards the men who had wronged her husband was visibly on disy for her children to witness, the woman did aplete 180 and let her hands slip free of the cord, instead grabbing hold of her young son and carrying him into herp. Where she hugged the boy and pat his head, assuring him that she was perfectly fine.


    "It''s nothing you need to worry about Erwin, your mother just heard some news that was unsettling. But that is not important! Rather, the good news is that it appears your father will be home in just a few months!''


    She had not after all told her young children that their father had traveled across the world to take part in a foreign war for the sake of advancing his career. That would no doubt worry the kids. Instead, she told them that their father was taking part in a joint military exercise between the German Reich and their allies in Japan.


    A small white lie, but one that could not easily be disproven by the means of children. After all, such matters on the other side of the world weren''t exactlymonly spoken about in public. Let alone around the presence of children.


    Nor did the inte exist, or was there a prevalence of smart phones that were capable of instantly verifying whether or not the woman''s words were true. It was a simpler time, and because of this the children were happy to hear that their father wasing home sooner than their mother had initially led them to believe.


    With Eva running up to her mother, the oldest of the three children, and looking at the woman with sparkling eyes.


    "Daddy ising home!?! When!?!"


    Heidi sighed and shook her head, cautioning the young girl to remain patient as she informed her that it would still be a while before Bruno returned to his family. Something that at the young age of her children would feel like a lifetime.


    "Your father will be home in a few months. So, in the meantime, you and your siblings must remain patient and well behaved. After all, if your father returns and finds that his children were not virtuous during his absence, then he will not be pleased!"


    Heidi was far more stern with her children than Bruno was. At least insofar as her daughters were concerned. Bruno spoiled Eva and Elsa, finding it difficult to discipline them when they acted up. Whereas Heidi had no qualms about teaching the girls to remain full of virtue and dignity.


    Patience was, after all one of the seven Christian virtues which Heidi sought to instill in her daughters so they would be raised to be proper nobledies unlike a mere bastard like she had grown up as.


    However, when it came to parenting their son Erwin, the two parents behaved in the opposite manner, which they did towards their daughters. Bruno was a stern disciplinarian figure to his son, while Heidi provided the love and warmth the boy needed to grow into a man of proper character.


    If a child did not receive both of these things from both of their parents, regardless of which one acted in which manner, then there was a high likelihood that they would grow up to be an undesirable character.


    Something that Bruno and Heidi both nned to prevent by any means necessary. Because of this, Eva and Elsa both nodded their heads to their mother in understanding of her words, all while eying their brother with envy who sat on the woman''sp receiving her praise.


    They could not wait for the old witch''s tyranny to end when their father returned home from overseas to liberate them. Such was the mentality that these two little girls had towards their parents.


    Whereas Erwin felt the same, but in the opposite direction. He was basking in the warmth of his mother''s love, not necessarily dreading the idea of his father''s return. But enjoying the time free from his watchful gaze while he still could.


    After all, there were certain things a father could teach his son that a mother could not. Such as how to properly throw a punch, wrestle, or shoot a gun. All of which he was far from old enough to experience.


    Because of this, Heidi quickly got to her feet, cing her son together with his sisters, before running off to prepare dinner for the evening. Though she was slightly worried that her man might be once more thrust into a dangerous position at Mukden. She ultimately decided to trust that he would fulfill his promise of returning to her safe and sound.


    Heidi was not the only one watching Bruno''s career closely. There were several interested parties throughout the German Reich, and even foreign empires who were keeping an eye on the situation in Manchuria, as well as the performance of the military advisors which Germany had sent to Japan.


    Among them were the Kaiser and the General Staff located at the German Army''s Central Division of its High Command. As well as the Tsar of Russia, and several other interested parties in France. But at the moment, the Kaiser met with the Chief of Staff of the German Army, Generalfeldmarschall Alfred von Schlieffen.


    The two of them were ying chess in the personal residence of the Kaiser and his royal family. While also speaking of matters around the globe. Matters of significant geopolitical importance at that.


    "So, it would appear the young wolf has been branded by the Japanese as a venomous serpent. Proving he is not only capable of sniffing out and devouring rats, but also providing swift and lethal strikes against a much more fearsome enemy.


    Was it not you who said it was unwise to make exceptions for young military talents who had yet to properly prove themselves in the field against an opponent of sufficient quality? Surely the Russian Army qualifies as such, does it not?"


    At first, Alfred had been opposed to the proposal of the Kaiser, and several other high- ranking officers in the German Army''s highmand, one that had allowed Bruno to enter the Prussian War College without meeting the five-year minimum requirement for military


    service.


    He felt at the time that it was unfair to the other candidates who had managed to fulfill this condition. But Germany was the most meritocratic of the European Empires, especially when


    it came to its military.


    Bruno had proven exceptional abilities in the field during his time in China. Which while many of the German generals felt was an enemy of insufficient quality, the Kaiser and several other


    Generals felt differently.


    This was the reason Bruno was not treated with much respect during his brief time at the Central Division of which he was primarily given secretarial duties. That is how the German Field Marshal felt until now that is.


    The Kaiser moved a chess piece, instantly cornering the German Field Marshal sitting across from him. Dering, he was but one move away from achieving total victory with a smug


    smile on his face.


    "Check..."


    Though there were several possibilities for Alfred von Schlieffen to escape from his current predicament on the board, as well as previous possibilities to end the game prematurely in his favor. He knew when to concede to the Kaiser and quickly announced his intent to do so.


    Not only hinting that he would no longer offer resistance in this game of chess, but also in terms of the Kaiser''s ns to foster Bruno into a future Field Marshal himself.


    ''Well yed, your majesty. I must concede..."


    The Kaiser''s smug smile only grew more conceited as he knocked over Alfred''s king with his own piece before making a bold deration.


    "I see no reason that Generalmajor Bruno von Zehntner should remain in such a low position. He has proven himself in two separate wars at this point. And has shown his ability to lead an


    army sized unit in the field.


    It is with this in mind that I intend to personally promote the man to the rank of Generalleutnant after he returns from Manchuria, assuming, of course he wins the war on behalf of Japan. That is unless you have any objections you wish to voice, my old friend?"


    Although the aging German Field Marshal had been skeptical of Bruno''s abilities in the past. Seeing him sink the entire Russian Fleet in Asia in a single battle, and miraculously so via the use of Land Artillery.


    In addition to having immediately recognized the failures of other generals in the field and capitalizing on such mistakes to achieve great sess of his own. Even a man as stubborn as Alfred von Schleiffen had to admit that his past objections were unfounded.


    Because of this, he smiled and shook his head, assuring the Kaiser that he would no longer impede Bruno''s progress.


    "On the contrary, your majesty, after what that boy pulled at Port Arthur, even I now find myself interested in his future."


    Now that they were on the same page, the Kaiser wore an equally excited smile on his face


    while changing the topic.


    "Now about the Tsar... No doubt if his forces are defeated in Mukden he will bepelled to sue for peace. Here is how we will advise the Japanese to handle this matter..." After saying this, the Kaiser and the Field Marshal would continue to have a lengthy discussion about the world atrge, and the German Reich''s ce in it.

 Chapter 43: Annihilation at Mukden

    Chapter 43: Annihtion at Mukden


    ?


    Bruno stood at the edge of the battlefield. He was smoking a cigarette while Heinrich gazed through the binocrs at the decimated Russian Forces. It had been nearly ten days since the battle of Mukden began, and as in the previous timeline in which Bruno lived during his past life, the scale of the battle was unprecedented in world history.


    In less than a fortnight of fighting, the amount of munitions and ordnance that had been exchanged between the two armies was already greater than that of the 191 day Franco Prussian War, which took ce in 1870-1871.


    And yet, after ten days of conflict, the battle was over. Casualties were no doubt heavy on the Japanese side. Suffering 25,000 or so WIA, KIA, or MIA. Which was still considerably less than Japan sustained in the past timeline.


    But as for the Russian Army, they had been obliterated to thest man. 292,000 Russian soldiers lie dead in the ruins of the battlefield located just south of the city of Mukden, which would one day be known as Shenyang.


    The Russians had made a mistake, taking the bait Bruno sent towards them at their eastern nk via a diversionary assault. Once the Russians were misled into believing the Japanese numbers were greater than they actually were, they shifted forces from the west and the south to assist in the defense.


    Unfortunately, this was exactly what Bruno was anticipating, advising the Japanese Generals in charge of the First, Fourth, Second, and Third Armies to take advantage of the diversion and encircle the Russian position.


    Sustained fire from machine guns and artillery alike battered the Russian position for ten days straight until all that remained were the ghosts of the dead. Of course, just to make sure the enemy was truly annihted the Japanese Generals sent in the rest of their forces to take care of those poor and unfortunate souls who were lying wounded in the craters that were all which remained of their previous fortifications.


    Heinrich and Erich stood by Bruno''s side. Their mouths agape as they gazed upon the devastation that had resulted from the advice that their friend andmanding officer had given to the Japanese Generals.


    Total annihtion of the enemy, that was what was achieved here. And thankfully without significant civilian casualties, as the Russians had taken up their defense south of the city. Rather than within it. Either way, Bruno''s tactics would have been the same. But it was nice to know that the native Manchurians were spared such unnecessary bloodshed.


    But these were Bruno''s thoughts as he smoked silently in the background, gazing upon the death and despair which he had caused to the enemy. Utterly lifeless, that was what the battlefield could be described as, now that the Imperial Japanese Army had swept through the area and put whatever miserable Russian bastard who was still breathing out of his misery. As for Heinrich and Erich, they did not have words to describe what they were looking at. I mean, they witnessed the ten days of shelling and sustained machine gun fire. Which pounded the Russian position ceaselessly.


    Hell, they had been on the receiving end of a few Russian shells thatnded nearby. But this was a level of devastation that nobody had ever seen before. Even the Battle of Cannae, which said to have stained the Italian soil red with the blood of Roman soldiers was not so gruesome to witness.


    And while Heinrich and Erich gazed in horror at the overwhelming volume of death which they had helped cause. Bruno finished his cigarette, flicking the bud off into the dirt nearby, as if he was simply witnessing something insignificant.


    An act which caught the attention of the two officers beneath hismand, bringing them back to reality with his words as well.


    "So ends the Russo-Japanese War... No doubt in theing weeks the Russians will sue for peace... Perhaps under normal conditions they might muster another army to avenge their losses here today.


    But when the Russian people hear that nearly 300,000 of their sons, brothers, and husbands have died pointlessly in the east. There will be hell to pay. You might very well be looking at the end of the Russian Empire, that is, if the Kaiser doesn''t make a move to intervene on his behalf.


    Our work here is done boys, I think after all of this we have earned ourselves a drink... Don''t you agree?"


    Despite posing a question to the two men, Bruno callously walked away without waiting for their response. He had clearly seen enough of death and pain over the course of thest ten days. And as a result wanted to be as far away from the carnage he helped inflict on the enemy, even if he himself was prepared to live with the memory of it.


    As Bruno had boldly dered to the Japanese Emperor before leaving his pce and advancing to Mukden to catch up with the rest of the Army. The Russo-Japanese War had been won on behalf of the Empire of Japan before the leaves fell from the trees.


    A War that was supposed to continue on until September of 1905, had ended nearly a year prior. Word of Russian''s defeat at Mukden quickly reached the Tsar in Moscow. Initially, the response of the Tsar was to muster another army and send them to Manchuria to avenge their loss at Mukden. They, after all, had 700,000 soldiers in the region prior to the battle, the remainder of which could quickly be deployed into position when given themand.


    But no more than a week after the loss at Mukden, riots broke out in Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. The people had suffered enough at the ipetency of the Romanov family. Red banners waved in the streets, as historical figures Bruno was all too aware of made the voice of the people heard.


    Leon Trotsky, Georgy Gapon, Pavel Milyukov, all began to speak of a revolution in the name of the people. Shockingly enough, even dimir Lenin, who was living overseas, returned to Russia to rally the Bolsheviks and the Mansheviks together, mending their feud in an attempt to overthrow the Tsar.


    All they needed was a cause to gain the poprity of themon man, who though aggrieved by the Tsar''s repeated failures, but not so much as to take up arms, stood on the sidelines and watched. That cause came early in this life.


    Bolshevik dissidents in Moscow provoked the Russian Security Forces into opening fire upon them. And the press quickly went to work to hide the criminals acts of the Bolsheviks, while ming the Tsar and his loyalists for the "atrocity."


    Bloody Sunday became the headlines across not only Russia, but all of Europe. With the cause given to them by the Tsar, thousands of men took up arms in the name of revolution. Forcing the Tsar''s representatives to meet with the Japanese Emperor on neutral ground and discuss the terms of their peace.


    Over the span of two weeks, a treaty was signed in the United States, under the mediation of President Theodore Rosevelt, ending the hostilities between the Empire of Japan and the


    Russian Empire.


    Because of the state which Russia now found itself in, having lost nearly half of their army in Manchuria in a single battle, and tens of thousands more in Port Arthur. The Japanese Empire gained significantly more concessions in this timeline than they had in the past.


    The entirety of both Manchuria and Sakhalin Ind fell under the immediate control of the Japanese Empire. While the Korean Empire entered the sphere of Influence of Japan without


    dispute.


    In the past, Japan had only gained the southern regions of Manchuria and Sakhalin Ind, as well as partial control over Korea. But now, with Bruno''s interference in this timeline they


    held total control.


    Russia, of course, was forced to withdraw the remainder of its armed forces from these regions, and in doing so marched them west to counter the ongoing revolutions in Russia


    proper.


    The victory gained in Manchuria signaled a turning point in rtions between the German Reich and the Empire of Japan. Spurred on by Bruno''s wisdom, freely given to the Japanese Emperor, and the crushing victory he obtained at Mukden, which ended the war a year earlier than previously anticipated.


    Emperor Meiji fully realized that the new century would be one, not of British dominance as the preceding century had been. But one ruled by the German Reich with iron and blood. Discussions for a formal military alliance, and the free flow of trade between the two realms were immediately pursued by the Japanese Emperor. One which the Kaiser was happy to


    ept.


    As for the Tsar and the Russian Empire. Only time would tell if the Russian Revolution of 1905, or 1904, as it would be known in this timeline. Would spark into a greater conflict which would


    engulf the Romanov dynasty. Or fail to meet its aims, as it had in Bruno''s past life. Regardless, Bruno would be keeping a close eye on the developments he had caused.

 Chapter 44: The Butterfly Effect Part II

    Chapter 44: The Butterfly Effect Part II


    ?


    Bruno''s journey home from Manchuria was as long as his visit to it. But it allowed him to further pursue the friendship he had established with a captain in the German Navy. As a result, he spent the next two months in these efforts.


    But two months was a long time, especially in terms of geopolitics. Many things could happen within such a duration, and many things did. Not only had the Russo-Japanese war officiallye to an end, with the Empire of Japan gaining significantly more out of it than they had in Bruno''s past life. There were also significant events with two other major powers in the current world.


    First and foremost, Bruno''s actions had moved up the Russian Revolution of 1905. A month after the Russo-Japanese war came to an end in September 1904, while Bruno was still in transit to the fathend. Lenin returned from his exile in Europe and seeded in mending the rift between the two major Marxist forces in Russia.


    The Bolsheviks and Mensheviks united in amon cause to overthrow the Tsar. And violent revolution had begun in the streets of Saint Petersburg, as well as Moscow and several other major Russian cities.


    Numbers swelled from an initial estimate of a few thousand to tens of thousands within the span of weeks. The revolutionary''s first major acts of violence, outside of a few riots, were to storm military depots where they seized both the arms and munitions within them for their


    -cause.


    This was no longer a mere ragtag group of rioters, but well-armed revolutionaries. Whose red banners and armbands gathered the attention of those in the streets most of whom simply hoped for the tide of revolution to end as quickly as possible and with limited bloodshed. Meanwhile, France endured another colonial upset. The local tribes of Madagascar had taken up arms against their masters. And as a result, a young French Colonel was deployed to quell it by any means necessary.


    Leon Sinir had in the years since the Boxer Rebellion attended the prestigious Ecole de guerre-Terre, which was the French Army''s take on the Prussian War College. However, unlike Bruno, who graduated after three years with the rank of Generalmajor. Leon graduated after two years at the rank of colonel.


    This was his first deployment since the Boxer Rebellion. A conflict where his own personal glory was stolen by a German bastard, incited to act on behalf of the Republic by a traitorous general! Or such was the Revanchist Marxist''s own take on what had urred there.


    In fact, he was quite happy about what was happening in Russia. Though he had no means of financially or militarily supporting the Russianmunist revolutionaries. Leon supported them morally all the same.


    But now was not the time for such concerns. At his own request, the Republic had sent him to Madagascar to put down some pesky natives who had taken up arms in revolt against the French Colonial Empire. And in doing so, murdered a French Sergeant at night while he was sleeping at base. It was a troublesome matter, one which Leon thought little of.


    After all, the revolt started because of a variety of factors. Over taxation, execution of locals without a proper trial, repression of religious minorities such as protestants and Muslims, and all the other shit that wasmon whenever colonialism urred in a region.


    It was because such cruelty was somon that Leon thought nothing of it as he got off the ship to Madagascar with his brigade in tow. I mean, why would he consider this conflict anything more than a minor scuffle?


    The local militias which were fighting against him and his troops were poorly equipped. Something that was not at all surprising when you considered Madagascar, like most of sub- saharan Africa had never developed any sense of industry.


    What few rifles were among their ranks were primarily old flintlock designs, traded to native Africans centuries in the past by European and Arab merchants, usually in exchange for things like ves, diamonds, gold, et cetera.


    They were obsolete weaponry when the Africans initially purchased them, usually at an unfair price which advantaged the merchants. Let alone now in the 20th century. Aside from these old muskets, the majority of the rebels were armed with spears.


    This made it incredibly easy for the French Army, which was by all means considered a modern army here and now at the turn of the century, to just mow down the rebels en masse with limited or no casualties altogether.


    Which could easily be achieved with the Lebel Model 1886 rifle that had long since be standard issue for French Forces around the globe. As for the use of machine guns. The French had yet to adopt such a device for service. In fact, they would not begin such efforts until a yearter with the unreliable and failed Puteaux Model 1905 machine gun.


    Meanwhile, the Germans had begun to manufacture as many MG 01 maxim water-cooled machine guns as their industry could support. This action was taken by the Upper Echelons of German High Command after hearing Bruno''s theories on the future of warfare and the need for mass employment of machine guns on the modern battlefield.


    His theories were proven correct during the Second Boer War and the Russo-Japanese war. Sparking the desire by the German Army for as many machine guns as they could reasonably field. Currently, the only machine gun employed by the Germans was the MG-01, which itself was the predecessor of the MG-08 Machine Gun.


    Which was the primary machine gun of the German Army during the Great War of Bruno''s past life. Unfortunately, such a weapon would never be developed in this timeline, as it was currently being reced by the MG-34 Prototypes that were still under development, testing, and soon to be military trials.


    But France, like Britain, Russia, and other major powers of the World had yet to fully realize the effectiveness of machine guns. Particrly due to the pride of the older generations who were currently in charge of the military.


    They would follow the same script as their past life, and in 1914, suddenly realize that the old era had ended decades prior, and that their efforts had been in waste. But that was a concern for a muchter time.


    For now, Leon was forced to put down these rebellions with bolt action rifles and some outdated artillery. After all, the Colonial Army was not exactly the priority when it came to the most recent developments in military weaponry.


    It was because of this that his troops advanced through the Madagascar countryside, utilizing primarily bolt action rifles as their weaponry. The vige they were currently in was known as Ranomafana. It was located in the southern portion of the ind colony.


    In Bruno''s past life, the French had suffered a humiliating defeat here at the hands of the Rebels. However, the butterfly effect was a powerful thing. And Bruno''s interference in this timeline had longer reaching effects than he previously estimated.


    Spurred on by the humiliation he suffered in the Boxer Rebellion, one that he had imposed upon himself because of his own hatred. Leon Sinir, a figure unknown to Bruno''s understanding of history, had decided to make his entire professional career one spent in the


    military.


    In doing so, his life became about pursuing greater power and glory on the battlefield. This was the first opportunity to advance his career after graduating from the Ecole de guerre- Terre. He immediately requested deployment to Madagascar the moment the revolt became


    apparent.


    In doing so, he brought an entire brigade worth of men to annihte the revolt, rather than a merepany of local soldiers who were used to do so in Bruno''s past life. They had just engaged a group of rebels not far from this vige. And it was with this in mind that Leon pursued them here, believing they were hiding within it.


    Immediately upon entering the vige, armed and prepared for conflict. The local leaders approached Leon, who, by the means of poorly pronounced French, spoke niceties to the


    French Colonel.


    "It is our greatest honor to wee the Frenchmander to our humble vige. But we must ask, why are you here? Ranomafana has done no wrong to its Colonial Masters. Surely there is some kind of mistake?"


    Leon coldly gazed at the vigers who appeared unusually anxious. He silently motioned towards one of his officers to lead a search for the missing rebels, while he himself tried to


    pacify the tribal leaders.


    "My men were recently ambushed by a group of rebels just south of here. In the ensuingbat, the cowards who survived fled the scene of their crimes, leaving a trail of blood that


    led to this vige.


    We will now be conducting a search of every mud hut you call a home in search of the rebels. And if we find that you are hiding them, there will be severe consequences for you and everyone in this pitiful hamlet!"


    The tribal leaders looked at one another with a further sense of dread. That alone confirmed Leon''s suspicions that they were hiding rebels. Surely enough, it did not take long for the French soldiers to rip the vige apart.


    Their findings were conclusive enough for Leon to take action. Not only did they find the wounded rebels being treated in the vige. But they found supplies, weapons caches, and even messages exchanged by the local vigers, alerting the rebels to the location and timing


    of French Patrols.


    Because of this, Leon was quick to order the apprehension of the Rebels.


    "Men, arrest these traitors to the Republic!"


    The French soldiers were quick to act on their orders, where they were not the least bit surprised by the local vigers and their attempts to shield the rebels from apprehension and execution. As a result, things quickly turned violent, with local vigers unleashing knives on


    the French soldiers.


    After one of his men was ruthlessly stabbed in the neck by a Madagascaran woman, Leon immediately ordered the unthinkable.


    "Fuck it, kill these savages! Kill them all!"


    Because of this, the French soldiers lowered their rifles and began firing on the vigers,


    whether they were partaking in the violence, or simply women and children cowering the background. All began to fall to the gunfire of the French Army.


    Those who fled into the countryside were not spared, either. As French soldiers aimed their sighs upon their backs and gunned them down without hesitation. In the end, a massacre unfolded, as the vige of Ranomafana wasid to waste. Bodies were scattered across the vicinity with not a single native still breathing in sight.


    And it was as Leon gazed upon the death and despair that he had wrought, that he smirked viciously before giving one finalmand to his men.


    "Burn it! Let these savages know what happens when they dare to take up arms against the might of France!"


    The bodies of the lifeless vigers were stacked upon a bonfire and lit ame, turning their corpses to ash. While the thatched huts were individually lit ame. In the end, there would be nothing that remained of the vige of Ranomafana or those who once lived within it. Ranomafana would be one of many viges massacred by thest man, woman, and child as Leon began his march of fury against the native poption who had so brazenly revolted against colonial rule.


    Despite the atrocitiesmitted by Leon here in Madagascar, he would not be condemned as a war criminal, for such things were reserved for wars fought between "civilized" nations. Instead, he would be rewarded with a legion of merit for his actions. Which was, of course the highest honor France could bestow upon one of its soldiers.

 Chapter 45: An Invitation to the Kaisers Palace Part I

    Chapter 45: An Invitation to the Kaiser''s Pce Part I


    ?


    Bruno stepped foot off the docks at Hamburg, gazing upon the thriving German city with a warm smile on his face. The fresh autumn air of the fathend was truly a miracle to behold. Any thoughts he previously had about that which he had done in Mukden immediately vanished.


    Instead reced by a daydream of what would happen when he stepped foot in the doors of his humble manor. Of course, he could not immediately visit his family, as he had been summoned to Berlin by the Kaiser himself. An honor which he could not refuse, no matter how much he might wish to do so.


    Because of this, Bruno hopped on the first train to the capital of the German Reich, a city which he had grown up just outside in his family''s estate. Hours passed as the old steam engine toiled away to make sure the cart made its way to the Capital city.


    Meanwhile, Bruno enjoyed a cup of coffee by the wait staff of the cart, all while smoking out the window. Though he knew the dangers associated with nicotine, Bruno wasn''t of the mind to care. There was one thing that could calm his nerves, in and out of the field, and that was a long drag from a cigarette.


    As he sat there in uniform, with his field cap ced on the table in front of him. A young child ran up to him, having seemingly escaped from his parents'' watch. The boy was no older than eight, but he gazed upon Bruno''s uniform, and the insignia upon his cor.


    Surprisingly, the boy recognized the symbol as belonging to a high-ranking officer. He immediately threw up his best attempt at a salute while silently looking upon Bruno as if he were a superhero. Bruno remained stoic as he responded to the boy in kind.


    Though he was not obligated to salute a civilian, an act that could be considered offensive by some veterans. Bruno simply did so as a means of not dashing the young boy''s hopes. This caused the boy to run off with a wide smile to his parents, where Bruno could overhear him bragging to them.


    "Mommy! Daddy! The General saluted me!"


    The parents looked over at Bruno with bemused expressions as the man himself nodded to them silently before returning to his newspaper. News of Lenin''s return to Russia and the beginning of the revolution were the natural headlines.


    Which immediately spurred Bruno''s interests in the developments which followed his victory in Manchuria. After reading the entire passage attributed to the ongoing war in the Russian Empire, Bruno ced his newspaper to the side, and a put out his cigarette in the ashtray. Choosing to spend the rest of his journey to Berlin gazing upon the German countryside.


    In theing decades, most of these ancient buildings that appeared as if they were straight out of some kind of fantasy world would be utterly destroyed. The World Wars had exacted a toll on the German Nation and its people that they never fully recovered from. Well, this would be the case had Bruno still been living in his past life.


    Still, it would be a shame for such marvelous architecture, which until this new lease on life, Bruno had only seen in old photos from a bygone era to once more disappear from this world.


    And because of this, Bruno vowed never to let the fathende under the assault of enemy forces. For the history of the German people and the marks they had left upon the Earth were much too precious to disappear from this world.


    Eventually, the train pulled into Berlin, where Bruno once more ced his cap upon his golden head before departing from the train car. Taking onest look at the boy and his family as they travelled off through the peaceful and prosperous streets of the German Reich and its mighty capital.


    Naturally, there were several other men waiting in uniform with an automobile to take Bruno to the Kaiser''s pce. These soldiers had far more fanciful and quite frankly superfluous uniforms whenpared to the more simple infantry general''s attire, which Bruno wore.


    They were, after all members of the Leibgarde, in other word''s the Kaiser''s personal bodyguard. And because of this, they had some of the shiest looking uniforms in the entire German Military.


    The leader of the small group of men quickly saluted Bruno, and exined his reasoning for waiting for him, even though it was obvious to anyone who knew about Bruno''s circumstances.


    "Generalmajor, my men and I have been tasked with escorting you to the Kaiser''s pce. If you will follow me..."


    Bruno silently nodded, handing over his bags to the Leibgarde soldiers, who packed them in the trunk of one of several automobiles that had been prepared for the journey. After which, Bruno stepped foot in thergest and mostvish of which, or more specifically in its passengerpartment.


    Automobiles had progressed rather substantially over thest decade. Especially with Bruno''s investments in both the German and American automotive industries. What were once mere carriages with a motor attached had in many ways begun to resemble the cars of the future which Bruno was far more acquainted with.


    Granted, they weren''t exactly the Ford Model T''s that would revolutionize the transportation industry starting in 1908, which was a mere four years away. But they were still a close approximation to the early designs.


    As Bruno sat in the passenger seat, amon issue that had begun to affect him since he first led the charge in 203 Meter Hill revealed itself once more. His hands began to shake, not necessarily as a means of a neurological disorder, but rather as a Psychogenic Tremor, which was a clear indication that he was suffering from some form of PTSD.


    Even though he had just smoked a mere hour before, Bruno fumbled into his coat pocket and seeded in pulling out a pack of cigarettes, where he began to smoke again. It was only after he had taken a long drag from the device and exhaled the puff of smoke out of the "window" of the automobile did these shakes stop.


    Eventually, the automobile pulled through the gates of the Kaiser''s pce, where Bruno was escorted inside the building. It had been many years since Brunost stepped foot inside this luxurious home.


    In fact, if memory served correctly, he was still a teenager at the time. By now, a decade hade and gone since that fateful night. And as Bruno gazed upon the familiar paintings in the main hall while reminiscing about his youth with a nostalgic smile on his face he heard a young and feminine voice call out to him.


    "I know you! You''re the Knight who dueled a Prince for the honor of ady!"


    Bruno had spoken before he turned around to look at whoever had said such an absurd statement, correcting her without even understanding who he was speaking so casually with. "Oh, I am by no means a knight, nor was the woman whose honor I defended ady. At least not at the time, but thank you for -"


    When Bruno finally turned around and gazed upon the adolescent girl speaking to him, he felt


    compelled to p himself across the face. After all, the young girl on the cusp of her teenage years was none other than Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia whose second birthday a mere decade prior was the event which she was speaking of.


    Bruno immediately apologized for his informalnguage, with a slight bow of his head and a hand over his heart.


    "My apologies your Highness... I spoke out of turn without knowing your identity. Please


    forgive me."


    The young princess seemed genuinely interested in Bruno, especially after noticing the tabs on his cor which signified his status as the German Army''s youngest general.


    "No apologies needed... General. It was my own fault for ambushing you with such a conversation. Besides, I don''t really remember the day in question, only that my father frequently spoke of it with excitement when I was a little girl..."


    Bruno couldn''t help but smile as the young princess who was acting as if she was all grown up. He couldn''t stop himself from making a remark that he probably shouldn''t have, considering the adolescent girl''s status.


    "With all due respect, your highness.. But you''re still a little girl from the perspective of us


    adults..."


    This immediately caused the Princess to drop her "mature" fa?ade, and pout as she turned away from Bruno with her arms crossed. Saying something or another beneath her breath


    before running off.


    "And here I came searching for you to spoil what father has nned.... But fine, if you''re going to be like that, then walk into it with ignorance!"


    The girl genuinely seemed angry as she stormed off in a hissy fit. This was an act that Bruno couldn''t help but chuckle at upon witnessing her childish behavior, which was more than fitting for her age. Shortly thereafter, someone else approached him. This time it was General von Schlieffen, who Bruno immediately saluted, as the man ushered him toe along with


    him.


    "Generalmajor, it is good to see you return from Manchuria unharmed. I see you are sporting the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun? As expected, after all, Emperor Meiji has spoken quite highly of your achievements in the field.


    I am quite proud to announce that because of your efforts a formal military alliance has been


    brokered between the German Reich and the Empire of Japan. But that''s enough for mere pleasantries. Come quickly, the Kaiser has been waiting for your arrival for some time."


    Frankly, Bruno had no idea why he was invited to the Kaiser''s pce immediately upon his return to the Fathend. But there were only two possibilities he could think of. Either he was receiving some kind of additional reward for his actions in Manchuria, or there was the dreadful possibility that he was being punished for something he was entirely unaware of.


    Regardless of the oue, he nned to meet his fate as it came to him, and thus put on a stoic expression as he stepped forward to greet whatever awaited him like a man.

 Chapter 46: An Invitation to the Kaisers Palace Part II

    Chapter 46: An Invitation to the Kaiser''s Pce Part II


    ?


    Bruno stood in the Kaiser''s pce, gazing upon the German Emperor with a stern expression on his face. The man seemed quite pleased to see Bruno there, thus alleviating any fears Bruno may have had towards a potential demerit.


    As Bruno expected, Kaiser Wilhelm II was quick to salute him, as he himself was dressed in a military uniform, albeit a heavily embellished one. Which Bruno was quick to respond to in kind. Before the man approached him with a small wooden case that contained his new cor tabs and shoulder tabs.


    "Generalmajor Bruno von Zehntner, for your exemry performance acting as a military advisor to the Empire of Japan on behalf of Kaiser and fathend, I Kaiser Wilhelm II of the house von Hohenzollern hereby reward you for your gantry with a promotion to the rank of Generalleutnant! I know I myself, and many others within the Army''s High Command look forward to your future in the military!"


    Everyone nearby broke out into apuse as the Kaiser handed Bruno the new insignia that would need to be fastened to his uniform by a skilled seamstress at ater date. And as Bruno gazed upon histest promotion he couldn''t help but smile, because wasn''t he married to a woman who could perform the task for him?


    Because of this, Bruno epted the gift from the Kaiser and bowed his head respectfully while thanking the man for his generosity.


    "I am unworthy, but if his majesty disagrees then who am I to argue? Thank you. I promise to live up to your expectations."


    The Kaiser nodded his head in approval of Bruno''s humble act and was quick to end the ceremony then and there by making a statement to everyone but Bruno and Alfred von Schlieffen.


    "Wonderful, now that this little ceremony is over you can all go back to work!"


    The Kaiser silently motioned for the German Field Marshal to join him, and as Bruno himself mistook the Kaiser''s words, and in doing so was about to walk out the door the Kaiser called out to him.


    "Not you... the Generalfeldmarschall and I would like to have a word with you..."


    Bruno''s hope of returning to his family swiftly was immediately dashed by this, but he dare not sigh in exhaustion, and instead responded in the affirmative to the Kaiser''s wishes, following him into a more secluded room. Which appeared to be the German Emperor''s personal war room.


    A series of blueprints were handed over to Bruno, which he personally recognized as he was the one who had drawn them himself. Naturally, the Kaiser was testing him, as he hinted that he knew the true designer of these weapons, even if they were patented by his oldest brother. "Do you recognize these designs?"


    As much as Bruno wanted to hide that he was the creator, the fact that the Kaiser handed them to him and asked him about their origins proved his suspicions were correct. Insofar as the Kaiser already knew who the real creator was.


    When taking this into consideration, there was no point ying dumb. Thus, Bruno dropped the overly respectful fa?ade, and became far morefortable as he responded to the Kaiser''s question with a smug smirk.


    "It would appear the Kaiser has done his due diligence? I suppose the financialpensation my family offered me, and such a staggering number at that is what ultimately drew your attention to this matter is it not?"


    The German Field Marshal was shocked by Bruno''s sudden admission and partially perturbed by hisck of formality with the Emperor. He was about to scold the man when the Kaiser raised his hand, asking another question to Bruno with a stern gaze.


    "So you don''t deny that these weapons, they are originally of your design?"


    Bruno continued to have a rather confident expression on his face as he nodded his head and made his words tantly obvious to whoever heard them.


    "Why would I deny it? In my brief time in this world, I have found it incredibly unwise to lie to those who have the power to decide your future. Of course they''re mine. But don''t mistake my confidence for hubris.


    By all means, the engineers at my family''spany are quite talented, and as we speak, they are perfecting my rather crude proof of concepts. After all, my initial rough drafts are not what you would call battle ready by themselves, and require the need to be perfected by those who have made such work their profession.


    Nevertheless, it will take a few years of experimentation and prototyping before these designs are fit to see service. You have to understand that these weapons are decades more advance than any contemporary design. And will naturally require an investment with significant effort and resources to make a practical reality."


    The German Field Marshal was livid by the way that Bruno was acting towards the Kaiser, but his anger was snuffed out the moment the Kaiser''s stern expression shifted into one of excitement, which was followed byughter.


    "I have always heard the youngest son of the von Zehntner family was a genius. But it appears you have been hiding your true abilities from us all, now haven''t you? It''s one thing to be a general whose talent is seen once every hundred years.


    But for you to be a capable engineer, one who has the foresight to develop technology that would not otherwise exist for several decades if left to others'' own ingenuity, I must say has there ever been a man of such brilliance in history?"


    The Kaiser seemed to have taken a much greater interest in Bruno than he had previously shown. This was despite the fact that had already disyed much greater interest in Bruno''s potential than just about anyone else in the man''s generation.


    It was the fact that the German monarch seemed so captivated by the revtion of Bruno''s full capabilities that the young German General decided to enlighten the man on why he had decided to conceal this matter in the first ce.


    "A necessary precaution, I assure you. At a young age, there were those envious of my talents who, if they discovered the full extent of them would have no doubt tried to snuff me out of existence before I could prove to be a capable threat to their ns.


    As a result, I forcibly limited the way which I presented myself to a more tolerable level when in the presence of others. An act which I dare say has saved my life, and has also taken a target off my back as a result. Those who were once threatened by me no longer seem concerned. They, after all, have much more immediate matters to deal with."


    The Kaiser was no idiot; prideful to a fault? Yes, but he had done his thorough research on Bruno and his background, not just in preparation for this meeting, but over the past ten years, ever since Bruno shone brightly at his daughter''s second birthday party the Monarch had been keeping his eye on him.


    He was naturally aware of the enemies which Bruno was speaking of, and by extension understood why he took such measures to protect himself. Still, to do so at such a young age spoke volumes of Bruno''s wisdom and foresight. Something a man, even in the middle of his twenties would often becking.


    It was because of this that he could only think that Bruno would be a great boon to the Reich should his talents be further fostered. Yet could also spell disaster should the world be aware of just how capable Bruno was currently, and how promising his future would be.


    After all, should the French realize that the German Reich had given birth to the 20th Century''s equivalent of Napoleon, no... Alexander, then the consequences could lead to


    catastrophe.


    After careful consideration, the Kaiser nodded his head thrice before making a statement to Bruno. One which both of them found to be the best oue now that the truth had been


    revealed.


    "Alfred and I will pretend like we have not heard any of this. And we will cover the tracks that your family left behind. It is best if our enemies do not realize we have such a promising talent rising through the ranks. Or at least, they don''t fully understand just how vast your


    potential is.


    Continue as you were. I look forward to the extent to which you will soar in theing years. That is all for now. You are free to return to your family. You have no doubt earned some free time after all, which you have achieved as ofte. You are dismissed, Generalleutnant!" Bruno immediately snapped to attention as he departed from the Kaiser''s pce. It was only after he had left the scene did the German Field Marshal ask the Kaiser for his honest perspective on the what they had just witnessed.


    "So, after hearing what he had to say, what do you think?"


    The Kaiser seemed almost in a daze, as he continued to stare at the door which Bruno had just walked out of moments ago. His voice was filled with an almost excited tone as he gave the German Field Marshal his honest opinion of Bruno as both a man and a general. ""After this brief discussion, I believe in every fibre of my being that it is in the best interests of the German Reich and its people to do everything we can to foster the talents of this young


    man.


    Make no mistake, though he appears a man of sophistication and civility. He is without a doubt a wolf in sheep''s clothing. Truly fitting of the name which our soldiers have given him.


    You know the one I am referring to, right, Alfred?"


    There was an almost haunted tone in the German Field Marshal''s tone as he responded to the


    Kaiser''s words with the answer he was looking for.


    "The Wolf of Prussia..."

 Chapter 47 A Long Awaited Return to a Peaceful Life

    Chapter 47 A Long Awaited Return to a Peaceful Life


    Bruno returned home immediately after visiting the Kaiser for the sake of his most recent promotion. And the moment he entered the door, he was greeted by his young girls who ran up to him and hugged his legs. Seeking to be lifted into the air by their father who had just returned after being away for several months.


    "Daddy''s home!"


    A simple and fatherly smile formed on Bruno''s face as he lifted his oldest and youngest children into the air. Hugging them both, as he kissed their foreheads, while asking the one simple question he always did whenever he came home.


    Whether he was away for months at a time for the sake of a deployment, or gone for the duration of the day while performing his duties at the Central Division of German High Command.


    "I''m back! Did you two behave yourselves while your father was gone?"


    There was a guilty look on Eva''s face as she looked away from her father. For the most part, while Bruno was in Manchuria she had behaved herself, but her impatience grew with each passing day, and eventually she began to act out.


    Because of this, Bruno stared at the girl with an inquisitive gaze. He was about to interrogate the girl about why she was behaving so suspiciously when his younger daughter interrupted him.


    "I was a good girl¡­."


    Bruno chuckled when he heard this and patted the girl''s hair. He was about topliment her for her good behavior when Heidi entered the room with a stern expression. She was wearing an apron, and had a wooden spoon in her hand, while covered in flour.


    A sight which was unusual considering how excellent and clean of a cook she was. The woman was quick to holler at the oldest of their children, who had been rather mischievous. You see, when Heidi told her children that their father would being home today they became quite excited. Especially his two daughters who he spoiled quite excessively.


    However, as the hours passed, and there was still no sight of the man, even well into the evening. Eva had lost her patience and began to throw a tantrum as a result. In doing so, she caused a mess with a pot of a cooking flour as she broke out into a fit, demanding to see her beloved father. As a result, Heidi had smacked the girl on the bottom with the wooden spoon in her hand, and was in the middle of doing so when Bruno entered the home. Only for her to get distracted. The result of which was Eva escaping from her grasp and running to see Bruno who was ignorant of all of this. Because of this incident, Heidi''s face had a fearsome expression which was so grave that even Bruno felt slightly intimidated as the mother of his children yelled at their two daughters who were currently in her husband''s hand. Responding to Elsa''sments about being a good girl, while angrily eying her older sister.


    "That is precisely makes one of you! Nowe here Eva, you still have yet to clean up the mess you made. You will have to wait to speak to your father until after you clean up this mess! Elsa, go fetch your brother. The two of you are free to hang out with your father until Eva has finished making amends for her poor choices!"


    Eva looked up at her father with puppy dog eyes and crocodile tears. She didn''t want to leave his arms, especially after how long she had waited for him to return home. So much so that she tried to get the man to overrule her mother on her behalf. He was, after all the one who always showed leniency to her and her little sister, right?"


    "Daddy, Eva is sorry, please don''t make her clean up! You just got home!"


    As furious as his wife was at the girl, Bruno could never stay angry at his daughters. And because of this, he chuckled, finding the whole situation rather adorable. He ced the girl on the ground, while still holding onto her sister something which caused Eva to pout. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    That is until, Bruno bent down and patted her golden hair. While giving her a lecture in the way that the little girl responded too much more positively than her mother''s spanking. "Eva, when you have done something wrong you need to apologize, and make amends with the person you have behaved inappropriately to. I don''t know what exactly has gotten your mother in such a fuss, but I have a few ideas based upon the state she is in. So how about you go help her clean up whatever mess you have made, and be a good girl for your old man, okay?" Previously, when Heidi had attempted to discipline Eva, she had stubbornly refused to admit any wrong doing, or clean up her mess. But after her father''s "scolding" she couldn''t help but walk back to the kitchen with her head hanging low as she apologized to her mother, before beginning to tidy up the kitchen. "I''m sorry mommy...."


    Once Eva was out of sight, Heidi herself broke out into a pout, as she averted her gaze from her husband, who was grinning like a damn fool while spoiling their other daughter. She couldn''t help but mutter beneath her breath before entering the kitchen to help Eva with the cleanup.


    "Honestly... You spoil the girls too much!" Despite Heidi''s harsh tone, she silently admitted in her own mind that she saw the way Bruno spoiled their daughters to be quite appealing. Dinner would naturally bete because of this little incident. Something that Bruno honestly didn''t mind too much, considering the fact that he had just gotten home after a long journey at sea. Especially after Heidi made sure to fetch him a liter of beer for his troubles while he waited. In the mean time Bruno sat in the family room on hisfy leather sofa and regaled his other two children with tales of his visit to Japan and the Emperor''s pce. Naturally, Bruno did not mention anything about the war in Manchuria which he had participated in.


    Not only were his kids not old enough to hear such gruesome stories, but frankly he did not like thinking about the war while he was away from it. After all, his home was his ce of peace. Even after all the stress he had endured at Port Arthur and the following Battle of Mukden. Bruno felt at ease when around his family.


    After a brief wait, dinner was on the table, and Eva genuinely appeared sorry for what she had done. Because of this, they were able to have a nice, albeit dyed, home-cooked meal together as a family. Which was the first time they were able to do so in a long time.


    Once dinner waspleted, the family yed a few games before Bruno and Heidi made sure that their kids were properly prepared for bed. Where Bruno alone would tuck them in and read them bedtime stories. Before finally emerging in his own bedroom where his wife was waiting for him on their marital bed.


    She appeared as if she wanted something, something Bruno knew all too well. Despite the fatigue he was currently suffering from, and the ache in his bones after a long campaign, which was followed by an even more tiresome journey. Bruno somehow found the strength to get the deed done. Where he would spoon with his loving wife, ultimately falling asleep in each other''s arms.


    ---


    The next morning, Bruno was surprised to find that he had overslept. Not that it was a big deal, he had been given a sufficient amount of leave after all. And yet, despite this, he liked to maintain a regr sleep schedule.


    Even so, Heidi entered the room with a tray in her hands, one that was designed to rest on the bed. On it was a te of the most perfectly cooked breakfast Bruno had ever seen. Along with a ss of milk. She wore a pretty and warm smile as she weed Bruno back to the realm of the living.


    "Good morning sleepyhead¡­ I know you like to wake up at the crack of dawn, but you were so tiredst night. I felt like you could use the extra sleep. To make up for this, I prepared your favorite breakfast just for you.


    How about you take some time to wake up a little and enjoy your meal? You don''t need to worry about me or the kids. We will be waiting for you downstairs when you are ready!"


    Bruno could only thank his wife with a loving kiss, as he assured her he would be down before long.


    "Thanks, I''ll be down in a bit. You entertain the kids for me in the meantime, okay?"


    Heidi smiled and nodded her head as she promised to do just that before leaving Bruno alone. He looked at his hands, which had yet to shake after returning home from the Kaiser''s pce. And in that moment he had the briefest thought about the war, before pushing it aside entirely.


    For the first time in a very long time, the man felt no need to smoke, nor suffered from any anxiety. There was nothing but peace and serenity here in his mind. After all, he was finally home, and for the time being free from any worries. Of course, that would all change the moment he left the safety of these walls and returned to his post. But that would not ur for at least another two weeks. And until then, Bruno would continue to enjoy his wholesome life with his loving family.

 Chapter 48: Into the Nest of Vipers Part I

    Chapter 48: Into the Nest of Vipers Part I


    ?


    It was a new day, and a day which Bruno did not have to report to the Central Division of the German High Command, no less. It was perhaps because this was his first official leave of absence in a very long time that Bruno was invited to his parents'' house.


    All nine of their sons had long since moved out of the house. The youngest of which was Bruno himself, who was already in his mid-twenties, at the ripe old age of 25. He had three children, which was the lowest number of all of his siblings and the families they had spawned over the years.


    But knowing the fact that he received an official invitation to the family estate, this was no simple request from his mother and father to visit them with his family. No, this was a yearly asion on which the entire von Zehntner household would gather.


    This not only included Bruno''s siblings and their families, but his father''s siblings and their families as well. Because of this, after reading the official letter of invitation, Bruno was quick to gather his wife aside and address the issue in private with her away from the children''s prying ears.


    "Heidi, do you know what this letter entails?"


    Heidi nodded her head. She had obviously not read its contents, as it was sealed when Bruno picked it up. But she recognized the coat of arms emzoned on the letter, which belonged to the von Zehntner family. There was really only one thing she could think of for why they received this note, and because of this she was quick to speak of her suspicions.


    "I suppose it is around that time, isn''t it? Though it hase a bit earlier this year than in the past. I will set aside a proper set of attire for the children. No doubt your father will want you in uniform. I will have it cleaned and pressed so that you look nice and proper for your family to see..."


    Bruno himself was aware why this letter was sent, and like Heidi was suspicious about why it was sent earlier than it should be. There was no way that his father had moved it up a month or two in advance simply because Bruno was freely avable now, would he?


    I mean, he was the youngest son of the family, sure over the years he had managed to achieve some significant contributions in the military. Even so, such a privilege had never been afforded to any of his siblings in the past. Let alone the heir apparent, which was of course his eldest brother.


    However, other than this, Bruno simply could not understand why the date had been moved up. Regardless, there was no avoiding what was toe. And because of this, he was quick to nod his head and agree with Heidi''s statement.


    "Then I will trust the preparations to you my love. In the meantime, I need to see to some personal matters. I''m afraid I will have to step out for the day. Look after the kids for me, will you?"


    Heidi silently nodded her head, as she watched Bruno climb up the stairs, no doubt to fetch an appropriate set of attire for what he was about to do. Once he was no longer in eyesight, she sighed heavily.


    When Heidi was growing up, her own family had never even recognized her as one of them. The only person she had ever been able to call her family was her mother. But Heidi''s mother had passed away shortly after her daughter''s wedding, and under mysterious circumstances no less.


    The woman did not even live long enough to meet her grandchildren. It was indeed a matter that Heidi was still investigating to this day. And though she had yet to form any proper evidence to support her theory, Heidi had no doubt that her father was the man responsible.


    But this was neither here nor there. Rather, it was Bruno''s parents that had always been the ones to treat Heidi as family. Though the marriage was forced upon them, and was less than ideal, Bruno''s parents epted her as their son''s future wife, nheless. And treated her as their own child from a young age whenever she would visit their home.


    Not only that, but the two of them had always done everything they could to support Heidi while her husband was not at home to help. Whether that was the years he spent at the academy or on the battlefield.


    But that did not mean that Bruno''s siblings were equally pleasant to her. Bruno was the youngest son of his family, and a prodigy rarely seen in a century. Because of this, the man''s siblings, especially those lower in the family''s hierarchy, had always had a sense of disdain for him. And considering the fact that he married a bastard, they held an even greater resentment for his wife and children.


    Quite frankly, it was only Bruno''s oldest siblings who had treated him with any sense of value. But this was, of course, because of their position in the family''s hierarchy that they felt no threat towards him. In addition to this, they only began treating Bruno this way after he had proven his worth in China.


    It was no doubt because of this that past family gatherings had been difficult for Bruno, Heidi, and their three young children. Though Bruno did everything he could to mitigate the ostracization that his children received from their cousins, aunts, and uncles. There was only so much he could do as the youngest son of a noble family.


    Still, over the course of the past year, Bruno''s reputation had grown quite fearsome. It was this in mind that Heidi hoped they would be left undisturbed this time around. She could only sigh and voice herints in silence after her husband was out of earshot.


    "Into the nest of vipers we go..."


    After saying this, Heidi went to begin making the preparations necessary for their eventual visit to the von Zehntner estate.


    After getting properly dressed, Bruno drove to the city of Berlin. He had briefly called the number of someone in his family in an attempt to set up a meeting. The other party in question was one of his brothers whomonly showed him more respect than the others.


    They had agreed to speak in person at a particrly popr restaurant within the city. And after arriving several minutes early, Bruno was forced to wait fifteen minutes after the appointed time for the arrival of his second oldest brother.


    The man appeared dressed in a finely tailored suit, which was far more eye catching than the more modest attire which Bruno himself had chosen to wear. No doubt a sign of the significant wealth he possessed.


    After all, their family was quite wealthy, and though this man had not inherited the family business, he had long since made a name for himself in other prosperous ventures. Yet despite Bruno''s morecking attire, he actually seemed pleased, as he shook Bruno''s hand and dragged him into a brief brotherly hug. All the while speaking basic pleasantries.


    "I''m d to see you made it back in one piece. I heard how those damn Japs forced you to lead the Charge at Port Arthur. To treat the Kaiser''s representative with such disrespect, simply barbaric! I''m amazed the Kaiser has actually decided to align himself with those yellow bastards after such a thing!"


    Bruno forced himself to wear a smile, despite his brother''s rather crude use ofnguage. But that was just the man''s personality when there was no need to be formal. He was blunt, to the point, and by 21st century standards, quite offensively so.


    Despite this, he was one of the few men in Bruno''s family who showed him the proper respect he deserved. And because of this, Bruno never made a stink about his personality. Not that it personally bothered him, he was not the type of man to take offense on behalf of someone else, let along strangers on the other side of the world.


    Still, after the respect which Emperor Meiji had shown Bruno, he was forced to speak up on the man''s behalf, and that of Japan as a whole.


    "Though I am grateful for your worries. I still have to point out that just because a few of them are devious old bastards, doesn''t mean the Japanese are all that way. Emperor Meiji is a respectable figure, one with great foresight. He more than made up for his generals and their


    lack of respect.


    I have no doubt that Japan will soon be a great power in theing decades. One that may potentially even rival the mighty empires in Europe. And I''m not just speaking about a backwater like the Russians who they have already defeated.


    In fact, Asia as a whole is a sleeping giant. The Chinese, in particr, have great potential that has yet to be realized. But for the time being they have a long way to go before they reach the point of their neighbors to the East."


    Bruno''s brother was not a particrly prejudiced man, he just had a harsh way of speaking when doing so casually. One that was particrly normal for the era. Because of this, he took Bruno''s opinion in regards to Asia with newfound enlightenment, and was quick to make a remark about it.


    "You would know better than me little brother. Unlike you, I have spent no time in the region. But if your opinion of them is so high, then perhaps I have been misinformed. Regardless, enough with the chitchat. Why did you call me here? Is this about the uing family


    gathering?"


    Seeing as how his second eldest brother, Christoph, had seen through his intents. Bruno could simply smile and nod as he and the man got down to business.

 Chapter 49: Into the Nest of Vipers Part II

    Chapter 49: Into the Nest of Vipers Part II


    ?


    Seeing as how his older brother Christoph had seen through his intentions, Bruno could only sigh and sip on the drink that he had ordered at the restaurant while waiting for the man to arrive. After which his gaze seemed more determined as he asked the favor which he had in mind when he initially set up this meeting.


    "I see you already have some suspicions as to why I have called you here. Fine, I''lle right out and say it, since that is what you desire. I want you to use your influence in the family to make sure those little shits behave themselves around my wife and kids.


    You know the ones I am talking about. Those brothers of mine, and their little brats who just love making things difficult for my family for no reason other than because of their petty jealousy."


    Christoph couldn''t help but chuckle when he heard Bruno''s words. Despite being the youngest of the brothers, Bruno had always been oddly mature, more than the rest of them. In fact, Christoph himself was over ten years older than Bruno.


    But that was not all that surprising since their mother had married their father when she was a teenager, and had begun having kids almost immediately. By the time the woman gave birth to Bruno, who was thest of her kids, she was already roughly thirty.


    Despite this massive age gap, Christoph suspected Bruno was still the most mature of the siblings. And because of that, the baby brothermonly talked down to several of his elder brothers as if they were mere childrenpared to himself.


    It was something which Christoph had always found curious and amusing. And besides, he too thought that several of his brothers were being childish by picking on Bruno and his family, simply because they were jealous of the young man''s achievements.


    Even so, despite the friendliness between the two brothers, Christoph would not make a move to shield Heidi and her kids from criticism. Not only from Bruno''s brothers, but his cousins as well. At least not without certain benefits. And with this in mind, he wore a mischievous smirk while making an equally snarkyment.


    "So the Wolf of Prussia still fears the pack? How amusing, well little brother, I can certainly keep our siblings and those little cousins of ours in check. But why should I? You know the rules of our family as well as anyone else. We are all men now, and any business we might have must be settled as such. You are no longer mother''s little baby boy, who she can favor above all the rest.


    Still, I supposeing to me and using my influence over the others to shield that bastard wife of yours, and your children from needless insults is in a way of handling your business. But as a matter of business, I should at least gain something in return for my effort, should I not?"


    Bruno''s eyes narrowed when he heard Christoph refer to his wife by the term bastard. While she may have been born into such a status. But by all legal rights, she was now a nobledy having married into the von Zehntner family. And any statement otherwise was an easy way to provoke the woman''s husband.


    However, this was Christoph''s way of saying with a single word that as much as he may be friendly to Bruno whenpared to how his other brothers treated him, he would not needlessly take Bruno''s side unless the man could provide him with some tangible benefits in return.


    In response to this, Bruno was quick to narrow his eyes towards his older brother and the man''s unscrupulous behavior. There was a fearsome gaze within them that Christoph found quite intimidating. When Bruno spoke, his words were cold as ice, almost as if the temperature had dropped when he spoke them.


    "As you are aware, I have served in two separate wars. But I''m curious. Do you know what the difference was between China and Manchuria, my dear brother?"


    This was an unusual tangent, considering they were previously talking about the family and its affairs. What exactly did the Boxer Rebellion and the Russo-Japanese war have to do with the current discussion? Such were the thoughts in Christoph''s mind, and thus it was only natural that he tried to figure out where exactly Bruno was going with this line of thinking. "I''m sorry, I''m not sure-"


    However, before he could continue, Christoph was cut off by Bruno''s whose gaze and tone became even more grave as he demanded an answer to his question.


    "Just answer the question, brother..."


    Christoph thought about it for a moment, but honestly couldn''t understand. He was, after all, a veteran of the Army, but had only ever served in a time of peace. Because of this, he was quick to admit defeat.


    "I don''t know. Why don''t you enlighten me little brother?"


    Bruno''s eyes never left that of his older brothers, even as he stirred his coffee with a spoon and drank from it before answering the question.


    "In China, it wasn''t exactly what you would call a war. I mean, by the time I had arrived in the region the majority of the fighting had long since been concluded. The battles which I took part in were small, at least rtively so. At most all I did was run patrols, and on asion fight a few insurgents, many of which weren''t even armed with modern weapons.


    It was a rather simple affair. Almost the same as it would be if I were to have been hunting down savages south of the Sahara. Under mymand, in China, not a single soldier lost his life. There were a few minor injuries here and there, but no fatalities, and nothing that could be considered crippling in nature.


    But Manchuria. Well... Manchuria taught me what a true war is really like. At Port Arthur, I led tens of thousands of men into battle. Many of which lost their lives to machine gun fire and artillery alike. Hell, I damn near died myself several times over.


    Mukden however was different. We barely engaged the enemy, just long enough to trick them into bing encircled by our forces. After we had achieved this, we spent the next ten days and ten nights bombarding them nonstop. On the 11th day... Well let''s just say that I learned a very valuable lesson from that experience.


    In that war, I learned that the noble family you were born into, and the rank you have achieved in your career. Well, none of that is actually important. I mean a noble general dies just as easily as a lowborn private, right? No, all that really matters in the end is who remains when the guns have stopped firing.


    I think you misunderstood my intentions when I sought your help, brother. I did note here out of a sense of fear towards my brothers, or the words they would use to mock me and my family behind our backs, as if we are not capable of hearing such poison being whispered


    in our direction.


    Rather, I came to you out of fear of how I might retaliate. Because after Manchuria, I suddenly find myselfcking the patience required to deal with lesser men and their petty insults.


    I have eight older brothers, all of which I love very much. But, should they speak ill of me or my family again, then I wonder in the end how many of us will remain topete for our father''s inheritance.... Do you understand what I am saying, brother?"


    After saying this, Bruno did not say another word. He finished his coffee and left some cash on the table to cover his order. Having done this, he simply walked away, not giving Christoph another moment of his attention.


    As for the second eldest son of the von Zehntner family, he was sweating bullets. Had his youngest brother seriously just threatened to eliminate him and his siblings should they insult his wife and children as they had done for so many years?


    Had he absolutely lost his mind? Were such petty matters really worth assassinating your own family over? If it were any of his other siblings, Christoph would have taken this as a poor attempt at intimidation. But there was something in Bruno''s eyes that was different than they


    had been in the past.


    Bruno seemed wholly capable of fulfilling this threat. In centuries past, it was not umon for noble scions to kill their brothers in secret for a chance to obtain the inheritance. But this was no longer the medieval ages where such things weremonly carried out in secrecy. This was a more refined and civilized era. And yet, Christoph sensed no civility from Bruno. If provoked, he was not afraid to kill, even those who shared the same blood as him. The war in Manchuria had changed him.


    And because of this, he was no longer willing to tolerate insults to his honor, or that of his family, for the sake of maintaining the peace. Rather, Bruno was now more than willing to actively wage war against anyone who dared to show such disrespect to him and his loved ones. No matter who they may be. Or what it might do to his public image.

 Chapter 50: The War Within

    Chapter 50: The War Within


    ?


    Christoph understood that something had changed in Bruno following the war in Manchuria. He was not acting like his usual self. Threatening his own family with violence over petty matters such as insults between children? It was not exactly something that a calm and rational man would do.


    Because of this, he was quick to confront his father with the news. After all, the man which Bruno was named after was the only other member in their immediate family who had actually seen battle. With Bruno Sr. having served in both the Austro-Prussian War, and the Franco-Prussian wars during his younger years.


    When the two of them were seated together in the Bundesrat where Bruno Sr. worked. There was little chitchat, with Christoph damn near immediately bringing up the conversation he had just had with his youngest brother.


    "Father, have you spoken with Bruno since he returned home from the War in Manchuria?" Bruno Sr. raised his brow when he heard this. If Christoph was mentioning this, then clearly he had met with the youngest of his brothers. And something must have happened to cause the older of the two siblings toe running straight to him.


    "No, I have yet to find the time to do so. Besides, I figured soon enough we will meet at the family gathering, so such a thing can wait until then, unless, of course something happened?" Christoph was visibly anxious as he exined the conversation that he had with his youngest brother. And when he did so, Bruno Sr. remained silent for some time, before finally responding.


    "Your brother has been through a lot. I heard that more men died in a single battle within Manchuria then the entirety of the Franco-Prussian War. To witness such death and destruction, it changes a man, and most of the time not for the better.


    I''ll have a word with him, but Christoph, if he has really made such a statement, it would be wise for you to warn your siblings not to provoke him. He has juste home from the war. It has been less than a week since he was out there killing men in the trenches. He is probably having a hard time remembering who is friend and who is foe.


    I shouldn''t have to tell you this, but it would be incredibly unwise at this time to continue with your petty insults towards his wife and children. If you antagonize the man, he mightsh out with violence, which is something that is to be expected if his mind is still in a state of war."


    Bruno Sr. narrowed his gaze towards his second eldest son, who immediately tried to pretend like he and his brothers had not been mistreating Bruno''s family for years now.


    "Father, I don''t know what you have heard, but-"


    The man''s father however was quick to interrupt his second eldest son with a stern gaze, and an equally fierce tone.


    "Cut the shit. I know all about the things you and your brothers say behind their backs. Until now, I have tolerated them as mere sibling banter. But if Bruno is reacting this way, then clearly he doesn''t consider it as such. And by the way, in case you haven''t realized, your mother and I have long since epted Heidi as a member of this family. Long before she married your brother.


    To insult her is to insult our entire lineage. Especially if you insult her children who carry your brother''s blood in their veins. So, I''m only going to say this once. Bruno won''t have to deal with you little shits, because if I hear a single one of you, or your little brats mention a word out of line to your brother and his family, then I will personally take charge of discipline you lot, do you understand?"


    Christoph had never seen his father so upset with him or his brothers. In the past he had heard the man was furious with Kurt and Ludwig when the two of them were caught mishandling his firearms. Or allegedly so, ording to Bruno.


    But he had not personally witnessed the man''s fury at the time. Because of this, Christoph could only bow his head and ept his father''s words.


    "I understand. I will make sure to educate my family properly, as for my brothers I will spread the word."


    Bruno Sr. quickly nodded his head in an approving manner before standing up from his seat. He walked his young son to the door. Where he left onest word of advice to the man before allowing him to depart.


    "You let me handle your little brother. I happen to have experience dealing with men who are suffering from the state of mind he is in. I''ll make sure he''s not in such an irritable state by the time the Family gathers at the estate."


    After which Christoph thanked his father before departing. He would make sure to spread the word that his father had instructed him to. Whereas Bruno Sr. immediately got on the phone in his office and called his son''s home.


    Heidi answered the phone, causing the severe look on her father-inw''s face to lighten up as he spoke with the woman briefly about life in general, before getting down to business. Heidi then handed the phone over to her husband, who only heard his father''s voice speak to him with a single statement before hanging up.


    "Bruno, I need to have a word with you. Meet me at the usual ce tonight at the usual time." After this, the line went dead, where Bruno sighed. He had just gotten home from his meeting with Christoph, and now he would be entertaining his father over drinks at the local tavern. As a result, he was quick to inform Heidi he would not be home for dinner before heading out.


    Bruno Sr. was already sitting at the bar waiting for his youngest son to arrive when Bruno entered the through the tavern door. The man had a ss of Korn in his hand, which was a form of distilled spirits native to Germany dating back to the 15th century.


    When he saw his youngest son enter the building, he ordered the bartender to hand the young man a ss of his own. Where Bruno sat down and quickly took a drink. As Bruno grabbed hold of the cup, his hand was visibly shaking, but only slightly so.


    Even so, it was enough for his father to notice. Which once the whiskey hit Bruno''s system, his hands began to still themselves. It was only then that Bruno Sr. sighed and shook his head beforementing on Bruno''s condition.


    "Were you ever going to tell me about your condition?"


    Bruno looked rather ashamed, as if suffering from the early stages of PTSD was somehow something he should hide from his family. Because of this, he quickly denied there was anything seriously wrong with him.


    "It''s nothing. I''m fine... I''m just a little tired that''s all..."


    Bruno''s father nodded his head with an expression on his face that said he wasn''t buying what his son was selling. Even so, he did not say a word and instead sipped his drink. He then changed the subject, or at least partially so, as he addressed the elephant in the room.


    "Your brother came to visit me at the office today. I''m sure you know why... Let me ask you this. Is there a reason for me to be worried about this uing family reunion of ours?" Bruno shook his head, drinking another ss that had been poured for him by the bartender as he assured his father everything would be fine.


    "Not at all. I lost my temper when Christoph tried to extort me, that''s all. It won''t happen


    again, sir..."


    Despite his words, and the confidence with which he spoke them, Bruno''s father looked at him with the same expression that he had when the young man told him he was fine moments


    ago.


    Because of this, he sighed once more before patting his son on the back. Paying the tab for the both of them before walking out the door. But not before giving the young man onest piece


    of advice.


    "Whatever happened over there, that''s something that you need to deal with on your own. Don''t take it out on your family. We are not the enemy, even if your brothers and their brats


    have a tendency to behave like it.


    But either way, you will be happy to know that the matter is settled. I told Christoph if any of your brothers or their children act out, I will see to it that they are properly disciplined. So don''t do anything you wille to regret... Wee home son, you should get some rest... Lord knows that you have earned it."


    Bruno finished thest drink that the bartender had poured him before his father walked out in a single gulp before thanking the man properly. After doing so, he returned home, where he was happy to see that his wife and children were waiting for him with loving smiles on their


    faces.


    He would ultimately get very little sleep that night as he thought about all that he had been through, both in his past life during his time deployed to Afghanistan, and during this life while fighting in China and Manchuria.


    No matter what happened, he could not let such a thing break him. Because if it did, then Germany would be doomed to make the same failures they had done in his previous life. And if that happened, then what the hell was the point of his reincarnation to begin with?

 Chapter 51: Into the Nest of Vipers Part III

    Chapter 51: Into the Nest of Vipers Part III


    ?


    A week came and went before the day finally arrived for Bruno, Heidi and the kids to attend the family fathering at the von Zehntner estate. They were all dressed quite formally. With Bruno himself wearing his military uniform and all the awards he had been granted thus far in his career. Which wasn''t much at the moment.


    After driving together in the family automobile, the estate''s servants opened the gates to reveal that there were several other automobiles parked in the driveway. This was, after all not just a gathering of Bruno and his siblings, but also his siblings'' families, and that of his uncles, aunts, and cousins as well.


    There were well over a hundred people gathered in the estate grounds, specifically in the back where tents had been gathered, and food was being properly catered to the guests. Those among Bruno''s brothers and cousins who were actively serving in the military, of course wore their uniforms.


    While those like Bruno''s father who were retired, but had been awarded rather exceptional orders and medals during their time of service wore them across their formal tuxedos. It was a gathering, in many ways of some of the most elite members of society in the city of Berlin. After all, the von Zehntner family had risen to prominence as a result of Bruno Sr. and his role in the Bundestag. Powerful and wealthy noble families had begun engaging their children to the younger generation of the family. And because of this, many of them were in attendance as well.


    It was perhaps not at all surprising when Bruno entered the scene, and was quickly greeted by the father of his cousin''s daughter''s fiancee, who himself was the sixth son of the third in line for some Grand Duchy or another.


    "Well, if it isn''t the Wolf of Prussia, General Leutnant Bruno von Zehntner himself. The youngest general in the history of the Reich. Congrattions on your recent promotion and your victory at Mukden, I must say, I am quite the fan of yours. Would you mind if I had a moment of your time to discuss -"


    Bruno cut the man off. He had no time to deal with sycophants and pampered nobles who wanted to leach off of the fame he had recently gained.


    "Apologies, I''m quite busy at the moment I have just arrived and must pay my respects to the host. If I am avable at another time, then I would love to listen to whatever it is you have to say."


    After saying this, Bruno paid the man no attention, instead walking past him, while guiding his wife and children to pay their respects to his parents. The man who had tried to introduce himself to Bruno had a sour expression as he drank from the crystal ss, which contained wine. Murmuring something two faced or another about Bruno behind the man''s back as he walked away.


    It was not long before Bruno met with his father who was surrounded by his wife, and eight other children. Several of which Bruno had neither seen nor heard from since theirst gathering as a family during the previous year.


    Among their ranks were his old childhood rivals, if you could even call them that, Ludwig and Kurt. Both of which were also dressed in uniforms from the Army. But they werecking both rank and distinction. As they were mere captains, having gained their ranks not through battle like Bruno had in China, but simply from time in service.


    The only medal they had pinned to their chests was the one given out to all service members shortly before Bruno graduated from the officer''s academy, which was a medal issued by the Kaiser as amemoration of his grandfather''s hundredth birthday. Or what would have been his hundredth birthday if he was still alive at the time.


    There was very clear evidence of jealousy and bitterness in their eyes as they gazed upon Bruno''s rank and distinctions, which he had earned throughbat. But the two of them did not say anything as their younger brother introduced himself properly to his father.


    "Sorry for thete arrival, Father. We had a bit of a minor incident prior to heading out. But we are here now, so I hope you won''t hold me too ountable."


    Bruno Sr. gazed upon his son, in his military uniform, and was quick topliment on his achievements on the battlefield.


    "My son, a general at the age of twenty-five. You have no idea how proud of you your mother and I are, Bruno!"


    Speaking of his mother, the woman was standing by her husband. If it weren''t for the fact that her hair had greyed, as she was now in her mid-fifties. One would suspect she was only now turning 40.


    For whatever reason, she aged extremely well, and those genes had apparently carried over into her children. Many of which were approaching their forties themselves, but still looked a decade younger.


    The mature beauty was quick to hug her youngest son and drag him into her embrace. Something which caused all of her other sons to roll their eyes. No matter how old Bruno was, their mother would still baby him as the youngest of them all.


    "There''s my baby boy! You little brat! You have been neglectful towards your mother!"


    Bruno couldn''t help but sigh as he broke away from his mother''s embrace, who continued to struggle, even as he pushed her away.


    "Mother! Calm yourself! For Christ''s sake, you are hosting a public event, so act with some ss!"


    The woman could only shamelessly pout as her youngest son refused to let her embarrass him any further. An act which gained a collective sigh from her husband and all nine of her sons. Even Heidi sighed before introducing herself to her mother-inw.


    "Mother, it has been too long. You are looking as lovely as ever..."


    Elsa couldn''t help but hug Heidi as well, while Bruno snickered at her. Of all of her son''s wives, Heidi was without a doubt her favorite. Probably because she married her favorite son. And she was quick to make this known, despite everyone else already being aware of it.


    "There''s my beloved daughter! You really have been keeping your distancetely haven''t you? And where are my grandkids!"


    All three of Bruno''s children, even the youngest who was named after her grandmother, looked aggrieved as they received hugs and kisses from the woman. Until, of course, she was pulled away by her husband who forced her to calm down.


    "Alright, that''s enough Elsa, we get it. You missed Bruno and his family. Now, can we please conduct ourselves with some proper civility?"


    Elsa couldn''t help but sigh, as she recovered instantly from her overly affectionate behavior and shamelessly denied ever behaving as such.


    "I am sure I don''t know what you are talking about. Now that Bruno has arrived, how about you all go and enjoy yourselves? There will be much for us to discuss at dinner. In the meantime, I am sure you all are all dying to mingle with each other. It is, after all rare for us to be together as a family like this!"


    With this said, Bruno walked off with his family to the edge of the festivities, sitting down exhausted from this brief exchange with his mother, father, and brothers. While Heidi fetched him a beer. As for his kids, they yed among themselves, seemingly isted from the other children their age who were at the event.


    He nned to sit it out and wait until everything was over like he did everywhere. But unfortunately, his fame was far greater now than it was in the past. And there were several distant rtives who couldn''t help but introduce themselves. Some of which had shameful


    intentions.


    For example, his aunt on his mother''s side approached Bruno with her teenage daughter in tow. The girl was quite like her mother. Insofar that she was quite pretty, with red hair and green eyes. But Bruno took no interest in her, even as the girl''s mother rambled on about how much the young girl admired him and his exploits.


    It was clear that the girl was anxious, nervous, and embarrassed by her mother and her shameless statements. Naturally, this was only one of many indicators that caused Bruno to understand that everything his aunt said was utter bullshit.


    There was only one reason the woman was acting this way. She shamefully wanted to get Bruno to either engage his son to her daughter, or take the girl as his mistress. Neither of which Bruno had any intention of doing.


    Luckily for him, Heidi returned before long with the beers, and because of this the man''s aunt as well as her teenage daughter fled together like cockroaches that had been exposed to sunlight. Despite this, Heidi couldn''t help but make a joke at Bruno''s expense.


    "That girl was quite pretty. Are you sure you''re not searching for a mistress? The girl''s mother seemed awfully keen on selling her to you for the right price!"


    Bruno could tell by the smirk on his wife''s face that she was clearly trying to antagonize him. No doubt because she knew his personality when it came to stuff like this. And because of this, he stood up and flicked her forehead, before seizing one of the beers from her hand. Which Bruno took severalrge gulps of before finally responding to his wife''s sarcastic


    remarks.


    "Oh, please.... Harems are nothing more than the perverted fantasies of teenage boys. The idea of having multiple beautiful women attend to your desires might seem like something great in theory. But the reality is that it is simply exhausting to support more than one woman


    and her emotional needs.


    Besides, if I really wanted such a thing, there were more than a few beautiful and exotic women in Asia that were quite willingly throwing themselves at me. Even the Royal Family of Japan seemed interested in the idea. Why on earth would I do something as cliched as taking my cousin as my mistress? I might be a nobleman, but I''m not a Habsburg." After saying this, Bruno walked away from Heidi, smirking, as he knew that she was pouting


    at his remarks. The rest of his day would be one that was purely tiresome from his perspective. That is until the big announcement was made at the dinner feast.

 Chapter 52: The Family Business Part I

    Chapter 52: The Family Business Part I


    ?


    Dealing with this family was an exhausting feat. Especially after having juste back from the war in Manchuria no more than a week prior. In the past, however, it was more tolerable. As those at the gathering generally left him and his family alone.


    But Bruno''s recent infamy as a fearsome general within the German Army had caused all kinds of pests to flock to his side. Cousins he didn''t even know he had, as well as the families of those they were engaged tried their best to establish ties with the man.


    In fact, Bruno could have sworn this was thergest family gathering yet. And though his father may think that was something to be prideful about, as it meant their power and prestige were growing. Bruno found it nothing but irksome.


    There were simply too many here who had posed no actual benefit to the family. Leeches, sucking away at the family''s fame and fortune. It was truly a troublesome matter, one if it had been left to Bruno''s hands would have resulting a culling so to speak.


    But the man managed, as best he could, at least to entertain these leeches and vultures. Making no promises, but rather paying them mere lip service, as that was the most respect they deserved from him. As for Bruno''s wife, she was always nearby, clinging to his side.


    Not only to make sure that none of these little hussies could manipte her man, or ckmail Bruno into doing something he shouldn''t. But also simply because Heidi found it to be her duty as a wife to share the social burdens her husband was forced to bear.


    Meanwhile, Eva, Erwin, and Elsa gathered with the other children. Who in the past had made fun of them for their mother''s questionable heritage. But now they weren''t saying anything. In fact, they seemed quite timid, afraid even.


    Though it was nice to no longer have to listen to the brats whisper in the background. It was almost equally as irritating for them to behave like the three of Bruno''s children were some kind of monsters that they had to be very careful around.


    The three kids, of course could not understand the lengths to which their father had gone to in order to protect them. Lengths that may have caused these spoiled little noble children to be fearful. Either way, Bruno could only keep an eye on his kids for so often.


    Eventually, after drinking six beers in the span of two hours, and smoking an entire pack of cigarettes. Bruno found an opportunity to escape from the leeches and vultures of the party which had flocked to his side.


    And that came in the form of his eldest brother Franz. The man approached Bruno as several women of varying ages tried to get in the young general''s good graces. No doubt the man intervened because of the fact that Heidi looked like she was about to snap. To say that she had "stabbing vibes" was an understatement.


    Perhaps it was because of this that Franz put on a polite fa?ade as he asked the women to allow him some proper time alone with his brother.


    "Pardon me,dies. I do not wish to interrupt the fun you seem to be having with my youngest brother. But the Generalleutnant and I need to have a word alone. It''s a family matter you see..."


    The women naturally did not stand on ceremony, and thanked Franz for his kindness as they walked away. Leaving Bruno and Heidi alone with Franz. Who once he was sure nobody was listening reached into his coat pocket and grabbed a pack of cigarettes, offering one to Bruno as he expressed his true thoughts aloud.


    "Fucking harlots, trying to con a married man into sleeping with them and in front of the man''s wife no less. Utterly disgraceful... I see you have had your own troubles little brother. Since you appear to be out of cigarettes would you like one of mine?"


    Bruno did not even respond as he grabbed a cigarette from the pack his brother was holding out in front of him and lit it ame before taking a long drag. Once he exhaled arge plume of smoke to the wayside, he was quick to ask his oldest brother bluntly what was so important that he would go out of his way to help his youngest brother.


    "And to what do I owe the pleasure? If you think I''m indebted to you because of this matter, I will assure you I was handling things just fine without your interference...."


    Franz chuckled and shook his head, before voicing his thoughts on his youngest brother and the man''s arrogant attitude.


    "Paranoid until the bitter end, aren''t you? Believe it or not, Bruno, we''re not all out to get you... I mean, don''t get me wrong, those little shits Julian and Kurt. I''m sure they have something nned forter this evening to humiliate you and your family. But I don''t care about the petty jealousy of those fools.


    No, I''m far more interested in the little genius of the family. I get the feeling that you have other designs in mind that you are hiding away, no doubt for the future. Am I right? How about I buy them from you? And I don''t mean the pittance I paid you for the previous ones. What do you say?"


    Pittance? Did this man realize what he was saying? The money which his brother had paid him years ago was by no means a small fortune. Just how wealthy was the von Zehntner family to consider such a vast sum a pittance?


    If the current exchange was roughly 4 German Marks for every U.S. Dor, then Bruno had received over 2.8 million German Marks for the designs he gave his family. Sure, when these weapons finally entered service, and were produced in the millions for use in the German Army, they would no doubt generate a significantlyrger sum for the von Zehntner family.


    But even so, if adjusted for intion, then the fortune his brother had given him would have been the equivalent of over 25 million dors in 2024. And Bruno had already invested a significant amount of this money into domestic and foreign industries. Whether it was those German, Swiss, and Austrian corporations that would one day be known across the world.


    Or those from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, et cetera. Bruno had invested arge portion of his money into the global market, and in doing so secured the wealth of his family for the decades toe.


    Despite this, Bruno reserved a significant amount of the money his brother had given him for his own personal ventures. After all, there were many designs that Bruno had in mind which his family''s current arms factories were simply incapable of producing.


    They were, after all designed with producing small arms and artillery in mind. But machines of war? Well, that was a future industry that had not yet be a reality outside of naval warfare. And it was a much more profitable industry at that.


    For example, Bruno began acquiring factories, tooling, engineers, machinists, et cetera together for the purpose of building his own military industrial corporation. While there was no doubt that his oldest brother Franz would be inheriting the vast majority, if not all the von Zehntner family''s wealth, and industry upon the death of their father.


    The reality was that Bruno had only given his brother designs that were suitable for their family''s current factories. No doubt these would be important weapons for theing war. And would generate an immense profit over theing decades.


    But there were still three areas of industry for the German War Machine, that the corporation known as Waffenwerke von Zehntner were not involved with. One of those industries had yet to be even developed. As the invention of the airne was still a rtively recent


    phenomenon.


    Bruno intended to begin the production of aircraft for military use in theing years. But it was not just military aircraft that Bruno intended to begin the production of, rather he also intended to have factories for the manufacture of armored vehicles as well. In addition to this, he had begun acquiringnd to construct a naval shipyard at.


    In essence, Bruno intended to leave his extended family with the production of things like rifles, machine guns, pistols, grenades, mortars, rocketunchers, and artillery. While he took over the heavy industry of making aircraft, armored vehicles, and ships. That was, after all, where the real money was at when it came to the military industrialplex. After all, the price per tank was significantly higher than that of the price per artillery piece. Let alone when one beganparing aircraft and naval vessels. And it was with all of this in mind that Bruno simply smirked at his brother and flicked his cigarette to the ground. Which he stomped out after finishing it. His words were quite smug as he informed his brother that he indeed had plenty of designs in mind, but they were for his own use only.


    "Oh, dearest brother, you are correct to assume that I have so much more in this head of mine. But I have ns of my own for the future. After all, it wouldn''t be fair if I simply gave you all of my fortune generating ideas for, as you describe a mere pittance.


    Though I must thank you, thepensation you gave me for my previous blueprints has indeed gone a long way towards making me and my family very wealthy for generations to


    come.


    Still... There are some things I have nned for the near future that you might be able to help me with. I''ll send them over to you when I am done with them. As for the price, that can be negotiated upon when I am finished with the initial drafts.


    Nowe along Heidi, there are still many family members I have yet to speak with. And time waits for no man!"


    After saying this, Bruno walked off, leaving Franz to sigh and shake his head. He had tried, but


    in the end, Bruno had his own ns. It was a pity. He was even willing to go so far as to give


    the boy part ownership of the familypany after their father died.


    Still, he couldn''t help but wonder to what heights this genius little brother of his would rise to in theing years. And because of that, Franz wasn''t the least bit mad at Bruno.

 Chapter 53: The Family Business Part II

    Chapter 53: The Family Business Part II


    ?


    Hours passed and by the time the evening arrived the grand banquet had begun. As a member of the main branch of the von Zehntner family, Bruno was naturally seated at what one could call the primary attraction. Which was arge table in the center of the venue meant for Bruno, his eight brothers, their wives, and his parents.


    As for the children, they were off at a various tables meant for the younger generations of the main family. In addition to this, there were side tables set up throughout the area where the branch families and other vaunted guests were sitting.


    Servants would run throughout the venue, providing various food trays, as well as refilling the drinks of the guests. It was a feast of epic proportions, one which Bruno was all too familiar with considering he grew up in a noble household.


    And as Bruno silently ate his food, while his wife Heidi mingled with his family on his behalf. His father gathered everyone''s attention by clinging his fork to a ss. Immediately, any conversation that was being had in the room went silent, as all eyes gathered towards the table where the main family sat.


    Its patriarch stood up and began to announce the reason why he had gathered everyone here, or at least why the date had been moved up so early.


    "I would like to thank those of you who could make it today. And extend my best wishes to those members of our family and our friends who were invited but otherwise could not attend today''s gathering.


    As always, we gather together as a family once per year, where we chat among ourselves and build connections that otherwise would not ur without our little reunions. And every year I make a little toast to you all, and all that you have aplished.


    But today, I want to be a little selfish, and make a toast to a member of my own immediate family, rather than all of you. Over the years, my various sons have gone on to aplish great things. Some are naturally more than others.


    However, there is one of my children who has performed so admirably, that not only has the Kaiser set his eyes upon him but so has a Foreign Monarch. Who I have recently been extended an invitation to visit his realm as a show of thanks towards the effort of my son in question.


    For those who aren''t aware, my youngest son Bruno has recently been promoted to the rank of Generalleutenant, a rank which will entail far greater responsibilities with his job at the German Army''s High Command.


    He has also been awarded a great honor by Emperor Meiji of Japan. No doubt many of you have seen the foreign medal pinned to my son''s chest!. Well, I assure you that this is an award which the Empire of Japan grants to soldiers for their valor in the field.


    It is for this reason which I have moved up the date of this gathering. As my son will be forced to return to his duties sometime next week. And considering he has just returned from the war in Manchuria, as well as having just been promoted by the Kaiser I felt we should all take a moment to honor this esteemed member of our family. Who has in his short military career climbed to greater heights than any of our ancestors! Congrattions, my son, on your victory!"


    Bruno was forced to stand and bask in the praise given to him by his extended family. His father''s words were quite excessive, but there were no lies within them. Bruno had helped the Japanese achieve a great victory at Mukden.


    But it was a victory they would have won regardless of his interference in the matter. All he had really done was speed up an end to the Russo-Japanese war. Something that would have massive consequences on the timeline.


    Consequences that Bruno could not easily predict. Because of this, he remained quite humble as he stood up and assured everyone that he had done nothing spectacr.


    "Though your praise is wee, I fear it is a bit too much. I only did my duty as requested by the Kaiser and his General Staff. Regardless of my contributions, it was inevitable that the Empire of Japan would win their war with the Russians."


    After saying this, Bruno sat down and drank from the liter of beer he had been served with dinner. Though he had told the truth, his family did not believe them. Rather, they saw his remarks as an act of humility. I mean, how could the Japanese ever defeat the Russians without the support which the Reich had given them?


    And that was most definitely the view that many Europeans had on the Russo-Japanese war. Victory at Port Arthur, and Mukden, did not belong to the Japanese, but rather to the German Reich, and the General they had sent to aid the minor empire.


    It was definitely a matter that createdplex feelings for the Empire of Japan. Although on the one hand, they were thankful to the material aid which their allies in the German Reich provided to them. As well as the contributions which their military advisors had made in the war effort.


    There were indeed those among the Japanese Royal Family, as well as the Empire''s military leadership that felt their pride had been wounded by these things. Needless to say, rtions between the Empire of Japan and the German Reich were contingent upon the rtionship between Kaiser Wilhelm II and Emperor Meiji.


    But what would happen when Meiji died in 1912? Even Bruno was not sure if the Japanese Emperor''s sessor would honor his father''s wishes. Or instead hold personal animosity towards the German Reich for taking the credit at Port Arthur and Mukden.


    Regardless of these future developments, Bruno''s stock within his family, and the German Reich in general was at an all-time high. And because of this, the rest of the family gathering was spent in his honor.


    Bruno would eventually return to his own personal home with his familyter that night with his wife and children. All of which were thoroughly exhausted by the events of the day. Heidi would quickly help the children get to bed before asking Bruno if he nned to do the same.


    "Are youing to bed, dear?"


    Despite himself being quite tired by today''s events. Bruno had other ns. At least for the next two hours, he would get to work on the first of his next ns for the German War Machine. Because of this, he shook his head before responding to Heidi''s question.


    "I have a few work matters to attend to. I''ll be up for another two hours at thetest. You can go to sleep before me..."


    Heidi pouted, but did not make a move to stop Bruno from getting some work done. She did not know what was so important that he had to stay up until midnight. But if Bruno didn''t want to tell her about it, then she did not need to know.


    Because of this she climbed into bed, while Bruno got started on designing the engine that would make German Air Supremacy something that wouldst for the entire duration of the Great War that was toe.


    The Powertrain used for this mechanical bird which would rule the skies had been known as the BMW VI. It was a water cooled v-12 engine built during the interwar period of Bruno''s past


    life.


    And while it was by no means something that could be usedpetitively in the second world war that would follow. For the Great War, it was well beyond anything that would be fielded


    by his enemies.


    In addition to this, Bruno came up with an aircraft machine gun for use in his future warnes. While the MG-34 was considered a universal machine gun, insofar as it could fulfill most military applications. 8mm machine guns that were equipped as the primary weapons of interwar era aircraft required a more unique solution.


    Unlike the Engine, and the aircraft which it would be built around. Bruno did not intend to manufacture these machine guns, which were based on the MG-17 himself. And instead would gift his older brother Franz with the designs, as small arms were more of what Waffenwerke von Zehntner specialized in.


    That wasn''t Bruno''s only reason for sending these designs to his brother, and the arms corporation which he ran. After all, Waffenwerke von Zehntner owned many of the patents involved with making the MG-34.


    And many of the principles used in the MG-17 aircraft machine gun had been taken from the MG-30 and MG-15 designs from Bruno''s past life. Which themselves were partially carried


    over in the creation of the MG-34.


    Because Bruno had given the rights of the MG-34 to his family''s arms corporation, they had the patents for several of the designs used within the MG-17. Thus simply making it easier for him to contract the guns used in his future aircraft designs from his brother.


    Still, Bruno did note close topleting either design with the two hours he had given himself on this night. And instead climbed not to bed after the time was up like he had promised. He would spend the next week making these two blueprints. As for when they could enter production? Only time would tell.

 Chapter 54: The Might of German Steel

    Chapter 54: The Might of German Steel


    ?


    It took a few days'' worth of effort, but in the end the MG 17, and the BMW VI blueprints werepleted. Or at the very least, the initial draft of them was done. Again, with all of Bruno''s designs they would need to undergo extensive modifications and testing in order to be fit for service. But at the very least, they could build a functional prototype for both off of these devices.


    The reality was that not a single nation had established an air force yet. In fact, the idea of using aircraft for military applications was still several years away. And it was because of this that Bruno wanted to keep the creation of the German Luftstreitkr?fte a secret from the rest of the world for now.


    After all, the first use of military aviation in Bruno''s past life came in 1909 when the US Army purchased a Wright Model A for use in its signal corps. But that was still several years away. If the other great powers realized that the Germans had begun construction of aircraft for military purposes then it would no doubt result in a major arms race.


    Because of this, Bruno wanted to begin development and testing in secret. And he had purchased quite a decent plot ofnd for this purpose. Not only was his aviation manufacturing nt established on thisnd, but so was a small airfield which could be used to test the equipment.


    This was in addition to the secondary plot ofnd that Bruno establish a manufacturing nt on for the sake of producing armored vehicles. He had acted swiftly upon gaining the funds to do so from his brother as a reward for giving his family''s arms corporation the designs for the next generation of small arms and artillery.


    With this money secured, Bruno bought up thend that was ideal for this purpose, and began the construction of these manufacturing nts and testing grounds. By now, after several years had passed, the nts were fully operational, and the staff were employed, trained, and ready to begin working on the secretive projects.


    All that was needed was for Bruno to give them the initial drafts of the weapons they intended to perfect and produce.


    The first thing that Bruno wanted to produce was an aircraft that fulfilled four distinctive roles in the military. The ne in question could function as either a reconnaissance aircraft, or a dedicated fighter. It could operate as a ground support craft with the use of bombs, or it could be used as a floatne for naval operations. What role it carried out depended on the variant which was manufactured.


    While there were better interwar designs to choose from, Bruno had opted for the versatility of the HE-51 tform. It was after all an interwar design, with a superior engine, fire control systems that were integrated into the cockpit of the pilot, and was made out of aluminum rather than wood and canvas like the vast majority, if not all the Great War Era fighters had been.


    Sure, it wasn''t the best option if Bruno was preparing for the Second World War. But the year was 1904. If he was preparing for the Great War, then this was an excellent ne for the job. And it could be outfitted for multiple roles. It was because of this that Bruno was so hellbent on this aircraft.


    Naturally, it would be ideal if he could create a dedicated strategic bomber as well. But frankly, he first needed to prove to the world that aluminum framed aircraft were indeed capable of flight.


    After all, he was basically advancing the world of aviation by 20 to 30 years with the introduction of the HE-51. And if Bruno wanted to secure support from the German army for the further development of such weapons. Then he would need to prove that his theories were indeed correct in the first ce.


    Aside from the HE-51, Bruno also began the production of the world''s first tank. Tanks were weapons that were introduced at the end of the Great War. While the Entente had fielded thousands of such weapons by the time the Armistice was dered. The Germans had managed to manufacture a grand total of 20 tanks for the war effort.


    They instead relied on Anti-Tank warfare with the use of their Mauser Tankgewehr M1918. Which proved quite effective in the field, with the German Army reportedly taking out a significant chunk of the Entente''s tank corps by the time the war came to an end.


    But in this life, Bruno would be the first to introduce the tank. After all, Great War Era tanks could be equated to armored tractors. They wererge, poorly designed, cumbersome devices that often got stuck in the mud of the trenches, and could even be disabled with something as simple as grenades being stuck to the tracks as they plowed over a trench.


    In addition to this they were made from riveted armor, often in shapes that had no chance of deflecting oing rounds. Making it incredibly easy for a scaled up Mauser like the Tankgewehr M1918 which was chambered in the hefty 13.2mm TuF cartridge to prate through and kill the crew inside.


    Hell, the m2 Browning and it''s .50 BMG cartridge was designed at the end of the war specifically to deal with tanks. Only for them to be rapidly be improved upon to the point where it could no longer fulfill its intended purpose.


    But Bruno knew how tanks would develop in the future. And intended to make what was effectively the best, and most cost effective tank design that could be fielded prior to things like the invention ofposite armor, and imaging devices which became standard almost immediately after WW2. Both of which required advanced materials which the world did not currently possess the ability to manufacture.


    For the purposes of the Great War, a Medium Tank like the Panzer V Panther was simply overkill. No, what Bruno wanted to produce was a tank that existed entirely on paper during his past life. Having been a post-war modification of a Second World War German Prototype. In 1945, with the waring to an end, the German Army decided for whatever reason to spend a significant amount of resources developing tanks to rece their entire lineup. Everything from light tanks used in renaissance to super heavy tanks which were impossible to field in any practical sense.


    These prototype designs, if you can even call them that, as they only existed on paper. Were known as the Entwicklung series, or the E-Series for short. The smallest of which was the E-10 which was designed to weigh between 10 to 25 tons.


    The actual E-10 was designed to rece the Jagdpanzer 38 tank destroyer. However, post war enthusiasts came up with a variant of the tank which made use of the 1942 Prototype VK 16.02 Leopard light tank''s turret. Which contained a 5cm main gun along with a coaxially mounted 7.92mm MG 34 machine gun.


    What were the advantages of such a tank? Well aside from its torsion bar suspension, which made it easy to produce, and from cheap materials, unlike previous designs which required more rare metals which the Reich did not posess in significant quantity.


    It was also designed on a proven, reliable, and easy to maintain 80 centimeter ovepping steel-rimmed wheels for their suspension, taken from the Tiger series of tanks. Not only that, but the E-series tanks made use of thicker nted armor.


    Which for Bruno''s designs were made out of cold Rolled homogeneous armour. This was an armor system significantly stronger than the riveted steel tes that Great War designs, and manyter interwar designs made use of.


    This type of armor was only second to modernposite armor. Which Bruno did not have the means to make. Because of this, these tanks would be virtually indestructible on a great war battlefield. The only thing his enemies would really be capable of using to destroy one would be a direct hit from an artillery piece.


    Not only that, but the 5cm gun, while light by Second World War standards was more than enough to punch through entente armor and defensive fortifications. On top of all of these benefits, the most beautiful thing about these tanks is that no matter howrge he scaled them up in size, they could be made on the same assembly line, with the same production


    methods.


    Meaning that even in next few decades when Bruno was eventually preparing for the possibility of a second world war. The Medium, Heavy, and Super heavy tanks of the higher weight sses, as well as any variation which the chassis was used for such as Armored Personnel Carriers, Infantry Fighting Vehicles, self-Propelled artillery, and kpanzers were all built with the same production line. Allowing for peak modrity and efficiency in their construction.


    To put it simply, with this single tank design, Bruno had ensured the German Army was not only equipped with significant advantages in the Great War that was toe. But also for the Second World War that had the potential to follow even if the German Reich emerged victorious in the next decade.


    Either way, Bruno looked forward to seeing these weapons used on the battlefield. And how quickly they could allow for a German victory. Ultimately, a Blitzkrieg was still not possible in 1914. Not unless the entire means of German military transportation and logistics was mechanized by them. Which even if Bruno was a reincarnate, achieving this was simply not possible in the timeframe he had been given.


    It was because of this, that Bruno intended in theing years to convince the German High Command to adopt a defensive strategy, preparing for the war with extensive fortifications around the German Reich to bleed the enemy dry, while preparing as much armor as possible for the eventual day when the offensive would finally be taken.


    Only then would he reveal these machines of war, and how devastating they would prove to be against the bitter, battered, and exhausted Entente forces. How quickly would Paris fall under the might of German Steel when the day finally arrived? It was a question that Bruno was personally excited to see the answer to.

 Chapter 55: The Russian Revolution Continues

    Chapter 55: The Russian Revolution Continues


    ?


    As Bruno was entertaining his family at their yearly gathering and spending the next week designing machines that would usher in a new era of warfare. Russia was in chaos. The initial rioting undertaken by Marxists after the failures of the Russian Army in Manchuria, as well as the massacre of violent protesters by Imperial troops had turned into a full scale revolution. Armories were looted by the Marxist rebels, the so called Red Army, while the Tsar tried his best to maintain peace and order through the use of absolute force. Funny thing about using force to suppress the people when they were venting their grievances through violence. It often times had the opposite effect as intended.


    For every Marxist killed in the revolution, the papers, or at least those that were printing underground after the Tsar began to suppress the press for inciting revolution, spun tales of peaceful protesters being bayted in the streets by Tsarist loyalists known as the "ck Hundreds."


    This sparked outrage not only in the Mothend, but abroad as well as foreign interests such as private corporations with sympathies towards Marxism began to funnel in cash flow to the rebels so they could secure more arms from the international ck market.


    There were also several other wealthy individuals who, for reasons other than beingmunists supported the Bolshevik revolution, such as being anti-Monarchist, pro- democracy, or outright just hating the Tsar for personal reasons.


    Blood flowed through the streets as the ck Hundreds, alongside forces of the Tsar stood off against the various revolutionary groups. All of which had some ties to Marxist philosophy.


    The cruelty which these Loyalist Militias engaged in when it came to suppressing suspected Marxists only further brought sympathy to themunists by themon man. And because of this, the moment that Bruno returned to his post at the Central Division of the German Army''s High Command he found that the Kaiser was standing in the main office, conversing with his Field Marshals.


    Men such as the Chief of Staff Alfred von Schlieffen, and the infamous Field Marshal August von Mackensen voiced their opinions on the Russian Revolution. Both of which were at odds on how to handle the matter. Alfred von Schlieffen saw this as an opportunity to weaken the Tsar and the Russian Armed Forces.


    By now, it was starting to appear that a major war would break out between the Great Powers sooner orter. This fear had been in the minds of German strategists ever since the Franco- Russian alliance was formed in 1894. But it would not be until a yearter where the Schlieffen n was formed to counter this.


    The Schlieffen n of course resulting in abject failure during Bruno''s past life at the Second Battle of the Marne, which resulted in years of brutal trench warfare on the Western Front. Fundamentally, the Schlieffen n was created to knock France out of the War early by marching German troops through Belgium so the focus of the German military could be centered on a single front with Russia.


    This obviously did not go as nned, instead provoking the UK to join the war. Only further adding to the death, despair and chaos of the Western Front. Something that would eventually lead to the defeat of the Central Powers in 1918.


    Naturally, because of the Schlieffen n''s failures, and the disastrous results that followed, it was Bruno''s intent to undermine it entirely so that the German Army did not make such mistakes in this life.


    Speaking of mistakes made by the German Reich, in 1917, as the second Russian Revolution broke out, the Kaiser opted to supply the Bolsheviks with arms. The reason for this was not ideological sympathies but rather naivety.


    The Kaiser had assumed that the Bolsheviks would fail to topple the Tsar and the Romanov dynasty. But at the very least, they would cause problems for the Russian Army, which the German Army could capitalize on to end the conflict in the Eastern Theatre.


    The indirect result of which was the formation of the Soviet Union. Something which had disastrous consequences for the entire world during Bruno''s past life. And currently, Schlieffen was expressing a simr intent.


    "Quite frankly, your majesty, I do not agree with Generalfeldmarschall von Mackensen and his perspective. This rag-tag group of rebels has no chance of defeating the Russian Army, and the Loyalist militias that have formed in support of them. All we will be doing by giving them military aid is ensuring that the Russian Army is in worse shape when the war with France finally arrives!"


    Having just entered the room to witness the discussion between the Kaiser and multiple German Generals, Bruno felt the need to voice his input on this matter as he announced his presence by doing so.


    "Oh? On the contrary, I fear you underestimate the will of the people. The hatred that the Russians have for the Tsar isn''t some matter that can easily be resolved. If you give the Bolsheviks weapons and munitions to fight against their masters, then you will only be igniting a powder keg, one that I fear would create a fearsome enemy not just for the German Reich but for all of humanity."


    The Generals all looked at Bruno who had entered the scene. Though Bruno immediately countered the Chief of Staff''s position, the man was not as angry with him as he would have been in the past. After all, he no longer saw Bruno as a man unbefitting of his position. Rather, Alfred von Schlieffen now was in agreement with the Kaiser insofar that Bruno was an exceptional talent, one who may one day take over his position when he eventually retired. And because of this, he listened to the young general''s position on the matter at hand. Quickly asking for him to borate further on what he knew of the matter.


    "An interesting perspective. But I do find it hard to believe that these rebels would defeat the Tsar and his army. How can you be so certain of your ims?"


    Bruno scoffed as he walked over to the war table, which represented the various factions in y during the ongoing Russian Revolution. He was quick to make a bold statement that caused all the Generals to look at Bruno in awe.


    "Why wouldn''t I be certain of my ims? This is, after all my doing. Had I not been so ruthless in the pursuit of crushing the Russian Army at Mukden down to thest man, then by all means this revolution would be far more tame.


    After all, it was inevitable that the Japanese would emerge victorious in their war with Russia. But not so soon, and not with such an overwhelming disy of power. The loss which the Russians have sustained at my hand has been humiliating in ways that perhaps only the French can understand.


    It has also been a disy of Russian ipetency, or more specifically that of its leadership. This has sparked a far greater resentment among the Russian people for their monarch and the nobles beneath him. If we do not restore the people''s faith in the Tsar, then they will flock to the Bolsheviks who oppose him.


    Therefore, I suggest we begin sending rifles, artillery, and munitions, as much as we can afford to aid the Tsarist forces in their attempts to put down this rebellion once and for all. Your majesty, surely you understand that this is a valuable opportunity to repair the rtions with your cousin do you not? After all, I do not see their allies in France lifting a helping hand now that the Tsar is in need of it."


    The Kaiser''s eyes lit up in understanding after hearing these wordse from Bruno''s mouth. He couldn''t believe what he was hearing, but Bruno was right. After what happened in China, and the following events in Manchuria. The Kaiser honestly believed any chance of returning to normal rtions with the Russian Empire was impossible.


    But if Germany made the first move to support the Tsar in his time of need, before the rest of Europe could react, especially the French, then would that not be a sign of friendship, rather than the previous animosity shared between them?


    As for Alfred von Schleiffen, and August von Mackensen, they were far more observant of the words Bruno had used. They understood immediately that Bruno had used Mukden as a way to foster as much hatred against the Tsar as possible. No doubt as an attempt to lure out the Marxist leaders from hiding and exile so that he could obliterate them now rather than worry about them being a nuisanceter on.


    It was clear to them both that for whatever reason Bruno had an immense hatred for Marxism, and those who adhered to its ideology. They did not necessarily know why this was the case. But they now understood that Bruno was ying a game of chess on a global stage, and he was about 100 turns ahead of everyone else.


    To urately predict everything that hade to pass, and to make moves in preparation for it. It was truly a masterful disy. But it was not until August von Mackensen spoke up did everyone realize the full extent of Bruno''s preparations.


    "And I presume, this is where you say that we should ship all of our old rifles to the Tsar and his forces so that we can purchase those new semi-automatic weapons Waffenwerke von


    Zehntner is developing to rece them?"


    Bruno was obviously surprised by this statement, as was everyone else in the room. But he was surprised for reasons that were different from the others. That is, until the old general chuckled at his expressions before exining how he knew about this matter. "What, kid? You didn''t know that your father once served beneath mymand? We have remained in contact over the years, and he has told me all about those new rifles. They are your design are they not?"


    A functional semi-automatic rifle chambered in the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge for standard infantry use that could prove to be reliable in the field? When did such a thinge


    into existence?


    And Bruno had designed these rifles? Very few people knew about this matter. Sure, they had been in development since 1901, and were only now reaching a state of functionality where they could undergo thorough field testing.


    As a result, it had not even been brought up as a matter to the Military or the politicians in the Bundesrat. Thus why everyone was shocked by this sudden revtion. And curious about what the two generals were talking about. A discussion that revealed how long Bruno had been


    preparing for this day.


    Of course, nobody could know that these preparations were not made for the Russian Revolution, but the Great War that was toe in the following decade.

 Chapter 56: Formation of the Iron Brigade Part I

    Chapter 56: Formation of the Iron Brigade Part I


    ?


    Following the discussion between Bruno and the rest of the German High Command. A correspondence was made between the Kaiser and the Tsar. Where the German Reich presented an unexpected offer to send rifles, munitions, and artillery to the Russian Empire and its forces. One that the Tsar was quick to ept as a token of friendship.


    After all, the war was not going as well for him as he had wanted the rest of the world to believe. In the months since Mukden, the Bolsheviks had grown in numbers, from initially a few thousand rioters to tens of thousands of revolutionaries.


    With the disaster at Mukden, causing the loss of roughly 300,000 Russian soldiers. The remaining 400,000 or so soldiers who had been stationed in the east were immediately transferred west for the purpose ofbating the Bolshevik revolution.


    But the Marxists were bold. Choosing to fight not in the field, but in the streets where they could blend in with ordinary civilians. All the while Loyalist Militias patrolled the same streets, taking the brunt of the casualties which the Marxists inflicted upon the Tsarist forces via ambushing tactics.


    Considering the Tsar couldn''t very well shell his own towns, which the rebels inhabited. The result was that the Russian Army had to force their way into the homes of private citizens in an attempt to gather evidence of revolutionary activity where those apprehended would be executed publically via firing squads.


    Of course, this created even more problems than it solved. Not only did this cause further resentment to the Tsar and his loyalists from the Russian people. But also spurred many of the Soldiers in the Russian Army to defect to the Red Army.


    No doubt these men were already disgruntled by their poor performance in Manchuria, and upset over the Tsar''s inability to avenge their fallen brothers at Mukden. But this? This was the final straw.


    Because of this, the German Army and the rest of the world were watching Russia with great interest as the war continued to devolve into further chaos. Currently, Bruno was standing in the Central Division of German High Command, where he wasmenting on the progression of the conflict.


    Despite intial efforts over the past month to ship weapons to the Tsar and his forces. Many of the weapons delivered had ended up in the hands of the Red Army rather than their intended targets.


    Whether this happened via traitors in the ranks of the Russian Army''s logisticswork, or was simply caused by defectors who epted the stockpiles of German weapons before outright abandoning their posts to join the enemy. It didn''t really matter. At the end of the day, only a fraction of the equipment shipped to Russia was now in the hands of the Tsarist Forces.


    Because of this, Bruno pushed the wooden pieces representing the Red Army''s forces into position outside Saint Petersburg on the map, where much of the Marxist activity was taking ce. He made a bold prediction to the other generals of the German Army, one that they found hard to believe.


    "By the time winter ends, Saint Petersburg will have fallen into Bolshevik hands. As will most of Ingria. If that were to happen, then the Tsar will lose one of his major ports and, by extension ess to the Baltic.


    Moreover, a Bolshevik capture of Saint Petersburg would mean that friendly forces overseas, and you know the ones I am talking about, will be able to actively contribute to the Red Army''s war efforts. Thus creating further problems for the Tsar and his forces."


    While it was hard to believe that the Russian city of Saint Petersburg would fall into the hands of the Bolsheviks. Things had ultimately changed in this timeline. The Russian Revolution of 1905 started a year early and was far more akin to the conflict in 1917 which itself would spiral into Russian Civil War during Bruno''s past life.


    Because of this, Burno wanted to put an end to this rebellion before it engulfed the entirety of the Russian Empire, and worse yet spread Marxist sentiment to Europe. As had happened after the Russian Empire and the briefly lived Russian Republic copsed towards the end of the Great War in his past life.


    After expressing this sentiment, and his reasonings as to why the fall of Saint Petersburg would be a significant victory for the Marxists. It would appear that Bruno''s words had convinced several of the other German generals of his predictions. Or at the very least, they recognized the threat it would pose.


    With this in mind, August von Mackensen took the lead, as he asked Bruno how he nned to handle the situation which he predicted should it actuallye to pass in reality.


    "So... If Saint Petersburg falls into the hands of the Bolsheviks, this little revolution will turn into something that may spell the end of the Russian Empire won''t it? If that''s the case, how do you n to handle the situation?"


    Bruno looked at the aging general as if the answer waspletely and utterly obvious. Which he was quick to voice.


    "Well, direct military intervention in the conflict may provoke an international response. One which I am sure the Kaiser does not desire in the slightest. After all, the rest of Europe sees this revolution as something minor.


    For the German Reich to stick its nose in the Tsar''s business, especially after the strained rtions that our two nations have had over the course of the past few years. This would no doubt be seen as an unprovoked attempt to exert pressure on the Russian Empire.


    So the idea of sending our own troops to aid the Tsar is out of the question. However, that does not mean there aren''t alternative options to ensure these Marxists are crushed. For example, there is no treaty that prevents foreign volunteers from taking up arms on behalf of the Tsar.


    In thest century, it was not umon for citizens to take up arms and form their own Freikorps during times of great distress was it not? Why not enlist the aid of such volunteers and have them deal with the Marxists?"


    August von Mackensen immediately understood Bruno''s intentions, even if the man had not outright stated them aloud. The n was for the German Army to send active duty soldiers to Russia under the guise of them being "volunteers."


    No doubt the Tsar would ept these "volunteers" as by now he needed all the manpower he could get. With this, Bruno had provided the solution to any potential diplomatic crisis that may have emerged should the German Reich send its own army to Russia.


    Even if the French wanted toin about these so called "volunteers" the Kaiser could simply state that he and his army had nothing to do with it. And any arms which these "volunteers" were using to fight the Red Army were instead supplied by the Russians. No doubt from the hefty stockpiles war aid that the Germans had already given the Tsar.


    This was of course a tactic borrowed from Germany in Bruno''s past life. In the 1930s, Germany had sent plenty of Wehrmacht units into Spain under the guise of being "Volunteers." These soldiers yed a critical part in winning the war on behalf of the Nationalists.


    Afterward, they were weed back into active service with open arms, and even granted medals for their actions in Spain. It was an act that not only the Germans had engaged in, but so too did their rivals on the global stage who supported the Republicans instead. When August von Mackensen realized what Bruno''s ns were. He couldn''t help but admire the man''s cunning. This was a shrewd maneuver to avoid responsibility for any actions taken by these "Volunteer" units while they were in Russia. One which he could only shake his head and chuckle at as the aging Field Marshal posed the question which he already knew the


    answer to.


    "And who do you propose will lead these volunteers into Russia?"


    It was a question that was obvious to everyone in the room. Bruno''s hidden meaning had been seen through. Many of those present had guessed that this had probably been the man''s goal all along. And when Bruno spoke his intent aloud, nobody disagreed with the words he had


    said.


    "Since I was the one who proposed this plot, then it is only right for me to take full responsibility for the operation. That is, of course, assuming that the Kaiser will approve of it.


    If anyone asks why an active duty member of the German Army''s general staff is inmand of this volunteer force, you could say that I resigned from my post to lead these men into battle. After all, I am sure that fabricating some discharge papers is not an impossibility, no?" Bruno''s words had confirmed the general''s suspicions. The man had long sincee up with this idea in preparation not only for removing Marxism from this world altogether but also as a scheme to mend the rtionship between the German Reich and the Russian Empire. In addition to this, Bruno would no doubt be earning the Tsar''s pardon for the acts he had taken against Russian Troops in Northern China during the Boxer Rebellion all those years ago. As well as his actions in Manchuria that led to the defeat of the Russian Army sent to the region. After all, such petty grievances paled inparison to ensuring a monarch retained


    his throne, did they not?


    Considering the fact that Bruno appeared to have properly thought this matter through, the German generals saw no reason to prevent the man from leading this so called Freikorps. And immediately granted him the "resignation" he had requested. With Generalfeldmarschall Alfred von Schlieffen personally announcing it then and there.


    "Alright... Generalleutnant Bruno von Zehntner, as the Chief of Staff of his Majesty''s Army. I hereby ept your resignation. Should you wish to return to active service you are free to do so at your leisure where your rank and status will be fully reinstated."


    After saying this, Bruno saluted the man and thanked him. Immediately thereafter he would be working to organize and equip the Freikorps, which would consist of at least a single brigade of 5,000 infantrymen, as well as an attached Artillery regiment of 48 guns, and 1,000


    men.


    In addition to organizing the Freikorps, as well as ensuring the logistics were set up to transfer them and their equipment to Russia. Bruno would also have to design new uniforms for the Freikorps units sent to Russia.


    But Bruno just so happened to be heavily invested in German textile corporations and was thus capable of producing these uniforms with limited effort on his part. Considering that Bruno would be invoking the spirit of those brave veterans who during his past life fought to prevent amunist takeover of the German Fathend following the copse of the Monarchy, and the rise of Marxist revolutionary movements within the Weimar Republic. There was really only one appropriate name to give his new Freikorps unit. And that was the Iron Brigade. A name which would soon be remembered throughout history for its brutality and ruthlessness within the Russian Empire specifically in its efforts to stamp out Marxism wherever they may find its adherents lurking in the shadows.

 Chapter 57: Formation of the Iron Brigade Part II

    Chapter 57: Formation of the Iron Brigade Part II


    ?


    The organization, equipment, and deployment of the Iron Brigade was something that would take several months to organize. Which Bruno had anticipated well in advance. After all, there was a reason he proposed its creation in October of 1904, rather than waiting for the following spring when the Bolsheviks would have already upied Saint Petersburg and its port.


    As for the Tsar, he was quickly alerted to the formation of the Iron Brigade, and that roughly 6,000 German Volunteers, consisting of an Infantry Brigade, and an attached Artillery Regiment would be sent to Russia to aid in the war effort.


    The numbers seemed rathercking as far as the Tsar was concerned. Especially when the enemy''s numbers were quickly approaching the 100,000 mark. And showed no signs of slowing down, but at the end of the day any help was wee.


    In addition to this, the Kaiser also promised to send more "volunteers" should the enemy continue to grow in size and scale. It was unknown exactly the extent to which the German Reich was willing to help the Tsar retain his throne. But from the sound of it, the Germans were willing to send far more than they were initially deploying to the Russian Mothend.


    However, a matter of contention appeared when the Kaiser announced who was going to be leading the so called Iron Brigade. With the Tsar questioning the sanity of his cousin for sending the man who had caused these problems to begin with.


    Nevertheless, the Tsar received the Kaiser''s guarantee that Bruno would make up for his actions in China and Manchuria. And that he would prove to be a valuable asset in the field. One which the Tsar could use as he pleased.


    Ultimately, considering Bruno''s fearsome reputation, the Tsar relented, making a promise to the Kaiser hat he may end up regretting. Insofar as stating that should Bruno actually y a significant role in his victory, then the man would not just pardon the German general for past crimes against the Russian Empire, but also would reward him handsomely.


    As for Bruno, he wasted no time. Making a list of the soldiers, officers, and equipment he desired for use in the ongoing Bolshevik Revolution. He also drafted a uniform for his volunteer brigade. In the 19th century, during the Napoleonic wars, there was a Prussian Unit of Freikorps with a uniform that had the colors of ck, red, and silver.


    Which coincided with another infamous unit from German History, one that if Bruno had his way would note into existence within this timeline. Even so, Bruno had taken inspiration from these two units for his new uniforms.


    Ones which borrowed this color scheme, and some symbolism from the two of them, while applying it to the uniforms used by German soldiers in the early years of the Great War.


    However, Bruno did not issue his troops the Pickelhaube, rather making use of the "kratzchen feldmutzen" field cap. Like the uniform, its primary color was ck. The band around the bottom of the cap was also ck, but with a red lining. As for the symbol embedded in its center, it was the infamous Death''s Head, or Totenkopf used by Freikorps units, and Hussars in the past.


    Above the Totenkopf, on top portion of the cap was the Reichs-Kokarde which was a small circr badge in the colors of red, white, and ck which symbolized the unified German Empire. Officer variants had a ck leather visor and a matching ck leather strap.


    In addition to this, Bruno''s uniform had the cor tabs of a German Generalleutnant, but rather than being gold embroidered, they were instead in silver. As well as the red stripes on the sides of his ck cks that weremonly found on the uniforms of German generals.


    Over all, the uniform was ck, with red embellishment and silver fittings. In addition to this, there was an armband worn on the right side that was in the colors of the German Empire''s national g. Simr to those worn by some colonial soldiers.


    As for Bruno''s load bearing equipment. Officers like himself would wear a ck leather belt, with a cross strap, as well a holster for his pistol, and several magazine pouches. The belt buckle was made of silver, and had a Totenkopf on it which was the symbol of this newly formed Iron Brigade.


    Meanwhile, the soldiers, and NCOS who carried Gewehr 98 rifles would wear an actual web harness based on the designs that Bruno had made to rece the current issue German load bearing equipment whenever the Gewehr 43 entered service.


    The difference being their magazine pouches had instead been reced with k98k style pouches for the use of stripper clips. It was also made of ck leather, rather than the brown leather that wouldter be standard issue to the German Army.


    All in all, the uniforms of the Iron Brigade would be different enough from those of the Imperial German Army to be able to avoid confusion, while still German enough in design that nobody misunderstood who they were, and where they were from.


    After making sure the new uniforms were designed, and the basic organization of the Iron Brigade was settled. Bruno would spend his days at the Central Division of German High Command, aiding in recruitment efforts from among the Ranks of the German Army and Navy. Unsurprisingly, Heinrich and Erich immediately volunteered to join Bruno''s escapades. They had always had the man''s back in the past, and despite this venture not officially being a part of the German Army, they knew this would be a good chance to gain a promotion.


    However, shockingly, there were two other faces which Bruno was familiar with who joined the Volunteer Brigade. Which happened to be his two older brothers, Ludwig and Kurt who were also still in the Army, albeit towards the end of their careers.


    When the two men approached Bruno in order to ask his permission to join, no doubt the man was skeptical. However, the reasoning they gave him was satisfactory. With Ludwig surprisingly being the first to bow his head and ask for forgiveness.


    "Bruno... I''m sorry, Generalleutnant! I''d like to apologize for what I have done over the years.... It shames me to admit it, but I have always been jealous of you. And what you have been able to achieve despite being my younger brother. But... It wasn''t until we were at the most recent family gathering where I finally understood this.


    Seeing you gain such praise from not only our family, but so many powerful figures. It made me realize that this stupid medal pinned to my chest is worthlesspared to what you, my younger brother have aplished.


    I mean, everyone who was in service at the time was rewarded with one of these. But when the opportunity to go to China came up, I passed on it. Yet you didn''t. You who were fresh out of the academy volunteered to go off and fight in a foreignnd, and in doing so, you made a name for yourself. While I''m still a nobody. Simply the 8th son of a powerful nobleman.


    It was myck of determination that prevented me from doing the same. If you will have me, I would be honored to fight by your side in Russia so that we can put an end to these filthy peasants and their revolt against their rightful monarch once and for all!" Although Ludwig had misunderstood the reason why Bruno hated these Marxists so much as to "resign" from his position as a general, and instead volunteer to fight in a foreign war just to eliminate them all. The fact that he was willing to apologize and admit his mistakes was good enough of a reason to let the man join him in this onest campaign.


    After all, Bruno knew his brothers were nearing the end of their military service, and unlike him they didn''t appear to wish to make an entire career out of it. Because of this, Bruno was more than wee to let the man prove to their family that he too was capable of winning


    glory.


    At the same time, Bruno wanted someone else in his family to understand that war was far from as glorious and honorable as they imagined it to be. Only his father somewhat understood what Bruno had been through. And because of this, Bruno was more than happy to ept Ludwig''s support.


    "I trust that you have at least retained some memory of how to operate in the field from your days at the Academy. If so, I am willing to put aside any past grievances we have had as brothers, and allow you to prove yourself in battle."


    Ludwig immediately saluted his younger brother, having not expected the man to actually forgive him, or grant him this onest opportunity for the glory he so desired. As for Kurt, he seemed to be mulling over whether or not he should actually apologize as well.


    Which, of course his silence caught Bruno''s gaze. In the end, he too lowered his head, and


    with a heavy sigh made a heartfelt apology. Once he had done so, Bruno too epted him into the ranks of his volunteer brigade, while also taking a moment to remind his brothers of what


    they were getting into.


    "Though I am more than happy to let bygones be bygones, and let you two prove your worth


    to our family. I must remind you that this isn''t some camping trip we will be embarking on. This will be war. And a civil war, no less. You should know that the most brutal, bloody, and inhumane wars ever fought in history have been civil wars.


    What I will ask you to do will test your humanity. For the undertaking we are about to engage in, I will require monsters, not men. For to defeat the evil that is Marxism, we will have to abandon our morality, and be an even greater demon to our enemies.


    If you can not find it within yourself to follow my orders without question, no matter how cruel and ruthless they may be. Then you should leave now while you still can. Because once you sign up for the Iron Brigade, there will be no leaving it until the war has been won..."


    Bruno gave his brothers a fair warning. After all, he nned to show no mercy to the Bolsheviks, or anyone else who professed to adhere to such a toxic ideology. Much in the way that the reds had shown such disregard for the lives of the Tsar and his entire bloodline in Bruno''s past life. Or the hundred million plus people who followed them to the grave in the name of Marxism over the course of the next century.


    To put it simply, Bruno had no sympathy, no empathy, and no remorse for Marxists. They were as evil as the devil himself in his eyes. And such evil needed to be reced with death. When it came to dimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, Maxim Litvinov, and the other leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution. There would be no leniency granted to them.


    Rather their deaths would be so cruel, so vicious, so ruthless, that by the time this war had been won in favor of the Tsar, Bruno would earn himself another nickname that would strike fear into the hearts of his enemies for years toe.

 Chapter 58: Formation of the Iron Brigade Part III

    Chapter 58: Formation of the Iron Brigade Part III


    ?


    Heidi knew something was wrong the moment Bruno began spending his days around the house. At first she thought that perhaps the man had gotten some extra time of leave for reasons unknown to her. But in the end, she knew this was too good to be true.


    Sure she had her ways to find out just what exactly Bruno was up to. But she did not want to go behind the man''s back to find out. Rather, she trusted when the time came he would tell her himself.


    And because of this, she waited patiently, all the while fulfilling her role as a loving wife and mother. The upside of spending time at his home while organizing the formation of the Iron Brigade was the fact that Bruno had managed to be around his children much more.


    They were, after all too young to go to school, and because of this they spent their time at home, being raised by their mother. Now that he was home for the majority of the day, other than a few weekly visits to the Central Division in order to report the updates of his project to his superiors. Bruno found himself taking breaks quite frequently to y with his daughters, and to teach his young son valuable lessons.


    As the weeks passed, Bruno found that he had more volunteers from the German Navy than he initially expected. In particr, the German Seebattalion, which was the Imperial German Naval Infantry, in other words their version of Marines had well over two dozen volunteers join the unit.


    This made sense when Bruno considered the small scale of the Seebataillon and the fact that they really didn''t have much to do, as one only one of its two battalions had been deployed to defend German colonists in the Herero Wars


    In fact, now that it was mid-October 1904, Bruno was all too aware of what had happened in the region. It did after all cause some major drama at the Central Division of German High Command. In an act of rebellion, the Khoi and Herero tribes had massacred 125 German settlers in what would be known as Namibia in the 21st century.


    In retaliation, General Lothar von Trotha had ordered the extermination of the Herero tribes by killing all the men, as well as forcing the women and children into the desert where they would die from dehydration or exposure.


    It was no doubt an act of cruelty, but considering the Herero tribes had murdered innocent German Settlers, Bruno quite frankly considered it not necessarily justified per se, but more so the natural result that would ur when a colonial subject performed such a heinous act against their masters.


    In addition to this, Bruno was well aware of Lothar von Trotha''s character. Having served beneath the man in China during the boxer rebellion. Well, not exactly directly as Bruno was only a captain at the time who answered to a Lieutenant Colonel. But the man was in charge of the East Aisa Expeditionary Corps, which Bruno was a part of and thus could have been considered the boss of Bruno''s boss.


    At the time, Lothar was the colonel whose response was to immediately throw Bruno into confinement after the incident with the Russian Brigands. His character was fierce and temperamental. Often choosing punitive action in the strictest manner before fully getting a grasp on the situation.


    Naturally, the order from German High Command when they discovered that Lothar had effectively ordered an act of genocide was to repeal it. But Lothar simply pretended like he did not receive the orders of the Chief of Staff, and by extension the Kaiser.


    No doubt he was currently carrying out his genocide. And as much as Bruno should have sympathy for the victims. He could really only find the me lying with the Herero people. I mean had they not taken up arms, and butchered innocent colonists, who were living peaceful lives, and were by no means a part of the Colonial Army which the natives had their grievance against, then this tragedy would have never befallen them.


    It really was a self-inflicted tragedy. And quite frankly, Bruno was of the mindset that if you y stupid games, you win stupid prizes. No matter how horrible the consequences may be, it was the result of the natives'' own violence towards an upying force that had the strength to easily wipe them out. What exactly did they expect to happen?


    At the end of the day, it was an undeniablew of nature that might is right. If the natives did not have the power to repel the German Army, then what happened to them as a result of their rebellion was simply nothing that Bruno would shed a tear over. Even if it did result in an excessive retaliation such as extermination.


    So Bruno simply carried on with his day, not giving a second thought to an act that many would consider a stain on Germany''s history. Because at the end of the day, should he win the Great War, and establish German hegemony in Europe. Then history would remember this incident not as a fault of the German Reich, but rather that of the Herero people who suffered the consequences of their own murderous actions.


    Because at the end of the day, the concepts of human rights and equality were not the natural progression of human civilization unlike what so many people believed during Bruno''s past life. Rather, it was the direct result of America''s hegemony over the world following the end of the Second World war.


    The military might of the United States and its repeated crackdown on those who opposed their beliefs across the world throughout the 20th and 21st centuries was the reason that liberalism had be the norm in western civilization.


    Had the Central Powers emerged victorious in the Great War, or had the Axis won the second world war, then the norms which were often taken for granted in western civilization during the 21st century would have been reced entirely with a very different system of values. And that was all that needed to be said. So, after putting such petty matters into the back of his mind, Bruno returned his attention back to the creation of his Iron Brigade. The obvious choice of a standard infantry weapon was the Gewehr 98 rifle. Manufactured in significant numbers, the Reich could easily spare a few thousand of them to be given to the German "volunteers."


    However, because he had months to form the Iron Brigade and deploy to Russia, Bruno wanted to make a few minor modifications to these rifles. To put it simply, Bruno could not stand the iron sights on the standard issue Gewehr 98. They were simply atrocious ording to his more modern sensibilities.


    It was because of this; he had his family''spany refurbish the rifles that were to be fielded by the Iron Brigade. Specifically, so they could be converted into the G98m variation which were manufactured in the interwar period of his previous life, and issued to Nationalists during the Spanish civil war, as well as in limited numbers to the Waffen-SS at the start of the Second World War.


    As for artillery, the Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903 was selected for use by the Iron Brigade. For starters, it was not a cannon actually issued to the German Army or at least in any significant capacity, rather it was used as an export weapon to other nations. Such as Serbia, Japan, Romania, et cetera.


    In this timeline, the Germans had sent this weapon to the Japanese during their war with the Russians in Manchuria as a means of aid. And by now was also being shipped to the Russians as well. It was Krupp''s answer to the Canon de 75 mod¨¨le 1897, which was a French weapon that had made the German artillery of the previous century obsolete.


    However, the 7.5cm Model 1903 lost in military trials against the Waffenwerke von Zehntner 7.5 cm FK 1901. Which was Bruno''s design based upon the interwar era 7.5 cm FK 16 nA from his past life. Which was now being mass produced for military service.


    Of course, the 7.5cm Model 1903 was "adopted" in limited numbers for the purpose of counter espionage. Its sole purpose was to basically be used as a disy piece for potential spies to observe and report incorrect information to their nation. Because of this, and the export models, Krupp was producing enough to easily supply the Iron Brigade in their wars abroad. Finally, there was one other piece of equipment being employed by the Iron Brigade in this war. And that was the MG 01. Or more specifically, the MG 01/03, which was a variant in this timeline that Waffenwerke von Zehntner manufactured to fulfill the needs of the German Army who had begun investing heavily into machine guns before the MG-34 was ready for mass production.


    In other words, it was an MG 08 with a tripod mount rather than the notorious sledge mount. And it also made use of a metallic belt like the PM M1910, which the Russians would adopt in


    1910.


    This was in contrast to the cloth belt that the Germans, and other nations adopted for their variants of the Maxim Gun, also known by the nickname of "The Devil''s Paintbrush" due to the millions of young men whose blood it spilled across no-man''snd during the Great War of Bruno''s past life..


    It was because this machine gun was in ready supply, and was highly capable of performing the roles Bruno needed it to that he had selected it for service within the Iron Brigade. After all, the German Reich was the only nation currently investing heavily into Machine gun development and production. As most nations still had not understood their value on the battlefield. Even after their prominent use during the Secon Boer War, and the Russo-


    Japanese War.


    And since this was the case, Bruno knew that the Red Army would not be able to get their hands on such devastating weapons. Perhaps if they were lucky, they could get one or two. But not enough to effectively counter the Iron Brigade. Especially if Bruno fielded Machine Gunners at the toon level.


    Thus, Bruno had finished the requisition forms for the specific equipment he wanted for his Iron Brigade. Which he had no doubt would result in a victory for the Russian Tsar. If there was one concern Bruno had about deploying to Russia, it was simply this.


    He had no idea when this war would end, or how manymunists he would have to butcher


    in the process. Surely he would not be known for painting the Russianndscape red with the blood of Marxists, right?"

 Chapter 59: Entering the Russian Civil War

    Chapter 59: Entering the Russian Civil War


    ?


    Tsar Nichs the II stood in his pce gazing out the windows which disyed a vision of his pce gardens, and the city of Saint Petersburg below. The Winter Pce was the official residence of the house of Romanov and had been since 1732. It was arge and luxurious estate, the type that only the wealth of an entire empire could afford to build.


    You see the thing was, the Great European monarchs of the early modern era had built multiple pces for themselves, each one of which was so grand in size, scale, and opulence that the world''s wealthy merchant elite of the 21st century could only gaze upon them with envy as their meager fortunes could not possibly construct such an abode for themselves. And from Bruno''s perspective, or at least during that of his past life, when he went by the name of Karl. The world would never see such a grand disy of architectural achievement ever again. But the year was 1904, and winter was vastly approaching. It was because of the era that the house of Romanov thought nothing of how grand their estates were.


    It was perhaps because the Tsar took his wealth for granted, while his people lived in a state of rtive destitution that things had progressed as far as they had with the ongoing Bolshevik revolution. One which was starting to spiral into a full scale civil war.


    A month had passed since the Kaiser first announced the formation of the German volunteer force knowns as the Iron Brigade. And ording to the most recent reports from the Tsar''s generals, the so called "Red Army" had nearly tripled in size. Previously being 100,000 men strong, they now had more than a quarter of a million forces at their disposal.


    Defections from the Tsar''s army had not helped the matter. And these ragtag Marxists were now gaining valuable training from the veterans of the Russo-Japanese War, which had only concluded a few months prior.


    With all of this in mind, the Tsar was starting to consider the idea of abandoning his family''s home, the estate which had housed them for multiple generations. And instead of fleeing further east to a city where Bolshevik activity was less intense.


    Meanwhile, one of the Tsar''s generals approached him, the man went by the name of Anatoly Mikhaylovich Stessel, and he was the man now in charge of the Russian Army, after the previous General in charge had been removed from his post, what with being held responsible for Russia''s defeat in Manchuria.


    Anatoly Stessel was a man of German descent. And it was perhaps because of this that he was slightly more sympathetic to the German Reich than other Russian Military Leaders. But at the moment, he had a rather ugly expression on his face as he announced thetest news to the Tsar.


    "Your Majesty, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But the Red Army has amassed 50,000 men who are marching to Saint Petersburg as we speak. They n to encircle the city and besiege


    it.


    It would be best if you and your family escaped now, rather than being caught in the city. I assure you that my men and I will fight to thest man to prevent your home from falling into the hands of these damned peasants!"


    So, the time had finallye? The Red Army was finally baring its fangs in ways other than mere ambushes in the streets? 50,000 men sought to encircle Saint Petersburg, and seize it for themselves.... What was next? All of Ingria?


    The Tsar''s worst fears had been realized, and he was quick to sigh heavily, ultimately nodding his head in agreement with the General''s proposal as he did so.


    "Very well. I will have the servants begin packing immediately. My family and I will flee to the safety of Siberia where the Reds have yet to spread their influence. I trust you to ensure that this city does not fall into the hands of the rebels, General..."


    After saying this, the Tsar walked off without saying another word. The city of Saint Petersburg was about toe under siege. And there was no telling how the Tsar''s soldiers left in the city would handle the situation.


    Within the week, the Tsar and his family would indeed flee to Siberia, where they hoped to wait out of the rest of the war safe and sound. Meanwhile, his supporters in Saint Petersburg would be forced to endure a siege that would be remembered throughout history as being particrly brutal.


    By the end of December, Bruno''s recruitment efforts had been fully manifested. The Iron Brigade was nowposed of six thousand men. 5,000 Infantry and 1,000 Artillery soldiers from the German Army and Naval Infantry had volunteered to enter Russia and fight on behalf of the Tsar to end the Bolshevik Revolution and the spread ofmunism once and for all. Bruno had said goodbye to his family, assuring them that he would be home safe and sound before they knew it. After onest farewell to his wife and kids, he stepped out of his home, dressed in the uniform of the Iron Brigade, where he would be sent on a train to the city of Danzig. In Danzig''s port lie Russian transport vessels which were docked, and waiting to carry Bruno and his men to Saint Petersburg.


    When Bruno arrived in Danzig, he saw his men all lined up. Considering they would be fighting in Russia during the winter, Bruno had gone out of his way to provide proper winter clothing to his soldiers. Thest thing he needed was for them to end up freezing to death due to the severity of the weather.


    Because of this, the men were dressed from head to toe in warm wool clothing. And they sported shy greatcoats modelled after the 1915 design used in the Great War By German soldiers in Bruno''s past life.


    Of course, these great coats, like everything else the soldiers wore were ck. In addition to this, the soldiers wore puttees to keep the mud and snow out of their boots, and from affecting their feet.


    Not only that, but knowing that they would be walking into battle against the Red Army who by now had captured artillery from the Russian Army. Bruno decided to mitigate casualties by introducing a piece of equipment that could save many lives.


    I''m talking of course about the Stahlhelm, specifically the model 1916 variant used during the Great War of Bruno''s past life. It was painted ck and emzoned with the white, red, and ck coat of arms of the German Reich on the sides of it.


    When foreign nations observe the conflict, and noticed the effectiveness of issuing soldiers a steel helmet in preventing head injuries from shrapnel, it would no doubt spur the other major powers to develop their own. Something that would once more change the timeline. But the lives of Bruno''s soldiers were something precious to him. And since he was given control over the outfitting of his soldiers, he had not neglected this important asset. Because of this equipment, all of which was modelled after that used by German soldiers in the Great War, which would not ur until another ten years had passed.


    The Iron Brigade looked almost futuristic to those civilians who cheered for these brave souls who were going to fight abroad to protect a foreign monarch from the dangers ofmunism. All the while women threw flowers at their feet as they prepared to deploy to fight in a foreignnd.


    After all, the press had been posting many negative things about the Red Army. Some of which was truth, others were exaggerations. While a minority were tant propaganda. But the German papers which printed such news had shifted the perspective of the Reich''s citizens in regards to Marxism and all of its derivatives.


    To put it simply, anyone who proimed themselves to be a Marxist, a socialist, amunist, et cetera would be given dirty looks by themon man. And this was no doubt a method of Bruno''s influence, who had bought significant shares in every facet of the Reich''s media with the fortune he had gained.


    Influencing public opinion was a powerful tool. One which he intended to employ to gather support for the Kaiser, and to demonize his enemies in theing years. Only now was Bruno beginning to make use of these methods.


    And its effects were already starting to take ce. As for Bruno, the moment he stood before his personal army of 5,000 soldiers, he saluted them all. While making a brief speech to them.


    "I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for volunteering for this expedition to the Russian mothend. No doubt each and every one of you is a patriot of the highest order. Because, contrary tomon belief, we are not simply marching to a foreign country to fight a war that has no interest in the German Reich and its citizens. Instead, I would assert that the ideology of Marxism is an enemy to all of humanity. As are those who practice it! And as humans ourselves, no doubt it is in our interest tobat this toxic and deadly ideology wherever it may appear in this world.


    The Bolsheviks have taken up arms against the Tsar. They intend to plunge the Russian Empire into a state of anarchy. All with the intent of overthrowing a perfectly functional society in the name of their antihuman doctrine. One which will no doubt require the deaths of millions of innocents to enforce.


    It is because of this fact that we stand here today as the vanguard against Marxism. In the name of Kaiser, God and Fathend. I beseech you to stand firm and fight the enemies of the German Reich, and its people!"


    The Iron Brigade responded to Bruno''s brief speech with a chant of their own.


    "God With Us!"


    After which they would board the Russian transport ships and embark towards Saint


    Petersburg, which by now was already neck deep in a pile of corpses as the Russian Army desperately defended against the Bolshevik siege.

 Chapter 60: Arriving in Saint Petersburg

    Chapter 60: Arriving in Saint Petersburg


    ?


    Gunfire echoed throughout the background, with the asional sound of artillery fire going off in the distance. Saint Petersburg was covered in snow, the bodies of the dead lying in the streets frozen to the point where they could no longer be a matter of concern when it came to the spreading of disease.


    In the months since the Tsar and his family fled the city the battle between the Red Army and those who remained loyal to the Emperor had reached peak intensity. The Reds had dug in outside of the city, with each of their assaults being repelled by the Russian Army and the ck Hundreds militias which supported them.


    Despite the Reds'' attempts to break through the city''s defenses resulting in abject failure, and significant losses with each assault, the Russian loyalists who bravely put their lives on the line to prevent the Bolsheviks froming in had suffered equally as dearly for their efforts if not more so.


    To put it simply, the state of Saint Petersburg was miserable. But at least they could rely on imports from the Reich to keep everyone fed. Because of this, while in a dreadful state, desperation had not yet kicked in among the civilian poption.


    As General Anatoly Stessel stood within the safety of the city, gazing upon the enemy fortifications through his binocrs while smoking a cigarette, one of his subordinates came running up to him.


    The man appeared as haggard and grizzled as the General himself, both of which were covered in mud, blood and snow, while clearly showing no signs of grooming over the course of the past month.


    The young officer saluted the General while making a report to him that was sure to lift the spirits of not only Anatoly but the city as a whole.


    "Sir! The German volunteers have arrived. And they appear to have brought a significant amount of heavy weapons to support the defense of the city!"


    Anatoly lowered his binocrs and gazed at the Officer in shock for several moments. He was not expecting the arrival of this so called Iron Brigade for at least another two weeks. They were early. But that was not something to be disappointed about. Rather, he quickly put out his cigarette by tossing it on the packed snow, before stomping it with his feet.


    There was no possibility of anything catching fire in this weather, but at this point it was a point of habit for the man. He quickly began walking in the direction of the port while shouting orders at the Officer who had alerted him to this most weed news.


    "Well, don''t just stand there! Come with me. I want to see this Iron Brigade myself!"


    Bruno stood on the docks of Saint Petersburg. A cigarette was in his mouth as he lit it up, taking a hefty drag, while gazing upon the city and its ruinous state. No doubt the Bolsheviks had brought in the big guns for this siege.


    Inparison, Bruno brought the smallest caliber of artillery he could manage. Primarily because of its lightweight nature, which would be most useful in the transport of the weapons.


    Even so, he brought something like 36 guns with him. Which was a lot of firepower to be wielded in battle even though they were all in 75mm and not something more significant. As the soldiers of the Brigade began to unload their equipment with the aid of the Russian dock workers, they were approached by the Russian Army.


    Or more specifically, the man in charge of it, as well as several of his subordinate officers. Along with a personal bodyguard. Bruno could see the state which the Russian General was in, which no doubt if he looked so haggard and battle-worn, then Bruno dared not think what the average soldier was like at the moment.


    Bruno however forced a smile as he saluted the Russian General who outranked him and informed the man that his troubles hade to an end.


    "General, I''m happy to inform you that the siege has been lifted! Or it will be soon enough once my men get into position!"


    The General didn''t necessarily believe this. By now, the Red Army had reinforced their losses, and a total of 80,000 men currently surrounded the city. Meanwhile, the initial 25,000 Loyalist defenders had been whittled down to a mere 15,000. The next assault was guaranteed to bring them to their knees. Even if the Germans boosted their total number to 21,000.


    Or so the General thought until that is he saw what the Germans were unloading from the transport ships. Bruno had brought with him 100 Maxim Machine guns. After all, he equipped every toon within the Infantry Brigade with a machine gun team.


    This meant that Bruno had brought more machine guns than existed in the entirety of the Russian Army at the moment. Like theter Russian PM M1910 Maxim Gun, the German guns used a fluted water jacket. The purpose of which was to cut some weight, albeit minimal amounts.


    Even so, it appeased Bruno''s sense of aesthetics, which was his primary reason for instructing his family''spany to manufacture their MG 01/03s this way. Which was the designation given to the improved Machine guns that had been adopted by the German army following Bruno''s suggestions to invest heavily in their development and manufacture.


    100 machine guns, and 36 75mm field guns? This was easily enough firepower to lift the siege. Of course, the General had yet to see the full amount of heavy weaponry Bruno was bringing into the field, but he had seen at least a dozen machine guns pulled out of crates. And because of this, he was quick topliment the man.


    "If you have as many of those machine guns as I think you do, you may just be able to live up to your words!"


    Bruno scoffed when he heard this remark, before ensuring the General he had far more of such weapons than he thought.


    "Oh, believe me General, I have much more where these came from. But that''s besides the point. What I need from you right now is to show me the defenses you have constructed around the city. I want to know where best to ce my men in preparation for the next assault!"


    Bruno received noint from the Russian General as the two marched across the frozen city''s streets and towards the front lines where Bruno could calcte a proper defensive strategy for the next wave.


    Though Bruno should probably be wearing his helmet, it was currently tied to his waist as he walked through the city and smoked. As they approached the front lines, Bruno heard the thunder of guns in the distance.


    From the sound of it, they were Russian 105mm siege guns. These weapons were already antiquated when they were used against the Japanese in Manchuria. Having quite literally been designed in thete 1870s.


    Still, the shellsnded nearby and detonated as the Loyalist defenders quickly ran for cover. Even the Russian General by Bruno''s side scurried off like a rat, at least until he saw Bruno just standing there smoking while gazing up at the shrapnel and snow both of which fell from the


    sky.


    Once he saw that Bruno wasn''t remotely shaken by the thunder of the guns whose shells were detonating nearby, the Russian general returned to his side. And shortly after that, the shells


    stopped firing.


    In the apanying silence, Bruno chuckled before flicking his cigarette into the snow. After which he made a snide remark to the General before walking forward towards a vantage point he could use to properly prepare for what was soon toe.


    "It''s not the ones you hear that will get you..."


    The meaning behind this was simple. An artillery shell traveled at such a speed that you would be dead from its detonation long before you heard the echo of it being fired in the distance. It was perhaps because of this that Bruno did not even bother to ce his helmet on his head, let alone run for safety like the other soldiers nearby.


    When the Russian General heard these words as well as the callous look on Bruno''s face, he couldn''t help but wonder just how many battles the German general had been through to look so fearless in the face of an oing artillery barrage. Something that would easily cause lesser men to break down should they endure such an assault.


    After staring in silence for some time, the man realized that Bruno had already advanced to a vantage point overlooking the battlefield. And quickly scurried off after him. He would go into extensive detail about the preparations he had made to defend the city from the Red Army, but Bruno did not hear a word of it.


    He was instead envisioning where he would put his machine guns, and where he would line up the Iron Brigade and their Tsarist allies in order to properly decimate the next wave of the Red


    Army''s assault.


    There was a reason the Maxim Machine Gun was known by the nickname of the Devil''s Paintbrush in Bruno''s past life. But today the Devil would not be the painter, rather it would


    be Bruno who took assumed this role.


    After careful consideration, Bruno began to move his soldiers into positions. With the artillery having gone off, and ceased. It was only a matter of time before the whistles blew and the charge began. When that happened, the Red Army would be in for a very rude


    awakening.

 Chapter 61: The Defense of Saint Petersburg

    Chapter 61: The Defense of Saint Petersburg


    ?


    A man sat in the trenches outside of Saint Petersburg cleaning his spectacles as he gazed through their lenses and towards the besieged city in the distance. After doing this, he looked down at his watch and noticed that the time hade.


    He was quick to shift his gaze towards his fellowmunist revolutionaries with an approving expression. Rallying them with a speech before giving them the order to charge the enemy defenses, which by now were so battered that they would crumble under the might of the next assault.


    "Brothers of the proletariat! The bourgeoisie and their foolish pawns rest on the wealth which they have stolen from us all! They fight not for some noble cause like we do, but to defend their vile actions towards the people of Russia! Today we bring an end to the Tyranny of the Tsar and those wealthy industrialists who have made a fortune off of ourbor! For the revolution! For Lenin!"


    The man in question was quite to the contrary not a member of the working ss despite pretending as much. But rather, he was a man who was born into a wealthy Jewish family from the region of Ukraine. He was, of course none other than Lev Davidovich Bronstein more poprly known by the name of Leon Trotsky.


    He had personally chosen to lead the Siege of Saint Petersburg, hoping to achieve a great victory in the city, and in doing so, bring down the reign of the House of Romanov. No doubt entirely unaware that the Tsar and his family had already fled the city before his siege began.


    It was a simrck of intelligence that allowed him to be so confident. He had no idea that the Iron Brigade had arrived with a Regiment of 36 75mm modern field guns, as well as 100 machine guns which had been strategically ced throughout the city''s defenses to ensure that not a single gap was avable for the Bolshevik revolutionaries to make use of.


    With his barrage having been concluded against the Loyalist defenders, now was the time to charge, and in doing so, end this war before it could continue any longer! With the blow of his whistle, Leon Trotsky announced the charge.


    Tens of thousands of the Red Army''s soldiers crawled out of the trenches and ran towards the city of Saint Petersburg and the defenses which the Loyalists had made around it. Trotsky himself smiled gleefully as he saw the overwhelming numbers of Bolshevik revolutionaries rush towards victory.


    That is, until the unexpected happened.


    If Bruno was aware that one of his most hated figures in history was standing in the opposite trench, observing the battle that was about to take ce. Then he would have made capturing Trotsky a priority.


    But he was unaware that one of the leaders of the Bolsheviks was waiting on the other side of the battlefield. Because of this, prioritizing the city''s defense, and minimizing the casualties of his forces was the strategy which Bruno had opted for.


    It was clear that this was going to be the final charge that the Red Army made. They outnumbered the Loyalist defenders significantly and had thoroughly tested the city''s fortifications over the past few months.


    Luckily, Bruno and his men arrived just in time to shatter the hopes of the Red Army, and hopefully kill everyst man and woman who dared to call themselves amunist. Thus, the moment the 80,000 or so Bolshevik revolutionaries charged towards the city''s fortifications. Bruno gave themand to unleash hell upon them.


    The thunder of 36 75mm modern field guns, along with what remained of the loyalists antiquated artillery opened fire on the charges revolutionaries. Battering their mass wave with more firepower than they initially expected to be used against them.


    However, the increase in artillery alone would not be able to ovee the odds. And though Trotsky''s heart damn near stopped when he saw the explosions turn his men into meat paste. He ultimately realized that his forces would still be able to break through in the end.


    That is, of course until they reached machine gun range. Once the endless sound of 8mm rounds chugging away at his forces appeared. The Bolshevik leader''s eyes opened wide enough that they damn near fell out. All the while his pupils turned as thin as needles.


    Just where the hell did the Tsar''s forces get their hands on so many machine guns!?!? No! No! No! Damn it all! How the hell was this even possible!?! Trotsky began sweating bullets as he quickly pulled out his pair of binocrs and gazed upon the enemy defenses.


    It was only then he realized who hade to the Tsar''s defense. An enemy he was not expecting to face. The ck uniforms of the German Iron Brigade would have been an unknown quantity, if not for the fact that their helmets disyed the banner of the German Reich, while their armbands proudly did the same.


    The Germans? Why were the Germans here? Weren''t they at odds with the Tsar? And where did they get so many machine guns? Trotsky''s thoughts were racing as the echo of artillery, machine gun, and rifle firebined into a symphony of death. All the while his men wailed and screamed as they were torn apart, their blood used to paint the snow where their bodies fell by the wayside.


    Bruno had not taken a position at the frontline of the city''s fortifications. Though he did finally ce his helmet upon his head. He simply observed from a distance further in the rear. No doubt his brothers and his friends were in the front,manding the individualpanies of soldiers who defended the trenches from the Russian onught.


    But 100 machine guns, firing 500 rounds per minute? Hell, the artillery wasn''t even needed at this point. That was 50,000 rounds a minute flying in the face of 80,000 enemies. All with connected lines of fire.


    You see, in the Great War of Bruno''s past life, machine gunners had learned a great trick. All they needed to do was gently tap the handles of the machine gun, and due to its tripod mount it would immediately shift horizontally just enough to deal with any enemies charging from the nks.


    If set up properly and with enough machine guns. One could make sure there was a constant spread of machine gun fire that affected all areas of no-man''snd. And by continuously using this method it created a sea of death which no man could escape from.


    When considering the fact that Bruno had his machine gun teams to specifically practice such tactics repeatedly during the months leading up to this deployment. These men ughtered the Red Army with little effort as they charged straight into the jaws of death.


    Whenbined with rifle fire from the trenches, the grenades that the Iron Brigade wielded whenever the enemy got close, and the rapid artillery fire of the 36 75mm guns in support. Then the battle was over before it ever really begun.


    Bruno had ordered the deaths of 80,000 men give or take. The numbers were slightly less when you considered that the officers of the Red Army hid in the rtive safety of their own trenches while sending their soldiers to their deaths.


    And he had done so in the span of under ten minutes. After which, Bruno blew his own whistle. While shouting towards the Iron Brigade, who climbed out of their own trenches, and led the charge towards what remained of the Red Army.


    "I want the enemymander captured alive! As for everyone else, do your worst! For Kaiser and fathend!"


    The Russian loyalist soldiers were so bewildered by the ughter that the German volunteers had unleashed on the enemy, that it took them a few seconds to process that the Iron Brigade was performing a counter charge now that all remained of the enemy were a few hundred officers hiding in their trenches.


    And because of this, they were slightly behind the Germans as they too climbed out of their fortifications and charged through the sea of blood and body parts, all while trying to capture the enemymander who had dared toy siege to revolt against the Crown. When Leon Trotsky witnessed what had happened to his army, he soiled himself in fear as he fell to his knees, crying like a bitch. All the while his hands shook, as the earth trembled beneath the charge of 21,000 loyalists. Many of which were fanatically anti-Marxist, and would do horrible things to the officers of the Red Army when they got their hands on them. Fearing what would happen to him if he was captured alive. Leon reached into his holster and pulled out his revolver. His hands trembled as tried to inspect whether any rounds were in the cylinder. So much so that the weapon fell from his grip and onto the ice within the trench, sliding away from him and the pool of urine he sat in.


    The mighty leader of the revolution cried as he got on his knees and crawled after the weapon. Hoping he could get his hands on it before the enemy made it into the trenches. But it was toote. He froze on the spot as gunfire echoed from nearby. While the screams of his officers


    filled the air.


    Either shot by the rifles of the Iron Brigade, or run through by their bays. Leon Trotsky found himself surrounded by German soldiers, each of which wore wicked smirks on their faces as they pointed their rifles at one of the primary leaders of the Bolshevik revolution, mocking him in German as they saw the sorry state he was in.


    No doubt, when the man was handed over to Bruno he would be delighted to find that one of the men who he hated most throughout history had fallen into his hands. And when this happened, Leon Trotsky would be forced to endure a fraction of the suffering which his victims in Bruno''s past life had undergone prior to their untimely deaths.

 Chapter 62: The Birth of a Martyr

    Chapter 62: The Birth of a Martyr


    ?


    Bruno stood in the snow filled streets of Saint Petersburg. The gunfire that had previously echoed across the region hade to a silent halt. The battle was won, and so quickly at that. 80,000 reds lie dead in a sea of their own blood.


    The snow itself being stained with the overwhelming volume of the liquid which poured across it as a result of the hundreds of thousands of rounds that had been fired down range in the span of ten minutes.


    Bodies lie st apart by the artillery shells, which impacted on their positions, as they foolishly charged against an entrenched and fortified position. One that had far more heavy weapons than they realized.


    And yet Bruno''s hands were as still as the dead. The shakes he frequently gained were nowhere to be found. Why was this? Because it was not the sound of artillery and gunfire which haunted him on a subconscious level.


    Nor was it the sea of corpses whose lives were taken by men acting on his orders. These things, they were calm, soothing even as the man had long sensed grown ustomed to them. Rather, it was the peaceful silence, the silence when the gunfire ends that terrified Bruno. He could not find a way to live with it.


    And because of this, here and now on the battlefield, or what remained of it he was as calm as could be. Callously counting the dead of those who followed him into battle. There was no silent prayer for the souls departed, nor a thought of the humanity lost. To him they were simply numbers.


    It was while Bruno was counting the losses which they had suffered in the charge, which was far less than the enemy. That his soldiers approached him with a prisoner in tow. As Bruno had ordered, the officers who cowardly hid behind their own fortifications while sending their men to their deaths were executed upon capture.


    Only one man was permitted to live. Themander of the Red Army, or at least the field army which had surrounded and besieged saint Petersburg for thest few months. Bruno was surprised to find that the man who had so brazenly attacked such a significant city was none other than Leon Trotsky, a man he held great resentment for.


    The Red Army''smander was forced onto his knees in front of Bruno who simply pulled out a cigarette and began to smoke as he gazed upon the hated face of his enemy. A man whose actions and ideals had caused the deaths of countless innocent souls in his past life. Leon was never a physically imposing or intimidating man. But he was more pathetic than history had depicted him. Especially now, as he was crying, his eyes red and puffy from the overwhelming tears he had let loose since the moment he realized his army was destroyed.


    All the while his nose was dripping with snot, while his body trembled uncontrobly. He was bound by ropes with his arms behind his back. And when Bruno gazed upon the man, he was surprised to find that there was no anger, nor hatred in his heart towards one of the founders of the Bolshevik revolution.


    Nor was there any sense of disdain or contempt as there had previously been. Instead, there was nothing but indifference. Perhaps it was because Leon Trotsky, here and now, was not the man he had been in his past life.


    Sure, he was on the same path of destruction, death, and despair. But Bruno had stopped him from achieving infamy in history. Instead, as Bruno gazed upon the pathetic state of the would be despot, he was just another poor soul to be sent to the afterlife by Bruno''s hand.


    Because of this, Bruno exhaled a deep plume of smoke in Trotsky''s face while he leaned down to stare at the man on a personal level. Perhaps if the man had the balls, he would spit in Bruno''s face and curse him out. But it was clear by the way he was acting he didn''t have such manhood.


    No, the man kneeling before Bruno was a broken and defeated man. One who would only beg for mercy in the face of his death as if he had already been thoroughly castrated by his victorious opponent. And because of this, Bruno''s lips curled into a cruel sneer as he posed a simple question to the one of the primary founders of the Bolshevik revolution.


    "Do you know who I am, little man?"


    Thest part was a personal insult, no doubt because of the man''s insignificant stature, especially as he kneeled in tears and soiled trousers before his conqueror. Leon Trotsky stammered over his words, refusing to meet Bruno''s sinister gaze as he trembled in fear knowing all too well the man who had defeated him, and so swiftly at that.


    "You are... The Wolf of Prussia..."


    Bruno''s smirk turned even more malicious as he got up to his feet and stared down upon the whelp, mocking him as he walked behind his prisoner''s back all while speaking a viinous monologue.


    "Oh? So you have heard of me... Then it should be no surprise to you why you have failed here in Saint Petersburg. You see, the thing is I''m also all too aware of who you are. History is, of course stained with the blood of your victims...."


    Trotsky tried to turn his head around and gaze upon Bruno who was behind him. But was quickly hit with the butt of the rifle, which belonged to one of the members of the Iron Brigade who had captured him. Causing him to wince in pain as his head hit the snow, the chilling cold reminding him of what his fate was to be.


    Still, he had done this out of confusion. Victims? What victims? And the way which Bruno spoke, it was almost as if he was not addressing Leon in the present. Rather from the perspective of the future. It was deeply confusing to the Bolshevik Revolutionary. Only further adding to the chaos in his mind as death loomed on the horizon, watching and waiting to im his soul.


    Meanwhile, Bruno stood there in silence as took another drag off of his cigarette at the same time reflecting on how he would handle this situation he had suddenly found himself in. He had, after all not expecting Leon Trotsky of all people to be themander of the Red Army which nowy dead in the snow.


    And while Bruno contemted in silence, Trotsky knelt in front of him. Forced to gaze upon what remained of his army, which now painted the snow red with their blood. Which he was only now realizing was on full disy to him. It was a gruesome sight, one which the Bolshevik leader could not urately describe with words.


    The sight of his failures, which had resulted in such aplete and utter massacre caused the Bolshevik revolutionary to cry once more with his hands bound behind his back. After taking some time to think about how to proceed, Bruno suddenly pulled out his luger from its holster and pointed it to the back of the man''s head.


    He let out arge puff of smoke from his lungs before saying the final words that themunist leader would ever hear in this life. And they were ones that only added to the confusion he currently felt.


    "I have often thought about what I would do to you and Lenin if I were ever able to get my hands on either of you... I mean the suffering the two of you have caused in this world. It is truly on a scale that few humans are capable ofprehending.


    And yet millions of people around the globe venerate you as some kind of ideological saint. It is truly sickening... Especially when other dictators, warlords, and maniacs who havemitted far less evil in this world are so despised.


    However, despite my previous intentions I have to admit. Now that you are in my custody, you seem so pathetic... It is almost as if you are not even worth the hatred which I have held for you for all these years.


    I suppose I should thank you. Seeing you act like such a despicable and insignificant creature in the face of death has only confirmed that you are simply unworthy of provoking any


    emotion from me.


    Allow me to gift you with these parting words of advice: if you are ever given another chance at life, you would do well to reflect on what brought you to this point and how you can


    properly repent for your sins."


    *Bang*


    The body of Leon Trotsky fell to the floor with the sound of a gunshot. His brains blown out all over the snow in front of where he had kneeled just moments before. All the while Bruno took onest drag from his cigarette before tossing the butt on the face of the corpse he had just made. Without any concern to putting it out. It was hisst gesture of disrespect towards a man undeserving of being remembered in history.


    All the while the soldiers of the Iron Brigade, the ck Hundreds, and Russian Army gazed at Trotsky''s corpse after his execution with conflicted feelings. Surely this was a sign that the Bolshevik revolution wasing to an end was it not?


    Unfortunately for them, the war had only just begun, and Trotsky''s death at the hands of


    Bruno would make him a martyr in the eyes of those who shared his cause. In theing days, hundreds of thousands of peasants would flock to the Red Army, easily replenishing their ranks from those who had died on this day.

 Chapter 63: The Invention of the Tachanka

    Chapter 63: The Invention of the Tachanka


    ?


    The Siege of Saint Petersburg hade to a sudden and violent conclusion. One that onlookers from abroad were not expecting in the slightest. First and foremost, it was assumed that the city would fall, and with it all of Ingria soon after.


    If this had urred, the Bolsheviks would have stolen a vital port from the Russians and would have been able to receive military aid from foreign interest groups which supported them. But in a rather shocking disy of firepower. The 6,000 man strong Iron Brigade almost single-handedly obliterated the enemy with an absurd degree of machine guns.


    It was still an era where machine guns were not adopted by any military other than the major powers. And even then, they were almost always deployed incorrectly, as if they were another artillery piece.


    In addition to this, they existed in such limited numbers they had no real effect to change the battlefield. But two things stuck out like a sore thumb to everyone who learned about what happened in Saint Petersburg.


    One, machine guns were a far more valuable weapon of war than initially estimated. Two, the use of steel helmets to protect one''s skull from shrapnel might actually be an investment worth looking into. Because of this, Bruno had, as he feared sparked an arms race between the major powers of the world.


    This was however an arms race, which, unlike the naval arms race waged between the British Empire and the German Reich, that the Germans had a significant advantage of. Having already manufactured thousands of machine guns over the course of thest few years.


    So much so that they were able to send 100 machine guns and teams that knew how to operate them abroad. The result of which was clear enough for everyone to see. But the more important effect of this battle was the fact that Leon Trotsky''s death had made him a martyr in the eyes of the Bolsheviks, and those who were sympathetic to their cause.


    The death of Leon Trotsky was painted as an abuse of power by the Tsar and his foreign volunteers who ording to Bolshevik propaganda were ravenous savages who had needlessly massacred the Red Army at Saint Petersburg, and executed the prisoners they gained. And in doing so, using them of War Crimes.


    There was only one problem with this line of thinking. Neither the Iron Brigade nor the Red Army were state actors. And because of this, they were neither protected by the conventions of the Hauge nor obligated to abide by its rules.


    In fact, rules of war were generally easy to skirt around due to the specifguage within them. And this was a time when the Rules of War were even more loosely defined as the Geneva conventions which firmly solidified the concept into internationalw had yet to be established.


    But even under the Geneva conventions, which limited how militaries must conduct themselves during times of war did not provide protection to uniformedbatants. This, of course, meant the likes of terrorists, mercenaries, and foreign volunteers operating outside the scope of a nation''s department of defense.


    For all intents and purposes, the Iron Brigade had no official ties to either the German Military, or the Russian Army. Because of this, they were an organization not bound by even the strictest rules of war. And the Red Army could most certainly be defined by the term of "terrorists" meaning they were not protected by the rules of war either.


    Hence why nobody really took the Red Army''sints seriously, at least on the international stage. However, the Russian peasantry did indeed side with the Bolsheviks. Seeing the death of 80,000 working ss Russians at the hands of foreign mercenaries brought over by the Tsar as an act of supreme oppression. One that must be stood up against. Even normal Russian men and adolescent youths who had no such notions towards Socialism, or Communism quickly took up the hammer and sickle and dered their support by joining the Red Army.


    The Tsar and his family were for the time being safe in Siberia where ample troops of the Russian Army, and its most loyal soldiers were stationed to protect them. And meanwhile Bruno was meeting with the Russian military leadership in order to find a way to properly deal with themunist rebels.


    And doubts they may have had about the Iron Brigade quickly fell to the wayside after lifting the siege of Saint Petersburg, and because of it the Russian Generals and admirals were quite friendly with Bruno. Despite any past grievances, they may have had for him because of his actions in China and Manchuria.


    Or at the very least, they were respectful towards him. Such as Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov, who was the Head of the Moscow police and Governor-General of St. Petersburg. The man held extraordinary influence with the Tsar despite his inability to put down the Bolsheviks when they first broke out in rebellion.


    He was one of the Russian Generals who may not personally like Bruno, but forced himself to remain polite for the sake of their temporary alliance, as well as in recognition of Bruno''s aplishments in Saint Petersburg.


    "Generalleutnant, your reputation precedes you. One that is clearly justly earned after what you did to Leon Trotsky and his army of terrorists... Although I must say, as effective as your machine guns were in static defensive positions, I have a hard time believing they will be useful in an offensive."


    The Governor-General was indeed correct about that. Under normal circumstances, the maxim style machine guns, or any water cooled heavy machine gun for that matter, weighed far too much to be carried into battle by a single man, or even a team of men.


    There was a variant which the Germans had made during the Great War to remedy this, but honestly it was more of an ad hoc solution rather than one that was properly thought out. Instead, Bruno had a far more useful strategy in mind for how to handle this matter.


    One that he ironically enough hard learned from the Red Army with the tactics they used during the Russian Civil War in his past life. Because of this, he was quick toment on such


    a matter.


    "You''re not entirely wrong, General-Governor. However, nor are you as forward thinking as I am. Sure it would be damn near impossible for a single man, or even a team of machine gunners to effectively wield such a weapon offensively.


    But what if you mounted it on the back of a carriage? One specifically designed to carry such a weapon and its mount?"


    Bruno was, of course, referring to the legendary Tachanka. From Bruno''s perspective, the Tachanka was an unrefined solution to a problem that was best suited to a partially industrialized society like the Russian Empire.


    Had this been a civil war fought in the respectable boundaries of the German Reich he simply would have proposed the elegance and efficiency of an armored car. Which had actually yed a pivotal role putting down the German revolution of 1918-1919.


    Which was an attempt in Bruno''s past life by Marxists living in the boundaries of the German Reich, and theter Weimar Republic to overthrow the government and rece it with a revolutionarymunist state. Something that was amon urrence throughout Europe at the time.


    The moment Bruno suggested this idea, the lights went off in the minds of the Russian Generals. Indeed, they could mount the machine gun to the back of a carriage. That would indeed prove to be a valuable weapon for their cavalry, would it not?


    Because of this, Bruno did not say anything more, and would instead allow the Russians to create the Tachanka themselves, as it was not necessarily something that was difficult to make. Instead, he pointed at the map, where battle lines were being drawn. Pointing towards the Volga river where the heavily industrialized city of Tsaritsyn lied.


    It was a city known for exceptional Marxist activity, and because of this Bruno feared it would fall into Bolshevik hands next. Something that would hit the Russian Empire hard, as they relied on the industrial output from the city. Which was one of few that existed in the


    Empire''s borders.


    "I get the feeling after suffering defeat at my hands in Saint Petersburg, the Red Army will move to seize industrial centers and the means of production within them. In doing so they will be able to cut off the Empire''s domestic production of goods. Something that could cripple the economy, as well as supply lines.


    It is with this in mind; I suggest deploying a division of men to the area, along with the Iron Brigade. If we can maintain authority over Tsaritsyn, then they will be able to halt the ns of the Red Army before they even begin.


    If we''re toote, then a battle will be unavoidable. And I have the suspicion that the Red Army in the region will outnumber us significantly if such a thing were to ur..." There were no arguments to be had against Bruno''s statements. There was actionable intelligence collected in the region that suggests a Bolshevik takeover of the city was being nned. In addition to this, the man''s logic and reasoning were sound regarding why this would ur. And the effects it would have on the Russian Empire.


    As a result, the Russian Generals were quick to agree with Bruno''s assessment, albeit debate with the man over whether or not a division of men would be enough to suffice the demands of war.


    "Are you sure you only need a single division? We could always send more men to the area...


    Bruno however shook his head. 25,000 men, plus the 6,000 members of the Iron Brigade would suffice. After all, he had a significant advantage in firepower, which could easily ovee the human wave tactics of the Red Army. And hence, he voiced his thoughts on the matter with supreme confidence.


    "A single division will be enough. Just make sure they aren''t conscripts who barely know how


    to handle a rifle and I''ll be fine."


    With this, Bruno would begin making preparations to secure Tsaritsyn for the Tsar. Something which the Red Army was also preparing to counter.

 Chapter 64: International Conspiracies

    Chapter 64: International Conspiracies


    ?


    While Bruno was moving his forces within the Iron Brigade, as well as the supporting elements of the Imperial Russian Army into position near the city of Tsaritsyn. International interests began to converge. Not in support of the Red Army, but rather in opposition to the German Reich.


    To all who observed what had happened in Saint Petersburg, there were two things that stood out. One, the use of machine guns as employed by the Iron Brigade had universally changed the world''s understanding of warfare and how it was fought.


    Or at the very least, this was the case for the world''s major powers. In addition to this, the use of steel helmets on the battlefield was an irregrity which the Iron Brigade had utilized. Some thought that this was perhaps simply a ceremonial decoration in reference to the word iron, which was in their unit''s name.


    After all, most headwear in military use was ceremonial to some degree. But those with a bit more intelligence and insight were quickly able to deduce why these steel helmets were employed. To reduce head injuries from artillery. Something that was rapidly bing a concern for the world atrge as artillery developed over the course of thest century. Because of this, most militaries were now looking to make investments into both machine guns and steel helmets for their soldiers. And upon seeing that the cat was now out of the bag, the German Army saw this as a perfect opportunity to no longer conceal their power level, so to speak.


    Over night the preparations Bruno had made as far back as 1901 were beginning to enter the service. The new uniforms patterned after the 1915 German Uniform from Bruno''s past life were quickly issued to all troops.


    The new feldgrau uniforms were a statement, and from the perspective of the other nations very forward thinking. While camouge had yet toe into existence, gone were the days of wearing bright and shy colors. Which in all honestly was a remnant of a bygone era.


    Instead, the Germans had adopted a uniform in earthly tones, which would allow them to better blend in with their environment. This, of course, was another concept that other militaries began experimenting with as well.


    While the German Reich and its allies met together to discuss the future of warfare, including the nations of Germany, Austro-Hungary, Japan, and Italy. So too did the Reich''s enemies. Specifically Britain and France, as the Russian Empire was currently on the fence of whom to join.


    While Anglo-Russian rtions were progressing as they had in Bruno''s past life. It was the end of 1904, and it would be another two to three years before the Anglo-Russian entente was signed.


    Bruno had chosen to throw a wrench in these ns, as he sent the Iron Brigade to ensure the Tsar''s survival during the Russian Civil War, which as a result of his previous interference in the timeline had urred a decade earlier than it should have.


    Thus, despite previous incidents that angered the Russian Empire, they were now no longer openly hostile with the German Reich. Instead, they were neutral in the matters of Europe. And should Bruno emerge victorious in this war, he may very well win the support of the Tsar for the German Reich.


    As for Italy, it was officially a part of the Triple Alliance, and had yet to default on this agreement. Because of this, they were also present at the meeting between the German Reich, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Empire of Japan.


    With Japan recently dering its full-fledged support by signing its membership in the Triple Alliance, or as it was now known the Central Powers. The gathering between Britain and France, whenpared to the four nations of the Central Powers was an immediate cause of concern for the two powers of the Entente.


    The German Reich had blindsided them over the course of thest four years. First by signing an alliance with the Empire of Japan, and second by revealing the advancements they had made in terms of infantry weapons and tactics.


    This was only a small disy of what Germany actually had nned. With their semi- automatic rifles, general purpose machine guns, sub-machine guns, advanced artillery, tanks, and aircraft still being either in production, undergoing military trials, or simply withheld from the public.


    Because of this, the representatives of Britain and France were naturally anxious. While the Naval Arms race was proceeding in Britain''s favor. The reality of the situation was that the determining factor of the uing European War, as the minds of the time referred to it as, would be decided onnd, not on sea.


    Since this appeared to be the case, the representative of the British Crown spoke with an inflection in his tone that hinted the nervousness of only himself, but also the monarch he served as he met with the French President in Paris.


    "Of course, King Edward and Parliament as a whole would like to assure our allies in France that we are wholeheartedly dedicated to the agreements which we signed earlier this year. However, there are certain matters for concern.


    It was bad enough when our enemies appeared to be the three realms of Germany, Austria, and Italy. But now the Japanese have thrown their lot in with the Triple Alliance, meaning our possessions in the east will no doubte under attack should war emerge between us all.


    In addition to this, rtions with the Russian Empire appear to be heading in the opposite direction. The league of Three Emperors that fell apart in decades past due to conflicting interests between Austria and Russia may very well be reformed.


    Especially after the recent deployment of the Iron Brigade to Russia, and their victory at Saint Petersburg. This incident appears to have mended the strained rtions between the German Reich and the Russian Empire.


    I fear that should this young German General y a more significant role in the conflict, the Tsar might very well be swayed to join our rivals. Albeit there would need to be some significant diplomatic maneuvering on behalf of the German leadership should they wish to achieve such a goal.


    Even so, if such a thing were allowed toe to pass, then we would most certainly find ourselves isted from the rest of the world''s major powers. As mighty as the British Empire is, such abined force could easily overwhelm our two nations in an armed conflict. Especially after Germany has revealed its hand. Investing heavily into machine guns was a strategy that none of us could have anticipated. And perhaps if this was a year ago I would mock the Germans for such a strategy.


    But Saint Petersburg proved beyond a reasonable doubt the overwhelming effectiveness of such weapons. So much so that as we speak, our Army is scrambling in its efforts to procure as many machine guns as possible.


    However, I fear we are quite a bit behind our rivals. And this gap only seems to be increasing in scale. If we wish to win this war, then we must find a way to tarnish the rtions between the German Reich and the Russian Empire.


    We must also act swiftly to convince Italy to join our side. If forced to fight a three front war, the odds will be significantly much more in our favor. But if the German Reich and its allies coordinated their efforts entirely on your borders, there is no army in this world that could save you, my friend..."


    Perhaps it was simply the nature of the French, on some deeply engrained gic level. But the French President had a smug, and arrogant air about him. Even under such pressure from the other major powers, he seemed almost entirely unconcerned.


    As if France was somehow superior to everyone else in this world, so much so that they could take on the entire world by themselves and emerge victorious. And it was hence no surprise when his response exuded such a conceited aura.


    "I thank you for your concerns ambassador. And your proposals are indeed interesting to say the least. However, there is one clear defining factor in the creation of these so called central powers. And that is this fool who calls himself the Wolf of Prussia.


    He alone has gained the favor of the Japanese, and continued to coerce the Russians to his side. The solution to this problem is incredibly simple. y the wolf, and the alliances he has


    made will fall apart.


    Because of this, the Republic will do everything we can to arm and supply the Red Army in


    secret. After all, we do not wish to strain rtions with the Tsar. Then again, should the Red Army emerge victorious they would be a far more valuable ally, as they will not suffer from the ipetency of the Tsar, nor will they share any ideological ties to these Central Powers. As for the young general in question, our agents are being dispatched to Russia to take care of him. I promise you this, he will not live to see the end of this war..."


    These words were not reassuring for the British ambassador. For starters, neither he nor the British government in favor of empowering radical revolutionaries of any ideology. Especially those that despised monarchies and republics alike.


    In addition to this, he believed that the French had missed the point entirely. Focusing on one


    man, rather than the alliances he had helped establish. It was an error in thinking, one that could only be exined by the hatred which the French had for their neighbors to the East.


    The reality of the situation was, these concerns werergely unfounded. It would be difficult for Austria and Russia to resolve their disputes in the balkans. One of the other would have to concede, and that was simply improbable.


    As for Italy, they were a wild card. And Bruno personally had more faith in being able to wipe out the Italian Army in its entirety at Isonzo than he did in them actually maintaining their loyalty to their allies.


    Two World Wars in his past life had proven Italians to be both ineffective on the battlefield and untrustworthy as allies. Because of this, Bruno would rather have the Italians as an enemy, than be stabbed in the back by them. And he would naturally advise the Kaiser on this position when the time came for him to do so.

 Chapter 65: Assassination in the Streets of Saint Petersburg

    Chapter 65: Assassination in the Streets of Saint Petersburg


    ?


    Bruno didn''t realize it, but the French had sent agents to Russia for the specific purpose of assassinating him. Instead, he was in the middle of readying his forces for the march on Tsaritsyn. It wasn''t exactly something that could reasonably be handled overnight.


    Establishing a logisticalwork took time. And considering the vast territory of Russia, and thergely barren wastnd that it was. Creating this supply line was an effort of monumental undertaking.


    The worst thing you could possibly do as amander is to be over eager in the pursuit of victory, and in doing so advance beyond your supply lines. It was a mistake that many nations had made in history, and nearly every time it ended inplete and total disaster.


    And many of these instances had taken ce in Russia itself. Whether it was Napoleon''s march on Moscow, or Germany''s assault on Stalingrad. Both ended in defeat, and the consequences of which ultimately lost them the war.


    Had Germany maintained its supply lines WW2 they wouldn''t have run out of critical resources such as cold weather clothing, ammunition, and most important of all fuel. Because of these shortages, the German army was horrifically defeated at Stalingrad, thus breaking the German advance into Russia and starting a whole new stage of the war that led the Red Army to Berlin in the end.


    Bruno naturally would not make this mistake. Sure, he was fighting on behalf of the Tsar, rather than being a foreign invader. And hence could rely on the Russian railways to support his campaign to take Tsaritsyn.


    But Russia was woefully underdeveloped. So much so that a lot of his time would be spent marching across open ins in the dead of winter. There was the option to wait until spring to begin his offensive.


    However, this itself would ensure that Tsaritsyn fell into the Red Army''s hands. And in doing so, give them time to prepare for the assault. The result of which would no doubt incur heavy casualties to the Tsarist Forces and the Iron Brigade.


    Attrition was a natural part of war, and in a way was natural selection itself. Those who died on the march to Tsaritsyn would be left to freeze, and be one with the Earth itself. Bruno simply did not have time under such constraints to prepare proper burials.


    And it was because of these constraints both in time and resources that Bruno was frantically walking across Saint Petersburg where the bulk of his forces were gathered. Marching in and out of offices of various military departments, and political figures. Trying his best to get things in order before the long march began.


    It was perhaps because he was walking so erratically through the streets and with much on his mind that Bruno did not notice he was being followed. Normally Bruno''s paranoia would keep his head on a swivel, but with so much to prepare for, and so little time to do it in, his mind was not focused on his surroundings, but rather how he wouldplete his objectives before the time to march began.


    Eventually, after crossing a corner, Bruno came across a man blocking his path. The man was dressed by a local, but his facial features gave him away as a native to Western Europe. Bruno was about to question just who this man was when he realized a revolver was pointing at his chest.


    The man simply pointed the weapon at Bruno''s chest and fired. The shot clearly piercing into his chest as Bruno stood there in shock. Several of the guards chased after the would be assassin immediately after he fired the shot, causing him to be unable to continue with his efforts, while others attended to Bruno.


    Who appeared almost entirely unphased after being hit in the chest with a bullet? Instead, he felt around his own chest with his bare fingers. No doubt there was something wet rapidly spreading across his chest. But luckily for Bruno, when he pulled his fingers out from under his clothes this liquid was not blood, but rather the vodka in his sk. Which had taken the bullet for him.


    After all, revolver cartridges of the era were incredibly anemic, especially in Europe. Bruno, of course recognized the pistol that had been used to shoot him. It was a French Revolver; he had after all seen them during his time in China.


    Specifically, it was the French mod¨¨le 1873 revolver, a sidearm which fired the 11mm French Ordnance round. And while this might sound like a big and powerful cartridge to the uninitiated the reality was that it had roughly the equivalent velocity and stopping power of a .25acp.


    To put this in perspective, the .25 ACP cartridge in the 21st century was considered inadequate for personal defense. So much so that a study found that of 68 people shot with the cartridge 35% of them were not even incapacitated, and only 25% of them were fatal injuries.


    Meanwhile, the cartridge used to assassinate Bruno, which was roughly the equivalent of the .25 acp was even weaker. Gaining a simr performance of the .25 acp fired out of a 2 inch barrel pocket pistol, while being fired from a full sized revolver.


    In other words, the steel sk which Bruno carried in his breast pocket, whenbined with his thick wool winter jacket had quite literally saved his life. The fact that Bruno was still standing after being literally shot in the chest meant he was incredibly pissed off at whoever had tried to kill him.


    Because of this, Bruno quite literally pulled out his own pistol, which fired the superior 9x19mm Luger, a pistol cartridge still used on modern battlefields, and self defense by the time Bruno had died in his past life. When he rounded the corner, Bruno found the man disarmed, and being held at gunpoint by his guards, who pointed their rifles at his face.


    Bruno of course approached the man, holstering his pistol as he did so, before getting up in his would be assassin''s face. There was a fearsome expression on Bruno''s face, so much so that the man who had just tried to kill him was terrified.


    Yet that did not stop Bruno from behaving with violence. He immediately punched the man in the face, while grabbing the back of his head with both hands. Where he deliberately kneed him would be assassin in the testicles three times. Once the man was throwing up the contents of his stomach while on his knees, Bruno ruthlessly kicked him in the head with a vicious ser kick.


    Which the steel toe of his boot immediately collided with the assassin''s skull, knocking him out on the spot. Where Bruno proceeded to stomp on his unconscious face. He was just about to kill his assassin, all the while screaming obscenities at the man the entire time. "You stupid motherfucker! You actually fucking dare!?! I''ll fucking rip your intestines out and hang you with them you piece of fucking shit!"


    Ultimately, as the man lie on the brink of the death, Brunos'' guards pulled him away. Any further violence would end the man''s life before he could be properly interrogated. And that was something which Bruno''s soldiers who were not nearly as enraged as theirmander was, would not allow to happen.


    Thus, two of the men pulled Bruno aside and calmed him down, while the other two lifted the unconscious assassin up. As they dragged him off to be transported to the hospital for treatment. Just enough that the man was stable. After all, he would be transported back to the Reich for interrogation, which would be a gruesome process in and of itself.


    As for Bruno, despite his best efforts to assure the men he was okay, the bullet had pierced slightly into his flesh. It was a flesh wound, nothing serious, but the men beneath hismand still insisted he get medical treatment. And because of this, Bruno was also evacuated to the German Reich for medical treatment.


    For two reasons, one the medical industry in Germany was much better than in Russia at the moment. And two, Bruno was a man of supreme importance to the German Reich. Thus, when the Kaiser learned of this attack on the man he overreacted to it.


    Thus, Bruno was ultimately sidelined for some time in regards to marching on Tsaritsyn. The attack on his life had ensured the Red Army''s takeover of the industrial city. And Bruno would


    instead have to march in the Spring.


    Something that, while favorable to the soldiers during the march, would inevitably result in higher casualties when the bullets started flying. As for who was behind the attack, whether it was the Red Army or one of the German Reich''s adversaries on the global stage. This would be revealed soon enough.

 Chapter 66: Hell Hath No Fury...

    Chapter 66: Hell Hath No Fury...


    ?


    Word quickly reached the Fathend of the assassination of the attempt on Bruno''s life while in the streets of Saint Petersburg. While Russia was currently in a civil war, Saint Petersburg was considered a stronghold of the Tsar and his Loyalists, especially after the Siege it endured in the past few months.


    After all, anyone even remotely suspected of having loyalty to the Bolsheviks, or even sympathy for that matter had been dragged from their homes and shot in the streets. Because of this, it was considered rtively safe. Or at least as safe as an area could be in a country currently embroiled in a civil war.


    Still, in the middle of broad daylight, a man had shot the leader of the Iron Brigade in a botched assassination attempt. And this had generated many headlines. Luckily for Bruno a habit of his that was utterly detrimental to his health had ironically saved his life.


    Bruno was, after all, a man who relied heavily on substance abuse to cope with his increasing PTSD. And it was because of this that he kept a pack of cigarettes and a sk of hard liquor on him at all times. This steel sk had taken the primary impact of the bullet, allowing it to just barely prate his flesh at a depth that was not lethal.


    He had survived the attack on his life, and rumor had it the man had chased down his assant and beat him half to death after having quite literally just been shot in the chest. The reality of the situation was that the would be assassin was already caught by Bruno''s guards when the man vented his rage upon him.


    But soldiers had a way of exaggerating things, and the tale which the soldiers spun was quickly over time morphed into something more myth than reality. Even so, the Wolf of Prussia had gained a reputation for being both "impervious to bullets" and ruthless in retaliation.


    Of course, the would be assassin, after being discharged from the hospital was transferred into the care of the German Army''s Foreign Intelligence division. Who did a number on the man in order to get the truth to him? The man tried his best to bite his tongue, but ultimately he gave up everything he had on his masters and their ns to eliminate Bruno from the chessboard.


    Naturally, when the Kaiser learned that the French had dared to try to assassinate one of his Generals he was pissed. He had after all invested a significant sum of resources into Bruno''s development as a general.


    But the Kaiser''s fury paled inparison to that of Bruno''s wife. Heidi was quickly alerted to what had happened. And when she did, she kept in contact with her cousin who worked at the German Army''s Foreign Intelligence Division. The man kept her up to date on all thetest information gained from their victim.


    And in the end, after he had divulged everything he knew, Heidi''s reaction would have been terrifying had anyone witnessed it. The normally timid and submissive housewife had a haunting expression on her otherwise wless face. One that conveyed an urge to personally y the flesh from the bones of the man who had dared to try to take her husband away from her and her young children.


    But she did not immediately respond to the words spoken by her cousin who was on the other end of the line. Remaining silent for a long time, long enough to provoke a response from the man she was speaking to.


    "Heidi, are you alright..."


    Heidi finally snapped back to reality, as she asked a question to the man, and in a way that deeply unnerved him.


    "Hey... You once said that you would do anything I ask, right? After what I did for your sister, you said you owe me in more ways than I could possibly imagine, right?"


    Despite having previously said these words, and with full intent behind them. Heidi''s cousin couldn''t help but feel something dreadfuling from the woman on the other end of the line. And it was perhaps because of this that his tone was filled with anxiety as he responded to her questions.


    "Yeah.. Of course... So long as it is in my power, I will help you with whatever you desire... What exactly are you thinking Heidi? Isn''t your husband resting in the other room after being injured? You should go tend to him rather than ask whatever it is you are about to ask!"


    Heidi, of course didn''t hear what the man had said. She was in a murderous trance, and because of this the words she spoke were filled with such hostility.


    "Promise me.... Promise me that this man who dared to attack my husband... Promise me that his death will be slow and painful... I want him to suffer hell itself before you send him to where he belongs..."


    Heidi did not wait for a response, and instead hung up on her cousin. Immediately shifting back to her normal loving and cheerful self as she rushed into the other room to tend to Bruno, who was lying in bed taking it easy after the doctors told him he was not going back to Saint Petersburg until after his wounds healed.


    This was the Kaiser''s orders, after all. And because of this, Bruno had no choice but to leave the Iron Brigade''s affairs in themand of the Officer ranked directly beneath him. Bruno wasn''t seriously injured, at least not enough to actually be bedridden. But for whatever reason those around him were treating him as such.


    With Heidiing in to change his bandage and disinfect his wound with alcohol. Not that it really needed such treatment.


    "Are you feeling alright? Do you want something for the pain? I can fetch you some alcohol, or perhaps some opium, if you really need it!"


    Bruno scoffed. Pain? The bullet had prated less than an inch into his flesh. Hell, when the doctor pulled it out of him, it was the bottom of it was quite literally visibly poking out of his flesh. It was a minor injury, one barely worth mentioning.


    Why was everyone acting as if he was terminally fucking ill? Bruno, of course had no idea that Heidi had just ensured his would be assassin''s death would be as slow and painful of a process as possible. Not that the sadistic psychopaths who worked as interrogators for the German Reich would really mind the extra effort.


    It was an era before torturing prisoners for information was considered immoral, hical, or illegal. Because of this, a very special breed of nut job usually ended up employed in such a profession. And they would enjoy every moment of it.


    Still, Bruno didn''t want to express how he was annoyed with the way his wife was babying him, and thus forced a smile as he shook his head assuring her he was alright.


    "Heidi, I''m fine honestly. I don''t know why you are all overreacting. This wouldn''t be the first time I.... Nearly lost my life..."


    Bruno was just about to say this wouldn''t be the first time he died. But caught himself midway through. I meanpared to actually dying in his past life, a near death experience was nothing all that traumatic.


    Of course, this was not exactly a response Heidi was looking for either. Her mood immediately bing dark as she interrogated the man on when else he nearly lost his life.


    "What? When? Where? Was it those yellow fucking bastards? Did they nearly get you killed in Manchuria? Don''t worry honey, I''ll make sure they pay for their sins!"


    Bruno had never seen such a crazed side of his wife before. She had never actually used profanity in front of the man before. And because of this, he was taken aback as he grabbed hold of her hands and brought her back to a state of normalcy.


    "I''m being hyperbolic here Heidi, rx, okay? Everything is fine! I''m fine! You don''t need to worry so much."


    Heidi once more returned to her usual self as she clung to Bruno and held him tightly. Saying things to him that were not necessarily reassuring to the man.


    "I''m sorry honey, I over reacted just now... It''s just after everything that has happened... After your injury... I''ve been worrying about what would happen if I lost you! If the kids lost you! I....


    I don''t know how I would go on without you!"


    Bruno ultimately decided to treat this statement as if it was one of affection, and not something he should be worried about. Because of this, he pet the woman''s golden hair andforted her.


    No doubt she was shaken up after what happened to him. And until now, he had done a poor job at easing her anxiety. Because of this, Bruno would spend much of the day in bed cuddling


    with his wife.

 Chapter 67: God, Family, Kaiser, and Fatherland

    Chapter 67: God, Family, Kaiser, and Fathend


    ?


    Bruno''s recovery was rather swift. And why wouldn''t it be? The bullet had barely lodged itself in his flesh. The projectile was extracted, a stitch or two was applied, followed by some bandages. Which were tenderly reced in a timely manner by Bruno''s wife.


    Sure, he had damn near died, and would have done so if he wasn''t an alcoholic, but the wound itself which had been inflicted on him was minor. The near death incident came from the fact that had he not been wearing a thick and heavy wool greatcoat, with a steel sk in his breast pocket. Then the bullet most definitely would have pierced his heart and killed him.


    Because of how Heidi reacted in an overly protective and almost motherly way. Bruno was quite literally forced to rest in bed by the woman, and to be tended to by her as if he were a sick child. While this had some appeal in its own right. Bruno honestly believed his beloved wife was overreacting.


    If there was one upside to the attempt on his life, at least from the perspective of those who had initiated the failed attack. Then it was the fact that the Winter Offensive, which Bruno had nned in the Volga Region in a maneuver to root out and destroy the Red Army and their supporters in the region had been effectively postponed until spring.


    This gave the red army time to properly prepare for the Tsarist Forces and their assault. Frankly, Bruno had wanted to prevent this from happening, even if it meant marching on Tsaritsyn in the Winter. A mistake the German Army had made during the Second World War of his past life that had in many ways cost them the entire war.


    After all, the Soviet Union had renamed many historical Russian cities after the leaders of the Socialist Revolution. For example, Saint Petersburg became Leningrad, while Tsaritsyn became Stalingrad. Hence why Bruno was overly cautious with the preparations of his supply lines in order to sustain his assault on the city and the Bolsheviks within it.


    Bruno was, after all, not the type of man to make the same mistakes as others before him. In fact, he had a tendency to learn from said mistakes, and avoid them altogether. It was a rare quality in a man. After all, most people tended to repeat the same mistakes as their forbearers, even if they were warned in advance not to do so.


    Perhaps it was the intrinsic arrogance of mankind, but such was the way of life for many human beings. However, Bruno was not cut from the same cloth as these lesser men, and because of this he had made ample preparations for the Winter Offensive to ensure his soldiers had the clothing, rations, medical supplies, weapons, and munitions needed to capture not only Tsaritsyn, but the entire Volga region.


    Of course, with the attempt on his life, and the injury sustained during this. These ns had utterly gone to waste. Because of this, Bruno had much time in the day to make other preparations for a far more distant future.


    Currently, he was lying in his bed thinking about the natural consequences that would result from the deployment of the Iron Brigade in Russia. And what he had given to the Tsar to deal with the Red Army more efficiently.


    The Tachanka was a valuable weapon in an eracking in armored warfare. But Bruno already had a sufficient answer to deal with them. The power train used on his modified E-10 tank wasrgely modeled after the one used on the Panzer V Panther Medium Tank in his past life. It was capable of producing 690 HP or 515 KWs.


    But the Panther Tank weighed 44.8 tonnes, while the E-10 Series tanks weighed a maximum of 25 tonnes. Or as Bruno called it in this life the Panzer I. With his specific model weighing roughly 20 tonnes in total. Which was less than half that of the Panther Medium Tank.


    This meant that the overall power to weight ratio was much more favorable when it came to speed and maneuverability. Hence, while the Tachanka had a maximum speed of roughly 12 miles per hour or roughly 19 kilometers per hours.


    However, the German Panzer in this life could easily triple that speed as the Panther Tank was more than capable of doing so itself. Realistically, the max speed of the Panzer I in this life could potentially be as much as 5x the speed of the Tachanka, if not more.


    Not only that, but the Tachanka was only equipped with a Maxim Heavy Machine Gun. Which, when the Russians adopted their own variant would fire the 7.62x54rmm Cartridge. In other words, a .30 caliber cartridge.


    Meanwhile, the Panzer 1 was equipped with a 5cm main gun on its turret, along with a coaxially mounted 8mm machine gun. This meant that the Panzer 1 in this life which was modeled after the E-10 prototype light tank in Bruno''s past life was not only capable of outrunning the Tachankas that they may fight on the eastern front in the uing Great War, but could also obliterate them with a single shot fired from its main gun.


    In other words, Bruno had no fear leaking the effectiveness of machine guns, or even the Tachanka, as these things would either already be discovered at the start of the Great War, or were simply incapable of really dealing with what Bruno had already made preparations for.


    It was while Bruno was contemting on these matters that his three children ran up to him. At the moment Bruno was resting in his bed, as even getting out of it for more than just a bathroom break, or to take a shower was enough to spur the wrath of his wife.


    The kids had obviously been worried the moment their father returned home early. They were not alerted to the fact that someone had tried to take their father''s life. But they weren''t stupid. Obviously, by the way, their mother was babying the man, and the fact that he lied in bed all day. He was either injured or sick.


    And because of this, Bruno''s two daughters, and his only son ran up to him, and jumped into his bed. Checking on their old man to see if he was alright. With Eva being the oldest, she had a better mastery of the Germannguage and was thus more capable of asking her father what


    was wrong.


    "Is daddy hurt? Or just sick?"


    Bruno who did not want to worry his children over what had happened, or his minor injury was quick to drag the girls into both of his arms, while assuring them that everything was alright.


    "I''m fine, I am just a little under the weather is all. And on top of that, I was a little homesick. So I decided to take a break from my trip overseas toe see your mother and the lot of you. You all don''t have to worry. I''ll be fine in a few weeks. But I''m afraid once I am feeling better I will have to leave all of you once more..."


    Bruno naturally didn''t want to get his children''s hopes up, or give them the idea that he would be staying with them for very long. That would be cruel to them, and that was thest thing he wanted as father.


    Because of this, Bruno made his kids aware of the reality of the situation, without revealing unnecessary matters that would only haunt them. And perhaps cause some childhood trauma. Something that Bruno wanted to avoid as long as possible.


    As if Heidi had a sixth sense about Bruno''s wellbeing, she instantly burst into the room wielding a wooden spoon that appeared to be coated partially in the food which she was no doubt preparing prior to this moment.


    There was a stern look on the woman''s face as she gazed upon her children who had so brazenly jumped on top of their father, and was quick to reprimand them.


    "Be careful with your father! He has been through a lot, and you jumping on top of him like a bunch of little hooligans is not going to help!"


    The kids instantly bolted from the room, running past their mother as if they were doing so in fear for their lives. Not out of any seriousness, as they were clearlyughing as they did so, cracking jokes at their mother''s overbearing personality.


    "Run away! Mommy is mad!"


    "Mommy is going to get you!"


    "Wait don''t leave me behind!"


    Once the kids had all disappeared around the corner even Bruno broke outughing. Which only caused Heidi to pout as she averted her gaze from her husband and crossed her arms.


    "Honestly, you spoil them too much..."


    For a brief moment, Bruno''s wife and kids had made himpletely forget about his worries. Filling him with nothing but a sense of worth. It also acted as a reminder of what he was


    fighting for.


    Not only did he want to ensure that the evils of Marxism never spread across the world. But he was also fighting to preserve the traditional way of life that he found himself enjoying at the


    moment.


    Bruno fought not only to rid the world of the evil that was Marxism but also for the sake of God, Family, Kaiser, and Fathend. That''s right, he was now fighting for God along with the other three most important things in his life.


    In his previous life, Bruno had been an atheist, or at the very least agnostic. He was the type of man to curse God and frequently at that for a world which had gone very wrong. Even in this new lease on life, he had stubbornly refused to ept religion as a major part of it. But as he sat here in bed, after surviving an assassination attempt that would have killed him in any other circumstance while surrounded by a loving family, which had been a luxury he had been denied in his previous life. Bruno found himself pondering about whether or not what had just happened to him was a part of God''s will.


    Had God brought Bruno back in time to correct the mistakes of the past that had resulted in what was clearly a doomed timeline? I mean, how else would you exin his reincarnation, and his survival in an attempt on his life that should have left him dead in the Russian Snow?


    Bruno no longer merely shouted the words "God With Us!" as nothing more than a mere battle cry of his people''s culture and history. No, he genuinely believed God was with him. That he was acting in ordance with God''s will, and that God desired the very thing he


    desired.


    This newfound sense of faith had be yet another reason for Bruno to pursue military


    excellence in this life, even if it cost him the sanity of his mind. Such was a worthy sacrifice to ensure that the world did not degenerate into the state it had been in when he had perished during the final days of hisst life.


    Soon enough, Bruno would be back on his feet, taking the first boat back to Saint Petersburg. Where he would rally with the Iron Brigade, and the Loyalists who fought for the Tsar. Then they would begin their Spring Offensive, and in doing so, annihte the Red Army and its supporters in the Volga Region.

 Chapter 68: Propaganda

    Chapter 68: Propaganda


    ?


    To say that the Red Army had doubled in size since the death of Leon Trotsky and the 80,000 men beneath hismand at Saint Petersburg was an understatement. The new year had begun, and with it the winter was slowly starting to die out.


    Ample preparations had been made after the citizens of Tsaritsyn had revolted, seizing control of the means of production and using them to enhance their military capabilities.


    They knew it was only a matter of time until the Tsar''s forcesunched a full scale offensive against them. And currently, Tsaritsyn was defended by 100,000 members of the Red Army. Which though they did not know it yet, would be 4xrger than the forces sent to take the city back from them.


    Trotsky''s death was not the serious blow to the Bolshevik movement that Bruno thought it would be. At the end of the day, such an insidious and destructive ideology was harder to stamp out than a colony of roaches.


    His death had earned him the fabled status of martyrdom. Not in some brave and heroic disy of one''s faith in God. But rather in the most absurd and wicked kind. His cowardly death after sending 80,000 men to meet the devil to whom they owed their souls was not how the Bolshevik leaders depicted Trotsky.


    It wasn''t exactly a noble and chivalric image to inspire the masses, after all. No, the Bolsheviks did what they did best: Lie, subvert, and manipte. They painted Trotsky as a heroic defender of the masses. One fighting against a tyrannical monarch, a despotic aristocracy, and of course the savage presence of foreign mercenaries.


    Never mind the fact that it was Trotsky who had besieged the peaceful city of Saint Petersburg and in doing so, shelled the city and the innocent civilians within it without any regard to civilian casualties.


    Nor did they reveal the truth that the Tsarist Officers stood in the Trenches defending the city from the Red Army''s multiple attacks, whereas the Bolshevik Officers hid in the rtive safety of their fortifications while sending the men beneath theirmand to their deaths.


    No, such truths would not exactly inspire any man to pick up a rifle and fight for the spineless Bolshevik leaders who were the true despots and tyrants. Of course, when Bruno returned to Saint Petersburg and learned of such nderous recruitment tactics. He devised a sinister propaganda campaign of his own.


    The heritage of the Bolshevik leadership was quickly uncovered, as were their more atheistic tendencies and their affluent backgrounds. It was not exactly a secret, or at least not in Bruno''s past life that the overwhelming majority of Marxist revolutionary leaders throughout Europe were not what they preached to be.


    Whether in Russia, or Germany. The leaders of the Marxist uprisings tended to have three things inmon. They were primarily, if not exclusively, of Jewish heritage. They were atheistic to the point of being outright anti-religious, especially anti-christian, and they came from prominent backgrounds.


    Considering this was an era where Christianity, nationalism and antisemitism were the norm in nearly all European societies. It was no wonder that the Tsar used this information to paint the loyalist Army as defenders of God and Mothend.


    While simultaneously depicting their Bolshevik rivals as a bunch of atheistic Jews, not of the working ss like they imed to represent but rather from prominent and affluent families. Families who had gained their wealthy through the biblical sin of usury.


    It was sort of a game of "No you!" where the Tsar med the miserable living conditions of the Russian working ss on the Marxist leaders whose families had bled the people dry with the sinful practice of usury rather than their own excessive taxation, embezzlement, and well just general ipetency.


    And this counter propaganda quickly revealed its results as recruitment for the Russian Army reached new heights. Especially after the victory at Saint Petersburg was depicted as a gift to the Russian people by God. Not only that, but the failed assassination attempt on Bruno''s life, for propaganda purposes was made out to be an attack by the Red Army.


    Though Germany knew the truth that it was the French who had done so, and was preparing in the background for a proper retaliation. They did not inform this matter to the Russians, as Bruno suggested it would be better to paint his survival as a miracle bestowed by God, so that he could lead the Russian to people over the devil spawn known as the Red Army.


    There was no mention that Bruno''s sk had saved his life. Rather, in all forms of Russian propaganda, it was God''s will and his light that saved Bruno. Turning the ultra-orthodox portion of the poption into men willing to follow this foreign general chosen by God to protect the Russian people from their enemies.


    Propaganda was a powerful tool. And it was unfortunate for the Bolshevik leadership that Bruno knew everything about their lives, which he could use to paint them as the enemy of all humanity.


    Even if some of the things he used were distorted, or tant nder. All their attempts to hide these things only further added to whatever the Tsarist propaganda said about them. It was perhaps because of this that the leaders of the Revolution were meeting underground in Moscow to discuss what was happening.


    Though it was nowmon belief that they had ordered the hit on Bruno, these men knew this wasn''t the case. Even so, dimir Lenin was quick to ask hisrades if this was truly the case.


    "I''m only going to ask this once, so if any of you are hiding something from me, now would be the time to reveal it. Though Bruno von Zehntner shot ourrade in the streets like a feral dog, any attempt to assassinate him would be incredibly unwise.


    So, if any of you had anything to do with the attempt on the man''s life, now would be the time to confess. Because the Tsar is using this to rally the support of the Christian poption towards his cause.


    Sure, our recruitment has gone up, but the most recent series of anti-Bolshevik propaganda has caused uncertainty in the ranks of our followers, and has even caused several members of the Red Army to desert."


    Obviously, nobody in the room knew who had ordered the hit on Bruno. Nor were they willing to take responsibility for something they had no control over. It was perhaps because of this that Litvinov was quick to voice his opposition to Lenin''s sudden temper tantrum.


    "With all due respectrade.... None of us here knows who is responsible for this sudden assassination or why. It could very well have been an attack proposed by members of the Tsar''s own inner circle who still hold a grudge against them an for what he did in China and Manchuria. It''s not like his victory in Saint Petersburg has washed away the hatred that many in the Russian Military have for him.


    And if anything, this new propaganda depicting the man as God''s chosen leader for the Russian army has further exacerbated this sentiment among those who still hate the man. It would not be all that surprising if another such attempt happened."


    While this was true to some extent. Many of those who held a grudge against Bruno for his previous actions against the Russian Empire were restraining themselves. Either by order of the Tsar himself, or simply because after Saint Petersburg they realized how significant the support of the Iron Brigade, and by extension the Kaiser who was backing them really was. Because of this, there would be no move by the Tsar or his loyalists against Bruno any time soon. Nor would the Bolsheviks be aware of this, or the fact that the men responsible for the attempt on Bruno''s life were actually the French.


    Hence why Litvinov tried to focus the attention of the Bolshevik leaders, especially Lenin away from what had already happened, and instead on how they could fix their current


    problems.


    "Anyway, the point is we should not focus on who is responsible for this attack and the effects it has had on our movement, but rather on how to remedy this situation. What we need to do


    is convince the people that we are not Anti-Christian, Anti-Russian, or somehow responsible for the woes of themon man!"


    Utter silence prevailed for some time after Litvinov said this. Not because the Bolshevik leaders were brainstorming, but rather because they were all thinking of the same thing. Which one of them had the nerve to say aloud.


    "But aren''t all those things true?"


    The moment the man said this all of hisrades red daggers at him, causing him to backtrack to some extent.


    "I mean, you know to some extent... Obviously the Tsar is using this as an opportunity to


    nder us!"


    Sometimes it was better not to say what everyone was thinking aloud. And this was most certainly one of those cases. As for the man who had given voice to these suppressed sentiments, he woulde to regret it very much.


    And he would be chosen to repent for doing so by leading the defense of Tsaritsyn against the Tsarist Forces and the apanying Iron Brigade.

 Chapter 69: The Spring Offensive Begins

    Chapter 69: The Spring Offensive Begins


    ?


    Rather surprisingly, after the attempt on Bruno''s life, and the propaganda used to depict it as an attack by the Red Army. It was not just the Russian Army''s forces who were bolstered by mass recruitment.


    When the news reached the shores of the German Reich, tens of thousands of men were up in arms. Dering their intention to join the Iron Brigade and put an end to the Bolsheviks once and for all.


    There were chants for war in the streets of Berlin, as veterans and civilians alike demanded the blood of the Marxists who had dared to do something as cowardly as attack their General in the streets of Saint Petersburg.


    Naturally, the outcry for war, and the tens of thousands of men who rallied in support of it had the French sweating bullets, as they realized they were incredibly lucky that their attack was mistaken for one conducted by the Red Army.


    This, however, was far from the truth. The German government knew all too well the French were behind the assassination attempt. And were preparing for a swift and brutal retaliation against French Military Leadership themselves.


    But for the time being, they allowed the people of the world to believe the masterminds behind this attack were the Bolsheviks, as it furthered the current goals of the German Reich, which was to bring an end to the ongoing Russian Civil War.


    As a result, the Iron Brigade began epting more and more members. Causing the German Arms industry to begin the manufacture of more weapons to support the number of foreign volunteers participating in the Russian Civil War.


    Machine Guns, artillery, rifles, and grenades were manufactured to meet the demand. While the Iron Brigade established proper training centers where one could learn to march, shoot, as well as perform basic infantry tactics.


    Whether this meant urban warfare training, trench warfare training, basicbat medical training, or the use and operation of heavy weaponry such as machine guns and artillery. Over the course of the months following Bruno''s injury, an additional 19,000 men were armed, trained, and sent to Saint Petersburg to fight as a part of the Iron Brigade.


    Of these 25,000 men, 15,000 operated as infantry, and 4,000 were trained for use in artillery regiments.


    Meaning that with Bruno''s current 5,000 Infantry, and 1,000 artillery, The Iron Brigade now had an entire divisionposed of 4 Infantry Brigades, and 1 entire brigade''s worth of artillery. Thus changing the name of the Volunteer unit from the Iron Brigade to the Iron Division.


    This was not exactly within Bruno''s expectations. But as a result, he happily epted the volunteers from the Fathend into his ranks. Bolstering the forces who nned to attack the Red Army at Tsaritsyn by 19,000 men, 400 machine guns, and 144 field artillery pieces.


    Bringing thebined total number of the Iron Brigade to 25,000 men, 500 Machine Guns, and 180 75mm Field Guns. Bruno also could have easily added mortars to the Division, but that would have been overkill, and exposed a valuable secret to the world.


    Because of this, he elected to simply use these weapons. Which would be more than enough to annihte the Red Army in its entirety, let alone the 100,000 men defending Tsaritsyn.


    This was alsobined with the Division from Russia, which wasposed of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. As a result, Bruno would be marching on Tsaritsyn with 50,000 men in total. Which though half the amount of the enemy, had significant advantages over the Red Army who would be defending the city which they now upied.


    After spending the remainder of the winter ensuring everything was in ce to transport these 50,000 men to the Volga Region, Bruno gave the order to march. Trains would transport the majority of the men, and their equipment to the nearest Tsarist upied rail station to the city of Tsaritsyn, where the rest of the men would march from there.


    Because of the established railways, it made the journey much smoother. As Bruno sat silently in his own secured car while watching the Russian countryside pass him by. It would have been a ratherforting journey if the end destination wasn''t a battlefield, one taking ce in a city that was bound to beid to waste by the campaign.


    But Bruno had long since learned to enjoy the simple things in life while he could, and peaceful moments such as this. Because of this, he simply smoked in silence, and enjoyed the view. A view he hoped he would never have to gaze upon again.


    Because Bruno knew if he did so, it meant that he would be back in this part of Russia for the same purpose he was now. War.... And that was something which he, for obvious reasons found to be undesirable.


    Of course, he also knew that it was damn near unavoidable. In ten years'' time, he would see this exactndscape. Assuming the Tsar and his army didn''t croak by the time he made it to Tsaritsyn. Because of that, Bruno was curious about how the area would change by then. If it even would at all.


    At the end of the day, nothing stayed the same forever. Such was a sentiment on Bruno''s mind as the train finally made it to thest stop. Where he stepped out of the car, put on his great coat and load bearing equipment, and attached his helmet as he walked into the Russian country side during the start of spring.


    Plumes of smoke blew in the distance, no doubt from the factories that at this moment were being used to manufacture weapons and munitions for the Red Army. Weapons and munitions that would soon be used against Bruno and his men.


    But that was not a concern for Bruno. Instead, he waited for the remainder of his army to arrive. Which would no doubt take a considerable amount of time. Because of this, Bruno decided to take up temporary residence at the local inn.


    As themander of this army, he was after all expected to arrive before the rest of his men. Or such was the mentality which Bruno followed. He would be the first to arrive to every battlefield which he made his mark upon, and thest to leave its dested grounds.


    Or such were the ideals which he aspired to. Practicality often got in the way of such lofty determination. For example, if God forbid the enemy managed to overrun him and his army, as a general whose importance to the war was far greater than the average soldier. Bruno would have no choice but to evacuate at the first given opportunity.


    The Bolshevikmander chosen to lead the Red Army at Tsaritsyn was none other than a young Yakov Sverdlov. Yakov was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader, who had been givenmand of the Red Army at Tsaritsyn after Leon Trotsyk''s death at the hands of Burno. He was several years younger than Bruno, currently at the age of 25. And was archetypical for the Tsarist antimunist propaganda. Insofar as he was from a Jewish family of some prominence. With his father being an engraver who forged documents for the Bolsheviks. He was also an atheist, and antireligious. Thus only adding to the fuel which the Tsarist propaganda machine used tobat the Bolshevik revolution. Of his six siblings, five of them were involved in the revolution to some capacity, with their parents also ying a part.


    Quite Frankly, Bruno would just assume the sixth siblings were guilty and have them all hanged at the end of the war if they managed to survive until then. The young man had no real


    military training.


    But because of his family''s prominence in the Bolshevik movement, and because he had spoken out of turn, he was given the task of dealing with the Wolf of Prussia and his march on


    Tsaritsyn.


    The man gazed in the distance from the safety of Tsaritsyn, and watched as the weeks went by, and the enemy army began to build their fortifications outside the city. An borate trench system was dug around Tsaritsyn. Where field guns of varying size, and capability were emced within them.


    In addition to this, the Tsarist trenches were filled with hundreds of machine guns. Only furthering the notion that the German Reich had spent years amassing such weapons. It was unknown just how many machine guns were currently in the German Army, but judging by the fact that they managed to send 500 to support a division of alleged volunteers it must be a lot.


    Because of the fact that the enemy had prepared to such an extent for this siege, Yakov was quite nervous. Resorting to excessive drinking as he watched and waited for the first attack to begin. And it was at midnight, while everyone slept peacefully within the city walls that the echo of artillery fire awoke the citizens of Tsaritsyn.


    360 guns of various caliber rocked Tsaritsyn with their bombardment. And would continue to do so throughout the remainder of the night throughout various bombardments. By the time the sun rose in the east, a tenth of the city would lie in ruin.

 Chapter 70: God Favors the Best Artillery

    Chapter 70: God Favors the Best Artillery


    ?


    Sleep? That was for the weak, a concept that the poption of Tsaritsyn became well ustomed to as the shells fell on top of their homes throughout the night. The Spring Offensive had begun, and the Red Army was caught with their pants down.


    They, after all not expected the Iron Brigade to receive so many volunteers in such a short amount of time. To the extent that it was now known as the Iron Division. And to be fair neither had Bruno. Regardless, barrages battered the city and its defenders throughout the night.


    Every thunder which echoed in the distance was a shot fired towards military targets, and not necessarily areas which civilians inhabited. Or such was Bruno''s objective. Though he did not care if civilians were caught up in an attack targeting hostiles, the reality was deliberately targeting civilians was something Bruno was not fond of.


    It served no tactical or practical purpose. And any idiot who said that it would break the people''s morale was an idiot. More often than not, such deliberate and indiscriminate attacks against unarmed civilians served the opposite purpose.


    Because of this, Bruno made sure the calctions used by the artillery batteries were precise as they rained shells down upon the Bolsheviks who were in the trenches, and fortifications they had built to defend the city.


    The Red Army was forced to endure the artillery fired throughout the night, with the battery only ceasing once the sun had risen with the dawn. It was then that the Red Army could gain some rest, retaliating as they fired off their own artillery back at those who would try to seize the city from them.


    Of course, this wasn''t exactly as easy as Yakov Sverdlov thought it would be. After all, Bruno''s artillery strikes didn''t just serve the purpose of battering the enemy fortifications. Rather, they also acted as a method to conceal their real targets. Which were the munitions and supply depots as well as and artillery pieces used by the Red Army within the city.


    For example, the Russian Forces infiltrated the city in civilian garb throughout the night, under Bruno''s orders. Where they detonated explosives within the munition stockpiles and used thermite to disable the enemy guns.


    Or at least arge portion of them. Because of this, the artillery fire which targeted the Iron Division and the Russian Division supporting their efforts were fewer than 20. Bruno had nned such sabotage operations months in advance.


    Thus, the men of the Iron Division had spent thest few weeks establishing an borate trench system around the city of Tsaritsyn. Thus, when the Red Army did finally manage to retaliate with barrages of their own.


    The Iron Division and their Tsarist allies simply hid in more fortified positions of the trenches, allowing them to simply wait out the storm with limited casualties. This was a tactic Bruno learned from the Great War during his past life. Though trenches had been used in warfare throughout the centuries. They evolved into highly borate systems during the Great War.


    After all, soldiers spent months at a time in these very trenches before being rotated out. And because of this, they needed to provide many features for daily life in addition to protection from enemy artillery.


    Thus, the Iron Division''s trenches were more than enough to protect them from the guns used by the Red Army. Meanwhile, every time the Red Army ceased their meager retaliation, the artillery beneath Bruno''smand would restart their own barrage.


    Sending thousands of shells onto the Red Army''s fortifications per every minute of sustained fire. It was as if hell itself had descended upon the Red Army. As their soldiers were engulfed by fire and shrapnel throughout the day.


    Knowing that this was a siege, and would likely go on for months. Bruno opted to simply rx in the rear lines of the trenches. He was sipping on his coffee, while gazing through his binocrs towards the city of Tsaritsyn, and how it continued to endure the barrage. After which he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pocket watch, observing time as it passed.


    Ludwig stood by Bruno''s side, surprised by how calm the man was, as the echo of guns continued throughout the day. Never reallying to a period of silence as both sides engaged with one another.


    The man couldn''t really understand why his younger brother was so calm and collected, nor why he was simply observing his pocket watch. Especially as an artillery shell detonated within the vicinity. Spraying shrapnel towards them, and in doing so, causing Ludwig to crouch down and cover his head.


    Upon seeing his older brother behave so cowardly, Bruno simply sighed heavily and shook his head as he put his coffee mug on the table next to him. There was a stern tone in Bruno''s voice as he repeated the words he had said to the Russian General in Saint Petersburg. Almost as if he were the older brother, and Ludwig was the little sibling in need of a proper scolding. "Rx, it''s not the shell you hear that kills you. You better getfortable. This is a siege, Ludwig. We will be here for some time. Luckily for us, I had some of the Russians sabotage the guns of the Red Army. Because of this, we will only sustain minor casualties whenpared to the enemy."


    Ludwig was honestly surprised by the extent to which Bruno had prepared for this siege, even going so far as to sabotage the enemy in such an insidious way. He was quick to ask how Bruno had thought of this.


    "I mean, I understand that the sabotage has certainly resulted in favorable conditions to our forces. But I''m just curious how you thought to take such measures in the first ce."


    Bruno did not even look at his brother as he put down his binocrs and gazed upon the explosions in the distance with his naked eye. He instead picked up his coffee mug and took another sip before responding to the man with the same callous voice he had previously used when lecturing the man.


    "A great man once said that God is on the side with the best artillery... In my experience this is mostly a true statement. Though our guns outnumber those of the Red Army, they had months in advance to prepare for a proper siege, bringing alongrge caliber guns for this


    purpose.


    Me? I was thinking long term when I plotted this campaign and because of that I brought 75mm guns. Which are more mobile, and easier to deploy in the field. After all, this war will not be fought with sieges alone.


    Because of this, we may outnumber the guns that the enemy had at the start of this siege, but they had much more powerful artillery. I merely evened the odds. Or should I say stacked them heavily in our favor?


    After all, I doubt that an inexperienced propagandist and philosopher like that little rat would even think that we would attempt to sabotage their munitions and artillery in the middle of the night on the first day of our siege.


    Inexperiencedmanders will be the death of the Red Army. This is what happens when you send farmers and machinists to fulfill the job of a soldier. All we have to do is sit here and wait. Sooner orter the enemy will fly the white g, and if they don''t all that will remain of their pathetic little army would be corpses.


    Either way, we don''t have to take unnecessary risks in pursuit of a quick victory, such as storming their trenches. The fact of the matter is, this siege was won the moment I made my preparations. Now all we have to do is wait patiently until the timees to im victory.


    You should enjoy yourself, Ludwig. This is, after all your first andst campaign. You have the privilege of sitting back and enjoying the conflict as my personal adjutant. So enjoy it while itsts, because you will never have such an experience again."


    After saying this, Bruno walked off. He appeared to be taking a stroll while artillery began to strike the Iron Division''s trenches. Almost as if it were nothing more than the spring rain. All the while the more unexperienced soldiers serving beneath hismand ran to more fortified sections of the trenches, seemingly unaware of the fact that they were out or range of the


    enemy''s guns.


    Ludwig, who wasn''t exactly all that well read in the life and times of Napoleon had no idea who Bruno was quoting as a great man, but nevertheless the quote would stick with the man


    for the rest of his life.


    Even in the 21st century, when the United States had prioritized airstrikes over artillery, the war in Ukraine had proven that Artillery still had a prominent ce on the battlefield.


    With many American veterans from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan who foolishly volunteered to fight on behalf of the Ukrainians learning this lesson the hard way. Unfortunately, it was often a lesson that cost a man his life.


    Nevertheless, no matter how modern the battlefield became, artillery, even in primitive forms such as those employed in the Cold War, seemed to be an incredibly effective means of dispatching the enemy to their maker. And that was exactly what Bruno would prove here in Tsaritsyn, not that it really needed to be proved by this point in time.

 Chapter 71: Retaliation and Retribution

    Chapter 71: Retaliation and Retribution


    ?


    As anticipated, the French Army quickly became concerned about the overwhelming amount of Machine Guns which the Germans appeared to be manufacturing. And as a result, they quickly began working on acquiring whatever variants of such weapons they could.


    While also working on developing a machine gun of their own that could effectively counter the Germans should they enter the war. Bruno had suspected this would be the case. But while the French had a problem.


    The 8mm Lebel cartridge which they made use of was difficult to feed in cloth or metallic belts. Due to the fact that it had been necked down fromrger caliber rounds twice, it required a unique feeding system.


    Meaning that acquiring maxims which were the mostmon form of machine gun in the world at the moment, was not a practical measure. After all, it would have to be chambered in a cartridge that was not standard to French Infantry.


    This had its own problems. The French would either have to adopt the Maxim and begin the domestic manufacture and procurement of another round to be used exclusively by its machine guns. Which itself created logistical nightmares in the field.


    Or it would have to adopt a new rifle with a different cartridge. Either by domestic development and manufacture. Or simply by licensed production from a friendly or non hostile source. Again, this created a multitude of problems for logistics and procurement during a time of war.


    This meant that the Browning M1895, and the Maxim gun, which were already avable on the international market were not ideal to the French Army. Luckily for the French, there was already a Machine Gun in development for the army.


    It was the Puteaux Model 1905 machine gun, and the makers of this weapon were under a lot of pressure by the French Government to finish its design and begin production. There was, of course one problem with this one that would heavily favor Bruno and the German Army should the French actually mass produce these machine guns for war.


    The Puteaux Model 1905 machine gun operated off of the legendary bang gas system. If one were to know a thing or two about the history of automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Especially those which fired rifle caliber projectiles. This would be a name they would immediately face palm upon hearing.


    As previously mentioned, there was amon fear that drilling a hole in the barrel for the purpose of acting as a gas port would cause irregr erosion, and would limit the service life of the weapon in question.


    Something Bruno knew from his past life was utter nonsense. However, this was a myth that persisted in firearms development well into WW2. Where it waster proven to be horse crap. Because of this, the bang gas system was introduced.


    Its design was by natureplex and a nightmare to perform maintenance on. It was also notoriously unreliable in all firearms that made use of it. Originally developed in 1903, it would see use in two machine gun designs, both of which were French, and several rifle designs, including the Gewehr 41. Which was the German Army''s first and abysmal attempt at producing a semi-automatic rifle.


    For obvious reasons, it proved to be incredibly unreliable in the field. No doubt because it made use of the bang gas system. However, because the French were desperate to begin fielding machine guns in their army as a means of catching up with the enormous head start the Germans had.


    Who were fielding one of the most reliable machine guns ever developed in human history? They opted to begin mass production of the Puteaux Model 1905 machine gun immediately upon itspletion.


    This was something that Bruno had only marginally anticipated. But one that would work heavily in the German Army''s favor when the time for the Great War came. In 1907, during his past life, the French would adopt a variant of the machine gun that was slightly improved, but still such a piece of junk that the infamous Hotchkiss would eventually be developed to rece it.


    However, at the start of the war, the French had so few machine guns they still used the 1907 variant of the Puteaux in significant numbers. If the 1905 was mass produced in this timeline, as a hasty means of solving an immediate problem.


    Then this only favored the Germans as one could expect every single machine gun used by the French Army that was not ater Hotchkiss, assuming it was invented, to jam in the field repeatedly.


    Thus giving the Germans an enormous advantage during theing war. At least at the very start. And it was perhaps because they already understood the faults of this weapon tform, that the French Army leadership were currently meeting to discuss the need for a better machine gun.


    Among the French Generals was the Chief of Staff who was a man by the name of Jean Pend¨¦zec. Jean quickly expressed his fears regarding the 1905 Puteaux Machine gun. With an air of snobbishness that only a Frenchman could conjure in such a circumstance.


    "The Germans may have built hundreds or perhaps even thousands of maxims. But there is no need to fear. We will have a sufficient number of machine guns in five years'' time to arm every battalion! Still, it would be best to develop a better solution to the problem.


    I mean even during our trials the Puteaux had proven to have some difficulties that would be less than ideal if not properly solved by the time the European War breaks out. So I expect either an improved design of the Puteaux or a superior recement within two years'' time! Do you understand what I am saying to you all right now?"


    The generals beneath Jean''smand naturally shared his concerns, and were eager to remedy the solution. After all, the current gap between the French Army and the German Army appeared to be widening with each day that passed.


    Especially since they had only now, just begun manufacturing the Puteaux machine gun. While the Germans had sent 500 Maxim guns, or at least their locally produced variant to Russia as a means of military aid. If such a thing was the case, then did that not mean the Germans had thousands of such weapons currently serving in the army?


    The French did not know this, but in two years time which was what it would take for them toe out with an improved variant of the Puteaux, the German Army would have already begun adopting and manufacturing the superior MG-34 to rece all the Maxim Guns in active service, which would instead either be shipped to other nations as foreign aid, or given over to the Army Reserve.


    Either way, whatever machine gun the French Army fielded at the onset of the Great War, which the Great Powers were currently theorizing under the name of the "European War" would be inferior to the German product.


    After a long, vtile, andrgely fruitless conversation. Jean exited the building which housed the French High Command and entered the parking lot where he sat and unlocked the doors to his automobile.


    Or more specifically, the chauffeur tasked with driving him did. He sat in the back seat of the luxury vehicle and pulled out the day''s newspaper. No doubt containing a headline regarding


    the war in Russia.


    Either way, he did not expect that the moment the engine was ignited that the car he was in would blow up, engulfing him in the explosion. And killing him, and the military officer tasked with driving him around on the spot.


    The attack was swift, sudden, and entirely unexpected. The assassination of the French Army''s Chief of Staff would be the headlines of the following day''s papers. And though French Intelligence would immediately investigate the incident, they would never find the true


    culprits. Rather, all evidence pointed to local socialist parties.


    No doubt nted by the agents of the German Foreign Intelligence department, who were the real perpetrators behind the assassination. An act of vengeance, and retaliation upon the shamelessness of the French who dared to assassinate Germany''s rising star.


    Of course, the Kaiser would extend his greatest condolences to the French, and use these measures to crack down upon political dissidents in the German Reich who shared sympathies. Whether you were a Socialist, Communist, or even a Social Democrat. The German Reich entered a state where it was favorable to oppress and harass anyone even remotely associated with Marxist ideals.


    Unknowingly, Bruno''s goals of securing the traditional, conservative, and religious society of


    the German Reich had been advanced by the Kaiser in the name of vengeance on his behalf. Something which when he learned about would bring a smile to the man''s face.

 Chapter 72: The Archnemesis Lurking in the Shadows

    Chapter 72: The Archnemesis Lurking in the Shadows


    ?


    The Death of the French Army''s Chief of Staff had far-reaching consequences across all of Europe. But especially in France proper. Leon Sinir was currently at a bar drinking excessively to cope with the most recent attack.


    ording to the French Government who had investigated the assassination it was conducted by the French Socialists, but that was utter bullshit and he knew it. Of course, Leon would be aware, an avid member of the French revolutionary socialist movement that none of hisrades would make such an attack.


    That was just asking for trouble, trouble they were not yet prepared to deal with. So then who? Who could possibly pull off such an attack on French soil!?! Wasn''t the answer obvious? It was the fucking Germans! It was always the Germans!


    The man was quite livid. He had juste home from putting down the rebellion in Madagascar to find the news of the Bolshevik Revolution. Everything from the death of Leon Trotsky in Saint Petersburg where he was shot like a dog in the streets and left as puppy chow for the hounds of the Tsarist loyalists.


    To the fact that the Red Army was being held responsible for the assassination attempt on Bruno''s life. Something which Leon was personally suspicious of, but had no evidence for his theories which would broadly be considered conspiratorial by anyone who heard them.


    And then there was the existence of the Iron Divsion. It was simply abnormal. How did the Germans arm, supply, and train a force of so called foreign volunteers in such a short span of time to fight against the Red Army?


    And why was he of all people, inmand of it? Truth be told, Leon had been keeping tabs on Bruno and his rise to power. Not necessarily since the Boxer Rebellion where they first met. But most certainly since his exploits in Manchuria, where he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun 4th ss for his efforts at Port Arthur.


    A prestigious award, no doubt. One worthy of a man who had won a significant battle on behalf of the Imperial Japanese Army. Bruno had been busy making a name for himself by participating in foreign conflicts. And in doing so, building ties for the German Reich to other imperial powers.


    That bastard had already risen to the rank of Generalleutnant, only to be discharged from the army, and immediately forming the Iron Division, a so-called force of volunteers to fight against the Red Menace?


    No, Leon wasn''t buying it. There was no way this Iron Division was a force of volunteers. Or at least not wholly so. At the very least, its leaders were active members of the German Armed Forces, acting under the guise of foreign volunteers to avoid causing an international dispute. Without a doubt Bruno''s discharge was a mere farce on behalf of the Kaiser and the General Staff of the German Army. Bruno was 100% acting under the orders of the German Army, and would no doubt return to their ranks and active service once the war was over. No doubt umting many honors for his participation in the Bolshevik Revolution.


    It was a deeply cunning scheme. One that few men saw through. And perhaps it was simply because of Leon''s hatred for the Germans that he could see through it. Some people said hatred made you blind to the truth, but in many cases it made you hyper aware of conspiracies in the shadows.


    Conspiracies that, while true as could be, would make you mocked by those in politepany should you ever dere such a thing to be reality. And it was because of Leon''s hatred for the Germans that he could see through the lies Bruno and the German High Command had concocted in order to send the German Army into Russia.


    A bold move to be sure, and a controversial one should the world be aware of this conspiracy. Whether it was the fact that the German Army was operating in Russia illegally under the guise of this so called Iron Division, or the idea that the assassination of the French Chief of Staff was actually the wicked deed of the German Reich. Proving either of these theories was damn near impossible for Leon.


    He, after all, was only a colonel in the French Army. He had neither fame, fortune, nor connections to bring these conspiracies to the light of the public. And because of this, he drank his sorrows away. Dressed fully in his uniforms, with the medals he had been awarded for fighting in China and Africa pinned to his chest.


    Next to him was a haggard and grimy middle aged man. Wearing the clothes of a factory worker, which were covered in oil stains after his day at work. The two men were drinking the same brand of cognac while staring into their sses.


    Neither of which actually dared to speak to one another. At least not loud enough for others to hear who may be listening in. Rather, they whispered to each other just loud enough that they could understand each other''s words.


    "Comrade Sinir, the collective has determined that we are not responsible for the death of the Chief of Staff. It would appear your theories of international yers being at fault are indeed correct. At the very least, nobody in our movement was aware of this attack or its nning.


    However, we have no proof. And ultimately it''s the word of the government vs our own. The people in the streets are demanding the blood of everyone who has even read Marxist philosophy, let alone those who openly disy their allegiance to the cause.


    Now is not the time to pursue the truth, rather we must keep our heads low. Especially you... You alone are the hope of gaining the support of the Army for the day our revolution begins. So just lie low, and condemn us if you have to. Hunt us, even if that needs to be done. But never reveal to anyone other than yourrades where your heart truly lies.


    That''s all for now. I have to go. If I appear beside you any longer, it will only allow suspicion. Good luck, and may we meet again... Even if it must be in the next life!"


    Leon did not say a word. He simply sat there in silence, drinking his cognac until hisrade had paid for his drinks and left the pub. He was furious beyond belief. His eyes were clearly bloodshot. Whether from excessive substance abuse,ck of sleep, or something else entirely only Leon knew.


    But he had rather subconsciously made Bruno out to be the ultimate evil in this world. His arch-nemesis who he would one day rise above and see defeated. On his knees begging for him and his family to live.


    After all, the man was everything Leon resented in this world. Bruno was a man of noble heritage, and in public a practicing Christian, he was a hardcore supporter of the German Conservative Party. Which was a party that represented the wealthyndowning nobility in the German Reich. Which was everything Leon hated.


    But on top of this rumor had it that Bruno''s family also had ties to the Berlin Movement, which was aposition of political parties and political philosophies which represented the interests of the German Christian middle ss.


    After all, Bruno''s family was rtively recently established as a Noble House and in the previous century prior to bing part of the Junker Coalition were a middle ss family of professional soldiers.


    Because of this, they often extended helping hands to parties which were somewhat aligned with the German Conservative Party, but still representing their own interests. Such as the Christian Social Party.


    Which at one point formed a political coalition, with the German Conservative Party having shared the ideals of anti-liberalism, and pro-monarchism. But also added the priorities of Christian Ethics, National Identity, and Antisemitism on top of them.


    All of which were also things that Leon despised. And though Bruno had yet to express any interest in politics thus far, nor had he ever shared his support of the Christian Social Party and its more radical ideas.


    At the end of the day, his family had hands in both the German Conservative Party and the Christian Social Party, as well as other far-right political parties. Making him as far as Leon was concerned was guilty by association.


    What was Bruno guilty of? Being opposed to Marxism, Liberalism, and what would one day be referred to as Progressivism. Which for a literalmunist sympathizer like Leon, and an active member of the French Socialist Revolutionary movement. Was about as grave as a sin as one could be guilty of.


    In other words, Bruno was rather normal for the time. But political extremists rarely functioned on logic or reason. And because of this, Leon made it his life''s goal to be the end of Bruno and men like him.


    Bruno had no idea that he had suddenly found himself having an arch-nemesis who was plotting towards his destruction. And it would be many years before he even became aware of Leon''s existence, having forgotten entirely about the snooty French man and their brief encounter in China years ago.

 Chapter 73: The Daily Life of Siege Warfare

    Chapter 73: The Daily Life of Siege Warfare


    ?


    "This shall hence be my music." - King Charles XII of Sweden


    Such were the first words that resounded in Bruno''s mind upon awaking to the echo of guns in the dawn. In a simr vein, the legendary Swedish King had spoken this exact quote upon hearing the thunder of his artillery crack the sky when fired upon his enemies for the first time.


    Bruno awoke after a long night of artillery, which ceased sometime around 2 AM, only to be resumed with the break of dawn. For him, it was the sign that he needed to awaken and start the day. Truth be told, sieges were often long and dull affairs.


    What was Bruno''s first action upon getting out of bed? The same as it would be if he were home, rather than in the trenches outside Tsaritsyn. First, he would get dressed, bathe, brush his teeth, before having breakfast. All the while artillery crackled in the background.


    He was, of course, not the only one undertaking such mundane actions of daily life. Nor was it just the privileged officer corps in the rear of the Trenches. Rather, all soldiers began these activities who had awakened with the dawn preparing for their shift for whatever role that had been given during this deployment.


    Machine gunners switched roles, as a new team began to man the guns, while others went to get some rest. And the same could be said for those whose function was to operate the artillery. Even the rifle men sat beneath the fortified trenches, which had been covered with sandbags.


    For the sake of not revealing future tactics, Bruno had notid barbed wire across no-man''s-nd. Nor had he yet to inventndmines to bein within the deste region between his trenches and the city of Tsaritsyn.


    Would such things prove to be effective and decimate the enemy waves prior to their charge against his fortifications? Oh, most certainly. But it was also a trump card, which he prepared for his grand defensive strategy when the time came for the Great War to begin.


    After all, Bruno had little hope in Kaiser Wilhelm II being able to convince Tsar Nichs II and Kaiser Franz Joseph I to be able to settle their differences in the Balkans and instead fight together against the British and the French.


    It was simply inevitable that Germany should enter a Two front war. And while he had the opportunity to ensure the Italians fulfilled their obligations of the Triple Alliance, or the Central Powers as it was now known. Bruno did not trust the Italians.


    Whether it came to theirpetency in the field, or their loyalty to the alliance. History had proven the Italian Army was incapable of performing satisfactorily in both regards. They were more of a liability than they were a gain as far as Bruno was concerned.


    And because of this, he was already devising a strategy on how to eliminate the entire Italian Army at Isonzo, and then march on Rome, forcing them to surrender at the start of their entry into the war.


    In fact, that was much of what Bruno did in his spare time, when he wasn''t observing the ongoing shelling of Tsaritsyn. nning for the future, as well as writing his affections to his family. Assuring them that he was safe, and that he would be home as soon as possible.


    Bruno wrote back home as frequently as he could. And because of this, his family felt a sense of closeness to him even if he was far, far away from home. With one letter in particr from his wife being kept on his person at all times.


    "My Dearest Love,


    I miss you more than words can say. The days drag on without you, and I''m counting the seconds until you''re back where you belong-by my side. The children and I are holding things together, but it''s not the same without you here.


    The thought of you out there, away from me, drives me mad. I need you home, safe, where I can keep you close, where you''re mine and mine alone.


    Come back to me soon, my love. I''ll be waiting.


    Forever yours, Heidi"


    This letter was especially heartwarming to Bruno in these troubled times because his children had all drawn rather crude smiley faces along with their own messages. Which consisted of all the poor grammar he expected from children their age. All of which expressed the love they held for their father, and their desire for him toe home soon.


    In addition to this, Bruno would keep correspondence with the Kaiser and the German High Command, informing them of the ongoing efforts of the siege. And the Russian Army, which was active in different parts of the country.


    While Tsaritsyn was a location of strategic significance and was made a priority as a result. It wasn''t the only battlefield at the moment. But frankly speaking, Bruno didn''t care how many soldiers of the Russian Army and the Red Army died elsewhere. So long as the war continued to progress in the Tsar''s favor.


    Instead, he was more concerned about the objective in front of him. With each day, tens of thousands of shells were dropped on Tsaritsyn. And thousands were fired back in response. But as two weeks passed it became abundantly clear to both sides that one side had significantly more firepower.


    Which was naturally a result of the sabotage operations Bruno had ordered to conduct on the first night. This sabotage only continued with each passing night since. By now, not only had the Red Army''s field guns been reduced to a dozen in total.


    But their factories were undergoing repair and were incapable of producing more shells to field. Whatever stockpiles remained would be depleted in three days at thetest if the factories could not find themselves up and running in the meantime.


    Though the Red Army tried to hide its munitions, food, water, medical supplies, et cetera in different locations every night, the saboteurs quickly spotted them and destroyed the stockpiles every time. And while Yakov had begun to suspect that someone in his ranks had turned traitor.


    The reality of the situation was that the people of Tsaritsyn, or at least a small portion of them were loyalists, who fed information to the Tsarist soldiers outside the city''s gates, who would, in turn report them to Bruno.


    After confirming the information was urate every time, Bruno would send his saboteurs to eliminate the stockpiles. Not entirely. After all, it would be no fun if the enemy ran out of supplies in the first two weeks of the siege.


    In fact, the more the stockpiles slowly dwindled, the more the situation became hopeless to the soldiers of the Red Army. After all, they knew by now that they had been betrayed, and that the enemy was simply screwing with them.


    Of course, the only other option was to surrender and be shot in the streets like Trotsky had been. Because of this, they fought on no matter how dire the situation became. This was despite the fact that the enemy could, at any point infiltrate the city and destroy their supplies


    entirely.


    Hell, the loyalists could probably cut the throats of the Red Army''s leadership while they slept. But they didn''t, not out of some sense of benevolence, but because the enemy found


    their misery entertaining.


    And finally, after two weeks of this game of cat and mouse, Yakov Sverdlov finally had enough. Ordering his soldiers whose morale was thoroughly shattered to storm the enemy''s


    fortifications.


    For two weeks they had been humiliated, while suffering mass casualties under the near constant barrage of the German guns, which rotated to ensure that near all hours of the day shells were falling on the Red Army.


    They started off with 100,000 men defending the city. By now, roughly half had their lives taken from the shells which fell on their position. Most of which were due to traumatic brain


    injuries caused by shrapnel.


    After all, unlike the soldiers of the Iron Division, the Red Army did not have steel helmets to protect their skulls from the German Artillery. Nor were their trenches designed with suchplex fortifications such as areas to protect them from artillery.


    Because of this, they were simply forced to sit and hope that the enemy artillery did not take their life. This was Bruno''s overall goal, as he stood at the front lines of the trenches. Gazing through the fog while smoking a cigarette.


    He could tell by the unusual density of the fog that today, after two weeks of constant shelling, sabotage and harassment the enemy would soon make their move. It was only a matter of time before the counterattack would begin.


    And because of this, Bruno watched and waited. While silently making preparations in the background for what would ur only moments from now. After all, the thick fog which permeated thendscape gave an excellent opportunity to the Red Army. One which Bruno knew their inexperiencedmander would take.

 Chapter 74: The Most Lethal Weapon of All

    Chapter 74: The Most Lethal Weapon of All


    ?


    After two weeks of nonstop harassment via the use of constant shelling, sabotage, and just general humiliation. Bruno estimated that the inexperiencedmander would have broken by now. And would no doubt be ordering a suicidal charge to eliminate the enemy before they could continue their assault.


    Meanwhile, Bruno stood at the front lines, alert and ready. While his older brother Ludwig stood by his side. The man had dark circles around his eyes, clearly having not received a good night''s sleep since the siege began.


    No doubt kept awake by the ceaseless thunder of guns in the background. Bruno gazed upon his older brother and the poor state he was in. Making ament as he did so, while gazing off into the fog which permeated in the distance. Preventing him from seeing what was happening beyond its boundaries.


    "You better drink some coffee, or snort some cocaine. Because any minute now, the enemy will begin making their advance. The fog is the perfect cover for them to assault out trenches, and they won''t have another opportunity to do so...."


    Ludwig looked at his brother as if he was some kind of inhuman monster. The man was as energetic and as spry as a man could possibly be. Was cocaine really the answer to this? This was naturally not the case. Bruno was simply ustomed to war at this point.


    But cocaine was indeed a stimnt that was issued by not only the German Army but all other major militaries across the world to keep their soldiers energetic and awake while at war.


    A practice that would only fall out of favor after the Great War ended due to the side effects that became immediately apparent because of the overwhelming number of soldiers who were issued the substance in their ration kits.


    Ludwig quickly did as Bruno suggested and sure enough the Red Army had begun its assault not long after. While Ludwig was waking himself up by adding cocaine to his coffee. Bruno had ordered a random machine gunner to fire a burst into the fog. In doing so, a scream could be heard. No doubt a soldier of the Red Army had been struck by the burst of fire.


    Because of this, Bruno blew his whistle, signalling his troops to drop what they were doing and to prepare the counter for the enemy charge.


    Thousands of men rushed to the edge of the trenches, with their rifles resting on the sandbags as they began to open fire into the fog. Meanwhile, Bruno pulled his luger out of his holster and chambered a round by pulling on its toggle lock action.


    Once he had done this, he patted his brother Ludwig on the steel dome which the man wore on the top of his head and smirked at him.


    "Is this the excitement you were looking for?"


    Ludwig was terrified as he saw thousands of Red Army soldiers pouring through the fog with their bays attached. All the while they were cut like ribbons by the machine guns, and rifle fire that tore through their ranks without mercy.


    He had never seen something so gruesome in his life before. He was, after all, a soldier who had spent his entire military career in a time of peace. But this was war, an actual war. Though he wasn''t cognitively aware of it at this time, when he made it out of Russia, Ludwig would have a far better understanding of what Bruno had been through all these years.


    Meanwhile, Bruno no longer paid attention to his older brother and instead aimed down the sights of his luger. Not with one hand as wasmon in the era. But with two as was proper doctrine ording to modernbat from the 21st century.


    The control he had over the weapon was more significant as he fired a single shot down range. Piercing directly through the skull of a red army soldier who foolishly charged at Bruno with his bay drawn as if with one thrust of his weapon he would end the Revolution there on the spot.


    The man fell directly in front of Bruno. No more than three feet away as his lifeless eyes and open mouth stared at the man who killed him. Bruno, of course did not give the man a second thought as he aimed his sidearm towards more oing men.


    Shooting each and every one of them with absolute precision as they fell down along with those killed by the Iron Division''s riflemen and machine gunners. Perhaps if the 50,000 or so Red Army soldiers had advanced from their own fortifications without the cover of fog to conceal them, then they all would have perished before reaching the Russo-German trench line.


    However, they managed to advance a significant degree with the fog concealing their assault. Because of this, thousands poured into the trenches tobat the Iron Division and Russian Army in close quarters.


    Something Bruno was all too prepared for as he reached towards his belt. Not for a bay to stab the enemy with. But rather interestingly enough for his entrenching tool. Which he pulled from its sheath and wielded as an axe against the intruders into his trench.


    Ludwig was freaking out as he used his rifle to prevent a Red Army soldier from skewering him with his bay. The man didn''t even see his little brothere up from behind his assant until Bruno had coldly and mercilessly split the man''s skull over with his sharpened spade.


    Having just seen a man killed before his very eyes with a fucking shovel, Ludwig stared at Bruno in disbelief, who merely winked at his older brother before walking off where he continued to get up behind the Red Army and split their skulls open with his shovel as if it were a weapon of mass destruction.


    As everyone tried to use their full length rifles, and the short sword length bays on the end of them to kill each other in the confined spaces of the trench. Bruno simply walked among them like death incarnate nimbly dodging the enemy''s rather awkward thrusts and cracking their domes with his shovel.


    A weapon which was sturdy, and sharp enough to cut through their skull, and the brain beneath with a single hit. Perhaps if these men had been wearing a steel helmet, the blow would have been less severe. But the cloth hats on their heads which bore the red star of the Bolshevik revolution did very little to prevent such a lethal strike from killing them.


    One by one Bruno took the lives of the Red Army soldiers in the trench line, wielding a sharpened entrenching tool in one hand, and a luger in the other. Only stopping to swap out the spent magazine of his sidearm before shooting men in the chest and cracking their domes open as if they were pinatas.


    Bruno''s ability to navigate the trench was almost uncanny to the eyes of those who witnessed it. He saved many lives of his own soldiers, and those of the Russians as he marched along the frontlines, either putting bullets in the backs of the Red Army''s soldiers who were attacking


    his own.


    Or outright smacking them in the skull with his entrenching tool, and in doing so killing them on the spot. Rarely would he need to give a man a second strike. The e-tool was after all lethal to those without a certain degree of protection on their heads.


    Because of this, Bruno''s soldiers ended up thanking him as he saved them from potentially being stabbed by an enemy''s bay. But by the time they managed to recover from their near death experience he had already moved on, ending the lives of anymunist he came across without mercy, and without remorse.


    As the ughter continued it became abundantly clear to the Red Army who had lost thousands, if not tens of thousands from the artillery fire and the machine guns spread as they marched through no-man''snd that this was a battle they would not be winning.


    Because of this, the violencested for no more than ten minutes at the most before the Red Army called off their assault and began fleeing back to their own fortifications with their tails between their legs.


    Naturally, Bruno would not allow the enemy to flee from his domain without suffering the consequences, and because of this he gave the order to all his men to open fire on those survivors who ran away from the Russo-German trench line.


    In the end, after failing to seed in their assault, the Red Army fled from the Russo-German trenches, only to be mercilessly gunned down from behind. Out of the 50,000 men who attempted the suicidal charge, less than half returned safely to their fortifications at


    Tsaritsyn.


    Meanwhile, the Russo-German losses were less than a tenth of those suffered by the Red Army. At the same time, these same men discovered that the entrenching tool was perhaps the most lethal weapon on the modern battlefield.

 Chapter 75: The Red Scourge

    Chapter 75: The Red Scourge


    ?


    Yakov Sverdlov could hardly believe what he had witnessed after his soldiers returned to him battered and bloody from their failed assault against the Russo-German fortifications


    outside the city of Tsaritsyn.


    His n to use the fog as cover to conceal his advance so that his troops would have a fighting chance against the enemy artillery and machine guns had been seen through. Only after advancing a mere hundred meters had the enemy began to open fire upon the Red Army.


    Though they made it to the Russo-German trench line and valiantly fought in close quartersbat, it was his men who suffered most previously. With more than half of what remained of his army being either wounded or killed in action during the attempted assault.


    Meanwhile, the Russo-German army suffered at most one tenth of the casualties which the Red Army had sustained. If even that... It was bing clear that there was no hope of victory here in Tsaritsyn. The enemy had encircled them and blockaded the city.


    In doing so, they prevented supplies and reinforcements from entering Tsaritsyn. Meanwhile, the artillery barrage had begun again after the Red Army''s assault had concluded. With even now shells falling nearby, and shrapnel flying through the air.


    Yakov didn''t realize it, but his forehead was bleeding after a piece of shrapnel had grazed him. He did not realize this until a medic ran up to him and immediately began to treat his wound. He was in shock after having witnessed his army cut to pieces by the enemy.


    How was this even a war? Saint Petersburg had been aplete and total disaster for the Red Army whoid siege to it. The moment the Germans entered the fray and brought with them machine guns it was almost like a cheat code had been unlocked.


    The former leader and founder of the Red Army along with 80,000 of his men lie dead at Saint Petersburg, with Trotsky being shot in the streets like a stray dog, meanwhile his corpse was left to be torn apart by the hounds of the ck Hundreds militias.


    At first Yakov had thought that the overwhelming numbers of his troops here at Tsaritsyn would allow him to easily repel the enemy. But as far back as the first day of the Siege, everything had gone horribly wrong for him, and continued to do so.


    Not only were the majority of his siege guns destroyed, but his supplies kept dwindling due to repeated sabotage, which urred every night. By the time he was finally able to gain favorable conditions for a siege, half of his army was already dead, or so grievously wounded they were incapable of performing the operation.


    Because of this, he charged an enemy army that was equal in number, and superior in terms of firepower, resulting in a devastating result. It was a surprise that he was left with roughly half of his forces. But then again, they were repelled by the Russo-German army within trenches after only five to ten minutes.


    It was a humiliating defeat, and now his only option was to either sit here in Tsaritsyn and be starved to death,unch another assault which would result in a simr disaster, or surrender and be executed on the spot by the Germanmander, who did not even consider Marxists as being human, and were thus unworthy of any rights which society afforded even the most heinous criminals.


    There had been no signs of the coborators within the city walls, or even their identities. And because of this, Yakov could not even vent his frustrations on those who had betrayed him.


    It was while the man was biting his own nails in anxiety that he heard a dreadful sound. A whistle blew in the distance, as 25,000 Germans soldiers shouted in unison the official motto of the Imperial German Army. "God with us!"


    Having being shouted by 25,000 men at the top of their lungs. It was a thunderous echo, as if the heavens themselves were singing it in the background. And the most terrifying part of all it was being shouted by men hiding in the thick fog that had concealed the Red Army''s charge.


    Yakov knew what was happening. After their losses, the Russo-German army had begun a counter charge. Heralded by the artillery barrage that had just now struck the Red Army after fleeing back to their fortifications just now.


    Roughly 47,500 men would be charging at the city of Tsaritsyn from all sides. It was aplete and total encirclement. One which the Red Army could not defend against. And sure enough, gunfire quickly echoed in the distance, as the Bolsheviks exchanged shots with the enemy who began assaulting them.


    Yakov could see a flood of ck and green uniforms as they came rushing forward with rifles in hand. Disregarding their own lives in pursuit of glory. It was clearly the end for him no matter how he looked at it.


    The battle ended as swiftly as it began. After obliterating over 25,000 men during the Red Army''s failed assault. Bruno''s remaining forces, which outnumbered the enemy two to one quickly encircled them and ughtered them.


    For every loss the Iron Division and the apanying Tsarist forces sustained it only fueled the survivors with even more fervor as they ran the Red Army through with their bays, and shot them in the streets when the cowardly Bolsheviks threw their weapons aside and got on their knees to plead for mercy.


    But as the good book said, "thou shalt not suffer a Marxist to live." Or it would have had Marxism been a thing when the bible was written. Instead, the closest interpretation was "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Which as far as Bruno was concerned extended to Marxists by very nature of their simr antihuman beliefs.


    Because of this philosophy, Bruno ordered every man who took up arms in the name of the Bolshevik Revolution to be lined up and shot by firing squads in public. Actions undertaken of the Iron Division with the thousands of prisoners they had gained.


    All the while Bruno walked through the streets as his orders were being carried out and nodded his head in approval. Meanwhile, he gave themand to have the workers who had volunteered to performbor for the Red Army in the city''s factories to be thoroughly reprimanded for their treasonous acts.


    But not willing to be a viin in the eyes of the Russian people, or the working ss in general Bruno gathered them all before him and his men, whose intimidating presence only added further to the fear which these civilians felt. It was there he gave a speech to them all. One which by the end of would gain favor for him.


    "I don''t know what drove all of your to coborate with those who would deny you your faith, your identity, and your mothend. And frankly, I don''t really care. As far as I''m concerned, any man who waves the red banner is the same as a rabid dog. Deserving of the same


    punishment.


    But the Lord is merciful, even to those who spheme against him as you all have done so. It is because of this; I have decided to show leniency to those whose crimes consist of merely supporting these godless heathens, rather than directly spilling blood in their wicked


    ideology.


    Because of this, I will spare you all, under the condition that you all reject the Marxist principles which you have been following, and condemn the leaders of this Bolshevik Revolution as the anti-human monsters that they are.


    For those of you who refuse to acknowledge your sins, and continue to rebel against your rightful monarch, as chosen by God to lead Russia and its people. Your fate will be the same as the Red Army which lies in here today. Choose wisely, I assure you, your families would prefer that you repent here today while I am still giving you the chance." Frankly, Bruno had not be a religious fanatic, even aftering to some understanding with God that he had rejected in the past. But the Tsar had depicted him in such a light, and he would not deny this image that the Russian people and the Red Army had of him in their own


    minds.


    Especially when it was an effective means of controlling the masses. Victory on this day was not Bruno''s but rather God''s, as the Good Lord had cleansed this city of the Marxist heathens who had dared to taint its virtue. Bruno had been merely the instrument of God''s will. A part he was more than willing to y.


    Or so Russian Propaganda would im. Realistically speaking, the mercy which Bruno had shown these workers was merely practical in nature. If he went around killing every civilian who had helped the Bolsheviks, he would need to kill millions of people.


    And what would be the point of that? Especially when one considered that showing them


    mercy in the name of God was a better way to convince the Russian people that neither he nor the Tsar were the bad guys in this situation. It was, after all the Marxists who had taken up arms against their rightful monarch who caused this war to begin.


    Luckily for Bruno, nobody dared reject his mercy, instead all the workers who had supported the Bolsheviks fell to their knees and rejected the ideals of Karl Marx and the evil they purported. All while praying to the Lord God almighty, thanking him for his mercy, and the


    mercy of the Tsar.


    Theseborers who had begun to repent for their sins would do so first by condemning the leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution and pointing out exactly who among them held senior positions in the Bolshevik party.


    These seniormunists were dragged out of the group ofborers they were hiding in. Among them was none other than Yakov Sverdlov, who after seeing his army so swiftly defeated stripped himself of any symbols or clothing that would openly disy his


    allegiance.


    The socialist ideals he had fanatically believed in, and spent his life pursuing violent revolution for, suddenly became a symbol of shame when faced with the consequences of his


    actions.


    Luckily for Bruno, not only had he known who Yakov Sverdlov really was the entire time, but the people of Tsaritsyn so viciously threw him to the wolves when an opportunity to save


    themselves came.


    Bruno walked in front of the men identified as senior party members of the Bolshevik revolution, stopping in front of Yakov Sverdlov. There was a cruel and sinister smirk on his face as he leaned down in front of the young Bolshevik Leader and said the words that would condemn the man to his fate.


    "I know you! You''re Yakov Sverdlov aren''t you? Yes, of course you are. I wouldn''t mistake your distinctive features for anyone else in this world... Has it been fun? ying the part of a revolutionary, I mean? Well, do you see the consequences of your actions now?"


    After taunting his prisoner like this, Bruno whistled, before giving his orders to the members of the Iron Division who surrounded the group ofborers up until this point. "The workers who have begun their penance are to be freed at once. As for the senior members of the Bolshevik party who they so generously have pointed out to us, they are to be executed with the rest of the Red Army.


    All but one that is... Yakov Sverdlov here will be thoroughly interrogated before he meets his end. Do whatever is necessary to make him sing, you understand? As for what you do with his corpse, I really don''t care, just make an example of him, alright?"


    The Iron Division saluted their general before fulfilling Bruno''s orders. The workers would be incredibly thankful for the mercy they had been given. While the Senior members of the Bolshevik party would be lined up alongside their troops and shot in the streets. Buried in a mass grave outside Tsaritsyn.


    As for Yakov Sverdlov. He would be brutally tortured until every bit of information that could


    be gained on the Bolshevik Party, its membership, its supporters, and the Red Army could beg


    gained.


    After being put out of his misery, his yed body would be hung in the streets of Tsaritsyn as


    a reminder of the price that would be paid by every Marxist revolutionary leader in this life wherever Bruno would find them.


    Thus giving Bruno the nickname of the "Red Scourge", for which Marxists around the globe of all denominations would know him by.

 Chapter 76: Enraging a True Man of Culture

    Chapter 76: Enraging a True Man of Culture


    ?


    Throughout all of human history, few rulers received as bad as a reputation as Tsar Nichs II had. Not because he was particrly brutal, ruthless, and despotic. But rather due to the sheer ipetency he disyed during his reign over the Russian Empire.


    To call the Tsar horrifically misunderstood would be the understatement of a lifetime. The sad truth of the matter is he had been thrust into power long before he was fit, or capable of ruling over a small town, let alone one of the world''srgest empires and pre-eminent powers.


    And this was the fault of his father, a man who had simply performed his role as a monarch poorly, who appeared to be more interested in repressing his people than actually grooming his heir to take over the throne after he had died.


    Which was rather sudden at that due to a bad case of kidney inmmation. Which at the time was often fatal. Furthermore, Nichs was deeply paranoid about the people after having been forced to witness the gruesome assassination of his grandfather at a young age.


    Whosest words were essentially a warning that he, too, would be killed by the very peasants he ruled over. These words were almost prophetic in a way as Nichs and his entire family were eventually murdered in cold blood by the Bolsheviks after losing the Russian Civil War during Bruno''s past life.


    It was because of this that Bruno particrly pitied the Tsar and the House of Romanov, even if they were bound to eventually be enemies of the German Reich in the forting


    Great War.


    It was because of this that the Tsar who was currently hiding in Siberia as his generals, or more specifically, Bruno, fought the Bolsheviks on his behalf. He was, for the most part, left entirely out of military affairs.


    That is, except for the parts he took particr interest in. Such as the design of a new steel helmet for the Russian Army. Tsar Nichs II was perhaps what one might facetiously refer to as a "man of culture."


    So much so that the man had during Bruno''s past life chosen to neglect properly


    manufacturing and distributing steel helmets to his soldiers because they did not match his sense of aesthetics.


    Even with the French offering 15,000 Model 1915 Adrian Helmets during the Great War as material aid, the Tsar was hesitant to have his soldiers make use of them. This stubbornness to put appearance over protection had prevented the Russian Army from addressing the issue of severe head trauma until veryte in the war.


    Of course, this issue had appeared much earlier in this life as a result of Bruno''s intervention in the timeline. And because of this, the man was being harassed by his generals to provide a


    solution to this problem that all other Great Powers were currently working overtime to address.


    For example, a study showed that during the Siege of Tsaritsyn, Russian Soldiers suffered significantly more casualties, usually non-lethal ones at that as a result of not being adequately equipped with head protection than the members of the Iron Division who shared the same trenches as them.


    This was not because the Red Army''s Artillery targeted locations primarily with Tsarist Units, but rather specifically because the Stahlhelm was optimal at preventing shrapnel and fragmentation from harming the head and the back of the neck of the German volunteers.


    While the cloth hats which the Russians wore did nothing to impede the projectiles from harming the wearer.


    After significant pressure from his generals, and a statement written by Bruno himself which dered the intent to equip the Russian Army, or at least those units who served by his side with Stahlhelms, to protect them from shrapnel and fragmentation. The Tsar was forced to concede on the issue.


    Bruno was not going to take no for an answer, the amount of Russians who were wounded either in minor, or serious fashions as a result of poor preparations for a modern conflict was significant.


    And quite frankly, uneptable. Especially since Bruno already knew that the moment he sent the Iron Division to Russia, or as it was known then as the Iron Brigade with Stahlhelms, the rest of the world would replicate them.


    So long as the Russians were fighting alongside him against the Marxists, then Bruno wanted to minimize casualties. Not only because it was expedient, but because it was also the right thing to do.


    And hence why the Tsar was currently standing in his refuge in Siberia, meeting with stylists to discuss the adoption of a new helmet for his soldiers, along with a new uniform to match. While Russia was slightly better than the rest of its rivals, where previous uniforms were concerned. Adopting a forest green uniform for the majority of its infantry.


    The more drab and earthly tones currently in use by the German Army, as was revealed after the deployment of the Iron Division to Russia, was all the rage. Everyone was working towards adopting some kind of uniform that was not so vibrant, saturated, and easily spotted.


    The British had already deployed colonial uniforms in their distinctive khaki uniform and were beginning to replicate them at home. While the French were... Well, they were the French. Sticking with a blue-greyish tone for their uniform, which while better than the outright vibrant blue and red uniforms currently in use.


    It was by no means a significant improvement. As for Austria Hungary, in Bruno''s past life they had first adopted a simr blue grey uniform as the French, only to rece it a few yearster with a stone grey, and finally just simply copying the distinctive feldgrau which the German Army made use of.


    Because of Bruno''s interference in the timeline, introducing the more modern 1915 pattern uniform to the German Army, the Austro-Hungarians simply began copying the German Uniform, albeit making some slight changes.


    In doing so, they would ultimately end up with their own feldgrau uniforms, with the m1916 pattern Stahlhelm that were almost identical, if not entirely so, to the ones they wore at the very end of the War in Bruno''s past life.


    To put it simply, only the Russians would have a uniform in this life that was distinctively differentpared to the ones they fielded in Bruno''s past life. Currently, the Tsar was discussing this design with a stylist who specializes in military uniforms.


    "Personally, I think a more drab green would be ideal. Aspared to the darker forest green currently in use. As you know, earthly tones are in fashion right now. In addition to this, I do not necessarily like the look of the German Stahlhelm that the Iron Division is wearing. It''s so... Aggressive looking!"


    The Tsar nodded his head at the stylist''sments, seeming to agree with everything said. That is, until one of his servants interrupted the Tsar entirely. The man rushed into the room and handed the man a letter.


    In the letter was a statement from the Russian Chief of Staff. Who had made a decision on the matter of new uniforms and steel helmets well in advance of the Tsar? The letter was


    addressed as follows:


    "Dear his majesty, Tsar Nichs II,


    I write to you today to inform you that Tsaritsyn has fallen back into our hands. And is once more yours tomand. Generalleutnant Bruno von Zehntner has once more achieved a significant victory. So much so that we are currently working to root out and eliminate any Marxists that may remain in the Volga region.


    As per the Generalleutnant''s rmendations, I am currently authorizing the immediate recement of the current issued uniforms to a design more suited to the modern battlefield. I have no doubt you have your hands full with where you are currently at and have extended this courtesy with this taken into consideration.


    I look forward to the day the rebels are buried beneath the soil, and you can return to your home in Saint Petersburg.


    -Your faithful servant, General of the Cavalry Fyodor Palitsyn."


    The Tsar couldn''t help but pull off his winter cap, which kept his ears warm and stomp on it as


    he screamed his innermost thoughts aloud.


    "God fucking dammit! Do they even see me as their Tsar anymore? Have they really gone out


    of their way to establish a new uniform for the Russian Army without thinking of my sensibilities? These bastards better pray they lose this war, because if they win, I will rip them


    a new one!"


    The stylist simply closed his book of sketches and sighed heavily as he shook his head in defeat. The uniform selected with the rmendation of Bruno in this life was none other than that used in the Great War of his past life.


    Albeit with the removal of the cloth hat, and instead reced with the Tsarist Russian variant of the Model 1915 Pattern Adrian Helmet. Which the Tsar seemed to have despised. Whether this was a deliberate attempt by Bruno to have fun at the Tsar''s expense?


    Or simply something done on his part due to the rapid demand for new uniforms and helmets.


    Only he would know. Either way, the Tsar would throw a hissy fit in front of his servants before calming down and forgetting about the whole affair within a week. Such was his


    personality, after all.

 Chapter 77: Not One Step Back!

    Chapter 77: Not One Step Back!


    ?


    The Red Army''s loss at Tsaritsyn spread quickly throughout the world. After all, it was the second siege in which their forced had been decimated. 180,000 Marxists lie dead, while the losses sustained by the Tsarist Loyalists and apanying Iron Division were in the tens of thousands. It was a significant gap in terms of casualties.


    But Bruno was all too aware that just because you win every battle, did not mean that you will necessarily win the war in the end. This was a war fought for the future of the Russian Mothend, and if the Tsar failed to win the hearts and minds of the people, then he would inevitably lose the war even if he won every conflict fought between him and the


    revolutionaries.


    Because of this, Bruno immediately went to work concocting a new string of propaganda. Depicting him with the banner of Russia raised proudly behind him while dressed in a Russian military uniform as he raised a revolver to the heads of the leaders of the Bolshevik revolution.


    Two lie dead in the snow, and that was Leon Trotsky, and Yakov Sverdlov. As for the rest, bound and gagged by their side, kneeling in their own filth. They consisted of the likes of Joseph Stalin, dimir Lenin, Maxim Litvinov et cetera. And Bruno''s m1895 Nagant revolver, as he was depicted holding in the propaganda, was pointed to Lenin''s head.


    The words: "Beware the Red Scourge" were written in the color of blood, and in the stylemonly found in sher horror fonts of the future. It was a truly menacing depiction if one were aligned with the Marxists.


    But the depiction of the light of god shining down on Bruno as he prepared the pull the trigger on Lenin, along with the pearly gates up in the sky above the Russian banner was a sight that encouraged the people of Russia to turn back to the light of God''s mercy, and away from the evils of Marxism.


    Tsaritsyn was secured, and the factories were back in the hands of thewful government of Russia. Producing weapons for Tsar and mothend as they should be. It was an enormous blow to the Red Army who, until now, had to rely on stealing weapons and munitions shipments from the Tsarist forces.


    There was no ess for international aid after Saint Petersburg sessfully defended itself. And now that the one major industrial center that was in their hands was recaptured by the enemy, the Red Army would be running out of munitions and weaponry soon enough.


    Because of this, the remaining leaders of the Bolshevik revolution gathered once more than they hid in Moscow within a dimly lit house at night. Discussing the dire situation they had now found themselves in.


    Lenin was absolutely furious. He was quick to anger, after all. The man had lost both the founder of the Red Army and his best propagandists. After the capture of Tsaritsyn, the ck Hundreds had stormed into the homes of the Sverdlov family and apprehended all of its members.


    There was more than enough evidence found within their homes to convict them of treason, allowing the loyalist Militias to execute them on the spot. Their deaths were as cruel as one could imagine, but well deserved.


    They had, after all, started a revolution that had caused the deaths and suffering of hundreds of thousands of people thus far. And in Bruno''s past life, the Russian Civil war had imed millions of victims, not to mention the tens of millions who would die in the following years as a result of the Soviet Union''s reign of terror.


    But Lenin, of course, didn''t see it this way. He was yelling at the other leaders of his revolution, which, with each passing day, was starting to look like a doomed prospect.


    "The Red Scourge!?! The Red fucking Scourge!?! This is the name you fools havee up with for our enemy!?! That only works in his favor, you morons! When people see these leaflets, do you know what they think?


    Thest thing I will ever do is align with themunists if the Red Scourge is after them! It''s a terrifying title, and the propagandists within the Empire have made full effect after learning of the nickname you have given this German bastard!"


    Nobody really had anything to say on this matter. It''s not like they personally came up with the name for Bruno. In fact, nobody really knew where it came from. Only that it originated among the ranks of the Red Army, who, after hearing what had happened to theirrades at Saint Petersburg and Tsaritsyn, began depicting Bruno as if he was an agent of death sent to carry their souls to the afterlife.


    Yet Lenin was treating them as if they were responsible for the creation of the nickname. To put it simply, there were those among the Red Army who were in Manchuria, and knew of the German General by the name of "Mamushi" after the decisive and swift victories he gained at Port Arthur and Mukden.


    And there were others among their ranks who knew Bruno by the name "The Wolf of Prussia" for how quickly he was able to sniff out and hound the Boxer Remnants in China until they were fully eradicated.


    Only now were they understanding why the man kept earning terrifying nicknames with each campaign he fought. The man was ruthless in the pursuit of victory. And was very good at entrapping his enemies. Leading them by the nose as he obliterated them down to thest


    man.


    Now the Marxists had begun to name Bruno the Red Scourge, and the nickname was fully adopted in Imperial Russian Propaganda. Whenpared to the Bolsheviks'' own propaganda of uniting against the Tsar for the sake of worker''s rights, it was a far morepelling reason not to do such a thing.


    After all, if throwing your lot with the Bolsheviks meant being chased after a man who had the deaths of over half a million people on his hands. Then who the hell would want to provoke such a man? Worker''s rights? Fuck your worker''s rights! The life of a serf was still a life worth living! Especially if the alternative was certain death!


    Needless to say, recing the losses sustained at Tsaritsyn was no easy task. And because of this, Joseph Stalin made a proposal towards this regard. Quickly shifting Lenin''s anger towards a more practical solution to the current problem.


    "100,000 men... 100,000 men lie dead in Tsaritsyn. Meanwhile, we have begun to suffer rates of desertion that are much higher than they have been in the past. It is clear that the men are terrified of this so called "Red Scourge."


    And why would they be? He doesn''t even treat us as if we are human? Hell, he treats the hounds used by the loyalist militias with better care than he does us. Have you seen thetest photographs taken by our spies in Saint Petersburg? The man was seen petting the mongrels with a satisfied smile on his face after they had ripped Trotsky''s corpse to pieces.


    The message is clear: there is no surrender to this enemy. Do you understand me? He will order our deaths the moment we wave the white g! So how do we deal with our forces who hold such dread for this monster and flee upon making contact with his forces? Well, we just have to remind them that we are far more terrifying than this so-called Red Scourge..." Lenin narrowed his eyes towards Joseph Stalin''s remarks, quickly interrogating his men on what exactly he had in mind to handle their deserters.


    "And how exactly do you propose such a thing? It''s not easy to make ourselves seem more intimidating to our men than a monster who has killed 180,000 of theirrades... Such numbers are overwhelming."


    Stalin simply scoffed; his expression equally callous as it was malicious. His words oozing with malicious intent.


    "Isn''t it obvious? We shoot them in the back if they dare take a step in retreat! Not one step


    back!"


    It was a desperate measure to handle deserters, to be sure. But they had lost 100,000 men after Tsaritsyn''s fall to Bruno, men who were too cowardly to stand and fight against the Red Scourge. And with their current recruitment crisis, the Red Army needed to resort to such


    drastic acts.


    Thus, the order was given to allmissars within the Ranks of the Red Army. If a single soldier dares to take a step in retreat, you are to gun him down on the spot in front of hisrades. And if your entire unit breaks ranks and routes, you are to treat them the same.


    Not one step back! Such were the words of Joseph Stalin''s order 227 in Bruno''s past life. And so too had theye into existence in this timeline. Only four decades earlier than they should


    have.

 Chapter 78: Uncovering A Sinister Truth

    Chapter 78: Uncovering A Sinister Truth


    ?


    The Red Army had in the days following their defeat Tsaritsyn entered a state of hiding. They tried their best to recruit new members to rece their losses suffered in the Volga Region. While the Tsarist forces secured the areas outside Tsaritsyn, arresting, interrogating, and executing anyone with sufficient evidence of supporting the Red Army or the Bolshevik Party. Meanwhile, Bruno had begun to petition the Kaiser for a very specific request. To put it simply with the number of foreign volunteers who had joined the Iron Division, all of which were active soldiers in the German Armed Forces, Bruno felt a medal should be created specifically for their participation in the Russian Civil War.


    Because of this, Bruno drafted a design for this Medal which he felt was appropriate. It was interestingly enough based upon a medal issued to Wagner Group Mercenaries during his previous life. Little information existed about this medal, or its requirements for being awarded. At least as far as western sources went.


    Nor did Bruno know the official name of the medal. All he knew was that on several posts to the inte it had been referred to as the Wagner Cross. The design of the Cross itself was ironically enough simr to the German Iron Cross, however, unlike the Iron Cross whose ends were squared, the Wagner Cross had rounded ends.


    In addition to this, there was a circle in the center, with a Russian five-pointed star inside. The circle itself had golden edges, as did the cross, and had two gold swords going through it. Bruno essentially copied this design but made the edges and swords silver.


    While at the same time, swapping out the Russian Five-Pointed Star and recing it with a Freikorps era Totenkopf symbol. The same one adopted by his Iron Division, which was not identical to the er adopted for use by the Nazi Schutzstaffel.


    The ribbon which this medal was attached to was nearly identical to the one issued to Wagner Mercenaries, with a ck center, along with a slim lining on the edges. Instead of this lining being gold like on the Wagner Cross, it was white, as wasmonly found on German Medals and their ribbons of the era.


    Naturally, Bruno wanted to call it the Cross of the Iron Division, and upon petitioning the German Kaiser for the creation of this medal. He received word soon enough that his request was indeed approved. After all, the man hadmissioned a medal for the East Asia Corps efforts in China, and they only numbered 15,000 men.


    It would be inappropriate not to issue medals for the brave soldiers who took up arms to fight the Marxist Revolutionaries in Russia. Of course, he would only do so after the war was over. And would award them to every man who participated in the war effort. Including posthumously to those who died in the conflict.


    The reason for this was simple, as it stood, the Kaiser could not agree to make such a reward to issue to soldiers of the German Armed Forces who were now officially acting as a foreign volunteer force, and not as an active service members of the German Army and Navy.


    To do so would be admitting to sending his own soldiers to Russia without proper authorization form the Tsar. And in doing so undermining the authority and sovereignty of the Russian Empire as a whole.


    Which could obviously cause diplomatic issues. Because of this, the Cross of the Iron Division would have to wait until after the war was over and the Volunteers "resumed active service" in their respective branches before being issued to soldiers who operated in the Russian Civil War.


    And while Bruno was corresponding back with Berlin and the German Army''s High Command, who were stationed in the city. His wife was having her own problems to deal with. Heidi was currently meeting with one of her cousins in Berlin. Her children were in the care of their grandmother for the time being.


    This cousin was the younger sister of her contact within the German Empire''s Foreign Intelligence Division. The woman was a princess in her own right. Or at least of a mediatized house. But she had built a solid friendship with Heidi during their childhood after a fateful encounter.


    The reason the two of them were meeting up was because this young Princess had news for her cousin, who came from the other half of their family, albeit as a bastard. News about the death of her mother, and the one responsible for it.


    The princess seemed concerned, almost as if what she was about to say would have a deep impact on her cousin and friend. And because of this, she expressed a warning in advance.


    "Heidi, we have been friends for many years now. And I owe you in ways which I can never fully repay in this life. But I have to ask, with everything going so well for you currently. Do you really want to stick your nose in this?


    I mean, I know this regards your mother, and what happened to her. But you also understand that by investigating this matter, you will be making powerful enemies. Enemies which I can not offend myself. At most, I can give you some information on what I know or have found out in passing. But to rely on me and my brother and father would put not just us at risk, but that of our entire family. Are you sure you want me to tell you this, knowing all of this?" Heidi sipped from her cup of tea as she sat across from her cousin out on the streets of Berlin in public. She seemed almost indifferent, despite this news being rted to her mother''s death, as she expressed her thanks for her cousin''s concern. While also making a promise to her.


    "Quite frankly, my mother never showed me any love other than was necessary to maintain ties with that man. I owe her very little, as she was not the one who provided for me. Instead, it was that man who paid for all of our living expenses. Rather, I have often considered my husband''s parents to be my own. And I assure you that I would never do anything to risk the safety of my children or their father.


    I simply want to know the truth. After I know if that man is responsible for my mother''s death, I will leave this matter be entirely. Whether my suspicions are proven true by the information you have for me.


    The princess sighed heavily as she shook her head. She did not entirely believe that Heidi would leave this matter to be. At least not until those behind it proved to truly be a threat, she was better off avoiding altogether.


    Still, she had promised the girl she would indeed provide the information to her once she had discovered who was responsible for her mother''s death, and because of this she handed over a small folder to her which contained exactly that.


    "Your mother was not murdered by your father. By all ounts, he seemed to have loved her very much, even if he never showed any of that affection to you. In fact, your father has provided a significant savings ount for you and your children in secret from his wife. He knows he can never be a part of your life, but he would never leave you without a safety. Of course, I doubt he knows how capable your husband really is.... No, the people responsible for your mother''s death were none other than your father''s wife, or more specifically, her family. They are powerful figures, from a much greater dynasty than that of your father. And they did not like the fact that your father had kept a mistress, let alone fathered a bastard with


    her.


    They couldn''t touch your father, and after your betrothal was set to Bruno, they couldn''t touch you either. Which is ultimately why I suspect the man actually went through with such a thing, even if it ran the risk of offending the Junker Coalition. He''s not as foolish as he portrays himself to be.


    Your father''s wife is a von Wittelsbach, twice removed from the main line, but a von Wittelsbach, no less. The Kings of Bavaria are very vain people. And your mother was an eyesore to them. They only made their move after your marriage, because you were no longer in the picture. And they couldn''t run the risk of offending your husband''s family, or specifically the powerful men, a part of the coalition they belong to.


    I understand that you hold a significant disdain for your father and have for some time. Nor do


    I me you for doing so. But your family situation was far moreplicated than any of us ever realized. And I suspect your father cares for you in his own way, even if he was never able to truly show that side of himself to you for your own safety.


    So now that you know the truth, what are you going to do?"


    Heidi stared in disbelief at what she was reading. Had this information note from a trusted source, and been thoroughly verified in advance? She would not believe what she was reading. All this time her father had been looking out for her in ways which she did not


    realize.


    And the foolish way he acted around the von Zehntner family in order to coerce them into epting her as Bruno''s bride was all a calcted part of a n designed to protect her. She couldn''t believe it. It just didn''t make sense, ording to everything she had thought she had


    known.


    Tears began to well up in Heidi''s eyes, as she reflected on her life, and the bitterness of her childhood with a newfound understanding of it all. And after taking some time to calm herself down, Heidi wiped the tears from her eyes before handing the document back to her cousin. Though she had been overwhelmed by a variety of deeplyplicated emotions just now. Her logic and reason prevailed in the end. Or should I say her maternal instincts as a wife and mother? She chose in that moment not to pursue those who had wronged her in so many ways. Because at the end of the day, the safety of her husband and children came first. "Thank you... Truly, this has been enlightening in ways I am not capable of describing. I know the truth now, and though I feel a lot worse because of it, I now know that this is not something I should be meddling in. If I were to do so, then these people who killed my mother woulde after me, and my family. And avenging my mother is not worth such a


    price.


    So, I will let this go, and you will never hear me mention this again. Thank you again for your help, cousin. But I''m afraid my mother-inw will be dropping off the kids soon, so I have no choice but to leave now. Until we meet again..."


    The Princess did not say a word, but she was indeed surprised that Heidi had chosen not to pursue her vengeance any further. After all, Heidi had been silently investigating this matter for years. And now that she knew who was responsible, she had chosen her family''s safety


    instead.


    It was truly a remarkable thing to witness. One which made the Princess feel slightly ashamed that she did not feel the same in regard to her own husband. Who she married out of political convenience rather than marriage. Perhaps she should try to give the man a chance. Who knows, maybe one day she would love him as much as Heidi loved Bruno?

 Chapter 79: Shell Shock

    Chapter 79: Shell Shock


    ?


    The snow had yet to be entirely clear from the Russian Soil, despite the fact that it was finally spring. Instead, Ludwig sat huddled up against the wall of a shelled outbuilding. The ruined structure provided no shelter to the man, who watched the snowkes fall as soldiers walked past him, not even recognizing the officer tabs on his uniform''s shoulders.


    He was just another shell-shocked soldier. One who was staring off into space. The thunder of guns in the distance had no effect on the man as he stared a thousand yards into the distance. He did not even recognize two men who were close members of his family as they approached him.


    Bruno and Kurt spoke in the background. What they said went entirely unnoticed to Ludwig, who was suffering from a rather acute case of temporary tinnitus. The ringing in his ears blocking out what they said, as their lips moved in ordance with the words spoken.


    Of course, Bruno was concerned about his brother''s state. It had been over a month since the Siege of Tsaritsyn. And no doubt the man was shaken by the battle. But as the Iron Division marched further and further throughout the Volga Region, hunting down and eliminating the remnants of the Red Army in the area. Ludwig''s mental state seemed to take a turn for the


    worse.


    "You said he''s been like this for half an hour now? Didn''t we just take the town precisely thirty-five minutes ago?"


    Bruno took a look at his watch to confirm that was indeed the amount of time that had passed since taking the town from the entrenched Red Army. Kurt nodded his head, confirming this was the case, while speaking to Bruno with a state of worry in his voice.


    "Bru... I mean General... I have never seen anything like this before. He just seems out of it. But there are no signs of head trauma. I mean, there''s not even a cut on him! Do you know what''s wrong with our brother?"


    Bruno was all too aware of what Ludwig was suffering from, as he too was suffering from the repeated stress ofbat. However, Ludiwg''s symptoms were much more severe. Causing Bruno to shake his head and sigh, as he told his other older brother that he would handle it.


    "This isn''t something the medics can cure... Rx, I''ll handle it. You go deal with the others who are wounded. I''ve got this handled."


    Kurt looked at his youngest brother, who he had routinely bullied throughout their youth, with aplicated expression. Ludwig and he had always treated Bruno poorly, whether in their childhood or until rtively recently as adults.


    This behavior stemmed from their jealousy towards Bruno. He was the youngest of their siblings, but by far the most exceptional, and he had proved this repeatedly throughout his life. The two brothers were indeed surprised when Bruno had epted their request to prove themselves in the Russian Civil War. They had, after all, expected the man to reject them.


    But now Bruno was showing more concern for either of them than he ever had before. Kurt, who was hesitating to say what he wanted to say, was addressed by Bruno, who pulled out his pack of cigarettes and began smoking all while yelling at Kurt to do as he was ordered.


    "What the fuck are you waiting for? I said I got this, didn''t I? Now go! There are more serious wounded who need to be looked after, and you''re a fucking medic, aren''t you?"


    After receiving this kick in the pants, Kurt saluted Bruno and responded in affirmation before running off to do asmanded.


    "Yes, sir!"


    After Kurt was out of sight, Bruno sighed heavily, and groaned like an old man, despite being in his mid-twenties, as he sat down next to his older brother in the snow. Who was still staring off into the distance.


    There was a gentle tone in Bruno''s voice as he handed one of his cigarettes to the man, offering such a kindness for perhaps the first time in his life to him.


    "Take it... Trust me, it will make you feel better..."


    Ludwig instinctively reached out and grabbed the cigarette, and pressed it to his lips, where Bruno lit it for him, all while not even looking at his younger brother once. Even when Bruno spoke, the man still sat there staring at nothing in particr.


    "It never gets any easier by the way... This... This is what you wanted to experience... This is the glory of war, Ludwig. The lies you were told as a child, by our father, by our grandfather, by your teachers, and your priests.


    It''s all a load of bullshit designed to entice young men to go out and get themselves killed by the politicians who decided that they should die for some stupid reason or another. I wanted to refuse your request, and Kurt''s, for that matter. I mean, at least part of me did. But another part of me felt like someone else in our generation deserved to know the truth.


    So... This is it... This is what the two of you begged me to join. Is it as chivalrous as you imagined Ludwig?"


    As Bruno leaned back against what remained of the wall supporting his back and took a long drag, he waited for Ludwig to snap out of his entranced state and respond to him. Observing the background as he did so.


    Bodies lie in the streets, while the wounded howled in agony. The town, or what remained of it, was shelled into ruin. The only building which miraculously remained untouched by the mes of war was interestingly enough the local chapel.


    While its windows had been shattered by shrapnel, and the walls were pickpocketed with fragmentation. It still stood in good enough condition to host a service. Assuming the parish was willing to endure the chilling winds which swept through the windows that once kept them out.


    It was a gruesome scene, one which was not at all what the na?ve youth would have been told about the battlefield, and how they should aspire to earn glory for God, kaiser, and fathend by fighting for the Reich.


    Finally, Ludwig''s brain began to gain some rity, Bruno''s words clearly having an impact as he slowly stirred into motion. First with a slight jarring of his head which quickly turned to a shake, and finally by pressing the lit cigarette to his lips and taking a deep inhale of the burnt nicotine within, before responding to his brother''s words as if he had not just spent five minutes between them.


    "N... No... Not in the slightest... This is.... There are not words..."


    Bruno himself took a drag from his own cigarette before breaking out his sk full of vodka, which protected his heart. He unscrewed the top and drank a sip, before wiping off the lid with the grimy sleeve of his coat and handing it to his brother.


    "Drink! You have earned it..."


    Ludwig took arge gulp from the sk full of hard liquor before another, and another. Until finally, Bruno pried the container from the man''s firm hands. Once he did so, he stood up and reached out to Ludwig with a helping hand, who was far more lucid now.


    Ludwig slowly grabbed onto it as Bruno hoisted him to his feet and patted him on the back. It was only now that the man realized he had been sitting in the snow for so long that his pants werepletely drenched, so much so that he was chilled to the bone.


    Bruno then made a remark to the man that shocked him. But he did so with a bitter smile on his face, because the news was an act of mercy on his part.


    "You''re going home Ludwig. I''ll arrange a carriage to take you to the nearest train station. From there it''s a short journey to Saint Petersburg where you will catch the next ship back to the Fathend. Now that you have had a taste for war, you would do well to remember what you have experienced here. So that one day if you do end up seeding our father in the Bundesrat, you don''t make the mistake of sending poor sods like yourself to a ce like


    this..."


    Ludwig instantly stirred to attention as he looked at Bruno as if the man had offended him after hearing the man dismiss him back to the Reich, almost as if he had somehow failed to perform adequately on the field of battle. Something which he was quick to express.


    "No, Brot- General, I can still fight! You don''t have to do this!"


    Bruno, however, ced a hand on his brother''s shoulder and shook his head. There was a gentle smile on his face, which was something Ludwig had never seen from the man before. Bruno then spoke to him with a tone that was warm and brotherly as he exined to the man that there was no shame in ending the campaign early.


    "You are mistaken brother, there is no shame in retiring now. By all means, your service should have ended a month ago. You are frankly well beyond the means of your contract with the German Army. Besides, it would be an act of cruelty on my part if I kept you here any longer. Not all wounds are inflicted upon the flesh, and the scars which you now bear will remain with you for the rest of your life. To add any further injury to you would be both unnecessary and wicked. And as much as you and Kurt may have treated me poorly these past 25 years. I assure you; I never intended any malice to either of you.


    For the time being Kurt remains capable of serving, but if I notice he too suffers from the same degree which you have, I will send him back to mother and father as a hero of war, like I am now doing to you. Go and rest, brother. Your role in this war is over.


    You can keep your head high and return to your family as the war hero you always wanted to be. When this conflict is over, you will be rewarded with a medal for the bravery and courage you have shown here. The Kaiser has assured me of this.


    But you should understand that it is not politically expedient to issue such awards for the


    time being. You will have to remain patient. Perhaps when you are in Saint Petersburg, you might find yourself having a Cross of Saint George pinned to your chest as well. If you are


    lucky, that is."


    Ludwig did not know what to say, nor did he need to say anything. He would salute Bruno before walking off. Soon enough he would find himself in a transport wagon, which took him back to Tsaritsyn and its rail station.


    As Bruno had heavily implied, when the man returned to Saint Petersburg, the Generals in the Russian Army had pinned a Cross of Saint George to his chest. Which was both the first andst medal for distinction inbat that Ludwig would receive.


    Even if it wasn''t one awarded by the German Military for its soldiers, it was enough to make Ludwig feel like he had aplished something in this brutal campaign. One that would leavesting effects on the man''s mental state for the rest of his life. Interestingly enough, Bruno''s words would have an impact on his older brother.


    Not only would he strive to make peace between his older siblings and Bruno. But he would also begin pursuing a career in politics, so he would never send young men to endure what he had, unless the reason was to defend the German Reich and its colonies.


    But then again, the Bundesrat only had the power to dere offensive wars, defensive wars were entirely the jurisdiction of the Kaiser. Even so, if he one day managed to rise to the highest ranks of the German government, he would resolve himself never to vote in favor of an offensive war. As the suffering he witnessed during his brief time in Russia was a price that was far too great to ever justify.

 Chapter 80: Field Promotions

    Chapter 80: Field Promotions


    ?


    Ludwig returned to Saint Petersburg not long after, he was shaken up to be sure. Butpared to when he was in the shelled-out vige, whose name he could not even remember, he was much better off than he could have been.


    The man was no doubt scarred for life. But not to the degree in which he might be considered disabled. Perhaps if he had stayed in the field for another battle or two, he would enter such a state. But luckily for him, Bruno had discharged him and sent him home.


    After receiving a medal for distinction inbat, which came in the form of the Russian Cross for Saint George second ss. Ludwig was overwhelmed with emotion. He hade to this hellscape seeking to gain glory on the battlefield and had returned as a literal war hero.


    The wounds from shrapnel, bullets, and bays had ultimately been minor whenpared to the silent injury to his mind. One which would not be a diagnosable condition for many years toe. But the price he had paid with blood here in Russia had taught him many life lessons.


    It had been less than half a year since Ludwig had stepped foot on his first battlefield. A few months of that, less than a normal deployment abroad. And yet he had matured significantly in this time. It was said that one month on the battlefield was equal to a year in the outside world. And perhaps this was true.


    Because Ludwig was a changed man. Any petty jealousy he had towards his younger brother was gone. Evaporated as if it was nothing more than a lingering memory, one which had quickly be one of the man''s deepest regrets in life.


    The bond which was forged in Tsaritsyn as Bruno and Ludwig fought side by side in the trenches was one that was greater than the one, they shared by having the same blood in their veins. When Bruno finally returned to Berlin, he would be surprised that it would not only be his wife and children waiting for him at the train station, but also Ludwig and his family.


    But that was the end of Ludwig''s story. At least for now... Instead, Bruno and Kurt remained on the battlefield. Pushing further into the Volga region as they dealt with the remnants of the Red Army in the region.


    How did they deal with these Marxist revolutionaries? The same way which Bruno had in Saint Petersburg and Tsaritsyn. By killing them down to thest man. From the day Bruno had set himself on this course, one that was destined to sh with the Bolsheviks. He had resigned himself to deal with the enemy in a way that could be described by one simple phrase: "Kill them all!"


    After taking Tsaritsyn, reinforcements and resupply came via the railway. Rotations had begun among the members of the Iron Division and the Red Army. Fresh faces from the German Reich, and the Russian hearnd entered the field, with the haggard and battle worn soldiers who had endured months at war returning temporarily to a peaceful world free from the worries and suffering ofbat.


    Naturally, there were those that stayed put. Such as Bruno and his officer corps. They had vowed to stay in Russia until thest Bolshevik lie dead in the streets. And they would continue this fight for as long as they were required to.


    Because of this, Bruno was currently sitting at a gathering in his tent. Sharing his cooked rations with the officers beneath hismand. Among them were the likes of Kurt, Heinrich, and Erich. All of which, as well as the recently discharged Ludwig, had proven themselves exceptionally during the siege of Tsaritsyn.


    With Heinrich and Erich both standing out earlier in Saint Petersburg as well. Because of this, Bruno had decided to use his authority as a Generalleutnant to promote some of the officers beneath hismand. Not out nepotism, despite their friendship, but because of their repeated disys of ability in battle.


    Whether that was in China, Manchuria, or here in Russia. Two of these men had proven during thesest five years that they were far more suited to a higher rank than that of a mere captain. Because of this, Bruno raised the question over dinner among his entire officer corps, seeking to see if anyone disagreed with his decision. As the thoughts and feelings of the men beneath hismand were always a concern that Bruno took seriously.


    "Though it wounds my heart to see Captain Ludwig von Zehntner depart from the field so soon. It was a necessary decision, one which I have no regrets having made. I would also like to take this moment to press you all with a certain matter I have been pondering for some time now.


    While it is most certainly in my authority to issue battlefield promotions to those, I deem fit as a Generalleutnant in the German Army, and the currentmander of this division. I would like to make it known that the opinions of all the officers beneath mymand are something I am more than willing to take into ount before authorizing such a thing.


    And since this issue is most certainly affected by my personal bias, having considered the two officers in question as among my closest friends for several years now. I would like to extend an invitation to you all about whether you believe it is appropriate to promote Captain Koch and Captain von Humboldt to the position of major?"


    Nobody had expected Bruno to ask for their opinion on this matter. These two men had served beside Bruno for many years. They had also attended the academy together as cadets. Anyone else in his position would promote these two men without hesitation or question. If not, simply due to the bond they shared.


    The German military was mostly a ce of meritocracy, far more than any other simr organization in the world. But one could never get rid of corruption to begin with. For Bruno to ask permission from the other officers beneath hismand.


    Whether they were the lowest lieutenant or the highest-ranking colonel, it was a sign that he not only valued their opinions. But refused to engage in such a corrupt action such as nepotism.


    And to do it while treating them all to a meal which he cooked himself using the same rations that everyone else in the Iron Division received it was ultimately an act which only further added to the respect that these men already had for him.


    Bruno was young, having risen through the ranks of the German Army at such an expedient rate that there was no doubt resentment across the German Army''s Officer Corps towards him. And some of these men most definitely harbored these resentments until, that is, they served with him over thesest few months in Russia.


    But his actions just now had dispersed any resentments that might have lingered in the shadows of their hearts towards him. Quickly, everyone gave their thoughts on the matter. With Bruno not saying a word to interject, and instead listening to everything they all had to say, one by one, in an orderly fashion.


    There were a few who had expressed worries about the matter in question. But they also shared that they felt with positions of authority overpanies that provided significant contributions to battles such as Mukden, Saint Petersburg, and Tsaritsyn. It made sense that despite their age and rtiveck of time in service, Heinrich and Erich were both worthy of


    such a promotion.


    Especially since Bruno was not using his authority to skip over Major and give them the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Bruno was being fair by promoting his friends to the very next rank. After a majority agreement was made, which was damn near a consensus. Bruno announced that he would be promoting the two men and had presented them with their new rank


    insignia.


    As a result, the officers celebrated the two men''s promotions with a night of drinking. In the morning Heinrich and Erich would be sent to their new regiments, which they would act as the


    third inmand of such units.


    Ultimately, this rank, despite being given to them during their time, officially recognized as "foreign volunteers" would carry over with them when they returned to the Fathend. As Bruno''s "retirement" from the military was merely a cover for his actions in Russia, where he was unofficially acting on behalf of the German Army and the Kaiser by extension. Thus, he still maintained full operational authority to promote soldiers beneath hismand. A luxury that, though being used for the first time, was not something that would change in the future. As Bruno would make sure those men beneath him were appropriately awarded by merit alone. As thest thing he needed beneath hismand was an over- inted and inexperienced officer corps.

 Chapter 81: Know Your Enemy, and Know Yourself

    Chapter 81: Know Your Enemy, and Know Yourself


    ?


    It had been three months since Bruno sent Ludwig home. During this time, the Volga region was cleansed of the Red Menace that had infected it. The result of which was tens of thousands of casualties. Primarily civilians were affected, as those remnants of the Red Army that cowardly hid in the Volga region did so while taking up residence in towns and holding the civilians inside at gunpoint.


    It was a hostage situation to put it simply, but Bruno did not negotiate with terrorists. And quite frankly, he felt unusually bad about the deaths that urred after shelling the Red Army and their positions within the innocent viges.


    After all, starting in the second half of the 18th century, ethnic Germans began to move into the region and create entire towns of their own. Under the reign of Catherine the Great and her sessors, German farmers were invited to the Russian Empire to farm thend, having been enticed by extensivend grants simr in a way to the American homestead act which urred over the course of the 19th century.


    These were technically Bruno''s people, at least to some extension. And he felt bad having to shell them along with the despicable Marxists who held them hostage. But, using CS gas here and now in the open for all nations to observe was not a price Bruno was willing to pay to ensure the safety of civilians who were ultimately not citizens of the Reich, and thus not under his protection by any measure of his moralpass.


    With this in mind, Bruno''s result was to warn the civilians in advance that they would be shelling the city and give them 72 hours to flee by any means necessary. If they could not, then it was simply God''s way of saying that their time hade, and thus they could enter the pearly gates sooner than they had anticipated.


    After repeated losses against the Iron Division and the apanying Russian forces. It became clear to the Red Army that defeating their enemies in a siege was an impossibility. They were simply equipped with too many machine guns, and such weapons made a significant difference on a modern battlefield.


    And since they could not defeat the enemy in a siege, it meant that there were two options left. One was to fight in the field, in a decisive battle that would determine an end to the war. Or two were to engage in a protracted gueri campaign.


    Both of these had their faults. For example, in a field battle, the Russian Army could make full use of its cavalry units. But the upside was deploying machine guns in any meaningful capacity was almost an impossibility. Or so the Bolsheviks believed, as their understanding of such weapons, while expanded upon by Bruno''s tactics, was not fully enlightened.


    As for the Gueri campaign, it was almost certain that the Iron Division, the Russian Army, and the supporting ck Hundreds of loyalist militias would begin dragging out anyone suspected of harboring Marxist sympathies and simply execute them in the streets. Or perhaps brutally interrogate them for information on the identities and locations of theirrades before doing so.


    The brutality shown towards those who supported the Bolshevik party thus far in the war was an indicator that the enemy did not see them as human. Rather, in the eyes of the Tsar and his loyalists, Marxists were nothing more than a pest that needed to be fully exterminated. And they would use any means, no matter how wicked, to achieve this.


    Perhaps because of this, Lenin, Stalin, Litvinov, and the other leaders of the Bolshevik revolution feared undertaking such an endeavor. As it would no doubt result in them being hunted down in the streets one by one until they were all dead.


    Truly, their options were limited. Both of which were less than ideal. Bruno had single- handedly forced the Bolshevik leaders into a ruinous situation. Their recruitment had been reduced to miserable numbers. They were barely able to rece their losses sustained in the Volga region.


    Meanwhile, their own acts of cruelty during thebat in the Volga region, which resulted in mass casualties to civilians, did the Red Army no favors either. Though they tried to me these deaths on the Iron Division and itsmander.


    The Tsarist propaganda actively countered these efforts for the most part. Thus, their two options of fighting and dying in a pitched field battle or being slowly exterminated by the Tsarist forces in a guerri campaign were all that remained for the Bolshevik Revolution.


    And thus, they chose the slower, more cruel fate of fighting a gueri campaign against the Tsar and his allies. As their only hope was thatrades abroad would help them escape Russia should things really take a turn for the worst.


    With all of this in mind, the Red Army began stripping off their uniforms under themands of Joseph Stalin, who had assumed control over the organization after the deaths of Leon Trotsky and Yakov Sverdlov at Bruno''s hands.


    From now on out, the war would be waged in the streets, via ambushes against the Iron Division, Russian Army, and the ck Hundreds of loyalist militias. Thus began a game of cat and mouse between one of History''s most brutal dictators, and an anomaly in the timeline who should never have existed.


    Currently, Bruno was ying a game of chess with a Russian General who sat across from him. The two of them were in Saint Petersburg, which had be the center of Tsarist forces after they repelled Trotsky''s siege on the city.


    Bruno had a temporary office established for him to organize the war effort alongside the Russian General staff. And as the war transitioned back to a Gueri campaign, he spent most of his time here.


    On days like this, where there was not much to do, he would y chess with the Russian Generals, who generally lost to him. Despite this, one general in particr was adamant to y Bruno time and again, no matter how many times he lost. Seeing it as a learning experience against a man whose skill was easily on par with the greatest of grand masters. This General was quick toment on the recent change in developments regarding the Russian Revolution, of which Bruno simply smirked as he checkmated the man on the spot.


    "It would appear the Reds have gone underground after their defeats within the Ingria and Volga regions. I have heard rumors of their attacks on our troops being repelled quickly. You wouldn''t happen to know anything about this, now, would you?"


    Bruno sipped on some tea as he sat back smugly in his seat. Having just defeated the Russian General again, the man simply sighed heavily and admitted his defeat. All while Bruno answered his previous question with a tone of confidence that the Russian General found deeply unnerving.


    "If you know your enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither your enemy nor yourself, you will sumb in every battle.... Do you know who said that?"


    The Russian General had obviously heard the quote before. The Art of War by Sun Tzu was famous in modern military circles. One could not graduate from a military academy of any respectable nation without having learned these words. And because of this, he quickly responded with the correct answer.


    "Sun Tzu, but why are you bringing this up now?"


    Bruno''s words were rather cryptic as he responded to the Russian General''s words, which had


    a hidden meaning that only he could understand.


    "In all of this world, there is nobody who understands our enemies more than I do. I know everything there is to know about the leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution, every detail of their life is permanently seared into my mind.


    I also understand myself to a simr degree. Because of this, it is a matter of chess. For every move the enemy makes, I know in advance, and have predicted a thousand counter measures. Do you think my actions have been merciless? If so, do you understand why I have taken them? From the moment I stepped foot in Russia, it was an inevitability that these rats would scurry from any battlefield and instead seek to wipe us out slowly like the gue infested vermin they are! Naturally, I made ns in advance for this new gueri campaign of theirs. If you want to know the truth-"


    Bruno''s next words were cut off as a lieutenant in the Iron Division stepped into the room


    with a letter in his hand. Saluting the two generals before handing it off to Bruno. After being dismissed, the man left the room, allowing Bruno to open the letter where a wicked smirk


    appeared on his face.


    The Russian General immediately grew concerned with what the letter contained, but before he could read it Bruno tossed it into the firece. Where he then stood up and thanked the Russian General for the game of chess.


    "Well, it has been fun, General. But duty calls, I can no longer stay here and y chess with you, at least for the time being. I hope the next time we meet; your skills will have


    improved."


    Bruno put on his greatcoat as he walked to the door and grabbed hold of his steel helmet, which was sitting on a nearby tabletop. As he stepped out, the Russian General called out to him, questioning what was so urgent that he needed to step out.


    "Wait a second. Where are you going? Must you really leave now?"


    Bruno turned around once more, his smirk while friendliness was full of wicked intent. But


    not towards the Russian General, after all his thoughts were elsewhere, which he spoke about


    as he left the office building.


    "Sorry, General, time is of the essence. There are some roaches that need to be gassed, and if I don''t do so swiftly, they will simply move to another location and infest it as well!" The Communists didn''t know it yet, but Bruno had long since embedded spies in their ranks. Currying favor with the fearful by making promises of pardons in exchange for information


    on theirrades.


    And just now Bruno had received verified intelligence on the current location of a Bolshevik Leader who he very much wanted to meet in person.

 Chapter 82: Pest Control

    Chapter 82: Pest Control


    ?


    Meir Henoch Wach-Finkelstein, better known by the Russian name of Maxim Litvinov, was one of the major leaders of the Bolshevik Party andter the primary manager of Soviet diplomatic efforts in the interwar period, was a figure that Bruno deeply despised.


    After all, it was his diplomatic efforts that would ultimately cause the iron curtain to befall over all of Eastern Europe. The Litvinov pact helped secure the doom of nations such as Pnd, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, and Find, all of which would either be subordinate to the Soviets via the dreaded Warsaw Pact or outright invaded militarily by the Soviet Union in theing decades.


    Peace was a lie. It was nothing more than an effect of smoke and mirrors. And often times peace was merely a way to buy time for more insidious endeavors. Something that Litvinov had promised these eastern European countries only to undermine their sovereignty or outright break his promises to them.


    Throughout all of human history, there were only 268 of them that could be imed to have been peaceful. But this number was mostly a fabrication, as it did not count for the tribal conflicts taking ce in areas of the world that had failed to civilize until the arrival of foreign forces who recorded their history going forward.


    To be honest, Bruno doubted there was a single decade in human history where the entirety of humanity was free from some form of bloody conflict. It was simply a part of human nature to fight over everything under the sun, political ideology, religion,nd, resources, hell there was one war that was quite literally fought over a wooden bucket.


    You give a reason for humans to justify killing each other, and they will take it in a heartbeat. Such was the nature of the species. But it was truly insidious from Bruno''s perspective to promise peace, only to shove a knife in the back after the fact.


    And it was for this reason Litvinov was one of the men on his list. Luckily for Bruno, Litvinov''s location was given to him by one of the men directly under hismand. And the little rat was hiding in Saint Petersburg, no less.


    Curious choice, hiding directly beneath the nose of your most hated enemy. But then again, it was not something Bruno had expected. Should the man not have been betrayed by those close to him under the promise of clemency, then perhaps he would have hidden from Bruno''s hunt throughout the duration of the war.


    But unfortunately, loyalty was a rare quality in humans, a species whose nature was to prioritize their own wellbeing and prosperity above all others. To earn the unwavering loyalty of the men beneath yourmand, well, let''s just say Litvinov was not a man capable of such a feat of charisma.


    No, he had been sold out to the Iron Division, and it was perhaps because of this that the man''s eyes bulged in shock when he opened his door after hearing a knock upon it to find Bruno staring at him with a wicked smirk on his face.


    "Mr. Finkelstein, the Tsar would appreciate your cooperation with our investigation. We have recently received reports of Bolshevik activity in the area, and we are afraid you have been named specifically in about a dozen or so counts of high treason. Will youe peacefully, or do you intend to make me sick the hounds on you?"


    The ck uniform which Bruno wore, along with the skull and bones insignia pinned to his cap, was truly a menacing sight. Especially when one considered the fact that Bruno was surrounded by an entire toon''s worth of men from the Iron Division who were pointing their rifles at him.


    Litvinov truly did not know how to respond. Not only did Bruno appear to know his real name, but he hade in person to apprehend him... Just what kind of vendetta did he have against Marxists for him to go to such sinister lengths?


    Naturally, the members of the Iron Division did not wait for a response. They immediately forced Litvinov to his knees while apprehending him. At the same time, other members of the Iron Division entered the man''s safe house and began tearing it apart. Arresting everyone else within it who was stunned to find themselves suddenly raided by the Tsar''s German hounds. Some resisted and were immediately shot on the spot, while one man was dragged before Bruno. He was a member of the Bolshevik party and a rather high ranking one at that. At least rtively so. Even then, he was not a member of the militant Red Army, and thus had not actually killed anyone directly.


    The party member quickly professed himself as the traitor to themunist cause, who had revealed Litvinov''s location to his enemies. And in doing so hoped to secure the protection of the Tsarist forces as an informant. One who was promised mercy for his acts of treason against the Communist leaders.


    "Sir! It was me. I was the one who tipped you off! I was told that if I give the authorities any information that may lead to the arrest of any Bolshevik revolutionaries, then I would be granted clemency, yes?"


    Bruno looked over at the man, changing his focus from Litvinov, who was staring furiously at the man who had betrayed him. He shouted at the man in anguage Bruno did notprehend. It was not Russian but rather Yiddish, and Bruno did not bother learning such anguage during his formative years, as it was irrelevant to his aspirations.


    The man who was being yelled at apparently didn''t understand it either as he was an ethnic Russian who had been duped into fighting for the Communist cause by men like Litvinov, Trotsky, Sverdlov, and Lenin all of which had no love for Russia, its people, its culture, or its history.


    As for Bruno''s response, he nodded his head towards his soldiers, who were holding the informant hostage, where they let go of him. Bruno then assured the man he would indeed be granted his freedom after his identity, as the informant could be properly verified.


    "Assuming you are not lying to me about your identity, then yes, my offer still stands. Any man who strikes down the ursed banners of the Bolsheviks that he once swore loyalty to and turns on his formerrades will be granted immunity for any actions taken in the name of the Revolution.


    Go with my men here and they will confirm your identity. Afterwards, you will be processed and pardoned. The Tsar thanks you for his cooperation."


    The man had a smile on his face as he heard this. Quite frankly, he had indeed gotten caught up in the ideas of workers'' rights and owning the means of production. But after seeing how doomed the cause was, as well as witnessing the cruelty of the Bolshevik leaders as they began gunning down their own troops who retreated without permission to do so, he like many others had lost faith in the movement he had so fanatically followed until this point. Bruno''s suggestions of clemency towards those who turned against the Bolshevik Party, and gave actionable intel against their masters, had been approved by the Tsar after much convincing by both the Generals beneath hismand, and the ministers by his side.


    Quite frankly, it had taken longer than Bruno''s right to receive permission to take such actions. But its tangible benefits could not be denied. Without the promise of mercy, he would not have gotten his hands on Litvinov, which was something Bruno most certainly desired.


    With Trotsky and Sverdlov killed by his hands, and Litvinov currently in his custody, Bruno had crossed off three names on his list, with two more to go. Once the evidence collected here at Litvinov''s safe house was collected and processed.


    Bruno would personally see to his public execution in the streets of Saint Petersburg. After which he would hunt down Joseph Stalin, before finally putting the nail in the coffin of the would-be Soviet Union by killing dimir Lenin.


    But his hunt for these men would take longer than Bruno had expected it to. After all, it had been roughly six months since the war began. And during this time, he had cut off three heads of the demonic serpent, which called itself Bolshevism.


    In doing so, Bruno had stifled the Red Army''s development before it could be the million-man army it was destined to be. However, he had also made the surviving members of the Bolshevik leadership much more paranoid, as they began to go deep underground to avoid detection by the Tsar and his forces.


    Even so, more informants would appear following Litvinov''s execution, as they began to divulge the actions of the Red Army, or what they had nned now that they had resorted to gueri tactics. Which in and of itself would prevent many assassinations and ambushes from befalling the Iron Division and the Tsarist forces which they supported during this Civil War.


    No matter what, Bruno would not be returning home before the year came to an end. Instead, he would continue here in Russia until thest of the Bolsheviks were converted or


    annihted.

 Chapter 83: The Future of Naval Warfare

    Chapter 83: The Future of Naval Warfare


    ?


    The first of the shipyards that Bruno had begun investing in was located in Danzig. It had beenpleted in roughly 1903. And for the past two years it had been mostly manufacturing Light Cruisers for the Kaiserliche Marine, simply as a means of gaining the status as a reputable ship manufacturer.


    Quite frankly, it was a rather foolish act to provoke the British Empire by challenging its naval might. And it was one of the things which Bruno could only shake his head at. The Kaiser was not necessarily a poor leader. But his desire for the German Reich''s prestige and glory sometimes went a bit too far.


    Nevertheless, the British Navy was ahead of the Kaiserliche Marine by several years. After all, they had been building ships for centuries for their navy, while the German Reich was only really beginning to make such efforts. Because of this, the British Shipyards were able to outproduce their rival on the High Seas by a significant amount.


    Bruno had no intention of helping the Kaiser build his grand navy in terms of battleships. Nobody realized it yet, but the HMS Dreadnought would beunched in 1906 and would make all other warships obsolete overnight.


    By 1916, Battleships would be proven obsolete in the Battle of Jund. A naval battle which would demonstrate the effectiveness of seanes and would eventually lead to the construction of carriers dedicated to this purpose.


    But even so, the world would not give up on battleships until they were proven woefully obsolete decadester in the second world war. Quite frankly, Bruno had no ns to introduce aircraft carriers at this time, as they were expensive and oundish investments into naval


    buildup.


    One which the Kaiser and the German Admiralty would not approve of, as they had yet to be proven in battle. Rather, Bruno instead nned to invest significantly in the development of submarines. As the early designs acted more as torpedo boats that could sink beneath the ocean''s surface for a limited time to escape from pursuers.


    But this was a horrific misunderstanding of submarine warfare. Something that would only reallye to light at the end of the Second World war in 1945 with the introduction of the German Type XXI U-boat, a submarine who was the first to be designed for the purpose of operating primarily underwater.


    While initially designed in 1943, these advanced submarines were not fielded until the very end of the war, and even then, they yed no role inbat. Perhaps if they were introduced earlier, they would have allowed the Kriegsmarine to dominate the seas, as they were virtually undetectable by the means of the era.


    However, the Type XXI U-boats were imperfect, a rather rushed design during a desperate era of the war. Their primary use in the history of Bruno''s past life was actually as a means of study for all post-war powers to develop their own improved designs from.


    With Litvinov currently in captivity and being interrogated by the Tsar''s secret police. Bruno found himself once more engaging in the frivolous life of an office general. As a result, he began to turn his attention towards more important regards.


    Developing a prototype for a new submarine to be mass manufactured at his shipyards. Quite frankly, it was Bruno''s goal to prevent unrestricted submarine warfare in this life, as it was one of the two primary reasons the United States would end up abandoning its istionist policy and instead join the Great War in its final year.


    The United States, while currently a backwater, one that was insignificant on the global stage, was, in reality, an industrial giant that was currently slumbering. And if Bruno was being honest, he would rather it sleep for eternity than do something stupid and provoke its fury.


    But nevertheless, the use of Wolfpack tactics by advanced submarines that primarily acted beneath the oceans'' surface could prove vital in stopping British forces from arriving in France should they end up entering the war in this timeline. And could easily strangle the British navy should it engage in battle against the Kaiserliche Marine at Jund again in this life.


    Hence why Bruno began developing his own variation of the Type XXI U-Boat, one that improved upon the original concept and fixed its ws. The Type XXI was an electric-diesel powered submarine. And naturally, the power nt was the first thing Bruno would need to work on.


    To put it simply, the submarine could travel while submerged at about 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) for about 75 hours before ever needing to recharge its batteries. An act that took less than five hours using the snorkel because of its super-charged diesel engines.


    Its maximum submerged speed was actually about 17 knots, making it faster underwater than most surface vessels of the 1940s. Meaning it could outrun most pursuers of the future era, let alone the current one, while remainingpletely underwater.


    In addition to this, it had specially built "creep motors" that made it even more quiet than it already was. When considering, sonar would not be implemented on warships to counter submarines until the Great War, and even then, was far less advanced than the ones used during the Second World War in Bruno''s past life.


    Bruno believed these submarines would be virtually undetectable by the enemy fleets they would pursue in this life, even without the use of these "creep motors". Even so, he introduced them, nheless.


    In addition to this, these were the first U-boats designed without a main gun on the deck of the vessel. As the primary purpose was to operate underwater, they were equipped entirely with torpedoes. Six tubes, which were loaded electronically, could carry a grand total of 23 torpedoes. One of which was actually needed to sink most warships.


    As with all of Bruno''s designs, they werergely built from his limited understanding of the devices from his past life. And his current understanding of mechanical engineering. Considering Bruno was not exactly an expert on naval warfare or maritime engineering.


    The designs themselves would need quite a bit of work by those who were experts in the industry. Luckily, his shipyards employed such individuals. Thus, Bruno would send an incredibly rough draft of the designs back to Danzig by a trusted messenger to be handed over to his team of maritime engineers.


    These men would spend the next few years developing, prototyping, and testing these next generation, or perhaps one should say next-next generation submarines for use in the Kaiserliche Marine.


    Speaking of, Bruno immediately sent a letter to someone else. While Erich''s brother was a Captain in the East Asia Squadron, it became apparent to Bruno after a year of knowing the man that he likely wasn''t going to make it to the rank of Admiral, or have any real say in the affairs of the Imperial German Navy.


    However, Bruno''s investment into his friendship with Erich''s older brother had paid off, as it allowed him to meet some significant figures in the Kaiserliche Marine. For example, by meeting Hermann and establishing a friendship with the man, Hermann, by extension, introduced Bruno to several of his superiors in the Navy.


    One of which was none other than Henning von Holtzendorff, who was the Grand Admiral who hade up with the idea of Unrestricted Submarine warfare in 1915 that led to the Lusitania incident. The Lusitania incident was not necessarily what one would call a false g.


    But it was a deliberate act on the part of the British Empire to attempt to coax the United States into joining the war on behalf of the Entente. For example, while technically a civilian vessel, the Lusitania was carrying weapons and munitions to France to be used in the war


    against Germany.


    While some of these weapons and munitions were dered in ordance with international shipping regtions, it waster revealed after a thorough investigation of the incident that at least one third of the explosivepounds onboard the vessel had been uwfully hidden from the manifest.


    In addition to this tant vition of maritimew, the ship was also charted on a route that deliberately went through a dered maritime Warzone three months after the Germans had enacted unrestricted submarine warfare.


    Despite all of this, or perhaps specifically because of it, the Lusitania took U.S. civilians on board and was inevitably sunk by a German submarine as a result. Killing many of the people on board, including multiple United States citizens.


    The result of all of this was that the Lusitania incident was one of the leading causes for America departing from its century long policy of not interfering with European wars, and was used heavily in propaganda to incite the general public towards this purpose. After the Zimmerman telegram, another bold and quite frankly foolish move on behalf of the Kaiser, the United States of America officially entered the war in 1917 as a member of the


    Entente.


    The troops brought over to the Western Front by the Americans were used as a direct counter to the advantage the German Empire would have gained following the capittion of the Russian Empire that same year. And by extent led to the armistice and ultimate defeat of the


    German Army a yearter.


    Naturally, by getting in contact with the man who was responsible for the reckless approach of unrestricted submarine warfare that led to Germany''s defeat, at least in part. Bruno had begun maintaining regrmunication with the admiral.


    And had proposed many ideals towards other uses of submarine warfare that were more geared towards military targets only. And the man''s aid had been great in getting Bruno''s shipyards involved in supplying the German Navy.


    Having just sent out the ns for the most advanced submarines currently designed in the world. Bruno sat back and sent a message to admiral Henning von Holtzendorff, trying to establish a time to meet up and chat after the war in Russia was over and he could finally return to the Fathend. A telegram that was immediately greeted with a positive response. As Bruno lit up another smoke and leaned back in his office chair, he couldn''t help but smirk as he made a silent remark to nobody other than himself.


    "I love it when everything goes exactly as nned..."

 Chapter 84: Equipping the Beiyang Army

    Chapter 84: Equipping the Beiyang Army


    ?


    The Russian Civil War, as it was now being called across the world, was being closely observed by the other major powers. France had initially decided to supply the Red Army in a bid to screw with the German volunteers sent there, as well as to rece the Russian Tsar and its monarchy with a government more suited towards cooperation with the Third French Republic.


    Of course, this immediately backfired after they tried to assassinate Bruno, only for the Red Army to take the me for it. Marxism had quickly be the enemy of the world, and it was no exception in France where the death of the French Chief of Staff was also med on local Marxist organizations, as German Foreign Intelligence had framed local Marxist groups perfectly in this regard.


    Because France had identified local Marxists as the culprits, they had immediately withdrawn any support they were going to give the Red Army before it even began. Meanwhile, their British allies simply stayed out of the matter entirely.


    And while Japan consolidated its gains in Manchuria, Korea, and Sakhalin as a result of its overwhelming victory during the Russo-Japanese War, which as a result of Bruno''s interference in this timeline ended the year prior. Another eastern power was currently doing everything it could to modernize its armed forces.


    Quite frankly, the Boxer Rebellion escted into a conflict between the Qing Dynasty and the Western Powers, while it had just begun its attempts to modernize its army. Such efforts were currently underway after suffering such a humiliating defeat and upation by the European Powers and the Empire of Japan.


    Not only that, but Russia had upied Manchuria, a region from which the current ruling dynasty originated from. Only to lose it to the Empire of Japan in the years that followed. To say that the Chinese people were disgruntled with their current leadership was the understatement of a lifetime.


    In fact, the Great Ming Uprising of 1903, which had onlysted for three whole days, did little to cement the Qing authority over an increasingly hostile poption towards their reign. If Bruno had not been attending the Prussian War College at the time, and was instead a full- fledged general, he would have advocated for the German Reich to support the short-lived Heavenly Kingdom of the Great Mingshun.


    Which was an attempt by the Revive China Society to establish a Westernized Constitutional Monarchy. It was preferable for China to remain ideologically in line with the German Reich than to stray towards the ultimate goal of bing a liberalized republic, or worse, amunist dictatorship.


    China was, after all, a sleeping giant, much in the same way the United States was. One which would be an enormous yer on the global stage in theing decades. Especially in the 21st century. Perhaps if China remained a monarchy at this time, albeit under the rule of the ethnic Han majority, rather than the Manchu minority, then it would have be a major yer in World Affairs much quicker than it had in his past life.


    As the chaos which followed the fall of the Qing Dynastysted for several decades and prevented the industrialization and rise of the Chinese nation for longer than it otherwise could have been had the failed Republic of China, and the following Warlord Era, Second Sino-Japanese War, and Chinese Civil War not urred.


    But currently the Qing Dynasty was in itsst years of power. And as a result of the Boxer Rebellion, they were currently revitalizing their army. The newly reformed Beiyang Army was China''s first attempt to modernize its army, so it was somewhatparable with the world''s Great Powers.


    Currently, the Beiyang Army was being advised by Japanese and German officers. It was still roughly six years away from the 1911 Xinhai revolution which would ultimately overthrow the Qing Dynasty, and things were looking up for the Qing Emperor.


    His army had grown over thest four years since the end of the Boxer Rebellion, from a single brigade of soldiers to six whole divisions of 10,000 men each. They were all equipped with modern uniforms and weaponry. From multi-shot bolt action rifles firing modern smokeless powder cartridges, to field guns, and just recently even a few machine guns.


    Who were these machine guns purchased from? The German Reich, or more specifically Waffenwerke von Zehntner, which was Bruno''s family''s arm''s corporation. Who were currently selling their MG-01/03 maxim style machine guns to a multitude of nations now that the demand for such weapons was at their highest after proving their effectiveness during the Russian Civil War.


    Currently, such weapons were being demonstrated to the Beiyang Army''s officials by Bruno''s second eldest brother, Christoph, who currently worked for the familypany after retiring from the military in his younger years.


    Christoph was dressed in a rather dapper suit, as he was known to do. The man had a love for high fashion, unlike Bruno, who, in his spare times wore what wasfortable. Andfortability was the domain of the working man.


    Because of this, Christoph had often mocked Bruno for his choice of attire, which was unbing of a nobleman. Meanwhile, the Beiyang Army generals whose soldiers were firing off the machine gun down range towards stationary targets were dressed in their military uniforms with multiple medals pinned to their chests.


    Whether these men had actually earned these medals during the series of conflicts that China went through at the turn of the century. Or had simply been granted to them by the Qing Emperor, Christoph quite frankly did not know.


    But he wouldn''t make such ament as it was bound to offend someone, especially if they really hadn''t earned their medals through blood and sweat. Instead, hemented on the effectiveness of the machine guns, as they chugged away, spitting lead without the slightest hup.


    The man relied on a trantor to convey his thoughts, unlike Bruno, who had actually learned Mandarin in his youth because he had long since nned to enter the Boxer Rebellion. The trantor was a young Chinese woman, and quite the beauty at that.


    It was apparent by the friendliness which Christoph behaved towards her that she was quite likely the man''s mistress. As he had long since been supplying the Beiyang Army with weapons, and thus established a base of operations in Tsingtao to do so.


    "As you can see, German steel is of the finest quality. The weapons disyed here will be of the utmost reliability in any environment you may deploy them. So long as you keep the jacket full of water, that is. Although if you''re really desperate, other liquids may suffice, but I wouldn''t rmend them as they could prove to be detrimental to the tform long term." It was obvious that Christoph was hinting towards urine when he says the words "other liquids." Which interestingly enough had actually been used by crews operating water-cooled machine guns during Bruno''s past life, during desperate times when supply lines were tight. Still, Christoph said this as a crude joke, one that caused his trantor to blush even as she urately conveyed the man''s intent. In the end, the Beiyang General, who was in charge of procurement, nodded his head. He had seen enough of the demonstration to decide whether or not he wanted to purchase the machine guns, and the answer was obviously yes.


    "How many can you provide us with?"


    Quite frankly, Waffenwerke von Zehntner was providing the MG-01/03 machine gun primarily as an export product now that the Mg-34 or in this life the MG-05 had officially entered a functional state and was being tested in field trials by the German Army in secret.


    This was along with all the other major arms developments Bruno had sold to his family''spany. Which by now had their kinks worked out and were perfected to degrees that were even superior to the ones made during his past life.


    And the only nations which Waffenwerke von Zehntner sold these weapons to were either allies like Japan, and Austria-Hungary, or nations that would not be hostile to the German Reich during the uing Great War.


    So, nations like Sweden, Switzend, China, Brazil, Argentina, Thand, et cetera were all on the list of nations which Waffenwerke von Zehntner was supplying with weapons. Though China had joined the Great War in Bruno''s past life, it was almost exclusively by sending a few thousandborers to France to help dig trenches and nothing else.


    After all, they had their own worries to deal with considering the Xinhai Revolution began a mere three years prior. Even still, the German Reich was not big on selling hundreds or even thousands of machine guns to potential rivals. Because of this, the number of guns that could be sold was very limited.


    And so, Christoph forced a smile as he exined his situation to the Beiyang Generals.


    "Currently, our quota is to supply two machine guns per battalion. So, assuming you wish to supply your entire army with these weapons, we can supply you with at most 60 machine guns. In addition to this, you may want to check out our Gewehr 98/03 pattern of rifles which fire the superior S Patrone cartridge whenpared to your obsolete Type 88 rifles, which fire the outdated M/88 cartridge.


    It may not seem like much, but I assure you the spitzer shaped bullet, and the improved powder charge, makes a vast difference on the modern battlefield. Considering we can''t meet your demands for the supply of Machine guns, I am willing to offer you a 10% discount on bulk shipments of these rifles and their munitions."


    The Qing General thought about it for some time before nodding his head in agreement. 60 machine guns and new rifles would indeed be a major boon to the Beiyang Army. In addition to the improved field guns which they were acquiring from Krupp which were the same ones used in the Russian Civil War by the Iron Division, the Beiyang Army would actually be a force more capable than some European armies at the moment. Albeit not those from the Great


    Powers.

 Chapter 85: Letters from the Front

    Chapter 85: Letters from the Front


    ?


    Having found out that the Royal Family of Bavaria had been the ones responsible for her mother''s death. Heidi decided to ultimately drop the matter entirely. Though this information could be used to discredit the von Wittelsbach household and even suppress their autonomy, which they disyed as a result of the unification of the German Empire.


    Heidi was ultimately not political. Nor was her loyalty directly to the Kaiser. Rather, her husband and her family came before any allegiance she may have to the German Reich. And it was out of fear of what the von Wittelsbachs would do to her husband and children if she dared press this matter that ultimately forced the woman to settle this matter entirely.


    She knew now that her father, who she had held ountable for her mother''s death for years, and hated as a result, was innocent. She also knew that the man''s proposal of marriage between herself and Bruno had been an act to protect her.


    And if these things were indeed correct, as she had seen evidence to support, then her father''s actions in stalking Bruno when he was a young boy were done with her protection in mind. Had Bruno disyed such exceptional skills early on, skill that had the ability to change the very foundation of the German Reich, then the von Wittelsbach could have seen him as a threat.


    Endangering not only himself, but Heidi, who he was engaged to. Heidi wanted to speak with her father to hear these words from the man personally. But to reach out to him now, after she had maintained her distance for years, would only cause further problems for herself and her family.


    Even though her mother''s death had been sudden and shocking, she could now let the matter go, knowing the truth, and find closure in the knowledge that her father was not the murderer. Because of this, Heidi spent her time at home, looking after her children, while exchanging letters with her husband who was safely in Saint Petersburg, monitoring his army''s anti- gueri operations from afar.


    Life with Bruno away from home was something that Hedi never actually enjoyed all that much. Sure, she had her children to take care of, and since they were too young to go off to school, they were home constantly. But there was always a deep sense of anxiety within the woman whenever Bruno was away from her side for more than twenty-four hours.


    Besides the fact that Bruno could actually get himself killed in Russia, there was also another dreadful idea that nagged in the back of Heidi''s mind. What is some damn Russian strumpet tried to tempt her man? The very idea of such a thing made her want to do unspeakable things.


    And though she didn''t realize it, she would often vent these suppressed crazed thoughts unconsciously by cutting up the meat she was preparing for dinner a little too enthusiastically. Luckily for her, her children were too busy ying around the house to notice such abnormal behavior from their mother.


    And while Heidi was cutting up strips of pork for tonight''s dinner, the mail arrived, with a bundle of letters falling through the slot in the door. Naturally because she was cooking, Heidi didn''t immediately realize this, until one of the kids ran by the door and noticed the pile of mail sitting about.


    Eva was the one who alerted the woman to the mail delivery as she rushed into the kitchen with the stack of letters in her hands.


    "Mommy, the mail hase!"


    The delivery of the mail was the highlight of Heidi''s day whenever Bruno was away. It was honestly like a lottery, there was a chance that there would be some news from her husband. If there was, she would be happy for a week straight, assuming something bad didn''t happen to her or her loved ones.


    If not, the woman would grow sullen for an equal amount of time. Today, however, there was indeed a letter from Bruno. It was addressed to his wife and contained the general details of his recent activities in Russia.


    "Dear Heidi,


    I must say thisst week has been rather chaotic on my end. The n to turn the rank and file of the Bolshevik Party and the Red Army has worked far more wondrously than I had imagined it to. Left and right, we are receiving reports about the potential whereabouts of Bolshevik Leaders, and the ongoing plots of the Red Army to act with hostility to our troops.


    Needless to say, the Okhrana is incredibly overworked at the moment verifying what reports are actionable, and what are false. However, I have apprehended another leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, a despicable little rat by the name of Maxim Litvinov.


    He is currently in the custody of the Okhrana where I have no doubt his interrogation will be a matter of such cruelty that it would be inappropriate for me to discuss with my beloved. Just know that these roaches are about to be exterminated once and for all. I suspect by the year''s end at thetest, I will be back in your arms.


    However, I should remind you not to get too excited over the prospect, as those vermin who remain are quite cunning. And have evaded my attempts to capture them thus far. So, do forgive me if I must stay here in this barren and inhospitable backwater for a bit longer than previously stated.


    You and the children are the ones who keep me going in these troubling times. The evil that these vile Bolsheviksmit in the name of their anti-human doctrine is truly despicable. And knowing that I cane home to you all and experience the love and warmth you all have to offer, is enough to get me through the day.


    I will write to you when I am next able and please express my love for our children.


    -yours forever,


    Generalleutnant Bruno von Zehntner."


    Eva obviously could tell the message contained some degree of good news, because the moment her mother''s sky-blue eyes finished scanning the document, she broke out into a warm smile, clutching the letter to her chest as if it were Bruno himself.


    It wasn''t until Eva spoke up that Heidi realized she was still in the kitchen.


    "Mommy, is daddying home soon?"


    Unfortunately, it would be another half a year before Bruno returned home, or if God kept him further yet, perhaps even a year. Because of this, Heidi did not make anyment on the specifics of how long Bruno would be gone, or the estimation he had given her.


    Rather, she knelt down and petted the girl''s silky golden hair while assuring her that her father was doing everything he could do to return to them all as quickly as possible. "Your father is working very hard in Russia. He is doing everything he can to return to us as soon as possible. I know you miss your father, but try to be patient for me, my little angel. It will still be some time before he returns. And as your father and I have instructed you, patience is a virtue!"


    Eva and Elsa were both of the opinion that the sooner their father returned, the better. Not just because they missed him dearly, but because they hated to see their mother''s forlorn gaze as she stared out the window every morning during those weeks she did not receive a letter from the man.


    As if she was a seafarer''s wife waiting for the day her husband finally returned to her after being lost at sea for God knows how long. It was a rather dreadful thing for a child to witness, and because of this, Eva was simply thankful that their father''s letter had arrived on time this


    week.


    Ultimately, Eva would nod and respond to her mother''s concerns by promising to be a good girl and wait patiently for her father''s return.


    "Don''t worry mommy, I''ll be patient! I''ll wait for daddy''s return like a good girl!"


    Thisment caused Heidi to hug her oldest daughter and dote on her much in the way her father usually did. Despite the fact that the woman could be a taskmaster to her girls, especially while their father was away at war. There were moments of gentleness and warmth mixed between the discipline which she provided them.


    Thus, it was not like her "reign of tyranny" was all that the two girls felt while their father was risking his life to rid the world of one of the greatest evils humanity had ever conjured throughout its entire history as a civilized species.


    Ultimately, the letter which Bruno had written to his wife would serve as the source of her happiness for the duration of the week. While Bruno himself continued to work towards finding the remaining Bolshevik leaders who had until now escaped from the he had cast


    for them.

 Chapter 86: The Terror of Belgorod

    Chapter 86: The Terror of Belgorod


    ?


    Gueri campaigns were ultimately one of the most difficult types of warfare for one to emerge victorious in. That is, of course, assuming you were the one fighting against the gueris. Hiding among the civilian poption, and attacking when you were nearly forgotten, murdering in the name of your cause before retreating back to the shadows like a rat?


    It was a cowardly but effective means of warfare. And unfortunately for Bruno, this was how the Red Army had chosen to fight in itsst death throes. Because of this, Bruno found himself operating as amander from afar, rather than in the field, as he preferred.


    Because, frankly, there was no battlefield for him to step foot upon. The streets of Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Tsaritsyn, et cetera were the battlefields. Merely stepping out your door exposed you to unknown dangers lurking in the shadows.


    But there were some officers leading the efforts to kick down doors and drag out the Bolsheviks from their homes. And these men were Heinrich, and Erich. Two of Bruno''s oldest friends, and brothers in arms.


    Though Majors now, they led entire battalions of soldiers through the streets of the cities which fell under their authority. And currently, Erich was in the streets of a Russian city called Belgorod, walking alongside his soldiers with his luger in hand.


    He and the men of the Iron Division, along with the Russian soldiers, police, and loyalist militias they worked alongside had received actionable intelligence from a potential informant on the whereabouts of a Gueri cell, as they made preparations to bomb the local Iron Division garrison and their headquarters.


    No doubt they were in the midst of preparing for the operation, and because of it, these men knew they would be walking into a building with explosivepounds inside of it. Even so, they did not fear what needed to be done, rather epting their role.


    Curiously enough, the man at the lead of the fireteam which was stacking up outside the surrounded Gueripound was wielding a shotgun. Which Bruno had acquired from Browning Arms, which was an American Arms corporation owned and named after John Moses Browning. This was one of many of the Americanpanies that Bruno had invested in after receiving the small fortune that his family gave him in exchange for his weapons designs.


    As a partial owner of the corporation, or at least having enough shares to influence thepany. Bruno was able to outfit the Iron Division with Auto 5 shotguns, which were specially made for military andw enforcement applications after his suggestions were made in this regard.


    The auto-5 in use by the breacher was of the "Riot" variety, as was seen in use during the Rhodesian Bush War of Bruno''s past life by the Rhodesian Security Forces. This version in particr had a factory extended magazine tube, and a handguard giving it a unique and striking appearance.


    Once the Breacher was lined up with the door, Erich nodded his head at him from among his other troops who were securing the perimeter, giving the man the signal to proceed.


    *Bang*


    *Bang*


    *Bang*


    Three slugs were fired off in as many seconds, sting apart the locks on the door and blowing it wide open. Allowing the men of the Iron Division to enter the building. For the sake of anti-gueri operations, these breaching teams, who by now specialized in clearing houses and urban warfare, were not equipped with the standard Gewehr 98m, as the other men of their division were.


    But rather wielded Mauser C96 automatic carbines. These carbines were chambered in 9x19mm Luger and made use of detachable 20 round magazines. They were another design by the engineers at Waffenwerke von Zehntner and were inspired as a stop-gap solution to the MP-34 submachine guns Bruno had introduced when the Kaiser became aware and wanted an immediate adoption of a simr design.


    These weapons had seen limited service among specialized units, and police within the German Reich for thest couple of years, and were only being fielded here in Russia by the Iron Division because Bruno was not yet ready to introduce submachine guns to the world, such as the MP-34, or MP-05 as it was known in this life.


    Erich did not enter the building, rather, he was standing by the wayside waiting to see if any of the rats tried to escape from his trap. Gunshots rang throughout the building, along with shouts both in German and in Russian.


    But after several chaotic minutes, a group of men sporting red armbands and face masks were dragged into the streets in front of Erich, who gazed at them with an unsympathetic gaze. Frankly, Erich had not started in this life despising Marxists. He was not like Bruno, who knew of all the things they woulde to do in theing century should they be given any semnce of power.


    The hundred plus million dead civilians would owe their lives to Bruno for his actions here in Russia. But Erich had grown to hate the Marxists after witnessing the deaths of hisrades, and the cruelty in which they treated their own soldiers, let alone the civilians of the towns they upied.


    And because of this, he simply pulled back the toggle lock on his luger, ensuring a round was chambered, before shooting each of the Marxist prisoners in the head without any regards to interrogation or trial.


    Not that anyone seemed to care at the frontier style justice, which he just dealt to these terrorists. A few men were pulled out of the building following the Marxists. These were soldiers of the Iron Division who had either been wounded or ended up dying during the brief exchange of gunfire that just took ce.


    Erich looked upon the faces of the dead, memorizing them, before pulling out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one device as he took a deep drag before telling his soldiers what to do with their deceasedrades. Not that they weren''t already of what to do by now.


    "Have them packaged up and shipped back to the Reich, where they can be buried in the graveyards of their ancestors..."


    No words were said in response to this, even by the men who had been on the teams of those in in battle with the terrorists of the Red Army. Eventually, one more man was dragged out of the house. He was clearly dressed in the uniform of a soldier of the Red Army but was missing the armband. No doubt having ripped it off the moment the house was stormed to identify himself as the informant.


    The man gazed upon the men shot in the streets by Erich before looking away. A look of shame was on his face as he tried not to gaze upon the corpses of men who had been his friends andrades until moments ago.


    Erich had grown cold in this campaign. Hell, he had begun to be callous long before that. The ten days at Mukden taught him just how worthless life really was, how little anyone actually cared when a life was taken.


    He was perhaps even colder than Bruno was whenever he gazed upon the corpses of the men he killed or was at least responsible for the deaths of. The jolly, foolish young officer who Bruno knew at the academy was long gone. Reced with an utter sociopath forged on the bloodstained battlefields of foreign wars.


    It was perhaps because of this that Erich flicked his used cigarette in the face of the informant, before ordering his men to force him to look at the result of his treason.


    "Make him look!"


    The soldiers under Erich''smand were equally callous as Erich was and immediately grabbed hold of the man''s head and forced it into a position so that he was staring at his deadrades. Erich then got down on his knees, so he was on the informant''s level, staring him straight in the eyes even though he was pointing in the direction of the men he had just


    murdered in cold blood.


    "Those deaths... They''re on your hands, you know that, right? Because the Generalleutnant has decreed that mercy is to be given to rats and roaches like yourself who turn on their brothers and give us actionable intelligence, I can''t bury you with the rest of your kind. But you''re going to look at what you have done.


    How did it feel? Knowing we were about to storm thepound where you and your fellowmunist bastards nned to murder good and honest men? Did you get excited knowing that your friends, yourrades, were about to die while you were to be spared?


    Or did you perhaps feel sorry for them? If so, then why betray them? Was your life really so important to you that betraying these men, and sealing their fates, was worth their suffering and the suffering of their family?


    I want you to look upon what you have done here today and remember it for the rest of your


    life. Every time you look in the fucking mirror, I want you to know the cost of your treason, treason to the Tsar, treason to the Bolsheviks which you so merrily took up arms alongside. Now go, before I change my mind and bury you with the rest of your kind!" After saying this, Erich stood up and nodded to his men, who let the man go. He quickly


    sprinted off with a look of terror and depression on his face. And as he was fifteen meters down the road, Erich pulled out his pistol once more, which he had stashed away in order to smoke, and aimed down its sights. Once they were aligned with the back of the informant''s skull, he pulled the trigger. Sending a shot down the alleyway in which there were no witnesses and killing the man who was so close to freedom.


    Erich broke out into a slight chuckle as he saw the corpse hit the ground and tumble over, all


    the while making a sick joke about the man he had just killed.


    "He fell funny..."


    It was a joke which caused the other members of his unit tough as well. Though he had


    disobeyed a direct order from Bruno, quite frankly, Erich made sure there would be no witnesses to it. And as far as the other Bolsheviks knew, those who ratted out theirrades would be granted clemency.


    For the most part this was true, but for those who were unfortunate enough to give their intel to Erich''s regiment, well they were killed just like this man had been, their deaths going entirely unnoticed by Russian Society as they were counted as just another dead terrorist in the streets of Belgorod.


    By the end of the war, Erich''s excessive cruelty to the Marxists would earn him his own nickname, one that would rival Bruno''s many nicknames, which he himself had gained over


    the years.


    Erich von Humboldt would henceforth be known as "The Terror of Belgorod."

 Chapter 87: The Savior of Tsaritsyn

    Chapter 87: The Savior of Tsaritsyn


    ?


    War was hell, figuratively speaking, of course. Though if hell really existed and was a ne that one entered for living a sinful a wicked life. One which wholly rejected Christianity and its virtues. Then Bruno liked to believe that it would look very much like a battlefield, especially those of the Great War which he had often studied in his past life.


    Any man who experienced the horrors of war would often change on a deeply personal level. Bruno himself had undergone subtle changes in his personality and was suffering from the early signs of posttraumatic stress disorder. While his brother Ludwig had been shell- shocked entirely by the conflict and had dedicated his life to preventing wars as much as possible.


    For Erich, it had turned him cold and indifferent to human life itself, let alone the suffering that was so rampant across the world. In fact, he got a slight bit of sadistic joy from inflicting that very suffering on his enemies.


    Heinrich, however, was always a romantic at heart, a man deeply sympathetic to the human existence, and what we all endured throughout our lives. The cruelty of war had only wounded his heart and mind.


    When he wasn''t on the battlefield or at his post, he couldmonly be found in bars and taverns. Drinking away his sorrows with excessive quantities of alcohol, or even a few other illicit substances.


    As a man who was most popr among the singledies of this world, Henrich often eased his suffering in thepany of the opposite sex. Not because it particrly made him feel good about himself, but temporarily numbed the pain that stung him so deeply.


    Tonight was no different. While Bruno had retired early for the evening after overseeing the efforts of the Iron Division during the final months of their deployment to Russia. Heinrich had concluded the night by changing out of his military uniform and instead going to a local tavern.


    Vodka was cheap and plentiful in Russia and had historically been used as a way to sedate the masses and any dreams they may have about revolting against their masters. Sure, it was an era where taverns, bars, and pubs were almost exclusively frequented by men.


    But if one knew where to look for the sleezy women of the world, they could easily find them. Even in a ce as orthodox as Russia. Had Heinrich visited such a ce after getting well and drunk while wearing a military uniform, it would have shamed his unit andmander. As well as presenting various dangers.


    After all, the Red Army was hiding in the streets of Russian cities, and their ranks were not exclusivelyposed of men. It was not an impossibility that female assassins would target the man if he so boldly disyed his allegiance while engaging in debauchery.


    There were plenty of women in Tsaritsyn''s streets who had grown desperate by the war. Willing to give their bodies to a man if it meant food and shelter for the evening. And it was these women that roamed the streets looking to entice such a thing, as Heinrich slowly and drunkenly stumbled by them.


    Unfortunately, it wasn''t just women who were among these "street walkers." If one were desperate enough, they might even be so bold as to sell their daughter. And it was one of these underage girls who approached Heinrich, begging him for food in exchange for something she was better off not giving away.


    "Mister... I''ll let you spend the night with me if you give me a loaf of bread!"


    The young girl was tugging on Heinrich''s coat. She was small enough that he had not even noticed passing her by. When Heinrich finally realized who was calling out to him, he sobered up instantly. With a stern gaze on his face, he looked down upon the girl who was no older than 12 and told her off.


    "Girl, how old are you? A kid like you shouldn''t be here on these streets!"


    The girl simply pouted, looking to the side. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she had not eaten in a week, and she was all alone in this world. With her parents being killed during the Siege of Tsaritsyn. Because of this, she tried to convince Heinrich she was a proper age, despite this being a tantly obvious lie.


    "I''m old enough... Why does it matter?"


    Heinrich responded to this by flicking the girl on the head and saying something to her, which she found to be shocking.


    "You little brat! You have no idea what kind of mistake you''re about to make, do you? If you need food, then go to the Church! I''m sure they would be happy to look after an orphan like yourself!"


    Unfortunately, there were so many orphans caused by the war that even the church was having a hard time taking care of them. Anyone who was old enough to work for themselves was kicked out of the orphanage. And Russia had yet to ouw childbor.


    Of course, it was not exactly easy for a 12-year-old orphan girl to get steady work, and because of this she was quick to admit why she had suddenly on this night decided to resort to such a despicable and immoral means of providing for herself.


    "I can''t go back to the Orphanage, there are too many mouths to feed. They have begun expelling anyone old enough to work. But there are no jobs avable for someone like myself. Please, mister, I haven''t eaten in a week!"


    While Bruno and his Iron Division had fought in three major battles: the Siege of Saint Petersburg, the Siege of Tsaritsyn, and the Volga Campaign. The Russian Army had been waging war against the Red Army in other parts of the country without the support of their German Volunteers.


    In total, the death toll of the war was around 500,000batants, with an additional two million plus civilians who had died. Most of which had met their end by either starving or freezing to death. If this wasn''t bad enough, there were millions more who had been disced by the war effort and were currently adding to those civilian casualty figures.


    It was honestly impossible to know how many people had died so far or would die by the time the war came to an end. But it was most certainly a humanitarian crisis, one which the world atrge was ignoring. With the Orthodox Church of the Russian Empire primarily doing what little they could to aid the Russian people who suffered in the background.


    Heinrich had not fully realized just how many civilians were suffering, and because of this, he instantly became outraged at what he was currently witnessing. He grabbed hold of the girl''s hand then and there and began to drag her off.


    "Come with me, you little brat!"


    The girl''s heart began to pound excessively, not out of any sense of romantic intent, but rather fear, anxiety, and dread overwhelmed her mind. Was she really doing this? Could she back out now? Would it hurt?


    However, luckily for her, she had stumbled across Heinrich, and not some immoral piece of shit. Because, contrary to what she was expecting, Heinrich did not take her to an inn or a residence. Rather, he took her to the headquarters of the Iron Division located within the City of Tsaritsyn, which housed his battalion.


    Nobody batted an eye at the Major as he brought the girl over to the mess hall and told her with a bitter smile on his face to eat her fill.


    "Kid, if you are ever hungry, you can alwayse here to eat your fill for the day. So long as I am inmand of this battalion you will be fed, in fact go ahead and tell all the other Orphans you know that they are wee to get a nice warm meal here any time they want if they can''t find one elsewhere. It''s better toe to us for help than to resort to such immoral and despicable behavior."


    The young girl broke out into tears as she clung to Heinrich, thanking him for the kindness he had shown her. She would then continue to cry throughout the remainder of the evening as she ate her fill of the Iron Division''s rations, before sleeping on a bench inside the headquarters for the night. As it was much warmer inside than it was out in the cold night air. As for Heinrich, he would immediately send a request to Bruno to petition the Kaiser for humanitarian aid after witnessing how much suffering was being caused in Russia as a result of the war. An action which Bruno fully sponsored. Sending a telegram to Heinrich telling the man if he was a woman he would kiss him the next time they met.


    After all, aiding the ongoing humanitarian crisis was something that had slipped Bruno''s mind entirely. Not necessarily because he gave a damn about what was happening behind the scenes in the Russian Empire. But because it was incredible PR for the Iron Division and their efforts to condemn the Red Army within their propaganda.


    From then on, the Iron Division began bringing in nurses, doctors, and humanitarian volunteers from the German Reich to help the Russian people in the name of their Tsar. An expense the Kaiser was more than willing to front so long as it helped restore rtions with the Russian Empire and ensured the Tsar remained in power.

 Chapter 88: Dealing With Insubordination

    Chapter 88: Dealing With Insubordination


    ?


    Bruno was definitely surprised by the reports he had read after promoting his two closest friends to the rank of major and giving them a far more significant degree of control and responsibility in the war effort. The nicknames given to the two men couldn''t have been more different.


    On the one hand, the war had certainly hardened Erich''s heart, rendering him incapable of remotely empathizing or sympathizing with another human life. His cruelty in pursuit of the Marxists was legendary, earning him the nickname "The Terror of Belgorod."


    Whereas Heinrich had almost certainly progressed in the exact opposite direction. It was a war, and things such as coteral damage, civilian casualties, and the discement of millions of innocent people were natural consequences.


    Despite being a soldier fighting in the war andmanding an entire battalion of men within the city of Tsaritsyn, where Bruno left him in charge after withdrawing from the Volga region, Heinrich had be known as a local "saint" by the people.


    He went out of his way to use military resources to feed and house homeless orphans who had aged out of the church''s orphanages. In addition to this, he requested further aid for these humanitarian efforts from Bruno, who couldn''t help but jump at the opportunity for good PR. As a result, Bruno reached out to the Kaiser, expressing Heinrich''s request and emphasizing why it was a necessary expense. Within a fortnight, supplies and personnel flooded into the country to feed and house the poor, disced masses of Russia.


    Bruno, of course, gave credit to the man responsible, and Heinrich earned the nickname "The Savior of Tsaritsyn." Many began to refer to him colloquially as "Saint Heinrich the Caretaker." Heinrich''s good deeds, however, masked the cruelty with which Erich hunted down the Red Army within his area of responsibility.


    At least for a time. Certain actions couldn''t be concealed for very long. Sooner orter, someone would take notice and report it up the chain ofmand. Eventually, word reached Bruno that Erich had been killing informants who hade forward to expose their superiors in the Bolshevik Party and the Red Army.


    As a result, Bruno summoned Erich from Belgorod to Saint Petersburg, where he wasmanding operations of the Iron Division from behind the front lines. Insubordination was a crime treated in this day and age with a bullet to the skull.


    Bruno had, for good reason, given an order to all his troops to show mercy to informants who came forward to betray their masters. The Tsar had not issued a pardon to these people, but it was expedient to the cause.


    If Bruno was being honest, he didn''t really care that Erich was executing informants-not from a moral stance, at least. They were, after all, the most despicable of the Bolsheviks- those who refused to die for their cause and turned on their fellow rats the moment an opportunity arose to save their own hides.


    If it were up to Bruno, these informants would receive the most horrific deaths imaginable as punishment for their moral failures. But that was assuming Bruno lived in a perfect world of his own imagination, where such actions had no adverse consequences.


    Above all else, Bruno was a man of practicality. From that sensibility alone, Erich''s actions were counter to his grand designs. Firstly, viting the will of the Tsar while acting as a foreign agent was a good way to cause an international incident-one that would be a ck eye on the German Reich for a long time.


    Secondly, insubordination was intolerable under any circumstances, even if the cause was just. Killing Marxists was always just, but to do so without punishment would have severe consequences on the functioning of the army.


    Luckily for Erich, his actions were reported to Bruno directly, as the witness who testified against Erich didn''t trust anyone else. Otherwise, this could have caused a serious headache for Bruno, forcing him to deal with Erich appropriately.


    The punishment for insubordination in this day and age was usually execution by firing squad. But if Bruno executed Erich, the matter would be public. And if that happened, all his hard work to repair rtions between the German Reich and the Russian Empire would crumble.


    It was because of this, and not because of any affection Bruno bore for Erich as his longtime brother-in-arms, that Bruno decided to sweep the matter under the rug. Bruno was the kind of man who put duty before friendship or family. Honorpelled him to punish Erich, but practicality required him to do so discreetly.


    That''s why Bruno summoned Erich to Saint Petersburg in private. Erich knew why he had been called and was not the least bit surprised to find himself alone with Bruno in his office.


    Contrary to Bruno''s expectations, Erich had a smug expression on his face as they sat silently, drinking and smoking cigarettes. Bruno was about to ask why Erich was behaving this way when Erich pulled out his sidearm and handed it to Bruno.


    It was fully loaded, and Erich''s words shocked Bruno.


    "You called me here to deal with me after I murdered those informants, right? So make it quick. Best not to use your own weapon if you want this to look like a suicide...."


    Bruno grabbed Erich''s sidearm, dropped the magazine, worked the toggle action to eject the round, and then reinserted it into the magazine before shoving it back into the gun. All of this was done so fluidly that it was clear Bruno had ample experience with the weapon. He then handed it back to Erich with a questioning look.


    "You think I would kill you over spilling the blood of a few rats? Please, you should know me better than that. Perhaps if this had be public, I''d bepelled to take your life. But I will never kill a man formitting a just action unless I have no other choice.


    Still, the way you act in the face of death worries me. Unfortunately, I don''t have time for such matters. I called you here to give you a warning.


    Don''t ever let me hear of this again. If even the slightest whisper reaches my ears that you continue to disobey orders, I will personally hand you over to the Okhrana. And you and I both know what those sick fucks do to those who defy the Tsar''s will."


    Erich''s blood froze upon hearing Bruno''s sharp words. It was one thing to be prepared to meet a swift end via a 9mm to the dome, but to be handed over to the sadistic psychopaths in the ranks of the Tsar''s secret police? That was a level of ruthlessness only Bruno was capable of. Erich knew that Bruno would do exactly that without remorse. He also understood Bruno''s hidden intent: Bruno didn''t care if Erich continued to kill informants, but he damn well better clean up his mess better next time. Otherwise, not even God could grant him a painless death. Erich stuttered slightly while bowing his head, avoiding Bruno''s chilling gaze.


    "I... I understand... I won''t mess up like this again..."


    Bruno shifted his focus back to the documents in front of him, signing a request to transfer a prisoner to the sadistic psychopaths of the Okhrana. Whether this was intentionally prepared to intimidate Erich, or was merely a coincidence, Erich didn''t know. But the fact that Bruno had just condemned a man to such cruelty after threatening him with the same fate seared his words into Erich''s mind.


    As Bruno dismissed him with a flippant tone, ignoring him entirely, Erich realized the gravity


    of the situation.


    "That will be all, Major..."


    Erich could only breathe properly once he had left the suffocating atmosphere of Bruno''s office. While Bruno had made it clear that Erich would only be punished if he got caught again, Erich was smart enough not to tempt death, especially when the consequences had been made so abundantly clear.


    Thus, any mention of him murdering the informants of Belgorod was quickly swept under the rug. Neither the Tsar, nor his secret police, nor the Russian public, nor the Bolshevik revolutionaries would ever find out about it.

 Chapter 89: Well Deserved Awards for Distinction in Combat

    Chapter 89: Well Deserved Awards for Distinction in Combat


    ?


    For some time now, Bruno had been avoiding visiting the Tsar. But as he continued to prove himself in battle on behalf of the Tsar, the man continued to insist on meeting with him. There was only one reason for this. The Tsar wanted to properly reward Bruno for his efforts.


    The war was being fought on multiple fronts and had seen extensive casualties of over half a million on both sides. Bruno was responsible for victories in two major campaigns: the Ingria Campaign, which started with the Siege of Saint Petersburg-a Russian victory only due to Bruno''s arrival with the Iron Brigade - and the Volga Campaign, which again was a victory attributed to Bruno and his Iron Division, first with the Siege of Tsaritsyn, then with the extermination of Bolshevik forces throughout the region.


    His contributions to the war effort were extensive, and by all means, he had earned multiple awards¡ªall of which the Tsar had been desperately trying to pin to his chest, if only to appear as if he was actually doing something in the media.


    But such concerns could wait until peacetime. Right now, it was war, and frankly, Bruno did not want to waste precious time on these affairs until after he had rooted out and eliminated the two remaining leaders of the Bolshevik revolution, who were hiding from him at the moment.


    However, what Bruno wanted was secondary to what the Tsar wanted. And because of this, Bruno found himself being yelled at by the Kaiser, whose words essentially boiled down to: "Stop being a bitch and ept your medals!"


    As a result, Bruno found himself on a train to Siberia, where the Tsar was unofficially hiding until the war concluded. Bruno was not necessarily aware of what awards he would be granted, but considering his position as a foreign general, volunteering to fight on behalf of the Tsar, he had a pretty good idea of at least one.


    Of course, nothing could prepare Bruno for what he would receive in recognition of his service to the Russian Empire and the House of Romanov. Bruno entered the pce where the Tsar was hiding, dressed in a freshly cleaned and pressed military uniform.


    However, it was not the uniform of the Iron Division he was wearing. Rather weirdly-or at least from Bruno''s perspective-the Tsar had prepared a uniform of the Imperial Russian Army for him. In hindsight, this should have been an indicator of just how prestigious the awards he was about to receive were.


    But Bruno honestly thought this was a mere stunt for the media. Nevertheless, he epted the Tsar''s "request" and wore the Russian uniform to the grand ceremony held in his honor.


    The House of Romanov, in its entirety, stood proudly before Bruno, who was nked on all sides by an borately dressed Russian honor guard. Along with the honor guard, there were several Russian generals and admirals of note in the background, all staring at Bruno with various gazes.


    Some saw Bruno as a hero of the Russian Empire and its people. Others saw him as a foreign general who could be a powerful enemy in the future. But regardless of their opinions, they remainedpletely silent as a Russian colonel stepped forward with a case that he handed to the Tsar.


    The case contained six distinctive honors of varying grades, all of which Bruno recognized as a learned man of history-one who had a bit of an obsession in his past life with monarchies, especially those of Europe prior to their copse at the end of the Great War.


    Many of these honors granted Bruno the right to ownnd in the Russian Empire, as well as noble status. This meant that Bruno would not only be a noble of the German Empire, but also of the Russian Empire. He stared at the Tsar, trying desperately to remain stoic and conceal his disbelief.


    Perhaps the Tsar had recognized Bruno''s talents and decided to grant him such honors to keep him close to Russia and the House of Romanov, rather than risk him bing an adversary they could not handle.


    Or perhaps it was a mere act of foolishness on his part, not understanding the full significance of what he was doing. Tsar Nichs II was, after all, well quoted in history as stating he was not prepared to be a monarch when he first ascended to the throne.


    Either way, these were honors Bruno could not reject. At the furthest end was the least significant award: the Order of Saint Stanius, 3rd ss. The Order of Saint Stanius was originally a Polish award granted by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth but waster adopted by the House of Romanov as a dynastic award given to distinguished civilians and soldiers as a means of granting them nobility.


    The variant Bruno received was the lowest form, being a simple medal pinned to the chest. However, it bore two swords, signifying that it was awarded forbat purposes.


    The next award was the Order of Saint Anna, also of the 3rd ss. Like the previous award, it had four sses, with the lowest being a mere button rather than a medal. Bruno''s variant also had two crossed swords to signify military valor inbat.


    Following this was the Order of Saint dimir. Like the previous two, this award conferred the rank of nobility, though that had only been the case before 1900. After that, only the 1st ss conferred personal nobility, not hereditary nobility like the other two awards.


    For the record, Bruno did not receive the 1st ss of the Order of Saint dimir, making this point moot. Instead, he received the 4th ss, another medal to be pinned to his chest alongside the others he had earned for military valor in various wars and campaigns.


    Like the previous two medals, this one had swords added to it as a sign of military distinction in wartime. While the next award was the most prestigious in terms of the grade in which he was awarded, it was still second in overall significance.


    Bruno was astonished when the Tsar wrapped a crimson velvet sash around his body and pinned a breast star below the row of medals he had already received. This was the first of such an award Bruno had been granted in this life. The sash had a medal at the end of it, which Bruno recognized as the military variant of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky.


    This order was usually reserved for top military officers for distinction inbat and victories in defense of the Russian Mothend. It was also awarded to politicians for exceptional feats in simr areas.


    Because of this, it was seldom awarded to anyone below the rank of lieutenant-general or an equal political status, which, for the record, was the same rank Bruno held in the German


    army.


    It was only now that Bruno began to fully understand the depth of the meaning behind the uniform that he wore. Bruno had be one of the few foreign individuals to be granted the Honorary title of Field Marshal.


    To put this in perspective, Field Marshal was the highest rank in the Russian Armed Forces. But they were not alone in this regard. Several other major powers held a simr rank. Such as the German and Austro-Hungarian Generalfeldmarschall, as well as the British Field


    Marshal.


    This rank was the equivalent of being a Five-Star General in the American Army. And obviously held significant power and weight behind its title. Of course, the Russian Tsar could grant this rank to foreigners as well, such as Bruno in this case.


    Usually it was awarded to foreign monarchs like the Kaiser of the German Empire, and the Archduke of Austria. Yet there were a few men of history who had gained it without royal blood in their veins. And Bruno was one of these proud few.


    This award was so distinctive that it only came in one degree, and Bruno was astonished by the fact that he had been granted such a thing. But not as much as he was by the next two awards, which satfortably in a velvet case.


    The next two awards were actually the same order, just of different sses. They were the most exceptional honors granted by the Russian Empire for military excellence. Bruno was finally awarded the Order of Saint George, both in the Fourth ss and the Second ss. The Order of Saint George was given to senior military officials for exceptional performance on the battlefield. The higher the ss, the greater the achievement. For example, the First ss was awarded to kings or generals who had won wars in defense of the Russian Mothend.


    The Second ss, on the other hand, was awarded to generals who had won major campaigns. Considering that Bruno had won two major campaigns for the Russian Empire in Ingria and Volga¡ªboth of which were strategically significant regions that, if lost, could have proved disastrous for the Tsar and his forces-it was only fitting that Bruno was awarded a Second ss Order of Saint George, in addition to a lower ss, to properly recognize his contributions to the survival of the House of Romanov and the Russian Empire. The Second ss of the Order was awarded with a breast star, though rather than a sash like the First ss, it came in the form of a ribbon around the neck. The reason the Tsar chose to award Bruno the Fourth ss rather than the Third ss was purely for aesthetics, as the Third ss was simr to the Second ss, only smaller and without a breast star. For the sake of appearance, Tsar Nichs II didn''t want Bruno to have two nearly identical medals hanging from his neck, so he gave him the lowest ss as well, which came in the form of a medal that sat above all other medals he had received from the Tsar, the Emperor of Japan, and the German army.


    Bruno honestly felt awkward staring down at the military honors he had been awarded, as he was now among the most highly decorated generals of his rank in the world. Yet, all his greatest awards had been granted in the service of foreign empires and their monarchs. The only medal the German Empire had awarded him so far was onememorating the German involvement in the Boxer Campaign, which had been issued to every German soldier who had participated in the brief conflict.


    But in his defense, the German Empire had not fought a meaningful war since 1871 and would


    not do so again until 1914. Regardless, with eight medals pinned across his chest, two breast stars, a sash, and a ribbon around his neck, Bruno couldn''t help but feel that by the end of his military career, he would look like one of those North Korean generals that the inte had made fun of in his past life for their ridiculous number of medals-most of which were earned


    during peacetime.

 Chapter 90: The Monster Who Wears the Flesh of a Man

    Chapter 90: The Monster Who Wears the Flesh of a Man


    ?


    Quite frankly, Bruno had missed much of what the Tsar had said. There were specific battles named for each award granted to him, as well as campaigns, such as his involvement in the Ingria, Volga, and counter-insurgency campaigns.


    Bruno was still bbergasted by what this all meant. He was no longer just the 9th son of a German nobleman. Instead, he was granted permission by the Tsar to disy his own coat of arms and to name his own noble house, of which he was now the head.


    In fact, if Bruno really wanted to, he could change his name on Russian documents and the name of his house to blend in with the Russian aristocracy. It was truly a strange thing, as his loyalties were first and foremost to the German Reich.


    No doubt this was a scheme by either the Tsar or someone far more cunning behind him to bring Bruno closer to the Russian Empire. Either way, he had no choice but to ept the words and thank the Tsar for his benevolence, which is exactly what Bruno did.


    "Your Majesty, I simply did what I felt was necessary to end a threat, not just to the Russian Empire and its people, but to all of humanity. The Red Menace must be confronted and fought wherever it is found, lest it destroy everything we, as Christians and men of conscience, hold dear.


    Though I believe I was merely fulfilling my role as a man of faith and am wholly undeserving of the generosity you have bestowed upon me this day, I will still ept these honors, since you seem to think I am worthy of them.


    I thank the Tsar and the House of Romanov for the kindness they have shown me today and will remember it until the day I die."


    Knowing these were the words the Tsar wanted to hear, or at least those supporting him behind the scenes, Bruno chose to speak to them. After all, being granted citizenship and nobility in another major power was something whose value could not be easily defined by modern sensibilities.


    For example, if-God forbid-Bruno ever found himself at odds with the Kaiser and the German Reich, or perhaps the Kaiser ended up being overthrown in this timeline and reced with a government hostile to the nobility, yet in some odd chain of events the Tsar maintained his power, then Bruno and his family could flee to Russia and be treated as members of the highest social ss, as well as heroes of the Empire for the contributions Bruno had made in the Russian Civil War.


    Either way, Bruno was not going to reject a get-out-of-jail-free card. Although, he would seriously need to figure out how to incorporate Russia into his ns for the future. Perhaps the League of Three Emperors could really be restored through his efforts?


    If so, then it would be Germany, Austro-Hungary, Russia, and Japan, against the likes of France, Britain, and Italy. Of course, there was the question of the Ottoman Empire, which had joined the war on the side of the Central Powers for their own purposes.


    Russia and the Ottomans had been at odds since the creation of the Ottoman Empire. After all, thest princess of the Byzantine Empire had married a Russian prince, thus contributing to Russia''s im as thest sessor of the Romans.


    Then again, the Ottomans themselves disputed this im, asserting they were the true sessors of the Romans, having defeated the Byzantines.


    This petty matter was just one of many contributing reasons for the centuries-long conflicts between the Ottomans and Russians. There wasn''t the slightest hint of a possibility of them getting along in any timeline.


    Then there was the fact that the League of Three Emperors had fallen apart due to disputes in the Balkans between the Austro-Hungarians and the Russians. There was simply no way to reconcile these differences between the Russians, Austro-Hungarians, and Ottomans. Considering the Ottomans would start the Balkan Wars, which would eventually result in the instability that caused the death of the Austrian Archduke-thus sparking the Great War- there was no feasible way to secure Ottoman support. Not that they contributed much to the war, anyway.


    The Ottomans were a fully agrarian society, while the Russians were at least semi-industrial. Having Russia as an ally was a much better solution than allying with the Ottomans. For starters, it closed the Eastern Front, making its reopening an impossibility. This meant Germany and Austro-Hungary could concentrate their efforts on France and Italy rather than fighting on all fronts.


    In addition, Russian troops were superior to their Ottoman counterparts, especially in this timeline where the Russian Civil War had urred early, forcing the Tsar to make some concessions and, of course, kickstart rapid industrialization.


    Especially considering that machine guns and advanced artillery employed by the Iron Division had proven Russia''s industrial shorings, Bruno pondered these matters as the Tsar delivered a long-winded speech that he missed entirely.


    In the end, Bruno was introduced to several members of the Tsar''s family, including his wife, daughters, and his young son, who was born less than a year earlier in August of 1904. The young children were all rather intimidated by Bruno.


    After all, he was a man with a cold expression and a noticeable scar on his face from his days as an academic fencer in Germany. With a scene that repeated itself from his brief time in the court of Emperor Meiji, Bruno couldn''t help but sigh and shake his head as he forced a friendly smile and introduced himself to the young girls, all of whom were younger than ten. The eldest of them was set to turn ten in a few months.


    "Your Majesties, I assure you I''m not nearly as frightening as I appear to be."


    The eldest of the children was Grand Duchess Olga Nikevna. She was the only one of the children who wasn''t frightened by Bruno''s rather striking appearance and was quick tough at him, making a remark that made Brunough as well.


    "I hear they call you the Red Scourge... Judging by that name, I would have thought you were some fearsome monster, like a walking skeleton. But you appear to be just a normal man. Why do they call you by such a dreadful title?"


    Bruno couldn''t help butugh and shake his head. This conversation was eerily simr to the one he had with the Japanese princess. He sighed heavily, shaking his head before exining the origins to Olga in a way he hoped wouldn''t scare her younger sisters, who were hiding


    behind her.


    "I assure you, you have nothing to fear from the name your father''s enemies have given me. It is simply a reminder that I am good at my job, that''s all."


    This remark caused Olga''s younger siblings to sigh in relief, believing that Bruno wasn''t as terrifying as they had initially thought. That is until Olga had the nerve to exin exactly what his words really meant.


    "So, you are saying that you are good at killing people, and that is why the Bolsheviks have given you such a terrible title?"


    Bruno looked squarely into the girl''s eyes with a cold gaze and said words that would only make her shake in fright.


    "You are mistaken, Your Grace... Communists aren''t people."


    After saying this, Bruno bowed before the young daughters of the Tsar and walked off to get himself a stiff drink, mingling with the other patrons of the party thrown in his honor.


    As for Olga, she stared at Bruno''s back as he walked away, trembling at the words he had spoken and the indifference he showed towards the hundreds of thousands of men who had died at hismand.


    She restrained herself from speaking her thoughts aloud, knowing they were not appropriate to say, given the circumstances. However, if she had voiced them, her thoughts would have


    been as follows:


    ''Communists aren''t human? Then what kind of monster does that make you?''


    After seeing Bruno return to some semnce of humanity, Olga sighed heavily in relief, having regained control of her nerves. She quickly led her siblings over to their father, hoping she would not have any further encounters with the monster who wore the flesh of a man.

 Chapter 91: Capturing a Fleeing Rat

    Chapter 91: Capturing a Fleeing Rat


    ?


    The award ceremony the Tsar threw for Bruno was rather extravagant, but in the end, Bruno returned to the railways, sleeping in the car that took him back to Saint Petersburg. Quite frankly, such luxurious and regal gatherings were always a matter of supreme social anxiety for the man who had risen to such great heights at such a young age.


    It was because of this that he passed out in his seat with a cigarette still lit in the ashtray and his face lying on the table in front of him. Despite everything that had happened, Bruno now held the semi-honorary title of Field Marshal.


    At least for the continued duration of the war, Bruno would be acting as a leader of Russian forces and foreign volunteers. But when the Tsar emerged victorious, Bruno''s title would revert back to an honorary state. Especially after the man returned to the fathend and resumed his active-duty status in the German Army.


    Though Bruno believed that everything he had been given by the Tsar was excessive, the reality was it was all earned through his merit and efforts. Bruno had yed a leading role in the war, ending up in the Tsar''s favor.


    While his actions in Manchuria had caused the Russian Civil War to start thirteen years early, he had, at the same time, ensured that the house of Romanov and, by extension, the Russian Empire survived it.


    He was quite literally the savior of the Russian Empire, and the Tsar had rewarded him appropriately for his efforts. Sure, Bruno had yed a critical role in the Russo-Japanese War, insofar as ending it much earlier in the favor of Japan. But that was not one fought for the very survival of the Empire of Japan or the ruling dynasty.


    And because of this, Bruno was awarded rather well, considering Emperor Meiji was not nearly as friendly to the foreign powers of Europe as the Tsar was. Tsar Nichs II was, after all, quite literally the cousin of the Kaiser, and though rtions had been strained, no doubt due to Bruno''s actions in China and Manchuria prior to the outbreak of the Russian Civil War.


    The Kaiser''s swift support, both in terms of material and manpower, had proven to be more than enough to mend such wounds. It was only natural that Bruno would be treated so well by the Tsar. And though Bruno didn''t know it yet, he would be treated even greater in the future.


    When Bruno finally awoke, the train had arrived in Saint Petersburg. He returned to his office, eager for a taste of coffee to help awaken him from his groggy state, only to be bombarded with some critical information about the whereabouts of one of his two remaining targets. After repeated losses over the course of thest year, and the death toll rising as the Red Army and apanied Bolshevik Party members were routed out and killed in the streets by the Iron Division, Joseph Stalin appeared to have been spotted in the far east.


    Specifically, on a train headed to divostok. divostok was a city in the eastern portion of the Empire, quite literally sitting near the border between the Russian Empire and Qing China. It was considered the "Terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railway," which waspleted only a year prior to 1904.


    If Joseph Stalin was headed to divostok, then it meant one thing, and one thing only: the man nned to escape into China. For what purpose exactly, Bruno was unsure. Perhaps the man intended to use China as a way to lose his pursuers and escape to some forgotten and undeveloped corner of the world.


    Or perhaps, having suffered defeat in Russia, the infamous dictator from Bruno''s past life nned to take advantage of the growing civil unrest within the Qing Dynasty to overthrow the monarchs and establish amunist state in China?


    Either way, Bruno would not let the man''s ns seed and immediately ordered the Tsarist forces in the city to intercept and apprehend the Bolshevik Revolutionary when he arrived at the city''s rail station.


    Meanwhile, Bruno had no opportunity to change into morefortable attire, nor even fully nourish himself. Instead, he hopped right back on the next train, this time headed across the entirendscape of the Russian Empire, into the far east for the third time in his life.


    The train ride to divostok was a long one. It was, after all, a steam engine pulling the cars, and it was a vast distance. However, Bruno immediately found the perks of his new status, revealing themselves upon sitting down in the car.


    Not only was he granted a private car to sit in, due to his noble status, but it was the peak of luxury. Decorated in such afortable and extravagant way that only a nobleman of the era could truly understand or enjoy.


    Meanwhile, there was a woman constantly attending to his needs, whether that was refilling his coffee, pouring him water, or simply preparing his meals for him. In this private car, there was even a rather extravagant bedchamber, which Bruno found to be afortable way to get some much-needed rest by himself.


    The perks that came with being a noble in thends one visited, as well as a war hero, were truly decadent, so much so that Bruno, quite honestly, would have simply preferred not to have such treatment. He was a man of more simple taste.


    There was a reason Bruno chose to live in an old fachwerk manor on the outskirts of Berlin with his humble family. The man could easily afford a superfluous baroque estate with his degree of wealth, much like the one he had grown up in. But frankly, such a life was beyond what he deemed necessary, let alone something he did not find muchfort in.


    Even so, it was nice for means of transportation to have suchfortable and plush trappings. Thus, he was not the least bit tired when he arrived in divostok. The Russian garrison in the city was quick to greet Bruno, or at least the man in charge of it, along with the highest-ranking officers beneath hismand.


    Bruno was no longer some foreign general leading a group of volunteers from the German Reich. By all means, he was a Russian Field Marshal and a member of the nation''s nobility. He was now afforded the most respect possible by everyone in society, especially those in the military and police, who were of a much lower rank than him.


    The Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the city''s garrison was quick to salute Bruno while announcing that they had seeded in intercepting the rebel leader after receiving his telegram, and were quite ecstatic as they reported his current whereabouts.


    "Marshal, sir! You will be happy to know that the man in question is currently detained and rotting in a cell within the local police station. I have an entirepany of soldiers, those who are most loyal to me and the Tsar, watching him as we speak.


    Even if the Marxists were to show up in full force, my men would die ensuring that bastard joined them in the afterlife!"


    Bruno returned the man''s salute, as well as the officers beneath hismand. He wanted nothing more aftering all this way than to have a little chat with the would-be dictator one on one, and he made this request clear as can be.


    "Good. You and your men have done an excellent job. It is not easy to catch a paranoid rat who is attempting to escape. For your efforts, I will personally put in a rmendation for you and your men to receive propermendations. Now take me to my prisoner; I wish to speak with him alone..."


    The Lieutenant Colonel quickly did as Bruno requested, taking the man to the local police station, where Bruno sat alone in a holding area. All the while, Joseph Stalin was brought to him in chains. No doubt the man had seen better days, dark circles existing beneath his eyes, showing that he clearly had sleepless nights.


    In addition to this, his hair was ragged, while his beard was equally unkempt. This was, after all, the era before he grew his signature mustache. The would-be dictator who had caused the deaths of over 20 million innocent civilians in Bruno''s past life was sitting down in front of him, gaunt and disheveled.


    It was honestly hard to tell just how many people Stalin had killed or were either partially or wholly responsible for the deaths of. Various sources gave different information during Bruno''s past life. With the low figure being espoused bymunist sympathizers as being a mere 6-9 million innocents killed under his reign of terror.


    But such estimates were obviously politically biased by those who espoused them. More urate and non-biased sources, such as Conquest (1986, p. 234), cited that Stalin''s Reign of Terror caused the deaths of at least 20 million people, and that was a minimum estimate, with the direct quote in regard to this figure being "which is almost certainly too low and might require an increase of 50 percent or so....."


    Either way, the man had caused more suffering than nearly anyone else in history, at least if you included nobatant deaths, or those not killed as a direct act of war in disregard to


    civilian casualties.


    This was a significantly higher degree of death and despair caused whenpared to a man with a funny mustache who in the 21st century wasmonly regarded as the most evil and


    wicked throughout history.


    Either way, it was because this man had been caught as a result of Bruno''s actions before he could undertake such horrific crimes against humanity that he was smiling sadistically as he sat before Joseph Stalin. The first words he spoke were truly haunting to the rat, who had tried


    to flee from his crimes.


    "Well, well, well... If it isn''t Joseph Stalin... You know, I have been searching for you for a very long time... And now that I finally have you in my hands, I have to ask... Would you care to have a drink with me? You know, before I send you to death?"

 Chapter 92: The Death of Stalin

    Chapter 92: The Death of Stalin


    ?


    Joseph Stalin stared at Bruno with wide eyes, and pupils as thin as needles. He had run quite far to escape from this man and his relentless pursuit. And now that the would-be dictator was sitting across from him, he couldn''t help but fear that death was behind Bruno, resting his hand on the man''s shoulder in approval of what was about toe as if this foreign general sitting before him was an agent of the Grim Reaper.


    A drink? Really? Such was not a kindness at this time, nor was it wee. Having been reduced to such a pitiful state, an offering like this was merely a way for Bruno to boast about his victory to the defeated wretch in front of him, who was about to die.


    Nevertheless, Joseph Stalin knew this wasn''t an offer he could refuse, and nodded his head silently, resigning himself to his fate as he did so. Bruno, of course, whistled, causing the men standing outside the door to attend to him. They were confused when he asked for a bottle of vodka and two sses, but fulfilled the recently promoted field marshal''s offer, no less.


    The first words to be spoken between Bruno and a figure he despised most passionately were actually from Stalin.


    "I see the Tsar has appointed you as a Field Marshal of the Russian Army. A well-deserved reward, considering the lengths you have gone to just to see our cause thoroughly dismantled before our eyes. I still can''t help but wonder why you despise us so? Are the lives of workers, and the rights they are owed, really so worthless in your eyes, you bourgeoisie scum!?!"


    Bruno poured himself a drink, and then one to Stalin. He did not break out intoughter at the man''s misconceptions of him, nor did he immediately respond. Instead, he made a toast, drinking vodka in a single go, ensuring the man that it was not poisoned.


    "prochnost!"


    Stalin was silent when he drank, refusing to ept Bruno''s toast. Which itself was a boast of the strength he disyed on the field against the Red Army. Instead, he silently watched the man waiting for him to respond. And when he did, it was indeed a surprising monologue. "You misunderstand me... I don''t hate you Marxists because you im to represent the working ss. I mean, I myself am the grandson of a man who was a professional soldier, ennobled for his gantry on the field of battle and his acts of heroism in defense of the fathend.


    While I am a noble in name, I am, in reality, a soldier. And my family has always paid the workers in our factories a fair wage, capable of supporting themselves and their families. In addition to this, we support political parties with significant contributions that represent the working ss who, unlike yourselves, still have respectable and moral values.


    No, I hate you and your ilk, because you are all fundamentally anti-human by the very nature of your beliefs. Your ideals would condemn thousands of years of tradition to the dustbins of history for no purpose other than your petty envy.


    Your beliefs would tear families apart and condemn those great men who have risen to such exceptional status because of their merits to a mass graveyard. You would steal from us what we have built with blood, sweat, and tears, and distribute it to others unworthy of ownership. By your very existence, your ideals are destined to dispatch hundreds of millions of innocent men, women, and children to the afterlife far before their time hase. Because you do not believe in family, or faith, or fathend, or the Lord God almighty.


    I hate you, because at the end of the day what you, and those who support your beliefs really are, is a bunch ofzy, immoral, incapable, ipetent, murderous degenerates. Who can me every fault of their lives, which is a result of their own inability to seed in their betters. And that is why I despise you so much.


    If God himself had not brought me into this world for the purpose of changing your fate, I would have dly rended time and space through my own might just to watch you burn. Now drink, because this is yourst opportunity to gain any semnce of joy in your life.


    After we finish this bottle, I will have a pyre built in the city of divostok, and you will be burned at the stake for your crimes against humanity, whethermitted in this life or your past life. Because I can think of no death more worthy for a mass murderer such as yourself."


    Joseph Stalin was not surprised that a man representing the Monarchy would view him in such a light. Nor did he expect a nobleman to understand his cause. But to burn him at the stake, this was a death of such cruelty, that he himself felt was unwarranted towards his simple acts of revolution. And was quick to protest this sentence.


    "You would burn me alive? Even by my standards, that is a cruelty that few men are deserving! What crimes have Imitted to deserve such a barbaric end?"


    Bruno, of course, knew that Stalin did not understand why his death would be so cruel. But quite frankly, whenpared to the innocent victims of the Nazino tragedy as it was rebranded to mask the crimesmitted by Stalin and his regime that were simply unspeakable in politepany. This was a fate far more merciful than he deserved.


    If one were inclined to research the event, they would have to do so at their own risk, as the entire massacre was not something the faint of the heart could handle. As it wasmonly referred to outside academic circles as "Cannibal Ind." Which only exined a fraction of the horrors which innocent farmers who refused to give up theirnd were subjected to under the orders of Stalin and his horrific regime.


    It was with this in mind that Bruno''s gaze became sadistic as his smirk became murderous. Expressing his true hatred for the man sitting in front of him, and what lengths he would take to avenge his victims were he capable of doing so.


    "If it were up to me, I would have your tormentst for eternity. But such judgement is not up to a man like myself. No, I fear all I can do is simte a fraction of what God has in store for you. So, drink up, because I do not want any man to say I did not at least show you some mercy in your final moments.


    The Vodka should at least dull some of the pain. It is far more than you deserve, but s, I am a man of mercy, after all. I can''t help but give you this onest gift before you are sent to the keeper of your soul."


    After saying this, Bruno poured himself onest cup of vodka, where he drank it in a single motion, as if it were a mere shot of alcohol. After doing so, he stood up, and walked past Stalin, patting the man on the shoulder as he took the bottle and sses out of the room. Ensuring he could notmit suicide before his public execution.


    Afterward, Bruno prepared the pyre which would be Stalin''s end in this life. One wholly deserving of the crimes he hadmitted.


    Stalin''s death at the hands of Bruno and the Russian Army was one of Public Knowledge. Throughout the entirety of the civil war Bruno, and the Russian Authorities had hunted down and eliminated every single leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, each one suffering a death worse than the one before him.


    It had been over a year since Bruno first stepped foot in Russia during the winter of 1904, and during this time he had led the charge against the Red Army, and the Bolshevik Revolution which sought to overthrow the Tsar and establish a "Communist Utopia" in Russia.


    Now, in the early months of 1906, there was only one leader of the Bolshevik revolution who remained breathing. Hisrades were dead, each of which had suffered horrific ends at the hands of the Red Scourge.


    Truthfully, Lenin had expected at least one of them to make it out of the country alive. Even though things had turned south for the Bolshevik party, and the militant wing of their movement known as the Red Army, he still believed that he and hisrades would be able to one day return and finish what they had started.


    But when Lenin read of Stalin''s brutal end, his heart, if it was even capable of doing so, felt a twinge of pain. Unlike hisrades, who were hunted down one by one and were ultimately executed for their crimes. Lenin had long since fled the country.


    After the disaster, that was the Red Army''s policy to shoot their own soldiers in the back should they flee the battlefield. Stalin remained behind to lead the gueri efforts of the Red Army. While Lenin, who was the coward and opportunist that he was, quickly realized that their efforts were in vain, and the revolution was doomed to fail.


    As a result, he had fled back to where he had lived during his time in exile from Russia, or at least right before the revolution began in 1904. Lately, things had been peaceful for the Communist revolutionary, and because of this Lenin had bexer in his daily life. However, just because Switzend was a neutral state, that would not officially hand him over to the Great Powers of Europe for the crimes hemitted while in Russia. That did not mean that he was not being pursued by agents of the Kaiser and the Tsar.


    And because of this, Lenin would soon meet his end, just like all of hisrades had. After all, though he didn''t realize it, the agents of the German Crown had their eyes on him within Geneva and were currently watching his every move.


    It was only a matter of time before Bruno came to Switzend to personally extract and execute thest name on his list. And once he had done so, this civil war which threatened to tear apart the very order of this world would finallye to a proper end.

 Chapter 93: Creating a Good Communist

    Chapter 93: Creating a Good Communist


    ?


    It had been nearly a year and a half since the revolution began, ultimately scaling into a full- blown civil war, before miserably ending in a failed gueri campaign. The leaders of the Russian revolution, everyst one of them, except for Lenin, of course, had been found and executed in the streets.


    Not a single trial had been held for them. Meanwhile, the million or so members of the Bolshevik Party and the Red Army had been thoroughly rooted out and destroyed. Those who took up arms against the Tsar and the Russian Empire had miserable ends.


    Those who betrayed theirrades and denounced Marxism as a whole had been granted some form of clemency. Though they would never fully be epted by those who knew they once followed the teachings of Karl Marx.


    Speaking of Marxism and all of its derivatives were thoroughly ouwed in the Russian Empire and deemed a form of heresy by the Orthodox Church. Anything rted to the subject that did not wholly denounce it was burned in the streets by the ck Hundred and the other loyalists who supported the Tsar.


    Any Party which dered any sympathy towards the Marxists was ouwed and disbanded, its members arrested for political extremism and support of the Bolshevik revolution. A simr sentiment began to stir in the German Reich. With the Kaiser being convinced by the German Conservative Party, who were the party of Monarchists, social conservatives, and nobleman to enact simr policies.


    And while Germany didn''t go to the same extent as the Russians did following the victory of the Tsar in the civil war, they did ouw the teaching of Karl Marx''s theories, and any line of thinking derived from his work. They also ouwed any political parties expressing support for socialism,munism, and any other form of political thought, disbanding any that already existed.


    Marxism became a form of political extremism that was ouwed throughout Russia, Germany, and Austro-Hungary. Each of which took different approaches to deal with them. As for Russia, the Tsar began to westernize his empire. Forming a proper constitution, that while protecting the rights of the Tsar, allowed for some form of representation of the people, as it became abundantly clear that absolute monarchies were a thing of the past.


    The State Duma was enacted, much like it had been in Bruno''s previous life. And suffrage was granted to some degree to all men who were Russian citizens and were over the age of the majority. Much like it existed in the German Reich.


    In many ways, the new Constitution of the Russian Empire resembled that of the German Reich, and for the first time in a year and a half, some form of stability spread across the Russian Empire. The Tsar''s power, while limitedpared to his previous autocracy, had been retained.


    And the result of the Civil War was a new wave of Pro-Tsarist sentiment. But Bruno was not done, one of the names on his list had eluded him. And it was not until the spring of 1906 where he was personally alerted by German Military Intelligence of where this little rat was hiding.


    Geneva, of course it was Geneva. The man responsible for the creation of the Soviet Union, and the death of the 61 million plus people that it had killed during its existence, had run back to where he was hiding prior to starting the revolution.


    And because of this, Bruno had onest trip to take before officially disbanding the Iron Division and returning to the Fathend. Or so he thought. Interestingly enough, the Tsar had onest detour for Bruno before he could go back to his family, but Bruno was not yet aware of that. Thus, he took the first train to Geneva while dressed in civilian clothes.


    News of the changes being held across the world''s foremost imperial powers had reached across the civilized world. With Lenin enjoying a peaceful existence in exile within the nation of Switzend, currently reading about it while enjoying a nice cup of tea at his favorite local tea shop.


    His revolution had failed, hisrades were murdered by the Tsar, or more specifically, his greatest Blood Hound. A man Lenin most hated, a man known by the Marxists of the world by the title of the "Red Scourge."


    If Lenin could meet the man in person, he would personally disembowel him in the most brutal way he could think of! Or so he thought, but as he sat there and enjoyed his tea while reading the news of the Russia''s first constitution being enacted, he could never guess that very man who he hated with every fiber of his being was nearby.


    Lenin couldn''t help but scoff at the news of the Tsar, finally decided to share some of his power with the people and make his thoughts aloud for anyone to hear them.


    "The bastard finally has been forced to concede some of his power. But it''s not enough. I will not rest until I have personally seen the House of Romanov defeated, and its members buried in the snow of Siberia!"


    A slight chuckle emerged from the table behind Lenin. It was brief, but its tone was eerie, as were the words the man spoke. So much so that the hairs on Lenin''s neck stood up, instinctively alerting him to the danger that was very near to him.


    "I knew it... I knew you wouldn''t give up... No, you will wait, and watch, and plot until the opportunity arrives for you to start a war once again... Tsk...Tsk...Tsk... Youmunists, you really will never give up until all of humanity is forced to suffer and die at the hands of your endless utopianism, won''t you?"


    The words were spoken to Lenin in perfect Russian. When he spoke his thoughts aloud, he did not think that anyone here in Geneva understood him. He was just about to ask which one of his countrymen hade here to find him when he turned around and looked at the smug face of death, which was staring at him.


    Bruno was as recognizable to Lenin as he was to Bruno. After all, his face had been stered all over the Russian Media and its Tsarist Propaganda. But the man was in civilian clothing. It was far less luxurious than Lenin expected it to be. In fact, if Bruno''s face hadn''t been seared into his memory, Lenin would have been sure he was a local member of the working ss.


    The look on Lenin''s face as he saw Bruno staring smugly at him while sipping on a cup of tea was so priceless it made Bruno choke on his drink as he broke out intoughter. It was sinisterughter, butughter, nheless. His face became almost sadistically excited as he pointed


    out why.


    "There it is! There''s the look I have been waiting so long to see from you! It''s the look of a rat who has realized it has been caught in my trap and knows its death is very near! It is truly fitting for someone like yourself.


    Oh... How I will remember this expression of yours until the day I die! But unlike you, that is not this day! So, Lenin... Do you have anything to say to me before I send you to meet your


    belovedrades in hell?"


    There were a million questions Lenin wanted from Bruno about why he had gone to such lengths to root him out and destroy him. But only one escaped from his lips, as he was absolutely stupefied by the fact that Bruno was sitting right in front of him, all by his


    lonesome.


    "Why?"


    Bruno chuckled and shook his head. He stood up from his seat and left some money on the table to pay for his bill. It was an excessive amount, almost as if he were paying for the mess he was about to make. He then stared at Lenin with a deeply sinister expression, like one would expect when they gazed upon the devil before outright refusing to answer the man''s


    question.


    "That is a question you should ask yourrade Stalin after I send you to meet him in hell!"


    After saying this, Bruno pulled his luger out from his coat pocket and fired a round directly into Lenin''s skull. Ending his life then and there in some insignificant tea shop in Geneva. The few patrons who witnessed the murder broke out into panic as Bruno walked out of that tea shop with an emotionless expression on his face.


    He had finished his job by killing Lenin. The leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution had all been put to death. Their followers were either jailed, executed, or killed in battle. Marxism was now thoroughly discredited within the Imperial Powers of Europe. And its adherents were effectively recognized as terrorists to be arrested on the spot should they ever reveal their loyalties in public.


    The Russian Empire, and the House of Romanov, would live on as the rulers of the Russian people, their authority bestowed unto them by God and God alone. Meanwhile, the Russian Empire had begun to westernize. Not only would its society continue to undergo the process of industrialization, and at a rate far greater than in its past.


    But the Tsar''s authority was now limited by Parliament, and the people were represented in a satisfactory way. Bruno''s effects on the Empire weresting, and his contributions to the Russian Civil War were recognized onest time, as the Tsar presented him with the greatest honor that could be given to a Military Commander.


    The Order of Saint George 1st ss, and thus it was recognized that Bruno''s contributions to the war effort were significant enough that he was one of the few Russian Field Marshals recognized as having won the war for the House of Romanov.


    He would return onest time to Saint Petersburg where he would be granted this most significant of honors, before ultimately disbanding the Iron Division and returning to the German Reich as an active duty Generalleutnant in service of the Kaiser once more.

 Chapter 94: A Wholesome Reunion

    Chapter 94: A Wholesome Reunion


    ?


    After being awarded the Order of Saint George 1st ss in another extravagant awards ceremony that Bruno would rather not have attended. Bruno officially disbanded the Iron Division and returned to the German Reich.


    Upon arriving at the train station, Bruno was shocked to find that his family was standing there waiting for him. But it was not just Heidi and the kids who were eager to greet the man, but also his older brother Ludwig and his family.


    Bruno wanted more than anything to go home with his family, and celebrate his safe return to them all. But this was unfortunately not on the cards. The Kaiser wanted him to report directly to his home to meet with him and the German Field Marshals to brief them on the war and the lessons he had learned in it.


    No doubt the Russian Tsar was taking this opportunity to strengthen his position and modernize his army the best he could. At the same time, a new line ofmunications had been opened up between the Russian Empire and the German Reich.


    Once more trade had begun flowing extensively between the two imperial powers, and it had done so shortly after the German intervention in the war began. In addition to this, diplomacy between the German Reich and the Russian Empire was at its greatest extent since the League of the Three Emperors was created in 1873.


    Quite frankly, Bruno was the cause of all of this, and the Kaiser wanted to personally extend his gratitude. And because of this, Bruno was forced to only entertain his family for a mere thirty minutes before ultimately parting ways with them in order to meet with the Kaiser.


    Standing in the Kaiser''s pce, in his German military uniform with all of his awards pinned to his chest, Burno now looked the part of a proper general, even if these awards were mostly foreign.


    He had chosen to wear the crimson sash of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky, if not simply because it went better with the Feldgrau German Uniform with the red trim than the ck and orange sash of the Order of Saint George did.


    Nevertheless, the Breast Star of the Order of Saint George 1st ss was pinned vertically above that of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky, showing it off as the more prestigious of the two awards.


    The Kaiser himself couldn''t help but remark on how remarkably stylish Bruno appeared in a sentiment that he himself felt every time he looked in the mirror.


    "I have to say, you are finally looking the part of the Rank you hold. Having a mere two medals pinned to your chest was rather unbing of a general in my army! Still, I do have a reward for you myself.


    Quite frankly, I had wanted to promote you to Generalfeldmarschall to match your status as a Field Marshall in the Russian Army. But there were some who disagreed with me, believing it was too swift of a promotion, and because of this I have instead decided to confer upon you''re the rank of General der Infanterie.


    While your efforts were had in service of a Foreign Nation, and the Tsar has already awarded you significantly in this regard. The fact remained that you led German Soldiers into battle, and quite effectively at that.


    Our losses were less than 1/10th of the entire division, despite them fighting in multiple battles and campaigns. In addition to this, the effects of your victories have brought us much closer to the Russian Empire than we were previously.


    It is not impossible for the League of Three Emperors to be restored. Or I suppose with the inclusion of Emperor Meiji it would be the League of Four Emperors. Albeit it will take some significant diplomatic maneuvering on my part.


    Nevertheless, your contributions are more than worthy of a promotion. Now I have taken up enough of your time. Please, go enjoy the leave which you have earned. In the meantime, we will create a proper celebration for the Veterans of the Iron Division for you all to be properly awarded with the medals you requested Imission inmemoration of your efforts.


    I will let you know when we have decided on a day. Until we meet again, my young friend!" After saying this, Bruno saluted the Kaiser, who returned the gesture before being dismissed. He was about to step out of the Kaiser''s pce when he was approached by the man''s young daughter. It had been several years since Bruno hadst seen the girl, and he had grown far more fearsome in this time.


    Even the man''s demeanor was much colder than it had been in the past. Nevertheless, the young girl who was now 14 happily approached him as he was about to leave her home.


    "Well, look at you! You''re finally starting to look the part of a proper general! Not bad, that''s definitely quite a few awards pinned to your chest, it''s too bad only one of them is from the Reich. I''m starting to wonder if you really are a German General!"


    Bruno scoffed at the girl''s remarks as he turned around. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was a very different man than thest time they had met and was almost startled by his expression.


    Though he looked just as young as he had in the past, in terms of actual physical age, he somehow appeared to have aged significantly in the few years since theirst encounter. The young princess naturally forced herself to remainposed as Bruno began to speak to her.


    "Your majesty... Is there something on my face? Or is there some other reason you are staring at me as if I am some sort of viin?"


    Despite his rather intimidating expression, the absolute deadpan delivery of Bruno''s joke was more than enough to make the teenage girl break intoughter as she responded to Bruno''s words with an equally humorous attempt.


    "I''m sorry... I can''t... I didn''t expect that from you... Please, pardon my intrusion you probably want to get back to your family. I''m sorry for disturbing you!"


    The girl ran off in a fit of giggles after that. Whatever she wanted to talk to him about she was clearly not in the state to do so, and thus it would have to wait for another day.


    When Burno stepped foot into his home, he was damn near brought to his knees by the smell of his wife''s cooking in the background. Having connections to German Military Intelligence, she was well aware that her husband was finallying home to her safe and sound. And as a result, she had spent the entire day preparing a feast of epic proporitons to celebrate the asion. Heidi had made it abundantly clear to her children that they were not to misbehave in the slightest, no matter howte on the day their father arrived, or she would have their rears mounted above the firece.


    Because of this, the children were on their best behavior, not only that but they were well groomed, and dressed in their nicest attire. When Bruno stepped into his home, he was immediately assaulted by his young girls who ran into his arms screaming as if a grenade had exploded nearby, all in excitement for the man''s return, which instantly brought a smile to


    his face.


    "Daddy''s home!"


    Upon hearing the screams of her girls, Heidi instantly ceased what she was doing and rushed out of the kitchen. She was the only one whose appearance was rather unkempt. As she had been working all day in the kitchen.


    She had, of course, taken time to wash her hands and detach her apron, which was covered in food, before approaching the man she loved with the warmest and most gentle smile a


    woman could muster.


    Words could not express the excitement in Heidi''s heart as she joined her young daughters,


    and her only son in a family hug. Kissing Bruno on the lips repeatedly in front of her children while thanking God for bringing him home safe and sound. Saying the Lord''s prayer as she did so, before doing a sign of the cross over her heart.


    Bruno was not ustomed to such overwhelming treatment from his family, and though he weed it, he couldn''t help but crack a joke about the way his family was acting towards his return in order to lighten the severity of the mood.


    "What? Did you all miss me that much? Honestly, if I didn''t know any better, I would assume you all thought I had died in Russia!"


    Though this remark was intended foredic effect, it did not appear to lighten the mood. Instead, Heidi became upset that he would even joke about such a thing when she had waited patiently for over a year for her husband''s return.


    The entire time Heidi had been anxious out of her mind that her beloved husband might actually get himself killed, especially after he got himself shot by a would be assassin. And because of this, she rather sternly flicked Bruno between the eyes while lecturing him on his


    inappropriate joke.


    "Don''t you ever joke about such a thing again! Do you hear me!?! You have no idea how worried I was about you the entire time you were gone!"


    Seeing how he had messed up, perhaps because the war had corrupted his sense of humor, Bruno swiftly apologized to the woman, hugging her to his chest after putting down his two kids before kissing her on the forehead.


    "I''m sorry, you''re right, that joke was in poor taste..."


    Feeling the warmth of Bruno''s embrace, Heidi couldn''t help but smile, despite still being peeved about his dark sense of humor. Nevertheless, she was quickly re-energized by the hug and kisses she received and was thus swift to depart back to the kitchen to finish dinner for the


    evening.


    "I forgive you... Anyway, I''m sure you''re exhausted after everything you have been through. I will go fetch you a beer while you sit here in the living room with the kids. Dinner should be done soon, and I have spent all day preparing your favorites in anticipation of your arrival! So, you better eat everyst bit, mister, or I will be seriously angry with you!"


    It was only then that Bruno realized he would be in for a very painful night. As his wife most


    certainly went overboard preparing dinner for their family. And they were not a family that


    wasted food...


    But having spent thest year and a half consuming mostly field rations, there was no God, King, or Tyrant in this world that could prevent him from eating everyst ounce of his wife''s


    homemade cooking.

 Chapter 95: Attaining Peak Physical Fitness

    Chapter 95: Attaining Peak Physical Fitness


    ?


    Bruno''s return home was a peaceful one. For the first week, he really just sat on the couch smoking out the window as he tried to return to a more peaceful state of mind. Ludwig wasn''t the only one affected by the war. Bruno had himself gradually worsened in his condition.


    Nowadays, he spends a lot of his spare time alone, either drinking beer or smoking cigarettes. Frankly, it was the only thing that could keep him calm. While at war, things made sense to Bruno. He had an objective, and enemy, and his goal was to kill that enemy.


    Here in the streets of Berlin, without his uniform on, he was just another man. Sure, there were a few people who knew who he was. His face was, after all, in the papers. But civilian life was tough. There were things about being on the battlefield that couldn''t be replicated in this peaceful world.


    Things like the bonds of brotherhood shared between you and your men, the way you talked to one another, dark, graphic, sometimes sadistically so. To say these things among men of peace, it would most definitely get people to look at you the wrong way, and in the modern world, Bruno was from in his past life, was a good way to get you fired.


    Frankly speaking, it was the idea that he had nothing to do that was constantly on Bruno''s nerves. Every day, even those spent in the office ying chess with the Russian General had some degree of worthwhile in the war.


    Most of the time in that office, he was signing warrants, confirming intelligence, and enacting upon it. But the war was over, and quite frankly, he didn''t know what to do with himself. The Kaiser had promised Bruno that the soldiers of the Iron Division would be rewarded with a proper celebration.


    No doubt in the form of a parade. But to organize such a thing would take weeks if not months, especially since it wasn''t one of the Kaiser''srgest priorities at the moment. Not to mention Bruno was currently given a leave of absence from the Military.


    Although officially he had resumed active service and was currently "working from home." The reality was that this was a vacation given to him, and because of this, he really didn''t know what to do with himself.


    Bruno was not a man who had many hobbies. His work was his life, and his life outside of that was his family. But his kids were napping at that moment, and his wife was cleaning the house. She seemed to take great enjoyment in house chores, especially when Bruno was home.


    Although she had an incredible ability to staypletely out of Bruno''s sight, while she did so. All Bruno knew is that he never saw the woman cleaning, even though the house was always squeaky clean, and she was near enough by for him to simply holler out her, and she would pop her head out instantly willing to hear anything he had to say.


    To borrow a term from his past life. She was a freaking ninja when it came to cleaning. On more than one asion, Bruno got bored and decided to try to find the woman, and yet she somehow managed to dodge every attempt of his to do so.


    Ultimately, he decided to sit down at his table and y chess by himself. That is until lunch time arrived and Heidi came in with a te full of food. The food was one of Bruno''s favorite meals, as far as lunch was concerned. It was a te of currywurst with a side of fries.


    Yes, fries as in French Fries, or Belgian fries, depending on the part of the world you were from, and how you believed they originally came to be, an origin that was disputed well into the 21st century. But one thing was certain, fries had made their way into Germany as early as the 19th century.


    Heidi took her housework very seriously, so much so that the only time Bruno was ever really allowed to cook was if she was sick, or pregnant, or for some other reason incapable of performing the task herself.


    He tried to introduce a few recipes from his past life by cooking himself only to get smacked with a wooden spoon and scolded on how he shouldn''t bother himself with "woman''s work." Because of this, Bruno had pretty much left the job of cooking his meals up to his wife.


    Not that he didn''t enjoy it. Quite frankly, eating the home cooked meal of a woman who loved you, even if she wasn''t a great cook, was one of the few joys in life that a man could wholly appreciate. And Heidi was a very good cook.


    As Bruno ate the food, Heidi couldn''t help butment on his current state of mind. Asking him if everything was alright, as he had been sitting near the window, smoking, drinking, and ying chess with himself for most of the morning.


    "Bruno, dear, is everything alright? You have been staring out the window while ying chess with yourself since you had breakfast..."


    Bruno was just now realizing what time it was, what with the arrival of his wife with a tray of food, and herments on his current activities. And when he realized this, he leaned back in his chair and sighed before assuring her everything was fine.


    "I''m alright, I just... I''m kind of bored... I don''t exactly know what to do with myself right now..."


    Heidi had a pretty good suggestion for Bruno, one which he honestly felt kind of foolish for not thinking about.


    "Well, why don''t you go get some exercise? I mean, I don''t mean to be a bother, but sitting here drinking and smoking all day can''t be good for your health, right?"


    Bruno almost felt like he might be missing a few IQ points for not thinking of this to begin with. Frankly, his life in the office had added a few unnecessary pounds to his body. Especially after living in Saint Petersburg for thest few months conducting anti-gueri operations from a chair.


    It would be nice to begin getting a proper workout routine now that he was in a time of peace. Not only that, but it had been a very long time since he had been on the mats. In his past life, Bruno would entertain himself by training not only in the gym but also in sports like boxing and wrestling.


    In Bruno''s past life, Germany wasn''t exactly a powerhouse ofbat sports. At least not at a professional level. Even at the Olympic level, Germany had really not contributed much to these sports since 1936. It might even be said that the end of the Second World War had pretty much spelled the end for Germany''s prominence inbat sports, like all other martial pursuits.


    And while Germany did win the most medals for wrestling in the 1896 Olympics, it would not really be until the 1920s where Boxing took off in Germany. But perhaps he could begin investing in the creation of boxing gyms, and wrestling gyms.


    After all, the Olympics were still rtively new in the world, but in theing years, the amount of gold medals a nation won was a very prestigious thing on the international stage. And Germany winning the most medals, especially gold medals, could be considered a significant boost in its global presence.


    After thinking about all of this, Bruno was quick to get up where he kissed his wife, while giving her a massive confidence boost before quickly heading out the door. Seemingly forgetting all his previous worries as he did so.


    "Heidi, my love, you''re a genius!"


    After saying this, Bruno ran out the door. Where was he headed? Only he really knew. But in future decades, when the German Empire began dominating the Olympic games in nearly all categories, Bruno would make a speech.


    As for Heidi, though Bruno didn''t realize it, she instantly broke out into a flustered state. Pondering her husband''s words as if they weren''t stated in hyperbole. ''Genius? Me? No, he must be mistaken!''


    In doing he would state that here, and now, in this exact moment, it was his wife''s words that had inspired him to begin taking physical training as a serious issue, not only personally for himself, but for the entirety of the German nation.


    Bruno would spend the next few weeks not only beginning his own physical fitness routine to get back into peak condition. But also drafting ns to establish national training centers for fostering talent for the Olympics. Much in the same way which the Soviet Union of his past life was renowned for.


    Ironically enough, after killing off the founders of the Soviet Union, and basically making it impossible for it to exist in this life. Bruno would go on to implement their one good idea that had actually been of some form of benefit to human society, and make it his own, taking credit for it entirely as he did so.

 Chapter 96: Forceful Adoption

    Chapter 96: Forceful Adoption


    ?


    By now, most of the Iron Division had returned to the German Reich. It had officially disbanded, and Bruno was among thest to enter the fathend as a result of the Tsar''s final rewards for him. However, there were a few who remained behind.


    Primarily those engaging in humanitarian efforts under Heinrich''s lead. Though the war may be officially over, the scars left behind on the Russianndscape and its people would take a long time to heal.


    And Heinrich, in particr, had be a bit too close to the situation. The man was treated as some kind of saint, having gone so far as to build new orphanages with thebor and material aid of the Iron Division.


    He couldn''t just up and leave everything behind without building a proper support structure in ce to rece him and his men once they had left. By the will of the Tsar, these soldiers of the Iron Division were permitted to stay and continue with humanitarian efforts, and humanitarian efforts alone.


    However, after several months of establishing a system to function in his absence, the time eventually came to return home. Heinrich had gathered the orphans together, of whom he had grown close to several of them during his time in Tsaritsyn.


    It was a particrly jarring farewell for the man as his upation of the city, or his support towards that goal hadrgely been spent helping the people, rather than searching for and eliminating remnants of the Red Army within the Volga region.


    Bruno''s campaign in the region had, after all, been pretty damn thorough in this regard. And as Heinrich gazed upon the children who varied in age, but were primarily old enough to work, as Russia had still yet to enact childborws. Something which was quite honest at the bottom of priorities for the State Duma after the war that had just ended and all the problems that came with it.


    There was a bittersweet smile on Heinrich''s face as he officially said goodbye to those who he had spent roughly a year looking after. He kneeled down and hugged as many of the children as possible; while assuring them things would be alright for them, even after he was gone.


    "If it was up to me, I would stay here and help look after you all until you reached adulthood. But I am not Russian, this is not my home. And I have sworn my service to the Kaiser for several more years of my life.


    But not to worry, I have worked hard thesest few months to ensure that everything you all need to survive and thrive in this world has been set up to function wlessly, even with the absence of me and my men.


    I want you all to focus on your studies and to be sessful once you have reached adulthood. You do this for me, okay?"


    The kids all said their farewells to Heinrich and promised to behave themselves for the sake of the orphanage he had established and secured proper funding for. Bruno had quite honestly paid out of his own pocket in this regard. He was, after all, absurdly wealthy with all the investments he had made. Funding a few orphanages was not an issue for the man. And it curried favor with Heinrich, who had grown a little too attached to the children he looked after during his time in Russia.


    There was one familiar face, however, that did not show up to see Heinrich off. And that was perhaps the most troubling part about this. During his time in Russia, he had grown close to many poor and unfortunate children who had lost their parents.


    But no one in particr had always been close to him. It was the little girl he had first saved on the streets that fateful night while he was drunk and looking for some loose woman of a proper age to sleep with. Her name was Alina Zharova, but Heinrich simply called her Alya.


    Alya did not appear here today, no doubt being depressed about his departure and because of this, after saying his farewells, Heinrich could simply sigh and shake his head. Wondering if the girl would really be okay without saying a proper goodbye.


    However, it was once Heinrich arrived at the train station, lighting up a cigarette to cope with his anxiety of leaving things like this, that he felt a familiar tug on the cuff of his sleeve. Followed by a young voice that he would recognize anywhere.


    "Mister.... Care to give me a loaf of bread?"


    Heinrich immediately turned around to see Alya staring at him with a wide smile on her face. She was dressed appropriately for the summer weather, but she had a travel bag sitting behind her. When Heinrich saw this, he was quick to ask her just what she was nning.


    "Alya, what are you doing here? You should be back at the Orphanage? Don''t tell me you are running away now that I''m no longer in charge!"


    Alya immediately crossed her arms and looked away from Heinrich, while opening up one eye to make sure the man was still paying attention to her, before asserting her im, one whichpelled Heinrich to face palm.


    "I''m not going back to the Orphanage! I''ve decided that you''re going to adopt me! I refuse to let you leave Russia without me!"


    Heinrich stared at the adolescent girl as if this was the most shameless thing he had ever witnessed. And judging by her personality, she was going to break out into a tantrum the moment he said no. He tried to exin things reasonably as he could to her because of this.


    "Alya, this isn''t remotely appropriate! There is paperwork involved with adoption, proper procedures that must be had! The orphanage has to sign off on it!"


    Alya simply reached into her travel trunk and handed Heinrich a paper without saying a word, before she began to pout and cross her arms while looking away again. As Heinrich stared in disbelief at the paper, he couldn''t believe that the old hag he had left in charge of the ce would seriously screw him over like this.


    The paper was a signed document showing that from the orphanage''s perspective, every matter had been taken care of, ensuring Heinrich adopted the girl. All he needed to do was sign it, and it was legal as far as the Russian Empire was concerned.


    As for the German Reich, well, it wouldn''t be difficult to get immigration papers approved for the girl, considering Heinrich''s connections to the Government. But... There was still the matter of proper amodations, and the fact that Heinrich was a young bachelor who had no intentions of getting married, let alone looking after children.


    He was quick to stare at the girl inplete and total shock as he brought up the next point of contention he had about this.


    "Even if the Orphanage signs off, the Reich''s immigration department has to sign off as well, and then there''s the matter of amodations. I''m a single man. I live alone in the freaking barracks! I can''t just bring a thirteen-year-old girl onto base! And then there''s the matter of what exactly you are going to do the next time they send me to some foreign battlefield! Have you even thought any of this through!?!"


    Alya continued to pout and look away with her arms crossed. She said one single thing before getting on the train with her trunk. Leaving Heinrich absolutely speechless as she did so.


    "Not my problem. That is your job to figure out! Papa..."


    Heinrich stood there, having a sudden urge to drink an entire bottle of vodka by himself. What the hell was he going to do now? One thing was certain, he would need the help of his family and friends to look after this kid now that he had no other option.


    Even so, there was not the slightest regret that the man had for how he conducted himself in Russia. Ultimately, he snapped out of his daze as the train began to depart, barely getting on board and sitting down next to Alya, who was smiling happily after aplishing her goal. As for Heinrich, he would spend the rest of the journey home to the fathend wondering what the hell he was going to do now? One thing was certain: Heinrich''s days of being a degenerate yboy had finallye to an end. And not in the way he ever expected them to.

 Chapter 97: Cross of the Iron Division

    Chapter 97: Cross of the Iron Division


    ?


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The time eventually came for the German Reich to reward its soldiers who had participated in the Russian Civil War. In the streets of Berlin, a wide celebration was being had. Specifically, a military parade. It was not, however, a parade for the actual German Army, but for the roughly 25,000 German Soldiers who had gone off and volunteered to put down the Red Menace.


    This event had several major purposes in mind. One was, of course, to show appreciation to the men who had boldly taken up arms against the enemy of all of humanity. But two was to gain support for the Right-Wing within German politics of the era.


    Frankly speaking the left-wing political parties had been in a state of disaster since all forms of Marxist thought were basically ouwed within the Imperial Powers of Europe, and at the same time parties which represented such beliefs were disbanded, with their leading members jailed under political extremistws enacted in response to the Bolshevik Revolution.


    Incitement to revolution, and treason were generally added charges to these politicians. In the end, the Social Democrats who were a heavily Marxist party, and one which Bruno personally held responsible for both the fall of the German Reich, and the pitiful state of the German Nation during the Weimar Republic and the 21st Century that Bruno had ultimately died in as a result of its suicidal immigration policies.


    If he was Chancellor, he would round up every social democrat and have them shot in the street. But because they had wisely distanced their "official stance" away from Socialism and Communism. They had survived to some extent, albeit heavily persecuted.


    But Bruno was not Chancellor, and instead at the moment he was focused on his military career rather than any form of political notions. Hence, he stood in uniform, or more specifically, the uniform of the Iron Brigade as he and his men marched through the streets of Berlin as if they were heroes returning from a great conquest.


    Eventually the entire division, or more specifically its members who had survived the war stood in formation outside a venue built specifically for the Kaiser to reward those officers who had personally led the Iron Division and its many units over the course of the year and a half duration of the war.


    As for the NCOs and enlisted personnel, they would receive their medals in the mail within theing months. The Kaiser, of course, had a grand speech prepared for the asion. He was dressed in a heavily embellished uniform belonging to the cavalry of the German Army as he began to recite the words he had thought of in advance for today''s celebration.


    "Standing before me are the brave men of the German Reich who volunteered of their own volition to fight against an enemy, not just to the Russian people and their Tsar, but to the entirety of Europe and our way of life.


    In fact, I think it would be fair to adequately describe the red menace, those devils who adhere to the teachings of Karl Marx as an enemy of all humanity. No matter what they may im themselves to be, Marxist, Communist, Bolshevik, or even Socialist, after the crimes we witnessed themmit in Russia, and in France I can say that it is the greatest honor of any man in this world, especially men of conscience to go out and confront this evil wherever it may reveal itself.


    Because of the heroic actions taken by the men we all celebrate today, and those souls who made the ultimate sacrifice for humanity, I, Kaiser Wilhelm von Hohenzollern, first of my name, hereby decree the award of the Cross of the Iron Division to every man who took up arms tobat the evils of Marxism!


    And for those of you here in our ranks who adhere to this inherently anti-German philosophy. Know this: there is no ce for you and your ilk in the German Reich! And there never will be! Glory to God, Kaiser, and Fathend!"


    Bruno along with every member of his unit, which was now officially disbanded, and solely dressed in their unique uniforms and gathered together onest time for the sake of this ceremony immediately raised their right hands to a salute to the Kaiser while repeated thest few words he had spoken to him.


    "For God, Kaiser, and Fathend!"


    The majority of the crowd cheered as the Kaiser called upon the leader and founder of the Iron Division to step forward and receive the first medal to be given to his unit. All the while, the small minority of those gathered who were Social Democrats eyed one another cautiously.


    They were socialists by nature and were one of the first major Marxist parties in the world. Though they were forced to assert otherwise, they were already walking on thin ice. And the Kaisers'' words were directed towards them.


    No doubt theing years would be rough for their political party, as bullying, harassment, and even violence towards their members would be normalized and epted. As for Bruno, he stepped forward after being called upon by the Kaiser, and stood proudly in front of the man, saluting him as the Kaiser pinned the first cross of the Iron Division to the man''s chest.


    The Kaiser quickly shook Bruno''s hand after doing so and leaned in to whisper to the man. "Your rmendations for the establishment of national institutions for sport performance have been greatly received by the members of the Reichstag and the Bundesrat. Once approved intow, we will have the first of them up and running within the year.


    I must say, I''m surprised that you have a mind for matters other than war. Have you ever thought about pursuing a career in politics? Your father has been a very close member of my inner circle for years now, but I am convinced that you might one day excel well beyond his means. What do you think?"


    Bruno chuckled while shaking the Kaiser''s hand before whispering back to him his thanks. As well as his response.


    "For the time being, my ce is on the battlefield, fighting his majesty''s enemies. Maybe one day I shall pursue a career in politics, but it will be long after I have won the war that is toe... In this regard, your Majesty might wish to invest in creating an organization like the Tsar''s Okhrana.


    They proved exceptionally useful in the war, especially when those rats turned to gueri tactics. After all, not every enemy is to be fought abroad. There are those here in the German Reich who would continue the efforts of Lenin and his band of murderous thieves here on our own soil if given the chance.


    And during a time of war, defeat is often the result of being stabbed in the back by the enemies within a nation, rather than military defeat by those abroad. You are, of course, free to reject my advice, but you would do well to remember my words..."


    After saying this, Bruno''s expression became far more excitable as he waved to the crowd along with the Kaiser, who quickly took Bruno''s rmendation to heart. Afterward, he would pin medals to the chest of Bruno''s officers. Such as Ludwig, Kurt, Heinrich, Erich, and all others who served beneath him during their participation in the Russian Civil War.


    The Parade wouldst for some time and would have a full-scale celebration in the city of Berlin with beer and pretzels provided for the people to enjoy. Photos were taken of the event and spread in the news not only across the German Reich but also to all of Europe as well. With this, the Iron Division had made itsst appearance in the world. Its volunteers would go on to continue their military careers. Many of them would serve in the uing Great War as NCOS and officers. And to great effect at that, as they had gained valuable experience in the Trenches outside Saint Petersburg and Tsaritsyn.


    As For the German Strategy to deal with the potential outbreak of a Major War between the European Powers. Bruno would begin devising this strategy in theing days while returning to active service within the Central Division of German High Command. Meanwhile, the Kaiser of the German Reich would begin holding conferences between the Central Powers as they currently existed, and would even extend invitations to the Russian Tsar, specifically in regard to mending the difference between him and Kaiser Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.


    The Kaiser would also take up Bruno''s suggestion and begin forming his own secret police, simr to the Okhrana and other organizations like it that popped up throughout history. Such as the infamous Gestapo and Stasi that had existed in Bruno''s past life.


    Either way, Bruno''s suggestions had made it certain that Germany would not be stabbed in the back during this timeline when the time for the Great War finally arrived.

 Chapter 98: Rejecting the Schlieffen Plan

    Chapter 98: Rejecting the Schlieffen n


    ?


    The world was changing, and rapidly at that. There was no denying this any longer. The future of the battlefield was uncertain. And with theunch of the HMS dreadnought, the Naval Arms race between the German Reich and the British Empire had entered a new phase.


    Meanwhile, Bruno was meeting with the leaders of the German Army. The Schlieffen n was first proposed during the year Bruno was active in the Russian Civil War. But once the war was over, and the Russian Empire was on friendlier terms with the German Reich than it had ever been before, the n suddenly seemed nonsensical.


    Was war with Russia and France truly certain at this point? I mean, Bruno had thrown a wrench in the ns to gain Russia''s allegiance to the Dual Entente currently enacted between France and Britain. In addition to this, the Kaiser had leaked the evidence that France was actually behind the attack on Bruno''s life that happened on Russian Soil.


    Now that the Bolsheviks had been thoroughly purged from this world, the time to reveal the real culprits who had tried to make an attempt on Bruno''s life was now. When the Tsar read this, he was outraged. France had attempted to undermine his sovereignty and attack a foreign general in his employ on Russian soil, no less!


    It was simply outrageous to think of! This was naturally something that served only to worsen rtions between the two powers. Especially after German Intelligence also revealed France''s initial ns to army and supply the Bolshevik Revolution in an attempt to overthrow the Tsar and rece it with a nation that the French Republic found more favorable than an autocratic monarchy.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Diplomatically, Russia was shifting back towards Germany and Austro-Hungary rather than Britain and France. And it was all thanks to Bruno''s efforts. Because of this, though he wasn''t a Field Marshal of the German Army, his input in the future ns for how to deal with the French were requested at the meeting.


    Bruno looked at the map of Europe and the figures on it. He, of course, was deeply familiar with the strategy and was quick to make a remark, changing the perspective of everyone in the room as he did so.


    "Assuming war with Russia is unavoidable, I would wager it would be better to build a defensive border of significant stature on the Western Front capable of bleeding the French Army dry while thebined might of the German and Austro-Hungarian armies focus on the eastern front.


    The sooner we force one side to capitte, the better. And believe it or not, Russia would be easier to subdue. However, with the current progress of the global stage, it is bing far more likely that Russia with either side with us or stay out of the conflict altogether.


    Either way, the damage that has been done to the rtions between the Tsar and the French is irreparable at this point. Nichs is an incredibly petty and vain man. The attack against his sovereignty by daring to conduct an extrajudicial killing of a man in his service on his soil was enough to permanently soil any attempts the French have made to curry with him.


    But further providing evidence of Frenchmunications with the Bolsheviks, promising them war aid in order to depose the Tsar and the House of Romanov has almost certainly made an enemy out of Russia. Especially now that the Bolsheviks have been sent to hell where they belong.


    From where I stand, it is more likely that Russia will join us, and Italy will betray us, joining the French instead. As for the n, Generalfeldmarschall von Schlieffen has proposed no offense, but crossing through Beglium in order to take Paris as quickly as possible will only provoke a British response.


    If Britainnds troops in France, the war will have the potential to stagnate entirely. It is thus my suggestion that rather than fight an offensive war with the French, and potentially the British and Italians as well. We fight a defensive war.


    Say we build a massive fortification across our borders with France, Belgium, and the Nethends, along with a Costal wall to the North Sea with defenses armed against any potential Naval threat, then we could theoretically hold the line at our borders, causing the enemy to send millions of their men into a ughter."


    The German Field Marshals were in a state of deep contemtion for several moments before von Mackensen finally posed a question.


    "Exactly what would these fortifications look like?"


    Bruno''s lips curled into a wicked sneer as he responded to this question by pulling out sheets of paper which consisted of designs for what he liked to refer to as a "maginot line on steroids." Along with a secondary set of designs for a project simr to the Antic wall that Germany had made during the Second World War of his past life. Albeit on a much smaller scale.


    The designs were sufficient to counter infantry, cavalry, armored vehicles, and military aviation alike. And Bruno was naturally in the process of designing the weapons that could be used. Considering that the German Army had manufactured thousands of water-cooled machine guns over the course of thest few years, he intended for these to be used as static emcements within the fortifications.


    After all, there was no better machine gun for this purpose that existed. Whereas the more modern MG-34s, or MG-05s as they were known in this life, would be used for mobile units, and not those designed with the intent to be garrisoned at the wall.


    The defensive fortifications Bruno designed not only included structures simr to the maginot line, including a subterranean railway for logistical support. But it also included a minefield embedded in the vast no-man''snd required to cross if one even wanted to assault the fortifications.


    Whatnd mines had Bruno selected for this purpose? Well, the legendary S-Mine, of course. The S-Mine was andmine developed by for the Wehrmacht during the interwar era of Bruno''s past life. The Americans rather lovingly referred to it as the "bouncing betty." This mine was unique insofar as once triggered, a secondary explosive would propel it into the air before being detonated at waist length, ensuring maximum carnage and lethality. Considering the intent was to hold the border with France and bleed them dry of their men. While concluding other areas of war first, like in Italy. Mining the no-man''snd was an obvious choice to inflict maximum casualties on the enemy.


    And once the time came to actually advance into Paris and im the victory had arrived, the introduction of minesweeping vehicles could easily be used to clear the entire field. A mine il could easily be attached to the tanks Bruno had designed, clearing the path for infantry to move through without fear of detonating their ownndmines.


    Still, there were those who were skeptical about Bruno''s ims. Would fighting a defensive war with France and Britain to ensure a victory against Italy first in the South really be worth the effort? Also, why was Bruno so certain that Italy would turn against them? They were currently in an alliance after all, while Russia was not?


    Ultimately, the time was not right to introduce this strategy. As there were too many unknown factors in how things would proceed in the future. But proper proposals were drafted and stored forter potential use. Assuming Bruno''s predictions came true, and Russia sided with their alliance. While Italy turned against them.


    As for Bruno, once his contributions were given to the meeting, he was dismissed. He went back to do the rest of his daily work before ultimately returning home for the night. Where he was surprised to see that he had visitors, two to be exact. And it was definitely not within Bruno''s expectations, to say the least.

 Chapter 99: The Godfather

    Chapter 99: The Godfather


    ?


    Not long after Bruno returned home, stripped out of his uniform, took a bath, and emerged fully clothed in far morefortable attire to share a meal with his family, he received a knock on his door.


    Considering he was just about to eat his wife''s amazing home cooking; Bruno was actually quite pissed off and opened the door with a scowl on his face. Only to be surprised when he saw his friend Heinrich standing in the doorway with a young girl, no older than thirteen, standing behind him rather anxiously.


    Bruno looked at the man for one second and looked down at the girl, only to look back at the man. He was about to say something when Heinrich pleaded with Bruno to let him into his house.


    "I know it isn''t exactly courteous of me to show up sote in the evening unannounced, but Bruno, I desperately need your help here. Can you please invite me in so we can talk about it?" Bruno continued to stare at his friend with a disgusted and usatory gaze. Something that only made the man even more nervous. It was not until Heidi popped her head out from the kitchen, asking who was at the door, when Bruno finally spoke.


    "I always knew you were a degenerate yboy, but Heinrich, for God''s sake, she''s a child! Heidi, call the police!"


    Heidi instantly knowing that her husband was ying a prank on his friend, instantly nodded her head with a stern gaze, seemingly shooting daggers at Heinrich with her eyes as she grabbed hold of the nearby phone and began to fake dial a number.


    "Right away, dear. Hello operator, connect me with the police. I need to report a crime!"


    Seeing how he was about to end up in an enormous misunderstanding, Heinrich frantically grabbed hold of Bruno''s shoulders, who continued to look at him with disgust and practically cried as he tried to exin the awkward situation he was forced into.


    "It''s not like that, I swear to God! Bruno, please hear me out! Adopted! She''s adopted! I need some parenting advice, that''s all!"


    Bruno gazed upon Heinrich with a mixture of disgust, but also an expression that said he didn''t believe him, even while questioning the man straight to his face.


    "Really? You expect me to believe that you adopted this little girl out of the kindness of your heart, all while having no other ulterior motives?"


    Heinrich fell to his knees, practically begging Bruno to believe him as he shouted at the man for daring to use him of such filth.


    "Bruno, you know me! Sure, I may be friendly with thedies, but only women of a proper age! I would never harm a little girl like Alya, let alone my own adopted daughter. For the love of God, we have been friends for so many years, and you still believe I am capable of such things?"


    Heidi continued to y her role in the background, further adding to Heinrich''s anxiety as she did so.


    "Hello Officer, yes, there is an old pervert who has arrived at my home with a little girl by his side. I think he ns to do indecent things to her. Pleasee apprehend this criminal quickly!"


    Upon hearing Heidi say such things, Heinrich fell to the floor, looking as pale as a ghost, as if his life was officially over. As for Alya, she began to panic as well after just now fully realizing the implications of being cast at her adoptive father. Because of this, she was quick to defend him in a way that only made things worse for the man.


    "Papa has never done anything so indecent towards me! I even offered to give my body to him, but he refused to do so!"


    Bruno and Heidi had just been ying around with Heinrich up until this point, but the moment they heard this statemente from the mouth of the adolescent girl, they genuinely spit out poison to the man with the married couple speaking the same exact words at the same time.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Die, pervert!"


    Heinrich doesn''t really remember what happened after that as he entered a state of mental anguish, only fullying back to reality after the situation had been resolved and the misunderstandings had been cleared.


    Truthfully, Heinrich did not know why he and Alya were on their knees in front of Bruno, who sat on a sofa while his wife clungfortably to him in hisp. But when the married couple broke out into a fit ofughter, it was only then that Heinrich understood his best friend had just had a bit of fun at his expense.


    The only cost was significant emotional trauma and mental turmoil. Instantly causing Heinrich to be outraged as he exined things clearly to his newly adopted daughter, who still held her head low, as if she had done some kind of wrong.


    "Are you freaking kidding me? Why? Why would you pretend like I''m some kind of pervert like that? You even faked a phone call to the police? What have I ever done to deserve such treatment?"


    Bruno, however, was stillughing as he told his friend to calm down, even though he was rightfully pissed over what had just happened to him, and unnecessarily so.


    "Oh, rx Heinrich, it was just a joke, please you may be a degenerate womanizer, but I have faith that at the very least you have some degree of morality. I mean, if you really had used my resources to look after those kids with such horrific hidden intentions, I would seriously have to consider joining you in the grave as penance for funding such atrocities.


    Heidi, it would appear we have two guests. Unannounced as they are, it would be impolite of us as hosts not to provide some proper hospitality. Is there enough food to provide two more tes for dinner?"


    Was there enough food to provide two more tes for dinner? That was a question that they both knew the answer to. Heidi loved cooking for her family, and always made more than they needed. Any leftovers they had were eaten the next day before they could be spoiled or were given out to the local orphanage if they still had too much leftover to consume.


    Bruno had, after all, bought a refrigerator for this purpose. Expensive as they were, he hated disposing of food on a deeply moral level. Any food his wife cooked would not go to waste. Because of this, they had more than enough food to serve a few extra guests.


    And Heidi was quick to prepare the tes for them as Bruno led his friend into the kitchen to join him and his family for a meal. It was only then that Heinrich realized, as Bruno sat lovingly with his family and shared a beer together with him, that perhaps living the life of a bachelor for so many years was a significant error on his part.


    The two of them would have a long conversation about parenting, with Heidi chiming in on her experience in that regard. And though Heinrich didn''t realize it, Heidi had voluntarily solved his biggest concern with suddenly being forced to look after Alya as her father.


    She volunteered to let the girl stay with them whenever he was deployed. Promising to take care of her as if she were one of her own daughters until he could return, much in the same way Bruno''s mother had done for her while she was growing up during her stays at the von Zehntner Estate.


    And though Bruno did not know it yet, he would soon be the Godfather to Heinrich''s adopted daughter. A role he would fulfill to the best of his ability. After all, he was a man who had died all alone in his past life, and in this new life, family was more important to him than


    anything.

 Chapter 100: Reformation of the Prussian Secret Police

    Chapter 100: Reformation of the Prussian Secret Police


    ?


    After being recalled from Belgorod, Erich returned to Berlin to his post in the area. Like many of the men who had taken part in the Russian Civil War, he was changed by the conflict. Mukden was the start of the man''s declining mental state, but Saint Petersburg and Tsaritsyn had fully cemented his state as a cold, sadistic psychopath.


    The only thing stopping the man from acting out of turn was his fear of Bruno and what the man would do to him if he did something to smear his name, and reputation, or God forbid, ruin his future ns.


    Bruno, unlike Erich, was a deeply cunning and scheming figure. Erich had known this for a very long time, but Bruno seemed to have a very good understanding of future events and was preparing for them even as they changed in real time.


    And while Erich was a capable fieldmander in his own right, and givenmand overran the entire army as a general, could prove to be exceptional in that regard. Was still ultimately limited to the battlefield.


    Building an Empire or maintaining an Empire''s position in history when it was doomed toe crashing down. That was something he was not remotely capable of. And because of this, he simply followed Bruno''s orders.


    But civilian life was dreadfully boring to the man who had gotten ustomed to killing people for any number of conjured reasons he coulde up with. The Reich was in a state of peace, and because of this, he could not actively go out and hunt down enemies of the State.


    And hence, the man often found himself in taverns, pubs, and bars, wasting away his nights with a liter of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It was perhaps because of this habit that he was quickly approached by a mysterious organization.


    A man sat down at the bar next to Erich on the night that Heinrich and Alya were eating at Bruno''s home. The man did not identify himself, nor did Erich recognize him in any capacity. And yet when he spoke, he spoke as if he already knew everything about Erich, especially what he had done in Belgorod.


    "You have very powerful friends, you know that? Had I been in your ce in Russia, I would have most certainly been handed over to the Okhrana for them to deal with as they please. It is truly a pleasure to meet the Terror of Belgorod..."


    Being approached under such shady circumstances by a mysterious stranger who seemed to know everything about him and what he did, even though Bruno had swept it under the rug. Had Erich been armed, he would have reached for his gun.


    But since he wasn''t, he simply eyed the man cautiously while taking a drink from his mug. After which he was quick toment on the man''s statement.


    "You seem to know exactly who I am and what I have done. But for the life of me, I can''t remember ever having met you in my life. And I assure you, I am not nearly drunk enough for the alcohol to begin affecting my memories. So, who are you and what do you want from me? I assure you if you try to ckmail me into doing something I do not desire, it will not end well for you..."


    The man who approached Erich also seemed to have a screw loose as he responded to Erich''s threat with visible excitement. Feigning the shakes as he responded to the man most enthusiastically.


    "Ooh, the chills I just had now as you threatened me! Believe it or not, I have no doubt you are fully capable of living up to your words, Major von Humboldt. However... I''m not an enemy. Rather, I am a friend, a representative of the crown, actually. The Kaiser is putting together a new organization. The working title is the Ministry for State Security, or Stasi for short. Anyway, our job is basically the same as that of the Okhrana, and the Kaiser wants you to lead us as we hunt down enemies of the state and dispose of them in ways that never reach the eyes and ears of the public. You have, after all, earned a certain reputation in this regard, now, haven''t you?


    So, what do you say? Care to join our ranks? You would be more than wee to do so. We are all very eager to follow yourmands!"


    Erich did not immediately respond, instead he drank the rest of his liter of beer before handing over his payment for the drink. After which he stood up and turned off the barstool. Only when he was about to walk away did he respond to the man.


    "Assuming you are who you say you are, then I have no reason to reject your offer. I was growing bored with this peaceful civilian life, anyway."


    After saying this, Erich walked off, leaving the man who was supposedly a member of the Kaiser''s newly reformed secret police with a satisfied expression on his face. While the Kingdom of Prussia had its own Secret Police it operated solely within the jurisdiction of Prussia.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    With Bruno''s suggestion, the Kaiser quickly began to reform it as a national institution of the Empire. With the goal of expanding its operations across the entirety of the German Reich and its colonies. If the German g was waving in some part of the world, the agents of the Stasi would be there to monitor the local poption for any dissident views or revolutionary plots.


    Erich would officially be transferred out of the German Army the next day, and into the newly formed Ministry for State Security. An organization that didn''t exist in any official capacity and was totally off the books.


    Bruno woulde to learn of the reason for Erich''s transfer from the Army sometimeter. While he wouldn''t necessarily approve of it, he also understood that with Erich''s current temperament, it was indeed a far better position for him to hold.

 Chapter 101: Further Developments to Naval Warfare

    Chapter 101: Further Developments to Naval Warfare


    ?


    A new era of peace meant that Bruno had more time to n for the war effort. His first shipyard was up and running and was beginning to work on the blueprints he had previously designed for the type XXI U-boats.


    Quite frankly, the means to manufacture all theponents of the Type XXI Submarine, or the improved variation of it which Bruno designed, already existed in the era. Diesel Engines were invented as far back as 1893. While Electric motor-generators were designed first in 1831. As for alkaline batteries, they were a recent invention having been first created in 1899.


    As for the Hull itself, it was actually easier to manufacture than, say, the recentlyunched SM U-1U-Boat by the German Navy. And the reason being is that unlike U-boats of the current era, the Type XXI was manufactured quickly via prefabricated sections welded together. Were improvements needed to be made to the Diesel Engine, Electric Motor-Generators, and the Batteries necessary to sustain days'' worth of submersion? Of course, and no doubt, it would take several years to work all of these things out.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But with Bruno giving his naval engineers and enormous head start with some basic rough drafts of how these things should reasonably function. He had no doubt that by 1914, his submarines would be concluded and manufactured in sufficient numbers to aid the war effort.


    And while submarines, especially those that were virtually undetectable by the means of the era, were certainly a valuable weapon in war. There was another ssification of warships that was woefully underdeveloped in the early 1900s.


    They wouldter go on to serve in very important roles such as in terms of anti-submarine warfare minying, anti-air screening for capital ss ships, and of course as escorts to protect maritime trade.


    I''m talking, of course, about the Destroyer ss of warship. Destroyers of WW2 were far more limited to their modern versions which were capable ofunching anti air, anti-ship, and cruise missiles. Rather from the 1900s to the 1940s, they were primarily equipped with torpedoes, forwardunching ASW weapons, depth charges, k guns, and dual-purpose


    cannons.


    The biggest obstacle in the creation of both the U-Boats and the Destroyers that Bruno had in mind would be the fire control systems which they both made use of. In 1905 warships of all kinds made use of manual fire weapons, and line of site detection, with only the most advanced warships beginning to make use of things like telescopic sights for longer range detection.


    Inventing an advanced fire control system for his destroyers, those used during the Second World War, was easier said than done. For example, fire control systems used during the era wererge, heavy, multifaceted designs.


    Such vessels utilized electromechanical analogputers for this purpose. And while significantly more advanced than the ones currently employed, it was not as if the concept, or even the technology, currently did not exist.


    For example, the first electromechanical analogputer was designed in 1902 by a lieutenant in the British Navy for the purpose of fire control management. It was known as the Dumaresq, and while extremely primitive whenpared to those used by the Navies during the Second World War in Bruno''s past life, it was still somewhat capable of performing the role it was given.


    It was because of this that Bruno believed his ns were indeed feasible. Hell, if he really wanted to, he could go so far as to create first generationputers for this purpose. As triodes would be inventedter this year, in 1906.


    But Bruno did not want to go that far. And though it would most certainly be a challenge for his goals, he wanted to implement ships that could thoroughly protect German merchant vessels, and, of course, support submarines in their efforts to interdict and destroy allied shipping.


    Thus, he spent several weeks drafting blueprints that would roughly put his engineers on the right track. The German Destroyer Z51 was the first and only ship in its ss. Known as the Type 1942 ss Destroyer, the design made use of a diesel engine, rather than a fuel engine, or steam turbine in order to give it superior range and more ready ess to refueling whenpared to its early counterparts.


    Like the Type XXI U-boat, it entered the war far toote to make a difference. But was exceptional nheless in its overall design. While having an impressive max speed of 36 knots, its cruising speed was far more normal for the Era it was built for, with it being 19 knots.


    Even so, that was well beyond the capabilities of warships of its size in this current era. Meaning it had a significant speed advantage over the enemy vessels it would be facing in theing years. In addition to this, it was future proof insofar as having advanced fire control systems, anti-aircraft weaponry, anti-submarine weaponry, mines, and 2x triple torpedo tubes capable of carrying a grand total of 18 53.3cm/21in torpedoes.


    It would also have radar capabilities well beyond that of its adversaries, and made use of 4x 12.7cm(5 inch) quick firing dual-purpose guns. Meaning they were capable of targeting other ships, or aircraft.


    In addition to this it also had substantial anti-air armaments, though not truly necessary for the era, would prove useful should the ships be retrofitted and continue to see service in the Second World War, which Bruno was damn near certain would happen in this life even with a Central Powers victory during the Great War that preceded it.


    After spending his free time in this era of peace developing these weapons, and sending them to his factories so that his naval engineers could properly expand upon them. Bruno decided that he had done enough for the German Navy. After all, he had no realmand over the forces at sea, and whether they seeded in this regard had little to do with his actual input. However, he had been given an opportunity to meet with a man who would be responsible for a major fault of the German Reich should Bruno not interfere with his ns, and because of this, Bruno was quick to set up a time and date to meet with the legendary Admiral.


    After all, he had extended his invitation while Bruno was away during his involvement in the Russian Civil War, and now that he was home, it was time to properly make use of this invitation. Especially now that Bruno had helped design superior submarines and destroyers for use in the uing war.


    And Bruno would be rather insistent on this meaning, even if there was a possibility that the man in question had said it in passing to save face. There was simply no way Bruno would not establish ties with the admiralty.


    Because of this, Admiral Henning von Holtzendorff was not entirely surprised that the young General of the German Army had reached out to him. With the man smoking a cigar in thefort of his own manor while receiving the call.


    He quickly picked up the phone and immediately acted friendly to Bruno, suspecting he knew the reason for the man''s call.


    "General, I must say, I have been waiting for your call ever since you first returned from Russia. I am d to see you havee home safe and sound. So, to what do I owe the


    pleasure?"


    Bruno was on the other end of the line. The two men separated by quite a distance could not be any different from one another. Bruno was sitting in his rustic office in his rather vintage


    Fachwerk manor.


    He was dressed in a workingman''s tunic and trousers, with suspenders and an open cor, while smoking a cigarette in one hand while drinking from a liter full of the cheapest beer


    money could buy in the Reich.


    Meanwhile, the German Admiral was sitting in a rather luxurious pce like estate, wearing a luxurious three piece suit, smoking a cigar imported from abroad, with a ss of the full of the finest French cognac. Which he swirled in between sips, smelling its fumes before taking the slightest drink one could manage.


    Even so, these men both held significant power and influence in the Reich despite their vast difference in background and age. And because of this, Bruno treated the man with the utmost respect as he asked if the offer to visit his home was still on the table.


    "Admiral, I thank you for the kind words, and I would also like to ask if the invitation you so graciously presented to me while I was away at war is still open? I do have many things I think you would like to hear about, especially in regarding to future.


    I may not have a mind best suited to maritime matters, but even so, I believe my ample experience in the field could give you some insight that might even gain you the status of


    Grand Admiral that you so crave.


    Admiral von Holtzendorff would one day be thest Grand Admiral of the Imperial German Navy, one of only six by the time the War Came to an end. But he would only gain such renowned status during the Great War, and for the time being, it eluded him. Knowing that Bruno was heralded by the Kaiser as a genius seldom seen throughout history,


    and not just in the affairs that an officer of an army would know. Admiral von Holtzendorff was more than willing to entertain the man and his potential theories on naval warfare. Especially if Bruno''s ideas really could gain him the credit needed to finally be a Grand


    Admiral.


    Hence why Admiral von Holtzendorff was more than willing to keep the offer he had previously given in passing open. Especially after Bruno had gained both the Kaiser''s and the Tsar''s favor throughout his brief but exceptional military career.


    "My door is always open to you, General von Zehntner. Just name a time when you and your family are capable, and I will dly host you for the evening!"


    With this Bruno had seeded in not only implemented two critical designs to the future


    sess of the German Navy, but had also established ties to the German Admiralty, and specifically the man whose reckless style of naval warfare would eventually lead to the United States joining the war on behalf of the Entente. Something Bruno wished to avoid in this timeline, if at all possible.

 Chapter 102: Wolfpack

    Chapter 102: Wolfpack


    ?


    After his phone call with the German Admiral, Bruno approached Heidi and told the woman the good news. She, like Bruno, had a moremon and modest sense of fashion. Though they were technically noblemen, both in Germany and now Russia, as Bruno had gained hereditary nobility in the Russian Empire after his exceptional performance on the battlefield.


    Neither of them really acted that way. Their wealth was exceptional, but they lived like the working ss. There were no servants in Bruno''s home, his children were raised to do daily chores like any other middle-ss family, and his wife did the lion''s share of the cooking and cleaning around the house.


    Compared to the extravagant way which Bruno had grown up in this life, this was a far morefortable way to live out his days, and Heidi had never onceined about not living in a grand estate like Bruno had grown up in. Or for that matter, like she had.


    Perhaps it was because she had traumatic memories of being alone in arge house, one in which she seldom had interaction with anyone within, that Heidi preferred a much smaller, and more cozy home environment like the one she had.


    However, despite the fact that they lived a morefortable and down-to-earth life, that did not mean that Bruno and his family did not have attire to attend morevish noble gatherings, nor that they werecking in the refined manners that the upper ss of German society was so well renowned for.


    And because of this, Bruno and his family gathered on the appointed day outside the Admirals'' home dressed in their mostvish attire. Heidi had been quite stern with her children, making them know that this was not an asion for them to act out on, and because of that, the children were both silent and docile.


    After all, the Admiral was much older than Bruno and Heidi were, and his children were by now adults, perhaps even older than the young couple. Hence, there would really be no children the same age as theirs for Eva, Erwin, and Elsa to interact with.


    Bruno and his family were weed into the home by the servant staff, where he found the man who owned the spectacr estate waiting for him personally in his study. The servants were busy preparing the meal for the night, and thus, Heidi was left to look after the kids, along with the Admiral''s wife, while the two men engaged in more important business. Once inside the thick walls of the Admirals'' office, Bruno was offered a seat in front of the man, one he was quick to ept as they quickly got down to business over some drinks. The Admiral had preference for fine French cognac, something Bruno truly did not care for himself.


    It was, after all, a distilled wine, and Bruno was not exactly a fan of wine in general. Nevertheless, it was what the Admiral offered, and it would be rude to refuse. Thus, he drank it. After all, he could stomach any alcohol, if need be, even if it was not his preference to drink.


    Once the two had a ss of cognac in their hands, and a cigar in the other, the Admiral finally began to speak.


    "I have heard great things about you, young man. Great things from some very important people, no less. The General Staff of the German Army speaks of you as if you are the seconding of Napoleon. While the Kaiser treats you more like you are, Alexander reborn.


    Your opinion is highly valued among those in the Army. Especially those at the top of its hierarchy. And I can see why. You are what? Twenty-Five? Twenty-six? And yet you already hold the esteemed rank of General der Infanterie. One more major campaign, and you will be a Generaloberst. At your age, that is simply unprecedented.


    At this rate it will be no less than ten years before you are a Generalfeldmarschall. And when that happens, I fear that our enemies will not know what they are dealing with before it is far toote for them.


    Even so... While you may have an exceptional ability tomand the men beneath you onnd. Naval Warfare is an entirely different beast. So, I am curious what an Army General like yourself thinks is such a grand idea of Naval Warfare that an established admiral like myself would instantly bite at the chance to make use of it."


    Bruno was naturally aware that the man would be skeptical of his ims. It was not exactlymon for a man to be both adept at Land based and Naval Warfare. And once air power came into y, it would be even rarer for a man to be exceptional in all three aspects of warfare.


    But Bruno was not cut from the same cloth as most men. In fact, there were few men in history who could match his mastery of warfare. Whether that be bynd, air, or sea. It was, after all, a pursuit he was obsessed with in his past life and spent an exemry amount of time studying during his youth in this life.


    Because of this, when he introduced the concept of wolfpack tactics to the Naval Officer, he was surprised to say the least. Wolfpack tactics would be exceptionally capable of dealing with hostile maritime trade, no doubt.


    Especially when they began to counter lone wolf submarine attacks by travelling in convoys. Which itself would be a tactic that would appear during the uing Great War. However, despite this, the attempts to deal with these trade convoys via wolfpack tactics would not seed until the Second World War.


    Despite this, Bruno had devised wolfpack tactics to deal with enemy fleets as well, making some minor adjustments. After all, if his improved variants of the Type XXI Submarine were mass produced and employed during the war, even the naval warships would not be able to easily detect them.


    Allowing them to gather beneath the enemy fleets in critical battles like Jund and obliterate them with surprise and sudden torpedo attacks. Bruno, of course, exined why his submarines would be capable of such tactics against naval ships, while others of the Era would not be.


    Citing multiple times how advanced his submarines and destroyers would be when they were finally capable of being mass produced. After all, U-Boats and destroyers were far easier and quicker to build than cruisers and battleships.


    For example, by the end of the Great War Germany had built 334 U-Boats of varying sses in their employ, and another 226 under construction, that were ultimately scrapped as a result of the Treaty of Versailles and its specific prohibition against Germany from manufacturingn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    submarines.


    Granted, many of these U-boats were lost during the war, and Germany at the time really only had a maximum of about 60 at sea during a single time. But that was not an issue for Bruno''s U-boats, which could evade detection and quickly abscond afterunching their surprise


    attack against the enemy.


    Pursuing and destroying a Type XXI would have been extremely difficult had they been employed inbat during 1944 when the few of them that ever existed were manufactured. Let alone in 1914 at the start of the Great War.


    The fact of the matter was Bruno had single-handedly revolutionized the use of two types of naval vessels and their use in warfare. Not only that, but he had unknowingly introduced two far more powerful tools that would be employed across all German Naval Vessels which would identally see major gains in the Naval Battles fought during the Great War.


    And these two devices were advanced radars and targeting systems. Bruno hadn''t really thought that these two things would be employed on the battleships and cruisers of the German Reich after he had built the first prototypes and confirmed the validity of their use.


    But whenpared to the battle of Jund where the British Navy had the highest percentage of sessful hits inbat, which was a miserable 3% the vast increase in detection and targeting capability which Bruno had as a mere byproduct given the German Navy alone was an advantage that could potentially win them the war on the seas, even if the German High Seas Fleet was outnumbered and outgunned by British vessels.


    After all, this rule applied both onnd and on sea. No matter how much firepower an armed force might have, it was utterly useless if they couldn''t hit their targets with it. And it was only after Admiral von Holtzendorff alerted Bruno to this possibility did the man realize himself just how significant his contributions to the Imperial German Navy would be in this


    life.

 Chapter 103: The Ideal Family Life

    Chapter 103: The Ideal Family Life


    ?


    After discussing Naval Warfare for more hours than he had ever cared to do so when he first set up this meeting. The Admiral quickly realized that Bruno had every bit of talent as an admiral as he did a general.


    Eventually the two of them were pulled out of the Admiral''s office by their wives who demanded to eat dinner, as they had made everyone else wait an exceptional amount of time because of this.


    Bruno had warned the admiral about the risks of unrestricted submarine warfare, and had urged him to target military vessels, and those cargo vessels without civilian passengers on board. Rather than just any ship that traveled through the North Sea.


    These were indeed words the man would remember for the foreseeable future. And by the time the night had concluded, Bruno had made significant progress towards gaining a powerful friend within the German Admiralty.


    When he finally returned home, Heidi was giving Bruno an oil massage while he rested on his bed. Making sure that his muscles were nice and rxed, as she often did for him when he was living at home.


    And while she kneaded and pressed on his joints and muscles, Heidi brought up the topic of the night''s visit to the Admiral''s home. She never pried too much into Bruno''s professional life. Rather, the man would tell her details if he wanted to. Instead, she would ask him simple questions, like the one she just spoke.


    "So, did you aplish everything you intended to do with this dinner? Or will we be meeting with the Admiral and his wife more often?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    There were many things Bruno loved about his wife, and her ability to know when there were things they could talk about, and when matters were sensitive or ssified, which she never brought up. Because of this, Bruno chuckled, thinking about how lucky he was to have a woman like her as his wife before ultimately making a proper response to her question.


    "For the most part, the seeds have been sown. Though we may meet up with the Admiral and his wife on asion, it is not something which I need to actively pursue any further. I do believe I have impressed the man with my insight into Naval Matters, so much so that he changed his tune very quickly."


    Heidi smiled. She was genuinely happy that Bruno''s efforts had seeded. After all, his sess was also her sess. And the more powerful figures Bruno tied himself to, the more difficult it would be for conspirators to get rid of him.


    However, this also meant that the more fame and fortune he gained, the more there would be women crawling around trying to get close to him. And when Heidi thought of this, she frowned, not that Bruno could see it as he was lying face down on the bed while his wife messaged his back.


    Of course, there were other signs that something had upset the woman, as she began to press a bit too firmly into Bruno''s soft spots, causing mild difort as he quickly snapped the woman out of her crazed state.


    "Is something the matter, dear? You''re being a bit too rough..."


    The idea that she might have identally caused harm to her man instantly snapped Heidi out of her fugued state, causing her to immediately apologize and kiss the area of Bruno''s back where she might have caused harm.


    "Oh, I''m so sorry, honey, are you alright? I kind of just spaced out there for a second. Does it hurt anywhere?"


    It was not like Heidi really had the strength to inflict any pain or suffering on her husband. Bruno had an incredibly high pain tolerance, after all, and his little wife did not have the power in her fingers to actually wound him.


    Because of this, he simply chuckled, happy to see whatever was bothering his wife had passed as he made ament on it, knowing exactly what her trigger was. After all, it was not as if he was unaware of her more, shall we say, possessive tendencies? Rather, he just tried to ignore them whenever they revealed themselves.


    Even so, he could help butugh and make ament about it after what she had just done. "I''m fine. I''m more robust than you think I am. Besides, I have told you before, haven''t I? You don''t have to worry about such petty matters. My heart only belongs to you..."


    While this was a warmingfort to Heidi, she was well aware that a man could love a woman, and still engage in physical rtions with some random harlot on the street if he was in the mood to do so. Because of this, she held him close from behind, and whispered in his ear a rather sinister response.


    "It''s not your heart I worry about.... Besides, I''d never harm you if you did something so incredibly foolish! as for the bitch who dared to entice you... I can''t guarantee nothing will happen to her...."


    Bruno couldn''t help butugh again as he reached behind him and grabbed his wife''s dainty hand, kissing it in an act of assurance that he would never betray her trust. In his past life, he had lived alone, well into his old age. He had been with plenty of women during his younger years, and found no happiness in such a meaningless existence.


    Why would he ever risk what he currently had for a single night with another woman? He had more than enough self discipline to wait until the day he returned to his wife. And because of this, he made sure the woman knew it with his actions this night.


    The next morning Heidi was in a much better mood, forgetting all about her potential worries of Bruno shacking up with some strumpet while overseas on deployment. Instead, she cooked a wonderful meal for him and his family to enjoy for breakfast.


    Bruno would then take his wife and children out to the park for a nice summer pic, as well as a day together as a family. Which were ultimately the things he enjoyed most about the peaceful days that he otherwise found difficulty coping with.


    He would continue to spend time with his family after work and on the weekends like this, while spending his workdays in the office. Ultimately preparing for the war that was toe, and how best to prevent it from entering the borders of the German fathend.

 Chapter 104: A Trip to Vienna

    Chapter 104: A Trip to Vienna


    ?


    While Bruno was enjoying the peaceful days with his family, and Heinrich was struggling to figure out how to be a proper father figure to an adolescent girl he had suddenly found himself the adopted parent of. Things were progressing on the global stage in ordance with the changes Bruno had made to it.


    The Tsar retained his power in Russia, and though he was forced topromise insofar as to create a fully functional constitutional monarchy, one basedrgely upon that of the German Reich, he still retained significant authority as a monarch, unlike the modern liberal democracies of the 21st century which had "monarchs" as the "heads of state" forrgely ceremonial purposes.


    Russia began a state of rapid industrialization, having realized how much they hadgged behind the other foreign powers. At the same time, the wounds created by the Bolsheviks during their insurrection had slowly begun to heal. Something that time would eventually solve by itself.


    The rtionship between France and Russia was practically that of enemies. There was virtually no conceivable way after what the French had done to undermine the Tsar''s sovereignty, both by trying to assassinate a foreign general in his employ while on Russian soil, and by supplying his enemies that sought to murder him and his entire family that the man would ever remotely consider aligning himself with the French.


    Britain continued to match the German attempts to build a mighty navy of their own, outproducing them in terms of military warships, and shocking the world with themissioning of the HMS Dreadnought which had pretty much overnight made every other battleship on the obsolete.


    All the while, the sleeping industrial giant that was the United States of America stayed resting, showing no signs of awakening any time soon. Meanwhile, tensions continued to stir in China as the Qing Dynasty lived out itsst days, seemingly unaware that the era of emperors in thend of silk was quicklying to an end.


    As for the German Reich, they continued to undergo the military modernization process that Bruno had set forth for them. With the military trials of the various infantry equipment Bruno had designed back in 1901, fullypletedst year.


    The German Army was beginning to issue semi-automatic rifles, general purpose machine guns, submachine guns, and semi-automatic shotguns to their Army. The shotguns, having proven their effectiveness within the ranks of the Iron Division of the Russian Civil War, suddenly became a sought-after item by the German Army on how contracted their domestic manufacture from Browning.


    Meanwhile, the advanced Artillery Bruno had designed continued to undergo refinement and trials. But was showing significant promise. Within a year at the most, they would be approved and the manufacture of them would begin.


    As for the Tanks, and Aircraft Bruno had made initial drafts of. They continued to undergo experimentation and development. With Bruno being a lead, say on what was added or removed from the designs.


    It would probably be another two years at thetest before they began undergoing trials. To be adopted into service and put into production by 1910 at thetest. In addition to this, Bruno''s suggestions towards building fortifications on their western borders had finally, after some time, been approved.


    With the German Empire flexing its construction capacity to undertake such a massive endeavor on their borders with France, Belgium, the Nethends, and Denmark. Naturally, this caused quite a bit of controversy with Germany''s neighbors. But ultimately the German Empire dered it a matter of "securing its border from unwanted migrants."N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Still, such an excuse did little to ease the worries of Germany''s neighbors. Although many political strategists and military minds of the era had believed there was a high probability of what they considered being the "European War" would break out sooner orter, Germany''s actions proved one thing, and one thing alone.


    The German Reich treated the idea of this European War as an absolute certainty, rather than a mere possibility, and that was a notion put every one of its neighbors on edge. Other than its allies, of course.


    It''s perhaps because of this that Bruno was asked to lead some troops down into the alps to conduct a joint military exercise with the Austro-Hungarian Army. For reasons of national security, the new weapons being fielded were, of course, excluded from what was to be used during the exercise.


    Still, this would be a good chance for Bruno to be acquainted with the Austro-Hungarian military leadership. And because of that, he epted the offer. With this in mind, Bruno bade his wife and children a temporary farewell, assuring them he would be back by the time autumn began, before heading out the door in his uniform.


    The train ride from Berlin to Vienna, where Bruno and his men would first meet up with the Austro-Hungarians was not nearly as long or cumbersome as the one Bruno had taken from Saint Petersburg to divostok, and because of this he was actually in a rather good mood throughout the journey.


    Eventually, Bruno stepped foot into the fabled capital of Austria and gazed upon its magnificence. It was a hard thing to exin, with Austria officially being a German state and all, it was somehow very different from Berlin.


    This was not all that surprising considering how fragmented the Germans states were for most of their history. Many of them developed their own regional subcultures, and there was even a distinctive dialect spoken in Austria whenpared to Berlin.


    The reasoning behind Austria not being a part of the German Empire was fundamentally due to the grudges that had been held in the past between the Hohenzollerns and Habsburgs. While the Hohenzollerns were the Kings of Prussia, the Habsburgs were the Archdukes of Austria, and both had wanted for a very long time to unite Germany, it was simply a matter of a question of who ruled them.


    Ultimately, the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, and the following Franco-Prussian War of 1871, solved this issue once and for all. With nearly all the German states with the exception of Austria, Switzend, Lichtenstein and Luxembourg being united under Prussian rule.


    Now that Bruno could see Vienna and the surrounding areas as they were before the World Wars which ravaged them and resulted in a significant loss of culture and heritage that would never be recovered. He couldn''t help but hold a sense of awe of the way the world had been in


    the past.


    It was this sense of awe that stayed with him entirely until he met with the leaders of the Austro-Hungarian Army who were just as haughty, and ipetent as Bruno had imagined them to be. After all, the Austro-Hungarian Army had a pretty bad reputation among historians during Bruno''s past life for many reasons, and ipetent military leadership was most certainly one of them.

 Chapter 105: A Hero of Justice

    Chapter 105: A Hero of Justice


    ?


    Upon stepping foot into Vienna, Bruno was capable of seeing thend and its natural beauty. The Austrian people flooded the streets bustling and hustling about their peaceful daily lives. The ancient architecture, many of which were centuries older than the United States itself, stood proudly in the background.


    It was a wondrous sight to behold, as if Bruno had stepped foot into a fairy tale. He, of course, was snapped back to attention by the guide provided to him and his men. The Bavarian dialect which was spoken in Austria was different enough from the German which Bruno knew in both of his lives that he had to pay an extra emphasis on what was being said to him.


    Even so, he understood it well enough to properlymunicate with the Austrian Military officers who led him across the city of Vienna to the pce which housed the Habsburg family. As a representative of the German Kaiser from the rival house of Hohenzollern, Bruno quite frankly did not know how he would be treated by his Austrian allies.


    The German people were well known for holding their grudges. And though it had been close to forty years since the Austro-Prussian war was fought, the current Kaiser of the Osterreich was indeed old enough to have lived through it.


    Hell, the man was quite literally in charge of the Austrian Empire when it began. Bruno, of course, was born of the newer generation, meaning that his entire life had been spent during a time where the German nation was unified under the banner of the Hohenzollerns. Thus, he did not know whether the old Kaiser of Austria would treat him better or worse because of this.


    Either way, when Bruno stepped foot into the Hofburg he found that the elderly Kaiser was standing there waiting for him. Along with his sons, daughters, and grandchildren. The uniform which Bruno wore, while prestigious, was significantly less so than that which the Austrian Kaiser wore.


    Even so, considering his age, rank, and the vast amount of awards Bruno wore, he definitely stood out. Catching the eye of several of the younger maidens in the Habsburg royal line. His distinctive mensur scar added to the man''s character, especially when it was apanied by his signature cold and callous expression.


    Bruno provided a slightly and courtly bow before the Austrian monarch while expressing his gratitude for the invitation to the royal pce.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Your Majesty, I am honored to stand here in the Hofburg before the legendary and ancient House of Habsburg. I assure you that my men and I look forward to the training exercises we will conduct together with the Austro-Hungarian army within the alps.


    If there is anything you would like to request of me, please make it known, and so long as it is in my power, I will endeavor to make it a reality."


    There was a long and awkward silence for some time as Franz Joseph inspected Bruno from head to toe, seemingly trying to gauge the man''s character, all while his various issues were whispered in the background. Thinking perhaps their royal father and grandfather could not hear them.


    Finally, Franz Joseph spoke, mentioning the various awards Bruno had been given, primarily by foreign monarchs, specifically the Tsar at that.


    "It would appear that Nichs has been quite good to you, boy. Several of those medals pinned to your chest grant you the status of nobility within the borders of the Russian Empire, do they not?


    So, let me ask you this: where do your loyalties truly lie? Because as far as I can see, the Tsar has rewarded you significantly more for your service than that brat Wilhelm has...


    A full-fledged Field Marshal, hereditary nobility earned by your own will, and the status of war hero? Why would you return to Prussia, where your greatest reward was a minor promotion to a rank far less significant and powerful than the one you hold in Russia?"


    This was a bold and, quite frankly, rather rude question to ask Bruno. And even several members of the house of Habsburg gasped in shock at what had suddenlye over their father and grandfather.


    With the Archduke, Franz Ferdinand even whispering something to the old Kaiser, only to be shooed away by the elderly man who continued to stare sternly at Bruno, waiting for a proper response.


    Bruno, of course, knew why the old codger was being so blunt with him, and it was because he was at odds with Russia over disputes in the Balkans and territory, they both wished to gain for themselves.


    Bruno was a foreign agent who had gained significant amounts of fame and status in Russia. He also had a reputation as a cold and ruthless bastard towards his enemies. On more than one asion, Bruno massacred an enemy army to thest man throughout his brief but extensive military career.


    Such things were seldom found throughout history, and yet Bruno had done it in four major battles so far, with Mukden being the most notorious. His infamy as an inhuman monster in the uniform of a German general had long since preceded him.


    And the Austrian Kaiser wanted to know whether he would one day himself be a victim of this monster, who was standing in front of him without the slightest trace of human


    emotion.


    For the sake of maintaining friendly ties with Austria, and perhaps furthering the Kaiser''s goal of roping the Russians into his military alliance with Austro-Hungary and Japan. Bruno let this blunt and rude question slide and instead answered it honestly.


    "My actions in Russia, though rewarded exceptionally more than I frankly deserved, were done so not out of any loyalty to the Tsar or to the Russian Empire, but simply out of personal animosity towards the Marxists who took up arms against their rightful monarch.


    As far as my loyalty goes, it has always been to God, family, folk, fathend, and Kaiser. Nothing in this world could ever change my determination in this regard, especially not something as meaningless to me as fortune or status.


    Should there evere a time where I am so easily corruptible and swayed by such petty trinkets, then may God make my death painful, slow, and just. Have I answered your question satisfactorily, your majesty?"


    Bruno''s words were cold, ruthless, and filled with righteous indignation towards that which he perceived to be the source of all evil in this world. A source that had thoroughly destroyed his country and his people during his past life. At least from his perspective.


    They were the words spoken by fanatics throughout the annals of human history. But one had to be a fanatic in something which they believed in positively, if they wished to counter the fanaticism and destructive nature of Marxism. Or else they would be destroyed.


    And thus, Bruno''s words had thoroughly convinced Kaiser Franz Jospeh of the man''s loyalty to his country. And though he didn''t know it, his fiery speech had gained the interest of several of the younger members of the house, who looked upon Bruno as if he were a man of great passion and virtue.


    After all,bating evil was always an idea that inspired the youth of the world, no matter what country they were from. And thus, in the eyes of the Habsburg Dynasty, or at least its youngest generation, Bruno had gone from a rather intimidating and frightening figure to a hero of justice.

 Chapter 106: Establishing Relations with the Habsburgs

    Chapter 106: Establishing Rtions with the Habsburgs


    ?


    The feast was prepared well throughout the day, so that the evening time came, food was on the tables, and beer was served in a multitude of sses of varying sizes. Being a man of culture himself, Bruno would not settle for any cup smaller than a liter.


    As the representative of the Kaiser, Bruno was given the honor of sitting with the Habsburg family. However, there were a few generals who he took note of sitting at other tables. All of which wore extravagant uniforms of thetest design. Thanks to Bruno''s influence on the timeline, nations had begun adopting earthly tones for their uniforms as far back as the winter of 1904.


    Which was around the time the German Army began disying their signature feldgrau uniforms. The Austro-Hungarians had rather wisely simply copied the German color palette when it came to their new uniforms, even if the uniforms themselves were of their own distinctive cut and style.


    See, Bruno wanted to take advantage of this opportunity the Kaiser had sprung on him to establish friendly ties with the Habsburgs. And of course, there was a very good reason for this. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was aplex nation, one that would inevitably copse on itself, even if Bruno brought victory to the Central Powers during this time.


    Like the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarians suffered from two very distinctive weakness, ones that were shared by the copsing democracies of the west during the 21st century that Bruno had lived long enough to see them all enter their final days during his past life.


    And those weaknesses were the fact that both the Ottoman Empire and the Austro- Hungarians were multicultural and multi-ethnic societies. Which throughout history had proven to be among the weakest and least stable societies ever built.


    Especially when one considered that the Austro-Hungarians had built their empire on the powder keg that was the Balkans. A region well known for its fierce diversity of cultures and rampant ethnic nationalism.


    While Bruno was highly approving of ethno-nationalism, and was a major supporter of it, especially within the boundaries of the German Reich. He did so under the condition that it existed in an ethno-state.


    The problem was that this ethno-nationalism in the Balkans primarily took ce within multi-cultural and multi-ethnic societies. Thus, it had the exact opposite effect as it did in Germany, for example, where the nation was an overwhelming majority of the same people, culture,nguage, and heritage.


    While Germany was strengthened and bound together by this unity. The Austro-Hungarians were torn apart by their differences. As these various nationalistic minorities allpeted with one another, and the majority in power.


    Which itself was the primary reason multicultural and multiethnic societies neversted long. Tribalism was engrained in human DNA. Even in modern western society, which had tried to manipte its people and breed out the notions of nationalism over decades of brainwashing.


    You could still find tribalism around every corner of society, even if it was now expressed through one''s favorite sports teams, or their favorite form of entertainment, rather than their national and ethnic identity.


    People wouldmonly verbally harass and violently fight one another over whether their specific sports team won or lost. And that was over some nonsense that had no actual effect on one''s life or living standards.


    Imagine what would happen if these same people directed that tribalism towards their culture, religion, and ethnicity? It usually had very bad results, especially in the long term. Like the Austro-Hungarians and Ottomans would very soon find out.


    And like how Bruno suspected the world he came from had ended soon after his death. Whether in a matter of years or decades. It was his belief that this was the inevitable and bloody death that Western Nations would face, and at the hands of their own making no less. Or shall we say the making of a very small portion of their poption who held all the power and wealth?


    It was because he was so certain that the Austro-Hungarian Empire would inevitably copse in this life, even with a victory in the Great War, that Bruno wanted to get close to the House of Habsburg.


    Why? Because if he was on friendly terms with Franz Joseph''s sessor, then he could potentially help convince the Habsburgs to agree to annexation into the German Reich when their own empire finally fell apart.


    Hence why Bruno was being so friendly with one man in particr. Karl Habsburg, a man who would seed the Kaiser of the Austro-Hungarian Empire halfway through the war in November 1916. Karl Habsburg was the son of Franz Ferdinand''s younger brother, Archduke Otto Franz Joseph.


    The line of session was franklyplicated, but with Franz Ferdinand''s death, it would be Karl who would end up as the next Kaiser when Franz Joseph finally kicked the bucket in 1916. Karl was barely an adult. In the current year of 1906, he was roughly 19 years old. Or he would be turning neen in a matter of months within August.


    Still, he found the tales of war which Bruno regaled him with to be a matter of deep fascination. Bruno, of course, did not bullshit the man, enlightening him to the harsh reality of war and with rather descriptivenguage at hat.


    "Though I understand your desire to earn honor and glory on the battlefield. As I myself once had such lofty and fanciful thoughts towards war. I should warn you, your majesty, war is not what you have been told throughout your youth.


    It is ugly, nasty, and miserable. I assure you that the closest thing to hell that mankind has ever brought upon itself here on Earth in the mortal world is war. If war was not a matter of necessity, then I would never have chosen to take up arms in the first ce.


    It is an experience I hope my son never has to endure, and God forbid my daughters. But, because Ie from a military family, it is almost certain that my son will one day be sent to witness the horrors that I havee to see.


    And if you think for one moment, I am lying to you, or merely exaggerating. I want you to know that no matter what shiny crown you may wear on your head.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    In the face of artillery, a King or an Emperor can just as easily end up in a pile of meat paste as the peasants he looks down upon and sends to fight in his stead. On the battlefield, neither your wealth nor status can save you. Only God can do that, and you would best remember that when the dayes that you send sorry sods like myself to die for you."


    Karl, though young, was still an adult. He had enough sense to know when a man of experience and age was parting wisdom to him. Wisdom that caused all the Austro- Hungarian generals to re at Bruno as if he was corrupting the young archduke with his "pacifistic words."


    However, Karl either ignored the old men, or did not witness their gazes cast towards him and the German Kaiser''s guest. Instead, he asked with a rather deted sense of tone, a question which caused Bruno tough.


    "So, if war is so miserable for everyone involved. Why do you fight? I mean, by now you have earned enough glory for yourself, right? Couldn''t you just retire to a life of peace if you hate it


    so much?"


    Bruno chuckled when he heard this and shook his head. Gazing upon thevishly decorated pce and its halls with an almost bittersweet smile on his face. Though he didn''t realize it, his words would stick with the future Austrian Kaiser for the rest of his days.


    "I fight so that my family does not have to witness what I have endured. War is a natural part of life, and wherever there are men in power, they will inevitably send the young and poor to die over their petty disputes.


    God has given me a gift, as heinous as it is, I would use this gift to ensure that war never reaches the borders of the German Reich nor disturbs the peaceful life which its citizens live. And if I may use my talents to preserve the lives of the men beneath mymand, or at the very least limit their suffering, while at the same time sending millions of the Kaiser''s enemies to meet their maker, then so be it.


    The motto For God, Kaiser and Fathend is more than just words, your Majesty." Bruno didn''t realize it at the time, but his words had attracted the attention of more than just those old Austrian Generals who were exactly the kind of men he had condemned in his speech to the young archduke. In fact, the Austrian Kaiser himself, as well as several of his children and grandchildren, listened to every word that Bruno had spoken.


    Some silently condemn the man and shook their heads, while others reflected upon them. But Bruno''s words would have asting impact not only on the young man they were addressed to but also on one of the granddaughters of the Austrian Kaiser, who instantly began to venerate Bruno as if he were some kind of martyr of the German people.

 Chapter 107: Clever Girl...

    Chapter 107: Clever Girl...


    ?


    Archduchess Hedwig was the granddaughter of Franz Joseph I, she had of course been invited to this gathering to honor the German Kaiser''s personal representative, and the general tasked with leading the Military Exercises in the alps that would be conducted within the next few days.


    Though only currently roughly ten years of age, she had an almost innate understanding of people and their character. The expressions worn on one''s face were often contrary to their nature. Liars and murderers often wore the kindest of smiles.


    Perhaps it was because she had grown up in the Royal pce, which was rife with ambitious men, and treachery around every corner that the girl had gained a rather unique ability to understand people better than they often understood themselves And this was why she became interested in Bruno the moment sheid eyes upon the man.


    Bruno was, to put it simply, different from anyone she had ever met before. He did not conceal his true goals or ambitions behind a false mask of kindness. In fact, his expression was actually hard for her to read.


    Because Bruno was a man who seldom expressed any emotion. For the most part, he was stoic, emotionless, cold, and callous. There were many terms to exin it. But it was as if he simply could not bepelled to express emotion.


    Even when he spoke with such passion for hunting down the Marxists of the world wherever he may find them. The man''s face was as cold as a stone wall during the dead of winter. It was his eyes which expressed his fury.


    Still, Hedwig did not directly approach the man. She frankly didn''t have the opportunity to do so, as all her aunts, uncles, and cousins had forced their way to speak with the personal representative of the German Kaiser.


    A man of such infamy that even the court of the Austrian Kaiser had long since heard his name. Throughout the day Hedwig could only watch afar and listen to what Bruno said, trying to learn more about the man, who was so different from everyone else around her.


    It was only at dinner that she was finally able to get a word in. After Bruno had spoken to her rtive, the young archduke named Karl, who would one day be the next Kaiser, though nobody other than Bruno realized it yet.


    Bruno had spoken of war, warning the man that one day, should he find himself in a position to make war, it was better to solve things peacefully if it was at all possible. But while he spoke of war as if it were hell, something that was deeply contrasted to the way the old Generals spoke of it, as if it were some honorable and glorious thing.


    It was only then that Hedwig had understood why Bruno was so different from everyone else here in the court of the Austrian Kaiser. The old generals were men of privilege, almost exclusively from noble backgrounds during an era that pre-dated meritocracy.


    Had they taken part in wars of the past? Certainly, but had they actually been on the front lines, risking life and injury for the sake of their Kaiser? Well, frankly, Hedwig doubted this. Bruno, however, spoke of war from the perspective not of some privileged noble general sitting in the rear echelon with a cup of tea in his hands while racking up medals and orders as if they were collectables.


    Rather, he spoke of war as if he were actually a soldier in the field, having killed men with his own two hands, and lost friends along with them. When Hedwig noticed this, she immediately understood why he was so different from the old Generals whomonly paid her lip service while gallivanting around as if they were knights from some ancient lost Arthurian legend.


    And the girl couldn''t help but break out intoughter after realizing the difference between the German General the Kaiser had selected to represent him in the uing Military Exercises, and her father''s own generals.


    The girl''s inappropriateughter during a rather grim moment of contemtion regarding the reality of war drew everyone''s attention. And evenpelled her mother to apologize to Bruno on his behalf.


    "Hedwig! Why are youughing? Do you not understand what the General just said? I''m sorry sir, my daughter is still young, and doesn''t understand the severity of your words just now... Please forgive her!"


    Bruno at first thought the girl might have remembered something in an inappropriate moment andughed by pure coincidence at the wrong time. But when he looked at her, she was staring at him in a way that Bruno could not understand.


    It was almost with admiration, something she did not seem to cast towards the Generals in her grandfather''s employ. And because of this, he was quick to shush the girl''s mother and ask Hedwig herself why sheughed just now.


    "It''s quite alright your majesty, I''m not angry. In fact, I am curious. Just what did I say that was so funny?"


    Hedwig could tell by the astute gaze which Bruno was eying her with that he more or less understood why sheughed, and she was quick to apologize to him, as it was indeed inappropriate in her response. She then exined why she had done so, much to the shock and anger of her family.


    "I''m sorry, General, sir... I know I shouldn''t haveughed. And it was not necessarily at the grim nature of your conversation with my rtives. It''s just that I finally understood why you are so different from those old men who my father keeps as his generals.


    Unlike those old codgers you have actually seenbat, right? I mean, you weren''t in the rear drinking tea while the men beneath yourmand fought, but you actually led them into battle, right?"


    The old Austrian Generals were furious at what the girl had said, with many of their faces growing red with rage. They wanted to scold the young archduchess who had clearly spoken out of turn to insult them.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But before they could do so, Bruno smirked, showing the first expression of emotion on his face since he first entered the Hofburg. And in doing so he expressed his thoughts of the young Archduchess, gathering the attention of even the Austrian Kaiser as he did so, who had never really paid all that much attention to his granddaughter before.


    "Did you figure all of that out from one single conversation? Yeah, you''re right, I have spent more than my fair share on the front lines of war. I am a veteran of three wars after all, and even in Russia I was there in the trenches, both in Saint Petersburg and Tsaritsyn.


    I also led the efforts to capture the regions of Ingria and Volga after those sieges had ended. I doubt anyone in this room has more experience inbat than I do... So, knowing this, what is your assessment?"


    Seeing how Bruno had given her permission to speak her honest thoughts, which was a rare asion for her, and her grandfather himself seemed genuinely interested in the conversation between her and the foreign general. The girl broke out into an innocent smile and said her honest thoughts aloud, even if they were quite scandalous.


    "Quite Frankly, if all of Germany''s generals are like you, rather than Grandfather''s generals. Then I''d say if a war ever broke out between the German Reich and the Osterreich, we would


    be wholly screwed..."


    Bruno couldn''t help but break out into uncontrobleughter as he heard this. He did so because the girl was one hundred percent correct. And her reasoning was a huge part of it. Austro-Hungary could be considered one of two nations during the Great War that were fighting to see who had the worst army in the world.


    It was them and the Italians. Both of which were gued by a number of problems, and one thing they shared inmon in this regard was ipetent military leadership. Bruno had not been willing to say this to the Austrian Kaiser''s face, because it would be a major insult to him and his nation''s prestige.


    But the young Archduchess was absolutely right about this, and he was quick to calm himself, seeing as how hisughter was about as inappropriate as the young girl''s remarks. Once he had done so, Bruno simply shook his head and patted the young girl''s head, assuring her that


    she really was brighter than she should be.


    "Clever girl..."


    Though Bruno''s affirmation of the girl''s outrageous and insulting statement did little in regard to establishing ties with the older generations of the Habsburg Dynasty, the military exercise in theing days would prove Hedwig''s point.


    Germany would disy a disproportional amount of might despite being vastly outnumbered by the Austro-Hungarian forces. And perhaps because of this, Bruno might be able to correct at least some problems with their army in this timeline before the war breaks out. And in doing so, maybe in this life Austro-Hungary might actually be able to pull its own weight during the war, rather than be carried hard by the German Army.

 Chapter 108: Improper Communication

    Chapter 108: Improper Communication


    ?


    A few days passed before everything that needed to be prepared had been properly gathered and shipped off to the Alps. A deste region of the mountain range near the borders of Italy. Though not exactly on the borders of Italy, as that might be seen as an act of aggression.


    Though invited to take part in the military exercise, the Italians chose not to do so. Prompting Kaiser Wilhelm II to believe that maybe Bruno had been right about them not being faithful to the alliance when the day came.


    Though it wasn''t a serious enough issue to immediately push for their removal from the Central Powers, it did serve to act as a cautionary example. As for Bruno, he was dressed in his field attire. Which was to put it simply, was a standard uniform as issued to the individual soldiers in the army, albeit with the insignia on his cor of a General der Infanterie.


    Other than that, he did not sport any fanciful medals, ribbons, or God forbid sashes at this time. Bruno also wore the new standard load bearing equipment of the German army, which did a great job of dispersing the weight across the body.


    He also carried mag pouches on it that held stripper clips for the Gewehr 98 he was currently using. In the uing war, this would be reced with the Gewehr 43, or Gewehr 05, as was known in this life. Which was the new semi-automatic rifle that had just recently passed military trials and was now being equipped with German infantrymen.


    But for the time being, this was a state secret and was not to be revealed to the greater world, even to allies during a time of joint military exercises. Hence why Bruno was holding a rifle. Though unusual for a man of his rank, Bruno liked to be closer to properly armed in a time of war.


    The Austrian generals standing in the rear with Bruno wore far more fanciful uniforms, as if to boast of their status. They also did not even care to wear helmets, as this far in the rear, there was no need to worry about artillery.


    For that matter, Bruno also didn''t wear a helmet. Even so, his attire was far more simr to what was being used by the soldiers taking part in the exercise. To put it simply, a simtion of trench warfare was taking ce.


    nks would be fired to simte bullets, and a wholeplex system was put in ce to score casualties sustained during the exercise. Currently, the Austrians were betting that Bruno''s men would notst very long.


    "Well, General, I am willing to wager that your men will be overrun by lunch time. Care to take me on?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    There was a reason that the Austrian generals were so smug. The Germans had, after all, deployed a single division worth of troops for the sake of the exercise. While the Austro- Hungarians had deployed twice as many men. There was just one problem: the men that the Germans sent to Austria were mostly veterans of the Iron Division.


    Trench warfare was something they had ample experience in during the Russian Civil War. And unlike the Austro-Hungarians, the soldiers the Germans sent all spoke the samenguage. Thus, their means ofmunication were swift and efficient.


    One of the major problems which the Austro-Hungarian army suffered from was a severeck ofmunication in the field. Their officer corps was primarily staffed with Germans. While their NCOs werergely Hungarian, and the enlisted men could be either German, Hungarian, or any other number of ethnic groups which spoke their own distinctivenguages,rgely from the Balkans.


    Bruno had wanted to expose this major w in their army''s design, and thus he was quick to take the wager. Even though the stakes of the bet had yet to be stated. And because of this, he was quick to do so.


    "Alright General, I''ll take your bet. I''ll even go so far as to say that it will be your army defeated by noon. If I win, then you will have to listen to my advice regarding the organization of your troops. If I lose, I''ll follow whatever condition you set forth."


    This was too good of an opportunity to let go of. Still, Bruno''s arrogance caused all the Austrian generals to break out intoughter. Nevertheless, they agreed, all with contemptible smiles on their faces.


    They no doubt held a grudge against him from thements he made about themst night. Or should I sayments the Archduchess made? Bruno simply agreed with them. But since they couldn''t vent their frustration regarding these insults to their honor onto the Kaiser''s granddaughter, they would be more than willing to take it out on Bruno now that he had given them the opportunity to do so.


    Or so they thought, but the artillery quickly went off, with smoke shells beingunched instead of explosive shells. If one were caught within the st radius that these shells would have as a kill zone if they were live, then they were counted as "dead" for the sake of the exercise.


    The artillery Germans fired off was rapid and efficient. The men beneath Bruno''smand clearly having significant experience in doing so. The shells poured a thick mist of smoke across the Austrian lines. While the machine guns in the entrenched position began to counter their charge.


    Considering they were filled with nks, and they were a safe distance away, the observers simply counted the echo of gunfire as kills as per the observed rate of casualties sustained during their use in other wars.


    The Austro-Hungarians had suffered so many "casualties" in the first ten minutes of trying to charge into the German trenches that they ended up retreating back to their own line, waiting for the Germans to counter charge while they licked their wounds.


    As for the Austrian generals, they werepletely and utterly dumbstruck by how quickly their ranks fell into ruin. They had no idea what had happened until Bruno pointed it out to them. After all, though themand to retreat had been given, it took some time to properly trante into the dozen or songuages which the soldiers in the field spoke.


    And thus, many of them continued to charge into the enemy "line of fire" and, in doing so, being counted as KIA. Thus, reducing the numbers of Austrian troops significantly. Bruno had simply pulled out a cigarette and watched with a cold gaze, before ultimately giving his opinion on what had happened when the Austrian generals stared aimlessly at the field below as if they had lost their ability to think after witnessing their massive loss. "Yeah... You see that... That right there is what happens when nobody in your army speaks the same fuckingnguage. You might want to fix that.... Preferably before you actually have to fight a war... Because if this was a real battle... Well, I might have earned myself another nickname just now..."


    There was no actual arrogance in Bruno''s tone. More like a man watching a bunch of chickens run around with their heads cut off. It was honestly more amusement in his voice than it was disdain. After finishing his cigarette, Bruno flicked it to the ground and stamped it out before turning to the Austrian Generals who were whispering among themselves about the faults in their operation that they had just witnessed.


    Only now did Bruno change his expression from one that couldn''t be bothered to care about to a sinister smirk, which matched the shift in his tone as well.


    "Well, I suppose it''s my turn now, isn''t it? Watch and learn, general, this is how you properly raid a trench..."

 Chapter 109: Introducing Stormtrooper Tactics

    Chapter 109: Introducing Stormtrooper Tactics


    ?


    Stormtroopers, a term used to apply to specialized units during the Great War who had mastered the art of trench raiding. So effectively, that they were generally able to traverse the distance between the two trench lines with little to no exposure in no-man''snd.


    It was an entirely alien concept that made use of small, specialized teams, which were highly mobile, and equipped with the most modern of weapons. Realistically, the submachine guns, semi-automatic rifles, and general-purpose machine guns that were currently being produced to rece the older weapon tforms would be ideal for this conflict.


    But these weapons were state secrets of the German Reich. And because of this, Bruno chose to make use of older equipment that he had already disyed in the Russian Civil War. Such as the Mauser C96 "Trench Carbine" which was based upon the 1917 prototype that was beaten by the MP 18 during military trials. Albeit with an added select fire capability.


    It fed from 20 round, or thirty round detachable magazines, and basically fulfilled the operational purpose of a submachine gun, even if it was inferior in this regard to the actual guns that would be employed en masse in theing years by German soldiers.


    Along with these 1917 Trench carbines, semi-automatic Browning Auto-5 12-gauge shotguns were used by these stormtroopers, having been initially procured in small batches for the purpose of the Iron Division''s use in Russia by the American Browning firearms corporation. The Reich recently received the licensing, tooling, and blueprints required to manufacture them domestically for service in the German Army. These two weapons were equipped with nk firing adapters and currently fired nks for the purpose of the operation.


    Because of this, the small units were quick to mobilize into the field following the Austro- Hungarian retreat, rapidly, and covertly covering the distance between the two trenchworks dug into the mountainside in preparation for this joint military exercise.


    The Austro-Hungarian generals watched as the men on their machine guns were caught unawares by the German stormtroopers who entered the trenches and opened a gap for the rest of the Division of Bruno''s soldiers to pour through.


    As Bruno predicted, the mock battle ended shortly after that, with the German soldiers raising the banner of the German Reich over the Austrian trench line for an added degree of boasting to their defeated allies.


    The looks on the faces of the Austro-Hungarian generals were as if they had just been forced to watch their wives get pounded in front of them by Bruno, who was smiling smugly at them while finishing off thest cigarette in his packet.


    "So, are we done here?"


    There was no denying it. Despite having twice as many men for the purpose of this joint military exercise, the Austro-Hungarian forces were miserably defeated by their German counterparts. Causing them to stare in silence for a very long time as they contemted how to proceed.


    They had, after all, made a bet with Bruno, one which, if they chose to honor, wouldpel them to implement Bruno''s strategies, tactics, and organizations among their own army. Primarily, Bruno just wanted to fix the lines ofmunication between the Austro- Hungarian forces, which was so horrific the military exercise ended two hours before noon. And if these Austro-Hungarian generals did not honor the agreement, then their reputations would be fully sullied. To a group of powerful noblemen like themselves, reputation was everything. Still, no matter what they did, these men would be aughingstock back in Vienna, after everyone in the Austrian Royal Court heard about this monumental failure. There was one general among the ranks of the Austro-Hungarians who participated in the exercise who Bruno immediately took notice of. By andrge, the Austro-Hungarian Army was considered either the worst army of the Great Powers during the war, or the second worst.


    It really came down to whether or not you actually considered the Kingdom of Italy a Great European power, and well, whether you attributed the massive victory in Caporetto to German Stormtroopers or the superior defensive tactics utilized this the Austro-Hungarian General Svetozar Boroevi?.


    Svetozar was a creation born in the Austrian Empire. And he was one of the few generals in the Austro-Hungarian army who was neither Austrian nor Hungarian. He was also the only general in the Austro-Hungarian army who, as far as Bruno was concerned, was actually worth a damn.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    And the man in question had observed the failures of his superiors, while noticing and learning from the tactics Bruno used to ovee their superior numbers. Frankly put, in the defense, Bruno had utilized superior terrain and overwhelming firepower to defend his trench line with limited casualties.


    While making use of stormtrooper tactics to open up a gap in the Austro-Hungarian defenses after they retreated, in order to make way for his muchrger army to break through. While the man was already quite capable of defensive strategy and had advised his superiors against their tactics.


    Which they ignored because he was currently only a mere Lieutenant General, and he was an ethnic Croat, so what exactly would he know? At least such was the Austro-Hungarian mentality. And while his advice could have aided the Austro-Hungarian efforts, Bruno''s use of stormtrooper tactics was truly revolutionary for the era.


    And Svetozar Boroevi? took note of this. Using this as an opportunity to get closer to the German General and try to learn from him. All the while, the other generals grumbled about their losses and sauntered off. Saving what little face they could by promising to "hear out" Bruno''s suggestions on how they could prove.


    As for the general who remained, he quickly approached Bruno and spoke to him with a much higher degree of respect.


    "I can''t say I didn''t warn them, but even if they did take my advice, I fear the results would have been the same. You really have earned your nickname...."


    Bruno looked over at the Austro-Hungarian general who had remained behind and was quick to make ament about how many nicknames he had earned over the years, asking the man to specify which one in particr he was talking about, not that he didn''t already know the


    answer.


    "Oh, and which one might that be? Truth be told, in every war I fight in, somebody gives me a new nickname, whether the enemy or the men beneath mymand. It''s hard to tell these days what people are specifically referencing when they make suchments."


    Svetozar Boroevi? smirked after hearing this, before making his thoughts on the matter known in no hidden way.


    "Oh, by all means, allow me to rify which one I was referring to. You earned yourself the nickname the Wolf of Prussia. At first, I thought it was mere banter from lower ranked men who had no idea what a truly cunning leader could be. But I have to say, after witnessing your guile in person, and your rather revolutionary takes on trench warfare, I have to say you have more than earned such a fearsome reputation.


    I am Generalmajor Svetozar Boroevi?. It is a pleasure to meet you sir..."


    The man then saluted Bruno, to which he returned the gesture before speaking to him with equal praise.


    "The pleasure is all mine. Believe it or not, I have heard quite a bit about you. I figured that out of all the generals beneath Kaiser Franz Jospeh''smand, you would be the one to recognize what I did here. If it is not too much of an imposition, would you care to have a drink with me back at my division''s encampment? I am sure there is a lot for the two of us to


    discuss."


    Needless to say, Svetozar Boroevi? was not expecting Bruno to make such an extensive gesture to him. Nevertheless, he was quick to seize the opportunity, and he did so with a


    friendly smile on his face.


    "By all means, lead the way, sir."


    After this, the two of them would have a rather extensive chat on the current issues guing the Austro-Hungarian Army, and the best solutions to those problems. By the end of the discussion, Svetozar Boroevi? began to realize that he had still underestimated Bruno''s intellect, and the man''s capacity to wage war.


    He was simply d that the two of them were allies rather than enemies. Because he was not certain that if Austria-Hungary was forced to face such a fearsome foe as adversaries, that they had even the most remote chance of emerging victorious in such a dreadful conflict.

 Chapter 110: Madness and Stupidity

    Chapter 110: Madness and Stupidity


    ?


    Bruno and Svetozar returned to the German encampment that had been made in the mountains for the sake of housing and supplying the 20,000 or so German Soldiers who Bruno had brought with him to the Austrian alps.


    Quite frankly, Bruno did not know how much time the German Kaiser and his Austrian counterpart had been nning this joint military exercise, but it must have been months in the making. Either way, he really didn''t care, as that was not his responsibility.


    Though the Kaiser didn''t explicitly exin his reason for sending Bruno to Austria as the leader of his forces. The answer was already obvious to the man. He was here firstly to show off the failures of the Austro-Hungarian Army, and to strengthen the rtionship between the German Reich and their southern neighbors.


    Despite his rather blunt nature, Bruno had shown a remarkable ability to impress powerful men and their families. The Tsar had seemingly forgotten the fact that Bruno was both the cause and a solution to the Bolshevik Revolution, which tore his country apart and threatened the livelihood of his entire royal dynasty.


    Instead, he simply remembered Bruno as the "Red Scourge." A man who had annihted the Red Army at every turn and hunted down their leaders to the ends of the Earth in order to remove their stain on history.


    Nichs only had good things to say about Bruno, seemingly forgetting the previous conflicts between the two of them. While Meiji also spoke of the man as if he were some kind of legendary figure, seen throughout history once every few centuries.


    Now was the chance to make his mark on the Austrians. And Wilhelm was smart enough to send his envoy to do just that. And though the Austrian military leadership was offended by Bruno''s remarks and actions. The House of Habsburg had a fairly good opinion of him, even though they had really only gotten to know each other over the course of a single day.


    In addition to that, the most important general of the Austro-Hungarian Army was now sitting across from Bruno as they addressed the problems that gued the army. With Bruno taking a sip from his beer before offering his views on the matter.


    "Frankly speaking, there are several issues I have with the Austro-Hungarian Army and its current organization. If I may be so bold, your organization to three distinctive branches is, frankly speaking, a nightmare.


    You have the Common Army which is itself split between German and Hungarian Regiments. But the problem is that there are Italians, Poles, Czechs, Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, and God knows how many other ethnic groups with their own distinctivenguages within them as well.


    And they have German officers and NCOS who don''t speak the samenguage as the troops beneath theirmand. And then there''s the Hungarian Regiments, which have the same problem, but instead with Hungarian speaking officers and NCOs.


    Not only do these two distinctive styles of regiments have a hard timemunicating with one another while deployed together in the field, but the Officers have a difficult time conveying their orders to the troops within their own regiments.


    I understand the politicalplexity of the Dual Monarchy, which created this clusterfuck of an Army, but there really needs to be some form of uniformnguage in order to seed on the battlefield.


    Not only that, but then there''s the other two branches, Imperial-Royal Landwehr and the Royal Hungarian Landwehr, both of which inexplicably exist in conflict with the Common Army. And serve the same function as the German and Hungarian Regiments within the Common Army.


    Why is this even a thing? What purpose do these branches even serve? It is a needlessplication solely for the sake of politics and serves no tactical or practical purpose on the battlefield. This is a matter of war, and in warfare you can''t have suchplicated organization fuckups or else you''re doomed to fail against a more organized and better equipped army!"


    Bruno was perhaps more fired up during this topic of conversation than he had remotely disyed himself over the course of the past few days since arriving in Austria. And with good reason, there was no logical or rational exnation for the organization of the Austro- Hungarian Army.


    And he was not even going to get started about the Austro-Hungarian Navy. There was not enough time in the world to cover both of these issues. The thing is, it was not like Svetozar disagreed with Bruno, nor did he take offense at the tone which Bruno spoke hisints


    in.


    Everything Bruno said was perfectly valid, and the only reason the Austro-Hungarian Army was divided in such a chaotic manner was due to theplex political nature of the Austro- Hungarian Empire.


    Bruno was particrly livid about this matter, because it was a prime example of what happened when you allowed politicians who had never stepped foot on a battlefield, let alone held a proper militarymand, to interfere in the matters of the Military. Especially on a level as critical as the organization of troops and how they operated in the field.


    By the way, theseints were equally valid for wealthy nobleman who were parading around on theurels of their ancient ancestors, as they were to the civilian poption elected to office democratically.


    More than once had politicians screwed up military operations in significant manners within Bruno''s past life. All because the military answered to these civilians who had no reference or framework for how warfare should be conducted.


    Fundamentally, the military should follow orders from the military. And not civilians, regardless of their social status. Everything else was madness, madness and stupidity, as far as Bruno was concerned.


    Bruno would continue to offer solutions to the problems he had ranted about. Such as merging the three branches into a single branch. The problem ofmunication, however, was simply something that should have been solved with the foundation of the Austro- Hungarian Empire and was not easily solved.


    Had the Austro-Hungarians set a proper nationalnguage in 1867 when the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary were unified, then they would have been able to mandate that saidnguage was learned by all school children in all institutions of learning.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Even if they spoke their localnguages in their homes, the mere fact that everybody could speak the nationalnguage, whether that was German or Hungarian, was quite honestly the only real solution to this problem that was now more present than ever to those who witnessed it.


    The very existence of the Dual Monarchy had guaranteed that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was doomed to copse from the very foundation of it. If Austria had simply stayed as the Austrian Empire rather than join together with Hungary, they would have much more easily been able to institute such critical policies much earlier. And without any pushback from the Hungarian poption.


    And honestly, other than giving crash courses to the soldiers of the Army, forcing them to learn a new word of the Germannguage every day they go through training until they were at the very least conversational, much in the way the French Foreign Legion required all of its new recruits to undergo, Bruno simply did not have an exnation on how to fix this issue that would result in a significantck of performance if not fixed before the start of the Great


    War.


    Hence why Bruno ultimately voiced his only partial solution to the problem, which was not exactly a fix, more like a bandage over a mortal wound. If these matters couldn''t be solved in theing decade on a societal level, then Austro-Hungary was doomed to copse.


    But quite frankly, that was indeed Bruno''s ultimate objective, as annexing the Austrian Crownnds into the German Empire was a long-term goal of his. As for Svetozar Boroevi?, though, he promised Bruno that he would do everything in his power to make these changes a reality. It was ultimately not within his authority to do so.


    Austria would need serious pressure to do so, whether that came from the German Empire, or from some conflict which forced them to realize their failures. It was simply out of either Bruno''s or Svetozar''s control.


    Even so, the two generals would continue to discuss problems with the Austro-Hungarian army and a list of solutions. Including the standardization of ammunition. Which Bruno had


    learned from his past life.


    Both Austria-Hungary and Germany utilized two different supply chains. If these supply chains could be unified, it would make logistically supporting the two empires in the field a much, much easier task to manage.


    But again, these were issues neither of them had the power or authority to solve, and could only bring up to their superiors, hoping they would act on their advice.

 Chapter 111: Italian Treachery

    Chapter 111: Italian Treachery


    ?


    While Bruno was conducting a joint military exercise with the Austro-Hungarian Empire within the alps. There was another party which was invited to the event but remained neutral to it. Despite officially signing to a defensive alliance between the Kingdom of Italy, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the German Reich. King Emanuel III of Italy felt as if German buildup of fortifications on their western border with France, Belgium, the Nethends, and Denmark was an act of unnecessary provocation.


    Considering the fact that they had also begun to join military exercises with Austria-Hungary, it was as if the German Kaiser was telling the world that war was on the horizon, and they would be prepared for any such conflict.


    Sure, many of the more educated and intelligent politicians of the era had a foresight that there would soon be a war fought between the Great Powers of the world, especially those in Europe. King Emanuel III felt as if Germany was deliberately provoking such a conflict through their actions, which, from his perspective, were both unnecessary, and quite frankly, openly hostile.


    Of course, he was not exactly aware that the French had already behaved aggressively towards the German Reich by trying to assassinate one of their Generals, nor that the Germans had retaliated ordingly by doing the same, only that the Germans were sessful in their attempt.


    After all, the Germans were so sessful in assassinating the French Chief of Staff that only they were aware that they were the ones responsible. However, with all of these other concerns in mind, it was the Italian Kings'' response to distance himself from his allies.


    And because of this, he had simply watched and observed what was taking ce on his northern border. If not for the fact that both the Germans and Austrians had invited him to take part in this joint military exercise, he may have seen this as an act of provocation against him.


    Even so, that did not mean that he was not slightly suspicious about the exercises being held in the alps near his borders. And because of this, the man was sitting in a room with his own generals, discussing the shifting nature of European politics.


    "Germany entrenches its western borders, almost certainly stating that they do not trust the French and expect they will attack the German Reich eventually. Meanwhile, Russia and Germany have gotten on better terms than ever before.


    No doubt due to the influence this young general has had in preserving the House of Romanov''s rule over Russia and its people. In fact, this very man is currently in Austria leading the German efforts in their joint military exercise.


    If I may speak frankly, this mere General of the Infantry has had a much more significant impact on the shifting of alliances than a man of his status should have. If the German Reich, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Russian Empire join hands together in the pursuit of war, there is nobined force in this world that can defeat them. Especially if Russia and Austro-Hungary industrialize to the same extent, the Germans have in theseing years." The Italian Generals werergely in agreement with their king. Things were shifting in a way nobody had ever thought they would, and there appeared to be one man influencing it all, whether deliberately as some kind of Machiavellian mastermind, or unintentionally.


    However, there were other matters that were simply out of Bruno''s control. Such as the Tangir Crisis, also known as the First Moran Crisis, which was fought over interests in Moro between Germany and France. The conclusion of which resulted in France''s favor, albeit significantly worsening the rtions between Germany, France, and Ennd, and only furthering the alliance between the two members of the Entente.


    Interestingly enough, however, due to disputes between France and Russia over how France behaved as a result of Bruno''s interference in the timeline. Russia chose to back Germany during the diplomatic conference which settled the matter.


    Thus, strengthening rtions between Germany, Russia, and Austro-Hungary, which was the only other of the thirteen nations present at the ords who sided with Germany. This was, of course, a dispute that woulde up again further in the future, but for the time being, it had been settled.


    Still, the fact that Italy had backed France rather than Germany was another reason they did not get involved in these Joint Military Exercises as this act of what Germany and Austro- Hungary considered being a betrayal had worsened rtions between Italy and its defensive allies.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And this matter was quickly brought up by the Italian Generals who were most certainly starting to question their defensive alliance with their neighbors.


    "I fear after what happened in Moro, and our refusal to take part in these military exercises, that our allies might begin to mistrust ourmitment to the formation of the Central Powers. If so, would it really be wise to continue to support them? Perhaps we should open a dialogue with France and Britain, who appear to be in firm opposition to the Germans and their aggressive policy?"


    King Emmanuel thought about this matter deeply for several moments. He too was questioning whether backing Germany and Austro-Hungary was the right thing to do after everything that had happened, and all the times they had proven ack ofmitment to the military alliance.


    Ultimately, after discussing the matter further with his generals, he decided not to be too hasty and make a move he would regret. However, he also wouldn''t close a door that was open to him, thus while paying respect to his current allies, the Italian King would begin opening rtions with their enemies.


    As Bruno had suspected, the Italians were neither trustworthy norpetent as an ally. Still, he would not learn of this conversation, or the actions taken on behalf of the Kingdom of Italy as a result of it until much, muchter. And when everyone was gasping in surprise, he would be the guy saying:


    "I fucking knew it...."

 Chapter 112: Pinky Promise

    Chapter 112: Pinky Promise


    ?


    The Joint-Military Exercise continued in various mock battles over the course of three weeks. Before Bruno was invited to the Hofburg once more, which was the primary pce of the Habsburg Dynasty. Overall, there was quite a bit that Austro-Hungary learned from their German counterparts.


    And during the dinner that followed the event, Bruno brought up many ideas that could be used to improve Austro-Hungarian performance in the field. And while his ideas certainly made sense, there were political, economic, and industrial challenges that needed to be faced to fully implement them.


    Meaning that Bruno ultimately did not pursue them any further than mere lip service.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Fundamentally, whether or not Austro-Hungary actually performed respectably in the war wasn''t important to Bruno.


    What was important was that the Eastern front was closed as quickly as possible. And if Russia ultimately proved to be a German ally, or at the very least decided not to get involved with the war, which Bruno was still not expecting to happen, nor nning for, then Serbia could be knocked out of the game rtively quickly, allowing Austro Hungary to focus their forces in the Western and Southern Fronts.


    Thus were Bruno''s thoughts as he continued to discuss things with the Habsburg family. However, after the military exercise concluded, Bruno quickly found that he had a little admirer. And unfortunately for him, the one paying the most attention to him was not the Austrian Kaiser, or the man who would be his sessor.


    Rather, it was the Austrian Kaiser''s young granddaughter, who wanted to hear more about Bruno''s exploits in war, and the Joint Military Exercise which he had just concluded. The girl followed him around as if she were some kind of lost puppy, and eventually Bruno had to sit her aside, and tell her that although he appreciated her interest in his achievements, she was ultimately preventing the man from establishing rtionships with more prominent members of her family.


    "Listen, Hedwig, I would be more than happy to discuss my military career with you at ater time. But tomorrow morning I am on the first train back to Berlin. And this gathering is not only being thrown in honor of the soldiers and officers who participated in the exercise of thesest few weeks, but also is a means for me to establish greater ties with your family. So please, I am begging you to leave me be for the remainder of the night."


    The girl seemed to take far greater offense to Bruno''s words than he initially intended for them, and because of this, she crossed her arms and began to pout while not even ncing in Bruno''s direction.


    "Fine then, go speak with those boring old men, see if I care! But you better live up to your promise ande to visit me soon, or I will never forgive you!"


    Bruno could only sigh and shake his head. Quite honestly, Hedwig was not the first young interest to take a liking to Bruno. There was the daughter of Wilhelm, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, who, for some reason or another, approached Bruno with great interest whenever he visited her home. As seldom as it was.


    And next was the young princess of Japan, who was some way or another rted to Emperor Meiji. Unlike Lousie, she was not a girl who Bruno recognized from the history books. Whether she existed solely in this new timeline, or simply was never recorded in his past life, he didn''t know the answer.


    Yet his troubles didn''t end there. The young Japanese princess affectionately referred to Bruno by the term "Onii-san" and, though they only had one encounter, he could tell she had enjoyed their brief time conversing with one another.


    In Russia, or Siberia to be exact within the manor that the Tsar and his family were hiding in, Bruno had made an impression on the Russian Princess Olga Nikevna, though she appeared terrified of him at the time, by the end of the war she was far more friendly with Bruno during theirst encounter in Saint Petersburg shortly before Bruno returned to the Reich.


    And now here in Austria, the young Archduchess Hedwig was forcing Bruno to promise toe back to Vienna and tell her more war stories, which for some reason or another she had a fascination with.


    As a result, he could only sigh and shake his head as he made the promise, not knowing when exactly he would be able to fulfill it.


    "Alright, fine, I promise... I''lle back to Vienna when I have the chance, and I''ll tell you all about the battles I have fought, okay?"


    The Princess immediately stopped pouting and instead became much more excited as she held out her pinky and forced the man to make such a childish vow with her.


    "Pinky promise?"


    Ultiamtely Bruno did as the Princess requested, as he was not exactly in the position to reject the request of a member of the Royal House of Habsburg, thus he gripped her pinky with his own and shook on it.


    The girl then fulfilled her end of the bargain and left Bruno alone for the rest of the night, where he would speak with other members of her family. Especially the man who would one day rece the current Austrian Kaiser, as well as the presumed heir whose death would ultimately spark the First World War.


    After which Bruno spent some time speaking with Kaiser Franz Joseph, who had gained a very high opinion of the German General through their brief time interacting with one another. Hisst words damn nearly gave Bruno a heart attack and caused him to choke on his drink as he heard them.


    "It''s a damn shame you''re already married... Hedwig has taken a liking to you, and I wouldn''t mind marrying my granddaughter off to a man who will one day be the Chancellor of the German Reich!"


    Bruno looked at the old man as if what he said was incredibly inappropriate and deeply perverted. No doubt due to the few sensibilities he had left over from the 21st century. And while the Austrian Kaiser had said these words mostly in passing, and as an attempt at


    humor.


    Bruno couldn''t help but shake his head and thank God with a silent prayer that at the very least his arranged marriage was to a woman he had grown up alongside in this new life, rather than as an adult to a girl roughly 16 years younger than him.


    In the end he passed off Franz Joseph''s remarks as a joke,ughing and shaking his head, making one of his own that was in far better taste.


    "I assure you, there are far better options for a princess like Hedwig than a mere Junker''s son like myself. Besides, my wife would literally kill the girl if you even dared to attempt such a


    thing."


    Though Franz Joseph found the remark to be funny, and Bruno had said it mostly in jest. There was a lot of truth to the matter. As Heidi was a rather terrifying woman when her wrath was provoked. And Bruno knew this all too well, even if he had not experienced it.


    And at the end of the way, there was no better way to provoke such a fury than for a woman to try to steal her man. And thus, for multiple reasons, whether that be the significant age difference between himself and the Austrian Princess, or the fact that his wife would go on a murder spree if the topic ever reached her ears, Bruno tried to distance himself from such a subject as quickly as possible.


    As he told Hedwig, the next morning Bruno would catch the first train back to the German Reich. But the promise he made to the girl gave him an excellent opportunity to return to the Vienna and discuss many of Bruno''s ideas regarding the expansion of the rail system between the German Reich and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Something that he unfortunately did not find the time to bring up during this visit.

 Chapter 113: The Tyranny of a Proper Housewife

    Chapter 113: The Tyranny of a Proper Housewife


    ?


    Though Bruno''s deployment to Austria onlysted a few weeks, he had taken many men with him, including Heinrich, who, as a major in the army, wasn''t exactly invited to the meetings between the Generals and Monarchs.


    Instead, he spent most of his time with the other soldiers, in the same tents, trenches, and conditions. Heinrich hadn''t joined Bruno''stest escapade by choice; he was serving in the Field Army that Brunomanded and happened to be in the division Bruno chose to enter Austria with.


    Since this was the case, he needed someone to look after Alya, and that someone was naturally Heidi, who took the girl into her home with open arms. Heinrich wasn''t exactly an ideal father figure.


    The man had been living the life of a bachelor until the young adolescent girl was suddenly dropped into his care. Because of this, his home was rather unkempt, and he didn''t exactly have the necessary skills-whether in terms of parenting or simply maintaining the ce-to properly care for the girl. While in her new adoptive father''s home, Alyamonly lounged around the house when she wasn''t at school, with reading fiction as her primary source of entertainment.


    Heidi, however, was an absolute taskmaster of a parent. Her children, as long as they could walk, were performing some form of chores around the house that were appropriate for their age. Naturally, she was bewildered by the fact that Alya neither knew how to cook, clean, sew, nor perform any basic tasks necessary to be a proper wife.


    Because of this, the first week of Alya''s life under Heidi''s reign of terror was absolute hell for the girl. The tyrant watched over her every move, giving her various chores to perform so she could be a proper woman of value to her future husband.


    Alya was no doubt salty about the fact that she couldn''t simply lounge about and read fiction all day. Instead, she was sore all over from theborious work that the housewife put her through. So much so that Bruno''s oldest daughter, Eva-who, while very young, was rather intelligent for her age-couldn''t help butment on the whole thing while helping Alya out.


    "You missed a spot... Mommy is going to be mad if you don''t clean the bath properly!"


    Alya, whose hands were soaked with water and soap and were fully pruned and peeling, couldn''t help but break out into tears as sheined about how hard life was in Heidi''s tyranny.


    "It''s so unfair! Papa never makes me do housework! How am I supposed to do all of this all the time? I want to read, goddammit!"


    As if the woman were around every corner, Heidi immediately appeared with a wooden spoon in her hand, shocking the early-teenage girl by smacking her bottom with the object, all while scolding her for her poor choice ofnguage.


    "Thou shalt not take the Lord''s name in vain in this house, youngdy! Nor shall you use such crassnguage! Next time I hear you say such udylike things, I''m breaking out thedle!"


    Eva couldn''t help butugh at the girl who was practically a decade older than her as shemented on Alya''s misery.


    "Hehehe, Mommy spanked you!"


    Her joy was short-lived as Heidi also smacked her own daughter on the bottom with the wooden spoon-not hard enough to cause injury, mind you, but as a lesson. She spoke aloud in a heightened and stern tone.


    "Eva, you know better than to take joy in someone else''s suffering! I swear to God, the moment your father steps out for a brief business trip, you all act like a bunch of ruffians! Well, not in my house!"


    Eva didn''t break out into tears like Alya did. She was well ustomed to her mother''s firm hand of discipline and simply apologized while helping the foreign girl who was temporarily staying in their house as the two of them scrubbed the bathtub.


    "Sorry, Mommy!"


    Heidi couldn''t help but facepalm as she walked away,menting on how improper the newest girl who was thrust into her care acted. However, she only did so after she knew she could not be heard. After all, it would be inappropriate to say her thoughts in front of the poor girl who had lost her family at such a young age.


    "Honestly, I know I''m not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but the way which the Russians raise their daughters is deeply concerning..."


    It wasn''t exactly Alya''s fault, or that of her parents who were deceased. They were peasants, practically serfs. Manners of high society like those that Bruno and Heidi grew up with were about as alien to them as a proper meal.


    On top of that, Alya had only lived with her biological family for the first ten or eleven years of her life before they died in the war between the Tsar and the Bolsheviks.


    And though Heidi raised her children to behave respectably at such a young age. It wasn''t exactly something peasants who were more concerned about having enough food tost the winter considered to be at the top of their priorities.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Still, Alya''s life under Heidi''s care, while stern, taught her many valuable lessons, and by the time her father returned from Austria nearly a month after his departure from the home, she would be quite disgusted with the way they had lived up until that point.


    She took it upon herself to clean their home and begin preparing proper meals for herself and her adoptive father, who had previously relied mostly on quick-to-prepare food that was cheap and plentiful.


    Needless to say, the sudden change in her behavior was deeply shocking for Heinrich to witness unfold, and he began to suspect that Heidi was some kind of miracle worker.


    As for Bruno, the moment he stepped foot in his home, he was greeted by his wife and children once more. They enjoyed a lovely meal together as a family, and Bruno spoke about his time in Austria, though he would most certainly leave out what the Austrian Kaiser had


    said to him in jest.


    The mere mention of such things was a near-certain way to piss off his wife. And like he had said to Franz Joseph, when Heidi was enraged, it was truly a terrifying thing to witness. Thus, avoiding such topics was a matter of maintaining the peace as far as Bruno was concerned.

 Chapter 114: Rorganizing the Railways

    Chapter 114: Rorganizing the Railways


    ?


    Bruno''s return from the Austrian Alps was one of rtive peace. His days spent at home werergely focused on his work at the Central Division of German High Command, as well as the management of several major businesses.


    Whether it was textiles, construction, extraction and processing of raw materials, heavy industry, etc., Bruno hadrgely invested in a wide variety of industries that he was either partially or fully the owner of. His wealth was vast, but nowhere near what it would be in the future.


    Even so, the man had other concerns on his mind at the moment. Frankly speaking, while the Reich''s railways were robust and more than capable of supporting the war effort should it arrive at their borders, investments into reinforcing this infrastructure so that it was capable of withstanding the stress of war and expanding into Austro-Hungarian territory, especially the Balkans, were needed.


    This was explicitly why he made the pinky promise with Princess Hedwig, as it guaranteed he would be able to return to the Hofburg and hopefully use that visit to convince the Austrian Kaiser towards his proposals-specifically, proposals for investing in the expansion and reinforcement of their railway.


    But it would be a long time before Bruno could fulfill this promise to the Austrian Princess and, in doing so, get this opportunity. Rather, he wanted to enhance his own nation''s railway capabilities.


    Because of this, he immediately began drawing up ns to expand and reinforce German railways for two purposes. The introduction of armored trains would secure their logistical supplywork, especially if they were fighting a defensive war, as Bruno nned.


    Doing this meant the enemy would have a harder time damaging not only their railways but the rail cars that transported men and supplies to the frontlines. Second, Bruno wanted to establish railguns.


    Bruno was not considering the enormous monstrosity known as the Gustav Gun, perhaps the most ludicrouslyrge piece of artillery ever fielded in battle. No, the 280mm Krupp K5 was more than enough to fulfill the needs of the German Army.


    It was smaller, put less stress on the railways, and of course was easier to transport, not requiring the construction of new railways that could support it, unlike the Gustav Gun. So, first and foremost was enhancing and reinforcing the current railway systems. It didn''t exactly hurt to make thempatible with the high-speed trains of the future, right?


    These would require substantial re-engineering considering that the current rail systems were about as obsolete and in as poor condition as the United States railways of the 21st century.


    If he was going to overhaul the German Reich''s railways, why not ensure they were modern enough to support future advancements in train technology?


    High-speed rails, unlike earlier designs, were generally constructed of thermite-welded steel rails ced over concrete or steel ties. This was in stark contrast to how railways were currently constructed, which were made on wooden ties with wrought iron rails that had been riveted together.


    Either way, for Germany to enter the new century and to make use of the advancements of theing decades, they would need to undergo this reconstruction effort of the entire railway system.


    And since Bruno wanted to reinforce them and expand them across greater boundaries, not only of the German Reich but also of its allies, it only made sense to make such investments now. He drafted a proposal, in terms of blueprints and techniques needed to actually build such things, and then sent them to his father, who was still a member of the Bundesrat.


    Though Bruno''s father was not on the Railways Committee and was rather on the Land Army and Fortresses Committee, several of Bruno''s designs, such as those for railway guns and improved rail cars, fell under his jurisdiction.


    In addition to this, Bruno knew his father was associated or perhaps even quite friendly with at least one man on the Railways Committee, hence why his father was his go-ahead for getting this project started.


    Naturally, thepanies advised to contract for the construction of both the railway improvements and the armored train/railway guns were owned by Bruno in some capacity. It was ultimately up to Bruno''s father whether or not these affairs would be approved.


    But after ensuring that the railway system would begin undergoing massive investments over theing years, Bruno also began focusing on two regions in which he had been making ns in the background for some time now.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    First and foremost, Bruno wanted to drag Romania into the war on behalf of the Central Powers, and to do so would require diplomatic maneuvering from the Kaiser, which he had not taken in his past life.


    At the moment, the King of Romania, Carol I, favored Germany and the Central Powers over their rivals. However, there was one problem with this-he would die in 1914, and his sessor favored the Entente.


    Bruno would have to find some way to convince the sessor to side with the Central Powers, and the reason for this was simple. Romania was one of two potential regions for Bruno to begin extracting and refining oil from, a region that could be connected to his grand railway ns through Austro-Hungarian territory.


    However, if Romania did not join the Central Powers and instead continued on its course from Bruno''s previous life, then Bruno would, unfortunately, have to rely on oil from German Kamerun. It was one of Germany''s colonies in Africa, and though Germany didn''t realize it yet, there were substantial oil and natural gas reserves in the region.


    Or should I say Germany was just now learning about this because Bruno had begun investing in the region''s development specifically for this purpose as far back as 1901, when he received his initial fortune.


    By now, the oil and gas-rich regions of the colony were under Bruno''s control, and the construction of extraction and processing facilities was underway. If the worst came to worst, Bruno could rely on his advanced destroyers and U-boats to protect the oil transport convoys. But this would require constant travel between Africa and Europe, a journey that was both perilous in a time of war and long. It was because of this that Bruno really wanted to get Romania on his side so he could make use of their oil deposits to fuel his future ns for the mass implementation of tanks, armored cars, and a motorized logistical supportwork.


    But the ns to create these armored cars and five-ton trucks would have to wait for another time. After burning the midnight oil to ensure that the railway could be improved to his specifications, Bruno decided to finally crawl into bed, where he kissed his sleeping wife on the cheek before fully entering the dream world himself.

 Chapter 115: Introducing Armored Cars

    Chapter 115: Introducing Armored Cars


    ?


    One of the major problems with the Great War, and why it suddenly ended up in a stalemate where millions of men died for the gain of a single mile in static and brutal trench warfare, was because, to put it simply, military weaponry advanced well beyond the means of transportation.


    Trucks and armored vehicles weren''t really a thing yet. Those were inventions that spawned from the end of the Great War and throughout the interwar period. Hell, the entire oil industry was really not developed enough to sustain a full-scale motorized form of warfare.


    And though Bruno had begun making substantial investments in the oil and natural gas industries, if he was being honest, it would be years before Germany had enough fuel stored to properly make use of such advancements in military transportation.


    Frankly speaking, it would be decades before airnes and cars advanced enough to sustain a functioning logisticswork. At this time, railways and horse-drawn carts were the primary means of transportation.


    But Bruno wanted to change this. Logistics was a huge part of winning a war, and this was fully realized in the Second World War when, in several critical battles, the Germans ran out of ammo and fuel, ultimately forcing either their retreat or surrender.


    Because of this, Bruno had ns to secure oil from Kamerun and Romania to sustain not only the German military''s logisticswork. Hence, he had begun making investments in such areas. But at the same time, Bruno needed to introduce a truck capable of transporting supplies from the railways to the battlefield.


    Hence, he began making use of a design from his past life. The GMC CCKW 2/2-ton 6x6 truck was, by all means, the most vital aspect of WW2 that most people forgot about. Given in significant supplies as lend-lease by the United States to the Allied Powers, including the Soviet Union, this truck was the primary backbone of all Allied Armies.


    Without these trucks, it is entirely possible that the Soviet front would have copsed long before they ever managed to change the tide of the war. In other words, this truck was the unsung hero of the Second World War.


    If built in sufficient supply, they could not only ferry supplies to the frontlines but soldiers as well, and carry off the wounded from the battlefield to the railways, where they could be taken to a proper hospital.


    It was a gap in technological capabilities that basically ensured, if properly fueled, that the defensive lines Bruno was building in the West would constantly be resupplied. In addition to this, they could secure the offensive supply lines when the time to push into France finally arrived.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    An operation that would be spearheaded not only by the new Panzer tanks Bruno had made, which were loosely based on the theoretical E-10 designs from his past life, albeit with heavy modifications, but also by armored cars to support them.


    Frankly speaking, armored cars began being phased out in the Cold War, primarily being operated as reconnaissance vehicles and in limited capacity. Even so, there were some designs that Bruno could be inspired by, at least in terms of the hull. For example, sloped armor was a concept that proved to be very effective in the Second World War, especially in the use of tanks.


    It was something Bruno made use of in his current tank designs. However, it really wasn''t applied to armored cars, as they quickly began being delegated to reconnaissance roles in the middle of the war. And even then, they were of a lesser priority.


    But without infantry fighting vehicles, and in an era where anti-tank weapons didn''t really exist, armored cars were not only faster than tanks but also provided enough firepower, in the form of a 20mm cannon, that they could wreak havoc on the enemy lines during the initial push.


    And if designed well enough, with sloped armor, for example, they could pretty much repel any weapon used against them during this era. Thus, Bruno modeled his armored cars, or at least their hulls, upon the Cold War-era Sp?hpanzer Luchs 8x8 reconnaissance vehicle.


    In Bruno''s design, he made use of rolled homogeneous armor, which was basically the best form of armor that could be made for a vehicle before the introduction ofposite materials.


    In addition to this, it made use of a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 main autocannon that was mounted in a Panzer II Luchs-style turret. It also made use of a 7.92mm MG 34 machine gun as its secondary armament.


    To put it simply, a 2cm or 20mm autocannon was highly effective against infantry but less so against armor. While the tank design Bruno was introducing had a 5cm gun that was designed for busting armor and fortifications, which could deal substantial damage to enemy trenches, the armored car made use of a main gun more designed to shred the infantry in those trenches with high-explosive 20mm rounds.


    Pretty much, it was the perfect counterpart to the E-10 series tank, known as the Panzer in this life, for Bruno to add as a support vehicle. With the push into France after the French Army had been broken against his fortifications, Bruno would have a wall of steel to protect his soldiers as they charged forward, while also having substantial firepower mounted to them. Quite honestly, Bruno felt a slight sense of pity for the French and British soldiers of the uing war. An entire generation of their society would die while trying and failing to break into the borders of the German Reich, only for the few survivors to face an onught of steel and explosive firepower that the world had never really seen at this point.


    Then again, this sense of pity only existed for the briefest of moments as Bruno remembered that their deaths would be necessary to forge a new century of German hegemony, one built upon the traditional values of Western Civilization and not the false gods of liberalism and progressivism that proimed themselves to be the West in the world from which Bruno had originallye.

 Chapter 116: Accidentally Creating a New Combat Sport

    Chapter 116: identally Creating a New Combat Sport


    ?


    Weeks passed by as Bruno continued with his daily life in the German Empire. With his work at the Central Division of the German Army''s High Command, as well as his micromanagement of several major corporations within a wide variety of industries, the numbers in Bruno''s bank ount kept going up by the day.


    But because of this, he was almost always busy, having no real time except on weekends for himself. After all, his family was a significant priority of his, and because of this, any free time he had outside of work was spent with them.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Even so, Bruno somehow managed to find the time to begin his workout routine, maintaining his physique, which had begun toe unraveled due to his rathercent lifestyle, as well as increasing his overall muscle mass, stamina, and cardiovascr health.


    In addition to this, Bruno began to take up wrestling and boxing, with the formation of the National Institutes for Sports underway to foster generational talent within a variety of athletic programs suited towards the Olympics. Bruno had decided to begin expanding his time set aside for himself by incorporating the twobat sports into his weekly schedule. Though he was by no means training like a professional, the proficiency that Bruno disyed in both wrestling and boxing fundamentally changed the mindset of those few practitioners within Berlin who had begun training in temporary gymnasiums, which the German Empire was now sponsoring for the sake of raising proper instructors for the future generations of talent in these two athletic pursuits.


    After all, the sports of boxing and wrestling would develop rapidly in the following decades, and it was during this time in Bruno''s past life, particrly in the second half of the 20th century and the first half of the 21st, that Bruno learned such pursuits.


    Hence, the way he dodged and countered punches waspletely unusual for the time. But today was an unusual day. Bruno was by no means a small man; in fact, by the standards of the 21st century, he would be considered a Light Heavyweight if he fought in Mixed Martial Arts.


    But his opponent was what one might call a genuine heavyweight. As the man kepting at him, Bruno found himself backed into a corner, where he used an illegal move by push kicking the man away in an act of frustration, followed by a jab, cross, and a leg kick.


    The leg kick was so debilitating that the man fell to the floor, where Bruno stood over him smirking. Ultimately, it was the coach of the small and recently founded boxing club who stepped in and interrupted the match.


    Though Bruno realized he had messed up and vited the rules of the sport while in a sparring match with his opponent, it was not he who was yelled at, but rather the heavyweight who climbed to his feet and limped around. Clearly unused to being kicked in the leg, and by such a powerful one at that.


    "What the fuck was that? Are you taking a dive? I know that was an illegal blow, but are you seriously trying to tell me a kick to the leg is all it takes to drop a big potato-fed motherfucker like you?"


    Bruno smirked when he heard this, making ament to the coach about how little he knew about kickboxing, which wasn''t even a sport outside of Southeast Asia at this time.


    "Do you want to experience it for yourself?"


    The man looked at Bruno with stern eyes. He was a retired boxer from the United States, who had been enticed by the German Empire''s offer towards professional boxers of significant status to move to the country temporarily in an effort to create a proper national boxing associations for the sake of the Olympic Games.


    The man was someone Bruno recognized from his past life and was posthumously elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame upon its creation in the year 1990. James J. Corbett, also known as "Gentleman Jim," was by no means a weakling. Having been the Heavyweight Champ of the world during a time when boxing was stillrgely frowned upon.


    Not that its reputation was much better in the current year. It was a sport that really only gained some form of legitimacy on the international stage upon being added to the Olympics a mere two years prior to 1904.


    Even so, the man was not to be messed with. But Bruno had been a ratherpetent kickboxer in his past life. He was no professional, but he had a few amateur fights in his younger years before joining the Bundeswehr. And he was bothpetent enough with his hands and his legs/knees to know that he had a significant advantage over the boxer, whose style was very outdated.


    Of course, Bruno''s words were a severe wound to the man''s pride. After all, it was not like boxing allowed kicks; how could he know how debilitating a well-ced leg kick was? Many a boxer had learned the hard way about such things in Bruno''s past life, especially when mixed martial arts started bing popr in the 21st century.


    Hence why he smirked and epted Bruno''s challenge, wanting to beat some sense into the rule-breaker for daring to do something so dirty while he was the coach of this boxing club.


    "Alright, let me get some gloves on, and I''ll teach you a lesson!"


    After which, the man quicklyced up his gloves before stepping into the ring across from Bruno. His stance was heavily outdated by Bruno''s standards, who held his hands up high and took a Dutch kickboxing guard style.


    As the boxing coach advanced forward with his hands held out in front of him, Bruno nimbly protected his head, moving it out of the way of every punch the man threw, before following up with some counter shots, both of whichnded cleanly on the instructor. He finished thebination with a solid and exaggerated leg kick, gaining as much power as possible, knowing that despite telegraphing his attack, the opponent had no defense against it.


    The end result was the man''s leg being kicked out from under him as he hit the ground with a look ofplete and total shock on his face. All the while, Bruno smirked and offered the coach a hand to help him up, while also assuring him he also had the ability to kick him in the head.


    "If you think that''s bad, wait until I kick you in the head as well..."


    Bruno didn''t realize it, but not only would his actions at this boxing club, which would one day go on to be the National Performance Institute for Boxing, change the sport of boxing, forcing it to evolve much earlier than it would have otherwise, but would also create an entirely new sport, which was heavily reminiscent of modern kickboxing.

 Chapter 117: Plan XVII

    Chapter 117: n XVII


    ?


    Bruno had changed the timeline in more ways than he realized. Not only had things begun to move quicker than they had in his past life, such as the Russian Revolution of 1905 being moved up a year because of the sheer degree of losses which Russia suffered during the Russo-Japanese war as result of Bruno''s actions in the region.


    But France had begun devising a proper n on how to invade and defeat Germany in the event of the outbreak of war much earlier in this life than they had in thest one. For instance, currently a group of French Generals were gathered in France to discuss the issue. And standing among their ranks was the newly promoted G¨¦n¨¦ral de brigade, Leon Sinir. The man had done well to hide his Marxist sympathies over the years, especially during the troubled times that hisrades suffered after the Germans had assassinated the previous French Chief of Staff while sessfully pinning the me for their attack on local French Marxist groups.


    In doing so, Leon had raised to a significant rank within the French Army, especially after his performance in Madagascar. Which would no doubt help hisrades in the future when they finally began their long-nned revolution.


    However, for the meantime, the man sat and listened to generals much older than himself as they debated on how best to proceed with the invasion of Germany and the annexation of the so called "Lost Territories."


    Quite frankly, it was a disputed matter, as the regions in question had been gained by the French during the 17th centuries from the Holy Roman Empire but were considered German long before that. Hence why the capital of Alsace Lorraine, or as the Germans properly referred to it as Elsass-Lothringen, was a city named Strasburg which under French rule had been francized into Strasbourg.


    Truthfully speaking, the territory had been German for much longer than it was French, but it had still been French for hundreds of years before the Germans Reimed it in 1871. Because of this, thend was currently more French than German, as only a single generation of its poption had lived under the German banners.


    No matter what you called the region, or who you thought it rightfully belonged to, the fact remained it was a significant eyesore in the eyes of the French who had wanted to reim the region since their humiliating defeat in 1871. And thus, Alsace Lorraine was arge part of their current discussions.


    Not only that, but the reason they were preparing for the uing Great War now in 1906, rather than in 1912 when they should have firste up with such a n, was because Bruno had thoroughly convinced the Kaiser that war between the Great Powers was an inevitability at this point, and that preparations should be made long in advance.


    These preparations, especially in the form of border fortifications at Elsass-Lothringen, proved to be a severe provocation to the French. Hence why the French Generals were now talking about a potential invasion of the German Reich.


    Part of these discussions, much like they had been in Bruno''s past life, involved marching through Belgium and viting its neutrality in order to enter Germany. That''s right... It was nned by both the French and the Germans to cross through Belgium at the outbreak of the


    war.


    The only difference is, during Bruno''s past life, Germany had seeded before the French could do so. And hence why Britain ultimately joined the war. That was honestly a mere excuse, as the British had already long since promised to have the backs of the French and Russians by the time the war broke out in 1914.


    Speaking of differences between this current timeline that had changed as a result of Bruno''s actions. In Bruno''s past life, Kaiser Wilhelm II, although having a bad reputation andrgely taking the me for the outbreak of the war after it had concluded. Had in all reality done everything within his power to prevent the war from beginning.


    For example, the Kaiser solely had the purpose of dering war in the case of defensive wars only. Offensive wars were dered upon a vote by the Bundesrat. Not only that, but the nk check he wasmonly held responsible for giving Austria-Hungary was actually done while he was away on vacation by one of his ministers.


    Upon his return, and realizing that the Russians were mobilizing their forces in support of Serbia, Wilhelm begged his cousin Tsar Nichs II to stop and prevent the outbreak of unnecessary for war. And while Nichs agreed, he had ceded his power to stop the mobilization during the creation of the Russian Constitution in 1905, when the Russian Revolution ended, and he had formed the first Russian Constitution.


    Because of this, the Russian Generals, and State Duma overrode his attempts to stop the war between Russia and Germany before it really began. Ironically enough, had the Marxists not revolted in 1905, and forced the Tsar to concede much of his power, and instead the Tsar still reigned with absolute power in 1914, millions of lives could have been spared, and Germany would have steamrolled the French and British without having to fight a two-war front. Meaning that it was ultimately the democratic elements of the constitutional monarchies that had caused the war, rather than the Monarchs themselves. Despite the fact that most people believed that monarchs like Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nichs II were to me.


    But this was neither here nor there, because in this life, Bruno had thoroughly convinced the Kaiser that war between the Great European Powers were an inevitability, and because of this France was preparing for it six years earlier than they otherwise would have by ultimately introducing the n XVII in 1906, rather than in 1912.


    Which, ironically enough, yed right into Bruno''s hands, who had prepared to wage a defensive war long enough for the mass implementation of tanks, armored cars, motorized transportation, and aircraft to support a full-fledged advanced into Paris.


    Leon, of course, had remained silent throughout the discussion. As he was a mere Brigadier General, but, he wholeheartedly agreed with the ns to invade Germany, and Belgium as he would never forget the day that the German soldiers advanced into Paris in 1871 and humiliated his country with the promation of their Empire in the pce of Versailles.


    Because of this, he looked forward to the day the war began, while all others were dreading the possibility, even if they must prepare for it.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 118: An Invitation to the Tsars Palace

    Chapter 118: An Invitation to the Tsar''s Pce


    ?


    Tsar Nichs II had taken the consequences of the Russian Civil War to heart. Forced to draft a constitution rather quickly following the defeat of the Bolsheviks in order to appease the aggrieved people of Russia, he hadrgely based it upon the German Constitution.


    Meaning that the Tsar only had the power to dere a defensive war. As for any offensive war that was up for the State Duma to vote upon. Even so, he retained significant authority over the military, meaning that he had the power to simply not mobilize his forces even if the State Duma dered war on Germany in theing years.


    But that was starting to seem less and less like a possibility. Bruno''s actions in Russia had changed things quite significantly. The man was viewed as a war hero by the nation, and the humanitarian efforts undertaken by the Iron Division, and the means of support they left behind after withdrawing, had left a good reputation of Germany on the Russian people.


    As for the French, their covert attempt to assassinate Bruno while he was in Russia had left a very poor image of the French in the minds of the Russian People. The Tsar had only been informed of it after the war was over, and though it was med on the Marxists for the sake of wartime propaganda, a correction was made by the Tsar and his government after the truth was revealed to him.


    Even so, the Russian people weren''t angry that the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, and other Marxist groups in Russia took the me, as their fury was entirely vented upon the French. Because of this, Russian support for Germany was growing, especially when Bruno began investing in the rebuilding of Russia following its civil war.


    Money had be a means for Bruno to acquire power. He, after all, lived a very humble life, and gaining control over Russian assets that were undiscovered, especially in the terms of raw materials, was an enormous benefit given to him by the Tsar after he became a member of the Russianndowning nobility.


    In other words, using his knowledge from his past life, and his understanding of the Russianndscape, Bruno had begun buying up significant swaths ofnd that was currently deemed useless by its owners, knowing that many valuable resources which would be critical to future industry were located there.


    Oil, Natural Gas, Titanium, Uranium, et cetera. If there was a valuable resource deposit in an area, he knew that had yet to be discovered, Bruno bought it. This included resources that would not be processed, refined, and used in production for another hundred years, like lithium.


    Quite frankly speaking, this was actually a byproduct of Bruno''s actions that he was now taking advantage of. He honestly did not expect to be granted the status of a hereditary nobleman in Russia. This came with the right for him and his family to ownnd in perpetuity within the nation.


    Was it something he thought about in the back of his head when he initially nned to enter Russia in years past? Most certainly, the thought had crossed his mind. But considering the previous actions he had taken against Russia in the past, Bruno honestly thought Nichs would be stingy in rewarding him for his victories against the Marxists.


    He did not expect the man to forgive him entirely for his past actions against the Russian Army, and instead reward him with a gift worth far more than anything the Kaiser could give him. But since this is what came to be, Bruno was now going to take advantage of it and secure Russia''s vast resources for his own family''s future, and for the future of the German Reich.


    Oddly enough, while Bruno was sitting at home, enjoying a beer and a cigarette, the mail arrived for the day. There was a stack of letters from various people and organizations, of which he spent an hour reading them all.


    But thest letter dam near caused the man to swallow his cigarette. Naturally, Bruno would recognize the seal belonging to the House of Romanov wherever he may find it in the world. It could be covered in centuries of mud and dust, and he would still know it by sight.


    Let alone when it was embedded into his letter in the form of a wax seal. Because of this, Bruno quickly opened the letter, and was surprised to see that the Tsar was inviting him and his family to his pce in Russia for a get together of the Russian nobility.


    And while Bruno despised such gatherings, he had to admit not only was it unwise to reject an invitation from the Tsar, but it was also an excellent opportunity to try to rope the man into the Central Powers.


    As much respect as Bruno had for Wilhelm as both a man and a ruler, Bruno felt like adding a personal touch to the diplomacy between the two empires could assist in securing Russia''s allegiance.


    Especially if he could resolve disputes between Nichs and Franz Joseph. Frankly speaking, Bruno desired Russia as an ally in this war more than them simply staying out of it. If Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Germany joined hands together like they had initially nned before, the League of Three Emperors fell apart. Then there was no power in this world that could defeat them.


    Even if the United States joined the Entente in this life, they would be obliterated by such a fearsome alliance. The industrial potential of the three empires alone outmatched anything the United States was capable of providing to the Entente.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Since this was the case, Bruno quickly got up off his seat and ran towards the kitchen, where he suspected his wife was making dinner. His sudden appearance had not shocked the man, as she seemed to know where everyone was at all times in her home. Almost as if she has a sixth sense in that regard.


    So much so that while cutting the meat for the meal they would enjoyter that evening, she did not even look at Bruno while addressing him.


    "Something interesting in the mail, dear?"


    Bruno had long since gotten ustomed to the woman''s uncanny ability to know what was happening in her home and simply responded with an excitable expression on his face.


    "So... This is going to sound a bit strange, but we have been invited to join a gathering at the Tsar''s pce, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me or not?"


    Heidi knew well enough how much Bruno hated such gatherings, and there was no way in hell she was going to abandon him to a bunch of prude noblemen. Especially when she considered that their slutty daughters might try toe onto her man.


    Because of this, she was quick to respond to Bruno''s question as if it was simply absurd, and with a pretty smile on her face.


    "Of course! I know how dreadful those things are for you, so when are we heading out? I will need some time to make sure the kids are properly prepared, and that your uniform is properly cleaned and pressed!"


    Seeing how well his wife understood his character, and did not even bother asking about his intentions for the uing ball at the Tsar''s pce. Bruno couldn''t help but smile and shake his head before making it clear when they needed to head out.


    "The Tsar has set the date for the ball for the beginning of autumn, so we have plenty of time


    to prepare."


    Heidi instantly made a mental note of what Bruno had said, and would begin making preparations as soon as the next morning. As for Bruno, he really didn''t have much to do between now and then, so he would continue on with his life as it currently was. But he would also make sure to get approval to take a temporary leave of absence in order to visit the Tsar''s


    home.


    Which would of course have him finding himself face to face with Kaiser Wilhelm II before he realized it.

 Chapter 119: A Personal Request from the Kaiser

    Chapter 119: A Personal Request from the Kaiser


    ?


    While Heidi was making every possible preparation for the family''s vacation to Saint Petersburg, which was where the Tsar''s Winter Pce was, which was the primary residence of the House of Romanov. Bruno had found himself back at work, where he immediately requested time off to attend the ball which the Tsar was throwing for some ceremonial reason or another.


    Because of this, Bruno''s request first went to the Chief of Staff, who passed it off to the Kaiser. And the result was an invitation to the Kaiser''s pce. Because of this, Bruno was escorted out of the headquarters belonging to the Central Division of the German Army''s highmand, and was brought to the Kaiser''s pce, which he had visited on three prior asions in his life.


    Once as a teenager where he defended his fianc¨¦e''s honor against a prince who dared to sully her name. And twice whening back from war as a way to personally debrief the Kaiser on what he had been up to.


    Bruno would now be stepping foot into the home of the German Reich''s foremost monarch to address his request for a temporary leave of absence. Why did the Kaiser wish to speak to Bruno personally about this matter?N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Well, the man had few ideas, and because of this, he was on his best behavior when he finally stood in front of the Kaiser, saluting the Monarch as he waited for a response. Kaiser Wilhelm was in a rather jovial mood and immediately dismissed Bruno''s need to stand during the ceremony.


    "Oh,e now, Bruno. This is the fourth time I have invited you to my home. If I had you stand on every time you visited, it would be woefully inappropriate. Not to mention this isn''t a formal meeting, or a matter of your duty to the fathend. Rather, I asked you here for a personal request, and I assure you it is by no means mandatory to ept."


    Bruno gave the Kaiser a nce that said he did not remotely trust that the man was actually making a personal request of him, and instead suspected it was indeed an order to be carried out, even if the man imed otherwise.


    The usatory nce did not offend Wilhelm. Rather, it caused the man to break out intoughter and make a joke about Bruno''s gesture.


    "Yes, yes, I know all about your paranoid nature. Quite frankly, with how much you mistrust the world and those around you, I can''t help but wonder how your wife puts up with you. Even so, I feel the need to ask now that this opportunity has befallen you.


    I of course, have known for some time now that Nichs granted you the status of nobility for your heroic actions during that dreadful business. And it is no doubt because of this that he wants to parade you around as the hero of Russia and its people.


    Though he offers you this invitation on friendly terms, I suspect you are aware that he has ulterior motives in doing so. Nichs wants to drag you and your family closer to Russia. You are, after all, a rare talent when ites to the field ofmand."


    Bruno once more cast an usatory nce at the man, causing him to quickly change his trajectory of speech with a forced cough. As he knew all too well what his general was thinking at the moment.


    "Don''t misunderstand me. Unlike some of your peers, I have no doubts of where your loyalties truly lie. Rather, I havee to ask you to allow Nichs to lure you to his side. The closer you are to the Tsar and the House of Romanov, the easier it will be to convince them to settle their differences with the Habsburgs and join together with us.


    Although it breaks my heart to think that war will break out between the Great Powers of the world, I can''t help but fear that as the days pass, and this great Earth of ours plunges further into chaos that your more cynical nature in this regard is proving more correct as the years go by.


    You have noticed by now that I have begun building fortifications in the west? ording to our spies in France, this has provoked them into formting a proper invasion n of the German Reich. And though I can''t help but feel slightly responsible, I know that this would have urred sooner orter than we ourselves were making such preparations.


    So, it is critical that you pull the Tsar and the Russians over to our side. Especially now that you have some renown among their empire and its people. So, will you do this for me? Will you allow Nichs to woo you and grow close to him as a friend of the House of Romanov?" The Kaiser seemed anxious, as if Bruno might reject his offer. Frankly, Bruno did not know why he looked this way. It was only logical to do exactly what the man had asked of him. Hell, even if the Kaiser didn''t personally request this of him, Bruno would have done it, anyway.


    It was expedient to his overall ambitions, after all, to gain the Tsar''s favor and that of his family. Still, why did everyone act as if Bruno was some kind of anti-social shut-in who would rather stand at the edge of the party snacking on the Hors d''oeuvres and cocktails than he would converse with the House of Romanov!


    Did he really have such a dreadful image in the minds of society? I mean, sure, would he rather be at home with his family than at some fanciful gathering of nobility? Absolutely, but it was not as if he went out of his way to shy away from such things when they were required of him.


    Perhaps the way Bruno was insulted by the Kaiser''s insinuations had given the man the wrong impression as he sighed heavily, and was just about to say something when Bruno ultimately cut him off.


    "I''ll do it..."


    At first, the Kaiser had thought that Bruno rejected him and was quick to speak in this regard. "Yes, yes, I feared as much. Well, thank you for-What did you just say?"


    Bruno looked at the German Emperor with an almost livid expression as he struggled to bite his tongue and prevent him from saying what he really thought, while again confirming that he had agreed to the man''s request.


    "I said I''ll do it... I don''t know why you all have such a dreadful impression of me, but I nned to do exactly as you have requested of me from the start. Quite frankly, this meeting was unnecessary, but if it eases your worries, then I have no qualms about epting your request. It is, after all, the logical thing to do in this situation..."


    Bruno didn''t even realize it, but by asserting that approaching the Tsar with intent to build a rtionship with him and his family out of some hidden ambition to drag Russia into the Central Powers was an act of logic, rather than maniption and guile was exactly why so many people had such a dreadful impression of him.


    And the Kaiser looked at the man as if he had just exined himself why so many people thought of him as some kind of cruel, capricious, and ruthless being whose social skills were about as cold as ice. Even so, the Kaiser broke out into a smile and patted Bruno on the back rather joyfully, as if they were long-time friends.


    "Right, that is exactly what I expect of my favorite general! Now that is out of the way. I won''t stand in your way any longer. Your request for a temporary leave of absence is granted as this diplomatic mission of yours is itself far more important than whatever it is you do at the


    office all day.


    Oh, and tell that level wife of yours that I said hello. I will never forget the day you so boldly pped that foolish little prince in the face and defended your woman''s honor. It was truly


    the spectacle of a lifetime!"


    Bruno honestly felt a slight sense of pride well up in his chest upon being reminded of his youthful chivalry. He had taken up the sword in defense of his fiancee''s honor, and an act that he knew Heidi still remembered quite vividly to this day.


    In fact, Bruno could have sworn that at one point he walked in on his wife while she was telling his young daughters a bed-time story that was about that fateful day, a day that had forever changed Bruno''s trajectory in life.


    Because of this, he thanked Wilhelm for his statements, and assured him that his wife would be pleased to know that she was in the Kaiser''s thoughts.


    After which he stepped out of the room, where he was just about to exit the Kaiser''s pce altogether when a pair of dainty hands wrapped themselves around his eyes, with the youthful whisper of a teenage girl flowing past his ears.


    "Guess who!?!"

 Chapter 120 Tea Time with the Princess of Prussia

    120 Tea Time with the Princess of Prussia


    Bruno stood there with the dainty hands of a young girl around his eyes. Considering he was in the Kaiser''s pce, just about to step out of it without saying hello to someone in particr, he could guess exactly who was so bold as to approach him like this. With a heavy sigh, one that sounded as if he was too exhausted to entertain the girl, he voiced her name aloud correctly. "Princess Victoria Louise, I was just about toe find you to pay my respects¡­" The girl let go of Bruno''s eyes, which she was standing on the top of her toes to even reach, and immediately called the man out for his obvious lies. "You''re lying! You were just about to leave without saying hello to dear old me!" Bruno turned around and gazed upon the young princess, who was having fun at his expense. He couldn''t help but sigh once more, as he admitted the truth to her, considering she had the gall to actually call him out on his lies. "You''re absolutely right¡­ Well, now that you have my attention, was there something you wanted to say to me?" The young princess simply giggled at Bruno''s serious expression. The man was generally seen by most people who didn''t know him, but knew about him as a stern, serious, and outright dreadful figure. Hisck of ability to smile unless he was around his close friends or family was not helping him in this regard. Even so, the Princess couldn''t help but make a remark about this. "I just wanted to say hello. Is it really so hard to entertain a princess for a few minutes? Most men in your shoes would be dying to get the chance for me to show them such favor! Yet here you are, acting as if I am wasting your precious time. So, I have to ask what is so important that you can''t even spend a few minutes speaking with an adorable little princess like myself?" There were few people in this world, especially a woman at that, who had the nerve to be so bold in front of Bruno''s face. Then again, the Royalty generally held such a privilege, as at the end of the day there was nothing Bruno could do to discipline a brat of such status. Because of this, he simply responded to the girl''s whimsical rant about himself as if it were something he would reflect on. "I''m a busy man your majesty, your father''s wars won''t win themselves. But if it is a royalmand, I suppose I can make some time for you, so, are you willing to abuse your power for such a petty matter?" Perhaps Bruno had underestimated the shamelessness of the girl, but she immediately smirked something sinister as shetched onto his hand and began to speak incredibly informally with the man. "Are you really going to think that such a thing wouldpel me to free you? Oh no, Lord von Zehntner, I''m afraid you have the privilege of apanying this little princess for the afternoon!" Victoria Louise could see the rage sh in Bruno''s eyes at how utterly shameless she was being, but this only made herugh more than she dragged him off to the pce gardens to enjoy a cup of tea with her. There were many things she wanted to know about, especially regarding her father''s ns. The Kaiser would never tell his little angel about the prospect of war with the world bing a very real reality, but that didn''t mean that she couldn''t use her privilege as princess topel one of his generals to speak to her about such critical matters. And because of this, Bruno soon found himself in a garden, beneath an awning, enjoying tea and snacks with the young teenage princess who was very interested in what he had been up to as ofte. "My father won''t tell me about what you have been doing, especially while you were in Russia. But I''m not deaf. I can hear the servants whisper about this so-called Red Scourge. Your reputation has even reached my ears, even though I''m just a caged little bird. So¡­ Tell me all about your exploits! My father and you are nning something so secretive that I am not even allowed to eavesdrop on your meetings!" Considering this royal brat wouldn''t let her go until he had fully satisfied her curiosity, Bruno sighed heavily and began his tale about what he had been up to over the years, starting with his exploits in the east at the beginning of his military career. "You didn''t hear this from me¡­" After several hours of a long and dreadful discussion in which Bruno held nothing out about his exploits during the three wars he had fought in up until this point. The young Princess was not the slightest bit disturbed. Instead, she keenly listened to the tale with much excitement. Eventually Bruno began speaking about the preparations he had begun making for the uing Great War. After all, who would believe such fanciful tales from the mouth of a teenage girl? In the end, the girl couldn''t help but make a remark, which caused Bruno to smile in her presence for perhaps the first time since she was old enough to remember their encounters. "It sounds like you know a bit too much about the future, and what it has in store for us all¡­ You wouldn''t be an angel, would you, Lord von Zehntner?" Bruno damn nearly choked on his tea when he heard the young princess'' question. But he managed to pass it off with a smirk, as he responded to the girl''s question with the honest truth, knowing that she wouldn''t believe him. "An angel? No, I am wholly undeserving of such a privilege. But would you believe me if I told you that God sent me back in time from the year 2024 so that I may save the German Reich and its people?" Naturally, this absurd statement had one effect on the young German Princess who broke out into a fit of uncontrobleughter, as she made fun of Bruno for finally showing a yful side to himself. "You! And here I thought you were a boring old fuddy duddy! But you actually have such a humorous side to yourself!" Bruno stared sternly at the girl. Any friendliness he had shown her immediately reverted back to its previous dreadful state as he interrogated her on the spot. "Old? I''ll have you know I have yet to even turn 27! I''m not old! I''m not even in the prime of my life!" This denial of his age only caused the princess to break out into even furtherughter as she treated Bruno as if he were an old man who was very sensitive about his age. "Yes, yes, my mistake! Well, now that I know all about you, and your time traveling adventures, you are free to go, My Lord. I''m sure you have many preparations to make if you wish to save the German Reich from certain defeat!" After saying this, the Princess couldn''t help butugh some more, as Bruno simply stood up, thanked her for her treatment, and walked off. Once he was no longer in sight, the girl ceased herughter, and looked at where Bruno had walked off to, making ament to nobody in particr as she did so. "As ridiculous as it sounds, it would exin a lot. I mean, aircraft were just invented, and yet the difference between his prototypes and what the Wright Brothers designed are decades apart from one another. Could he really be from the future? No¡­ That''s absurd, perhaps he really is the genius my father touts him to be¡­ It is such a shame a man like that is not a prince, and is already married¡­" Luckily Bruno had not heard thest words the princess said, cause if he had he would have instinctively flinched and looked around to see if his wife''s murderous gaze was nearby. After speaking with the princess throughout the afternoon, Bruno told her all about his exploits and ns for the future. Albeit leaving out any ssified or sensitive information. He returned to his home, where he was greeted by his wife and children. They were close to finishing their preparations for their family trip to Saint Petersburg. And Heidi had properly cleaned and pressed Bruno''s Russian Field Marshal Uniform, as well as perfectly aligned his medals and orders as they should be per regtion. Ultimately, Bruno would forget his conversation with the young princess of the von Hohenzollern dynasty, even if she did not. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 121 Entering the Tsars Palace as a Family

    121 Entering the Tsar''s Pce as a Family


    By the time Bruno and his family arrived in Saint Petersburg, he was surprised to find that there were members of the Tsar''s personal bodyguard waiting there to escort him to the pce. Bruno didn''t realize this, but considering he had not actually built an estate in Russia, let alone within the boundaries of Saint Petersburg, he and his family would be personally staying at the Tsar''s massive pce for the duration of their time together in Russia. And though Bruno felt slightly ufortable with this generosity, he epted it nheless, as it was unwise to reject a gift of such magnitude from a man as powerful as the Tsar. Bruno and his family had rather obviously not dressed up during their journey to the city. After all, the ball would not be held for some time. And because of this, he and his family appeared in their usual working-ss clothes. Which was rather surprising for several members of the House of Romanov. Had they not seared the memory of Bruno''s face into their minds, they would have mistaken him for a peasant. But after what Bruno did in Russia, there was nobody who would dare speak ill of the way he chose to dress. Not even Nichs had the nerve to do so as he approached Bruno, even going so far as toment on him for his "humble sense of fashion." "I almost didn''t recognize you¡­ Thest time I saw you, you had such a striking visage, and here you are no different from the members of the working ss. I must say you have a very modest sense of aesthetics¡­" Bruno immediately knew what the Tsar was trying to say, even if he didn''t dare say it, and because of this, he chose to have him and his family change the moment they were given their rooms to stay in. Had he known he would be staying at the Tsar''s pce, he indeed would have worn something more shy, even if it wascking infort. "Well, to be fair, I did not expect your offer to extend to staying here in your own personal estate. Had I been aware of this, I would have indeed worn something more ¡­ appropriate. Not to worry, my family and I brought proper attire, so we will change the moment we have the privacy to do so." Bruno''s willingness to change for him and his sense of aesthetics caused the Tsar to sigh in relief. He chose to temporarily postpone any of the events he had nned for Bruno and his family until they were "properly dressed" giving them the utmost courtesy as he did so. "Well then, I will have the maids take you to your rooms, where you will have all the privacy you need. Doe find me when you have the time. There is much I wish to talk about now that you are here in Saint Petersburg." Once the Tsar and his family left, Bruno and his family were led to their rooms where Heidi made sure to chastise their children, telling them to behave themselves while in the Tsar''s patronage. "You three better not cause any trouble while we are here in Russia, or so help me God¡ª" Bruno, of course, calmed his wife''s tyranny by hugging her from behind and kissing her on the cheek as he assured the woman that everything would be fine. "Rx, the kids know better than to misbehave under such circumstances, don''t you?" Bruno looked at his kids with a more kind gaze, which was one of the many reasons his daughters loved it when he was home. They quickly nodded their heads, confirming they would not be getting up to any mischief. Before Bruno had them all get dressed. He would emerge with his family, all of which were dressed the part for this royal gathering, where Bruno wore his Russian Field Marshal uniform, along with all the medals and orders he had been granted over the years. Considering that in Russia, the Order of Saint George came first in the line of prominence, the distinctive orange and ck sash was worn around his chest, rather than the striking crimson one from his other order which he had been granted the highest rank in. Frankly speaking, among the Tsar''s current generals, Bruno might actually be the only one who had actually been awarded such a pristine honor, as thest time Russia won a war prior to its Civil War was decades ago. Unless, of course, you count the war in the East that Bruno had participated in during his first military deployment, but such a minor conflict did not allow for the Tsar to hand out such a prestigious award. Because of this, there was an instant renown around Bruno the moment he and his family emerged from their rooms. With the young children of the Tsar quickly approaching Bruno''s own daughters, acting friendly as they did so. Or at least the youngest of them did so, as they were roughly the same age. However, one of the girls had the nerve to approach Bruno in front of his wife. Which was, of course, the one who had previously thought to herself that he was a monster. She seemed rather annoyed that the man was back in her home, or at least from first nce. But the reason for her doing so was beyond Bruno''s expectations, as she crossed her arms and pouted while speaking to him. "You''re back¡­ And yet you didn''t write me a single letter while you were away!" After saying this, the girl walked off without saying a word. Leaving Bruno in an exasperated state while his wife stared at him from behind with a smile that could only be described as sinister. Her voice contained a tone that sent the hairs on the back of Bruno''s neck into a frenzy. "Oh? She seems quite friendly, doesn''t she? I don''t remember you telling me that you had any form of friendship with the Russian Princess?" Bruno sighed heavily, fully knowing about his wife''s more possessive tendencies. He turned around with a forced smile on his face as he made ament that while he knew would only further aggravate the woman, would also get him out of her crosshairs. "Oh? But she''s just one of several princesses who have taken a liking to me. Isn''t your husband amazing?" Heidi blushed in response to Bruno''s statement. He had a way of snapping her out of her frenzy, and bringing her back to her reverence for him. Indeed, it was pretty damn impressive for him to win the favor of so many imperial princesses. And once she recovered from this state of admiration, she forced a cough before telling the man she would go off and be acquainted with the Tsarina. "That is indeed pretty amazing¡­. If you will excuse me, I will go introduce myself to the Tsarina. You stay out of trouble, mister!" Bruno couldn''t help but chuckle after Heidi scurried off. His mood, however, immediately returned to his stoic nature when he called out to the pair of eyes that had been watching him the entire time. "Are you just going to stand there and watch, or are you going to say something, your majesty?" Nichs was indeed surprised that Bruno had noticed his presence, but did not even try to hide his eavesdropping as hemented on Heidi and her rather unique personality. "Your wife is adorable¡­ I had heard rumors of her origins, but I never really put them too much thought. After witnessing her in person, I can see why you decided to honor your engagement with her." Bruno didn''t say a word and continued to stare at the Tsar as if he was waiting for the man to get to the point. Few men would have the nerve to do something like this. But Bruno and Nichs were both aware the only reason he and his dynasty were still alive, let alone in power, was because of the ruthlessness that Bruno showed to the man''s enemies. And because of this, he was perhaps the only person who could be so openly bold with the Tsar. Ultimately, in doing so provoking the man to finally get on with his main point. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could acquire a moment of your time? There is something I wanted to show you, and I believe your expertise is needed for this delicate matter¡­" Knowing that this was probably something important, Bruno nodded his head and agreed to follow the Tsar to wherever the man was leading him. "Of course, lead the way, your majesty." With this, Tsar Nichs II would lead Bruno into his pce''s war room. Where he would disy the preparations, he was making for the future of Russia. One which would surprise Bruno with its forethought. N?v(el)B\\jnn

 Chapter 122: Establishing Ties to the House of Romanov

    Chapter 122: Establishing Ties to the House of Romanov


    ?


    Tsar Nichs II took Bruno into his war room, where the German General was surprised to find that they were all alone. Afterward the Tsar shut the door behind him, and closed the blinds, before turning on the lights, where he revealed after pulling off arge nket a miniature map of Western Russia, whose borders at this point in time were shared with that of the German Reich, as well as that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.


    On the map were little figures that were incredibly detailed, which represented the ns the Tsar had for the modernization of his forces. There were also figures based upon the changes the Germans and Austro-Hungarians had made thus far to their armed forces, or at least insofar as the Tsar was aware of.


    It was abundantly clear to Bruno that the Tsar had taken inspiration from the war with the Bolsheviks and other Marxists who rallied beneath the banner of the Red Army. Realizing that his army was vastly obsolete by modern standards, he had begun to design, at least in theory by the figures some degree of modernization for his armed forces.


    Whether it was field artillery of varying calibers that made us of some form of recoil mechanism, which was at the moment based upon the hydro-spring technology that was bing the norm among the Great Powers outside of the German Empire who were already employing the more advanced Hydro-Pneumatic recoil system.


    Or it was issuing heavy machine guns like those Bruno had used to great effect during the Russian Civil War, the Tsar seemed to have caught on to Bruno''s tactics, or at least his generals had and was now investing significantly into Russian industrialization and the modernization of its armed forces.


    But from the eager look on the Tsar''s face, and the representation of the two other Great Powers which bordered the Russian Empire, Bruno couldn''t help but suspect the man was preparing to restore the League of Three Emperors from the second half of the 19th century. However, Bruno first cracked a joke to the contrary, picking up the piece representing the average German soldier and making ament on it.


    "Am I to suspect that you wish to go to war with us, your majesty?"


    Luckily for Bruno, the Tsar understood the man''s sense of humor after their brief interactions together and was quick to make ament on it.


    "I''m afraid that is a war I would not be able to win, even if I was given twenty years to prepare for it. No, I wanted your opinions on the theoretical concepts disyed here, and how effective they would be on a modern battlefield? You guys are preparing for a war with the French, right?"


    Bruno raised a brow at the Tsar, making ament about his willingness to fight another conflict so soon after the Russian Civil War had ravaged his country.


    "Am I to believe that war is so enticing to you after gaining a taste for it that you would seek to join our pact even now as your country recovers from the wounds of the previous one you had fought?"


    The Tsar was quick to correct Bruno''s assertion with a rather offended expression as he exined his thought process on the matter.


    "Quite the contrary, I would endeavor to prevent my people from entering another war with all of my strength if it were at all possible to achieve. But there is a valuable lesson to be learned from this recent civil war and the scars it has left across Russia. Isn''t there an old roman adage about this very concept? What was it again?"


    Bruno knew exactly what the Tsar was talking about and was quick to say the quote in perfect Roman Latin.


    "Si vis pacem, para bellum"


    Nichs was quick to nod his head in approval of Bruno''s knowledge, and make a remark tranting the adage into his own tongue.


    "That''s correct... If you want peace, prepare for war. I''m merely ensuring that if we get dragged into the conflict, Russia is prepared for it. Besides, after the shit the French pulled here in my domain, I''m not exactly considering them a potential ally."


    Though Nichs appeared hesitant to join sides with the French and British, Bruno did not make a move to recruit him, at least not so soon. Russia was still recovering from its civil war, which was fought much earlier in this timeline thanks to Bruno''s actions in the east.


    They would require years of investment in infrastructure, agriculture, and industry to fully recover. And by no means would the people of Russia be so willing to take up arms in the name of aiding a foreign nation.


    Pressing the Tsar now would onlyplicate the alreadyplex diplomatic negotiations that would secure their allegiance when the time came to fight the Great War, instead Bruno shifted the subject by looking over at the figures which represented the theoretical modernizations the Tsar was looking forward to employing in the near future.


    He examined them thoroughly before cing them back down. After doing so, he made hisments on it.


    "I could just barely ssify as an engineer, but I have to say it''s really impossible to know how functional these designs are from mere figures representing their outward appearance. I would need to understand the internalponents to get a good opinion of them.


    But as far as the machine guns go, the more you have, the better, and it should not be difficult to produce your own variation of the maxim gun, which is frankly where most nations are currently headed."


    The Tsar nodded his head while Bruno inspected the initiatives he was nning to undertake with more scrutiny. Frankly speaking, the Maxim gun and all of its derivatives were a true feat of human engineering.


    During his past life, after the British Army officially retired the Vickers gun from service, which itself was a derivative of the earlier Maxim design, they decided to test the system to the point of failure. Because of this, they spent seven days firing five million rounds of ammunition through the gun, only changing the barrel once every hour and a half.


    After concluding the test, the Vickers machine gun was taken to the armory, where it was inspected, only to find that the weapon was perfectly within serviceable specs in every single dimension.


    There is not another weapon on the ever devised by humanity that could sustain such an overwhelming volume of fire, and still remain perfectly serviceable with the onlyponent needing to be reced being the barrel after a full hour and thirty minutes of sustained fire.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    To put it simply, Bruno had immense respect for the maxim water-cooled machine gun and all of its derivatives. Unfortunately for him, it was simply too heavy to realistically employ in the manner which intended to. And because of this, the German Maxim Guns that had already been manufactured would only really be used in static defenses like machine gun bunkers.


    Whereas the actual units engaging in assaults would use the much more mobile and modern MG-34. But of course, the Tsar knew nothing about Germany''s current efforts to mass produce these advanced weapons, which would not be matched by rival powers for decades to


    come.


    And hence, he took Bruno''s approval and suggestion towards building as many maxims as possible with the utmost consideration. Afterward, he was quick to cover the table where his miniatures that represented the future of the Russian Army lied, and instead escorted Bruno


    out of the room.


    Where the Tsar was quick to let Bruno understand the itinerary for the next few days.


    "The guests for the ball should be arriving throughout the course of the next few days. In the meantime, you and your family are free to traverse through Saint Petersburg and do whatever you desire. I will, of course, provide security for the lot of you, so you don''t need to worry about such a thing. Other than that, if I have need of your services, I will send a messenger. That is eptable, yes?"


    Bruno was quick to thank the Tsar for the hospitality he was showing him and his family. Though the events of today were nothing too impactful on world history, at least on the surface. The meeting between Nichs and Bruno had helped foster the growth of their potential friendship. Something that would be crucial to roping Russia into joining the Central Powers in the years toe.

 Chapter 123: The Prince and His Wife

    Chapter 123: The Prince and His Wife


    ?


    While Bruno was speaking with the Tsar in private about his military modernization efforts, Heidi was off speaking with the Tsar''s wife. The two of them, oddly enough, hit it off, or at least as well as two women can upon first meeting each other.


    And because of this, they were quite friendly to one another by the time Bruno and Nicos emerged from their private discussion. Both Bruno and the Tsar were surprised to see how friendly the two women were being, and because of this, Bruno was quick to make a remark about it.


    "And here I thought you were fundamentally incapable of making friends... I''m surprised that even after all these years being married, there are still parts of you I don''t understand."


    Truthfully speaking, Bruno wasn''t aware that Heidi was actually on good terms with the distant members of her family. And had a close friendship with a mediatized princess within the German Reich. One who shemonly spoke with while Bruno was away.


    Because of this, Heidi simplyughed and made a remark that caused Bruno to be curious, as he did not know whether the woman was joking or being serious.


    "There is a lot you don''t know about me, my love. Did you seriously think that for all the years we have been together, even during our childhood, that you were my only friend?"


    This was a rather shocking remark, as Bruno had indeed operated under the assumption that he was the only friend that his wife had when they were children. But when he really thought about it, he had only seen her once a month, or perhaps on rare asions once every two weeks. It was not like he had seen the girl every day throughout his childhood.


    There was perhaps a possibility that she had friends, but if that were the case, why had they not attended their wedding? Or at the very least send wedding gifts? The reality was that Heidi''s rtionship with the other half of her family''s dynasty was ratherplicated, and they could not openly be seen with her, at least in any formal setting.


    She was, after all, an eyesore in the eyes of some very powerful people. People whose royal titles actually held significance, rather than just mere words granted to satisfy those who had lost theirnds in the previous century to annexation.


    Because of this, Bruno was trying to think through all the things he potentially did not understand about his wife. Meanwhile, the Tsarina spoke to her husband about her newest friend.


    "Nichs, you didn''t tell me that the prince''s wife was such a delight! She has been telling me all about her upbringing, and how she and her husband were engaged. It is quite a wonderful story of true love..."


    When Bruno and Heidi heard the term "Prince''s Wife" be used, they had no idea who the Tsarina was talking about. Even though it sounded like they were referring to Heidi. And because of this, they both asked the exact same question at the same time.


    "I''m sorry, Prince? Who exactly are you referring to?"


    It was with this question that both the Tsar and his wife looked at Bruno and Heidi as if they were the ones who were confused. With Nichs quickly asking Bruno a question that he found to be deeply embarrassing.


    "Wait? Did you not know? How is that possible? Were you not paying attention when I conferred upon you the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint George? The victory over the Red Army and the Russian Civil War was granted to you. By saving the Russian Empire and the House of Romanov from certain extinction, I awarded you the title of Prince. For you and your descendants to bear until the end of times. How did you not know this?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Bruno was stunned when he heard this. Truthfully speaking, he always hated awards ceremonies and had spent most of the time standing there in silence, not paying attention to the massive amounts of drivel that were said in long and winded speeches.


    Had he really been granted the maximum title of nobility in Russia? For rification, Russian nobility, as most forms of nobility, was aplicated affair. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of princely families throughout the Russian Empire who had gained their hereditary titles through a number of means.


    Whether it was families of natural princely stock who had gained their titles from old Russian Dynasties like the Ruriks, or families whose Princely Titles were granted by Russian Emperors like Bruno. Hell, there were even those foreign princely families who were naturalized as Russian citizens.


    Whatever the reason, just because a family was princely, did not mean they had any blood ties to the ruling dynasty, or were even remotely within the line of session. Nor did it necessarily mean they ruled a "principality." Although Bruno now owned enoughnd in Russia that he might as well be considered as such.


    Bruno had gained the highest status of nobility in the Russian Empire, along with the numerous prestigious awards and medals. And reasonably speaking, it made sense. The Russian Army and their loyalist militias were in a dreadful state before Bruno arrived with the Iron Division in tail.


    He tookmand of the Russian Armies and practically single-handedly drove the Red Army and the Bolshevik Party to extinction. Nobody doubted that Bruno was the man who had achieved the victory for the Tsar. And the massive amounts of propaganda the Tsar and his ministers put out disying Bruno as the face of the loyalist cause had endeared him to a fair chunk of the Russian poption.


    To put it simply, Bruno''s achievements in Russia were significant enough to warrant all the honors he had been granted. Although it was still shocking to him. But there were certain things that finally made sense to Bruno now that he realized the full extent of the honors he had been given.


    For example, the Kaiser questioning his loyalty. It was one thing to be granted the status of a Field Marshal in a foreign army, along with a minor title of nobility like Burno had been born into within the Reich. But in Russia, Bruno held basically the highest status outside of someone born into the Romanov Dynasty.


    Why the hell would be loyal to thend of his birth after being granted such honors? Now Bruno was starting to understand the concerns of the Kaiser and his ministers back home. And he was also understanding that this "personal request" that Wilhelm had made of him was actually a test of loyalty in disguise.


    Either way, Bruno didn''t have time to respond to the Tsar''s questions, because Heidi quickly broke out into tears as she realized what this meant. She was now a genuine princess. She was not just the wife of some minor nobleman from a family of junkers which she had married


    into.


    Nor was she the bastard daughter of a mediatized Prince. No, she was a genuine Titr Princess of the Russian Empire, one whose daughters were also now princesses, and whose son was a Prince in his own right.


    The wounds from her childhood, of being singled out among her father''s children for being the only one not capable of carrying his name, or hereditary title, had overwhelmed her as she realized that thanks to the man she loved, she was now elevated into a position equal with her


    half siblings.


    It was a sight that bewildered the Tsar, as he had not heard the woman''s tale. But ultimately, he was alerted to it by his wife, who whispered the story of her birth into the man''s ears, while Brunoforted his wife.


    Eventually Heidi would recover, and would be in a far more cheerful state now that she knew what status her family held in Russia. At the same time, Bruno was vexed by this sudden revtion, as it meant he could no longer dress or act with such humility as he always had.


    Rather... He would be forced to buy a proper estate, both in Russia and Germany, or else he would not be able to live up to the status he had gained through his own merit. And his family would have to suffer from insults as a result.


    Thus came an end to Bruno''s humble and working-ss lifestyle....

 Chapter 124: Socializing With the Russian Aristocracy

    Chapter 124: Socializing With the Russian Aristocracy


    ?


    It was not at all unusual for men of supreme military and political aplishments to be granted with the highest echelons of nobility. For example, in 1871, after spending decades working to unite the German States into a single Empire, Otto von Bismarck was granted the title of Prince.


    He was alsoter also given the title of Duke. Considering the man came from origins simr to Bruno, this was indeed a significant aplishment. Bruno was now a Prince of Russia, a hereditary title that his family would hold in the Russian Empire so long as itsted in this timeline.


    This, of course, was more of a nuisance to Bruno than it was a boon. He after all was not exactly the gregarious type, in fact as much as he made fun of people back in Germany for assuming he would be the guy hiding in the back of the room at the bar and snack table, that was exactly how Bruno was intending to get away from the social butterflies of the Russian Aristocracy who would try to establish ties with him and his house.


    Now that was simply unavoidable, as Bruno hade to learn the noble title, he had been granted for altering the course of history by winning the Russian Civil War on behalf of the House of Romanov was that of prince.


    There would be nowhere for him to hide now that he was the center of attention. And that, of course, onlypounded the fact that he would now have to dress in the ufortable and luxurious trappings of a proper nobleman, lest he bring shame to his family.


    Hell, he would have to invest in the construction of multiple Estates one inside Prussia, and another in Russia. It was all a monumental headache for the man who preferred to live an inconspicuous and simple lifestyle.


    Heidi, however, seemed rather excited, as did her daughters when they came to learn they were all literal princesses. Because of this, Bruno couldn''t reallyin and was forced to endure the newfound attention he would no doubt be receiving.


    As promised, the Tsar allowed Bruno and his family to walk through saint Petersburg. Much of it was still under reconstruction following the Siege which had damaged significant portions of its outskirts during the Winter which the battle took ce in.


    Prior to the Iron Division''s arrival and liberation of the city, the war was not going as nned for the Tsar, and the House of Romanov had fled in Exile to Siberia. It was only after Bruno appeared that the course of the war changed in the favor of the Loyalists.


    And hence as Bruno walked through the streets of Saint Petersburg with his family, and a litany of bodyguards surrounding them, people would stop in the streets, recognizing the man, especially since he was still in uniform, and would thank Bruno for saving Russia from the tyranny of the Reds.


    Heidimented on the city as Bruno pulled out a pack of cigarettes, engaging in his filthy habit while Heidi ignored it entirely. Surely if she knew of the health risks associated with smoking, the woman would demand he stop. But because it would be many years before such a discovery was made, let alone became public knowledge, she simply treated it as if it were a normal thing.


    Instead, pointing off to a nearby cathedral, its architecture grandiose and extravagant as shemented on how beautiful the city was.


    "It always amazes me the small differences between various forms of baroque architecture! Saint Petersburg is truly a marvelous city, isn''t it, dear?"


    Bruno didn''t say a word at first, instead he took a long drag of his cigarette as he gazed off towards the outskirts where the construction was still ongoing in certain less important areas of the city. He couldn''t help but let his pessimistic thoughts escape from his lips as hemented on the current state of Saint Petersburg.


    "It was honestly more beautiful before the war...."


    Heidi couldn''t help but pout as she looked at Bruno as if he were spoiling her fun. As for their children, they saw something which interested them and were about to run off when Heidi snapped out of her adorable state and instantly entered her protective state, grabbing the two girls who were about to misbehave and dragging them back in line.


    "And where do you two think you are going? Did I give you permission to run off like that?"


    Bruno smiled when he saw his wife disciplining his two daughters, as the little girls gazed up at him with pleading expressions, as if they were silently asking him to prevent their mother''s tyranny from taking over.


    But Bruno simply shook his head at the two girls, because they were indeed at fault, and needed a proper scolding. Because of this, they both lowered their heads with sorrowful expressions, Eva being the first to do so, and Elsa, the younger of the two sisters, following her lead shortly thereafter.


    "Sorry, mommy..."


    After making sure the two girls knew what they had done wrong, Heidi turned to Bruno and made ament about them.


    "Every time! Every single time we take the girls out, they do something like this!"


    Bruno, of course, couldn''t help but chuckle at the overprotective nature of the mother hen, before making ament on her actions.


    "Eh, it''s not the end of the world, with you nearby watching them like a foxhound. I''m sure they will be fine..."


    This only caused the woman to pout once more than she whispered beneath her breath in a voice so low Bruno had not heard what she said.


    "It''s because you keep spoiling them..."


    After spending the day sightseeing throughout the Russian city, Bruno and his family finally returned to the Tsar''s pce, where they were not surprised in the least to see that new faces had arrived. After all, there were plenty of noble families from the Ingria region who would be the first to show up.


    Other than Bruno, that is, who was given advanced notice considering the distance he had to travel to get to the city. It was no surprise that these noblemen and their families immediately came over to greet the Red Scourge.


    Bruno quickly found himself surrounded by a variety of people he had no idea how to properly deal with. Sycophants and hypocrites were the two types of people Bruno hated most of all in the world. And unfortunately for him, much of the nobility were these two aspectsbined. After all, kissing ass was a sure way to rise the social hierarchy, and many of the higher noblemen loved to be treated as if they were better than everyone else. Bruno, of course, hated this kind of speech, and was internally groaning the entire time.


    Ultimately, Heidi''s more gregarious nature covered up for her husband''s antisocial attitude. Although even she began to be slightly unnerved when the female members of these families began to speak of how handsome and chivalrous her man was.


    Interfering in these discussions by pointing out the fact that Bruno was already happily married and would not be seeking a mistress. Princess Olga, who was standing nearby with her mother, looked upon the murderous gaze Heidi was casting towards the oblivious Russian noblewoman who was congregating around Bruno and was quick to make ament about Bruno''s rtionship with his wife.


    "I''m starting to get the feeling that it would be best to keep my distance from the prince and


    his family..."


    The Tsarina simplyughed and patted her young daughter on the head, saying some words that made the girl instantly blush and immediately protest.


    "Remember Olga, all is fair in love and war!"


    The young princess''s face became as red as a tomato as she quickly shook off her mother, and


    denied she had any such feelings towards Bruno.


    "Mom! It isn''t like that! I just really admire him for his..... Bravery!"


    The Tsarina, however, seeing this as an opportunity to tease her oldest daughter, was quick to continue with these efforts until finally the girl stormed off, not wanting to endure her


    mother''s taunts any longer.


    Ultimately, Bruno and Heidi navigated the minefield that was socializing with the Russian Aristocracy as best as they could. Preventing them and their family from having any shame, while neither epting nor promising any favors. Their ability to walk through the fire and remain unscathed had quickly gained the notice of the Tsar and his wife, who nodded their heads silently in approval.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 125: Death Sentence

    Chapter 125: Death Sentence


    ?


    The next few days of Bruno''s visit to Saint Petersburg were roughly the same. The man and his family were free to walk about Saint Petersburg''s streets and enjoy all it had to offer. While at the same time, they would return to the Tsar''s Pce in the evening and witness an even greater number of Russian Noblemen and their families gathering.


    Bruno became acquainted with many, many people during this time. He quickly was able to categorize them into two groups. Men who he could make use of to expand his ambitions of extracting raw materials from Russia for the sake of his own industrial exploits.


    And those who werepletely and utterly useless to him and his goals. The more noblemen Bruno met, however, the more he was starting to realize why revolution was a matter of inevitability within the Russian Empire.


    Russia''s poption wasrge, muchrger than most countries in the world. As was their territory. Considering their history was almost as old as Germany''s, in addition to this, it exined why there were over a million people in Russia who could be considered being of noble status.


    With so many noblemen, many of which had been among Russia''s social elite for centuries, there were a lot of wastrels among them. This was in contrast to the German noble system, which hadrgely embraced meritocracy, especially in regards to military and scientific pursuits since the end of the Napoleonic wars.


    In contrast, Russia only ended its system of serfdom in the previous century, and not in the early years of it at that. They were decades behind their western counterparts in many aspects of society. Including the concept of meritocracy bing a widespread phenomenon.


    This was, however, an even greater concern that Bruno quickly realized he had to deal with. And that was the idiotic, young, and unmarried sons of those noble families who could not for the life of them keep their eyes off his wife, or their more malicious intentions hidden from their lust filled gazes.


    In Germany, Bruno seldom had to worry about noblemen desiring Heidi, or making an inappropriate move to snatch her away from him. As beautiful as she was, she was of the lowest status possible among the German nobility.


    She was the bastard daughter of a German mediatized Prince, who had married into the lowest rungs of the noble hierarchy. And though Bruno didn''t realize it at first, his wife was a bona fide princess in Russia, and that meant a lot to those ignorant degenerates who would do anything to try to raise their status, well, anything other than actually proving their merit. Heidi''s exceptional social skills did not help with this matter either. She was as graceful as a butterfly, and had always helped Bruno save face among the nobles of the German Reich, as he was known for a rather anti-social personality.


    Because of this, Bruno found himself having a hard time bncing his actions, especially when the day for the Grand Ball finally came, where the Tsar''s pce was packed with thousands of noblemen and their families.


    Not only did he need to entertain the Tsar, who constantly wanted his "champion" by his side to disy the might of the House of Romanov, and the Field Marshals beneath itsmand. Entirely forgetting to mention the fact that Bruno''s role as a Russian Field Marshal had be an honorary title after he returned to active service in the German Reich.


    But Bruno also needed to keep an eye on his wife, and his children as well. All of which were at different locations in the Tsar''s banquet hall where the guests were currently all enjoying alcohol and hors d''oeuvres to their hearts'' contents.


    Eventually, Bruno found himself in a situation where he simply could not control himself. After wandering away, to entertain another of the guests the Tsar wanted to introduce him to, Heidi found herself alone, but not for long. She was quickly approached by some drunken sod, who was the third prince of a duke.


    You see, if there was one thing you could count on in this world, it was the fact that drunken fools would always act the part. And alcohol had a way of convincing you to do things that were incredibly unwise. Especially if you really wanted to do them.


    Thus this man, this champion of the intellectual pursuits, boldly approached Heidi, and tried to make a move on her. A move she was quick to rebuff. After all, her loyalty to her husband was unquestionable. As was often the case with obsessive possessive types like herself.


    The idea of even remotely entertaining conversation with another man without her husband being present was simply not a thought that would cross her mind. However, the moment she told the man, she was not interested, in the most polite of terms, albeit with sinister undertones. He grew angry.


    Perhaps it was the severe intoxication that led to his, shall we say,ck of emotional control. But his shouting had caught the attention of the entire room. Including, of course, Bruno, who quickly walked over and got between this third son of some Duke or another, and Heidi, rather forcefully pushing the man away as he did so.


    "Sir... I''m going to have to ask you to back away from my wife, and never show your presence in my face, or that of my family again..."


    It did not take long for the Tsar and this young man''s father to notice what was happening. It was, after all, a giant scene that everyone was witnessing. Bruno''s reputation as the Red Scourge was practically known across all of Europe at this point. Especially in Russia. To say that he had a reputation for being capable and merciless with his enemies was an understatement.


    Because of this, the Tsar and the Duke who had sired this rotten offspring were quick to intervene before anything bad could happen. After all, Bruno was someone who was better off not being provoked into violence.


    And because of this, The Duke was quick to push his son away, and p him across the face, while scolding him in front of the entirety of the Russian peerage, or at least the many members who were present for this ball.


    "Have you any sense, boy? Do you have the slightest clue whose woman you are trying to abscond with right now, you shameful brat? Apologize to the Prince this instant!"


    Tsar Nichs II was meanwhile trying to soothe Bruno''s anger, who quickly checked on his wife to see if she was harmed in any way. It was only after Heidi said she remained entirely unharmed that the Tsar sighed in relief. That was until Bruno said the words that made him lose his breath.


    "That''s good. Stand right here while I go put a bullet in the brain of this little shit!"


    Heidi looked excited at the prospect of Bruno taking up arms in her defense for the second time. While the Tsar quickly got in his way to stop him from murdering a Russian nobleman in his pce. After all, when it came to Bruno''s family, he was not the kind of many to consider thews of man. At least not until he could calm down and rationalize the situation.


    Luckily for him, the Tsar reminded Bruno that this was not the battlefield where he could simply execute men who disobeyed his orders on the spot. And Burno quickly remembered where he was, and what the situation was.


    "Woah, woah, woah, Bruno. I know this young man has offended you greatly. But you have to remember where you are right now. If you kill my guest in the middle of my pce, there will be nothing I can do to protect you. Think this through! I am sure there are some other satisfactory means that can be had topensate you for this offense!"


    After hearing this, Bruno quickly realized exactly the situation he was in, and instantly conspired against this young man in the worst way possible, no doubt taking meaning from the Tsar''s words that were not intended. He looked over at the young man who was forced to bow his head by his father, and who was sobbing on his knees while apologizing to the man he should have offended.


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, sir, please forgive me! I didn''t-"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Before he could finish his statement, Bruno looked at the young man with a murderous gaze before asking him a simple question.


    "How old are you, boy?"


    The young man was quivering, barely able to get his words out without stumbling over them


    as he answered honestly to the man known far and wide by numerous fearsome titles which he


    had earned in battle.


    "I''m seventeen, sir!"


    Bruno quickly nodded his head in approval. Unfortunately for the young man, it was not a nod of forgiveness, but rather one of condemnation as he turned to the Tsar and issued his price


    for "mercy."


    "Send him to the army. He will pay for his transgressions against my family by shedding his blood for the mothend..."


    Luckily for the Tsar, the boy''s father while a Duke was not a nobleman of any significance. It was an no brainer who to side with in this incident, especially since the intoxicated young man had done something woefully inappropriate at the worst time possible, to the worst


    person possible.


    As a result, he nodded his head and conscripted the young man in the Russian Army on the spot for a term of four years. Unfortunately for this boy, he would not live that long. While Bruno''s title as Field Marshal in the Russian Army was nothing more than honorary at this point in time. There were many members among its officer corps who had served beneath Bruno during the Russian Civil War, whose respect for the man bordered on the fanaticism. Bruno did not even need to send a single word to these men, and they would make this foolish young Duke''s life a living hell throughout his service. To the point where he chose to end it all via suicide not six months after being sent to the Army.


    It was a grim reminder to the nobility of Russia that messing with Bruno and his family was a death sentence. Especially when he had the favor of the Tsar.

 Chapter 126: All Good Things Must Come to an End

    Chapter 126: All Good Things Must Come to an End


    ?


    After ensuring that his wife was okay following that drunken fool''s attempt to hit on her, Bruno maintained a close eye over his woman and their children for the rest of the night. His reputation immediately became even more fierce among the Russian Nobility as they could all guess that life in the Russian Army would not be pleasant for the duke''s son who had dared to offend Bruno.


    Heidi had be rather excited by Bruno''s more murderous tendencies when it came to protecting his loved ones. Clinging by his side for the rest of the night, not wanting to be an inch away from him. Her expression could be described as pure reverence, and though Bruno didn''t notice the way which the woman was staring at him throughout the rest of the ball.


    Others did, and it became a warning to others about the rather possessive mindset the woman had towards her husband. Causing many of those who sought to be Bruno''s mistress throughout the night to slowly fade away from his vicinity.


    In the end, Bruno and Heidi shared a lovely waltz together on the dance floor of the Tsar''s ballroom, stealing the spotlight as they did so. Bruno was still very young, and Heidi was even younger than him. And because of this, they were quite the attraction, considering their status in the Russian Empire.


    Eventually, the night came to an end, and Bruno thanked the Tsar for his hospitality. Afterwards, he and his family set off to their rooms for the night. In the morning, they would be on the first train back to Berlin. His children sleeping throughout the journey as they were exhausted from the week they spent in Russia.


    Meanwhile, Tsar Nichs II couldn''t help butment on Bruno to his wife after the man and his family departed.


    "It''s a damn shame I couldn''t drag him over to our side. A military mastermind like that appears once in a century...."


    The Tsarina had a bitter smile on her face as she rubbed her husband''s shoulders, making a remark about Bruno that the Tsar didn''t expect.


    "At first, I thought Olga had taken a liking to the man, but with the viciousness that couple disys towards those who have any thoughts of separating the two of them, I doubt there is even the slightest chance for her. A pity, it is as you say, he is a fine man, and with his princely status, he would have made a great match for our little princess."


    The Tsar had been so focused on trying to win Bruno over to his side that he didn''t even notice the affections of his oldest daughter had disyed to the man. He couldn''t help but chuckle and agree with his wife''s assessment of the issue.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Not the slightest chance indeed...."


    Bruno and his family would ultimately return to their humble home on the outskirts of Berlin, where they would retirefortably for the evening. Quite a bit of time had obviously passed from their journey to Russia, and their journey back. Roughly a fortnight had passed if one included the time it took to get to saint Petersburg and back by a steam-powered lotive, as a well as the time spent in the area.


    It was not until the morning of the next day that Bruno recovered his energy, when Heidi approached him with a fresh pot of coffee, pouring it into his cup while asking about his ns for the upgrade to their living standards.


    "So, my prince... When are you going to buy me an estate?"


    There was an obvious tone of mockery in the woman''s voice as she was not the kind of woman to genuinely ask such a question, nor did she actually want to abandon their little manor on the outskirts of Berlin.


    And Heidi instantly broke out into a fit of giggles when she saw the look on Bruno''s face when he heard her say this, especially when it coincided with the moment he took a sip from his coffee. It was as if he had tasted something sour and bitter. Much to the point where he feltpelled to sigh and rify what he meant by his current expression.


    "The coffee is as tasty as usual, but please don''t mock me in such a way, dear..."


    By now, they had both returned to the humble andfortable clothing of the working ss. Something which they would unfortunately have to abandon soon now that they were aware of just how high on the noble hierarchy they sat.


    Still Heidi couldn''t help but continue to make fun of her husband, even as she apologized for doing so.


    "I''m sorry, but it''s just a little too funny. I mean the look on your face when you realized that you were a Prince. Not just that, but the way the Tsar stared at you in confusion, as if it was the most obvious thing. I can''t help butugh at you, my love."


    Considering his wife was in the mood to tease him, Bruno couldn''t help himself but to y along as well. He quickly wore a smug smirk and mocked the woman for sharing the same sentiment of surprise.


    "I remember correctly you too were quite bewildered by the announcement of your new title. Going so far as to break out into tears! I mean really, Heidi, was it so overwhelming to know you were finally of the same status as your half-siblings that you couldn''t help but cry like a little girl?"


    Heidi''s face shed red with embarrassment as she recalled doing something so unnecessary as to cry in front of the Tsar and Tsarina. Bruno''s words stung, even if they were true as can be. Because of this, she immediately tried to hide her shame by looking away from the man and pouting as she whispered criticisms towards him for the brutality of his remarks.


    "That is a bit too cruel..."


    However, they both broke out intoughter immediately after, showing that neither of them took offense to any of the remarks shared between them. And sure enough, just as they were about to kiss and make up, their kids came running into the dining room, hungry and ready to eat breakfast.


    "Breakfast!"


    Both Bruno and Heidi quickly separated as their lips were an inch away from one another, acting as if they were not about to be intimate in the middle of the dining hall. Instead, Heidi went back to the kitchen and quickly began to prepare extra tes for her kids, who had slept in longer than they had.


    Meanwhile, Bruno began to ask his kids if they enjoyed their trip to Saint Petersburg.


    "So, how about it? Won''t you all tell your father your honest thoughts about our family trip to Russia!"


    Eva, being the oldest of the children, and having a remarkable degree of intelligence for her young age, was quick toment on her father''s status. While she didn''t understand the fullplexity of it all, she knew her beloved father was a true prince, and a powerful militarymander at that.


    "Daddy is so amazing! I never knew you were a prince! Does that mean I''m a princess?"


    Bruno quickly patted the girl''s head, assuring her that his title was entirely hereditary and because of that, she was indeed a princess.


    "That''s right, Eva is daddy''s little princess! Elsa and Erwin, you also have my title as you are all my children. Hell, even your mother is a princess byw. Isn''t your father amazing?" The rest of the meal was spent between the family talking about how much they enjoyed their time in Saint Petersburg. With the children not being aware of the fact that their father had basically sentenced a Russian Nobleman to death for daring to covet his wife.


    That was not exactly a story that was suitable for children, especially those as young as Bruno''s kids. Because of this, they seemed to rather enjoy their visit to Saint Petersburg. And it was only when they were significantly older that they finally learned what happened that


    day.


    But by then, they would have plenty of opportunities to personally witness what happened when someone came after Bruno''s family with malevolent intent. The man, after all, had earned the name "The Wolf of Prussia" for a reason, and it was the duty of the Alpha wolf to protect his pack through violent and brutal means if necessary.

 Chapter 127: Rake

    Chapter 127: Rake


    ?


    After breakfast was over, Bruno was required to report back to the Kaiser, the man had after all made a personal request of him to be closer to the Tsar, and while Bruno had achieved some modicum progress in this regard it was not exactly like a strong bond of


    friendship could be built overnight.


    Unless, of course, there were some extraneous circumstances like Bruno saved the Tsar''s life, or they endured some trauma together like a survival situation, or fighting on the battlefield. And none such asion had urred during his time in Russia.


    Because of this, Bruno appeared at the Kaiser''s pce where the man was clearly expecting his arrival, as he had quickly been weed into the home. Bruno saw the Prussian Princess Victoria-Louise upon entering the building, and though he tried to say hello to her, she simply red at him as if he was some pile of refuse before walking off while pouting, all without saying a word.


    Bruno had no idea what he had done to antagonize the young princess, but frankly knowing women it could have been something incredibly mild, or it was just one of those days, and thus he walked into the room where the Kaiser was waiting for him without saying another word.


    The Kaiser seemed pleased to see Bruno, no doubt his spies in the court of the Tsar had reported everything about his visit to Russia to the man shortly after they happened, and because of this Wilhelm couldn''t help but make ament of jest at Bruno''s expense.


    "There''s the Russian Prince we all know and love..."


    Frankly speaking, Bruno did not consider himself on friendly enough terms with the Kaiser to receive such camaraderie from the man, especially when it came in the form of not so friendly banter. Even so, there was not exactly anything he could do about it. I mean, what man would be foolish enough to reprimand an emperor for trying to be friendly with them?


    Because of this, Bruno sighed and made ament in a rather grumbled tone about the whole ordeal.


    "So, I suppose you know everything already..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The Kaiser stood up from his seat and approached Bruno, patting the man on the back as he confirmed this was indeed the case.


    "Oh, of course, from what I have heard, it came as quite a surprise to you and your lovely young wife when you learned of the status you received months prior at the end of the Russian Civil War. Honestly, I''m starting to suspect that you simply do not listen to me, when I speak to you... Or perhaps is it just ceremonial affairs that you have a hard time enduring?"


    Bruno sighed once more. He suspected he would be sighing a lot in this visit as he wholly admitted the truth to the Kaiser about why he was so ignorant of the fact that he was a Russian Prince.


    "If I''m being honest, I have more important things to think about than the long-sorted history of the foundation of these awards. I was being granted and exactly what they meant. How was I supposed to know that I would be granted the highest noble title possible in Russia, aside from perhaps being adopted into the House of Romanov?"


    Wilhelm looked at Bruno as if he was vastly underestimating his achievements in the Russian Civil War, and so he was quick to wag his finger and reprimand him for doing so.


    "You have a very bad habit of underestimating your own merit, did you know that? Do you think that Nichs is so big of a fool that he doesn''t realize what would have happened if you had not arrived in time to liberate Saint Petersburg?


    Or perhaps what could have urred if you had not returned Tsaritsyn to its rightful owner? The industrial capacity of the city alone was more than enough to provide an infinite supply of arms and munitions for the Red Army.


    Your victories and your ruthlessness in pursuit of the Bolshevik leadership is ultimately what won the war for the Tsar, and is the whole reason that he and his entire family are currently breathing. To say that you saved the Russian Empire, and the House of Romanov is no understatement."


    Bruno was all too aware of the extent of what he had achieved. But perhaps it was the fact that he had never been properly rewarded for his efforts in his past life. Or maybe the idea of bing a prince was simply too fantastical to even conceive as a possible reality. After all, he came from an era where monarchies were few and far between, and those that existed, for the most part, were entirely ceremonial in existence.


    Sometimes he forgot that he now existed in a world, and a time where achieving the highest rank of nobility, outside of bing a monarch yourself, was all achievable through merit, and merit alone. Because of this, he was quick toment on his disbelief at bing a full- fledged Russian Prince.


    "Honestly, I never expected to be rewarded so handsomely. I understand the depth of my actions, and the effects they are most likely to have on the future. Believe me, few men in this world are aware of the full extent of what I have prevented from urring by saving the House of Romanov.


    But to be given the title of Prince, even if it doesn''t hold the sway, it would have a thousand years ago, it is still simply hard to believe from my point of view..."


    Wilhelm wore a smug smirk as he addressed this, believing truly that Bruno had a hard time understanding his own merit, even if he professed otherwise, and began to go on to a speech about history.


    "Surely you have learned of the prize that my grandfather granted to Bismarck for his diplomatic efforts, which saw Germany united into a single empire beneath the rule of my house, correct? The man was made a Prince for his actions. I''d say saving an Empire from certain ruin is equally formidable of an aplishment as uniting one together in the first ce is, would you not?


    A pity... I wish I could grant you equal rewards myself, but the Bundesrat would throw a fit if I did so. Frankly speaking, your contributions to foreign empires have been more significant than those which you have done for the Reich. At least on paper...


    I myself am all too aware of your ultimate objectives. Securing a Japanese victory in the East, and saving the House of Romanov, were actions that will benefit Germany substantially in the years toe. Even of those old codgers in the Bundesrat can''t see that yet.


    Until your effortse to full fruition, I''m afraid all I can grant you for your merit is what I have already given you. Still, it makes me proud to know that your allegiance still stands with the fathend. So, I appreciate that, even if I can''t fully show you how much it means to me.


    If you think being a Russian Prince is so unbelievable, then it makes me yearn to see your face in theing decades when you hold an equal status here in the fathend. I truly believe you have such meanings. So don''t disappoint me, my friend.


    Now, I have taken up enough of your time. You are needed back at the Central Division, are you not?"


    This was Wilhelm''s way of saying Bruno was dismissed, and because of this, he quickly saluted the German Emperor before walking out of the room. On his way out of the pce, he was confronted by Princess Victoria-Louise once more, who was in just as foul of a mood as


    she was before.


    Though Bruno wanted to say something, she simply passed by him, leaving behind a single word of condemnation as she did so, which only caused Bruno to copse into a state of


    further confusion.


    "Rake..."


    Bruno looked back at the girl with a look of bewilderment but by the time he did so, she had already absconded from sight. The term rake, while having fallen out of themonnguage by the 21st century, was historically used as far back as the mid 1600s to describe a man of ill repute. Specifically, when it came to womanizing.


    Unlike the term Casanova, which held roughly the same meaning and could in some circumstances to be used as a means of praising a man''s ability to woo the opposite sex. The term Rake was almost always, if not always, used as a term of condemnation of the highest


    degree.


    Even so, Bruno could not for the life of him understand why the Prussian Princess had referred to him by such a term, considering he was nothing but loyal to his wife. Because of this, he would continue to mull over this nderous statement for the rest of the day without evering to a proper conclusion.

 Chapter 128: A Hard Lesson to Be Learned

    Chapter 128: A Hard Lesson to Be Learned


    ?


    It was not until dinner when Bruno sat with his wife and children enjoying their meal together did Bruno finally get a glimpse of understanding as to why Princess Victoria-Louise had so nderously referred to him by the term of "Rake."


    Heidi wasughing as she heard what the Prussian Princess said to her husband, firstly because she knew it was a false usation, and secondly because she had a bit of a feeling why Victoria-Louise had said it.


    Heidi handed Bruno his te of food, along with a liter of beer, setting them in front of the man, as the woman wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek, all while exining exactly what was happening.


    "You have a bad habit of over thinking things my love... This isn''t some grand international conspiracy to undermine your reputation and status. The little princess is simply upset that she is not the only little princess you have been interacting with. I bet she just recently found out that Princess Olga, Princess Hedwig, and Princess Sakura have all taken a fancy to you..." Heidi then walked away and sat down across from Bruno, staring at him like a wolf eying its prey as she ate the food on her te. Bruno was stunned for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the idea that Princess Victoria-Louise was upset because of petty jealousy towards the other princesses he had been forced for some reason or another to be friendly with was absurd in and of itself.


    But what was more concerning was the fact that Heidi somehow knew about them all. It was one thing for her to know about Olga. The woman had, after all, met the young Russian Princess in Saint Petersburg. But how did she know about Hedwig and Sakura as well? He had met the Japanese Princess once, and very briefly at that, and had never even thought of the girl again afterward.


    Whereas Bruno spent slightly more time with the Austrian Princess with two interactions between them. He had mentioned neither of these two girls to his wife as they were utterly insignificant to Bruno, having done nothing more than perform basic diplomatic courtesy to them.


    By now, the two girls had clearly forgotten about him, right? So why did Heidi know about these petty matters, and despite the smile on her face, she was clearly not very happy with this chain of events? Causing Bruno to force a smile as he attempted to ask his wife how she was aware of everything he had done, and who he had interacted with while abroad.


    "Heidi, dear... How exactly did you¡ª"


    Before Bruno could get the question out a timer rang, causing Heidi to pop out of her seat and run off to the Kitchen where she spoke about tonight''s desert and the need to fetch it.


    "That will be the apple strudel I prepared for tonight! I''ll be right back!"


    Bruno ultimately sighed and took a drink from his beer as his three children looked up at him with wide eyes. They did not seem to understand just what was going on between their parents, but the eldest of the trio had enough sense to keep her head down and pretend like nothing happened. Saying something or another to ease her father''s worries as she did so.


    "I''m sure everything will be fine, daddy!"


    After a while Heidi returned with the desert. Any past trace of hostility on her face hadpletely vanished, instead reced with pure bliss as she divided up the home-cooked desert and dished it out to her husband and children.


    Frankly speaking, Heidi''s baking skills were every bit as good as her cooking skills, so much so that she would even prepare the bread that the family ate with all their meals. However, Bruno had made it clear to her that he did not want to eat dessert every night, and only on Friday nights like this was it eptable.


    Maintaining the health of himself and his family was a priority, and thus, outside of holidays, the only night the family would eat actual dessert was Friday night. Tonight was ice cream and apple strudel, all of which were made from scratch by Heidi.


    Bruno would forget all about this incident with the Prussian Princess, and instead spend the rest of his night with his family the way they usually did. ying card games and board games together as a family, until finally going to bed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The next morning, Bruno received a call from one of several corporations he owned. This was his maritime corporation, which specialized in the manufacture of naval vessels, and theponents that they made use of. Such as submarines and destroyers.


    His presence was requested, as the engineers he had set up with establishing the more advanced fire control systems of the second world war, known in the United States as the "Range keeper" had several questions which they needed to ask of him. And because of this, Bruno alerted the Central Division that he would be out for the day, while taking the first train to Danzig.


    Several hours had passed by the time he arrived in the Prussian Port City, and when he got there, he soon found himself at the Naval Dockyard he had personally secured the construction of. Once inside the main building, Bruno was quickly greeted by the staff who led him to the team of engineers who were constructing the analog based mechanicalputer system that would vastly improve the performance of all ships within the German Navy.


    Once Bruno met with the lead engineer, he realized that the team was rather ecstatic to meet with him, which was not the mentality that one would have if they had encountered problems with the development of their project like Bruno had assumed when they called him. Instead, when the man spoke to Bruno, he finally understood why he was summoned all the way to Danzig.


    "General Von Zehntner, I must say, although we have only begun to scratch the surface of this device, which you have trusted us with its creation. I can assure you that we will have it finished, and in production within five years'' time at the most!


    However, I wanted to just say that you have truly opened my eyes to the world ofputation! This device will have world changing effects, not only in the fields of naval warfare, but in all fields of science! I do believe that your contributions to the academicmunity are no less great than those to the military!"


    Bruno did not show any hint of emotion when he heard this. These damned researchers had summoned him here to merely pick his brain, and learn from him. Bruno was not in the business of enlightening academics with the knowledge of the future. He was in the business of creating machines of war.


    And so long as these men could manage that with the funding he provided, nothing else needed to be said. And it was perhaps because the man was rather expressionless at being praised so much that these researchers were confused, that is until Bruno began to scold them for wasting his time.


    "Let me frankly ask you this, and I want an honest answer. Do you, or your team, have any problems, or issues with funding, or any other resources that require my attention? Or have you simply summoned me here, to my dockyards, so that you can learn from my understanding of engineering andputational science?


    Because if you have summoned me all this way from Berlin for thetter. Allow me to make something clear. I am a busy man, as themander of nearly 100,000 men in the field. I do not have the time or luxury to aid you in your research unless it is a matter of critical importance.


    So long as you possess the means to aplish this task, in the time frame you have been given. Then it is simply not eptable to waste my time like this.


    Since I have apparently not made this abundantly clear to you all, I am a man of war, not of science. I have little regard for how this technology, and the means behind it, can influence the peaceful world, only how it can be used to obliterate the Kaiser''s enemies.


    If you waste my time like this a second time, there will be severe consequences. Do you all understand what I am saying?"


    The room was utterly silent as the researchers all nodded their heads. Any grand ideas they had about mooching off of Bruno''s talents, and using them to further their own academic achievements, were shot in the head in that very moment as Bruno denied them.


    After this, Bruno left with onest bit of parting wisdom.


    "Do what you''re paid to do, and don''t involve me in it unless it is absolutely necessary!"


    Having said this, he stormed out of the building. His message would be spread to all other researchers in his employ. Unless you can''t figure it out yourselves and require me to solve it for you, do not contact me until you have results.


    Needless to say, those who sought to leech off of Bruno''s knowledge from the future would no longer have the gall to even attempt such a thing going forward.

 Chapter 129: Death of a Routine

    Chapter 129: Death of a Routine


    ?


    Sinceing back to the German Reich form his time spent in the Russian Empire, Heinrich had been busy, both with work, and with his home life. Prior, he seldom spent his time in his own home, rather entertaining the many singledies of the world, and some of those who were already married.


    But upon finding himself suddenly forced to adopt a teenage Russian girl, Heinrich was ultimately forced to clean up his act. Trying his best to create an environment for the girl that was far less painful than the life she had left behind in Russia.


    Ultimately, his days as a yboy, truly deserving of the term "Rake" which had incidentally been applied to Bruno, rather than Heinrich, the man had suddenly found himselfpletely and utterly free from any dalliances with the less respectful women of the world.


    Instead, he woulde straight home after work to ensure that his newly adopted daughter was properly fed, their home was properly cleaned, and that the girl had finished with her studies for the evening.


    At first Alya had a hard time adapting to her new life. But after spending a few weeks with Heidi and the tyranny which the woman imposed upon her, Alya soon found the habits formed in Bruno''s home had stuck.


    Heinrich no longer came home to an empty and dark house, but one that was well lit, and with a meal prepared for him by his young, adopted daughter. Though the girl had a long way to go before she could match Heidi''s level of skill when it came to performing chores.


    At the very least, the house was clean; theundry was freshly done, and there was food on the table the moment Heinrich came home from his day at the base. Coincidentally enough, today Heinrich came home with a subtle change to his uniform, but one which Alya instantly recognized when the man entered through their door.


    Heinrich was wearing the shoulder tabs of Lieutenant Colonel, or in the German Army would be known as the Oberst Leutnant. He had been promoted today to the position and was now in charge of his own battalion.


    This was a major cause for celebration, and because of this, Alya instantly expressed her shock.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "You were promoted? Why didn''t you call home in advance? I would have prepared something for dessert!"


    Heinrich, who was already thoroughly exhausted by the day''s affairs, was quick to sigh as he copsed onto his sofa, loosening the cor around his neck, and freeing it so that he could breathe properly. After doing so, hemented on the whole thing as if it were less than what he desired.


    "Thanks, Alya, but I have had my hands full all day with managing an entire battalion of men. I mean, it''s one thing to assist a Lieutenant Colonel with managing his unit, but to manage 1,000 men and everything else thates with it. It''s a lot more work than I was expecting. I just need a moment to rx, and then I''ll join you for dinner..."


    Alya wasn''t exactly mad at Heinrich for his exhaustion. The man had cut backpletely on the two things that had helped him cope with the monumental amount of stress that came with being a high-ranking officer in the Military.


    Heinrich had always destressed by drinking copious quantities of alcohol and enjoying thepany of loose women. But now that he had to take care of Alya, he had eitherpletely cut himself off from activity or had restricted himself to doing so in moderation.


    Because of this, Alya instantly remembered something Heidi had told her while she was under that woman''s oppression.


    "Whenever my husbandes home, he likes to wind down with a beer and a cigarette. Because of that, I always have a liter of beer in my hand when I greet him at the door. It''s a small gesture, but one that is more weed than you realize."


    After thinking about this, Alya instantly ran off to the kitchen and fetched some beer for her adopted father, handing it off to him as he wiped the sweat from his brow while turning on the radio to listen to the day''s news.


    The radio was invented in 1901 and was still not exactlymonce in most households five yearster. But Heinrich not only came from a wealthy family of merchants, but he also gained a considerable paycheck from being a high-ranking officer in the Army. Because of this, he could easily afford such a luxury.


    When he saw the girl holding a beer to his face with an embarrassed expression, the man was perplexed for a second. Before grabbing hold of it and drinking its contents. At first Alya thought the man wasn''t even going to say thank you for her gesture, but he surprised her with a pat on the head, followed by an appropriate amount of gratitude.


    "I''m not sure why you suddenly thought I could use a beer, but you were absolutely right. Thanks kiddo, now go eat up. I''m sure you''re hungry after all the work you have been doing around here as ofte."


    Alya sure felt a little famished, but the reality was that she would not eat until Heinrich joined her, as she had many memories of eating alone at the orphanage, and she much preferred to share a meal with her new family than she did alone.


    Because of this, she patiently sat down on the rocking chair in the living room of their home and waited patiently for Heinrich to be ready to eat.


    "I''ll wait, I''m not as hungry as you think..."


    Heinrich thought the girl was being honest at first, that is until he heard her stomach grumble no more than a minuteter. And because of this, he sighed and stood up, heading to the dining room of their home, where he decided not to make her wait any longer.


    Though Alya was embarrassed by forcing the man to eat with her earlier than he wanted to, she was also happy that he did not ignore her stomach''s obvious signs of hunger. As a result, they shared a meal together, talking about what they had done during the day prior to meeting up at their hometer in the evening.


    Ultimately, after several months together, the two were starting to be like a real father and daughter.


    Bruno wasn''t the only one in his family who maintained his health via regr exercise. In fact, Heidi often worked out at home with the basic calisthenics that Bruno had taught her throughout the day. Just enough to maintain her health. After all, he wanted to live a long and happy life with his wife. And it would have been best if they both did their best to stay in shape because of this.


    Sure, Bruno had some bad habits that affected his health in the long term. Like smoking and drinking. But quite honestly, it was a tradeoff, because as a soldier, especially one who was in the early stages of PTSD, there were certain things he needed to take the edge off. Especially in a time of peace, which Bruno had a hard time adjusting to. Moreso than many of the men beneath hismand who were more than happy to flee the battlefield and live a peaceful life at home when they got the opportunity to do so.


    After working up a sweat for the day shortly after her husband went off to work, Heidi began to perform her daily chores, which also required a degree of exercise. She had aplete and utter disdain for filth, and did a damn good job maintaining a squeaky-clean environment in


    her home.


    Aside from cleaning the home, and exercising, Heidi would routinely mother her small children, keeping an eye on them throughout the day, before finally preparing a meal for when her husband came home. By now she had mastered the art of finishing the meal just in time for Bruno to get home, so that he could enjoy a brief beer while it cooled down just enough to be the perfect temperature to eat.


    And like always, this is exactly what happened when Bruno came home for the night. However, the words which the man spoke over dinner to his wife and children have instantly shattered Heidi''s routine. She realized things would be changing for her and her beloved


    family in theing months.


    "So... I finally found the perfect plot ofnd to begin building our estate upon just outside


    Berlin. As for the one in Russia, I have yet to choose a city which I would prefer to construct it. But I''m thinking near Tsaritsyn, I am after all rather beloved in the area for the mercy which I showed there, and the Volga Region has a high concentration of German settlers, so when we vacation there, it won''t be too alien of an environment. What do you think?"


    Though Bruno asked for Heidi''s opinion, she really didn''t have one, and even if she did, she wouldn''t argue with Bruno over it. She simply epted his decision, as he had clearly thought


    it out far more than she had.


    After all, she was much too busy managing their home to be involved thoroughly in such affairs. Thus, she wore a charming smile on her pretty face as she agreed to her husband''s


    question without hesitation.


    "You know me, whatever it is you decide, I will support you with my everything, dear!"


    Bruno was happy that Heidi didn''t disagree with his choice of location for their Russian Estate. However, though neither of them knew it, they both sighed in a silentment for their rtively peaceful and humble city life in this old manor which they had called home for


    many years now.


    It was the death of a routine, and the birth of a new era for their family

 Chapter 130: Pig War

    ?


    Tensions were indeed rising across the globe, especially in the western world as Bruno''s interference on the timeline had changed things. The Russian Revolution had started earlier in this life than it should have, the result of which was the cementing of the House of Romanov as the undisputed rulers of the Russian Empire.


    And though the Tsar''s power over his nation was no longer autocratic in nature, rather bound by constitutional convention with the foundation of the State Duma. Industrialization and modernization had be an immediate concern.


    Bruno capitalized on this, investing significantly in everything he could get his hands on. From natural resources to critical infrastructure such as railways, ports, et cetera. Anything that was remotely of value within the borders of the Russian Empire and was up for grabs Bruno some way or another, got his possession of it.


    Frankly speaking, his wealth was already nearing a level unprecedented in history. Except for perhaps the likes of Mansa Musa during the Golden Age of the Mali Empire, but even so, it was hard to know considering history had few records surrounding the precise nature of just how wealthy the African King really was.


    Considering the extremely humble life with Bruno lived, more money meant more


    investments, which in turn meant more money. Anything that was either of tangible value, or theoretical value, he tried to get possession of either in part or full.


    Such was the power of knowledge from the future. Very quickly, his bank ount began rising so much that the idea of creating a new bank to challenge the Rothschilds and their control over the German Reich began appearing in Bruno''s mind.


    After all, one could link the Rothschilds to the defeat of the German Reich during the Great War if they looked deep enough into historical record. Thoughmonly touted as a myth espoused by right-wing populists, in an attempt to gain control over the Reichstag during the days of the failed Weimar Republic. The notion that Germany was stabbed in the back by wealthy bankers and capitalists wasn''t entirely conspiratorial.


    As with all myths and legends, there was some truth hidden between the exaggerations or outright falsehoods spoken about it. And the Rothschilds were indeed involved in many sinister things behind the scenes.


    So, forming a bank with substantial financial backing, especially when the world currently operated on the Gold Standard, was an excellent idea for Bruno to pursue. It wasn''t something he nned to do overnight, as building a bank for the people was something that would require substantial time and investment.


    But it was added to the list of things that Bruno would get involved with in theing years. Of course, there was a far more immediate crisis that required his attention, that was happening just south of the Reich''s borders.


    Tensions between Serbia and Austro-Hungary were rising steadily, perhaps even greater than they had in his past life. And it was perhaps because of this that the Pig War had inevitably broken out. What was the pig war, you might ask? Well, it was a trade war fought between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Serbia over the export of pork.


    For thest century, Serbia hadrgely been under the Habsburgs sphere of influence, and for a long time had been a major exporter of pork to Austria-Hungary. But Serbia had decided to very recently begin breaking away from that influence and instead build ties to other countries. The list of which included the likes of Bulgaria, Germany, and France.


    Seeing this as a challenge to their authority, the Hungarian Government imposed economic sanctions on the Kingdom of Serbia. Tariffs were heavy and forceful. As with all economic sanctions, they never really ended up in the favor of the nation imposing them.


    Instead, Serbia turned to France for munitions, Germany formercial goods, and established a free trade area with Bulgaria. All of which had culminated now in Austro- Hungary just straight up, closing its borders to Serbian Pork.


    Had Serbia not established ties to these other nations, this may have worked as Pork was currently their singlergest export. But... Currently, the representatives of the Serbian Government were preparing to head to France to seek investment into the construction of new meat packing facilities for the purpose of international trade.


    Though it might not seem like it, this was a major international issue, one that would inevitably lead in part to the ck Hand''s assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the event that would cause the Great War to begin.


    Frankly speaking, persuading the Habsburgs to drop the economic sanctions imposed on Serbia was a losing battle. One Bruno did not want to participate in, but snatching the profits made from Serbia''s international sales of pork was something Bruno intended to gain.


    Any chance to spite the French was one Bruno was willing to take, especially if it meant literally stealing gold from their coffers. After all, Serbia would purchase the raw materials for the construction of these meat packing facilities from the German Reich anyway, so why not ensure that he was the ultimate benefactor of this little trade war?


    As a result, the Serbian officials, who were preparing to head to France, were shocked when one of their aides knocked on the door and alerted them to a strange turn of events. "Sires, there is a representative from the German Reich here to speak with you... He goes by the name of Lord Bruno von Zehntner. Should I tell him you are busy?"


    Bruno''s reputation had long since spread far, and as far as the Serbian Government was concerned, he was a powerful enemy, and a close friend of the hated Habsburgs, for him toe all the way to Belgrade, it was both unexpected and daunting to say the least. Because of this, the official was quick to demand that his aide do the exact opposite.


    "You will do no such thing! Were you perhaps dropped as a child? Do you not know who that man is? Send him here immediately!"


    The aid, after being thoroughly rebuked for trying to respect the timeliness of his boss''s appointment with the French, walked away with his head hanging low as he invited Bruno inside the man''s office.


    Bruno did not stand on ceremony, nor did he allow the man to motion for him to seat. Rather, he took his seat and immediately got to business while the man was still standing across from


    him.


    "Let me be blunt. I know all about your ns to go seek investment from France for your attempts to circumvent the sanctions currently imposed on you by the Habsburgs. Cancel your appointment. I''m here to personally write you a check for the money you need as a private investment...."


    Had the government official personally been holding a cup of tea, he would have dropped it in that moment and in doing so shattered the cup all over his office floor, spilling the drink''s contents all over it.


    Luckily for him, he was in no such condition. And because of this, he merely took a seat, in an almost exaggerated gesture as he interrogated Bruno about why he would do this.


    "I''m sorry. I believe I may have misheard. You personally want to invest in Serbia''s pork industry? But I thought you were on friendly terms with the Habsburgs. Why would you be interested in such a thing? Wouldn''t that risk the rtionship you have with Austria?"


    Bruno did not react to this statement at all, his face as stoic as the ancient Emperor Marcus Aurelius as he spoke of his reasons for doing so.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "This has nothing to do with my interests in Austria. I am merely a businessman, seeking to take advantage of an opportunity to make some profit that sits before my very eyes. I''m not a politician. The trade war fought between you and Austro-Hungary is no business of mine. So, will you ept my investment, or not? If not, then by all means go to France and see if they are willing to hear you out? But that''s a long journey, all for the possibility of being rejected. Meanwhile, my money is as certain as the amount of men I have killed. So, which will


    it be?"


    This was actually an honest statement by Bruno. He knew there was no way he could iste the French from Serbia before the war began, and perhaps by doing so, ensure it never happened. No, rtions between the two countries were already too far gone for this to


    happen.


    Rather, Bruno merely wanted to steal from the French the profit they gained from this war, profit that would eventually be invested into their war machine. And his attempt to do so inevitably seeded. As his words thoroughly convinced Serbia to allow Bruno to be the sole investor in their new meat-packing nts, and their international trade of pork.


    This, of course, also gave Bruno an excuse to return to Vienna, and not just as a means of fulfilling his promise to the young Austrian Princess.

 Chapter 131: Returning to the Hofburg

    ?


    Considering it was a time of peace, and Bruno''s substantial position within the Central Division of the German Army''s highmand. He was a man who was more than capable of taking time off when he needed it.


    Especially for the sake of diplomatic visits. Even so, he did not immediately go visit the Habsburgs despite his intentions to do so. Instead, he spent the next few months enjoying his peaceful time with his family, all while his new estate was constructed in the background and his economic ventures continued to seed. Thanks, of course, to his amazing foresight into the matter.


    Because of this, it was not until the early months of 1907, that Bruno took his family on a winter vacation to Vienna. First by reaching out to the Kasier Franz Joseph I of Austria, andmunicating with the man regrly enough throughout the fall and early days of winter in order to secure a proper invitation.


    Finally, the day came for the train to pass through Germany from Berlin into the


    southernmost tip of its borders, which was the Allg?u region of Bavaria. Sitting in the warmth and leisure of a train as it passed through the alps through the dead of winter was perhaps the most beautiful thing Bruno had ever witnessed. Even moreso as it went into the Tyolrean alps and finally off towards Vienna.


    His children couldn''t help but marvel as they looked out the windows at the tall mountains steeped in snow. But despite its immense and wondrous beauty, Bruno was all too aware of the dangers that existed in these mountains, and during his past life, the thousands of corpses thaty frozen there for well beyond a hundred years, and perhaps infinitely so.


    After all, the Isonzo Campaign of the Great War was fought in the alpine region of Europe, and many bodies had never been recovered, lying under a sheet of ice and snow buried for all of eternity after artillery strikes caused an avnche to crash upon both armies.


    It was the immediate thought that crossed through Bruno''s mind, as he was uncertain if he would be dispatched to such a dangerous area when the war finally reared its ugly head. All the while, his children eximed in shock at how beautiful the snow was.


    "Mommy! Daddy! Can we go out and y in the snow?!"


    Eva, being the most excited of them all, was, of course, the loudest. And while Heidi simply smiled at her children''s joyful gazes filled with childlike wonder, Bruno stared into the distance, knowing the harrowing truth of what "ying in the snow" could cause.


    Because of this, he simply remained silent and drank his tea. All the while Heidi shook her head and told the kids that it wasn''t in the cards for them.


    "Maybe one day we will return when you''re older and go skiing together as a family, but that will have to wait... After all this is not the end of our journey, instead we are headed to Vienna to meet with the Austrian Kaiser and his family.


    Your father is a very important man, and has personally been requested to visit the Austrian royal family!"


    The kids were already aware of why they were going to Vienna as Heidi had spoken of it over and over again throughout the past two weeks as they prepared for the trip. And by now, even Eva was rolling her eyes at her mother''s joy.


    Bruno, of course, detected a hint of hostility within Heidi''s azure blue eyes, no doubt because she was suspicious of Bruno''s reasons for visiting the Habsburgs. She, after all, had learned about his pinky promise to return to the Austrian Princess and tell her all about his war stories.


    Even if Bruno had no idea how she knew this. And because of this, he would be extra on his guard, making sure that the old emperor didn''t say anything foolish in jest like he had during hisst visit. Hence why to calm his nerves, Bruno thought of past battles from his past life and the gruesome toll they had taken on the men fighting them.


    Eventually, however, Bruno and his family arrived in Vienna. Where they were escorted to the pce by a motorcade. Once inside, Bruno was not surprised to see the Austrian Kaiser and his family there to greet him. Including all those he had met thest time.


    Since this was not a military exercise, the other generals who had taken a dislike to Bruno''s blunt personality and exceptional abilities were not present. However, one person who was there was quick to greet Bruno in a way that triggered Heidi''s more possessive nature.


    Once introductions were properly made, and the proper time and ce hade, Hedwig approached Bruno and grasped his hands with wide and excitable eyes, where she thanked him for fulfilling his promise.


    "You remembered! I didn''t think you woulde after all these months, but you finally lived up to your promise!"


    Heidi''s eyes narrowed so much they practically turned into the width of a dagger as she stared at Hedwig with a smile that could just barely conceal her wicked intentions to those who were not ustomed to her darker side.


    And her voice was much in the same vein as she stood behind Bruno and asked him the question, which she already knew the answer to. Sending chills down her husband''s spine as she did so.


    "Oh? And just what form of promise can be made between a married man and a teenage girl?"


    Hedwig had only just now noticed that Heidi was standing behind Bruno the entire time, and was quick to release her grip over the man''s hands, she awkwardly scooted away from Bruno while blushing making sure to gain a safe distance away from the angry housewife, all the while rifying what she meant as she did so.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean it like that. Your husband just promised to return to Vienna and tell me about his war stories sometime. I just didn''t expect him to actually remember it. I got too excited and did something inappropriate. Please forgive me."


    Seeing how the girl disyed a proper knowledge of her ce, and even managed to apologize with the proper manners. Heidi forgave Hedwig with a smug smile on her face, and a conceited tone in her voice, all while Bruno stared at his wife as if she had lost her marbles for feeling the need to be inpetition with a literal child.


    "Well, as long as you know what you did was wrong, then I''m sure it was nothing that can''t be forgiven..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Either way, Bruno knew that the night would be a long one. Especially after he and his family shared a meal with the Habsburg family. He would, of course, have to live up to his promise and express the many battles and skirmishes he had engaged in over the years.


    Something that he had hid from Heidi and his family simply out of respect for their sense of peace. But even so, Hedwig would not allow him to escape from telling her these stories now that he had fulfilled his promise to return to Vienna.


    While at the Same time Heidi would not allow Bruno to run off with the young princess without her supervision. Not out of any sense of mistrust towards her husband, but rather the little harlot who dared to be so bold as to grab the man''s hands and look at him with such excitement all in front of his wife. It was simply intolerable.


    Because at the end of the day Heidi trusted Bruno with her life, but all the other bitches in the world who she perceived to be coveting her man? They could not be trusted under any circumstances, even if the reality of the situation was far from what she may have been inclined to believe.

 Chapter 132 The Price of Salvation

    Chapter 132 The Price of Salvation


    Bruno and his family were entrusted to a long-winded retelling of the ancient house of Habsburg and its astounding legacy and impact on Europe and, by extension, the world atrge.


    The tour through the Hofburg where they stopped at every portrait of every ruler over the dynastic history while enlightening someone like Bruno who appreciated history was nothing but dull for his wife and children. Even so, they were forced to endure it, as to even make a statement about how dreadful they found it to be considered an insult of the highest caliber to such an ancient and lofty royal family. By the time they were done with this historical lecture conducted in the form of a tour across the Estate and its massive grounds. Dinner had been prepared, and this was where the real entertainment began. After all, in a bid to make sure that Bruno properly lived up to his promise, Princess Hedwig quickly took to the man''s left side, even after meeting the ire of Heidi''s homicidal gaze. She then began to plead with Bruno to regale her with the tales of his heroism on the battlefield. Something which Bruno had no qualms about reliving, as he, after all, foundfort in the weirdest of ces. Frankly speaking, Bruno did not exactly know how to tone down the violence that urred, and retold the war as it was, catching the attention of his wife, as well as the Habsburgs who looked at the man as if he was mad. Whether it was clearing houses, leading a charge through trenches, or personally takingmand over the interrogation and execution of captured rebels. Bruno''s retelling of the campaigns he had fought and won was bone chilling. But what was perhaps the most terrifying part of all is that he retold the story with the same lifeless expression he always seemed to have. Almost as if the horror he described had not phased the man in the slightest.


    Hedwig of course listened to Bruno''s tales with a wide and gleeful eyes as if she was hearing whatbat was actually all about for the first time in her life. Glory, heroism, victory? These were falsehoods spun to her by her father''s generals. They were the same lies told to young men to inspire them to go out and die for the old men who sat in the Capital making war in the first ce. Nobody ever mentioned the gruesome details of how artillery could st a man''s limbs apart despite being in the immediate Kill-zone. Or what it was like to stab your bay through a man''s rib cage, only to find it stuck inside, requiring you to fire a shot anyway in order to yank it out. Bruno, however, held nothing back when he spoke of war and its cruelty. For to do so would be to dishonor the men who had died, both beneath hismand, and the enemies which he had in in the trenches. The explicit detail he spoke of in his retelling of the battles he had waged and won was so gruesome that even some of the men within the Habsburg line found themselves looking at their food as if they had suddenly lost their appetite to eat it. But not Bruno. He ate the food he had been given, and drank his beer withoutint, and without expression. All the while he spoke of the trenches, where the rain poured over his head, and artillery pounded in the distance. Heidi, of course, felt very differently than Bruno did after hearing all the harrowing details of the war that he had endured. She was by no means a fool, or na?ve. She knew fully well that war wasn''t exactly something that was pretty or idealistic. And if she had it her way, Bruno would retire from the military altogether. After all, they had enough wealth that none of them ever needed to work. But after hearing Bruno talk about the battlefield with such detail, Heidi realized that her husband would never step away from that life. As war had long since taken his mind and his soul. What remained when he came home to her was a mere revenant. It was a rather depressing moment for the woman and was one of the reasons why Bruno had never mentioned these things to her in the past. After the meal was over, Hedwig thanked Bruno for his stories, having been enlightened to the true nature ofbat, and not the bullshit she had been spun throughout her youth. While Franz Joseph told Bruno they would speak the following morning about some more important matters. After all, he hade to learn of Bruno''s investment into the Serbian meat industry, and wanted to interrogate them and about his intentions. Ultimately, Bruno would return to his room with his wife, where he would open up the window and smoke a cigarette. She was clearly in a sullen mood, and Bruno understood why, quickly apologizing to her for the things he said at dinner. "I never wanted you to find out about those things¡­ But royalty can be difficult to entertain, and refusing the request from a Habsburg, even one as young as Hedwig, is unwise. I''m sorry, I know it must have been disheartening for you to hear¡­ I''m just d the kids didn''t have to listen to me drivel on about the reality of my upation." Heidi remained silent for some time, while Bruno let out arge puff of smoke from his lungs and outside the pce windows. Once he had done this, she finally turned to him with tear-stained eyes and asked a question which caught Bruno off guard. "When is it going to end, Bruno? Will you only stop fighting these wars once death has taken you from me? Why must you make such risky choices in life!?! You are a general now, are you not? N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Shouldn''t you sit in the rear where it is safe and sound? Why even continue with your military career? You have untold fortunes. Is killing really so appealing to you that you must put your life in jeopardy?" Bruno did not say anything for a while, not until he had snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray and closed the windows. His words could not be overheard by anyone after all. He quickly approached his wife, and hugged her, whispering in her ear not the words which she wanted to hear, but the honest truth. "You mistake me Heidi, I am not the man of cruelty you think I am. In fact, your usations truly wound me in ways which you cannot fath. Do you really think that this is what I want out of life?


    To spend my life on the battlefield as my mind slowly wastes away from the death and despair which I am subjected to witness? Should I have been given a choice in the matter, then I would have dly chosen to live the peaceful life of a wealthy industrialist with you and our children by my side. You are, after all, the pride and joy of my life, Heidi.


    But this is a burden to ensure that was not chosen by me, but by God above. I was destined to fight in this uing Great War, from the moment I was born into this world. It is not a matter of choice, but rather a matter of duty. Duty unto you, my wife, and to that of my family firstly. Second to the Kaiser and to the Fathend, and finally a matter of duty unto God in heaven.


    Should my sanity be the ultimate price to pay for the sake of ensuring the survival of the German Reich, and a future for our children which we can be proud of, then I will dly pay it a thousandfold.


    As much as it may appear to be, it is not out of some gruesome bloodlust thatpels me to return to the battlefield time and again. But rather, for the sake of you all, and for the future of our family. For without my guidance in thising Great War, this entire world would be doomed to a ruinous future filled with despair.


    Heidi was not entirely surprised by Bruno''s words. She was well connected after all, and with each passing day as the list of international crises piled up, it was starting to be more and more apparent that war between the Great Powers was inevitable, but she simply had to ask the question which kept her heart bitter towards this thought. "But why? Why does it have to be you? Couldn''t anybody else fulfill this job?" Bruno simply smiled bitterly as he shook his head, before caressing his wife''s chin, where he gently kissed her lips, before leaning in and whispering his thoughts aloud. "Silly girl, it was always meant to be me. Had God not chosen me for this role, you and I would have never met, for I never would have been born in this world. Do notment the fact that I must suffer to ensure the existence of a better world, for it was a burden chosen for me to bear from the start. Rather, you should rejoice that by virtue of my fate, I was destined to meet you, the love of my life." Bruno''s words, and the certainty in his statement, made it seem like he knew things he shouldn''t know. As if he was some kind of prophet chosen to alter the course of history in the favor of Germany.


    Madness if uttered by any other man, to be sure. But when spoken by the man she loved and believed in more than anything, Heidi couldn''t help but believe perhaps Bruno was telling the truth.

 Chapter 133: The Altruism Paradox

    Chapter 133: The Altruism Paradox


    ?


    The next day, everyone was in a much better mood, having slept off any negative thoughts regarding the horrific but urate retelling of war that Bruno had shared during the previous evening''s dinner.


    And Franz Joseph had wanted to personally meet with Bruno, who had made a significant investment into Serbia''s meat industry, one that gave him a significant amount of control over it. Because of this, Bruno found himself in Franz Joseph''s personal quarters, where he sat across the Austrian Kaiser face to face at his desk.


    The man was quick to break out an offer of an expensive drink, which Bruno politely declined due to the early hours of the day. After which Franz Joseph just tantly came out and said what needed to be said, since Bruno was not willing to stand on ceremony with him.


    "I want to know why you have decided to approach the Serbian government with the funds necessary to invest in their attempts to circumvent our sanctions by selling their meat elsewhere. I have considered you a friend of Austria, and the House of Habsburg up until this point, but now I get the feeling you are deliberately acting against our interest, and I want to know why?"


    Bruno scoffed when he heard this usatory statement and was quick to roll his eyes as he dismissed it entirely.


    "Frankly speaking, your majesty, whoever advised you to engage in economic sanctions against the Kingdom of Serbia either doesn''t have your best interests in mind, or is an absolute moron.... To put it simply, this isn''t a battle you were destined to win. In fact, you could say the deck has been stacked against you from the start.


    I invested in Serbia''s meat industry because if I had not done so first, the French would have dly taken the opportunity to do so. Either way, with or without my interference, Serbia would have circumvented your sanctions and made a profit off of their international trade of pork. While the only ones who would have suffered would be you and your people.


    By getting involved, I have imed arge degree of authority over where this pork ends up, and at what price. I have also stolen all the profits from the French who would have surely used it to fund their war efforts, which would one day soon be wielded against our two nations.


    I have done you a significant favor, and you repay me by using me of being an enemy of your family?"


    The Austrian Kaiser''s eyes narrowed at Bruno after his rather confident statement. He then folded his hands together and was quick to ask the next question in his mind.


    "You say you have done me a significant favor? How so?"


    Bruno honestly felt like he had been rather clear in this regard, but chose to borate further and more blunt.


    "As I said, I am now effectively in control of Serbia''s meat packaging facilities. Without my say, that meat can''t be packaged and transported to other nations. In other words, if you drop your sanctions and tariffs. Plentiful amounts of cheap pork will flow through Austro-Hungary and into the German Reich, where they will reach all the way to Russia. Never once entering the borders of France.


    Thus, ensuring that this little trade war of yours ends in all of our favors. As our three empires will have a substantial supply of inexpensive and high-quality pork for our citizens to eat. And when the people are happy, you don''t need to worry about pesky things like revolts.


    And by convincing you to drop these foolish little sanctions and excessive tariffs. Serbia slowly begins to fade away from French influence and control, which they have been trying to curry for ages now to escape from your sphere of influence...."


    Frankly speaking, thisst part was utter bullshit. This was a long con that the Serbians had been ying for a very long time. Their ties to France were solid, especially in regards to their military. There was no turning back. War would break out between Austro-Hungary and Serbia sooner orter.


    But profiting off of Serbia''s international pork sales and using this as a means to bring Russia and Austro-Hungary together. That was the ultimate goal of Bruno''s by getting involved in this stupid trade war.


    After all, the biggest factor in preventing Russia from joining forces with Germany, Austro- Hungary, and Japan was Serbia. As both Russia and Austro-Hungary had disputes over the nation. But, if these disputes could be slowly solved over the course of theing years, starting with uniting over the trade of Pork, then maybe, just maybe the League of the Four Emperors could rece the name of the Central Powers in this life.


    Either way, Franz Joseph was blown away by Bruno''s foresight, and proactive action in what he had stated was a losing battle for the Habsburg''s attempts to control Serbia. Because of this, the Austrian Kaiser was heavily suspicious of Bruno''s goals in getting involved with this matter.


    After all, he was the faithful subject of a foreign monarch. And was already an absurdly wealthy man. Was Bruno really driven by such meager profits to act on the Habsburgs'' behalf? He was naturally quick to voice his suspicions to the man in question.


    "I''m not exactly sure how wealthy you are, but I have quite a bit of understanding in this regard. Even if my estimations aren''t precise, there is no reason that such meager profits shouldpel to you interfere in this trade dispute. So tell me what your real ambitions are in this matter, and maybe I will believe you aren''t as hostile to me and my family that I think you are!"


    Bruno sighed heavily and shook his head. Naturally, he wouldn''t admit the full truth that this was one of many subtle maniptions to get the Habsburgs and Romanovs toe together and unite against France.


    Because of this, Bruno voiced a different reasoning for doing everything that he had done. And while truthful, it was a mere byproduct of his primary ambitions for acting on this traden/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    dispute.


    "As I already stated, stealing the profits from the French, and preventing them from using this as a means to properly arm themselves, was definitely a goal of mine when I decided to interfere in this matter. But though you may not believe me, my primary interest in all of my endeavors has always been and always will be for the good of the German Reich and its


    people.


    Contrary to what you might think, I actually care about my fellow countrymen. And the struggles they go through in their daily lives. Making sure ones subjects are properly fed should be a primary concern of every monarch.


    But we don''t live in an ideal world, and not every Kaiser cares so much about the citizens of his empire. Some would rather spend their days trying to force other nations into bowing before them and the power that they wield.


    And at the end of the day, someone has to care about the people and their wellbeing. Though I was not born into a proper position to do so, I will always strive to make life better for my fellow Germans. Whether that is by protecting them from the aggressive actions of hostile nations, or by ensuring that each day they are properly fed.


    Though I can not fathom theplexities of international diplomacy that a man born with the divine right to rule must undergo with each passing day. I am sure that there are still lessons that can be learned from those least expected. Wherever you may find them..."


    After saying this, Bruno got up from his seat and thanked the Austrian Kaiser for his hospitality, leaving the room behind, all while leaving the man in a state of deep contemtion.


    Was there really such an altruistic man in this world? And if so, was he truly capable of reaching such a position in life while maintaining his principles? Could a wealthy man truly by so selfless? If so, then how did he acquire his wealth? It was truly a paradox.


    Or was it simply that Bruno just gaslighting him into believing that the man had no ulterior motives for his actions? Frankly speaking, Franz Joseph couldn''t tell if Bruno was a Saint sent by God to save his people, or a disciple of the Devil sent to unleash the four horsemen from


    their slumber.


    Either way, he was an interesting character, and one that was better off kept close by his side, rather than making an enemy of. Especially over something as stupid as involving himself in a


    trade dispute.

 Chapter 134: Manipulating Diplomatic Negotiations

    Chapter 134: Manipting Diplomatic Negotiations


    ?


    Bruno''s words had stuck with Franz Joseph more than he intended them to. He had mentioned his "altruism" in passing, all the while neglecting to confirm his real ambitions. Which was to bring Russia and Austro-Hungary closer together.


    Establishing a joint tradework between the three empires was the start of Bruno''s masterful n to manipte international diplomacy in the favor of the German Reich. After all, if Germany did not have to worry about fighting a war on both its eastern and western borders, and instead simply had to maintain their line of defense against the French, then wiping out the Serbian and Italian Armies would be a matter of ease.


    Not only that, but with Russia being forced to increase their efforts of industrialization as a consequence of the Civil War, they fought due to Bruno''s interference in the timeline. They would be a far more powerful ally than the likes of Italy to have backed their alliance.


    The problems came with how he would go about souring the rtionship between Serbia and Russia. Thetter of which had long since sought to control the Balkans within their sphere of influence. Something that Austro-Hungary also desired.


    There were few diplomatic solutions to this problem. As it was not exactly like the Serbians could entertain both empires. However, if sabotaging the rtions between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Russian Empire was possible, then it would go a long way towards deterring the Russians from investing in the region, or God forbid backing Serbia when the time for the war came.


    After all, the Russian backing of Serbia had been arge reason for the Great War turning into a global conflict when it could have easily just been an extension of the Balkan Wars that preceded it by a single year.


    Still, there was no doubt about the way things were headed. France would still support Serbia, and Ennd would back the French. Turning this into a major conflict regardless of who Russia sided with.


    In fact, at the current rate of geo politics, Russia was likely to still stay out of the war altogether as a result of Bruno''s actions. And though that was more than eptable, it would still be preferable that Russia gave its aid to Germany. If not in this war, then the next one that was destined to follow it.


    Either way, that was a matter for the years toe. Establishing some form of incentive for the two rtively hostile powers toe together was a good start, and that was exactly what Bruno had done by convincing Franz Joseph to end his sanctions and tariffs against Serbia, and instead open up awork of meat trade from Serbia that would go through Austro-Hungary and Germany until finally reaching the Russian Empire.


    After all, when everyone was profiting in some way or another, everybody was happy, right? Or such was the theory behind Bruno''s methods. And sure enough, after no more than 48 hours, Franz Joseph I, having gone over the books and realized the losses he was sustaining in this foolishly advised Trade War, decided to do as Bruno advised.


    Of course, the Pride of a Nation was a powerful thing, and because of this, he could not easily do so without some concessions. Hence, the Austrian Kaiser requested a negotiation with the King of Serbia in person. And in Neutral Ground. Without even realizing it, Bruno found himself having an excellent opportunity to begin sabotaging the rtionship between Russia and Serbia from behind the scenes.


    And he quickly found himself sitting in on the meeting between the two monarchs within the city of Geneva. After all, what better neutral ground was there than Switzend, who had been neutral in European conflicts for centuries?


    While Bruno tagged along, rather unwantedly at that, to attend this meeting, his wife and children stayed in the Hofburg, bing more acquainted with the Habsburg family, and establishing precious ties to the monarchs of Austria and Hungary.


    In fact, Bruno had sort of forced his way into the meeting under the guise of being the mediator of this negotiation. Because of this, the King of Serbia was staring at Bruno with an intense gaze, all while the three of them sat at a table in some Swiss State Building, discussing this dispute over tea.


    "And what, pray tell, is he doing here?"


    Bruno had a smug smirk on his face as he waited for the Austrian Kaiser to answer the question. Knowing that the man would back his presence. Even if he had managed to force his way into the room by abusing his status as a "Guest."


    "Believe it or not, he is the reason I have suddenly decided to enter negotiations with you. It would be improper for me to invite him to my home as a guest, heed his advice, and then exclude him from these talks, don''t you think? He may be a bit... Abrasive, but the man is wise beyond his years, and an unbiased perspective might actually do the both of us some good?"


    Quite frankly, this was the first time Franz Joseph had seen Bruno smile outside of the times he was with his family. Either way, if Bruno was smiling here and now while his family was still in Vienna, it could only be described as bone chilling, considering the man was otherwise stoic at all times.


    The King of Serbia, having never officially met Bruno, was not exactly aware of the man''s stone-faced nature, and because of this, he did not understand how unusual it was for him to be smiling, especially during a diplomatic negotiation.


    Nevertheless, he did not exactly feelfortable with Bruno acting as the mediator. Sure, he had a vested interest in this dispute, especially from the side of Serbia. But at the same time, he had friendly ties to the Habsburg family, as well as the House of Romanov.


    Now that he thought about it, wasn''t this man a bit too politically connected to the Great Powers of Europe outside of France and Ennd? And at such a young age, no less? The King of Serbia was about was about to say something regarding this abnormality when Bruno made a suggestion, one that on the surface could be considered a viable solution to this whole


    mess.


    "Let''s cut to the chase. Alright, you want to expand your business internationally without having to rely politically and economically on Austro-Hungary like you have been forced to endure for decades. And you want to maintain your authority over the Balkans. Hence why this ill-advised trade war began in the first ce.


    How about wee to some sort of mutual agreement here? Austro-Hungary will drop its sanctions and tariffs against the Kingdom of Serbia, allowing them to engage in free trade across Austro-Hungary, the German Reich, and the Russian Empire.


    In exchange, Serbia will promise not to oppose the Austro-Hungarian Annexation of Bosnia


    and Herzegovina when the time finallyes to officially do so."


    This was a bold statement by Bruno. Sure, on the surface this was a win-win. But could only be spoken in this room by a man who was either ignorant of the situation in Serbia, or


    malicious in intent.


    Obviously, such a promise" immediately dragged the eyes of the King of Serbia towards Bruno with suspicious gazes. While to the historically ignorant, this was a validpromise. After all, Austria had made its intentions to Annex Bosnia and Herzegovina clear since the previous century. And had previously secured support by Germany and Russia to do so.


    But like everything political in the Balkans this was a far moreplicated issue than it appeared to be on the surface. For starters, the current King of Serbia had only gained his power in 1903 when a military coup initiated by the "ck Hand" a group of conspirators infiltrated the Serbian pce and murdered the previous king who had left no heir to seed


    him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As a result, the national assembly elected the House of Kara?or?evi? and its ruler as the new Kings of Serbia. Who themselves were the rivals of the previous dynasty. Frankly speaking, the House of Kara?or?evi?, and the Serbian Government has a whole currently had heavy ties to the ck Hand.


    If the name sounded familiar, then it was because they would also be responsible for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand yearster, an event which would eventually spark the Great


    War.


    It was because of these ties to the ck Hand that Serbia refused the Austro-Hungarian request for an international investigation into the assassination of their presumed heir, and in doing so prompted the July Crisis, which led to the start of the First World War. Needless to say, Bruno despised the Serbian King, who yed a leading role in the overall copse of what one might consider the legitimate form of western civilization, as well as the rise of both liberalism and Marxism that followed the disaster that was the end of the Great


    War.


    Had this man, his family, and the conspirators he backed simply not existed, or at the very least never been allowed to gain power in Serbia, the odds of such a disastrous decline of Europe, and the West as a whole likely would have never urred.


    Because of this, Bruno put Bosnia and Herzegovina on the line during these negotiations in a deliberate attempt to provoke a hostile reaction from the Serbian King, and the ck Hand. Hopefully baiting them into attacking himself and thus ruining Serbia''s rtionship with the Tsar and the Russian Empire.


    After all, Bruno was currently on much friendlier terms with the House of Romanov than he was the House of Habsburg, with Nichs having high hopes of roping him over to the


    Russian side altogether.


    Any attempt to assassinate a Russian Prince, and a Hero of the Russian Civil War would likely permanently sour rtions between Serbia and Russia, even if the Serbian government wasn''t directly responsible. Much as the French had done when they made an attempt on Bruno''s life in the preceding years. And this was exactly Bruno''s goal here today.

 Chapter 135: Its Show Time!

    Chapter 135: It''s Show Time!


    ?


    The Serbian King''s face twitched ever so slightly, so little in fact that one might not have seen it if they were not closely examining his face. But Bruno saw it and continued to smirk as he drank his tea. For obvious reasons, the man would not ept this demand.


    Though on the surface it seemed like a minor concession, as for all intents and purposes, Austro-Hungary currently already had administrative control over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The reality of the situation was, with the ck Hand''s ambitions towards the Balkans which were against the interests of both the Habsburgs and the Romanovs, they would never allow this to take ce without some form of conflict taking ce.


    This was actually one of the reasons why Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Bruno''s past life, as the Habsburgs proceeded with annexation of Bosnia in 08, leading to the plot against their presumed heir by the ck Hand.


    Hence why Bruno was aware that the Serbians would never ept thispromise, even if Franz Ferdinand was rather joyful at the prospect. Frankly speaking, the existence of the ck Hand, and their involvement in the May Coup, wasn''t exactly known to outsiders at the time.


    Hell, they would not fullye into their full form until 1911, even if its earliest members were indeed responsible for murdering the Serbian Royal Couple in 1903. As a result, the Serbian King eyed Bruno with suspicion.


    Had he learned about his family''s ties to the ck Hand, and the substantial role they yed in the Serbian Government? Or was he simply espousing one of the goals which the Habsburgs had made clear decades ago with the ignorance of this shadowy organization?


    Either way, the answer was the same, as the Serbian King immediately stood up and concluded the negotiations without and resolution of the issues at hand.


    "These negotiations are over. Frankly speaking, you are asking far too much of Serbia in exchange for far too little gain. I have no choice but to think you are simply wasting my time for the sole sake of provoking me. But what else would I expect from a man born into a family who only gained its noble status a few decades ago?"


    Bruno was not exactly the one who was quick to provocation. But he couldn''t help but chuckle at the man''sments. The House of Kara?or?evi? alone was founded in 1804, which was only a decade prior to foundation of Bruno''s. His own family having earned their noble status during the Napoleonic Wars.


    To act like he was some ancient noble on par with the Habsburgs was trulyughable, but either way, Bruno didn''t mention it. Nevertheless, hisughter served as an insult, causing the Serbian King to frown as he walked out the door.


    However, before he could fully do so, Bruno made onest statement to confirm that he did indeed know about the ck Hand and their crimes, which revealed could cause the ruin of Serbia altogether.


    "When you get back to Belgrade, say hello to Captain Apis for me, will you? Why I haven''t seen the man since, oh I''d say May of 03? Yes, that sounds correct, doesn''t it, your highness?"


    The King of Serbia swiftly turned around and stared at Bruno in the eyes with a murderous gaze. All the while, Bruno himself was smiling smugly. Franz Joseph might not know what exactly Bruno was referring to, but King Peter, I most certainly did.


    All he said was the word "You..." before storming off entirely. Causing Bruno to simply chuckle and shake his head. Franz Joseph looked with confusion at just what had just happened before voicing his concern entirely.


    "What just happened?"


    Bruno sighed heavily and shook his head as he immediately began to turn his ns into full motion.


    "Your Majesty, I am afraid that I will not be apanying you back to Vienna. I will send a telegram to my wife alerting her to return to the German Reich. After what just happened, I fear I will only furtherplicate things between you and the Serbians going forward."


    After saying this, Bruno did not wait for an answer. Instead, he walked off, making the preparations that were necessary to lure the ck Hand to him.


    By the time King Peter I returned to Serbia, Bruno''s attempts to manipte geo-politics in his favor were well underway. Bruno had immediately recalled his family from Vienna, seeing as he did not trust the House of Habsburg to protect them.


    Meanwhile, he had begun to prepare what was necessary to defend against the ck Hand''s inevitable attempt on his life. Closely using his contacts in both the German Stasi and the Russian Okhrana to monitor the suspects involved with the shadowy syndicate.


    Ultimately, as expected, the King of Serbia was indeed closely tied to these criminals. And alerted them to the fact that that Bruno knew about them, and their involvement in the assassination of the previous Serbian King.


    Were this to be revealed to the world, the Serbian King would not be able to protect them, hell he might not even be able to protect his own head, or the rule of his dynasty as fault could theoretically be linked to them.


    Because of this, Captain Dragutin "Apis" Dimitrijevi? and his fellow conspirators had gathered in Belgrade to speak about the issue of silencing Bruno once and for all. After all, if word got out about what they had done, and all that they nned to do, none of them would be safe from the wrath of the Great Powers of Europe. Hence the severity in the man''s tone as he whispered among his fellow assassins about their wicked plot.


    "Our intelligence confirms that the target has been invited out to Russia by the Tsar, and with the approval of the Kaiser, to aid in Russia''s attempts to modernize and re-organize their armed forces. Considering that this fucking bastard somehow has learned about us, and presumably our ns.


    It would be prudent to assume that his goals are to unite the Leage of the Three Emperors once more. Such a thing can nevere to pass. We have to strike, swiftly and silently. He can never be allowed to enter Saint Petersburg...."


    The other conspirators of the ck Hand were quick to nod their heads in agreement. Ultimately resulting in one of them speaking up about the details in further detail.


    "Here, the train will pass through Konigsberg, and shortly after it passes through Russia''s westernmost territory, we will force it toe to a halt. Where we will board the train and execute the man as he sits in his cabin. Nobody needs to know who was responsible, as far as they will know it was a robbery gone wrong... We are all in agreement, yes? Bruno von Zehntner must die!"


    The men quickly looked at one another and nodded their heads in approval of the assassination plot. None of them would personally take part in it, rather they would gather together some lower-ranking members of their organization to "prove their worth" by conducting the attack.


    Nearly three months had passed since Bruno had visited the Hofburg for the second time in his life, and had deliberately provoked the ck Hand into attacking him. Considering the immense power and influence he currently had, it was only a matter of whispering in the right ear to ensure that the conspirators targeting him were tracked by the secret police of two of the world''s greatest empires.


    These men couldn''t make a move without Bruno being aware of it. And because of this, he sat confidently within a luxurious train car that he had privately purchased for his journey. Sitting next to him on the seat of his booth was, oddly enough, a violin case.


    Curious about the time, Bruno looked at his watch, eyeing it carefully with a rather sadistic smile. With each tick of the watch, it slowly but surely began to count down to the proper time. And then, finally, when the hand struck midnight, he felt a major jolt, as the train began too rather abruptly slow down.


    Knowing what was about to happen, Bruno simply smirked as he finished the rest of his


    coffee. Once the train came to a full stop, and the screams of the passengers could be overheard from the other cars. Bruno stood up and began to open his violin case, and in doing so, made ament on the current state of affairs that he had found himself in.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "It''s show time!"


    Having said this, Bruno pulled out an MP-34 Submachine Gun, or as in this life it was known as the MP-05 submachine gun. Where he inserted a full 32 round magazine with the most vicious, and sadistic smirk on his face.


    All the while he racked the charging handle, ensuring that a round was seated, and aimed the sights down at the door to his cabin. Waiting for the exact moment the idiotic assassins sent to kill him fell into the trap he had been organizing long before he ever provoked the Serbian King.

 Chapter 136: Orchestrating a New Alliance

    Chapter 136: Orchestrating a New Alliance


    ?


    Bruno was by no means a sadist. He did not particrly enjoy taking the lives of his enemies. Killing when done righteously was no different from a chore. But there was a certain kind of enemy that Bruno would admit if he was in the mood to do so, that he took great enjoyment in putting down.


    Those types of enemies were the ones who had caused incalcble human suffering in his past life and had either directly or indirectly contributed to the state of the world he had found himself in at the time of his death.


    It was perhaps because the ck Hand was partially to me for both of these things that Bruno had an unusually sinister smirk on his face as he aimed down the sights of his MP-34 Submachine gun and waited for the door to open. After all, simply spraying lead through the door without confirming his target was both irresponsible and dangerously reckless.


    Nobody but the operatives of the ck Hand needed to die tonight. And because of this, he watched and waited even as the cries of terror erupted from the other side of the door. Naturally, the ck Hand felt the same. They had, after all, concealed their identities with facemasks, and were slowly working their way through the train cars, robbing the people inside in order to conceal their true intentions.


    Finally, the men stacked up at the entrance to Bruno''s private car, and the words they spoke immediately revealed their identities. After all, they chose to conceal their nationality by speaking in Russian, anguage Bruno was exceptionally proficient in.


    "This is it, this the one... Are you ready, boys!?!"


    After a brief voice of agreement by two other distinctive voices, the car door opened, where the men held semi-automatic pocket pistols in their hands. If Bruno had to guess, they were probably chambered in the .25 ACP cartridge, which was.... Laughable.


    Of course, the moment the men saw Bruno standing there, with a weapon that should not exist aimed down at their torsos, their eyes bulged wide. But before they could properly aim down their sights, Bruno squeezed the trigger and held it down, adjusting the aim to spray multiple bullets into the three men''s torsos, painting the doorway red with their blood as he did so.


    The screams of the passengers as the thunderous echoes of automatic gunfire filled the car. But there was no coteral damage. Bruno''s aim was immacte, and the tool in his hands was perhaps the most well-crafted and precise submachine gun ever made.


    The bullets hit their marks and caused the assassin''s bodies to drop to the floor, as they quickly faded away into the afterlife, where the devil would keep their souls for all eternity. After killing the three members of the ck hand, Bruno swapped out his magazine, though it was notpletely depleted, there were not enough rounds left within it to ensure his safety, should another member of the ck hand be hiding among the civilians within the train.


    Instead, Bruno assured the frightened and panicked passengers that they would remain unharmed so long as they did not approach his car.


    "Do not fret. Please calm down. I assure you all, I am a Prince of Russia, and a Field Marshal in its army. The authorities are on their way to secure the scene and investigate this crime. As for you all, if you have no ties to these men who so brazenly robbed you all of your personal property, then you will be safely escorted to Saint Petersburg after the investigation isplete!"


    After saying this, Bruno recovered the weapons from the dead bodies, before returning to his car, where he shut himself inside. Waiting for the Russian Secret Police to arrive who were already on standby, waiting for the attack to happen.


    The entire affair took several hours to conclude, but after a thorough investigation of all passengers, several suspicious individuals were indeed found embedded among the passengers and were apprehended by the agents of the Okhrana. They were interrogated, rather ruthlessly at that, andpelled to confess to their crimes.


    Whether it was their ties to the mysterious ck Hand, or the fact that they were active officers in the Serbian Military conducting an attack on Russian Soil against a Russian Prince under the orders of the Serbian King. Everything came to light when one knew how to apply the right pressure to their victim- I mean a prisoner...


    And when it came to the Okhrana, few men in history were better in the prestigious arts of interrogation. Because of this, the Tsar learned very quickly what had happened, and who was responsible, thoroughly outraging him to the point where he denounced the Serbian Royal Family, and its government as murderers, conspirators, and brigands.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    After which he ced economic sanctions on the nation. Which would have unintended consequences on the timeline. Either way, as far as Russia was concerned, their ties to Serbia had officiallye to an end, leaving them as prime real estate for the Austro-Hungarians to move into.


    As well as concluded the sole reason for the feud between the House of Habsburg and the House of Romanov. Naturally, the Kaisers of Germany and Austria were equally swift in condemning the attack, and had quickly begun to make advances in this regard. Bruno''s primary objective had beenpleted. Serbia would be forced to concede to this fault, and in doing so held several lower-ranking members of the ck Hand responsible, executing them publicly. In addition to this, the Serbians would be forced to concede on the Pig War, and the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina annexation by the Habsburgs. Frankly speaking, this was a political disaster of epic proportions that Bruno had deliberately baited the Serbians into. For if they did not concede on these issues, then war between three of the major powers and the Kingdom of Serbia would be inevitable.


    As a result, Bruno got what he wanted. Soon, a conference would be held between Kasier Wilhelm II, Kaiser Franz Joseph I, Tsar Nichs II, and Emperor Meiji of Japan, where the four of them would officially sign the League of the Four Emperors into effect. And in doing so, recing the term "Central Powers" from the history books.


    Italy, however, would not look favorably on this alliance. As they suspected due to the diplomatic negotiations that took ce shortly before the attack by what the Serbian King decried as "Rogue Elements of the Serbian Army." King Victor Emmanuel III believed that Bruno had conspired with the House of Habsburg to provoke this attack in order to force Serbia to concede on these matters.


    Because of this, rtions between Italy and the League of the Four Emperors had deteriorated to an all-time low. To the point where Italy would begin approaching France with an offer of military allegiance should war break out between them and this new faction of the United Imperial Powers.


    The world was quickly progressing towards a state of Global Warfare, even if many people were still ignorant of the fact. However, unlike Bruno''s past life, where the deck was heavily stacked against Germany, in this new timeline, as a result of his own actions, the German Reich appeared to be the one most favored to win.


    Either way, Bruno thanked the Tsar and the Okhrana for their aid on that night before retiring back to his home in Germany. His estate was still unfinished, and as a result, he currently lived with his wife and children in their family manor. One that they would cherish each passing day until the time for them to move into a more borate home arrived.


    One thing was certain, the MP-34, or the MP-05 as it was known in this life, had been perfectly crafted by Waffenwerke von Zehntner, and it had finally seen its first test of bat." Instantly gaining favorability by the other generals of the German Reich, who, until now, had been skeptical of Bruno''s attempts to thoroughly reorganize the German


    Army.


    Thus, for the few days of peace that were left in the world, Bruno appeared to be enjoying himself quite well.

 Chapter 137: League of the Four Emperors

    Chapter 137: League of the Four Emperors


    ?


    As Bruno expected, it was not long before the four emperors who would forge the alliance to rece the Central Powers of this world were gathered together in the same room. Several months had indeed passed since the incident which sparked this meeting. After all, it would take some time for Emperor Meiji to travel to Europe considering the distance between his empire and that of the continent where the gathering would be held.


    But in the end, the leaders of four of the world''s major powers sat in the same room. Discussing the important issues to be had. Tsar Nichs II had frankly been coerced by Bruno into relenting on the Balkan issue, as well as taking his father''s stance in supporting the Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Something which he had strayed from initially upon ascending to the throne.


    And it was because of Bruno''s subtle maniptions in this regard that the Tsar spoke to the other emperors, voicing his support for these two things.


    "I will be withdrawing all support for the Kingdom of Serbia following their attack on my soil. Whether or not Peter assisted, or if the assassins were rogue elements of his military, I cannot ept the fact that they dared to make such a bold vition of my sovereignty.


    Considering this is the greatest issue that led to the copse of the previously established order between our three empires. I am willing to relent on this issue in order to restore what had previously existed between our nations."


    Kaiser Franz Jospeh was indeed surprised that the Tsar was willing to go to such lengths. But if the House of Romanov was willing to back off on their previous disputes over the Balkans, then there was no reason to continue antagonizing them, especially now that Russia was swiftly entering a fully industrialized state. Its economic potential was massive, and its vast natural resources would be useful to Austro-Hungary''s own attempts to revitalize their military.


    With all of this in mind, he nodded his head, agreeing to end the disputes between them, and formally enter a military alliance with the Russians.


    "I say let bygones be bygones. With these disputes ending between us and our houses, I see no reason to continue fighting one another. The question, however, is if Japan can be so forgiving after the war you two have waged in the east so recently..."


    All eyes were cast upon Emperor Meiji, who had been sitting quietly and sternly throughout the meeting so far. He had gotten what he wanted out of the war with Russia. His territorial gains were far greater in this life than in his past life, and he had no reason to continue fighting with the Russians over these previous disputes.


    As a rational man, the one whose reforms had transformed Japan from an isted and fragmented state, into a single unified Empire whose power and authority was on the verge ofpeting with his European rivals. Meiji knew when to forgive past grievances, especially if they had already been settled with Iron and blood.


    With this in mind, he sighed, and spoke to Nichs, offering a sense of solidarity, as he agreed to join hands with the three emperors in this room, to establish a formal military alliance between them all.


    "What happened in the past has no bearing on how we proceed in the future. The British Empire has proven to be an unreliable friend, as they sent little aid into past conflicts. Moreover, I can''t deny that certain members of my family have been pestering me towards building alliances on the global stage.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Germany has proven to be a valuable friend and trading partner. As for the rest of you, we either hold past grievances, or are total strangers. Either way, if Wilhelm is willing to vouch for this alliance, I am willing to sign my name on the defensive pact. That is, of course, if you are all willing to do the same?"


    There was a long pause between the four Emperors until finally Wilhelm pulled out a pen and signed his name on the treaty which they had all drafted together. The mutual defensive pact stipted that if any of their four empires were to be dered war upon, then the others were obligated toe to their defense.


    In doing so, the League of the Four Emperors came into existence after all four Emperors had signed their names on the legally binding document. The Central Powers of Bruno''s previous life had been reced by this new faction, who would also be known throughout history as the United Imperial Powers. Or the Imperial Powers for short.


    Aftering to these agreements, and further discussing disputes with foreign nations, global ambitions, and a wide variety of other subjects, the four emperors went their distant ways. This secret gathering in Berlin would not immediately be known to the world, and would instead only privately be given out to the Generals of the nations which this newly established alliance wasposed of.


    As for Italy, they had not been invited to the meeting, despite formally still holding ties to Germany and Austro-Hungary. Repeated slights against the two empires had caused their leaders to view the Italians, and their King as untrustworthy.


    And considering the ndestine nature of this diplomatic meeting, fears of the Italian King spreading word of this to their potential adversaries wererge enough that they were excluded from the gathering altogether.


    An incident which would ironically enough be the straw that broke the camel''s back, so to speak. Because in theing days, when King Victor Emmanuel III came to learn of this newly formed alliance, and that he had been excluded from the diplomatic convention which established it, he would immediately retaliate by switching sides, and approaching the French and British for support. Formally forming the Triple Entente as he did so.


    Or at least, how the Triple Entente would manifest itself in this new timeline. Bruno, of course, was one of these generals, who was gathered at the Kaiser''s pce, along with several other major figures among the German Reich''s military leadership.


    Where the Kaiser would inform him that the League of the Four Emperors was signed. Bruno acted surprised to hear it, but he knew it was inevitable after what had happened to him in Russia. Tsar Nichs II was trying to win Bruno to his side after all, and quite frankly, Nichs was a man who, when provoked, was known to act out of anger.


    Because of this, Bruno had expected the Tsar would at the very least disregard Serbia entirely, thoroughly ending any involvement Russia would have in the uing Great War before it began. But it was also expected that with his ongoing efforts to fully industrialize Russia and flex the modernization of its military, that the man would be eager to join with his cousin Wilhelm, and put aside the differences previously had between Austro-Hungary, and Japan. Even if Nichs did not care much for the Japanese, due to events that happened when he was much younger. At the very least, they would be a formidable ally in the years toe. And with enough persuasion from his ministers, many of which were either directly, or indirectly, acting on Bruno''s behalf. He came to ept this alliance. Even if he was still very wary of the ally which lied on his eastern border.


    Thus, a new military alliance was born. And in theing years, many changes would result because of it, both domestically within these Empire, and abroad in reaction to theirbined industrial and military might.

 Chapter 138: The Triple Entente is Formed

    Chapter 138: The Triple Entente is Formed


    ?


    With the League of the Four Emperors established in the Year 1907, Bruno was one step closer to fulfilling all of his goals. Currently, his interests lie outside of work and family was on these ambitions. For example, a joint infrastructure project was announced, partially due to Bruno''s connections with his father in the Bundesrat.


    Where, after a small fortune was used to bribe the right officials of the Three Empires, Germany, Austro-Hungary, and Russia decided to work on reinforcing and extending their railways. Germany had begun undergoing this effort after Bruno returned from the Russian Civil War, and after a year of working on it, had made some significant progress.


    Now Austro-Hungary and Russia wanted in. Which, thanks to the League of Four Nations, was a new possibility. This meant that the Russian Oil Fields could now ship much needed oil and natural gas to their allies in the West. Who no doubt would be taking the brunt of the fighting against the Entente when the Great War Finally Broke out.


    This was a major relief for Bruno, firstly because he had yet to really establish ties to Romania where he could coerce them into siding with the League of the Four Emperors, and thus gain ess to their oil deposits.


    Meanwhile, his efforts to build the necessary infrastructure in German Kamerun were indeed going as nned, but the transport of the oil and natural gas from Africa to Europe required heavily protected convoys to get the job done. And said convoys would be prone to attacks from Entente Naval forces while they were en route, making them a less than a reliable supply of critical resources to continue the war effort.


    And while Bruno would continue with these other two alternatives, the very idea that Russian Oil and Natural Gas would flood into Germany and Austro-Hungary via their newfound infrastructure projects, including both railways, and pipelines, made Bruno far less anxious about Germany''s oil stockpiles for the future.


    But the League of the Four Emperors wasn''t the only alliance currently making efforts towards preparing for the uing Great War. Italy had in the recent months since the League was formed discovered that the meeting had taken ce without them being invited. Seeing this as their previous allies snubbing them, the Italian King decided that the best course of action was to pursue alternative allies, considering the fact that the nations he thought were friendly to him had formed a secret alliance behind his back without even consulting him.


    As a result, King Victor Emmanuel III arrived in Paris to meet with the representatives of the French and British Governments. Both of which were growing incredibly anxious about the current state of affairs in Europe. Especially after the Italian King betrayed his former allies and warned them what the Germans were up to.


    "It is simply outrageous. We had formed a pact in years past, and yet the Kaiser did not even invite me to this secret meeting held for the sake of forming a military and economic alliance! It is clear to me now that they never wanted Italy to side with them. They were merely taking advantage of my friendly nature and my naivety!"


    While the British and French representatives didn''t outright say it, they conveyed with their eyes that they were incredibly lucky that the Kaiser had excluded Italy from this secret meeting. As it meant there was one more nation to fight alongside them.


    As a result, they were quick to extend an open invitation to Italy to join the Entente, as the sooner they secured this new entry into their alliance, the better it was for both of their nations.


    "Well, we can certainly understand your frustration. And I must say you were most certainly wise, you Highness, toe searching for allies with the two of us. No matter how much the Germans might boast of their unified nation never being defeated in war, it is ultimately his majesty''s navy that rules the waves.


    With thebined might of our three nations, I have no doubt that should the Germans be foolish enough to provoke a conflict with any of us, they wille to sorely regret it! All we need is your official confirmation that you are willing to join the Entente, and together we will work towards countering this threat in the east that seems to be ever aggressing towards war!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It did not take much convincing to get the Italian King to sign on the dotted line, and because of this, the Triple Entente was signed only about three months after the League of the Four Emperors was formed. The two factions wouldter be known moremonly as the United Imperial Powers, and the Allied Powers, or the Imperials and Allies for short.


    With Serbia currently being suppressed and beingpelled to agree with the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the so-called Bosnian Crisis of 1908 had more or less been averted in this new timeline.


    Though, quite frankly, Bruno''s discovery of the ck Hand, and their crimes against the previous Serbian Royal Family, was indeed a cause for concern for the Serbian Government. Not only that, but the humiliation they were forced to suffer as a result of their botched assassination attempt only further added fuel to the mes that were always burning in the Balkans.


    Because of this, Bruno may have prevented the Bosnian Crisis from breaking out, but had managed to not only make himself a target for revenge but had further ignited the mes that would eventually lead to all-out war between the world''s major powers.


    Either way, the Great War was likely to break out as it was destined to. Even if the Bosnian Crisis was not a contributing factor, but instead the actions Bruno had taken to instigate the ck Hand. In addition to this, Bruno increased security around his home, moving into a temporary residence to be able to provide this for his family.


    While he did not necessarily fear the ck Hand, as it was believed that they were incapable of striking into the German Reich, there were necessary precautions taken, regardless. And because of this, Bruno and his family moved in with his father and mother, whose security was not already impable but was further bolstered.


    After all, the estate he wanted built for his family''s personal home in Germany would take far longer than a mere six months toplete. Hence currently, Bruno had to watch as his wife and mother got along extraordinarily well, talking about him as if he wasn''t in the room, drinking with his father.


    "I did warn you, didn''t I Heidi? My baby boy is exceptional in every regard! It was only a matter of time before a bunch of ill-mannered strumpets tried to steal him away from you! But to think those little harlots would be actual princesses? It seems even I underestimated


    my son!"


    Heidi, though generally not the type to entertain such thoughts, was more than happy to engage in friendly banter with her mother-inw, who was more like an actual mother to the woman when she was growing up than her own biological mother.


    The two of them were happily chatting away, speaking of the young princesses who had begun to take some form of interest in the man.


    "Oh, I assure you, I have made it clear to all those little girls that my man is my man alone! They simply don''t have a chance topete with me, anyway. It''s not like my husband is the type of man to go after little girls who had yet to fully grow into their bodies, right dear!?!"


    Bruno was in the middle of a card game with his father, as the two sat in the living room not far away from where the women were gossiping among themselves. Bruno was about to respond when his father glowered over his cards and silently shook his head.


    Giving the man a warning with his eyes that told him not to say any more than was necessary. Because of this, Bruno stopped whatever protests he had in mind and simply agreed with his wife and mother, both of which were staring right into his very soul.


    "Whatever you say, love..."


    After saying this, Bruno lowered his head and looked back at his cards, trying to avoid the piercing gaze cast his way by his wife and mother, both of which were women who had a borderline obsession with him.


    It was ultimately after they had begun talking again, to the point where they were no longer


    paying heed to what Bruno and his father were saying, that the old man finally sighed heavily and shook his head before quietly speaking to Bruno in a way that concealed his words from


    those prying ears nearby.


    "I''m amazed... But that little girl ended up turning out exactly like your mother.... I don''t know whether I should congratte you, or mourn your loss..."


    Bruno remained utterly silent, not wanting to engage in such a conversation, and instead


    yed with his next hand. Either way, now that he was temporarily living with his parents, his mother and wife would be spending a lot more time together.

 Chapter 139: Brothers United Once More

    Chapter 139: Brother''s United Once More


    ?


    Bruno''s life had be slightly different from his normal days ever since bing an adult, marrying his wife, and starting his own family. For the first time in a very long time, he was forced to return to his parents'' home. Not out of any form of economic crisis which saw him evicted.


    Nor a natural disaster that saw his family''s home destroyed. No, Bruno was simply waiting for his new estate to be built, and had gone out of his way to provoke some powerful forces which now wanted him dead, and had already tried on one asion to kill him.


    Because of this provocation, he had decided to move into his parents'' estate, which had its own security, security which had been vastly increased and improved since Bruno''s arrival. His father, being a former military officer, and currently one of the highest-ranking politicians in the Reich, was naturally aware of why his son was temporarily moving back in with him. Even if he didn''t tell the boy''s mother about it.


    Since this was the case, Burno found himself being doted on by two women rather than the one that normally did. His wife had always been very attentive to whatever Bruno needed, so much so that she was there to help him, even when he didn''t realize he required it.


    But when it came to doting on Bruno, his mother took it to the extra mile. Having not really seen her son outside of family gatherings since he moved out for the academy, she was more than happy to have the youngest, and most favorite, son temporarily return to his childhood home.


    And because of this, she was not only doting on Bruno, but his wife and children as well. After all, Elsa had as much love for Bruno''s children as she did him. And he was the only one of her sons who had actually named one of his daughters after her.


    Just adding to the woman''s affection for her youngest son. And in doing so cement his ce as her favorite. Because of this, Elsa was running around the house, looking after her grandchildren, all the while making sure Bruno was nice andfortable.


    But today was a day that Elsa was honestly dreading, and that was because it was the day that one of her other sons and his family were scheduled to visit. Seeing how Bruno had troubles with his older brothers while growing up, Elsa was fearful that the two siblings would not get along.


    Especially since Bruno had always been quiet and aloof at the annual family gatherings. So, you can indeed imagine the woman''s shock and surprise when Ludwig came home and hugged his younger brother, as if he had been waiting to see the man for over twenty years. Ludwig had initially been the brother, who was perhaps the vilest to Bruno in their youth. But having lowered his head in humility, and asked to serve beneath Bruno''smand. The man had actually formed an unbreakable bond with his younger brother, and unwavering respect for the man after their time together in Russia.


    And of course, Ludwig was the one who the war had taken its toll on the most, having been sent home early in order to avoid developing a severe mental illness, one which the man would never recover from.


    Elsa had not entirely been aware of the extent to which the two brothers had grown close during their brief time together at war. And was thoroughly surprised by the fact that Ludwig was acting so friendly with the brother he used to bully relentlessly during their childhood.


    "Little brother, aren''t you a sight for sore eyes? I heard about what happened in Russia. Why the hell didn''t you at least send me a letter telling me you were alright?" Do you have any idea how worried I have been thesest few months? I had to find out from our mother that you were perfectly fine and staying with our parents!"


    Elsa frowned when she saw that she was being ignored by her two sons, and was forced to interject before Bruno coulde up with some excuse for why he forgot to tell Ludwig he was alright, or that he had nned the entire incident with the ck Hand which he was speaking about.


    "Since when are the two of you so friendly? How much have the two of you been hiding from your dear old mother?"


    Elsa was quite frustrated by this "sudden" development, and not being informed that her favorite son was actually getting along with his older brothers and had never mentioned it. Luckily for him, Heidi was nearby and was quick to intervene.


    "Mother, please don''t be angry at Bruno. Frankly speaking, he doesn''t speak about the wars he has fought, even to me. I''m sure that only the two of them understand why they are so much closer after what they experienced together in Russia, or what had caused them to do so..."


    Naturally, Heidi was aware that Ludwig was medically discharged from the Iron Division during its deployment to Russia. She however only learned recently during their trip to Vienna the exact details of what had happened in the Russian Civil War, having heard it from Bruno''s lips while he spoke at dinner, andter during the night alone together where she interrogated him about it well into the morning.


    However, for the sake of calming down the monstrous wrath of Bruno''s mother, which was only ever provoked when her sons were in question. Heidi feigned ignorance, and caused the woman to sigh heavily and shake her head, saying something or another as she stormed off in a fit.


    "Boys and their secrets! Your father is exactly the same!"


    Once Elsa was gone, Heidi shed a smile at Bruno before running off tofort her mother- inw, which had the ability to act like a spoiled little brat whenever her children perceivably wronged her. This was despite her mature age.


    As for Bruno, he sighed in relief, seeing as how his mother was taken care of by his wife, before finally addressing his brother for the first time since he had just gotten back from the Russian Civil War.


    "You''re looking better than thest time I saw you. Has all been well?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It was ultimately Ludwig''s wife who spoke up on his behalf, confirming that the man was indeed doing better since thest time they saw each other.


    "He''s not the same man he was before he foolishly followed you into hell. But I would be lying if I said he hasn''t gotten better since he first returned to us... Thank you again, Bruno, I''m sure this stubborn fool would have gone mad in the War had you not seen reason enough to send him home before itspletion."


    Bruno did not argue with his sister-inw, nor did Ludwig, for that matter. Instead, Bruno simply nodded silently at the woman. Thest time they saw each other, she had been rightfully pissed with him.


    She had initially med Bruno for the state his brother was in. But apparently time heals all wounds, as the woman appeared to finally understand that the reason Ludwig was able to return home with any form of sanity at all is because Bruno caught the signs of his brother''s PTSD early on, and ended the man''s time at war.


    With this said, Bruno weed his brother into their childhood home, and told him what he had been up to as ofte. The two of them would further discuss their ns over dinner with their parents and their familiesbined.


    Any awkwardness or animosity that had previously existed between Bruno and Ludwig''s families would finallye to an end tonight. Instead reced with a more healthy family dynamic as the two brothers let go of their past grievances, and embraced their future''s working together for the betterment of their family and fathend.

 Chapter 140: Gaining a Powerful New Pawn

    Chapter 140: Gaining a Powerful New Pawn


    ?


    Elsa had gotten into a better mood by the time dinner was ready. After all, she wasn''t the type to stay angry at her boys for long, at least not for something as minor as this. In addition to this, Heidi began to speak with Ludwig''s wife throughout the day.


    Whatever grudges they may have seemed to have in the past thoroughly vanished by the time the family gathered at their exceptionallyrge dinner table. Nine sons had grown up in this house, along with two parents. And because of this, the dining room naturally reflected this reality.


    Although Bruno and Heidi''s children were a bit awkward around their cousins, having not been on the greatest terms throughout the years. None of the young ones threw a fit worth mentioning. And because of this, the signs that Bruno was finally starting to actually get along with his brothers were starting to be apparent, even to those who had not been privy to this information.


    Bruno was naturally aware of what Ludwig had been up to over the course of thest year, having kept an eye on his family members and their pursuits in life. After all, one seldom knew when a favor would need to be called upon, and who was capable of fulfilling such a request.


    Because of this, he was quick to congratte the man on his most recent appointment, having gained significant fame among the poption for his actions as a part of the Iron Division. Thus, carrying forward with his objectives into kick-starting a political career.


    After all, there were always those in society who venerated veterans, especially in a martial society like that of the German Reich. Thus, Bruno''s words acted as a sort of


    acknowledgement to his brother''s new position, as well as an expression of his hopes for their future cooperation.


    "I should have sent my love to you, Ludwig, when I heard that you were elected to the Reichstag at the start of this year. A pity I was otherwise upied with certain matters in the Balkans. Do ept my sincerest apologies, would you?"


    The family was all too aware of the election results. Representing the interests of the German Conservative Party, Ludwig had been elected under their banner. After all, he was a von Zehntner, and one of the few men in politics from the younger generation who could actually say he was abat veteran.


    Bruno''s family was heavily entrenched in the German Conservative Party, as well as several other right-wing parties. With the head of their house, Bruno''s father being a former prestigious member of the Reichstag, and a current member of the Bundesrat, it was rather easy to rely on the family''s connections to gain support for Ludwig''s candidacy.


    Ludwig did not in the least bit appear offended that Bruno was only mentioning this now in the midst of the summer. A full six months or more after his election. Instead, he was quick to thank Bruno for thoroughly decimating thepetition. As he had rather unexpectedly dismantled any chance, the left wing had of winning significant representation in the German government.


    "Oh, believe me, brother, I did not take the least bit of offense. Though I am not intelligent enough to see through your ns, I trust fully that you are always acting in the interests of our family, and the fathend.


    Without your actions in Russia, exposing the wickedness of Marxism, the Social Democrats may have obtained a decent amount of seats, let alone the other left-wing parties that have managed to survive the ouwing of Socialism, and Communism within the German Reich." Bruno was all too aware that the Social Democrats were supposed to gain 43 seats in the 1907 Federal Elections, at least if things had gone as they had in his previous life. There were other left-wing parties that were more to the center that had gained seats as well during that time.


    But Bruno had changed things significantly in the empire, not only did the Social Democrats not manage to pick up a single seat, but the more center-left parties like the Free-minded People''s Party, the Free-minded Union, The German People''s Party, et cetera.


    All of which were supposed to gain a sizeable minority chunk of the seats whenbined together had all failed miserablypared to the previous timeline Bruno hade from. In fact, the Centre Party, which was supposed to get the majority of seats in this election with a total of 101, had perhaps half of that.


    Instead, the German Conservative Party gained the majority due to the increase in poprity of the Kaiser that had resulted from Bruno''s actions, both increasing military prestige of the Reich, but also increasing economic output as he had significantly invested into the expansion of several critical areas of national development. As well as used his family''s political influence to achieve these results.


    In addition to the German Conservative party gaining the majority of seats, the other right- wing parties had all picked up more seats than in Bruno''s previous life, meaning currently the majority of politicians in the Reichstag were Centre right, too far right in nature.


    After all, the atrocities the Bolsheviks hadmitted in Russia, as well as the attacks on Bruno by the French, and the retaliation against the French Chief of Staff by German intelligence, both of which had been pinned on Marxist revolutionaries had sprouted a significant sense of disdain towards Marxism and its variations among people across western and central Europe.


    Especially within the German Reich, wherews were made to ouw political parties adhering to these beliefs under the guise of political extremism and revolutionary sentiment. As a result, many of the more radical left-wing parties were thoroughly taken off the ballot and disbanded altogether.


    The Social Democrats only barely managing to escape this purge by iming a new list of more center-left policies, none of which ended up gaining them many seats. In the eyes of the hardcore Marxists who remained free, they saw this as a betrayal of their cause.


    And for those who were more center left to begin with, they saw the Social Democrats as nothing more than wolves in sheep''s clothing, trying to get them all to go down with them. Either way, Bruno''s actions in recent years hadpletely changed the results of the


    election.


    This was something Bruno was quite proud of, even if he pretended to bepletely humble about it.


    "Me? How am I responsible for the failures of the Social Democrats? I had nothing to do with it. All I did was wage war against Communists in Russia as a foreign volunteer. It''s not my fault those wicked people kept doing evil things, and that those malicious deeds were exposed to the world.


    No, brother, this victory is your own. I had nothing to do with it. Be proud of your achievements, and don''t think that I have everything nned in advance, nor should you think for one second that I''m some form of Machiavellian mastermind, pulling the strings of the major powers behind the scenes as some kind of puppeteer...."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    This statement elicitedughter from Bruno''s family. All of them except for Heidi wereughing because it was an absurd statement, and perceived it as a joke. Whereas Heidi wasughing because the man dared to say he wasn''t actively doing such things.


    She was all too aware that his actions had changed the course of history in ways that would be too subtle for most to realize. And because of this, she thought it was amusing that the man would even attempt to deny it.


    Eventually theughter subsided, and Bruno posed a question to Ludwig, one that he was not


    expecting.


    "So, dear brother, what exactly do you n to do now that you are in the Reichstag? Sure, I know your ultimate goal is to gain an appointment to the Bundesrat like our beloved father, but in the meantime, how do you n to use your position of power you have recently


    gained?"


    Ludwig would spend a significant amount of time speaking of his ns for his new position in the Reichstag. All of which were more or less in line with what Bruno had nned for the future. And because of this, Bruno had rather inadvertently gained a powerful political ally.


    Especially now, when his only serious political connection was with his father. Who was getting on in years, and no doubt would be retiring altogether soon enough? Hence why Bruno would in theing days make it a priority to increase his rtionship with his older brother Ludwig.


    As the man had be a powerful pawn to y on the global chessboard. One which Bruno was constantly and silently ying in the background. Thus, by the time Ludwig and his family left the von Zehntner estate when the weekend hade to an end, any grudges or awkwardness that existed between Bruno and Ludwig''s families had vanished altogether.

 Chapter 141: Volkswagen Type I

    Chapter 141: Volkswagen Type I


    ?


    Over the years, Bruno had made his best attempts to take advantage of his reincarnation in every way possible. Since as early as 1901, Bruno had begun investing in a wide variety of industries and fields across the world''s foremost powers.


    To put it simply, he owned thend, resources, and means of production, either in part or totality, to produce just about anything his mind could conceive on this earth.


    As a result of this, Bruno''s wealth would soon, in theing decades, begin to match that of those legendary figures who had built their fortunes in the previous century such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.


    While not quite on their level at the moment, Bruno was certainly not hurting for money. And was free to invest as he saw fit. Because of this, he had invested heavily in the automotive industry both in the United States and the German Reich.


    Bruno had little interference in the matters of corporations such as Ford Motors, GMC, and all the other major American automotive corporations that would be global names in the distant future. Rather, his means as a shareholder were simply to acquire wealth for the future when thesepanies peaked in value.


    But on the German side, he had been busy working towards a single end. As far back as 1905, Bruno had acquired significant shares in the tworgest German Automotive Corporations of the era. Daimler, Motors Corporation, and Benz & Cie. Hepelled the two that year to merge under the banner of Daimler-Benz. Something that would not normally ur until 1926 without his interference.


    The result of this merger was that the price of automobiles in the German Reich, which were until very recently hand crafted, and sold exclusively to the wealthy elites of society, began to drop as the two biggest manufacturers of automobiles in the German Reich consolidated their assets and personnel into one majorpany.


    However, that simply wasn''t good enough for Bruno, as the idea of the middle ss, or even the lower-ss obtaining automobiles, was still the fever dream of a madman. Luckily for the hardworking people of the German Reich, Bruno had long since begun making preparations towards this "fantasy."


    Having acquired thend to build a brand-new state-of-the-art automobile factory as far back as 1903, Bruno had been in his own spare time setting up a corporation meant to bring to the market the world''s first mass-produced automobile. One designed to be sold to the masses, rather than the wealthy elite.


    If Daimler-Benz automobiles were a luxury that only the rich could afford. Then Bruno''s new corporation would be producing cars for the average man and his family. Which was perhaps why he had stolen a name for thispany from his past life.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As a result of Bruno''s interference in this new timeline. Something rather miraculous urred. In the year 1907, Volkswagen had produced its first automobile, the Volkswagen Type 1. It was marketed to the middle ss, who were all astounded not only by the affordable price tag but also by the revolutionary and "futuristic" design.


    Normally, had the timeline progressed as it was fated to, without Bruno''s interference, Henry Ford would a year from now revolutionize the automotive industry by introducing new production methods such as the assembly line to bring down costs of his vehicles. Making them affordable for the middle ss and forever changing thendscape of transportation within the world.


    However, Bruno had already long since nned to usurp this achievement in the annals of human history, instead of having established the Volkswagen corporation for this very purpose. He had more recently decided to interfere with military logistics by designing a truck towards this end. But the civilian market had been a goal of his for many years now.


    Hence, Bruno was currently standing in his Volkswagen factory gazing upon the final product, as it was brought to life by the manyborers in his employ. What he was staring at wasn''t the most beautiful car to ever grace the earth, nor was it the most luxurious. In fact, it was a rather simple automobile by the standards of the era it was from.


    However, whenpared to everything else on the market in 1907, other than perhaps thetest models produced and sold by Daimler-Benz, it was beyond revolutionary in design. Bruno ced his hand on the ck paint of the vehicle and wore a proud smile.


    Not only had his efforts in establishing this corporatione to pass, but the efforts of every man in his employ had done so as well. From the lowest factory worker, to the mid-level marketing agents, to the highest corporate executive whorgely ran thepany in Bruno''s stead.


    Everything had progressed smoothly, until today. A mass-produced automobile for the masses had been manufactured. It was the first of many toe off the assembly line today. And shockingly enough, as Bruno turned around to congratte the factory workers on their exemry aplishment, they handed him the keys to the ignition.


    The factory foreman stood with a wide smile on his average face, as he told Bruno that the first Type I to evere off of the assembly line was his to own. Something that almost warmed Bruno''s otherwise ice-cold heart.


    "Sir, the workers and I have been talking it through. And we even discussed it with the executives. What you are looking at is your visione into life. Everyone here at the Volkswagenpany thinks you should be the one to own this vehicle. Would you honor us by epting this gift?"


    Technically speaking, until every single one of these cars sold, they were Bruno''s property. But the thought was quite the gift itself. And since Bruno would soon own an estate that could house many vehicles in its massive garage, Bruno saw no reason to decline the heartwarming offer.


    In fact, he ced his hand on the foreman''s shoulder and thanked the man, as well as his workers, before assuring them they would all be proud owners of Volkswagen automobiles soon enough.


    "Thank you. It is truly an exceptional gift. In fact, I was already nning to give you all the first vehicles toe off the line. Your hard work has made my vision manifest, and I would be nothing but ungrateful not to reward you all for your efforts! In addition to this, I will be handing out generous bonuses to each of you for all of your efforts that have seen this dream of ours be a reality!


    Here, at Volkswagen, you can all have a career you can be proud of. Because thispany, and all of yourbor, will change the German Reich for the better. It is the dawn of a new era, and you are all pioneers along with me for the journey!"


    Bruno would, of course, live up to his promise, giving out very generous bonuses to the workers, especially once the sales came flooding in. They would all have very long and prosperous careers at the Volkswagen Corporation, which was officially under Bruno''s sole


    ownership.


    Soon enough, the Type I Beetle would be flooding the streets of every major German City. As Bruno had single-handedly revolutionized the automotive industry. Not only by bringing down costs via ownership of every facet of production, but also by introducing assembly lines, something which Henry Ford would have otherwise be known for in the following


    year.


    Naturally, this major shift in transportation did not take away from the other means of transportation, but it did in fact increase the need for oil production. Which would in turn also y into Bruno''s profits as oil and natural gas fromnds he owned in German Kamerun, and the Russian Empire would soon begin flooding into the German Reich. Either by sea, railway, or of course by pipeline. All of which Bruno had already begun investing in. The dawn of the age of oil had only truly just begun as a result of Bruno''s efforts. And the full fruit of which would be revealed on the battlefield when the time for the Great


    War to begin finally arrived.


    Bruno could only now sit back and admire how all of his efforts were converging together to support his interests. Still, he would not growcent. To do so would bring ruin upon himself, his family, and the fathend.


    One must remain ever vignt, and perhaps even the slightest bit paranoid, if they were in Bruno''s shoes. Enemies lurked around every corner, and it would take only the slightest slip up to end his life, and in doing so, revert the course of fate back to its natural progression. Something which Bruno could never allow, for if he did so, then all of his efforts up to this point would have been for nought. And if that were to ur, then what was the purpose of his reincarnation, if not simply God mocking him for even bothering to try?

 Chapter 142: The Fall of the SDP

    Chapter 142: The Fall of the SDP


    ?


    In a mere three months after Bruno had introduced the Volkswagen Type I, the vehicle could be seen everywhere on the streets. The fact of the matter is, an affordable automobile built for middle-ss families and filled withforts that weren''t even found on the majority of luxury vehicles found in the Reich other than thosetest models sold at exorbitant prices from Daimler Benz, made the people''s automobile the most popr car in the world.


    So much so that the factory couldn''t keep up with the current demand. And though this was a temporary problem, Bruno did not mind it in the slightest. He would not, of course, jack up the prices despite the limited supply and high demand.


    After all, it was meant to be an affordable option for middle-ss families. And that would be counter intuitive. Considering the overwhelming wealth Bruno currently possessed, extracting the most profit possible was not really a concern for him. He was, after all, a man of humble nature, and was seldom tempted by avarice.


    Which itself was a rarity among mankind. Nevertheless, it was perhaps because these Volkswagen Beetles were so prominent in the Reich, that it was no surprise that when it came winter, there were many parked along the streets of Berlin.


    The night sky was blotted out by clouds and snowfall, so much so that the city of Berlin was unusually illuminated for the time of the day. After all, the streetlights simply could not escape into the darkness of the universe, rather their brightness was captured within the clouds, and thus made the city abnormally well lit.


    This was less than ideal for a man like Erich who stepped outside of his government issued Type I beetle, whose paint job was as ck as night, just like the rest of the Type I''s as they were sold in a single color to reduce costs.


    He, along with several other men, dressed in ck tailored suits that were worn beneath leather trench coats, opened up the trunk of the vehicle, where several firearms were on disy. Erich pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one such device where he took a long drag, all the while picking up an MP-34 submachine gun from the automobile''s storage


    compartment.


    After doing this he racked the charging handle, ensuring a 9x19mm round was properly chambered before flicking on the safety, where he slung the weapon around his back and took the cigarette from his map, nimbly keeping it held before his fingers as he spoke to the agents beneath hismand.


    "The target is living in that building over there... Our informant in the SDP tells us that after failing to gain any seats within the Reichstag during the election, he has progressively be more unstable...


    We were alerted to possible plots against the Kaiser and his family, having been spoken of by our target to his trusted friends, and it is time we do something about this socialist prick before something happens that can never be forgiven.


    Are you men ready? Because our orders are simple, apprehend the target and extract him back to headquarters, where he will be properly interrogated by our specialists in order to acquire information about his treasonous activities. Failure is not an option, understood? You are all aware of the price such a thing would entail..."


    The Agents of the Kaiser''s Secret Police were quick to salute their director, whose sadistic streak was so legendary that hemonly personally led operations within the city of Berlin. They knew what would happen to them should they allow the target to escape, and because of this, they had brought serious hardware to ensure this was not a reality.


    After all there was no telling what a man used of high treason and seditious activity was capable of. Hence why when they began grabbing their weapons from the trunk, it was no surprise that they were firearms currently issued to the military.


    One man pulled out a Gewehr 43 rifle, which was mounted with a 4x optic. He would be taking up a post on a nearby fire escape to ensure that he had eyes on the entry point of the house. While a machine gun team would be posted at the rear of the target''s residence.


    The individual men of the fire team that would be kicking down the door of the single-family home were equipped with MP-34s for the most part, however the breacher was carrying a Domestically produced Browning Auto-5 Riot shotgun.


    These men were also naturally wearing the proper load bearing equipment to sustain their urban operations, which was over their ck leather trench coats. Giving them a rather menacing looking paramilitary appearance.


    After ensuring that all rounds were properly loaded, and that every man was in position, Erich stacked up against the front door of the house. Not even giving the resident proper warning, as he nodded to the Breacher, who shot three slugs into the door''s lock, allowing the men behind him to burst into the house unannounced where they shouted at those inside. "Police! Put your hands up and get down on your knees or you will be fired upon!"


    Shortly after shooting open the door, Erich found a small child who was quickly secured by one of the other men as he swept through the building with his submachine gun. All the while, the kid''s wailing echoed throughout the building.


    "Mommy! Daddy! Help!"


    Erich did not care in the slightest as he eventually found his target, and his wife, in their bedroom, huddled together in fear. Erich quickly shouted at the man in a concerned tone.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Paul Singer! Drop the weapon! Now!"


    This, of course, elicited confusion by the Marxist leader, and his wife, because neither of them were armed. And Erich had entered the room before any of hisrades could. Because of this, Paul made the mistake of opening his mouth.


    "I--"


    *bang bang bang*


    Erich sprayed a burst of lead into the target''s chest, killing him on the spot as he fell against the wall, his blood staining the wallpaper behind him. The departed wife shrieked in horror as she watched her husband gunned down without cause in front of her. Only for Erich to smirk sadistically at the woman, as he aimed down the sights of his submachine gun and unloaded on her as well.


    By the time the rest of his team entered the room, they were busy clearing the rest of the house, and ensuring that the leader of the SDP''s children was safely apprehended. They witnessed Erich standing there callously with a cigarette in his hand. The two deceased parents of the children they had just escorted out of the building were lying dead on the floor. The target had a revolver in his hand, while the man''s wife had a knife in hers. Though the men knew exactly what had happened, they chose not to speak of it. Erich was a man known for a ruthless ferocity towards the enemies of the state. It was specifically why he was chosen to be the director of the Stasi.


    The fact that he chose toe out on missions like this was simply because he personally liked to send Marxists like Paul Singer to Death''s embrace. And the man was very good at covering up his abuse of power.


    The deaths of Paul Singer and his wife would be written off as an act of uwful resistance against the proper authorities of the German Reich, and would be used publically as an excuse to disband the SDP and arrest its members for high treason.


    Only a few individuals in the government would know that the deaths of Paul Singer and his wife, as well the disbanding of the SDB were premeditated, and carried out by Erich and his death squads, not under the orders of the Kaiser or his administration, but by Bruno himself. Though the SDP''s public image had been thoroughly ruined as a result of Marxist atrocities in the east, Bruno would never allow them to grow and fester under the fa?ade of being center- left. No, they had to be rooted outpletely. And considering Erich''s loyalty to him, it was a simple matter to ask the man to abuse his authority as the Director of the Kaiser''s Secret Police on his behalf.


    Not even the Kaiser, or the current Chancellor, would ever be aware that the downfall of the German Reich''srgest and most influential left wing party was deliberate, let alone a product of a Machiavellian plot orchestrated by their most talented general.


    In fact, nobody would ever believe it, as Bruno was sleeping peacefully in his own home, while his orders were being conducted by his close friend and personal attack dog. After all, men like Erich, whose sense of empathy andpassion had been entirely eroded by the horrors of wars, had their uses. But they needed to be kept on a tight leash.


    And the holder of this leash was not Wilhelm, but Bruno. Despite the fact that Erich was operating as the Director of the Kaiser''s Secret Police.

 Chapter 143: Conflict Stirs in the East

    Chapter 143: Conflict Stirs in the East


    ?


    Bruno awoke the next day, by now in the Winter of 1907. The man''s estate in Berlin was fully constructed. Though a luxury home befitting an actual prince, Bruno had made sure the building was constructed out of materials that made it a fortified stronghold.


    Its appearance as a normal pce was... misleading, to say the least. Whether it was the actualyout of the estate, or the foundations it was built upon. This literal pce was far from as vulnerable as others across the world. In fact, it was the modern equivalent of an ancient castle.


    One would need to drop a bomb of significant size directly on the estate''s primary residence in order to damage it in any meaningful capacity. Breaching the doors and windows? Not an option. Even apany of stormtroopers would have difficulty gaining ess to Bruno''s new family home.


    Simply put, as long as total war did not reach Berlin, or God forbid, nuclear Armageddon begin. Bruno''s family was safe and sound from any would be assassins. And this did not simply extend to their residence, but also their means of transportation, with the family car being rather covertly fortified against small arms.


    In an attempt topel the Russians to join together with the former central powers from Bruno''s past life. The man had made himself a target of a shadowy organization whose reach was entirely unknown to him.


    There was no telling when some random civilian might try to end his life, or worse, try to get to him through his family. Because of this, Bruno''s family had armed security wherever they went, and that, of course, extended to the estate.


    As Bruno sat in his new extensive dining hall, a servant in his employ handed him his coffee. His wife and children were all gathered at the table, which was far too long for them all. It was intended to entertain many guests when the need arose.


    Frankly speaking, Bruno, in his newvish attire, had a rather dull expression, one which Heidi instantly noticed andmented upon as the man read the newspaper.


    "Anything interesting in the papers? Or are you perhaps still sour about moving away from our quaint old manor?"


    Naturally, the reason for Bruno''s foul expression was thetter. Though there was, of course, an interesting mention in the paper. Which he was quick to announce as if it was the cause of his rather displeased attitude.


    "The authorities tried to arrest the Leader of the SDPst night after it was discovered that he was attempting to rally his party into active rebellion against the Kaiser and the fathend. He and his wife died uwfully, resisting arrest. As it stands, the SDP has been disbanded and its members are either being rounded up and detained, or are fleeing the country..."


    Though Heidi could easily surmise that Bruno was far from surprised by the news, as she had an inkling that the man was either in part, or wholly responsible for these developments. She had to admit that he was good at hiding his disdain for their new and excessive trappings, which surrounded them.


    Hence why she smiled lovingly, before grabbing hold of the man''s hand, assuring him that this new change of scenery was for the best.


    "You know, I miss the old home too, but honestly, Bruno, it left no room for expanding our family, you know?"


    Bruno narrowed his eyes at his wife, who was staring at him as if she was trying to say something important without saying it overtly. He was quick to ask the question that immediately sprang to his mind.


    "Don''t tell me that you''re actually-"


    Before Bruno could finish the sentence, Heidi leaned in and kissed him, before picking up his empty te and coffee mug. She left him with a cryptic answer as she sauntered off to the kitchen to perform the role of the help, having no desire to relinquish hermand over her family''s meals and their preparation in the slightest.


    "We will know soon enough..."


    For most, the addition of another child was a daunting task. Even in today''s world, where the wealth of currency was backed by gold, having a new family member was often a costly affair. But Bruno had taken advantage of the fact that he was reincarnated over a hundred years prior to his previous death, and invested thoroughly in every enterprise he could think of.


    His wealth would one day be unrivaled, and for the time being supporting another child was not the least bit a concern to him. In fact, this turned out to be the case. It would be a rather joyous asion. He, after all, only had one son, and both he and his wife were still young. In today''s day and age, having a single heir to the family name was risky business.


    It only made sense to expand their family while they still had time to do so. Hence, Bruno silently made a decision to be more active in that regard when he had the time to do so.


    The year 1907 had gone by rather quickly, with 1908 only being a few months away. Bruno had spent the year overseeing the modernization efforts of the German Reich, and focusing on his various enterprises, which he was invested in.


    Creating the Volkswagen Type I alone had been an enormous effort, one that spanned years in the making. But the release of it on the market had resulted in extraordinary profit. Profit that was reinvested elsewhere.


    Meanwhile, development of the various weapon systems Bruno intended to field in theing war, specifically in regard to vehicle tforms. Such as Submarines, Destroyers, Tanks, Armored Cars, Armored Trains, Railway Guns, and 3 and a half ton trucks were all continuing with their development.


    By 1910 at thetest these weapons would be perfected and given another four years to produce in significant quantities by the time the War was supposed to break out. And though the Great War could break out earlier. As the two primary factions had already been formed.


    Tensions that had previously risen as a result of Bruno''s interference in the Balkans had begun to more or less cool down. At least global tensions. The Balkans were, as always, aplete and total shit show. With it appearing like war between the various states was bing more and more of a certainty.


    In fact, currently, in the near east, or more specifically what remained of the Ottoman Empire in the year 1907, the Sultan was speaking with his generals. The Ottoman Empire was far from being what one would refer to as an "industrialized" society. With its industrygging behind even the Russians and Austro-Hungarians.


    Rather, it was argely agrarian Empire, one with many, many problems. The Multi-Ethnic, and Multi-Cultural makeup of the Empire in a time of fierce nationalism was, of course, a severe weakness. One that had been ravaging their borders for decades. Speaking of this weakness, there was a group of exiled intelligentsias, from a variety of political beliefs, religions, and ethnic/cultural backgrounds, who were gathering power behind the scenes. The "Young Turks," as they were known, was a loose collection of individuals who more or less agreed on one single principle.


    The time of the Sultan''s autocracy needed toe to an end. And the constitution of the Ottoman Empire needed to be restored, simply put, Bruno''s actions in Russia, which had ended the Tsar''s own absolute rule, albeit also ending those dissenters who would eventually overthrow the House of Romanov altogether, had in some way or another inspired these would be revolutionaries to take action against the Sultan.


    However, there was a greater concern the Young Turks had, and that was the hopes that restoring the Constitution would prevent the Great Powers from interfering in their dying Empire''s affairs. After all, Austro-Hungary, while effectively in control of Bosnia and Herzegovina''s administrative affairs, was eying the region lustfully with intent to fully annex


    it.


    And in many ways, Bruno had secured this ambition for the House of Habsburg. It was simply a matter of time before they acted on it. As a result, men like Ahmed Niyazi Bey were currently gathered together in the winter before 1908 for a single purpose.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    To n their revolution, an act whose intent was topel the Sultan to adhere to their demands through violent force if necessary. Because of this, the ethnic Albanian, who was one of the leaders of the Young Turks Movement, was speaking to his fellow would-be revolutionaries with a fiery passion as he did so.


    "You have all seen what I have seen! The Great Powers of the West are moving in secretive and suspicious manners. I would not doubt if they were all plotting against the Sultan, and intend to make a move for the Balkans as a whole!


    Time and time again the Sultan refused to answer to our demands! And because of this, I fear there is no peaceful solution left. Lest we be overwhelmed by the greed and avarice of the Great Powers! The time hade to choose a side!


    Will you stand with me, and fight until the Sultan ends his tyranny, and restores the rule ofw!?!? Or will you bow before him and continue to endure his abuse and humiliation until our enemies are marching through the streets of Constantinople?"


    The room echoed with calls to war. As they all shared the same concerns as Ahmed Niyazi Bey. The time for peaceful solutions hade to an end. The time for war was now! Revolution was a matter of survival for the Ottoman Empire. Or so these men believed. Truth be told, the Empire was doomed to copse even if they emerged victorious in theing Great War. But the future was hard to tell. Unless one had eithere from it directly, or was granted the gift of foresight by the Lord God Almighty, neither of these two things did these men have. And thus, war was dered.


    As the Young Turks Revolution began earlier than it had in Bruno''s past life. In January of 1908, a few months after this meeting was held, the Young Turks would make their demands known, and would begin fighting the Sultan and his forces immediately thereafter.

 Chapter 144: Protecting the Consulates

    Chapter 144: Protecting the Constes


    ?


    Bruno entered the headquarters of the German Army''s Central Division where he found that for the first time in a while, things seemed rather exciting, with calls being connected and telegramsing in from all over.


    Having not been aware of the deration of war between the Young Turk rebels and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, he was surprised to find that war broke out in the near east several months earlier than it had in his previous life.


    On January 12th, 1908, a formal memorandum was drawn up by the Committee of Union and Progress, which was thergest of the Young Turk groups rejecting foreign intervention and nationalist activism. They also called for constitutional government and equality amongst Ottoman citizens.


    Copies of this message were sent to the consuls of the Great Powers, and the Sultan himself, where the Young Turks were swift and decisive in their aggressive actions. Raiding Ottoman armories and caches for weapons to use in battle if their demands were not met.


    Frankly speaking, there were two ways to treat this act. One was to ignore it and let the Ottomans handle the battle themselves, or two was to send a punitive expeditionary force to put down these rebels, who had essentially insulted the Great Powers.


    Considering these rebels had yet to attack the German Conste, unlike the Boxers in the Far East eight years prior, sending a punitive expedition was deemed to be a bit overkill, and instead methods of dealing with this crisis in the near east was being discussed by the various generals.


    Bruno stepped forward after listening in long enough to understand the situation and immediately made his opinion known. Causing all the other generals to silence themselves and heed his words as if they wereing from some divine authority.


    "I am forced to agree with Generalfeldmarschall von Mackensen. Sending a punitive expedition at this time without provocation could be taken as an act of unnecessary aggression by the other powers at best, and an outright act of war at worst.


    Simply put, we need to defend our assets in the region, dispatch the Seebataillon to protect the Conste, and issue a travel warning to all of our citizens. The Ottoman Empire, for the foreseeable future, is in a state of potential civil war and it is ill advised to travel there. Also, we should begin evacuation operations for all of our citizens currently within their borders. Our first priority should be the safety and wellbeing of our citizens. Anything else can wait until this objective has been secured. Or is there any disagreement among the rest of you?" Though Bruno had yet to even reach the rank of GeneralOberst, which was technically the third highest rank in the German Army, behind Generaloberst mit dem Rang als Generalfeldmarschall and Generalfeldmarschall.


    Despite the fact that Bruno wasn''t the highest ranking general in the room, his words were worth their weight in gold. By now, every man in this room had immense respect for the young prodigy, who seemed to understand warfare on a levelparable with history''s greatest conquerors.


    And because of this, they quickly whispered among themselves, before Helmuth von Moltke spoke up. He was, after all, the one who had reced Alfred von Schleiffen as the German General Chief of Staff in 1906 and was now in charge of the German Army and its functions.


    Dispatching the Seebataillon to protect the German Conste in Constantinople would require the permission of the Kaiserliche Marine, which was the Navalponent of the Imperial German Military. However, von Moltke generally agreed with Bruno''s assessment, as they would be the ones most likely to handle such a task.


    And was quick to voice his support of Bruno''s suggestions overall.


    "General der Infanterie von Zehntner is right, it would be most wise to focus on protecting our own people in the region first before deciding on any foolish and hateful action regarding how we deal with the fact that the Ottoman Empire appears to be copsing around us at this very moment.


    I will contact the Gro?admiral and request his immediate support in this operation. As for the rest of you, I want you on standby until we have secured the Conste and evacuated our citizens from the Ottoman Empire."


    Frankly speaking, waiting around the Central Division of the German Army''s highmand until further orders were given was less than ideal for Bruno, who had many, many important matters to attend to. But orders were orders, and he was not yet at the rank where he answered only to the Kaiser, and hence he did asmanded.


    Germany wasn''t the only nation concerned about the Young Turk Revolution. After all, the Bosphorus strait was critical for shipping in and out of Russia. Naturally, the Tsar was also wary of what was happening in the region, and was quick to contact the Kaiser.


    It did not take long before the German Kaiser, the Austro-Hungarian Kaiser, and the Russian Tsar were all conversing with one another via a series of telegraphs. The immediate n of action was to follow the example of Germany had set. Fortifying the Constes in Constantinople and evacuating the citizens of the three empires from Ottoman Territory. Even though this meant shutting down trade with the Ottomans until this matter was concluded, that was less of a concern for these three major emperors than it was for the Sultan. And naturally the Sultan was pissed when he learned of how swiftly the Great Powers had begun to move.


    The rebels were one thing, but from his perspective, this was aplete and total over- reaction by Germany, Austro-Hungary, and the Russian Empire. So, what if the Young Turks had basically threatened their constes? Their activities were currently isted in Albania, which was a far cry away from Constantinople!


    He was so outraged by this that he couldn''t help but scream at his generals, who were more focused on how to deal with the uprising in Albania than they were on dealing with the European Powers.


    "Do these fuckers have any idea what they are doing to my economy? One little rebellion in Albania, and all of a sudden, they are fortifying their constes and withdrawing their citizens from my empire? Travel notices have been posted across Germany, Austro-Hungary, and Russia telling their citizens to avoid traveling to the Ottoman Empire, if at all possible, even formercial activities!?! What kind of bullshit is this?"


    The Generals were obviously less concerned about the effect this little rebellion which was still in its early stages was having on the economy, and Moreso how they could route and destroy these rebels, who were now sufficiently armed, before they could enforce their demands on the Sultan.


    But at the end of the day, the Sultan was an autocrat, and he needed to be appeased. Because of this, one of his leading generals stepped forward and made a bold suggestion. That was all in an attempt to appease the Sultan.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Well, perhaps we need to just make sure the European Powers know that the city of Istanbul is unaffected by this little rebellion? I say that we dispatch the Bostanji to the city''s streets in a show of force to these damned traitors, so that they know the capital of our Great Empire will always remain beneath the control of the Sultan!"


    It was, frankly speaking, a move dedicated purely to pageantry. The Bostanji was the Sultan''s personal guard. There were about 600 of them in total at the moment, and they were little more than glorified bodyguards.


    But they could be used to keep the peace in the city of Constantinople, and of course, be used


    as a means of propaganda to ensure the European powers that trade in the Capital of the Ottoman Empire was still perfectly safe.


    Hence why the Ottoman General suggested this, whereas the majority of his actual forces would be sent to Albania to confront the Young Turks whose numbers were still small enough to crush with overwhelming military might.


    The Sultan was quick to agree to his general''s suggestion, believing it would be the best course of action to appease the European powers. If they deemed the Ottoman Empire too unsafe to continue investing in, then the entirety of the Ottoman state would copse practically overnight.


    After all, the Ottoman Empire currently owed a substantial debt, which by 1914 would amass to a whopping sum of 139.1 million Turkish pounds. As a result, the Ottoman government waspletely reliant upon European financiers.


    Hence why the members of the Sultan''s personal guard began deploying to the streets of Constantinople in an attempt to crack down on any sentiment that was remotely


    revolutionary in nature.


    Meanwhile, the Ottoman Army would begin deploying troops to Albania to confront the


    Young Turks in the region led by the Ahmed Niyazi Bey. Either way, the current chaos was only just beginning, and Bruno could only hope that it would end as swiftly as it had in his past


    life.

 Chapter 145: Inventing Anti-Aircraft Weaponry

    Chapter 145: Inventing Anti-Aircraft Weaponry


    ?


    N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The Ottoman Empire was an interesting instance of fate taking hold of the destiny it had set forth for the world. Built upon the skeleton of the Byzantine Empire, which it had conquered, the Ottomans had forged a realm that hadsted the better part of 5 centuries.


    But its feeble foundations would ultimately be its demise. For centuries, the oppression which the Turks had forced on its subjects had bred a level of hatred and resentment for their people seldom found in history.


    Wounds such as these took a very long time to heal, and no doubt they continued to bleed to some extent even in the 21st century, or at least insofar as Bruno had known the world prior to his death. Perhaps because of this, he himself held no love for the Ottoman Empire, nor did he necessarily desire to save it, unlike other monarchies in the world.


    It was, after all, an empire that was destined to die, and very soon at that. On top of this, they provided very little in terms of military contributions to the Central Powers during his past life. Not only that, but now that Russia had joined the Germans and Austro-Hungarians once more, the odds of roping the Ottomans to their side were neither practical nor desirable. Instead, Bruno would not interfere in this conflict, other than how he had already done. He intended to sit back and watch as the Young Turks toppled the Sultan''s autocracy, and restored the Ottoman Constitution. Not that such a thing would save the rotting and decrepit empire from its ultimate fate.


    Hence why his days at the office were rtively peaceful. Instead, Bruno spent this time designing anti-aircraft weapons. Aircraft would not immediately y a major role in the war. And to some extent, the designs were already being worked upon for the sake of his Destroyers.


    But Bruno decided that for the sake of the border fortifications, establishing total denial of the enemy into German Airspace was a necessity that was better off tackled before the war began. And thus, now that he was simply waiting for orders from either the Kaiser, or the current Chief of Staff, Bruno had the free time necessary to tackle these endeavors.


    As a result, he began working on k Guns of various sizes and design for the purpose of utterly preventing Allied air power from entering the German Reich. These designs he was making were based on those used during the Second World War of his past life, and would continue to be useful for the decades toe. Assuming they were properly maintained. Whilepletely capable of obliterating any air power of the current era, the 2 cm k 38 was more than capable of not just defeating aircraft, but also light armored vehicles, unarmored vehicles, and infantry as well.


    It fired a 2cm or 20mm high explosive shell, at a rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute. Albeit the practical rate of fire was significantly lower at 180 rounds per minute due to the fact that it was fed via a 20-round box magazine.


    The 2cm k 38''s effective firing range was 2,200 meters. And it could be a quad mounted on a firing device known as the kvierling that could result in devastating anti-air capabilities. This quad mount could, of course, be deployed either via stationery or mobile means. Usually either in the bed of arge truck, or as a mechanized turret on a k panzer. Which Bruno would not be making for a very, very long time.


    But Bruno was a man who was nothing if not thorough, and even though the k 38 was more than capable of defending German Airspace from the myriads of aircraft flown during the Great War. Bruno, of course, desired even greater protection.


    Because of this, he also began to create a rough draft of an evenrger k gun. Like it''s 2cm little brother, this weapon was fully automatic, however unlike the 2cm k 38, it did not feed from a 20-round magazine, but rather an 8-round clip.


    I''m talking of course about the 3.7 cm k 43, which when twin-mounted on its own firing tform known as the 3.7 cm k 43 Zwilling could provide devastating support to its 2cm little brother. Unlike the 2cm k 38, which fired the 20¡Á138mmB cartridge, the 3.7cm k 43 fired the


    37 ¡Á 263mmB cartridge.


    Giving it not only an increase in lethality but also nearly double the effective range at 4,800 m. Oddly enough, despite the smaller ammo capacity, it maintained the practical rate of fire of 180 rounds per minute.


    Regardless of how this was achieved, the two k Guns, when used in tandem, would deny any allied nes from entering the Borders of the German Reich. Especially if they were implemented not only on Naval Vessels and Border fortifications, but also on Armored Trains. Which in a time of war would constantly be traveling throughout Germany, Austro-Hungary, and Russia.


    Finally, after spending 3/4s of the workday designing the rough drafts for these two automatic k guns, Bruno decided to introduce one final anti-aircraft weapon for good measure. If the other two k guns were designed to take out nes at low altitudes. Then this next gun was able to deliberately death at significant heights. Only aircraft made at the end of the Second World War could really escape.


    The 8.8cm k 37, was perhaps the final boss of German Anti-Aircraft Guns during the Second World War, with only one gun made of even more considerable size. Albeit towards the end of the war and in limited numbers. Frankly speaking, this 88mm semi-automatic horizontal breach loading anti-aircraft gun was not only used to blow anything that moved in the sky back to hell where they belonged.


    But it was also used to devastating effect against armor and infantry as well. Because of this, it was referred to as a "multi-purpose" gun even if it was originally intended to deal exclusively with aircraft. At one point, this bad boy was even strapped onto the backs of both motorized and mechanized armor to be wielded against anything unfortunate enough toe into its firing range.


    To put it simply, adding this weapon to German fortifications in the era of the Great Wars was almost like a cheat code. If significant enough numbers of this 88mm k gun were built, it could be used to not only pepper the skies and obliterate the allies'' attempts at air raids, but could even be wielded effectively against the enemy infantry who charged at the German Borders.


    To be fair, the other weapons could also be used in this regard, but less efficiently, as this was not an autocannon, but a full-fledged artillery piece. Firing a fixed QF 88¡Á571mmR high explosive shell at a rate of 20 rounds per minute, with an effective firing range of 8,000 meters in the air, and 14,860 meters when directed towards ground units.


    This weapon was the definition of versatility. Hell, Bruno could quite literally rece all of his field guns with this multi-purpose weapon, and could still probably win the war. Albeit it was less than ideal in this regard.


    With these three anti-aircraft weapons, Bruno doubted the canvas covered wood framed aircraft of the air would survive a single shot from any of them, let alone an entire sky filled with such explosions.


    As a result, Bruno was quite confident that whenbined with his interwar era bines that the Germans would be deploying when the Great War finally broke out, that the skies would belong to the Reich, and nobody else.


    And it was only after finishing these rough drafts that Bruno realized the time to return home had arrived. Where he swiftly sealed the documents and mailed them to the necessary corporations he had established to manufacture weapons for theing age.


    After which Bruno returned to his loving family at their new and luxurious estate just outside Berlin. Which would serve as their primary residence for many years toe. However, as Bruno gained more wealth, and arger family, there maye a time where he would need to invest in a proper pce like home.


    And should that day ever arrive, then Bruno would truly have made himself a man worthy of such an extravagant abode. But for now, his current estate would have to suffice in this regard. Even if he was still growing ustomed to living within it.

 Chapter 146: The End of Autocracy

    Chapter 146: The End of Autocracy


    ?


    Shemsi Pasha was the Ottoman General chosen to pacify the uprising in Albania led by the Young Turk revolutionary leader Ahmed Niyazi Bey. Currently, he and his men were passing through the Macedonian city of Monastir.


    In an effort to discourage recruitment for the Union and its forces. Shemsi Pasha had begun to tell Albanian Muslims that the Young Turk movement was massacring them, and on his journey to the region had picked up a small number of Albanian volunteers to aid with the two battalions of Ottoman Troops he had brought into the region.


    Though the Ottoman General did not realize it, his personal bodyguard, the Albanian volunteers, and even the two battalions beneath hismand were more or less in league with the Young Turks. Frankly speaking, Shemsi Pasha was a dead man walking. He just didn''t know it yet.


    And because of this, he was walking right into a trap, organized in part by the men beneath hismand, the men who had sworn to protect him. Because of this, he and his men stopped in the city of Monastir. Particrly with the purpose of sending a telegraph to troops in Albania to make ready for their punitive expedition.


    The telegraph was sent, and the orders were received, and because of that, the Ottoman General rather conceitedly stepped out of the Telegram station with a smug smirk on his face. His words were equally arrogant, entirely unaware of what fate had in store for him.


    "Well... Gentlemen, this is ourst stop before our campaign begins. By my estimates, this little rebellion will be put down before the month even expires. So, shall we get a move on?" The guards were not looking at their general, rather the man who had approached him in the streets, who Shemsi Pasha was currently entirely unaware of as he was looking at his bodyguards. It was not until he felt a tap on the shoulder, and turned around, did he realize what was happening.


    Before he could say another word, the stranger who had approached him in the street pointed a pistol to his face and said a single phrase before pulling the trigger.


    "General Shemsi Pasha, the Union sends their regards!"


    *bang!*


    The Ottoman general was shot square in the forehead, his dead body dropping to the ground as his bodyguards reacted by unslinging their rifles and firing in the general direction of the assassin, who had begun running off into the distance.


    Because they were secretly in league with this assassin, the soldiers easily missed their marks, having not even really aimed for the man, but rather in the air above him. Ultimately, the assassin escaped.


    And word was quick sent to Constantinople that the General they had chosen to lead the efforts to squash the revolution before it really began had been killed in the streets of Northern Macedon.


    Sultan Abdul Hamid II stood in disbelief as his generals ryed the news to him. Shemsi Pasha was dead, shot dead in the streets of Macedon while his bodyguard looked dumbstruck at the sudden attack.


    Though shots were reported to have been exchanged with the assassin, the only body recovered from the incident was that of the murdered general. This was a disaster of the highest caliber. Or it would have been if worse news did not begin flooding in immediately thereafter.


    The in general''s troops had defected to the opposition and had begun to march on Monastir with the remainder of the rebels, who had long since spread throughout the mountains of Macedon. Soon enough, the city would fall.


    Aggrieved by the loss of a loyalpatriot and close friend, the Sultan immediately broke out into hysterical rage as he gave themand to deal with these rebels before they seized the city. They had, of course, been spreading rapidly throughout the Balkans since first making their demands. Sending these same demands over and over again with each post office taken. "I want them dead! The traitors! The traitors'' families! Hell, even the entire viges these bastards originate from! I want them all dead and left the wolves like the wretches they are! Kill them all! Everyst one of them!"


    The generals looked over at the Sultan. Many of them were already either sympathetic towards the Young Turks, or were outright conspiring along with them. The Sultan''s most recent rage did nothing to calm their worries towards his autocratic rule.


    If anything, they became even more concerned about the future of the Empire should the constitution not be restored. Nevertheless, none of them spoke of these concerns immediately. Rather, one was quick to volunteer to rece the recently assassinated general and take charge of the Sultans'' demands for retribution. His name was Hayri Pasha.


    "Your majesty, I will dly rece our fallenrade and bring justice to the Balkans even if I must burn it to the ground to do so! Give memand over the Third Army and I assure you victory in this petty conflict!"


    The Sultan nodded his head, and quickly agreed to this, promising the Field Marshal great rewards should he emerge sessful, all while patting his shoulder with a proud look on his face.


    "I have little doubt about your sess! Go forth and bring the Balkans back into order! If you do so, and swiftly at that, I promise you more fortune and glory than you and your family could ever spend in a hundred generations!"


    This in and of itself was supposed to be the motivation to drive the Ottoman General to victory in the Balkans. Unfortunately, this motivation would not extend to his own forces. Who may or may not have already been infiltrated by the Young Turk Movement?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As in Bruno''s previous life, the Young Turk Revolutionsted less than a month. In fact, by the end of January, the Sultan had voluntarily given up his autocratic rule, and dered the constitution restored, along with a new series of elections.


    Frankly speaking, the Third Army was forced into cooperation with the Young Turk Movement, or more specifically, the group known as the Committee of Union and Progress, also known simply as the "Union" or sometimes abbreviated as CUP.


    So many members of the Third Army were secretly members of CUP that all they needed to do was threaten the Field Marshal who was leading them into battle with a simr fate as his predecessor, and he was forced into submission.


    Shortly thereafter, Monastir was seized by the Union and its forces. And the Second Army defected following that. With two whole armies, and thousands of volunteers on their side, the Young Turks threatened to march on Constantinople, ultimately forcing the Sultan to abdicate his throne, or concede to all demands.


    Naturally, he chose thetter. And in doing so, the entirety of the Ottoman Empire broke out into celebration. Christians, Muslims, and Jews celebrated together in each other''s holy ces. And groups of armed brigands who had been killing one another, and were at odds with the government forces, surrendered their arms and joined together as brothers to celebrate the constitution being restored, and praises to the Sultan for his "wisdom."


    Not a single citizen of the League of the Four Emperors and the Nations itposed of were harmed in the fighting. And the troops dispatched to their constes in Constantinople returned home. Any merchants, or expatriates living in the borders of the Ottoman Empire who had evacuated from the region as a result of the conflict quickly returned. Bruno couldn''t help but read about the surrender of the Sultan, and the restoration of the Ottoman constitution within the papers. He had a smirk on his face while drinking from a cup of coffee. He knew the revolution wouldst less than a month, and had thus spent thest 20 or so days of his life working on tasks either partially rted or unrted altogether to the


    German military.


    As his days at the Central Division were spent waiting in silence as the Young Turk Revolution developed. Many had feared that this conflict would turn into a bloody civil war like the one that had been fought in Russia a mere four years prior.


    Bruno had of course spent close to two years in Russia fighting the Marxists, and the


    devastation that war caused while not as great as the one in his past life, was worrisome enough that the major powers were nning to take action if necessary, in order to ensure that the Balkans did not descend into total chaos.


    Luckily, this was not the case. However, Bruno was indeed surprised by one thing. His quick thinking in securing the Constes and evacuating German citizens from the region had helped bolster friendly ties between the militaries of the German Reich, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Russian Empire, all of which had participated jointly in these efforts. And as a result, he soon found himself being awarded with a promotion, the same day that the Sultan dered his autocracy havinge to an end.

 Chapter 147: GeneralOberst

    Chapter 147: GeneralOberst


    ?


    For the first time since Bruno had been promoted to a general position. He had not been invited to the Kaiser''s pce to receive histest promotion. Rather, he was standing within the Headquarters of the German Army''s Central Division, saluting the German Kaiser with a stern expression on his face.


    The Kaiser returned Bruno''s salute. He seemed rather proud as he did so. And why wouldn''t he be? Bruno was now only two ranks away from bing a full fledge Field Marshal. And he was not even thirty yet.


    Although, give him a year and he would be. Even so, to be a GeneralOberst at the age of 29, it was an achievement nobody had ever seeded in obtaining prior to now. At least not in the German Army.


    Then again, the rank of GeneralOberst was less than 100 years old at this point, having been made by King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia in 1854 for his son, the Prince Regent who would eventually go on to be the first Kaiser of the German Reich, Wilhelm I.


    At the time, members of the Royal Family could not hold the rank of Field Marshal, which was a rank that was only meant for the purpose of wartime. Hence why GeneralOberst was created as a reward for Wilhelm I who was then the Crown Prince of Prussia.


    Of course, in 1908, the Kaiser was one of many Field Marshals in the German Army, and it was a rank that could be held by any member of the Hohenzollern dynasty, as well as those who had earned it through merit whether in a time of peace or war.


    By extension, the rank of GeneralOberst, or in English "Colonel General" was also held during both peace and war. As a result, the Kaiser handed Bruno a new tunic, one that had the shoulder and cor tabs of a proper Colonel General already ironed onto them.


    Bruno slowly reced the jacket, where a servant came over and stripped Bruno''s medals from his old waffenrock, and instead held his jacket firmly for the Kaiser to pin them on his chest in proper fashion.


    After Bruno was properly adorned in his new uniform, he saluted the Kaiser, who returned his salute, before making a remark about Bruno''s most recent promotion and his future in the German Army.


    "At this rate you will be a Generalfeldmarschall by the time you are 35. An achievement unparalleled in the history of the German nation. You should be proud of your aplishments. There are many who have tried to prevent your sess, but you have continued to prove them wrong. Until now, they can no longer deny your merit.


    I look forward to your progress in the years toe GeneralOberst, do not let me down now! Oh, and by the way, you and your family shoulde to visit when you are able. I have many questions I wish to ask you in particr. But now is neither the time nor the ce to do so."


    Quite frankly, Bruno was also certain that he would achieve the highest rank possible in the German Army by the time he was thirty-five. After all, that would also be the year that the Great War broke out if everything went ording to the previous timeline.


    And if he not yet earned the rank of Generalfeldmarschall by the start of the war. He would most certainly do so by the time his birthday came around. Which was towards the end of the year, as he had no doubt he would be able to crush Serbia by the time the leaves fell from the trees.


    With all of this in mind, Bruno nodded his head and responded positively to the Kaiser''s invitation. No doubt thankful for the opportunity to grow close to the Imperial Dynasty, which ruled over Germany.


    "Of course, your majesty, simply send me the details and I will dly arrive when you call for me."


    The Kaiser smirked and shook his head, while clicking his tongue almost as if he was scolding Bruno before outright doing so.


    "No, no, no, I think I will have the details sent to your wife. She seems to have a much better memory when ites to social affairs now, doesn''t she?"


    Bruno felt like the Kaiser was mocking him, as he often forgot about important social gatherings, and had to be reminded multiple times in advance. It was a weakness of his, partially because such things were often at the bottom of his list of priorities.


    But thankfully he had Heidi was always on top of such matters, and would drag him by the ear to such events if she was required to do so. And because of this, he couldn''t refute the Kaiser nor his attempt at friendly banter.


    "Alright, I trust your judgement."


    With this said, Bruno was granted leave for the day. He would return to his new estate, whereby no surprise he found his children and his wife waiting for him. By now, Heidi was confirmed to be pregnant once more. It wasn''t exactly shocking. She was younger than Bruno, and by all means fertile enough to carry another child.


    Even so, Heidi still tried her best tomand the kitchen. Partially because she considered it her job, partially because she loved the act of cooking for her husband and children, and partially because she was deeply paranoid regarding Bruno''s safety, and did not trust anyone to prepare the man''s food other than herself.


    Hence why the woman had be the tyrant of the kitchen. Now that cooking was pretty much the only housework she managed, with the cleaning, repairs, et cetera being done by a host of servants who had been thoroughly vetted prior to their hiring, Heidi had all day to makevish and delicious meals for her family.


    And she took great joy in doing so. And, of course, by the time Bruno returned home from work, food was prepared in ordance with his personal schedule. Over dinner, Heidi made a remark that did not surprise her husband in the least.


    "I received an intriguing piece of news today. The Kaiser personally extended an invitation to his home towards our family. He said, and I quote, I understand you are the more sociable of the two of you, so I trust you to drag your husband to my home by force, if necessary. I''m surprised his majesty understands our rtionship so well!"


    Bruno damn nearly choked on his beer when he heard this. He couldn''t help but remind the woman that the man had his eyes on the both of them since they were teenagers.


    "If not for that little stunt at his daughter''s second birthday, I doubt he would have been watching us so carefully all these years..."


    Heid couldn''t help but blush at the mention of what happened over a decade ago when both she and Bruno were still young. It was a night she would never forget in this life. And one that had quite thoroughly cemented her love and loyalty towards her husband.


    Sure she had always known that the two of them would be married one day. But she was just old enough at the time of that fateful evening to truly understand what love was and why she was so lucky to have Bruno. The gantry which he disyed in her defense was truly the stuff


    of fairy tales.


    And in doing so, he had caught the eyes of very powerful people, such as the Kaiser who personally saw to it that Bruno was admitted to the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute, andter the Prussian War College, both of which had kick-started his military career, and allowed him to excel to such great lengths at such a young age.


    In fact, Heidi was quite grateful for the graciousness which the Kaiser had shown her husband, and by extension their family. Even if it was ultimately the Tsar who elevated them to the status of Princely House, albeit only in Russia. The Kaiser had done far more for the two of them, and in many ways, more than Bruno realized.


    Heidi''s connections were deep. She was all too aware of the struggles the Kaiser had fought, with the Chancellor, with the Bundesrat, with his officers, all to help advance Bruno''s career. Wilhlem had seen something in Bruno, and at such a young age that was hard to convince


    others of.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    He had seen the man who would win him this world. A hyperbolic statement, but not an inurate one. Bruno''s potential was unrivaled, even if the Kaiser didn''t understand the reason for this fact. He understood it, nheless.


    Even so, Heidi did not tell Bruno the extents which the Kaiser had fought behind the scenes on


    his behalf. It was not her ce to do so. When the time came, the man would reveal this secret himself, and to deprive him of the satisfaction of this revtion was from Heidi''s perspective


    an act of deep disrespect.


    Hence why she simply congratted Bruno on histest promotion, while thoroughly earned from his own merit, was no doubt aided by the Kaiser''s personal favor. And she did this by preparing the man''s favorite meal for him and their children.

 Chapter 148: The Second Coming of Napoleon

    Chapter 148: The Second Coming of Napoleon


    ?


    It was not long before Bruno and his family were fully set out towards the Kaiser''s pce. Things had begun to change in the German Reich as they drove through the streets. Traffic lights were strung up, stop signs were made, and a general infrastructure designed to support the massive increase in automobiles had begun to appear.


    Even projects from his past life, such as the autobahn, were either under construction, or fullypleted by now. Meanwhile, railways were under the process of expansion, reconstruction, et cetera. Not only to support the heavy nature of armored trains, but the future of high- speed trains that would appear in theing decades.


    The city of Berlin was the epicenter of technological progression in an era where humanity achieved the most scientific and technological progress in human history. Although should this war be lost, that era woulde to an end.


    Technological progression in many fields would slow down or stagnate entirely. And the number of scientific breakthroughs would decrease significantly, as they had in Bruno''s past life. It was perhaps witnessing Berlin''s renovations, bringing in the age of a new industrial era, with the ssical architecture of the old world where Bruno could see the natural synthesis of time take ce.


    It was almost enough to bring a smile to the man''s face. Even so, he remained stoic as he gazed through his windshield, driving his family towards the Kaiser''s pce. By now, Bruno''s oldest child, Eva, was roughly seven years old, while his youngest, Elsa, was approaching five. Eva had begun attending a private girls'' school of the highest caliber ever since reaching the age to do so.


    While Erwin had begun attending a private boy''s academy. Elsa was just approaching the age of attending the same school as her older sister. Just around the time that she would no longer be the youngest of her siblings.


    To put it simply, this long drive to the pce had reminded Bruno of what he was fighting for, and why defeat was simply not an option for him in this life.


    Eventually he and his family arrived at the gates of the pce, where after a brief verification of identity, and security check on their persons and vehicle, they were permitted entry to the pce grounds, where they parked in the designated spot.


    After which, they were escorted into the Pce''s grand halls by the staff of the estate, where they were quickly greeted by the Kaiser and his family. Wilhelm was quick to greet Bruno, who saluted the man as if he was still on duty.


    Though the Kaiser invited Bruno to his home as a friend, he returned the salute nheless, after which he spoke to Bruno in a more informalnguage.


    "Please, there is no need for such formalities. I have invited you here not for the purposes of business, but rather as my guest. You have met my daughter Victoria Louise. Is that correct?"


    Bruno looked over at the Prussian Princess, who was evidently still angry with him for establishing friendly ties to other Royal Families, and by extension the princesses of their households. Because she simply looked away and pouted.


    This caused Bruno to sigh in exhaustion, while he focused his attention on the Kaiser''s other children, who he all had introduced themselves to Bruno and his family. The Kaiser had seven children in total, the youngest of which was his daughter.


    The oldest of which was the Crown Prince who went by the same name as his father. Had the German monarchy retained power in Bruno''s previous life, then he would have eventually seeded his father and be Kaiser Wilhelm III.


    Unfortunately, Bruno did note from such a timeline, and thus he was simply grateful to see that these historical figures were still in the position they were. Thus, when he greeted the Crown Prince, who had not been given the pleasure of an introduction at this point, he did so with an unusual smile on his face.


    "Your highness, it is an honor to meet you atst. I''m afraid we have not crossed paths during my past few visits to your family''s home. I must say, I expect great things toe from you in the future. I look forward to observing the day of your coronation, though forgive me if I pray that is a distant future."


    Prince Wilhelm simply smiled and responded to Bruno''s praise as if it was overlyvish. After all, he really had not done anything yet to deserve suchpliments. And he thought maybe Bruno was simply paying him patronage as the Crown Prince, not aware of why the man would actually look forward to his future reign as the Kaiser.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "You tter me. I heard that was not a specialty of yours. Apparently, I have been misled. Even so, it would by no means be the same for me to speak of your aplishments. My father speaks a great deal of praise of how you have conducted yourself so far throughout your military career.


    If the man is to be believed, you are the seconding of Napoleon himself. I too, look forward to how you perform in the future."


    Bruno took slight offense at this remark. Not only because Napoleon was the Emperor of France, but also because the man had lost seven battles in his military career. Something Bruno did not intend to repeat, and thus he was quick to make this known, even though it was a bit arrogant on his behalf.


    "Napoleon? Now I am afraid I must correct you there, your highness. You see, Napoleon may have been a brilliantmander in the field who aplished far more than I have done thus far in this life. But Napoleon also lost Seven battles, thest of which ultimately spelled doom not only for his own reign but also his nation. God forbid I ever make such a blunder that costs me a single defeat, let alone seven of them.


    No, in this life I aspire to be more like the legendary God King of Macedonia, Alexander III of the house Argead. Moremonly referred to today as Alexander the Great. Should I aplish one tenth of that man, then historians will be singing my praises for millennia toe.


    Either way, I refuse to be defeated in warfare, as I do not believe there is a single man born in this turbulent era who is more adept at killing his enemies than I am. And if you disagree, how about you ask Lenin about his opinion on the matter?"


    Lenin''s assassination was not officially conducted by Bruno''s hands. In fact, the authorities in Switzend never actually identified who had shot the man in the head within that quaint Genevan Caf¨¦. For Bruno to say this, it was an outright admission that he had conducted the extrajudicial killing of the Marxist revolutionary leader. And on neutral soil, no less.


    It was an act that indeed caused both Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had suspected Bruno was at least partially responsible for the assassination, and the entire Royal Family of Prussia to open their eyes wide in surprised.


    Of course, Bruno was quick to cover his own tracks, as he made a deration that made his previous statement rather cryptic.


    "I mean, I am the one who drove that fiend into hiding, where he was ultimately shot in broad daylight by some foul wretch of unknown origins. Deserved as his fate may have been, tant murder in midday is never eptable. Wouldn''t you agree?


    Either way, without my victories in Russia, the bastard would probably be ruling over Russia right now. Instead, he now lies buried six feet in the Swiss soil. In time his name will be forgotten, and his legacy by those who do remember him will be one of failed revolution, and the chaos and suffering it had caused the Russian people to endure"


    Bruno''s words had salvaged and "admission of guilt" he may have previously made. Even if everyone here was now fully aware that he was indeed the man who had shot Lenin in cold blood. Heidi immediately pouted, and made a move to salvage the situation, as the mood had


    gone stale.


    She grabbed hold of Bruno''s hand in a "loving gesture" where she squeezed it abnormally tightly while stating something about wanting to learn about the ancient legacy of the


    Hohenzollern dynasty.


    "Forgive me for my interruption, your majesty. But I''m afraid as a woman ofmon birth, I''m not as learned about the prestigious history of your family. Would it be too much to ask to


    have a brief tour of this amazing pce?"


    Seeing how Heidi had taken the opportunity to salvage Bruno''s awkward admission of a rather gruesome topic, the Kaiser''s wife quicklytched onto the olive branch extended to her


    with delight.


    "Of course,e with me. I will be happy to tell you all about the House of Hohenzollern and its distinguished history!"


    Heidi called for her kids to follow after her, while shooting a re at Bruno that told him to the shut the fuck up about such awkward topics and behave himself while she took this loss on his behalf. After which she followed after the Kaiser''s wife, who in turn was followed by her own children, leaving Kaiser Wilhelm alone with Bruno.


    He didn''t make an overt statement about what Bruno had said, but rather simply sighed and shook his head while cing a firm hand on his shoulder.


    "You are very lucky to have a woman so adept at socializing to be your wife.... Now how about we go grab a drink while the women and children have a proper introduction to one another?" Bruno sighed and agreed with this statement. He had spent too much time in the trenches with soldiers, to the point where his conversational skills were a bit too blunt and grim for polite society. And he was only starting to realize that now as he epted the Kaiser''s


    invitation.


    "dly..."


    After which, the Kaiser shot Bruno a rather excited grin as he finally made reference to Bruno''s admission. Shocking Bruno as he did so.


    "And once we''re nice and drunk, you can tell me all about how you tracked that bastard Lenin down and ended his miserable existence! Or should I say theoretically how you would have done so had you been given the chance?"


    Bruno couldn''t help butugh as he followed the Kaiser into his private office where they broke out some high-quality distilled spirits and began to converse all about the Russian Civil War and the rather brutal actions Bruno had taken in the region to secure the House of Romanov and their divine right to rule over Russia.

 Chapter 149: A Princes Lament

    Chapter 149: A Prince''s Lament


    ?


    Bruno regaled the Kaiser about his journey to Russia, and his exploits to crush Marxism before it ever really had the chance to take a foothold in this world. He had in the past exined in summary his actions in the region, and, of course, Wilhelm had the means to learn the gritty details himself.


    But there were certain facets of the story that were rather hard to believe, even if they came from the man himself. Let alone from third party observers. When Bruno spoke of his time in the Trenches outside Tsaritsyn, and how he had personally dealt the death blow to dozens, if not hundreds, of the Red Army''s viinous scum. The Kaiser gazed at Bruno in disbelief. Granted, the two men were halfway through a bottle of 40% alcohol by the time Bruno got to this point, and were thus sufficiently intoxicated to marvel at the story. And it was perhaps because of this the Kaiser made a rather unexpected remark, one that Bruno found slightly unnerving.


    "The way you speak of it, war, I mean... It sounds almost as if you miss it. Do you miss war, Bruno? Is peace really such a dreadful prospect for you?"


    The Kaiser was smoking a rather extravagant cigar while drinking his alcohol. As for Bruno, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Lifting a single device out of the package, before lighting it ame and taking a long drag.


    Such a question suddenly spurred the need for some nicotine. And it was only after taking another swig of his distilled spirits and a second drag from the cigarette where Bruno became dreadfully honest with the Kaiser.


    "Yes, and no... As you can tell, I have spent my entire adult life around soldiers. The way they speak, the way they act, the way they cope with the stress of the job. All of it has long since be second nature to me. I do not fear the prospect of peace, nor do I find it something to dread. I just have a hard time adjusting to it is all.


    In war, things are simple, very much so. Win and kill the enemy. That is, it. Even at my position, though the differentponents of how I achieve this goal be much moreplicated than that of a standard enlisted soldier. The objective at the end of the day is the same. Kill the enemy, and emerge victorious.


    Simple enough, right? But once you return home from such a simple, blunt, and frankly liberating experience. Now you have to find a way to conduct yourself in society, a society where rules, regtions, and general courtesy are entirely different from how they are when you are out there in the trenches.


    I might admit to a gruesome act to my troops, and they willugh with me, or share a drink of celebration of what I have done. But here, among civilized people, people who could never understand the nature of my work. I mean, in theory, yes, but in practice no. Then I make one snide remark about blowing the brains out of some murderous piece of shit, and you see how they act.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    They recoil in shock, their eyes go wide, their pupils be the size of pine needles, and they ultimately resort to ufortable silence. You were right, by the way, without my wife to cover for me in these instances. I do believe most people would believe the war had driven me mad,"


    Bruno''s rather sobering admission was not something that the Kaiser expected. And he couldn''t help but pose an additional question to the man who he trusted to lead his war efforts in the future. Especially when the great European war finally broke out.


    "Has it? Has the war driven you mad, I mean?"


    Bruno stared at the Kaiser with a stern gaze for a moment before chuckling and denying this question entirely.


    "Not in the slightest. Believe me, if I had truly lost my mind, we wouldn''t be having this discussion right now. Though I suppose getting out of the office, and out of my home every now and again, and entertaining the noblemen of this country wouldn''t be as dreadful as I often think it is. If I keep this up, sooner orter, the only men who will be able to tolerate me will be soldiers."


    This remark caused the Kaiser tough in agreement with Bruno, as he ultimately put the bottle of alcohol away, back where it belonged, before putting out his cigar. Beckoning Bruno to do the same.


    "Clearly, if you have such an ability to reflect on yourself, then you have yet to be drivenpletely mad. Well, I suppose we shall end our tale here. After all, I am certain my wife has finished boring your family with the exceptionally dull details of my family''s ancient history. So how about we all go share a nice meal together?"


    Bruno put his cigarette out in the ashtray before following the Kaiser''s lead, making onest jest before leaving the man''s office altogether.


    "Are you sure you trust me not to make an inappropriate remark? I do seem to becking in manners these days..."


    Wilhelmughed at Bruno''s joke, while assuring him he had all the faith in the man to behave like the civilized prince that he now was. Deliberately reminding Bruno of the extravagant title he held in Russia, something that Bruno bemoaned every time he remembered.


    "Oh, I''m sure a Prince such as yourself can conduct himself properly for the duration of one meal? Or am I wrong?"


    Bruno couldn''t help but sigh and shake his head as he followed the Kaiser down the stairs and towards the luxurious dining hall of his superfluous estate. The scale of an emperor''s pce was really something which Bruno couldn''t help but admire. Even if it waspletely unnecessary.


    Wilhelm, of course, couldn''t help but enjoy the sorrowful tone which Bruno spoke in, almost as if he was a young child,menting, getting in trouble.


    "I never asked to be a Prince..."


    The Kaiser, of course, broke intoughter as he patted Bruno on the back, assuring him that a million men or more would literally kill to be in his position. And that he should take pride in his new title.


    "You know, you might be the only person on the who actually considers being given the hereditary title of Prince as an insult rather than the greatest honor of his life. I''m genuinely curious how a man like you thinks... And why you have such an aversion to living avish lifestyle?"


    Despite the Kaiser''s curiosity, Bruno could only force a chuckle as he denied the man''s request right as they entered the dining hall to see their families waiting patiently for their arrival.


    "I''m afraid, your majesty, that is a tale for another time. Shall we?"


    Though Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted desperately to hear the details about this question, he supposed he could afford Bruno an out on this one asion. Though he made a silent vow within his heart to pry the truth out of the man within his lifetime.

 Chapter 150: Demonizing the Enemy

    Chapter 150: Demonizing the Enemy


    ?


    Leon Sinir had quickly found that the life of a general in the army, even one as low as a Brigadier General, was more often than not an upation filled with paperwork, and sitting in a chair. The days of him requiring fitness tests, or even going out into the field to test his mettle in war, were long gone.


    Then again, the man had only ever fought wars on behalf of the Third French Republic in colonial territories. He wasn''t exactly fighting against civilized nations, or at the very least nations whose military might was not on par with the nation he hailed from.


    His allies in the Marxist underground had been driven into silence. The French Government stamp out Marxist political activity the best they could after their former Army Chief of Staff was allegedly assassinated by them.


    Frankly speaking, his career was stonewalled at the time. He had been appointed to the position of Brigadier General within his mid-thirties as a political stunt.


    The man''s actions in Madagascar had earned him a fearsome reputation, and with the rise of the "Loup de Prusse" as the French referred to as Bruno, and his tales of infamy on the world stage, the French felt the need to appoint their own menacing figure in order to save some reputation.


    And while the French propaganda machine was fully backing Leon, the reality of the situation was that his aplishments paled inparison to Bruno''s and the higher ups in the French General Staff were acutely aware of this.


    Hence why, even as years passed, he remained in his position as the lowest possible general rank given by the French Army. Leon was a spectacle to keep the masses feeling secure. He was a poster child, nothing more, nothing less.


    With the assassination of the previous Chief of the French Army General Staff, and Bruno''s rise in reputation on the international scale, the French people began to feel a bit insecure. Especially as the Germans continued with their efforts to build fortifications on their western borders.


    Leon was chosen for the purpose of being France''s own "martial genius" for several reasons. Firstly, his actions in Madagascar had left some with a fearsome impression of him. A man unwilling to give mercy to those who shed the blood of French citizens. This was simr to the infamy that Bruno had gained as the "Red Scourge" in Russia.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Secondly, Leon was of a simr age to Bruno, albeit a little older, and by extension, having more years'' experience in the military. Giving a sense of security to the less educated French citizens by virtue of facious reasoning.


    Finally, Leon and Bruno had a brief history together in the East. Something most people were unaware of, other than the highest-ranking generals in the French Army. Or at least this was the case before propaganda began disying this shared experience.


    So much so that currently Leon was walking through the streets of Paris, where a flier pinned to a nearby wall caught his interest. There were a series of propaganda posters spread across the wall, but one of them was a particr annoyance to the man.


    On the left side of the poster, they had Leon, standing in front of French artillery and faceless soldiers. His appearance had been over-exaggerated, almost as if they were trying to make him look like some kind of fairy-tale prince charming.


    Leon was holding abel rifle and pointing it across the poster to the right. Where was there a fictitious depiction of what was supposed to be Bruno? He was wearing a German uniform, but he had the face and form of a rabid werewolf, one that appeared to be eating a French g while on all fours, while an army of wolves dressed in German uniforms gathered around to feast on the scraps.


    The caption was written in French, but when tranted basically said "y the German Wolves!" Such propaganda was increasingly bingmon in France, and there were plenty of others that painted the Germans as murderers, monsters, and fiends.


    For example, there was one which disyed the Kaiser as a man hellbent on world domination. An aspiration that Leon thought was ludicrous, and something that only an idiot would ever actually believe someone would make their life''s ambition.


    Of course, it was a quitemon tactic to portray your enemy as someone who wanted to conquer the world, and it was a tactic that would repeat itself over and over again in propaganda well into the 21st century. As Bruno was all too aware, it was not that Leon was remotely cognizant of this fact.


    Leon could only tear the propaganda off the wall. An act that one might find conflicting with his character if they didn''t fully understand who he was.


    Did he hate the Germans? Oh yes! But to depict them as monsters, and megalomaniacs who were hellbent on absurd goals that nobody in the history of mankind had ever actually aspired to. Well, that detracted from the real reason he believed they should be hated. And only served to mythicize their military capabilities.


    After all, an army of werewolves was a terrifying prospect. ording to legend, a werewolf could only be harmed by silver, a truly daunting concept considering there wasn''t enough silver in the world to turn into the munitions necessary to kill the enemy in sufficient numbers to win a war against them.


    Germans were mere men, and men could be killed as easily as any other, regardless of their nation of origin. Hence why Leon found this propaganda to be nothing but offensive. He tore it apart in the street and tossed it aside. All the while, a group of young children witnessed it.


    One girl in the street pulled up the scraps and gazed upon the "handsome prince" depicted in the propaganda only to realize it was oddly reminiscent of the man standing in front of her. When she went to approach the man to ask why he tore up the poster, he simply looked at the girl with a menacing gaze and scared her off in a fearsome tone.


    "Get lost, you little bitch!"


    The girl quickly fled with tears in her eyes, and though Leon didn''t realize it, she would take this matter to heart. Spreading rumors to all her friends and family that the man in the propaganda wasn''t a prince, but rather a monster like the Germans were depicted as being. Unfortunately, nobody would believe she even met the famous Brigadier General Leon Sinir, and that she was merely making things up, as children often do.


    Regardless, the propaganda was simple proof that the public sentiment in France was rapidly bing viler and hatred towards their eastern neighbors as the French themselves began to prepare for the potential outbreak of a war with the German Reich.

 Chapter 151: War is Coming...

    Chapter 151: War is Coming...


    ?


    Bruno had more or less suspected that France would begin its propaganda efforts. War was more than looking like a certainty for the world as a whole as the years passed. And Germany had begun preparing long before anyone else.


    While other nations were still focused on meeting recruitment quotas, Germany was in the process of developing advanced weapons. Thetest of which were expected to see full scale production by 1912. Two years before the war would break out if all went ording to nned.


    Then again, Bruno had caused so many significant changes in this timeline that it was actually impossible to know when the War would break out, and what would be the cause. He often had thought to himself of a dreadful fate of irony, that his assassination by the ck Hand would spark the War without him, rather than the untimely death of Franz Ferdinand.


    But believe it or not, Erich was very good at his job, and monitoring the ins and outs of the German Reich and those dangerous people residing within its borders, whether temporarily or permanently, was his bread and butter.


    The ck Hand had, on more than one asion, attempted to infiltrate the German Reich in a bid to try a second or third time to end Bruno''s life. But each time they had found themselves buried in a shallow unmarked grave in the middle of nowhere. That is, of course, after being dragged to a Stasi ck site for interrogation. Which, of course, did not officially exist in any record.


    To put it simply, Bruno was rather satisfied with his investment in his friendship with Erich. Even though the man had long since been driven to a state of never-ending bloodlust, and absolute callousness towards life as a result of repeated exposure to the horrors of war. He was a useful bloodhound to send against his enemies.


    And it was perhaps because of that the two men were meeting in a public setting within the City of Berlin at the moment. Erich and Bruno were both dressed in an expensive choice of attire, which Erich couldn''t help butment on knowing his friend''s true nature.


    "It must be killing you to wear that suit. You look the part of a proper nobleman, and I know how much you like to pretend to be humble..."


    Bruno, like Erich, was smoking a cigarette while drinking from a cup of premium coffee with his free hand. He ced down the cup and looked Erich in the eyes. Not even bothering to make a statement of defense towards his humbler attitude towards life.


    Instead, he smirked while epting his friend''s banter, as one would normally be inclined to do so.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "You must be loving this... Seeing me waste a ludicrous amount of money buildingvish pces, while surrounding myself in expensive clothing, shoes, and other essories like this fucking tie that I want to rip off of my throat with every agonizing minute I am forced to wear such an absurdity!"


    Erich broke out into a fit ofughter upon hearing this remarke from Bruno''s mouth. He couldn''t help butment on the man''s misery enduring the trinkets that lesser men would kill to have, as if it was some hellish torture designed and optimized by the Lord God Almighty for him personally.


    "I have to say, frankly speaking, the look of a working-ss man doesn''t suit you, my friend. You''re too... Gentle. The nobility definitely shows on your face, especially with that fencing scar of yours, no matter how much you like to pretend you''re a man of the people."


    Bruno did not take offense to the man''s use of the word "Gentle" to describe his appearance, as it was not used in the modern sense he had grown ustomed to in his past life, which was a reference to meekness, kindness, and in some circle''s weakness.


    Rather, it was a reference to his status as a man of noble birth, or a gentleman-a term that, before the fall of the monarchies, was used exclusively, much like "Lady," to refer to those of the aristocratic ss. However, when the monarchies fell in 1918, and traditional western civilization with it, any semnce of the meaning to the words "Gentleman" and "Lady" had been watered down so much that they were often used interchangeably with man and woman. So much so thatmon harlots and streetwalkers would take offense if you dared to insist, they were neither noble nor virtuous enough to be called a dy." Thinking back upon it, Bruno couldn''t help but shake his head, thinking about the fate of the world he hade from, and how d he was to be reborn in a time of virtue, culture, and general decency. Three things that were sorely missing from the world that woulde from the Great War. A fate Bruno once more steeled himself to prevent by any means necessary. Erich, of course, could not fathom why his friend had such a dreadful appearance all of a sudden, nor his actions of simply shaking his head. Bruno, of course, did not exin as he recollected his thoughts, and entered the world in front of him once more.


    Instead, he got the point, the reason why he had requested Erich to meet with him on this day.


    "Do you have what I want?"


    Seeing how they were no longer exchanging pleasantries and were instead getting down to business, Erich pulled a folder out of his coat pocket and slid it over across the table to Bruno. Who opened it and gazed upon the dossier within. As well as the pictures inside of it, that were so gruesome they should never be revealed in civilizedpany.


    Yet Bruno gazed upon them nheless, and in a public setting, as Erich summarized their contents.


    "The ck Hand, as you call it, otherwise known as Unification or Death, has attempted on three separate asions to infiltrate the German Reich and end your life since that nasty business in Russia.


    The good news is we intercepted them before they could get anywhere near Berlin. And after some... persuading, we managed to gain a significant amount of information about their partners in crime.


    These fuckers aren''t just in Serbia, they''re all over the Balkans. And that includes the nations like Bulgaria who just gained their independence from the Ottoman Empire following the end of the Young Turk Movementst month.


    We can prevent them from causing harm in the Reich, Bruno, but... They''re just getting started. Their failed attempts on your life have only galvanized their recruitment. I''m afraid these fucking bastards might be the cause of something significantly greater than we can even imagine... Especially now that Austro-Hungary is nning to march its troops into Bosnia and Herzegovina..."


    Bruno looked over at Erich, who appeared to be reaching the ultimate conclusion that Bruno had long since known would ur, having learned about in his past life. There was a slight smirk on Bruno''s face as he caused Erich to enter a state of mental turmoil.


    "Like what? The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, an act which has the potential to cause all of Europe to break out into a major global war?"


    Erich stared at Bruno with a daunted expression on his face. Bruno just announced a fear he had not even thought about. As if it was a natural urrence. And it was only then that Erich began to understand just how far Bruno had been outmaneuvering his opponents. But the idea... was surreal.


    Had Bruno been preparing for a global conflict since their days at the Academy when they were mere cadets? That was over a decade prior. Was this his whole reason for joining the Army? The mere thought was enough to drive Erich into madness.


    He was just about to ask something when Bruno closed the folder and handed it back to him. After which Bruno raised a single question with a curt tone in his voice.


    "Have you alerted Austro-Hungarian intelligence to what you have found?"


    Erich silently shook his head, still trying to fathom the depths of Bruno''s cunning and nning. But when Bruno smiled next, finishing his coffee with a sneer on his face, before standing up from his seat. Erich felt chills down his spine, especially as Bruno practically confirmed that things were going ording to his ns.


    "Good, make sure to keep it that way. We wouldn''t want the Austrians to spoil our fun, now,


    would we?"


    Bruno was about to turn away when Erich abruptly stood up, catching the notice of several people from nearby. He quickly realized he couldn''t speak his thoughts aloud in German or else the people who were now watching the two of them would hear his words. And thus, he whispered to Bruno in Russian his exact, and terrifying thoughts.


    "Don''t tell me... You have known all about this? For--"|


    Bruno silenced Erich''s interrogation as he leaned over and patted the man on the shoulder. His words sounded like the devil whispering sweet poison into his ears as he did so.


    "A war ising, my friend. It can''t be avoided. Postponed perhaps, but either way there is nothing we can do to stop it. Isn''t that what you have always wanted?"


    Bruno then walked off without saying another word. Leaving Erich absolutely speechless. One thing was certain, Erich had grown ten times more afraid of Bruno than he had in the past. And was beginning to consider transferring back to the Army. As if Bruno''s words were true, this war would be on a scale never before seen in human history, or at least not on the European continent. And like hell, he was going to miss out on all the fun!

 Chapter 152: Restoring a Broken Friendship

    Chapter 152: Restoring a Broken Friendship


    ?


    Bruno met with Heinrich not long after he had done so with the other of his two best friends. Frankly speaking war has a way of making men discover who they really are, and it turned out that Erich and Heinrich were the exact opposite when the bullets started flying.


    Heinrich''s sole purpose in warfare was to mitigate the suffering that his own men endured and that the civilians caught up in the conflict were forced to undergo as a tribtion ced upon them by God Almighty.


    Erich on the other hand was a sadistic cold-blooded killer who took enjoyment in the torture, murder, and pain that others faced against his hands and that of his men. Such men were unsuited to the peaceful state of civilized society.


    But in times of war, they were among the greatest weapons to be wielded by amander. If one utilized them properly that is. The problem was that these types of men were also a double-edged sword, and because of that they needed to be kept very close to their master, lest they act out on their own volition and cause unnecessaryplications.


    Bruno had learned this the hard way, and he would not suffer from such a mistake a second time. And though Erich didn''t realize it, Bruno''s vigil eye was constantly cast upon him and his activities as the current director of the Stasi.


    Heinrich, on the other hand continued to pursue his military career. Though colonial conflicts were more or less being fought, the man instead stayed within the fathend, proving to be exceptional during both times of war and peace as an officer in the Kaiser''s army.


    And because of this, he would likely be a full-fledged colonel by the time the war broke out. Even so, Bruno also kept the man close to him. He was, after all the sentimental type, caring deeply about human beings, even those from the enemy nation.


    Such men were also a liability on the battlefield, but for reasons opposite as Erich. Even so, the two men were useful. Heinrich reminded Bruno that unnecessary cruelty, which he was prone to as a man who was by nature callous and uncaring towards strangers, nearly always caused more problems then it solved.


    But Erich acted as the devil on Bruno''s shoulder, reminding him that sometimes brutality and ruthlessness towards one''s enemies was also necessary. As mercy, though useful in certain situations, if given too often, would result in your enemies taking advantage of your kindness.


    Something that could easily result in catastrophic consequences for not only Bruno but the men beneath hismand. And thest thing Bruno wanted was to return to his family in a coffin. Bruno having met with Erich and spoke with the vicious bastard about his ns for the future, had decided to do the same to the little angel on his shoulder.


    Heinrich and Alya frequently visited Bruno''s home, even now that Bruno was living in much more luxurious conditions. But today was perhaps the first time in half a year that Bruno decided to drop by his trusted friend''s home.


    And when he did so, he was indeed surprised. The rtivelyfortable home that Heinrich had lived in had been fully transformed by his adopted daughter. From a pigsty which was only habitable by a young bachelor. To a rather clean andfortable abode meant for a loving family.


    Granted, Heinrich''s home situation was a bit unorthodox, what with him being a single father of an adopted war orphan. But even so Alya seemed much more happy with her current life than she had upon first entering the German Reich.


    She was busy in the kitchen cooking up a meal for herself; her adopted father, and her adopted father''s close friend. Someone who Alya was still timid around. After all, while living in Russia during the Civil War she had heard all too frequently about the legendary Red Scourge and the amount of deaths he was responsible for.


    To her he was almost like a mythical monster taken human form. Even if Bruno was her adopted father''s best friend, he was still a terrifying existence to a young girl who lived in Germany solely because of the war that Bruno had, to some degree been the cause of.


    Even so, she brought Bruno and Heinrich food and drinks while returning to the kitchen, not wanting to look upon the man whose legendary march through the Volga region had been in part responsible for her family''s death.


    Bruno couldn''t help but chuckle at the young woman''s timid nature, despite all the time they had spent together at this point.


    "Honestly Heinrich, the girl is going to have to learn to confront her fear of me, eventually. It has been over a year since you brought her back to Berlin. The amount of meals we have all shared together, for Christ''s sake she has lived under my roof for more than a few weeks while we have been deployed abroad."


    Heinrich couldn''t help but stare at Bruno. Both of them were taking a drink as the former yboy narrowed his eyes at his best friend. Making ament about his appearance and why people might fear him so much.


    "It wouldn''t hurt if you smiled once in a while.... Your resting expression can be quite dreadful to a young girl who has heard rumors about you being a demon wearing human skin. I mean, I know you better than most, but if you would permit me to be blunt with mynguage, the way you look at people, it''s almost as if you''re thinking about eating their liver...."


    Bruno couldn''t help but find this remark deeply offensive. Not in actuality, but purely in jest as he scoffed and retorted to this insult.


    "Eat their liver? I assure you my thoughts are far more tame than that! You wound me, sir! No, but seriously, if she is this afraid of me, then what would she think of our mutual acquaintance? You know the so called Terror of Belgorod?"


    The rtionship between Heinrich and Erich had soured following their time apart during the Russian Civil War. Heinrich found himself appalled by Erich''s actions in Belgorod and the reason for why he gained such an abhorrent nickname.


    They eventually had a falling out shortly before Erich departed from the Military and transferred to the Kaiser''s secret police. Bruno seldom mentioned Erich to Heinrich because of this, and vice versa. However, it was important for him to do so now.


    And as expected Heinrich''s reaction was as vitriolic as Bruno had expected. cing his beer mug on the table before lecturing Bruno for keeping contact with what was clearly a deranged sadist.


    "Don''t tell me you still talk to that murderous psychopath? I don''t know what the Kaiser was thinking, putting such a monster in charge of his Secret Police! After what he did in Belgorod, though I have no proof to verify my suspicions, I have no doubt in my mind that the man is framing many of the people suspected of treason just so he can murder them in cold blood!" Bruno looked entirely unphased by Heinrich''s outrage. After all, he had on more than one asion ordered Erich to do just that. In fact, he had never told Heinrich the real reason Erich was selected for his current job, but considering the exact reason for his visit, Bruno finally decided toe clean about it.


    "I rmended him to the Kaiser for his current position..."


    Heinrich''s scream was so loud that it caused Alya who was in the kitchen cleaning dishes to flinch and drop a te on the floor.


    "You fucking what!?! Why would you ever do such a thing!?! You know what kind of sick bastard he is! Why would you give him a position where he could easily abuse his power to


    harm innocents?"


    Bruno narrowed his eyes and looked over at Heinrich''s seat where he was now standing above, voicing his outrage. It was a stern gaze, one that silentlymanded the man to sit back down and behave himself. Which obediently did upon instinct.


    As for Bruno''s next words, they didn''t immediately answer Heinrich''s question. Rather surprisingly, he called out to Alya to make sure she had not harmed herself by ident because of her father''s sudden outburst.


    "Alya, are you okay?"


    Alya quickly called back, ensuring both her father and her guest that she was fine, and was currently cleaning up the mess she had made by ident.


    "I''m fine... I''m sorry for the disturbance, please continue with your conversation! I will have this mess cleaned up momentarily."


    Seeing how the girl had not identally cut herself on the shards of ceramic, and in fact did not need medical treatment Bruno sighed in relief before calling back to her, showing his concern, and a more human side to himself which Alya had only ever witnessed the man act


    towards his family.


    "Alright, I''m just checking. Do be careful when cleaning up the shards of that te. Though I am qualified to act as field medic, I do believe I have had a bit too much to drink to adequately stich any wounds you might incur. And I would prefer not to have to drive you to the


    hospital."


    Alya was slightly flustered by the concern that Bruno showed her, and thanked him, while her adopted father stared at Bruno still enraged by his admission, and waiting for a proper exnation. Which Bruno gave him immediately after hearing the girl''s thanks. "Where was I, oh right, I was about to tell you my exact reasons why I rmended Erich to the Stasi before you so rudely interrupted me with your outburst... Heinrich, do you really think that after what the war did to that man it would be wise to keep him in the military? At least during a time of peace? What kind of influence would he have on the men if he suddenly became bored?


    Or perhaps you think it would be prudent to discharge him and send him onto the streets where there are countless innocent victims waiting for him to prey upon? Frankly speaking, I had two options with Erich: put him down like a rabid dog, or unleash him upon the enemies


    of the Kaiser.


    Not all of our adversaries lie outside of our borders Heinrich, and I assure you I have eyes


    watching that man at all times. As does the Kaiser, if he acts out, he will be dealt with. But for the time being he has proven to be a reliable weapon to be wielded against the enemies of the crown who reside within our borders.


    Besides, when the war finally arrives, I will need his services once again. It''s best to keep a knife sharp and close by your side, even in times of peace, don''t you agree? We wouldn''t want our little hellhound growingcent now would we?


    I''m not asking you to make up with the man, but I am asking you to tolerate his existence


    when hees back to my side in the near future. Because believe it or not Heinrich, these days of peace we currently enjoy aren''t going tost forever. It will not be long before a Great War erupts across Europe, one that has the potential to engulf the entire world in mes.


    And when that dayes, men like Erich will be very useful. So, what do you say? Are you willing to put aside your differences, and work together for the sake of God, Kaiser, family, and fathend?"


    Heinrich sighed heavily after hearing this request from a man he would consider to be his brother. And because of this, he gulped down the rest of his beer before ultimately agreeing


    to what Bruno asked of him.


    "That piece of shit will most certainly drag the both of us into hell with him if given the


    chance... But I trust your instincts more than my own... And if what you say is really going to


    come to pass, then even I must admit that we are destined to face the Good Lord''s judgement, regardless.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    So long as you can manage to keep him under control, I won''t find fault with you. Alright, you


    have my word. When the timees for the three of us toe together under the banner of the Reich once more, I will tolerate that knave..."


    Bruno immediately reached over and pat his friend on the back, assuring him that everything would work out in their favor. After which, they continued to share their drinks before Bruno headed home for the evening to spend the rest of the night with his beloved family.

 Chapter 153 Mending the Rift One Step at a Time

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    153 Mending the Rift One Step at a Time


    It was not long after Bruno had met with Heinrich and Erich that he forced the two men to sit together at a local pub. Hearing Heinrich pledge that he would let bygones and be bygones was one thing. But actually seeing it in person was another.


    And though Bruno trusted Heinrich well enough to be a man of his word. If the two men were still going to talk about one another behind their backs, while not saying a word to each other until the war finally broke out, then what was the point of all this work?


    Because of this, Bruno arranged for a meetup between the three of them where he would act as the mediator. By now, they had all consumed over a liter of beer. Which, for Bruno, was not enough to even catch a buzz. As for Heinrich and Erich, their alcohol tolerances were as different as their personalities.


    With Erich being a man capable of contending with Bruno for the heavyweight crown of the world''s greatest drunkard. While Heinrich would pass out and throw up after consuming a little over a liter of beer.


    Because of this, only one of the three men was dreadfully drunk, slurring his words as he decried his old friend, turned bitter enemy sitting across from him with a smug look on his face.


    "Y... you.. You''re a... A psycho... Psychopath you know that! What... What you did.....


    The man trailed off into total silence, blinking his eyes as if he was trying to figure out whether he was awake or not. All the while Erich shook his head in silence, a look of disdain was clearly on his face.


    Bruno felt quite embarrassed by his friend and his inability to hold his liquor. He was one sip away from rolling back in his chair and splitting his head against the edge of another table. Because of this, Bruno was facepalming and sighing heavily. Using his index finger and thumb to rub the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to soothe a headache, or worse, a migraine.


    After several moments of awkward silence, Heinrich was about to say something again when Bruno swiped the man''s beer from him and downed what remained of it. Something that took a whole fifteen seconds for Heinrich to fully process and formte a response to.


    "Ey... You... Bastard! That''s mine!"


    Bruno, however, pulled out his wallet and tossed a few marks on the table. There was no way they were going to get anything done tonight, now that Heinrich waspletely wasted less than an hour into their discussion.


    After paying the bill, Bruno patted Erich on the back and told him to go home and rest. And that he would be in touch with him soon for a special assignment. All the while,


    15:54


    Bruno picked Heinrich out of his seat and helped him walk home, primarily by acting as a means for the man to grab onto and not fall over.


    As the two men walked through the streets of Berlin in the middle of the night, Heinrich couldn''t help but make ament to Bruno, having seemingly forgotten entirely about his drunken spat with Erich only a few moments prior, let alone the bitterness he felt towards the man this past year or two since returning home from the war in Russia.


    "You''re a good friend... You know that, Bruno? I like hanging out with you... and Erich like this! Why don''t we do this more often...?"


    Bruno couldn''t help but chuckle at thisment, seeing how just a few minutes ago he was telling Erich that he was a psychopath, and a terrible person. The get-together had gone about as well as Bruno had nned.


    But the enmity between both Heinrich and Erich was deep. Neither side was really wrong as far as Bruno was concerned. Or in the right, for that matter. Heinrich felt. that Erich was a danger to himself and everyone around him. And had done many unforgivable things to state his own bloodlust.


    He did not want to associate with such vile people for obvious reasons. Meanwhile, Erich felt as if he had been betrayed by one of his closest friends. They had all done horrible shit in Russia, and though people referred to Heinrich as the Saint of Tsaritsyn, he had spilled more than his fair share of blood during the conflict.


    Much of which belonged to prisoners of war, which itself was a war crime, ording to the Hauge Conventions, and was no worse than what Erich had done. Heinrich had after all participated in the rounding up of the Red Army''s survivors within the Ingria and Volga regions, which under Bruno''s orders were executed.


    He knew they were going to be killed and wasplicit, nheless. Because of this, Erich believed Heinrich was a massive hypocrite and was simply judging him for acting the same way they had done in the early stages of the war.


    From Bruno''s perspective, both men had as much blood on his hands as he did. And frankly speaking, he did feel Erich had a point that Heinrich was judging him rather unfairly, considering all they had endured together.


    Besides that, Erich had already been punished for his insubordination. Not in any official capacity, but Bruno made sure the man learned never to betray his orders ever again. At the same time, Bruno was not blind to the fact that the war had changed Erich into something akin to a demon.


    Psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism, and sadism were all archetypical traits of the archnemesis of the Lord''s Angels. And in many ways, Erich disyed these psychological tendencies after surviving the war in Russia.


    This was no fault of Erich''s. War had a way of changing men, especially after they were forced to do horrific things, either in pursuit of victory, or merely for their own survival. This change was seldom for the better.


    And because of this, Bruno did not me Erich for what he had be. If anything, he med himself, and because of this, he had an almost self-loathing tone in his voice as he responded to Heinrich''s words.


    "I would also like for us to go out together more often. As much as I love my family, I do miss hanging out with my friends on asion. But Heinrich, you do know why this is not the case, right? You and Erich don''t get along so much these days..."


    Heinrich was barely conscious. It was a miracle he could even speak, let along walk. Well, frankly speaking, Bruno was the one doing most of the walking for the two of them. Either way, it was because his mind was not exactly functioning as God intended that he was quick to deny this very real fact of life.


    "What? You... You''re jo... joking, right? Why ... Wouldn''t Erich and I talk? We... We''re best friends! Almost as great as you and I are! We.... We have known each other... known each other since..."


    There was a long pause after this, almost as if Heinrich could not even remember how he and Erich had met. And then after several moments of silence, he was quick to ask what the hell he was even talking about in the first ce.


    "I''m... sorry... What were we... talking about?"


    Bruno chuckled, because he knew his friend was in for a world of hurt the next morning. But at the same time, he was happy, not because of the horrific hangover Heinrich would have when he woke up. But because somewhere deep down inside of his mind, the man still thought of Erich as a great friend.


    And if that was the case, then mending the rift between the two of them was indeed a possibility. Because of this, Bruno was about to say something when he realized they were already at Heinrich''s door. He quickly knocked on the door, making sure that the young girl who Heinrich had adopted would open it.


    And sure enough, she came down the stairs a few momentster. It was sote in the night that it was no wonder that she appeared rather tired as she opened the door, still dressed in her pajamas. When she saw the state, her adopted father was in, the young girl quickly woke up and frowned.


    Bruno was shocked by what he saw, because he had seen the expression on her face a million times in his own home. It was the same expression Heidi took whenever she was scolding either him or their children for doing something wrong.


    Even more unbelievable was that the teenage girl had damn nearly perfected the tone which Bruno''s wife used when she was furious.


    "Papa! What the hell are you doing out sote? I told you to be back by 10 o''clock! Do you have any idea what time it is? And look at you! You''re an absolute mess! Did you put him up to this? You know what kind of lightweight the old man is!"


    Bruno felt a bit awkward looking at the teenage girl, who was striking a simr pose that his wife did whenever she was furious with him or their children. It was almost instinctive for him to apologize, and quite frankly, she was owed one.


    "I''m sorry... It had been so long since the three of us went out for drinks that I kind of forgot about his... problem..."


    Alya sighed heavily and shook her head, before grabbing hold of Heinrich, she proved to be remarkably stronger than Bruno thought she would be as she told him to get lost, while helping Heinrich climb of the stairs of their home, so that she could help


    him get into bed.


    "I''m going to tell your wife all about this tomorrow morning! Speaking of which, I bet


    she is waiting for your return even now! So, hurry up and get lost! I have to help this old drunkard get into his bed. If he doesn''t lie face down while he sleeps in such a state, then he is for sure going to choke on his own vomit! And if that happens, I''m holding you responsible!"


    Honestly speaking, Bruno was surprised the girl had the strength of character to yell at him like this. Considering that just a few days prior, she was still intimidated by hisn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    very presence. It was true what they said. The greatest cure to fear was rage.


    And this little Russianss was full of it at the moment. Because of this, Bruno


    apologized once more before wandering off back to his own estate where he was almost certain that he would be greeted by his wife, who would no doubt give him a second scolding.

 Chapter 154 The Bosnian Crisis Resolved

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    154 The Bosnian Crisis Resolved


    The Bosnian Crisis had begun almost immediately after the Ottoman Empire entered a state of revolution. Revolution thatsted less than thirty days, mind you, before the Sultan was forced to concede to the demands of the Young Turk Movement and allow for the restoration of the Empire''s Constitution, and to an extent a new election for Parliament.


    As a result of this, the Balkans were thrown into turmoil, with several nations either directly under the control of other Ottoman Empire as imperial territories, or vassal states such as Bulgaria using this as a chance to gain their much-desired


    independence.


    And, of course, the Habsburgs used this as a reason to fully annex the region known as Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had for thest few decades been under their indirect control. The moment the Austrian Army marched into the Balkans; things got chaotic very quickly.


    The Serbian King had been forced as a result of the pressure of international influences to agree with the annexation, at least publicly. But behind closed doors, Peter was conspiring with the ck Hand to turn into a contested affair.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The shadowy organization, whose goal was the independence of all Balkan states, and a nation for each ethnic identity in the region, had failed repeatedly to assassinate Bruno after he had revealed he knew of their existence and their crimes.


    As a result, they had ultimately decided that the cost of losing their members in these failed assassination attempts was simply no longer worth the effort. Bruno had appeared not to have revealed their identity to anyone, despite their multiple attacks on him.


    Because of this, they instead shifted their focus towards inciting revolt against the Habsburg''s annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meanwhile, the Ottomans who had already lost practical control over the region to the Austrians thirty years prior, were more outraged about Bulgaria''s deration of independence, not that they had the military capacity to exact force upon them.


    However, even so, the Ottoman Empire dered economic sanctions against the Austro-Hungarians for this perceived slight, even though it was quite honestly an inevitability ever since they gained administrative control over Bosnia and Herzegovina decades prior.


    Luckily for the world, the ck Hands attempts to incite a violent insurrection by Bosnian nationalists was stomped out before it could begin, because a diplomatic conference was called between the leaders of the Great Powers, firstly to discuss this annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.


    Secondly, to address the matter of Bulgarian Independence. Both of these issues were tant vitions of the previously established Treaty of Berlin, and required international attention, lest they break out into a conflict of significant concern not only for Europe, but for the world altogether.


    Bruno was not privy to these discussions. In fact, he was merely enjoying the peaceful days at home with his loving family and close friends while he could take advantage of them. This was, of course, in between his duties at the Central Division of the German Army''s High Command.


    As well as when he was not manipting the world''s economy or looking fornd to purchase that had significant natural resource deposits within them that had yet to be noticed by the greater world. Either way, as always, Bruno was a busy man, so much so that getting involved with a diplomatic conference that was destined to settle itself in a way that favored his overall ambitions in life was simply an unnecessary use of his time.


    Nor was he exactly qualified to sit at the table with these emperors, kings, and other heads of state. That was, after all, one of the many powers granted to the Kaiser within the German Empire''s constitution.


    Because of this, it was Wilhelm seated at a table with the likes of Franz Joseph I, Nichs II, Armand Falli¨¨res who was the current President of France at this time, Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith of the British Empire, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, King Peter I of Serbia, among others.


    Frankly speaking, Bruno had already secured Russia''s and Serbia''s agreement to the annexation. And they had voiced their support of Austro-Hungary''s actions. What was left to dispute were the nations of Great Britain, France, and Italy. All of which had different opinions on the matter.


    The reality was that this diplomatic conference did not ur in Bruno''s past life. As the Germans, through rather cunning diplomatic maneuvering, kept postponing it until it was ultimately dropped altogether. Rather, the disputed topics had been solved via a series of consultation at various capitals. Ultimately agreeing to an amending of the Treaty of Berlin.


    But today, the conference was actually being held, perhaps because of all the changes Bruno had made to the timeline. And hence why all these world leaders were currently gathered in Berlin. While Serbia had shocked the entente by so easily conceding the issue.


    Russia was to be expected. After all, Italy had informed Britain and France of the secret alliance that was built between Germany, Austro-Hungary and Russia. However, Italy was still had yet to announce its departure from the "Triple Alliance" even though another alliance had been formed without them between the other powers.


    Because of this, King Victor Emmanuel III tried to swindle Austro-Hungary by demanding the agreed uponpensation that the Habsburgs had made when Italy first agreed to join the Triple Alliance several decades ago. In order to gain Italian support for their future annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy had demanded disputed territories which they imed were theirs that Austro-Hungary now possessed.


    That came both in the alpine regions of lower Tyrol and Trento, as well as regions in the Balkans such as the Adriatic Littoral, and Dalmatia. Thus, when the Italian King so boldly asked for these reasons at the conference in the midst of a heated shouting match, everyone went silent.


    "Italy will agree to recognize Austro-Hungary''s annexation of the disputed territories so long as they fulfil the promise, they made to us back in ''89."


    Though Italy didn''t outright say what this promise was, the members of the Imperial Powers were all too aware. Because of this, Tsar Nichs II, Kaiser Franz Joseph I, and Kaiser Wilhelm II all looked at one another with concerned expressions.


    Basically, Italy was putting them on the spot as to whether or not they wanted the Italians to remain a member of their alliance. But at the same time, they had excluded the Italians from the formation of the League of the Four Emperors for a reason. And hence why the Austrian Kaiser eventually voiced his refusal to give up thend requested by him.


    "I''m afraid I have no idea what his highness is talking about..."


    This was not exactly something that shocked the Italian King, as he already expected this as the answer he would be given. But frankly speaking, he voiced it nheless, either using this as an excuse to officially exit the "military alliance" he had with the German and Austro-Hungarians, or simply scam them out of disputed territories. Either way, he nned to gain control over Tyrol, Trento, the Adriatic Littoral, and Dalmatia. Whether by peaceful means, or by outright conquest. Since he had his answer now, he would formally withdraw from the Triple Alliance shortly after this


    meeting.


    Meanwhile, the negotiations would continue for some time before ultimately enough concessions were made financially in order to ensure the Habsburgs were universally recognized by the Great Powers of Europe as the rightful rulers of Bosnia and


    Herzegovina.

 Chapter 155 Noblesse Oblige

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    155 Noblesse Oblige


    It did not take long for Bruno to see in the daily newspapers that the Bosnian Crisis had more or less been resolved the way it had in his past life. Though with some minor changes in circumstance. Russia was not aggrieved by the process and had voted in favor of their ally Austro-Hungary from the start.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Serbia, though in agreement, had done so begrudgingly as a result of being forced to concede due to the ck Hand''s attempts to kill Bruno on Russian soil. They were still deeply bitter from the result, and it would no doubt be an event that would help spark the Great War in the near future.


    Italy was also angered by the result, but rather than silently suffer until withdrawing from the Triple Alliance in 1915, a whole year after the Great War had begun in Bruno''s past life. They immediately used this conference as a means to leave an alliance that was in practicality already void.


    This was not exactly a surprise to those who were already aware of what was going on behind the scenes on the global stage. Let alone Bruno, who was currently enjoying a nice breakfast with his family.


    By now Heidi was visibly pregnant, and yet that did not stop the woman from being the taskmaster of their new estate, one which was truly befitting of a prince. All the servants were not only thoroughly vetted, but properly trained, and held to a standard so high that the initial attrition rate was about 90%.


    If there was a such thing as an equivalent of special forces for maids, butlers, chefs, bartenders, housekeepers, tutors et cetera, then Heidi ensured that the home staff that looked after herself, her husband, and her children, were all tier one operators. Loyalty to their household was an absolute requirement. The slightest wavering in this regard resulted in an immediate termination of employment. At the same time, the pay was exceptional. Bruno was extremely wealthy and was on track to perhaps bing the wealthiest man in history. Give or take a decade or two.


    He had even begun to invest in opening his own national bank, in order topete with groups like the Rothschilds, who, frankly, speaking trusted less than just about anyone in this world. Hiring the best staff, with a sry that nobody else couldpete with, was not a problem in the slightest for Bruno''s finances.


    Frankly speaking, Bruno always offered a sry to his employees that was at least 25% higher than hispetitors. In addition to this, he gave out exceptional bonuses. The higher one''s performance at work, the more they would be paid, no matter their position.


    This was a great way to secure the best talent and giving them a sense of loyalty to their employer, while also making sure that his employees were well taken care of. Perhaps it was because of what he had witnessed corporate greed due to the world in his past life, but as an owner of several businesses and significant assets, Bruno had a sense of noblesse oblige.


    It was his duty as a man in a position of privilege, wealth, and power, to use those three things for the benefit of those beneath him. Especially those who were his direct subordinates. Whether it was the soldiers beneath hismand, or it was the men and women in his employment. Bruno had always treated them as if they were his own family members.


    Not only because it was expedient but also because it was the right thing to do. It was perhaps because of this that he knew the name of every single member of his estate''s staff and was quick to thank one of the maids who came over to fill his cup of coffee, after she witnessed it was getting close to being empty.


    "Thank you, Frieda...."


    Bruno was not what one would call a morning person, and often required at least three cups of coffee before he could be fully functional for the day. It was perhaps because of this that the young maid always kept a close eye on his cup, ensuring that he had the amount of coffee he needed, when he needed it, not a moment earlier, nor a moment toote.


    It was indeed a rare talent, one that Bruno greatly appreciated, even if he was too groggy to properly express his thanks. Perhaps it was because the man sounded so tired as he yawned before taking another sip from his cup, that the maid simply responded in a way that dismissed his appreciation altogether.


    "It is nothing that requires such gratitude your highness, I was simply doing as I am paid to do..."


    Bruno, however, frowned when he heard this. Not because he was particrly insulted, but because he felt the woman''s own humble attitude was a bit too self-loathing. Though her abilities to perform as a maid were exceptional, and she was paid her worth. The woman was always too hard on herself. Perfectionists were often this way when they felt they did not live up to the standards which they had imposed upon themselves.


    Because of this, Bruno was quick to correct the woman. Even if he was exhausted, he felt she needed to be easier on herself, especially if she was going tost a long time at this job. Which is exactly what he desired.


    "Not everything needs to be perfect, youngdy. You have a bad habit of looking down on your own exemry skills. Frankly speaking, your skills are second only to perhaps the head maid in this house. And if you think to the contrary, perhaps I should lower your pay ording to an amount appropriate for your own assessment of your self-worth.


    Besides, I have told you a thousand times by now, please don''t refer to me by my honorifics, I freaking hate that... If you can''t call me by my name, then call me sir, or simply Mr. von Zehntner, okay?"


    Freida''s eyes bulged open when she heard this. Not because she actually believed Bruno would dock her pay, but because the man was subtly saying that if he didn''t believe in her performance, he wouldn''t be paying her the amount he did. And because of this, she quickly bowed her head and thanked the man.


    All the while Heidi entered the room, having overseen the cooking staff''s preparation of today''s breakfast like the proper tyrant she was.


    "Thank you, your... I mean, sir... I appreciate your kindness!"


    The woman looked up at Bruno''s satisfied smile, only with her eyes, before quickly looking back at the floor, blushing as she did so. That is until Heidi yelled at her, to go off and help one of her fellow maids with theundry for the day.


    "That will be all Freida. Breakfast has been prepared, and my husband has had enough coffee this morning. You can go help Bertha with theundry if you have nothing else to do."


    Heidi''s words weren''t exactly meant to be stern towards the young maid. Even if the girl was slightly crushing on Bruno, they were actually meant for Bruno, who without her interference would drink nothing but coffee and beer. Something which was deeply unhealthy for the man.


    And because of this, Bruno sighed and shook his head as he sipped on the current ss he was drinking. All the while Freida fled the scene. Heidi, however, took her seat across from her husband, and looked at him with a loving smile. Commenting on how happy she was with the way he treated their staff, even if it was with her usual snark. "My oh my... If word gets out that the Red Scourge is so kind to his employees, your enemies may not fear you anymore... What will the great Generaloberst do then?" Bruno could help but smile at his wife''s words, which he knew were filled with love and warmth, despite what she had said. He decided to y along, with his own denial of the usations of him being a monster.


    "Contrary tomon belief, I''m not a demon, or a wild animal, wearing the flesh of a man. I''m only unkind to those who provoke me, or those who deserve it. If themunists had their way, girls like her would be selling their bodies on the street for


    a loaf of bread.


    That is, of course, assuming she had not already starved to death... Even if she did manage tond a proper job as a maid, she would not be paid her worth. And to me, that is a far more monstrous crime than anything I have ever done!" Heidi continued to smile at Bruno while her face rested in her hands. All the while, her children ignored their parents'' subtle flirting via unorthodox methods, instead they ate their meals with gusto. Heidi couldn''t help but dig into her own te, whileplimenting the man on not being a monster like some of the people he hung out with.


    "Yes, yes... We all know how much you hate the Marxists. Now finish your meal, love. It will give you the necessary strength to get through the work you have to do today!"


    Bruno ultimately would not argue with his wife and would indeed finish his meal before getting ready for the day''s work. After which he would return home and spend the evening with his family, much how he always did during such peaceful times. And though he wished such days wouldst forever, Bruno was all too aware of the storm clouds gathering in the distance, which would soon approach the borders of the Reich. And when they did, hell woulde with them.

 Chapter 156 A Visit To Romania

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    156 A Visit To Romania


    Romania was a nation whose contributions to the Great War in Bruno''s past life were less than significant. In fact, what it was most well known for was losing about one tenth of its poption during the entire conflict.


    By the time they entered the war in 1916, Romania had a poption of roughly 7 million, and by the time the Armistice of Foc?ani was signed roughly a yearter, over 700,000 soldiers and civilians had died due to causes rted to the war.


    It was an unmitigated disaster for the Romanians who had entered the war on behalf of the Allied Powers for the sake of seizing manynds that belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary as part of their ambitions to untie "Greater Romania."


    Of course, the victory the Central Powers gained over the Kingdom of Romania in 1917, much like the one they gained over the Russian Empire that same year was nullified when the war finally ended in the Allied Powers favor a year after these treaties were signed.


    Frankly speaking, if the Kingdom of Romania was not currently one of the world''srgest producers of oil, and if it didn''t lie on the eastern borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then Bruno would have no interest in the region.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But... Bruno had already made substantial investments into Romania oil infrastructure as far back as 1901 when he came home from the war in the far east, and found himself with arge fortune which his family paid him for the patents of his more modern weaponry.


    He was, of course, not the only one, with wealthy investors from the United States, Great Britain, and the Nethendspeting for these shares. And Bruno had ultimately walked away with the smallest number of these shares whenpared to hispetitors because his wealth at the time was not as vast as it was today. However, currently the German Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Russian Empire were investing heavily into their nations infrastructure, and Bruno''s construction corporations that he either owned directly, or had substantial portions of ownership in indirectly, were reaping the benefits of these projects.


    Because of this, Bruno wanted to connect the Romanian oil fields he had invested in to this transportationwork that was being established. However, there were several problems with this.


    For starters, Bruno''s influence over the Kingdom was purely as a foreign investor into their oil industry. He had no close ties to the Romanian Royal Family like he did to the three great powers.


    While the family which ruled as kings in Romania were in fact a distant branch of the House of Hohenzollern, of which the German Kaiser was a member of. Bruno could at most ask Wilhem for an introduction. Relying on him for anything rted to his ambitions was entirely out of the question.


    In addition to this, Romania and Ilungary''s disputes were unreconcble, unlike the Russian and Austro-Hungarian Empires whose disputes were over potential colonies in the Balkans. The dispute between Hungary and Romania was one of blood and soil. Both imed historical and ethnic ties to the disputed regions which were currently under the rule of the House of Habsburg, and such disputes were seldom solved diplomatically. Let alone when the potential to im them via conquest was on the horizon.


    Convincing the Romanian King to join with the Austro-Hungarians against the Allied Powers, when their whole purpose to fight such a war was to gain disputed territory from the Austro-Hungarians was a diplomatic maneuver which Bruno was not even remotely capable of performing.


    In fact, Bruno doubted anyone could convince the two monarchs to agree to such a thing, as it would rely on heavy concessions, and for what? ess to oil? This was especially absurd when one realized that Russia and Austro-Hungary themselves were already two of three nations in the world which currently had arger oil production capacity than Romania.


    Why should Austro-Hungary give up theirnds in Romania in exchange for ess to oil, when they already out manufactured Romania in terms of oil production? It did not make logical sense, nor did Bruno even really agree with such a concession which would be required to mend the two nations.


    Even so, it was always better to have fewer enemies than more, and with it looking like the Allied Powers would initially consist of the nations of Great Britain, France, Italy, and Serbia. Adding Romania to the list, even if they were only capable of mustering around 700,000 men, was less than ideal.


    Could Romania be taken out very early on in the war? And their oil assets being seized by Austro-Hungary as the result of a heavily punitive treaty? Most certainly, in fact if they did join the war immediately in this timeline, rather than wait two years, Bruno estimated it would take less than a year for him to sweep through both Serbia and Romania, assuming he was of course givenmand over such a theater.


    But then again, excessively punitive treaties was ultimately what caused the second world war to begin in Bruno''s past life. The result of which was what Bruno considered to be the destruction of Western Civilization as a whole.


    It was with all of this in mind that Bruno petitioned for a week off from his duties at the Central Division of the German Army''s High Command for the sake of visiting Romania. In doing so, he also made a personal request of the Kaiser to reach out to his distant rtives and negotiate with them on his behalf to allow for a proper introduction.


    Unsurprisingly, the Kaiser agreed to this request. He had long since begun to trust Bruno''s judgement. Especially when it came to making preparations for the eventual Great European War, which with each passing day was starting to be a more and more realistic possibility.


    And since Bruno was expressing interest in Romania''s oil fields, as well as already had substantial investments within them, it made sense to Wilhelm to at least do the bare minimum in setting up a meeting between the Romanian King and Bruno.


    Hence why Bruno was now sitting on a train headed to Bucharest. If Bruno was being perfectly honest, he had never actually been through the Hungarian portion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During his previous visits, he had only ever passed through the Austrian Crownds.


    But whether it was in this life, or his past one, long after the Empire had faded into the annals of history. Bruno had never stepped foot into Hungary.


    While Austria was a German state that, for political reasons had never unified with the German Reich, Hungary and the other regions of the Empire were distinctively different. Both in terms of culture and heritage, which was evident by the very architecture which was on disy in the region.


    For those who were uninitiated when it came to the beauty and diversity of European architecture, they may look at the many beautiful chapels, pces, and other grand buildings which stood proudly among the Hungarianndscape, and assume they were no different from the Austrian portion of the Empire.


    But they would be wrong. There were some simr styles due to the proximity which Hungary had with Germany. But there were also both subtle and overt differences even from the styles that were simr to those in Austria.


    There were even a few Ottoman style buildings spread throughout southwest Hungary and Transylvania, which had been constructed during a brief era of the Turkish upation. In this regard, Hungary was perhaps one of a handful of nations in Europe. where old Imic architecture still stood.


    Especially when one considered the fact that most of the European nations who had been subjected to such a dark history had torn down the structures built by the invaders after gaining their impendence. As wasmon in anynd upied by a foreign aggressor.


    Either way, Bruno never found himself bored while he was travelling through Europe. Many of these buildings, beautiful and magnificent as they were, would not survive the 20th century, or at least had not done so in his past life.


    Some were rebuilt, but there was a bit of sadness in witnessing a restoration. As one


    never knew whether it was truly faithful to the original or not. But many others were lost to history, only seen in photographs and paintings that had been made in the era which preceded their ruin.


    And it was perhaps because he could enjoy gazing upon the glory of pre-war Europe, even those nations outside boundaries of the fathend, that Bruno was in a rather exceptional mood upon finally stepping foot in the city of Bucharest, where he immediately stuck out as a foreigner.


    Luckily for Bruno he was well versed in a variety ofnguages. Having spent his childhood mastering them to a level of proficiency that only a native speaker would normally be able to pronounce. Asnguage was a valuable tool, especially in a time of war. Which was ultimately what Bruno had been preparing for ever since he first reincarnated into this life.


    Hence, despite his distinctly foreign appearance, Bruno was able to get along well enough with the locals as he prepared for his stay in Bucharest. Where he was eventually led to the Royal Pce to be greeted by King Carol I and his wife.

 Chapter 157: Meeting With the King of Romania

    Chapter 157: Meeting With the King of Romania


    ?


    Romania was an interesting ce to visit. Bruno had never really been to this part of Europe in his past life, or in this one, for that matter. Hell, despite being rtively close to Germany, all things considered, he was actually more acquainted with East Asia nations than he was with Romania.


    Even so, he knew thenguage and had a general understanding of their history, and because of this, he was perhaps one of the better foreign visitors in terms of mingling with the locals. Of course, he did not spend long doing so, at least with themoner ss, because upon exiting the railway station, Bruno was greeted by members of the Romanian royal family who intended to escort him to their royal pce.


    Bruno sat rather silently in the back of the exported German automobile that the Romanian royal family used for their own transportation around Bucharest and for the transportation of guests. Daimler and Benz had, after all, revolutionized luxury transit entirely due to Bruno''s interference.


    Automobiles that would normally not be produced until the 1930s of this life were all the rage in the German Reich, and naturally, if one was wealthy, they would want such an advanced vehicle for themselves.


    For example, the primary model that thepany sold to the world''s elite was the Daimler & Benz 770 Grand Mercedes. It was a beautiful and elegant car, meant for an aristocratic market. And naturally, the Romanian King Carol had used his loose family ties to the Kaiser to get his hands on one when the supply for these vehicles did not meet their excessive demand.


    And though Bruno didn''t realize it, the Kaiser used this fact while negotiating for Bruno to receive a proper introduction to the Romanian royal family. After all, Bruno was thergest shareholder in Daimler & Benz and had been the one who orchestrated both their merging and the introduction of this exquisite and advanced automobile to the market.


    Upon learning this fact, the King of Romania was exceptionally eager to meet with Bruno, even more so when he learned afterwards of Bruno''s already substantial investment in the Romanian oil industry.


    Bruno wasn''t just a powerful Generaloberst in the German military, but he was a wealthy industrialist from a family who had significant ties to German politics and had gained the status of a Russian prince. To put it simply, he was a figure that the Romanian king was all too eager to meet with, even if Bruno still had a tendency to underestimate his own status in this world.


    It was perhaps because of this that Bruno was so surprised when he finally stood in front of the King of Romania, who himself was acting as if Bruno was a figure well above him in status. Eagerly shaking his hand, he introduced himself and his wife to this foreign guest.


    "Prince Zehntner, I must say it is a great honor to finally meet you in person. I have heard a great deal about you. Your feats on the battlefield are quite renowned, even here in my humble kingdom. But I was indeed surprised when I learned that your industrial interests are even grander in scale."


    Bruno did not frown when he heard the way the King referred to him. They were strangers and men of supreme status. Though his title in Russia wasndless, as governing fiefs werergely a thing of the distant past, it was still a premier noble title, and he had used it correctly.


    Using the honorific "von" in his family''s surname would be incorrect, as that was a German thing that did not carry over into Russian society. Rather, his Russian princely house was simply known as House Zehntner.


    Interestingly enough, as far back as the 18th century, distant rtives of Bruno had actually migrated to Russia under a call from Catherine the Great, who herself was born a German princess from Pomerania. She enticed many German settlers to various regions of the Russian Empire to settle and work thend as farmers.


    This was before Bruno''s family gained their status as nobles within Prussia, and because of this, there were quite a few families running around ofmoner status within the Russian Empire who shared his name, albeit not his noble status.


    In fact, there were probably more "Zehntners" in Russia than there were in Germany at this point in time, as it was a rather rare surname within the German Reich. Even while knowing this, Bruno''s march through the Volga region, where many of these distant rtives were settled, was no less ruthless in his pursuit of the Red Army.


    Of course, Bruno was not exactly surprised that the Romanian King, Carol I, had done a deep dive into his background, if not simply for security measures. Because of this, he responded with the appropriate amount of respect due to a foreign monarch.


    "You honor me, Your Majesty. I am but a humble prince, while you are a king. To speak to me in such grandiose ways speaks volumes about the respect you have for me and my aplishments. I can only hope to return to such gracious behavior. Please, allow me to present you with these humble gifts. Frankly speaking, I would have prepared a much grander gift had I been able to transport it across international lines, but I''m afraid it is still traversing by the sea, and thus you will have to wait a bit longer."


    Bruno then opened his briefcase, which included some exceptional jewelry that he handed over to the King''s security to be properly examined. The gifts were meant for both King Carol I and his wife, Queen Elisabeth.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The two had only one child, a young daughter who had died at the age of three. Unfortunately, because of that, they had no children through which Bruno could establish ties to via friendships that would allow him to manipte Romanian affairs in the future.


    Instead, the King''s nephew Ferdinand would eventually seed him when he finally died in October 1914, a few months after the Great War began. That was, of course, assuming things went ording to Bruno''s previous life timeline.


    Hence, why Bruno was actually eager to meet with Ferdinand and not Carol, as it would be he who would dictate Romania''s entry into the war. Even so, establishing ties to the kings of Romania now was better than doing soter, and because of this, Bruno and Carol continued to exchange pleasantries as the man invited his guest further into his home.

 Chapter 158: Unintentional Intimidation

    Chapter 158: Unintentional Intimidation


    ?


    As was onlymon courtesy, Bruno was given a full tour of the Romanian King''s estate, as well as a lengthy, albeit interesting, exnation of his family''s history. The Kingdom of Romania was young, established as a kingdom as far back as 1881. But the family''s house was naturally much older, being the Swabian Branch of the House of Hohenzollern, which now ruled over the German Reich.


    Many people in his ce might find such a lecture to be a dull affair, but not Bruno; he was quite an avid enjoyer of history. And naturally, such ancient houses possessed knowledge that one might say was more difficult to dig up through conventional means, either in this life or in his past life.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Either way, Bruno had more or less proved his interest to the Romanian King, both in terms of his family''s history and his attempts to establish proper ties to them. Bruno was, after all, rather charming when he could bepelled to socialize.


    By the time dinner came around, and the rest of the Royal Family gathered, Bruno had thoroughly convinced the Romanian King to treat him as if he were an old family friend, rather than, in reality, where this was their first time meeting.


    Even the Romanian King''s wife, Elisabeth, hadmented during dinner how Bruno was "exemry of what a perfect gentleman should be," to which Bruno simply replied, "My wife would be happy to hear it."


    A slight jest that caused several members of the Romanian Royal Family tough. If Bruno were being honest, thesest few months, ever since he realized he was starting to be antisocial when visiting the German Kaiser and his family, he had started to take extra steps to re-socialize himself with the world, especially the aristocratic ss.


    Thus, even though he had forced himself to wear a smile and do things right, rather than use any of his usual dark humor around these men and women who were not ustomed to the humor often found amongbat veterans like himself.


    Ultimately, a topic that caused the jovial nature of the conversation toe to a bitter and abrupt end was not broached by Bruno himself this time around, but rather by Ferdinand, whom Bruno had been trying to get the attention of all night. The man bluntly approached a subject Bruno was all too familiar with.


    "There is a rumor that a Great European War ising, one that has the potential to engulf all the Great Powers. I''m curious about what the General from the German Reich thinks about this matter. Surely you have made some preparations in this regard, have you not?"


    Carol eyed his nephew with a disapproving gaze, not only because it sounded like the man was trying to coerce ssified information from their guest under the guise of friendship, but also because it was something the aging King had decided was inappropriate to discuss under the current conditions.


    Even so, before the man could properly rebuke his nephew for his "poor manners," Bruno chuckled and answered the question, nheless.


    "Do you want my honest answer? Or do you wish for me to merely assuage your fears with empty titudes?"


    Frankly speaking, Ferdinand had not necessarily expected Bruno to answer with such a response. And while the current King of Romania may not be interested in the subject, as the designated heir to the throne, with his father Leopold having abdicated himself from the line of session in favor of his children, Ferdinand was all too obsessed with the very real possibility, and thus there was an audible gulp among the dreadful silence that prevailed in the room before he asked Bruno for the honest truth.


    "Your honest opinion on the matter would be most appreciated."


    Bruno did not immediately respond; rather, when he heard the Romanian Prince, who would one day seed his uncle, ask for the truth, the joyful mask he wore to entertain these noble men and women suddenly cracked into a million pieces, only to shatter in the next second to reveal the dreadful, chilling expression Bruno was so renowned for.


    He took arge gulp from his winess, ensuring that there was nothing left of his beverage before responding to the question asked of him in the bluntest way possible.


    "From my perspective, war between the Great European Powers is neither a matter of possibility nor probability. Rather, it is an absolute certainty. And this conclusion has already been reached by many of the world''s leaders.


    Fortifications across the world are being built in preparation for this future conflict, armies are being raised, weapons are being manufactured on a scale never before seen in human history. And alliances have already begun to be established between the world''s greatest powers.


    Though we don''t speak of it in the open, as we all wish for this peace, we now take advantage of it tost as long as possible, soon the world-not just Europe-will be drenched in blood. Tens of millions will die, and in the end, whatever peace can be established among the ruins of the old world will most certainly result in a second and more devastating conflict within the decades that follow it.


    Few know this truth I am about to speak, but if I am being one hundred percent honest, I calcted the outbreak of this war as a matter of inevitability as far back as my adolescence. It was the primary reason for me initially joining the German Army and continues to be a driving force that propels me to achieve the greatest heights imaginable in my choice of profession.


    Naturally, we are not the only ones preparing for this war; our future enemies do so as well. And if I could give you all some advice on the matter, I would assure you that it would be best for your house and for Romania as a whole to stay out of the conflict altogether. But that is ultimately a choice you will have to make when the time to take up arms has finally arrived... So, until that day finallyes for us all, how about we not focus on such dreadful topics and instead enjoy the peaceful years we have to look forward to..."


    Utter silence remained throughout the feast, as ring eyes were cast towards Ferdinand for souring the mood with such a grim topic. Even the man who had brought up this topic for conversation felt almost sick to his stomach upon hearing Bruno''s assessment and seeing the indifference in his eyes as he mentioned the potential outbreak of a global war and the destruction such a horrific conflict would cause.


    He understood now why so many people spoke of Bruno behind his back as if he were some kind of monster wearing the flesh of a man. For what kind of human being could entertain such a subject and assert it was a matter of certainty for the future of the human race and yet act as if he could not bepelled to care about it?


    Perhaps Bruno''s brutal honesty had an exaggerated effect on the Romanian Royal Family, one which he did not originally intend to have. Though they did not treat him any less friendly, there was indeed a sense of intimidation that Bruno could sense among them.


    One that might end up working in his favor. Because what kind of madman or monumental fool would dere war, knowing that they had the potential to face such a monster in


    combat?


    And though as the years passed by, Bruno would continue building his friendship with the Romanian Royal Family under the goal of preventing their entry into the uing Great War, the reality was that Bruno had single-handedly achieved this end here in this discussion, something he would not have had the possibility to do so early on had Ferdinand kept his mouth shut about such a sensitive topic.

 Chapter 159: Meeting With a Legendary Genius

    Chapter 159: Meeting With a Legendary Genius


    ?


    Bruno returned to the German Reich shortly after his visit to the Kingdom of Romania, but he did not spend long there. He, after all, had other business to attend to across the Antic. While Bruno had long since been investing in a variety of businesses across thend, he had also personally sponsored many inventors.


    One of whom he desperately wanted to fund was a true visionary, a man who, after his death and until the 1990s, went into a state of rtive obscurity despite his contributions, which helped build the foundation of the modern world.


    For years, Bruno had been trying to acquire the Serbian American''s talents, but the man had eluded his attempts to do so, relying on the likes of American elites to fund his projects. By now, that money was starting to dry up, and Bruno saw this as an excellent opportunity to snatch the exceptional talent for his own ambitions.


    Because of this, Bruno had finally decided to set sail across the Antic to Manhattan in an attempt to meet with the man in person and hopefully convince him to immigrate for a second time in his life, this time from the United States of America to the German Reich.


    It was a tall task, but one Bruno was attempting, nheless. As he wholeheartedly believed, giving Nik Te the funds he needed to bring his many designs to life would be an ultimate benefit to mankind in the long run.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Frankly speaking, Te was relying mostly on money from his patents at the moment, but those patents would be vited and infringed upon by U.S. corporations when the war broke out, and by the end of the war, he would be effectively bankrupt¡ªor at least most certainly so in the years following itspletion.


    Bruno wanted to prevent this tragedy to scientific achievement from urring by bringing Nik Te back to the German Reich and giving him damn near unlimited funding in his pursuits. Hence, after a mere five days on board an ocean liner, Bruno arrived in the United States of America.


    Because Bruno was of German stock and spoke damn near perfect English, he blended in quite well with the American poption, walking through its streets and taking in the sights of the sleeping giant and its current progress as he made his way towards his ultimate goal: meeting with Nik Te in one of his current offices based out of Manhattan.


    Frankly speaking, when Bruno arrived at his ultimate destination, he was not the least bit surprised to find that Nik Te was not the least bit pleased to see him. Bruno had been trying for years to get a meeting with the man, and for whatever reason, Te had kept eluding him.


    Ultimately, Bruno had to finally petition for a meeting under a false identity to finally speak with Nik Te, and in doing so, he had, of course, perturbed the man he was trying to coerce. Nevertheless, Bruno had a shameless smile as he introduced himself to a legendary scientist and engineer from his past life.


    "You are a very difficult man to get a meeting with. But I''m afraid you can''t elude me any longer. Allow me to properly introduce myself. The name is Bruno von Zehntner. Though judging by the expression on your face, you already know who I am. I honestly have to admit, it behooves me why you would y so hard to get, but it is an honor to finally meet your acquaintance, Mr. Te..."


    The look that Te gave Bruno when he sighed and finally epted defeat was like an old rival who had long since been ten steps ahead of his opponent, only to find this adversary waiting for him at the finish line. Needless to say, when he finally spoke to Bruno, there was a hint of exasperation in his voice.


    "You are quite literally the most dedicated pursuer I have ever had in my life.... I have to say, I am almost starting to think that you might fancy me..."


    Bruno simply chuckled at this remark before rejecting the premise entirely.


    "Oh, I assure you I am quite happily married, my friend. It is not your heart that I desire, but your mind. Few men appreciate your genius, but me, I admire it. If you had just given me the chance of day to speak with you, I would have told you that your financial problems havee to an end.


    Isn''t that the purpose of renting these offices? To gain investment in your future projects? I am willing to fund whatever project you are passionate about without expectation of returns. I have more than enough money to do so, after all..."


    Nik Te was indeed surprised to hear this, but like everything in life, he expected there to be some kind of catch. I mean, nobody in this world would throw money away at a pile of unproven and frankly far-fetched ideas without expecting some kind of return.


    In fact, one of the reasons he was having such trouble finding investors was because they were all concerned about the financial return of their investments. Because of this, the man quickly narrowed his eyes and demanded the truth of why Bruno was making such an absurd offer.


    "What exactly is your aim? You havee all this way across the Antic after years of pestering me for a meeting. And your first offer is unlimited financing towards whatever pursuit I am passionate about? What are you really after?"


    Naturally, Bruno was aware of the man''s skepticism. Hell, if someone offered to throw an unlimited pile of money at him to finance his goals in life, he would also be skeptical. And because of this, Bruno dropped his friendly fa?ade and was immediately blunt with the man. "Everything I have said to you is true. I admire your intellect; few men in history are as brilliant as you are, and even fewer as underappreciated as you are. But even so, I wouldn''t exactly be telling the whole truth if I denied that I had ulterior motives. And you and I both know that you can easily tell this. So, allow me to be blunt with you.


    I want to secure your genius as an asset to the German Reich. I want you to immigrate to Germany, where you choose to live, and where you build your base of operations is of no concern to me. Hell, even if your ideals turn out to be abject failures, I really don''t care.


    But I believe acquiring your genius will be an overall benefit for my people. And to me, the interests of the German Reich are worth the expense, even if I may personally never recover my investment into your scientific pursuits."


    Nik Te was still skeptical, as he was quick to interrogate Bruno about what he said.


    "You care so much about your fellow man that you would be willing to take such a financial risk merely for the potential of a brighter future for humanity?"


    Bruno was quick to deny this while rifying what he really meant in a way that finally


    convinced Te that he was being wholly honest in his assertions.


    "My fellow man? God, no! I could not bepelled to care about the lives of the overwhelming majority of human beings on this. I am neither a saint nor an angel. But for my fellow Germans? Absolutely.


    Besides, my wealth is both vast and diverse enough that even if I threw money at you for the rest of your life, resulting in nothing but failures, I would still be secure enough to live the


    same life I am now.


    So what do you say? Will youe back with me to Germany, where together we can build a brighter future? Or will you stay here in America and be bankrupt when the war finally breaks out, and the Americans shamelessly infringe on the patents you have already filed in


    Europe?"


    This was a future that was indeed bound to happen. Americans would infringe on multiple patents during the war. But the end result was that they would be forced to paypensation


    after it was over.


    And while patent infringement during a time of war was something the United States was willing to engage in, Bruno had no doubt they wouldn''t dare seize his assets in the country, which included his stock shares in major American corporations.


    Because if they did so, there would be hell to pay for after the war was over. This, of course, was all contingent on the idea that America entered the war on behalf of the Allies in the first ce, which Bruno hoped he would be able to prevent altogether.


    Either way, his words gave Nik Te much to fear, as he would effectively be bankrupt if such a thing were to transpire. And because of this, he was quick to give Bruno a response, albeit not the one he was hoping for, yet the one he still expected.


    "Can you give me some time to consider your offer?"


    Having already anticipated this would be the oue, Bruno was quick to agree to it, cing faith in the genius, and that he would choose what was ultimately best for himself, the


    German Reich, and by extension, the world altogether.


    "Of course, take as much time as you need. I am in no hurry. This offer is indefinite; you could approach me in twenty years, and I would still dly help you out. Oh, and I forgot to mention, I have no intention of interfering with your projects or any corporation you might


    build with my investment.


    You are free to use my money however you wish, in case you were perhaps worried that I might try to micromanage you. Or, God forbid, suppress your genius. So do with that information what you will. I look forward to hearing from you in the future, Mr. Te. Until


    we meet again..."


    After saying this, Bruno stood up and left Te''s office, leaving the man with much to think about. Whether or not he would actually take up Bruno on his offer had yet to be seen, but Bruno was certain that he would. Even if it took him another twenty years to do so.

 Chapter 160: Creating the Deutsche Luftstreitkr?fte

    Chapter 160: Creating the Deutsche Luftstreitkr?fte


    ?


    Bruno spent another five days at sea after meeting with Nik Te before eventually returning home. Frankly speaking, he did not want to go to work the next day. But then again, he seldom got to choose his own hours.


    Duty and service were things that truly ended only with one''s death. One always had a responsibility to their family,munity, fathend, monarch, and God. To shirk these obligations for the sake of rest was a sign of sloth.


    Such was one of the seven deadly sins. Reasonably so, asziness and its temptations had been the ruin of many a great man. Even worse, it was often a gateway to one''s personal destruction, both in terms of their immortal soul and physical being.


    It was perhaps because of this that Bruno, despite being exhausted from the visit, made sure to spend some appropriate time with his wife and children, all of whom he loved very much, before eventually retiring for the evening at an appropriate hour.


    The next morning, he was up bright and early at the crack of dawn. Was he as well-rested as he could reasonably be? No, not in the slightest. In fact, some form of minor fatigue lingered within his system until being reced by a healthy dose of coffee. Bruno then kissed his pregnant wife on the cheek before heading back to the office.


    Upon arriving at the Central Division of the German Army''s highmand, Bruno found himself at his desk before something peculiar popped up in front of him. One of his superiors, a Field Marshal whom Bruno both deeply respected and directly answered to, dropped a folder in front of him, speaking with a peculiar grin on his face.


    As a legendary "Death''s Head Hussar," August von Mackensen was perhaps what one would call a man exemry of the cavalry spirit-riding through guns zing on horseback into the fray, while wholly obsolete. It was a tradition of warfare that dated back thousands of years.


    Germanic cavalry was known to have yed a critical role in Rome''s utter humiliation at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD.


    A battle so ingrained in German heritage that a statue of Arminius, otherwise known as Herman the German, was erected in 1875 as amemoration of their victory over the Romans. This battle ensured that the Germanic peoples were never fully Romanized, or even primarily so.


    Only a small portion of Germania was ever conquered and settled by the Romans, which was reimed by the various Barbarian Kingdoms after the fall of Rome in 476 AD, and to some extent preceding it.


    Perhaps because of this proud and ancient lineage of which Generalfeldmarschall von Mackensen had partaken during the early stages of his career, he had been most aggrieved by Bruno''s insistence that the era of cavalry hade to an end.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Initially, he had resisted the attempts to disband the overwhelming majority of cavalry units, relegating what little remained of them to the positions of scouts and forward observers. That is, until he witnessed the destructive nature of the new generation of warfare first-hand with the introduction of modern weaponry among the German Army over the course of thest few years.


    The MG-34 alone made cavalry a suicidal position, one that had zero advantage on the battlefield as abat unit. Then there was long-range artillery. While Bruno''s tanks and armored cars were stillrgely under development, needing a few more years to work out the kinks, one particr vehicle was entering its prototype staging.


    This vehicle made August von Mackensen feel almost as if he were a young cavalry officer again, and it was that which the folder he handed Bruno contained information about.


    Thus, with a wide smirk on his face, the aging Field Marshal patted Bruno on the back and told him what he thought about the man.


    "You know, boy, I have been awfully sore about you destroying the role of cavalry in the Army... But had I known what you had been nning all along, I would have supported you to the fullest extent early on!"


    Bruno had more or less followed the course of history with the introduction of the He-51 bine. By that, I mean he decided to retrain the cavalry units to be the world''s firstbat aviators.


    This was essentially what the Germans had done in his past life once airnes entered service in the Great War, and the realization that cavalry was useless as abat profession in the modern era finally dawned upon the Great Powers.


    These powers had stubbornly denied this objective reality for the course of half a century after they were proven woefully obsolete in the Crimean War. With the He-51 entering its prototype phase, Bruno had recently, shortly before his visit to Romania and the United States, introduced a request to begin reorganizing cavalry units from horseback to airnes. The reorganization efforts were ssified to the highest extent under thebel of "das Projekt Azuruer Ritter" or, in English, "Project Azure Knight." This was a reference to the chivalrous tradition of cavalry units, whomonly saw themselves as the sessors to the Knights of old, as well as the blue tint of the sky in which they would fight on their new battlefield.


    After looking through the folder and seeing that his project was approved and that testing of the He-51, specifically the fighter/reconnaissance variant had begun, Bruno smirked and made a snarkyment to his current boss.


    "If you had more trust in me, like the Kaiser does, then perhaps you would have realized I always nned to have a recement for the cavalry. You can rest assured, as the Knights of the Sky, your legacy will live on in a new frontier. I wouldn''t just disband the cavalry and throw them into the infantry; that would be insulting!"


    August von Mackensen''s expression was priceless as he grimaced at Bruno''s words, stunned into silence for several seconds before walking off. But not before leaving behind a certain remark to Bruno about who he reminded him of.


    "You cunning little brat, you are just like your father!"


    As the legendary Field Marshal stormed off, Bruno chuckled while hollering after him, making ament that only further caused the man to seethe in silence.


    "I''ll take that as apliment!"


    After which, Bruno shook his head whileughing as he read over the details in the folder and the new work he had been assigned. Essentially, he was now tasked with creating the world''s first Air Force, which, much as it was known during his past life, wasbeled under the term "Deutsche Luftstreitkr?fte."

 Chapter 161: The First Knight of the Sky

    Chapter 161: The First Knight of the Sky


    ?


    It had been years since Bruno first introduced his designs for the concept of a functional tank. What Bruno had conceptualized was a rough draft. It was based upon his knowledge of tanks from his past life, crudely drawn blueprints of a theoretical tank based upon a design from the Second World War during his past life, and of course, his own current functional knowledge of mechanical engineering.


    The thing was that creating machine guns, semiautomatic rifles, submachine guns, and artillery pieces was a hell of a lot easier than making armored vehicles, warships, submarines, and airnes.


    While warships and submarines were theoretically easier for his naval engineers toprehend, as they more or less already understood such concepts, armored vehicles and warnes were brand new applications of warfare that nobody had really conceived until now, or at least had created a functional design.


    Bruno''s basic concepts were, of course, revolutionary in this design, as he had a hundred-plus years of developmental history stored away within his memory and thus had a preconceived notion of what worked and what didn''t.


    But the rest of the world would bepelled to find this out the hard way, as they had in his past life. Even so, everyponent of these warnes and armored vehicles was being designed from scratch. A semi-automatic 5cm gun, for example, was not something within the current German inventory.


    The term semi-automatic was misleading to those familiar with small arms but not artillery pieces. While a semiautomatic firearm meant that it fired with one function of the trigger and automatically ejected and loaded the next cartridge, it could not be fired if one continued to hold down the trigger, unlike automatic fire, or what wasmonly referred to as "fully automatic."


    Semi-automatic in terms of artillery and tank guns simply meant that upon firing the main gun of the armored vehicle, it would automatically eject the spent cartridge, where a new round would manually have to be loaded by the tank crew.


    This, in and of itself, was not exactly something currently employed by artillery and was seldom done so outside of anti-aircraft guns and armored vehicles. Even so, though Bruno may have given his engineers the basic principles behind its design and how it functioned, it was up to them to figure out how to make it a functional reality.


    The same overall process applied to pretty much everyponent of the two armored vehicles he had designed, as well as the airnes and warships. In addition to this, Bruno had also more or less done the same with the 3 1/2 ton trucks he was producing for transportation of men from the rear echelons to the front line, as well as equipment.


    As a result, some of these things took longer to produce than others. It had been years since Bruno introduced the concept of the He-51 to his engineers, and even longer for the armored vehicles. Even now, the aircraft was the one with the first functional prototype, as it actually required fewer mechanical pieces to properly function.


    Its weapons were simply machine guns embedded into the fusge and rigged up with a fire control system. As a result, Bruno was now looking at the first functional prototype of the He- 51, which looked more or less like the final product from his previous life.


    Albeit without a proper coat of paint on it, Bruno intended to, of course, introduce aviation camouge, as well as camouge to his armored vehicles. It would be foolish not to do such a thing, considering the vast advantages it would give himpared to his opponents. For example, Bruno intended toter introduce the Germante-war "Intruder" camouge pattern for his aircraft, which saw service from 1944 onward during the Second World War of his past life. A pattern that proved to do its job quite well, all things considered.


    Whereas for armored vehicles, he nned to introduce the "Ambush" pattern, which saw its adoption the same year. But right now, he saw a shiny aluminum fusge sitting in his hangar bay, on the airbase he had personally constructed for testing this ne.


    Standing in front of him was a young cavalry officer who had volunteered to be the first test pilot. He had received extensive instruction on how to properly fly the ne. He was currently dressed in an experimental pilot uniform based upon designs used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War of Bruno''s past life.


    Albeit instead of the blue color which the Luftwaffe was renowned for, it had the standard Feldgrau of the Imperial German Army because at the end of the day, the Luftstreitkr?fte was not a separate branch, but rather an extension of the German Army.


    After all, it was only under theoretical construction at the moment, and it would be years before it grew to such an extent in size and scale that it required to operate as an independent branch of the Imperial German Military.


    Bruno, as well as several other generals of the German Army, had gathered to witness this test flight of the world''s firstbat aircraft. This entire event was ssified, and because of that, Bruno had established the airbase way out in the countryside.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    He had also ensured proper security was in ce within a reasonable distance so that any attempt to observe or record the test flight would ultimately be in vain. Bruno saluted the cavalry officer, whose courage allowed him to test a highly theoretical, prototype aircraft of which nobody knew whether or not it would actually seed or, God forbid, crash and burn.


    Either way, Bruno''s words were an encouragement to the man and acted asmendation to his bravery and courage for volunteering for a position most would never consider, even if they were promised immense wealth in return.


    "Lieutenant, I must say that you have shown exceptional bravery here today. Few men have what it takes to climb into that cockpit and test this experimental aircraft, which is well above and beyond the designs that the world has seen so far.


    I don''t need to tell you the immense risk you are taking, as you are already all too aware. But nevertheless, you have my utmost respect and gratitude for the undertaking you are about to be a part of. All I can really say is godspeed, my friend!"


    His speech was short and to the point; after all, he did not want to give the man undue confidence that may result in him making a mistake that he otherwise would not make. Something that, while piloting an experimental aircraft, could easily cost him his life. Because of this, he saluted the man, who, after returning it, climbed into the cockpit of the He-51 prototype, where he ignited the engine and prepared for takeoff. Bruno quickly returned to the observation post, where the other generals were.


    They silently nodded to one another in recognition while staring unblinkingly at the airstrip where the experimental aircraft sat. Nobody said a word, as the atmosphere was far too dreadful. The anxiety was enough to cause a lesser man to break down as they silently said their prayers for the test''s sess.


    Both for the sake of the brave man who had volunteered for this monumental undertaking, as well as for the future of the German military. In the end, after several minutes of unimaginable dread, the ne took to the skies, where cheers erupted both from the generals who had gathered to witness this asion, as well as the crew and engineers who worked on


    the ne.


    The lieutenant performed a basic flight pattern around the airbase while giving a salute to the generals as he passed by their air traffic control tower, before eventuallynding the ne safely. The first flight test of the He-51 had proven to be an enormous sess.


    And when the Kaiser heard of this, he was so excited and impressed by this news that he gave the lieutenant a non-hereditary knighthood, referring to him in private circles as the "First


    Knight of the Sky."

 Chapter 162: Ongoing Developments in the Land of the Rising Sun

    Chapter 162: Ongoing Developments in the Land of the Rising Sun


    ?


    Though the League of the Four Emperors had been established, primarily as a result of Bruno''s actions in this life, some of its members were closer than others. For example, Germany and Russia were on exceptional terms at the moment.


    Not only were the Kaiser, and the Tsar rted, but ever since Bruno had single-handedly caused the Russian Revolution to ur and also saved the House of Romanov, as well as the entirety of the Russian Empire, from the Bolshevik menace, the Tsar had begun doing everything he could to get on the good side of Germany.


    Currently, there were not only joint military exercises being held between the two countries, but there were also joint infrastructure projects being built. Not only were the railways being renovated and improved upon for the use of heavy armored trains, as well as the high-speed trains of the future, but even the road systems were being overhauled to facilitate transit via automobile traffic.


    Granted, Bruno had no ns to make cars and trucks the primary form of transportation for the German Reich, as public transportation methods such as trains, subways, and buses were far more ideal for the German environment.


    But at the same time, the use of personal vehicles for transportation was indeed something that was necessary, especially considering carrying cargo via aircraft was still decades away. Thus, the transportation of goods across the German Reich and its allies would be required to be carried via railway and highway.


    And while Austro-Hungary was also involved in this massive infrastructure initiative, of which the three Empires were primarily contracting Bruno''s businesses toplete the work, the Habsburgs and the Hohenzollerns were not ever likely to truly get along.


    Sure, Germany and Austro-Hungary were neighbors and allies. That was natural considering the nature of the world at the moment. But Germans had a tendency to hold grudges for a very long time; wars had been waged, assassinations had urred, and centuries of conflict between the two noble houses-who had spent countless resources trying to unite Germany under their banner in preceding centuries-was not exactly something that could be resolved in a single lifetime.


    Perhaps because there was ack of familial ties between the two houses, the Austro- Hungarians and the Germans were not as friendly at the moment as the Russians and Germans were. Even so, the rtionship was amicable and trustworthy enough not to fear any form of betrayal in the immediate future.


    The Empire of Japan, however, was a different story. Blood had been spilled between them and the Russians only recently, and unlike Bruno, who had redeemed himself in the eyes of the House of Romanov and the Russian people, Emperor Meiji was still seen in a bad light by the Tsar and his Empire.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    For starters, the Japanese were a foreign people from the Far East. And in this day of excessive nationalism and ethnic pride, it was not like they were regarded as equals to the European powers. To an extent, this sentiment could be considered urate.


    Over the course of thest few centuries, ever since the Age of Exploration began, the European powers spread to every jungle, every desert, and every inhospitable wastnd around the world and imed it as their own. Gaining victory after victory against anyone who resided where they nted their g.


    When it came to military prowess, only a European power could challenge another European power. This had been the way ever since the Europeans mastered the use of gunpowder. The only exception to this was Japan.


    Only recently had a European power been defeated, and that was the Russians, who had lost to the Japanese. They were at most considered upstarts who had beaten the "backwater" of Europe in the Far East by many of the European rulers and people.


    Thisck of willingness to treat the Japanese as equals, despite carving out their own sizable Empire on the other side of the world, had angered the Empire of Japan, especially its leadership.


    Sure, they were offered a ce in Germany''s new military alliance, something they were d to ept. But the distance between them and the German Reich, as well as all these other previous issues discussed, did not favor strengthening rtionships between the two powers beyond ideological simrities and economic necessity.


    Or I should say that would normally have been the case, but there was one distinctive factor that tied Germany to Japan in a way that nobody had anticipated. And that was Bruno. You see, Bruno had made a mark on Emperor Meiji; more specifically, he had impressed the man with his performance in Manchuria, as well as his insights into warfare.


    Even more so, Bruno offered Japan a grand gift that Emperor Meiji did not know how to repay. He had given them insight into the future of weaponry. Though he said a few words here and there regarding how machine guns would, by the very nature of their use, evolve in theing decades.


    Emperor Meiji had taken these words to heart and tasked his engineers withing up with something based upon the rmendations Bruno had made. The Japanese had a rather impressive ability to make domestic military equipment and had done so to a rather absurd extent in Bruno''s past life.


    What I mean by this is that pretty much every nation that was either not called the United States of America or was not a major European power simply purchased weapons from either of the two or licensed the domestic manufacture of weapons designed in those two regions. Japan was the most notable exception to this general rule of the era. While many of their weapons were loosely based upon those used in Europe at the time, they were very different in many ways. It was perhaps because of this that Japanese equipment had proven to be primarilycking whenpared with the weapons used by the Americans during the War in the Pacific.


    And it was also likely to be the reason they had a very different doctrine than the Western powers. While pretty much every nation of the war, other than Japan, fielded some kind of belt-fed machine gun, the Japanese relied on heavy machine guns loosely based upon the WWI-era French Hotchkiss, which used a rather inefficient rigid feed strip that was almost like a clip, but not necessarily.


    Because of this design, its ability to continuously feed without the need for reloading was diminished, to say the least, bringing down the practical rate of fire significantly.


    And while they were not using these heavy machine guns, they were using either BREN-like magazine-fed light machine guns or something called the Type 11 that had a bizarre feed design that made use of Arisaka stripper clips stacked on top of one another.


    Either way, like their armored vehicles, they had never really designed a machine gun properly suited for the war, which could exin why they ultimately lost to the Americans in pretty much everynd battle fought in the Pacific, outside of those waged very early on before the Americans could fully muster their wrath.


    Bruno had more or less changed this, resulting in a prototype belt-fed, air-cooled machine gun with a detachable barrel, chambered in 6.5¡Á50mmSR Arisaka. Frankly speaking, the gun was more or less a belt-fed variation of the Type 96.


    Resulting in the weapon looking oddly simr to the BSA GPMG, which itself was little more than a belt-fed conversion of the BREN machine gun that the Type 96 was loosely based upon. Or more specifically, the ZB 36, which the BREN was based upon.


    Functionally speaking, the weapon was more efficient than its past life counterpart, which it slightly resembled. It was more aesthetically pleasing, at least to Bruno''s sense, should he have been present to witness its creation.


    If used in the uing Great War, this weapon could prove to be not necessarily an equal to the German MG-34, but vastly superior to the heavy machine guns employed by the Allies. And when Emperor Meiji saw the first semi-functional machine gun prototype that he had invested heavily into over the course of thest four to five years since receiving Bruno''s advice, he couldn''t help but say his thoughts aloud.


    "It would appear I owe that man a great debt of gratitude.... Perhaps I should extend him a letter of invitation to witness what his thoughts have given birth to?"


    Anyone who had heard what the Japanese Emperor had said did not respond to him, as they knew he was speaking to himself. Instead, the project creator was quick to boast of the


    weapon''s capabilities.


    "Compared to what the European powers are beginning to field, this weapon is vastly superior. We have acquired copies of the French machine gun, and it is not only significantly heavier than our new prototype, but we also suspect it will be far less reliable than ours once thepleted design has been finalized.


    While the weapon is far from ready to begin military trials, we are going to be performing some basic tests with itter this afternoon, if Your Majesty would like to be present to


    witness its first function tests."


    Emperor Meiji quickly looked over at the engineer who said this and smirked as he smiled,


    voicing his agreement to the invitation as he did so.


    "I wouldn''t miss it for the world!"

 Chapter 163: Rewarding Thyself

    Chapter 163: Rewarding Thyself


    ?


    Bruno was at home following his day''s work. He had been extremely busy following the establishment of the Deutsche Luftstreitkr?fte. Though Bruno was not the one to be the acting general in charge of the unit, he was the one trusted with organizing it.


    After all, the nes that were to be used were more or less his brainchild. And if he had such advanced knowledge of aerospace engineering, then surely, he would have some idea of how to use them on the battlefield, right?


    Well, that was actually a correct assumption, even if it wasn''t the most logically sound in terms of reasoning. Bruno did indeed have some understanding of aerial warfare.


    Not because he served in the air force in his past life, but he was what one might call a "military history buff" and knew all about the tactics used by various militaries and their branches throughout history, especially modern history.


    Frankly speaking, it would be many years before the Luftstreitkr?fte grew to such an extent that it could be considered its own branch. Even so, Bruno made full preparations for this. Technically speaking, the WW2-era German Luftwaffe, which was the sessor of the Deutsche Luftstreitkr?fte, was its own branch and, as a result, had three of its own sub- branches.


    Those were the Flying Troops, the Anti-Aircraft Artillery, and the Air Signal Troops. These were, of course, even more subdivided into smaller roles. But this was how Bruno decided to set up the responsibilities of the Deutsche Luftstreitkr?fte in this life.


    First and foremost were the Flying Troops, who would be made up of the existing cavalry ranks, or more specifically those Cavalry Officers who could pass basic flight school. Which, in and of itself, was something Bruno also began establishing dedicated military flight schools. Then there were the Anti-Aircraft Artillery units, which were much like theirnd-based counterparts, just under the authority of the Deutsche Luftstreitkr?fte. Their role was fairly self-exnatory: use the anti-aircraft weaponry Bruno had designed to blow enemy aircraft out of the skies.


    Finally, there were the Air Signal troops, who were critical as they were the ones in charge of air trafficmunication and coordination of information between pilots, the anti-aircraft artillery, the ground forces, and pretty much anyone else remotely within the operational structure.


    Naturally, there were, of course, other critical areas, such as maintenance crews, divisional headquarters, logistical supplyworks, etc. That he all had toe up with in preparation for the war. None of which currently existed.


    All things considered, Bruno was amazed that the Great Powers had all organized this kind of thing on the fly during the Great War, as the idea of a military air force only came into existence midway through the conflict.


    Bruno felt that after spending twelve hours a day, five days a week, for months on end, he was perhaps lucky for the stress he was undergoing at the moment. The reason being that he actually had six years to prepare all of this for the start of the war.


    Whereas the enemy would most likely be scrambling during the initial days to get all of this setup from scratch. Because the overwhelming advantage of Air Supremacy would be apparent to the enemy, the moment the war broke out.


    Thus, after months of hard work, Bruno had finally concluded all of his efforts today and decided to celebrate his freedom by having an extra stiff drink, breaking out the hard liquor as he sat at his dining table with his beloved family and rejoiced with them.


    "I will tell you; you have no idea the amount of paperwork I have had to do these past few months. I was quite honestly a few days away from going mad. But with the system I set up, I''m sure the General Staff can find a suitable man to take over from here on out!


    So, now that I finally have the time, how about you tell me all how you have been?" Heidi did not immediately speak; she decided to let her children speak of what they had been up to as ofte. With the youngest of them being old enough to begin entering school, and her husband at work most of the day, she had actually been rather lonely as ofte.


    A problem that would resolve itself when the child she was currently carrying in her womb came to term, as she would then have another child to baby. Meanwhile, Eva, the youngest of the three rugrats, was quick to speak about her day at school and all that she had learned about.


    The girl was more or less a social butterfly, gaining many friends. She, of course, went to an aristocratic all-girls school, and perhaps because of this, she was popr. The von Zehntner name held quite a bit of influence these days.


    Both because of Bruno''s father''s aplishments in politics, his eldest brother''s sess in business, and also because of his own personal feats on the battlefield. And when the girls learned that Eva was a literal Russian Princess, her poprity increased even more among her ssmates.


    The girl was a bit of a bbermouth, speaking long enough that Bruno finally had to tell her to give it a rest so that her siblings could speak. Erwin, being the second youngest of Bruno''s three current children who had been born, spoke of his time at the boy''s academy.


    Like the ones his sisters went to, it was a school for the noble elite of Prussia. Bruno had wanted to send the boy to a military school, but Heidi threw a fit when he tried to do so. He could tell that was an argument he was going to lose when she said:


    "There is no way on God''s green Earth you are sending my only baby boy to a boarding school! I will take you to hell with me before I ever give you a chance to do so!"


    Considering the woman''s temper was frightening when provoked, especially when it revolved around her family, Bruno had decided to drop the matter and send the boy to a non-boarding school while still being an elite private establishment.


    Either way, Erwin''s education would be the best he could possibly receive, yet he would not get to properly understand the military culture as Bruno had desired his son to do so.


    Then again, upon seeing the boy smiling while talking about the friends he had made at school, all while Heidi lovingly doted on the boy by adding more food onto his te, Bruno thought that perhaps this was ultimately for the best.


    Eventually, Elsa spoke about her experience with schooling. As she was in the youngest year, she was less excited about the whole educational experience and more aggrieved that she had to go in the first ce. Of course, Bruno tried to console the girl, as he was often one to dote on his beloved daughters.


    "Elsa, I won''t sugarcoat things for you; school is incredibly dull, but it is a rewarding experience. And they will teach you things that you have to know in this life. You have made some friends, haven''t you?"


    Elsa nodded her head meekly. She was rather ashamed that she had spoken so poorly about school when her father spoke in such endearing terms about it. One of the things she loved about her father was that he would not just outright lie to her. School was boring; he knew that she knew that, and he wasn''t going to try to say it wasn''t.


    But he also made sure she understood the value of school and that it was ultimately worthwhile to go to.


    Heidi, of course, damn near snorted at Bruno''s remarks. She was all too aware that the boy genius never had to go to school, as his parents flew in the Reich''s greatest minds to personally tutor him on anything he had not studied in his own time and still desired to learn.


    The two of them had grown up together, and she would be lying if she said she did not envy the overwhelming expense that Bruno''s parents had paid to ensure that the boy''s educational needs were met, considering the uniqueness of his brilliance.


    The fact that he had never experienced school life, like she had and like their children were currently undergoing, yet had the gall to say it was a rewarding and worthwhile experience was a level of shamelessness that made it difficult not for Heidi to break out intoughter.


    It took all of her strength not to do so, as she knew it wouldplicate the lesson the man was trying to teach their youngest daughter, who was throwing a hissy fit about going to


    school.


    Bruno could tell by the look on his wife''s face that she was silently mocking him and had no doubt he would hear all about her thoughts regarding his statementter that night when


    they were alone together.


    But what Heidi didn''t know was that Bruno had actually experienced school life, just in his past life, and not the current one. He was wholly familiar with what went on in those hallowed halls of education, even if what he had experienced was separated by decades from the current year and, by extension, an entirely unfamiliar culture.


    Ultimately, Bruno would continue to spend the evening with his family, much in the way he always did, even now in their luxurious estate. Before ultimately retiring for the night with his beloved wife. Tomorrow he would wake up to find a rather interesting letter in the mail, one which would summon him far away from home once more.


    But in the meantime, he could enjoy his current blissful life. One which helped heal his


    wounded mind.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 164: Elsas Birthday Part I

    Chapter 164: Elsa''s Birthday Part I


    ?


    Bruno did not immediately answer the request to visit Japan, or more specifically its capital, to meet with the Ruling Dynasty of Japan. Rather, he would do so at his own leisure. It was nothing urgent and could wait for some time.


    Emperor Meiji had sent a letter that traversed by sea and railway to the German Reich, requesting Bruno to visit and witness what his passing thoughts had given birth to: a rather exceptional machine gun for the time. It was something that was most certainly superior to anything fielded by the Imperial Japanese Army in his past life.


    Or at least it had the potential to be such a weapon once it had gone through proper prototyping, experimentation, and so forth. It had taken roughly four years for the German Reich to go from the conceptual stage to passing military trials for the small arms Bruno had given them.


    But that was because Bruno had provided them with a very detailed understanding of what to make, while the German Reich''s engineers, especially those at Bruno''s family''s factories, had a capable knowledge of machine guns already.


    Whereas Japan had yet to field its own domestically manufactured machine gun, relying instead on designs built by foreign powers for the limited use they saw during the Russo- Japanese War. The fact that they had only just begun prototyping a little over four years into development was rather usual for arms manufacturing.


    Bruno suspected whatever they had to boast about would not remotely resemble the same product once it reached its final stages of development, trial, and manufacture. Because of this, he was more than willing to put off this meeting, which was merely an excuse for a diplomatic visit to Japan at the behest of the Japanese Emperor.


    Something he would normally jump at the opportunity for; so then why was he so adamant about not immediately responding? Because it was his youngest daughter''s birthday today. And he had no intention of leaving his home under any circumstances.


    Unless it was something like an all-out civil war requiring hismand to put down, Bruno would not be leaving his estate today. Elsa had, of course, used this asion-which only happened once a year-to gain as much affection from her father as possible, who, unlike her mother, wasmonly out of the home from the earliest hours of the morning until the final hours of the evening.


    And that was assuming he was actually in Berlin and not on some diplomatic meeting elsewhere or, God forbid, a deployment overseas. Because of this, Elsa was constantly around her father, even when her friends and extended family all visited the estate to celebrate her birthday.


    Only Heidi couldpel the girl to go socialize with her ssmates, as her tyranny was something the young girl deeply feared. It was only after Heidi approached the girl-who was sitting on her father''sp while happily chatting with him-that Elsa fled off into the distance to properly greet her guests.


    "Elsa von Zehntner! You have been hiding away from your friends and cousins for far too long! You can''t just keep clinging to your father all day like a little leech! Go greet your guests and have some fun this instant, or so help me God, I will go find a wooden spoon!"


    Elsa pouted at her father with pleading eyes, silently begging the man to forestall his wife''s wrath. But Bruno simply chuckled and shook his head. He had enjoyed spending time with his children, as it was something he often didn''t have as much time to dedicate to as he might have desired.


    But ultimately, the girl''s mother was right; she needed to properly socialize with her guests. And hence, Bruno picked the girl up off hisp and stood her down in front of him, where he got on his knees and patted her silky strawberry-blonde hair. Out of all of his children, she was the only one who did not have a golden head.


    Though which of her parents she had actually inherited it from, Bruno didn''t really know, as both Heidi and he were carriers of red hair. At least two of Bruno''s eight brothers had red hair, while several of his uncles and aunts had it as well.


    The same could be said for Heidi and her half-siblings, as well as her cousins, uncles, aunts, etc. Frankly speaking, the little girl probably got it from both of them. The simple act of petting the girl''s hair with an affectionate gaze was all that was needed to get her toply with her father''s wishes withoutint.


    Even if she had just moments ago silently pleaded with the man otherwise, all with tears in her azure, blue eyes.


    "Elsa, today is your special day. And everyone wants to wish you a very happy birthday. I will be here waiting for you after they have all gone home, but now is the time to go be with your friends and well-wishers. So, be a good girl and go have fun, alright, baby girl?"


    Elsa immediately smiled and hugged her father before running off, promising to do exactly as he said. Meanwhile, Heidi stared at the man pouting with her arms crossed. She refused to say a word to him until he dragged her into his arms and kissed her forehead, the size difference between the two of them being quite adorable to the onlookers as he did so.


    "What? Are you perhaps angry that she doesn''t listen to your scoldings?"


    Heidi honestly couldn''t stay mad at Bruno when he acted so romantically with her, let alone showed off his good side as a father. She knew all too well the man was battling with some inner demons due to all the horrific things he had seen on the battlefield.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And she also knew that he suppressed those demons every time he was home, making sure that his children never saw the haunted side of him. For him to go through such lengths for the sake of their family was something she deeply admired about him.


    Thus, any resistance she had toward Elsa obeying his words and not hers immediately crumbled as she melted in his arms, letting him have his way.


    "Fine... I don''t mind ying the role of the bad guy so long as you keep being such a benevolent father to those little brats!"


    Bruno broke out into a hearty bellow ofughter as he hugged the woman tightly from behind and kissed her on the cheek before whispering something in her ear that turned her face red with embarrassment.


    "You''re absolutely adorable when you''re angry, did you know that?"


    Heidi felt like she was going to pass out from embarrassment as many of their friends and family gazed upon the two of them acting so shamelessly in public, ultimately forcing herself away from Bruno''s arms while making some excuse to escape from his grasp.


    "I''m going to go check on the kitchen staff! If they have started preparing the cake without me, I swear to God I''m going to tear them a new one!"


    Brunoughed and shook his head as the love of his life scurried off like a frightened little rabbit. It was only after she was gone that three of his brothers approached him.


    Two of them, Bruno had grown up enduring their abuse before eventually burying the hatchet altogether and forging an unbreakable bond as brothers in arms in Russia: Ludwig and Kurt. The third was a brother Bruno had seldom seen since bing an adult.


    Out of Bruno''s eight older brothers, he was more or less on speaking terms with four of them: Ludwig, Kurt, Christoph, and Franz. The other four he only ever saw at the annual family gatherings or during other rare important family events, like campaigning for their father or Ludwig''s election.


    Maximillian was the third oldest of Bruno''s brothers; he was one of the two redheaded siblings that Bruno had. But unlike Elsa, who had her father and mother''s sky-blue eyes, he had an almost mint-green eye color.


    The man had mid-length hair that was properly styled in a respectable fashion, and like most members of Bruno''s family, he was clean-shaven. Though he was quickly approaching his forties, he didn''t look a day over thirty.


    Slow aging was amon urrence in Bruno''s family, with Bruno himself approaching the thirty-year mark but looking half a decade or more younger, even with his unhealthy coping habits. He and his siblings most certainly got this slow aging gene from their mother, who even now, in her mid-fifties, looked not a day older than forty.


    In fact, his mother had married very young, as wasmon in the era, having been married off to their father when she was in her mid-teenage years. She had nine sons over the course of nine years and was in her mid-twenties when she had Bruno, thest of her children. Their father, however, was roughly thirty at the time of Bruno''s birth, making him around the age of sixty currently. He, unlike his wife and children, looked his own age. And because of this, peoplemonly mistook his wife for the wife of his eldest son rather than himself. Either way, Bruno was most certainly surprised that Maximillian had decided to approach him with two of his other brothers. If Max was approaching him now, it meant the redheaded bastard required something of Bruno. Thus, he stood there waiting for the man to make his request of him on the day of his daughter''s birthday.

 Chapter 165 Elsas Birthday Part II

    Bruno didn''t exactly hate his brothers. Or at least those who he was still not necessarily on good terms with. Ludwig and Kurt had redeemed themselves in his eyes. Not that the man really took their childhood bullying to heart, as children oftencked the manners, discipline, and overall intelligence to behave themselves ordingly.


    It was only natural that their own sense of inferiority wouldpel them tosh out against him. Such was the nature of the inferior, or such was Bruno''s perspective throughout his life. But those two men had fought and bled alongside Bruno in the trenches of the Russian Civil War, an experience that had caused them to grow by more than a decade in a single year.


    Any past grievances Bruno may have held against them were buried with the Red Army, and because of this, he was quite friendly with these two brothers. As for Christoph and Franz, they were old enough to have very little contact with Bruno as a child.


    Franz was already in high school by the time Bruno was five; he couldn''t bepelled to care about some little brat a decade younger than him. The same could be said for Christoph, who saw the bullying that Bruno underwent as the matters of little children that he couldn''t care to intervene in.


    Maximilian was different, however. Perhaps it was because of the old joke that "gingers have no souls," but even though he was in his early teenage years when Bruno was but a toddler, he had always been a right royal cunt.


    This behavior had persisted even into adulthood, with Maximilian taking every chance he could get to speak ill of Bruno, his wife, and his children. Frankly speaking, the hostility Maximilian had always shown Bruno stemmed from his disapproval of the man marrying a bastard girl.


    He had more or less believed that Bruno''s engagement andter marriage to Heidi was a stain on their family''s short-lived noble heritage. Even in a family that had gained its aristocratic status no more than three generations prior, there would always be some privileged twat among their ranks who thought they were better than everyone else because of it.


    And that spoiled prick was Maximilian. Max had more or less coasted through life on the family''s finances and influence, getting afortable high-paying job as a government bureaucrat where it didn''t really matter whether or not he did his job well, or really at all.


    Bureaucracy was the death of civilization; it always led to bloat and overspending. Bruno was entirely convinced that the German government could axe a solid 50% of the German Federal Government and its employees, and the Reich could still function as it was supposed to, if not increase in overall efficiency.


    And if the German Reich had these problems, then the old government from the world he had previously lived in was gued with it to a fatal degree. It was perhaps because Maximilian was one such useless individual that Bruno just couldn''t find the ability to respect the man, even if they were rted.


    Actually, their blood rtion was perhaps an even greater reason that his opinion of his elder brother was right on the border of the outright despicable. While Maximilian looked down on Bruno, believing the man had brought shame to their family for marrying a bastard, Bruno himself thought the same of Maximilian, only for a very different reason.


    And it was the fact that Maximilian was just utterly useless as a human being. His worth and value were so little that Bruno would quite frankly use the man as cannon fodder if he could. At least his death could prove useful in shielding someone far more valuable from a simr fate.


    It was with all of this in mind that Bruno approached his other two brothers, Ludwig and Kurt, and hugged them both, saying a lot of ttery while ignoring Maximilian entirely.


    "Ludwig, Kurt, I''m d you could make it. I hope it wasn''t too much to ask you both toe all this way to celebrate my little girl''s birthday."


    Bruno did not even dignify Maximilian with a single nce, instead conversing with his other two brothers as if he didn''t exist in the slightest. Something which, of course, only caused the man to be sullen and bitter.


    Meanwhile, Ludwig and Kurt were quick to ept Bruno''s friendly statements, while also trying to diffuse whatever bomb the man was trying to detonate between himself and their elder brother.


    "Rx, I always enjoy a drive out to the country. The biggest hassle would have had to be the security. But I understand your reasons for going through such lengths. I''m d we made it in time; my daughters always enjoy spending time with yours.


    Anyway, Bruno, Max wanted to have a word with you. He says he has stumbled across a good investment opportunity and wanted to see if you were perhaps interested?"


    At the mention of his elder brother''s name, and the fact that the man hade to him for money, Bruno sighed and rolled his eyes, bluntly making a remark that he knew was not exactly kind and loud enough that Maximilian could easily overhear it.


    "Of course it''s about money; why else would the useless twat put the two of you up to this? Has he already spoken to Father or our elder brothers about this matter?"


    Ludwig and Kurt were smart enough to know that Bruno was using his father and his elder brothers as a way to figure out if Maximilian was simply trying to scam him or not. Because obviously, if this was a legitimate investment opportunity, either of those three woulde before him.


    And if he did go to their father or their two eldest brothers, and the three of them rejected Max, then it could only mean that whatever Maximilian was trying to get him to invest in was at worst a bad offer and at best an outright scam.


    Ludwig and Kurt were just about to answer the question when Maximilian''s impatience reached its limit, forcing his way into the conversation as he adjusted his tie, trying his best to act friendly while masking the fury contained within his eyes.


    "If you want to know whether or not I brought this opportunity to anyone else, then I assure you that you, little brother, are the first man I thought of. After all, you have done quite well for yourself thesest few years, turning the small fortune that Franz gave you into a sizable profit. Why wouldn''t I seek your investment before anyone else?"


    Bruno narrowed his eyes at Max''s words. Though it was subtle, Bruno detected the intentional insult contained between the lines of what he had said. Franz didn''t "give" Bruno a small fortune. He paid Bruno a small fortune as properpensation for the work Bruno had done designing various weapons for their family''spany that had alreadyted them a massive profit.


    Whether it was that initial payment or all the wealth he had received since via his various investments and enterprises, it was insulting to say that the current fortune he had was merely the result of a handout.


    Sure, Bruno may already have an understanding of how the future markets of the world would go and what trends they would follow, which gave him a monumental advantage over hispetitors. But he hadn''t just sat on his ass and collected the money.


    A lot of work went into making himself one of the wealthiest men in the world. Much of his free time was spent managing these affairs, so much so that it was almost like a second job. Because of this, Bruno frowned, but he did not immediately fire back at Maximilian.


    After all, there was a very small chance that Maximilian had actually stumbled upon something worthwhile, and even if it was such a minute possibility that most people would rather spit in his face for the satisfaction.


    Bruno was intelligent enough to put aside whatever hostile emotions he may be currently feeling and entertain his brother''s "offer," at least long enough to discover what it was all about.


    If it turned out to be a scam or just something foolhardy altogether, Bruno would thensh out at the man for his insults and, more importantly, for wasting time on what he considered to be a very important day. Hence why he ultimately bit his tongue before inviting the man into his office.


    "Alright, fine, I''ll give you thirty minutes of my time, but not a moment more. Today is a rather important day for my family, and I can''t be gone for too long. Let''s head into my office."


    Maximilian had a rather smug expression on his face as he followed Bruno out from the gardens and into his pce-like mansion. Meanwhile, Ludwig and Kurt looked at each other with somber gazes, believing that whatever private discussion was about to be had between their two brothers was going to end with a gruesome and brutal scene.


    Hence why they sighed heavily and shook their heads before ultimately Ludwig was quick to act.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "I''ll go find Heidi and give her a heads up; you go get our father¡­"


    Kurt did not say a word; rather, he silently nodded his head in agreement before the two men went running off. They had roughly thirty minutes at most, after which Bruno would most likely tell Maximilian to suck a fat cock before a fight broke out.


    And if that happened, there was no telling what lengths Bruno would go to in order to teach his arrogant, spoiled, wastrel of an older brother a valuable and painful lesson¡ªone that he may never forget.

 Chapter 166 Elsas Birthday Part III

    Bruno walked to his personal office within his estate. It was a room that only he was permitted to enter. Anyone else who wished to enter would first be required to have been given his express permission to do so. Even his beloved wife could only knock on the door outside and request entry.


    The reason for this was simple: Bruno''s workload was massive, and he needed a quiet and solitary ce free from distraction to conduct his business outside of his employment as a Generaloberst in the Imperial German Army.


    With three young children who were liable to go running through rooms screaming and hollering like a bunch of howler monkeys whenever they got a little too rambunctious, it was no wonder that Bruno established these rules and made them very clear to both his family and the staff who lived and worked out of the massive and luxurious estate.


    This was where Bruno led Maximilian, partially because he wanted to be away from the ongoing festivities while discussing potential business with the man. But also, because if he needed to teach his elder brother a painful yet valuable lesson about wasting his precious time, then there would be nobody toe to his rescue until Bruno was done with him.


    Without even realizing it, Maximilian had walked straight into a jaguar''s den and sat across from the beast himself with a conceited smile on his face. Bruno listened intently to what the man had to say; he was more than willing to give his elder brother a chance to impress him, even if he personally thought very little of the man.


    Maximilian started the conversation with pointless ttery, which might work for those ancient nobles who loved to have their asses kissed, but from Bruno''s perspective, it was aplete and total waste of his valuable time.


    "I have to say, little brother, you have done quite well for yourself. This estate is really something else. I would say it is at least two to three times bigger than the one we grew up in. Your family is also quite¡ª"


    As Maximilian thered on with pointless pleasantries, Bruno looked at his watch and quickly tapped it with a stern look on his face. His voice became ever more callous as he spoke to the man with an air of indifference about him.


    "You have wasted five minutes already; that means you have twenty-five left. If I were you, I would cut the shit and get straight to the point, as I don''t have much time to waste, seeing as how it is my beloved daughter''s birthday¡­"


    Bruno emphasized the beloved part of his statement to let Maximilian know that whatever shit he might be thinking internally about his family and their "status," he better not say. Because of this, the man sighed heavily before revealing his hand.


    "Alright, fine. If you''re going to be that way, I won''t bother being polite. Fine¡­ Bruno, I''ll make it simple: I want you to invest a substantial sum into a certain business proposal. By chance, I happened toe across some information rted to a patent that is currently being processed.


    It has the potential to revolutionize the world! With my connections at the patent office, I could easily have it stalled long enough to steal it right from under the creator, or at the very least have some chemistse up with a viable alternative! Hell, I could even have it outright rejected!


    All I need is your help funding the startup costs! Together, we can make untold fortunes off of this new stic business!"


    Bruno frowned immediately when he heard what his brother had dared to say in his presence. First and foremost, it made sense now why this bastard came to him. Such a sinister plot to steal intellectual property from someone else would never have gained the approval of their father or older brothers.


    And in fact, it could have had severe consequences for the man. Bruno frankly found it insulting that Maximilian had actually dared toe to him, thinking he was as low and despicable as the man himself.


    But more importantly, Bruno was agitated because those patents more or less belonged to him. What he was talking about was the creation of Bakelite, the first synthetic stic in the world.


    Originally invented in some primitive form by Adolf von Baeyer in 1872, it was initially believed to have no realmercial applications and thus was rtively forgotten about until just a year or two prior when the process was improved upon and perfected by a Belgian chemist by the name of Leo Baeknd.


    He applied for patents that year, which were currently ongoing, and because Maximilian worked for the German Reich''s patent office, he naturally learned of this fact and wanted to take advantage of it, having just enough foresight to realize how profitable such a material could prove to be.


    There was just one problem: Baeknd was one of many scientists, like Nik Te, who Bruno had long since scouted out and brought under his own investment and influence. Unlike in his past life, Baeknd did not live in the United States, but as a result of Bruno''s patronage, had immigrated to the German Reich, where he filed the patent for Bakelite.


    In fact, Bruno had gotten Baeknd and other famous chemists from the era who also specialized in stics and other materials science toe together as the primary researchers for a single corporation dedicated to their creation.


    To put it simply, Maximilian hade to Bruno to borrow money to invest in apany that would infringe on intellectual property he owned, just so they could be apetitor.


    stics were a major enterprise, one which Bruno was currently having a monopoly on, as patents were currently being filed for a variety of stics¡ªnot just Bakelite, but also things like polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride.


    As the years spent developing these materials with the funding Bruno provided, the chemists had borne fruit. Because of this ironic twist of fate, Bruno couldn''t help but break out intoughter after hearing his brother''s sheer audacity, where he was quick to stand up and intimidate the man with an overtly hostile re.


    "I have to say¡­ all these years, I knew there was a reason I kept you alive. You truly know how to y the part of the fool, did you know that? I mean, you have misunderstood more than just my character.


    Did you seriously think that I wouldtch onto the first opportunity to make an illicit profit via theft of intellectual property? Am I so lowly in your eyes that you do not perceive me as having the honor and integrity of our father and brothers?


    Well, you were mistaken, and not just in regards to myself as a person. But also in the fact that this patent you are trying to infringe upon¡ªI own thepany that filed it. You probably would have known this interesting fact if greed had not taken such control of your mind that you did not even look into the matter more than a mere cursory nce!


    I find it truly ironic¡­ after all the things you have said about me, my wife, and my children over the years. You, the mighty noble scion, would stoop so low as to theft. And would even have the audacity to approach the man you are trying to steal from and to ask him to invest in your criminal enterprise.


    I think God is having augh at you, brother¡­ but don''t worry, I won''t inform the authorities of your uwful conduct. No, I think our family is humiliated enough by having such a wretched son among its ranks. To bring such shame to the public eye, it would honestly be too cruel to our parents who sired such an amoral bastard. Don''t you think?"


    Bruno was using the term bastard rather loosely here to imply ack of moral character rather than questionable heritage. Either way, being called a bastard by his youngest brother¡ªand a man who had married a bastard, no less¡ªit instantly caused Maximilian''s smug smirk toe off of his otherwise handsome face.


    Or it would have, had he not been so dumbstruck by Bruno''s admission. But before he could respond, Bruno looked at his watch and realized that the hand had just struck the thirty-minute mark.


    He quickly shooed his elder brother from his office and assured him he was wee to stay for the celebrations that were to be had, albeit implying that he and his family would be heavily watched by the estate''s security.


    "I am afraid that is all the time I have for you, brother. Do stay and enjoy the cake and festivities. You are more than wee here in my home; you are family, after all. Though if I were you, I wouldn''t be too keen on starting trouble. My patience has its limits, and the guards are a bit overprotective of my family, if you get what I mean.


    We wouldn''t want you and your family overstaying your wee and being forcibly removed from my home in front of so many guests, now would we? I''m afraid that would be a scene that people would be talking about for years toe, now wouldn''t they?"


    After shutting the door behind him and locking his office before stashing the key away in his pocket, Bruno walked away with a rather jovial gait in his step, humming a tune as he did so¡ªone that only he was aware of its origin.


    Maximilian, of course, curled his fist in wrath but stayed his anger as he knew making a scene here and now would only result in further shame. He had never been so humiliated before in his life and did not know what to do now that his hopes to steal a fortune away from those who deserved it had been dashed before his very eyes.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Ultimately, he would return to his own family and force them to leave Bruno''s estate early, having no desire to stay and endure such a grievance.

 Chapter 167: When You Do Things Right...

    Chapter 167: When You Do Things Right...


    ?


    Heidi quickly found Bruno almost immediately after he finished his meeting withN?v(el)B\\jnn


    Maximilian. It was obvious to her that her husband was in a rather good mood, which was not the least of what she was expecting.


    Upon seeing his pregnant and loving wife concerned about him, Bruno grabbed her hand and twirled her around in a brief dance-like maneuver before hugging her close and kissing her. The act was even more unexpected than his gleeful demeanor, causing Heidi to make ament on it.


    "I''m surprised that a simple conversation with your brother could make you so happy; is there something I should know about?"


    Bruno chuckled as he petted the woman''s silky gold hair before enlightening her about the conversation he had and why he was in such a good mood.


    "That scoundrel actually tried to steal from me, but I put him in his ce. It''s all good; besides, I leave him only to find my lovely and beautiful wife scurrying after me in a hurry. Why wouldn''t I be happy? Were you so worried about me that you must do such a thing? Shouldn''t you be in the kitchen ensuring our daughter''s cake is properly made?"


    Heidi was indeed a bit embarrassed upon hearing such a thing. She honestly expected Maximilian to try something foolish and, in doing so, enrage Bruno. But he was instead in a good mood. It was truly a bit humiliating, as she had so brazenly run away from Bruno not long prior, citing a need to check on the kitchen staff.


    Yet here she was, no more than an hourter, in the process of running after him. Yet she couldn''t be mad at Bruno; in fact, Heidi was certain that simply wasn''t possible for her. Instead, she spoke about what the security had told her.


    "I ran across Paul earlier; he said that your brother Maximilian had dragged his wife and children out of the estate in a hurry. His face was red, so no doubt you must have given him quite the p in the face for him to act so disgracefully. Are you sure everything will be alright?"


    Bruno shook his head and sighed before admitting getting along with Maximilian was unlikely to ur and overall was a foolish endeavor to aspire to.


    "Unfortunately, even as brothers, I don''t believe there is anything in this world that will everpel the two of us to get along. God himself could descend from the heavens and decree it thus, yet Maximilian, I fear, would stubbornly refuse such a heavenly demand.


    He is a foul wretch of low cunning and ruthless character. And frankly speaking, nothing good woulde from involving ourselves with him and his family other than the most basic of pleasantries they are afforded as my kin.


    Nowe, darling, I''m sure our children are in need of our supervision."


    Just before Heidi was about to speak of herment toward his poor rtionship with his brother, a voice interrupted them, confirming that their children were well looked after. It was a voice that they were both all too familiar with, as it belonged to Bruno''s father, who shared the same name. He had a warm smile on his face as he spoke to his youngest son and the man''s wife, who he believed was the daughter he never had.


    "Oh, my grandchildren are fine without the intervention of their parents. Elsa is currently looking after them. You know how your mother is, Bruno; she will make sure those little tykes of yours behave themselves.


    But I fear Maximilian''s departure has left me with multiple questions. Would you mind if I speak to you alone for a few moments? If that is okay with you, my dear?"


    Obviously, Bruno''s father was referring to his wife, Elsa, and not Bruno''s youngest daughter, whose birthday it was today. As for Heidi, she quickly smiled and parted ways for the two men to speak, referring to her husband''s father as if he were her own as she did so.


    "Not at all, Father. Bruno, I will be heading back to the kitchen if Mother is taking care of the kids. If you need me, you know where to find me. Until we meet again, my love."


    After saying this, Heidi scurried off to do as she had voiced, while Bruno''s father grabbed hold of his shoulder and patted it thrice before expressing his exhaust with a heavy sigh and a voice filled with regret.


    "What did that wastrel of a son of mine do now that wouldpel him to go scurrying off like a pitiful roach that has been exposed to the light without saying a word to his parents?" Bruno chuckled slightly as he thought about what he had said to Maximilian. He had promised not to turn the man into the authorities, but he had made no such vow in regards to their father. Because of this, he was more than willing to speak of what had been said behind closed doors.


    Implying to his father as he did so that it was a long story and that he should prepare himself for it.


    "How much time do you have, Father?"


    The aging patriarch of the von Zehntner family narrowed his eyes, quickly reading between the lines, so to speak, as he ensured Bruno he had more than enough time on his hands to hear the full tale without actually saying it.


    "I suppose we should find some ce quiet to discuss this, shall we? Preferably away from potential prying eyes and unwanted ears?"


    Bruno nodded his head before leading his father to his private office, where he had just spoken to Maximilian. He revealed the full extent of the conversation that was held in this very room not long before, but this time over drinks with his father.


    When Bruno''s father came to learn of Maximilian''s unscrupulous plots and schemes, he was quickly enraged, making a promise to have his son learn a valuable lesson about such roguish behavior.


    "That little shit! I help him get a position where he doesn''t have to do much work for a good paycheck, and this is how he repays me? By trying to steal the merit and worth of a greater man than himself and sully our family''s reputation in the process?


    It''s good that you told me about this, Bruno. I will make sure that brat of an older brother of yours is never in a position to do as he has confessed to you. Do you have a phone here in your office? I need to make a quick call, and I am afraid it can''t wait..."


    Bruno quickly motioned towards his office''s personal phone before assuring his father he was more than free to use it.


    "By all means, I''ll pour us another few drinks while you make your call..."


    After doing this, Bruno''s father had a lengthy conversation with various individuals in the government, ensuring that Maximilian was not only fired from his useless bureaucratic job at the Patent Office but also thoroughly investigated for potential theft of intellectual property.


    Luckily for the man and his family, he had not acted upon his ill intents thus far and was thus only dealt a pink slip for his viinous schemes. And though Bruno didn''t realize it yet, his father would go the extra mile.


    He would do this by cutting Maximilian off from any financial support that the family may have been providing him until he could redeem himself, and even mentioned how if the scoundrel dared to shame the family with any further criminal acts or conspiracies, he would be thoroughly disowned and would be forced to change his surname altogether.


    When Bruno came to learn of Maximilian''s downfall that had been wrought by his own hand, Bruno couldn''t help but wonder whether or not karma was actually a cosmic force that affected all life in the universe, or if this was some divine ploy by God to punish the wicked with subtle actions that one could never be entirely sure he was responsible or not. What was the saying again? "When you do things right, people won''t be sure you have done anything at all?" Perhaps that was a philosophy Bruno should take to heart. Or maybe he would continue doing things the way he had already done so thus far in this new lease on life.

 Chapter 168: Returning to the Land of the Rising Sun

    Chapter 168: Returning to the Land of the Rising Sun


    ?


    After dealing with his rather useless twat of an elder brother and celebrating his daughter''s birthday appropriately, Bruno would finally open the letter sent to him by Emperor Meiji. It was as he suspected-a letter of invitation to visit thend of the Rising Sun to witness the prototype machine gun they had developed as per the rmendations he had made in passing.


    Even if the machine gun turned out to be rtively crude, the mere idea that it would be using an air-cooled quick-change barrel, along with a built-in bipod, stock, and pistol group, meant it was leagues ahead of what was currently being fielded by all nations other than the Reich.


    Because of this, Bruno was quite interested, as if his rmendations were followed to the letter. Then it was entirely possible that a new machine gun had been developed, one that only existed because of his interference in the timeline.


    With this in mind, he said a brief farewell to his wife and children, assuring them that he would be back in a few months. He then took the first avable railcar to Hamburg, where he set off on a ship to the Eastern World.


    Technically speaking, with the fastest ships of the era, traveling from Germany to Japan was itself a month-and-a-half-long journey. Aircraft were currently in their infancy, and there were still many decades to go beforemercial aircraft were invented, let alone used as the primary means of passenger travel internationally.


    Because of this, one either had to travel by train or by ship across the world''s treacherous seas. With this in mind, Bruno had opted for thetter, as it was more expedient to do so rather than take a train across all of Europe and Russia until arriving in their far eastern territories, where he would then have to cross the sea into Japan proper.


    The journey itself was a rather dull affair, with nothing of note urring during the month- and-a-half time it took for him to arrive on the Japanese maind. Since this was technically a "diplomatic meeting," he merely treated the journey aboard the luxurious ocean liner as a luxury cruise.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Rxing as well as he could until he finally arrived at his destination, upon stepping foot in the capital of Japan, Bruno was once more weed by state officials, who quickly escorted him to the Emperor''s pce.


    It had more or less been five years since hest visited this ce, and things had not changed in the slightest. Well, perhaps there were a few minor changes, as the uniforms worn by the Japanese military personnel around the Imperial Pce were of a more khaki or tan color rather than the old blue and red uniforms they wore during hisst visit.


    After all, this was a time when many nations were transitioning to more earthy tones in their uniforms, along with more modern weaponry. And that hadrgely been a result of Bruno''s interference in the timeline. Sure, such a change would naturally be urring about this time, but these new uniforms had been adopted much earlier than they otherwise should have.


    Considering there was a medal pinned to Bruno''s chest that belonged to the Order of the Rising Sun, any Japanese soldier who saw Bruno was quick to salute the man, despite his foreign appearance and uniform.


    This was a sign of respect, which he returned to these servicemen before ultimately being led into a chamber within the pce where Emperor Meiji waited for him. Though his armed forces had transitioned to khaki uniforms, he still wore the blue, red, and gold uniforms of the preceding era.


    It was not hard to understand why; sure, they were more practical in the field, but they were also far more majestic in overall design. Hence why, to this day, many monarchs still chose to wear the older and more stylish uniforms.


    Either way, Bruno stared firmly in front of the Japanese Emperor while all of his subjects bowed before him. Afterward, he quickly greeted Bruno, mentioning how the man had barely aged since thest time he saw him.


    "I would have thought with all the stress you have been under these past few years, you would have doubled your age, and yet here you stand, not a day older than thest time we met. Care to tell me your secret?"


    Bruno chuckled in response to this praise, quickly returning it with a joke that the legendary Japanese Emperor found humorous.


    "You praise me too much; everyone knows that it is the people of the Orient who age better than anyone else in this world. I merely am slightly better than the rest of my kind. Now, tell me, your majesty, why did you invite me across the world to your home? Your letter was very vague about the details of my visit."


    This was more or less true, as one was required to read through the lines and have a proper understanding of what Bruno had said to Emperor Meiji during his past visit to fully understand what the words written in the letter truly described.


    Upon seeing that Bruno was not one to stand on ceremony, Emperor Meiji smirked before leading the way to the testing facility. There, Bruno gazed upon a machine gun that most certainly caught his interest.


    As previously described, it was a brand new machine gun, one that he had never read about or seen pictures of in his past life. It was vaguely simr to the BSA GPMG prototype from his past life, but with many design choices carried over from the Type 96, such as the fully finned barrel, the conical sh suppressor, and the distinctive carrying handle, stock, and pistol grip.


    Where its simrities to the BSA GPMGy was in regards to its feeding mechanism and the belt holder. Bruno was honestly rather impressed as he gazed upon the distinctive prototype, quickly asking a question of the Emperor as he examined its features.


    "May I?"


    The Emperor of Japan quickly assured Bruno that he could handle the firearm, as Bruno was the one who had made the suggestions that resulted in such a machine gun design. The Empire of Japan was rather hit or miss when it came to firearms development during his past life.


    During the Second World War and the years leading up to it, they had either made exceptional pieces of engineering, like the Type 96 light machine gun, which this was based upon, or had made absolute pieces of garbage that were either unreliable or, frankly speaking, a bigger detriment to the operator than the enemy they were aiming at, such as the scarcely produced Type 100 submachine gun, the Type 14 Nambu pistol, and the Type 95 Nambu pistol. Considering this weapon was merely a prototype and would need to go under substantial testing and improvement, Bruno was already impressed that the Japanese engineers had created something that was not only semi-functional but also had great potential. Because of this, he slowly began dismantling the weapon, as if he already knew how it functioned, merely by spending less than a minute observing it. After field-stripping and examining each and everyponent carefully, Bruno had a few rmendations on how to improve it.


    "You see this? Thisponent has already begun to warp in shape; you need to increase the hardness of the steel and make it consistent across the board. But other than that, you are on the right path. So keep up the good work."


    Emperor Meiji nodded his head in satisfaction; he had neglected to notice such a minute detail, but the fact that Bruno had even bothered to point it out would save the Japanese arsenal many hours of experimentation and problem-solving.


    Because of this, the Japanese Emperor was quick to thank Bruno for his insight and his approval before dragging him back to the pce.


    "I''m sorry for making such an invitation solely for this purpose, but I wanted to see whether or not your words of wisdom had borne proper fruit or merely a spoiled product. Please enjoy yourself within my home for the next week or two. I''ll make sure you are given a proper tour of the city as an honored guest from the German Reich. How does that sound?"


    Bruno nodded his head with a polite smile on his face, thanking the Japanese Emperor for his hospitality as he did so.


    "Your generosity is truly exemry of your character, your majesty. I will dly take you up on your offer. And while I am staying here, perhaps I can give you a few other words of wisdom, as you put it. Our nations are allies, after all, and I get the feeling that soon we may need to honor that allegiance.


    Which means, as far as I am concerned, the better armed my allies are, the worse off my enemies would be when that day finally arrives, won''t you agree?"


    Emperor Meiji smirked upon hearing Bruno''s words, nodding his head as he led the man into


    his home once more, assuring him that they would be the "best of allies" when the Great War


    finally broke out.


    "Oh, you can count on that!"

 Chapter 169: An Unfortunate Chain of Misunderstandings

    Chapter 169: An Unfortunate Chain of Misunderstandings


    ?


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It did not take long for Bruno to find himself greeted by some familiar faces-faces he had not seen in more than a couple of years. By his count, it was close to five years since he had seen these people.


    In such arge and magnificent pce, it was not umon for the entire extended royal family to dwell within it or at least gather very often. Japan was no exception, with the Emperor''s sons, daughters, and grandchildren all living within his personal abode.


    At the same time, whatever siblings and children he had were also present, probably as a show that he valued Bruno as a representative of his most powerful ally. Bruno spoke with various members of the Emperor''s family, all of whom were as pleasant to him as they had been when he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun all those years ago for his actions at Port Arthur.


    More or less, he remembered the faces he saw, especially the adults, as they had not changed all that much in a mere four to five years. However, there was one person he did not recognize as he greeted the Japanese Royal Family for the second time in his life.


    Frankly speaking, the transformation was far too much for Bruno, who had not seen her since she was a little girl, to fullyprehend. This was a girl who did not exist in his past life. After all, her father was one of Emperor Meiji''s sons, who had died in Bruno''s previous life during childhood.


    It was because of this and other small changes that were different from the history he knew from his past life that Bruno was aware that while this world was nearly identical to the one, he had once lived in, it was not a perfect 1:1 scale replica.


    After all, this teenage girl was most certainly proof of this. Bruno had not recognized who this girl was, as his memory of her was brief, and she was roughly ten years old at the time they first met. Instead, he bowed respectfully before her and introduced himself as if they were unacquainted prior to this moment.


    "My apologies, Princess; we must have missed each other during myst visit. My name is Lord Bruno von Zehntner, Generaloberst of the German Army. It would be my highest honor if I could learn your identity."


    Bruno was stunned when the teenage girl looked at him with fury in her eyes before shifting her head and line of sight away from him entirely. She quickly began to pout and cross her arms as she responded to him with Bruno''s alternative identity.


    "Well, Prince Zehntner, it appears you didn''t get a good enough impression of me when west met. And here I was, dying to meet with you again after all these years, yet you clearly didn''t once think of me!"


    After saying this, the girl stormed off, throwing a minor hissy fit as she did so, causing Bruno to be confused. It finally hit him who the teenage girl was. He looked over to Emperor Meiji, who was smirking at him with a shit-eating grin, and voiced his confusion aloud.


    "Don''t tell me that girl is Princess Sakura?"


    Emperor Meiji nodded his head; his niece had followed Bruno''s rapid and legendary rise to prominence quite thoroughly over the years. She was what one might consider his greatest fangirl, and her admiration for him grew with each major achievement he received.


    Because of this, she was quite offended that he appeared to have forgotten all about her existence, which could only cause her uncle, her father, and all of her older rtives tough at her anger, as they knew all too well Bruno would not have recognized her. She had grown quite beautiful and was no longer a small child.


    They also knew Bruno was a man who was already happily married and had no thoughts toward other women, as rumors of other monarchs trying to tempt him with their daughters, especially after he had be a bona fide prince himself, had spread even to thend of the Rising Sun.


    Not to mention, Bruno was a foreigner, and it would appear that Westerners had a hard time differentiating the people of the Orient from one another. As a result, they suspected he would probably not even remember their brief encounter all those years ago, let alone recognize her face.


    Bruno, who prided himself on always remembering a face, felt stumped as Emperor Meijiughed at his expense, while also making an "unfair remark" that only added further fuel to the fire.


    "Oh? Isn''t this a surprise! My little niece has been quite the adoring fan of yours, following your exploits since your performance in Port Arthur. To think the hero, she adored had so thoroughly forgotten her-I truly pity the girl...


    Still, it surprises me that you even remembered her name, albeit I''m afraid it was a bit toote to bring the girl any happiness she initially expected to achieve from this second encounter with her idol."


    Bruno couldn''t help but stare at Meiji as if he were a bastard for mocking him to such an extent. I mean, honestly, thest time he saw her, she was a literal child. And sure, she was still young, but she was old enough to have developed quite significantly during this time. Did he really expect him to instantly recognize her, especially since they only had one conversation together nearly half a decade prior?


    As for the admiration that Meiji imed she had for him, that was simply unfathomable for Bruno. He was just a soldier at the end of the day, doing the job required of him. He wasn''t some legendary hero of a Greek epoch, and he did not deserve to be revered as such.


    Because of this, Bruno sighed and shook his head, expressing his thoughts aloud-a sentiment that caused more than a few members of the Japanese royal family to raise their brows in curiosity.


    "I''m nobody''s hero..."


    After saying this, Bruno returned to greeting the rest of the Imperial Japanese Family members, none of whom had left as thorough an impression on him as the Emperor, his sons, and the young teenage princess, who apparently had developed some form of fascination with his career.


    Princess Sakura was more than displeased by the fact that Bruno had appeared to have forgotten about her. She stormed off to her room to sulk in silence for a while, missing the banquet that was thrown in Bruno''s honor, as she instead wrote to her pen pals about her dissatisfaction.


    The letters previously exchanged between her and these strangers were hewn across the desk, openly on disy for anyone who dared to enter her room. Had Bruno followed the girl to apologize, he would have noticed that the Japanese princess was inmunication with a few other girls roughly her age, with whom he hade into contact over the years.


    Grand Duchess Olga Nikevna of Russia, Archduchess Hedwig of Austro-Hungary, and Princess Victoria-Louise of Prussia. Had Bruno discovered this, he would immediately understand why the Prussian princess had insulted him by calling him a rake during hisst encounter with her.


    As these various princesses had, through a chain of letters, discovered that Bruno hade into contact with them all, and though Bruno had never expressed any interest in any of them as romantic partners, merely using them as a tool to establish friendlier ties with various


    noble houses.


    They, in their youthful naivety, had mistaken his kind fa?ade as some form of courtship. After realizing that he was merely being friendly with the lot of them for diplomatic purposes, they again mistook this fact as if he were some kind of degenerate womanizer.


    Sakura had not truly believed Bruno was of such a character until now, where she wrote to her friends about how the man was truly an oundish rake of the highest order. She further ndered his good name out of some form of misced resentment toward the other princesses with whom Bruno hade into contact.


    Though Bruno did not realize it yet, he would have to bear the consequences of this misunderstanding at ater date. But for now, he was enjoying himself and the hospitality of the legendary Japanese Emperor, who desired to pick the man''s brain, specifically regarding his vision of a great war and when it woulde.


    This was a war that the Japanese royal family seemed usible but also, at the same time, somehow disconnected from their reality. Any war the Japanese fought with the great powers of the world would be fought in Asia, where their military strength wascking. Either way, Meiji was convinced this was an opportunity that Japan could take advantage of to seize territory, defeat the British and French Empires, and in doing so establish themselves as


    an equal to the West.

 Chapter 170: Diplomacy and Business

    Chapter 170: Diplomacy and Business


    ?


    Bruno had more or less entertained the Japanese aristocracy for the night, or at the very least, the Royal Family of the Eastern Empire.


    Sakura, of course, was very angry with Bruno for not immediately recognizing her and had stormed off to her room to write a series of angry letters, venting her frustrations to her pen pals, who just so happened to be the other princesses with whom Bruno was acquainted.


    It wasn''t all too surprising that these young women all knew each other. After all, the German Reich, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russian Empire, and the Empire of Japan were in a military alliance with one another at the moment.


    To say that there was at least one opportunity over the past few years for them all to meet up together and hit it off was an understatement. Diplomacy was an important part of a monarch''s duties, and oftentimes it was conducted in person, over dinner, with one''s family. What was diplomacy if not business conducted over the scale of international boundaries? And because of this, Princess Sakura was well acquainted with the other princesses Bruno had more or less established some degree of familiarity with over the years of conducting operations overseas.


    By morning the next day, however, Bruno found himself in an awkward setting. He was eating dinner with Emperor Meiji''s family, and Sakura was giving him the stink eye, much to the amusement of her father, mother, uncles, and grandfather, all of whom felt a bit of joy at Bruno''s misfortune.


    Because of this, Bruno eventually sighed,ing up with some line that would only further the misunderstandings that existed between him and the adolescent princess, albeit in the opposite direction.


    "I must humbly apologize, Your Highness. I did not realize who you were immediately. And though I am entirely at fault, I must admit thest time I saw you; you were but a young girl, but now you have blossomed into quite the beautiful woman. I''m sure whoever you marry in the future will be a very lucky man."


    Bruno''s words were more or less honest, if not exaggerated in terms of ttery. After all, nobles loved to have their asses kissed especially; it was one of the reasons Bruno seldom liked findingpany with his own ss in society.


    Nevertheless, it seemed to have worked, as the girl blushed and muttered something beneath her breath that Bruno did not hear.


    "You really think I''m that pretty?"


    Bruno quickly asked what Sakura had said, as he did not hear anything other than a mutter, causing the girl to panic and pretend like she hadn''t said anything. And since she wasn''t willing to reveal it, he left the matter be. Meanwhile, the teenage princess''s mother simply smirked and did not say a word.


    Either way, both of their expressions and actions made Bruno feel a bit ufortable, so he decided to stir up another topic for discussion, one that would change the overall environment in the room to something more stern.


    "So, Your Majesty, Emperor Meiji, how long do you think it will be before you have fully tested and developed these new machine guns of yours so that they are capable of mass production?"


    The Emperor was more than happy to discuss this matter, as any further insights he could glean from Bruno would be ideal. Thus, he was more than willing to let the previous discussion die, as he addressed Bruno with a rather excited expression on his aging face.


    "My engineers have assured me that the weapon should be fully developed and ready for field trials within another three years at the most. Assuming it passes those field trials, then it will be ready for mass production by 1912 at thetest."


    This was a good estimate as far as Bruno was concerned, and because of this, Bruno nodded his head in satisfaction with Emperor Meiji''s words. If proven to be true, they would give the Imperial Japanese Army a significant increase in terms of firepower to be wielded against the British and French colonies in the Eastern World.


    If they caused enough casualties, it could even go so far as to force the Allied Powers to divert forces from the Western Front to Asia, especially if the British Raj came under attack.


    However, this estimate put many things in perspective. To many in the room, three to four years almost seemed like a lifetime away, whereas Bruno felt it was even longer. With each passing day, he would wait for the countdown to get closer and closer to the outbreak of the Great War, which was supposed to begin in 1914.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It was both a dreaded future and an anticipated one for the man. Even so, he had no way of knowing if the war would break out sooner in this life, as the changes he had made to the timeline via his direct or indirect interference in major global events that in his past life had contributed to the conflict could potentially have significant consequences on the overall timeline in this war.


    Frankly speaking, Bruno desired for the war to break out in 1914 at the earliest. It gave him the time needed to ensure that his weapons were properly tested and fielded at least in some


    -capacity.


    The more advanced weapons that the German Reich was currently in the process of creating were either not yet fielded in significant enough numbers to change the oue of the war or were simply not evenpleted at this point in time.


    If the war broke out tomorrow, for example, Bruno would have to revert back to the Schlieffen n and pray the advantage in firepower gained from having a few regiments armed with thetest weaponry would be enough to break the Anglo-French defenses at the Marne.


    A battle that the Germans had lost in his past life was the event responsible for the creation of static trench warfare, which gued the Western Front until the end of the war. If the war broke out in 1914, the German Army would have the overwhelming advantage in firepower, but the result of another quick victory like the one had in 1871 would simply embolden his enemies to wage another war in 20 years'' time.


    Bruno''s defensive strategy was designed to inflict the most pain and suffering possible on the British and French armies so that their people would never again question the German Reich''s hegemony over Europe, and hopefully deter them from waging another pointless war that would only wreak more havoc and destruction on the world.


    That was his hope, but whether or not any of these ns woulde to fruition was dependent entirely on the butterfly effect and how his actions in this life, both significant and insignificant, shaped the world around him.


    Ultimately, it was Princess Sakura who broke the long silence, as she begged her royal grandfather for a favor, shifting everyone''s focus to her.


    "Beloved Grandfather, may I please be excused from this meal? I just realized that I have a few letters... which... which I need to... erm... change the contents of! And if I don''t go fetch them quickly, it will be toote!"


    Sakura had been won over from her poor attitude rather quickly. All it took was a charming smile and exaggerated ttery, and the girl was back in Bruno''s good graces. Bruno, of course, did not know the letters she wanted to dispose of were the ones she had written about him, addressed to the other princesses.


    Letters which contained all forms of nderous and scandalous statements. Now that she had reverted back to being his admirer, she did not want these letters to be sent, and because of this, she had requested to leave the dinner early.


    An unusual request, but Meiji was wise enough to suspect something was amiss, and he silently nodded his head, causing the adolescent princess to scurry off like a frightened rabbit as she ran out of the dining hall, her jet-ck twin tails iling behind her as she did so.


    Unfortunately for the Japanese princess and Bruno alike, by the time she managed to get to her room, the letters on her desk, which had been sealed with her si ring, stamped, and addressed to her pen pals, were gone.


    The maids had collected them and sent them off to the postal service on her behalf. Meaning that in a few weeks or perhaps even months'' time, the princesses of the German Reich, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Russian Empire would believe that Bruno was a man most heinous-one who they would be disgusted by whenever they caught his glimpse and whose name they would tarnish every time they spoke of it.


    That is, of course, at least until Bruno could find a way to properly correct the tangled web of misunderstandings between him and the three royal daughters of the world''s most powerful emperors¡ªa task that would require careful diplomacy, patience, and perhaps more than a


    little charm.


    But that was a story for another time.

 Chapter 171: The Second Born Son

    Chapter 171: The Second Born Son


    ?


    Bruno''s time in Japan, or at least during his second visit to the eastern ind nation, was one of rtive peace. Other than the drama that urred on the first two days of his visit, Bruno was given a full tour of the industrial nation and was able to witness its ongoing


    developments in an era that was renowned in history for, in many ways, being thest days of an older world.


    But eventually, the time came to return to the Reich once more, a return that Bruno greatly anticipated. If the man was being honest with himself, diplomatic efforts were not exactly something he was fond of performing on behalf of his nation and Kaiser.


    But Bruno was first and foremost a soldier, and a soldier did his duty regardless of his own personal feelings towards whatever that duty may entail. Upon returning to the fathend, after months of travel at sea, Bruno found himself weed at the rail station by his wife and his children.


    Of course, Bruno''s older children were more than happy to see their father, who had been gone for more or less four months, return home atst. They knew he was on a peaceful venture overseas, but being away from their father for so long naturally instilled a sense of dread in them.


    After all, many things could happen on a months-long voyage across the world''s oceans, and some of those possibilities were a frightening reality. The girls were easily the happiest; with their father''s return, their mother''s tyranny hade to a swift and sudden end.


    Even in such arge pce, the woman had a damn near instinctive ability to tell when her children were misbehaving and was not far behind to catch them in the act and, in doing so, discipline them thoroughly.


    With Bruno''s leniency to his girls, it was as if the figurative chains about their necks had been released, as they jumped into their hero''s arms and hugged him tightly.


    "Daddy is home!"


    Such a warm gesture and a loving statement were more than enough to make Bruno feel weed upon stepping off the train, which took him from Hamburg to Berlin, and


    witnessing his loved ones waiting for his return.


    Bruno, of course, greeted his two young girls with the same familial love, as he kissed them both on the forehead while holding them in his embrace, ensuring the two girls he would not leave them to their mother''s authoritarian nature for at least some time.


    "Daddy is home indeed, and he loves you two girls very much! Besides, I won''t be going anywhere again for a very long time..."


    Heidi, of course, had a stern expression on her face when she realized her husband was spoiling their daughters again, but she could never truly stay mad at the man and thus sighed and rolled her eyes, all while holding their newborn son in her arms.


    That''s right, during his absence, Heidi had given birth to a healthy baby son. She was, after all, already several months pregnant when he left. Because of this, Bruno apologized profusely to his beloved wife for missing the birth of their newest child.


    Heidi was a forgiving woman, at least when it came to her loved ones, and easily let this matter go. Of course, there were conditions. Bruno would have to spend the next few days with his family and nobody else.


    Work be damned, he needed a break after being forced to fulfill the Kaiser''s personal obligations as a monarch. He was a general, not a diplomat, and if it weren''t for the fact that Emperor Meiji was personally fond of him, he wouldn''t have had to travel across the entire world for the sake of entertaining foreign nobles.


    Bruno hugged his wife and kissed her on the lips, while addressing their newborn son, who luckily he and his wife had agreed upon a name for prior to his departure.


    "And this must be little Josef, isn''t that right? Or did you name the boy something else behind my back?"


    Heidi immediately feigned offense at such a question, acting as if she were genuinely aggrieved by such an assertion, which she knew all too well was her husband''s attempt at humor. And Bruno, of course, knew she was also pulling his leg with her rather impressive act.


    "Am I such a woman in your eyes that I would actually go so far as to name our child something different than we, his parents, agreed upon just because I had the opportunity to do so because of your absence at the time of his birth? If you have such a low opinion of me, then I have no idea why we are even married!"


    By now, Eva, Erwin, and Elsa were all too familiar with the way their parents acted and rolled their eyes at their little yful dispute, knowing that in the next second they would be hugging and kissing just as they had done seconds prior to such a well-performed fa?ade. And this is exactly what happened as the two broke out intoughter before embracing in a public ce. Shame be damned! Bruno had been away from his wife and children for so long, and he did not give a shit if onlookers judged them for daring to disy their affection in public.


    Heidi was equally shameless, as her mindset was the same, and thus, in a rather scandalous act, they shared a very intimate kiss before breaking off, where Heidi then asserted their dinner that evening would be absolute perfection.


    "Wee home, my love. I assure you that when dinner is prepared this evening, it will be wlessly to your liking."


    This was exactly what Bruno wanted to hear. There was nothing better in this world than a meal cooked for you by a woman who loved you, whether that be your mother or your wife. And while the food he had consumed thest few months had been nothing but exquisite, it failed to stir the emotions in his heart the way his wife''s home cooking did.


    Even if the food was partially prepared by a professional staff, it was ultimately overseen and cooked by his wife at the end of the day, and Bruno most certainly appreciated that. Hence why he took his young son into his arms and introduced himself with a gleeful smile on his face.


    "Hello, Josef, I''m your father. I''m sorry we haven''t been able to meet until now, and I know it will be one of the greatest regrets I have in this life. But I assure you I will spend the rest of my life making up for this."


    Naturally, the child did not understand a word Bruno had said, being at most two months old, if even that. But nevertheless, Bruno felt the need to properly introduce himself to his newborn son, if not simply for his sake.


    His wife and children watched Bruno speak to his young son. They were all as happy as he was, well, except for perhaps Erwin, who was having problems with the fact that a new son had been born. This meant he was no longer his father''s sole potential heir.


    It also meant that Bruno would have a little brother topete with in life, which was ultimately something Erwin did not know if he truly desired. Whatever the reason, Bruno handed Josef back to his mother, noticing the conflicted glint in his eldest son''s eyes, and simply patted his head, assuring him that just because he had a little brother, he would not be treated any differently.


    "And what are you looking at, little man? You think just because you have a little brother that


    I will favor him over you? If anything, his life will be more difficult than yours is, as he will always be seeking to prove himself against that which you have already proven yourself to be and will continue to prove yourself to be.


    Besides, your mother and I are still young. I''m sure you will have plenty more siblings to speak of in theing years. So don''t you dare treat that little boy any different than you would your sisters, you understand me?"


    Having raised his son properly, the boy immediately lost whatever conflict he felt in his heart, and instead nodded at his father with a look of understanding, responding to the man with


    the utmost respect as he did so.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Yes, sir..."


    Seeing that he had properly dismissed any behavioral problems his oldest son might have now that he had a younger brother topete with, Bruno patted the boy on the back before walking with his family towards where their car was waiting for them.


    One of many that was currently being protected by armed security. After all, a convoy was best to ensure the safety of him and his family, which is exactly how they drove back to their


    home.


    "Now, let''s go spend some quality time together as a proper family..."

 Chapter 172: A New Era of Naval Warfare

    Chapter 172: A New Era of Naval Warfare


    ?


    Life passed by pretty quickly while Bruno continued about his daily life within the German Reich. All he could do during this time was make the necessary preparations for the uing war, one which would engulf the entire world, or at least the vast majority of it, and would cause the deaths of tens of millions of people, primarily the poor souls sent to the trenches. By 1911, the German Army hadpletely overhauled its armament and doctrine. Every single rifleman was now equipped and trained with the Gewehr 05 semi-automatic service rifle, which had be the standard-issue weapon for the German Army and its soldiers.


    The Gewehr 05, of course, being the designation given to the modified variant of the Gewehr 43, which Bruno had designed in this life. Aside from the Gewehr 05, there was also at least one man in each squad armed with an MG-05 (MG-34) general-purpose machine gun.


    In addition to this, the NCO in charge of the squad wielded an MP-05 (MP-34) submachine gun, making the doctrine incredibly simr to the ones used by the German infantry units in the Second World War.


    Artillery was attached to each infantry regiment, utilizing a mixture of the four gun types Bruno had designed early on in this life, and at the toon level, there were small units of men armed and trained to use 60mm, 80mm, and 120mm mortars.


    To say that the German Army was the most well-equipped army in the world was an understatement, and currently its size was bigger than it was in Bruno''s life at the start of the war, with one million men actively serving and another four million reserves to be called upon and mobilized at a moment''s notice.


    This was in contrast to Bruno''s past life, where they had 700,000 men actively serving and 3.8 million who could be mobilized within a single week. Either way, the German Army was well- prepared for the war.


    In addition to these efforts, the German Luftstreitkr?fte had five full wings of operational He-51 interwar-era bines that were capable of performing the roles of reconnaissance, attack fighter, and close air support/bomber.


    The border preparations had more or less beenpleted and were a stark line of defense and deterrence against any potential Anglo-French invasion. When the war broke out, British and French troops would break against the wall.


    While the bulk of Germany''s armed forces, alongside their allies in Russia and Austria- Hungary, would push into Serbia, Italy, as well as potentially Romania and the Ottoman Empire, seeking to capitte their rivals in a swift and decisive victory before turning their attention to the Western Front.


    This was the n, but few ns ever really went as one hoped they would, especially when facing the multitude of unknown quantities that revealed themselves on a modern battlefield. All that really remained of Bruno''s preparations were theunching of his advanced submarines and destroyers.


    And today, a major step forward in this regard had been made, with Bruno being called out to Danzig to discuss this matter with his naval engineers. Today, Bruno stood before the men who were responsible for designing a very important device.


    Standing in front of him was a fully production-ready variation of two onboard shipputational devices. The first was meant for the destroyers and other surface ships. It wasrge, bulky, and resilient beyond one''s imagination.


    The second was much morepact and was instead designed for use onboard submarines. These were really the major devices Bruno had been waiting on before mass-producing his destroyers and submarines.


    When he activated the so-called "Rangekeeper," which itself performedplex calctions at a fraction of the speed of what the average humanmander was capable of, he smirked something fiercely before patting his lead naval engineer on the back.


    After doing so, Bruno broke out intoughter before saying the words that would be quoted throughout the annals of human history.


    "Gentlemen... It is no exaggeration to say that today you have single-handedly won the war on the seas for the German Reich."


    Bruno''spliments were, of course, grand, but these men knew all too well what these machines meant. They meant a significant increase in hit probability. During the Battle of Jund, it was said that out of all the shots fired by the infamous dreadnought battleships, perhaps three percent of them at the most hit their targets.


    With these devices, the hit probability had skyrocketed, meaning that Germany held the single greatest advantage on the seas if every warship was equipped with theseputational devices. Even pre-dreadnought ss battleships would have the ability to sink their formidable and more advanced dreadnought opponents.


    Though obsolete, most navies still fielded many of these ships, and while the dreadnought was far more formidable, if it could onlynd three percent of its shots, then it didn''t really matter how big its guns were when the enemy was able to have a higher hit probability of more than ten times their percentage.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Was a pre-dreadnought ss battleship capable of sinking a dreadnought with a single shot? Probably not, not unless they were particrly lucky. But were they able to sink a dreadnought with ten shots? Oh, most certainly.


    And if they couldnd those ten shots before the enemy could hit them back, wasn''t that just superb? Bruno was extremely happy that these devices had finally been finished, albeit a little bitter than initially projected.


    Either way, his funding had not gone to waste, and the engineers were d that he was not angry about missing the deadline they had given him of 1910. Instead, Bruno congratted them all on their efforts.


    "You have all done incredible work today, and I have no doubt that the Kaiserliche Marine will emerge victorious on the seven seas in the wars toe because of what you have all done here over thesest few years!


    Forgive me for not properly celebrating with you all, but reporting thepletion of this project to the Grand Admirals is of the utmost importance. I will personally rmend all of you for some form ofmendation suiting what you have all done here today. Though I fear it may not be until the war is won that your contributions are fully understood by those in power, so I beg of you all to be patient with me in this matter."


    After saying this, Bruno said a fewst words to his engineers, promising them all a grand bonus for the year, before running off to inform the admiralty of what had been aplished.


    With theputational devicespleted and the next generation ss of destroyers and submarines soon to begin mass production, Germany was on its path to securing the waves


    for the Reich.


    But there was still onest device Bruno wanted to design and put into production. Something that was far simpler to make than the majority of what he had spent thest decade designing, testing, and producing, but was far more important than them all.


    Still, that was a matter for another time. Instead, he spoke with his contact in the German Navy, Admiral Henning von Holtzendorff, first calling the man up and informing him that a "project which he was interested in had beenpleted."


    It was best not to say too much over the phone, and because of that, Bruno was invited to the headquarters of the German Navy, where he stood before a board of admirals and exined what had been created by his own engineers and his minor contributions to the project.


    When they heard in great detail what Bruno had spoken of, and how he had spent thest ten years investing in the manufacture of warships capable of protecting trade and hunting the enemy while remaining entirely submerged beneath the surface of the ocean''s waves, they were blown away by the man''s foresight into naval matters.


    Only Henning really knew how capable Bruno was when it came to not only matters of army organization, strategy, tactics, and logistics, but also that of the naval persuasion as well. With this meeting having taken several hours to properly exin, the conclusion among the admiralty was that theputational devices, as well as the advanced warships that were to be introduced in theing years, would be a ssified matter of the utmost secrecy. Any ship that was damaged at sea or at risk of capture by the enemy was to be scuttled, and theputational devices onboard were to be destroyed immediately. They could not risk the enemy getting their hands on any of the advanced technology that Bruno had brought to the world decades before they were supposed to exist.


    Bruno was most satisfied with this conclusion, and while everything he had spent his entire military career working towards was starting to be realized in physical form, there was still onest major innovation he had to make in preparation for the Great War. Because of this, the moment he got home and sat down at his desk, he began designing the infamous Enigma machine.

 Chapter 173: Enigma

    Chapter 173: Enigma


    ?


    Things were progressing much as Bruno had predicted on the global stage. The year was currently 1911, and soon enough the advanced Type XXI U-Boats Bruno had prepared years in advance would begin production, hopefully recing the current U-Boat Types, which were woefully obsolete whenpared to the variant he had introduced to the world decades in advance.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    And while his armored vehicles, nes, and warships were all either already in production, or were getting close to it, there was one other invention Bruno had not introduced until now. It was, frankly speaking, an oversight on his part not to do so earlier, but at the same time, he still had enough time left before the war began that it didn''t matter all that much. Currently, Bruno was at home, with a beer stein in one hand and a sandwich in the other, looking over the details of the rough draft he had just concluded. It was a rather small device, at leastpared to the weapons he had already designed.


    But it was perhaps the most critical piece of technology to ensure the sess of the German Reich in the Great War that was toe.


    Granted, Bruno did not know all the ins and outs of the initial design, nor was he fully versed in the study of cryptography, but he had plenty of men in his employ who could make his vision a reality. The mechanical engineering aspects of the legendary cipher known as the "Enigma Machine" were well within his field of expertise to at least get a proof of concept going.


    The Enigma Machine was, as previously stated, a cipher, and quite the advanced one at that. It was said in moremon circles to have been damn near uncrackable and would have never been solved if not for several blunders of the Third Reich, some of which were entirely political and bureaucratic in nature.


    While the Polish, with the aid of the French Intelligence Services, managed to create a device capable of cracking the Enigma Code as early as 1933, updates to the tform, such as adding a fourth rotor, made such efforts obsolete.


    It was not until 1942, when a British mathematician and logician named n Turing managed to ovee these problems, and only after the Allies had managed to capture German cipher keys.


    Frankly speaking, however, such knowledge was well beyond the Entente''s capabilities during the Great War, and Bruno expected a proper Enigma Machine developed in ordance with the standards of itsst generation from his previous life would be more than enough to make it impossible to intercept and decode Germanmunications.


    The Enigma Machine itself was a rather simple instrument, making use of abination of mechanical and electrical subsystems.


    The mechanical subsystem consisted of a keyboard and a set of rotating disks that were arranged adjacently along a spindle. The spindle was one of variousponents to turn at least one rotor with each key press.


    Finally, there was a series ofmps, one for each letter. Thesemps would light up for the corresponding letter of the alphabet in ordance with the encrypted code on the rotor. Aside from that, it was rtively lightweight andpletely portable.


    While Bruno had just finished his lunch for the day, his wife Heidi knocked on the door. The rules were simple in Bruno''s office: nobody was allowed to enter without first obtaining permission to do so. Even Heidi had to abide by these rules, not that she found fault with them.


    She had previously knocked on her husband''s door to make sure he was ready for lunch and had done so just now, after giving the man enough time toplete the meal, in order to collect his te and ss, which she was quick to announce after knocking thrice.


    "Dear, are you finished with your meal, or do you need another five minutes?"


    Having just wiped his mouth from the liquid that remained afterpleting his beer, Bruno was quick to announce that he was indeed ready for his te and mug to be taken away.


    "Perfect timing, I just finished..."


    Seeing this as having been granted permission to enter her husband''s office, Heidi quickly smiled as she opened the door, walking over to Bruno''s desk as she collected the empty te and beer stein. She did not say a word as she was tidying up, that is until she noticed the device sitting on Bruno''s desk.


    Having family members in German Intelligence, Heidi was all too aware of what a cipher was. Although the one Bruno had rather crudely drawn was fairly advanced, so much so that she was quick toment on its design.


    "Well, I was not expecting you to be working on such a thing. This is a cipher, isn''t it? I have to say it''s a rather ingenious design. Where did youe up with such a thing?"


    Bruno had yet to learn that his wife was more or less involved with the intelligence side of things within the German Reich. She had family members who were deeply entrenched in a variety of intelligence branches, and she had regrmunication with them.


    A lot of people owed her favors, and shemonly collected on them to look out for her family''s safety and prosperity, all without Bruno knowing. Because of this, Bruno was rather surprised that she knew what he had designed, and how it would theoretically function. He quicklymented on this oddity that his wife had just expressed in front of him.


    "Since when are you a master of all things mechanical? Heidi, do you honestly know what this is?"


    Heidi left Bruno even further stunned when she wore a conceited smirk before walking out the door, not bothering to fully reveal the extent of her knowledge on the subject. Instead, she caused her husband to have even more questions as she shut the door behind herself.


    "You''re not the only one protecting this family, you know..."


    Bruno stared dumbfounded at the door that Heidi had long since closed behind herself after carrying away his empty te and beer stein. He honestly could not tell if the woman was joking or not. However, she did appear to have some degree of knowledge about what he had designed, that much was certain.


    Perhaps the enigma of the day was not the machine he had crafted a functional proof of concept for, but rather it was his wife. Just how much did he not know about the woman he loved despite growing up together and being married all these years?


    This was truly a question worth investigating, and because of this, Bruno immediately shifted his focus away from making preparations for the war and instead into investigating his wife''s background, searching for things he may have overlooked over the years.


    Heidi had wanted to tell Bruno about her ties to the other half of her family for years, but he never seemed to ask, and she could never find the words to tell him about it. But as she had said, Bruno had not been the only one protecting their family.


    Though a bastard, Heidi had connections to very powerful people, especially within the world of German intelligence. Not only did she use these connections to keep an eye on Bruno and ensure he was safe in whatever conflict he had thrown himself into, but also to counter those shadowy figures working behind the scenes to harm him and their family.


    Sure, Bruno had taken precautions to protect his family after angering the ck Hand, but he didn''t have the proper ties to German Intelligence, other than the Stasi, to thoroughly work against the actions of the ck Hand and their many, many attempts on his life and that of


    his family.


    Heidi had more or less been the one working behind the scenes, together with her family and friends in German Intelligence, toward this effort. In fact, if Bruno knew the number of ck Hand leadership she had caused the deaths of, he would be shocked.


    The ck Hand had rapidly grown in size since their first attempt on Bruno''s life, only to have one-third of its membership find themselves with mysterious deaths over the years. A simple whisper here and there, and the agents of the German Reich''s foreign intelligence agency could be moved to take their lives.


    Heidi, having family in very powerful positions within these intelligence agencies, needed to simply make use of these personal connections and give them a name that she wanted to disappear from history. And they would.


    While Bruno was investigating her background, she had settled down on the sofa with a ss of wine in her hand and a folder. A folder that contained the photograph of a man Bruno would be deeply familiar with. The photograph was of Dragutin Dimitrijevi?, better known by the nickname of "Apis." He was the leader of the ck Hand.


    After closing the folder and putting it aside, Heidi reached toward a nearby phone and dialed a number, having the operator connect her to one of her cousins. A man who was currently the deputy director of German Foreign Intelligence.


    "Hello, Friedrich... Yes, this is your cousin Heidi. How have you been? That''s good to hear. You tell Maria and the kids that they are always in my heart and prayers. Anyways, Friedrich, there''s a favor I would like to ask of you..."


    Nobody would hear the conversation that would be had between Heidi and her cousin, nor would anyone be aware that the result of it was that the legendary leader of the ck Hand had now be marked for death by the German Reich.


    Whether or not he would live long enough to see the end result of the chaos he had sown upon the world had yet to be seen.

 Chapter 174: The Death of Apis

    Chapter 174: The Death of Apis


    ?


    Things had been going poorly for the ck Hand ever since they first began targeting Bruno and his family. At least twenty-five percent of their leadership had either vanished or met a grisly and mysterious end.


    No doubt somebody was targeting them all. In a way, it was their karmaing back to them for all the evil they had done both in this life and the one Bruno hade from. Currently, Dragutin Dimitrijevi?, better known by the name of Apis, was at a port in what would one day be the independent nation of Croatia.


    He was looking at his ticket and passport carefully, as well as any other information he had, all of which was a false identity. He had taken rather extreme lengths to conceal his identity, going so far as to grow a full beard, permanently scar his face, and even wear an eyepatch over one eye.


    Like the rest of his fellow conspirators, Apis was on the run. It was clear to him now that he was being hunted. Three attempts had been made on his life over the course of the past week, which, though they appeared to be mere coincidences, he was not convinced of such a lie.


    No, one was a coincidence, two was suspicious, and three was a pattern. Someone was trying to kill him, though he did not know who. After failing repeatedly to harm Bruno and his family, and losing many talented agents in the process, the mysterious Balkans-based organization known by the name of the "ck Hand," or "Unification or Death" depending on who you asked, had ultimately taken Bruno off their hit list.


    It took some time for German Intelligence to properly discover the identities of the ck Hand and their agents. But after some, shall we say, extensive interrogation sessions between the various operatives that German authorities had captured from the shadowy syndicate, the Reich had more or less discovered the entirework and their political machinations.


    Naturally, considering the extensive ties that Heidi had to German Intelligence via the distant half of her family''s exceptional bloodline, it was only a matter of time before she learned about those targeting her husband.


    She had whispered a few words, and a few members of the organization went missing or found themselves the victims of an unfortunate and tragic ident. But it didn''t end there. No... Heidi was very angry, beyond displeased with the ck Hand for trying to harm her loved ones.


    And while she didn''t have the ability to take her vengeance against the von Wittelsbachs for their role in her mother''s untimely death, she did have the means to strike against these damned Balkan fanatics.


    Because of this, what remained of their leadership was now on the run, trying to hide in distant countries outside of Europe''s immediate sphere of influence. After all, they didn''t know whether it was the Habsburgs, the Romanovs, or the Hohenzollerns who were targeting them, but Europe was the domain of the United Imperial Powers. At least central Europe was, and these three mighty Empires were more than capable of striking far beyond their own borders.


    With this in mind, Apis was trying to get to Latin America, which he believed was free from the influence of these powerful and ancient dynasties. He hoped that he and his fellow conspirators could further foster and coordinate their movement for the liberation of the Balkan nations from the hands of their current upiers, from the safety of the New World. And it was a n that seemed to be working thus far, as at least a quarter of the ck Hand''s leadership had already fled to the countries south of the United States'' borders. Apis had just managed to hand over his fake passport to the customs official at the Croatian port.


    The man barely looked at the passport before stamping it with his approval and handing it back to Apis while giving him some nket statement or another about having a good trip. After which, there was still an hour''s time before the ship Apis had boarded would depart.


    Since this was the case, the man decided to get himself a nice, hot cup of coffee from the ship''s mess hall. He quickly approached the worker and smiled at the young man who appeared to be brewing the coffee for the ship''s passengers.


    The worker smiled back and nodded at Apis, treating him as if he were any other customer. While preparing the cup of coffee, he was quick to ask if the man wanted anything additional added to the beverage.


    "Would you like some sugar and cream with that?"


    Apis'' smile wore off as he looked at the man as if the question was obvious. People had been adding sugar to their coffee since 1625 when the Egyptians began experimenting with such concoctions.


    However, much to Apis'' surprise, the worker did not add the mixture himself but rather handed him a small stic packet of what appeared to be sugar, along with a sealed Bakelite cup full of cream. He then thanked the man for his business before moving on to the next customer.


    "Thank you, sir. I hope you enjoy your trip!"


    Apis mumbled something unintelligible in a disgruntled tone before shuffling off to his seat, where he broke out his newspaper and began to read the headline.


    "German border fortifications prompt response from French Head of State."


    The man mindlessly opened the packet of what appeared to be sugar and added it to his cup of coffee before also pouring the cream inside. Once he had done so, he mixed the concoction together with a spoon before taking a hearty sip.


    Perhaps because he was so entranced with the story in the paper, he did not notice the man who had served him his coffee staring at him from the corner of his eye, smirking something wicked immediately after he saw Apis sip the stirred coffee.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Apis didn''t realize it, but the man who served him his coffee was an agent of the Kaiser, or more specifically the German Foreign Intelligence agency. The sugar, which was handed to him sealed in a stic packet, wasced with a deadly and damn near untraceable poison known as ricin.


    Ricin, even in the smallest doses, was extremely lethal and could be absorbed into one''s skin. It was because of this that it was sealed in a stic package, no doubt created by one of the factories which Bruno had invested in.


    In addition to this, the man woretex gloves while preparing the coffee, just to ensure that theced sugar did not identally break open and afflict him with its poison. Because of this, Apis had unknowingly signed his own death warrant.


    He would spend the next 36-72 hoursing down with the most brutal fever and sickness imaginable before finally expiring in a way that was inexplicable to those who were unaware of how ricin affected the body.


    Needless to say, it was a far more disgusting mess than if he had been stricken with cholera. However, when the trip was finally over and his body was discovered soaked within its own putrid fluids, it was assumed that the man had simply caught a fever and died.


    Nobody would have guessed that the leader of the ck Hand had been assassinated by the agents of the German Crown, nor that it was done at the request of Bruno''s wife. And while Apis'' death was a significant blow to the ck Hand, its actual effect on whether or not the timeline proceeded as nned was limited.


    Apis, while the leader of the ck Hand, could easily be reced by the existing leadership, and his death would not deter the fanatics also known by the name of "Unification or Death." Rather, he would be a martyr for their cause, as they mistakenly med the Habsburgs for the murder of their fearless leader.


    This prompted them to make preparations for retaliation. But that retaliation would have to wait. The year was 1911, and soon enough, the Balkans woulde into turmoil as the Ottoman Empire sought to reim lost territory from the Young Turk revolution which had transpired years prior.


    And when that happened, the Habsburgs would be an afterthought, because for the next two years, the Balkans would be embroiled in warfare, warfare that itself would eventually lead to


    the Great War.


    Apis would be remembered by the people of Serbia as a national hero following his death and would be honored by the Serbian King for his "good deeds." But for those who were aware of his sinister activities hidden among the shadows, he would be condemned as a ckguard of the most reprehensible variety.


    But his sins in this life, and those of the ck Hand, were still for the most part a highly regarded secret. They would note to light for a very long time yet.

 Chapter 175: The Italo-Turkish War Begins

    Chapter 175: The Italo-Turkish War Begins


    ?


    Apis'' death had only further emboldened the ck Hand to gain their vengeance against the Habsburgs, as well as steeled their resolve toward their ultimate goal of independence and unification of the Balkans under a single banner.


    Either way, it was entirely possible that Heidi''s actions had hastened the start of the uing Great War. Or it would have been, if not for the fact that less than half a year after the grisly death of Apis aboard a ship headed for South America, war broke out in the Balkans.


    But that was a story for another time. In fact, as 1911 began drifting into its final few months, an interesting conflict broke out that would help contribute to this madness. Italy, having been given a sense of security by joining the Allied Powers, had decided now was the time to press some of its former ims.


    Forplex diplomatic reasons, mostly tied to the Great Powers all desiring the same pieces of the pie during the scramble for Africa, which urred a century prior, Italy had a im on Libya. And currently, the Ottoman Empire was the ruler of the region.


    However, because of the many, shall we say, chaotic undertakings within the Ottoman Empire ¡ªwhich one might call the natural course for all multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multi- religious societies-the Ottoman Empire was in a state of copse, more or less.


    The Young Turk Revolution had forestalled the inevitable by a few years, but the problems that were bound to ur eventually were just beginning to manifest themselves. The Balkans, ever a location rife with tension, was like a powder keg that had been lit with a slow fuse, and that slow fuse, after years of burning, was just about to go off.


    Over the course of thest few years, ethnic and religious tensions had been rising within the region between the native European poptions and the Turkish upiers. And these scuffles, as we might call them, were only growing in intensity as the years passed.


    It didn''t help that Serbia was stoking the mes by providing Catholics within Ottoman- upied Balkan regions with arms and munitions to continue the fight. This, along with Italy''s joining of the Allied Powers, hadpelled them to dere war on the Ottoman Empire and stage an amphibiousnding of some 20,000 men on the coast of Libya.


    Currently, Bruno was within the headquarters of the Central Division of the German Army''s High Command, listening to reports of what was happening in Libya. He, of course, knew what would happen. Italy, using modern technology such as early armored cars and aircraft, would overwhelm the Ottomans and win the war within a year.


    This, in turn, would embolden the resistance groups in the Balkans, as well as the nations supporting them, into starting the First Balkan War. After disputes between the nationsprising the so-called Balkan League, this would lead to the Second Balkan War.


    And finally, after the Second Balkan War concluded, the Archduke of Austria would be assassinated during a visit to Serbia. The rest was, as they say, history. Because Bruno knew exactly what would happen and how it would ur-assuming the butterfly effect didn''t p him in the face with something crazy and unexpected-he was smoking a cigarette and drinking from a ss of beer.


    All while the other generals of the German Army spoke in surprise at the technology the Italians were fielding. Initial reports suggested some difficulties in thending operations, but it wasn''t something the Italians couldn''t ovee.


    The Ottoman Army, after all, was a shadow of its former self, capable of being trounced by even the minor powers in the Balkans. The Italians, who many might say had the worst army in Bruno''s past life during the Great War, needed at most a year to take Libya from the Turks and their wretched state.


    Bruno''s expression was as indifferent as ever when he corrected something that Field Marshal August von Mackensen had just said.


    "They''re not telegraph stations; they''re wireless telegraph stations. It would appear that the other Great Powers have begun to catch up to our preparations..."


    This was a wild overstatement, as Germanmunications technology had advanced tenfold over thest decade and was now on par with its 1930s-era counterparts. Bruno was not the man responsible for this-not directly, at least.


    However, he did acquire significant talent in the field of wirelessmunications and threw a fat stack of cash at them. With damn near unlimited investment, these scientists and engineers were more than capable of aplishing three decades'' worth of achievements within a fraction of the time.


    At the end of the day, scientific advancement was often hampered not by the minds of the men who created it but by theck of foresight of their investors, who refused to give the funding where it was necessary and in the amount required.


    It was the entire reason that, during Bruno''s past life, ventures into space had more or less regressed since the moonnding in 1969. As for what Bruno had said, even August von Mackensen was aware of the exaggerated manner in which Bruno had sarcastically praised their rivals.


    Whether it was wireless telegraphs, field telephones, or radios, the German Army''smunication system was not only significantly more advanced than their rivals, who were just now fielding the likes of wireless telegraphs, but also encrypted in a way that was damn near unbreakable with current technology.


    Because of this, Bruno was mocking the natural development of technology that Germany had long since superseded as a result of his interference in the timeline. Even the Field Marshal couldn''t help butugh at Bruno''s mocking tone and join in the fun.


    "It appears that is indeed the case."


    Over the years, von Mackensen had gone from resenting Bruno, to distrusting the man, to finally seeing him as not only a valuable asset to the German Reich but also a good friend. Bruno''s instincts were generally on point, and if the man was not anxious about the current situation or the "advanced" technology the Italians were currently fielding, then there was no reason for him to be either.


    Because of this, the aging Field Marshal sat down next to Bruno and pulled out a cigarette of his own from the pack hidden inside his coat''s internal pocket. After lighting the device and taking a long drag, he finally asked Bruno bluntly for his opinion on the current conflict, which the world''s many Great Powers were watching with keen interest.


    "What do you make of this invasion?"


    Bruno himself was in the middle of a smoke, and after exhaling a plume from his lungs, he was quick to respond to the question asked of him with an almost nonchnt tone in his


    voice.


    "The Ottomans will stop the Italians briefly, but the Italians will send more men. By this time next year, the war in Libya will be the least of our worries...."


    August von Mackensen looked at Bruno with a cautious nce. By the way Bruno was speaking, there was something far nastier than this conflict across the Mediterranean for them to worry about, and Bruno was usually right when it came to such things. Because of this, he asked, almost with a sense of trepidation in his tone, about what awaited them all at the end of this war.


    "Oh? If that is the case, then what should we be worried about?"


    Bruno put out his cigarette in the ashtray with a slight tap-there was nothing but the filter left-and once he had done so, he straightened up from his rxed posture and looked into August von Mackensen''s haggard gaze with a grim look on his face, before posing a question of his own that answered the question.


    "Tell me, Generalfeldmarschall, you''re a man of many wars and deep knowledge on global affairs. If Italy were to smash the Ottoman Army in Libya with little effort, what would happen to the Ottoman Empire? Specifically, in the territories they still hold within the


    European continent?"


    August von Mackensen''s eyes opened wide as he suddenly understood what Bruno was implying, saying what was said without explicitly being spoken with his own words.


    "It would be revolution..."


    Bruno finally showed some form of emotion on his face in the form of a sinister smile as he nodded his head in approval of his superior officer''s realization before posing another question much like the one he had just said no more than a minute prior.


    "And if the Balkan Christians beneath Turkish rule were to revolt, how would their neighbors


    respond?"


    It was only now that August von Mackensen fully realized what Bruno was saying, and the full weight of the words he had not said directly. He didn''t want to believe it and was quick to askn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    if what Bruno was saying was what he believed.


    "You don''t mean-"


    Bruno quickly cut off his superior officer while standing up from his desk. He answered the legendary German Field Marshal''s question with a single quote from a man greater than either of the two of them.


    "One day, the great European war wille out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans." - Otto von Bismarck

 Chapter 176: Italian Advances in Libya

    Chapter 176: Italian Advances in Libya


    ?


    In many ways, German and Italian history were parallel. Both came from ancient cultures dating back to ssical antiquity, and both cultures had lived as the respective hegemon of their own regions for a period of time.


    Italy, for example, had ruled as the supreme hegemon of the Mediterranean during thetter centuries of ssical Antiquity, while in Germany''s case, the erroneously named "Holy Roman Empire" had served as, more or less, the supreme sovereign of Europe during the High Middle Ages.


    But in this world, time alone remained undefeated. Whether you were a dynasty of kings, an unrivaled Empire, or a god himself, sooner orter, all things came to an end. It was simply a matter of time.


    Every civilization that had ever existed sooner orter disappeared into the annals of history. And if given enough time, every culture andnguage that had ever appeared on Earth would do the same. Such rules were universal in life. At the end of the day, even this universe we live in wille to an end.


    It was for that reason that the ancient Roman and Holy Roman Empires were nothing more than ruins left behind, and the whispers of ghosts, whose historical records had miraculously survived until this very time.


    Interestingly enough, Germany and Italy also shared a simrity in this regard as well, for when their ancient and great Empires had copsed, they essentially splintered into a fractured culture of various petty kingdoms, principalities, and republics, all of which had fought with themselves and their neighbors until finally uniting once more into a single nation in thetter half of the 19th century.


    Perhaps it was merely coincidence, but curiously enough, both the German Reich and the Kingdom of Italy united in the same exact year-1871 to be precise. While the process had begun decades earlier for both nations, it was not until 1871 that both nations unified beneath a single banner and monarch.


    However, unlike the German Reich, Italy was not a nation known for its military prowess. While the Germans had a proud military history dating back to the days when they contended with Rome for control of their own borders, Italy had more or less either been upied by foreign powers or had been seen as a joke in this regard since the copse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD.


    While still considered a Great Power by the world, Italy was also known as the "Least of the Great Powers," and urately so. In Bruno''s past life, they had fought 12 battles in Isonzo with the Austro-Hungarians to determine who was the worst of the Great Powers, and in doing so, lost at Caporetto.


    Had the war continued for another year or two, Italy would have capitted as their lines were thoroughly broken through by thebined forces of the German Reich and the Austro- Hungarian Empire during the 12th andst battle of Isonzo, also moremonly referred to as the Battle of Caporetto.


    Though the Italians had halted the advance of the Central Powers at the Piave River and gained much-needed reinforcements from their allies in Great Britain and France, it was only a matter of time before Venice was taken, as the Prime Minister''s government had already thoroughly copsed as a result of the battle.


    But that was another timeline, one where Bruno had long since resolved to ensure never happened in his new lease on life. Rather, the year was currently 1911, and such battles had yet to be waged. Instead, Italy was entrenched in war within Libya.


    Currently, a rtively young Italian Colonel by the name of Giovanni Colombo was standing within a trench, looking over the edge of it through a pair of binocrs with a cigarette in his mouth. Unlike Bruno, who was clean-shaven, this man had a thick and stout dark brown mustache, which paired with his olive skin quite well.


    However, the mustache, like the rest of his appearance, was rather unkempt. In fact, there were wrinkles on the man''s face that made him appear much older than he actually was, along with plenty of mud, blood, and oil stains across his uniform and flesh.


    The fighting in Libya, as Bruno had predicted, had been halted outside Shar al-Shatt, resulting in the Italians taking out their fury on the local poption, massacring some few hundred civilians before digging into trenches and waiting for reinforcements to arrive.


    This was despite the first use of airnes in warfare for the purposes of both reconnaissance and aerial bombardment, which came in the form of dropping a few grenades from the sky on enemy positions.


    Even the deployment of the Fiat Arsenale, an Italian-made armored car, had utterly failed to break through the Ottoman lines despite significant advancements made during the initialnding in North Africa.


    As a result, the fighting had turned into static trench warfare while the Italians waited on reinforcements from the fathend to arrive in the region to relieve them. The fighting was made all the more brutal by the early adoption of machine guns as a result of Bruno''s interference with the timeline.


    Both the Ottomans and Italians made use of Maxim-style machine guns, as both nations were still developing their own domestic designs and had yet to field anything other than a prototype at the moment.


    Because of this, the death toll had increased significantly in the conflict over what it had been during Bruno''s past life. As a colonel in the Royal Italian Army, Giovanni was inmand of a brigade''s worth of men, who were currently waiting in the dead of night, as res shot overhead lighting up the dark sky.


    They were told to hold this position until they were properly relieved, but at the same time, the Ottomans were doing the same. Neither side dared to advance out of fear of the sheer carnage that would ur.


    And because of this, Giovanni, like his men, was forced to rest in the mud and watch the enemy as they, too, watched him. He could only sigh and shake his head while silently praying to God above that this brutal war woulde to an end sooner rather thanter.


    It was at this moment that a soldier in a simr uniform ran up to the Colonel. He appeared out of breath, as if he had run quite the distance, as he quickly announced why he was so flustered, all the while handing over the paper in his hand that conveyed orders from highmand.


    "Sir! Generale Caneva has given his orders. The message we received reads as follows: It is absolutely necessary that you do not advance upon the enemy position until reinforcements arrive! Hold your ground!"


    It took everything Giovanni had not to curse under his breath. Why waste the resources necessary to send such a message across the Mediterranean when there were more important matters to take care of?


    Frankly speaking, it was emblematic of General Caneva''s personality to do such a thing. He was a man regarded by his own troops as being too conventional, too passive, and quite honestly, too cowardly.


    In a war where cavalry was remarkably well suited, he had failed to deploy them, and despite his numerical inferiority, the General had also not requested reinforcements until suffering his first major defeat. Additionally, the man hadpletely failed to consult with the local Arab leaders, who were also pissed off at their Ottoman rulers and would dly take the opportunity to raise some hell on behalf of the Italians.


    The fact that the Italians had steamrolled through the Ottomans during this same conflict within Bruno''s past life was more of a testament to Ottoman ipetency than it was to Italian military prowess. And General Caneva was just one of many Italian generals who was remarkably inept despite his high position.


    Though, luckily for the Italians, their major rival in Europe shared the same degree of problems, with the Austro-Hungarians having perhaps onepetent general, whom Bruno had long since established friendly ties to.


    Because of this, Colonel Colombo sighed heavily, taking a drag from what little remained of his cigarette. He finally spoke after he had exhaled everything from his lungs, with a tone that sounded as if it were suppressing anger on a deeply spiritual level.


    "Alright... dismissed..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Once the runner had scurried off, Colonel Colombo shook his head and looked over at his immediate subordinate before giving an order that was directly counter to the ones he had


    received from the General.


    "It would appear we are having issues with these new wireless telegrams. I''m afraid the message we received from the General was rather jumbled... He did say that it was absolutely necessary to advance upon the enemy position before reinforcements arrived, is that


    correct?"


    Having grown sick and tired of sitting around waiting for others to arrive, when the enemy was currently sleeping in their trenchespletely unaware that the Italians were nning an advance, the Major who served directly beneath the Colonel wore a toothy grin as he "confirmed" that those were indeed the words they had "received" from highmand.


    "That''s what I heard..."


    Seeing how the officers beneath hismand were of the same opinion, Giovanni smirked


    before giving an order.


    "Silently go awake the men. I want our advance to catch those Turkish bastards by surprise! Thest thing they will see as they awake from their slumber is the sight of Italian soldiers right before we slit their throats!"


    With this, a rather unexpected night raid was about to begin-one that would hasten the Italian victory in Libya, and one that would also cause Bruno great concern when he read about it in the paperter that week.

 Chapter 177: Time Traveler or Prophet?

    Chapter 177: Time Traveler or Prophet?


    ?


    Bruno was surprised when he received his morning paper along with his cup of coffee from his young maid, who personally ensured that he had these things every morning.


    The announcement that the Ottoman lines had been thoroughly broken through as a result of a daring night raid, conducted under the orders of an Italian officer he was unfamiliar with, was indeed not the greatest news to receive in the morning.


    To anyone else, this would be innocuous at worst and exciting at best, as it meant the war would being to a close sooner than expected. With that in mind, there would be less suffering in the world-if one were so inclined to care about the lives of strangers.


    A rarity among the human species, to be sure, and frankly speaking, Bruno doubted such people actually existed. But to him, this news was more than troublesome.


    The Italians were supposed to wait until reinforcements had arrived. A hundred thousand men were shipping off to Libya from the Italian fathend for this very purpose.


    And yet, the remainder of Italy''s initial push into North Africa had seeded where it had not in his past life. This had moved up the timetables of the Italo-Turkish War by several months, at the very least.


    Sure, in the past, things had been moved up in the timeline,rgely as a result of Bruno''s own interference. For example, both the Boxer Rebellion and the Russo-Japanese War had ended earlier than they should have.


    As for the Russian Civil War, it began in 1904 as a result of what should have normally been a swift and rather bloodless-at least byparison-Russian Revolution of 1905.


    But because of how thoroughly Bruno had crushed the Russian Army on behalf of his Japanese allies at Port Arthur and Mukden, the Revolution not only began earlier but also morphed into a full-fledged civil war much earlier than it should have.


    These events had rather drastic impacts on world affairs but had more or less remained consistent with Bruno''s past life as far as the integrity of the timeline was concerned. However, the butterfly effect was now revealing itself in far less subtle ways.


    If the Italo-Turkish War ended in 1911 rather than 1912, it would mean that the Balkan Wars would begin that much earlier. And should they end at the same rate as before-or, God forbid, even quicker, as most conflicts in this timeline had resolved themselves with such expediency-then the Great War would not begin in 1914 as it had in his past life.


    Was Germany prepared to wage war against their enemies? Most certainly so. They could easily hold the line with their current preparations until sufficient numbers of U-boats, destroyers, panzers, armored cars, and bines were produced in significant enough numbers to push into Paris.


    But was this the most ideal oue he had spent thest ten years preparing for? Most certainly not. If the war began one or two years earlier, it would not be catastrophic, but German losses would be far more severe, let alone Russian and Austro-Hungarian losses, both of which were far behind Germany in terms of the necessary preparations for the uing global conflict.


    As a result, Bruno gazed sternly at the paper, prompting a response from his maid, who was concerned by the expression he made as he read the news.


    "Is something the matter, Mr. von Zehntner?"


    Bruno looked over at his maid and shifted his expression, masking his concern with a carefree fa?ade as he assured her everything was fine.


    "Not in the slightest. I just have the misfortune of losing a slight sum of money on a wager. It is nothing you need to concern yourself with, my dear Freida."


    Bruno had always been especially polite to his employees, and for those who worked in his home, they were almost akin to family. He knew them each by name and was also all too aware of their family situations.


    Freida had, over the years, grown to respect Bruno very much. While she initially developed some form of romantic inclination toward the man, as the years passed and she continued to serve as his maid, she had long since lost such interests, knowing that the man was already thoroughly infatuated with his wife.


    Nor did she care to pursue her flights of fancy, as she respected Heidi too much to ever attempt such a foolish pursuit. Still, she always enjoyed how kind Bruno was and took this as an opportunity to lecture him on the sinful vice of gambling.


    "While I hope you didn''t lose too much, you should be aware that gambling is bad for the soul, and I would urge you to stop while you''re still ahead."


    Heidi walked in about this time, while Bruno thanked the young woman for her moral lecture. Seeing this as a good time to help her husband escape such a thing, she was quick to point out to the young maid that she still had work to tend to.


    "Freida, while I do appreciate your concern for my husband and our family as a whole, need I remind you that theundry is still yet to be tended to?"


    Upon realizing that she was shirking her duties while thering on about morals for no particr reason, the young maid blushed and bowed her head in embarrassment, apologizing to her master''s wife and assuring her that the work would be done swiftly.


    "Apologies, madam. I will go tend to it right this instant!"


    With that said, the young woman scurried off like a frightened rabbit, while Bruno chuckled at her chipper attitude. Heidi was quick to ask the man what had really gotten him in such a sour mood to begin with, as she was all too aware of what was happening around the world and


    Bruno''s role in it.


    "How bad is it?"


    Bruno scratched his chin, now having some peace and quiet to silently think through the implications of this recent development, before looking over with as fearsome a gaze as when The first read the article in the paper.


    "The timeline has been moved up. If things continue like this, we are looking at the outbreak of war by the start of 1914, if not even earlier. I did not expect the Italians to be so bold.


    General Caneva is not a man known for action, rather just the opposite.


    Such a passive and cowardly man would not dare take such a risk until he had the overwhelming numbers to support his advance. Nor would I expect the Italians, of all people, to behave so courageously. They are, after all, not exactly a nation known for their martial prowess, or at least they haven''t been since we toppled their Empire in 476."


    Though the news was grim, far more so than Heidi expected it to be, she forced a smug smirk on her pretty face as she made ament in response to Bruno''s final words, mocking him for how he chose to phrase it.


    "We? I must say, I didn''t know you were personally involved in the downfall of Rome. Tell me, how exactly did you manage this, and yet still look so young here and now nearly a millennium and a halfter?"


    Bruno chuckled when he heard this quip from his wife. She knew just how to cheer him up when he was in a grim mood. He couldn''t help but make ament in response, one that was somewhat true to an extent, all while raising his hands in a feigned admission of guilt.


    "You got me, Heidi. I''m secretly a time traveler!"


    Heidiughed when she heard this, shaking her head at the absurdity of it. Contrary to what Bruno expected, she half-believed he was serious. Or she would have if she hadn''t known the man since they were both small children. It was no exaggeration to say the married couple had known each other for almost the entirety of their lives.


    Although, this was the only reason she knew such a thing couldn''t be true. Nevertheless, Bruno had an almost uncanny ability to predict the future and had even acted on this perceived foresight to intervene on numerous asions throughout the past few decades in order to gain favorable results for Germany.


    Then there was the odd fact that he seemed to have some degree of knowledge about technology that seemed far too advanced to reasonably be invented in the current year. Sure, he did not know how they fully functioned and spent years of time and investment in talented scientists and engineers to figure it out.


    But that did not mean that he himself was not responsible for the initial concept or the rough drafts that acted as proof that they could reasonably exist. On top of all of this, he had an almost divine sense when it came to sniffing out fortune.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    His luck was too good when it came to economies, gaining a substantial degree of control overnd, resources, and capital as he built a vast fortune off wise investments that always seemed to pay off in both the short term and the long term.


    Because of all these things, Heidi had on more than one asion suspected Bruno was either


    a literal prophet or someone who hade from the future. But the second of these suspicions was naturally not possible, as she had known him all of her life. Thus, she responded to this im with a lighthearted retort.


    "Had I met you as an adult, I would be certain you were, in fact, a time traveler, as you put it.


    But you and I have known each other since we were small children. And because of our shared past, I know such a thing can''t be true! But I''m onto you, and sooner orter, I will find out your secret. It''s only a matter of time before you slip up!"


    After saying this, Heidi walked off. Talking to Bruno any further at the moment would disrupt his contemtion. She knew that if what he said was true, then he would need a long, silent moment to think through how to deal with this matter that was entirely out of his control.

 Chapter 178: Meddling in Foreign Elections

    Chapter 178: Meddling in Foreign Elections


    ?


    While the Italians and Ottomans were fighting to determine the ownership of Libya, major events were beginning to stir across the Antic. In the United States of America, the press was in full force, shifting public perception in favor of their chosen candidate.


    That''s right, it was that time again. Every four years, the USA elected a Presidential candidate into office. Normally, Bruno would not be interested in such a dull and dreadful matter-at least not from the perspective of his past life.


    But the election in the United States, which would be concluded in November 1912, was a matter of global security. Depending on who won, the USA would either do everything it could to stir the public toward guaranteed entry into the Great War, or it would do everything possible to stay out of it.


    Istionism vs. Globalism-that was what the current U.S. election meant. And Bruno would do everything in his power to prevent Woodrow Wilson''s rise to the Presidency. There were few men in modern history, even among those who waved the banner of Marxism, that Bruno detested more than the 28th President of the United States.


    After all, Woodrow Wilson did everything he could to ensure Germany''s destruction in 1918 and in the years that followed. He was the sole world leader who utterly refused any peace in Europe unless the Kaiser abdicated.


    In doing so, Wilson effectively forced the Weimar Republic into existence, which, by extension, led to the rise of the Nazi Party- a result of the Republic''s monumental and catastrophic failures as a nation-state.


    Since Woodrow Wilson was at least partially responsible for the woes of the German people and their fall from grace, Bruno had a certain level of disdain for him. Preferably, peaceful means could be used to prevent his rise to power. And while peace was preferable, violence was always an effective solution for any problem. Resorting to it when all other options were exhausted was something Bruno had no qualms about.


    However, Bruno doubted he would need to take such underhanded and covert actions like assassination. He held significant control over American society, mostly in subtle ways that few truly understood.


    The media was a powerful tool for swaying the masses, who were often too ignorant toe to a conclusion on their own. One simple headline was all they needed-no matter how oundish and beyond the boundaries of truth it was-to fully form an opinion on


    something.


    Once an opinion or bias was formed, even if it was based on mistruths, it was hard to convince someone otherwise. Especially if they were an idiot, which, from Bruno''s perspective, most people were. Hence why he believed democracies and republics were inherently doomed to failure.


    And because of this, he had spent thest decade using various means to invest in the American media, especially the newspapers, which were the primary source of a citizen''s news at this point in time.


    He had done so through inconspicuous means, using various figureheads, offshore ounts, and backdoor deals to hide the fact that he was the real figure in the shadows controlling these puppets.


    This made it damn difficult, especially with the current technological limitations, to trace him to any of the newspapers that printed articles questioning the moral character, intellectual capability, and physical stamina required to be the leader of the United States of America.


    Perhaps in Bruno''s past life, there was only one presidential candidate who had ever been so ostracized by the media as Wilson was currently being. Many of the words printed that were outright libelous.


    Butwsuits could be settled with money and took many years to resolve. Judges could be bought, and cases could be thrown out with the passing of cash beneath the table. If there was one thing Bruno was notcking in this world, it was wealth. And with his exceptional amount of wealth, there were only a few individuals who could challenge him in a game of manipting the masses.


    Unfortunately, these individuals were busy vying with Bruno for control of international markets and had yet to understand how easy it was to corrupt a democratic government. On the contrary, this was not the first election Bruno had interfered with in sovereign and "democratic nations."


    In fact, he had learned a valuable lesson from his past life. Though it was a tactic wielded by his enemies, it was an efficient one nheless, and Bruno was not the type to believe himself morally above underhanded means if they were practical.


    The truth of the matter was that the best way to undermine democracies was to buy out politicians, judges, sheriffs, and other elected officials at the local and state levels. They were much cheaper to bribe into your service than those at the national level.


    It was with this in mind that Bruno had spent the past decade using his wealth and ties to many American corporate interests to foster a bipartisan coalition of politicians at every level of the United States.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    This coalition was fiercely istionist and used depictions of atrocitiesmitted abroad, along with the horrors of war German volunteers faced in Russia, as examples of why America should stay out of global wars that did not concern them.


    Based on the Committee of the same name from Bruno''s past life, which was initially formed in 1940 for a simr purpose, the America First Committee had significant gains in local and state elections. In addition, they had arge presence in the U.S. Congress and Senate.


    Currently, William Howard Taft was the Republican nominee. Out of the four presidential candidates in the 1912 election-those being Woodrow Wilson, William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and Eugene V. Debs, who ran for the Socialists-Taft was the only one supporting diplomacy through trade rather than warfare.


    In the election of Bruno''s previous life, Taft had performed poorly, gaining only two states in the Electoral College. But now, he was the favorite. Bruno had spent the better part of a decade shaping American public opinion to reinforce the Monroe Doctrine and keep the nation out of global affairs.


    It was, after all, the wish of the Founding Fathers to do exactly that. And because of this, the propaganda Bruno had invested untold fortunes to mass-produce expressed simr patriotic sentiments.


    Hence why Teddy Roosevelt and his neo-imperialistic policies were not favored by the public. Nor were Woodrow Wilson''s foreign policy ideas, which Bruno had unearthed and brought to the public''s attention. Wilson''s ideas supported armed intervention in foreign nations to spread American ideals of democracy and liberty, as if it were a right given to them by God. To the more religiously minded, such justifications were nothing more than heretical, and immediately lost Wilson any support from among them. Currently, Woodrow Wilson was sitting in his office, looking at thetest poll figures, which saw William Howard Taft with thergest share of the vote among the four candidates, as the only one with above 33% of the voter base expressing some degree of support for him.


    This baffled Wilson, who had been assured by his many backers that he was the guaranteed favorite for the election. This would have been the case if Bruno had not invested so heavily in his downfall, as Wilson had won the 1912 election via andslide victory in Bruno''s past life.


    Hence, he and his campaign manager were currently scratching their heads in disbelief, as he cursed out the public for believing so many lies spread about him in the papers.


    "Are we seriously going to sit here and believe that such libel and nder have affected my campaign so thoroughly? Do the people really believe that I want to open the borders for Africans and Latin Americans toe freely into America and intermarry with the good, honest white folk of our beloved country?"


    It''s best to note that Woodrow Wilson was a notorious racist, but such a thing was not umon in the era. Because of this, Bruno had decided to mock him in a way that he found


    to be rather ironic.


    Much of the propaganda purported lies about Wilson being a cuckold with a particr fondness and support for interracial rtionships. It went so far as to im that if elected, he would legalize such practices nationwide.


    Such nder was obviously unfounded, as Wilson would do the exact opposite if elected- going so far as to make even attempting such a thing a felony in the District of Columbia. But even if these words werepletely false, all the average American needed to see was a headline iming such a thing from a "reputable newspaper," and they would immediately


    vote against him.


    The Wilson campaign fought to sue these newspapers and radio shows, but due to Bruno''s influence in the American courts, the cases were either stalled or thrown out entirely for ck


    of evidence."


    Either way, his campaign manager waspletely defeated after looking at the current numbers, seeing how Wilson was almost guaranteed defeat at this rate. He made a suggestion that caused the would-be President to throw a bottle at him in response.


    "Sir... With all due respect, I don''t believe we have the time or money to refute these allegations. Most of your donors have already withdrawn their support in light of these facious usations. I think it would be best if we just threw in the towel at this point."


    Woodrow Wilson, as described, did not respond kindly to this remark, flying into a violent rage as he chased his campaign manager out of his office. If Bruno had witnessed this event, he would have broken out inughter at the man''s current suffering.

 Chapter 179: Echoes of the Forthcoming War Part I

    Chapter 179: Echoes of the Forting War Part I


    ?


    Whether it was the war in Libya or the uing American election, Bruno had kept a close watch on world affairs. War wasing, and much quicker than he had previously thought it would. And it was perhaps because of this that he was now in closemunication with allied generals who he could trust had a level ofpetency.


    Russia was not particrly well known for its brilliant militarymanders. Even Marshal Zhukov, who was praised for the victory over the Wehrmacht in the Second World War of Bruno''s past life, had about as much subtlety and nuance as a cksmith''s hammer.


    But in the Great War, there was one General who stood above the rest among the Stavka, which was the name for the Russian Empire''s military highmand. General Mikhail Alekseyev was also a man Bruno had some friendly ties to.


    Having served beneath hismand during the Russian Civil War, which in this life had urred much earlier than in the previous timeline, Bruno often found himself one-upping the man in a game of chess when they were not on the battlefield.


    Mikhail also had a great degree of respect for Bruno, so much so that he had described Bruno as being "A rare quality among military officers, insofar as he was one of the few generals in human history who preferred standing on the front lines of war with the soldiers beneath his authority rather than safelymanding his troops from afar."


    Because of this, he was one of Bruno''s confidants, especially after the formal alliance known in this timeline as the Union of Imperial Powers was forged through Bruno''s hard-fought and painstakingly manipted efforts on the global stage.


    Currently, Mikhail was sitting in Bruno''s home, along with another familiar face, a man who Bruno considered to be the only intelligent andpetent general that Austro-Hungary could muster in its defense.


    Svetozar Boroevi? was a Croatian general in the Austro-Hungarian armed forces and was one of the finest defensive military leaders of the war. He was also invited to Bruno''s home, and the two men had kept in touch ever since Bruno''s first foray into thends of the Habsburg Dynasty.


    While Bruno had foresight given to him by experience from a life set one hundred years from now, he did not make the mistake of believing his knowledge was both infallible and without peer. Instead, he very much liked to hear the opinions of history''s greatest tactical minds, of which he did not consider himself among the prestigious ranks.


    Instead, Bruno sat with a cigarette in one hand and a stein of beer in the other as he and the two Generals spoke together at his personal table. They hade a long way at his request, and if Bruno were to personally extend an invitation to anybody, it meant something big was happening.


    He was, after all, not the sociable type, preferring to live secluded among his own loved ones rather than putting onvish social gatherings for what he considered to be a social ss primarily filled with parasites leeching off the aplishments of their greater forbearers. Thus, when they saw his family''s seal on the letter, the two men were quick to make the time to visit Berlin and speak with a man who seemed destined to change the world as they knew it, that is, assuming he had not already done so.


    One would not guess by the civilian attire that these men wore, but they were three of the greatest strategic minds within the Imperial Powers, and when Bruno spoke, it was clear that the other prominent generals by his side listened to his every word as if he were some voice speaking on behalf of divinity.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "I''d like to extend my appreciation to the two of you. You both made time toe to my humble abode and on such short notice, nheless. It is with this in mind that I promise not to waste your time, as I understand it is just as valuable to you as it is to me.


    I''ll be frank... This war in Libya will spark our greatest fears in no more than three years. By mid-1914, Europe will be at war. I am certain of it, and I regret to inform you both that the entire world will be dragged into hell with us.


    My reason for inviting you both here was so that we may jointlye up with a strategy to defeat our enemies in the most efficient way possible. I won''t lie to you, the Kaiser and his staff have a n in motion should war erupt.


    But no n survives wholly intact after making contact with the enemy, and because of this, I wanted to specte with you both about what we will do when the gunfire begins..."


    This meeting was quite frankly teetering on the edge of treason. Even among allies, revealing critical strategies on the precipice of a major war was not exactly kindly looked upon by those in power. Even so, Bruno needed to know whether or not Austro-Hungary and Russia were ready for what awaited them all within less than half a decade.


    And because of this, Mikhail was quick to speak up. Ensuring that they all vowed secrecy during the conversation they were having. It was, after all, taking ce in Bruno''s personal office, which was soundproofed. The only witnesses to this discussion were the three of them, as Bruno had expressly forbidden any interruption during this time, unless it was an absolute emergency.


    "Before we speak... I want a vow, upon whatever oaths you two hold sacred, that not a word of this discussion will leave this room. As far as the Tsar knows, this is a social gathering among friends, and I would prefer to keep it that way."


    Bruno nodded his head with an equally severe expression on his face, cing his hand over his heart as he swore that he would not under any circumstances leak the details of this conversation to anyone, not even those he trusted with his life.


    "I, Bruno von Zehntner, swear upon the continued health and prosperity of my family and my fathend, that I shall never say a word in my life about what we are about to discuss here today unless first given express permission by the two of you to do so, even if I should be personally interrogated by my family or my Kaiser."


    Simr oaths were taken by the other two generals, who both had as severe of an expression on their faces as they did so, before finally the conversation between them began. Mikhail was the first to speak up, asking the question that both he and Svetozar were so desperate to


    know.


    "So, what exactly is this n of yours, and what role do we y in it?"


    The conversation was a lengthy one, and that was just the first part. To put it simply, Bruno''s n was more detailed than the official one adopted by the Kaiser and his General Staff. After all, they did not necessarily know exactly who they would be fighting and under what


    circumstances.


    But Bruno more or less had an idea. He started by discussing the fortifications built in the west to halt any French invasion of Germany. Britain''s potential joining of the war would be counteracted by sinking their ships in the Antic with the U-boats Germany was already producing, and would have hundreds of by the outbreak of the war.


    Leaving the French to effectively send wave after wave of men to their deaths against German border fortifications, and in doing so, buy the bulk of the German Army time-time to push into Serbia and Italy with their allies in the Russian Army.


    Hence, why Bruno had spent half a decade investing in an infrastructure project that substantially updated the railways between the three neighboring empires. Russian, German, and Austro-Hungarian troops could be effectively mobilized and deployed to the borders of Italy and Serbia at record speeds.


    In addition to this, Bruno had marked Romania as a potential adversary. The King of Romania had yet to take an official stance and would die within the first year of the war, leaving a rtive as a potential wild card.


    Bruno had tried to intimidate the young man into not entering the war, and instead working to supply oil to the Imperial Powers, but this had yet to bear fruit, and such a small encounter years prior may not have held the same level of dread today as it had then.


    Nevertheless, after hearing all the lengths Bruno had gone to on his own to prepare for the march south, both Mikhail and Svetozar looked at Bruno as if they were incredibly lucky to be on his side, before beginning to speak of the extensive preparations their respective nations


    had made.

 Chapter 180: Echoes of the Forthcoming War Part II

    Chapter 180: Echoes of the Forting War Part II


    ?


    It was not surprising to Bruno that Russia had spent thest half a decade focusing on rapid industrialization efforts and modernization of its industry. In fact, as a Prince of Russia, Bruno himself had invested heavily in at least one of these things.


    When it came to the extraction, refinement, and manufacture of natural resources into usable goods, Bruno had spent a pretty sum acquiring all the means to do so within Russia, contributing to the growth of its economy, and more importantly, providing many employment opportunities to the millions of people disced by the Russian Civil War.


    He did not realize it yet, but Bruno was more beloved in Russia than he was in Germany at the moment by the people, the Orthodox Church, the nobility, and even the House of Romanov; he was seen as an exemry man of virtue and might¡ªa rarebination in this world.


    Bruno had, after all, been given a lot of credit for Heinrich''s humanitarian efforts, as it was his financial backing and political ties to the Kaiser that saw these efforts reach their fullest extent. The disaster that could have consumed Russia wasrgely avoided by this fact.


    And while the investment in Russiannd and industry was for his own benefit and the benefit of the German Reich, the byproduct was providing a livable wage to many formerly disced Russian families.


    It was because of all this investment that Bruno was not the least surprised that Russia had made significant gains in terms of industrialization as well as modernization of its military. Not only had their old inventory of obsolete artillery beenpletely reced with new and modern designs, many of which had note into creation until 1915 during Bruno''s past life.


    But the effectiveness of the Maxim Machine Gun had left a resounding mark on the Tsar and his Generals, causing the men to manufacture thousands of such weapons per year. Currently, in the year 1911, it was no exaggeration to say that the Russian Empire held the second most number of machine guns actively seeing use in their armed forces.


    In addition to this, steel helmets were now issued to every soldier along with their modern uniforms, which made use of earthy tones to better blend in with the background. As far as infantry weapons issued to the Russian Army, they were more or less in line with Bruno''s past life.


    The Mosin Nagant 1891 was still the primary service rifle of all soldiers; however, what was interesting was that at the behest of the German Army, the nations of the alliance were requested to at the very least perform trials with weapons converted to 7.92x57mm Mauser. Germany''s desire was to simplify the lines of production and logistics between the three European nations of the Four-Nation Military Alliance. The result of which was that the Russian and Austro-Hungarian armies alike had shifted from their own proprietary cartridges to weapons chambered in German ammunition.


    Naturally, it wasn''t just rifles and machine guns converted to 7.92x57, but handguns converted to 9x19mm Luger as well, with the Austro-Hungarians adopting the Steyr M1912 as their primary sidearm, but in 9x19mm Luger instead of 9x23 Steyr.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    In addition to this, the standard Austro-Hungarian Steyr-Mannlicher M1895 straight-pull bolt-action rifle was converted into a variant that made use of the German 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge. As a result, the three nations had more or less begun producing the same ammunition.


    This mindset had also shifted over to munitions used in everything from artillery to naval guns. By 1914, every weapon used by the three powers would share munitionspatibility, and the three industrial Empires would also be producing their own munitions domestically.


    While this might not sound like arge deal to the uninitiated, this was enormous, as ammomonality was not a concept understood by the world until after the end of the Second World War.


    More than anything, logistics won wars, and when the three Imperial Powers were all using the same ammunition and producing it domestically with their own infrastructure, it meant they could share munitions during great times of strife.


    Truthfully, Bruno wanted more than this, as the different means of feeding each weapon type used by each of the three Armies was still proprietary, which itselfplicated the logisticswork between them. But that was an issue fixed by time, and at the start of the war, the Imperial Powers would have plenty of it.


    Hence why Bruno ultimately decided to fix that before the outbreak of the next Great War, assuming that would even happen in this timeline. The meetingsted well into the dreadful hours of the night, with them taking only brief periods of respite to take care of necessary bodily functions.


    After which, the three generals sat around the firece within Bruno''s office while seated in finely upholstered leather chairs, drinking exquisite spirits and smoking expensive cigars while summarizing the content of their discussion.


    "I fear when our enemies advance against us, they will have been caught entirely by surprise at the exceptional preparations we have made for this forting war..."


    This was stated by the Russian General, who was far more certain about their victory in theing conflict than he had previously felt before this meeting. Naturally, the Austro- Hungarian General agreed with this sentiment, having provided many insights into the defenses that would hold back the French and potentially British armies.


    "As long as you take my rmendations into consideration and adjust them ordingly to your needs, I am ashamed to say, but I feel like weeping for the French and British should they really be so foolish as to pursue a war with our great alliance."


    Bruno couldn''t help but agree with his tworades-in-arms. He knew calling this meeting would be beneficial, not only to put the two men at ease regarding the growing tensions of the world but to learn more thoroughly of his allies'' preparations. As thest thing he wanted was for Germany to fight this war for a second time and still be expected to carry his entire team to the finish line.


    But at the same time, Bruno was thankful to his Austro-Hungarian counterpart, who pointed out several things that could be used over the course of the next three years to further improve upon the fortifications already established on Germany''s western and northern borders.


    Still, Bruno would be remiss if he did not remind these men thatcency would be the death of them. And thus, he ended this secret meeting with some final words spoken in a grim


    and sobering tone.


    "Remember, not a word of what we have said on this day shall be uttered aloud outside these hallowed walls without first gaining the express permission of everyone present to witness


    this discussion.


    I would also like to take a moment to remind you both that though it is good to feel confident in the odds that clearly favor our great nations, do not ever be so arrogant that you overlook the enemy and their intentions. One must always be prepared and adaptable for the circumstances they may find themselves in.


    Continue to monitor the situation and prepare for the forting war. And when the day finally arrives, I look forward to marching upon Belgrade with the two of you. Once Serbia has been taken out, Rome is next.


    And then we can finally force the French to realize that their time as a Great Power ended in 1871 when we trounced theirst Emperor... Cheers, boys, and may God have mercy on our souls for the sins we shall soonmit..."


    The three men were far less joyous after hearing Bruno''s warning; nevertheless, they drank their fill of fine spirits before each heading off to the quarters which Bruno had allotted for their stay. Bruno himself returned to his room andy down next to his wife, already in a deep sleep. He gripped his hands firmly around her waist and said one simple phrase before falling


    asleep.


    "I love you, Heidi..."

 Chapter 181: The Red Baron Part I

    Chapter 181: The Red Baron Part I


    ?


    Trials for the adoption of the He-51 bine had been concluded. Even now, as the year 1911 entered its final season, Germany had managed to manufacture thousands of bines. The problem wasn''t manufacturing these metal birds; no, that was easy and cheap to do, even on such arge scale intended for a global conflict.


    Rather, the real expense in the fielding of aircraft was not only maintenance and logistic support, but primarily the fostering of those brave souls who would ride them into battle. That''s right, founding a dedicated air school was expensive, and so was training pilots.


    One couldn''t just raise a single crop of these knights of the sky. They would need to be consistently trained over the years. After all, many would certainly die in war, and those who didn''t would eventually retire.


    Even then, it usually took a year or perhaps even longer to properly train these men, who would be the final exemrs of the ancient chivalric tradition in this world. They were the living legacy of a long-forgotten lineage of warriors who once rode on horseback at breakneck speeds, crashing into one another in an attempt to win glory for God, King, and country.


    Such was the spirit not only at the German Air Academy, which was the first of its kind (though it was not its official name), but also among the ranks of those who had already earned their wings. Saying that Bruno had a functional knowledge of dogfighting tactics was an overstatement at best.


    Did he understand what dogfighting was and the general principles behind how generations of pilots had learned to properly engage and eliminate their enemies? Eh, even that would be overestimating his knowledge in this regard.


    He was an army officer, one who was so good at his job that in his twilight years he was tasked with training the next generation of General Staff for the Heer of the Bundeswehr in his past life. Close air support and how it changed the battlefield were more of his expertise when it came to the proper tactical and strategic employment of aircraft.


    As for the battles that took ce above himself and his troops in the sky, that was not his area of expertise, much like the wars waged between steel ships on the seas. Sure, he had more knowledge on how to utilize these weapons than even the greatest minds of the era, especially when it came to the importance of air supremacy on a modern battlefield.


    But to say he was a genius in either naval or aerial-based warfare was incredibly far-fetched. Even so, what limited knowledge he had in such pursuits had already been given to those better suited to it than himself, such as the use of wolfpack tactics for submarines to the Admiralty of the Kaiserliche Marine.


    As for the use of dogfighting tactics, only the most rudimentary knowledge was given to the pilots who founded the German Air Academy. Currently, Bruno stood on the ground outside an airfield that was now under the direct authority of the German Army, one he had invested significant sums in establishing for the testing of his own aircraft.


    He, of course, had been properlypensated for his efforts and was more than happy to hand over suchnd to the German Army if it meant it could be used more effectively in the future war. In the sky above were several He-51s, engaging in a mock battle.


    They were all painted in ordance with those used by the Reichsverteidigung during the final days of the Second World War in Bruno''s past life. These were the most advanced paint schemes of the era, featuring an "eggshell blue" underbelly, which blended in very well with the color of the sky over Central Europe for those k guns gazing upon the nes from the ground below.


    It also had a fairly decent camouge paint scheme of green earthly tones on the top and sides of the aircraft to blend in with the spring and summertime foliage of Central Europe if one were gazing upon the aircraft from above.


    In addition to this, the actual propeller of the bines and its mount were painted in a white and ck spiral pattern, which disrupted the overall shape of the propeller in a way that made it difficult to detect in the background.


    The basic science behind it was simr to how a zebra''s fur pattern concealed it from mosquitoes. It did this because the coat reflects light in alternately prized and nonprized patterns, making it more difficult to single out the propeller from the rest of the aircraft, which was painted in camouge.


    Even so, as Bruno gazed through his binocrs on the ground while conversing with the general who had been ced inmand of the Luftstreitkr?fte, he could still detect the nes as they utilized basic maneuvers learned from his knowledge of future aerial warfare against one another in a mock disy of battles.


    Among this first crop of pilots, there was a decent number who proved rather exceptional despite being the first qualified fighter pilots in this world''s history. One in particr had scored over a dozen "kills" within the ruleset throughout thest week of mock battles, and he had continued to increase that number today.


    This exceptional skill made Bruno immediately take interest in the man, as he showed a rare sign of emotion with a proud smirk on his face before asking General Hermann von der Lieth- Thomsen, who in Bruno''s past life had been the man who created the German Air Force, about the identity of the pilot in question.


    "I have been observing that man for quite some time now, and I have to ask, what is his identity?"


    The man Bruno was speaking to had created the German Air Force during his past life and was its currentmander in this timeline. He too had a proud smile on his face as he boasted about the pilot he considered among his most capable.


    "That man there? His name is Lieutenant Manfred von Richthofen. He was among the first volunteers to join the Luftstreitkr?fte. Although we have many men who are proving to be exceptionally capable in piloting these aircraft, I have to say he is perhaps chief among them."


    Bruno was not the least bit surprised by the young man''s identity when he learned precisely who he was. Manfred von Richthofen was perhaps the most infamous fighter ace in human history.


    While there were others, such as Erich Hartmann, who had proven superior in their sess during the Second World War decades after Richthofen''s death in 1918, it was arguable that more people were aware of the moniker "The Red Baron" than they were of "The ck


    Devil."


    And it was only because Bruno was so familiar with the exploits of the Red Baron that he realized just how close they truly were to the outbreak of an event that had more or less been the cause of Western Civilization''s downfall in his past life.


    Because of this, Bruno surprised the general next to him with ament that was unexpected. After all, Bruno had a surly reputation among his peers. Though the men who had served beneath him swore that they would follow the man to hell and back if he asked it of them, those who had not experienced his authority considered Bruno a cold and antisocial


    person.


    For him to go out of his way to request a meeting with someone who was not of supreme political importance was indeed a rare asion. Thus exining the general''s visible shock when he heard Bruno say the words.


    "Manfred von Richthofen, huh? I would very much like to meet this young lieutenant, that is of course after the exercise is done, and only if you permit it."


    Bruno was a very hard man to gain the favor of. He cared little for meaningless gestures of friendship, nor was he at all fond of mindless ttery. He was a man who valuedpetency, intelligence, diligence, ambition, and most of all, loyalty.


    It was hard for many to live up to these standards, especially if they never had a chance to disy such qualities to begin with. Seeing this as an opportunity to please a man who had the Kaiser''s attention in a way that only his Chief of Staff shared, General Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen was quick to grant this request.


    "Of course. After the exercise is over, I will have the lieutenant greet you properly. You have


    my word."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Thus, the two of them continued to watch the exercise in silence until a meeting could be


    arranged between the Red Scourge and the man who would one day be known throughout the annals of human history by the prestigious title of "The Red Baron."

 Chapter 182: The Red Baron Part II

    Chapter 182: The Red Baron Part II


    ?


    Manfred von Richthofen was a legendary figure from Bruno''s past life. He was among the first aviators in world history and had scored a resounding number of kills, making him also


    among humanity''s greatest fighter aces.


    Due to his heritage as a minor nobleman and the awards he had been granted in his life for his service to Kaiser and Fathend, there were some romantics among historians who fondly referred to the man as the "Last Knight of the Sky."


    But it would be many a year before Manfred gained such a prestigious reputation. The Great War was still at most three years away, and it would take even longer before Germany''s rivals could properly field fighter pilots and nes.


    Instead, Manfred was just neen years old at the moment. He was barely an adult by modern standards, and by the standards of the era, he had yet to even qualify for that, as the age of majority within the German Reich was 21 years.


    Even so, he was already an active-duty serviceman within the German Army and a full- fledged officer in the Kaiser''s service as a fighter pilot. Yet when Bruno approached him, the atmosphere could only be described as "weird."


    Both men had a simr reaction. Bruno himself was gazing upon a legendary figure from his past life, one he had never had the opportunity to meet, as he was born decades after Manfred''s death. The Red Baron was a figure who invoked a sense of respect on levels that almost bordered on reverence.


    Yet Manfred had done nothing to earn this degree of respect from Bruno. Thus, he had to force his naturally anxious heart to remain as calm as a tranquil forest. And though Bruno didn''t realize it, Manfred felt a simr level of admiration for Bruno.


    Bruno was already quite the legendary and iconic figure in the German Reich. He was the youngest Generaloberst in history. Born from a family of Junkers, he rose to be a prominent figure not just in Germany but on the global stage. His image was carved into the minds of young men who wished to prove themselves in war.


    Barely into his thirties, Bruno held the third-highest rank a man could obtain in the German Army. In addition to this, he was a veteran of three wars, performing admirably in each of them, so much so that the Tsar had awarded him the noble title of Prince within the Russian Empire.


    His military achievements were only outmatched by his pursuits in business, amassing a substantial fortune that would put the royal treasuries of several minor kingdoms to shame, and in only the span of a decade, no less. Bruno was considered a phnthropist, a patron of the arts, and arge supporter of the Church.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    To a young man like Manfred, who was just starting his military career, it was an equally daunting task to stand before Bruno, whom he held in such regard as a role model. Bruno decided to break the awkward silence as he saluted the man and tried his best to instill a sense of calmness within himself as he met one of the men he had admired since the childhood of his past life.


    "Lieutenant Manfred von Richthofen, I have been watching your performance. You seem to fly exceptionally well. I have to ask, what do you think of the He-51? How does she fare in the sky?"


    To say that Manfred was surprised that Bruno knew his identity was most certainly an understatement, but as he looked over at the smirk on the face of the General in charge of the Luftstreitkr?fte, he couldn''t help but surmise that the man had informed Bruno of his identity.


    It took the young fighter pilot a moment to fully understand Bruno''s question before he spoke of the aircraft.


    "I''m not going to lie, sir, the ne handles exceptionally well, and the controls are very intuitive. I have seen photos of what we will be contending with should we go to war with Italy, and I must say that our nes are of significantly superior qualitypared to our rivals on the global stage..."


    There was no doubt about this, as Bruno had been responsible for introducing the He-51 into the world far earlier than it should have been. The enemy would be flying wood and canvas nes that Bruno would urately refer to as "death traps."


    His pilots, however, would be flying interwar nes built from aluminum. They were much sturdier, safer, and faster than their counterparts. In addition to this, the enemy would have to wait several years before machine guns were integrated into the fusge, instead relying on a dedicated gunner to attack the enemy.


    While Bruno''s nes made use of machine guns with incendiary rounds, which the pilot could fire via a direct line of sight, Germany''s rivals would first have their gunners use semi- automatic rifles that were incapable of being used in the trenches due to reliability issues before shifting to heavy machine guns mounted on top of the gunner''s seat.


    It was only at the end of the war that nes began to use integrated machine guns capable of being fired by pilots, and by that time, whatever air force they had managed to muster under emergency circumstances would have long since been blown out of the sky.


    With all of this in mind, Bruno couldn''t help but agree with Manfred''s assessment as he made a friendly gesture that was unusual for him. Bruno ced his hand on the young man''s shoulder and nodded with a confident smile on his face, assuring Manfred that he expected great things toe from his career.


    "Indeed, but even without such advantages, a man of your expertise is destined to achieve greatness when the war toe finally arrives. I look forward to closely following your military career, Lieutenant. Do not disappoint me..."


    That is all Bruno said before swiftly departing from the airfield. He did not realize it, but he had given Manfred a veryrge boost in confidence. Bruno would, of course, begin to keep an eye on several major names from history as the war ever closer approached.


    After all, Manfred von Richthofen was not the only legend that would be forged in this war. And many others who would make a name for themselves during the uing Great War would be destined for a level of infamy only associated with history''s greatest viins. That is, of course, if Bruno failed in his goals of preventing such a future from urring in the first ce. Who knows, with his interference in the timeline, it was possible that these names would instead be heralded as Germany''s greatest heroes. Nobody knew what the future really held for the world and its people.


    Not even Bruno, even if he himself hade from a future era in a different timeline. The butterfly effect had only just begun to shape the world in subtle ways, and itssting impact on the timeline would be far greater than Bruno ever realized.

 Chapter 183: Why We Fight

    ?Chapter 183:Why We Fight


    The war in Italy continued to progress at a rate that Bruno found to be not at all surprising, and yet still somewhat rming. By the year''s end, the Ottomans were sure to capitte. Though General Caneva was praised within international. newspaper outlets for his "bold, decisive, and aggressive strategy which crushed the Ottoman defense while outnumbered and outgunned,"


    Bruno knew that this likely was not the case. He had done some of his own investigating into what happened outside Shar al-Shatt, and sure enough, the change in the timeline had not resulted from any major shift in the infamous General''s personality. Rather, it was an act of insubordination from a figure who was unknown to Bruno in his previous life.


    This man was the officer in charge of the Italian Brigade holding the line while under orders to wait for reinforcements. He was, in all honesty, a figure unknown to Bruno from his past life, and because of this, Bruno thought perhaps he was a threat that needed to be removed.


    The reality of the situation was far from Bruno''s worst fears. Colonel Giovanni Columbo was not a reincarnated individual like Bruno''s paranoia hadpelled him to investigate. Rather, he was a nameless officer in the ranks of the Italian Army who history likely forgot the name of, as in Bruno''s past life, he had not made any significant contributions to the war effort.


    In fact, ording to Bruno''s investigation, he received a battlefield promotion after the initialnding to the rank of colonel, likely as a result of the butterfly effect. Whoever was supposed to be in his position had died in the earliest days of the war, being reced by this nameless figure.


    And it was because of this that his impatient and daring character led to a major shift. in the war''s timeline. While Bruno would continue to monitor this newly emerged face, he was instead more focused on General Caneva''s newfound prestige.


    Obviously, the direct insubordination by the Colonel beneath hismand had been covered up; the man responsible for this victory was likely given leniency in exchange for the credit being stripped from him.


    This changed things, as General Caneva''s poor performance in the war basically stripped him of any battlefieldmand by the end of the war and brought back to the Italian homnd to basically serve a desk job for the rest of his career. He had been given a promotion, but it was in name only.


    But now... now he was likely to be considered a far more capable general than he actually was, and if that happened, Italy would be even worse off when the time for a war with the German Reich became a reality.


    This had, in some ways, benefited Bruno and his ambitions, but only mildly so. With the preparations he had made, he believed defeating the Italian Army in the Alps would take a single decisive battle. And from there, it was a short march into Rome.


    Whether or not they had one more ipetent general in a position of power really did not change too much of his overall ns for this world. Instead, Bruno''s attention was primarily being focused on the 1912 elections.


    Sure, the bulk of the fun had not yet even truly begun; the election was in the early stages, and the primaries had not even concluded. But with the current failure of Woodrow Wilson''s campaign, he would need a miracle to emerge as the front-runner for the Democratic Party.


    Simply put, Bruno had crippled the man before he could even make it to the general election. And finally, on December 21st, 1911, Bruno received the greatest gift he could possibly obtain on his 32nd birthday.


    Woodrow Wilson, having had his reputation soiled by nder and libel of the most heinous kind, resulting in him losing nearly all of his backers, had dropped out of the race and was among the first candidates to do so.


    The man who had led the United States during the Great War of Bruno''s past life had thrown in the towel and ceased his candidacy before the primaries had truly begun. Bruno had won a significant battle, and yet the war for the soul of Western civilization was still inconclusive.


    This victory surely sparked a moment of celebration but was in no way the end of what was toe. Without Woodrow Wilson as the Democratic nominee, it meant another figure would take his ce, one who may have a chance of winning, even with how slight that currently may be.


    Bruno silently prayed to the Lord God Almighty that Champ rk would be the Democratic nominee because he, unlike Woodrow Wilson, had until the very end opposed the U.S. entry into the war during Bruno''s past life.


    Either way, it was starting to appear that the most likely candidates to be nominated towards the two American political parties were both opposed to entering the war, especially if Bruno prevented the two major sparks that had caused this in his past life.


    All he needed to worry about was the wild card that was Theodore Roosevelt. Thought Bruno respected the 26th President of the United States far more than he did Woodrow Wilson or the other President to share Teddy''sst name, the man was the type who was highly likely to get involved in the war effort or at least do everything he could.


    This is, after all, the man who resigned from his post as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy to go volunteer to fight in the Spanish-American War because he saw it as an opportunity to prove himself as a man. In addition to this, he was the man who had


    yed arge part in the growth of American overseas territories.


    If the worst came to worst, and Theodore Roosevelt was elected, Bruno would have to try to persuade him to side with the Imperial Powers rather than the Allies. But that was a worry for another time. For now, Bruno sat at the head of his children, being sung to by his wife and children as they celebrated his thirty-second year in this world.


    It was a surreal moment as candles were lit on his birthday cake, and he gazed into the mes and the happy smiles on his family''s faces as they sang to him. Bruno realized that he had never enjoyed such happiness in his previous life and just how long it had been since he had first appeared in this new lease on life.


    In his past life, the best memories he had were in his childhood, and even then it was not as if they were as fulfilling as the thirty-two years he had lived in this life. Memories he had long since relegated to the back of his mind came surfacing within the boundaries of his mind''s eye.


    All the while he struggled to hold back the tears of joy that were trying their best to flood out. He had nobody who had ever cared about him enough to go through the efforts of preparing such a magnificent multiyered birthday cake.


    Every ounce of effort had been done by Heidi, who had dismissed the kitchen staff for the day as she personally wanted to cook every ounce of food to properly celebrate her husband''s birthday. Her two daughters had also joined in and helped to some extent, albeit mildly so.


    The years that Bruno and Heidi had spent together now came flooding back to him. From the first moment they met in his study to their childhood together, where he thought of the young girl as nothing more than a nuisance getting in the way of his


    studies.


    Nearly three decades of memories together flooded his mind, reminding Bruno of what he was working so hard to preserve: family, folk, God, Kaiser, and fathend. Things that had all been erased from his previous life for themon man were still present in this world. And he was the only one who could keep it that way. But more than anything, Bruno did not want his kids to live in a world without such things. Because of this, he couldn''t help but lift his mug as he drank a specialty doppelbock beer whose tasteplemented the chocte in the birthday cake


    perfectly.


    All while thanking his wife and daughters for the effort they had put into making this birthday a special asion for him.


    "I must confess, I was not expecting today''s festivities to be so moving. I know I don''t say it as much as I should, but thank you all for the love and support you have shown me these years. And I look forward to another year with you all, including the newest


    addition to our family!"


    Heidi then walked over and hugged Bruno, kissing him on the cheek before allowing his son and daughters to also disy their familial affection and respect for their father. After which Bruno cut the cake into enough slices for the lot of them and said his thanks to God for giving him such a beautiful life-one which he would rather die the most brutal death defending than to ever see it slip from his grasp.

 Chapter 184: Quantity vs Quality

    Chapter 184: Quantity vs Quality


    ?


    Germany and its alliance were not the only nation preparing for war. In fact, the French had made substantial investments in machine guns over the years, especially since the Iron Division proved how effective they were in the trenches outside Saint Petersburg and Tsaritsyn.


    And while the level of technological progression had increased ever so slightly on the global stage due to Bruno''s interference in the timeline, some things had actually veered off into a less desirable path, at least for the French.


    As previously mentioned, the French Army had a serious issue with machine guns leading up to the Great War in Bruno''s past life.


    Aside from the paltry sum of such destructive devices actually employed in their army, they also did not create a machine gun that was remotely reliable enough to chew through the mud and blood of the trenches until the fabled Hotchkiss was adopted in 1914 shortly before the outbreak of the infamous global conflict.


    This meant that at the start of the Great War, France''s limited machine gun arsenal stillrgely consisted of those two designs derived from the horrifically unreliable "Bang" gas system. However, this was a lesson they had also failed to understand in this life.


    In Bruno''s past life, France and many other powers had routinely refined their machine gun designs until creating something that was functional for the purposes of sustained fire during trench warfare. But that was not the case in this life.


    Germany had, after all, as a result of Bruno''s actions, begun mass-producing a variation of the Maxim machine gun much earlier than they had in their past life. The result of this was that after Saint Petersburg and the brutal domination the then Iron Brigade had over the significantlyrger Red Army, there was a spur in demand across the world for simr weapons.


    France, having never truly adopted the Maxim, instead began development of their own machine gun, resulting in the Puteaux Model 1905 machine gun. This meant that the demand for quantity of machine guns had overridden that of quality.


    As a result, France had significantly more machine guns in their arsenal than they had in Bruno''s previous life at the current moment. But these machine guns could barely get through five straight rounds before bogging down the crew operating them.


    This meant that they were actually preventing three or more potential riflemen from providing sustained fire against an enemy charge for every machine gun employed on the battlefield. And France had built thousands of these machine guns in preparation for the war. Even now, as they were only just beginning to realize how wed their machine guns were, they did not even think about changing production lines to the older Model 1900 Hotchkiss, of which the infamous 1914 machine gun of the same name was a variation and had even seen service in prior wars.


    Leon, who was still stuck at the rank of Brigadier General and was seen more as a propaganda piece than a capable militarymander, was currently standing outside the border fortifications that had been constructed between Germany and France.


    For the sake of showing that these fortifications had not in the slightest bit intimidated the French Army, France had deployed an entire division to the border for "military exercises." And this division was currently being observed by the Germans on the other side.


    Entirely unaware that the man he was posed as the French rival of was standing on the other side of the border, gazing down upon him and his men who were desperately trying to get these poorly conceived machine guns to fire reliably, was none other than Bruno.


    Winter hade, and his birthday had passed. Even the Christmas celebrations were gone. Instead, Bruno stood dressed in a stylish military greatcoat, emzoned with the symbols of his rank as a Generoberst upon the French Army below.


    And he, of course, had taken notice of Leon. Both men had not seen each other since the start of thest decade. They had both gained positions of power since then and had both been deployed to at least one other battlefield.


    And while beneath Bruno''s greatcoat was a series of medals, of which only two belonged to his native nation, Leon was also highly decorated but exclusively in the medals of the French Republic and its Armed Forces.


    Both men were silently gazing at a cigarette, one with a stoic expression that reflected his emotionless character, while the other contrasted with a hostile gaze and a wicked sneer. Not towards Bruno, as Leon was entirely unaware that he was being watched, but rather to his own men, at whom he made intimidating gestures and bestial shouts as he reprimanded them for failing to disy the "proper might of the French Army."


    The reality was this mediocre disy of force was just that. By no fault of the brave soldiers who tried to make the damn thing work. Rather, it was the Puteaux machine gun itself, as Bruno expected, that was the problem.


    In fact, he knew this from the very moment he saw the French Army lining up hundreds of such guns that they were liable to jam every three to five rounds within the snow and mud of the trenches. This was onlypounded by the fact that they had to rely on the three-plus men who operated the weapons to work tirelessly to strip the malfunction, whatever that may be, before feeding another round into the tray.


    Only to perform the exact same action again in the next five seconds. Bruno would beughing at the French and their mass production of what was possibly the world''s worst heavy machine gun ever put into service if it weren''t for the fact the price that would be paid for these failures would be done so with a sea of blood.


    Did Bruno hate the French? Well, no more than any other German of the era. He, of course, despised the French Republic and the politicians whose pettiness and shortsightedness saw to the abominable Treaty of Versailles, which itself was responsible for all the woes of the western world in his previous life.


    But the individual men who would go out and die in the millions for such an ignoble cause were no more to me than the men who stormed into Pnd twenty-one years after the Great War came to an end, and in doing so ushered in a second and far more terrible world conflict.


    No, Bruno held no hatred for these soldiers whose names would soon be written on a mass of tombstones and wooden crosses. Rather, he felt pity for them.


    Not only because they would all be food for the worms soon enough, but also because when the Germans finally won this war and marched through the French countryside, the widows and daughters of these men would line up in droves and throw themselves at the German soldiers who had killed them.


    Such happened twice in Bruno''s past life, once in 1914 and again in 1940. After seeing the way Leon berated the troops beneath hismand for failures that were not their own, Bruno simply shook his head andmented on it, pointing out the shameful disy to the men who stood next to him.


    "You see that man, that General shouting obscenities at his troops?"


    The soldier looked over at Bruno with a stern gaze, one that was also filled with anxiety. He refused to believe that someone of Bruno''s status would simply speak to him for the sake of engaging in nonsensical banter.


    Because of this, the enlisted soldier immediately assumed Bruno was about to give him a critical order, one that might identally start a war.


    And because of this, he was treating Bruno''s words as if they were more severe than the Ten Commandments given to man by God himself. That is until Bruno finished his statement after exhaling a long plume of smoke from his cigarette before stomping it out beneath his boots. "You have my permission to put a bullet in my brain if I ever try to do something so contemptible as to try and hold you or any of yourrades responsible for the failures of the engineers who designed such a piece of shit, let alone the politicians who were either corrupt or stupid enough to approve the adoption of such a monstrosity for service in the first ce. My God... That man is a disgrace to the rank he so proudly wears on his shoulders..." Bruno then walked away without saying another word. The soldier Bruno was speaking to, as well as the other men in the unit who were standing on guard nearby, men who had heard the entire conversation, were silent for a long time before breaking out into jovialughter, with


    one of the men saying,


    "Holy shit, I didn''t expect the Red Scourge of all people to say such a thing. I mean, I thought I was the only one thinking that French General was a bastard, but he just outright said it!"


    Bruno''s statement of condemnation towards Leon and the way he treated his soldiers spread throughout the camp, with his words bing more and more exaggerated and humorous by the time they circled back to Bruno''s ears.


    Nobody expected that he was rather serious when he said such words. Only those who had served with him before would know how much he hated ipetent or foolish leadership, especially those who treated their own soldiers poorly without valid reason to do so.


    After all, there was a quote which Bruno generally believed and aspired to follow as a militaryn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    leader.


    "Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."


    -Sun Tzu, The Art of War

 Chapter 185: The Balkan Wars Begin

    Chapter 185: The Balkan Wars Begin


    ?


    To say that Germany had made preparations that would astonish their rival powers on the global stage would be the most severe understatement of the century. After extensive testing and trial by error, the Type XXI U-Boat was finallyunched.


    Or should I say it was an improved variation of the world''s first submarine designed to primarily operate underwater? The first of the months following thepletion of the mechanicalputerized targeting system, which was arguably the hardest part of the U- Boat to develop.


    With the submarine''s hull being manufactured via pre-fabricated sections, Bruno had managed to streamline the process to where it took a mere 90 days on average to fullymission a single U-Boat. And considering his shipyards in Danzig and Hamburg were capable of producing multiple submarines at once, this meant that every three months, the German Navy received a dozen or so U-Boats per shipyard.


    At most, Bruno''s shipyards could produce roughly fifty U-Boats a year. Due to Germany''s limited coastline, he only had two shipyards, albeit they were significant in size and scale. So much so that each shipyard could produce a dozen U-Boats every three months and half a dozen destroyers every five months.


    In addition to this, Bruno''s other factories were manufacturing everyponent that went into these vessels, including munitions and targetingputers. These targetingputers could also be retrofitted onto existing warships of any size and scale.


    The reason Bruno had focused on U-Boats and destroyers was twofold: one, he had to start shipyards from scratch, which was a years-long process in and of itself; two, there were only so many vessels he could build in a single year.


    When it came to winning the war, protecting maritime trade, and destroying rival merchant ships on the high seas was an easy route to victory, especially if he could freely attack enemy shipping and protect his own with rtive impunity.


    Sure, such vessels could also be employed in fleet battles to great effect, but at the end of the day, it was a matter of perspective. Perhaps if his family had already been invested in naval endeavors when he was born, producing more state-of-the-art battleships and cruisers would be a route to victory.


    But ultimately, he hade from an army family, and because of this, Bruno had limited time and resources to establish the best naval assets he could, hence why he had gone for U- Boats and destroyers.


    Speaking of the new destroyers, they had alreadyunched several of such ships. And while they were decades more advanced than their rivals on the sea, such vessels were small and overlooked by the enemy, as in this era, the dreadnought was the most prestigious vessel.


    Hence, despite being far more than just a torpedo boat and instead a dedicated destroyer of which there were only a limited number of such warships in existence today, the British Empire and the French Republic paid little attention to the Zerst?rer 1911 ss of vessels.


    Something that would prove to be a major and costly oversight on their part. But Bruno paid little attention to the naval arms race that was still taking ce, as maritime warfare was something he had a very limited impact on.


    No, the war on thend and in the skies was his expertise, and hence why he was so focused on the Balkans as the new year came around. Italy had demolished the Ottoman Army in North Africa with record speed,


    Prompting multiple armed insurrections to ur across the Ottoman territories that they still held within Europeannds-insurrections supported by the Balkan League, a union of the Eastern Orthodox kingdoms of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro, all of whom wanted the Turks out of Europe once and for all.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Bruno cared little for the Balkans other than the role they needed to y in shaping theing century. But if there was one grievance he had about how things had settled in the area during the course of his past life, it was that the Greeks, for various reasons, had failed to utilize the opportunity presented to them during the first half of the century to reim Constantinople.


    Because of this, Bruno had decided to bless them with a gift in this new timeline, one that only he would know he had given them. Sitting in his office, drinking from a cup of coffee, Bruno read thetest reports of what was transpiring in the Balkans.


    The First Balkan War was on the verge of breaking out, as the Ottomans had begun scrambling troops to the region in the hopes of suppressing the ongoing revolts by the native Europeans who had been under their thumb for far too long.


    Bruno had decided that now was the perfect time to advance the Orthodox interests in the region, particrly in reiming Constantinople-something that, while not resulting from the Balkan Wars, could be gained from the end of theing Great War for the Greeks, should Bruno y his hand correctly.


    And because of this, the man had a sinister sneer on his face as hemented on what was about to happen within the ancient Roman city, all because of his own machinations.


    "I''m sorry, Mehmed, but it would appear that I need to make you a martyr in order to galvanize the Ottomans against the Imperial Powers... After all, Constantinople belongs to Christianity, and you Turks have upied our holy city for far too long..."


    After Heidi weaponized German intelligence against the ck Hand, what remained of their leadership went underground. Bruno had no way of knowing it, but his wife had bought him some valuable time.


    Sure, they were plotting against the Habsburgs, but their means of actuallyshing out were diminished by the casualties they had sustained in recent months, especially with the death of Apis, who was a major figure among their ranks.


    And now, the Balkan Wars had more or less begun, with the Balkan League supplying rebels in those few European regions still under Ottoman control. And while nobody knew it, Bruno also supplied these movements with ck-market German arms via unofficial channels.


    It was because of this that today, January 27th, 1912, a remarkable event was about to ur, one that would shake the world altogether, and it happened in the streets of Constantinople. Currently, Sultan Mehmed V was stuck in traffic, his motorcade held up by a mixture of automobiles imported from the German Reich and horse carriages used by the people of the Ottoman capital. He thought nothing of the unusual traffic, as he cursed to his driver about the whole ordeal.


    "For Ah''s sake, can you please do something about this peasant rabble which has us boxed in these streets? Do they not know I could have their heads removed for this insolence?" The driver wanted to mention that the Sultan was no longer an autocrat after what happened a few years prior, and how he no longer possessed the power to just kill people as he pleased. But the moment he opened his mouth, a bullet flew through his windshield and the gaping hole where the words were about to escape from.


    Gunfire crackled only after the shot had been made, and it was not just a single round; rather, several shots fired off in the distance. Various automatic weapons sprayed the motorcade and those who sat inside it.


    The shots came from the carbines within the hands of various men, garbed in civilian clothing; the only distinction between them and the people on the streets, who had begun to panic, scream, and run amok as a result of the ongoing chaos, were the ck bandanas concealing their facial features.


    Bandanas that were crudely painted with a Chi Rho. They made use of Mauser C96 automatic carbines, the same overall design that Bruno''s Iron Division used as a recement for dedicated submachine guns during the Russian Civil War nearly a decade prior.


    These weapons had long since entered the international ck market and were favored by both revolutionary groups and gangsters alike due to theirpact design, detachable twenty-round magazine, and supreme rate of fire, which were ideal in urban settings such as


    this.


    The attackers had deployed from the cars which surrounded the Sultan''s motorcade and began opening fire before anybody could figure out what was happening, mag dumping their bullets into the cars and the bodies of those inside.


    It was only after spraying multiple magazines'' worth of ammunition from each assant that


    they opened the doors to the vehicles to confirm the status of their target. And as expected, Sultan Mehmed Vy dead in his car, his body riddled with bullets, and his facial expression conveying his shock at his swift and decisive end.


    Once the attackers had confirmed the death of the Sultan, they ran off as quickly as they hade, getting back in their cars and driving down the road, leaving the Sultan and his motorcade in apletely disastrous state.


    This event would officially spark the Balkan Wars in this timeline, and in doing so, permanently sour rtions between the German Reich and the Ottoman Empire. While the Kaiser would deny any involvement in the assassination of the Ottoman Sultan, including the selling of weapons to the Balkan revolutionaries,


    The Ottoman Empire would still hold Germany responsible for the weapons used by the Balkan League and the extremists who sought to restore Christian rule over Constantine''s city, and in doing so, no doubt would be joining the Allied Powers when the Great War finally


    arrived.

 Chapter 186: Rise of the Progressive Party

    Chapter 186: Rise of the Progressive Party


    ?


    There was a saying that Bruno had once heard in his past life, and the older he got the more it made sense. "A society only has the amount of crime it is willing to tolerate..." Why did the ck market arms trade exist in this world, despite the measures that could be taken to effectively eradicate it?


    Because sometimes the great powers needed to supply the enemies of their enemies with weapons and munitions. Only that it could be quite embarrassing to have their finger prints on the guns... This was exactly what Bruno had down to help aid the various rebel groups in the Balkans in their aims to throw off the yoke of Ottoman oppression.


    Was the Kaiser aware of these activities? Not at all, nor the German High Command, for that matter. This made it all the easier to put up a convincing fa?ade to the world who began pointing fingers at the Reich.


    Fort that matter, could the arms factory which produced these weapons, in this case von Zehntner Waffenwerke, be held responsible for the death of the Sultan? No... Once the guns left the factory, they were not liable for whatever they were used for.


    The fact of the matter was that it was incredibly easy for Bruno to have these weapons transferred into the hands of the Balkan League without leaving the slightest trace of his involvement. Proxies existed for a reason, hence why ck market arms dealers had always been a thing.


    Though the Ottomans were furious that their leader had been in with German weapons by a local resistance movement in a territory which they had upied for centuries. Ultimately they could not me the Germans for the illegal trafficking of arms via the criminal underground into their territory, nor could they hold the Germans responsible for the crimesmitted with said arms.


    Still, Turkish resentment for the Germans grew rapidly overnight. In Bruno''s past life, the Ottoman Empire joined the war in 1914 for a variety of reasons. One could argue day and night over which of the grounds the Turks used as a justification for entry into the war was the chief among them.


    But in Bruno''s honest opinion it was a desire to regain ground lost in the preceding wars which they had fought. Whether in the Balkans, North Africa, or during the Young Turk Revolution itself. Germany was an appealing ally, as a united Germany had never lost a war before.


    And during the previous century the Prussian Army of which the united German Army wasrgely based upon, had steamrolled the French in under a year. They had done this alongside several other German states, and after marching through Paris they dered the formation of the Great Empire within the French pce of Versailles.


    A humiliation both France and the world had not forgotten. It was perhaps because of this that the Ottomans saw the Germans as the favorite to win any great conflict fought between the world''s powers.


    Thus chaining themselves to the German Reich like a loyal hound in the hopes that during the aftermath they would be rewarded for their submission with the scraps left behind after their master had seized what he wanted most.


    In other words, the Ottomans had hoped Germany would drag them across the finish line, and in doing so, grant them the territory they had lost in recent years. It was not to be in Bruno''s past life. While in this life, Bruno had thoroughly ruined any chance of the Ottomans joining the Imperial Powers as the Central Powers were now known as.


    With Russia and Austro-Hungary settling their differences in the Balkans, and instead joining together with a bond built from reforged steel, the reconciling the Ottomans into this alliance was damn near possible as both the Habsburgs and Romanovs absolutely loathed the Turks. Through diplomacy, Bruno had effectively isted the Ottomans, and in doing so gave them a reason not to join the war. Rather, if he simply let things be, there was a good possibility the Empire would result in a quiet, and dignified death.


    But Bruno did not desire such an oue. For one particr reason. The fate of Constantinople would remain uncertain should this ur. Having found God in this new lease on life Bruno saw it as his Christian duty to drag the Turks into this war so that the Hagia Sophia and Constantinople ended up back in the hands of Christendom where it rightfully belonged.


    Thus, he armed the Balkan League and other resistance movements in the area, hoping they would cause enough of a stir for this toe to pass. And it worked like a charm. The new sultan was quickly crowned after the death of the previous one.


    Mehmed VI, who in Bruno''s life was thest Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, had been crowned as Emperor. He immediately began utilizing the Ottoman Army as best as he could to invade the Balkans and put down these rebellions.


    A rather hasty action, one which prompted the nations of Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, to effectively dere war on the Turks. There was no going back now. In the spring of 1912, the First Balkan War had erupted.


    Like the war in Libya, Bruno chose to sit this one out. Enjoying the peace and prosperity that came from his sessful endeavors, and in doing so shifting his attention to both his family, and to the American election, which had begun to take a strange direction.


    Woodrow Wilson having been thoroughly defamed by the many media outlets under Bruno''s indirect control, had dropped out of the race prematurely in 1911, before the primary even began.


    As a result, the primary for the Democratic Party was held between his previous rivals. Of which, the man most likely to win the nomination was a candidate thoroughlymitted to neutrality when it came to European affairs.


    Whether it was the Republican nominee who became president of the United States or the Democratic nominee Bruno had made certain that the administration in power was not nearly as pro war as Wilson had been.


    Or he would have had this been a normal election. But the American National Election of 1912 was a different beast from the ordinary dog and pony show, which urred every four years within the country.


    There was a third candidate, a previous president of the United States, whose poprity was at an all-time high among those more hawkish members of America''s society.


    With Woodrow Wilson no longer in the running, Theodore Roosevelt and his "Progressive Party" not to be confused with the far-left coalition of socialists who adopted the same term during the 21st century of Bruno''s past life, had now received massive funding by those very interests Bruno was secretly working behind the scenes to defeat.


    Unfortunately for Bruno, these wealthy men who were insistent on spreading America''s "democratic values" across the world through military force if need be, would not go quietly into the night simply because their candidate of choice had been defeated before he even began to undergo his trial by fire.


    No, these men were hell bent on their mission, and would now use Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt as their means to fulfill it. And they were gaining poprity quickly. Teddy Roosevelt was seen as a man among men, and a man of the people.


    During his Presidency he had fought against big businesses to smash monopolies, and institute some kind of restrictions on what could be sold to the masses in the forms of


    medicine and agricultural products.


    America, after all had a long history of poison being sold to its people by so called "snake oil salesmen" a term that endured well into the following century as a result of the damage they had caused. The man had passed intow the creation of the FDA, which had yet to be tainted


    by corruption.


    Currently, Theodore was speaking to his backers, addressing their concerns over Germany''s rapid growth, and the power now concentrated in its hands. It was a concern that many American elites were having, even if a significant portion of its poptions was descended from German immigrants, and still held great regard for the fathend.


    It was perhaps because of this that it was an issue that needed to be handled with care, and thus while Theodore Roosevelt danced around outright jumping on the Anti-German


    bandwagon.


    "Believe me, I am sympathetic towards your plights. Since its unification, Germany has be quite powerful, both economically and militarily. And with the recent union of the three major European Empires into a single alliance, these troublesome affairs have only been


    compounded.


    Thebined industrial base of Germany, Austro-Hungary and Russia is not in doubt unchallenged on the global stage. And if geared towards the purpose of war could see this Union of Imperial Powers as they call themselves to emerge as a significant adversary on the


    global stage.


    But what you are all asking of me is to alienate a significant portion of the voter base. Need I remind you how much power foreign investors from the German Reich hold over the Media behind the scenes?


    I mean, you are aware why Woodrow Wilson dropped out, right? Something sinister is happening across the Antic, and the Germans appear to be trying to shift public opinion in the United States towards neutrality.


    A significant sum of resources has been spent in this regard, and tobat it, you will all


    need to spend an even greater fortune. Are you all willing to pay such a high price, to involve yourselves in a war which does not involve the United States, nor is in our nation''s best


    interest?"


    Though the men in this room did not know that a single German investor was responsible for all that had urred within the United States over the course of the past decade, they had deduced that at least one or more major figures from the Reich was at fault.


    And because of this, these wealthy men, from privileged backgrounds, who sons would not find themselves conscripted and sent across the world to some foreign earth in the name of war were all the more willing to advocate for the poor masses to suffer such a fate on their


    behalf.


    Thus, the biggest contributor of them all was the first to step forward to voice this veryn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    sentiment.


    "We understand your reservations, President Roosevelt, but you are now the only hope of the American people. If we allow the Germans to do as they please within our country, then it won''t be long before we our bowing before them and calling them master.


    Need I remind you that our forefathers fought a war to escape from European control? Are we really just going to surrender now that some other empire from across the Antic seeks to


    chain us?"


    Theodore Roosevelt knew that these wealthy businessmen despised him for the damage he


    had dealt to their personal fortunes over the years. He also was aware that they were trying to stoke his patriotic sentiment into spurring him so that he might do something he would otherwise avoid. And if they thought he was so easily manipted, they had another thing


    coming.


    He smirked as he took off his sses and cleaned them with a cloth he had on hand. Only after he ced his spectacles back on his head, so that his vision was proper, did the man finally


    respond.


    "I''ll ept your campaign contributions, but I will make this abundantly clear: even if I do end up winning this November, I will do whatever I think is best for this nation and its people -regardless of the help you have all given me in achieving this victory. Do you understand


    what I mean by this?"


    The message was as clear as day: Theodore Roosevelt would take their money, but he would not get into bed with these millionaires. Not by a long shot. If they thought giving him money would grant them power over him, they were sorely mistaken. Either way, it was up to each of them to decide how they would proceed with this warning.

 Chapter 187: The Road to Hell Part I

    Chapter 187: The Road to Hell Part I


    ?


    The unification of the German Reich in 1871 came with many benefits. For the first time in their history as a people, Germany was united into a single empire under a single ruler. While the Holy Roman Empire had been ruled almost exclusively by German kings throughout its history, it wasposed of various cultures,nguages, and ethnicities, some of which held significant power over who came to the throne.


    That could not be said for the German Reich. Of course, there were some drawbacks to the unification of the German States, such as the loss of sovereignty for many men who had once proudly called themselves monarchs.


    Among these various kingdoms, principalities, grand duchies, etc., was the Kingdom of Bavaria, which had been ruled by the illustrious von Wittelsbach family since the High Medieval Period. The history of Bavaria was overshadowed only by that of Prussia and Austria among the German states.


    But unlike the Prussians, renowned for their martial prowess, the Bavarians were well- regarded for their affinity for music, theater, and the high arts. Even so, that did not mean their Royal Family was entirelyposed of patrons of the arts or a people whose sense of regality was beyond reproach.


    The wife of Heidi''s father was a von Wittelsbach, though her exact rtion to the main line of the prestigious Bavarian Royal family was uncertain. Most likely, she was a distant cousin from a branch family that was on the decline.


    Nevertheless, her maiden name alonemanded respect and, more importantly, authority. She was the woman who hadmanded that Heidi''s mother suffer an untimely death. After all, this "Princess" was far from the archetype she bore in title only.


    No, she was a vicious, petty person who had always resented her husband for taking a lover and, moreover, siring a bastard girl whose beauty was well beyond that of her own daughters.


    The only reason Heidi was not marked for death as well was that her foolish father had actually provoked the Junker coalition by engaging his bastard daughter to the ninth son of a prominent industrial family-who were little more than upstarts in the eyes of the ancient Bavarian Kings and Queens.


    Or so it was perceived by the von Wittelsbach family, who looked upon Heidi''s father with disdain, despite his awareness of his own position and the unfortunate circumstances his daughter faced as a result of his actions.


    No one would have guessed that the man who yed the part of a socially inept fool was, in fact, a wise man hiding his cleverness with a carefully crafted fa?ade. And while it wasn''t impossible for the von Wittelsbachs tosh out at Heidi during her childhood, the window for such an opportunity had long since passed.


    With her marriage to Bruno, and Bruno''s rapid rise to prominence within the German Reich, daring to touch a hair on his beloved wife''s head was as good as summoning the Demon Prince of Wrath to unleash hell upon their family.


    Bruno, after all, was a man with a fierce reputation, one who had no qualms about shooting someone in the head in broad daylight if sufficiently provoked. Thus, the current Prince Regent of Bavaria, Luitpold von Wittelsbach, was now discussing the matter with his distant rtive, the wife of Heidi''s father.


    "Woman, if you were not rted to me by blood, I would have you drawn and quartered for what you are suggesting. You are talking about a man who holds the rank of GeneralOberst in the Army and has the ear of not just the Kaiser, but the Tsar as well.


    In addition to this, his wealth isparable to that of our entire dynasty-if not greater! He has private security on retainer protecting himself and his family at all times. Do you really believe it wise to provoke such a figure, when you and I both know all about his wrath?


    All over what? Some petty feud you have with the woman''s mother, whom I already had killed on your behalf! It was one thing to kill the mistress of that idiot husband of yours-some lowborn woman who nobody cared about. But that girl''s daughter is a legitimate Princess in Russia, and thewful wife of one of the most powerful figures within the Reich!


    If I hear another word of your petty plots and schemes against this woman, I will have you exiled from our family! And I will draw up papers to have you and your children fully disowned from the family line. Do you understand me?"


    The wife of Heidi''s father was red in the face, having screamed about how much she wanted Heidi killed over thest fifteen minutes, only to be so thoroughly rebuked by the current acting head of their prestigious family.


    After all, the current King of Bavaria, Otto I, was a man suffering from severe mental illness and was a monarch only in name. Luitpold was the real man pulling the strings. And he had had enough of entertaining this distant family member and her childish tantrums over something somon among men of power.


    Luitpold had damn near suffered a heart attack from the sheer amount of anger he felt at this moment. He would be turning 91 this year, and such stirrings of emotion were far from ideal for a man of his age.


    It was only after the troublesome member of his dynasty left him to his peace that the aging Prince sat down in his seat and gazed out the window. It was still early enough in the year that snow fell from the sky into the city streets of Munich.


    Frankly speaking, with each passing day, Luitpold felt death''s presence more and more. It would only be a matter of time before he kicked the bucket. And then what? Who would seed him? And, more importantly, how would God judge him for all he had done in this life?


    Was it really toote for an old man like him, whose lifetime of sins-often done with the best of intentions in mind-were surely enough to damn him to an eternity of hellfire? The more he thought about this, as the lightbulb flickered in the background, the more Luitpold felt sorry for Heidi.


    Her mother had done nothing wrong; she was a mistress, as was somon in this world for men of wealth and power like her father. That woman''s death was on his hands. In this life, Luitpold had done only what he thought was necessary for the safety, security, prosperity, and dignity of his house.


    But he had to admit... What he did to Heidi''s mother was without justification. If he was truly destined to hell, then so be it. But before he stepped foot in the grave, Luitpold would right at least one of the wrongs he hadmitted in this life.


    Bruno had been taking his time awaiting the arrival of the Great War, enjoying joyful moments with his wife and beloved children. His family continued to grow, especially now that his wife was nearing the age of thirty. Her biological clock was ticking, so to speak, and four kids were simply too few. She wanted at least six-no, ten!


    And because of this, Bruno and Heidi had been busy. No doubt, by the time his wife finally became infertile, they would have as many, if not more, children than his own parents had. But regardless of the increase in their bedroom activity, Bruno and Heidi constantly made whatever time was needed for their children, who were the reason they worked so hard every


    day.


    Today was a Sunday like any other; Bruno and his wife would take their children to Mass before having an outing in Berlin, enjoying a nice, respectable family breakfast at their favorite establishment.


    Or so it was supposed to be. Today, however, was different. As Bruno sat with his family in the restaurant of their choosing, he saw someone unusual enter. One could always tell royalty apart from themon man due to their upright demeanor and elegant way of dressing.


    The man who entered the diner may have been approaching Methush levels of age, but he was a Prince nheless and carried himself as such. And Bruno knew exactly who he was.


    Because of this, he immediately stood up from his seat with a stern expression on his face, keeping his hand close to his waistband, where he could easily draw his concealed weapon if


    necessary.


    Bruno stepped between his family and Prince Regent Luitpold. Noticing Bruno''s threatening posture, Luitpold took a surprising action, bowing his head respectfully before the man and apologizing for interrupting his precious time with his loved ones.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Forgive me, Lord von Zehntner. I did not mean to offend. But I figured showing up at your home would be woefully inappropriate for a man like me, who has wronged your family so... This old man only asks a moment of your wife''s time.


    I do not seek forgiveness, for I deserve none. I wish only to express my sincerest apologies for how I have wronged her and to extend my condolences for her loss, despite the years that have


    passed since then."


    Heidi was not ignorant of who was standing before her, and if she had not resigned herself to forsaking vengeance against those who had killed her mother for the sake of her children''s safety and prosperity, she would have beenpelled to make a scene.


    Noticing their mother''s distress, Heidi''s children-at least those old enough to understand that she was shaken-quickly hugged her and asked why she was acting so strangely.


    "Mommy, are you alright?"


    "Mommy, who is that man?"


    Bruno wanted to tell the old man to go to hell. He knew that killing a von Wittelsbach in the


    middle of Berlin was a suicidal act, one that would also implicate his family. But he could not


    prevent himself fromshing out verbally.


    That is until Heidi stepped forward and grabbed hold of his hand. She was trembling with variousplicated emotions, and her voice was shaking even further, but she still made it known that him acting out on her behalf would only sully his reputation, and that was thest thing in this world she wanted for the man after all the effort he had spent this past decade forging their family into one thatmanded respect.


    "It''s fine my love... Honestly... I can spare five minutes... Please, look after the kids for me, I''ll


    be back soon..."


    Luitpold looked at Heidi as if he had underestimated her resolve, and quickly thanked her for granting him the time to properly apologize.


    "I understand your husband''s fury, and he would be right to scorn me, even publicly. Even so, you stepped in to stop him. I must thank you..."


    Heidi, however, sneered at the man, making him aware that his ttery was counting towards his time, and that she had only done so for Bruno''s sake, and the sake of their family.


    "I didn''t do it for you... I just don''t want my husband to stoop so low for the sake of someone like you... And by the way I said I can spare five minutes, and you have wasted thirty seconds of my time with this pointless ttery..."


    Upon seeing the look of scorn in the woman''s eyes, as well as the harshness of her words. Luitpold couldn''t help but sigh internally as he straightened his posture, before beckoning Heidi to join him at a booth where the two of them could discuss the matter at length without


    worrying her family.


    "If you would please join me at the table I have reserved, I promise to be swift. After I have


    said what needs to be said, you will never hear from me, or my family, ever again. This I


    promise you..."


    Heidi took one nce back at Bruno and her kids, before returning her gaze to the Bavarian


    Prince Regent, where she nodded her head and followed the man to a more secluded part of


    the restaurant.


    Bruno of course immediately silently motioned towards the bodyguards he had embedded in


    the establishment to keep a close eye on the Prince Regent, as well as everyone else in the facility who could very well be members of the man''s staff who he had hidden in the building in preparation for this moment.

 Chapter 188: The Road to Hell Part II

    Chapter 188: The Road to Hell Part II


    ?


    It took every ounce of inner strength Heidi could muster within herself not tosh out at the man seated in front of her. She might not have known for certain that Luitpold was the one who had orchestrated the hit on her mother, but she was aware he was a von Wittelsbach and the current acting head of the ancient dynasty.


    He had also held this position for many years. As a result, it took only the slightest logical deduction to put two and two together. Sure, Heidi had the resources to track down who had been responsible for her mother''s death, but she had long since resigned herself not to seek vengeance.


    Thus, while she stared at the Prince Regent of Bavaria with a hate-filled gaze so intense it could devour a thousand star systems if it could manifest into some form of psychokic me, she ultimately stayed her hand and bit her tongue, speaking only in the most curt terms as she demanded an exnation for his visit.


    "I''m waiting for an exnation..."


    Prince Luitpold wore a sincere and sorrowful expression as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, which he handed over with the most respectful posture he could manage-a posture conveying his deepest apologies with a bow of his head.


    "My Lady... No... Your Highness, Princess Heidi von Zehntner, I know my words will never suffice to mend the pain and sorrow I have caused you. I am a sinner in the eyes of the Lord and a foolish old man who has sullied myself and my dynasty to fulfill the request of an errant member of my house.


    In doing so, I deprived you of your only parent. I know I can never earn your forgiveness for how horrifically I have wronged you, especially now that I am one foot in the grave. And because of this, I would never be so rude as to request your mercy. Instead, I offer only my deepest apologies and sincerest condolences.


    I have few regrets in this life. Even with the things I have done, many of which Christ would find abhorrent, I did them for the sake of my house and the legacy of my family. But if there is one regret I have, it is what I did to you and your mother-two people who did not deserve the cruelty of my family.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It was a grant abuse of my power to do what I did to you and your mother. And because of this, I can only offer this token as rpense, even though I know such a trinket means nothing inparison to the grief you must have endured losing a parent..."


    Heidi''s eyes opened wide as Luitpold opened the velvet box to reveal the treasure inside. When it came to orders of chivalry, there were two types:


    Those intended for men, typically granted for gant acts on the battlefield or significant contributions in fields like politics, arts, and science, and those meant solely for noblewomen.


    Few kingdoms had more than one order for noblewomen, as they were generally considered less important than those issued to men. However, Bavaria had two such orders, and one was second only to the highest order of merit or chivalry the kingdom offered.


    It was the Order of Saint Elizabeth, a rather exclusive award used almost exclusively by the von Wittelsbach family or the wives and daughters of foreign monarchs. Heidi was so stunned by the offer that she could not respond before Luitpold ushered it into her hands.


    "My son''s wife is the current Grand Mistress of the order, and when I told her of my ns topensate you in some way, she said the best way was to induct you into the order as a dame.


    Any fees associated with joining have obviously been waived, considering your circumstances. I''m afraid this isn''t much, but it is the most I can do... I am afraid my five minutes are up. As promised, you will never hear from me or my family again unless we meet at some public event.


    Your husband is, after all, a man of supreme importance, and I get the feeling you have yet to make your proper mark on this world as well. Sooner orter, you are bound to cross paths with my family again, and I pray that by then you have found some peace in your heart over how we wronged you.


    Goodbye, Your Highness, and I pray for your and your family''s happiness and good fortune in all that you may endeavor in this life..."


    After saying this, the old Prince Regent stumbled out of the restaurant, where he was driven off by his staff back to his family''snds. Heidi returned to her husband and children, leaning over to whisper to Bruno what had happened.


    Needless to say, Bruno was surprised. It was unusual for men in positions of such privilege to feel remorse for abusing their power. Perhaps when one knew death was around the corner, they instinctively felt guilt for all the sins they hadmitted in life.


    And if that was the case, would he too feel regret toward the end of his lifespan for all the wicked deeds he had done to save the German Reich and create a better future for his family? What was the saying again? "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"? Surely that could not be his fate? After all, why else would God reincarnate him back in time if the end of his journey was eternal damnation?


    Bruno ultimately forced the matter from his mind, while Heidi reflected in silence on Luitpold''s final words to her.


    "I get the feeling you have yet to make your proper mark on this world as well...."


    Was she capable of such a thing? All she had ever wanted in life was to support her husband- the love of her life-in all he desired and to raise his children to be men and women of dignity and respect.


    But perhaps she had been thinking about things the wrong way all this time. Perhaps it was not her ce to silently eliminate threats in the background. After all, the award in her hand was an order of charity run by noblewomen.


    Maybe... Just maybe Heidi was meant to do far more good for the world than she had ever believed herself capable of. Her husband was a man of supreme faith, even though she herself had a hard time believing God existed in this world.


    Bruno had told her early in life that her suffering was God''s doing and His alone. Yet,ter in life, he seemed to have genuinely be a believer in the "old bastard." So, what if she too had a chance to change? To let go of all the anger and hatred she silently harbored toward those who had once wronged her?


    What if she could transform such vile emotions into some kind of good for the world? Suddenly enlightened, Heidi''s expression became rather meek and embarrassed as she tugged on Bruno''s sleeve, an act she hadn''t done since they were children.


    The man in question was too focused on conversing with his children to notice the sudden shift in his wife''s behavior. He assumed it was one of his daughters or possibly his sons tugging so childishly at his sleeve, until he looked over to see it was none other than Heidi, bashfully averting her gaze, almost as if embarrassed by what she was about to say.


    Bruno could only raise his brow, questioning her attitude.


    "Hmmm? Is something wrong, dear?"


    Heidi felt like Bruno was about tough and mock her for what she was about to suggest. But she needed his support if she was truly going to let go of the past and embrace her role as a proper nobledy of virtue. Because of this, she stammered slightly as she tried to voice her


    innermost thoughts.


    "I... I... Ummm..."


    Bruno hadn''t seen her act so timidly since they were small children. Because of this, he knew whatever was on her mind was serious-something he could in no circumstances make light of. She was usually a confident woman, even in the face of others'' mockery.


    But whatever Luitpold had said to her had clearly struck a nerve and caused her to question herself. So Bruno took his wife''s dainty hand in a firm, supportive grip, letting her know he was there for her, both through this gesture and with his words.


    "Heidi, whatever it is you need to say to me, just know I will always support you, no matter


    what it is..."


    Bruno suspected the worst hade over her after her encounter with the man who had killed her mother. Thus, he was bbergasted when she blurted out a selfless desire that he found


    completely unexpected.


    "Bruno, I want to open a charity with a portion of our family fortune!"

 Chapter 189: Faith and Good Works

    Chapter 189: Faith and Good Works


    ?


    Charity? That was most certainly not the request Bruno had thought Heidi was going to make of him. He was more or less aware of the inner demons his wife struggled with on any daily given basis. The human experience was one of great suffering, and enduring that suffering was something we all must do.


    Over the years, Bruno had done everything he could to help his wife ovee the challenges she faced during her childhood and early adult years. And to a great extent she had improved leaps and bounds. Only really manifesting her psychotic and possessive tendencies when a threat appeared before her or her family.


    It was because of this he expected the woman to request that he kill the Prince Regent of Bavaria. Bruno was the type of man willing to give his life if need be for the sake of his wife and children. Hell, he would dly take the lives of a million men if they dared pose a threat to his loved ones.


    But murdering the Prince Regent of Bavaria served no purpose other than to invite disaster upon his family. And it was with this grim reality in mind that Bruno was about to reject his wife, not only to save the future of his children, but his wife''s soul as well.


    Yet the womanpletely surprised him with her request, rather than seek vengeance, which was a path that would damn them all. She sought redemption, a new start, a chance to do some genuine good in the world, and help those less fortunate than herself.


    It was certainly an unusual, but also a most wee request. As Bruno immediately hugged Heidi tightly and pet her silky golden hair as if she were one of his daughters. Assuring her with a slight whisper that she would all the money and support she needed to properly see through this endeavor.


    "You damn near gave me a heart attack. I thought for a second that with the strange way you were acting that you would ask something of me that I could not fulfill! You want to start a charity?


    I think that is a wonderful idea. Whatever you need, whether that be money, manpower, or resources all that you need to ask and I will give it to you. After all, everything that I possess in this life belongs to our family."


    Heidi couldn''t help but hold Bruno tightly. Doing so helped ease any of the remaining anger, hatred, and grief she once held deeply entrenched within her heart.


    After hugging her man for longer than she cared to count she, then scooped up her children and gave them an equal amount of affection, assuring them that she was alright, despite the strange way she had been behaving ever since that decrepit old man asked to speak with her.


    The degree of influence in which Bruno had over society was truly a frightening prospect to behold. With one word from his mouth, thousands of men and women began to move towards the beat of his drum. Money flowed, and with it came the creation of a new charity.


    One which was designed to help the less fortunate in German society. Food, medicine, housing, rehabilitation. If one needed help to obtain any of these things for themselves and their families, they only needed to reach out to the Charity that Bruno and Heidi helped organize together.


    Granted, one needed to prove they weren''t simply leeching off of their goodwill, and instead were actively trying to better their lives.


    While Bruno provided the resources to the non-profit organization, Heidi was the main brain behind its daily operations, using her spare time in between looking after her husband and children to organize the charity''s efforts.


    Bruno had long since gained a very good reputation among the masses. He treated his employees incredibly well and provided quality goods at a fraction of the cost whenpared to those sold by hispetitors.


    He was a businessman, but that did not mean that Bruno was a man of greed. There was no reason to charge an arm and a leg for his products. Something many corporations failed to understand from his previous life. One needed to find a bnce between profit margins and volumes of sales. And Bruno would never sacrifice thetter for the former.


    Strangely enough, a man familiar with organizing relief and humanitarian efforts quickly volunteered to help in any capacity he could. And though he was an active duty officer in the German Army, having in the years since hisst promotion gained the rank of Colonel, Heinrich Koch operated as a member of the board of directors for Heidi''s new charity.


    He brought with him a level of expertise gained from his days in Russia, especially in regards to distribution, ensuring that the goods were constantly provided to those who needed them. Like a properly made Swiss watch, it functioned wlessly.


    Because of this, the reputation of Bruno''s family increased drastically, and it was not just Bruno, Heidi, and their children. Even the extended family began gaining the reputation of a charitable family, despite their wealth literally being built from the war industry.


    So much so that when the time once again came for the von Zehntner family to get together, Bruno was being treated as if he were the heir apparent. Even his oldest brothers Franz and Christoph who had overlooked their youngest brother during his youth, treated the man as if he was the greatest of their siblings.


    Only Maximillian still treated Bruno with any form of contempt. Not even bothering to go near his youngest brother, as Bruno''s fame in the family had reached all new heights. Bruno and Heidi were surrounded by Bruno''s brothers and their wives as they spoke ttery to the couple, as if this gathering was actually all about them.


    That is, until Bruno''s father finally requested some private time with his son.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Alright, that''s enough from all of you. Franz, Christoph, I want you both to go find your little brother and keep an eye on him. I don''t know why, but I get the feeling that Max is going to do something incredibly stupid if left to his own devices..."


    Having heard their father''s word, the two eldest of the nine von Zehntner boys treated them as if they were thew. Nodding to their father, and bowing their heads directly to the lord of their noble house before running off to do his bidding.


    As for Bruno''s other brothers, they scurried off with their wives as well. Leaving Bruno alone with his father and his wife. Naturally, the old man showed respect to his daughter inw, who was the only of his nine daughters-inws who he treated like the actual blood daughter


    he never had.


    "Heidi, my dear, do I have permission to speak with your husband alone?"


    Bruno raised his brow at his father and stared at the man that gave off the impression he was questioning whether or not he was the inw instead of his wife. At the same time, Heidi giggled and bowed with a proper curtsy before assuring her father-inw that he indeed had her permission.


    "Of course, I''m sure my beloved husband would love to have a discussion with my father..."


    After saying that, Heidi bowed once more before walking off with a smirk on her face, which she cast towards Bruno. Causing both him and his father to chuckle, that is until his father sighed and made ament about the woman.


    "She has your mother''s sense of humor... anyway, Bruno, I would like to have a word with you in private. Will your study suffice?"


    Bruno did not even want to talk about how simr his wife and mother were, instead he immediately led the way to his office, showing proper respect and manners to his father as he


    did so.


    "After you, father..."

 Chapter 190: Prophecy or Deduction?

    Chapter 190: Prophecy or Deduction?


    ?


    If Bruno''s father wanted to speak with him in private, it must be a rather serious affair. And Bruno most certainly suspected what it was about. Thus, after the doors closed behind them, he broke out the imported Kentucky Bourbon aged to perfection for twenty years.


    Once Bruno poured a ss to his father and himself, and they both had a sip, the old man responded with a satisfied smile on his face.


    "You always know how to get the best stuff..."


    Bruno chuckled, making a joke about what his father had said, one that his father wouldn''t truly understand.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "You better enjoy it while itsts, because in roughly eight years this stuff is going to be damn near impossible to get my hands on, other than perhaps for medicinal purposes..."


    Medicinal purposes? How exactly is this drinkable liquor medical grade alcohol? Bruno''s father didn''t understand Bruno was referencing prohibition which would begin within the USA in 1920, and in doing so make alcohol effectively illegal other than for "medicinal purposes."


    But then again, Bruno had an almost prophetic sense of what would happen in the world, and because of this, his father ced down his cup on the desk before addressing the matter at hand.


    "Funnily enough, the reason I requested this private discussion is specifically because of your uncanny ability to predict the future. As you know, I am getting old in years, and I have no intention of staying in politics for much longer.


    But... I''m not fool Bruno. Many people may not understand what you have been up to this past decade or so, and though I am ashamed to admit that it took me longer than it should have to fullyprehend it.


    I now know the real reason behind everything that you have done, whether it''s the creation of advanced weapons, investment into a wide variety of industries, or even the reason you have decided to stay in the military and rise through its ranks all these years.


    You are preparing for a Great War that is on the horizon, and you have been doing so alone for a very long time. So let me ask you this, my son... How many years do we have left?"


    Bruno looked at his father with a smug smirk on his face. It was a look the old man was not expecting, that is until Bruno began to speak and exin himself.


    "I''m impressed... You know, aside from perhaps Heidi, who knows me better than just about anybody, I don''t believe that a single person in this world has caught onto what I have been doing since I first became an adult.


    I mean not for nothing, but you would have to have an exceptional degree of pattern recognition to connect the dots between my various enterprises and find out what the line leads to. I mustmend you, father, I see now where I gained my enhanced intelligence from.


    Fine... I''ll admit it. By the year 1885, I deemed it a mathematical certainty that a global war would erupt, which would devastate the German Reich within the first two decades of the new century.


    Everything I have done in my adult life has been specifically to prevent this otherwise inevitable result. Even now I race against time, knowing I have very few years left before the conflict begins to ensure that everything is perfectly in ce for the start of the Great War that is toe.


    So, the fact that you are bringing this up means you probably want to know precisely how much time we have left? Truth be told, father, I''m not entirely sure myself. But I can tell you this, it entirely depends on how long the wars in the Balkans willst.


    This struggle between the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan League is just the beginning of something far more sinister. Bismarck was right in that regard... At most, we have two, maybe two and a half years.


    At least a year, maybe less. Either way, soon I will be called off to war, where I will do everything in my power to obliterate every enemy army, Ie across down to thest man. Well, as long as I can do so in ordance with the rules of war, that is....."


    Bruno''s father stared at his son. His expression wasn''t one of shock, or dismay, or even one of a grim and sobering awakening. No, he stared at his son as if he was thinking through every word the man had just said. As if he was truly trying to figure out if there was any hidden meaning concealed within them.


    After a rather long pause, he finally exhaled before speaking of why he had asked this question to begin with.


    "I was nning to retire early, but if my vote can prevent the German Reich from going to war, then I might as well stay within the Bundesrat as long as possible."


    Bruno, however, disagreed with his father''s perspective, pouring the man another drink, and himself one while he was at it. He did not speak until they had both consumed the amber liquid in its entirety, and when he did so, he gave his father some advice.


    "I would retire now while you can father, your vote will not make a difference, and if I may be so bold... If this war will start the way I think it will, your loyalties may evene into question should you refuse to cast your vote in favor or war...


    What is about to happen will determine whether the German Reich emerges as the supreme hegemony of this world, and in doing so, usher in a new era of scientific, cultural, and technological progress. Or if Western Civilization itself will copse within the next two hundred years.


    Either way, the war must be fought to determine the fate of our way of life... Though you need not worry father, so long as I am here in this world, and God remains on my side, there is no path which leads to defeat. For anyone who tries to prevent our victory will not live long enough to aplish their aims. I can assure you of that..."


    After saying this, Bruno ced his ss down on his desk, and got up, where he patted his father on the back with a silent grin before leaving the man to his own thoughts.


    Either way, Bruno had said what needed to be said, and it was up to his father whether he wished to retire now, or be among those who were to me for the suffering that would soon be forced upon the world as a whole.

 Chapter 191: Retirement Ceremony Part I

    Chapter 191: Retirement Ceremony Part I


    ?


    In the German Reich, there were two legitive bodies within Parliament, much like in the United States and its own legitive branch. And like the United States these two bodies were chosen based upon two distinctive factors.


    Within the German Empire, the lower branch of Parliament was elected via popr vote by the citizens of the Empire. While in the higher of the two branches, that being Parliament, the Bundesrat and its members were chosen by the regional governments of every State within the Empire.


    This was actually simr to how the United States senate functioned originally and even still at this time. It would only be a year from now, in 1913, where US Senators were elected via popr both at the booth by citizens.


    A change that would never manifest in the German Reich, or at least within Bruno''s past life, and hopefully never. After retiring from the military as a tried and true veteran of both the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, and theter Franco-Prussian War of 1871, and having earned both sses of the Iron cross, as well as a Pour Le Merite no less.


    Bruno''s father who shared the same name as his youngest son had easily climbed the ranks of German politics, first having been elected and served with distinction within the Reichstag for a number of years, before eventually being appointed by the Kingdom of Prussia to the Reichstag.


    It was, of course a surprise to his fellow members of parliament that he rather suddenly decided to retire. And in doing so, Bruno''s father was being granted a massive farewell party. Of course Bruno himself, as well as his family were invited to attend the event, as well as all of his siblings and their families as well.


    One could never truly underestimate the grandeur of the parties thrown by the nobility of European Kingdoms and empires.


    And this retirement party was no exception. Having been thrown by the Kaiser himself, which was rather unusual, but when one understood it was a means of showing respect to an aging member of the Bundesrat whose service to the country could not be underestimated, one naturally understood why this was the case.


    Bruno, as always was far from a social butterfly, paying pleasantries where need be, but otherwise trying his best to be a fly on the wall. Heidi was his gregarious half who managed to convince people that her husband was far less menacing than he seemed.


    And while Bruno was definitely more of an introvert than he was a social butterfly. What really made him behave so anti-socially at these venues was the fact that he just really hated the fakeness which the nobility in this era seemed to personify.


    It was one thing where back in the day the nobility had an obligation to rally troops and lead them into battle. Such was the nature of the feudal responsibilities of which many of these houses had such a prestigious and ancient lineage.


    But it had been centuries since feudalism ended, and without the obligation to protect and serve the people as their noble masters, the descendants of the knights and warlords of the ancient era had be a bunch of pampered and prissy wastrels.


    Leeches whose sole im to fame was being the tenth grandson of some valiant warrior whose feat in battle had gained him hisnds and title to be shared among his family line until the end of time.


    Few men gained their nobility through blood and iron these days, and those who did were generally among the lower nobility, not privy to such an extravagant gathering hosted by the Kaiser himself.


    Among those present, only a handful were like Bruno''s family, having earned their noble status in the past century through gant action on the battlefield. And having continued the martial tradition of military service since.


    Yet those were the men Bruno tended to congregate among. This was despite the fact that he was considered far more important than them. For Bruno, it was hard to listen to the pompous boasts of men who had never seen the cruelty of a battlefield yet spoke of their ancestor''s achievements as if he had in a dragon in singlebat without staining his gilded cloak.


    How would you exin to a man who had been raised with a golden spoon in his mouth, and silk diapers that his ancestor''s "chivalric" legend was one of blood and guts? Rather than the fantastical way in which he spoke about it?


    Moreover, how would a man who had not only spilled the blood of other men, but shed his own in the trenches possibly tolerate such buffoonery without having an instinctive urge to p the ever living shit out of the durd who dared espouse such drivel?


    Hence why Bruno stood in the corner of the room, with the few other men wearing modern military uniforms, of which whose ranks were significantly lower than his, while smoking a cigarette in one hand, and having a stiff drink in another.


    Was it intimidating to have Bruno among their ranks? Not at all, several of these men Bruno had served with, among them were his brothers Kurt and Ludwig, as well as several other officers who fought beneath hismand in Russia and who had continued their military service after the war came to an end.


    In fact, their rather dark sense of humor, and loud intoxicated voices carried over, as these men caught up, reminiscing about things that made the more coddled noblemen''s skin crawl. One of the men spoke of Bruno as if he were the grim reaper.


    Yet he did so in a way that sounded as if they were old friends reconnecting in the afterlife. All the while he spoke of the time Bruno walked through the trenches outside Tsaritsyn, clubbingmunists over the head with his sharpened entrenching tool.


    "I swear to God, I''m not lying. You had not yet arrived in the Volga theater yet! This man literally just walked through the trenches with a spade in one hand and a pistol in the other. Smacking guys over the head with his entrenching tool and they just dropped over dead as if they had been touched by death himself!


    I was about to get stabbed by some Bolshevik piece of shit''s bay when the next thing I see is the cold and murderous gaze of our bravemander as he raised his shovel I the air above the stupidmie''s head. Poor son of a bitch didn''t even know that death was right behind him, boring a hole through the back of his head with the most hate filled gaze I have ever seen in my life."


    Bruno had a particrly grim and stoic reputation among the German nobility, and this officer''s loud boasts did not help in that regard. Bruno however shocked those who did not know him personally as he broke out into a chuckle and shook his head, with an almost nastolgic smile on his face as he did so.


    "I remember that. Fucking idiot genuinely thought he was going to take the life of one of my officers right in front of me. Well, he sure learned his lesson didn''t he? A rather permanent one I might say, if I were so bold..."


    The only one among the group of veterans from the volunteer force once known as the Iron Division who was notughing was Kurt, who was the leader of thebat medics within the unit. He shook his head and blew out a plume of smoke as he called his brothers andrades sick in the head forughing about such a traumatic event.


    "You fuckers are disturbed, you know that? I still have nightmares about the poor sons of bitches I had to stitch up in that assault. Luckily, we killed all the Marxist swine responsible for all that death or else I would never be able to sleep at night..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Bruno couldn''t help but pat his older brother on the back, and make light of the whole situation, as he pointed out the medals on all of their chests, some of which were German in origin, a medal created specifically for the Iron Division''s actions in the war.


    And others were granted to them by the Tsar, who awarded thousands of Bruno''s volunteer soldiers with distinctive honors for the roles they each yed in saving the House of Romanov and the Russian Empire as a whole.


    "Hey it was all worth it at the end of the day, right? I mean, a soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon, right?"


    All the men knew that Bruno was quoting Napoleon when he said thosest words, and rather facetiously so. The menughed at Bruno''sments, as they were all too aware of the price that had been paid by them all for the sake of a piece of steel and a slightly dyed piece of cloth.


    That is, until they saw who stood behind Bruno, and they all instantly shut their mouths and bowed their heads. Bruno immediately knew by the way hisrades were acting that he had put his foot in his mouth right in front of someone important, and if he had to guess it was none other than the Kaiser himself.

 Chapter 192: Retirement Ceremony Part II

    Chapter 192: Retirement Ceremony Part II


    ?


    Bruno had realized damn near instantly that he had said something incredibly improper at the worst possible timing. Judging by the reactions on the faces of the veterans he was just bantering with via dark humor just a moment prior, someone of supreme importance was standing behind him and had heard every word he said.


    The voice, of course, was instantly recognizable to Bruno, and he himself flinched before turning around when he heard the smug tone in the Kaiser''s voice when he responded to Bruno''s rather ill-suited attempt at a joke.


    "I must say, is this how a son shows his love and respect for his father? And no less on the day he is to be awarded for a lifetime of effort and achievement with a medal for all of his services to my royal House of Hohenzollern?"


    Kaiser Wilhelm II was standing next to both Bruno''s father and the current chancellor of the German Reich, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg. While in the background Bruno saw Heidi facepalming at him while shaking her head, along with all the not so silent whispers and worried looks he was being given by the rest of the guests in the venue.


    Bruno had realized only then that their voices had carried thorughout the venue. And that their gruesome tales of the battlefield had made more than a few important figures in the German Reich deeply ufortable.


    There was really only one thing he could do at this moment, and that was to apologize for his incongruous remarks. Which he was just about to do so when Bruno noticed the shiny new medal pinned to his father''s rather borate tailcoat tuxedo.


    It was the nonbatant version of the House Order of Hohenzollern. A rather prestigious order indeed, one which Bruno hoped to earn himself one day. Honestly, Bruno had done more than enough for the House of Hohenzollern to earn such an award. And yet he had yet to have such an honor pinned to his chest.


    If Bruno was being honest with himself, he expected the Kaiser was waiting for him to gain significant achievements in the uing Great War in order to properly award him. As all of his major efforts to help the German Reich up until this point had been via diplomacy, and efforts behind the scenes in the civilian sector.


    Which, while significant aplishments on their own were not as suited for public rtions purposes as it would be if he were awarded with thebatant variants of the same medals after achieving significant victories over the Kaiser''s enemies within a major war.


    Because of this, Bruno simply bowed his head and apologized to his father and the Kaiser for making such a poorly timed, inappropriate joke.


    "Apologies, your Majesty, it was very rude of me to make light of such things, especially on a day to honor my father such as this. Do forgive me..."


    Kaiser Wilhelm II simply chuckled as he saw how Bruno was behaving in front of him, the man''s usually stern and defiant demeanor was nowhere to be found, and because of that he made fun of Bruno at his expense, while also reassuring the man that after all these years he really should not behave so formally with him.


    "Nonsense, I was just having fun at your expense my old friend... Besides, if anyone has earned the right to make light of such circumstances, it would be you. After all, you are the one who championed such a campaign in the first ce."


    The Kaiser''s jovial attitude towards Bruno was not just because he genuinely sought a friendship with the man. It was every bit as strategic as it was sincere.


    After all, letting people know he was on close terms with the legendary Wolf of Prussia, so much so that they could share such informal humor openly was a way of tying Bruno to his side, and dissuading those who would try to steal the rtively young Generals talents for themselves.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Because of this, Bruno could only respond in kind, taking advantage of the situation, to act in a way he otherwise would never be able to get away with.


    "Well... Old friend, I am d I was able to y the fool in a way that could lighten the mood..."


    Kaiser Wilhelm used this opportunity to lean close to Bruno and whisper something in his ears that Bruno found rtively shocking.


    "I don''t know exactly what you said or did to my daughter, but she has been in a rather foul mood whenever your namees up ever since yourst visit to Japan. Whatever is going on between the two of you, I would suggest you take the time to clear the air, because you do not want me personally investigating the matter, understood?"


    Bruno was shocked to hear this. He had not spoken with the Prussian Princess in a while, or frankly speaking any of the other princesses of the noble houses he currently held some degree of diplomatic influence with.


    Hell, it had been at least a year since hest took a trip to thend of the Rising Sun, or perhaps it was closer to three whole years now. Just how long had the Prussian Princess been angry with him, and about what per se could she possibly hold a grudge against him for?


    Also, the threat was subtle but noticeable at the end of the Kaiser''s statement. And because of this, Bruno nodded his head and responded with a short and concise response in the affirmative.


    "I understand. I''m not sure what I did to aggrieve your daughter, but I will handle it. If you will excuse me sir, I will go settle this matter once and for all."


    The Kaiser simply designed Bruno''s response with a slight note of his head before returning his attention to the rest of his guests.


    All the while Bruno ran off to go find the young Prussian Princess who though he had not realized it, had tarnished his reputation among the younger generation of German noble maidens with oundish and nderous tales of his grant mistreatment of women everywhere.

 Chapter 193: Godspeed, Soldier...

    Chapter 193: Godspeed, Soldier...


    ?


    Bruno quickly absconded from the spotlight and instead began searching for the Prussian Princess who by now was a full-fledged adult. Time had of course passed far quicker than Bruno could have ever realistically imagined when he was first reincarnated into this world.


    The first time he had ever given the young woman any thought during this new lease on life was when Bruno was a mere fifteen years old.


    He stood up for his then fiancee''s honor at the Princess''s second birthday in 1894. Eighteen years hade and gone since then, and in September of the current year of 1912 the youngdy would turn twenty.


    It was only a year before she would marry the man she was supposed to be with in life, which was Earnest August a man who was currently the heir to the Duchy of Brunswick. And yet Bruno had heard no mention of her engagement to the man.


    Needless to say it was not surprising when he found the young woman surrounded by various other Germandies of high noble heritage. These young women who were the same age or younger than the Prussian Princess gave Brunoplicated expressions, that is until they ignored them entirely and spoke to the woman he hade to see.


    "Your highness, your father said that you have some sort of grievance with me... Is that true? If so, can I know what I have done to offend you?"


    The various nobledies broke out into fits of giggles, being well ustomed to hearing the young Prussian Princess express her grievances with the man she had formed a crush on much earlier in her life.


    However, she was quick to give them the evil eye, before dismissing them from her presence entirely with an authoritative tone and aura Bruno was not expecting to witness.


    "Leave us..."


    The various young nobledies curtseyed before the Princess and Bruno alike before fleeing whileughing and whispering among themselves all sorts of gossip. Once they were gone, Princess Victoria-Louise gave Bruno a stern gaze before speaking to him in an almostmanding tone.


    "Take a walk with me... And no, I won''t ept your refusal. I want you to listen to my story as this... This may very well be myst chance to speak my mind..."


    Bruno took one look back at the glimmering lights in the background as the young Princess motioned towards a staircase which led out of the pce and into the pce gardens below. Which though covered in snow, were no less beautiful beneath the wide and starry moonlit sky above.


    Because of this, Bruno nodded his head and agreed to follow the Princess into the great outdoors, even if she was not dressed for the part.


    As the two trudged through the snow, after exiting the venue of the party, Victoria-Louise damn near slipped on the snow and ice which coated the walkway, causing Bruno to grasp hold of her arm and steady her against him. All while scolding her as if she were some clumsy child.


    "Be careful! Your father would have my head if anything happened to you on my watch..."


    Though Bruno couldn''t see it as the Princess cast her face away from his gaze, there was a bitter smile on her face. As if she werepelling herself to enjoy what she knew would be thest conversation she had with the man alone together.


    After consciouslying to this conclusion, she stopped dead in her tracks, even as Bruno walked beyond her reach, causing the man to turn around and look at the severe expression on the Princess''s regal face.


    He was about to say something, even if he wasn''t sure what when shemanded him to stop, before giving him a piece of her mind.


    "Not a word... Not until I have said everything that needs to be said..."


    Bruno, having finallye to the conclusion that he must have somehow, someway serious hurt the young woman bit down on his tongue even though he wanted to defend his ignorance. Instead of nodding as it was clear to him this was a royal decree. One which he could not disobey.


    It took the princess several moments to gather her thoughts, and in the end she broke out into a bitterugh, while shaking her head, sighing heavily, almost as if she wanted every gasp of breath to exude from her lungs before she finally shared her thoughts, and finally she opened with an insult to the man.


    "You have to be the single dumbest, yet brilliant man I have ever met in my life, did you know that? Were you even the slightest bit aware of how I? How we all felt throughout all these years? I mean it was abundantly clear to your wife... But I don''t think you ever really figured it out, did you?"


    Victoria-Louise was correct. Bruno had never once had a single inclination that he had left an impression on the various princesses he hade into contact with over the years. One that in their young and impressionable minds made him the object of their affections.


    Because of this, Bruno was quick to confirm he had no idea what the Prussian Princess was talking about, even if he could surmise when she used terms like "We" and "Us" she was referring to Olga, Sakura, and Hedwig.


    "I''m sorry. What precisely are you referring to?"


    After realizing it was true that Bruno was not pretending, he genuinely never once considered the various princesses as a possible romantic interest, and rightfully so considering the age gap between them. She shook her head once more, before kicking the snow beneath her feet in an act of immature indignation.


    "If only I had been born a decade earlier... Maybe then... Maybe it would have been me and not Heidi... But fine... Since you can''t seem to figure it out, I will say it outright, you were my first crush... And it''s not just me, Olga, Sakura, and Hedwig all feel the same way.


    And like the stupid little girls that we were we all clung onto the idea that maybe, just maybe one day you would see us as woman. But you never did. We were always just children to you. Even now I can see the look on your face, as if you can''tprehend it.


    Whatever... It''s toote now. By this time next year I will be married to a man far beneath you in terms of quality. Perhaps at one point he would have been able to boast that his lineage was greater than yours, but you are Prince now, even if it is a Prince in Russia, and he is a mere Duke...


    My father worries too much. I have already epted my fate, my ce in this world. He thinks I will foolishly reject the betrothal he has arranged for me because of some childish fancy I once held for you. But I am d he had enough foresight to have you seek me out so I could vent to you about all of my frustrations...


    I suppose it was simply never meant to be..."


    Princess Victoria Louise had not even allowed Bruno to respond, she picked up the bottom of her dress and began to walk back to the venue, all the while snow began to fall from the sky once more, the dark clouds of winter had during her rant covered the moonlight above and reced it with darkness.


    The only source of illumination were themp posts stationed in the garden, of which Bruno stood nearby as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and began to smoke in silence. He could tell by the trail being indented in the snow that the Princess had begun to cry, and because of this he made onest remark to her before walking off himself.


    "You know... I didn''t lie to you... That one time in the garden when we shared tea together... I really am I man from the future... Or at least I have the memories of such a life. It was never my destiny to be a Prince of legend, and marry into the Royal Family.


    That is not the cross in which I must bear. I am no monarch, no philosopher king who will usher in a new era of prosperity for the German people. I am a soldier, whose singr purpose in this life is to ensure that the Reich survives the turbulent era which is toe.


    Don''t feel too bad... There was simply never a chance for us be together... God made sure of that from the moment he brought me into this life... And if it makes you feel any better, you are the only person I have ever told this, even Heidi doesn''t know the truth..." After saying this, Bruno walked off, not saying another word to the Princess. He was, after all, bewildered by the sudden confession and had nothing to say other than he never felt that way about her. At most, she was like a niece to him, one which he felt an obligation to protect.


    As for Victoria-Louise, she broke out into a fit of giggles while wiping thest tears she would ever shed over this matter from her eyes. She didn''t know which of the two of them was more insane. The madman preaching false prophecy, or the Princess crazy enough to believe him.


    All she could do was turn around and gaze upon Bruno''s backside as he walked away in the snow, making ament about what he had said in a whisper so low the man could not


    possibly hear her.


    "Godspeed, soldier..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 194: Selecting a Replacement

    Chapter 194: Selecting a Recement


    ?


    Bruno returned to the party not long after his conversation with the Prussian Princess. They would never speak again of what had been said in private within the snow-filled pce gardens, nor would there be any hostilities between them due to the awkwardness that had resulted from the misunderstandings of a teenage girl and her unrequited love.


    In fact, Hedwig, Olga, and Sakura were all around the same age and would themselves be married off in the following years, forgetting all about whatever foolish notions they had towards Bruno. This did not mean, however, that the bonds Bruno had forged with their royal families as a result of these misunderstandings would disintegrate.


    Rather, he would be far friendlier with all of them going forward, as any sense of unease caused by these misunderstandings was thoroughly gone, reced instead with a sibling-like friendship.


    When Princess Victoria-Louise returned to the party in a much better mood than she had been for quite some time, the Kaiser approached Bruno and patted him on the shoulder.


    "I take it things went well between the two of you?"


    This was a question obviously hinting at Bruno to address the elephant in the room: whether he had cleared up the matter between him and the Kaiser''s daughter. Bruno simply reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a sk, whose leather carrier was embossed with the symbol of the German 8th Army, which he had recently been givenmand of.


    The sk naturally contained some form of distilled spirits, and from the slight sense of intoxication the Kaiser received just by taking a whiff of it, he figured the alcohol inside was unusually potent.


    After taking a swig from the sk, Bruno quickly stashed it away before grumbling something or other about what he had just been through.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Had I known she had such feelings toward me, I would have told her to get over them a damn decade ago, before they had time to manifest into something stronger... Why the hell didn''t you tell me about this?"


    Kaiser Wilhelm II disyed an unusually chipper and yful character toward Bruno as he smacked the man on the back, joking at his misfortune.


    "I''m more surprised you never figured it out. I honestly thought for a very long time you were simply leading my daughter on in the hopes you could have her as your mistress when she finally came of age. But then that day came, and you were still as oblivious as ever.


    Imagine the surprise of my wife and me when we realized you were actually socially inept and that it wasn''t all some Machiavellian scheme, which we had suspected was the case for years on end.


    I suppose if you''re not even tempted by a beautiful and na?ve young princess who is wholly devoted to you, then your wife really does worry too much after all. Her gaze is unusually fearsome whenever it''s cast in the direction of my daughter-an expression I hear isn''t unique to Victoria alone..."


    Bruno couldn''t help but gawk at the shamelessness of the Kaiser, a man he had immense respect for. His expression caused the Monarch tough at his expense, prompting an even more unusual reaction from Bruno.


    "You''re actually enjoying this, aren''t you?"


    Wilhelm looked away from Bruno with a guilty expression on his face, which he tried to hide - rather poorly, at that by drinking from the cocktail in his hand. Unfortunately, he utterly failed to do so, choking on the drink through his ownughter at the absurdly offended expression Bruno was giving him, as if he genuinely couldn''t believe his eyes at the German Emperor''s sheer audacity to enjoy his personalment.


    Finally, Wilhelm admitted to it with a rather amused tone in his whimsical voice.


    "Honestly, I am very much so... It''s nice to see that you''re more human than I thought. Frankly speaking, even I was a bit concerned you might be a legitimate demon hiding within the flesh of a man. I mean, your ruthlessness in pursuit of the enemy is legendary, and even you have to admit you have a rather sick sense of humor.


    Yet somehow you are charismatic enough to, without even attempting to do so, charm four imperial princesses to the point where they fruitlessly pined after you for years, only for it to turn out that you werepletely oblivious to their affection the entire time. It''s a rather humorous chain of events, no?"


    For the first time in Bruno''s life, he was left entirely speechless. Usually, he had something to say in response to any statement casting shade at him, but he honestly could not think of a single thing to retort with in this circumstance. And thus, he chose the honorable option: silently admitting defeat and coping with this loss by drinking.


    He immediately reached back into his coat pocket and pulled out his sk, taking another swig from the exceptionally powerful spirits inside. Afterward, he waited for Wilhelm to respond, which he eventually did.


    "It''s good to see that she can finally move on... I suppose this is ultimately the best oue for everyone. Well, Bruno, I must say this has been a hell of a retirement ceremony for your father, although I will admit I will miss his expertise sorely.


    But I suppose that nobody would darein if your father was seeded by your brother Ludwig, right? Sure, his tenure in the Reichstag has been short, but even I must admit he is a natural when ites to politics."


    Bruno nodded in agreement with the Kaiser''s suggestion. With thebined influence of the House of Hohenzollern and the German Conservative Party, of which Ludwig was elected as a part, getting him appointed to the Bundesrat by the Prussian State Government was a rtively simple matter.


    Bruno knew it was best for both him and his family for Ludwig to be in such a position when the war broke out. Politically speaking, having a member of the von Zehntner family within the Bundesrat and on the Land Army and Fortresses Committee gave Bruno and his family significant influence within the Empire.


    At the same time, Bruno knew Ludwig would oppose the Great War with his vote when the time came, giving their family a reputation as those who opposed unnecessary wars while still being willing to fight for the Fathend when the need arose.


    After all, Bruno would hold significant authority over the war effort when the conflict finally arrived and could theoretically haveplete operational control over an entire theater of


    war at its start.


    Thus giving credence to their family''s reputation as war industrialists. It always served their interests to openly oppose war, even if they profited from it, while also fighting in said wars to prove they weren''t cowards. Thus, Bruno had been quick to not only endorse his brother during his run for office but also agree with the Kaiser''s suggestion.


    "I can''t help but concur; Ludwig will be an excellent recement for our father. As you said, he has incredibletent potential, even if he is a bit inexperienced in the world of politicspared to other potential candidates for the position.


    You have my full support, albeit however limited my influence may be over the party..."


    Kaiser Wilhelm II looked at Bruno with a questioning gaze, almost as if he were trying to determine if Bruno was genuinely dense again or if he was simply trying to act humble. The truth was that it was the former.


    Bruno had a tendency to overlook his influence on society as a whole. The fact of the matter is, even if all he did was verbally endorse his brother with a public message, that alone could be enough to sway many members in the German Conservative Party and the Kingdom of Prussia''s state government toward supporting Ludwig''s appointment to the Bundesrat. Perhaps it was because Bruno had an incredibly humble outlook on life, or maybe it was because he was heavily introverted at heart. But his tendency to overlook his public perception in the eyes of others was one of the reasons he had never once thought that Victoria-Louise, Olga, Hedwig, or Sakura had any interest in him.


    When the Kaiser realized this, he couldn''t help but chuckle once more before assuring Bruno that it would be best if he gave a public endorsement to his brother. "Regardless of what you may think, I would advise you toe out publicly with the idea that your brother Ludwig should rece your father on the Bundesrat and give a list of reasons why, especially before he officially puts himself in a position to do so. You may be surprised by the effect your word has on the whole ordeal..."


    Wilhelm didn''t wait for another word from Bruno in response. Instead, he smirked smugly as he walked off, drinking from his cocktail once more. Bruno, not thinking anything of it, decided he would do exactly as the Kaiser advised, entirely missing the point the man tried to make him realize as he did so.

 Chapter 195: A Grim Reminder of the Cost of War

    Chapter 195: A Grim Reminder of the Cost of War


    ?


    Bruno came out a fortnight after his father''s retirement on a public radio broadcast, speaking about his father''s achievements, both on the battlefield and within the field of politics, throughout his lifelong career of service to the German Reich and the Kingdom of Prussia.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The radio broadcast went on for some time, and it was only thanks to the substantial investment in both German infrastructure, as well as scientific talent, that such things were able to ur across the country so early in the 20th century.


    But eventually, the subject came to the recent retirement of Bruno''s father, as well as the award he had been granted personally by the Kaiser for his decades of service to the German Reich.


    However, there was a third question mixed in, one which Bruno suspected was arranged by the Kaiser for Bruno to advocate for Ludwig to fulfill the role, a man who had yet to be even considered a candidate for the newly vacant position.


    Bruno was quiet at first as he took a drink from a ss of water that was provided to him by an aide for the sake of the interview. It was clear to those listening that he was thinking through his exact words.


    And evidently, he had put some thought into them as he went on a long-winded speech about his thoughts on the subject that conveyed some deeply personal opinions and excessive emotions toward one particr subject that nobody expected.


    "First of all, I would like to say that it is the foremost honor that a son could ever ask for in this life to be the progeny of a war hero like my father. For those who are not aware, my father is a man who spent the better half of his life serving the interests of the House of Hohenzollern and, by extension, the German people through selfless sacrifice via military service.


    My father is a highly decorated senior officer and a veteran who fought on the front lines of three wars that had been waged over the course of the previous century for the purpose of unifying our people into the great Empire that we are today.


    And I would also like to mention that this honor extends to my grandfather as well, who had the esteemed fortune of fighting alongside His Highness King Frederick William III and his Royal Army at Waterloo, where we earned our nobility by sending that French bastard Napoleon into exile where he belongs.


    Now, I mention this because it is entirely relevant to the point I am about to make. So please bear with me as I continue with my thoughts. After his retirement from the German Army, my father went on to have an exceptional career as a politician, both in the Reichstag and the Bundesrat.


    As you all should be aware, the Bundesrat is where my father spent the final days of his political career until his retirement a mere two weeks prior to this day. And it is because of my father''s exceptional military career and the battles he has waged on behalf of our great Reich that he is a man who understands all too well the price that men like my brother and I, his sons, have paid in times of war.


    With my father now retired, there is a vacant seat on the Bundesrat, one that several candidates havee forward expressing their interests to fulfill. It is a seat that represents the Kingdom of Prussia and everyone in it.


    Now, I can''t speak for these men. I am sure they are attracted to such a position of power purely out of interests of serving the German people as my father was, rather than out of any nefarious motives.


    But what I do know about these men is that not a single one of the candidates presented has ever once served in His Majesty''s Armed Forces, let alone stepped foot on a battlefield and witnessed what happens there.


    And it is because these men do not understand the price that must be paid, should the timee that, God forbid, we need to dere an offensive war, that I cannot in good faith trust them to cast a vote in favor of such a horrific conflict while fully being aware of the brutal and gruesome price men like me will have to pay for their ignorance.


    No, I do not agree with any of these men who have stepped forward to fulfill my father''s esteemed shoes. Rather, as controversial as this may seem, as I know there will be those among you who think what I am about to say is an act of nepotism.


    I assure you that I only have myself in mind, along with the brave young men currently serving beneath mymand in the 8th Army, as well as any otherd who currently and proudly wears the uniform of His Majesty''s Armed Forces or even those who may find themselves serving yet, when I say that it is my personal belief that there is nobody better suited to rece my father than my elder brother Ludwig.


    And before any of you interrupt me, I will outline my reasons for saying this publicly forthwith. Like my father, my brother has spent yearsmanding men in battle. Sure, he was a volunteer in a war that many of you say was not one we should have been involved with. But the men serving beneath him were your brothers, your sons, and your fathers. We chose to take up arms in some foreignnd, waving the banners of our forefathers, to fight against an enemy that we believed would one day march through the very streets we call home and bring hell with them.


    And believe me when I say, my brother was there for the worst of it. From the moment we arrived in the besieged city of Saint Petersburg, we slugged through rivers of mud and blood as we cleaned out Ingria and Volga together side by side.


    Now it is no secret my brother left the conflict earlier than I did. He had seen enough to understand what price must be paid, and nobody could ask any more of a man who volunteered for a conflict beyond our borders.


    I mention all of this because it is my genuine belief that there is only one type of man who should ever be permitted to cast a vote toward dering an offensive war. The man must have personallymanded troops in the field and have borne witness to the price that is always paid by other men when you send them off to fight a war you have started.


    A price that is paid not only by the brave soldiers who wave the colors of the fathend as they charge into gunfire and into certain death, but also the toll that is exacted on the people who are left behind to bury their remains once they are gone. Only such a man should ever be given a position of power over the life and death of the citizens he represents, and my brother is


    such a man.


    As expressed earlier, I am afraid that this arbitrary qualification that I have to endorse any candidate seeking such a powerful position over the life and death of our people cannot be found among any of the candidates who have been proposed to rece my father, both within the Bundesrat as a representative of the Kingdom of Prussia, but also on themittee of the Land Army and Fortresses.


    I confess that I pray to God every day that such a grim reality never befalls this world. But should the daye where I am called to war, along with your fathers, your brothers, and your sons, then we better have a man like my brother Ludwig making the decision whether or not our blood, our lives, and our souls are worth the price of such a war.


    And with my life in the hands of a man like Ludwig, then I can go do God''s work, knowing that the right choice has been made, and without question do what is required of me.


    For if my brother is not even considered among the candidates, and instead a man like those already presented has been chosen to seed my father, then how could he possibly know whether or not a war waged beyond our borders is worth the price that will inevitably be paid for his mistakes?"


    There was a long pause following Bruno''s statement, which he had prepared in advance for this meeting. But the way in which he spoke made it sound as if he hade up with it on the spot. It was very naturally stated, and because of this, even the producers who were already prepared in advance with the speech were awestruck.


    It would take a moment or two before the radio broadcast got back in full swing, but Bruno''s words had far greater effect than he would ever have thought, especially among the Reich''s active-duty soldiers and many veterans, as well as their families.


    Bruno made it clear, though he may be a general, that did not mean he had ever once disregarded the lives of the soldiers beneath hismand. In fact, by the way he spoke about the subject, the price that was paid for any war that he had ever, or would ever, wage was


    already far too great.


    The blood of the men who followed him into battle was worth far more than could ever be justified to spill for the sake of a few petty disputes between politicians who were all too unwilling to sacrifice themselves and their sons for the conflicts they had started. Bruno''s image, especially among those who had personally witnessed the horrors of war, immediately skyrocketed, and so too did Ludwig, as Bruno''s praise immediately secured the goodwill of the people necessary to see him appointed to the Bundesrat as their father''s


    sessor.

 Chapter 196: Germanys Guardian Angel

    Chapter 196: Germany''s Guardian Angel


    ?


    Though Bruno had made a great speech about his brother Ludwig being a suitable candidate for the Bundesrat, it was ultimately of little consequence in the grand scheme of things. Frankly put, whether or not Ludwig made a grandstand to vote against the war and protested it as vehemently as possible, it did not matter.


    War would be waged, blood would be shed, and millions of young men would die for no reason. Bruno''s only hope was that he could spare as much suffering as possible for his fellow countrymen, with whom he would agonize in the uing conflict.


    And as another year came and went, the Great War became a closer and closer to reality. It did not take long, just as in Bruno''s past life, for the Ottoman Empire to admit defeat in the Balkans. They had been thoroughly trounced, and even quicker than Bruno had anticipated, as a result of him indirectly selling arms to the Balkan League.


    Just like in Bruno''s past life, a second war erupted almost immediately after, as Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria all began to argue over various disputed territories in the region. The war was, as far as Bruno considered, inconsequential in and of itself.


    Rather, what the ck Hand would do shortly after its end was a matter he needed to keep an eye on. And Bruno had been quite satisfied with how he had spent thest decade of his life. Over the course of thest ten years, Bruno had made ample preparations for the uing war effort.


    Whether it came in the form of modernizing and streamlining German field artillery into four different calibers-75mm, 105mm, 150mm, or 210mm-as well as the adoption of a codification of mortars simrly organized into the following calibers: 60mm, 81mm, and


    120mm.


    Bruno had ensured through these developments that German artillery was sufficiently capable of both defending their own borders as well as raining hell down upon enemy fortifications. In addition, he had adopted a series of k guns that were more than capable ofsting until the 1950s as efficient means of shooting nes out of the sky.


    He had also helped establish the lines ofmunication between these units and the greater battalions, brigades, divisions, corps, and armies they werebined with. Germanmunications were protected via a series of advanced encryptions made entirely possible by the introduction of the Enigma machine several decades earlier than it otherwise should have been.


    All of these things paledpared to what he believed would be the singlergest killer on the modern battlefield. The widespread adoption of machine guns and barbed wire were pretty much confirmed to be the two most efficient killers of the war in Bruno''s past life.


    Bruno often wondered in his past life how the man who invented barbed wire for the purpose of containing cattle would react had he known that his creation would one day be used as one of the single most devastating instruments of war-a device that helped contribute to the deaths of millions of young men.


    But those deaths would only bepounded in scale as Bruno had introduced a far more effective machine gun, one that, if need be, could be entirely operated by a single man. The biggest problem facing machine gun crews during the Great War was that their weapons were entirely static.


    It required significant effort to move them; an entire team of men had to disassemble the weapon and carry it to the next position. It simply was not feasible as a mobile weapon and could not reasonably be used in an assault.


    Because of this, light machine guns were invented to fulfill this role of assault, but these were far from ideal, especially in this era, with the three most prominent of them being the failure-prone Chauchat used by the French Army, the bulky Lewis Gun used by the British soldiers, and,stly, the abomination known as the MG-08/15.


    This so-called "light machine gun" was simply a Maxim machine gun with a stock crudely welded to the back, a pistol grip added to it, and a bipod hanging off the water-cooled jacket.


    Only God really knew how the German soldiers managed to carry this 40 lb. monstrosity into an assault over the trenches.


    One can only assume that the cocaine which was regrly issued in their field medical kits was the deciding factor in this regard, and surprisingly, this behemoth of a weapon, which for reasons beyond imagination was technically ssified as a "light machine gun," was actually the most effective of such weapons manufactured during the era.


    Why was this the case? Because, unlike its rivals on the battlefield, this weapon was actually belt-fed, much like the heavy machine gun it was based upon. Meaning even with its ungodly weight, it was still able to fire at a practical rate several times that of itspetition in the trenches.


    All of which utilized limited box magazines that needed to be exchanged after every 20-30 rounds fired. The invention of the MG-34 several decades earlier than it should have been was a game-changer on the battlefield.


    So much so that with the introduction of this weapon alone, the Schlieffen n, which Bruno had rejected, became viable. Why was this the case? Because the MG-34 had over double the rate of fire as the MG-08/15 while being roughly half its weight.


    With such overwhelming firepower deployed at the squad level, there was no reality where Germany would not annihte the Allied troops at the First Battle of the Marne, where, in Bruno''s past life, Germany had been defeated, resulting in the four-year horror that was the Western Front.


    It was a short march into Paris from there. So why had Bruno rejected such a n? It was his honest belief that a quick victory like that of 1871 would only further French revanchist sentiment, as the Franco-Prussian War had done.


    The French Army needed to bleed massively and endure the horrors of sending wave after wave of their men to their deaths at the German border, only to be repelled each time. Every man, from the lowest enlisted personnel to the highest Generals, needed to understand that fighting the German Reich was an act of futility.


    That they would always be inferior, and because of this, attempting a third war in less than a century was folly. It was his hope that he could eradicate an entire generation of Frenchmen, and in doing so, drown any revanchist sentiment among the failed republic in a sea of their youth''s blood. Only then would the stubbornness and arrogance of the French be thoroughly humbled.


    Hence why, despite the extreme viability of the Schlieffen n resulting in a near-immediate victory within this life, Bruno had openly rejected it and used his influence to force Germany into a defensive war on the Western Front, while he mobilized the 8th Army to knock out the Balkan States, followed by the Italians as quickly as possible.


    All of Bruno''s ns had finallye together, but today he was surprised to find that something unimaginable had urred, and one that was not his doing in the slightest. Over thest year, Heidi had been operating her charity with the full financial support of Bruno''s multiple monopolies.


    Bruno, while initially taking an active role in helping organize the charity, eventually withdrew from the process altogether once things were properly up and running. And it was because of this that Bruno was dumbstruck when Heidi knocked on his office door with a stack of papers in her hands.


    His wife was once more pregnant, and noticeably so, but even then, she did not take a break from her charitable work. No, she was serious about helping the people of Germany, and not just Germany; her work extended into Austria-Hungary, Switzend, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg as well.


    However, when Bruno gazed upon the papers his wife handed him, he was well and truly shocked. He was quick to check the numbers repeatedly before asking the question on his


    mind.


    "Are these figures urate?"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The tone in his voice was one of absolute severity, as if, should his wife lie to him about what he was witnessing, he would be very angry with her, but she simply smirked smugly before leaning over the desk and grabbing hold of her husband''s tie, where she dragged him in close to her before whispering her answer.


    "Of course they are... I always told you I would do my best to help you... You have been rambling on about the Great War that is toe for some time, and until now, I could never help you or ease your constant worries. But what about now, my love, did I do good? Was I finally able to help alleviate at least in part the massive burden you constantly carry on your shoulders?"


    Bruno forced himself away from his wife''s controlling grip, instead cing the folder down, which contained the information that had so stunned him, all the while he himself grasped her wrists, pulling her into his arms as he hugged her tightly and kissed her on the lips, before responding to her question with an answer she had been longing for.


    "Heidi, my love, you may have just saved the lives of a million young men... Words cannot express how thankful I am for all that you have done for me this past year..."


    What Bruno said was revealed by the folder and the contents thaty openly on disy, as he


    had not shut it when he ced it down upon his desk. Heidi had been hard at work using her charity and Bruno''s connections to recruit over a hundred thousand trained nurses and doctors for the sake of the uing war.


    She had also been stockpiling medicine in near-unquantifiable figures, as well as any other medical supplies that were necessary. Among these massive reserves was a newly invented medicine that Bruno''srgest pharmaceuticalpany had only recently finalized the development of, one that had been in the process of creation since 1903.


    Penicillin, the life changing anti-biotic, was on the list of most sought after medical treatments on the litany of resources which Heidi had purchased in bulk. Meaning that not only would the German Army have the support staff of reserve nurses and doctors for the unprecedented figures of wounded soldiers who would be treated, something they were severelycking in Bruno''s past life, but the antibiotic which had saved more lives than just about any other medicine was ready to be used, thus increasing the likelihood of a man''s survival upon being treated.


    Heidi''s actions would go on to single-handedly save the lives of hundreds of thousands if not millions of young men who would be wounded in action during the Great War, and it was something that Bruno hadpletely overlooked in his preparations.


    Bruno would go on to call his wife an angel who God had sent to the Earth as a means of saving


    the German Reich in ways which he had rather ashamedly failed to prepare for on his own. A quote that would forever lie next to her name in the annals of human history.

 Chapter 197: Deploying to Sarajevo

    Chapter 197: Deploying to Sarajevo


    ?


    As 1913 entered the middle of its year, Bruno found himself deployed away from home for the first time in a very long time. Since the end of the Russian Civil War, he had more or less operated primarily out of the Central Division of German High Command, meaning he was no more than an hour''smute back and forth from his home.


    For the better part of a year now, Bruno had been givenmand over the 8th German Army, a unit of some renown, especially during their newestmander''s past life, where they had been responsible for the victories at Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes.


    The conclusion of these battles had more or less cemented a German victory in the east, even if it took the Russian Empire another two years to fully capitte. In this life, however, Russia was an ally of the German Empire, and thus Bruno was not sent to East Prussia to guard against a potential Russian invasion.


    Instead, he was sent into the Balkans, specifically to the borders with the Kingdom of Serbia. The German 8th Armybined with the Austro-Hungarian 5th Army, as well as the Russian 1st and 2nd Armies,bining into a force of roughly one million men in total.


    These armies were equipped with thetest weaponry employed by the three European nations within the United Imperial Powers and had deployed to the easternmost territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as security concerns in the region became increasingly present. To put it simply, the Second Balkan War had already begun and was nearing its end. The Kingdom of Bulgaria was losing, badly. And in their efforts to im Thrace for themselves, Bulgaria had managed to effectively antagonize all of its neighbors into dering war on them.


    Whether it was Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, the Ottoman Empire, or even Romania, which, as a result of Bruno''s grim warning, had tried its best to stay neutral until now, Bulgaria found itself beset on all sides by a coalition of enemies who under any other circumstances would be just as likely to fight among themselves as they currently were with Bulgaria.


    Even if Bruno had some form of inexplicable desire to aid Bulgaria in its defense, doing so now served no practical purpose as the war, which was meant tost no more than two months, was already nearing itspletion.


    Because of this, Bruno had been dispatched to the southeasternmost portion of Austro- Hungary with 300,000 men in tow under the guise of joint-security operations within regions of Habsburg rule that were showing revolutionary sentiment.


    As for the roughly 500,000 Russians, they were set upon their own borders, which neighbored the belligerent nations of the Balkans, under a simr fa?ade. The very act, while seemingly hostile to the world, had some validity in the eyes of the public, as recent attacks by partisans, ethnic militias, and religious extremists against other suchmunities warranted some kind of Gendarmerie response.


    Although many foreign political and military analysts concluded that the overwhelming number of troops sent into the Balkans by the three European nations of the United Imperial Powers was a pretext for far more sinister ns, such as an outright and total invasion of the independent nations within the region.


    And while Kaiser Wilhelm II, Kaiser Franz Joseph I, and Tsar Nichs II assured the world that this was most certainly not the case, instead insisting that they had simply sent such arge force not only for the sake of peacekeeping operations within their own borders.


    But also as a deterrent to the ongoing participants of the Second Balkan War, as a means to prevent them from uwfully invading the borders of the three Empires. Few who understood theplex nature of the region bought such a line.


    Because of this, the citizens who lived in the Balkans were rather on edge. Bruno currently sat within a small caf¨¦ operated and owned by a local family within the city of Sarajevo. The family was ethnically Serbian, as Bruno could tell by the distinctive cross pendant worn by the waitress, who rather anxiously tended to him.


    She poured some fresh coffee into Bruno''s cup as he enjoyed a local delicacy, all while gazing at his rather distinctive uniform with only a limited understanding of what it represented. Bruno expected the sheepishss of questionable age would not dare speak to him, that is, until she finally gave voice, after standing frozen in spot in front of the foreign military official for some time.


    "I... I never thought I would see the day when German soldiers marched through the streets of Sarajevo... You''re an officer... right?"


    Bruno looked up at the young woman, who could not possibly be older than eighteen, and ced his fork and knife down-an act that caused the girl to flinch, until he put on a gentle smile and took a friendly tone in response to her question.


    "A General, actually... You''re speaking with the man in charge of the three thousand German soldiers who are currently marching through your streets... What is your name, if you don''t mind me asking?"


    The young woman was too shocked by the admission that the man sitting in front of her was in charge of the German troops deployed to the region under the guise of security operations, and was quick to drop her mouth, forgetting her manners entirely as she blurted out her thoughts, rather than answer Bruno''s attempt at friendly conversation.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "You''re a general? But... But you''re so young!"


    The girl had mistaken Bruno''s age as that of a man who had yet to reach his mid-twenties. He, after all, had rather exceptional genes when it came to the process of aging-or at least the appearance of it. This caused Bruno to chuckle and shake his head as he corrected the young waitress''s misunderstanding.


    "Though I am most certainly the youngest man to hold my position, I assure you that I am older than you think... I turn thirty-four in December... So rather than question me on my rank, how about youe out and ask the question that is really bothering you..."


    The young woman looked around, almost as if she were searching to see if anybody was listening in on their conversation who shouldn''t be. After confirming that no such thing could be detected, she sighed heavily in relief before transitioning back to a nervous expression, damn near trembling as she voiced her concerns.


    "It''s true, isn''t it... The war that is being fought in the area... It''s about to turn into something much greater, isn''t it? I mean, that is why you are all here, right?"


    Bruno could tell that the waitress was incredibly worried about the future. And why wouldn''t she be? The lives of not only herself and her family, but everything she held dear were clearly hanging in the bnce. It was one moment away from beingpletely annihted by the


    mes of war.


    And because of this, Bruno did not lie to her. He was quick to speak the truth, albeit in a gentle manner, hoping to ease some of the poor young woman''s overwhelming anxiety.


    "Yes... That''s right... At the request of His Majesty Franz Joseph, the German Reich has dispatched its 8th Army to the border of Bosnia and Serbia. Not only are we here to quickly dispatch these uwful brigands who have taken advantage of the chaos east of thesends to cause some unnecessary trouble.


    But we are also here to ensure that if war does break out within theing months, it does not make its way here to the peaceful city of Sarajevo. However, you needn''t worry to the extent that you are currently suffering from.


    I assure you, there is a reason that despite my age, I am the youngest GeneralOberst in the long and prestigious history of Germany and its many constituent states. I promise you this: I will burn Belgrade to the ground before I ever allow the armies of the Balkan League to step a single foot within the city limits of Sarajevo. You have my word..."


    Bruno did not say another word after this brief but intimidating statement. He didn''t need to. Such a promise was worth more than its weight in gold. And with him acting as Bosnia''s defender against the Serbian Army and any invasion they might have nned for the region.


    There was a higher chance that God himself would descend from the heavens with the sole purpose of ending this conflict before it truly began than there was a possibility that Serbia would emerge victorious in the opening exchanges of the Great War.


    Thus, despite the bold, grim, and intimidating words that Bruno had just spoken to the timid young maiden, she felt nothing but calmness and relief following his departure. She was shocked to find a rather excessive tip, in addition to payment for the meal he had just eaten. A tip that was apanied by words of wisdom she would urge her family to follow: "Though I am confident in my ability to repel any invasion the Serbian Army might attempt into thesends, modern artillery has significant range and is entirely unpredictable. Use this gift to get yourself and your loved ones far away from this city and the uing war."

 Chapter 198: Regicide Part I

    Chapter 198: Regicide Part I


    ?


    Bruno''s deployment to the Bosnian city of Sarajevo was, in all honesty, short-lived. The war between Bulgaria and its neighbors was simply not destined tost long. Within another month, it was over, and the powers of the world incorrectly assumed that the threat of a Great War had beenpletely averted.


    But Bruno knew better. Even so, when he returned home, he was not in a jovial mood, nor did he lie to Heidi and tell her that everything would eventually be alright. He merely told her the truth: peace wouldst only a bit longer before the world burned itself in global conflict.


    Heidi, of course, knew this was true; she was intelligent enough to see what the world was quickly bing and also trusted her husband beyond measure. If he said a major war wasing, then that was unquestionable.


    Because of this, she did not worry-not truly-everything that could possibly be prepared for had long since been done so by her man. All she could do was pray to God that he would keep her husband safe and sound throughout the years of turmoil that would soon be upon them. Hence, Bruno opted to spend the remainder of his time no longer worrying about what was to happen. After all, everything had gone ording to n, including the 1912 U.S. Presidential Election, where, by nobody''s surprise, the America-First coalition banded their resources together to prevent Theodore Roosevelt from winning a third term.


    Instead, William Howard Taft was elected President, and because of just who was financing him behind the scenes, the new U.S. President and his administration would do everything in their power to stay out of the war altogether.


    Assuming, of course, that Germany or its allies did not do something monumentally stupid like provoke the American public into a state of outrage as they had done in both World Wars during Bruno''s past life.


    Sitting in a room within a building that belonged to the Serbian government was a group of men. These men came from all walks of life; some of them were senior officers in the Royal Serbian Army.


    Others were officials within the ranks of Serbian intelligence. Among them were even a few prominent statesmen, including a member of the Serbian royal family. This prince stood among the ranks of his fellow conspirators and was quick to speak on what they had just discussed.


    "So... It is agreed then... We will supply and train these little brats to deal with the problem for us? In doing so, we can avoid total ountability for what is about to happen!"


    There was utter silence within the room, and while nobody voiced disagreement with the treasonous plot that would embroil the world in a war that stretched across the globe, they all nodded their heads in approval.


    And thus, the Serbian prince was quick to confirm the n in motion; as of this moment, there was no stopping the Great War from beginning, nor was there a way to prevent the timeline from restoring its natural order.


    "Very well then... We are fullymitted to supporting Young Bosnia?"


    Young Bosnia was the name of a revolutionary organization to which the man who would eventually be held responsible for plunging the world into total chaos belonged. In Bruno''s past life, they hadmitted the act after being armed and supplied by the ck Hand.


    It was the reason Serbia rejected Austro-Hungary''s request for an unbiased international investigation into the death of the heir to their throne. And in doing so, caused the outbreak of the Great War.


    Despite Heidi''s best efforts to eliminate the ck Hand, they were a tenacious, cockroach- like organization. The problem with dealing with revolutionary groups like the ck Hand was that just because you took out their leader didn''t mean you ended their reign of terror.


    No, so long as their ideals were around to be preached, and there were men ignorant or vile enough tomit violence on their behalf, such groups could survive even the end of times. Hence why Bruno had been certain, even after discovering the untimely death of their leader, that the ck Hand would survive long enough to start the Great War.


    With the current leaders of the ck Hand in agreement and the unconditional support of the Serbian crown behind them, the time to act was now. They would spend the next year or so training Young Bosnia and its members tomit this heinous act of regicide.


    Bruno noticed in the papers that Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were on their way to Sarajevo, where he had just been deployed. He and his men had been withdrawn from the region after only a month of deployment because the Three Emperors of Europe believed the threat had passed, but Bruno knew better.


    Tomorrow, Franz Ferdinand would die, and a monthter, war would spread across Europe. The time hade, and because of this, he finally decided to tell his wife the truth-or at least the partial truth.


    He approached Heidi, who was busy reading a story to their younger children, who, in recent years, had been born, despite more than half a decade between their births and those of his older children.


    Heidi had begun to change in subtle ways over the past year or two since she had finally let go of the past burdens. She had always very much loved Bruno and the children they had together, but Bruno had always known that something deep down inside the woman he loved had kept her deeply paranoid about her family being taken from her.


    It was one of the reasons she had always acted with such hostility toward any potential threat that reared its ugly head. But now she was at peace, and the graceful smile on her gorgeous face, even now as she entered her early thirties, was like that of an angel sent by God.


    Bruno was a man of extreme fortitude; in this life and his past life, he was a veteran of more than five warsbined. There were few things on this mortal earth that couldpel him to feel a sense of anxiety.


    Yet... at this moment, as he knew what awaited him, as he understood what he was about to tell his wife and the dangers it posed, he felt an intense knot in his stomach. Even so, he needed to say what was guing his mind.


    Should he die in the war, and Heidi never learned the truth, he felt that lying to her all these years would condemn him to an eternity of hellfire. And thus, Bruno signaled his presence with a slight knock on the door as well as a soothing whisper of his voice.


    All the while, Heidi''s gentle and nurturing tone continued to resound throughout the room.


    "Heidi, dear, may I request a moment of your time?"


    It was not unusual for Bruno to ask for a private moment between him and his wife. They were a married couple, and such a thing was needed for intimate bonding. Because of this, Heidi tried to reject Bruno''s request as politely as she could, fully misunderstanding his intentions


    as she did so.


    "Can it wait? I''m with the children right now..."


    Bruno chuckled and shook his head immediately after understanding what his wife had assumed before quickly correcting her thoughts.


    "Believe me, dear, what I have in mind is far more important than what you are thinking. Could you spare a moment of your time to meet with me in my office?"


    Whatever it was that Bruno had in mind, it was far more serious than the woman initially thought, and because of this, she was quick to agree to her husband''s request.


    "Give me five minutes to make sure the kids are properly prepared for bed, and then I will join you right after..."


    Not another word needed to be said, as Bruno politely nodded his head before wandering off to his office, where, as promised, Heidi met him at the door not a momentter than the timeframe she had given him.


    Heidi, however, surprised Bruno as she hugged him tightly and kissed him immediately after the doors had shut behind her. The passion with which she disyed her love for her husband was almost as if she were trying to inhale everyst gasp of breath from Bruno into her lungs. After breaking away from the man, she held her head tightly against his chest, almost like a wounded kitten, before voicing her greatest fears aloud.


    "It''s happening, isn''t it... Your previous deployment to Sarajevo was just a fluke... But this time... you really will be going to war again..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It had been many years since Brunost marched away from home to go fight in some foreignnd, and, frankly speaking, Heidi had gotten ustomed to having her man at home with


    her, safe and sound....


    Bruno sat his wife down in front of his desk as he poured himself and her a stiff drink. Heidi seldom consumed alcohol and had never once touched a cigarette in her life. Such things were


    indecent for a woman to partake in.


    The mere fact that Bruno was even offering her a drink spoke to the severity of what he was


    about to tell her, and because of this, she happily epted the hard liquor for the first time in her life. Making a novice''s mistake, she drank down the high-proof scotch in one solid gulp before damn near coughing up a lung.


    Naturally, Bruno immediately ran to her side and messaged her back,ughing as hemented on her foolishness.


    "I forgot you had no experience with distilled spirits. Please let me apologize-not just for offering you such a potent drink, but also for what I am about to confess to you. Hear my story, my love, and listen well, because I fear this might very well be myst chance to tell you the truth of who I am and all that I have been through..."

 Chapter 199: Heartfelt Confessions

    Chapter 199: Heartfelt Confessions


    ?


    It was clear that Heidi''s sudden ingestion of the distilled spirits had caused some degree of intoxication right off the bat. Her face flushed red, and the light in her eyes dulled slightly. As a woman who seldom ever touched alcohol, it was rather easy for her to get drunk.


    Once she had enough of the drink to calm her nerves, Bruno did not pour her another; instead, he drank from his own ss before he admitted the truth he had concealed from her over the course of their lifetimes.


    "I will be frank with you, Heidi. What I''m about to tell you is an unbelievable story, one which I do not have the means to prove in the slightest. And should it merely be a fanciful story concocted from a mentally ill mind, I would not me you for changing your perspective about me.


    However, the reality of the situation is that the war I am about to wage against our enemies is one that will be far grander in scale and in the destruction it will wreak upon the world than just about anything in recorded human history.


    Though I am a General who willrgely be sitting in the rear echelons,manding men to go kill and die in my stead, there is a very real possibility that I will not make it back to you alive, or as the same man I am today.


    With all of this in mind, I wanted to confess my greatest secret to you, my beloved wife, and the mother of the children, so that I can go defend you and the fathend from its inevitable destruction..."


    Heidi wasn''t stupid. She knew Bruno better than anyone; she had grown up with the man since they were small children. She had always known that he was hiding something from her, something that exined his damn near prophetic understanding of the world and its future, as well as the unusual intelligence and wisdom he had possessed since she met him.


    She had on a few asions over the years tried to pry into this mysterious background, only for her efforts to result in total futility. Because of this, she sat there silently, with a serious expression on her otherwise intoxicated face as she allowed the man to continue with his story.


    "I''m ready... Whatever you need to say, I will hear it... Go ahead, dear..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Bruno took a deep breath before confessing all that he had wanted to say over the course of thest 30 or so years of them being together. How from the moment he was born, he had possessed the memories and thoughts from a man who had lived another life.


    A life set in the future, one which he had abhorred. He spoke in great detail of how the world had progressed following the defeat of the German Reich in 1918, and how it was something virtually unrecognizable whenpared to the civilization he now found himself living in. Crime, corruption, decadence, and despair. Man was meant for so much more than this; it was not a suitable way to live, and yet it was the world he had lived through. One which constantly marched forward under the guise of "progress" when in reality they were only hastening their own demise.


    In a world where nobility, virtue, and general human decency seemed to havepletely evaporated from the hearts of man, Bruno found himself living among the depths of depravity. Was it possible to be a decent man in indecent times? Bruno was the answer, as he too had fallen prey to the "liberation" of his own base desires.


    Only after he had grown old and alone did he realize such an existence was nothing but degrading and insulting, one which had an incredible corrupting effect on the souls who partook of their newfound "freedom."


    Ironic that he lived for nearly six decades in that world, watching it get worse with each passing year, only to find his happiness with his death and resurrection in a time better suited for a man of conscience and character like he was always meant to be.


    Needless to say, the story was long-far longer than either Bruno or Heidi had expected it to be. Heidi sat listening in silence, clearly mulling over every word that her husband had spoken, as if within her own mindparing them to all that she had known in this life.


    Her response was unusually calm and measured as she stepped forward and grabbed Bruno''s chin in her two dainty hands. The tone of her voice was neither shrill nor hostile like Bruno had expected it to be. Rather, it was filled with nothing but love and warmth.


    "This is going to sound strange... But I believe you. I don''t know why exactly I do, but I know you better than just about anyone... There were no lies when you spoke to me just now, and if I''m being honest, this would exin a lot of mysteries that surround you.


    If what you say is true... And this is the way the world will be, and what will be of the future of our children, and our children''s children. Then all I have to say is this...


    Whatever you do when you go to fight for family and fathend, there must be no hesitation in the way in which you act, nor can there be any mercy shown to our enemies. You must unleash a hell so ferocious upon our foes that they would think twice before ever attempting to create a world filled with such madness and depravity.


    Whether once more in this life or in the lives of our descendants ten generations down the line, do not allow your better nature to prevent you from doing what needs to be done."


    After saying this, Heidi dragged Bruno''s face forward to her own and kissed his lips gently. Bruno had been shocked by her reaction; he had honestly expected her to behave hysterically towards his admission.


    Yet she believed every word he had said, and he could see in her eyes that she was telling the truth when she said that. It was at this time, Heidi made a joke to kill the tension in the air that was so taut one might be able to identally decapitate themselves with it.


    "So... Does that mean I have to call you Karl from now on? Because I''m not going to lie, I really hate that name!"


    Nothing more needed to be said between the two of them. The potential rift that Bruno expected to be created between him and his wife over this massive revtion was a fear he had only now realized was a figment of his own imagination.


    However, Heidi shocked the man with a revtion of her own, about the role she had in connection with German intelligence and how she had used this as a means to help him and their family in ways that she found to have dirtied her hands.


    It was another lengthy conversation, one that would result in healing for both of them. The two major secrets this couple kept from one another came out into the open, and the fears of rejection they had regarding these things were proven to be nothing but falsehoods, tricks of their own minds.


    In theing days, which would lead to the outbreak of war, Bruno would spend them at home with his family. A giant weight had been lifted from both his shoulders and that of his wife''s. The two of them no longer had any insecurities about their rtionship and its potential for failure hidden deep within their hearts.


    Because of this, Bruno and Heidi''s rtionship seemed to vastly improve during this time. But unfortunately for Bruno, peaceful eras were short, and he was a man of war... And it just so happened that such a gruesome and brutal reality was not far behind.

 Chapter 200: Regicide Part II

    Chapter 200: Regicide Part II


    ?


    Before Bruno realized it, the time had arrived. Today was the 28th of June, 1914... A day that would instantly be recognizable to an educated individual, one that would forever live on in infamy. Both in this life, and of course, Bruno''s past life.


    Gavrilo Princip was a name that a student of history should also instantly recognize. Not even twenty years old on this day, he was thus considered a minor within the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its boundaries.


    He, along with five other students, had over the course of thest year or so been plotting the assassination of the Habsburg dynasty''s heir apparent. They had been trained, armed, and given the resources necessary to conduct this attack by hidden elements of the Serbian Government.


    In the previous timeline, the man in charge of the group known as the "ck Hand" was the leader of Serbian Intelligence, but Heidi had already dispatched the man to hell in years prior. No doubt, this was because of Bruno''s actions in this new timeline, which had splintered off from the original as a result of the butterfly effect.


    Even so, the sisters of fate were hard at work mending the rift between the two timelines, and as a result, an unlikely figure stepped forward to fulfill the role Apis had yed in supporting these would-be assassins, whosemon goal was the liberation and unification of a


    Yugov state.


    To put it simply, a member of the Serbian Royal Family had seized the initiative to strike back at the Habsburgs, whom he wrongly believed were responsible for the death of Apis and several other key Serbian government and military assets throughout the years.


    However, things were not going ording to how Young Bosnia and the ck Hand had initially nned. The original intention was to bomb the Archduke''s motorcade, but due to a series of mishaps, the perpetrators had utterly failed to do so.


    Worse yet, this had alerted the authorities to what they were trying to do. A less determined man would have called off any further attacks, choosing instead to regroup and reorganize for another attempt.


    But fate demanded Franz Ferdinand''s death. Because of this, Gavrilo Princip immediately nned to intercept the car carrying the Austrian Archduke as he tried desperately to return to the safety of his lodgings.


    Just as in the previous timeline, the driver of Archduke Franz Ferdinand''s car took a wrong turn¡ªa wrong turn that directly led to precisely where Gavrilo Princip was standing at the moment they hit the brakes and came to a stop.


    At first, the young student gazed in awe, almost as if the heavens were supporting him from behind the scenes. He then fumbled into his pocket, pulling out the FN Model 1910 semi- automatic pistol chambered in .380 ACP that the ck Hand had given him to aplish the sinister deed.


    He already knew the gun was loaded and immediately fired off two shots at the motorcade. The first struck the Austrian Archduke in the jugr vein, a death sentence in nearly any era, as one had a limited window of opportunity to be sessfully treated for such a fatal wound. And while Gavrilo Princip had tried his best to shoot the current governor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a man by the name of Oskar Potiorek, he utterly failed to hit his mark, instead fatally shooting Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, who was Franz Ferdinand''s wife.


    In his final moments, a man would reveal who he truly was if given the opportunity to do so. Despite knowing that his death was near, the Archduke of Austria made not the slightest attempt to call for aid for himself.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Rather, his sole concern in that moment was for the well-being of his wife and the mother of his children, as he shouted out his final words, pleading with her to live on for the sake of their offspring.


    "Sophie, Sophie! Don''t die! Live for our children!"


    Gavrilo Princip, realizing he did not have time to get off another shot and hit the man he had tried to kill, pointed his handgun at his own head and was about to pull the trigger.


    But fate had other ns in store for the assassin who had justmitted the most heinous sin in human history-an act of murder that wouldpel millions of men to kill each other over the course of the next four years. And with its conclusion, the death of Western Civilization. No, Gavrilo Princip was prevented from taking his own life after he cowardly ambushed and shot the heir apparent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as well as his innocent wife. He was immediately seized by the authorities, or at least those who were not desperately trying to stave off death''s attempts to reap the souls of their monarchs.


    But unfortunately, both the Archduke and his wife would be pronounced dead not long after, orphaning their three children and causing an international incident so severe it would kick off one of the deadliest wars in human history.


    The next day, Bruno read about the deaths of the Archduke of Austria and his wife. He didn''t even finish his breakfast, nor his coffee. Instead, he ced the newspaper down on the table and walked off with a rather ominous statement, one that only Heidi would understand among those who were present to witness it.


    "And so it begins..."


    Heidi did not make a move to stop Bruno; instead, she looked down at the paper he had been reading moments before and saw the headlines. It had finallye, what Bruno had been warning her about for years, what his entire life''s goal revolved around.


    Within a month''s time, Bruno would be shipped off to lead men into battle in the Great War. Heidi could not help but wipe a tear from her eye, hoping her young children did not witness it, as she silently thought to herself a litany of prayers to protect her husband and ensure that he emerged victorious.


    Not only for his own sake or that of their family, but for all of Germany... Because she was all too aware, after Bruno''s confession, of how the world would end up should the German Reich


    lose this war.

 Chapter 201: The Great War Begins

    Chapter 201: The Great War Begins


    ?


    To say that the world was on the verge of being lit ame after the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife was no exaggeration. In Bruno''s previous life, the Habsburg Dynasty sent a list of demands to the Kingdom of Serbia, including the matter of an international investigation into the murder of their heir apparent.


    There was amon misconception that Serbia had agreed to all of these demands except for one, which was the one that would give up their sovereignty as a nation, choosing instead to fight to remain an independent kingdom.


    The reality was that the ultimatum, which "put Serbian sovereignty into question," was the demand that Austria be allowed to conduct a bteral and international investigation into the assassination of their heir.


    Why would Serbia reject such a request? The answer was threefold. Russia had told them in advance that they would back the Serbian army no matter what happened, and had already begun to mobilize their forces for this effort.


    France had also told Russia they would back them no matter what, andmunications were already being held on how to win the war before the deadline for this ultimatum was reached. And thirdly, Serbia could never allow thisst point of the six-point ultimatum, which was intended to de-escte the situation before it turned into war, because their ownn/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    intelligence agencies had supplied the assassins with the weapons, training, and safe houses to conduct the attack.


    They knew for a fact that they were guilty, and this revtion would damn them in the eyes of their potential allies. So it was better to drag the world into war than to be obliterated by thebined might of Austria-Hungary and the German Reich.


    Whenbined with the fact that the German parliament had given Austria-Hungary a "nk cheque" to do as they pleased while the Kaiser was on vacation, thispounded into the start of the Great War, which led to the destruction of Western civilization.


    This was not, however, how things had proceeded in this timeline. Austria-Hungary was, of course, sending a simr series of demands almost immediately after diplomatic exchanges had begun. Meanwhile, Bruno stood in the Kaiser''s pce along with the rest of his General Staff, each of whom had an opinion on the matter.


    While the Kaiser did not have the means to approve an offensive, the man was still being informed of what was happening. And Bruno intended to be the devil on his shoulder. Thus, while the other generals were arguing over the matter, Bruno was leaning against the wall at the back of the room, entirely unfazed as he smoked a cigarette.


    Once he had finished the tobo contained within the device, he stamped it out on a nearby ashtray before speaking, and when he did, everyone became silent.


    "We all knew that this day woulde sooner orter... Is this not the reason we have spent thest decade preparing for such an eventuality? There is only one solution: there must be war! God himself has willed it the moment he deemed fit to permit the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.


    The French and the British have thrown their lot in with the Serbians. The time hase for the Great European War, as we were warned decades ago. So be it... We will fight this war, and when we win, there will be a new order to the world. It is the dawn of a new era, gentlemen... A German era!"


    After saying this, Bruno walked away from the meeting. He had said what he needed to say, and like the devil on the Kaiser''s shoulder, approval for funding would be granted, and the army would be mobilized.


    It was the same in every country when a man told his family that he was leaving for war, going forth to wave a banner on some foreign earth. Tears were shed, hugs were given, and prayers were chanted.


    Bruno''s departure for the Balkans was no different. Heidi, and all of the children she had together with Bruno, were more than dispirited about their father''s departure. Some of them were old enough to remember when he marched off to Russia.


    In that war, he returned a valiant hero, gaining a title of hereditary nobility for them all within the Russian Empire. But this was not the same... Bruno''s older children, among whom his oldest daughter Eva was already nearing her thirteenth birthday, understood well enough that this was a different matter.


    This was not some petty civil war fought in the frozen wastnds of Russia between a ragtag group of Marxist rebels and the Russian army. This was a war fought between the world''s great powers. Nearly a month had passed since the July Crisis began, and the derations of war had been made.


    Italy, France, Great Britain, Serbia, the Ottoman Empire, and several other Balkan states such as Montenegro were the initial members of the Allied Powers. Rtions between the German Reich and the British Empire had deteriorated so much in this timeline that there was no need for the British to wait for a vition of Belgian neutrality.


    They had promised France full support in years prior for any war fought against the Germans and Austro-Hungarians. Naturally, they intended to honor this allegiance. As for the "Central Powers," they had been reced in this life by what was known as the "Imperial Powers."


    It was an alliance consisting of four empires: the German Reich, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Russian Empire, and the Empire of Japan. Other minor powers that had joined the major alliances in Bruno''s past life, such as Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Siam, the United States, etc., were all currently neutral.


    Having previously mobilized theirbined forces to the Serbian border a year prior during the Second Balkan War, the three European empires were quick to do just that. They already had extensive experience in this regard.


    Because of this, nearly two million men were sent straight toward the Kingdom of Serbia, and it took them less than a month to do so, with full mobilization beginning the moment the Archduke of Austria and his wife were assassinated.


    Operationalmand for the Balkan Campaign was given to Generalfeldmarschall August von Mackensen, who led the German 11th Army. Along with him, Bruno and his 8th army were dispatched to the region.


    This army group also included the Austro-Hungarian 4th and 5th Armies, as well as the Russian 1st and 2nd Armies. Meaning at the official outbreak of war, 1.8 million men representing the three European empires of the Imperial Powers marched into Serbia, and hell came with them...

 Chapter 202: First Contact With the Enemy

    Chapter 202: First Contact With the Enemy


    ?


    Bruno often had a grim sense of humor, and that humor manifested itself as the opening shots were exchanged between the "punitive expedition" consisting of the 1.8 million men belonging to the Army Group dispatched into Serbia and the Serbian Army defending against their onught.


    Bruno stood among his soldiers, or more specifically themand staff in the rear echelon, as he gazed upon the explosions detonating with each passing second. The sound of machine gun fire echoed along with artillery, and the screams of the wounded created a symphony of death.


    All the while, Bruno smoked another cigarette and spoke his thoughts on it all.


    "I was curious if history would remember me as the man who made such great preparations for this moment, only to be the first to fall in battle by a stray bullet... Truly ironic, wouldn''t it be?"


    Erich chuckled at Bruno''s remarks, finding the man''s grim sense of humor aligned with his own. In preparation for this war, he had resigned from his position as the Director of the Kaiser''s reformed secret police and re-enlisted. Granted his oldmission, the man now served as Bruno''s personal adjutant.


    Meanwhile, Heinrich, who continued to serve as a colonel, was also nearby to witness Bruno''s poor attempt at a joke about his own mortality. He shook his head and sighed, speaking with an almost exhausted tone in his voice.


    "Sometimes I wonder if all the wars you''ve fought have done something to your brain... You really should see a doctor about that sooner orter..."


    Bruno simply shrugged his shoulders, a silent dismissal of his friend''s concern. Watching an artillery shell explode in the distance, he pointed to it as he exhaled arge plume of smoke from his lungs, seemingly indifferent to the life lost in that moment as hemented on the scale of artillery.


    "I see the 210s are being used to greater effect than I initially thought they would. How much do you want to bet the enemy army capittes by the end of the day?"


    The First Battle of the War began at the Serbian border between the German 8th Army and the Serbian 2nd and 3rd Armies. Wanting to seize Belgrade and knock the Serbians out of the war by the year''s end, Bruno made a bold advance into the region, while the other Imperial armies sent to the campaign did so from various other entry points at the borders they shared with Serbia.


    Serbia, of course, was not expecting such a swift advance by the German 8th Army. But to be fair, the Germans were supported by extensive railway infrastructure and a logisticswork of trucks well supplied by Russian oil.


    The rest of the world was relying on horses and carriages to support their logisticalworks, while the German Army was supported by motorized means. The speed with which they could advance was significantly greater than that of their rivals. So much so that the Serbians were not expecting immediate contact with the enemy, let alone 300,000 of them, supported by heavy artillery.


    Topare how disadvantaged the Serbians were in this invasion, they had only managed to mobilize 450,000 men by the start of the war, whereas thebined Imperial Powers had brought with them 1.8 million, many of whom were equipped with extremely modern weapons.


    Even if Serbia had its own Alexander leading their forces, which they did not, merely protecting their own capital from such an overwhelming invasion force encroaching on multiple fronts was a daunting task, to say the least.


    At the outbreak of the war, half of the Serbian Royal Army hade into contact with just one of six field armies deployed into their territory. Despite this, the Serbians were the ones who were numerically disadvantaged.


    Bruno had advanced so quickly and deployed his troops in such a rapid manner that they had managed to capture half of all of Serbia''s military forces currently mobilized in an encirclement. The Serbian troops were caught in interconnecting lines of fire and were being cut to ribbons by the overwhelming firepower the Germans were able toy down upon them. All the while, Bruno watched from a safe distance, cracking jokes at his own expense and those of the men being killed by his soldiers. Needless to say, at the moment, things were going exactly as Bruno had nned, but for how long they would? Only God knew the answer to that question...


    While Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary had split the majority of their forces along the borders of the Balkan and Italian theaters, Germany had left two field armies to cover their Western Front.


    With the fortifications built and the overwhelming advantage they had in terms of firepower, this was more than enough to defend the German border and still not cede an inch of ground against the French onught.


    Yes, I said the French onught, because at the outbreak of war, British transport ships carrying thousands of soldiers inexplicably found themselves being sunk in the North Sea. Nobody knew how the Germans were doing it; one moment these ships were en route to their destination, and the next, all contact had been lost.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    But the British had yet tond a single soldier on French soil to support the war effort. And they had sent over 10,000 men to the depths of the sea trying. Because of this, the French Army was forced to assault the German fortifications without support.


    Especially after hearing about the initial contact made between the Serbian and German armies at the border-one that had the potential to eliminate Serbia within the first month of the war if France did not force the Germans to divert some of their forces.


    Because of this, Leon had been sent to try and capture Elsass-Lothringen for France, a major point of contention they had with Germany since losing it in 1871. The French general was confident that he and his men would break through the German defenses.


    There was just one thing he wasn''t expecting: German technological superiority. Whether it was sniper rifles, long-range artillery, mobile mortars, or close air support aircraft, every time the French tried to set up their field guns, the men operating them would be hit by some form of hostile force.


    The Germans had an uncanny ability to instantly detect French forces trying to set up heavy weaponry and take them out within moments of being spotted. This was, of course, due to the significant investments in wirelessmunications Bruno had made in preparation for the


    war.


    When scouts in armored cars could advance into enemy lines undetected and report to the artillery where the enemy was setting up their mortars and howitzers, it didn''t take much more than a single, precise bombardment to take care of the problem before it manifested


    itself.


    And that was currently the role German armored cars yed. Given sloped rolled homogeneous armor, a 20mm auto-cannon as a primary weapon, a max speed of 90 km/h on roads, along with both camouge paint andting, these motorized reconnaissance units would require a direct hit from an artillery piece to be damaged by the French forces.


    But the French would have to spot them first, and that was assuming the French artillery could hit the German armored scouts before they could off-road out of the area of impact. In other words, Germany had the ability topletely deter any French attack with significant enough destructive power to damage their fortifications before it even began.


    And it was driving Leon absolutely mad, as the man stared into the distance while shoutingmands at his troops, trying his best not to lose his cool and insult them.


    "Then attack the enemy fortifications with your machine guns! I don''t give a damn about the casualties; if we do not break through here, then there will be serious consequences for us all. Do you understand me?!"


    The result of this poorly nned attack, whichcked both heavy firepower and machine guns in support of the advance, would result in perhaps one of the most significant numbers of casualties in a single battle that the world had ever seen up until this point.


    That is, of course, if you don''t include the battle that Bruno was currently fighting against the Serbians at the exact same time that Leonmanded his forces to march to their deaths...

 Chapter 203: Terms for Surrender

    Chapter 203: Terms for Surrender


    ?


    Smoke rose in the air, and the bullets ceased to fire a few hours after they had begun. Bruno gazed upon his pocket watch, which carried his family''s coat of arms. Or should I say the coat of arms, he was granted permission to fly within the Russian Empire.


    This coat of arms did not belong to the Prussian Junker House of Zehntner, but rather the Russian Princely House of Zehntner. And because of this, Bruno chose his own coat of arms to represent his personal line of session.


    The coat of arms was a Russian Imperial Eagle, with a Totenkopf emzoned across its chest. This was not the infamous Totenkopf of the SS, which resounded throughout the history of his past life as a controversial symbol.


    Rather, the earlier variant used by the Freikorps, which just so happened to be the version he utilized during the Russian civil war for his so called "Iron Division."


    The distinction between the two symbols was noticeable by the golden double-headed and crowned eagle, which had the silver skull and crossbones in the center. It was a symbol that reminded him, and all of his future descendants, of how their noble house was founded.


    At the same time, it made for an intrinsic heirloom when embossed onto the center of a master crafted pocket watch, one which Bruno used to keep time as the battle came to a sudden stop.


    The white g was raised in the distance by what remained of Serbia''s forces, and when it was reached into Bruno''s line of sight, he closed his pocket watch and called for a cease to all ongoing hostilities.


    "Hold your fire! The enemy has surrendered!"N?v(el)B\\jnn


    The order rang throughout the lines ofmunication. Every radio operator heard Bruno''s words ryed to them, as they themselves gave the order to their troops to cease firing their weapons. As the bullets ceased flying, eventually a man wearing an officer''s uniform within the Serbian Royal Army stepped forward.


    His exact rank, Bruno, was unsure of as the distinctive markings that would otherwise let him know were covered with blood, no doubt belonging to someone who had died very close and very violently while next to the officer in question.


    Nevertheless, this officer bore the white g of peace and stepped forward to speak with Bruno. In a time of war, even in the rear echelon, Bruno carried at least two weapons on him at all times. Currently, he had Mauser C96 "Red 9" holstered on his belt.


    At the same time, he had an MP-34 or MP-05, as it was known in this timeline, slung around his shoulder. Both had a round chambered and were ready to be fired at a moment''s notice if need be.


    Nevertheless, Bruno approached the Serbian officer with his own personal case of cigarettes in hand. The tobo inside was grown in colonies abroad and personally processed into the white stick within Bruno''s hands by his own employees.


    The case itself was gold, and marked with the same symbol as his pocket watch. Needless to say, it was strange for a German General to have a personal item bearing the Russian Imperial Eagle upon it. Or so it would have been if this coat of arms had not already be infamous across Europe by now.


    When the Serbian officer noticed the case which contained the cigarette Bruno offered to him, he immediately understood who he was dealing with, and was surprised that he and his man had been afforded mercy.


    "Generaloberst Bruno von Zehntner.... I wish I could say it was a pleasure to meet a man of such high renown, but considering the circumstances, I don''t think that would be quite right..."


    Despite the cautious nce he gave towards Bruno, the man still epting the peace offering, immediately cing the cigarette in his mouth and allowing Bruno to light it for him, where the infamous German General partook of the same gesture immediately thereafter.


    Once they had both inhaled the nicotine deep within their lungs before letting it out in arge plume of smoke, Bruno asked a question of the officer he was dealing with.


    "I take it you''re the highest-ranking officer who survived this little skirmish? And have thereforee to surrender seeking proper terms?"


    Skirmish? Did Bruno seriously just use the term Skirmish? The battle began at approximately nine in the morning, and had concluded just before lunchtime. He had lost 100,000 men in that brief window of time.


    Even in Bruno''s past life at the Somme, such substantial losses had not been had under such limited circumstances. To call this a skirmish was an insult to the men who lie dead, and their families who would ultimately bury what remained of them.


    This was aplete and total massacre. The Serbians were ughtered like pigs and given just as much as a fight in return to their gruesome fate. The man was about to respond with hostility when he caught a glimpsed of the Totenkopf on Bruno''s cigarette case, which he stashed away in one of his coat pockets.


    In doing so, he was instantly reminded of the ruthless reputation which preceded the man who he had the misfortune of going up against. Instead, he responded to Bruno''s question with a silent nod of his head, as well as an exhausted tone in his voice.


    "Do you mind if I ask you a question before we get on with the formalities?"


    Bruno continued to smoke his cigarette as both sides cautiously eyed one another. The Germans still surrounded the Serbians on all sides and were capable of firing upon one another if the circumstances demanded it.


    These two officers stood alone between their forces, on the ground marred with blood, bone, and ash. All while smoking together andmunicating in ways that only they knew. Bruno nodded his head as he responded to the Serbian Officer''s question with a tone that conveyed his impatience as he did so.


    "You have that right, but make it quick. I want to make it to Belgrade before the weekends, and Lord knows that taking care of you lot will be a three-day affair at thetest..."


    This, of course, was rted to the question the Serbian Officer wanted to ask, and thus he was quick to do so, sounding almostpletely befuddled by the question which when Bruno heard it thought was the most obvious thing in the world.


    "Why are we still alive? You have a reputation of being ruthless with your prisoners, so the moment I raised the white g and signaled the intent to surrender, why didn''t you just massacre us? Why are you even entertaining my questions now?"


    Though Bruno was partially insulted by the man''s words, he realized he didn''t necessarily have that right half way through the thought. He had acted viciously and inhumanely towards an enemy he thought of as subhuman. And he still had no regrets about that.


    By now all kinds of rumors had spread about his time in Russia, which was hisst foray into the battlefield, and thus it was understanding that those ignorant of the reason why he had behaved so monstrously to the Red Army in Russia were not to me for their


    misunderstanding.


    Instead, Bruno made his reasons for sparing them abundantly clear, as he pointed towards the tattered banners in the distance which bore the pride and prestige of the Serbian Royal Family, and in doing so answered the question that the Officer sought an answer to. "Why? You''re the King''s men, are you not? As far as I''m aware you and I, nor any of the men beneath yourmand share any past enmity between us. And since you fight for the honor and glory of your king, why should I treat you like a rabid dog in need of being put down? I mean, you''re not a Marxist, are you?"


    What Bruno had said was enough to convince the Serbian Officer that he had been wrong about Bruno, and thus he was quick to surrender, knowing that to continue to fight even against such overwhelming odds would only lead to certain death for him and his men.


    "You offer your terms, I have none..."


    Bruno was quick to offer his terms, which were far greater than the Serbian Officer was


    expecting.


    "I will guarantee you and your man''s safe passage to Sarajevo, where you will be fed and housed in ordance with the rules of war. And when this dreadful conflict finallyes to an end, you will be released without any form of retribution acted upon you.


    From there you are free to do as you wish as you will no longer be our prisoners of war... Are these terms eptable in condition for your surrender and disarmament?"


    To say that the Serbian Officer was not expecting such graceful terms was an understatement. Especially when the man thought he was dealing with the devil himself. He was quick to agree to Bruno''s terms as he returned to his men and ordered their immediate disarmament and


    surrender.


    By the time the prisoners were all loaded up on the trucks and transported back to Sarajevo, Bruno would reunite with hismanding officer Generalfeldmarschall August von Mackensen, who would report the overwhelming victory back to the Kaiser.


    Though Bruno did not realize it yet, he was about to receive two very prestigious awards for


    his victory had in the opening hours of the Great War. Ones that he felt were long overdue considering his long list of aplishments up until this point.

 Chapter 204: Human Nature and its Endless Cruelty

    Chapter 204: Human Nature and its Endless Cruelty


    ?


    August von Mackensen met up with Bruno not long after the man had emerged victorious against two of Serbia''s four Field Armies. Granted, their overall size was smaller inparison to a single German Field Army, each of which were maxed out at 300,000 men at the start of the war, and given the most advanced equipment to fight with.


    But defeating them both, and forcing them to surrender within a handful of hours, was no doubt a phenomenal move. Because of this, August von Mackensen gazed at Bruno as if he were the living incarnation of some ancient Pagan God of War, before abruptly speaking his thoughts aloud.


    "I''ll have my men ry your victory and its details back to the Kaiser... I think it''s about time you were granted a proper rank for a man of your caliber. And if I dare say so, you might be the first one to be awarded an Iron Cross in this war..."


    Bruno also handed a list of names to his current superior officer, of which he guessed would no longer be in charge of him after this swift and brutal victory. The list contained men who he felt had earned some kind of recognition for their performance during the battle.


    He then walked away as if the prospect of being rewarded for his service didn''t interest him in the slightest, but not before leaving behind a few demands as he did so.


    "Tell the Kaiser unless these men are also properly awarded for their valor, there is no need to waste his timeing to Sarajevo to present me alone with an Iron Cross..."


    The list was rather extensive, but Bruno had written everything these men had done in battle, he had after all been observing the conflict as short as it was, and had interviewed the Officers and NCOs beneath hismand for any names of the men beneath theirmand which they felt had performed admirably during the heat ofbat.


    August von Mackenson took a look at the extensive list and the reasons given for their rmendation, and the award Bruno felt was appropriate for their degree of valor and sacrifice in the face of the enemy. Before looking back to where Bruno had walked off to.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "He prepared all of this, while also ensuring that the hundred thousand plus prisoners of war are all being carted off to captivity? What kind of masterful control of his time and resources does this man have?"


    Bruno was recalled to Sarajevo, which was easy enough as he had men in the logistics departments transporting way too many prisoners of war to properly count. He could easily hitch a ride on these trucks before getting on the railway and make it back to the Bosnian Capital within a couple of hours.


    The reason for his recalling was simple enough. The Kaiser had just gotten the excuse he needed to give Bruno with his final promotion, as well as a reward he felt was long overdue for Bruno''s many years of service. An award, the Kaiser also felt, would be the first among many which Bruno earned in this war.


    Of course, the Kaiser needed to travel by train from Berlin to Sarajevo, which would take several days. Because of this, Bruno recuperated after a short but stressful battle on the streets of Sarajevo. He, of course, wanted to check on the small caf¨¦ which he had enjoyed during his previous visit to the city. Hoping the young woman took his warning seriously and utilized the exceptional tip he had given her to get her and her family out of the city.


    Unfortunately, as Bruno gazed upon the smoldering ruins of the family''s restaurant, and the graffiti which was spread across it, he realized he remembered the cruelty of the world. The words "Death to Traitors" were written in the Serbiannguage across the charred remains of what had been a decent caf¨¦.


    It was clear that by the looks of the weathering across the burned-out ruins, that this had happened quite some time ago. Because of this, Bruno quickly asked bystanders for


    information on what had happened in his absence.


    And after a bit more thorough of an investigation than he initially thought was required, probably because of his German uniform, someone revealed that the family had been attacked by Serbian Nationalists a year prior, shortly after Bruno left the city.


    Their property was burned to the ground, and they were murdered in cold blood for the way they treated the soldiers of the Imperial Powers, who frequently visited their establishment. Bruno walked away from that scene of that tragedy, determined to discover who the true culprits were.


    Luckily for him, both he and his wife had connections to German Intelligence, who were but a short call away to request the service of.


    To say that Heidi was shocked to receive a phone call from Bruno a few days after he had deployed was an understatement, to be sure. But Bruno made it abundantly clear that this was not a matter of pleasantry, but one of business.


    Heidi instantly got out a pen and paper and wrote down the information Bruno told him, leaving behind some cryptic words as she did so.


    "Although I''m certain this is probably just some random act of violencemitted by thugs. I fear there is an improbable but still possible chance that this was something far more sinister. Do you really want me to investigate this matter fully? If it turns out to have been an attack conducted by the ck Hand because of this family''s small connection to you, what will you do?"


    Bruno, of course, responded with a stern and callous tone, as he reminded Heidi of what she had said to him prior to his deployment away from his home.


    "There must be no hesitation in the way in which you act, nor can there be any mercy shown to our enemies.... Do you still remember these words, my love?"


    How could Heidi forget such a thing? They were the words of advice she had given Bruno in preparation for his deployment abroad. Hence why she bit her tongue in anguish, before nodding her head silently as she responded to the man she loved.


    "I do... Alright, I will have this matter fully investigated and get back to you before you head back to the front lines. If these innocent people were truly murdered by agitators connected to Serbian Intelligence or, God forbid, the Serbian Royal Family, then do what needs to be done to punish them for their wickedness!"


    Bruno simply left one final and unrted phrase before hanging up on his wife. The fate of the Serbian Royal Family, and much of its government, relied on whether they wereplicit in the murder of these civilians.


    The death of a few civilians was something that happened every day, and generally was none of Bruno''s concern. But he and Heidi both suspected such a heinous actmitted against them, and nobody else could not be mere coincidence.


    If this family were murdered because they had some loose connection to Bruno, then an example needed to be made, not only to the ck Hand, and the Serbian Royal Family who supported them, but the entirety of the world.


    After all, if his enemies were willing to engage in such cruelty towards people he had barely encountered in life, then the lengths they would go to in order to harm his loved ones would be much more severe.


    Such a thing required a deterrence, and such a thing had to be on the scale of nuclear detonation. If not, then those who sought to bring Bruno to ruin would only keep trying and escting in the level of violence they engaged in towards people associated with him.


    Bruno could only pray that he and his wife were overthinking things, and that this had just been one of many acts of random ethnic violencemitted in the Balkans, which was a regr urrence throughout the history of the turbulent region.

 Chapter 205: The Iron Cross 2nd Class

    Chapter 205: The Iron Cross 2nd ss


    ?


    While Heidi made use of her contacts to search for those responsible for the murder of the Bosnian Serbian family, which had rather graciously served German and Austro-Hungarian troops who upied the city of Sarajevo a year prior.


    Bruno himself stood in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a royal procession was made for the troops in the region. Not only did the Kaisere with his personal guard, but he also brought reinforcements to the front lines.


    Less than a week had passed since the war began, and yet things were going better than anyone had thought possible. British expeditionary forces had yet to make their way to the European maind, with every attempt being sunk in the seas before they ever reached the shores of Normandy.


    Meanwhile, the French Army''s repeated attempts to assault the German border fortifications, prepared long in advance at Elsass-Lothringen, had met with repeated and gruesome failures. At the start of the war, Bruno had crushed one half of the Royal Serbian Army.


    Though the Serbians immediately began conscripting and arming every man and boy who could bear arms in preparation for the uing siege of Belgrade, Kaiser Wilhelm II had recalled Bruno back into Austro-Hungarian territory to reward him for his crushing victory over the enemy in the opening stages of the war.


    To put it simply, Bruno was being awarded for his efforts in two distinctive ways. While the German Army secured the area where the Kaiser would publicly promote Bruno to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall-the highest rank in the German Army-the Kaiser also intended to pin a distinctive honor on the man''s chest.


    Bruno once more found himself face to face with the German Emperor as the man stripped the shoulder boards from his uniform, recing them with the distinctive crossed batons that a Generalfeldmarschall would proudly sport.


    In addition, Wilhelm handed Bruno an Iron Cross 2nd ss and pinned it in front of his other medals. For this ceremony, Bruno only wore those medals authorized by the German Army, such as his China Medal and his Cross of the Iron Division.


    Everyone else who would be rewarded for their efforts at the Serbian border would receive their honors from their directmanding officer. Only Bruno, who now answered solely to the Kaiser, would have the medal personally pinned on his chest by Wilhelm.


    After doing so, the German Emperor patted Bruno on the back before saying something to him in an informal and friendly tone.


    "If it were up to me, I would have given you one of these a long time ago. Unfortunately, we only mint these things for the sake of major conflicts, and thest time an Iron Cross was in production was 1870.


    I get the feeling that you will have earned all of the grades by the time this war fullyes to an end. So keep up the good work, and there will be more of these toe in the future!"


    Bruno responded silently with a salute, which the Kaiser returned before giving a message to his troops to inspire them. His speech vaguely resembled an oration he had given in his past life.


    "Arise, to arms! All hesitation, all dy is treason to the country. It is a question of the life or death of our Empire, of the life or death of German might. We shall resist to thest breath of man and horse, and shall fight out the struggle even against a world of enemies. When Germany has remained united, she has never been vanquished. Forward with God, for God will be with us as He was with our fathers."


    The 2nd German Army was chosen as the reinforcements and mustered to support the German 11th and 8th Armies in their assault on Belgrade, immediately saluted their Kaiser in perfect unison, like a well-oiled machine, before being dismissed by him.


    Afterward, the Kaiser turned to Bruno and spoke of his vision of Bruno''s victory, with words that were also eerily reminiscent of those he had said in the previous timeline.


    "I get the feeling that this campaign of yours wille to an end before the leaves fall from the trees. Godspeed, my friend, and may the Lord have mercy on your enemies..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After saying this, the Kaiser turned away from Bruno, not noticing the death re Bruno was giving him. In his past life, these words resounded in history as a curse. Could the Central Powers have achieved a total victory and ended the war before the year was over?


    Most certainly, had they achieved victory at the First Battle of the Marne. But fate had other ns in mind, and these words, which the Kaiser had spoken, were often considered a severeck of understanding regarding the modern battlefield, preluding a meat grinder the likes of which mankind had never witnessed before.


    Bruno immediately pulled out his case of cigarettes and began to smoke, a sudden and dreadful feeling overwhelming him as he looked off into the distance towards the Serbian border, thinking to himself that he had just been cursed in a way that would bring him great misfortune and misery in theing days.


    "I suddenly get the feeling that this campaign is about to be a long and brutal affair..."


    It did not take long for Heidi to receive confirmation of her worst fears. The family who owned the restaurant where Bruno had been personally seen dining, and with whom he had casually and cheerfully struck up a conversation, had been murdered in connection with the actions of Serbian intelligence.


    The Serbian Government had decided to rile up ethnic tensions in the region to destabilize Bosnia and Herzegovina following Bulgaria''s defeat in the Second Balkan War. After it was discovered that Bruno had given an excessive tip to the young waitress, local nationalist militias assumed she had been sleeping with him as his mistress.


    Sleeping with a general representing a foreign and upying power? In what world was that not treason? Because of this, she and her family were brutally murdered, and their ce of business was burned down as a reminder of what would happen to others who had done the same, or sought to do so.


    Unfortunately, this was all a misunderstanding, resulting from the ck Hand''s deliberate attempts to cause trouble in the region. And when Heidi learned of this, she felt nothing but pain for the victims and for those who would yet suffer.


    She knew all too well that Bruno''sck of mercy extended to the innocent caught within the st range of his artillery when aimed at his enemies and wherever they might be hiding. Because of this, there was a part of her that wished not to tell the man what she hade to learn upon investigating the incident.


    But she also knew she had told him not to show any mercy to their enemies, and this heinous crime was a provocation toward Bruno. Whether intentional or simply the result of the chaos, the Serbians had sown in the region, Heidi couldn''t find out, but she knew the results would be the same, regardless. Thus, there was a heavy tone in her voice when she finally spoke to her husband on the phone, conveying her thoughts as she did so.


    Bruno was silent for a long while, causing further concern within his wife''s troubled mind. He spoke up before she could inquire as to whether he was alright, stating a simple phrase before


    hanging up entirely.


    "I''ll handle it. Get some rest..."


    Heidi suddenly got the feeling that Bruno was about to do something unreasonably destructive and, in doing so, might provoke the Balkans into a stiffer resistance than they otherwise would have fought with had he not decided to make an example of the Serbian Royal Family and their seat of power...

 Chapter 206: The Butcher of Belgrade

    Chapter 206: The Butcher of Belgrade


    ?


    With Bruno now officially holding the highest rank in the German Army, he was given operationalmand over the Balkan Theater. At the same time, August von Mackensen was redeployed to the Western Front to hold the line until Serbia, Montenegro, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire could be knocked out of the war entirely.


    With the Ottomans choosing to get involved in the conflict, both Austria-Hungary and Russia deployed additional field armies along the Russian border with the Turkish Caliphate, seeking to dismantle them as a power once and for all now that there was no longer a reason to keep them around.


    In doing so, the three European nations of the Imperial Powers each split their forces across at least three theaters. The Germans held the western line by themselves, while also sending men into Italy and the Balkans.


    The Austro-Hungarians divided their army into the Alps, the Balkans, and the Caucasus. As for Russia, they were simply fighting in the Balkans and the Caucasus, but had sent a considerable number of troops to the Balkans to aid their western allies.


    It was a race against time to see who would reach Belgrade first, and Bruno wanted to be that man. Despite the extensive infrastructure projects the three Empires had invested in as a joint venture, they were all but useless once marching into Serbia.


    This was where Bruno had the advantage. Even after being pulled back by the Kaiser for his promotion and medal, Bruno was still operating with off-road 3.5-ton trucks as transportation not only for supplies but also for his infantry and artillery.


    While the rest of the world was currently relying on horses and carriages for their logisticworks, Bruno''s army had a straight shot to Belgrade and reached the Serbian capital far quicker than anyone could have anticipated.


    Within a fortnight, the German 8th Army, along with the apanying 11th and 2nd Armies, had surrounded Belgrade entirely. But Bruno did not immediately give the order toy siege to the city. Instead, he waited until a representative of the Serbian Crown reached out to him. After three days of waiting in trenches dug outside the city, Bruno finally received the response he wanted. A messenger marched into his siege camp and found Bruno, covered in mud as he helped establish his army''s fortifications, as if he were just another enlisted soldier within the rank and file.


    The man could hardly believe that the figure standing before him, covered in mud and grease, was a general of the highest order. Were it not for the distinctive crossed batons on Bruno''s greatcoat shoulder boards and the red and ck cor that identified him as a


    Generalfeldmarschall, the Serbian General, whose coat was immacte, would have assumed he was being pranked.


    After taking several moments to collect himself, the snobbish officer addressed Bruno with an unearned air of arrogance.


    "Well, it would appear you have reached our capital quicker than we anticipated. Since the King and his family still remain in their pce, we have no choice but to seek terms. What do you offer?"


    For thest eighteen hours, it had rained nonstop in the region. As a result, Bruno''s ungloved hands, covered in mud, were shivering as he reached into his pocket and lit a cigarette.


    His habit of smoking to calm his nerves had increased since the war began, going through an entire pack a day by now. Even though he knew it was bad for his health, he continued to do so. He exhaled a plume of smoke from his lungs before motioning towards the city.


    The words he spoke were not directed toward the Serbian General but rather to Erich, who stood by Bruno''s side, equally unkempt in appearance.


    "Tell the men to equip their masks. Who knows if we''ll be affected by the gas with the way the winds are blowing. Then tell the Artillery Corps to load the shells marked ''Mustard Gas'' and to keep firing until the city ispletely lifeless..."


    Knowing that Bruno was choosing to disregard an attempt at surrender and instead destroy the capital of Serbia and the Serbian Royal Family within it, Erich wore a sadistic grin as he saluted hismanding officer before rushing off to ry his orders to the necessary departments.


    As for the Serbian General and his host, they immediately broke into outrage at Bruno, initially half-believing that the man was merely bluffing to extract the best terms of surrender possible.


    "Have you gone mad!?! ording to the Hague and Geneva Conventions, what you are suggesting is a war crime of the highest magnitude! You will be dragged into court and executed if you actually go through with such a barbaric act! Only a madman would negotiate in such a crass manner!"


    Bruno flicked his cigarette into the Serbian General''s face, catching the man entirely off guard. This gave him the time to withdraw his Mauser C96 from its holster, where he immediately pointed it at the head of the Serbian General, speaking the words that wouldter be infamous in the annals of history, as what truly happened here on this day would take decades to uncover.


    "Who will drag me to court? There''s no crime if you don''t get caught, and I don''t see any witnesses..."


    After saying this, Bruno pulled the trigger, instantly sttering the Serbian General''s brains onto the muddied floor of his siege camp. Bruno then shifted his muzzle toward the general''s host, gunning them down before they could properly retaliate, as they had been caught off guard by the thunder of the German guns that began to batter the capital of Serbia.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    With the death of the Serbian delegation and the convenient disposal of their corpses, it was as Bruno said there were no witnesses to the fact that the Serbians had tried to surrender to the German Army.


    Thus, Bruno did as he suggested to his troops, reaching into the container strapped across his waist, holstering his sidearm, and pulling out his gas mask, which he quickly donned over his face.


    He gazed upon the distinctive mustard-colored gas as it spread through every corner of the city, which had stood for thousands of years. Why bother using explosive shells to dismantle such a beautiful piece of history when chemical weapons would achieve the same result and leave the architecture intact?


    The official story initially reported about the "Siege of Belgrade" was that the Serbians utterly refused to surrender, despite beingpletely surrounded, outnumbered, and outgunned by the German Army.


    Given the Serbians'' mass conscription, Bruno was left with two options: risk the injury and death of potentially hundreds of thousands of his men, or simply gas the city into submission.


    Nobody except Bruno and Erich knew the Serbians had tried to surrender, and as a result, while Bruno was condemned internationally for taking such excessive and brutal actions, he would not be taken into international court for war crimes.


    Instead, he would gain the newest of his many nicknames, and perhaps the most terrifying: "The Butcher of Belgrade." A fitting name, given that he had obliterated every soul within the boundaries of the Serbian capital.


    Of course, the result was that what remained of the Serbian and Montenegrin Armies would fight with everything they had to resist the Imperial Powers and their upation of the now- leaderless Kingdom, turning the Balkan Campaign into an affair that wouldst several months longer than it otherwise might have.

 Chapter 207: Unexpected Consequences of Excessive Retaliation

    Chapter 207: Unexpected Consequences of Excessive Retaliation


    ?


    Rumors of what happened at Belgrade spread like wildfire across the Western world. Belgrade was gassed into extinction by an exceptionallyrge use of chemical weapons, fired via artillery shells onto the city by the besieging German Army.


    Was surrender not requested? If so, was this a war crime? Why would a man take such overwhelming action against a city that, while having arge military presence, held a far greater number of civilians?


    What could possiblypel a man to act in such a way? It was shortly after this that German intelligence began leaking information to the public about the ck Hand, their ties to the Serbian Government, and the list of crimes they were responsible for, either directly or indirectly.


    Whether it was the murder of the previous and rightful ruling dynasty of Serbia, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, or the repeated attempts made to murder Bruno because he suggested he was aware of their existence.


    Everything came to light in the days following the massacre of Belgrade. And because Bruno was the only one who really witnessed what actually happened, he utilized his control over various media outlets across both the German Reich and the USA to depict the Serbian Royal Family as holding the city hostage and refusing to surrender under any conditions.


    In addition to this, the ck Hand''s arming and training of violent extremist groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which led to a variety of heinous crimes-including the murder of the Bosnian Serbian family who once served Bruno hot meals at their ce of business-led many to conclude that Bruno had decided to make an example of the Usurper King and his -city.


    Themon headlines in the weeks that followedmbasted the Serbian Government for their role in causing the outbreak of this war, ming the destruction of their capital entirely on them and the conspirators they protected and sheltered from justice.


    And while this caused the Allies of Serbia to gaze upon the leaderless yet defiant nation with a bit of disdain, choosing to drag them into a war rather than face the consequences of their own actions by themselves, it did not stop the war.


    Too many factions wanted this conflict to happen, and just because the fault of the Serbian Royal Family and their ties to the ck Hand were revealed to the public did not mean that hostilities would suddenly cease.


    No, the war needed to happen, and the death of the Austrian Archduke was simply the excuse needed to finally wage it. Bruno, however, came to severely regret his actions at Belgrade- not because they were ineffective in achieving his initial goals.


    In fact, the example he made of the Serbian capital proved exceptional in this regard, with those who lurked in the shadows and schemed against him suddenly bing utterly terrified at the prospect of attacking him or people close to him directly.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Rather, Bruno regretted his actions because of the unintended consequences they created. Serbia was ready and willing to surrender at Belgrade, potentially ending the war in the Balkans just weeks after it began.


    Now, however, they refused to admit fault, even with the headlines ming them for everything that was happening. With the annihtion of their capital and all of the people in it, what remained of the Serbian Army and the nation''s leadership rallied together far behind the front lines and professed the will to fight until the very end.


    Not only had the Serbian Army begun conscripting every single man capable of fighting against the invasion of their homnd, and equipping them with any firearms they could get their hands on, but they had also openly called upon those either too old or too young to join the army to resist in any way they could.


    With its illegitimate monarchy gassed into extinction in Bruno''s siege of Belgrade, the governance of what remained of Serbia fell to the highest-ranking general, who immediately seized control over the Kingdom and dered himself the temporary leader of the nation, with unlimited power for the duration of the war.


    In his public speech, he condemned Bruno as the most heinous of war criminals and a man who Serbia would repel from their borders, even if it took a thousand years and the blood of future generations toplete.


    The sudden urge to resist any form of encroachment on their borders by foreign powers rallied those within Serbia-even without any nationalist sentiment-to take up arms. The only problem was, Serbia was not necessarily capable of producing the arms necessary to supply them, and many were given very old and obsolete weapons from national stockpiles to fight with.


    Even so, Bruno had unintentionally caused the Serbian Army to grow from a mere 450,000 strong to well over a million, which was roughly one-fourth of its total poption and about half of the male poption.


    And while defeating such arge-scale army with the roughly two million men he had at his disposal for the theater was easily aplished, the losses sustained would take generations to ovee. But ultimately, that was not Bruno''s concern.


    Not only that, but another problem now faced Bruno. The other nations of the Balkans were outraged by the massacre at Belgrade, and it was entirely possible that several of the smaller, currently neutral powers would join together with the Serbians to add to their forces.


    Especially since King Carol I of Romania was about to die, and his sessor had already established ties to the Allied Powers. Romania''s entry into the war alone could boost the numbers of opposition forces in the Balkans to 1.5 million or more.


    If either Bulgaria or Greece joined the other Balkan states as members of the Allied Powers, this would easily put their numbers on par with thebined forces of the Imperial Powers within the region. Not to mention, it would open lines that would need to be defended by the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Armies.


    Frankly speaking, Bruno wanted the Bulgarians on his side-not only because they were a valuable and loyal ally, having sided with the Germans in both world wars, even after their


    defeat in 1918.


    But also because, out of all of Germany''s allies in both world wars, the Bulgarian Army, while a minor power, was the mostpetent. If Bulgaria were a great power with an army to match its size, then without a doubt Germany would have won either conflict in Bruno''s past life.


    Because of this, Bruno hoped they would join the Imperial Powers in this life rather than the Allies, especially because they had just fought and lost a war with the other Balkan states a year prior over disputed territories.


    With all this in mind, Bruno simply had one option to prevent such an oue: advance beyond the rate of his allies and supply lines and crush the Serbian Army and the current provisional government before they could fully muster their strength.


    This, of course, was a fool''s errand that he knew had the potential to destroy his army and cost him the lives of all his men and himself in the process. One must never advance beyond their logisticalwork in pursuit of a quick victory.


    Every time this had urred throughout history, the opposite urred, usually resulting in the loss of not only the army itself but the war altogether. Because of this, Bruno could only task his army with clearing out the gas that festered in the ruins of Belgrade and fortifying their trenches as they awaited their Russian and Austro-Hungarian allies to catch up.


    It was better to hold the Serbian capital and wait for the remainder of their allies and logisticalworks to reach them before advancing than to embark on a fool''s quest. Thus, after annihting all life in the Serbian capital, the forces of the German Army that had wrought such devastation were tasked with cleaning up their mess.

 Chapter 208: Germania Rules the Waves

    Chapter 208: Germania Rules the Waves


    ?


    The British Royal Navy was having a hell of a time with the onset of the war. Not only had the Empire of Japan attacked their colonies in the East almost immediately after dering their entry into the conflict, forcing the British to divert their maritime forces to deal with this new threat.


    Nearly a month had passed since the Great War began, and Britain had already lost over a dozen transport ships in their attempts to cross the North Sea. Any attempt to ferry troops across the English Channel was met with critical failure.


    Attacks urred time and time again without warning, resulting in devastating losses as the British scratched their heads, trying to figure out just what the hell was sinking them. Their confusion was understandable.


    Submarines of the era were essentially torpedo boats that could briefly submerge to escape pursuit. However, they were still visible on the surface of the waves when they conducted attacks. But Germany had produced a far more advanced U-Boat-and in significant numbers -in preparation for this war.


    These U-Boats operated in "Wolfpacks," which were small units of up to 20 submarines each. These Wolfpacks hounded British shipping and transportation, destroying them before they could reach the shores of France.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    In doing so, Germany had silently cut off any and all material supplies and troops meant to reinforce the French Army''s repeated failed attempts to break through German border fortifications.


    As a result, the Royal Navy had no choice but to begin protecting their lone transport ships with armed escorts. After all, convoys had yet to fully develop as a logistics tactic, though it wouldn''t really matter in the long run.


    There was just one serious problem with this: the British sailors still couldn''t detect the German submarines beneath the surface. Even so, with the mustering of the Grand Fleet, the Germans responded in kind with their High Seas Fleet, leading to the first major naval engagement of the war.


    Admiral Franz von Hipper stood on the bow of the pride and joy of the Kaiserliche Marine- the SMS K?nig, the first of a ss of dreadnought-style battleships of the same name. The High Seas Fleet was behind him as he gazed upon the British Grand Fleet in the distance.


    The Grand Fleet was exceptionallyrger than its German counterpart, boasting a total of 28 dreadnought battleships, 9 battlecruisers, 8 armored cruisers, 26 light cruisers, 78 destroyers, 1 minyer, and 1 seane carrier.


    Meanwhile, the German fleet consisted of 16 dreadnought battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 6 pre- dreadnought battleships, 11 light cruisers, 22 destroyers, 61 U-Boats, and 1 seane carrier. The addition of the German destroyers, which were far more advanced than their British counterparts and capable of providing multiple roles such as anti-aircraft screening and minying, was due to Bruno''s interference in the timeline.


    As was the seane carrier, which held over a dozen He 51B-2 seanes. Each carried torpedoes and was capable ofunching them towards hostile ships, effectively making them the world''s first dedicated torpedo bombers.


    All of these changes were not expected by the British Navy, and thus Franz von Hipper was rather smug, even while gazing upon an enemy force roughly twice the size of his own. It was no surprise that there was a confident tone in his voice when he initiated the attack on the British Grand Fleet.


    "Let''s send these bastards down to the depths where they belong, shall we?"


    Admiral John Jellicoe stood aboard the pride and joy of the British Royal Navy, thergest and most boastful of the Grand Fleet''s 26 dreadnought battleships. He was, needless to say, quite surprised when he saw the Germans, despite their numerical inferiority of warships, willing to exchange blows with them in an outright battle.


    Normally, one would make use of some other form of tactics rather than just going straight for the naval equivalent of a slugfest, and thus the Admiral simply scoffed and shook his head before insulting the intelligence of his enemy.


    "They may have built the second most powerful navy in the world, but with such fools leading them, these men might as wellmit suicide, because they''re already as good as dead! Load the guns and prepare to¡ª"


    A series of hitsnded on the bow of multiple British dreadnoughts, including the one Admiral John Jellicoe was standing on,pletely interrupting his thoughts as he was speaking them.


    The man even fell to the floor in the quake that rocked his world. It took him a moment or two to realize that their ship had received multiple hits, and they were not alone. Reports flooded in about substantial damage being dealt by the guns of the enemy ships, which fired upon their vessels with a substantially higher hit uracy.


    The British Admiral was stunned and thought perhaps this was a mere coincidence-an act of God, if you will. That is until the second volley of shots was fired by the German vessels, many of which were operating advanced maneuvers while firing.


    They were, after all, using advanced electromechanicalputation devices with gyro- stabilization, allowing them to maintain a fairly high level of uracy even while the ship was turning.


    Thispletely and utterly shocked the British Admiral, who managed to get a single statement out before the shell he was gazing upon detonated right on the bridge where he was standing.


    "My God..."


    The German Navy had gone out of its way to focus their guns on thergest and most powerful British warships first. Not only did they attack with theirrge guns, but the seanes, which flew through the sky with impunity after effortlessly shooting down the British aircraft, managed to drop their torpedoes within range of their targets.


    Britain, after all, had yet to invest in anti-aircraft weaponry on their warships, as the very idea of using nes as anything other than reconnaissance hadpletely slipped the minds of the other Great Powers of the world.


    But not the Germans. No, they were fully utilizing air power and its many versatile roles in battle from the start of the war, thanks to Bruno''s interference in the timeline.


    Because of this, it didn''t take more than an hour for the Royal Navy''s Grand Fleet to sustain heavy losses, with over half of their dreadnoughts, battlecruisers, and armored cruisers sunk to the bottom of the English Channel.


    The Germans did not pursue, choosing not to take such a risky venture and instead basking in their damn near wless victory. While the Grand Fleet lost over half of its warships, the Germans sustained substantial damage on one dreadnought, which could be towed back to port and repaired.


    They also lost two pre-dreadnought battleships, as well as three cruisers. Comparatively speaking, their losses were almost non-existent and limited to primarily obsolete ships


    anyway.


    Regardless, the German Navy would celebrate this victory, and the admirals in charge of the German High Seas Fleet would sing praises of the weapons produced by Bruno''s factories, which had won an otherwise unwinnable battle with ease.

 Chapter 209: Drastic Measures Against Sudden German Advancements

    Chapter 209: Drastic Measures Against Sudden German Advancements


    ?


    The German Navy had pped the pride of the British Empire in the face so hard it felt like there was no choice but to double, and triple down on their efforts to cross the English


    Channel and send troops to aid their allies.


    Currently, the War was not going in the allies'' favor. The French had repeatedly tried to attack German border fortifications across the Rhine, and were now theorizing about marching


    through Belgium to try to bypass them altogether.


    Not remotely aware that the Germans had already nned for this potential scheme. Meanwhile, Italy and Austro-Hungary were going back and forth in the Alps, exchanging blows in small skirmishes here and there meant to test each other''s strength before either fullymitted to a full-scale assault.


    As for the Balkan Campaign, it had turned into aplete and total shit show in the first month of the war. Belgrade was a Ghost Town, forever haunted by the one hundred thousand citizens who were buried in a mass grave outside its boundaries.


    While the Serbian Provisional government rallied as many men as they could to send at the nearly two million invaders who had massacred their capital and everyone in it.


    Bruno had dug in at Belgrade, choosing to wait for his allies to catch up with them so they could make a joint push into what remained of Serbian territory and wipe out their newly reformed army in a series of swift and brutal assaults.


    As for the Ottoman Empire, they were busybatting the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Armies in the Caucasus, while at the same time trying to send as many troops to aid Serbia by funneling them through Montenegro.


    The Ottomans in particr were struck hard, with 500,000 Russians and Austro-Hungarians already marching through the Caucasus. Against their 150,000 active soldiers that remained after the Balkan Wars.


    To put it simply, they were mobilizing as many men as they could as quickly as they could to fight against this sudden threat.


    Due to Bruno''s influence, the Imperial Powers were the most ready for the war when it began. With each of the three European Empires having a million men to mobilize at its start, all of which were equipped with their most advanced weapons avable for deployment.


    Within a fortnight of the conflict breaking out, another five million men between the three nations had been fully mobilized for the war effort.


    Considering the massive industrial investments Bruno had made across their three Empires, it was no understatement to assert that they could effectively transport these five million men and their equipment from the Caucasus to the Rhinnd in record speeds.


    All the while, supplies were constantly being transported between the three Empires and to their frontlines. Whether it was oil from Russia or German Kamerun. The preparations made a decade in advance saw them make it to the forces who needed it.


    Of course, none of this really mattered to the British Empire, who were so thoroughly outraged by their loss in the North Sea that they felt the need to avenge it as soon as possible. Reports made it clear that German Aircraft carrying torpedoes had yed arge role in their shocking victory.


    Few realized how many torpedoes had beenunched by subs beneath the sea, and those in charge dismissed reports about the overwhelming advantage German warships had in terms of uracy. Because of this, it was assumed that Germany''s effective use of aerial assets won the battle in their favor.


    I mean, until now, the presumed use of aircraft in warfare had been for reconnaissance, and maybe using them to drop grenades on an enemy position. But dedicated bombers, ground attack craft, fighter nes, and torpedo aircraft?


    The Germans had certainly managed to innovate well beyond anyone''s wildest dreams. And creating such a variety of advanced aircraft was simply beyond their means to rapidly develop a counter to as the use of aircraft in warfare was a rtively new phenomena, one which only the Germans truly understood the significance of.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And that was only because they had a man from the future to educate them on the matter. Because of this, the British Royal Arsenals were scrambling for some kind of anti-aircraft weaponry of which none existed outside of the borders of the German Reich, or at least currently.


    Currently, the British War Department, or at least its leadership, was throwing a tizzy fit over how they would immediately counter this monumental threat to their naval supremacy on the world stage,pletelycking in the critical thinking toprehend that they had already lost such a thing at the Battle of the North Sea which just urred three days prior.


    Instead, these old men whose understanding of warfare was woefully obsolete argued over the most efficient use of their resources.


    "By the time we manage to develop and produce such weaponry to deter German seanes, they would have already won the war! It will take a year at the very least to even implement such designs. We have no real basis for how to activelybat aircraft! What are we supposed to do? Strap a pom pom onto some kind of crude anti-aircraft mount and hope for the best?" Though this statement was made ad absurdum, this was more or less exactly what the British had done in Bruno''s past life as a means of rudimentary anti-aircraft weaponry. The QF 1- pounder "Pom Pom" was the world''s first autocannon, created in the 1880s initially for the purpose ofbating infantry.


    It was essentially a Maxim water-cooled machine gun that had been scaled up to ept a 37mm high-explosive cartridge. During the early days of the Great War in Bruno''s past life, it was used as an emergency measure tobat aircraft. And it did the job well enough considering what it was designed to shoot at the time.


    But by the end of the war, it had begun to show its age, and as a result, nations began to scale it up to evenrger cartridges. These improved designs had taken them three years to produce and employ into service.


    Not to mention they had proven woefully obsolete by the outbreak of the Second World War. As it stood, there was no way of knowing if these decades-old autocannons were remotely capable ofbating the advanced German seanes.


    However, German torpedo bombers were already an active threat to British naval supremacy. Waiting three years for such a solution to manifest itself into existence was simply not an option.


    And even though the British bureaucrat suggested this, his peers looked at him as if he had actuallye up with a practical solution. One of them voiced this very sentiment, much to thement of the man who had initially voiced it as a jest.


    "Actually, that''s not a bad idea. Unless we cane up with a better option, that might just work!"


    After a long and thorough debate on the subject, the British Empire immediately nned the approval of development for an anti-aircraft variant of the QF 1-pounder pom-pom, as well as research and development into other forms of AA weaponry tobat this new and very


    real threat.

 Chapter 210: Denser Than a Neutron Star

    Chapter 210: Denser Than a Neutron Star


    ?


    Heidi''s preparations over thest few years, using the money her husband had given her, had not gone to waste. With Heinrich''s exceptional organization and management skills being put to efficient use, a series of charitable institutions were founded and operated by Heidi and those under her employment.


    Whether it was awork of orphanages built across the German Reich and the Russian Empire, or arge investment in doctors, nurses, and other humanitarian efforts, by the time the war began, these critical and often overlooked non-profit organizations were not only in full effect but were reaching optimal levels of performance.


    Heidi herself would take one day off every week from managing her own household affairs to visit the orphanages established in Berlin, speaking to the children and seeking to aid them in any way she could. She also did her best to find reputable families of proper moral virtue to adopt them.


    Considering Alya herself was a war orphan, the young woman had decided to dedicate her early adult years to working in thergest of Heidi''s orphanages. She would, after all, reach the age of majority within the German Reichter this year.


    For the time being, as was always the case whenever Heinrich was deployed alongside Bruno, Alya hade to live with Heidi and her children.


    Bruno''s oldest children were now well into their adolescence, with Eva turning 13 this year and Erwin turning 12. Perhaps because of this, Bruno''s eldest son and presumed heir had started acting a little strangely around the Russian woman he had grown up with and had long thought of as an older sister.


    Alya had grown into an exceptionally beautiful woman over the years, and Erwin had naturally begun to notice this as he entered the stage of development where girls became an interest of his. In the past, he would run around and y with his "older sister," but now he was incredibly timid and embarrassed whenever she spoke to him.


    Today was no different, as Heidi enlisted the help of her soon-to-be teenage son to do some heavy lifting around the orphanage. Erwin was in the midst of carrying some heavy boxes full of necessary supplies into the orphanage.


    He did notin in the slightest; the boy had been properly raised by his father and mother to be a man of good moral character. The idea ofining while helping those less fortunate than himself had never crossed his mind.


    Despite the weight of the boxes, Erwin carried them with a smile, as if he were fulfilling some masculine obligation to do thebor on behalf of the otherwise fragiledies around him.


    Once Erwin had stacked the boxes in an orderly fashion and began to distribute their contents to the proper areas, Alya stopped by and made ament with a smirk on her pretty face and a condescending tone in her elegant voice.


    "Well, would you look at that? My little brother is growing up so fast! If I didn''t know any better, I''d say you were bing a man after my own heart!"


    Erwin''s naturally snow-white skin flushed as his cheeks became rosy in embarrassment over Alya''s words. Alya wasn''t oblivious; she was well aware of the boy''s growing affections for her. She immediately walked over and flicked him on the forehead, trying to dismantle any notions he might have that he otherwise shouldn''t.


    "Listen here, you brat! You are nine years too young to have such thoughts toward me. By the time you''re of proper age, I''ll be an old maid! Besides, like it or not, you''re a prince, and I''m amoner! Your parents would be wise to find you a woman close in years and of proper noble heritage for you to marry! And you, little man, would do well to forget about me!"


    Erwin was about to protest and mention that, byw, his mother had been amoner at birth, as she was a bastard. Yet his father had still married her, and they loved each other more than anything despite this.


    But Heidi, who happened to be nearby eavesdropping on the conversation, interrupted the heated discussion between her son and the girl she had helped raise over the years before Erwin could get a word in to defend himself.


    "Alya, I need you in the kitchen. Do you mind joining me for a bit?"


    Heidi''s voice had a way of carrying through even the thickest stone walls, especially when she was giving orders to one of her children. The moment Alya heard the woman''s sharp tone, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, as did Erwin''s.


    Both of them instantly grew silent and embarrassed as Alya walked off, leaving the matter with what she had said, while Erwin felt slightly dejected over his inability to stand up for himself.


    Alya found Heidi standing in the orphanage''s kitchen, dressed in rathermon attire and wearing an apron. She was scrubbing down and scouring every surface she could find in a way that was wholly unsuited to her current noble status.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    This was one of the things Alya admired most about her godmother: she was a woman who ced little significance on her lofty title and her husband''s vast fortune, and was more than willing to get her hands dirty when needed-something no other nobledy on the would even consider.


    Alya quickly saw why Heidi had called her for help; the kitchen was abominably filthy. Even with Heidi''s exceptional cleaning skills, it simply wasn''t a one-woman job.


    Alya promptly joined in the cleaning. Silence persisted between the two women for a while, until Heidi finally brought up the awkward subject as if it were the most casual topic in the world.


    "So... has your father found a suitable man for you to marry yet? Surely you have many suitors trying to court you, do you not?"


    Alya''s face turned redder than Erwin''s had moments before. She lowered her gaze, almost as if too ashamed to meet Heidi''s eyes. It didn''t take long for Heidi to understand what was on the young woman''s mind, and she immediately blurted out her thoughts.


    "The unbelievably dense bastard! Is his skull made of lead? He hasn''t given a single thought to it, has he? How could he not? He does realize you''ll soon reach the age of majority, right? By all rights, you should already be properly engaged, if not setting a date for the wedding by now! What reason could he possibly have for not doing so?"


    Alya looked like she wanted to die of embarrassment, but Heidi had a way of getting the girl to speak, even when she didn''t want to.


    "What? Have you suddenly gone mute? Speak, woman! You''re not a child anymore! You have to take these matters seriously! You don''t want to end up old and alone with no family to call your own except for a clowder of cats, do you?"


    Alya finally sighed, heaving heavily before answering Heidi''s question, knowing the woman wouldn''t let such an important matter rest.


    "Papa... he still thinks I''m that little girl he saved from Russia all those years ago. Even though I''ll be an adult in the eyes of thew this year, he still hasn''t made any real move to


    see me wed..."


    Heidi looked at the young Russian beauty with a sh of contempt in her fierce blue eyes- not for Alya, but for her foolish bastard of an adopted father. It took her all of two seconds toe to a conclusion, making a decision without consulting Alya, Heinrich, or Bruno


    beforehand.


    "Well, that settles it then. In a few years, when Erwin reaches the legal age to marry, he''ll take you as his bride. I see no other option at this point!"


    Alya''s jaw dropped. She began to stutter, trying to form a protest, but ultimately fell silent as she failed to produce coherent words.


    Eventually, her face turned an exceptionally bashful shade as she turned away, hiding her face from Heidi, who looked at her with a sympathetic smile.

 Chapter 211: Gaslighting is an Artform

    Chapter 211: Gaslighting is an Artform


    ?


    Heinrich sneezed as he was in the middle of finishing up construction efforts on the fortifications established outside the now vacant city of Belgrade. He had a hard time with what had been done to the Serbian Capital, specifically all the residents inside of it who had passed away.


    Under the orders of hismanding officer over a million innocent lives were terminated in the blink of an eye, and in the most horrific way imaginable. Mustard gas was particrly nasty. There were plenty of better ways to go that was for sure.


    Other chemical weapons of the era would suffocate you to death, but Mustard Gas was a blister agent, causing intense burns to the inside and outside of one''s body until they were no longer recognizable as human.


    Purging the gas had which sank into the depths of the city had been a task of itself. Then came removing and disposing of a million bodies. I mean how did one even go about that? Cremation was impossible.


    The amount of fuel needed to turn a million corpses into ash was unimaginable. It wouldpletely derail the war effort. Even then, creating a single body took hours of time, even with the most modern methods from the 21st century. It would take decades to dispose of such a monumental volume of bodies in that manner.


    This meant that the only real option was to dig a mass grave and carefully dispose of the bodies which had been exposed to chemical weapons. It was a long and arduous process. One that damn near broke Heinrich''s psyche as he disposed of men, women, and children by tossing their unrecognizable remains into a giant unmarked grave.


    Not even pets were spared from the brutality of this war, and it had only just begun. Because of this, he stared off into space, smoking a cigarette with apletely defeated expression on his face. It was at that moment that Bruno passed sat down next to the man and handed him a message. One that thoroughly snapped him out of his daze.


    "What''s this?"


    Bruno stole Heinrich''s cigarette straight from his hand when the man wasn''t paying attention and took a long drag from it before tossing it aside, stomping out from under his feet as he walked away with only a brief statement in response.


    "Letters from the home front..."


    Heinrich quickly tore open the letter, which bore the mark of Bruno''s house, and saw what was written inside, cursing under his breath as he ran off to Bruno and yelled at him from behind.


    "You fucking bastard! Did you know?"


    Bruno turned around and looked at the man with a stern expression on his face, before giving the man a grim warning as he did so.


    "I''d be careful with that tone of yours my old friend. Look around you and see what happened to thest people who provoked my fury... Now I''m going to let you rephrase your words, which I''m assuming were spoken in haste and without much thought..."


    The air around Belgrade was stale, and fog persisted through the hollowed city streets, making it seem like the city capital was haunted by the souls of the citizens who once lived there. Heinrich calmed himself with a deep breath before asking the question he really meant to say, but was too emotional to properly express.


    "Do you know what your wife has done?"


    Bruno looked at his friend as if he were an idiot, before pointing out a subtle fact about the letter that was in his hands.


    "How could I possibly know what that letter entails? It was sealed when you got your hands on it, was it not?"


    Heinrich quickly looked down at the letter in his hands, realizing how stupid he sounded right


    now.


    "I''m sorry... That was rude of me... and quite foolish. You know that I''m just having a hard time with what we did here is all. I... I think I need some air..."


    Bruno walked over and pat his friend on the back, assuring him that all was forgiven as he did


    So.


    "No worries, I know what I ordered the men to do doesn''t sit right with you. But you know why I did it right? You know what they did... I mean it has been all over the paperstely. Rumors of this so called ck Hand and their various misdeeds...


    The truth is, they are very real, and I stumbled upon them purely by chance during my first visit to Serbia. Since then, they have tried to im my head on multiple asions. I let it go, as they utterly failed to harm me time and again.


    That is until they decided to strike at people who I was barely acquainted with, solely because they knew me in passing. I can''t protect everyone I meet after all. But... If the ck Hand is willing to harm innocent people who have no real connection to me other than a chance encounter, then I can''t help but think who might try the same thing in the future?


    A message had to be made to my enemies, hiding throughout the shadows of the world. Such cowardice has consequences, and Belgrade will forever remind them of this fact... I won''t lie to you. What we did here was evil. But unfortunately, it was a necessary evil.


    After all, think what would happen if these shits tried to assault your daughter on her way home from the orphanage she works at, or God forbid, began picking off the kids you looked after a decade ago in Russia because they were loosely associated with me?"


    Fear was an excellent motivator. Was there a chance such a tragedy coulde to pass? Certainly, was it probable? Not in the slightest, there was a much longer list of targets other than Alya and some Russian orphans who were now adults that Heinrich had looked after during the Russian Ciivl War a decade prior.


    But the mere suggestion of such a possibility was all Bruno needed to convince Heinrich that sometimes evil deeds were needed to deter greater evil from happening to the ones you loved. Thus Heinrich sighed, and was able to solve the moral dilemma he was having, despite the fact that he was subtly intimidated into doing so.


    "I suppose you''re right... God I can''t even think about such a thing happening to Alya, a city alone would not sate my bloodlust if such a thing came to pass. And besides, the stubborn bastards didn''t even try to surrender despite being surrounded, outnumbered, and outgunned by a superior foe.


    It''s ultimately the fault of the ck Hand and the Usurper who conspired with them that such a tragedy has urred."


    Heinrich was obviously not with Bruno when he met with the Serbian delegation. Had he been there he would have stood in Bruno''s way?


    Perhaps then Bruno may have been convinced not to destroy an entire city just to make a point to the world that he, and those connected to him were off limits from guile, subterfuge and


    plots of intrigue.


    Because of this, he did not know that the Serbians had actually tried to surrender, and that Bruno had killed them and buried the evidence in order to avoid facing war crimes for his


    heinous actions.


    Instead, before such a topic could continue into scrutiny, Bruno shifted the conversation to what had so thoroughly outraged Heinrich to begin with.


    "By the way, what was in that letter of yours that had you so outraged to begin with?"


    For a second Heinrich hadpletely forgotten about why he was so angry at Bruno, and quickly sighed and shook his head, admitting now that he realized Bruno could not possibly have known what his wife had done behind both their backs.


    "It''s not that important of a matter. I will just have to have a conversation with your wife once we are done with this dreadful war is all."


    Bruno smiled and nodded his head, patting his friend on the shoulder once more before walking off, leaving the matter settled with those words. That is until Bruno stopped in his tracks and turned around where he reached into his own pocket and pulled out an identical letter with its own seal already removed.


    The most shameless smirk the man had ever managed to express was written across his face as he admitted that he indeed knew what was inside and was simply gaslighting his friend. "By the way, my wife wrote to you about how neglectful you have been as a father. The fact that your daughter is about toe of age and is still yet to even have a single discussion about a potential engagement to a proper man? Simply disgraceful.


    Naturally, my wife sought my opinion on the matter long before she broached it with your daughter. Of course I gave her my approval well in advance... Wee to the family my


    friend!"


    Bruno walked off with a rather chipper step in his footing, having clearly provoked his friend well enough that he had forgotten all about the massive cost of life that had urred in this


    city just days before.


    Meanwhile, Heinrich cursed at Bruno and threw a small rock at his back, which missed the target by a mile. At the same time, he screamed obscenities at his best friend for screwingn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    with him in such a way.


    "You fucking prick!"

 Chapter 212: Welcome to Isonzo

    Chapter 212: Wee to Isonzo


    ?


    If there was one man throughout human history, you wanted in charge of "holding the line" it was none other than Svetozar Boroevi?. The man''s abilities in defensive warfare were quite legendary among those historians who knew his name.


    At least among those from the 21st century of Bruno''s past life. And there was a reason for this. Currently, he was tasked with holding the line in the Alps, and that''s exactly what he did. While Bruno had massacred Belgrade and dug in waiting for reinforcements to arrive, and for the enemy to attack in force.


    Svetozar was high up in the alpine mountains, standing within his own fortifications as he gazed upon the Italian Army below, who was desperately trying for the third time this month to break through the defenses he had previously established in the region.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Among Bruno''s inner circle, there were only two foreigners. And Svetozar was one of them. He had known well in advance that the war was going to break out, and because of this used his time, contacts, and resources to help prepare for it.


    Having been promoted to Feldmarschallleutnant in 1908, a rank exclusive to the Austro- Hungarian Armed Forces, Svetozar used his influence to ce himself in a position ofmand within the alpine region.


    In doing so he spent thest few years building proper fortifications in the area. To eventually hold the line long enough for Bruno to take the Balkans out ofmission. Once that would happen, Bruno would march his army group into the Alps and crush the Italians together with his ally and confident.


    Or so was the n, and because of this Svetozar was holding the line, even now. An artillery shell hit in the distance, yet near enough that shrapnel pinged off of Svetozar''s Stahlhelm. The man didn''t even flinch, as by now he was so ustomed to such explosive weaponry that he quite literally remained motionless as he continued to smoke his cigarette with a stoic expression on his face.


    As per usual, artillery barrages would precede an assault, once the guns stopped firing, and the whistles started blowing, the Italians would be running up the hills straight into rifle and machine gun fire. It was only a matter of time.


    Thus, all the Austro-Hungarian and German forces could do was wait. In the meantime, Generalfeldmarschal August von Mackensen, who while technically in control of the Isonzo Theater at this point, hadrgely delegated authority over the defenses to his Austro- Hungarian ally, walked over and spoke to the infamous Croatian General with a letter in his hand.


    The letter was addressed not to the German Field Marshal, despite the nature of its origin, but instead to the Austro-Hungarian General, who only moved a muscle once he noticed the elderly man approaching him.


    "I have received word from Belgrade. The Serbian Army has arrived, and along with them are 200,000 Turks. Bruno states he will hold his ground until reinforcements arrive, and that we should do the same....


    Although I have no idea why he addressed you rather than me with this letter, is he aware that I am relying on your expertise? Did you inform him of this without my knowledge?"


    Svetozar finally spoke, and when he did, it was almost as if a statue hade to life. He flicked his cigarette away, over the edge of the trench, and by extension the Cliffside it was built into before snatching the letter from August von Mackensen''s hands.


    Briefly reading its contents before handing it back. The man lookedpletely unphased as he spoke rather openly about the ties he had to Bruno.


    "It''s not exactly a secret that he and I are acquainted. Where do you think my men acquired the MP-05s that are otherwise exclusively sold to the German Army? And before youment, we received permission from your Kaiser to do so after the assassination of the Archduke.


    It was seen as a necessary war preparation by both of our nations'' leadership. If you must know he told me at the start of this that he would seize control of the Balkans and force the Serbians to capitte by year''s end, after which he would, send his forces here so we can take out the Italian Army together.


    He is merely giving me an update on his situation after certain unforeseen circumstances arose out of that hellish region..."


    August von Mackensen looked at Svetozar strangely while asking the question, which perplexed him.


    "Hellish Region? Are you referring to the Balkans? Aren''t you from Croatia?"


    Svetozar looked at the German Field Marshal as if he were an idiot before exining exactly why he had said what he said.


    "Of course, nobody knows how atrocious the Balkans can be more than those of us who live there. Now, do you have any other questions? Because in case you didn''t notice, there are whistles ringing in the distance. Which gives us about two minutes before we have to deal with a horde of screeching Italians-"


    August von Mackensen simply shook his head, before unslinging the MP-34 on his shoulder, and making to shore a round was chambered and that it was ready to fire. After doing so, he held it by his side, thinking about how great of an advantage such a weapon was in trench warfare.


    Svetozar returned his gaze to the distance, where he saw a field of greyish green uniforms were rushing up the hill towards their defences. He couldn''t help scoff at the absurdity of the situation they were all in.


    "Is it just me, or did everyone and their mother decide on the same color of uniform for this war? I swear to God, if it weren''t for the fact that the Italians had opted for those shitty French Adrian Helmets I would have a hard time determining who precisely is friend or foe..."


    August von Mackensen gazed through his binocrs upon the hostile force and realized that the Austro-Hungarian general had made a valid point. It wasn''t strange for the German Army and the Austro-Hungarian Army to both adopt Feldgrau as the primary color of their uniforms.


    The Germans had been among the first to adopt an earthly tone as their standard uniform, and due to the close rtions between them and the Dual Monarchy, it made sense that the Austro-Hungarian Army would follow suit.


    But it was very strange that the Italian Uniform not only shared a near identical color, but also a simr overall design to the German Army attire which was based upon the designs used by the German Reich during thetter years of the Great War from Bruno''s past life. Ultimately, they didn''t have much time to ponder the absurdity of the situation they were in as soon enough gunfire was exchanged between the two factions on the front lines, and the two generals were busymunicating orders to the men stationed there.


    For the third time since the Great War had begun less than a month prior, the Isonzo Theater continued in its intensity.

 Chapter 213: For Faith, King, and Fatherland!

    Chapter 213: For Faith, King, and Fathend!


    ?


    Rain once more poured upon the Balkanndscape, flooding the trenches built outside the Serbian capital of Belgrade, which was now a ghost city. Fog ruled throughout the city and its surroundings, as echoes of artillery and gunfire in the distance crept throughout the haunted ruins of what had once been a thriving metropolis.


    It was clear that whatever reinforcements were closest to Bruno''s position had encountered the Serbian Army, or whatposed the provisional government''s armed forces after Bruno had massacred the overwhelming majority of the Serbian Royal Army, both in the initial engagement of the war and when he gassed the capital of the once-proud vic kingdom.


    The blood-curdling screams in the distance, as well as the strange sounds that urred when raindrops nged against steel helmets and artillery pieces, did not help the eerie atmosphere. Many believed they were hearing haunted echoes of the ghosts who had once lived peacefully in the city behind the trenches.


    Bruno, however, was not a superstitious man, nor did he care much about the squabbling of the men beneath hismand. Instead, he peered into the fog, standing in the rain, gazing over the edges of the trench with his naked eyes.


    A plume of smoke exuded from his mouth as Heinrich approached him, concerned about the sounds of battle in the distance and whether or not they should reinforce their allies, who were clearly fighting a pitched battle in the field not far away.


    "Sir... Are we seriously just going to sit here and wait out the battle? Would this not be a great chance to envelop the enemy from behind and eliminate them?"


    Bruno, however, remained silent as he listened to thebat ambience, as if there were something in particr he was trying to detect among the many distinctive and chaotic sounds emerging from the armed battle between the two armies.


    Heinrich was one of the few men who had been granted permission to be informal with Bruno, his superior officer, so long as the two were in private. But there were enlisted soldiers standing near them; they were, after all, gazing into the fog at the front lines for a better chance of piercing its vast miasma of concealment.


    Because of this, the man had to use somewhat formalnguage, even if it was still rtivelyx by military standards. Bruno did not respond to anything the man had said and continued to sternly gaze into the distance.


    That was until he finally recognized the sound he was hearing. It admittedly took him longer than it should have to identify the source, as the thought of using such means ofbat, even after most of the world''s major and minor powers considered it woefully obsolete, was almost unthinkable to Bruno.


    Perhaps if he had properly understood the haste with which the Provisional Army was mustered, as well as those whoposed its ranks, he would have guessed sooner. Either way, he didn''t have much time to prepare.


    Luckily for him, his soldiers were equipped with highly mobile and rapid-firing weapons, which he instantly conveyed orders to by shouting toward the most needed men in that very moment.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I need a machine gun team on my location ASAP! Cavalry charge inbound, ETA two minutes!"


    Cavalry charge? Was Bruno being serious? Either way, nobody dared to disobey the orders of a man who had gained three terrifying nicknames over the course of his military career. Because of this, a machine gun team rushed over to where Bruno was standing and rapidlyid down an MG-34, mounting its bipod on top of the sandbag in front of them while they ensured a round was chambered.


    In addition, every rifleman within the vicinity, as well as the NCOs with their submachine guns, rushed over to the edge of the trench line, preparing for contact with the enemy. Bruno himself prepared for the approaching moment as he unslung his submachine gun off his shoulder and turned off the safety.


    The man continued to smoke with the cigarette in his mouth while his weapon was shouldered, and his line of sight was gazing down the aperture toward the fog in front of him. Heinrich stood by Bruno''s side, as did Erich, who rushed over with his own MG-34, which he likewise mounted in a position that gave him optimal performance.


    Bruno looked over at the man with an almost envious gaze, dropping the cigarette from his mouth and into the mud beneath his feet as he questioned his friend about the weapon he had mysteriously acquired.


    "Where in the holy hell did you get that? Last time I checked, you weren''t issued a machine gun..."


    Erich smirked at Bruno with a sinister gaze, almost as if he were all too eager to gun down the charging enemy with rapid fire.


    "Never mind you where I got my hands on such a beautiful engine of destruction! If you think for one moment I''m going to give up the opportunity to shoot an MG-05, you have gone insane, sir!"


    Heinrich looked at his two friends and how excited they were for the prospect ofbat and realized he might very well be the only sane member among their infamous trio, going so far as to issue hisints in the most respectful manner possible.


    "With all due respect, sir, I think that you and your adjutant here are a little too eager to engage with the enemy..."


    Erich looked over at Heinrich and rolled his eyes, as if his old friend was a buzzkill, while Bruno patted the man on the back and assured him that the reason he was so excited for this uing skirmish was not because he was particrly sadistic, but because this might very well be a historical moment they were about to take part in.


    "Oh, my dear old friend... Sometimes I wonder if you are a bit too simple-minded... Why would I not be excited about this moment? After all, this might very well be thest cavalry charge ever recorded in human history... And we are about to y a critical role in it!"


    When Heinrich realized he could neither refute Bruno''s words nor truly condemn the man for being a bit too excited to make history, he simply shook his head and sighed as he spoke the only words that were appropriate for him to say in this situation.


    "God fucking dammit..."


    The Provisional Government of Serbia had rushed conscription, training, and deployment of its male poption-or at least those capable of bearing arms. Because of this, they rounded up all the old veterans from previous service and sent them off to retake Belgrade. This was a desperate move, one that was ill-conceived. Its intent was simple: deal as many casualties to the German armies entrenched there before the enemy reinforcements could arrive to aid them.


    Hence the existence of cavalry-old horsemen who had been called upon once more to serve their nation in a time of war. They dragged their weary old bones onto the steeds they were given and were sent to charge the enemy defenses.


    In addition to this, there were infantry and artillery men supporting them, albeit much of their equipment was woefully obsolete by this point. The Serbian arsenal had not exactly produced record numbers of modern equipment in preparation for a global war in which they would sustain heavy losses.


    Because of this, Serbian logistics were currently a rather jumbled mess of various different weapons and munitions, few of which sharedmonality in caliber. It was not exactly an exaggeration to say that a soldier in the Serbian Provisional Army could expect his supply line to end when he ran out of whatever he was carrying on him in that very moment.


    It was far from an ideal situation for Serbia and the men who were conscripted to fight for itsst gasp of breath. But then again, none of them had expected their leadership to drive them


    all into the depths of hell.


    Unfortunately, it would appear that God was not on Serbia''s side, as before they could reach the fortifications established around Belgrade over the course of thest month since Bruno first gassed the city''s poption into extinction, the 1st and 2nd Provisional Armies encountered the Austro-Hungarians on their route to the capital-or what remained of it. The fighting was intense, but the Austro-Hungarians were ultimately forced to withdraw, as they were heavily outnumbered by the Serbian conscripts, and their military was not exactly on par with the level of training, equipment, and, frankly,munication as those operating under Bruno''smand.


    Losses were more than the Serbians were expecting during the battle, but Belgrade was within their sight, and these old men had a job to do: sacrifice their lives to inflict as many casualties on the German army as they possibly could. And that was ultimately the objective of this suicidal mission they had been given.


    At the very least, this would buy the Serbian Provisional Government time to prepare the younger generations to fight a proper war. These old men were all too aware of the sacrifice they were making. Even so, they were undeterred as the officer in charge of the cavalry forces blew his whistle and raised his sword as the charge began.


    "For Faith, King, and Fathend!"

 Chapter 214: Witnessing the End of an Era

    Chapter 214: Witnessing the End of an Era


    ?


    The battle cry of the Serbian Royal Army rang throughout the mists, echoing like thunder and apanied by the bellows of the hooves of their steeds. There was no mistaking it-the cavalry was charging at them in full force. Because of this, Bruno gave the order to his men to unleash hell upon them, even if they could not fully see the enemy.


    "Open fire!"


    If he hadn''t had tinnitus before, Bruno most certainly did now, as did every other soldier standing in the mud and rain as they sprayed lead blindly downrange as quickly as possible. Semi-automatic rifles,bined with the varying rates of fire from the submachine guns wielded by nonmissioned andmissioned officers alike, as well as the relentless machine gun teams, filled the air with a deafening roar.


    There was always more ammo and spare barrels awaiting them. In addition to this, mortars of varying sizes fired off into the mist randomly and without direct aim, hoping at the very least that the shrapnel alone would deal some damage to potential enemies.


    Evidently, the reckless and wanton violence that the Germans had chosen to unleash upon the voices within the fog had a real effect. Moments after the shots began to ring out, screams of men and horses alike could be overheard-assuming one was not already deafened by the monumental volume of lead they were sending downrange.


    Whether by sheer chance or sheer volume, one by one horses emerged from the fog, their riders raising swords and guns alike as they tried desperately to reach the trenches thaty no more than 300 meters in front of them.


    It was a n that might have worked, if not for the preparations the Germans had made in advance. If the barbed wire didn''t snare the old nags and trap them like flies in a spiderweb, then the far more sinister surprise lying just beneath the surface would do them and their riders in.


    In fact, the steed of the man leading the charge-or who at least appeared to be, due to the extravagance of his old headwear from a long-forgotten era-was the first to step on a hidden S-mine. Without even understanding what had happened, the legs of his horse were blown out from under it as a mine bounced into the air and burst before the cavalry officer even knew it was there.


    The man was thrown from his steed, covered in the blood of the brilliant gelding he had been given for this conflict-as well as some of his own, as, much to his dismay, he found his torso leaking profusely with his bodily fluids. One of the many ball bearings from the detonated mine had struck him, delivering what would be a mortal blow.


    Assuming he made it out of this ce alive, he would need immediate care if he even wanted a chance of survival. But his fate was here and now, as he stared down at the man wearing the greatcoat, cap, and insignia of a German Generalfeldmarschall.


    Bruno was no more than a hundred yards away from the old man who had suffered a rather horrific fate due to his preparations.


    Precisely how the old Serbian cavalry officer had managed to prate so deep into no man''snd without getting caught in barbed wire or detonating and mine sooner? Only God truly knew. But one thing was certain: the German general staring at him ended his life then and there with a sinister smirk and a squeeze of the trigger.


    Bang.


    Bruno had to admit, even he did not know how the Serbianmander had reached so far into his no man''snd with impunity. Fortunately, the man was not protected by plot armor and had indeed fallen to the manynd mines hidden in the vast territory outside the trenches, which were filled with barbed wire and such horrific devices.


    In fact, the Serbians never really had a chance. Land mines had been developed by Bruno specifically for this war and were currently only being employed on the borders with France and here outside Belgrade.


    There were engines of war that could be used to clear these sinister contraptions thoroughly, but that would have to wait until after the battle was over. In the meantime, Bruno shifted his focus from the man he had just killed with a bullet to the head and instead aimed toward one of the other men-screaming and pleading as they were stuck in mud and barbed wire.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Others were too fearful to move forward or back as they saw theirrades already blown to bits by the explosives hidden beneath the surface of the earth. It was truly a fearsome sight, even if one was aware of the existence ofnd mines.


    But this? This was like the earth itself was exploding beneath their feet for no logical or rational reason, as if God himself had decided to mercilessly toy with them in a way they could neitherprehend nor escape from.


    Once the Serbian army, or what remained of it after battling the Austro-Hungarians to a Pyrrhic victory, found itself trapped within Bruno''s vast of death, there was nothing they could do but wait for Death to im them.


    Those who had not yet given up on life tried to return fire against the Germans. But it was a futile task. Many were equipped with old and obsolete weapons, even if they had modern bolt-action rifles issued to the Royal Serbian Army prior to its annihtion at Bruno''s hands. How could they effectively counter a well-fortified and entrenched army equipped entirely with semi-automatic and automatic weapons? A few lucky Serbian soldiers managed to hit a small number of German soldiers whose steel-ted skulls were the only thing exposed above the trench line.


    But to im that more than a hundred German soldiers were injured or died in this engagement? That would be absurd. It was truly a one-sided ughter that left no dignity to its victims, and that was just how Bruno liked his battles to unfold.


    Because of this, the suicidal assault of the Serbian Provisional Army on their upied capital would live on in infamy as thest great cavalry charge in human history-one far more infamous and tragic than the legendary "Charge of the Light Brigade."


    As often as Bruno had said it over thest decade, today was the day the world realized it was truly the end of an era. And he was front and center to witness its final glory, orck thereof.


    The age of knights and chivalry had gone out with a violent and gruesome death, one that was all too emblematic of what this Great War woulde to represent, both in this life and the


    previous one.

 Chapter 215: Violating Neutrality

    Chapter 215: Viting Neutrality


    ?


    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It had been well over a month since the outbreak of war before Bruno received his


    reinforcements at Belgrade. Allowing him time to properly organize and prepare for the next step and subduing the Balkans.


    In the meantime, the French were sustaining heavy casualties in every field of war they fought in. Whether it was their attempts to break through Elsass-Lothringen or any of the other areas along the border they shared with Germany.


    The Germans had prepared a series of fortifications so grand that there was a railway built beneath them, ferrying troops from one section of the border to another, allowing for reinforcements and supplies to rapidly arrive where they were needed at any given moment to repel the French assaults.


    These trains were armored, and armed to such a capacity that they did not need to fear French reprisal when they ventured beyond the more fortified sections of the border which concealed them from enemy fire.


    This more or less allowed the German Army to send soldiers and resources wherever they were needed, at any given time, and withplete impunity.


    And this had gotten on the nerves of the French High Command, who had sent well over 200,000 men to their deaths in the course of a single month of warfare. And with not a single inch of ground to show for it.


    If that were not bad enough, French Colonies in Asia hade under attack, specifically those within Indochina. They were aware that the Japanese were a part of the Imperial Powers, but it had beenpletely unexpected that the Imperial Japanese Army wouldunch a full scale invasion against Allied colonies in the region.


    In 1912, Emperor Meiji had passed away as a result of Uremia. Despite Bruno''s hefty investments into the field of medicine, dialysis, which was the only known way to treat such a disease, was still years away from being invented by the time of the legendary Japanese Emperor''s death.


    Because of this, his son Yoshihito, who after his eventual passing would be known by the name of Emperor Taisho, hade to power. And in doing so, he had brought the full weight of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy to bear on the western allied powers who had colonized much of the Asian continent.


    As per German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian Agreements with the 4th member of their military alliance, the Japanese were allowed to keep any ground seized in their assault against the Colonial Possessions of the Allied Powers, assuming of course they were capable of maintaining their hold over it.


    After all, the other three empires within the Imperial Powers were all centered in Europe, with limited assets in Asia, and those assets were more or less dedicated to the control over their territories in the region.


    Imperial Japan was on its own in its war against the Allied Powers. And that was fine. Even with the forces stationed in Asian holdings, the Allied Powersbined could not hold off the invasion of multiple fronts by the Empire of Japan.


    To say that the French were getting hit hard on all fronts was an understatement. And because of this, Leon was under increasing pressure to obtain some form of victory, if not simply for the sake of gaining public support for the War. Which was already starting to wane quite rapidly.


    Leon had broken out his medical supply kit where he found a ration of a particr white powdery substance. I''m talking, of course, about cocaine.... Yes, it was an interesting era, where cocaine and amphetamines were issued to troops on both sides as stimnts to maintain "operational readiness."


    Or at least, this had been the case in Bruno''s past life. But Bruno hade from the future and knew the drawbacks of such drugs, as well as the actual detriments they posed in a field ofbat, which often outweighed the benefits.


    Because of this, the German Army had a strict no drugs policy. With the consumption of opiates, amphetamines, cocaine, and pretty much every substance of the era outside of nicotine being worthy of a court martial, if it were discovered that one was using it.


    This included alcohol, which was only permitted outside of an active war-zone and while a soldier was not currently on duty. Even then, they were only permitted to consume a small amount. If they were intoxicated or hungover by the time they were expected to serve, there would be serious ramifications.


    Better forms of medicine existed within the German Reich for use within field hospitals and field clinics. Preventing the use of morphine within the war, which had been a serious blight among wounded servicemen within Burno''s past life.


    But these strict rules only existed within the German Army. Even their allies partook of these substances as if they werepletely normal. Let alone the allied powers. Leon was no exception, drawing out the powdery snow white substance on the tableid out within his tent, before snorting it outright for maximum effect.


    He could feel a jolt of electricity shoot directly though his brain as he pounded the desk with his fist in excitement, as he quickly hopped up out of his seat in a better mood than he had been in after receiving orders from hismanding officer to initiate a march through Belgium and Luxembourg in order to attack German territory further north.


    Belgium was neutral in the war, as was Luxembourg, neither of which had dered for any side, nor shared any information. In fact, the Germans had been exceptionally generous with the two nations neighboring their borders, doing everything they could to ensure the two nations did not report the building of fortifications on their borders.


    While assuring them it was meant to prevent an outright French invasion, and was not a sign of hostility to the two nations. In addition to this the German Kaiser assured both the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Kingdom of Belgium, that if the French were to make any aggressive moves towards them, they simply needed to call upon the German Reich for aid, and the German Army would be at their beck and call.


    Because of this, the German Reich had fostered better rtionships with their neighbors than in the previous life Bruno hade from. And Leon was currently facing the consequences of that. As the French, just like the Germans with their Schlieffen n, had long since plotted to use Belgium and Luxembourg as a staging point.


    They had just not initially done so, hoping to break through Alsace-Lorraine first. With this goal thoroughly dashed by the extent of the German Border fortifications, they found themselves with no choice but to proceed with their alternative n.


    Thus, Leon stood up from his seat with an increased an unnatural vigor, as he sought out his adjutant, and dered the orders that had been given to him by the French Army''s High Command.


    "Ry my orders to the men... We are to pack up our equipment and head north. Under themand of my superiors, we are to march through Luxembourg and attack the Germans on their border located there... Any questions?"


    Leon''s Adjutant immediately knew that hismanding officer was high off his rocker, as the man''s pupils were dted to an absurd degree, and because of this he was quick to scratch his nose, suffering from a simr addiction problem before asking Leon the immediate question that came to his mind.


    "Should I inform the men to break out their medical kits and consume the remainder of their marching powder?"


    Marching powder being the ng of the era for cocaine, it was obvious to Leon who was a frequent abuser of the stimnt what his subordinate was referring to. And since he was


    already high as a kite of the substance, he couldn''t fathom how less Columbian snow could possibly be a bad thing, thus he was quick to approve this order.


    "Why the hell not!?! We''re marching to victory, are we not? Better to be in our peak condition, don''t you think?"


    Leon didn''t realize it, nor did the leadership of the French Republic, but in their desperation for some form of victory against the Germans, one which was reliant on faulty intelligence, they were about to drive the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg into the hands of the German Reich. Luxembourg was a nation with aplicated history, due to the enmity between France and Germany that had existed since the breakup of the Carolingian Empire in 887 AD. They were as much German and French as Elsass-Lothringen, and Switzend were.


    But unlike Elsass-Lothringen, Luxembourg had maintained its independence as a Grand Duchy... Until now, that is. In Bruno''s past life, Luxembourg was upied by the German Reich as a result of the Great War, and was given back their independence following the defeat


    of the Central Powers in 1918.


    However, with the changes Bruno had made in this life, it was clear that France had suddenly be the aggressor, and in doing so, they would ensure that Luxembourg called upon the army of the German Reich to aid in their defense.


    And in doing so forever changing the course of history for the rtively small and minor


    European Nation.

 Chapter 216: The Lion of Africa Strikes Back

    Chapter 216: The Lion of Africa Strikes Back


    ?


    The War in Africa was unfolding just as it had in Bruno''s past life. General der Infanterie Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, who had earned himself the nickname "the Lion of Africa" in his past life, was proving to be every bit as much a menace to the Allied invasion of German colonial territories within the continent as he had been then.


    Outmanned by several hundred thousand men and outgunned against an enemyrgely equipped with modern weapons, von Lettow-Vorbeck and his troops used firearms and artillery primarily issued during the previous century.


    The German general was regarded as the leader of the single most effective gueri campaign in human history, and rightfully so. This absolute madman was leading a force of 2,700 primarily local African colonial conscripts against an enemy invasion of 20,000 British soldiers.


    These were, of course, just the initial figures. By the end of the Great War in Bruno''s past life, General der Infanterie Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck hadmanded a maximum force of 18,000 men, holding off 250,000 Allied troops in the East African Campaign for four full years, and was thest German general to surrender in the war.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    This was 250,000 men who could have been sent to Europe but were instead tied up in the colonies, where they suffered nearly ten deaths for every German Schutztruppe killed in action. His sess in the war had been a near-mythical feat, one that, sadly, remained unknown to the majority of people long after he aplished it.


    In this life, Bruno had worked behind the scenes to ensure that the Schutztruppe under themand of the Lion of Africa was equipped with the modern weapons needed to kill ten times the already astonishing number they had in Bruno''s past life.


    Because of this, the highly mobile gueri force was armed with G-43 semi-automatic rifles, MP-34 submachine guns, MG-34 general-purpose machine guns, and man-portable mortars in the 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm varieties.


    In addition, they were equipped with 7.5cm FK 16 NA field guns, which were lighter in weight and could be carried by pack horses. Their uniforms were mostly the same, but instead of the infamous pith helmets, they used 1916 pattern Stahlhelms to protect their skulls from enemy artillery fire.


    This would, hopefully, reduce casualties. Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, unlike othermissioned officers and NCOs who favored the rapid-fire MP-34 submachine guns, much preferred the semi-automatic G-43. This already gave him a substantial increase in rate of fire over his foes, while also providing superior range, uracy, and control over how he spent his limited munitions.


    Because of this, he sat on horseback with the rifle slung across his back, gazing through his binocrs at the British expeditionary force sent into German East Africa to deal with him and his men.


    The British were expecting a full surrender, but instead, General von Lettow-Vorbeck surprised his enemies by withdrawing his troops, weapons, and supplies as they fled deeper ind, forcing their adversary to pursue them.


    The British had yet to actually seebat as they had not been capable ofnding troops into France. Even now, despite their redoubled efforts to do so, they were eager for a victory and had quickly fallen into the trap which the Lion of Africa hadid for them.


    His men were hiding behind a berm, with their rifles and machine gunsid bare in the prone position, while mortars and artillery hiding in the bush were already loaded and aimed at the advancing British forces.


    Upon seeing the British colonial army caught in his trap, General von Lettow-Vorbeck could not help but sigh and shake his head as hemented on how easy this victory would be, all while speaking to his second-inmand.


    "I honestly did not expect them to pursue us to this extent, with little regard for their surroundings. Tell me, my old friend, is theirmander an absolute fool? Or are things going so poorly for them in Europe that they feel the need to chase us relentlessly without caring for their own survival, all in pursuit of some vain sense of victory?"


    The officer second-inmand to General von Lettow-Vorbeck did not reply directly but reached back to the phone attached to his radiomunications backpack, where he gave the order to open fire-first with mortars and artillery, then with a crossfire of machine guns and rifles-to thoroughly obliterate the 20,000 British soldiers who had pursued them into the German East African wilderness.


    "Fire on the enemy position! On my mark! 3... 2... 1... Unleash Hell!"


    The British officer tasked with leading the force that outnumbered the German Schutztruppe was a man by the name of Major-General Sir Arthur Reginald Hoskins. He was a highly decorated senior officer of the British Royal Army, having served in various colonial conflicts over the past few decades.


    Among his des wasmand over forces during the Second Boer War. To say he understood the modern battlefield, inparison to the haughty and foolish old men at the helm of the European theater back home, was an understatement.


    Even so, his orders were simple: pursue, rout, and destroy the Germans in East Africa should they refuse to surrender. And refuse to surrender they had. Because of this, he was forced to y a game of cat and mouse under the African sun, dabbing his neck, which was sweating profusely, with a handkerchief while hemented on the dreadful climate.


    "I swear, three generations of my family could live here, and we would never quite be ustomed to the local weather. I do hope we manage to find the enemy soon, as I would hate to spend another day in this horrific climate..."


    Just as he said this, a mosquito bit his neck. He quickly pped it with his palm, killing the insect on the spot, all while demanding a ration of medication used to stave off mria, which the British general feared contracting.


    "Oi! You there, yes, you! Break out the quinine! I''ve had enough of these abominable mosquitos for one day, and I''ll be damned if I get ill because of these damned little buggers!"


    The colonial soldier required trantion for the English words spoken to him, a task about to be performed when the thunder of guns echoed in the distance. The moment the British general heard this, he knew it wasn''t the weather-it was an ambush. He cried out an order to his soldiers.


    "My God... Get down! All of you-"


    It was toote. A 75mm shell fired by German artillery from within the bush struck almost directly on top of the British general, killing him and his entiremand staff in an instant. Afterward, more barrages fired by German artillery and mortars struck the British army as they struggled to unhitch their heavy machine guns and field guns from their pack mules.


    But before they could do so, the pitter-patter of machine guns and semi-automatic rifles erupted across the bush, sealing their fate.

 Chapter 217: Massacre at Yerevan

    Chapter 217: Massacre at Yerevan


    ?


    Echoes of gunfire rang throughout the city of Yerevan as the screams of Ottoman soldiers apanied them throughout the distance. At the outbreak of the Great War, and the Ottoman Empire''s entry within it, the Russians had marched with full force into Ottoman Armenia.


    Their goal was clear: the liberation of the ancient Christian Kingdom, which had for too long been beneath the oppressive thumb of the Ottoman Caliphate. The Russians had initiated the Caucasus Campaign at the onset of the Great War, and in doing so had marched into the Turkishnds with a fury that few, if anyone, could have anticipated.


    Even Bruno would have never guessed just how far-reaching the butterfly effect truly was. In his past life, Russia had more or less always been a backwater power. One that had, for a variety of reasons, alwaysgged behind the most powerful European nations.


    This was true even in the cold war, where the Soviet Union''s sole real im to the status of a global superpower was the fact that they had a nuclear arsenal that could easily destroy the world several times over.


    Especially if exchanged with the weapons of mass destruction which the members of NATO hoarded themselves. The nuclear weapons, however, werergely the achievement of captured German scientists who the Soviet Union had seized after the downfall of Germany during the Second World War.


    However, as previously mentioned, Bruno had changed things in this world in ways which he never could have understood. As a result of the Russian Civil War beginning over a decade early, and the effectiveness that the Iron Division had against the Red Army during the war. The Russian Empire waspletely overhauled over the course of the next decade.


    Whether it was the end of the Tsar''s autocracy resulting in a constitution far more simr to the one used by the German Reich, or the massive industrialization efforts supported by Germany, Austro-Hungary and, more importantly, Bruno''s financial assets.


    Or simply the fact that the Field Marshal in charge of Russia''s army had learned many lessons from his close friendship with Bruno. The Russian Army had entered the Great War not as some sniveling backwater force, riddled with corruption, ipetency, andck of proper funding.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Rather, they marched into the Balkans and the Caucasus as the Second greatest Army in the world. Whether it was the individual equipment they utilized, which included arger number of heavy machine guns, modernized artillery, armored cars, armored trains, andbat aircraft than their rivals on the global stage.


    Or just simply the efficiency, andpetency of their leadership, from the levels of non-missioned officers to the highest Staff Officers, to put it simply, Russia had begun to live up to its full potential, which was something it had never truly achieved throughout human history.


    This in itself would be a truly terrifying thought to anyone who had provoked the wrath of the bear under such circumstances. And the Ottomans had done just that. Because of this, the Turks were paying the price, centuries long grudges held between them and the Russians were finally being settled, and the consequences of previous hostilities were now being paid in full with blood.


    Field Marshal Mikhail Alekseyev stood among the scorched ruins of the Ottoman position which his troops had just effortlessly over run. Turkish soldiers were being rounded up and shot in the streets with little regard to the rules of war.


    Russia, after all, had always been a nation that had a reputation for disregarding the rules of war, and when fighting against the Turks, they simply pretended as if they were ignorant of such notions. Hauge Conventions? Geneva Conventions? Howpelling, now line against the wall!


    Then again, Field Marshal Mikhail Alekseyev believed he wasn''t the only one who disregarded the rules of war when it suited him. Bruno had earned himself a reputation for massacring enemy armies, and the civilians who were caught in the explosion of his fury.


    Hence why he had earned himself the nickname "the Red Scourge" during the Russian Civil War, or more recently, "the Butcher of Belgrade."


    If you asked Mikhail what he thought of the situation in Serbia, he would say that he was certain Serbia had most certainly tried to surrender the moment they realized there was no path to victory, and yet Bruno had gassed the city, regardless.


    Most likely burying any evidence of the Serbian Government''s attempts to surrender as he did so. And if people were not condemning Bruno for the crimes he had rather obviouslymitted, then how would they dare to condemn him?


    Because of this, the Russian Field Marshal flicked the cigarette he had just finished before pulling out his sidearm, which after ensuring a round was properly seated he pointed the muzzle of his pistol towards the head of the Turkish General who was kneeling in front of him, crying and pissing himself in fear as he begged for mercy in his native tongue.


    This only further served to aggravate the Russian General who said a statement filled with contempt and disdain not only for the Ottoman General but the Turks as a people altogether. "I''m sorry, but I don''t speak thenguage of roaches like yourself!"


    After saying this, Mikhail pulled the trigger, sttering the Ottoman General''s blood and gray matter all over the earth below. After which an echo of several more gunshots, which were fired in unison, crackled throughout the sky like thunder.


    The bodies of over two dozen Ottoman Officers copsed into the same mass grave that their general''s corpse had fallen into just a moment prior. The Ottoman Army, or at least those who had not broken ranks and fled the battlefield, would be thoroughly massacred to thest man and buried in a mass grave outside Yerevan.


    Only those who confessed to be conscripts of a Christian minority were spared the Russian wrath. And while the Massacre at Yerevan would forever be known as a Russian War Crimemitted against the surrendered forces of the Ottoman Army, it had also managed to spare over a million lives without anyone other than Bruno being the wiser.


    The Russian advance into Yerevan, and in the following months the liberation of Armenia as a whole would interestingly enough to prevent the Armenian Genocide from urring. Which in Bruno''s past life had been perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire and the ruling Young Turks party beginning in the year 1915.

 Chapter 218: A Final Admission of Defeat

    Chapter 218: A Final Admission of Defeat


    ?


    News of the Liberation of Armenia reached the German Reich shortly after the Russians kicked the Turks out of the region. Celebrations were had all over Armenia, where the Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and limited number of Germans who had engaged in the fighting were fully celebrated as heroes of war by the locals.


    As for the German Reich, it was seen as a major win for Christianity, even if the Armenians were generally of a different denomination. The liberation of Christiannds from Muslim upation was always a cause for celebration by the devout.


    And because of this, the Kaiser and his family were also having a feast to honor the sacrifices of those who had fallen in pursuit of this victory for Christendom. By now the Prussian Princess had been married off to some duke or another within the German Reich.


    Was she happy with her marriage? Not exactly, even though she had confessed to Bruno, and put her past affections to her, knowing that pursuing her childhood crush was ultimately an act of futility. She could not help butpare her husband to the man she had grown up fancying.


    And unfortunately, Victoria-Lousie was not along in this regard. Both the Tsar and the Austrian Emperor had brought their families to Berlin for the rtively minor asion. Using the Russian victory in Armenia as an excuse to get together and speak of future ambitions, and more importantly debate over war aims.


    Usually when a war was dered there were obvious objectives that each nation had in fighting it, but as was the case in Bruno''s past life, the Great War had more or lesse out of nowhere, and the territorial ambitions that each power had was loosely defined throughout the course of the conflict, and in many ways shifted as the years passed.


    Thus while the Kaiser, the Austrian Emperor, and the Tsar spoke of such important matters, the princesses gathered to gossip about Bruno''stest achievements, and sulk about how they had utterly lost out on whatever chanced they thought they may have had when they were younger to steal him away from his wife.


    Neither Hedwig nor Olga were yet married, despite being old enough to do so, even then, after hearing what Bruno had said to the Prussian Princess, from the woman''s mouth herself, they all sat there in despair, fully realizing that their husband, and future husbands would most likely fail topare to the man they all fancied when they were younger.


    With Hedwig, being the youngest of the trio, broaching a question to Victoria-Louise that she did not quite realize was wholly inappropriate.


    "So... I have to ask... Your husband, he''s the current Duke of Brunswick, correct? Is he serving in the war?"


    Victoria-Louise looked at her old friend, who ironically enough she had grown close to as a result of their mutual friendship with Bruno, as if the woman was a dunce, before outright questioning it to her face.


    "Are you daft Hedwig? My husband is a Duke. Even if he did sign up for the war he wouldn''t be fulfilling abat role. Every honor he has ever been granted has been the result of his position, that and the fact that he is technically my third cousin once removed, and thus shares some familial ties to the House of Hohenzollern...


    I mean honestly, when was thest time you heard of a Duke actually fighting his own battles?"


    Hedwig did not feel slightly insulted by the ruthless banter which her friend gave to her, instead pointing out that there was indeed a nobleman far more prominent currently serving on the front lines of war, and in doing so identally put her foot in her mouth.


    "Well, was it not a fortnight ago that Bruno fought on the front lines in the defense of Belgrade? I have it on good authority that he was personally there in the trenches shooting at the Serbian Provisional Army alongside the soldiers beneath hismand, and valiantly defending the city from their attempt to retake it when he did so!"


    Olga quickly facepalmed and sighed as she shook her head. They were trying to avoid talking about Bruno, and yet the Austrian Archduchess had taken the first opportunity to mention him. As for Victoria-Louise, she blushed in embarrassment.


    Not only had her friend rather innocently insulted her husband, by refuting her fact that a prominent nobleman had indeed taken up a position on the front lines of war. But the Prussian Princess also knew her father was already preparing an Iron Cross First ss for Bruno''s sessful defense at Belgrade.


    Because of this she was quick tosh out at the Archduchess of Austria for her poor choice of words.


    "Alright sure! But he''s different! You know what kind of madman he is! Four princesses confessed their love to him, and he decided instead to stick with hismoner wife, and pursue an early death fighting in war! What kind of madman does that?"


    Luckily for the trio of Princesses, Vicotria-Louise''s words had not carried far enough for anyone else to hear her outburst. Even so, they were all both embarrassed and depressed now that they thought about the matter.


    No matter who they married how could they everpare to their Prince Charming who they all held such high regards for? Unfortunately, it was never meant to be, and ultimately it was Olga who was quick to remind them of this fact.


    "Let''s just be happy for him. I mean the man is finally being given the awards he has long since deserved. I bet by the end of this war he and his family will not only be hereditary princes in Russia but also in Germany as well..."


    Hedwig was about to say something, but immediately bit her tongue. Which luckily for her went entirely unnoticed, because if she revealed her maternal grandfather''s ns to reward Bruno for dispatching the Serbian Royal Family, and the remnants of the ck Hand to hell, there would be serious repercussions for her and her loose tongue.


    As a result, she remained utterly silent, nodding her head, with a bitter smile on her face as she too admitted defeat, wanting nothing more than for Bruno to soar to the greatest heights, and to maintain the tonic friendship she had built with the man over the years.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 219: Invasion of Luxembourg Part I

    Chapter 219: Invasion of Luxembourg Part I


    ?


    Desperation was the mother of stupid decisions; when one felt cornered, they tended to be anxious, and when humans became anxious, they generally did not think through their decisions properly before putting them into motion.


    And this was the case for the French Army and their leadership. It was a tale as old as time itself, or at least as old as democracy... Politicians hid themselves away while starting wars neither they nor their privileged children had any intent to fight.


    At least monarchs generally fought in the wars they started-or they had in years past. In fact, during Bruno''s past life, thest national leader to fight in a war was actually King Albert I, who had rallied his forces and fought alongside them in a defensive operation against the Germans at the start of the Great War.


    In this timeline, however, Belgium continued to remain neutral, as Germany had chosen to fight on the defensive within the Western Front as a result of Bruno''s rmendations. This, however, would ultimately not seed in keeping Belgium out of the war.


    Because, as Germany had warned Belgium at the start of the Great War when going through proper diplomatic channels to seek military ess in order to strike at France, the French Army was not polite enough to afford the same courtesy.


    The French had, without provocation or prior statement, walked their soldiers into the borders of Belgium and Luxembourg alike, and on the same day no less. The immediate result was Luxembourg calling upon Germany for aid, as the Kaiser had previously promised the House of Luxembourg armed support in the event of a French invasion.


    As a result, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg had immediately sent a telegram to the Kaiser asking for his previously promised support. Wilhelm''s response was simple:


    "Within the hour, the French invaders wille to sorely regret their decision to invade a neutral nation."


    The Kaiser also rmended the House of Luxembourg arm any form of resistance they could to buy the German Army time to reach their aid. This, in and of itself, was, whilemon sense, not exactly a practical solution for a small nation like Luxembourg, which did not have an actual standing army.


    At best, they had twopanies of what were essentially volunteer units who performed the roles of civil defense andw enforcement. It was not exactly a force capable of opposing a French invasion, nor did they have the arms necessary to create an emergency militia.


    Thus, for the most part, Leon and his men were able to march through Luxembourg with rtive impunity.


    Years had passed since Leon was first given the rank of G¨¦n¨¦ral de brigade, which was the lowest General Officer rank within the French Army, and he had only recently been promoted at the start of the war to the rank of G¨¦n¨¦ral de division.


    Was a division of 25,000 men overkill when deployed against a nation such as Luxembourg, which could at most field 240 men in defense of its borders? Absolutely...


    However, Luxembourg was merely meant to be a staging point to attack German borders, which the French had, under ack of intelligence and wrongful assumptions, presumed their enemy had not fortified due to sharing a border with a neutral nation.


    So long as the 25,000 Frenchmen could strike at what they assumed was a weak point in German defenses and ovee those presumedck of defenders, then they could easily march a corps-sized unit straight into the fathend.


    Hence why Leon was incredibly smug when he and his men stood within the Luxembourg Pce, staring arrogantly at the current Grand Duchess, Marie-Ad?de, who had only turned twenty years old a month before the war broke out.


    Her father, the previous Grand Duke of Luxembourg, had passed away in 1912 with no sons and six daughters. As the oldest of her sisters, Marie-Ad?de was the heir presumptive at the time of her father''s passing and was coronated as the independent and neutral nation''s first female monarch shortly after her predecessor''s burial.


    By all ounts, Marie-Ad?de was a rather attractive woman. Having existed in an era before makeup became so advanced that it could magically conceal a woman''s imperfections, she had facial features that most men would consider to be appealing.


    And it was perhaps because of this that there was a mixture of lust included in the smug expression on Leon''s face as he demanded the woman''s full cooperation.


    "As you can see, Your Highness, the French Republic now controls your petty little monarchy. Frankly speaking, I think it would be in your best interest to treat me, your new overlord, with a bit more respect and grace than you have shown toward me up until this point... Being friendly with your upiers is simply a matter ofmon courtesy, no?"


    It was not as if the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg wasn''t aware of who Leon was. The French had, after all, made a big deal about the man and his supposed abilities as a militarymander. Rumor had it he was the Republic''s answer to the Wolf of Prussia.


    But upon meeting the man in person, Marie-Ad?de could not help but show the French general nothing short of disdain. Even her gaze toward him was as if he were beneath her in every manner. And this was not some snobbish noble attitude; rather, she truly felt that Leon was a lowly creature, one undeserving of the reputation he seemed to have.


    Because of this, she rather fearlessly chided the man for his ill-earned reputation as a capablemander.


    "Am I supposed to believe that a little rat like yourself is somehow the equal to the Wolf of Prussia, a man who, in his mid-twenties, routed the Russians at Port Arthur and annihted their army in Mukden?


    Only for a yearter to march a division of volunteers into the Russian hearnd, breaking the siege at Saint Petersburg, and hounding the Reds across the Siberianndscape, sniffing them out and tearing them apart down to thest man?


    A general so capable that he smashed half of the Serbian Army at their border within the first hours of your so-called Great European War, only to annihte what remained of their forces at Belgrade less than a monthter?


    What, pray tell, have you, General, done that is remotely so terrifying as to equal the Butcher of Belgrade in terms ofmand and ferocity? Your sole im to fame is that you massacred a few uppity savages in Madagascar.


    And that somehow earned you the infamy you allegedly possess? Allow me to be frank, General... Even if you invade mynds and upy my home, there is nothing you can do to force me to concede my family''snds to you. You are simply undeserving of such an admission of defeat..."


    Leon was not a man known for hisposure, and because of this, his face turned ugly just a moment before his hand struck, pping the Grand Duchess violently across the face and knocking her to the ground as he did so.


    Even so, she did not squeal in agony like amon pig. Not a sound escaped her lips as she wiped the blood from her mouth, cursing the Frenchman in her own native tongue, which he could notprehend.


    Knowing that she had insulted him, Leon lifted the woman up and screamed in her face while practically foaming at the mouth.


    "What did you just say to me, you fucking whore?"


    The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg simply smirked smugly as she once more spoke in perfect French so the fool knew exactly what she had said about him.


    "I said you hit like a little girl..."


    The Frenchman raised his open palm once more, prepared to strike the woman, when an explosion rocked the foundations of the pce. This was followed by the echo of gunfire, which tried to shoot down the German bombers in the sky above Luxembourg, but failed miserably to do so, as the French machine guns and rifles severelycked the range capable of


    such a feat.


    A French soldier instantly rushed into the room, with a shaken appearance, almost as if he had seen something horrible. He was covered in blood and dust as he informed hismanding


    officer what had happened to him.


    "Sir... Our front line... It''s... It''s gone!"


    Leon, having thought he heard the most absurd thing in his life, let go of his grip over the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, forgetting all about his wrath toward her as heughed at the words that were spoken to him by his subordinate, almost as if he hadpletely misheard. "Gone? What do you mean, gone? You''re telling me the brigade I sent to secure the eastern border of the city is gone? What do you mean, gone? Gone as in deserted? Gone as in moved forward with our ns to secure the German border? Gone how?! Spit it out, you fool!" The soldier quickly overcame the shell shock he was suffering from as he informed Leon of what exactly had happened to their forces and how the Germans had so quickly punched through into the city.


    "Sir! The First Brigade has beenpletely annihted! Down to thest man! The Germans


    have begun to encircle the city and are using armored cars to protect their troops from our gunfire in their advance. If we do not retreat now, we will be surrounded within the hour!"


    Leon could hardly believe his words. He was not aware of any armored car that could remotely be used as a shield to soak up bullets for the infantry behind them. Then again, the armored cars of the era were made of inferior steel riveted together at angles that were easy to


    prate.


    The same could not be said about the German Armored Cars which until now had remained undetected by French intelligence and had primarily been utilized in the field of


    reconnaissance. Leon naturally had a hard timeprehending his current reality because of


    this.


    But, ultimately, he was forced to make a decision, stand and fight against a German division armed with air support and armored cars. Or... retreat from the City of Luxembourg and take up a line of defense further in the west. In doing so, allow the Germans to effectively upy the most strategically important region of the Grand Duchy. Time was of the essence, and Leon did not know how to decide at that moment.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 220 Invasion of Luxembourg Part II

    220 Invasion of Luxembourg Part II


    Time was running out, and Leon had two options. How he chose to proceed with his current circumstances would determine the future of his and his men. If he stood his ground and tried to defend the city against the German division which was currently encircling them, then there was a high chance of defeat.


    However, if he chose to retreat back out of the only real region of strategic interest within the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, then Leon was not only admitting defeat, but would be forced to fight on the defensive going forward, risking total expulsion, and thus failing to achieve the goals he had been tasked with by the French High Command, who were more or less panicking at the moment.


    Standing and fighting was a major risk. He had already lost his veteran brigade who were the most capable forces under hismand. And it was unknown how many losses precisely the German relief force had suffered.


    But if they were using armored cars as shields for their infantry, then there was a high chance that the losses they sustained were substantially smaller than those his men had already endured. Meaning that at this moment, he was more or less numerically disadvantaged.


    With this in mind, Leon wisely chose to withdraw from Luxembourg so that he could live to fight another day. Glowering at the Grand Duchess as he ordered his men to organize a retreat.


    "We have no choice. We will fall back from the city temporarily and establish a front line farther back towards our own borders. Once we have reinforcements, we will retake this city!"


    The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg cast Leon a smug grin as the man snarled like a beast while he and his men withdrew from the woman''s pce, which they had been until now upying as if it were their property.


    Marie-Ad?de sighed in relief while watching the French Army issue a full retreat and pull out of her city altogether just in time for the cavalry to arrive. German soldiers rode into battle on the backs of the Armored Cars which strolled into the city. The camougeting and paint schemes only slightly fettered and dinged from the bullets which struck their slopped hulls.


    The Grand Duchess made a rather inappropriatement to one of her younger sisters who had been by her side as Leon threatened them all.


    "I have never before in my life been so happy to see a bunch of armed German men enter my home. Shall we go thank our liberators for the swiftness of their aid?"


    Marie did not wait for her sister''s response, and instead rushed out of her pce into the courtyard to greet the men who hade to her aid. The officer in charge of the armored brigade, which acted as the vanguard in the German Division''s assault, quickly took off his Stahlhelm and bowed before the Grand Duchess as he was merely amon man.


    "Your highness, I must apologize for the tardiness of our arrival. It took longer than we anticipated readying the armored cars for the advance into Luxembourg, but as promised, we are here to prevent the French from upying your territory for as long as you request our presence.


    I hope that you and your people remained unharmed from the hostile soldiers we have just driven out!"


    The Grand Duchess was rather pleased with the German Colonel''s attitude, he was treating her with far more respect than Leon had. And was even apologizing for the length of time it took for him and his men to arrive, which was far faster than she had expected.


    It was reasonable for this to be the case. The Germans advanced into Luxembourg on the backs of Armored Cars, and within the cargo beds of 3.5 ton trucks. It was no exaggeration to say that they had moved with the swiftness of a proper motorized division during a time where horses and forced marches were the primary means of transporting troops.


    Of course, the Grand Duchess was marveling at the machines of war which had brought the German soldiers into her home. Almost awestruck at the expert engineering that went into them. It was not a luxury that the Luxembourgish Gendarme could afford, and because of this she couldn''t help but gaze upon the Spahpanzer''s as if they were some form of alien technology.


    It took Marie-Ad?de several moments to realize she had remained utterly silent, and awkwardly so, prompting her to immediately thank the German officer again while asking what his ns were for the future.


    "There is truly no need to apologize, but I have to ask, how do we proceed? Am I to expect you and your men to stay here and protect Luxembourg for the duration of the war? Now that the French have seen fit to vite my sovereignty and invade my home without even the slightest deration, I can''t help but feel we are truly helpless without the Kaiser''s aid¡­"


    Before the Colonel could answer this question, another man arrived having been driven in the back of a military vehicle created by Bruno''s Volkswagen corporation known as the K¨¹belwagen. The man was dressed in the uniform of a Generalleutnant.


    The German General was quick to answer the question with a smug look on his face.


    "For the time being, my men will reinforce our position here in your city, while I sent a few brigades to go chase those French rats out of your territory. Once all of Luxembourg has been liberated, we will dig in at your borders and hold the line against the aggression of your western neighbors for as long as you request of us¡­"


    Upon hearing this news, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was truly relieved. She, of course, would not have been so if she fully understood the implications of calling upon the German Army for aid. But because of her ignorance she treated the men who were more or less here for the sake of annexation as if they were liberators and heroes rather than conquerors.


    "You have my thanks brave defenders of Luxembourg. If not for you all , and the kindness of your Kaiser, I fear Luxembourg would have been destined to be yet another province of the French Republic!" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Naturally, none of the German soldiers were going to tell the woman that she had more or less just been tricked into giving up her sovereignty to the Kaiser, but discussions for official annexation could wait until the war was over.


    For now, the German Army needed to prepare proper defenses in the event of another French attack. As it was entirely likely that the French General was calling for reinforcements now that he and his men had been violently driven out of the city.


    Thus, the General immediately began to ry such orders to his men. While he spoke in more detail about their current operations with the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.


    ---


    Leon was rather furious, though he and his men had just barely managed to break out of a total encirclement by the German Division they had left behind their objective ining into Luxembourg to begin with, and had more or less retreated back towards the borders of France with nothing but the death of their men to show for their efforts.


    It was no secret that the leaders of the allies were starting to panic. In every front currently being fought, they had lost the initial engagements with the Imperial Powers. Even in the colonial theater, they had been trounced by the Japanese and the Lion of Africa.


    The Public would not support such substantial losses for long. The French needed a victory, and Leon had nned to be the one to give them that. Unfortunately, the German Army had managed to outpace him and his men.


    By the time they had seized the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Germans were already on their way, and in full force. A division of men, where the vanguard was equipped with Armored Cars had dealt a considerable blow to the French invaders.


    The fact of the matter is, the only thing capable of dealing a fatal blow to one of these advanced armored vehicles was a direct shot from an artillery piece. And they had been caught by surprise when the Germans came out of nowhere, rapidly firing 20mm High Explosive shells at their barely fortified positions.


    But when his superiors learned of what he had done, there would be hell to pay. Another loss in a series of disastrous defeats was not what the French were expecting when they invaded their neutral neighbor without warning.


    And this only further gave them a reputation on the world stage as an aggressor. Luckily for France, Leon''s invasion of Luxembourg was met with a farrger offensiveunched into Belgium for the same result. And the French were currently engaging a battle with the Belgian Army which it was looking like they would emerge the victors of.


    But Leon did not know this fact, and since that was the case, he could not help but vent his rage in the way he always did by harassing the men beneath hismand and ming them for his failures.

 Chapter 221: Volunteering For the Vanguard

    Chapter 221: Volunteering For the Vanguard


    ?


    Reinforcements had arrived halfway through the second month of the war. Bruno had spent the previous two weeks clearing the minefields he had set around the city of Belgrade and the trenches dug outside its perimeter.


    How does one efficiently clear a minefield? Well, Bruno already had the answer to this. Introducing the Minenr?umwagen, as Bruno called it-stealing the name from his past life- was about the only thing inspired by its previous iteration.


    The vehicle was more or less a Panzer chassis based on the E-10 paper tank designs from Bruno''s past life, but with a mine il attached to it. However, there was one other thing this armored vehicle had inmon with its predecessor: the fact that it was remotely operated via radio signature.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Bruno had invested in a number of the world''s greatest geniuses over the years, allowing for this tracked mine-clearing armored vehicle to exist without risking life and injury to a crew that would otherwise have to pilot it.


    And it was because of this that he could send these mine-sweeping vehicles into the minefield with no regard for their well-being and, in doing so, whip every single mine into detonation with the attached mine il.


    Sure, it took a considerable amount of time and, most importantly, resources, but it was well worth the expenditure. Bruno had meticulously mapped out the exact cement of each mine during the construction of the city''s defenses, and thus he had a precise ability to locate and destroy the devices that, if left alone, could render the area uninhabitable for God knows how many decades.


    By the time the Austro-Hungarian and Russian troops finally arrived to reinforce Bruno and his men, they were surprised to see how the German forces were covered in grime. Despite the current state of the German soldiers, they were far from exhausted. After all, much of the


    heavy lifting had been done by the mine clearers.


    Even so, gazing upon the once-thriving metropolis that was the capital of Serbia, now turned into a ghost town at Bruno''smand, forced a sense of mncholy on the Austro- Hungarian and Russian generals.


    Especially since the fog had not truly cleared since the massacre unfolded. With it being autumn, and the weather quite dreadful at the moment, it allpounded into a haunting atmosphere. One which the German army had endured throughout the weeks since they gassed the city into submission.


    Bruno appeared to be the only one unaffected in the slightest by the ghastly ambiance. The same could not be said for the soldiers under hismand, who were slowly but surely unraveling at the seams. Rumors of ghostly wails being heard during the heaviest storms and at the devil''s hour did not help the dreadful morale afflicting Bruno''s troops.


    Hence why the Austro-Hungarian general was quick toment on the current state of affairs while Bruno smoked in the rain in front of him.


    "Your men seem unnerved. Have the battles you fought already begun to affect them so?" Bruno shook his head, quickly answering the man with a grim statement before narrowing his eyes and interrogating the Austro-Hungarian general for his tardiness.


    "Not in the slightest. When the gunfire begins, their hands are as steady as finely tempered steel. Rather, it''s the spirits of the dead that cause them to lose sleep. No matter how much I try to tell them, the ghosts of the departed have no earthly power to harm them. Some of the more superstitious men swear they have seen things in the mist and heard voices at ungodly hours of the night.


    It''s all nonsense. Such things do not exist in this world, but after what we did to this city and the people in it, I don''t me some of the men for breaking down. Hence why I''m d you''re here... A change of scenery would do them some good.


    Speaking of which... Why are you sote? We took care of the Serbians that you routed and expected you to arrive at any given moment, yet here you all are, two weeks after the battle."


    The Austro-Hungarian general instantly averted his gaze with a guilty expression on his face, causing Bruno to more or less guess what had happened, which the Russian general was quick to admit.


    "Apologies, sir. They were waiting on our arrival to join forces and march into Belgrade together. After the losses they sustained in their conflict with the forces of the Serbian Provisional Army, they felt it would be safer to travel with greater numbers.


    Had we known the state your men were in, and the fact that this dreadful environment was affecting them to such a degree, we would have hastened our approach and been far less cautious in our advance. Please forgive me for wasting so much of your time."


    Bruno scoffed after exhaling thest plume of smoke his cigarette could offer. He then discarded the device before stomping on it. Not that, with the current torrential downpour, it was remotely capable of lighting a wildfire aze.


    He simply did this to vent his frustration silently rather than verballysh out at his allies. The man was forcing himself to remain calm despite the circumstances he found himself in. Losing his emotions, especially now when his troops were in a state of borderline despair, was thest thing he needed to do.


    Instead, Bruno pointed out just how costly the Austro-Hungarian and Russian cautious march had been.


    "Simply put, by now the British and French have docked in the Balkans, either in Montenegro, Albania, or Greece, and carried some much-needed weapons and munitions to their Serbian allies, creating a muchrger problem for us than we would have faced had you not taken two whole weeks to reinforce us.


    In fact, I would not be surprised if the Allies have sent aid in the form of troops to Serbia as well. Now we are going to have a much tougher fight on our hands. And if Serbia''s neighbors throw their lot in with the Allies, this theater couldst an entire year rather than a mere three months as I had anticipated it would.


    Luckily for me and my men, who have done the majority of the fighting up until this point, you have both volunteered your forces to fight in the vanguard within the next major battle wee across. So... on behalf of the German Army, I humbly ept your apologies."


    Rejecting Bruno''s assertion that they make up for theirck of haste and determination by sending their men into the front lines of the next assault was not exactly a wise decision. For starters, Bruno had been granted operational authority over the Balkan theater after being promoted to the highest rank in the German Army.


    Sure, the Austro-Hungarian and Russian generals might also be of a simr rank and status, but Bruno was, at the end of the day, the man with sole authority over everything the Imperial Powers did in this campaign.


    Hence, all they could really do was ept responsibility for their failures and agree to send their own troops into the first wave of the next major battle.

 Chapter 222: The Angel of Berlin

    Chapter 222: The Angel of Berlin


    ?


    In addition to making sure those children affected by the war within the Imperial Powers were properly taken care of should they lose their parents, or that the widows and their children were also given aid to support them without their husbands around to look after them.


    Heidi''s charities also expended significant amounts of resources and personnel looking after those physically wounded in battle. German soldiers naturally received priority, but if there were enough room in the field clinics and hospitals, then Austro-Hungarian and Russian soldiers were also treated.


    The invention and mass production of life-saving antibiotics such as penicillin had done wonders to fight infections, severely decreasing the number of amputations that would have been medically necessary to stop the spread of otherwise lethal diseases.


    In addition to this, the adoption of suitable footwear for the conditions of the trenches prevented the outbreak of fungal infections and other nasty conditions such as gangrene and trench foot that if not treated properly could lead to the loss of the affected limb, or worse death.


    While Bruno had been almost entirely focused on producing the tools needed to kill as many of his enemies as possible and win the war, Heidi was the one who reminded him that Germans would suffer as well, and would need ample preparations to mitigate casualties.


    All things considered, Germany was currently sustaining the least amount of deaths, as those who could be saved generally were because of what Heidi had done to prepare for the war. As a result, both Bruno and Heidi had gained reputations as angels, and were depicted as such in wartime propaganda.


    There were just two distinctive roles which they served, and they were opposite to that. If Bruno was the living incarnation of Azrael, the Angel of Death who led millions of souls into the afterlife, then Heidi was the personification of Raphael, the one who healed those who hade to harm, and in doing so preventing her dark counterpart from reaping their souls.


    Heidi was not just the one coordinating the efforts to save as many lives as possible, when she could manage the time, she would visit the soldiers who had been brought back to the fathend for one reason or another, and give them a friendly smile, and her personal thanks. Letting them know that the world had note to an end, and that the people they were protecting were extremely thankful for the sacrifices they had made.


    One of the men who she was speaking to knew exactly who she was. He had after all served beneath her husband at Belgrade, and was injured during its defense after the Germans had gassed the residents into extinction, and upied the ruins left behind.


    The man had been injured enough that he was extracted from the battlefield and sent back to Berlin after his treatment was over. To be properly cared for and rehabilitated. Frankly speaking, he had an enormous amount of respect for Bruno, but he was suffering heavily from what he and the army did at Belgrade.


    His wounds weren''t just physical, his mind was scarred in ways that were difficult if not impossible to treat. And because of this, he couldn''t help but feel like venting his frustrations with himself, to the woman of the man who had ordered the army to massacre an entire city.


    "You''re Heidi... Right? Heidi von Zehntner... The wife of the Generalfeldmarschall?"


    Heidi instantly looked over at the man who was lying in one of the sick beds. She didn''t understand who he was, or how he knew her. After all, there were many soldiers being treated in Berlin from various different theaters of war.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Because of this she instantly paid the man her full attention as she pulled up a stool and sat down in front of him, her face was friendly, so much so, that the man who had wanted to yell at her, and me her for how he was feeling, couldn''t manage to feel any anger within his heart.


    Especially when she spoke to him in the kindest of tones, one in which he simply wasn''t expecting.


    "That''s right, you know my husband?"


    The soldier nodded his head, whatever words he had thought of saying to Heidi the moment he saw her enter the room had instantly evaporated, he didn''t even think as he confirmed that he indeed knew Bruno, albeit not on a personal level as he was just an enlisted man barely old enough to fight.


    "I do... I... I was attached to the 8th army... before... well, before this happened..." Those were the only words Heidi needed to know to fully understand the young man''s situation. By the look of confusion in his eyes, he was at Belgrade when Bruno gave the order to massacre the city, and because of this she had an empathetic gaze in her sky-blue eyes as she spoke to the man as if she genuinely cared about his pain, which she did.


    "You... You were at Belgrade, weren''t you? You poor soul, I can''t even imagine what you are going through right now... What my husband did was cruel... In more ways than I think he is even aware of.


    Not only to the innocent citizens in the city who paid for the actions of the Serbian Royal Family unnecessarily with their lives. But also to you all who had to carry out and witness the attack which Bruno ordered... How are you holding up, if you don''t mind me asking?" Men were, in many ways, rather simple creatures. When the world was unraveling around them, and they were questioning themselves and everything else in life. All that was really needed to prevent them from going totally insane was to know that someone, somewhere, -cared.


    Even if they didn''t personally know the person, the fact that somebody would show them kindness in their darkest hour was more than enough for most men to suffer silently and endure whatever pain they were going through, at least enough to move along.


    And because of this, the young man, who had felt a series of confusing and conflicting moments until Heidi sat down and talked with him, came to terms with what he had done in an instant, at least enough so to steady his heart and mind, so that he could continue on, not only fulfilling his duty until the end but also with life in general.


    Thus, he wore a bittersweet smile, as he confessed to Heidi how exactly he was feeling in that moment.


    "You know what... I think... I think I''m going to be fine..."

 Chapter 223: Acting Man of the House

    Chapter 223: Acting Man of the House


    ?


    Aside from the influx of wounded men heading on trains towards hospitals safely behind enemy lines, the Reich was more or less operating simrly to how it had been during a time of peace. Or at least as far as everyday life was concerned for civilians.


    The war was going smoothly so far for the Imperial Powers, and why wouldn''t it be? They had prepared for many years for this conflict and had prepared in ways that were most appropriate. If there was one thing Bruno was most concerned about, it was the fact that he was not an active part of his children''s lives at this point.


    All he could do was send them letters from the front whenever he had the time to do so and the means to transport them back to the fathend. And because of this, his older children, who were entering their teenage years, were, for the most part, left without a father to properly guide them through this critical period of their development.


    Eva, in particr, had a hard time, as she received word constantly from the girls in her school of their brothersing back from the war wounded or, worse, in body bags. At least half of her ss had at least one member of their family who had been affected by the ongoing global conflict, and because of this, the young teenage girl was quite worried about her father''s safety.


    In addition to this, as the eldest child, Eva was more often than not aiding her mother, performing the role of her father by helping to be a second parent for her younger siblings. If it were just Heidi, her, Erwin, and Bruno, things would have been easier.


    But over the course of thest four years, since Heidi and Bruno first decided they wanted to have more kids, they had produced as many children as sr rotations that had urred. This meant Heidi and Bruno were currently at seven children, Eva being the oldest, Erwin being the second oldest, and Elsa being the third.


    However, currently, Eva was home from school, taking the day off as her mother had work affairs to tend to. Could Heidi have left the raising of her children up to their vi''s staff? Most certainly. Would she ever let her children run wild without the supervision of at least one von Zehntner being present? Like hell!


    Because of this, Eva was home, looking after her younger brothers. Of the second crop of four children, three had been born sons, and one had been born a daughter, who was the current youngest of all of Bruno and Heidi''s kids.


    Currently, Eva was smacking the face of the eldest of the three younger boys, Josef, while scolding him for running around with mud all over his feet. His actions, of course, inspired his two younger brothers to do the same, causing a massive mess to appear.


    "Josef, Heinrich, and Wilhelm! I swear to God in heaven that if you don''t take off your muddy shoes right now, there will be hell to pay when Motheres home!"


    With his face having just been pped with a wooden spoon by his eldest sister, Josef immediately began to pout and cry, throwing the tantrum of a lifetime as he stomped his muddy shoes all over the carpet.


    To say Eva had enough of her little brothers'' collective shit was the understatement of a lifetime, and her face turned stern as she was just about to curse them in the most udylike and reprehensible way possible.


    Luckily for her, Erwin stepped into the room and saw the massive mess, having just returned home from the academy as he witnessed what his younger brothers had done, cursing up a storm as if he were a soldier in the trenches as he did so.


    "Oi! You little fucking shits! Did you create this fucking mess?! You better answer me when I''m asking you a goddamn fucking question, or I swear to Christ I will fucking tell the old man all about this matter when he gets home from the Balkans! And you know how that miserable old bastard handles things!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Eva misunderstood which parent her brothers feared, which was the opposite of her and her sisters. While Heidi was especially strict and tyrannical with her little girls, her sons she did nothing but dote upon. And the opposite could be said about Bruno.


    Hence why she didn''t threaten the younger boys with their father''s fury, as the man had seldom shown such a fierce side to her or her sisters. Thus she was slightly surprised when the young trio stripped off their shoes and socks before snapping to attention and bowing their heads with a formal apology.


    "Please forgive us!"


    Of course, Erwin knew exactly the punishment their father would have in store for him had he done something so outrageous, and because of this, he instantly gave the three young boys a list of chores to conclude, of which only Josef was remotely old enough to handle the most minute of tasks without proper help from the family''s staff.


    "You little brats are going to be cleaning up the mess you made, and I don''t care how long it takes you. If I hear for a moment that you ck off and force the maids to do the majority of the work, I will have you paint the manor''s fucking walls!"


    Alya just so happened to be walking in when watching Erwin scold his little brothers, as if he was channeling the energy of his absent father, causing her to chuckle at the sight of the young teenage boy struggling to emte the behavior of a proper mature adult.


    She walked up behind Erwin and petted his golden hair while mocking him in front of his siblings, something which Eva found to be utterly distasteful from her older god-sister. "There, there, little man, don''t be too harsh on the little tykes. They are just children, after all; they probably don''t even know any better. Tell you what, how about you and I help them out so we don''t make a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be?"


    Erwin''s cheeks turned slightly rosy as he looked away from his older fianc¨¦e, too embarrassed to say a word. Meanwhile, Eva instantly clenched her fists and pouted, interrupting her younger brother before he could agree to Alya''s request bytching onto his arm and dragging him off.


    "I''m sorry, Alya, but Erwin promised to help me with something today! If you want to help the little brats clean up the mess they made, you can do so yourself! Come on, Erwin!"


    Erwin was at a loss for words. He had no recollection of making such a promise to his older sister and even questioned her as he was forcefully dragged off by the girl.


    "Wait, Eva! Hold on!"


    Alya simply pressed the palm of her hand to her cheek andmented on the whole ordeal rather fondly, which only caused Eva to pout and stick her tongue out at the younger woman as she rounded the corner with Erwin.


    "Oh my, isn''t that adorable... She''s so jealous!"

 Chapter 224: Responses to German Advantages

    Chapter 224: Responses to German Advantages


    ?


    The Great War spread across the world quite rapidly. It wasn''t really surprising when you really thought about it. After all, the majority of the world was currently owned by the Great Powers. There were few independent nations outside of Europe that remained.


    However, one of those independent nations was the Empire of Japan, and they were perhaps the only non-European nation in history who had more or less kept up with the level of development of the European Empires, so much so that in the first half of the 20th century, they were capable of challenging them to some degree.


    Something that nobody else on the global stage was really remotely adequately prepared for. It was true that by 1945, Japanese technological development hadpletely and totallygged behind their allies and rivals on the global stage.


    But in 1914, they were more or less on par with the European Great Powers, having ess to most of the same level of military equipment. Recoilpensated artillery? Check. Bolt- action rifles? Of course. Heavy machine guns? Absolutely! And thanks to Bruno''s intervention in the timeline, the Imperial Japanese Army also had ess to general-purpose machine guns.


    Granted, many of these weapons were chambered in the rtively anemic 6.5x50mmSR Arisaka, as it was rtivelycking in powerpared to contemporary cartridges of the era. However, in the 21st century, the 6.5¡Á50mmSR Arisaka would more or less be redeemed in the eyes of ballistic experts, as it had more than enough power to take down a man-sized target and a very t trajectory, which was something desirable among shooters.


    Considering in the 21st century, the 6.5¡Á48mm cartridge became favored amongpetition shooters for this very reason, Bruno actually advised the Japanese to stick with this round rather than develop an unnecessarilyrger cartridge, like they had done in his previous life, and in doing so strained their supply lines.


    It was honestly a testament to the capability of the cartridge that the world''s first "battle rifle" in Bruno''s previous life was chambered in the 6.5x50mmSR Arisaka. While many would argue that the Russian Fedorov Avtomat was the world''s first "assault rifle,"


    The weapon, which was initially manufactured in limited numbers in 1915 and used more extensively in the Russian Civil War than during the preceding Great War, did not technically meet such a definition. As an "assault rifle" was defined by militaries across the globe as a rifle chambered in an intermediate cartridge, which had select-fire capabilities.


    This, of course, meant that the Fedorov Avtomat, which was chambered in a full-sized rifle cartridge and not an intermediate cartridge like the 8x33mm Kurz utilized in the Sturmgewehr 44, was, by definition, a "battle rifle" instead. A battle rifle had virtually the same definition as an assault rifle, but with the slight variation of using a full-sized rifle cartridge instead.


    This was a rather important detail to mention, as the Russians were currently developing this very rifle as a means topete with the German Gewehr 43, or Gewehr 05, as it was called in this life that Bruno had forced into the timeline much earlier than it would have normally urred without his interference.


    But who wasn''t trying toe up with a solution to advanced German weaponry that was currently dominating the battlefield? The Austro-Hungarians were more or less in the process of creating a rather simple, cheap, and effective conversion of their Steyr-Mannlicher M95 straight-pull rifles into a semi-automatic variant.


    Meanwhile, the French were desperately trying to rece their abysmal French Puteaux Model 1905 machine guns with something far more reliable and durable. As they had foolishly invested heavily into the mass manufacture of such weapons as a means topete with the overwhelming number of Maxim machine guns the Germans disyed during the Russian Civil War.


    Only now, after the war had begun, had the French begun to understand the folly of their hasty actions. The only machine gun within their service was incredibly prone to jamming under field conditions or, worse, suffering catastrophic malfunctions and failures in battle that required extensive repair to get back into action, something which could not be done outside of an arms factory.


    Something that resulted in excessive casualties, as the French Army simply could not support their charges against fortifications with suppressing fire, resulting in massive waves of their men being mowed down by superior German weaponry.


    It was admittedly an absolute embarrassment for the French as a nation. And while they were actively trying to fix this massive problem in their arsenal, the British and Italians were also working on their own focuses.


    The Royal Navy had suffered catastrophic defeats on the seas and had begun circumventing Normandy and insteadnding in southern France and the Balkans with their troops to avoid being hunted down by German wolfpacks focused in the North Sea.


    However, the British had misunderstood what kept sinking their ships. Not understanding the threat which lurked below the waves, they instead believed that the Germans were sinking their vessels with air power. And thus their focus became towards rapidly developing anti- aircraft weaponry capable of defending their Navy and maritime trade.


    The only nation that was truly concerned with German submachine guns and "light machine guns" were the Italians, who had suffered repeated and horrific losses in the Alps because of the overwhelming number of MP-34s and MG-34s which the Germans wielded, both of which were mobile enough to rapidly defend any corner of the fortifications built within the mountain range from Italian assaults.


    It truly did not matter how rapid of an advance the Italians mobilized, as the Germans could simply mobilize their men with the most rapid rate of fire to counter their charge at any given moment. Something that was simply not possible with heavy machine guns.


    It was also something the Italians realized was a ring gap in their own armed capabilities. Each front proposed a variety of unique difficulties for the adversaries of the German Reich, difficulties which even Germany''s allies picked up on and were trying to fix in their own arsenals.


    Thus, while the Germans had the overwhelming technological outbreak at the start of the war, if they were not prudent and simply rested on theirurels, it was entirely possible that by the end of it their enemies could have caught up to them.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Something that Bruno would have to keep an eye on if he wanted to guarantee a victory in this new timeline he found himself reincarnated into 35 years ago.

 Chapter 225: Reactions to Brunos Rise

    Chapter 225: Reactions to Bruno''s Rise


    ?


    With William Howard Taft being elected to the position of U.S. President, a man who was beholden to his donors within the America First Committee, which itself was a lobbying group designed by Bruno to keep the United States out of the war, the United States and its official stance on the Great War was one of pure neutrality.


    Unlike in Bruno''s past life, they did not even attempt to provide material aid to the Allied Powers, believing that any attempt to get involved, even indirectly, was a dereliction of their patriotic duty and a vition of the Founding Fathers'' vision for the nation.


    To put it simply, the United States maintained open trade with nations from both alliances while neither favoring one nor the other in any official or unofficial capacity. Meanwhile, newspapers printed the ongoing happenings of the war.


    One such story was currently being read by the President of the United States, William Howard Taft, who smirked at the photograph of the trenches outside Belgrade, which was just beneath the sensational headline.


    "The Wolf of Prussia is rewarded for his defense of Serbia."


    The article then went on to exin Bruno had been awarded the Iron Cross First ss for his victory over the Serbian Provisional Army at Belgrade. It also stated that, due to his position on the front lines, Bruno had yet to receive the honor but would be given it personally by the Kaiser the next time he entered a state of leave.


    However, the mere mention of the moniker "The Wolf of Prussia" caused the American President to sneer. It was one of three nicknames used by the West to refer to Bruno. The fourth, however, was a name Bruno was only called by the Japanese. It was also the epithet generally used by those with a more favorable disposition toward the German general.


    The term "Butcher of Belgrade" was almost always spoken in reference to Bruno by those who hated him. Meanwhile, "The Red Scourge" wasmonly found among the ranks of anti-Marxist circles.


    The very use of the term showed that the author of the article was probably highly biased toward Bruno, and it was a nicknamemonly used by media outlets in the United States. Something the American President found curious.


    "Tell me, James, what do you think of this so-called Wolf? I''m starting to get the feeling that the Germans have more influence over our society than they reasonably should."


    Until now, the favorability toward Bruno within the American media had reasonably been exined by the significant minority of German immigrants in the United States, as well as their descendants, who were natural-born citizens.


    As for the man Taft addressed, he was the current Vice President of the United States, James S. Sherman. Sherman was a man descended from the American founding father Roger Sherman, who signed the Deration of Independence, as well as the Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, known for lighting the South aze in his "March to the Sea."


    If there was such a thing as American "nobility," he was most certainly a member of this privileged ss.


    It was only natural that the man would have some sort of sixth sense when it came to matters of politics. Because of that, he pushed his sses forward before speaking his thoughts on the matter asked of him by his running mate.


    "To put it simply, I think there is a very high likelihood that the media is conspiring in some way or another with the German Empire to keep us out of the war. That being said, I don''t think it would be wise to investigate further. After all, we were elected under the promise of remaining neutral.


    So unless the Germans do something incredibly foolish like attacking our nation and its people, I would suggest not kicking the hos'' nest, as they would say. Don''t you think?"


    Taft couldn''t help but put the paper aside as he sat back in his seat. He had afortable expression on his face as he exined his thoughts on the matter.


    "Wars being waged across the Antic are no concern of ours. So long as we can profit off the Europeans and their utter madness, I see no reason to pick a side. Wouldn''t you agree, my friend?"


    A silent nod from the Vice President confirmed his agreement on the matter. Because of this, they chose to simply watch the war from afar and not care in the slightest about Germany''s attempts to influence American sentiment toward neutrality.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    In the entire history of mankind, there were four nations that had neither been colonized by Europeans nor subject to their influence, whether in totality or in part. Those four nations were Japan, Korea, Thand, and Liberia.


    However, this was also misleading, as the Japanese had colonized the Koreans before the Europeans could get their hands on it. Liberia was more or less under the protection of the United States during the scramble for Africa.


    The United States itself was a nation founded and created by European colonists and their descendants, thus really meaning there were only two nations on the list of four spared from being subjected to the influence of a Great Power.


    Of these two nations, only one was a minor power: the Kingdom of Siam, which wouldter be known as Thand. Thand was a neutral country, or at least it was currently in 1914. After all, they were heavily influenced by both sides of the Great War and were on rtively good terms with both.


    That being said, European interests in the region and aid in the development of the Southeast Asia kingdom weren''t necessarily out of the goodness of their hearts. A series of unequal treaties had been signed between Siam and the Great Powers of the world.


    While significant territory in Southeast Asia had been ceded to France and the UK during negotiations that only finally concluded in 1909, settling the nation''s borders as they currently were, the current King, Rama VI, decided to ultimately stay out of the war


    altogether.


    However, whispers of the Germans and their barbaric ways of conducting warfare had begun to reach his ears, specifically from the King''s foreign minister, who was an anglophile, and this caused Rama VI great concern regarding the ongoing war.


    Because of this, he decided to reach out to one of the 48 German nationals employed within the Siamese government and inquire about whether he was being lied to by his uncle. Naturally, the German nationals were quick to defend Bruno''s actions at Belgrade, stating the official story of how the Serbian royal family wasposed of usurpers who had assassinated the previous King and his wife to gain their position and were in league with the ck Hand and Young Bosnia, thus being partially responsible for the outbreak of the war.


    After a lengthy story pointing out how Bruno had been forced between besieging a heavily fortified city and marching his soldiers through its streets, where they would have to engage in brutal urban warfare against armed soldiers and civilians alike¡ªor simply gassing its inhabitants-Rama VI was forced to believe that getting involved in the war was a very, very


    bad idea.


    When, at its outbreak, such a horrific choice had to be made by one of the generals fighting it, Siam''s neutrality was sealed.


    Thus, inadvertently, Bruno had continued to change the timeline with his actions, ensuring that the Kingdom of Siam would not enter the war in 1917 on behalf of the Allies like it had done in his past life.

 Chapter 226: Rise of the Red Baron

    Chapter 226: Rise of the Red Baron


    ?


    Fielding dedicated fighter aircraft was not exactly something anyone had nned for¡ªother than Germany, that is. It was because of this that the Germans pretty much established air supremacy around their own borders.


    Opting to ensure their nes detected enemy movements and coordinated attacks with other assets on the ground, such as tanks and armored vehicles, they employed a form ofbined arms tactics that the world had not yet truly begun to understand.


    The way it normally worked was that German nes acted as either reconnaissance or ground attack craft. They would spot enemy movements and send their positions back to intelligence over the radio.


    Meanwhile, a strike would be coordinated on the enemy position in conjunction with artillery, bombers, and any armored reconnaissance assets hiding behind enemy lines that were in a position to strike.


    The result of this was rather devastating for the French and British troops that dared to attack Germany''s borders. The Germans did not shy away from the opportunity to utilize such tactics in Luxembourg, where the battle lines had advanced after France vited the unarmed neutral Grand Duchy''s sovereignty without provocation or notice.


    Leon found out rather quickly that escaping the eyes of German pilots in the skies was the fever dream of a madman. Because of this, both the French and British began investing in air power and fighter nes that couldpete with the He-51s employed in substantial numbers by the German Army.


    Drastic measures were needed tobat German air supremacy. Because of this, France basically strapped a machine gun onto the top of the Nieuport 10, allowing it to be fired via a serpentine lever by the pilot.


    It was not exactly what one would call an original or well-thought-out design, but quite honestly, it was more or less the same thing they did at the start of the war in Bruno''s past life. There were obvious problems with this design, and to put it simply, it was inferior in every conceivable way to what the Germans were fielding.


    From the French perspective, it was better than not contending for the skies at all and instead having all their reconnaissance nes either shot down or forced to flee the moment they spotted German fighters in the distance.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Because of this and their newly retrofitted "fighter nes," the French boldly decided to contest Germany over their own airspace-or at least they would have if Germany had not mustered a force of its own to prevent them from reaching the border.


    Frankly speaking, Bruno had gone overboard with preparations for the war. The border defenses werepletely imprable by the enemy, and this included the WWII-era anti- aircraft weaponry they were fielding. The 2cm k guns alone were more than enough to obliterate every single ne the French tried to use to cross German borders.


    But if the 3.7cm k guns were considered overkill, then the 8.8cm k guns were just in sadistic. Though the German k Units had little to do, the German Army saw fit to actually fight an aerial battle with the French at the first given opportunity, rather than simply sit back and shoot them out of the sky with the tens of thousands of k guns along the German border.


    Because of this, famous pilots of the era, such as Manfred von Richthofen, were up in the sky, speeding towards their opponents at breakneck speeds¡ªor at least rtively speaking. The French pilots were naturally intimidated. Those who had survived previous engagements with the Luftstreitkr?fte knew all too well what they were up against.


    Though they were promised by their superiors that these new fighters were more than capable of shooting the German nes out of the sky, those with more brains than bravery understood that the German machine guns were hidden and not mounted awkwardly on top of their nes like their own.


    Hence, French pilots with some form of intelligence performed the sign of the cross as they flew headfirst into potential death.


    As for Manfred von Richthofen, he had already shot down 12 enemy aircraft-even if they were fighters without the means tobat him in a fair engagement. Despite this, he was far from overconfident. Intelligence reported that the French had equipped weapons onto their nes in an attempt to equalize the ying field, and because of this, he took the threat very seriously.


    That level of respect instantly flew out the window the moment he opened fire on a French ne and its canvas-and-wooden structure lit up like the Fourth of July. He was shooting 7.92x57mm Mauser incendiary rounds. They were notrge enough to explode, but they did ignite upon impact.


    Even riddling the canvas fusge and wooden frame with more than a dozen bullets would turn the entire ne into a bonfire. Meanwhile, the 8x50mmR Lebel rounds fired from the Maxim guns mounted on the French nes were standard-issue bullets without any armor- piercing or incendiary capabilities.


    Because of this, the bullets, while fully capable of punching through the aluminum fusges of the He-51s the Germans fielded, had no chance against the modifications Bruno made to their overall design.


    Bruno had more or less learned from his past life. Not only did he increase the overall power of the He-51''s engine, but he also gave it two additional upgrades to make itparable to its rivals from his past life.


    One was an armored seat/cockpit. The other was a total of four 7.92x57mm Mauser MG 17 machine guns. This meant that the He-51s the Germans utilized in this life protected the pilots from the weapons of the era-unless, of course, they were unlucky enough to get domed in the head-while also providing a whopping 4,800 rounds-per-minute fire rate across their four guns if fired simultaneously.


    In other words, whenpared to the singr Maxim water-cooled heavy machine gun mounted awkwardly on top of the French Nieuport 10 wood-and-canvas bines, the German fighters could ignite them ame with a single burst while remainingpletely unfazed by their shots, moving onto the next target and taking them out before they could respond.


    Needless to say, exceptional pilots like the "Red Baron" had more than doubled their total kill count thus far into the war within this single battle.

 Chapter 227: Damnation in Exchange for Salvation

    Chapter 227: Damnation in Exchange for Salvation


    ?


    Greece found itself in a rather unique position following the Balkan Wars. Their territory had more than doubled, and they initially had an alliance with Serbia in regards to joining together should one or the othere under attack by a third party.


    This treaty was made in reference to Bulgaria even if it had not outright stated it. But the Ottomans soon began to conflict with the Greeks over the Aegean inds, naturally Greece wanted to respond with War, but Serbia had declined.


    Having had their forces exhausted by the Balkan Wars, and suffering from threats on both sides by Bulgaria and Albania alike. Serbia asked Greece to settle the dispute peacefully. Which, of course, left a sour taste in the mouths of the Greeks.


    Then came the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and the deration of war by Austro-Hungary which plunged the world into a state of total war. Having been previously chided by the Serbians when they initially asked for their help with the Ottomans, the Greeks responded likewise when it came to the joint invasion of Serbia by the Imperial Powers.


    Instead, choosing to remain entirely neutral, that is, of course, if Bulgaria made a move, as only an idiot would believe that they would take their defeat in the Second Balkan War and the loss of significant territory lying down.


    This was initially the case, however, as the war continued to progress with repeated allied losses, many independent nations began to believe that it would soon be over, with aplete and total Imperial Powers domination.


    Greece was not an exception to this idealism towards the war. The Ottomans had joined the Allied Powers, and this was Greece''s opportunity to settle grudges held since 1453, or perhaps even longer.


    If it was damn near certain that the imperial powers would win, then what was stopping them from joining now, and contributing just enough to regain Constantinople and other historically European and Greek territories?


    Logically speaking, this reasoning was quite sound. The problem, of course, being the Balkans would be a region of the world that would forever engage in absolute fuckery of the highest level. If the Greeks suddenly announced an entry into the war on behalf of the Imperial Powers, then Bulgaria would soon join the allies.


    Bruno was no doubt conflicted about this matter. On the one hand, he felt one of his minor regrets from how WWI turned out, and the years of global chaos which followed its conclusion, was that the Greeks unfortunately did not regain control over Saint Constantine''s Holy City, as well as thends surrounding it. And in doing so, blocking off the Imic world from Europe altogether.


    On the other hand, Bruno was quite fond of Bulgaria, at least from a historical perspective. They were the only nation during the Great War that was remotely capable of pulling its own weight within the Central Powers and was, in all honesty, Germany''s only capable ally during the conflict.


    At the same time, the Bulgarians bet the house on Germany again twenty yearster during the Second World War, proving once again to be the only nation in the Axis Powers that was remotely capable of holding their own in battle.


    Thus it came as a surprise when the King of Greece announced he was joining the Imperial Powers and would be dering war on all of their adversaries. Thus being the first Balkan nation other than Serbia and Montenegro to join the Great War in this new timeline.


    Bruno honestly didn''t know how to react. He would effectively have to carry the Hellenic Army to victory. After spending years making sure the Austro-Hungarian and Russian leadership understood the critical ws of their militaries, and as a result indirectly making them better in this life, it was safe to say that the Imperial Powers had the three most powerful armies in the world among their ranks.


    But the addition of Greeceplicated things for Bruno. The likelihood was that Bulgaria would now dere war on behalf of the Allies, and while that wasn''t the end of the world as they were a minor power, one which his alliance could easily ovee.


    It was difficult for Bruno to have a desire to do so. He respected loyalty andpetence above all else in life. And Bulgaria had proven to be a loyal andpetent ally when Germany had no others they could rely upon in his past life. At the same time... Bruno desired to retake all of the Turkish upied Europeannds for the Europeans.


    And hence he genuinely did not know how to feel about this matter as he read about it over a telegram sent to him. At the very least, Serbia was now being pincered on both sides, and Greece stood in the way of the ottomans sending supplies to Serbia through Montenegro. Heinrich and Erich noticed that Bruno was acting strangely as he drank his morning coffee from a metal cup designed for field usage. The two men were sitting across from him, while the man read the paper. As a result, Heinrich quickly made ament of his own with a jestful tone.


    "Let me guess, your wife has been granted another order of chivalry?"


    Bruno ced his paper down on the table and shifted his gaze towards his old friend. It was nothing but stern, as was his voice when he posed a question that caused both Heinrich and Erich to feel goosebumps rapidly spread across their entire body.


    "In what world, do I appear to be the type of man who is remotely unraveled by my woman''s, neigh my beloved wife''s sess in her charitable endeavors? Am I seriously so reprehensible in character to the both of you that my wife being awarded for her virtuous efforts would be a matter of grave concern to me?


    Obviously, I''m conflicted over the matter of Greece officially entering our alliance... I seriously wonder why the two of you are my closest friends if you genuinely believe I am such a shallow and petty man.


    No, if Heidi was deemed by her majesty Kaiserin Augusta Viktoria to be worthy of such an honor, it would be among the happiest days of my life. Just behind my marriage and the birth of my children!"


    Erich and Heinrich bowed their heads in remorse. Sometimes they forgot how seriously Bruno took his family and their wellbeing. But Erich had to ask the question that was on both of their


    minds.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I''m sorry, but... I''m confused... You have been awarded all the honors Russia can give for your volunteer service to the House of Romanov. Even now the Kaiser grants you the unprecedented Privilege of the rank of Generalfeldmarschall at the age of 34 for your contributions to the German Reich, and continues to award you for your efforts on the battlefield.


    And yet you just said you rank all of those below your wedding, the birth of your children, and the potential of your wife having one hundredth of your recognition for sess... Can you exin to me why this is the case?"


    Heinrich remained silent. He more or less understood Bruno''s feelings on the matter. Sure, he was unmarried, but he had an adopted daughter he had raised to adulthood who was the pride and joy of his life. Far more-so than the medals on his chest, even if he didn''t really realize she was already an adult.


    But Erich? The man had be a full-fledged sociopath after the horrors he endured in Russia. He lived for one reason, violence, and if there was a second reason, it was the recognition of his aplishments in that regard.


    Bruno, however, had what he had always desired over the course of two lives. And because of this, he did not even get mad at his friends for not fully understanding his position. Rather, there was a strange andplicated emotion on his face as he expressed his equally convoluted thoughts.


    "Allow me to put it this way. Everything I have ever done in my life, no matter what that may be, since I was a but a small child was for the purpose of family, folk, fathend, kaiser, and God. And make no mistake, the sense of priorityes in that order.


    My family is the single most important thing in my life. My children and their future is what I fight for. My wife''s aplishments in regards to charitypletely overshadow my own bloody regalia. I am a mass murderer, and by the strictest of definitions, I am to be condemned as a war criminal.


    I toil, sweat, cry, bleed, and spill the blood of others so that my wife, sons, and daughters may live a life free from such worries. At one point in my life, earning an Iron Cross, or a Pour le Merite, would have been the greatest honor you could have given me...


    But what is the point of a medal forged from iron when it is inherently soaked in blood? Comparatively, should my wife be awarded the Order of Louise, it would have meant that her efforts to save lives and help the helpless would have matched my own efforts to reap as many


    souls.


    Her salvation, whenpared to my own damnation, is worthy enough of a cause to celebrate among the happiest moments of my life, is it not? Especially when one considers where she hase from, to where she is now?"


    It was hard to refute Bruno''s words when he spoke with such passion and reflection. Because


    of this, both Heinrich and Erich remained utterly silent as the man picked back up both his cup of coffee, and his newspaper resuming his reading of its lead article with a far more stoic expression than he previously had on his face.

 Chapter 228: Internally Debating the Pros and Cons of Greece Versus Bulgaria

    Chapter 228: Internally Debating the Pros and Cons of Greece Versus Bulgaria


    ?


    The Greek entry into the war brought many benefits to the Imperial Powers, but as many drawbacks. Thergest benefit was the fact that the Ottomans now found themselves being invaded on two fronts. On their westernmost borders, they were now being attacked by the Hellenic Army.


    Whereas from Armenia, the Russians and Austro-Hungarians, along with a small contingent of German troops, pushed through into Anatolia. At the same time, the Hellenic Navy began to patrol the Mediterranean alongside the k.u.k. Kriegsmarine, or in other words the Austro- Hungarian Navy, giving the Imperial Powers significantly more firepower tobat British, French, and Ottoman attempts to aid Serbia.


    This was an asset Germany would not gain with Bulgaria, whose entire Navy consisted of a single Gunboat, and six torpedo boats. Whereas the Hellenic Navy was by no means a maritime powerhouse, but at the very least they had a decent sized fleet of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines.


    All of which could be used in conjunction with Austro-Hungarian naval assets to coordinate strikes against Allied shipping and transportation of troops. In addition to these, these two naval forces could work together with the Russian Baltic fleet to seize control of the Bosphorus strait and allow free movement of the Russian naval forces in the region.


    Combining them all into a force capable of challenging the Allies for control over the Mediterranean Sea. While the German Reich had one of the most advanced and powerful navies in the world, its current focus was geared towards ensuring German hegemony over the Baltic, the North Sea, and the English Channel where they were constantly contested by the British Royal Navy.


    Because of this, there were few assets they could send to the Mediterranean to aid their allies. This was, of course, Bruno''s biggestint about the Habsburgs. Their sense of pride as the former Holy Roman Emperors had more or less prevented Austria from unifying with the German Reich.


    In doing so, Austria prevented Germany from having ess to the Mediterranean, which was both economically and strategically significant. After all, the Archduchy of Austria held territory in the Austrian Littoral, had ports within the Adriatic Sea. A smaller body of water which fed into the Mediterranean.


    Had the Archdukes of Austria unified with Germany in 1871 and bowed their heads before the House of Hohenzollern, who had already defeated them a few years prior in 1866, then Germany would have ess to critical trade routes and major zones of strategic importance.


    This also would have allowed the Germans to maintain a far more advanced naval force in the region, as the K.u.K. Kriegsmarine was woefully obsolete and undertrained inparison to their counterparts in the German Kaiserliche Marine, and that was still the case in Germany''s past life.


    With the introduction of Bruno''s inventions and innovations in this life, it was truly a sad state of affairs that a second fleet of submarines and destroyers could not have been built in the Austrian Littoral.


    Ultimately, however, thergest downside of Greece entering the war on behalf of the Imperial Powers, having perceived almost certain German victory, and wanting to take advantage of that fact tobat the Ottomans and seize disputed territories. Was the fact that the Hellenic Army was far fewer than the Bulgarian Army and much lesspetent? Because of this, Bruno had to sit for some time and consider what was more important to Germany at the moment, additional bodies in the meat grinder that was trench warfare? Or naval assets, of which took significantly more time to build than it did to train a soldier how to shoot a rifle.


    As much as he personally did not want to admit to it, the fact of the matter was the introduction of the Hellenic Fleet onto the German side in this war was a muchrger boon. Especially since the German Army already had such an overwhelming technological advantage over their enemies that it more than made up for the numbers the Bulgarian Army would send to aid their cause.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Ultimately, it was a sacrifice Bruno would have to make. One he was surely conflicted about, as fighting the Bulgarians despite the loyalty andpetence they showed towards Germany in his past life was something that was entirely out of his control.


    After all, Bruno may be among the highest-ranking militarymanders in the German Reich, but he was currently deployed into Serbia. Meaning that he had no means of negotiating a peace agreement between Greece and Bulgaria.


    Nor would Bruno be able to make such apromise as the disputed regions between the two nations werends which he personally felt rightfully belonged to Greece. To hand any of the disputednds over to Bulgaria-based upon the legitimacy of the two nations'' ims, was simply absurd to Bruno.


    Epirus, Macedon, Thrace, Ionia, Crete, and Cyprus were Greeknds since time immemorial, and had been under Ottoman control for far, far too long. Since the Ottomans had joined the Allies in this timeline, there was no reason thesends should not end up under Greek authority, assuming Bruno was able to seed in his endeavors of reversing the course of history.


    And as much as Bruno respected Bulgaria, anypromise would more or less be exchanging one of these rightful Greek ims for another. Something Bruno could not agree to in ordance with his conscience.


    Hence why Bruno ultimately put his paper away and finished his coffee, concluding that history was moving in the right direction, even if it was an unintentional correction made by the butterfly effect.


    Because of this, he sighed heavily, after speaking at length about how he prioritized the aplishments of his family above his own, and admitted the truth about why he seemed to unusually lost in thought.


    "If you two must know, why I seemed so conflicted it was because I was internally debating whether or not the King of Greece announcing his entry into the war on behalf of our alliance was ultimately a positive or a negative..."


    Heinrich and Erich looked at one another in silent, after the rather emotional revtion that Bruno cared very little for his personal achievements, and was instead focused on the wellbeing and legacy of his family, they honestly thought that him being so conflicted over what they thought was a rtively small matter seemed out of ce.


    Erich, however, always keen on trying to understand whatplex geo-political maneuvers Bruno was scheming within his own head, was quick to ask why Bruno had thought so long about such a petty topic.


    "I apologize, but I am a bit confused. Why would such a matter have you acting so distraught? These are mere minor powers seeking to make little territorial advances off of the sweat and blood that we primarily shed in this war. Does it really matter which of these nations side with us, and which don''t?"


    As per usual, Erich revealed why he would always be a Field Officer and would never make his way into the General Staff. Hisck of understanding towards grand strategy and geo-politics ensured that, at best, he wouldmand a small group of elite forces into battle.


    But then again, the man''s tenacity and blood-thirsty nature made him perfect for such tasks. Even so, Bruno and Heinrich could not help but shake their heads at their friend, while Bruno simply answered in a way that only further confused Erich.


    "Though it may not seem like it, whether Greece or Bulgaria aligns themselves with the German Reich and the Imperial Powers has the potential to permanently affect the course of history. But then again, Erich, I believe your abilities are better suited towards leading men intobat than ying chess on a global stage....."


    This was, of course, not intended as an insult, nor was it perceived by Erich in such a manner. As he too believed, he was ill suited towards leading campaigns. Thus he simply nodded his head, and agreed to Bruno''s statement, deciding to ignore the greater implications of Greece entering the war, and instead continue to serve in his official capacity.

 Chapter 229: Confusing the Enemy Without Trying

    Chapter 229: Confusing the Enemy Without Trying


    ?


    Bruno came to notice something as the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian armies came together. Something subtle had shifted in the timeline, and it was not exactly all that surprising. To a certain degree, the same rules which applied in his past life still were applicable to this timeline despite its changes.


    What did this mean? Well, at a very small level, slight changes in uniforms were made due to the nature of the shift in alliances. For example, in Bruno''s past life, there were, for the most part, two different steel helmet designs that came to dominate the battlefield during the Great War.


    If one were aligned with the Central Powers, then the odds were that they adopted the M1916 Stahlhelm, originally created by the German Reich, as their answer to head trauma caused by artillery shrapnel.


    Or at the very least, they fielded some form of locally produced variation of that design. This had been true for not only Austro-Hungary but also the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Bulgaria during Bruno''s past life.


    Whereas the Allied Powers, except for two exceptions, used the French Adrian Helmet more or less. This included Russia to a much smaller degree, as they were veryte to the game to adopt a steel helmet as a result of Tsar Nichs''s aesthetic sensibilities.


    The two exemptions to this general rule of thumb were Great Britain and their infamous Mk I Helmet. There were various nicknames given to this timeless t brim design, such as the "Brodie Helmet" or the "Tommy Helmet" but at the end of the day it was the same thing.


    The United States, curiously enough, was the only faction during the war of any partial significance which opted for the British Mk I design over the French M1915 Adrian Helmet. Which the American soldiers affectionately referred to their domestic copies of the Mk I as the "doughboy" helmet.


    I mention these distinctions, because in this life it was the same way. With Germany adopting the m1916 Stahlhelm much earlier than it otherwise should have, a decade or earlier that is, there were naturally copied designs by its allies who understood the value of steel helmets as the infamous Iron Division which Bruno led into Russia had received far fewer casualties as a result of their unique head protection.


    The Austro-Hungarians, much as in Bruno''s past life, copied the Stahlhelm. It was damn near identical aside from the chin strap used, and the cement of the rivets which attached it to the helmet.


    However, what was most certainly interesting was the fact that the Russians had also adopted their own variation of the Stahlhelm. A direct copy of the German version, the only distinction was the Russian Empire''s coat of arms being emzoned into its center.


    Something that interestingly enough appeared during Bruno''s past life among German Freikorps volunteers in the Russian Civil War of 1917-1922. Something which Bruno had luckily dealt with much earlier in this life, and thus did not have to fear as a consequence of his pursuit of victory over the Great War.


    Because of this, there was little distinction in the appearance of thebined army of the Imperial Powers as they marched south through the Balkans, in particr both Montenegro and Serbia. Especially as both Germany and Austro-Hungary had adopted a damn near identical version of feldgrau for the coloration of their uniforms.


    The Russian Uniforms were only mildly different in this regard, as they were more of an olive drab green than they were a green-grey. Even so, the Stahlhelms, brown leather equipment, and puttees did no favors in distinguishing them from their allies, who shared a simr degree of equipment.


    Even though the cuts of their uniforms, and insignia were wholly distinctive, such things were difficult to spot at a distance, because of this, if one were gazing from afar, even with binocrs, the massive force of men moving in tandem with one another almost appeared like a force of one million German soldiers to the uninitiated.


    Which was a terrifying thought considering how efficiently the Germans had been dealing with their rivals on the global stage. And because of this, when the Serbian Provision Government heard back from its scouts that somewhere around a million German soldiers were advancing into their territory, the leadership instantly began to panic.


    The reality was that only about 300,000 of those soldiers were actually German soldiers. After the victory at Belgrade, and its sessful defense. Bruno ordered the 2nd Army, along with the 11th Army, to invade the Kingdom of Montenegro.


    Montenegro had remained neutral for the first month of the war. That is, until Bruno smashed half the Serbian Royal Army at the border, and obliterated their capital all within a single month. In retaliation, the small Balkan Kingdom had quickly dered war on the Imperial Powers.


    The reality was that since the start of the war in July, Montenegro had been ferrying troops and supplies into theirnds to support Serbia all under the guise of neutrality. The moment they dered war, however, Bruno was well prepared to counter them, and in doing so split his own forces to do so.


    This wasn''t exactly difficult, with Russian and Austro-Hungarian reinforcements. He was able to spare two whole field armies for the Montenegrin campaign, and in doing so, still have roughly one million men give or take tobat the Serbian Provisional Army.


    Normally, it would be easy for a properly trained scout to spot the difference between German troops and those of their allies. The problem was that the Serbian Provisional Army was basically relying on men with minimal training, and whatever equipment they could scrounge together.


    Thus, the idea that the 300,000 men who were using motorized transportation for their troops equipment and were the only German soldiers within the massive army advancing south into Serbia never even crossed their mind.


    Instead, the roughly 700,000 men in simr uniforms but marching on foot, and carrying their equipment either on their own backs, or via horses and pack mules were also assumed to be German soldiers, resulting in an unintentional disruption of Serbian intelligence, and allied intelligence over all.


    Either way, the Serbian Provisional Government was now in a state of internal panic, and was considering whether to throw in the towel altogether, or flee into Montenegro and Albania to continue the war via abined gueri campaign.


    Especially now that Greece had announced its entry into the war, and would be attacking Serbia from the south, while "Germany" attacked from the north. It was truly a very bad situation to be in.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    But in all reality, the current situation was much better for the Serbians than they thought, considering that the German soldiers and artilleryposed of only a minority of those headed their way.

 Chapter 230: Order of Louise

    Chapter 230: Order of Louise


    ?


    It was no exaggeration to say that Heidi''s humanitarian efforts had a monumental payoff for the German Reich, its wounded veterans, and their families. Less deaths meant fewer orphans and widows. And those that were created were well taken care of by the financial support that Heidi had put in ce for them via her nationwide charity.


    The result of these selfless acts were widespread, and well known, in part because of the influence the von Zehntner family had over the press, but also because good deeds done for their sake alone were a rarity in this world.


    Altruism was a concept that existed in theory only. It was an idea of what humanity could be, but in reality would never be. Any time any human ever did something that could be perceived as selfless there was always some ulterior motive.


    Vanity, fame, penance, or simply fear of not fulfilling God''s will. Every generous act had some selfish motive tied to it, if not driving it entirely. It was simply human nature, and Heidi was no real exception to this.


    Albeit her reasons for being so charitable weren''t to conceal some greater sin, or to simply stroke her own sense of virtue.


    Two reasons which one might argue were the most reprehensible reasons formitting a good deed. Rather, she was genuinely trying to change from the person she had been into something more ideal.


    That was the thing about change. It was damn near impossible for someone to change their true nature for the better. It was incredibly easy for someone to break down and corrupted to a level where they could do things once thought to be inconceivable.


    But changing into something better, or even wholly good? That was an idealistic notion, a hope that fools clung onto thinking that eventually they might not be the wretch they are now? Could they alter their behavior? Oh most certainly, and even then, the difficulty in doing such a thing in regards to self improvement was seldom easy.


    However, one''s nature was ingrained in a person''s body, mind, and soul. Hence the phrase "a leopard can''t change its spots." Which was amon idiom in the Englishnguage. People seldom really became a better person on an intrinsic level, and it was why pattern recognition was among the greatest survival skills one could possess.


    To be able to understand someone''s past behaviors was the ability to predict their future actions. Most of the time this rang true, but on the rare asions one might "fake it until they make it" and eventually undergo a metamorphosis into an entirely different human being.


    It was so rare that such shifts in character were the work of myths and legends. Even so, the price one would have to pay in order to undergo such a change was usually immense personal sacrifice and suffering.


    Perhaps one in a billion people were actually capable of transforming into something better. Overall, it was not like Heidi had a starting point among the worst of sinners. No, she was quite a virtuous person from the start.


    She had a sense of love and loyalty to her family, so much so that it bordered on the extreme. She was a wonderful mother and wife. In addition to this, she had always been kind anddylike as she was properly raised to be.


    So much so that even her half-sisters had always envied Heidi for her qualities, which were exemry of princesses like themselves. Qualities which they were alwayscking. But deep down inside there was a hatred in Heidi''s heart that she had been battling constantly to keep from poisoning her soul.


    This hatred was justifiable, and was only towards those who had wronged her in ways that she had only recently in the course of thest few years been able to forgive, and move on from. But hatred was an emotion that was insidious, and infecting.


    It was the most powerful human emotion in existence, and once one''s soul had been corrupted by its influence, it was damn near impossible to be rid of. It would fester and grow until one acted in a way they otherwise normally wouldn''t.


    Or, it would lie dormant, forever a part of them. Perhaps if they had the strength of will it could be suppressed for years, decades, or perhaps even a lifetime. But it could never be expunged. Not truly, only in legend could such a saving grace ovee a man, or in this instance a woman, and change her fate for the better.


    But if Bruno''s acts in this life had not been such a miracle to the world, and the people within it, then what else could be defined as such? Perhaps had Heidi never met Bruno, never been engaged to him, had a family with him, ande to be influenced by him. She would have died young, or perhaps even been a miserable, hateful witch for her entire life.


    Yet that was not this timeline nor the life which Heidi lived in it, and because of this she was finally able to forgive, and move on from her childhood suffering, and the death of her mother.


    She was able to change, and be someone who genuinely, honestly, sacrificed her time and family''s fortune to help the less needy for no reason other than the fact that it was the right thing to do.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And because of this, while Bruno was marching into Southern Serbia with an army of roughly one million men. Heidi had been called to the Kaiser''s pce. It was a rare thing for her


    personally to be granted an audience with the German Emperor.


    Every time she and her children had been invited to the Imperial Pce it was because of Bruno''s influence. This was the first time that Heidi was alone and her presence had been requested. Hence why she was a bit nervous, as she dressed in her most formal attire, and styled her hair in a way that was most elegant.


    She would be turning 33 in October, and yet she was as beautiful and ravishing as a maiden ten years younger. Without Bruno by her side to scare the wolves away, no doubt there would be several hundred suitors trying to steal the bride from her man.


    But that was ultimately not the case, as when Heidi stepped foot in the pce she was surprised to find that it was not the Kaiser himself who had requested his presence, but rather the Emperor''s wife.


    Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, who was standing next to her daughter, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, as well as a variety of other German nobledies many of which were Queens, Grand Duchesses, and Princesses in their own right.


    Before Heidi could ask why she was summoned here, the Kaiserin quickly stood up from her seat, prompting all others to do so, and gave Heidi an order. One that she was quick to follow.


    "It is customary to bow when in the presence of an Empress..."


    Heidi was all too aware of these customs, but was so blindsided by this strange gathering that she hadpletely forgotten her manners. Quickly bowing her head and performing a proper curtsy as she apologized for her poor manners.


    "Apologies, your highness, I was dumbstruck momentarily, do forgive myck of manners


    and respect..."


    The Kaiserin looked over at her daughter, who silently smiled and nodded her head, prompting the Empress to sigh before announcing which Heidi was summoned to her home.


    "After careful consideration, and discussion with the fellow members of the order. I have deemed it fit to grant you, Heidi von Zehntner with an Order of Louise, Dame, 1st ss, as a reward for your exceptional charitable actions towards the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Reich as a whole."


    After saying this, the Kaiserin walked over to Heidi and pinned the ribbon of the order and its distinctive medal to the left breast of her finely tailored dress. Heidi stared in disbelief, never expecting such an incredible reward for actions she had taken purely as a means of helping the less fortunate during an unfortunate time in human history.


    She wanted to say something, but stammered in disbelief as tears welled up in her eyes. An act which prompted all the other women to smile at her, andfort the woman who now stood among the most elite order of aristocratic women in the German Reich. An order of chivalry entirely meant for women of noble birth and their charitable deeds.


    Whether it was bing a full-fledged Princess as a result of being Bruno''s wife, and the actions he had taken in Russia to earn them such status, or it was the fact she was now being treated as a proper nobledy by legitimate Empresses, Queens, and Princesses. Heidi finally felt as if her questionable heritage was a matter of the past. Something which had haunted her


    for her entire life.


    Not even Bruno''s brother Maximilian could dare to say a word towards Heidi or her parentage, lest he invoke the wrath of the House of Hohenzollern who now recognized Heidi as a nobledy of the highest virtue.

 Chapter 231: Run Through the Jungle

    Chapter 231: Run Through the Jungle


    ?


    The War in Europe was progressing more or less than Bruno had initially expected it to. The frontlines had been stalled in the west, as Germany defended its own territory, and that of Luxembourg from repeated French invasion.


    Meanwhile, France was slowly grinding their way through Belgium, a nation which had yet to ask for aid from the German Reich. At the same time, the British finally managed tond forces in France, albeit in the South, who were now marching northwest towards Elsass- Lothringen to aid the French Army who were still trying to break through them.


    In Isonzo, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians continued to hold the line against the Italians. And in the Balkans, all-out war had broken out with the Serbian Provisional Army being attacked on both sides.


    But if there was one mostly forgotten front of this war, that had been entirely opened up as a result in the shifts in Alliances. It would be the fact that the Imperial Japanese Army had begun attacking allied colonial territories in the east.


    For example, French Indochina, where the Japanese were getting a taste of modern-20th centurybat for the first time since Mukden. The introduction of beltfed general purpose machine guns had been a game changer in the East.


    By the outbreak of the war, not only had the Japanese finished the development of the prototype which they showed Bruno years prior, but had also begun to put it into mass production. As a result, the Japanese soldiers currently slogging through the Jungles of French Indochina were equipped with far more firepower than the French were prepared to deal with.


    Echoes of machine guns and bolt action rifles rattled throughout the heavily wooded areas. French soldiers shouted in their nativenguage. The words were jumbled together in an incoherent mix of various thoughts andmands.


    But most noticeable were the repeated cursing of the French Machine Gun crews who were desperately trying to get their puteaux machine guns to properly function. The weapon systems ate maybe five to seven rounds maximum before requiring an extensive clearing procedure.


    Worst yet, some criticalponents of the firearm were prone to breakage, and when that happened, the weapon was dead in the water, so to speak. Because of this, one particr French machine gun crew kicked their weapon into the mud, as they retreated immediately after their weapon broke down on them.


    Meanwhile, a Japanese machine gunner, spotting the French flee like roaches exposed to the light, picked up his rtively lightweight weapon and aimed down its sights while shouldering the bracing the stock against his shoulder.


    Firmly holding it tightly while screaming in Japanese and firing at the fleeing French soldiers. The bullets struck the men in the backs as they hit the drenched soil, their bodies and uniforms soiled by the earth as much as their own blood.


    Meanwhile, the Japanese riflemen chased after the fleeing French with bays affixed, ending the lives of the men who were cut down by machine gun fire, but not yet down with a single thrust to their hearts.


    The Japanese officers in the distance noted how effectively their machine guns were performing on the battlefield, while their own artillery continued to battery the secondary French position, which the retreating soldiers were desperately falling back to.


    It would appear that thete Emperor''s Meiji''s fondness in the Germans has proven to have born exceptional fruit. These Type 45 Machine guns have performed wlessly even in the density of this wretched jungle... I dare say that the French have no real counter to them, and by summer of next year alone, all of Indochina will be in our hands..."


    The officer standing beside the fieldmander nodded his head while speaking his own thoughts about the matter.


    "Indeed, we have the Great Mamushi to thank for this... I hear his aplishments in the west have been equally fearsome as what he disyed at Port Arthur and Mukden. It would be incredibly unwise to ce a wager against the German Reich so long as a man like that is inmand of its army..."


    This was a sentiment that was equally shared by the Japanese Field Commander, who sighed and nodded his head while reminiscing about the battle which he personally witnessed Bruno lead a decade earlier.


    "I have seldom seen a man in such a high position disregard his own life and lead his men into battle from the frontlines. I dare say, if he is still foolish enough to engage in such reckless behavior, then he won''t be around long enough to make a difference in this war..."


    Utter silence remained between the two men as the echoes of the battlefield remained a constant reminder of the death and destruction that was happening in front of them.


    Bruno sneezed and wiped his nose as he did so. He could not help but feel that someone, somewhere, was speaking ill of him. Or perhaps wishing a horrific fate upon him... After all, he was not the type of man to ever really sneeze outside of sickness. And he was currently in perfect health.


    Because of this rare and random urrence, he simply looked over at his two oldest friends before giving them a grim stare.


    "If either of you shits have any ideas about stabbing me in the back, just know I will be taking you with me to the grave if you have the balls to attempt it. Heinrich looked at Bruno as if he was being unnecessarily paranoid, which he was about to voice before Erich interrupted him with his own sick sense of humor.


    "Buried forever together with the Generalfeldmarschall would be my greatest honor!"


    Heinrich shook his head at Erich''s words, while Bruno elicited a rare chuckle, all while shaking his head.


    "Yeah, you would like that, wouldn''t you? Is that the reason you are not yet married at your old age, my friend? Maybe I was right all those years ago..."


    Erich immediately froze on the spot; ovee by memories he had otherwise forgotten. Nearly a decade ago, the two of them had set sail to Asia aboard a ship that was captained by Erich''s older brother.


    On board that vessel, Bruno had convinced the captain that Erich was a homosexual. Something that during this era was highly frowned upon. Needless to say, there was hell to pay for such a cruel and outright malicious prank.


    Because of that, as the three men sat in the passenger seats of their K¨¹belwagen while advancing with the rest of the Army southward, Erich couldn''t help but remind Bruno with an almost murderous re that he still remembered this insult.


    "You know, I had almost forgotten about this incident, but now that you have returned it to the forefront of my memories, I realized I have never quite forgiven you for angering me in such an unprovoked manner!"


    Bruno chuckled as he heard Erich''s threatening words. He knew Erich was an attack hound, one that was liable to attack its own master if not properly reminded of its ce in the world. And because of this, Bruno smoked out the window before turning his head around to look at Erich. The gaze that Bruno gave his friend was chilling, while the tone in his voice bordered on


    the sadistic.


    "You see, that''s the difference between you and me Erich, I don''t get angry, I get even, and violence has always been something that I believe in.... If you have a problem with me, then we can settle this little grievance of yours, like men, at any time of your choosing.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But just be prepared to suffer the consequences of your challenge if you do wish to pursue this


    matter..."


    Understanding that he had just provoked the only man he had ever known who had more blood on his hands than himself, Erich instantly quelled his thoughts and looked away in a silent act of submission. Something that only caused the sadistic smirk on Bruno''s face to grow into an even more wicked sneer.


    After finishing his cigarette and tossing it out the window, he was quick to reward Erich for settling the matter without bloodshed.


    "Alright, so I''ll take it this matter is settled then? Yes? Good, as a result, I''ll give you something you have wanted for a while now... I am tasking you withmanding the stormtroopers from here on out. You understand what I am saying, yes?"


    Bruno had long since created specialized stormtroopers in anticipation of the war. And Erich had transferred back to the Army specifically to participate in such a unit who specialized in trench raiding. Unfortunately, until now he had been on a double secret probation because of his, shall we say, more chaotic tendencies.


    This probation had him tied to Bruno as his personal adjutant. But now Erich was being sent back to the front lines like he so desperately desired. Meaning that Bruno had finally decided to let his mad dog off of his leash. And when he did so, the bodies that Erich and his men would stack up would d be enough to make their unit a legend.

 Chapter 232: Pride is the Root of All Evil

    ?Chapter 232 Pride is the Root of All Evil


    Erich found himself in his new unit and was quitefortable with the arrangement. In the Great War of Bruno''s past life, "Stormtroopers" were a development muchter in the conflict. They were especially small units who specialized in trench raiding. With the ultimate objective of infiltrating the enemy fortifications and forcing an entry for the regr infantry to break through.


    Development of such tactics led to significant gains by the German Army in the months that followed. Or at least rtively so, when 300,000 men died for six miles ofnd, and a million more were wounded in some capacity, then even a few yards of ground gained was "significant" in such a brutal war of attrition.


    The Somme was among the bloodiest battles in Bruno''s past life, one that answered the question once and for all. "What is the price of a mile?" Well, ording to figures reported from the end of the battle, 50,000 lives is what a mile of ground was worth in the eyes of themanders in charge on both sides.


    Bruno believed that lives of his men were worth far more than a mere mile or two. 50,000 lives for a mile? Only a monster could justify such a price for so little gain. It was the reason he only engaged in battles he knew he could win and without such wasteful expenditure of humanity.


    If the cost of victory was so great that it would ultimately lead to ruin, then retreat was the most advisable course of action. Pyrrhic victories were not something Bruno ever sought to be known for. Luckily, Bruno had the numerical and technological advantage in the Balkans.


    And because of this, the majority of his men marched into Montenegro to take the small Balkan kingdom out ofmission once and for all, while his own troops supported the Russian and Austro-Hungarian advance into southern Serbia which was currently thest bastion of the Serbian Provisional Army.


    Bruno had to admit, the King of Greece, or at least those advising him, knew the opportune moment to enter the war on behalf of the Imperial Powers. While thebined might of German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian forces converged on what remained of Serbia from the North, the Hellenic Army advanced from the South. In doing so, the Serbian Provisional Army had no path of retreat. They could not even march west into Montenegro, or Albania, seeking to stall the war with a guerri campaign like they had more or less done in Bruno''s past life, as half a million or more German soldiers were rapidly seizing the two Balkan nations, and taking them out of the war early.


    Serbia''s time hase. They had started this war and dragged the world into their demise. Those responsible may be dead, but yet Serbia did not recognize it''s wrong dealing and kneel before their victims asking for penance.


    They sought to resist until the end, and if that was the case, then Bruno was happy to oblige them. One way or another, their choice to continue fighting a war of futility would be the end of their nation and culture, unless someone stepped forward and flew the white g of peace.


    Hence why there was a discussion taking ce within the city of Ni?, which had be the capital of the Serbian Provisional government. Who was currently leading the Serbians in this war and refusing to surrender?


    Well, the answer to that question was a bitplicated. With the eradication of the usurper, King Peter I of Serbia, and his family during the Massacre of Belgrade, rule over Serbia more or less fell to a military Junta of the nation''s remaining top army officials.


    These men were currently arguing among themselves over how to proceed with the war effort. The Greek entry into the war was unexpected, and even worse, their advance was far swifter and fiercer than imagined.


    Apparently, the Hellenic Army began mobilizing its forces well before any deration of war. Serbia, focused on the enemy advancing from the north, and with experienced soldiers avable within the field of intelligence and reconnaissance, had failed to detect the Kingdom of Greece amassing its forces on their southern border.


    These forces, ironically enough, were fitted with weapons given to them and Ultra-Orthodox Paramilitary Organizations who had fought against the Ottomans within the Balkan Wars. It was a superior degree of firepower, by a small but highly experienced army which had just emerged victorious from two wars in thest two years.


    Needless to say, the poorly trained, and even worse equipped, conscripts of the Serbian Provisional Army began to buckle under the threat of their now two war fronts. Luckily for them, French, British, Ottoman, and Italian Forces had arrived in the region, and in doing so evening out the numbers for the allied powers.


    Either way, the Balkan Campaign was about to be decided over the course of the Winter of 1914, and hence why these military autocrats were now arguing among themselves over how to proceed.


    "The answer is simple: surrender willingly to the Imperial Powers. Continuing this fight will be the death of Serbia, and I don''t just mean as an independent and sovereign nation, but as a people altogether!


    We have already lost hundreds of thousands of our men. Nearly 1/10th of our poption! Are we really going to send every man and boy capable of bearing arms to their deaths? Is subjection to Habsburg rule really so horrific that we must sacrifice our people and our thousand plus year history in the name of sovereignty!?!" These were the words spoken by one military officer among many who disagreed. And by no means were these words hyperbolic or irrational. In fact, it was the most logical opinion on how to proceed expressed thus far.


    But if human beings were logical, and rational beings, then wars like this would not need to be fought in the first ce. Serbia had chosen to drag the rest of the world into its defeat, both in this life and its previous timeline.


    If admitting defeat was so easy, would they not have done so before the war began? Of the Seven Deadly sins, pride was perhaps the single most destructive. Pride was the root of all evil, even the six other Cardinal Sins more often than not stemmed from


    pride.


    And it was this that had caused the Great War to begin, and it was ultimately why the other Serbian Military Officials gazed upon theirpatriot with such contempt. Because of this, they indignantly refused to surrender. And hence why the ultimate response to the one wise man among a group of fools was to shame him.


    "Surrender? Now that our allies have finallye to our aid? What madness do you speak of? Do you have any shame in suggesting such a thing when we finally have a chance to avenge our defeats?"


    The Military officer who had suggested surrender in order to save themselves, and their people, could only sigh and shake his head in defeat. He was not the one who felt shame. No... He was very humble with the reality he had been forced into.


    Whether it was the destruction of half of their professional army at the outbreak of their war, the massacre of their capital and everyone in it, or the death of their veterans who had sacrificed themselves by assaulting the German fortifications around Belgrade to buy them time.


    There was nothing to feel but humility at these repeated losses against a supreme foe. Rather, it was the men who wished to sacrifice everything for their foolish pride that felt shame in their defeat. After all, pride was the origin of shame, and since these men could not humble themselves, they would rather lead their people to ruin over their own personal confliction.


    As a result, the officer who had suggested stepped forward, willing to martyr himself in the eyes of his people, in order to save them. Suggesting an action that he woulde to be despised for.


    "If you truly think that my suggestion is so shameful, then allow me to volunteer to prove otherwise. I will lead the Provisional Army against the Germans in the North. Let me defend what remains of ournds from the invaders and show you all how defiant I truly am in the face of overwhelming odds!"


    The other members of the Serbian Military Junta looked at one another, silentlymunicating with each other via nothing more than their gazes for but a moment before finally relenting.


    "Very well, you shall take charge of the Army sent to intercept the German advance. While webine forces with our allies to pressure the Greeks in the south. We


    expect you and your men to fight until the end. To buy us enough time to capture Athens! Do not bring shame to our people!"


    The military officer who had initially suggested surrender remained utterly silent as he performed a salute, signifying that he understood his orders. What became of him and his men was ultimately up to him, and potentially all of Serbia with them.

 Chapter 233: Negotiating the Enemys Surrender Part I

    Chapter 233: Negotiating the Enemy''s Surrender Part I


    ?


    Bruno sat in the back of his K¨¹belwagen, his vehicle was on the very edge of the convoy.


    Sitting in the rear with other nonbatant personnel. Whether they be logistics personnel, or men beyond the risk of death by enemy fire.


    The advance south would have been much more rapid if they were not relying on the terribly slow speed of human marches and the horses which carried their equipment.


    As a man who onceunched himself into battle via deploying from helicopters within his past life, Bruno had to admit, the criticalck of transportation within the early 20th century no doubt contributed to the brutality of trench warfare and the stagnation it had ultimately caused.


    Even so, there were benefits to the slow speed, such as making it exceptionally difficult to advance beyond your means of supply. Even so, Bruno sat and waited, that is until the call came over the vehicle''s radio.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The driver quickly got on thems and spoke with the person on the other end, that is until he looked over at Bruno and announced something shocking to him.


    "The enemy army is waving the white g. They wish to discuss terms of surrender..."


    Heinrich seemed relieved to hear this information, any battle that could be won without the need for bloodshed was the best kind there was. Even Sun Tzu would agree with this sentiment as he once was quoted as saying in his timeless book "the Art of War."


    "Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence


    Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy''s resistance without fighting"


    It was indeed entirely possible that the enemymander, perhaps intimidated both by the scale of Bruno''s army, and potential misinformation, was willing to raise the white g and surrender his arms. But Bruno was indeed skeptical of this.


    By now, French and British forces should have made their way into Serbia to reinforce their ally. In addition to these, as useless and obsolete as the Ottoman Army was, they too should have managed to send aid to the Serbians.


    Why surrender now that there was hope on the horizon? Were his actions in Belgrade so fearsome that they had the intended effect? Did they server to force his enemies to submit out of fear ofplete and total extermination, rather than embolden them to fight until thest man as they had appeared to have done so until now?


    Or was this perhaps a trap to ensnare Bruno and eliminate him? There were too many reasons for Bruno''s paranoia to prevent him from speaking with the enemymander. At least under the Serbian terms.


    Nor was there any neutral ground they could discuss this matter... No, if the Serbians truly wanted to submit to him, they would prove it bying to his domain and surrendering to his mercy. Because of this, Bruno was quick to make his demands known in order to even begin the negotiations for a potential surrender of the Serbian Army that was sent to Forstall in advance.


    Heinrich narrowed his eyes at Bruno upon hearing the demand for the Serbianmand toe to him and personally surrender. Quickly questioning just what intent the man had by doing so.


    "You''re not nning something sinister, are you?"


    Bruno simply scoffed at the man before pointing out the real reason his paranoia had kicked in.


    "Look around you, my old friend, and tell me exactly where we are standing..."


    Heinrich looked around and gazed upon the terrain. Mountains, as far as the eyes could see. Maybe not the spires of the alps, but there was no doubt raised terrain, and trees covering them wherever he looked.


    When hemented upon this, Bruno nodded his head, and then asked his friend another question.


    "So tell me, is it not possible, that should I ce my faith in my enemy''s goodwill, and go forth beyond the boundaries of the protection which my army provides me, that I might find my head blown off by a well-ced sniper hiding in the hills obscured by the local foliage?"


    Heinrich''s jaw dropped when he realized the utter madness Bruno seemed to have be enveloped in as the war waged on, or at least, such was his perspective. Hence the disbelief and slight contempt in his tone as the man sighed and shook his head.


    "You just see the absolute worst in every human being youe across, don''t you?"


    Bruno, of course, responded with a snicker, and a smug tone in his voice as he lectured his friend on his own naivety.


    "You see Heinrich, this is why I will outlive you by at least three decades, assuming the cigarettes don''t do me in well before I am supposed to naturally expire... Relying on the honor and integrity of your fellow man is a good way to get yourself killed.


    Preemptively anticipating the natural wickedness of mankind, however, and making preparations to mitigate potential harm in every scenario you may find yourself in, that''s how you stay alive in this cruel and unforgiving world.


    Well then again, I shouldn''t put such sins on the world, rather the Earth would be a beautiful ce, almost Paradisical if you will, that is, if it weren''t for all the goddamn people in it..."


    Listening to Bruno bitch about humanity was something that Heinrich knew he would never be free from so long as he maintained a friendship with the man, and he was quick to point out that perhaps Bruno had chosen the wrong career.


    "You know, with a mentality like that, you should have be a philosopher. I''m sure there are more than a few who would agree with you and your pessimistic view of our species."


    Bruno did not immediately respond to these words, instead letting out a plume of smoke from yet another cigarette, fully aware of the danger it posed to his longevity, yet not caring in the slightest as hemented on his own shorings and those of humanity as a whole.


    "Are you aware that out of all the religions created by humanity within our recorded history as a species, it is a damn near unanimous consensus that we shall be judged after our death by what actions we take in this life?


    I''d say that alone is sufficient proof that humanity views itself, at least on some subconscious level, as a wicked being by its very nature. For if we were intrinsically good, why must we all create some kind of supernatural entity to judge as after we have passed?"


    Heinrich simply rolled his eyes as the driver interrupted their conversation, alerting the two high-ranking officers about the Serbian Commander''s response.


    "The enemymander has agreed to your request, and will approach our lines unarmed and on horseback. He is more than willing to temporarily enter our custody in order to negotiate proper terms of surrender..."


    Heinrich then gave Bruno a smug look, while chastising the man for his endless pessimism with a smug tone in his voice.


    "You see, Bruno, not everyone in this world is out to get you. Now how about we go end this campaign once and for all with a proper course of diplomacy, rather than bloodshed?"


    Bruno scoffed. Heinrich was indeed an optimist to the end, and Bruno genuinely believed such a foolish mentality would one day get the man killed. Nevertheless, he was not too proud to admit defeat in the moment, and was quick to ept his friend''s "moral victory" even if he was still doubtful of the enemy''s true intentions.


    "Though I concede that this current circumstance may not necessarily be a plot to kill me, we will ultimately have to wait until these negotiations to see if that is truly the case...." After saying this, Bruno ordered the driver to navigate towards the proper area within their own lines where the negotiations with the Serbianmander would be held. Heinrich had a smug smirk on his face throughout the rest of the journey, believing he finally got one over on


    Bruno.


    As for Bruno, nothing was conclusive until after the enemy armyid down their arms and fully entered their custody. And yes, he would be alert even within his own ranks towards any potential conspiracy against him. After all, such was the man''s nature...

 Chapter 234: Negotiating the Enemys Surrender Part II

    Chapter 234: Negotiating the Enemy''s Surrender Part II


    ?


    Themander of the Serbian Army sent with orders of "fighting until thest man" in order to buy time for a victory in the south against the Hellenic Army was more or lessmitting treason. His objective was to negotiate a peaceful surrender with the Germans, not only for his own men, but for all of Serbia.


    He knew he wasn''t exactly in a position to do so, and he also knew that Serbia, or more specifically its royal family in conjunction with the ck Hand, was guilty of a great many crimes. Crimes against not only the Habsburgs, but Bruno personally, as well as many innocent people in the Balkans.


    At the end of the day, there was nothing he could really do to make amends for these sins. All he could do was ask for more peaceable terms than total annihtion by giving the enemy a show of good behavior.


    This was entirely the way he had volunteered for this "suicide mission" and themander was all too aware of what his reputation would be should he seed in his goals. But so long as Serbia survived in some capacity, his personal pride and honor were ultimately


    meaningless.


    Even knowing all of this, he and his officer cadre were sweating bullets as they walked through the rank and file of the 300,000 or so Germans who were one of three advancing armies across the Northern Serbian Landscape.


    Granted, reports stated a million Germans were advancing onto the current capital of the Serbian Provisional government, and the Serbianmander had assumed Bruno had split his forces. Which while this was true, deciding to capture and upy more ground with the division of the German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian armies under the control of their own generals.


    The ultimate misunderstanding was that all one million men were German soldiers with advanced equipment, which was a falsehood creating by poor training of scouts hastily thrown into their roles.


    Either way, 300,000 German soldiers surrounding the Serbian cadre, and giving them haunted looks, were not exactly something that gave a sense offort to their guests. Even so, eventually the Serbian officers were brought into Bruno''s personal tent, albeit, they were thoroughly disarmed, and patted down for anything that could remotely be used as a weapon before doing so.


    Once inside the tent, they found that the entire structure had been hastily constructed. Only a few folding chairs and a small table were set up with not even the slightest offorts prepared for the Serbian officers acting as diplomats.


    The only thing Bruno offered was a cigarette to each of them, as he made his stance clear.


    "You offer terms. I ask for nothing less than total surrender. If you are unwilling to ept such demands, then go back to your army and prepare for battle..."


    Utter silence prevailed for a few moments until finally the Serbian officer in charge spoke up. The man wasn''t even technically a general, at least he wasn''t until hastily promoted to the


    position after the formation of the Serbian Provisional Army.


    He soundedpletely defeated as he made his stance clear.


    "I understand you want to end this war as soon as possible. It was, after all, a war you did not start, one that has personally affected you in ways I can''t truly begin to understand. It stands to reason you would obliterate our capital, especially after our king refused to surrender despite the situation he was in.


    I am willing to have every man in my armyy down arms and enter your custody until this war is over. In exchange, all I ask is you do not take such excessive actions with the remaining of Serbia as you have done in Belgrade...


    It is impossible to guarantee that the remainder of the Army will do the same. In fact, they are currently in the Southbating the Greeks, thinking they have a chance to oppose you. But as far as I am concerned, the war is already lost, and enough blood has been shed to appease the Habsburgs, has it not?"


    As both Bruno and the Serbian officers smoked in silence, Bruno eyed them carefully, watching every twitch of their facial muscles to determine whether the words they spoke were with sincerity, or were simply a means to conceal a far more sinister plot.


    In the end, Bruno only opened his mouth and began to speak his peace after he had put out his cigarette on the ashtray, which was the only thing sitting on the table.


    "You wish to surrender the arms of you and your men in exchange for leniency towards Serbia and its people? Your terms are eptable, assuming of course the remainder of the forces we have to fight don''t do anything foolish to provoke an excessive response. I can agree to your terms.


    The Usurper and his wicked spawn have been gassed into extinction. The men responsible for the death of the Austrian Archduke are either all in custody, or have choked to death on mustard gas. And the people who have caused unnecessary bloodshed in the objective of stoking national and ethnic tensions in the region have been rounded up and shot against the wall.


    There is no further reason for your people to suffer to such an extent, not unless they decide to continue this war in an extended and bloody guerri campaign. If you want peace, then tell the Serbian people toy down their arms and ept their defeat as you have done. Allow me to make myself abundantly clear, as my men march further southward into yournds, should we encounter any resistance by militias, partisans, or any other form of uniformedbatant taking up arms against our upation, I will take ten heads for every one rebel Ie across. And another ten further forever casualty the men beneath mymand sustain.


    I want you to truly understand what this means as I ept your terms. Because if you disagree with such tactics, then you have every right to go back to your army and fight us until yourst dying breath. Though... I would not rmend such a foolish and reckless course of action..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The look in Bruno''s sky-blue eyes as he spoke these words to the Serbian officers was enough to lower the room''s temperature by a full fifty degrees. He was not exaggerating in the slightest when he made such a threat, no... a promise to the men trying to negotiate a more peaceable end to the Balkan Campaign.


    He would very much tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent people to avenge the loss of his men killed by civilians, and not soldiers. After all, that was the only way to truly win a war against an enemy engaging in a gueri campaign.


    Either wipe out the poption to thest man, so that nobody was left to resist your upation. Or make the people truly understand that was the ultimate end for them should they continue to fight such a futile war was extinction.


    Survival was a basic human instinct, and it was very easy to write off the men, women and children that Bruno would inevitably line up against the wall in retaliation for the deaths of his soldiers killed during the upation as "ununiformedbatants" who were currently not protected by the rules of war.


    After all, his soldiers dying in battle against a proper army was a natural consequence of war, but their deaths at the hands of partisans? Such a thing required excessive and brutal response, or else they would continue to fight and kill Bruno''s men. Who at the end of the day he valued the lives of far more than the innocent people he upied.


    This was one of Bruno''srgestints about how the ISAF handled themselves in Afghanistan during his past life when he was a soldier fighting there.


    In ordance with the rules of war as they existed in the 21st century coalition forces ultimately chose to sacrifice the lives of their soldiers in order to prioritize the lives of Afghani civilians rather than level entire viges where the Taliban hid and upied, more often the not with the aid of those very civilians who were being protected by the ISAF.


    Even if such a thing became internationalw in his time serving as a German General in this life, Bruno would never put the lives of his own men at risk in exchange for prioritizing the safety of civilians who lived in an active Warzone. The lives of every single one of his soldiers were worth more than a million Serbians, Italians, Frenchmen, or any other country he


    marched into.


    And he would conduct war with such a mentality if need be. Considering the way Bruno had rified this stance, and the almost demonic gaze that apanied his monstrous words, the Serbian Officers were quick to agree to Bruno''s requests, and would dly act as propaganda pieces to help coerce the local Serbian poption not to engage in any violent behavior towards German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian "Peacekeeping" forces.

 Chapter 235: Consequences of Aggressive Negotiations

    Chapter 235: Consequences of Aggressive Negotiations


    ?


    The moment the Serbian Army, which was sent to intercept the Germans in the northern half of the territory that more or less currently remained under the control of the Serbian Provisional Government, surrendered, all hell broke loose among the allies.


    This was a severe matter, as this was roughly half of Serbia''s remainingbat might, albeit primarily made of conscripts, being sent on a suicide mission. Even with the men sent by the French, British, and Ottomans to assist the Serbians, it was not enough to prevent theplete and total copse of their northern front.


    Worse yet, radio broadcasts were being made across the country, as were any other means of propaganda, whether that be publication, posters, influence in the local churches, et cetera. Where the words being spoken were entirely made to convince the Serbians that peaceful surrender was their guarantee of being treated better than Belgrade was.


    Even those who may have had an initial desire to take up arms and attack Imperial upying forces hesitated to do so when they were called upon by their own leadership to resist such an urge for chaos and violence.


    At the end of the day, the Serbians felt like they had beenpletely and totally betrayed by their own forces, or at least those within the leadership who still wished to cling to their pride in the face of what was clear and overwhelming defeat.


    And while the British, Ottoman, and Frenchmanders in charge of their expeditionary forces, which were at most a brigade or two each, convened to discuss their next course of action. Montenegro came under the full assault of some 500,000 plus German soldiers who convened upon it from the north and eastern nks.


    In Bruno''s past life, the Serbian Army had been forced to withdraw from their own borders within less than a year of the hostilities'' beginning. However, they had fled sessfully into Montenegro, where they more or less kept the overall theater of war open until essentially the end of the war in 1918.


    This had consumed hundreds of thousands of not millions of men and the resources required to supply them. A mistake Bruno did not intend to make in this life. From the moment Montenegro entered the war, Bruno used the excuse of them ferrying Allied troops and supplies into Serbia as an excuse topletely and totally obliterate them as a sovereign kingdom.


    Montenegro was a small kingdom, capable of fielding at most 50,000 men in its army, most of which were wielding vastly obsolete equipment. Facing ten times their numbers in modern German soldiers, deployed via motorized means, in both infantry and logistics. The Montenegrin campaign was over before it began.


    The only reason it really held out so long in Bruno''s past life was due to its small territory which was supported by hundreds of thousands of Serbian soldiers who fled into its territory following Serbia''s upation by the Central Powers, and because of its ess to the Mediterranean which more or less allowed allied material support of their defense.


    Two things, however, had urred in this life that prevented such a result. First and foremost, and also the most unexpected. Was the Greek entry into the war... While the Hellenic Army was inferior in scale, and equipment to the Bulgarian Army.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The Hellenic Navy proved its value tenfold over Bulgaria''s assistance to the Central Powers during Bruno''s previous life. By itself Austro-Hungary''s K.u.K. Kriegsmarine did not have the strength to blockade Montenegro.


    After all, they had to alsobat attacks on their convoys by the allies, and the Italian navy for control over the Adriatic. Which was something which ultimately stressed the Austro- Hungarian Navy and made its control over the Balkans thin.


    However, this changed with the addition of the Hellenic Navy supporting their interests. While admittedly small, the addition of even a small amount of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines was all that was needed to fully deter the allies fromnding troops and supplies in Montenegro.


    Montenegro had only been able to ferry a small number of at most 20,000 troops from Britain, France, and the Ottomansbined into theirnds, while still acting under the false guise of neutrality. These forces now had already crossed over to support Serbia in its efforts tobat the Greeks.


    At most, a division worth of coalition forces had entered Serbia, which while the British and French forces were generally better supplies and trained than the Serbians, the Ottomans were utterly useless.


    Their entry into WWI on behalf of the Central Powers during Bruno''s past life came with the transfer of German generals to reform them into a more modern and capable army, along with German warships added to their ranks.


    Considering British Naval losses suffered during the outbreak of war trying to send aid to their allies in France, no such maritime support came from the British Empire. And much to the anger of the Turks, the British used the battleships they were manufacturing for the Turks as recements for their losses against the German High Seas Fleet.


    Justifying this breach of contract by the promise of sending men and resources to support the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans and in their war against the Russians in the Caucasus, or what remained of their forces there.


    However, such aid manifested itself in the form of a few brigades sent to Serbia, and zero support to the Caucasus. With the Kaiserliche Marine more or lessing to dominate the North Sea, and the English Channel, they began sending a small contingent of wolf packs to the Mediterranean after learning of allied ns to support Serbia and the Ottomans. Considering the advanced nature of Germany''s current submarine fleet, it was damn near impossible for the British to understand what was sinking their trade convoys and warships in the region, as they had yet to encounter a single intact Type XXI Submarine.


    Hence why theplete and total betrayal of the Serbian Northern Army Group, which surrendered to Bruno without a fight, proved so disastrous for the Allied Powers and their goals in the region.


    Without a doubt, they would either have to divert already limited forces to counter the rapid and motorized advance of the enemy in the north, or focus all of their efforts onbating the Hellenic Army, who were dug in like ticks in their own territory.

 Chapter 236: How Does One Proceed When Betrayed By their Allies?

    Chapter 236: How Does One Proceed When Betrayed By their Allies?


    ?


    With contested seas and naval blockades across Montenegro''s borders,nding troops and supplies in the Balkans was a difficult process for the allies. A process which only became more difficult with the introduction of Greece into the war on behalf of the Imperial Powers.


    Montenegro and its 50,000 men found themselves quickly encircled by the German forces Bruno split off from his main army that equally were greater than ten times the number of defenders. At most, the Allies managed tond a division worth of their soldiers in the region, and that wasbined across its many nations.


    This division was currently trying their best to gain ground in Greece, where the Hellenic Army was rather incredibly holding its ground for the most part. Outnumbered, and fighting on two fronts, the Serbians and Greeks were in a simr position.


    The difference was, the Imperial Powers advancing from the north of Serbia consisted of the top threergest, most well trained, and most technologically advanced armies in the world. While Greece wasbating less than 30,000 men of actual modern capabilities in their north, with the remaining being conscripts thrust in to battle with limited training and obsolete equipment.


    Perhaps the Greeks could have been pressured into splitting their forces had Bulgaria entered the war, but currently they were watching and waiting. Frankly speaking, their only reason for joining the war was to gain territory contested with the Greeks.


    But they would only have such acquisitions should the Allies win. And as 1914 came to a close, the Allies were the very clear losers from any perspective other than their own. Bulgaria had chosen not to enter the war.


    As a result, the Greeks only had one border to defend, and that was their border with Serbia as neutral Albania blocked a Montenegrin disruption in the northwest, and Thrace was currently under Bulgarian possession.


    Meaning that other than by sending troops into Montenegro to aid Serbia, the Ottoman Empire, no matter how close they were to their Balkan ally, had no means of directly advancing into Greece without first dragging the Bulgarians into the conflict.


    Not to mention that in this life, it was no exaggeration to say that the Ottomans had reced the Austro-Hungarians as the second worst army in the world, just behind the Italians. After all, most of the issues guing the Austro-Hungarian Army in Bruno''s past life had been solved to a sufficient enough degree thanks to his input during this new timeline.


    Because of this, the British and French officersmanding the brigades that were sent to the Balkans were now forced to have a serious and grim conversation about the current reality they were facing together.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The Allied Expeditionary Force sent to the Balkans were led by a British Brigadier General, the man was not in the best of moods after recent events, and he naturally gave voice to these grievances with an inflection in his tone that hinted he was struggling to keep things together.


    "I have to say, the surrender of the Serbian Provisional Army sent to buy us time against the Imperial Powers in the North was not exactly an expected urrence... And now we sit here in south, with our nks entirely exposed to an enemy which is quickly advancing upon our position entirely uncontested.


    Even worse, any resistance we would have otherwise expected from the local popce has beenpletely nullified by the Serbian traitor''s words which the Germans have abused every form of medium they can to get them to the masses!


    I hate to admit it, but things are not looking good for us, we either end up trapped between two armies and get obliterated in the process, or we find a way to jump ship and get out of this mess we have found ourselves in..."


    Neither the French nor Ottomanmander looked like they had any better suggestions as they silently eyed each other before sighing and shaking their heads in an act ofplete and utter defeat. Nobody really knew what they could do.


    Fleeing wasn''t exactly an option. Serbia had no coastline, and by now any escape route through Montenegro had been thoroughly cut off. Not only by the Imperial Powers naval blockade of its shorelines, but also because the Imperial Army Group had by now cut off any ess to Montenegro''s borders through their upation of Serbia.


    Could they rally their forces together and make a desperate attempt to break through German-upied territory? Of course, but even if they managed to get into Montenegro, what then? By the time they even reached the coast, the Germans would have forced the Montenegrin army to capitte.


    The other option was to open discussions with Albania and Bulgaria for military ess so they could peacefully flee to Ottomannds. Albania, however, was in aplete and total state of anarchy as various groups waged war for power after its German prince fled the country at the start of the war.


    There was no single entity to negotiate military ess with that would be universally recognized across thewless nation. So then, Bulgaria was the logical option, except for the fact that Bulgaria had more or less made a statement of dedication to "total neutrality" after Greece''s entry into the war.


    This total neutrality was, of course, contingent on the Imperial Powers continuing on their inevitable route to victory. But, in the meantime, it meant they were not taking sides, and that meant there was not much to discuss regarding allowing them to flee through Bulgarian borders into Ottoman territory.


    Because by doing so Bulgaria risked provoking the Imperial Powers, and that was not something they were willing to do even if it meant currying favor with the Allies, who as far as Bulgaria was concerned was about half a year away from total defeat.


    No... after the British General spoke, even he understood the foolishness of his words, abandon ship? That simply wasn''t a practical solution, no matter how much they tried to think of one. Realistically, they had three options, double down on their efforts to advance into Greece and force the minor power to surrender before their allies could catch up.


    Fight until thest man, and in doing so, condemn themselves and their men to meaningless deaths. Or surrender like the Northern half of the Serbian Provisional Army had done. Either way, the Serbianmander in charge of the forced sent to intercept Bruno had doomed the Balkans to aplete and utter defeat.


    One that would allow between one and two million men across three nations to be sent to other theaters of war, and allow the entirety of the Hellenic Army and Navy to focus its forces on capturing disputed territory with the Ottoman Empire.


    The war had just shifted even further into the favor of the Imperial Powers, and nobody but Bruno, and the other military leadership in the Balkans, currently understood this fact.

 Chapter 237: Who Dares Wins

    Chapter 237: Who Dares Wins


    ?


    The order was given, the Allied Expeditionary Force sent to the Balkans to aid the Serbian Provisional Army wasmanded to march south and attempt another assault against the Greek Trenches built which were hastily constructed on their borders with Serbia beginning at the start of the July Crisis.


    To put it simply, the Greek Army was putting its all into holding the line, while raising more troops in anticipation of a second campaign against the Turks. Their hope was that the enemy would be caught by the Germans before their defenses broke against the wave of the Allied Onught.


    Luckily for them, they had a man who, while cautious in nature, was by no means reserved for leading thebined Imperial Army sent to the Balkan Theater. For Bruno there was a phrase, first attested in the 18th century by German sources.


    The phrase consisted of three wordster adopted by the British Special Air Service in English as their motto, and in many ways, it was a motto which Burno lived by. "Wer wagt, gewinnt" Or in the English tongue, "He Who dares wins..."


    A simple phrase, but one which emphasizes the need to take opportunities that present themselves even if they are a risk. One could never gain ground and conquer while ying defensively. Risks were necessary to achieve victory.


    He who was dedicated solely towards a cautious and defensive approach, whether two aspects of war, business, romance, or life itself would never prosper. Risk was a part of life, and only the man who dared to take the opportunity presented to him would win in the end.


    The war Bruno saw it, he was facing an armed force, of mostly conscripts and some 30,000 trained soldiers. The enemies he was facing numbered close to a million in totality, even with the surrender of those who had presented themselves to him in exchange for leniency on the Serbian people.


    Bruno had the ability to advance beyond his allies with 300,000 men, it would be more but the other 500,000 of Germany''s soldiers in the Balkans were currently teaching Montenegro a very valuable lesson on why one does not start or join a war they are utterly incapable of winning.


    And because of that, Bruno was limited to a single Army Group. Even so, this was a motorized Army Group supported by armored reconnaissance units. He could easily pierce the gap between him and Serbia, catching them and their allies in between the Hellenic Army at the Greek border, and ughtering them to thest man.


    However, to do so, Bruno would need to take a risk. He would have to advance beyond not only his Austro-Hungarian and Russian Allies, who were not only slow as they marched on foot and on horse. But were also the majority of his forces, many of which were tasked with upying every town they encountered.


    In addition to this, Bruno would have to march beyond the capability of his logistical capabilities. History had proven time and again, the General who sought a quick finish to a conflict by advancing beyond his means of resupply ultimately suffered the consequences of such a reckless yet bold decision.


    However, on the rare asion it bore fruit, and finished a war, or at the very least a campaign, in a much quicker time than it otherwise would have been and with much shorter casualties sustained. Because of this, Bruno found himself in a difficult situation.


    On the one hand, victory was guaranteed even if he took a cautious and measures approach towards the war. Waiting on his Austro-Hungarian and Russian Allies to march with him to certain victory.


    Yet, there was a possibility the Greek lines of defense would break by then, and the results of such a circumstance could prolong his victory in the Balkans, drag in otherwise independent nations like Bulgaria, Albania, and Romania, as well as cause significantly greater casualties among his soldiers.


    However, even with these potential circumstances presenting themselves, the cautious and measured approach guaranteed total victory for the Imperial Powers. On the other hand, however... a thunder run into Southern Serbia, which until he reached the enemy currently fighting on the Greek Border were wholly uncontested, presented an opportunity to annihte the Serbian Provisional Army, and their Allies to thest man.


    Immediately ending the war as the Year came to an end, and guaranteeing the Imperial Forces in the Balkans, minus those needed to upy towns, and cities, were shipped off to other theaters ofbat, and thus ending the Great War far earlier than it could be.


    Bruno would sit in the back of his vehicle for many hours, as they slowly dredged forward towards the enemy, pondering this question. He could note to the conclusion on his own. The risks and rewards were perfectly bnced.


    Because of this, the man sought out the advice of the person whose opinion he valued the most in this world. It was neither his battle-hardened friends, Heinrich or Erich, both of which had served as officers in the German Armed Forces for the past decade.


    Nor was it the esteemed generals of the Russian Army, or the Austro-Hungarian Army who history in his past life had remembered as men of greatness. It was not even the Kaiser, who Bruno greeted, respected.


    In fact, it was not even a man to begin with. As Bruno went through the extensive process of enablingmunications back to the fathend, Bruno asked his wife, Heidi, for advice. Heid knew neither of war nor its intricacies. But she was his moral support in every facet of his life.


    And the question he was faced with was not one of practicality, risk mitigation, strategy, logistics, or tactics. It was one of ethics. Was it a moral of him to risk the lives of the men beneath hismand in order to risk a quicker route to victory, when the enemies certain defeat was already a settled matter, even if it took another few months, or perhaps even years to achieve?


    Heidi, of course, responded with the phrase mentioned earlier, a phrase Bruno had nearly forgotten in his moral quandary.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Bruno, my love... He who dares wins! That is all I am going to say on the matter..."


    And it was those words thatpelled Bruno do to what he should have done from the start. After receiving this message from his wife, Bruno ryed hismands over the wire to every officer within the Balkan Campaign.


    "The 8th Army is to advance South at full speed beyond the support of our Austro-Hungarian and Russian Allies. The Hellenic Army must be relieved, and the enemy must be destroyed as soon as possible! To those still advancing south, seize and upy territory as you have done


    until now..."


    To every man who read this message over a telegraph, or heard it over radio chatter. It was as if the mother of all bombs had been dropped. The blitzkrieg in the Balkans had begun, and the Germans were about to show the entire world a new era of mobile warfare.

 Chapter 238: Thunder Run

    Chapter 238: Thunder Run


    ?


    Engines roared, both among the 3.5 ton transport trucks which carried troops, supplies, and field guns. Along with those on board the armored scout cars. Scout cars, which were more or less assembled from an e-10 chassis that had been modified for use with 6x6rge off-road tires.


    The initial Sp?hpanzer, as it was called was modeled on a design from the cold war of Bruno''s past life. But as wartime demands increased, and assembly lines were put to their limit, it was revealed that simply modifying the e-10 chassis for a wheeled base was a more efficient use of resources.


    The E-10 Standardpanzer, or simply the Panzer 1 as it was known in this life while having been in production for years, had yet to be see service and was instead being reserved for the final days of the war when the German army pushed into Paris.


    However, necessity was the mother of innovation, and there was no better time for such a thing in regards to military technology than during an armed conflict. Much to Bruno''s surprise engineers employed by his arms corporations came up with a way to make an armored scout car off of the E-10 chassis.


    Until now the Light Tank Chassis, which made the foundation of this timeline''s tank on the Panzer I housed both a 5cm semi-automatic turret, and a 7.92x57mm Mauser MG-34 machine gun. It was a traditional tank design, albeit with lessons having been learned during the brutal battlefields of the Second World War during Bruno''s past life.


    And Bruno had made this his basis for the Panzer in this life. If scaled up, it could produce even more powerful tank designs, as well as armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles et cetera. All with the same production lines and resources.


    As brilliant as Bruno was, which waspounded by his ess to weapons technology from his past life which had urred nearly a century in the future, he was not beyond his faults. He was, after all still a mortal man. And as a man, he was prone to biases, which were disyed with his initial creation of the Sp?hpanzer.


    Even so, men in his employment who were of near equal brilliance were capable of looking past his biases, and instead producing an equally capable armored car, yet was far more cost productive and less wasteful.


    This meant that after months of field testing in the war, the realization that the E-10 chassis could be modified to ept an 8x8 wheeled base, and a 2cm autocannon with limited alterations was a wake-up call to Bruno that sometimes an alternative perspective was needed to understand that just because something had been the best design in his past life, did not mean it was the most suitable design during this new timeline.


    Because of this, the armored cars which advanced beyond the transport trucks acting as the spearhead of Bruno''s blitzkrieg were a mixture of what Bruno called the Sp?hpanzer Ausf. A, and Ausf. B models.


    Sitting on top of these vehicles were squads of German soldiers who were ready to jump off of their armored escorts and engage inbat at a moment''s notice. Tactically speaking, Bruno''s version of the "Blitzkrieg" was almost like a mixture of the German Blitzkrieg from his past life, and that of the Soviet Deep Battle doctrine.


    And was more inspired by the so called "Thunder Run" into Baghdad during Operation Desert Storm than it was the German march into Paris.


    Either way, with the armored vehicles leading the assault, Bruno''s 300,000 soldiers swarmed across uncontested Serbian territory quicker than anyone could have anticipated. Meanwhile, the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Armies who weregging behind acted more than an upying force, dealing with whatever was left over after the Germans had pushed through Serbia.


    The advance was so quick, even Bruno was surprised, let alone his enemies who were sweating bullets as they realized the dust in the distance was not some kind of unnatural sand storm in the Mediterranean but rather the rapid onught of the German Army who had caught up much quicker than they expected.


    Deciding on doubling down, the Alliedmanders insisted on a push into a Greek territory in a desperate gamble to break the lines of the Hellenic Army which had until now held firm. The result of which was unfortunately not as they expected it to be.


    Greek soldiers held firm, with Stahlhelms supported by German industry, albeit painted in an appropriate earthly brown to match their uniforms, along with the Hellenic Army''s coat of arms emzoned on its center.


    With a mixture of weapons in hands from previous conflicts, and various suppliers, the Greek soldiers desperately held the line, fighting with everything they had to repel the Serbian charge as well as their allies.


    Their generals had assured them that so long as they held the border, their allies would soon arrive upon them. But munitions were running low, as were medical supplies and rations.


    Yet the spirit of Greece''s many legendary heroes stood firm in the wounded, battered, and emaciated soldiers'' hearts as they conserved their shots by only firing when they knew their aim would strike true into the vitals of their enemies.


    If Emperor Constantine XI could choose to die with his Empire, if Leonidas could choose to die with his men rather than submit to the Persians. Then why could each and every one of these soldiers not die here today, bringing down as many of their enemies with them? There were no circumstances where the line would not be held by these lions among men, by these descendants of legendary kings and mythical heroes. Especially when they knew help was on the way. The only way these defenses would falter was if there was not a single breath still being held among the men within them.


    Machine guns chugged, rifles thundered, artillery raged on both sides. Men fell by the wayside, their blood and intestines hewn the otherwise beautifulndscape. And yet not a single order to retreat was given by the Greek Generals.


    Surrounded, outnumbered, and stretched thin, the Hellenic Army continued to fight, continued to resist and bite of an enemy force over 5x their number. Losses were heavy on both sides, but far more for the allies who were relying on poorly trained conscripts armed with obsolete weapons and non standardized munitions.


    When one man fell, a Serbian Conscript would pick up his weapon and use it himself, assuming he had run out of ammo himself. And that was also if he had not been shot by Greek rifle or machine gun fire during his charge.


    A scent of blood, gunpowder, and smoke filled the air in the most gruesome and sickening way imaginable. As the screams of the wounded blended with the sounds of gunfire and artillery. Despite their repeated charges, it was the allies whose morale broke first. Especially after the dust began to form in the distance. Which was first presumed to be a storm of unnatural origin, but then the appearance of armored vehicles, and the men sitting upon their steel hulls became apparent.


    And when that happened the Allies knew they had been caught between the heroic Greek Defenders, and the advance of an unspeakable evil, one so great even Hades would look away at the malevolent force of nature which was about to sweep over them.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Before the Allies could even surrender, the 20mm auto cannons opened fire as the armored cars came to a halt. Allowing the men on the backs of each to deploy into prone positions with their machine guns and semi-automatic rifles.


    The armored cars acted as shields for the transport trucks behind them, which allowed toons worth of German soldiers to deploy from their rears.


    More and more firepower was brought to bear on the Allied forces, as they struggled to both deal with the newly rallied Greeks in front of the, many of which waves makeshift banners of Saint Constantine''s cross, while others flew the colours of Greece herself.


    However, even the Greek defenders were surprised, when a man wearing the uniform of a German General stepped forward, waving a ck banner, with a white Chi Rho, symbolizing his unity with the Greek Soldiers, shouting to his troops amand that would seal the fate of the allied forces within the Balkans.


    "Do not stop firing until everyst allied soldier lies dead! Only when our enemy has been obliterated can we unite with our Greek brothers in arms and drive the Turkish Menace from thends of Europe and Christendom once and for all. In theing year of 1915, Saint Constantine''s Holy City shall be returned to its rightful rulers!"


    Bruno had decided to fully radicalize his troops into obliterating the enemy, seizing what remained of Serbia, while his splinter forces took Montenegro, before working with Greek forces to advance into Constantinople and in doing so drive the Turks out of Europe once and


    for all.


    The campaign in the Balkans would only end once the allies in the region capitted, and Greece regained control over its historical territory. There was no other solution now that Bruno had decided to embark on this path.

 Chapter 239: Meritocracy Above All

    Chapter 239: Meritocracy Above All


    ?


    "Tattered Banners on the Greek Border" were the headlines that appeared throughout international news outlets over the course of the following days, depicted corpses as far as the eyes could see, many of which were grouped together around both national and regimental colours.


    To put it simply, after being caught in between the German Army, and their rapid advance, as well as the courageous sons of Leonidas who held their ground long enough against overwhelming odds for it to pay off the Allied Forces in the South of Serbia werepletely annihted.


    Annihtion in terms of military context didn''t necessarily mean the death or injury of every soldier. It simply meant reducing the enemy military''s capabilities to fight to a non-existent level forcing the enemymanders to surrender.


    And surrender they did, but only after losing the majority of their entire force. What remained of the Serbian Provisional Army, or at least those who had not found a way to desert the chaos with their lives intact, had surrendered their arms and waved the white g.


    But enough casualties were sustained to forever change the course of Serbia''s history as a nation. Even though the Austro-Hungarians and Russians were miles behind their German Allies, having not yet even captured the city where the Serbian Provisional Government hid away, the war in Serbia itself had effectivelye to an end.


    All that was needed was for Bruno to officially ept their surrender. And surrender they would. There was no other option. Even their attempts to rally their entire poption, which was capable of taking up arms had resulted in an unmitigated disaster.


    There was simply no feasible solution for them to continue to resist. Serbia had fallen, and Montenegro was surrounded and currently being assaulted by German forces on all sides. This meant that the only other yer in the Balkans currently on the allied side was the Ottoman Empire, who were already dealing with an invasion from Russian upied Armenia into their territory in Anatolia. However, with Serbia''s fall, Thrace had now be Bruno''s concern. There was just a matter of finding out how exactly tounch such an invasion. Hence why he first decided to deal with the aftermath of battle, along with visiting the Serbian Provisional Government where he would wait for the German Kaiser, Austro- Hungarian Emperor, Russian Tsar, and of course the King of Greece toe together and force some form of peace treaty acknowledging their victory, and whatever terms the Habsburgs required for satisfaction.


    Bruno had no way of knowing it, but the Kaiser was extremely tempted to just throw medals at him. Technically speaking, the man had already aplished all that qualified for awards that had only ever been given to monarchs.


    For example, the Grand Cross of the Pour Le Merite with Oakleaves. But... Bruno was only really now showing his capabilities as an exceptional militarymander on behalf of the German Army. Every battle he had won in the past for the Fathend was a junior officer during the Boxer Rebellion.


    And those were small scale skirmishes in a war not worthy of issuing a grand decoration such as the Iron Cross. Not to mention, there were certain people whispering in Wilhelm''s ears like his own daughter towards a more measures approach with rewards rather than just spamming the man with them.


    After all there would be many more opportunities for Bruno to prove himself, and history would look far more kindly on the German Reich''s greatest general if he had to struggle for each award given, rather than just be handed them out for convenience.


    Hence, Bruno was not the least surprised to find that he was being granted two medals for his victory over Serbia. First and foremost, he was being given the Iron Cross First ss for his destruction of the Serbian Royal Army at the opening stages of the war, as well as his defense of Belgrade after its extermination and upation.


    In addition to this, Bruno was granted the Knight''s Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, which since the outbreak of the war had begun being issued as an intermediate award between the Iron Cross First ss and the Pour Le Merite.


    Bruno knew more or less that with his repeated and overwhelming victories, the Kaiser intended to give the man the highest ss of medals for valor on the battlefield. Thus, even though other men such as the Red Baron who had quickly be the first and greatest Flying Ace of the War had been granted a Pour Le Merite for his service, Bruno had yet to be given


    one.


    Because the Pour Le Merite came in four grades. The Pour Le Merite, the Pour Le Merite with Oakleaves, the Grand Cross of the Pour Le Merite, and the Grand Cross of the Pour le Merite with Oak Leaves.


    Five men throughout the history of Bruno''s past life had the honor of being granted the Grand Cross of the Pour le Merite, all of which were either members of the House of Hohenzollern themselves or foreign monarchs.


    While even less had been granted the supreme award for military performance and valor, which was the Grand Cross of the Pour le Merite with Oakleaves. The award, which was more or less Prussia, and by extent the German Reich''s greatest award for courage on the battlefield, also came in a civilian variation for exceptional achievements to society.


    But this was not of consequence to Bruno who was a soldier first and foremost. Because of this, he rather rightly assumed the Kaiser was waiting until he won the war on behalf of the German Reich altogether to give him Germany''s greatest honor, and instead his next award after defeating Serbia, would likely be after he had concluded the Balkan Campaign altogether.


    Which would eithere in the form of one of Prussia''s many chivalric orders, or perhaps a lesser order or merit. Or maybe even the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross.


    Either way, Bruno waspletely and totally unphased when the Kaiser pinned the two medals to his chest that he had earned after arriving along with his allies in Belgrade which was solely inhabited by the soldiers of the Imperial Powers for the sake of having a conference with the Serbian Provisional Government regarding their surrender.


    Bruno''s promotion to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall within his mid thirties was indeed unprecedented, but it was also perhaps because of this that he was by far the least decorated of the men throughout history who had held such a rank.


    Even now, with these two new medals, he was still woefully undecorated. And because Bruno personally wore only the medals recognized by the German Reich with his uniform, there were even Lieutenant Colonels beneath hismand who walked around with more medals on their chests than he had.


    Despite this, nobody dared to make a snide remark about this. Bruno''s rapid rise through the ranks of the German Army had been purely due to the meritocratic society that he lived in at this point in time. In a true meritocracy, the exceptional rose to the top at a far quicker rank than the mediocre.


    Minimum time requirements for one''s promotion sounded good in theory, but the reality was that this only imposed restrictions on the exceptional, and favored those far less capable. Think of it this way, would you rather have a 35-year-old prodigy on par with history''s greatest strategists in control of your army, or a 65-year-old man who was nothing exceptional, but had been in the military long enough to achieve his status, while said 35- year-old still had yet to meet the minimum time requirements to be a colonel?


    Do you think that Alexander the Great, at the age of 20 when he ascended to the throne was somehow less worthy of leading his armies to victory than his father''s generals who had been in the Macedonian Army for the entirety of their lives?


    Strict adherence to service length requirements more often than not made the exceptional fed up with their position in the military and retire before they truly lived up to their potential. And because of this, in the era following Napoleon''s rise, which wasrgely because of his belief in meritocracy, Bruno was allowed to be a Generalfeldmarschall at such a young


    age.


    Whereas he had nevere anywhere close to such a prestigious rank during his past life because of the Bundeswehr''s rejection of lessons learned by greater men and far superiorn/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    nations from the past.


    Either way, Bruno did notin in the slightest about theck of medals pinned to his chest inparison to his foes, for his achievements on the battlefield in this life were more than enough to gain him the respect he had earned, even if he didn''t have the bits of metal and cloth to prove it.


    Meritocracy was above all, and Bruno was the living embodiment of such ideals.

 Chapter 240: Serbia Surrenders

    Chapter 240: Serbia Surrenders


    ?


    The streets of Belgrade were a constant reminder of what had once been and what would never be. The fog of mustard gas had long since been purged from the city, and its inhabitants were buried in mass graves outside of its boundaries.


    Over a hundred thousand people had died here if you included the elements of the army who stood in its defense, as well as the citizens located within. Their souls were forever tortured by the miasma of poison which choked their lives out of existence and with no warning no less.


    From the highest king, to the lowliest rat, not a single being, human or otherwise had been spared the extermination that had taken ce here. But months had passed since then, and the war in Serbia hade to an end as the year 1914 came to its final weeks.


    Kaiser Wilhelm II, Emperor Franz Joseph I, Tsar Nichs II and King Constantine I of Greece all sat together in the same room across from the representatives of the temporary military junta which at this moment were the de-factor rulers of the Kingdom of Serbia.


    The only other people present in the city were soldiers of the Imperial Powers, who had since branded themselves as the Central Powers with Greece''s entry into the war, as Greece was not an Empire, and instead a minor power throwing their weight in with the big three European Imperial Dynasties.


    Thus bringing things full circle, as the faction which Germany had been a part of in this life, was rebranded with the same name as it had in his past life. The only other person privy to these discussions was none other than Bruno himself, who stood in the corner with his newly pinned medals.


    The ribbon of his Iron Cross first ss, was worn with the sp of the Knight''s Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, which consisted of a golden crown with cross swords pinned to the fabric that was adorned across his top button.


    In addition to this, Bruno had his Iron Cross First ss pinned to his left breast beneath his heart, and the multitude of German military medals above it. Whether that was his initial China Medal from his participation in the Boxer Rebellion, his Iron Cross Second ss, or his Cross of the Iron Division Second ss.


    These awards were all pinned precisely where they should be beneath his greatcoat, which covered their brilliance. The only other visible award was his Cross of the Iron Division First ss, which hung from the neck beneath his cor and proudly disyed the insignia of his rank as a Generalfeldmarshall.


    Bruno sat silently on the windowsill, smoking outside of its open panes, which allowed the cold snow and winter air into the room, while the various leaders argued about terms of surrender. Serbia stood proudly, albeit foolishly as they debated with their conquerors about appropriate terms of surrender that benefited them.


    Apparently too stupid, or more urately proud to admit they had no actual means to continue this armed conflict and had been thoroughly trounced by Bruno and his Thunder Run.


    As a result, the Serbian host openly, and tantly squabbled with the leaders of the Central Powers, who were trying patiently to convey to these stubborn old fools that they had lost. "Completely uneptable! Serbia is to be a territory of the Hungarian Crown? I won''t have it! After everything you have done here, do you really think that we will just let you have your way? I would rather die than admit defeat! So you better just-"


    Shocked filled the room as a thunderous echo ranged throughout it, spurring the armed guards of the German Reich to lower their weapons searching for the culprit.


    Bruno simply lowered his Mauser C96 and holstered it, the bullet having been precisely aimed to shoot the cigarette out of the hands of the Serbian General who had dared to espouse such nonsense, and in doing so causing the man to thoroughly soil his trousers.


    Bruno''s gaze was cold as he stowed his pistol away and took a long drag off of his own cigarette before thoroughly exining his thoughts in the most murderous tone he could muster.


    "If you all wish to die this can be arranged. Your Army is broken, yournds are conquered, your people have wholly submitted to the rule of the Habsburgs, who I might remind you, you provoked with unwarranted murder of their presumed heir!


    You have nothing left, except for your damned pride! And if that means I have to kill a few stubborn old fools in order to resolve this matter without having to gas another town, then I am sure the mass graves I have dug outside this city can amodate a few more corpses...


    After all, your capital, which we now sit within was thoroughly exterminated under my order. Did you senile old bastards seriously forget who you were dealing with here?"


    Kaiser Wilhelm II wanted to chastise Bruno for his rather wanton use of force, especially the unpermitted discharging of a firearm within his presence. But honestly, the man''s murderous aura was so frightening even he felt slightly intimidated by it, despite knowing it was not the least bit directed at him.


    Franz Joseph damn near had a heart attack upon hearing the random gunshot, and Tsar Nichs II simply gazed upon Bruno with a look that consisted of a mixture of surprise, approval, and pride.


    Needless to say any resistance these doddering old fools who called themselves the current rulers of Serbia had left remaining quickly crumbled when Bruno reminded them he was the butcher of this city.


    The peace treaty, which guaranteed Serbia''s disarmament, upation, annexation, andplete and total surrender had been signed by both parties. The nation was thoroughly annexed by the Habsburgs within theirnds under the authority of the Hungarian Crown. Though honestly, Bruno doubted these gains wouldst for very long, frankly put, Austro- Hungary was doomed to copse within theing decades regardless of whether or not they ended up winning this war.


    At the end of the day, different religions, cultures, and ethnicities could never inhabit the samend for long without bloodshed urring. Austro-Hungary was a multi-ethnic, multi- cultural, and multi-religious society, and because of that it was doomed to burn.


    In fact, Bruno doubted it would survive another two decades before violence erupted within the nation''s borders, especially with the annexation of Serbia, which only added to this internal strife. The war would likely be very bloody, as it had simrly been when Yugovia, the sessor state to the Austro-Hungarian, fell apart during the 1990s of Bruno''s past life.


    And this was perhaps the biggest middle finger in the history of the region. The state which the Young Bosnians and ck Hand wanted to create as an independent statested fewer years than the Austro-Hungarian Empire they sought to destroy.


    That is, unless you included the interwar years before the region fell apart and was invaded and annexed by various powers, before once more gaining their independence under apletely different banner and ideology.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Frankly speaking, Bruno doubted in this modern era, any pan-Balkan state could exist for a century, let alone longer. It was too diverse of a region, with too many reasons for its people to kill one another. God, culture, nation? Those were the three things humans fought over most, aside from perhaps resources.


    And believe me, when it came to civil wars, resources mattered very little. With all of this in mind, Bruno saw the Annexation of Serbia by the Austro-Hungarian Empire as its final death knell. Even if he managed to prevent the treaty of Trianon from urring in this life, as it had


    in his past.


    Austro-Hungary, as a political entity, and the Habsburg rule over the Balkans woulde to a brutal and bloody end within theing decades. It was simply inevitable, and inevitability was the strongest magic of all.


    Thus, despite the tolls extorted upon Serbia for starting this war, or perhaps even because of it, Bruno was not the slightest bit happy with today''s events. As he knew, all too soon, there


    would be another war for him to fight.


    And that was not even the second world war, which may or may not ur during this timeline depending on how the result of this Great War. No, theing war would be one to secure the House of Habsburg, and perhaps ensure its peaceful unification with the remainder of


    Germany.


    But in order for this to be a reality, Bruno would first have to win this current global conflict, and because of that, Bruno made none of his actual thoughts on how Serbia was being treated known to any of the men who could have altered the treaty. He simply ensured that Serbia surrendered.


    And he had done so to remind the negotiations and the parties present that ultimately, at the end of the day, might was right. One simply could not protest their mistreatment when they started a war they were simply incapable of winning.

 Chapter 241: Belgium Calls for Aid!

    Chapter 241: Belgium Calls for Aid!


    ?


    Serbia''s surrender came as no surprise to the other nations of the world. They had fought, lost repeatedly in a series of disastrous battles, and were caught between their enemies on both sides. The Kingdom immediately became upied by the Austro-Hungarian Army, who would, for the duration of the war act as Gendarmes.


    As for The remainder of the newly reconstituted Central Powers were concerned, the war in the Balkans had yet to fully end. Montenegro had yet to sue for peace despite being surrounded on all sides by their enemies. While the Ottoman Empire still remained defiant.


    Montenegro was naturally the first cause for concern, but Bruno believed they would surrender within the week. Most likely by the start of the new year. Because of this, he set his eyes on the Ottoman Empire and thends that they still upied in Europe.


    However, invading the Ottoman Empire directly was impossible, as Bulgaria currently owned thends between them and the Greeks. Having chosen to remain neutral in this conflict, at least for the time being. There was not much possibility of negotiating military ess for the sake of attacking the Turks who were an active member of the Allied Powers.


    Thus, Bruno and his men would have to travel by sea, and gaining the transportation to do so was not a swift task. Hence, for the time being he was stuck in Belgrade, the city whose death he was responsible for.


    It would take time to repopte the capital of Serbia, and because of this it was more or less currently a military fortification. But none of that really mattered, as more pressing concerns were being had further north.


    After months of battle, the Belgian Armed forces were on the verge ofplete and total capittion. Thoroughly exhausted by the French onught, they had been repeatedly pushed back to their borders on the edge of the German Reich.


    For whatever reason, the King of Belgium had remained defiant, in fighting his own battles. Probably because he suspected the Kaiser would attempt to annex hisnds by the time this war was over if he allowed the German Army to march through and drive the French out.


    No doubt resulting in theplete and total upation of Belgium, as the Germans had done to Luxembourg. And while Luxembourg weed the German soldiers, especially their young women, Belgium did not wish to do the same.


    In Bruno''s past life, the Royal Belgian Army had beenpletely overrun by their Gerrman counterparts before the winter even began. Yet even now, as the year 1914 came to a close in this new timeline, they still resisted the French invasion with whatever strength they could muster.


    And King Albert I had been more or less in a simr style of leadership to Bruno. Actively leading his soldiers into battle, rather than sitting back from afar in the safety of his capital, or any other distant town.


    It was perhaps because of this that the men beneath hismand revered him so, after all it was a rarity, especially in this modern era for a monarch to fight his own battles. But even so, the legendary Knight King of Belgium had used all of his strength in this fight, and it was nowing to an end.


    Because of this, he was surrounded by his generals, as they considered what precisely they should do about this situation.


    "It would appear that we have run the course of our resistance... We either flee into exile now and seek refuge among some neutral nation. Or we ask the Kaiser to send his Army into Belgium, knowing fully well the Germans will not leave ournds until after this war is over, and even then there is a potential for hostile annexation...


    I as your King have done everything in my power to lead you in our defiance of foreign invasion, but I know this is the end. Thus, I must ask you all to lend me not your strength, as you have done so far, but rather your wisdom.


    To admit defeat and flee into exile? Or to open our doors to a pack of wolves so that they may fight the boar which has forced itself into our home?"


    None of these men wanted to admit that they simplycked the strength and power to defend their own borders from either of their neighbors. And though the Kaiser had warned the Belgians in advance that the French would likely march through theirnds to attack Germany from the North.


    Albert believed this to have been a mere bluff on the Kaiser''s part to coerce him into epting German military ess. Even as the Germans constructed fortifications on his borders, and that of the Nethends above, the Belgian King did not take this warning seriously.


    Only now did he regret his naivety. Having believed the French were above such reprehensible behavior, King Albert hade to understand that he should have been more proactive in his preparations.


    Thus he sighed and shook his head, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag from the sweet poison within as he waited for his generals toe to a consensus. And when they did, he was most certainly surprised by their response.


    "It is of our opinion that we should ept the open invitation for aid that the Kaiser had extended to us. And pray to God in heaven that he won''t change the circumstances mentioned within it because we have so recklessly chided him in the first ce..."


    With this agreement being made among Belgium''s general staff, the King sighed once more while he put out his cigarette and picked up a nearby phone, calling the man who would either be Belgium''s savior, or its future tyrant...


    Kaiser Wilhelm II was not the least bit surprised that he had been called upon by the Belgian King during the man''s hour of need. In fact, he was most certainly expecting it, hence why after participating in the formal surrender of the Kingdom of Serbia or what remained of its leadership, he headed back to Berlin with haste.


    Having only just arrived in his family''s home a few hours prior, the Kaiser was alerted by his staff while sitting in his private office of the call, which was waiting for his answer. Naturally, the German Emperor epted the call, which was thoroughly encrypted by German intelligence efforts.


    And when he did so, he spoke to the King whosendsy on his northwestern border, with an almost smug tone in his voice.


    "I''m not going to lie Albert, I was beginning to expect that you would rather resist until the very end rather than call upon me for my help. Am I really such a dastardly individual that you would not even ask for my aid when you are about to be overrun by a bunch of foreign


    invaders?


    Here I thought our friendship was so much more than that. It would appear I was mistaken. You have truly offended me."


    King Albert rolled his eyes, biting his tongue, as he knew all too well what the Kaiser''s personality was like. There was no point making an ass of himself, and risk offending the man who was his and his people''sst lifeline.


    Even so, the tone in Albert''s voice was most certainly curt as he responded to this statement with an aura of repressed rage.


    "You already know why I am calling, so let''s cut this short as I do not have the time for this right now... What do I need to give you in order to guarantee military assistance from the


    German Reich and its vast army?"


    Wilhelm chuckled as he heard this. Apparently, the Belgian King was in a far more precarious position than he was initially led to believe. Even so, the Kaiser did not demand anything from the man that would make him the viin in this situation.


    France had shot itself in the foot by invading two neutral countries for the sake of attacking German borders between them. Their reputation and that of their allies had been sullied. This was onlypounded after the Serbian Royal Family''s involvement in starting the war, among their other crimes came to light following the Massacre of Belgrade.


    Because of this, Kaiser Wilhelm, and by extent the newly rebranded Central Powers had


    gained quite a bit of goodwill on the global stage. He would not squander the good reputation he had acquired by making cruel and unusual demands of a nation in need.


    Hence why the Kaiser''s response was rather bewildering to the Belgian King who had initially expected him of having far more sinister ulterior motives.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "All you ever needed to do was simply ask for my help. I want nothing from you or your people. Publicly announce your entry into the Central Powers as a result of needless French Aggression, and my armies will arrive within the hour to save you."


    It took King Albert a second to realize what he was being told, and when he fullyprehended it he couldn''t help but ask the question that immediately surfaced in his mind.


    "That is it? That is all you require, a public request for aid, and a condemnation of the French Republic for its unwarranted invasion of mynds? Thousands of your men will suffer and die defending mynds, and what precisely to do you get out of this?"


    Though Albert couldn''t see it, the Kaiser''s lips curled into a petty smirk as he announced what precisely he achieved from this that was worth the price paid.


    "What do I get out of this? Let me ask you this Albert, is simply screwing over the French not


    enough to pay such a sum?"


    Wilhelm did not let Albert respond. and immediately hung up the phone. Minutester, Albert would make his public deration of his intent to join the Central Powers, as well as his speech thoroughly condemning France, its Army, and the Republic altogether for forcing him


    into such a position.


    As promised by the Kaiser, within the hour, German troops and their supplies advanced into Belgium, providing support to the brave soldiers of the Royal Belgian Army who were on theirst line of defense against a foreign aggressor. The fight for control of Belgium had only just


    truly begun.

 Chapter 242: Looking Back on the First Year of the Great War

    Chapter 242: Looking Back on the First Year of the Great War


    ?


    Belgium''s entry into the war made matters moreplicated for the allies. Initially, this war was seen by many in the world as a tragic response of Austro-Hungarian aggression into Serbia. Thete Serbian King Peter I had made it seem like their requests would vite his sovereignty as an independent ruler.


    However, as more and more hidden secrets were revealed, Serbia and its royal family started bing the viins from the perspective of those neutral nations which sat by and watched as Europe burned in the background.


    In addition to this, France''s vitions of Luxembourgish and Belgian neutrality was seen as a grant and aggressive vition done without any potential just cause. At least the Austro- Hungarians had a valid casus belli to dere war on the Serbians.


    But the French invasions of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg represented an era long since believed to have been diminished in the Western world, and an era where might was right, and one could invade their neighbors simply because they had the means to do so. Post enlightenment, of which France imed to be the originator of in at least some capacity, such invasions were seldom to be found, at least among the European powers who believed themselves more civilized than the rest of the world. And to some extent, outside of Asia, that is, this was partially true.


    Even so, France had vited these international norms, and had done so after repeated defeats at the hands of the Germans when the French Army tried to advance through their eastern neighbors'' borders.


    This only made their invasions of Belgium and Luxembourg more fiendish in the eyes of the neutral powers, because it was seen as a desperate attempt, done after repeated humiliating defeats. Had it been a matter of Grand Strategy enacted on day 1 of the war, it could be seen as Jess reprehensible.


    After all Germany had done this in their past life, and though much of the world seemed to believe this was an unwarranted act of aggression, there were many others which this did not stop their entry into the war on behalf of the Central Powers.


    But the dynamic of the aggressors and the defenders hadpletely swapped in this life, with Germany holding its own ground, and only advance into Luxembourg and Belgium when called upon for aid by the two nations.


    Instead, France had been the invader, marching intonds that were not their own, suffering from their own inadequacy against a heavily entrenched, and technologically superior foe. One which resulted in their continuous and bloody losses.


    Belgium was no exception to this pattern, as the German Army advanced much like they had in Luxembourg, rapidly on the back of armored cars, and with their artillery being pulled by trucks behind them. Allowing for the rapid transportation of men, materials, and munitions to support the Royal Belgian Army, who were just about to be overrun.


    That however changed with the arrival of the German soldiers whose armored cars acted as a battering ram against the French lines, while simultaneously providing protection to the Infantry in support of them until they managed to cross the otherwise dangerous no-man''s-nd that had been established between the French and Belgian armies.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The French Army was quickly routed. It was only natural for this to ur. The enemy came with armored vehicles that were damn near indestructible against the weaponry currently in the French Army''s possession.


    The Ausf B. Models of the Sp?hpanzer utilized the E-10 chassis, meaning that they had sloped armor made of rolled homogenous steel whose ting was 20mm thick at the lightest protected areas, and up to 60mm at the heaviest.


    To put this in perspective, 8¡Á50mmR Lebel, which was the primary cartridge utilized by the French Army in both its bolt action rifles and its machine guns, was simply not enough to do anything more than scratch the paint job of these armored cars.


    One would need dedicated anti-tank weapons if they wished to take these armored cars out, and these AT guns would need to be considerablyrger than what the Germans fielded at the end of the Great War to deal with the pitiful tanks of the era.


    Either that or they would need tond a direct hit with an HE shell from at the very least a 10cm field gun. But... That might not even get the job done as high explosive shells were not exactly designed with the purpose of taking out armor.


    Even so, achieving such a precise hit on a target moving with the speed these Sp?hpanzer moved with was much easier said than done. And because of this, the French Army who was damn near about to seize thest remnant of Belgium had broken ranks after their lines were broken through, and fled.


    Yet the German Army did not stop there. Belgium was not a small nation like Luxembourg, or at least not nearly as small as the Grand Duchy was. They couldn''t simply send a single division to deal with the French, no they had to send far more troops, across multiple battles. At the very least, it would take weeks before the French were fully driven from Belgium. That is assuming they stood and fought, rather than just hightail it back to the French borders. Which if Bruno was in charge of Belgian Campaign, he would bet a substantial amount of money on just that.


    Either way the course of the war would be changed one way or another of the course of the next few weeks depending on how stubbornly the French contested control over Belgium, which they had damn near annexed if not for German intervention at thest minute.


    And Bruno, who was currently making his preparations for the invasion of Ottoman Thrace, was more or less paying attention to the Western Front with great interest. As was the rest of the world. After all, it was an era where Europe was the center of the world, and what happened between the Great Powers affected all others on Earth.

 Chapter 243: An Ironic Twist of Fate

    Chapter 243: An Ironic Twist of Fate


    ?


    Leon stood on the edges of the French and Luxembourgish Border. Frankly speaking, the German troops in the Grand Duchy had been focusing more on building defenses around the capital, which was the most strategically important region of the minor and neutral European nation.


    While this gave the French time to rearm, and resupply, as well as tend to the wounded. Few reinforcements were provided to them. With the losses sustained currently, and their focus being primarily on invading Belgium, what with Luxembourg already being a lost cause.


    The French Republic only gave Leon a few brigades worth of men to replenish his losses, but no more than that. His orders hold the line no matter what the cost. Once victory in Belgium had been achieved, 250,000 men would be sent to aid him.


    So, he dug in deep just outside the city. However, time and time again, small raiding parties would harass the French lines, allowing for a greater number of German troops to break into their trenches with minimal effort. The French in Luxembourg had been trounced by stormtroopers armed with semi-automatic trench guns, semi-automatic rifles, automatic sub-machine guns, and general-purpose machine guns.


    There was, however, another introduction into Luxembourg that served as the first use of its kind on a battlefield. The German stormtroopers, whose bodies were protected by hardened steel te armor simr in design to those issued to German soldiers at the end of WWI, came running into the trenches with a terrifying new killing machine.


    41 was a man portable, lightweight methrower that Bruno had specifically designed for use in the uing Great War in years past. The weapon was modelled after those used by German soldiers during the Second World War of his past life, with one major difference. He introduced napalm as its primary incendiary, though it was capable of using more conventional mes. This was an incredibly nasty thing to do, as napalm when touching the flesh could not be put out through normal means, and if one dared to try to pat out the fire, it would spread and burn brighter.


    The bursts of napalm me tore through the French trenches by the men who wore Stahlhelms marked with the fabled Totenkopf, not the design from the Second World War, but the one that Bruno had adopted for the iron division.


    Supported by lightweight 60mm mortars from men hiding in no-man''snd, as well as the overwhelming rate of fire from the MG-34, these stormtroopers obliterated the Front lines of the French in the midst of night without any need for an armored column to advance before them.


    Once the French soldiers had either been killed or charred into dust, an entire Brigade of German Infantry would advance through the choke point the stormtroopers created thoroughly breaking the French lines until they were forced to retreat, leaving behind artillery and machine guns as they fled further back.


    The result of these repeated skirmishes that turned into significant retreats was that even Leon, a General who refused to get his hands dirty was covered in mud, oil, and blood, some of it his own, after being personally shot by an MP-34 machine gun in the arm.


    He was lucky it was just a flesh wound, but even so, the man demanded himself see treatment above all others. It didn''t matter if there were men beneath hismand who were far more grievously wounded than he was. He was the fucking general and thus he received priority, God dammit!


    Or such was Leon''s mentality, as a medic treated his flesh wound with a less than pleased expression on his face. All the while, Leon vented his frustration on the men fighting beneath his orders, having perceived their repeated retreats as an act of the utmost cowardice.


    "Time and again the enemy crosses into our trenches in the dead of night, and massacre our men while they sleep! I want to know who has been on watch for this past month! Because if they''re not already dead, they soon will be!"


    Leon''s words were not exactly wee among his soldiers. These men had quite literally just faced down an advance of hellfire and masked wearing demons. Who seemingly came out at the witch''s hour to personally take their souls.


    Mortars were not like artillery. Theirunch was not exactly something that crackled with the horizon when fired. They were subsonicunches and had ranges that could be fired from far enough away without really being heard by their victims.


    In the dead of night, located within the midst of no-man''snd, such weapons could be used tounch precise and deadly attacks on French munitions stockpiles, triggering bigger explosions and causing widespread panic before the assault truly began.


    And this was exactly how the German stormtroopers had been using their 60mm mortars in Luxembourg. It had eaten away at the morale of the French soldiers time and again. And now that they had to hear their general bitch at them for his failures, they were starting to reach a breaking point.


    This was evident by the harrowed looks on the men who stood there listening to Leonunch verbal abuse at them in some of the worst ways imaginable. Questioning their honor and their manhood as they had rather valiantly defended their positions against a superior enemy.


    As the medic who was treating Leon heard the French General''s ongoing denigration of his soldiers. He shook his head and sighed. That is until another medic ran up to him and whispered something in his ears. The look on the first medic''s face turned grim, and perhaps even spiteful, as he nodded towards the fellow medic who ran off.


    Leon, however, was far too obsessed with chastising his men and their "failures" as men, and as soldiers, to notice the rather concerning look on the medic who was treating him. He didn''t even notice the man reach into his bag and pull out a syringe, which he injected straight into Leon''s veins.


    This sudden and unexpected action quickly prompted a response by Leon, who yelled at the medic for jabbing a needle into his arm without any warning.


    "What the hell do you think you are doing? Are you even a properly certified medic?"


    The Medic simply scoffed as he cleaned up what remained of Leon''s wound, assuring the man that it was nothing to be so angered over.


    "Rx sir, it was simply something to dull the pain..."


    Leon, however, did not feel the drug take effect, and instead began toin about how poor of a job the Medic and all of his men were doing.


    "Honestly, it''s just like you lot to be so fucking ipetent at your jobs. If you would all just listen and obey my orders, we would have won this war by now! But instead you''re all a bunch of filthy cow-"


    Leon''s words fell short, as he noticed he no longer had the means to speak his mind, no matter how nonsensical his drivel was. He looked over at the medic, who stood up and only now realized the hatred in the man''s eyes as he walked away.


    The medic nodded towards the other soldiers, who had for too long bore the burden of Leon''s ipetence and rotten personality. However, just as the medic was about to turn away so that he would not have to gaze upon the gruesome affair that was about to ur, he left behind some final words.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "You really should have treated your men with more respect, General... You see, your ipetence is one thing, but your selfishness is another entirely. I just received word that my brother died because you decided to prioritize the treatment of your flesh wound over that of far more seriously injured soldiers beneath yourmand.


    Soldiers who had fought valiantly to hold the line in this miserable failure of a campaign you have led us into."


    After saying this, the Medic walked off, as the Bloodied and bruised French veterans pulled out their trench clubs and began to menacingly approach Leon''s paralyzed body on the ground. As much as the man wanted to scream for help he could not do so, nor could he utter a single sound of agony as he was brutally beaten to death by the men beneath hismand to a state so unrecognizable it could be imed he was killed by German artillery. And Leon, despite his drug induced paralysis, felt every single ounce of pain dealt to him by the men he had utterly failed.


    Thus ending the ipetent French General, and would be Marxist revolutionary''s role in this war before it ever truly began... It was truly an ironic and fitting end for Leon. As a man


    who had spent his entire life professing himself to be fighting for the good of themon man. It was those same very men who ended up taking his life in the most brutal fashion


    possible.

 Chapter 244: Contemplating Mortality and Gods Will in the World

    Chapter 244: Contemting Mortality and God''s Will in the World


    ?


    To say that Bruno was not the least bit concerned with Leon''s death, which was revealed in the papers as an act of German artillery, was quite the understatement. If not for the fact that French propaganda had painted the failed general as Bruno''s rival on the world stage, he


    would have forgotten all about the man.


    Leon had not earned his position, he was given it because of Bruno''s rapid rise. They needed a young face among the general staff, one with a good service record as an officer, and Leon''s shared history with Bruno in the east gave him preference in this regard.


    However, the man had proven to be vtile, quick to anger, extremely selfish, shortsighted, and ipetent on a scalerger than themand of a battalion, especially when given his own theater, albeit a minor one like Luxembourg to plot, and invade on his own.


    The result of which was his death at the hands of his own men. Who concealed this act of murder and mutiny as a random casualty of the war. In the end, Bruno had nearly forgotten about Leon, and any grievances against him and the French General was merely a one-sided affair.


    Bruno simply didn''t care, Leon''s death had no real impact on the war, and he was a figure from his past life that was unknown to history, meaning he was incredibly unlikely to leave a real footprint on the world after the Great War was over.


    No, Bruno was far more interested in important French figures of the era, like Charles de Gaulle, who, ironically enough, was currently serving in Belgium as a much lower ranking officer than Leon had been at the time of the man''s death.


    Charles de Gaulle was currently a lieutenant in the 33rd Infantry Regiment, which ording to Bruno''s intelligence was receiving a severe pounding from the Belgian-German alliance that they were defending against as Bruno himself currently sipped from a cup of coffee within the city of Belgrade and read from the daily newspaper.


    In Bruno''s past life, the man had been a major yer in shaping the world during and after WW2. Though from 1916 until 1918, he was a prisoner of war in the previous timeline. Only reaching the rank of captain by the time he was captured.


    Whether Charles would live or die was up to fate to decide. Even so, Bruno couldn''t help but feel that there was something that didn''t sit right with Leon''s sudden death. ording to his intelligence, the only artillery employed in the battle were lightweight 60mm mortars which had been used by the Stormtroopers in their assault.


    If rumors were to be believed, Leon''s death was so gruesome, Bruno would find it hard to believe that a mere 60mm mortar shell had taken him out in such a fashion. Luxembourg was not his area of responsibility, however, and because of this gathering urate information on the topic was a more difficult endeavor than he cared to actually pursue.


    Because of this, he eventually put down his paper and sighed as he pulled out a cigarette from his pack of smokes. He was just about to light the thing when Heinrich sat down in front of him. The man had his own medals pinned to his chest, which he had earned over the years, and was quick toment on the paper Bruno was just reading, with a grim look on his face.


    "You know that could be either of us, right? Before this war ends, the angels coulde calling for you or me just as they did that French twat..."


    Bruno chuckled as he heard this, before responding to his friend''s somber tone, as he tossed the paper aside so that neither of them dwelled on the morbid subject for too long.


    "I hate to break it to you, Heinrich, but I am far too important for the ns God has for this world. If I am stupid enough to get myself killed before I have finished his work, our heavenly father will simply send me back to attempt it again."


    Henrich chuckled at Bruno''s words. The man had indeed grown more religious as the years passed, but this was perhaps the most insufferable cope he had ever heard Bruno state regarding his own mortality and the potential of his death in the line of duty. Because of this, there was almost a bittersweet smirk on the Colonel''s face as he responded to what he perceived to be a jest from his superior officer.


    "Are you sure about that, my friend? How certain are you that when you die, the Lord will just send you back to start anew? Wouldn''t your failure to achieve the goals he had trusted you with mean that you are unworthy of resurrection?"


    Bruno''s expression turned mortified as he heard his friend''s words, not only because he knew there was some truth to them but also because he found it to be amusing.


    "Dear God, I never thought of it that way before, but you might actually be right. The amount of stupid shit I have done on the battlefield because I assumed my death would not be final! I think I want to go home and rethink my life..."


    At first Heinrich thought that Bruno had been joking around this entire time, but the man''s acting skills were convincing enough in this moment that he genuinely thought the man may have had aplete and total delusional mindset throughout his entire military career until


    now.


    Causing Heinrich to jump out of his seat and shout at his friend as if the man was an absolute idiot.


    "Are you fucking kidding me!?!"


    His reaction was loud and stirring enough that the interests of several soldiers sitting nearby were cast upon the two high-ranking officers, that is until they realized who they were. Bruno, however, simply chuckled and shook his head while returning to his coffee, all with a cheerful smile on his face.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Rx, Heinrich, I may be religious, but I''m not insane... You do know that reincarnation is a Buddhist ideal, right? Not a Christian one? Granted, if God truly exists as the good book ims he does, he most certainly possesses the power to make such a thing reality, but I doubt he would move his hands to help me should I fail so miserably after the second chance he has given me with this life..."


    Heinrich immediately settled himself down, forcibly so as he sat down in his seat, pondering upon Bruno''s words. He didn''t exactly know what "second chance" Bruno had spoken about, but after thinking upon it for no more than five seconds, he figured it could have been a great deal of things as Bruno had endured several near-death experiences so far in his rtively young life.


    Instead, he sighed heavily, before assuring Bruno he was serious with the deliberate tone in his voice, while expressing his gravest concern about this war.


    "Hey man, seriously though... Promise me... If I end up dying out here, you will take good care of Alya, right? You will look after my daughter for me, yes?"


    Bruno smirked, seeing this as a good chance to make fun of his friend, despite the severity of the request, as he looked Heinrich straight in the eyes while sipping his coffee once more before saying the words he knew would utterly infuriate the man.


    "Rx, the matter is settled. She is already set to marry my eldest son. What more can I do


    than that?"


    Heinrich, of course, grew flustered as he stood up once more and cursed at Bruno before storming off in a fit of rage.


    "Fuck you! I never consented to that fucking engagement, and you know it!"


    As Heinrich pouted and angrily stomped away from Bruno, the man hollered at his friend once more, doing his best to thoroughly take advantage of the situation given to him.


    "What? You don''t want to be a member of my family! I am insulted! To think that for all these years, I thought we were as close as brothers!"


    If it were not for the fact that Bruno was at the peak of German militarymand, and the


    city was filled with soldiers at the moment, Heinrich would have flipped off Bruno as he walked away from his line of sight. But he reserved himself because of the circumstances, even if it pained him to do so.

 Chapter 245: A Long Forgotten Offer Finally Accepted

    Chapter 245: A Long Forgotten Offer Finally epted


    ?


    Bruno''s predictions had more or lesse true... Especially in regards to Nik Te. Fearing the idea of leaving the nd of opportunity" which was the United States behind, especially in this booming era of free enterprise in the region. The genius inventor had declined to initially ept Bruno''s invitation to move to the German Reich and work for him. Despite Bruno acquiring many of the era''s greatest inventors, Te remained firm in his decision. But as Bruno also expected, nobody else was really willing to invest in his ideas that were just "not profitable" from the perspective of businessmen who could not grasp the bigger picture of Te''s brilliance and what it meant for the world, and humanity as a whole.


    Money began to dry up very quickly, and when the War broke out, that only further be a matter ofplication, as USpanies began to infringe on his patents, or at least those that were still giving him some marypensation.


    The United States of America had entered a state of fervent istionism, and this allowed them to justify ripping off patents from major European powers involved in the war by stating "they had no intention of aiding either side withpensation."


    This, of course, caused many issues in society, as the United States began to pursue a path of self-sufficiency, both economically and military. Reinforcing the Monroe Doctrine, and more or less isting itself from global trade out of fear of provoking both major alliances within the ongoing Great War.


    In the long term, this newfound desire for Autarky and the importance which the United States government put upon it had many benefits for the American nation and its people. But in the short term, it would also cause problems for the economy as a whole.


    And unfortunately for Te, who was already financially unstable, he had been a victim of these major consequences in ways that damn near rendered him homeless and bankrupt. Having few options left, as his attempts to legallypelpanies to obey international trade regtions, such as financialpensation for his patents filed abroad, had all but failed.


    The man was in the middle of packing up what few belongings he had left, as he was rather frantically trying to escape a hotel room which he had been living in for the past week, but had yet to pay for. Soon, the time upon him would be to do just that, and he could not afford to doN?v(el)B\\jnn


    So.


    And as Te did so, the most coincidental thing urred. The card which Bruno had given the man nearly a decade ago, one which had various means to contact the German General and titan of industry, fell out of one of his old coats. A coat he had not worn in years, but was the only thing currently keeping the cold of winter in New York city from eating him alive.


    At first Te did not notice the card which fell out of his pocket and onto the floor, that is until the knock on the door had startled him into tripping over one of his shirts which was hewn aside, causing to fall face first in front of the small device.


    The shout at the door, which came from the angry manager who was demanding payment which had long since been past due, was just enough to awake Te from the stupor he had temporarily entered upon hitting his jaw on the floor.


    And when he opened his eyes, he saw the name on top of the card. Forcing the man to remember the offer Bruno had made him many years ago. An offer Bruno had said was in perpetuity. He had messed up, run out of time, and was now incapable of escaping the hotel room without payment.


    Payment he could not provide. As a result, he quickly opened the door, with a rather frantic gaze and stared the hotel manager in the eyes, desperately asking for one thing as he assured the man he would be properlypensated for all the time that had been spent upying the


    room.


    "I need to use your phone... If you allow this, I promise you, I will pay you in full, and will even give you a nice tip for your generosity in this matter so far..."


    As much as the hotel manager considered Te to be a shifty character, one who might try to swindle him out of what he was due. The man ultimately was swayed by the confidence in Te''s eyes and tone, as well as the man''s natural charisma, or whatever he had managed to pull out of the depths of his soul in that very moment of need.


    In Bruno''s past life, the first transantic phone call had urred in 1927, over a decade from the current year. However, due to thest decade being heavily influenced across the world by Bruno''s substantial investment into the world''s greatest scientific minds, as well as global trade andmunication methods. Te was able to call across the Antic and to the nation of Germany.


    Te just so happened to be calling at the exact hour of the day to make it into contact with a woman in Berlin who was nearing the end of her shift. A woman who worked for Bruno, and when she heard exactly who was calling, her eyes opened wide, before a smug smirk appeared across her face.


    "Mr. Te, my employer has been waiting for your call for the better part of a decade now... With that being said, he has made sure that someone stays here at this phone during every hour of the day in case you were specifically to call us.


    While Mr. von Zehntner is currently away performing his duties as general in the war. He has given me full authority to assure you that his offer still stands as he gave it to you all those years ago. And that any expenses needed to secure your move to Berlin will be paid in full whenever you require it by thepany. Shall I assume this call of yours is your agreement toe work for my employer?"


    As much as Te did not want to admit it, there was not much left for him within the United States to continue struggling for. Bruno''s offer, he had always thought, was simply too good to be true. Yet, if this woman wasn''t lying to him, he had paid round-the-clock employees to do one simple thing, and that was to maintain a careful vigil over the phone in case he called at any hour of the day.


    And Bruno had done so for the better part of ten years. In addition to this, the offer still stood, and Bruno was willing to financiallypensate the man for his move to the German Reich. Even if things did smoothen themselves out here in the United States, he was between a rock and a hard ce at the moment.


    Being given a lifeline in his moment of need, when nobody else would do so, was more than enough to convince the genius inventor to finally ept Bruno''s offer. After which he managed to negotiate the transfer of funds necessary to pay the hotel for his stay and his safe passage to Berlin. How exactly he managed to swing such a thing would be lost to history. But in the end Nik Te moved to Berlin to work for Bruno, that much was certain.

 Chapter 246: Planning For the Gallipoli Campaign

    Chapter 246: nning For the Gallipoli Campaign


    ?


    Bruno would gather daily with the fellow leaders of the Army Groups sent to the Balkan Campaign. At the same time, Montenegro, as expected, fell by the wayside. With Serbia out of the war, and being surrounded by a technologically superior army numbered over tenfold their own forces, the small Kingdom admitted defeat before the final battle had been waged.


    In the span of a single season, the two greatest concerns of the Balkans had been taken out with swift and decisive action. Now all that remained was the Ottoman Empire, and it had been a thorn in Europe''s side for far, far too long. And Bruno would bring a brutal end to its regime, and in doing so, would allow Greece to reim its historical and disputed territories.


    Bruno nned to be so thorough in his victory that not a single Turk would remain in thends of Thrace, Ionia, Cyprus, the Dodecanese Inds, and Crete. So long as a single Turk upied thesends, they would forever be disputed.


    While simply killing the people in these regions was the most logical and practical solution avable to Bruno and the Central Powers, Bruno did not believe that harming innocent and unarmed people was a proper thing to do.


    Instead, he would follow the allied powers examples on how they destroyed German ims over its historical and ancestralnds following their defeat in the Second World War of his past life. Forceful relocation eastward into Anatolia.


    The resources needed to acquire such a thing would be vast, and Bruno could not aplish this goal during the war, but following a Central Powers victory which was Bruno''s ultimate goal in this life, he figured this remation of greater Greece could truly be established.


    Thus, at the moment Bruno was speaking of his ns to his allies as he like they smoked a cigarette to calm his nerves.


    "Transport ships will have to be allocated from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to aplish our aims. There is simply no feasible reality where the High Seas Fleet can amodate an escort at this moment, which will guarantee their safe travel from the North Sea and into the eastern Mediterranean.


    As for the ck Seas fleet, until the Bosphorus and Dardanelles can be secured for our own forces, it is starting to look like the Russians will be unable to provide aid. It is because of this, I believe we should currently use ourbined assets to assault this fortress here, unblocking ess to our fleets to the Dardanelles strait."


    Bruno pointed to an area of the map any student of history would immediately recognize. The Gallipoli penins. It was definitely an eye opening gesture as the Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Greek generals tensed up while straightening their backs after hearing Bruno''s suggestions on how to begin their invasion of the Ottoman Empire.


    The Russian General among their ranks was quick toment on the overwhelming cost of life that would be spent seizing such a fortified objective should they march upon Gallipoli.


    "You do realize if we try tounch an amphibiousnding, thousands of our men will die to take the penins, right?"


    Bruno scoffed as he reached into his greatcoat''s inner pocket with his spare hand and pulled out his sk, quickly popping off the lid with the same hand before taking a swig, after doing so he stashed the sk away while taking a drag from his cigarette.


    The harrowing look on his face as he spoke made it abundantly clear that he was all too aware of what price was about to be made to seize the Dardanelles straight, and that hemented the thought of the overwhelming loss of life that would ur.


    "Tens of thousands, at the very least... Nevertheless, wars are not won without casualties. That is the price of victory. And to win this war, we need to liberate the ck Sea Fleet from their istion beyond the Bosphorus.


    It will require time to muster the transports needed prepare for the ultimate goal being the siege of Constantinople. Which would be far less costly with the aid of the Russian Navy on our side. Unfortunately, in order to get to the Bosphorus strait, we must first seize Gallipoli. I''m going to make something abundantly clear to you all right now. Neither I nor the men beneath mymand are properly trained in the art of navalndings. Nor do we have the appropriate equipment to do so.


    We are soldiers, not marines. Nevertheless, we will be right there with you all in the thick of it when the time to begin the Gallipoli Campaign begins. In fact, I dare say we will probably sustain the highest rate of casualties, as my soldiers will be leading the vanguard as usual. Now, with all of this being said, you do not need to fret too much to the point of suffering an anxiety attack. It will take time to prepare the resources necessary to invade our next objective. And the Ottomans at the moment are more or less isted within their own territory, focusing on defending eastern Anatolia from the advance of our forces in the region.


    By midsummer of this year at thetest, we will begin our invasion of Gallipoli. As I am sure we can all agree that rushing ourselves into a new campaign after having just emerged victorious here in Serbia and Montenegro could prove to be far more costly than any of us desire.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    We are in an extremely advantageous position at the moment where none of our nations have lost any significant ground in this conflict, while our enemies are pressed on all sides. We can take half a year to make the preparations necessary to ensure the least amount of casualties possible when we decide to pursue a finishing blow to the Turks and their damned caliphate once and for all."


    There was damn near a collective sigh of relief among those present when they realized Bruno did not n to hastily advance upon the Dardanelles.


    As for the preparations that would need to be made for the war? Bruno had long since begun producing them. There was just one problem: he would need a find a way to transfer thending craft in mind from the Baltic and North Seas to the Mediterranean.

 Chapter 247: Returning to the Fatherland

    Chapter 247: Returning to the Fathend


    ?


    Bruno had more luxuries than the men beneath hismand. He was the highest rank a man could achieve in the German Army. Travelling from the front lines back to Berlin was not only a matter of personal luxury, but often times necessity.


    As Montenegro, and Serbia both capitted, and the troops which Bruno was in charge ofrgely began Gendarme operations while also simultaneously preparing for a war in a new theater. Bruno found himself with little to actually do. In fact, his expertise was actually needed back in the fathend, checking to see if the preparations he had made in years past had finally been concluded.


    For the most part, Bruno''s involvement in creating military designs, taken, modified, and improved from his past life had been focused on the Army, as that was more or less the single most important part of the Great War, and was also his primary means of production.


    But there were a few naval vessels Bruno had introduced to the world. Two were well known by now and had yed a major role in the German Kaiserliche Marines'' dominance over the seas. And that was both the Type XXI U-Boats, or at least the improved variant which Bruno introduced in this life.


    And the WW2 Era destroyers, which escorted Germanmercial vessels, troop transports, and even apaniedrger fleets into battle. These two types of naval ships had proven, time and again, their worth.


    But there was a third "invention" Bruno had developed in secrecy, as gaining approval for use by the Navy had proven to be difficult. In times past, Naval Infantry or Marines had more or less been limited.


    The reality was that contested battles on the shores were rare in history, and because of this, the idea of spending the taxpayer''s money to fund a fleet ofnding craft designed for this very purpose was something that Bruno simply could not get approved no matter how hard he tried.


    But... there was not exactly aw preventing private ownership of such vessels, perhaps even a fleet of them... After all, without weapons on board,nding craft were more or less no different from civilian ships.


    With that said, weapons that could be mounted would be small scale, and easily retrofitted onto the ships, if need be, at most 37mm auto cannons. Because of this, Bruno decided to return to the German Reich to ensure that his fleet of "automobile transport vessels" was fully constructed and ready to set sail.


    Yes... Bruno had shamelessly concealed the construction,mission, and ownership of navalnding craft as mere cargo ships designed to carry exclusively automobiles inrge numbers. The reality was these ships could carry both men and armored vehicles on board. But nobody had ever really heard of such a thing, let alone expected these ships for such a unique purpose.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After all, until now, naval infantry had more often than not deployed via small wooden rowboats, which were easily mowed down by modern defenses. And even then, they usually did so without having an actual fight in mind when they reached the shores.


    I mean the idea of a billionaire with exceptional ties to the military, would go out of his way to circumvent naval procurement channels via the private funding, construction, andmission of a personal fleet of dedicatednding craft was an absurd idea to say the least. Because of this, nobody really expected such a move, whether that be the German politicians or the enemies of the Reich. Thus, when Bruno arrived in his primary naval shipyards in Hamburg to check on the progress of his little side project, he was not the least bit surprised to see that there were dozens of ships in this single port waiting for him.


    The engineers at Bruno''s naval arms manufacturingpany were quite happy to see their employer visiting, as the man in charge walked Bruno around the docks and exined how the ships had been perfected.


    "As you can see here, the armor ting on thesending craft is thick, thick enough to stop even a 37mm pom pom from prating its armor. Although, if struck directly by artillery, it could prove troublesome.


    As for the ships in question, they can carry about two Panzers each, or 200 men, depending on whether you are focused on armor or infantry. They have a range of approximately 350 kms with a speed of 17km/h fully loaded.


    In addition to this, these ships can be quickly retrofitted with either a 20mm or 37mm auto- cannon that can be utilized as both anti-personnel, or anti-air defense. Due to the limited range, we have made modifications avable to existing warships to allow their carry. As of right now, we have roughly 150 of thesending craft fully manufactured and awaiting deployment as you see fit. All we will need is Parliamentary approval to mount their armament and begin shipping them off to the Kaiserliche Marine for deployment."


    Bruno had initially designed the ships on the LCM-8 from the Vietnam war of his past life. They were more or less an improvement upon existing designs used by the United States Marine Corps during the second world war a few decades earlier.


    These ships continued to see service into the 21st century as well among a variety of the world''s naval forces due to how efficient they were. And now that they werepleted in this life a few decades prior than they should have been, Bruno could see why.


    One of the monumental failures of the Allies in his past life when they invaded Gallipoli was the fact that they were on vessels that were easily blown out of the water. Many men died before they ever reached the shores.


    But with thesending craft in ce, that was not a worry. Because of this, Bruno patted the shoulder of the lead engineer of his naval arms corporation and congratted him on his achievement.


    "It is perfect as far as I can see. Make no mistake, convincing the Naval Board of Procurement to immediately authorize the use of thesending craft for the campaign I have nned will be an easy matter. You have no idea how many of our soldiers you have saved by bringing my vision into reality. Everyone who has made this a reality can expect a major bonus this year for their efforts."


    Bruno''s words were most wee by not only the man he was speaking to, but all the employees at the shipyard. They may not be fighting on the battlefield, but logistics won wars, and producing military equipment was no easy task.


    To be rewarded with a generous bonus was most certainly weed news, and would no doubt add to their motivation to continue their great work going forward.

 Chapter 248: A Brief Return to the Family Estate

    Chapter 248: A Brief Return to the Family Estate


    ?


    While the first stop on his brief visit to the Fathend was the shipyards in Hamburg, Bruno made sure to make his way home after business had been concluded.


    The introduction of his newnding craft could ensure minimal casualties were spent gaining control over Gallipoli, a campaign that in his past life had been utterly disastrous for the allied forces thatnded in the penins.


    And while his people worked behind the scenes to get the vehicles adopted by the Kaiserliche Marine, Bruno had very little to do with his time, and thus returned to Berlin for a brief visit to his wife and children.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Heidi having contacts in Military intelligence was all too aware that her husband wasing home, and thus made sure herself, and the children were presentable outside the doors of their home as they waited in the courtyard for the arrival of the head of their house.


    She was wearing a rathervish dress, with both of her chivalric orders pinned on her dress. The Order of Lousie was pinned just below her right breast, while the Bavarian Order of Saint Elizabeth was pinned on the shoulder hem of hervish gown.


    Alya was standing next to her fianc¨¦, which was Bruno''s eldest son Erwin. While his older and younger sisters stood by their sides. In addition to this, the younger children were properly groomed and dressed for the rare asion of their father returning from the frontlines for a brief period of rest and respite.


    When the motorcade pulled into the grounds of Bruno''s rather exceptional estate, a group of armed soldiers opened the doors for the German General who stepped out of the back of the car he was sitting in. Bruno himself was wearing his full-dress uniform, with his rank, medals, and other distinguished badges and cords on full disy.


    When he saw his wife and kids waiting for him, the man broke out into a smile as he stepped forward and hugged his wife, kissing her on the lips in a romantic gesture beforementing on her beauty, and more specifically, her newest award.


    "My, my, has my little angel been awarded for her charitable acts? You look absolutely ravishing, darling..."


    Naturally, being surrounded by nothing but men for months at a time on the battlefield made Bruno more than aroused the moment he saw his wife and her all perfection on disy for him. Heidi was quick to remind Bruno that their children were present and that any further attempts to be intimate with her so openly would be nothing short of inappropriate.


    "My love, our children are present. You should mind your surroundings before being so flirtatious in the future."


    Bruno couldn''t help but scoff as he turned to his eldest daughter, Eva, who was growing like a weed, and quickly hugged her, the girl damn near in tears as she greeted her father, who had returned home to her safe and sound.


    "Daddy! Thank God you are safe. I have heard stories about the brothers and fathers of my friends... They.... They-"


    Before she could finish her statement, Bruno ced a finger to his young daughter''s lips and shook his head, instantly silencing the girl on the spot. While assuring her he would never end up in such a miserable state.


    "Rx, sweetheart, your father is not like those men... God is on his side, and until the day the Lord calls me to him, I will remain unharmed..."


    Eva swallowed whatever worries she was about to express and simply continued to hug her father, as the man himself desperately tried to pry himself away from his child, who wastched to him as if she were amprey.


    Ultimately, Erwin managed to pull his elder sister aside, and chastise her, before greeting his father, the man of the house, and weing his return.


    "Get ahold of yourself Eva, father has been gone for roughly half a year, and yet you''re acting as if he has been gone for all of your life! Father, it is a relief to see you home, safe and sound. Though I trust you will not be around for long, not with the war being waged as we speak?"


    There was a look of longing in the teenage boy''s eyes, as if he personally wanted to pick up a rifle and fight in defense of the fathend''s untarnished honor.


    Bruno of course was quick to remind his son that he was far too young, and not to get any ideas as there were more than a few schoolboys who were stupid enough to go to the trenches whether in this life or the previous one he hade from.


    "Don''t get any ideas boy, you are far too young to go fight, and I would have you immediately returned to your mother if you ever attempted such a damned foolish thing! Besides, if you got yourself killed, how the hell would I continue to bully your fianc¨¦e''s father? He is dreading the idea of handing off his little girl to a brat like you!"


    Alya rolled her eyes and sighed when she heard of her father''s continued immaturity, but she also shook her head and facepalmed after hearing that Bruno was behaving just as childishly in his taunts of her father.


    She, however, was the only one to dread such an idea, as Heidi and her daughters found it humorous. Bruno couldn''t help but chastise his soon-to-be-daughter-inw when she saw her behavior.


    "Alya, I know you grew up quickly because of the war in Russia, but you are never too old to have fun, especially at a friend''s expense. You should enjoy the small things in life, because if you don''t, your face will age as quickly as your mind, and your future husband wille to dread such a thing..."


    Thisment caused Alya to be both flustered and self-conscious as she pulled out a hand mirror from her purse and silently inspected her face for potential imperfections caused by stress and age.


    Whereas Heidi was quick to assure the girl that she was fine. All the while, Bruno spoke with the rest of his sons and daughters. Greeting each and every one with a loving gesture before walking inside their home together.


    Despite his sons all wanting to hear their father''s war stories, Bruno would not speak of his time at war while he was at home. Reliving such an experience was thest thing he needed now that he finally had some peace in this world.


    It had been years since Bruno had seenbat, and now that he had done so again, some of his old quirks began to re-manifest themselves, which was something that Heidi most certainly took notice of, even if she did not mention it throughout the day.


    Ultimately, his time in Germany would be short, no longer than a fortnight before the need to deploy back to the Balkans emerged. There was one threat in the region which Bruno had underestimated, and the chaos of the small country was about to spill over into its neighbors.

 Chapter 249: God Will Know His Own...

    Chapter 249: God Will Know His Own...


    ?


    In Europe, there were more or less four regions that were majority Muslim. Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was currently under Austro-Hungarian Control, Kosovo, which had been under Serbian Control until its upation by Austro-Hungary and its eventual surrender a week or two prior to Bruno''s arrival in Germany.


    There was also the European parts of the Ottoman Empire, mainly eastern Thrace, that were currently a Muslim majority. And finally, there was the independent Principality of Albania. Which at this time was in a state of total anarchy after its German prince abdicated the throne upon the start of the war.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    His reasons for doing so were simple. Surrounded on all sides by hostile powers, he felt it was better to flee with his life, then wait to be invaded. Because of this, Albania was now enduring awless chaos, with multiple factions fighting in all areas of the small Balkan country for control over thend.


    So just another day in the Balkans, right? Ethnic and religious violence had been a part of the region since the Ottoman Turks first took over and began forcefully converting the natives or suppressing those who refused.


    However, times were changing, and for the first time in nearly half a millennium, it was starting to look like the Muslims would once and for all be driven out of Europe or as it had been known in previous centuries, "Christendom."


    Because of this, Christian Militias were engaging in all sorts of heinous acts against the Muslim Majority within Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Albania. There was simply one objective, either their forceful relocation or their extermination.


    And there were more than a few Christian powers in the regions with serious grudges against these Muslim poptions, ones that hadsted for centuries. These nations were more than willing to arm, train, and provide safe houses for the ultra-Christian paramilitary organizations.


    With every act of violencemitted against the Muslims in thesends, there was, of course, retaliation. Sparking arge gueri campaign between various factions. One that originated in Albania and quickly began to turn the entire region into a powder keg that was about to explode.


    Bruno had at most two weeks with his family before being recalled to the Balkans, where he found an explosion had recently been detonated in Austro-Hungarian Sarajevo. The explosion was the result of ethnic violence between Bosnian-Serb Christians and Bosniak Muslims.


    Both German and Austro-Hungarian soldiers rushed to the scene, engaging in a firefight with the paramilitary organization responsible for the attack, which this time around just so happened to the Bosniak Jihadists.


    Shouts in what Bruno presumed was the localnguage were exchanged by the militants who were eventually gunned down by abination of rifle and machine gun fire by the soldiers who surrounded them.


    Eventually their bodies were dragged out of the building they were barricaded in and tossed into the streets by the German and Austro-Hungarian soldiers, prompting Bruno to inquire about exactly what had happened here.


    "I leave the region for two fucking weeks and all of a sudden I find myself involved in a campaign against religious militants of both Orthodox and Muslim variety? Can somebody please exin to me just what the fucking hell happened while I was away?"


    It was no surprise that the men who had led the stormtroopers into the heavily barricaded hotel which had been captured by the Imic Militants was none other than Erich, who emerged from the scene of his bloodshed while cleaning his bay with a cloth.


    The man had a rather sadistic smirk on his face as he exined exactly what had happened while Bruno was away before anyone else in the vicinity could.


    "Just some usually foolishness in the Balkans. What else did you expect? nia is in a state of anarchy, allowing for opportunistic groups to fight for control. The violence rapidly became religious and ethnic in nature, as is always the case in this god-forsaken region of the world.


    Naturally, as Bulgaria and the Ottomans began supplying each faction, it spilled over into our territory. Fucking Christ, is this a shit show? These bastards attack and then run away to hide among the civilians.


    Honestly, I think we should just level the region altogether. That way we can deal with these fucking Muslim bastards and for all. If you ask me, they have upied Christiannds for far too long, and now that we have the chance to do something about it, we should!" Bruno immediately feltpelled to smoke upon hearing his friend and subordinate not so subtly suggest an act of genocide. But strangely enough, he did not do so, instead he began to soothe the bridge of his nose as if trying desperately to fight off an oing migraine before eventually responding to Erich''s suggestion with an almost hostile tone.


    "Even if I agreed with your so-called solution, which, for the record, I do not. You do understand that there are still thousands of Christians in this city. How exactly do you intend to tell the difference between assuming I were to actually entertain your ideas of genocide?" Erich''s next words were chilling, and something that Bruno would probably remember for the rest of his life as he swore he had read them before in history.


    "We don''t... Kill them all! God will know his own!"


    Bruno could tell that it was not just Erich who shared this sentiment, there were plenty of men, especially among the Austro-Hungarian soldiers who surrounded them, that agreed with this statement entirely.


    The time hade to reim thest vestige of Christendom from the hands of the Muslim upiers, and many of these men, especially those who came from the Balkans and not Germanic Europe, deeply resonated with the words Erich had spoken.


    Erich, of course not exactly being a fanatic in his own right, but simply having a desire to spill blood, no matter whose it was, was simply trying totch onto a convenient chance to do just this.


    Bruno might be cruel towards his enemies, and more than willing to disregard coteral damage such as civilian casualties in pursuit of victory, was at the end of the day not a sadistic psychopath, or a genocidal maniac.


    Because of this he couldn''t help but condemn Erich in the harshest of terms, and openly of that as he refused the idea outright, and instead began plotting on how to deal with both the Muslim and Orthodox Militants who were using their religions as an excuse to engage in violence much in the same way Erich had wanted to do so.


    "There is no reality on this Earth where I even possibly entertain the horrific thoughts you have just tried to put into my mind. If it weren''t the fact that you were damn good at your job, I would have you court-martialed for even suggesting such a thing!


    But, since it was merely a verbal exchange, and not an actual crimemitted, I will merely resort to withdrawing you from this gueri campaign, and instead will send you back to the fathend on temporary leave.


    Do not ever suggest openly or privately such a wicked sentiment, whether in my presence or not ever again. For if I ever hear word that you have, you will not be forgiven a third time. Do you understand me, Colonel von Humboldt?"


    Erich seemed to be silently seething at his punishment, having not expected his friend to reprimand him in such a way. But ultimately, he kept his thoughts to himself as he saluted Bruno and epted his punishment before doing as he wasmanded.


    As for Bruno, he eventually pulled out a cigarette and smoked it, shaking his head as he watched Erich walk away from him with his shoulders rolled in a way that hinted aggressive thoughts. He couldn''t help but think that before this war was over, he was going to have to put a bullet in the skull of a man he considered to be among his closest friends...

 Chapter 250: Discussing The Albania Question

    Chapter 250: Discussing The Albania Question


    ?


    The Chaos of Albania spilling into the rest of the Balkans was a nightmare situation be reality. And Bruno did not know how he was going to contain the fire that was rapidly


    spreading throughout the region.


    It wasn''t exactly a surprise that this was happening. In fact, it was highly expected, if not outright inevitable. Though Bruno was caught a bit off guard with the timing. Austro- Hungary''s copse was inevitable.


    All civilizations crumbled eventually, and all species reached a point of extinction. Time had a way of bringing all that existed in this universe to utter ruin. But Austro-Hungary''s copse was destined to be far quicker and more brutal than most stable empires.


    The reason being was simple: different religions, cultures, and ethnicities could not inhabit the samends for long before they began to fight over control of it. Forcing the various identities in the Balkans to live beneath the same banner was a bad idea to begin with, but far more so when they were being ruled over by a foreign monarch.


    A German ruling over an empire primarily built in the Balkans? Apparently, the inbreeding within the Habsburg Dynasty had a far greater long-term effect on their gene pool than the mathematic equation would otherwise suggest.


    It was honestly the only exnation Bruno could rationalize as to why Francis I had decided to maintain control over his holdings in the Balkans when he dismantled the Holy Roman Empire as a political entity.


    What else could possibly be used to exin such a reckless idea? Building an empire on loose sand in front of a crashing tidal wave was not exactly conducive to long-term stability. Now, was it? It was pride, wasn''t it? The damn pride of a man who refused to give up his recognition as an "Emperor."


    Pride really was the root of all evil in this world, this was the only conclusion Bruno could properlye to as he looked upon the faces of the deceased who had been taken hostage by the local militants, and killed during the assault to bring them to justice.


    Among them was a young girl, no older than ten, whose lifeless eyes conveyed the fear and anguish she must have felt right before her life was snuffed away, most likely not by the devils who had held her by gunpoint, but the men who hade to "save her."


    Erich was a man like Bruno who cared more aboutpleting the objective than the coteral damage that came in the way. And shooting through a hostage to kill the target was certainly an efficient means of ensuring the militants did not escape.


    But even Bruno would have a hard time justifying pulling the trigger when that hostage was a child. Something Erich didn''t seem remotely concerned about. It was true Bruno did not know the full story. He wasn''t on the team of stormtroopers sent to eliminate the religious fanatics.


    However, he also knew Erich''s personality well enough, as well as the sadistic murderers and psychopaths beneath hismand who called themselves soldiers. This blood was not necessarily on Bruno''s hands. He had not given the order to attack the militants as they tried to negotiate with the surrounding gendarme forces.


    He was still on a train to Sarajevo and only arrived after the chaos had been more or less settled. Even so, Bruno was the one who kept Erich on a leash when the man was little more than a rabid dog in need of being put down.


    As Bruno exhaled the smoke from his lungs, the rain began to fall upon the corpses of the victims and the perpetrators. All the while, the medics began to carry them off one by one in body bags.


    Seemingly noticing the General simply standing there smoking as he gazed upon the aftermath of this most recent act of religious and ethnic violencemitted in the Balkans, the medic approached Bruno.


    His uniform was very clearly Austro-Hungarian, as were the distinctions to rank and unit on it. The medic''s German was far from fluent, but he spoke enough to make sense to Bruno. "Did you know her? The victim I mean?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Bruno shook his head as he flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground, where he stamped it out beneath the sole of his boot. He only responded after beginning to walk away. His words were far more grim than the Medic was expecting from the man.


    "Not in the slightest... I''m just beginning to wonder if this is all worth a pitiful attempt to save a dying empire..."


    After saying this Bruno wandered off in the rain to go meet up with the other Generals whose forces were spread across Bosnia, Serbia, and Montenegro trying their best to maintainw and order as the preparations needed to begin an invasion of the Ottoman Empire continued in the background.


    The building temporarily acting as the Balkan Theater''s operationalmand room was filled with the smell of smoke and booze, as the leadership of the Imperial Forces had long since stopped celebrating, and instead found themselves in a state of despair.


    Bruno reached for the nearest bottle of vodka which the Russians had brought over from the mothend and poured himself a ss without even asking for permission. After doing so, he drank the entire thing in one go, before pouring himself another to sip on while he made a major announcement to the other generals currently acting beneath hismand.


    "I have decided tounch an expedition into Albania. So long as thewlessness there can be taken advantage of by Bulgaria and the Ottomans in a shortsighted and ill-conceived proxy war, the borders of Austro-Hungary will suffer.


    Law and Order must return to Albania if we wish to stabilize things here in our own territory. And since we have a few months at thetest before the preparations are concluded for our invasion of the Ottoman Empire, then I see no reason why we should sit here and wait for the next attack by fanatics of every denomination.


    If anyone else has any concerns regarding this punitive expedition, speak now or forever hold your peace..."


    Bruno may haveplete operational authority over all Imperial Forces within the Balkans, but that did not mean that he ruled with an iron fist like some kind of dictator. These men


    were generals every bit as much as he was.


    Meaning that they had long stories of military careers full of experience, and knowledge he could very well make use of. After all, Bruno''s rise to the top had been over the course of roughly fifteen years, which was still a very short amount of time by the normal standards. Invading Albania could be conceived as a necessary action. The nation existed on the coastline, and while technically neutral, was in a state of total anarchy at the moment. Meaning that the Allied Powers could easily slip operatives, both of the military and intelligence variety, into the country before sending them into Austro-Hungarian territory.


    In fact, Bruno suspected that was arge cause for these ongoing conflicts between ethnic and religious paramilitary groups. Normally, a formal deration of war would be needed to invade the small Balkan Principality.


    But they were currently leaderless, as the Prince had fled the country at the start of the war. And no form of provisional government had taken over during his absence. Thus, the only real justification Bruno needed to send troops into the area was having some form of evidence connecting the militant groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo to those in


    Albania.


    There was just one problem: they did not have this evidence just yet. And because of this, the leader of the Austro-Hungarian forces in the Balkans was quick toment on this fact.


    "I would agree with an invasion into Albania; however, we don''t have just cause to invade as we have yet to find any evidence linking the militants in our territory to those in Albania. At least not in any direct way that could justify such an expedition in ordance with internationalw."


    After hearing this, Bruno did not appear the least bit dismayed, instead he finished his second ss of Vodka before patting the Austro-Hungarian General on the shoulder, assuring him the man would have his evidence soon enough.


    "Give me a fortnight, and I will collect the evidence required to justify an expedition into the Principality of Albania. If that is the only concern that any of you have, then I am going to go do that right this very instant.


    Stay safe gentlemen, we live in uncertain times, and it is unknown whether or not these militants will begin targeting us rather than simply each other..."


    Bruno would naturally take every precaution necessary to safeguard himself, the other generals and pretty much everyone else in the region of importance both to him personally as well as to the interests of the Imperial Powers and their ongoing military efforts.


    As foring up with the evidence to link the militants in Austro-Hungarian territory to those in Albania, Bruno would need to make a call for that. And because of this, he would chat with his beloved wife much sooner than he had anticipated after his very brief reunion with


    his family.

 Chapter 251: Shock and Awe Part I

    Chapter 251: Shock and Awe Part I


    ?


    The great thing about Bruno being deployed to the Balkans, particrly the City of Sarajevo, was that it shared the same time zone as Berlin. Because of this, he could call his wife that very afternoon, which was a mere few days after leaving her side, and ask for her aid in a matter rted to his campaign.


    Normally Bruno was not the type of man to share his work with his wife, after all one could consider that a major breach of security protocols. But Heidi''s family ties to a Princely familyrgely involved with military and foreign intelligence allowed him to speak with the woman about such matters.


    Even so, Bruno made sure allmunications were encrypted before attempting to reach the woman. As a wealthy military family with noble status, Bruno''s ability to wire his house in a way to receive and give out encryptedmunications via a variety of means was easily established.


    Especially when one considered that it was Bruno''s defense manufacturing corporations that invented and created many of these different types ofmunication. Or at the very least, made them wildly avable across the German Reich and its invested regions.


    Because of this, Bruno was able to contact Heidi even while deployed to the Balkans. However, she was indeed surprised to see the man calling her so soon after he had left. The idea that her husband had immediately encountered some trouble that required use of her expertise upon arriving in the Balkans did not even cross the woman''s mind as she yfully chastised the man for his abuse of power immediately after connecting with him.


    "Honestly Bruno, I know the idea of being surrounded by men, and only men for the next nine months must be dreadful, especially after the brief but enjoyable time we recently spent together...n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    However, that does not mean that you can just call me at any time of the day to get your rocks off. I mean, seriously... I''m your wife, not some painteddy of the night you can call upon on a whim!"


    Bruno would haveughed at his wife''s joke if not for the fact that he was currently in desperate need of her help right now in order to create a proper casus belli against Albania. Because of this, there was a long pause. The only audible sound was the exhale of smoke from Bruno''s lungs, which was naturally followed by a stern tone in his voice.


    "Honestly, I know I established this private channel for us tomunicate about matters in private while I am away from home, but dear, you and I both know that I never had such intentions in mind when I went through such great effort and expense.


    So, allow me to be frank with you, as time is of the essence... I need a favor, and since I have no formal ties to your cousins in Sektion III b, I have to reach out to you to contact them on my behalf. I mean, you are still in contact with your cousins, right?"


    Immediately understanding that this was not a social call, Heidi quickly took this matter seriously, as she responded to Bruno''s words with a far more formal tone in her voice.


    "Yes, I do, as a matter of fact, maintain friendly ties with that side of my family. Since you''re not putting in a formal request to Sektion IIIb, I have to presume this matter is in grave need of expediency, am I correct?"


    After the misunderstanding was cleared up between the married couple, they quickly got down to business. Bruno exined what was happening in the Balkans, where he believed the problems were originating, and how he nned to deal with it.


    He also outlined exactly why he needed the support of the German Army''s foreign intelligence branch, which had yet to be extended towards domestic counter-intelligence. And likely wouldn''t be with the expansion of the Kaiser''s personal secret police into that role a decade prior.


    Having heard everything that Bruno needed to say, and what precisely he was requesting of her and her rtives, Heidi assured him her husband that she would convey his message to her family. And after hanging up, she did exactly this.


    Part of the privilege of being born into a princely family with extensive ties to the nation''s military was that even now Heidi could call upon those family members for aid. It took all of three minutes for her to ry Bruno''s thoughts to her cousin.


    By now, the man who had once helped Heidi locate the true identity of her mother''s killers, even though it came at great personal risk, was the deputy director of Sektion III b. His operational authority was second only to the General he answered to.


    Doing a personal favor to Bruno, and cutting through the red tape in order to justify a military invasion of the Principality of Albania, was something that he knew would one day pay him back tenfold over.


    Bruno technically outranked the Director of Sektion III b, but even so, the military and government were full of red tape. Different departments fell within a different chain ofmands. Even if Bruno was a Generalfeldmarschall leading an entire theater of war, military intelligence fell outside his jurisdiction, and if he wanted things done, he would normally have to file an official request, and more or less wait until the intelligence department had the time, and means to support him.


    But by being married to the cousin of the Deputy Director, Bruno more or less could do whatever he damn well pleased with German Foreign Intelligence, or at the very least, had a guarantee of being ced at the front of the line when it came to gaining their support. Because of this, what would have normally taken days, weeks, or even potentially months just to get a simple answer, was instead immediately responded to, and with a rather definitive response as an encrypted telegram came over the wire into Bruno''s temporary office within the city of Sarajevo.


    The telegram was incredibly informal, and was not marked by any branch of the German Military, nor was there a name signed to it, but Bruno knew who it came from, regardless. And after using his enigma machine to cypher the message, Bruno found that he had been given a proper answer in the most cryptic way possible.


    "You will have what you desire in a fortnight at thetest."


    After seeing this, Bruno burned the message to ash, not because it was wholly necessary, but rather because he simply did not wish to leave any trace behind in the conversation he had. Paranoia was ultimately what kept him alive, and it was best not to leave traces when going through unofficial channels to get what you wanted in life.


    Having received the answer he more or less was expecting, Bruno returned to the staff room where the Generals of the four armies, their Adjutants, and any other assistants they may have with them in the Theater were busy scrambling around the office trying their best to put out the thousand fires that were lit around the Balkans.


    He could more or less guess what the next two or so weeks of his life was going to be, and thus he calmly approached the Austro-Hungarian General who had more or less been in charge of Gendarme operations while Bruno himself had been away in Berlin.


    After pouring himself another drink, Bruno conveyed the message he had received from


    Heidi''s cousin.


    "Two weeks at thetest and we will have all the evidence we need to forge a proper justification for invading Albania. If I were you, I would begin preparing the men and our logisticalwork for the expedition, because we don''t have much time.


    And the sooner we get these damned religious fanatics under control, the better it will be for


    everyone..."


    Even if Bruno could subjugate the various factions fighting for control of Albania, and cut off the supply routes to the Imic and Orthodox Militants fighting each other and the Imperial Powers within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bruno knew that ultimately his work woulde undone at most a decade down the line.


    Still, putting out this fire long enough to buy him time to win the Great War was his immediate concern, especially since he had at most six months to do so before the time to march upon the Turks and liberate Saint Constantine''s holy city of Constantinople from the hands of those who had defiled its grace for far too long.


    Thus, Bruno intended to enter Albania with a show of force and destruction that had once beenbeled by the Americans in his past life under the term "Shock and Awe." It was a style of warfare that Bruno felt he was quite suited to, and would admittedly enjoy partaking in when he entered one of thest few holdouts of Im within Europeannds.


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