Re: Blood and Iron

Bruno sat in his office, observing intelligence reports from France and all of its warlords domains. There was a saying in life… Knowledge is power… And if that were true, then there was certainly no more powerful man in this world than Bruno.

He liked to know everything… Where his enemies were, what they were plotting, where they slept, what they had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What they were doing on a Tuesday afternoon at precisely 2:19 PM.

There was not a world where Bruno could accurately predict how his enemies would try to counter him without first knowing everything there was to understand about them. And he made damn well sure over the course of the last twenty years that Germany’s intelligence networks were more than capable of providing this information.

Hell, if he wanted a routine report on the bowel movements of a particular target, within a week there would be a lengthy study on his desk. That was how much importance Bruno put on knowledge.

It was because of this, that he was not the least bit surprised how his enemies in France reacted the moment the new equipment provided by the German Reich’s reserve stockpiles ended up in the hands Pétain’s army.

To put it simply… The remaining warlords who had not bent the knee already were terrified to the point of competing with one another for the chance to do so. These were weapons that had broken the allies single handedly, and these men?

Running around with water-cooled machine guns, garage built carbines of questionable durability, and leftover weapons from a variety of nations though they were going to win?

Not the slightest chance in hell was this the case. Thus, after four long and bloody years. The time for France to negotiate an end to their ongoing civil war, and hostilities had finally come to an end.

Pétain and his representatives planned to meet with the other warlords of France within neutral territory. No, it was not Zurich this time, but rather Geneva, as he and Bruno were said to have met, but in reality did not.

The world watched in curiosity, at whether this meeting could truly settle a peaceful resolution to ongoing conflict in France. As for Bruno, he met with the Kaiser, the Tsar, and the young archduke of Austria in Berlin. Where they had their own conference, which coincided with the one in Geneva.

Bruno sat at the edge of the table opposite of Wilhelm’s. Though his back was facing the door, which was unusual for him, he himself gazed upon the windows behind his emperor. It was a position that even Wilhelm found unusual, and was quick to question before their other guests arrived.

“Must you really sit so far away from my side? Is there something I’m not understanding about your choice of seat?”

Bruno realized instantly that his spot may have caused questions to the man he swore fealty to, considering his rightful place was at the man’s right side. But nevertheless he was quick to explain why he had chosen this particular spot.

“Your majesty… Your spot is at the head of the table, facing any threats that may try to break through the door behind me. And if that is the case, my spot is not by your side, but across from you, to ensure that no fiend tries to take your life from outside the windows.

It is a matter of operational security. Just as I trust you to secure the space behind me, I will do the same for you. That is all there is to it….”

Frankly speaking, Wilhelm knew Bruno’s character well enough to the point where he could not understand if the man was actually thinking in terms of pragmatic security, or if he was simply trying to avoid close contact with other people.

Bruno had strangely enough been a man to avoid friendship with others who did not directly share his burdens. It was no secret that Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II had both thought of Bruno as a close personal friend, yet Bruno kept them at arm’s length for whatever reason.

Because of this, Wilhelm could only sigh and accept the man’s reasoning, as the Tsar and Archduke coincidentally entered the room at just the right time to prevent him from complaining.

And as such, once they were all seated, and given a proper refreshment in the form of tea and sweets. Bruno, being the notable exception of coffee and hash browns, Wilhelm began to speak his mind.

“We all know why I have requested this conference. France appears to be at the precipice. If all goes smoothly, they will unify under Pétain’s banner. If that is the case, we will have a stable, but mostly hostile neighbor to deal with in the west.

If not… Then the war will continue and more drastic measures will need to be taken… I wanted to hear all of your thoughts on this matter. Considering we all have so much to lose in the event that another Great War were to break out as a result of this mess…”

Nicholas and Karl remained utterly silent, as if they were thinking through Wilhelm’s words. And it was then that Bruno spoke, interrupting them all as he clarified his stance on the ongoing French convention in Geneva.

“Your majesty, you really should have spoken to me about this matter before summoning Nicholas and Karl all the way here to Berlin. The situation in France is well under control. There is a 90% chance that these negotiations at the very least result in a ceasefire. Let alone a full-blown unification.

And if that is the case, the refugees we have taken in over the last four years, who are eternally thankful to your benevolence, will be excellent spies to send back to France to keep an eye on the coming developments of the New Regime.

And should Pétain’s government prove hostile, they will also be an excellent tool to foster rebellion and replacement. Either way, the real concern is not Pétain and his charade in Geneva.

Rather, it’s de Gaulle and his attempts to overthrow the current order ,and replace it with a new Republic built on revanchism and irridentism. If that were to happen, a second Great War would be inevitable within three decades.”

The room was utterly silent as Bruno concluded his statement. As if he had just dropped a major bomb, and disrupted any notions that the world leaders sitting in front of him had understood prior to this moment.

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