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 become 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 which 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 account 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. Though commonly 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 planned 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 the coming 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 the last century, Serbia had largely 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 for commercial 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 single largest 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 Black 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 to come 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 plans 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 relationship 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.
“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 accept 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 isolate the French from Serbia before the war began, and perhaps by doing so, ensure it never happened. No, relations 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 succeeded. As his words thoroughly convinced Serbia to allow Bruno to be the sole investor in their new meat-packing plants, 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.
