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 occupation 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 façade, 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 would come 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 my command 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 replace them are well aware of the consequences of such behavior!”
Bruno nodded his head and accepted 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 success and innovation, then he was a future general worth fostering.
The next two weeks were relatively 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 Bruno comfortable as he reached into his cabinet and pulled out some distilled spirits that had been brewed by the locals.
It was part of his private stash, which, after pouring a glass 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 he commanded Bruno to drink with him.
“Drink, I command it…. Believe me, you’re going to want to loosen up for this conversation…”
Considering the severity of his statement, Bruno did as commanded and downed the whole glass of alcohol in a single gulp. Surprising the commander 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 becoming 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 just come out and say it. The French have requested our aid in the territory which they are occupying. 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 of combatting the rebels. I have decided to dispatch you and your company 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 relax at the base for the rest of the winter.
But I will have to dispatch someone else to take your place, 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 several months spent besieging Mount Cangyan and the Temple which the Boxers were hiding within. The end of the German occupation 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 fatherland. Something that was supposed to happen in the Spring according 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 similar role in a few years when the Russo-Japanese war broke out. With these ambitions in mind, Bruno ultimately decided to accept 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 claims with a promise of his own.
“If you really accomplish that, I will personally send a recommendation to the Central Division that they make an exception and consider accepting 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 accomplish 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, exemplary 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 seeing combat. And even a few months of battlefield experience gave Bruno an edge over his competitors 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 was comparable 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 succeeded in this endeavor, he would become 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 being commissioned 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 become a General by if he were to change Germany’s destiny. And hence he had plenty of time to prepare.
Either way, Bruno accepted his new post and was quickly transferred along with his unit to advise the French on counter-insurgency tactics.
—
Captain Leon Sinclair 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 occupied. As a result, the General in command of the French occupational 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 Palace of Versailles and declared 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 disrespect coming 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.
