It was not surprising to Bruno that Russia had spent the last 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 displaced 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 exemplary man of virtue and might—a rare combination 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 was largely avoided by this fact.
And while the investment in Russian land and industry was for his own benefit and the benefit of the German Reich, the byproduct was providing a livable wage to many formerly displaced 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 been completely replaced with new and modern designs, many of which had not come 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 7.92×57, 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 9×23 Steyr.
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 munitions compatibility, and the three industrial Empires would also be producing their own munitions domestically.
While this might not sound like a large deal to the uninitiated, this was enormous, as ammo commonality 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 itself complicated the logistics network 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 meeting lasted 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 fireplace 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 forthcoming war…”
This was stated by the Russian General, who was far more certain about their victory in the coming 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 recommendations into consideration and adjust them accordingly 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 two comrades-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 the last 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 that complacency 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 become 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 forthcoming 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 their last Emperor… Cheers, boys, and may God have mercy on our souls for the sins we shall soon commit…”
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 and lay 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…”
