The journey to Japan was a brief one. After all, Manchuria was but a stone’s throw away from the land of the Rising Sun, and because of this Bruno was soon greeted by the envoys of Emperor Meiji himself when he landed 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 accordance 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 occupation of Northern China during the latter 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 Palace 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 occasion 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 glance 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 Tarō who was the current Prime Minister of Japan, and a distinguished General of the First Sino-Japanese War which took place from 1894 to 1895, stepped forward and shouted commands 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 with command of my army.
And yet you did the unthinkable, assaulting 203 Meter Hill, and using its advantageous position to annihilate the Russian Fleet harbored in Port Arthur with land 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 incomparable 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 class!”
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 relationship that was forged between the Empire of Japan and the German Reich over these last 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 relationship. 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 accepted Emperor Meiji’s gift, as well as showing him respect for his actions.
“I humbly accept 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 become far closer to the Japanese Royal Family than he initially estimated he would be able to when he first set out for Japan.
