Bruno stood in the Kaiser’s palace, gazing upon the German Emperor with a stern expression on his face. The man seemed quite pleased to see Bruno there, thus alleviating any fears Bruno may have had towards a potential demerit.
As Bruno expected, Kaiser Wilhelm II was quick to salute him, as he himself was dressed in a military uniform, albeit a heavily embellished one. Which Bruno was quick to respond to in kind. Before the man approached him with a small wooden case that contained his new collar tabs and shoulder tabs.
“Generalmajor Bruno von Zehntner, for your exemplary performance acting as a military advisor to the Empire of Japan on behalf of Kaiser and fatherland, I Kaiser Wilhelm II of the house von Hohenzollern hereby reward you for your gallantry with a promotion to the rank of Generalleutnant! I know I myself, and many others within the Army’s High Command look forward to your future in the military!”
Everyone nearby broke out into applause as the Kaiser handed Bruno the new insignia that would need to be fastened to his uniform by a skilled seamstress at a later date. And as Bruno gazed upon his latest promotion he couldn’t help but smile, because wasn’t he married to a woman who could perform the task for him?
Because of this, Bruno accepted the gift from the Kaiser and bowed his head respectfully while thanking the man for his generosity.
“I am unworthy, but if his majesty disagrees then who am I to argue? Thank you. I promise to live up to your expectations.”
The Kaiser nodded his head in approval of Bruno’s humble act and was quick to end the ceremony then and there by making a statement to everyone but Bruno and Alfred von Schlieffen.
“Wonderful, now that this little ceremony is over you can all go back to work!”
The Kaiser silently motioned for the German Field Marshal to join him, and as Bruno himself mistook the Kaiser’s words, and in doing so was about to walk out the door the Kaiser called out to him.
“Not you… the Generalfeldmarschall and I would like to have a word with you…”
Bruno’s hope of returning to his family swiftly was immediately dashed by this, but he dare not sigh in exhaustion, and instead responded in the affirmative to the Kaiser’s wishes, following him into a more secluded room. Which appeared to be the German Emperor’s personal war room.
A series of blueprints were handed over to Bruno, which he personally recognized as he was the one who had drawn them himself. Naturally, the Kaiser was testing him, as he hinted that he knew the true designer of these weapons, even if they were patented by his oldest brother.
“Do you recognize these designs?”
As much as Bruno wanted to hide that he was the creator, the fact that the Kaiser handed them to him and asked him about their origins proved his suspicions were correct. Insofar as the Kaiser already knew who the real creator was.
When taking this into consideration, there was no point playing dumb. Thus, Bruno dropped the overly respectful façade, and became far more comfortable as he responded to the Kaiser’s question with a smug smirk.
“It would appear the Kaiser has done his due diligence? I suppose the financial compensation my family offered me, and such a staggering number at that is what ultimately drew your attention to this matter is it not?”
The German Field Marshal was shocked by Bruno’s sudden admission and partially perturbed by his lack of formality with the Emperor. He was about to scold the man when the Kaiser raised his hand, asking another question to Bruno with a stern gaze.
“So you don’t deny that these weapons, they are originally of your design?”
Bruno continued to have a rather confident expression on his face as he nodded his head and made his words blatantly obvious to whoever heard them.
“Why would I deny it? In my brief time in this world, I have found it incredibly unwise to lie to those who have the power to decide your future. Of course they’re mine. But don’t mistake my confidence for hubris.
By all means, the engineers at my family’s company are quite talented, and as we speak, they are perfecting my rather crude proof of concepts. After all, my initial rough drafts are not what you would call battle ready by themselves, and require the need to be perfected by those who have made such work their profession.
Nevertheless, it will take a few years of experimentation and prototyping before these designs are fit to see service. You have to understand that these weapons are decades more advance than any contemporary design. And will naturally require an investment with significant effort and resources to make a practical reality.”
The German Field Marshal was livid by the way that Bruno was acting towards the Kaiser, but his anger was snuffed out the moment the Kaiser’s stern expression shifted into one of excitement, which was followed by laughter.
“I have always heard the youngest son of the von Zehntner family was a genius. But it appears you have been hiding your true abilities from us all, now haven’t you? It’s one thing to be a general whose talent is seen once every hundred years.
But for you to be a capable engineer, one who has the foresight to develop technology that would not otherwise exist for several decades if left to others’ own ingenuity, I must say has there ever been a man of such brilliance in history?”
The Kaiser seemed to have taken a much greater interest in Bruno than he had previously shown. This was despite the fact that had already displayed much greater interest in Bruno’s potential than just about anyone else in the man’s generation.
It was the fact that the German monarch seemed so captivated by the revelation of Bruno’s full capabilities that the young German General decided to enlighten the man on why he had decided to conceal this matter in the first place.
“A necessary precaution, I assure you. At a young age, there were those envious of my talents who, if they discovered the full extent of them would have no doubt tried to snuff me out of existence before I could prove to be a capable threat to their plans.
As a result, I forcibly limited the way which I presented myself to a more tolerable level when in the presence of others. An act which I dare say has saved my life, and has also taken a target off my back as a result. Those who were once threatened by me no longer seem concerned. They, after all, have much more immediate matters to deal with.”
The Kaiser was no idiot; prideful to a fault? Yes, but he had done his thorough research on Bruno and his background, not just in preparation for this meeting, but over the past ten years, ever since Bruno shone brightly at his daughter’s second birthday party the Monarch had been keeping his eye on him.
He was naturally aware of the enemies which Bruno was speaking of, and by extension understood why he took such measures to protect himself. Still, to do so at such a young age spoke volumes of Bruno’s wisdom and foresight. Something a man, even in the middle of his twenties would often be lacking.
It was because of this that he could only think that Bruno would be a great boon to the Reich should his talents be further fostered. Yet could also spell disaster should the world become aware of just how capable Bruno was currently, and how promising his future would be.
After all, should the French realize that the German Reich had given birth to the 20th Century’s equivalent of Napoleon, no… Alexander, then the consequences could lead to catastrophe.
After careful consideration, the Kaiser nodded his head thrice before making a statement to Bruno. One which both of them found to be the best outcome now that the truth had been revealed.
“Alfred and I will pretend like we have not heard any of this. And we will cover the tracks that your family left behind. It is best if our enemies do not realize we have such a promising talent rising through the ranks. Or at least, they don’t fully understand just how vast your potential is.
Continue as you were. I look forward to the extent to which you will soar in the coming years. That is all for now. You are free to return to your family. You have no doubt earned some free time after all, which you have achieved as of late. You are dismissed, Generalleutnant!”
Bruno immediately snapped to attention as he departed from the Kaiser’s palace. It was only after he had left the scene did the German Field Marshal ask the Kaiser for his honest perspective on the what they had just witnessed.
“So, after hearing what he had to say, what do you think?”
The Kaiser seemed almost in a daze, as he continued to stare at the door which Bruno had just walked out of moments ago. His voice was filled with an almost excited tone as he gave the German Field Marshal his honest opinion of Bruno as both a man and a general.
“”After this brief discussion, I believe in every fibre of my being that it is in the best interests of the German Reich and its people to do everything we can to foster the talents of this young man.
Make no mistake, though he appears a man of sophistication and civility. He is without a doubt a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Truly fitting of the name which our soldiers have given him. You know the one I am referring to, right, Alfred?”
There was an almost haunted tone in the German Field Marshal’s tone as he responded to the Kaiser’s words with the answer he was looking for.
“The Wolf of Prussia…”
