As Bruno was entertaining his family at their yearly gathering and spending the next week designing machines that would usher in a new era of warfare. Russia was in chaos. The initial rioting undertaken by Marxists after the failures of the Russian Army in Manchuria, as well as the massacre of violent protesters by Imperial troops had turned into a full scale revolution.
Armories were looted by the Marxist rebels, the so called Red Army, while the Tsar tried his best to maintain peace and order through the use of absolute force. Funny thing about using force to suppress the people when they were venting their grievances through violence. It often times had the opposite effect as intended.
For every Marxist killed in the revolution, the papers, or at least those that were printing underground after the Tsar began to suppress the press for inciting revolution, spun tales of peaceful protesters being bayonetted in the streets by Tsarist loyalists known as the “Black Hundreds.”
This sparked outrage not only in the Motherland, but abroad as well as foreign interests such as private corporations with sympathies towards Marxism began to funnel in cash flow to the rebels so they could secure more arms from the international black market.
There were also several other wealthy individuals who, for reasons other than being communists supported the Bolshevik revolution, such as being anti-Monarchist, pro-democracy, or outright just hating the Tsar for personal reasons.
Blood flowed through the streets as the Black Hundreds, alongside forces of the Tsar stood off against the various revolutionary groups. All of which had some ties to Marxist philosophy.
The cruelty which these Loyalist Militias engaged in when it came to suppressing suspected Marxists only further brought sympathy to the communists by the common man. And because of this, the moment that Bruno returned to his post at the Central Division of the German Army’s High Command he found that the Kaiser was standing in the main office, conversing with his Field Marshals.
Men such as the Chief of Staff Alfred von Schlieffen, and the infamous Field Marshal August von Mackensen voiced their opinions on the Russian Revolution. Both of which were at odds on how to handle the matter. Alfred von Schlieffen saw this as an opportunity to weaken the Tsar and the Russian Armed Forces.
By now, it was starting to appear that a major war would break out between the Great Powers sooner or later. This fear had been in the minds of German strategists ever since the Franco-Russian alliance was formed in 1894. But it would not be until a year later where the Schlieffen plan was formed to counter this.
The Schlieffen plan of course resulting in abject failure during Bruno’s past life at the Second Battle of the Marne, which resulted in years of brutal trench warfare on the Western Front. Fundamentally, the Schlieffen plan was created to knock France out of the War early by marching German troops through Belgium so the focus of the German military could be centered on a single front with Russia.
This obviously did not go as planned, instead provoking the UK to join the war. Only further adding to the death, despair and chaos of the Western Front. Something that would eventually lead to the defeat of the Central Powers in 1918.
Naturally, because of the Schlieffen plan’s failures, and the disastrous results that followed, it was Bruno’s intent to undermine it entirely so that the German Army did not make such mistakes in this life.
Speaking of mistakes made by the German Reich, in 1917, as the second Russian Revolution broke out, the Kaiser opted to supply the Bolsheviks with arms. The reason for this was not ideological sympathies but rather naivety.
The Kaiser had assumed that the Bolsheviks would fail to topple the Tsar and the Romanov dynasty. But at the very least, they would cause problems for the Russian Army, which the German Army could capitalize on to end the conflict in the Eastern Theatre.
The indirect result of which was the formation of the Soviet Union. Something which had disastrous consequences for the entire world during Bruno’s past life. And currently, Schlieffen was expressing a similar intent.
“Quite frankly, your majesty, I do not agree with Generalfeldmarschall von Mackensen and his perspective. This rag-tag group of rebels has no chance of defeating the Russian Army, and the Loyalist militias that have formed in support of them. All we will be doing by giving them military aid is ensuring that the Russian Army is in worse shape when the war with France finally arrives!”
Having just entered the room to witness the discussion between the Kaiser and multiple German Generals, Bruno felt the need to voice his input on this matter as he announced his presence by doing so.
“Oh? On the contrary, I fear you underestimate the will of the people. The hatred that the Russians have for the Tsar isn’t some matter that can easily be resolved. If you give the Bolsheviks weapons and munitions to fight against their masters, then you will only be igniting a powder keg, one that I fear would create a fearsome enemy not just for the German Reich but for all of humanity.”
The Generals all looked at Bruno who had entered the scene. Though Bruno immediately countered the Chief of Staff’s position, the man was not as angry with him as he would have been in the past. After all, he no longer saw Bruno as a man unbefitting of his position.
Rather, Alfred von Schlieffen now was in agreement with the Kaiser insofar that Bruno was an exceptional talent, one who may one day take over his position when he eventually retired. And because of this, he listened to the young general’s position on the matter at hand. Quickly asking for him to elaborate further on what he knew of the matter.
“An interesting perspective. But I do find it hard to believe that these rebels would defeat the Tsar and his army. How can you be so certain of your claims?”
Bruno scoffed as he walked over to the war table, which represented the various factions in play during the ongoing Russian Revolution. He was quick to make a bold statement that caused all the Generals to look at Bruno in awe.
“Why wouldn’t I be certain of my claims? This is, after all my doing. Had I not been so ruthless in the pursuit of crushing the Russian Army at Mukden down to the last man, then by all means this revolution would be far more tame.
After all, it was inevitable that the Japanese would emerge victorious in their war with Russia. But not so soon, and not with such an overwhelming display of power. The loss which the Russians have sustained at my hand has been humiliating in ways that perhaps only the French can understand.
It has also been a display of Russian incompetency, or more specifically that of its leadership. This has sparked a far greater resentment among the Russian people for their monarch and the nobles beneath him. If we do not restore the people’s faith in the Tsar, then they will flock to the Bolsheviks who oppose him.
Therefore, I suggest we begin sending rifles, artillery, and munitions, as much as we can afford to aid the Tsarist forces in their attempts to put down this rebellion once and for all. Your majesty, surely you understand that this is a valuable opportunity to repair the relations with your cousin do you not? After all, I do not see their allies in France lifting a helping hand now that the Tsar is in need of it.”
The Kaiser’s eyes lit up in understanding after hearing these words come from Bruno’s mouth. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but Bruno was right. After what happened in China, and the following events in Manchuria. The Kaiser honestly believed any chance of returning to normal relations with the Russian Empire was impossible.
But if Germany made the first move to support the Tsar in his time of need, before the rest of Europe could react, especially the French, then would that not be a sign of friendship, rather than the previous animosity shared between them?
As for Alfred von Schleiffen, and August von Mackensen, they were far more observant of the words Bruno had used. They understood immediately that Bruno had used Mukden as a way to foster as much hatred against the Tsar as possible. No doubt as an attempt to lure out the Marxist leaders from hiding and exile so that he could obliterate them now rather than worry about them being a nuisance later on.
It was clear to them both that for whatever reason Bruno had an immense hatred for Marxism, and those who adhered to its ideology. They did not necessarily know why this was the case. But they now understood that Bruno was playing a game of chess on a global stage, and he was about 100 turns ahead of everyone else.
To accurately predict everything that had come to pass, and to make moves in preparation for it. It was truly a masterful display. But it was not until August von Mackensen spoke up did everyone realize the full extent of Bruno’s preparations.
“And I presume, this is where you say that we should ship all of our old rifles to the Tsar and his forces so that we can purchase those new semi-automatic weapons Waffenwerke von Zehntner is developing to replace them?”
Bruno was obviously surprised by this statement, as was everyone else in the room. But he was surprised for reasons that were different from the others. That is, until the old general chuckled at his expressions before explaining how he knew about this matter.
“What, kid? You didn’t know that your father once served beneath my command? We have remained in contact over the years, and he has told me all about those new rifles. They are your design are they not?”
A functional semi-automatic rifle chambered in the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge for standard infantry use that could prove to be reliable in the field? When did such a thing come into existence?
And Bruno had designed these rifles? Very few people knew about this matter. Sure, they had been in development since 1901, and were only now reaching a state of functionality where they could undergo thorough field testing.
As a result, it had not even been brought up as a matter to the Military or the politicians in the Bundesrat. Thus why everyone was shocked by this sudden revelation. And curious about what the two generals were talking about. A discussion that revealed how long Bruno had been preparing for this day.
Of course, nobody could know that these preparations were not made for the Russian Revolution, but the Great War that was to come in the following decade.
