Chapter 45: An Invitation to the Kaiser's Palace Part I

Chapter 45: An Invitation to the Kaiser's Palace Part I



Bruno stepped foot off the docks at Hamburg, gazing upon the thriving German city with a warm smile on his face. The fresh autumn air of the fatherland was truly a miracle to behold. Any thoughts he previously had about that which he had done in Mukden immediately vanished.

Instead replaced by a daydream of what would happen when he stepped foot in the doors of his humble manor. Of course, he could not immediately visit his family, as he had been summoned to Berlin by the Kaiser himself. An honor which he could not refuse, no matter how much he might wish to do so.

Because of this, Bruno hopped on the first train to the capital of the German Reich, a city which he had grown up just outside in his family's estate. Hours passed as the old steam engine toiled away to make sure the cart made its way to the Capital city.

Meanwhile, Bruno enjoyed a cup of coffee by the wait staff of the cart, all while smoking out the window. Though he knew the dangers associated with nicotine, Bruno wasn't of the mind to care. There was one thing that could calm his nerves, in and out of the field, and that was a long drag from a cigarette.

As he sat there in uniform, with his field cap placed on the table in front of him. A young child ran up to him, having seemingly escaped from his parents' watch. The boy was no older than eight, but he gazed upon Bruno's uniform, and the insignia upon his collar.

Surprisingly, the boy recognized the symbol as belonging to a high-ranking officer. He immediately threw up his best attempt at a salute while silently looking upon Bruno as if he were a superhero. Bruno remained stoic as he responded to the boy in kind.

Though he was not obligated to salute a civilian, an act that could be considered offensive by some veterans. Bruno simply did so as a means of not dashing the young boy's hopes. This caused the boy to run off with a wide smile to his parents, where Bruno could overhear him bragging to them.

"Mommy! Daddy! The General saluted me!"

The parents looked over at Bruno with bemused expressions as the man himself nodded to them silently before returning to his newspaper. News of Lenin's return to Russia and the beginning of the revolution were the natural headlines.

Which immediately spurred Bruno's interests in the developments which followed his victory in Manchuria. After reading the entire passage attributed to the ongoing war in the Russian Empire, Bruno placed his newspaper to the side, and a put out his cigarette in the ashtray. Choosing to spend the rest of his journey to Berlin gazing upon the German countryside.

In the coming decades, most of these ancient buildings that appeared as if they were straight out of some kind of fantasy world would be utterly destroyed. The World Wars had exacted a toll on the German Nation and its people that they never fully recovered from. Well, this would be the case had Bruno still been living in his past life.

Still, it would be a shame for such marvelous architecture, which until this new lease on life, Bruno had only seen in old photos from a bygone era to once more disappear from this world.

And because of this, Bruno vowed never to let the fatherland come under the assault of enemy forces. For the history of the German people and the marks they had left upon the Earth were much too precious to disappear from this world.

Eventually, the train pulled into Berlin, where Bruno once more placed his cap upon his golden head before departing from the train car. Taking one last look at the boy and his family as they travelled off through the peaceful and prosperous streets of the German Reich and its mighty capital.

Naturally, there were several other men waiting in uniform with an automobile to take Bruno to the Kaiser's palace. These soldiers had far more fanciful and quite frankly superfluous uniforms when compared to the more simple infantry general's attire, which Bruno wore.

forgive me."

The young princess seemed genuinely interested in Bruno, especially after noticing the tabs on his collar which signified his status as the German Army's youngest general.

"No apologies needed... General. It was my own fault for ambushing you with such a conversation. Besides, I don't really remember the day in question, only that my father frequently spoke of it with excitement when I was a little girl..."

Bruno couldn't help but smile as the young princess who was acting as if she was all grown up. He couldn't stop himself from making a remark that he probably shouldn't have, considering the adolescent girl's status.

"With all due respect, your highness.. But you're still a little girl from the perspective of us

adults..."

This immediately caused the Princess to drop her "mature" façade, and pout as she turned away from Bruno with her arms crossed. Saying something or another beneath her breath

before running off.

"And here I came searching for you to spoil what father has planned.... But fine, if you're going to be like that, then walk into it with ignorance!"

The girl genuinely seemed angry as she stormed off in a hissy fit. This was an act that Bruno couldn't help but chuckle at upon witnessing her childish behavior, which was more than fitting for her age. Shortly thereafter, someone else approached him. This time it was General von Schlieffen, who Bruno immediately saluted, as the man ushered him to come along with

him.

"Generalmajor, it is good to see you return from Manchuria unharmed. I see you are sporting the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun? As expected, after all, Emperor Meiji has spoken quite highly of your achievements in the field.

I am quite proud to announce that because of your efforts a formal military alliance has been

brokered between the German Reich and the Empire of Japan. But that's enough for mere pleasantries. Come quickly, the Kaiser has been waiting for your arrival for some time."

Frankly, Bruno had no idea why he was invited to the Kaiser's palace immediately upon his return to the Fatherland. But there were only two possibilities he could think of. Either he was receiving some kind of additional reward for his actions in Manchuria, or there was the dreadful possibility that he was being punished for something he was entirely unaware of.

Regardless of the outcome, he planned to meet his fate as it came to him, and thus put on a stoic expression as he stepped forward to greet whatever awaited him like a man.