Chapter 180: Echoes of the Forthcoming War Part II

Chapter 180: Echoes of the Forthcoming War Part II



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 7.92x57, 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 9x23 Steyr.

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..."