Chapter 204: Human Nature and its Endless Cruelty

Chapter 204: Human Nature and its Endless Cruelty



August von Mackensen met up with Bruno not long after the man had emerged victorious against two of Serbia's four Field Armies. Granted, their overall size was smaller in comparison to a single German Field Army, each of which were maxed out at 300,000 men at the start of the war, and given the most advanced equipment to fight with.

But defeating them both, and forcing them to surrender within a handful of hours, was no doubt a phenomenal move. Because of this, August von Mackensen gazed at Bruno as if he were the living incarnation of some ancient Pagan God of War, before abruptly speaking his thoughts aloud.

"I'll have my men relay your victory and its details back to the Kaiser... I think it's about time you were granted a proper rank for a man of your caliber. And if I dare say so, you might be the first one to be awarded an Iron Cross in this war..."

Bruno also handed a list of names to his current superior officer, of which he guessed would no longer be in charge of him after this swift and brutal victory. The list contained men who he felt had earned some kind of recognition for their performance during the battle.

He then walked away as if the prospect of being rewarded for his service didn't interest him in the slightest, but not before leaving behind a few demands as he did so.

"Tell the Kaiser unless these men are also properly awarded for their valor, there is no need to waste his time coming to Sarajevo to present me alone with an Iron Cross..."

The list was rather extensive, but Bruno had written everything these men had done in battle, he had after all been observing the conflict as short as it was, and had interviewed the Officers and NCOs beneath his command for any names of the men beneath their command which they felt had performed admirably during the heat of combat.

August von Mackenson took a look at the extensive list and the reasons given for their recommendation, and the award Bruno felt was appropriate for their degree of valor and sacrifice in the face of the enemy. Before looking back to where Bruno had walked off to.

"He prepared all of this, while also ensuring that the hundred thousand plus prisoners of war are all being carted off to captivity? What kind of masterful control of his time and resources does this man have?"

"Although I'm certain this is probably just some random act of violence committed by thugs. I fear there is an improbable but still possible chance that this was something far more sinister. Do you really want me to investigate this matter fully? If it turns out to have been an attack conducted by the Black Hand because of this family's small connection to you, what will you do?"

Bruno, of course, responded with a stern and callous tone, as he reminded Heidi of what she had said to him prior to his deployment away from his home.

"There must be no hesitation in the way in which you act, nor can there be any mercy shown to our enemies.... Do you still remember these words, my love?"

How could Heidi forget such a thing? They were the words of advice she had given Bruno in preparation for his deployment abroad. Hence why she bit her tongue in anguish, before nodding her head silently as she responded to the man she loved.

"I do... Alright, I will have this matter fully investigated and get back to you before you head back to the front lines. If these innocent people were truly murdered by agitators connected to Serbian Intelligence or, God forbid, the Serbian Royal Family, then do what needs to be done to punish them for their wickedness!"

Bruno simply left one final and unrelated phrase before hanging up on his wife. The fate of the Serbian Royal Family, and much of its government, relied on whether they were complicit in the murder of these civilians.

The death of a few civilians was something that happened every day, and generally was none of Bruno's concern. But he and Heidi both suspected such a heinous act committed against them, and nobody else could not be mere coincidence.

If this family were murdered because they had some loose connection to Bruno, then an example needed to be made, not only to the Black Hand, and the Serbian Royal Family who supported them, but the entirety of the world.

After all, if his enemies were willing to engage in such cruelty towards people he had barely encountered in life, then the lengths they would go to in order to harm his loved ones would be much more severe.

Such a thing required a deterrence, and such a thing had to be on the scale of nuclear detonation. If not, then those who sought to bring Bruno to ruin would only keep trying and escalating in the level of violence they engaged in towards people associated with him.

Bruno could only pray that he and his wife were overthinking things, and that this had just been one of many acts of random ethnic violence committed in the Balkans, which was a regular occurrence throughout the history of the turbulent region.