Chapter 215: Violating Neutrality

Chapter 215: Violating Neutrality



It had been well over a month since the outbreak of war before Bruno received his

reinforcements at Belgrade. Allowing him time to properly organize and prepare for the next step and subduing the Balkans.

In the meantime, the French were sustaining heavy casualties in every field of war they fought in. Whether it was their attempts to break through Elsass-Lothringen or any of the other areas along the border they shared with Germany.

The Germans had prepared a series of fortifications so grand that there was a railway built beneath them, ferrying troops from one section of the border to another, allowing for reinforcements and supplies to rapidly arrive where they were needed at any given moment to repel the French assaults.

These trains were armored, and armed to such a capacity that they did not need to fear French reprisal when they ventured beyond the more fortified sections of the border which concealed them from enemy fire.

This more or less allowed the German Army to send soldiers and resources wherever they were needed, at any given time, and with complete impunity.

And this had gotten on the nerves of the French High Command, who had sent well over 200,000 men to their deaths in the course of a single month of warfare. And with not a single inch of ground to show for it.

If that were not bad enough, French Colonies in Asia had come under attack, specifically those within Indochina. They were aware that the Japanese were a part of the Imperial Powers, but it had been completely unexpected that the Imperial Japanese Army would launch a full scale invasion against Allied colonies in the region.

In 1912, Emperor Meiji had passed away as a result of Uremia. Despite Bruno's hefty investments into the field of medicine, dialysis, which was the only known way to treat such a disease, was still years away from being invented by the time of the legendary Japanese Emperor's death.

Because of this, his son Yoshihito, who after his eventual passing would become known by the name of Emperor Taisho, had come to power. And in doing so, he had brought the full weight of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy to bear on the western allied powers who had colonized much of the Asian continent.

As per German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian Agreements with the 4th member of their military alliance, the Japanese were allowed to keep any ground seized in their assault against the Colonial Possessions of the Allied Powers, assuming of course they were capable of maintaining their hold over it.

After all, the other three empires within the Imperial Powers were all centered in Europe, with limited assets in Asia, and those assets were more or less dedicated to the control over their territories in the region.

Thus, Leon stood up from his seat with an increased an unnatural vigor, as he sought out his adjutant, and declared the orders that had been given to him by the French Army's High Command.

"Relay my orders to the men... We are to pack up our equipment and head north. Under the command of my superiors, we are to march through Luxembourg and attack the Germans on their border located there... Any questions?"

Leon's Adjutant immediately knew that his commanding officer was high off his rocker, as the man's pupils were dilated to an absurd degree, and because of this he was quick to scratch his nose, suffering from a similar addiction problem before asking Leon the immediate question that came to his mind.

"Should I inform the men to break out their medical kits and consume the remainder of their marching powder?"

Marching powder being the slang of the era for cocaine, it was obvious to Leon who was a frequent abuser of the stimulant what his subordinate was referring to. And since he was

already high as a kite of the substance, he couldn't fathom how less Columbian snow could possibly be a bad thing, thus he was quick to approve this order.

"Why the hell not!?! We're marching to victory, are we not? Better to be in our peak condition, don't you think?"

Leon didn't realize it, nor did the leadership of the French Republic, but in their desperation for some form of victory against the Germans, one which was reliant on faulty intelligence, they were about to drive the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg into the hands of the German Reich. Luxembourg was a nation with a complicated history, due to the enmity between France and Germany that had existed since the breakup of the Carolingian Empire in 887 AD. They were as much German and French as Elsass-Lothringen, and Switzerland were.

But unlike Elsass-Lothringen, Luxembourg had maintained its independence as a Grand Duchy... Until now, that is. In Bruno's past life, Luxembourg was occupied by the German Reich as a result of the Great War, and was given back their independence following the defeat

of the Central Powers in 1918.

However, with the changes Bruno had made in this life, it was clear that France had suddenly become the aggressor, and in doing so, they would ensure that Luxembourg called upon the army of the German Reich to aid in their defense.

And in doing so forever changing the course of history for the relatively small and minor

European Nation.