Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 215: Violating Neutrality

Chapter 215: Violating Neutrality

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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.

Imperial Japan was on its own in its war against the Allied Powers. And that was fine. Even with the forces stationed in Asian holdings, the Allied Powers combined could not hold off the invasion of multiple fronts by the Empire of Japan.

To say that the French were getting hit hard on all fronts was an understatement. And because of this, Leon was under increasing pressure to obtain some form of victory, if not simply for the sake of gaining public support for the War. Which was already starting to wane quite rapidly.

Leon had broken out his medical supply kit where he found a ration of a particular white powdery substance. I'm talking, of course, about cocaine.... Yes, it was an interesting era, where cocaine and amphetamines were issued to troops on both sides as stimulants to maintain "operational readiness."

Or at least, this had been the case in Bruno's past life. But Bruno had come from the future and knew the drawbacks of such drugs, as well as the actual detriments they posed in a field of combat, which often outweighed the benefits.

Because of this, the German Army had a strict no drugs policy. With the consumption of opiates, amphetamines, cocaine, and pretty much every substance of the era outside of nicotine being worthy of a court martial, if it were discovered that one was using it.

This included alcohol, which was only permitted outside of an active war-zone and while a soldier was not currently on duty. Even then, they were only permitted to consume a small amount. If they were intoxicated or hungover by the time they were expected to serve, there would be serious ramifications.

Better forms of medicine existed within the German Reich for use within field hospitals and field clinics. Preventing the use of morphine within the war, which had been a serious blight among wounded servicemen within Burno's past life.

But these strict rules only existed within the German Army. Even their allies partook of these substances as if they were completely normal. Let alone the allied powers. Leon was no exception, drawing out the powdery snow white substance on the table laid out within his tent, before snorting it outright for maximum effect.

He could feel a jolt of electricity shoot directly though his brain as he pounded the desk with his fist in excitement, as he quickly hopped up out of his seat in a better mood than he had been in after receiving orders from his commanding officer to initiate a march through Belgium and Luxembourg in order to attack German territory further north.

Belgium was neutral in the war, as was Luxembourg, neither of which had declared for any side, nor shared any information. In fact, the Germans had been exceptionally generous with the two nations neighboring their borders, doing everything they could to ensure the two nations did not report the building of fortifications on their borders.

While assuring them it was meant to prevent an outright French invasion, and was not a sign of hostility to the two nations. In addition to this the German Kaiser assured both the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the Kingdom of Belgium, that if the French were to make any aggressive moves towards them, they simply needed to call upon the German Reich for aid, and the German Army would be at their beck and call.

Because of this, the German Reich had fostered better relationships with their neighbors than in the previous life Bruno had come from. And Leon was currently facing the consequences of that. As the French, just like the Germans with their Schlieffen Plan, had long since plotted to use Belgium and Luxembourg as a staging point.

They had just not initially done so, hoping to break through Alsace-Lorraine first. With this goal thoroughly dashed by the extent of the German Border fortifications, they found themselves with no choice but to proceed with their alternative plan.

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.