Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 227: Damnation in Exchange for Salvation



Greece found itself in a rather unique position following the Balkan Wars. Their territory had more than doubled, and they initially had an alliance with Serbia in regards to joining together should one or the other come under attack by a third party.

This treaty was made in reference to Bulgaria even if it had not outright stated it. But the Ottomans soon began to conflict with the Greeks over the Aegean islands, naturally Greece wanted to respond with War, but Serbia had declined.

Having had their forces exhausted by the Balkan Wars, and suffering from threats on both sides by Bulgaria and Albania alike. Serbia asked Greece to settle the dispute peacefully. Which, of course, left a sour taste in the mouths of the Greeks.

Then came the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and the declaration of war by Austro-Hungary which plunged the world into a state of total war. Having been previously chided by the Serbians when they initially asked for their help with the Ottomans, the Greeks responded likewise when it came to the joint invasion of Serbia by the Imperial Powers.

Instead, choosing to remain entirely neutral, that is, of course, if Bulgaria made a move, as only an idiot would believe that they would take their defeat in the Second Balkan War and the loss of significant territory lying down.

This was initially the case, however, as the war continued to progress with repeated allied losses, many independent nations began to believe that it would soon be over, with a complete and total Imperial Powers domination.

Greece was not an exception to this idealism towards the war. The Ottomans had joined the Allied Powers, and this was Greece's opportunity to settle grudges held since 1453, or perhaps even longer.

If it was damn near certain that the imperial powers would win, then what was stopping them from joining now, and contributing just enough to regain Constantinople and other historically European and Greek territories?

Logically speaking, this reasoning was quite sound. The problem, of course, being the Balkans would be a region of the world that would forever engage in absolute fuckery of the highest level. If the Greeks suddenly announced an entry into the war on behalf of the Imperial Powers, then Bulgaria would soon join the allies.

Bruno was no doubt conflicted about this matter. On the one hand, he felt one of his minor regrets from how WWI turned out, and the years of global chaos which followed its conclusion, was that the Greeks unfortunately did not regain control over Saint Constantine's Holy City, as well as the lands surrounding it. And in doing so, blocking off the Islamic world from Europe altogether.

On the other hand, Bruno was quite fond of Bulgaria, at least from a historical perspective. They were the only nation during the Great War that was remotely capable of pulling its own weight within the Central Powers and was, in all honesty, Germany's only capable ally during the conflict.

At the same time, the Bulgarians bet the house on Germany again twenty years later during the Second World War, proving once again to be the only nation in the Axis Powers that was remotely capable of holding their own in battle.

Thus it came as a surprise when the King of Greece announced he was joining the Imperial Powers and would be declaring war on all of their adversaries. Thus being the first Balkan nation other than Serbia and Montenegro to join the Great War in this new timeline.

Bruno honestly didn't know how to react. He would effectively have to carry the Hellenic Army to victory. After spending years making sure the Austro-Hungarian and Russian leadership understood the critical flaws of their militaries, and as a result indirectly making them better in this life, it was safe to say that the Imperial Powers had the three most powerful armies in the world among their ranks.

But the addition of Greece complicated things for Bruno. The likelihood was that Bulgaria would now declare war on behalf of the Allies, and while that wasn't the end of the world as they were a minor power, one which his alliance could easily overcome.

It was difficult for Bruno to have a desire to do so. He respected loyalty and competence above all else in life. And Bulgaria had proven to be a loyal and competent ally when Germany had no others they could rely upon in his past life. At the same time... Bruno desired to retake all of the Turkish occupied European lands for the Europeans.

And hence he genuinely did not know how to feel about this matter as he read about it over a telegram sent to him. At the very least, Serbia was now being pincered on both sides, and Greece stood in the way of the ottomans sending supplies to Serbia through Montenegro. Heinrich and Erich noticed that Bruno was acting strangely as he drank his morning coffee from a metal cup designed for field usage. The two men were sitting across from him, while the man read the paper. As a result, Heinrich quickly made a comment of his own with a jestful tone.

"Let me guess, your wife has been granted another order of chivalry?"

Bruno placed his paper down on the table and shifted his gaze towards his old friend. It was nothing but stern, as was his voice when he posed a question that caused both Heinrich and Erich to feel goosebumps rapidly spread across their entire body.

"In what world, do I appear to be the type of man who is remotely unraveled by my woman's, neigh my beloved wife's success in her charitable endeavors? Am I seriously so reprehensible in character to the both of you that my wife being awarded for her virtuous efforts would be a matter of grave concern to me?

Obviously, I'm conflicted over the matter of Greece officially entering our alliance... I seriously wonder why the two of you are my closest friends if you genuinely believe I am such a shallow and petty man.

No, if Heidi was deemed by her majesty Kaiserin Augusta Viktoria to be worthy of such an honor, it would be among the happiest days of my life. Just behind my marriage and the birth of my children!"

Erich and Heinrich bowed their heads in remorse. Sometimes they forgot how seriously Bruno took his family and their wellbeing. But Erich had to ask the question that was on both of their

minds.

"I'm sorry, but... I'm confused... You have been awarded all the honors Russia can give for your volunteer service to the House of Romanov. Even now the Kaiser grants you the unprecedented Privilege of the rank of Generalfeldmarschall at the age of 34 for your contributions to the German Reich, and continues to award you for your efforts on the battlefield.

And yet you just said you rank all of those below your wedding, the birth of your children, and the potential of your wife having one hundredth of your recognition for success... Can you explain to me why this is the case?"

Heinrich remained silent. He more or less understood Bruno's feelings on the matter. Sure, he was unmarried, but he had an adopted daughter he had raised to adulthood who was the pride and joy of his life. Far more-so than the medals on his chest, even if he didn't really realize she was already an adult.

But Erich? The man had become a full-fledged sociopath after the horrors he endured in Russia. He lived for one reason, violence, and if there was a second reason, it was the recognition of his accomplishments in that regard.

Bruno, however, had what he had always desired over the course of two lives. And because of this, he did not even get mad at his friends for not fully understanding his position. Rather, there was a strange and complicated emotion on his face as he expressed his equally convoluted thoughts.

"Allow me to put it this way. Everything I have ever done in my life, no matter what that may be, since I was a but a small child was for the purpose of family, folk, fatherland, kaiser, and God. And make no mistake, the sense of priority comes in that order.

My family is the single most important thing in my life. My children and their future is what I fight for. My wife's accomplishments in regards to charity completely overshadow my own bloody regalia. I am a mass murderer, and by the strictest of definitions, I am to be condemned as a war criminal.

I toil, sweat, cry, bleed, and spill the blood of others so that my wife, sons, and daughters may live a life free from such worries. At one point in my life, earning an Iron Cross, or a Pour le Merite, would have been the greatest honor you could have given me...Nôv(el)B\\jnn

But what is the point of a medal forged from iron when it is inherently soaked in blood? Comparatively, should my wife be awarded the Order of Louise, it would have meant that her efforts to save lives and help the helpless would have matched my own efforts to reap as many

souls.

Her salvation, when compared to my own damnation, is worthy enough of a cause to celebrate among the happiest moments of my life, is it not? Especially when one considers where she has come from, to where she is now?"

It was hard to refute Bruno's words when he spoke with such passion and reflection. Because

of this, both Heinrich and Erich remained utterly silent as the man picked back up both his cup of coffee, and his newspaper resuming his reading of its lead article with a far more stoic expression than he previously had on his face.