Re: Blood and Iron

Bruno had lain the trap perfectly. And the Italian King, desperate for stability in a time where his country was beginning to feel left to the wayside. He was all too quick to jump into it.

And now that Bruno had the man exactly where he wanted him, he closed the trap shut and sealed the deal.

“What I’m proposing is to give Italy a place at the table. I understand your nation, like many others is still recovering from the effects of the war. Luckily for you, the Italian front collapsed rather quickly, and you surrendered under ideal terms.”

Bruno raised his fork, chewing. Enjoying the savory taste of its succulent meat, before continuing with his speech.

“Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, I did in fact ignore commands and pursue control over northern Italy with a rapid assault just in time for the peace conference to begin. Do you think such a move was as ignoble as you have professed all these years?”

Emmanuel was about to protest, but Bruno raised his fork, chewing on the food in his mouth, washing it down with more beer before continuing.

“Please, let me finish. I promise there will be time to speak when I am done….”

The King of Italy refrained from interrupting, no matter how much he wanted to, then relaxed his posture, as Bruno began once more to speak his mind.

“If I had not seized Milan and the surrounding regions, do you think you would have surrendered so quickly? Or would you have rejected the Kaiser’s offer and continued the war? How would Italy look now if my army humiliated you worse than we did to France?”

It took all of three seconds for Emmanuel to realize where Bruno was going with this, but he remained silent still, knowing that the man still had not finished his thought.

“You see, had you forced my hand, and I had I crushed your army all the way to Rome, razing your cities to the ground in the effort it would have taken me to do so. You would be overrun with Reds and reactionaries. In fact, your country would look a lot more like France right now.”

Having listened to Bruno’s every thought, and himself having entertained it for more than a few moments of awkward silence. Emmanuel finally cleared his throat as he begged for clarification.

“Are you saying you ignored orders and marched to Milan for the sake of Italy and its people?”

Bruno remained quiet for a long time, letting this idea fester and stir in the mind of the Italian King before finally giving an answer.

“Hypothetically, had I disregarded the Kaiser’s orders and marched on Milan, then it would have been for the sake of the men beneath my command. I would have been beside myself if their blood had been shed needlessly in battles that should not have been waged….”

The King of Italy was just about to burst forth from his seat, believing that Bruno was playing him for a fool. Until Bruno began to speak once more, his voice more calming and soothing, at least at first.

“That being said, yes, you could say I did this, to end the war, and spare needless suffering for your people as well”

Then Bruno’s tone up ticked as a sneer formed on his face.

“And of course… To teach Italy a valuable lesson… That you are not our equal! Your senseless pride made you unnecessary enemies of the Reich. And in doing so, forced me to fight a third front I would have rather avoided.”

Emmanuel had no idea whether he should be outraged, appalled, or awe stricken with the way Bruno effortlessly played with his emotions, all leading towards a point he still could not surmise. That is until Bruno finally said it after enjoying the game long enough.

“This attitude of yours needed to be crushed in its entirety… That is before we could ever help you reach your true potential. I have two daughters that are yet betrothed. You see where I’m getting at here?”

The Italian King simply silently nodded, waiting to hear the fullest extent of Bruno’s offer before deciding how best to act .

“I want you to marry one of the boys from the house of savoy to my daughter Anna. He can be from either its main line, or a cadet branch for all I care.”

Bruno’s eyes suddenly narrowed. His town shifted to sharp and overbearing.

“But he mustn’t be cruel… Sadistic, or unpleasant. My daughters mean more to me than you could ever imagine, and if this boy mistreats her in any way, even long after they have come of age and married. I will personally hold your entire house responsible.”

The silence that followed Bruno’s threat was deafening. Emmanuel was no fool. He knew of what happened in Belgrade, and why it occurred.

There were men in the world foolish enough to dare such a thing after what happened in 1914. And the King of Italy was not one of them.

Rather, he was quick to ask a far more important question on his mind, trying to steer the conversation away from the dreadful turn it had taken.

“If I do this, what precisely do I get out of it?”

Bruno scoffed, eating further from his plate while shaking his head. Almost as if he was dealing with a simpleton. Even so, he spelled it out plainly and clearly for his guest to properly understand.

“Peace, freedom, justice, security, and prosperity. Is that not what we all want for our families and our nations in this world? Did you not find it curious when I invited you to my home, and forced you to walk along the streets I have built?

This is the future of Europe, my friend, here and now in Tyrol. And Italy can either join it, as a contributing member of the new world order. Or it can be burned to ash, and forced to slave and toil for its masters once I have pressed my boot on the neck of Rome.

The fate of your country is entirely yours to determine. And it is a single choice, here and now that you must make as King….”

Bruno said nothing after this, instead focusing on enjoying his meal, while leaving the King of Italy to stew about what he had been offered.