Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 929: A Calculated Response

Maximilian sat in front of Bruno. One could hardly tell there was half a decade between them in years. In their old age, with greyed hair, they looked more like brothers now than they ever had before.

Bruno wore a comfortable suit, finely tailored, but free from the most garish excess. It was professional, as a chancellor’s work attire should be.

Maximilian was dressed similarly. He enjoyed the bottle of beer Bruno had given him from his personal stock. Sighing and shaking his head as he thought about it.

“You know, out of everything you have done for our family… all the titles and glory gained, all the profits made from the expansion of our family business into a global industrial empire. I have to say, creating the Eisen brand, and all that goes into it is probably my favorite.”

Bruno smirked, looking up from the documents he was reading to look at the expression of relief that overwhelmed the man’s faced as he tasted the hearty brew. He then looked back down to the papers and dismissed the man’s statement entirely.

“It’s the simple things in life that make it worth living the most, now isn’t it?”

Maximilian didn’t disagree, he simply continued sipping on the beverage until finally Bruno closed the folder in his hands and placed it on the desk.

“So… Marianne has sold out the Republic, and the last vestiges of its flames, is that correct?”

Maximilian scoffed and shook his head, placing the empty beer bottle down on the table in front of him before folding his hands in contemplation.

“Annemarie is one of my best operatives. She has been working undercover as a part of Réveil de France for years. If she says this is happening, I’d stake my life on her word. The Cells are getting angsty after the cleanup job we pulled last year in Zurich. They feel if they don’t move now, they may miss their chance to truly succeed in their little revolution.”

Maximilian paused and adjusted his tie slightly before continuing.

“Annemarie may outrank them on paper, but the cells act largely autonomously. The fact they even warned her of what they were planning means that they still believe in the son of de Gaule’s authority.”

Bruno scoffed at the mere mention, leaning back in his seat, he thought quietly about what this attack meant. And how best to proceed with this information.

“So… they intend to attack the Bern Junction. Until now, Réveil de France has been very careful about provoking an armed German response. And if they succeed in hurting our soldiers who are currently providing security to the Swiss Railways as a result of our little commerce treaty, then I won’t be able to keep the General Staff at bay for long.”

It was Maximilian’s turn to scoff as he shook his head and rejected Bruno’s premises.

“Seriously? You’re the Chancellor, and former Reichsmarschall for Christ’s sake. You can’t keep those old codgers from starting a war that we’re trying to avoid?”

Bruno shook his head and leaned back in his seat.

“It’s not that I can’t. The ability to declare an offensive war lies with the Bundesrat… However, the general staff will want blood. And copious amounts to satiate that of our own which has been spilled. And I would be inclined to give it to them.”

Maximilian’s mouth dropped when he heard Bruno’s last words. And he was just about to protest when Bruno cut him off.

“The pride of our nation cannot be sullied by a minor power beneath our southern border. If they spill the blood of our soldiers or our citizens, any plans we have had to quietly and peacefully integrate the Swiss will be void, and swift military action will be required to restore order. Naturally, I would prefer to avoid this grim reality, so what are our options?”

Maximilian thought about it for a few moments. Bruno wasn’t wrong, to allow Swiss terrorists to attack them and then proceed with a peaceful referendum and annexation was not only unlikely, it was a sign of weakness.

No… He needed to think of a way to avoid German casualties and was quick to come up with a viable solution to their little predicament.

“We weaponized the banks…. The Swiss owe us a great deal of debt already do they not? By the last reports I have seen, they have been falling behind in payments. If that is still the case then we should leverage the balance due as a threat of withdrawing our forces and citizens from major cities.”

Bruno’s eyes lit up with clarity as he heard this proposal from his older brother. He spoke his thoughts aloud as they were being formed on the spot.

“If we withdraw our forces and citizens from Zurich, Bern, and Geneva, then when the attack goes off only the locals will be attacked. The Swiss public will absolutely demand stronger German presence, particularly around public infrastructure. Especially once we leak that the attack was conducted during the middle of a diplomatic standoff between the German Reich and their own government… one that prevented our own forces who are normally there from being able to intercept and prevent it. Of this is good….”

Maximilian smirked when he heard Bruno’s words Take his own and morph them into a far more sinister ploy.

“Bruno, you do realize you’re smiling right now, right? This is why people often think you’re the devil.”

Bruno’s malevolent smirk instantly disappeared and was replaced with a suspicious glare.

“Who says I’m the devil? Just what kind of crap are you bastards peaking about me behind my back? I’ll have you know I’m a devout Catholic!”

This only gave Maximilian further ammunition to use against Bruno in their banter.

“One who doesn’t partake in the Eucharist because he refuses to confess his sins? If my memory serves correctly the Vatican’s own internal documents cite that you have not finished sinning, and therefore refuse to repent until you truly mean it. Does that sound like a devout Catholic to you?”

Bruno scoffed and rolled his eyes, pulling another beer from his cabinet and popping off its top. He took a slight sip before responding to his brother’s words.

“Maybe not in practice. But spiritually, yes? How is it penance if I don’t truly mean it? I at least have the self-awareness to understand that fact. I’m already damned brother, at least let me make sure the rest of the world doesn’t join me before I properly repent.”

Maximilian didn’t scoff, he didn’t jeer, he didn’t jest. He made one simple response….

“Fair enough….”

The two of them then shifted the topic back to the matter at hand. Spending the rest of the afternoon looking over documents and plotting how to best make use of Réveil de France’s upcoming plots to bomb the Bern Junction.

—

The President of Switzerland stared at the news that had reached his desk in disbelief. In the aftermath of Philipp Etter’s abdication from the position. He had found the responsibility suddenly thrust upon his shoulders.

He wasn’t ready to lead the nation. Especially not in its current state, which was rapidly approaching a point of crisis.

And now, to top it all off, apparently the nation hadn’t been paying the minimum amount which they had owed on their debts to their Northern neighbor.

The amount of money the Swiss Confederation owed the German Reich was no small sum. And finally, the Germans had decided to call it in. Behind on their payments, a message from Berlin had arrived to him.

Demanding full payment of the past due balance, plus interest by the week’s end, lest they would begin withdrawing German soldiers and citizens from the major areas of commerce.

He couldn’t believe his own eyes. How had things come to this? Meanwhile, his minister of finance sat in front of him. The man’s eyes were avoiding his own, dodging the President’s gaze left and right.

It wasn’t until the President finally dared to ask the question did the man finally still himself.

“Can we pay it?”

The Minister of Finance sunk in his seat, almost to the point where it appeared he had lost a dozen centimeters in height.

“Not all of it… We might be able to find the funds to pay half of it, but the interest payments alone are…..”

Nothing more needed to be said. The President knew all too well, with the difficulties regarding national security that Switzerland was facing. The Germans withdrawing German forces was inviting disaster.

But that wasn’t the part that truly made this dire… If German citizens were evacuated north of the border. They would bring their businesses and taxes with them.

And if that happened, Switzerland as an independent and sovereign nation would not exist for much longer. The President sighed heavily and reached into his coat pocket. Lighting up a cigarette, he sat there in silence for the longest time.

And when he spoke, his voice was filled with both certainty and dread.

“Sell it all… Every armored vehicle, every plane. Every weapon system lying in a warehouse and eating up our maintenance budget. Sell it all, even if you have to sell it for scrap, sell it….”

The finance minister didn’t protest, he didn’t argue. He simply folded up his papers, nodded his head, and head out the door, leaving behind a whisper before disappearing.

“It will be done….”

Once alone, the Swiss President stared out his window to the city below, and sat there still.