Re: Blood and Iron

The Allied forces were preparing for a major offensive in response to their failure in the Balkans. And while chaos erupted across their colonial possessions, no doubt instigated by the German Reich, and their allies within the Central Powers. Their eyes were once more cast upon Luxembourg.

Having tested the combined defenses of the Royal Belgian Army and the Imperial German Army at Belgium's borders with France, and were once more repelled by their adversaries.

The Allied powers came to the conclusion that if they were to funnel their combined might into Luxembourg, they would be able to push back the Germans and gain a much needed foothold on the western front.

They came to this conclusion specifically because Luxembourg was the weakest of the German defenses in the west. Only a single division stood at its border with France. From the German perspective, creating a failure point in their defense was necessary.

Because they could predict with perfect certainty where the enemy would be coming from when they finally made their move, as it was the most likely point to fail. And could thus throw men into the fire to reinforce the position once the bullets began to fly.

Whereas if they did not have such a point, the enemy could attack from anywhere at any given time, and in doing so could catch them stretched thin. Luxembourg exists as the weakest line of defense because it was the smallest border the Germans shared with the Allies, and it could be used as a trap to entice the enemy into foolishly seeking their own doom.

It was perhaps because of this that the Allies began mustering their armored and aerial forces towards the border of Luxembourg, while at the same time the Germans began mobilizing their newly reforged 8th Army which to the Alps where they hoped to smash the Italians in the face with a war hammer so powerful and swift that it knocked them clear out of contention for the winning from the start.

Either way, the amassing of forces for coordinated offensives was none of Bruno's concern at the moment. He had done all that he could in preparation for the spring offensive, which was coming later than he had initially expected it to due to the time necessary to reform the 8th Army into a modern combined arms force of considerably smaller scale than it had previously been.

Instead, he continued to use his authority as the Grand Prince of Transylvania to introduce a series of reforms that would set the foundation for the region's future as a largely self sufficient region. Frankly speaking, Bruno did not know how long his family would hold on to Transylvania as when Austro-Hungary collapsed its future would be uncertain.

Both as a sovereign Grand Principality, and as a province of the Hungarian Crown lands. It was entirely possible that as in his past life the region would be annexed by Romania. Or, perhaps he could use his influence over European politics to maintain the sovereignty of the cadet branch of his house, which was officially established in Transylvania.

But the fate of Austro-Hungary, and his position as a monarch over one of its current possessions was definitely a matter that would put his loyalties to the German Reich to the test. As the Grand Prince of Transylvania Bruno now had a responsibility to its people.

Their lives were his to look after the best interests of. Except Bruno had never wanted to be in such a position. Heavy is the crown, and the responsibility of looking after an entire region of people was a burden he never wanted to bear.

Nearly 8 million people currently lived in Transylvania, their lives and wellbeing was now Bruno's responsibility to look after. The difference between holding authority over a few hundred thousand men as a general, and millions of men, women, and children was about as vast as the earth which Bruno stood upon and the stars above within the night sky.

It was a terrible and overwhelming responsibility. Sure, Bruno had fancied himself a knight of old as a child in his past life, and sometimes the prince who would save the damsel in distress.

But as he grew into adulthood and found himself in positions of command over dozens, hundreds, and thousands of young men. He knew all too well that leading a nation was a cross far too great for him alone to bear.

And yet he had been thrust into this position in his life. With an uncertain future, he did not wish a single one of the roughly 8 million citizens who now called him their monarch to endure the hardships that were to come.

With all of this in mind, he spent day after day in the old castle, doing his best to at the very least ensure a brighter future for the region. For once the day come, should it be necessary to surrender his current title, and status as the sovereign of these lands to spare the suffering of those within his responsibility to lead, he would gladly do so, hoping that he had bought them enough prosperity that they could stand on their own two feet.

But for the time being all Bruno could really do was work tirelessly to ensure that his lands were prosperous, and the people in them were living lives free from corruption, crime, and despair. At least as much as was humanly possible.
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After all, it would not be long before he was once more called off to war. And when that happened his time playing as a prince, leading the people he had been granted dominion over would be like a fleeting dream.

One had to ask, was there ever really such a thing a perfect ruler? Whether aristocratic, dictatorial, or democratically elected, who in history could say that they led their nation without the slightest fault?

What a sight that would be.... Alas, such notions were mere fantasy, and sadly, as Bruno had long since painstakingly realized, he did not live in such a delusion, no he lived in reality. And reality was painfully imperfect.