Serbia’s surrender came as no surprise to the other nations of the world. They had fought, lost repeatedly in a series of disastrous battles, and were caught between their enemies on both sides. The Kingdom immediately became occupied by the Austro-Hungarian Army, who would, for the duration of the war act as Gendarmes.
As for The remainder of the newly reconstituted Central Powers were concerned, the war in the Balkans had yet to fully end. Montenegro had yet to sue for peace despite being surrounded on all sides by their enemies. While the Ottoman Empire still remained defiant.
Montenegro was naturally the first cause for concern, but Bruno believed they would surrender within the week. Most likely by the start of the new year. Because of this, he set his eyes on the Ottoman Empire and the lands that they still occupied in Europe.
However, invading the Ottoman Empire directly was impossible, as Bulgaria currently owned the lands between them and the Greeks. Having chosen to remain neutral in this conflict, at least for the time being. There was not much possibility of negotiating military access for the sake of attacking the Turks who were an active member of the Allied Powers.
Thus, Bruno and his men would have to travel by sea, and gaining the transportation to do so was not a swift task. Hence, for the time being he was stuck in Belgrade, the city whose death he was responsible for. ƒreewebɳovel.com
It would take time to repopulate the capital of Serbia, and because of this it was more or less currently a military fortification. But none of that really mattered, as more pressing concerns were being had further north.
After months of battle, the Belgian Armed forces were on the verge of complete and total capitulation. Thoroughly exhausted by the French onslaught, they had been repeatedly pushed back to their borders on the edge of the German Reich.
For whatever reason, the King of Belgium had remained defiant, in fighting his own battles. Probably because he suspected the Kaiser would attempt to annex his lands by the time this war was over if he allowed the German Army to march through and drive the French out.
No doubt resulting in the complete and total occupation of Belgium, as the Germans had done to Luxembourg. And while Luxembourg welcomed the German soldiers, especially their young women, Belgium did not wish to do the same.
In Bruno’s past life, the Royal Belgian Army had been completely overrun by their Gerrman counterparts before the winter even began. Yet even now, as the year 1914 came to a close in this new timeline, they still resisted the French invasion with whatever strength they could muster.
And King Albert I had been more or less in a similar style of leadership to Bruno. Actively leading his soldiers into battle, rather than sitting back from afar in the safety of his capital, or any other distant town.
It was perhaps because of this that the men beneath his command revered him so, after all it was a rarity, especially in this modern era for a monarch to fight his own battles. But even so, the legendary Knight King of Belgium had used all of his strength in this fight, and it was now coming to an end.
Because of this, he was surrounded by his generals, as they considered what precisely they should do about this situation.
“It would appear that we have run the course of our resistance… We either flee into exile now and seek refuge among some neutral nation. Or we ask the Kaiser to send his Army into Belgium, knowing fully well the Germans will not leave our lands until after this war is over, and even then there is a potential for hostile annexation…
I as your King have done everything in my power to lead you in our defiance of foreign invasion, but I know this is the end. Thus, I must ask you all to lend me not your strength, as you have done so far, but rather your wisdom.
To admit defeat and flee into exile? Or to open our doors to a pack of wolves so that they may fight the boar which has forced itself into our home?”
None of these men wanted to admit that they simply lacked the strength and power to defend their own borders from either of their neighbors. And though the Kaiser had warned the Belgians in advance that the French would likely march through their lands to attack Germany from the North.
Albert believed this to have been a mere bluff on the Kaiser’s part to coerce him into accepting German military access. Even as the Germans constructed fortifications on his borders, and that of the Netherlands above, the Belgian King did not take this warning seriously.
Only now did he regret his naivety. Having believed the French were above such reprehensible behavior, King Albert had come to understand that he should have been more proactive in his preparations.
Thus he sighed and shook his head, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag from the sweet poison within as he waited for his generals to come to a consensus. And when they did, he was most certainly surprised by their response.
“It is of our opinion that we should accept the open invitation for aid that the Kaiser had extended to us. And pray to God in heaven that he won’t change the circumstances mentioned within it because we have so recklessly chided him in the first place…”
With this agreement being made among Belgium’s general staff, the King sighed once more while he put out his cigarette and picked up a nearby phone, calling the man who would either be Belgium’s savior, or its future tyrant…
Kaiser Wilhelm II was not the least bit surprised that he had been called upon by the Belgian King during the man’s hour of need. In fact, he was most certainly expecting it, hence why after participating in the formal surrender of the Kingdom of Serbia or what remained of its leadership, he headed back to Berlin with haste.
Having only just arrived in his family’s home a few hours prior, the Kaiser was alerted by his staff while sitting in his private office of the call, which was waiting for his answer. Naturally, the German Emperor accepted the call, which was thoroughly encrypted by German intelligence efforts.
And when he did so, he spoke to the King whose lands lay on his northwestern border, with an almost smug tone in his voice.
“I’m not going to lie Albert, I was beginning to expect that you would rather resist until the very end rather than call upon me for my help. Am I really such a dastardly individual that you would not even ask for my aid when you are about to be overrun by a bunch of foreign
invaders?
Here I thought our friendship was so much more than that. It would appear I was mistaken. You have truly offended me.”
King Albert rolled his eyes, biting his tongue, as he knew all too well what the Kaiser’s personality was like. There was no point making an ass of himself, and risk offending the man who was his and his people’s last lifeline.
Even so, the tone in Albert’s voice was most certainly curt as he responded to this statement with an aura of repressed rage.
“You already know why I am calling, so let’s cut this short as I do not have the time for this right now… What do I need to give you in order to guarantee military assistance from the
German Reich and its vast army?”
Wilhelm chuckled as he heard this. Apparently, the Belgian King was in a far more precarious position than he was initially led to believe. Even so, the Kaiser did not demand anything from the man that would make him the villain in this situation.
France had shot itself in the foot by invading two neutral countries for the sake of attacking German borders between them. Their reputation and that of their allies had been sullied. This was only compounded after the Serbian Royal Family’s involvement in starting the war, among their other crimes came to light following the Massacre of Belgrade.
Because of this, Kaiser Wilhelm, and by extent the newly rebranded Central Powers had
gained quite a bit of goodwill on the global stage. He would not squander the good reputation he had acquired by making cruel and unusual demands of a nation in need.
Hence why the Kaiser’s response was rather bewildering to the Belgian King who had initially expected him of having far more sinister ulterior motives.
“All you ever needed to do was simply ask for my help. I want nothing from you or your people. Publicly announce your entry into the Central Powers as a result of needless French Aggression, and my armies will arrive within the hour to save you.”
It took King Albert a second to realize what he was being told, and when he fully comprehended it he couldn’t help but ask the question that immediately surfaced in his mind.
“That is it? That is all you require, a public request for aid, and a condemnation of the French Republic for its unwarranted invasion of my lands? Thousands of your men will suffer and die defending my lands, and what precisely to do you get out of this?”
Though Albert couldn’t see it, the Kaiser’s lips curled into a petty smirk as he announced what precisely he achieved from this that was worth the price paid.
“What do I get out of this? Let me ask you this Albert, is simply screwing over the French not
enough to pay such a sum?”
Wilhelm did not let Albert respond. and immediately hung up the phone. Minutes later, Albert would make his public declaration of his intent to join the Central Powers, as well as his speech thoroughly condemning France, its Army, and the Republic altogether for forcing him
into such a position.
As promised by the Kaiser, within the hour, German troops and their supplies advanced into Belgium, providing support to the brave soldiers of the Royal Belgian Army who were on their last line of defense against a foreign aggressor. The fight for control of Belgium had only just
truly begun.