The Ottoman Army was in a sorry state by the summer of 1915… They had been taking repeated losses trying to hold the line against the Russians in the northeast of Anatolia. At the same time, Arab Rebels, led by the fearless leader Faisal I, had plunged the Levant and the surrounding regions into utter chaos.
Yet, Bulgaria, by sheer accident, had found itself entering the war, and the Allies quickly accepted them into their ranks. The hope was preventing the Central Powers from marching into Constantinople, via creating a front on Bulgaria’s western border with Greece.
This hope was quickly dashed before an army could even be properly raised. Eastern Thrace, where Constantinople lie, was the most fortified region of the Ottoman Empire. Nobody expected the Central Powers to threaten it so swiftly.
And because of this, troops had been diverted further eastward into Anatolia and the Levant to counter the other threats that were closing in on the Young Turks and their illegitimate regime as swift as the wind.
To say that the Ottoman Empire was in a horrid position when the German Army marched its way to their borders was an understatement. Especially when one considered there was quite the sizeable host of Orthodox militants from the Kingdom of Greece and the Russian Empire bearing the Chi Rho as a sign of unity as they stood a stone’s throw away from Constantinople.
Maximilian knew the time was ripe to make a major play, one which nobody would have expected, and was quick to consul Faisal on a course of action that would forever change the course of the war.
Faisal was sitting with his host just outside Jerusalem at a local oasis where he and his rebels were refreshing after having recently taken out the local railway, or at the very least put it in a state of urgent need of repairs before it could continue to transfer men and supplies from British Egypt.
The German Intelligence Agent was quick to kneel his head before the foreign noble and act with the utmost respect, as he had been by the man’s side as little more than an advisor for the course of the rebellion.
Despite this, he had gained much respect from the Arab leaders, especially the man who in Bruno’s past life was the first modern king of Iraq. Faisal very much valued Maximillian’s advice, and was quick to tell the man he need not make such a gesture.
“Please rise my friend… Tell me, what news do you have for me?”
Maximilian did as he said, the tenseness in his pose quickly vanishing as he took a more relaxed expression when speaking with the Arab royal scion.
“The Allies have begun to move troops from British occupied Egypt to Eastern Thrace. That mad man has actually knocked the Bulgarians out of the war in under 72 hours and now has his armies posed to make a run towards Constantinople.
This means the time is right for us to make a contribution to the war so great, nobody could ever deny the peace you have been promised once this war is concluded… Not even the most stubborn and devout of Christians will deny the peace treaty that my brother has proposed.”
Faisal was no fool. In fact, he was a rather wise and astute leader. He instantly knew what Maximilian was planning, and grinned as he thought of the scenario in his head, all the while voicing his innermost thoughts aloud.
“Indeed, the Suez Canal is ripe for the taking… Once our men, and our steeds have rested we will march south into Egypt and force the British from the waterway, thoroughly cutting off any support they may be able to gain from their colonies in the Pacific and vice versa….
Your brother’s gains are far greater than I ever could have imagined them to be. He is a truly terrifying figure, and it makes me glad that I am not his enemy, and that he has instead sent you here to help us gain our independence.
Come, my friend, let us take up arms together, and march upon the enemy. Glory shall be as much yours as it is mine. You have more than earned such an honor…”
After saying this Faisal said something in Arabic to the Bedouin tribesmen beneath his command, after several moments, one of them brought forth a bejeweled and gilded Jambiya knife which the future Arabic King tied neatly to the belt which kept Maximilian’s tribal garb firmly together.
Maximilian unsheathed the dagger and gazed upon its immaculate craftsmanship, the blade was made of traditional Damascus steel, a production method that had more or less ceased by the early 1900s. By the 21st century, it would be lost altogether.
Yet the blade seemed newly forged, as if Faisal had found one of the few men capable of forging such a blade and personally commissioned him to make this Jambiya a gift. In addition, there was gold lettering engraved on the blade, which was written in Arabic.
While the actual hilt of the blade was made of finely polished ivory. It was a rather exceptional piece, to be sure, and a knife of cultural significance. Elegant and fanciful as it may be, it was still a dagger and more than capable of ending a man’s life should it be put to the task.
Having understood the cultural value and significance of being gifted such a weapon by one of the leaders of the Arab world, Maximilian felt compelled to decline it, as he did not yet see himself as having earned such an esteemed reward.
But Faisal was all too aware of the man’s humble character, having been thoroughly beaten into him by karma and life itself over the last ten years, and was quick to prevent such a defeatist gesture.
“Please, keep it. This is my gift to you. I know you don’t think yourself worthy, but you have shown courage, wisdom, and honor. Without you by my side, and the lessons you have imparted to me on the warfare which the Allies are accustomed to waging, our losses would have been far more severe, and our string of victories would have been blemished with defeat.
Wear it with honor knowing that you will have friends here in this part of the world, no matter where you may find yourself….”
A brief exchange of thanks was made in the Arabic language between the two most unlikely of friends before they marched together to war against the British Empire and its holdings in the Sinai Peninsula.