City Palace, RichtenräschenMost of the palace was off-limits as the government officials prepared themselves for the announcement that Mathias was to make. The palace was largely deserted this time of the year, most of the walls barren as paintings and family heritages were taken back to the northern summer castle, the groundskeepers only working half-shifts to keep everything dusted and in shape. The Kaiser was supposed to give the address from his office, sitting behind his familiar desk where many similar ordeals were filmed. This of course concerned the keepers of the household who had already packed up and shipped most of the decor there, but through camera tricks and some quick in-post editing made the room still look like it hadn’t been stripped for parts yet.
The Kaiser sat at his desk while the aides were still getting the camera equipment ready, his Royal Secretary leaning against it and discussing some trivial matters.
“We still have the issue with Alcase,” Klein apathetically explained. The two of them were worn out after the week’s work, the Kaiser missing his family and her, well, dealing with constant paperwork was dull. “Bott’s going to represent us in Strasbourg, and he’s good so we can hope something nice comes out of that one.”
“But the Alcasians are a wildcard, no?”
“Maybe, but no more than the average ‘benevolent’ dictator. World’s seen the likes of them before, we know what moves to play. You know what moves to play.”
“Hopefully. You’re putting a lot of faith into my ability to decide if we should just toss out centuries of history and treachery by the French just to become friendly with the Alcasian state now.”
“Better a dictator than an Aeurian puppet no?”
“It’s always about Aeuria, isn’t it. Why don’t we ever look at things in our own eyes and think ‘what do we want?’” The Kaiser sighed. He knew he wasn’t getting a good response back that was not propagandized from her, so he turned his attention back to the workers. “Is this almost ready?”
A worker turned around quickly and nodded. “Uh, yes Your Majesty. We’re ready whenever you are.”
The Kaiser barely smiled and straightened up his tie while Klein stepped out of the frame. The speech he would give was intended for the European world and maybe the foreign world at that, but he realized that his own people would definately be watching to see how their Kaiser treated the world. Some of his household members also knew that and went about designing his appearance for the video, making him wear a tie and shirt only to give off the appearance that he had been working hard since the attacks in lower Edelreich. He had, Mathias remarked while the cameras came on; the ruler of the greatest nation in Europe took a rather relaxed response against Xathuecia, something he was unused to and had to justify with whatever evidence his ministry gave him, his own moral beliefs making him inclined to agree with the hard-right Fatherland Party’s aggressive response.
“Europeans… how accepting and welcoming of difference that word really is. Europe is a land of hundreds of languages and cultures, home to kingdoms, empires and republics. The land gave rise to some of the greatest individuals the world has ever seen, the great Charlemagne, my own grandfather who led our united coalition and even our historical rivals like Napoleon all left their marks on Europe. Our Europe; a land of history and culture that we can all enjoy, where the rights of the people are held in sacred protection by either republican constitutions or the general course of law and order. Today I speak not to we Germans, or to the French or the British - I’m here to speak to the Europeans who have governed this land.”
The Kaiser paused, looking down at the desk before continuing in his sober and courtly manner.
“It’s no secret that the Edelreich is involved in operations in Xathuecia. Or what we used to call Xathuecia before their nation was collapsed into rebellion. I dare not even say revolution because that word implies a better outcome than before. None of the rebel administrations can be trusted. General Amin, who betrayed his country under the guise of democracy and freedom, instead crowns himself a Consul and wishes to remake both himself and nation into an imaginary utopian Roman Republic. If only life were so simple Mr. Amin, that you could lay claim to a nation that didn't stand the test of time. I suppose if you lived here you then might consider yourself Charlemagne the Second. Unfortunately, this is the real world and not a game for you to play with innocent people's lives.”
He smirked, his language mocking the Consul and the Roman Republic that Xathuecia wished to form. He clearly found it laughable and held little, if any, respect for the man as he carried on.
“The Balkans have taken advantage of this crisis and have invaded from the east, hoping to reclaim their ethnic lands. I feel for them and their plight, but this is not the time to fight over injustices when a bigger stake is at play: Europe is on the brink of war. The forces of General Amin have been in the process of securing nuclear weaponry and have struck back against rebel and peacekeeper alike, resisting any notion of humanity to instead continue pushing their Consul into relevancy. It won’t happen, it can’t be allowed to happen. Europe as a whole can not allow this. Now is the time to unite for all our sakes; we must show the world what happens when you play a dangerous game that costs thousands their lives, whether Xathuecian or not. I ask that all nations of Europe contribute in some way to the peacekeeping and intervention forces already in Xathuecia, whether by funding or troops themselves. It’s time we put aside our petty ideological differences and instead unite under a banner of cooperation to protect those we love most.”
The speech closed out and the camera faded, the outro playing the imperial anthem with some of the world’s most famous paintings on the screen. The Kaiser stood and sighed, unsure if he had gained anything from it but knowing that the Edelreich finally took an official stance. It didn’t matter if you were declaring war like Carthage or ever so slightly intervening like Aberstadd, the culmination of all different approaches resulted in the same common solution for the Kaiser: Amin must go.
Field Base Vogt,
260 mi from BorderTo: Brigadegeneral Vogt
From: Harald Alexander von Uplen
Your concerns were noted and I personally approached His Majesty over them, although I fear that the situation and general dread that has come over him may have coloured his response more than usual. His Majesty understands your concerns and reciprocates them, but doesn’t know either what path we should progress down. As you said yourself, the world is watching to see how we and others play this, and not having a proper plan in order could be a detriment. Still, even you as a military man understands the difficulties of making a decision like this, all the work that goes into the approach we decide.
Occupation or prolonged intervention will be costly to us. Our economy is prepared for it and our military can handle any insurrection movement, true, but the cost of establishing a provisional government in Xathuecia will be our international reputation. We will be the subject of all ridicule and every single issue that Xathuecia has under a provisional or military authority would automatically be seen as our fault. Naturally His Majesty wished to relay that he, in his words, didn’t “care about those foreign bastards and their opinions” of him but the Chancellor’s cabinet is still paramount until he chooses to make a decision.
Now I understand your worries and complaints General Vogt. How can we be so quick to support intervention when we don’t have a concrete policy? I would instruct you to remember that this conflict has become a race, our forces against those of Carthage. We are allies but the influences of a syndicalist union society on our border can not be allowed to happen. We haven't forgotten 1932. General Amin and his government must fall to us less we face a repeat of history.
I know we don’t have a good policy. We don’t have one at all if you ask me General, the nobility in Xathuecia were crushed and we couldn’t stop it. The Balkan fighters are opportunists, the liberals compromising traitors and Amin a madman. We need to secure the land, but there’s nobody to secure it with. The future of Xathuecia is a dark and unknown one, but hopefully something good can come out of it.
All your current orders stand and I’m sure Minister Lindauer will be sending you more. Good luck Vogt, and remember that the Kaiser rewards well.
Harald A.
The General laid the message down on his planning table and sent the deliverer back to his duties around the field base. He had expected a non-response, but at least the Minister attempted to be sympathetic if not accidentally patronizing the Brigadegeneral who made considerable gains by himself in the intervention so far. He had absolutely crushed the liberal forces of the north and soon his men would be meeting Amin’s in the skies and fields. Already he heard reports of incidents in the air, especially Mancua, but with the nature of the Luftstreitkräfte he wouldn’t know much until the General of it decided he needed to.
Of course he had remembered the reinforcements from the border arrived today. They reached camp just a few hours ago and already some of the officers had convened for a short update with Vogt. He was outranked by superiority and seniority by some of them, the Generalmajor and his division coming to mind, although surprisingly Vogt’s forces weren’t temporarily placed under the Generalmajor’s control. It seemed High Command had other purposes for him, or they just didn’t want to bog down the new division with pacifying the locals.
The Generalmajor was an interesting one Vogt thought. He hadn’t really seen him around before at the officer meetings and dinners, but did recall him at a staff meeting for the Heer once. He was quiet and rather grim, keeping to himself and not really speaking the entire time. Here however Vogt could see right through him. The man’s name was Richard von Enneschau, a well-to-do aristocrat with some power above the Junkers. They owned quite a bit of old world wealth and before the unification of the German states, were a mighty power in the west where they were responsible for watching the Rhine. The family had a military legacy and a history of playing their cards right, siding with the Harstettzers in the German Unification War and reaping the benefits.
He walked into the field base around the same time the rest of the division arrived, riding in the front in a Enok all the way through the just to show himself first. He stood around the center for a time, dressed in his black leather trench coat and smoking. Yeah, that was him - the kind of noble who thought he was better than everyone else and had a family to keep in the spotlight. He didn’t even remove his hat the entire time in the camp, probably wanting everyone to know he was the Generalmajor and spoke little to Vogt during their quick meeting, really only caring about the protocols of the field base and if it could be moved quickly.
A peculiar question. The field base had just been moved recently with the capturing of the local cities as well as the 27th Regiment’s push into Mancua. The Heer were on the move there but potential first conflict with Amin’s forces cautioned their advances, wanting to instead play him into their hands first. They weren’t expected to advance for a while because of this, so he was unsure why the Generalmajor was so persistent in his inspection of the camp’s readiness.
TO: HIGH COMMAND
VOGT ASSURED ME THAT THE FIELD BASE OUTSIDE MANCUA WAS PREPARED TO MOVE WHEN NECESSARY. JUST TO BE SURE I TOOK MY OWN TIME TO INSPECT THE CAMP AND I AGREE WITH HIM. THE FIELD BASE IS READY TO MOVE AND VOGT ALREADY HAS HIS FORCES SURROUNDING MANCUA AND THE WESTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY. THE FRONT THERE WILL NOT FAIL FROM MY INSPECTIONS. PERMISSION GRANTED?
VON ENNESCHAU
TO: GENERALMAJOR VON ENNESCHAU
THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPORT. VOGT WILL BE COMMENDED FOR HIS CAREFUL PREPARATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE FIELD BASE. MINISTER LINDAUER LOOKED OVER THE OPERATION AND GAVE THE GREEN LIGHT FOR YOUR DEPLOYMENT. DO WHAT YOU MUST TO WIN THIS WAR.
HIGH COMMAND
TO: ALL OFFICERS OF 4TH DIVISION
THE TIME IS NOW. MOBILIZE YOUR FORCES AND FOLLOW THE OUTLINE OF OPERATION MERCURY AS WAS PROVIDED TO YOU. ALL FORCES ARE TO IGNORE MANCUA. BRIGADEGENERAL VOGT WILL HANDLE THAT FRONT. BEGIN THE MARCH SOUTH AND BRING THE KAISER HIS GLORY.
GENERALMAJOR VON ENNESCHAU