Re: Blood and Iron

In the city of Geneva, within its most grand hotel, hosted a meeting of warlords. Men who had, over the course of the last four years, fought with tooth and nail for everything they currently held.

Each was battle hardened, with a cadre of blood-soaked veterans behind them. Whether survivors of the Great War or the next generation raised in its catastrophic aftermath. And all of them were convinced they were the legitimate ruler of France.

There was only one name who had grown infamous over the course of France’s civil war who was not present at this meeting: Charles de Gaulle.

The reason for this was simple: the Gallian militia had been slain by Pétain’s National Restorative Army in a battle for the control of Paris and its surrounding regions. In fact, by now de Gaulle had not been seen in months, rumored to have either fled to the colonies, the new world, or perhaps had even perished without record.

Either way, to the men at this table he was a non-issue. Rather, their most pressing concern was the man sitting at the head of the table. Philippe Pétain was perhaps the only warlord to rise from the Ashes of the Republic who was an actual legitimate extension of the previous regime.

What with being the Commander-in-Chief of the French Army during the final days of the war? But that was not the reason that the other warlords were so wary of him. Their intelligence reported trains, upon trains coming in from across the Rhine, carrying armor, artillery, aircraft, and crates filled with weapons and munitions.

Logistic complexities aside, the National Restoration Army now had the means to steamroll their opposition, and only a fool would not come to this discussion before losing any position they had to negotiate with the advantage.

It was clear that Pétain was willing to make some concessions in order to end the civil war, and unify France beneath his banner, and thus the men gathered, many of which had various ideological sentiments were quick to discuss these matters openly and without restraint.

“I won’t lie to you. With Weygand joining your ranks, and new equipment flooding through from east of the Rhine, you have put me in a very difficult position. With that said, I am hoping that perhaps the unpleasantness of a pyrrhic victory on your part in exchange for my defeat can be avoided entirely.”

The man who spoke was Henri Giraud, one of the more prominent warlords. his uniform was clean, but his eyes betrayed exhaustion. And judging by his choice of words, he was making a covert threat. One that was hidden behind just enough words not to provoke an immediate response.

This, of course, prompted Pétain to frown, but he did not raise his voice in response, nor did he threaten the man in a similar way. Instead, he spoke calmly, and clearly about his intentions.

“I understand the sentiment well, each and every one of us here has spent the past four years gaining our respective domains and fortifying them significantly. To encroach on anyone’s territory at this point would be inviting conflict beyond its worth.

It is why I have asked you all to join me here. In an attempt to end the senseless bloodshed that has been draining our nation of its lifeblood, and instead to come to some form of compromise which each and every one of us can agree with.

Let me make myself abundantly clear. Since 1914, millions of French men have died in combat. Whether in the Great War, or this mess, we have all inherited as a result of it. Millions more have been maimed beyond the point of recovery, either physically or mentally.

In addition to this, each and every one of us has drafted the next generation so that they may share the same fate. If we do not stop now, there will be no future for France, as there will be too few men to carry on with her history.

We have collectively ensured that our nation will not recover from this madness, not in full, until long after I am dead, even if that occurs from natural causes. To put it simply, it has to end here, and now with us, before we make matters much, much worse.

Or does anyone here think that their personal claim to leadership is worth more than France herself?”

Utter silence remained across the room for a long time… All had known the price they had paid up until this point, but few were willing to admit it. The sunk cost fallacy was a hell of a drug, and these men had continued to throw bodies into the meat grinder, knowing that they had already spent so much that the only way they could justify it was if they won it all in the end.

But Pétain’s words cut right through that mentality, and made these men realize they were on the brink of annihilation as a nation, as a culture, and as a people. And that annihilation was not from anyone outside France, but the French people themselves.

When this became abundantly clear to all the Warlords, each and every one of them had a sudden sobering realization that they were truly at a turning point here and now, and that they had one last chance to make things work for them.

Thus, with this said the negotiations truly began.

—

It was not long after, Bruno, Wilhelm, Karl, and Nicholas were gathered in the Kaiser’s palace in Berlin. They were having their own discussion, that is until a German officer entered the room, and whispered something to Bruno before departing without saying another word.

The other monarchs were curious enough for what had transpired that prompted such a brief, and seemingly unremarkable interruption. And Karl was the first to give voice to these thoughts.

“Is something the matter?”

Bruno, sipping his coffee and eating one of the hash brown patties that lay next to it, still warm to the touch, only spoke after he had swallowed, and when he did so his voice was a calm as a summer breeze.

“Nothing of importance. Pétain seems to have achieved a miracle and convinced the other Warlords in France to lay down their arms, and agree to a temporary Armistice, as they begin the process of jointly reforming the French government.

It would appear the war beyond our western borders is coming to an end. Assuming nothing is done in the next few weeks to throw a wrench into these plans….”

Wilhelm knew enough of Bruno’s more Machiavellian nature that he concealed behind the guise of chivalry ,and duty, that the man was more than likely hinting at something he himself was involved with. Or at the very least, knew more about and refused to interfere with. And was thus forced to inquire further.

“It sounds to me like you are keeping us in the dark? Who would dare throw a wrench into such plans?”

Bruno’s gaze narrowed as he repeated the message he had said just moments before the interruption.

“But de Gaulle of course. If France unifies without his input, it would be proof of his propaganda, or at least according to him, and those who agree with his ideals. The new French government would be illegitimate in the eyes of the Revanchists and irredentists. As from their perspective, Pétain’s new regime will merely be a German puppet.

A lie, of course, but a convenient one for those who refuse to acknowledge their past failures and release their illegitimate claims over our lands.”

Wilhelm went silent. He understood the full depth of why Bruno had said that de Gaulle was the biggest thorn in their side just moments before. And he was now inclined to agree with Bruno’s assessment.

Meanwhile, Nicholas was quick to ask the question that was on both his and Karl’s mind.

“Well, can’t we do something about de Gaulle and his petty band of rebels? It might not seem like much now, but we all know what happened in Russia in 1904, and how quickly those bolshevists turned into an Empire wide problem! We can’t just leave him to fester and rot like a cancer!”

Bruno however, shook his head, and sighed heavily. Admitting he was at a loss for what to do here.

“We can’t make a move without proving de Gaulle is right, and in doing so, turn him into a martyr, assuming we succeed in whatever endeavor you are suggesting. And if that happens he will indeed spark another civil war.

The least we can do is coordinate with Pétain’s law enforcement agents, and give them information that we know regarding this rebellion that calls itself Réveil de France. Hopefully, his forces will now be capable enough to combat its growing influence.

But that is a problem for another day. They won’t immediately reveal themselves, not after this news. Rather, like all ideological fanatics, they will wait for their enemy to rebuild society, so they don’t have to do a job they are not capable of performing.

And once France is functional again, and they are largely forgotten. Then they will strike, and when they do, they will scurry like rats, and hide underground to repeat the same behavior. It is what their types always do. So unfortunately, we now have to wait until then.

If I were you all, I would increase border security and law enforcement measures within your own respective domains over the course of the next few years, not decrease them. The last thing we need is for a few of these rats to slip into our homes bearing the plague….”

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