Chương 15: Tear Gas and Mortars

Bruno and his company of riflemen would continue on with their patrol for the rest of the day. Coming across several other Boxer rebels on their route. It was becoming increasingly clear that the Boxers were acting out of desperation.

The overwhelming majority of their movement had been thoroughly obliterated in the early days of the conflict. What remained were a fraction of their initial numbers, many of which had resorted to banditry and brigandry in order to stay alive.

Rumors of contact with the Boxer rebels spread like wildfire across the military base upon Bruno's return. It was a rare occurrence, after all, there weren't many of them left, and their remaining cells were spread across the Northern Chinese countryside. Hiding where they could, and taking from the locals whenever possible.

To the men on the base it was surprising that Bruno's company had multiple incidents with the Boxer rebels, wiping them out to the last man in every encounter. While sustaining limited casualties. Under Bruno's watch, not a single man beneath his command had met an end. Albeit, some had been inflicted with minor wounds.

It had only been a month or so since the occupation began, and already things were progressing smoothly on Bruno's end. He proved very quickly to have a mind for counter insurgency.

Having learned how to think like an insurgent in his experiences within Afghanistan. Bruno was uniquely in a position to anticipate when and where the Boxers would strike, and how they would do so.

The battalion commander began relying more and more on Bruno's inputs, as his company alone appeared to having the most contact with the enemy. After weeks of conflict, things started to settle down. As less and less Boxers remained active participants in fighting against the foreign occupation.

Currently, Bruno was in a room that one might consider being the "officer's club" on base. It was a common gathering place for commissioned officers, whether to discuss the war effort, or to simply have a smoke and a beer.

Either way, Bruno refused to partake of alcohol while deployed. Believing, even if he was located within the safety of the base, that there was always a danger present. And it was the fact that he was the only one completely sober in this discussion, which caused several of his peers within the battalion to make fun of him.

"Every day we gather here to drink, smoke, and talk about the operations, and every day you refuse to do so, Captain von Zehntner. I'm starting to think you must be some kind of religious fanatic… Are you sure you don't want a beer?"

Bruno was leaning against the wall in the back of the room, watching the other officers entertain themselves with nicotine and alcohol. He himself was in the act of smoking a cigarette when he responded to the Captain's remarks.

"On the contrary, I am the direct opposite of a religious zealot. In fact, I am quite open about my lack of faith. But even so, it is an objective truth that partaking of substances that dull the senses is incredibly unwise while you are in the middle of an active Warzone.

You never know when the base could come under attack, and what would happen if that occurred while the Officers in charge were all intoxicated? My sobriety is a matter of professionalism, not morality. Which is something that you would know very little about Captain Mueller…."

Bruno had been on the receiving end of Captain Mueller's harassment ever since he was freed from his cell. The man was one of those officers who was investigated for war crimes. And while Captain Mueller had been cleared of any potential wrongdoing. Bruno understood that the man was most definitely aware of what was happening and looked the other way the entire time.

Combine that with the envy towards Bruno for the repeated successes in the field which culminated in gaining the ear of the Battalion commander, and it was no wonder why several of the other captains treated him with hostility.

The moment Bruno accused Captain Mueller of lacking professionalism he rose to his feet, clearly antagonized by the remarks, as well as slightly buzzed. Just enough that his judgement had been affected by it.

However, before the may could properly aggress towards Bruno the Battalion commander raised his voice. Having just entered the room to witness what was happening.

"Captain Mueller, stand down!"

The captain looked over at the Lieutentant Colonel who called out to him and immediately felt himself sober up. It became abundantly clear as he was chewed out by the Battalion commander that Bruno had laid a trap for him. Making sure that he would make a fool of himself just in time for the Lieutentant Colonel to witness it.

After being forced to sit down and remain silent, Captain Mueller glared daggers at Bruno, who continued to smoke with a smug smile on his face. It was not until the Lieutentant Colonel began speaking about their upcoming operations that Bruno put out his cigarette and joined the other captains at the table.

"Alright, for starters, I would like to commend Captain von Zehntner for his excellent display of gallantry in the field. His company alone has the lion's share of kills, composing of 82% of all rebels killed in battle by this battalion.

Now the reason I have gathered you all here is to announce our next punitive expedition. To put it simply, because of our Battalions' repeated clashes with the enemy, they have now effectively been driven into a corner. With the losses they have sustained over the last few weeks, they are bound to be gathering in a single location.

And Thanks to input from Captain von Zehntner towards suspected areas of Boxer activity, our scouts have surveyed the region and found the last stronghold of which the remaining Boxers are hiding within.

Captain von Zehntner, due to the your company's achievements on the battlefield so far, I will be granting you the honor of being in the Vanguard as we assault the enemy fortifications. You will be supported by the Battalion's attached artillery battery, who will bombard the Boxer's position prior to your assault.

You will also be supported by Captain Mueller, and Captain Bauer's companies who will be shortly behind you in the initial assault. If you have any questions or concerns for me, now is the time to voice them…"

Bruno remained silent as he looked at the map that was sprawled out in front of him. As he expected, the remaining boxers in the region had holed up at the top of Mount Cangyan within the Taihang Mountain Range.

More specifically, they were likely using the Fortune Celebration Temple, which was built into the cliff side as a base of operations. This was an incredibly difficult position to assault for multiple reasons.

To successfully eliminate the hostiles, one would need their forces to climb a single stone staircase up 360 steps to get to the summit. Where the only way into the facility was via a stone arch bridge spanning across a narrow gorge. This bridge also acted as a support for the entire temple complex.

Sure, they would be supported by artillery, but that had the potential to create catastrophic problems for them all. Assuming the 75mm Field Guns even reached the base of the summit and were positioned in a way that could successfully strike the temple. There was a very real possibility of an avalanche.

Having arrived in September, and spent the last two months in China, it was now winter, and such a strike on a narrow cliff side could bring the entire mountain's worth of snow down on themselves with the amount of explosives they would be lobbing at it.

When he thought about all of these potential consequences that had a high potential of becoming reality, Bruno was quick to voice opposition to the plan. Even if it meant taking a much greater risk.

"With all due respect, sir, the enemy fortifications are located on a cliff side, which is directly beneath a steep incline. If we launched an artillery strike in such a location, the potential for causing an avalanche is high. Higher than is worth taking such a risk.

Besides, sir, the artillery battery attached to our battalion is equipped with field guns, not mountain guns. How exactly do you propose we haul those things up 1,000m worth of elevation? The flaws with this plan are myriad, and the risks to our own troops are even greater."

The Battalion commander had not thought through these matters. It was true that getting their field guns up the mountains would be a difficult task. And Bruno was right. They could bring down an avalanche on top of themselves if they tried to launch a strike on the enemy fortifications.

But without artillery support, his men would quite literally be engaging in a frontal assault, as there was only one way to advance into the enemy position. The casualties would certainly be great if this happened.

Because of this, he found himself at an impasse and was quick to ask Bruno how he thought they should best proceed, considering the fact that Bruno was the one who had clearly poked the holes in his strategy.

"You may have a point Captain. But if we do not support the operation with artillery before the assault, then there will be mass casualties, as you and your men will be walking right into a fortified position. So if you have any better ideas on how to proceed, please enlighten me."

Bruno indeed had a much better idea of how to handle the situation. However, it would require sending a message to his father, as well as the need to wait long enough for his prototypes to be manufactured, tested, and then shipped off to China from the fatherland.

Because of this, he was quick to make this request, as he knew they were not in an urgent need to press forward, and that this was the best way to minimize casualties.

"Lieutentant Colonel, if I may be so bold. I have a plan that could effectively solve the flaws with our current strategy. However, you should be aware, this plan requires substantial preparations. Not only will I need to get in contact with the fatherland, but I will also need a month or two for the goods to be transported to our base.

If you can promise to hold off the assault until these preparations are made, and simply encircle the enemy position in the meantime so that they cannot escape. I can guarantee you minimal casualties, while also assuring utter annihilation of the enemy."

The Lieutentant Colonel was intrigued by this promise that Bruno had given him. Like Bruno had suspected, he was quick to grant approval, as the lives of his men were more important than a swift victory against the rebels and their last stronghold in the region.

"So long as you keep your word, I will grant you approval to contact whoever you need to speak to in the fatherland. However, be aware, if this operation of yours results in a failure, or more casualties than are to be expected I will hold you responsible for it!"

Bruno immediately saluted the Lieutentant Colonel, responding in the affirmative as he did so.

"Thank you, sir!"

After saying this, Bruno was granted permission to send a telegraph back home. Where he contacted his father, giving him the chemical formula for CS gas. Or more commonly referred to as Tear Gas. While also creating the means for its deployment via the use of lightweight 80mm mortars.

Lightweight mortars were an invention of the first world war. In the year 1900, mortars were generally very large bore artillery pieces that required the same means of transportation as howitzers and field guns. They simply fired at a different arc hence why they were called mortars.

What Bruno had sent his father via telegram was a detailed account on how to manufacture a lightweight 80mm mortar that could be carried and operated on the move by a small team of men. It was a revolutionary concept for the year he was in.

And had the potential to change the nature of warfare as the world currently knew it. That was assuming, of course, anyone other than the Germans learned about this device and how to copy it.

The mortar he designed was based on the ones used by German Paratroopers in WW2. In his past life, it was known as the kz 8 cm GrW 42. The weapon weighed 26.5kgs or 58.4lbs and could be broken down into three pieces for ease of transportation.

As for the chemical formula of CS gas, that would normally not be invented until the 1920s. And at this time, there was no outright ban on the use of chemical warfare. Even though the first of the Hague Conventions was signed a year prior.

Because of this, there were no moral qualms using Tear Gas to smoke the Boxer Rebels out of the temple, and into the open where they could be fired on while in a temporarily disabled state.

This also gave Bruno the ability to display his vast knowledge of mechanical engineering and chemistry for the first time since reincarnating in this world. Knowledge which he had gained in both his past life and his current one.

Bruno's father responded, affirming that he would begin the production of the 8cm Lightweight Mortars immediately, and would use his powers as a member of the Committee for Land Army and Fortifications to approve emergency deployment of the device once it had been tested briefly for functionality and safety.

It would be a month or two before the prototype weapon was shipped off to China, and in the meantime the Battalion which Bruno served in would encircle the enemy at Mount Cangyan while waiting for their revolutionary new weapon to arrive.

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Chương 16: Obliterating the Enemy

The encirclement of the Boxer's last stronghold within the region was held for several months. There was only one way in and out of the temple, and it was secured by the German soldiers who took turns keeping watch.

After only one attempt to leave the temple, which resulted in the deaths of twelve boxers. The rebels stayed put within the temple for the remainder of the "siege."

At first they thought the Germans were trying to starve them out with their encirclement. But they had enough supplies to last through the end of winter. And because of this, they thought the German leadership was foolish to make such attempts.

Eventually, however, the day arrived where the German Battalion got their hands on their new prototype weapon. As it was Bruno's design, he quickly worked together with those men in his company who were most mechanically inclined. Putting it together in no time.

There were a few dummy rounds included in the munitions case. So that Bruno and his men could properly zero the weapon on the enemy's location. Nobody besides the Battalion commander really knew what Bruno's plan was.

Nor did they understand what exactly Bruno and his men were fiddling with. From their perspective, it was a short and thin steel tube. They couldn't possibly comprehend that this one weapon would forever change the nature of warfare in this world.

Bruno had no practical experience with operating mortars. In his past life, he was an infantry officer and was not adequately trained on their operation. But due to the fact that he designed the damn thing, based upon a newfound understanding of mechanical engineering via studying the subject in his life, and a basic comprehension of how mortars functioned in his past life. He figured it out pretty quickly.

Once the weapon was zeroed in, Bruno ordered the men to launch one of the dummy rounds to test the weapon. The echo of the mortar round blasting off alerted all troops in the immediate vicinity as the shell flew up into the air, well above the target before falling down in the center of the temple plaza.

To the Boxers inside the complex, this was a bizarre sight. A metallic object shot up into the air and fell into their position. But it caused no damage to any of the structures, or the men within them. They began to laugh and shout at the Germans as if this was somehow a failure on their part.

But Bruno ordered another dummy round to be launched just to ensure the weapon was indeed fixed in the right position. And again, an explosive blast echoed across the mountain range, while another inert round landed on the plaza, a foot or two away from the initial target.

None of the Boxers understood what was happening, or how the next round would be their undoing. But upon seeing that the prototype mortar was functioning flawless, Bruno gave an order to his company to take up positions at the bottom of the staircase and to be prepared to begin their assault.

"On my mark, prepare to charge the enemy!"

The men quickly got their weapons ready, and in position as they waited for the command. Bruno then gave the order for the mortar to fire. And when it did this time, the Boxers weren't laughing anymore.

The detonation of the air burst mortar round, which contained an aerosol version of CS gas immediately caused all the men caught up in its mist to begin choking and oozing snot from their noses, while crying profusely.

Yet it was not a single round which affected them. Bruno ordered the launch of all shells on the temple plaza complex. With each round fired, the mortar team became more and more competent at their jobs.

The time between each round fired became shorter while they continuously fired into the Temple Plaza. Eventually the entire area was full of tear gas, while the boxers affected by it had no means to retaliate, and were instead flooding out of the fortified buildings and the makeshift defenses they had made trying desperately to get some clean air to breathe.

Once they were on their knees choking on the gas, Bruno ordered his men to assault the complex. They quickly rushed up the staircase, not suffering from a single round fired at them as they approached the temple plaza. Remaining a safe enough distance away from the tear gas to not be affected by it.

The German soldiers then formed ranks and opened fire on the temporary disabled rebels, who were riddled full of bullet holes by the sudden attack. Once the CS gas cleared, the German soldiers flooded into the complex, making short work of any boxers who remained.

The assault ended as quickly as it began, and with no resistance from the rebels holed up inside the temple. Had the Battalion not waited until the mortar and the tear gas arrived, then the casualties they would have sustained taking the temple complex would have been severe.

Once it was confirmed that all rebels had been eliminated, Bruno ordered the team to break down the mortar and pack it back up. All the while the Battalion commander approached him in shock at what he had seen.

"I will admit, I was growing impatient waiting for this mysterious weapon of yours to arrive. Had I been forced to sit here for another week, I would have ordered the assault, regardless. But I'm glad I didn't....

This thing you have here, I have never seen anything like it before. It's like a mortar, but much smaller, and lighter weight. Easily carried and operated by a small number of soldiers. Even capable of being lifted up to such a high elevation with relative ease.

The lives of hundreds of your fellow soldiers were spared because of you and your plan. Victory on this day is yours, Captain, not mine. I'm curious though, what exactly is this device you waited so long to get your hands on?"

Bruno had a smug smirk on his face. He didn't take credit for the invention, rather he claimed it was the product of the engineers who worked for his father.

"You should thank my father's company, and the talented men who work there as engineers and chemists. Without them, this new lightweight mortar would not exist in this world."

To a certain extent this was true. Bruno might have a proper knowledge of mechanical engineering and basic chemistry. But he was not omniscient. Though he had knowledge of the future about how mortars would come to evolve later on in this century. He himself got many things wrong when designing it.

These errors were solved by his father's engineers, and the chemists they collaborated with to come up with the functional designs of the two weapons that they were currently testing in the field. As for the Lieutentant Colonel, he couldn't help but suspect Bruno played a larger role in the development of the lightweight mortar and CS gas than he was letting on.

Still, he didn't bring these suspicions up, and instead made a comment about how warfare would forever be changed as a result of this weapon.

"Whoever is responsible, the Reich owed them a great deal. I will write to the General personally and tell him about this wonderful new mortar your family has developed. With any luck, we can keep this weapon a secret from the other great powers, giving us an edge should the day come where we must take up arms against them!"

With that said, the Mortar which Bruno designed would be further developed, tested, and experimented on. In the coming years, the German Empire would keep the existence of their lightweight mortars a secret from their rivals on the global stage. While further expanding on the variety of calibers, they could successfully be chambered in.

---

While Bruno continued to contribute to the Occupation of Northern China by the Eight-Nation Alliance. His wife was at home waiting for his return. It had been nearly months since Bruno first left Heidi's side. And by now, there was a noticeable bump on her belly.

The last time Bruno had visited Heidi, he had just graduated from the Academy, and was granted two weeks of leave to spend with his wife before being deployed overseas for the foreseeable future. During this time, he had thoroughly impregnated the woman.

He had the opportunity to do so over the holidays while he was in his final year of the Academy. But chose not to for a series of complicated reasons. This time, however, his perspective had shifted.

Seeing as he was about to enter a Warzone, Bruno saw it as a prudent time to leave an heir behind, as doing so would ensure that his family would provide for Heidi should the worst happen to him during his deployment.

Of course, Heidi had only found out she was pregnant a month or so after Bruno had left her side. Currently, she was sitting on the sofa, while wondering what kind of expression Bruno would make when he found out he was a father.

Heidi was so entranced with the idea of being a proper family together with Bruno that she had forgotten an important letter was supposed to arrive today. And it took her some time to regain her clarity where she immediately fetched the mail, which should have arrived by now.

When she saw the seal on the letter and the family which it belonged to, she was quick to take a deep breath before opening it. Once she did so, she read its contents. The message itself, if read plainly was merely an exchange of pleasantries between two family members. But when decoded in the way the Heidi and her cousin had agreed upon, it read as follows.

"Dear Lady Heidi von Zehntner,

It has been some time since I last sent you a letter. I regret to inform you that I have been quite busy as of late. What, with the nature of my work, is it any wonder that I have been unable to properly communicate with you?

You will be pleased to know, however, that I have not forgotten your request. And have been following the career of your husband quite closely. No doubt this is the least I can do to repay the favor which my beloved little sister owes you.

There has been much talk of your husband, Captain Bruno von Zehntner, and his contributions to the war efforts around the office. And I have it on good authority that the old timers in the Central Division even plan to have him attend the Prussian War college once the war is over. That is, of course contingent on his continued success in the field.

If your husband continues to perform in the way has so far, then the man has a bright future in the Army, and may even one day become a general. I know you worry about his safety, as I'm sure my sister would feel the same were I in your husband's situation.

But you can rest assured knowing that if the rumors are to be believed, he is deeply concerned about his own safety and the men beneath his command. If so, he won't needlessly put himself in danger. And with the attention he has been gathering, I doubt his commanding officer would risk such a thing as well.

I only have one other thing to report. I do not intend to worry you about this matter, as it is currently being taken care of by my friends in the field. But there appears to be a conspiracy among several of your husband's fellow officers to eliminate him, and play it off his death in the field as a fatality caused by the enemy.

As I previously stated, you do not need to worry about this matter. As I already have my men working on apprehending the conspirators and bringing their criminal actions to light. By the time you read this letter, they should already be in prison awaiting their execution.

That is all I have to report for now. I do look forward to a time where you and my sister can get together once more. After all, you are now officially a noble lady, albeit through marriage. And there is no reason for the two of you to hide your friendship any longer.

In the meantime, I will continue to monitor the situation regarding your husband's career, and let you know if there are any further developments. You will always have friends among my family and those of our allies. No matter what kinds of games your bastard of a father may play at.

-Sincerely,

Your cousin, Prince Karl Georg von Bentheim-Steinfurt."

Heidi smiled at the letter before raising it over a nearby candle, and lighting it aflame. It, along with the words contained within were thoroughly burnt to ashes. After all, it was quite the criminal act for her cousin to report classified and internal military information to her. And the last thing she wanted was for the man to get in trouble.

After all, if he came under investigation, then it would be revealed that she used a favor which the Princess of Bentheim-Steinfurt owed her from their years together as children, to coerce a military officer into giving her classified intelligence on the War in China.

If such a thing occurred, then she could be in serious trouble along with her cousin Karl Georg, who worked as an analyst at the Information Division of the German Army's High Command. Which was Imperial Germany's foreign intelligence bureau.

But Heidi was just so worried about Bruno's wellbeing. That she could not help but check up on him. Nevertheless, the two of them took precautions in the sharing of such sensitive information. Creating their own form of encryption to exchange letters freely, and openly without anyone thinking the wiser.

Which after burning the evidence, Heidi pulled out a pen and paper, and began to write back to her cousin in the same encryption style of the letter she had received. What the letter contained exactly, only the two of them would ever know. But suffice to say the timid little rabbit that Bruno had married had more connections that could aid him then he could possibly realize.

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