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1917-December-6
Moving through the camp, I entered the army command tent, where I found the Crown Prince with several officers looking at maps while making lines with pencils.
Apparently, the war had not been gentle with the Crown Prince at all, since I had seen him so ti ago and he had seed much more cheerful than now, when he looked much older and more tired than I rembered, while the generals who truly guided the functioning of Army Group Crown Prince looked similar.
''Crown Prince, generals'' I said, saluting while straightening myself and placing my boots together.
''Oberst Karl, it has been a long ti since we had you on the Western Front. It seems you still like those patterned uniforms. I have heard a great deal about you. To what do we owe the reason of having you with us again, especially when you were far away from… this slaughterhouse?'' the Crown Prince said, sounding annoyed by his own words.
''Well, I have designed a high-intensity training program for my troops and considered it necessary for them to test themselves in combat after training, in addition to giving the volunteer troops real combat experience, since I have heard that the front is currently much less explosive'' I replied with a slight smile.
''Yes, in the last few months the front has been calr after breaking the French and advancing, although the war would already be over if it were not because the Aricans filled the French and British with hope. Fresh at is arriving at this slaughterhouse, so you will understand that morale, although high, is no longer as good as before. But certainly, as you say, things are less explosive because we are not firing, although the French occasionally try to strike our trenches'' the Crown Prince said.
''Indeed, so I think this is the best mont for you to resu your studies, is it not, Oberst? Considering that you have been promoted even without having passed through the academy, you are a great exception due to your great ability to take the lives of your enemies, in addition to keeping the spirits of the conquered under control, since the news of the slaughter in Kiev and Minsk has not gone unnoticed'' one of the generals said, watching while raising an eyebrow.
''All of you, leave my tent'' the Crown Prince said, showing irritation at the reaction of the generals who were with him.
The generals did not take long to salute the prince and get out of the tent.
''Do not expect great support from them. Nobody likes seeing their military career humiliated when an officer skips several rules by rising through the ranks, moving from one front to another and then staying in the rear. As I said, tempers are heated, considering there is an entire army simply watching that nobody rebels while tens of thousands die every month waiting for the offensive that will end all of this'' the Crown Prince said while taking a bottle from a box and pouring wine into a glass, then showing the bottle and a glass.
''Eh, no, thank you'' I said, shaking my head.
''Are you more of a beer man?'' the Crown Prince asked.
''No, I am not good with the consumption of liquors'' I replied calmly.
''Better. Thank you for helping my father with the work. What you did must have been very complicated. A true sha that your brave actions must remain in the shadows, but unfortunately the political situation did not allow it, not with Hindenburg controlling everything in the capital with Ludendorff, since I do not know what they would do with him if they knew where he is'' the Crown Prince said, taking a few sips from his glass as he spoke.
''I was generously rewarded, so there is nothing more to thank for. But in any case, those were the terms I accepted. I knew this act would not be known and that for a long ti nobody would have to know it'' I said with a slight smile.
''I understand. Why are you here? You had everything needed to keep yourself away from this, and I know very well that you did not like being at the front, since you know what would happen if you stayed too long, so it is very strange that you, of all people, are here, especially voluntarily. I could understand it if it were an order, but voluntarily leaves sowhat intrigued'' the Crown Prince said.
''Well, there are certain trainings I wanted to put to the test and certain things we carried out in Sinai. Testing tactics and seeing what can be done, in addition to my offer to sell penicillin to the army'' I said, smiling a little.
''Ah, that. It is strange where you made such a discovery, since if it truly does what you say, we would be speaking of sothing that greatly revolutionizes dicine. Speaking with my doctors, they said it could help prevent so many amputations by preventing arms from becoming infected'' the Crown Prince said, nodding his head.
''Yes, while waiting for the patent, it is already being produced. I brought my doctors so they can teach how to use it, since certain precautions must be taken, as it can generate so undesirable things if the proper safeguards are not followed. Penicillin kills bacteria, but it happens that a bacterium that survives penicillin can generate resistance and make it stop working later, so great care must be taken with its handling, and doctors who misuse it must be punished harshly'' I said, shifting to a serious voice without taking my eyes off the Crown Prince.
''Can I et the doctor who made that discovery? I would like to reward him personally. This kind of dical advance cannot go unrewarded'' the prince said while putting away the bottle of wine.
''The doctor?'' I said, sowhat surprised.
''Yes, of course. The man is with you right now, is he not? If not, well, we will et him when he has so ti after his journey from Riga'' the prince asked again, raising an eyebrow slightly.
''Ah, right, eh, well, he is not here. He is working on penicillin production, so he may not be available for so ti while production continues'' I said, smiling nervously because I had no alibi for this discovery.
''Oh, a real sha. It is one of the few dical and scientific advances that has nothing to do with how to kill a man more quickly, but with trying to save him. But I will await that eting then. In any case, are you interested in carrying out so actions, or are you simply here to train n?'' the prince asked, showing a face of so dissatisfaction.
''Well, more than anything, I would be interested in having my n assigned operational missions in the city of Dijon. I believe there is a great deal of fighting in the city to control the abandoned ruins before the ti cos to launch artillery fire against the French positions'' I said, nodding.
''Yes, we normally do not send many patrols, only when we begin receiving too much artillery fire from the French, although Arican forces have already begun to be observed in the area, though not in large numbers. Still, they will cause problems'' the prince said, pointing to Dijon on the map.
''Ah, the Aricans have finally arrived. I thought they would be arriving next year, considering all the ti it should take them to train and prepare their n so they can be ready for combat, since as I understand it, many will travel by sea'' I said, interested in that information.
''Yes, although there are not many. They are mostly troops from the Arican vanguard trying to gain experience, since on several occasions our n have beaten them in the small exchanges of fire that can be observed'' the prince said, making a few grimaces with his mouth.
''Well, that is exactly what I was looking for, trying to verify whether the training I have given my n has been effective, I would request that my n be the ones to take on that work of clearing the ruins of Dijon'' I said, nodding while pointing with my finger at the map.
''Well, rember that we are conserving artillery ammunition for when the spring offensive must be carried out, and therefore artillery support is out of the question, unless it gives us an important advantage or you discover sothing very valuable to strike. But I doubt it, since I do not think the French have artillery pieces or ammunition warehouses nearby that can be observed'' the prince said without much emotion in his voice while beginning to review the maps of the city of Dijon.
''Yes, we are taking that into account. How destroyed is the city itself?'' I asked while looking at the map of the city, which was quite damaged.
''It is difficult to say with certainty. Many parts of its outskirts were struck by artillery when we were preparing to carry out the envelopnt maneuver being prepared for the Alps, but Hindenburg preferred to conduct the attack under better conditions, since certainly launching such a large and aggressive offensive in autumn, almost winter, could affect its result'' the prince said.
''Then it is safe to say that the more central areas of the city are still intact, so a great deal of urban combat can be expected, but at the sa ti, it ans there are good places to observe the area from so of the buildings there, and we will see what happens. So, if possible, assign so of my patrols to the area and we will see how things turn out'' I said, scratching my head with my hand.
''Good, I will speak with the generals and officers to adjust the sorties. Anything else?'' the prince asked, taking out a notebook and beginning to make notes.
''No, nothing else for the mont. Thank you for the help'' I said, lowering my head.
''Yes, just try not to let your n do anything too reckless. As I told you, many of Hindenburg's bootlickers could look for problems with you to get that promotion they want so badly or to be given that dal missing from their uniforms'' the prince said, quite annoyed.
''I understand and will take it into consideration. If anything happens, you can tell … ah, about the purchase orders for penicillin?'' I said before withdrawing.
''The examinations are already being carried out, but its antibacterial characteristics have already been confird, so I will make sure orders begin to be placed, although I do not think they will remain at the price you gave, since it is too high'' the prince said, passing one hand over his nose.
''It is not cheap at all to produce penicillin. The best strains have to be detected, and even then it has to go through several purification processes to obtain penicillin that is fully effective against bacteria. Even with the price I gave, that covers production and, well, the research and investnt costs that have been carried out.''
''Hum… I will see what I can do then. We are still in this war that consus the best of our people. I will try to make sure the price is not lowered too much, but I hope you understand the situation. You, more than anyone, must know how costly this war is proving for Germany's coffers'' the prince said, looking thoughtful while pressing his lips together.
''I understand perfectly. Now, with your permission, I will begin organizing the groups for their sorties and we will test our new equipnt'' I said, nodding and saluting.
''New equipnt?'' the prince said without returning my salute.
''We have new semi-automatic rifles. They passed the accuracy tests, but I want to test them in real combat. In addition, we designed a radio, a large and heavy one carried by one of the soldiers in the Gruppe. I want to test whether it is functional and whether we can stay in communication with the group that goes out on the mission. If everything goes well, I would offer it to the army when possible'' I said, placing my hands behind my back.
''Good, do it, Karl. You never disappoint, so I will try to assign you a reconnaissance mission for your n as soon as possible'' the prince said, saluting and pointing toward the exit.
Returning the salute, I left the tent and returned to my area of the camp, where my n were working on organizing all the equipnt.
So I quickly ordered groups of elite troops and regular soldiers from the duchy's army to be assembled and sent out, since I wanted to test whether the radio they had designed was of any use, in addition to seeing whether the rifles had decent functionality.
And I had to begin planning how to justify the invention of penicillin, since apparently they wanted to reward whoever had made the discovery, but I certainly doubted anyone would believe it was my idea considering my reputation, so it was better to grab so young doctor and let him take the credit to avoid having to give so many answers.
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