Re: Blood and Iron-Chapter 475: High Treason

It was not long after Bruno had concluded his meeting with the Kaiser and the German Chancellor that the left-wing and moderate party members of the Reichstag had gathered inside the building.

Though it was long after official hours, they were here for a single reason: to show solidarity and support for one another in the face of the Conservative Bloc's long-term hegemony and the Kaiser's supposed transgressions against the constitution. Or at least, their perception of such acts.

These weren't monarchists or traditionalists. They had no love or loyalty to the Kaiser or the fatherland. They were socialists in disguise—flanked by classical liberals and nameless dissidents, bound together only by their shared contempt for throne and tradition..

They didn't give a damn how they got their riches or who they had to bleed dry to acquire them. That was why the new anti-corruption measures—which included repealing the 1906 law that turned politics into a paid career rather than a voluntary act of service to the state—had angered these reactionaries so deeply.

The current leader of the Social Democratic Party, who had risen through the ranks after previous purges by the Kaiser's secret police, was a liberal in name only. Just like the rest of his party.

After the Russian Civil War of 1905, and Bruno's slaughter of the Bolsheviks, the SDP survived the outlawing of Marxism in Germany by posing as liberals and burning any member who risked exposing their true colors.

Their current leader was no exception. In fact, the only reason he was standing here was due to the sheer virtue of no solid evidence yet surfacing regarding his true extremist leanings.

This allowed him to be elected by like-minded individuals too fearful to give voice to their real intentions. And now, he was busy rousing the ire of the other politicians with his fiery speech.

"The Kaiser must give us his answer by nightfall! Or we and our supporters will take to the streets to demand an end to this tyranny once and for all!"

Fists were raised in solidarity, and chants echoed in agreement—until a single voice cut through the fervor.

"So it would appear my little birdy was right. It is treason, then?"

The gathered Reichstag members turned in disbelief to see the Kaiser standing before them. At his right was Bruno, now in more presentable attire, a blank military officer's uniform concealed beneath his pilot's leather jacket, one that screamed he had not come here as a civilian, but rather as a man of war.

To Wilhelm's left stood the Chancellor dressed in purely civilian attire. And surrounding the trio were members of the Kaiser's secret police, armed with the prototype StG-18k rifles—retractable HK-33A4-style stocks, Bakelite furniture, suppressed 12.1-inch barrels, and the new ZF-4 fixed 4x optics.

The agents, dressed in all-black uniforms with matching helmets, leather trench coats, and Reich-flag armbands, had not yet raised their weapons. But their very presence was enough to chill the room.

The shouting ceased immediately, and the silence that followed became suffocating. Only the sound of the Kaiser's voice echoing within the Reichstag could be heard as he raised an eyebrow and asked again, calm but stern.

"Am I wrong? Or did I hear you plot to take to the streets and march on my home to force me—the Kaiser—to bend to your demands? Tell me, Chancellor: under the laws of the land, does attempting to coerce the sovereign count as treason?"

Von Bethmann's voice was steadier now than it had been during his earlier conversation with Bruno. He had made his decision then and there, and now he knew there would be no going back. Nor was there any hesitation as he pressed forward towards the conclusion of this farcical ceremony.

"Most certainly. In fact, I can't imagine another interpretation of such threats."

The leader of the Social Democrats jumped down from the desk he had been standing on and approached the Kaiser menacingly. This provoked the secret police to lower their weapons and aim down their sights. Safeties clicked off. Fingers pressed against triggers. At a moment's notice, they could fill this man with lead.

Luckily for him, he halted and raised his hands—mockingly. Buying himself a moment's mercy.".

"I know that hound didn't act alone. My fellow party members, their wives, their children—gutted in their homes under your orders. We all know it. I believe a monarch ordering extrajudicial killings of his own citizens is the true treason here."

Wilhelm stiffened at the mention of Erich's unsanctioned killing spree. Though he had not known at the time, Bruno had later confessed the truth, making Wilhelm complicit in covering it up. Before the Kaiser could respond, however, Bruno stepped forward and acted as his shield.

"The Kaiser knew nothing of Erich's actions. They were committed under my orders alone. I could have used wartime authority over the Feldgendarmerie to investigate your party and your backers for treason, but that would've given you rats too much time to slip out of reach.

And no, Erich didn't act like some rabid dog. The butchering of your kind and your families was done under my explicit command. The Bible says, 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' As far as I'm concerned, your lot are kin to the devil and his playthings.

Your Majesty, these men have openly confessed in your presence their intent to incite rebellion unless you surrender to their demands. This is no longer a negotiation. It is a declaration of revolution. Do you recognize this as an act of war against your reign?"

The room turned cold—as if winter itself had entered the chamber. Bruno had made it clear: these men were now enemies of the state, hostile combatants in a time of war. If the Kaiser agreed, the lawmen present had every right to open fire. Bruno, as Reichsmarschall, would undoubtedly give the order. And everyone knew it deep within their bones.

Now only one question remained: would the Kaiser answer treason with justice—or blood?