novelSusiti Chapter 108 The Sound of Krupp
Chapter 108 The Sound of Krupp
Early 1887, Piraeus Port.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, swept across the dock. A cargo ship flying the German merchant flag sounded its horn and slowly approached the shore. Unlike other cargo ships, several vigilant German sailors stood on the deck of this ship, their hands never leaving their holsters.
The gangplank reached the dock, and a thin figure was the first to step off.
Ioannis Metaxas.
He was darker and thinner than when he left, his eyes sunken, but a steely will shone in them. He wore ill-fitting casual clothes, followed by two porters struggling to carry several heavy wooden crates. The crates, with their corners reinforced with sheet metal and bearing the German word "machine parts" printed on them, looked unremarkable.
He didn't speak to anyone and went straight to a black carriage that was already waiting in the shadows of the dock.
The study in the Royal Palace of Athens.
The flames flickered in the fireplace, casting a warm glow on the room. Constantine put down the documents in his hand and looked at the travel-worn Metaxas.
There was no unnecessary small talk, no polite greetings.
Metaxas opened one of the wooden crates and took out a thick stack of drawings and a notebook filled with German and Greek writing. He placed them on the mahogany desk in front of Constantine.
The drawing depicts a metal object with a precise structure and smooth lines.
Krupp 75mm rapid-fire gun. The pride of the Prussian army, the crown jewel of European artillery technology.
"Your Highness, this is all the information I could obtain. From the rifling design of the cannon barrel to the locking structure of the breechblock, and even the hydraulic principle of the recoil mechanism." Metaxus's voice was a little hoarse from the long journey, but every word was crystal clear.
"We can replicate it. An engineer in Essen privately revealed that as long as we have qualified alloy steel, our workers can master these blueprints in six months and build the first prototype cannon."
He paused, raised his head, looked intently at Constantine, and summarized in one sentence.
"Your Highness, we can possess Krupp's swords. But we need our own blacksmith shop—a steel mill capable of producing qualified gun steel."
Constantine's fingers slowly traced the cold blueprints. He could feel the pulse of power from the industrial age emanating from them.
"There will be a blacksmith." His tone was calm, yet authoritative. "You've done a good job. But bringing back a cannon is just the beginning."
He took a blank appointment letter from the drawer and pushed it in front of Metaxas.
"Now, I need you to draft a comprehensive plan for the modernization of the army, based on what you have learned in Germany and the current situation in Greece. Your rank is captain. Your position is Special Advisor to the Operations Planning Office of the General Staff."
Metaxas stared at the appointment letter, his breath catching in his throat for a moment. He had once been a junior officer with no connections, yet now he was being promoted directly to the General Staff—an unprecedented and exceptional promotion in the Greek army.
He didn't thank them, but simply picked up the appointment letter and nodded vigorously.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Three days later, at the General Staff Headquarters.
Smoke filled the air of a conference room with oak walls. A group of high-ranking officers, adorned with stars and medals, sat around a long table. They were the decision-making body of the Greek army, each representing a deeply entrenched power.
Constantine sat in the main seat, his expression calm.
"I have invited you all here today to hear a preliminary plan for the future development of our military."
He gestured, and Metaxas, standing in front of the map, took a deep breath and began his explanation.
"Generals, the wars of the future will be wars of steel and fire. They will be wars of artillery."
His voice echoed in the conference room, clear and firm.
"My idea has three core points. First, to eliminate the bloated, expensive, and tactically worthless 'Royal Cuirassiers' regiment, as well as some of the ceremonial guards."
Before the words were even finished, a barely suppressed commotion erupted in the conference room. The generals' expressions immediately changed.
Metaxas ignored him and continued, "Second, all the budget savings will be used to expand the artillery. Establish independent artillery brigades centered around 75mm rapid-fire cannons. And reorganize the existing infantry regiments into modern infantry divisions that combine artillery, infantry, engineers, and logistics."
"Third, reform the General Staff system. Establish a modern staff system centered on intelligence, operations, and logistics, providing precise and efficient instructions to all tactical units. The outcome of the war will be largely determined by the General Staff's map exercises before the war even begins!"
After he finished speaking, the conference room fell into a deathly silence.
After a full half minute, a loud and sarcastic voice broke the silence.
"Are you done talking?"
The one who spoke was General Theozolos Kolocotronis, the Deputy Chief of the Army. Nearly sixty years old, with a full head of silver hair and a thick white beard, his weathered face etched with arrogance. A descendant of heroes of the War of Independence, his prestige within the army was unparalleled.
He didn't even look at Metaxas, but instead turned his gaze to Constantine, speaking in a condescending and lecturing tone.
"Your Highness, war is not something that can be fought on paper. When our Kolocotronis family shed blood for the independence of the Romans (in Greek, Rome is the second most important nation after Greece), some of the 'theories' this captain mentioned hadn't even been written down by those Germans yet!"
His words drew a chorus of low, agreeing laughs.
"Disband the cuirassiers?" Another general slammed his fist on the table and sneered, "That's an honor for the Greek army! It's a matter of royal prestige! What right does a junior officer who's barely heard a gunshot have to boss us around?"
"Exactly! The power of a cavalry charge is something infantry can never comprehend! Without cavalry, what kind of army would we call an army?"
Opposition voices rose and fell.
General Kolokotronis stood up and looked down at Metaxas with the same gaze he would give a foolish, ignorant insect.
"Captain, your blueprints are beautiful. But do you know how many horses will die dragging a cannon through the mud of Thessaly? Do you know how many times a staff manual can withstand the Ottoman scimitars?"
His voice grew louder and louder, eventually turning into a roar.
"Go back to your office! War is a man's business, a general's business! It's not something a lowly secretary like you, who came back from Germany through nepotism, should be concerned with!"
Humiliation. Utter humiliation.
Metaxas's face flushed crimson, his fists clenched white at his sides, yet he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal. Before these generals, renowned for their military exploits, all his theories seemed utterly inadequate.
Constantine remained seated, expressionless, his fingers lightly tapping the table.
He knew the meeting would be fruitless.
These generals weren't defending any "honor" or "tradition."
Kolokotronis looked at the young lieutenant with a livid face and sneered inwardly.
A mere kid like him dares to try and take a bite out of our cake?
The Royal Cuirassier Regiment, with a strength of one thousand men, incurred astronomical expenses annually for pay, horse feed, and equipment maintenance. But what was the reality? Half the regiment was essentially drawing salaries without actually working! So, where did all that money end up?
Reform? If we really reform as he says, where will we get our hundreds of thousands of drachmas of "extra income" every year? Where will we put our relatives and nephews who got their officer positions because of us?
Without soldiers and without money, what can we use to fight against those politicians in parliament?
This young lad must be crushed! This thought, along with the crown prince behind him, must also be suppressed!
Constantine stood up, interrupting the noise in the conference room.
"That concludes today's discussion."
He didn't say another word, turned around and left the meeting room.
Kolokotronis watched the Crown Prince's departing figure, a victorious smile playing on his lips. He exchanged knowing glances with several trusted generals beside him.
A prince who's barely out of school, and a lieutenant who's all talk and no action.
Want to mobilize the army?
You're still too green!