Chapter 4

"Are you ready, Sir Anadenhousen? My uncle, Prince Leopold Maximilian Joseph Maria, is a strict and wise military man. He started in the artillery and commanded the Third Bavarian Artillery Regiment during the Franco-Prussian War. Any mistake on your part will be noticed by His Highness, and it will directly affect our future plans." Rupprecht glanced at the pocket watch in his hand; the hands pointed to 2:30 PM. In half an hour at most, the person they were waiting for would arrive.

"Your Highness, everything is ready. The newly produced oil hydraulic recoil system will not have any problems, at least not today," said the German engineer Anadenhousen, who had just been granted a knighthood and could barely be considered a noble. This was his crucial step to achieving greatness. The nobleman who had lifted him up and given him this opportunity to directly face the military high command, he naturally had to seize it. However, what made him feel ashamed was that he had not yet completely solved the leakage problem of the hydraulic system, so he was sweating profusely.

"Your Highness, aren't we being a bit too much? The other party is a Bavarian prince, your uncle. This behavior is very impolite," the adjutant, Count Schmidt, whispered.

"Just treat it as a drill," Rupprecht replied calmly, but with a hint of unease. He also wanted to observe the new weapons with his uncle normally, but unfortunately, some technical issues had not been resolved, such as the leakage problem of the hydraulic system and the barrel erosion and overheating of the machine guns. The former was due to sealing and stress issues, while the latter was caused by the excessive energy from the new smokeless powder.

If there was enough time, he would not want to do a half-baked job, but his uncle, Prince Leopold, was not someone who could be summoned at will! It was a great honor for him to have the time to come and see. As the most capable and battle-hardened royal general in the Bavarian royal family, if he could be convinced, the re-equipment of the Bavarian army would be a done deal!

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. How to demonstrate the superiority of the new weapons while hiding various flaws was a very difficult problem. For example, what would happen if the new oil hydraulic rapid-fire cannon suddenly leaked during firing? Or if the machine gun overheated after a while with the new smokeless powder? These were all troublesome issues. So, the time-traveler racked his brains and came up with this plan...

"Your Highness, the prince and his cavalry have arrived!" An officer pointed to a red flag suddenly raised on a distant hill, indicating that the guests were about 8 kilometers away, leaving little time!

"Once the cavalry is seen, fire two blank rounds from two cannons. If there is a malfunction, immediately bring up the other two cannons before the prince arrives, and remember to fire two rounds before bringing them up..." Rupprecht felt a lot of pressure working with his subordinates to deceive his uncle. "Sometimes, to achieve a goal, you have to be ruthless. Yes, that's it!" the time-traveler consoled himself.

"Your Highness, to prevent any accidents, we must ensure that you and your men unload all live ammunition from your rifles. There might be some unexpected situations, but I can assure you that everything is safe. This is the royal hunting ground, and there are troops outside responsible for security. This is just a drill." To prevent any accidents, his father, who was conveniently nearby, had his major domo, Count Schelling, communicate with the prince. Schelling had already said this at least three times on the way, but he was still nervous as the big show was about to start.

"That little guy is getting more and more cunning! He was quite straightforward before he turned ten, but after that, he had all sorts of strange ideas," Prince Leopold smiled, ordering his Bavarian cavalry to unload all their bullets and hand over their sabers to those not participating in the drill.

"It's a good thing that my dear nephew wants to learn the art of war in advance. How could I not support him? I have made some special arrangements to help him experience the real battlefield. I hope he likes it!" A cruel smile appeared on the prince's lips.

"Count Schelling, I remember you participated in the Franco-Prussian War, right? You were a cavalry company commander, weren't you?" the prince said thoughtfully.

"Yes, Your Highness. My company broke through the French lines under your artillery support and received the Bavarian Knight's Cross for it," Count Schelling was slightly taken aback, wondering what the prince was up to. "The drill has already started. You and your cavalry need to enter the battlefield!"

"Very well, then I hope you can serve as the arbitrator for this drill," the prince said almost commandingly, without seeking the count's opinion. "I also need to wait. A drill without artillery is no drill. My two artillery companies will be here soon."

"But you didn't mention that you would bring artillery to this drill!" Count Schelling was surprised. "Prince Rupprecht only has one artillery company and one infantry company, while you have two full cavalry companies and two artillery companies. That's not fair!"

"In a real war, would the enemy tell you their strength? Or warn you when they arrive?" The prince smiled, pointing to the red flag on the distant hill. "War is cruel, and I need him to experience its cruelty before it's too late!" Without waiting for the stunned count's response, he led his troops forward slowly.

"Your Highness, the situation seems to have changed. If the flag signals are correct, the prince seems to have brought some other units besides the cavalry! Oh God, he really treats this as a drill!" Count Schmidt, holding a telescope, was shocked.

"Damn! This is getting out of hand!" Rupprecht wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He felt like he was being stalked by a predator! If there was one person he least wanted to face among the Bavarian royal nobles, it was his uncle! This guy was too formidable! He had fought against Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War and commanded an artillery regiment in the Franco-Prussian War, but that was nothing compared to his role as the Supreme Commander of the Central Powers on the Eastern Front in World War I, where he forced Russia to sign the famous Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Although it was never fully implemented, he had achieved what Napoleon and Hitler couldn't—defeating Russia! He received the highest honor of World War I, the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, of which only five people received it: Kaiser Wilhelm II, Mackensen, Hindenburg, and Ludendorff. The last one was him! Such a formidable opponent, Rupprecht was naturally afraid!

"Send a signal to the people on the hill to inform the prince that due to the change in circumstances, I need an hour to prepare..." Rupprecht said, and the civil servant responsible for recording almost fell over. Was this how you conduct a drill?

"He's not playing by the rules, write it down and send it!" Rupprecht said through gritted teeth. "This old fox! I'll lose, but I'll make you bleed!"

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