Re: Blood and Iron

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.