Chapter 41: An Important Decision For a Later Time
Emperor Meiji thought for some time on what Bruno had said. It would be reckless to declare his support for one faction or the other here and now. But what the German General had said made perfect sense.
It was only a matter of time before some incident set off a global war. And when that happened the war which he was currently fighting would seem like child's play. Still, Bruno had at least been honest with him and said that siding with the British would result in an easy victory against the Germans in the Pacific.
And it would allow him to seize some ground in China and Malaysia that would be a foothold in the region that he currently didn't have. But at the same time, Bruno had also said that siding with the German Reich would allow for even greater gains, especially if he properly prepared his army for the coming war, which many nations were still unaware of being a certainty.
Greater gains of course came with greater risks. But from the sound of it, Bruno planned to tie up the British, French, and Russians in Europe. Not to mention the conflicts that would be occurring in Africa as well, something with the Empire of Japan had no stake in.
Meaning the risk would be a lot less than it would otherwise be if the entirety of the British Colonial Army were sent to the Pacific to deal with the Japanese incursion. It was with these thoughts in mind that Emperor Meiji finally gave voice to his musings, albeit not necessarily deciding on a course of action at the moment, but rather further questioning Bruno about what he perceived to be the future of warfare.
"So, say I decide to side with the German Reich, and commit myself to combating the British colonial forces in Asia. What exactly would be your recommendation to achieve a certain victory?"
Bruno looked at the Japanese Emperor with a smug smirk. It was clear the man had bought into the interest of seizing significant portions of Britain's Asian colonies; he was just hesitant to do so out of fear of fighting the British Army.
But did he really need to fear such things when Bruno was a man well versed in the future of warfare? Because of this British pointed to the map, back to Manchuria where battle lines were currently being drawn between the Russian and Japanese forces.
"The answer lies in Manchuria! Or more specifically, the war you are currently waging. Surely by now you have seen the usefulness of machine guns, correct? There's just one problem: the guns of this era are too cumbersome, and are wielded with a lack of proper strategic thinking by the generals in charge of their deployment.
Both you and the Russians employ such weapons as if they were artillery, despite lacking the proper range, and the explosive power to operate as such. It's a common misconception that all nations are currently struggling with.