Well, as you might remember, I had started another story, all excited, but I set it aside because, while I was writing, I got another idea to do something fantasy-based. Over the last few weeks, I've been working hard on learning how to make maps, asking Sangy for drawings, and meeting up with friends to develop the lore, and in a way, I already have something ready.
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1917-December-27
''I would adjust the stock of the weapon. I do not know, I feel it is too long and bothersome when firing, but when actually shooting, this has not presented any problem. The bullets fall where I want them to fall and the barrel does not seem to be affected even if you fire much more often, so I think that, apart from the stock, everything is fine'' Ernst said, pointing at the weapon.
''Good, we will have to make some adjustment to the size of the stock, since it could certainly affect men who do not have a specific arm length. But things like jams or failures to fire the bullet, nothing like that has happened?'' I asked while holding my notebook, making sketches to modify the weapon.
''No, no, no, not at all. No jams or ejection problems, even with the winter cold. The weapon has proven to be quite reliable, so I have little to complain about beyond what I said about the stock, which feels a little tight for my finger when I have to fire standing up'' Ernst repeated.
''Strange, but well, it is strange for a weapon to behave so well even after correcting so many manufacturing errors. Well, try to gather all the complaints you can from the troops about the weapon, because something about a weapon behaving this well does not sit right with me, since it is not a weapon made by modifying what we had too much. But well, I will not complain about good news'' I said while finishing writing down the reported flaw.
''Yes, you would have liked being at the front. It was very fun ambushing the French all the time, especially when we could know where they were moving at every moment. This thing with radios in several sectors of the city surely made it easier to transmit information, especially when we sent an armored car down the street while the French remained in formation waiting for them to finish checking the houses, ready to be the perfect target practice'' Ernst said with a wide smile.
''Now you see why I complained so much when we were in White Ruthenia. Can you imagine the difference if, instead of depending on messengers who had to reach me, everything had been done by radio? Now we have to keep working on that technology and try to make it lighter and more mobile, because the idea is not for one soldier to have to carry 20 kilograms of radio to establish information points. Any widespread failures?'' I asked, now focusing on the radio.
''The problem is the interference and that sometimes the messages are not clear enough, but it did not happen very often. I do not know what you have to do to fix that, but now, with only two companies inside the city, there is not much problem'' Ernst said.
''Probably frequency overlap. The truth is I do not know, it is not my field of specialization, so I will simply hand it over to the engineer who designed them so he can make corrections, because we have to keep modifying this radio as soon as possible. Did the armored cars behave well or were there armor failures?'' I asked, interested in that creation meant to avoid having to make a tank.
''Hard to know. The moment the troops saw armored vehicles moving, they usually hid or were massacred in the streets. They almost never returned fire and by the time they began organizing themselves, we already had them surrounded by the troops who had stayed hidden on the outskirts to encircle the Entente troops, so we have nothing to complain about'' Ernst said, nodding.
''Shit, you were supposed to find out here what was wrong with the vehicles so we could fix it. Well, there will be more opportunities. Unfortunately, now that the French are bombarding the city, it is not feasible to mobilize so many troops or heavy equipment in the area, so we will have to wait for another ideal testing ground where there is no risk of artillery'' I said, pressing my lips together while closing my notebook.
''Well, we had too good a plan for the French to be able to do much, much less the Americans, who stayed like sheep waiting for the shot. There will be another opportunity to see how that vehicle armor is doing'' Ernst said.
''Good, if you do not have much else to do, go enjoy your rest with your men, since one never knows when I may need them again for more field tests'' I said, nodding and saluting Ernst.
''Understood. I will be waiting. Now I will spend my salary trying to get a piece of fresh meat, because from what I heard, it is through the roof'' Ernst said, saluting and leaving the tent.
Dijon had effectively passed to our side, since the French had stopped trying to recover it and, for the moment, were only bombarding the places where our sniper nests usually were. So the idiots were destroying their own churches and cathedrals in the city with their artillery to put an end to the problem caused by the best snipers in the army.
And our casualties had been few, mostly wounded by shrapnel and concussions from the artillery while we prepared for a possible second wave of attacks to try to recover the dead, but that did not happen. They only decided to bombard, and that was where we suffered our losses and wounded among those who had not managed to evacuate the area.
So our victory had been overwhelming, since it was obvious from afar that the Entente forces did not have the slightest idea how to conduct urban warfare, and the enormous difference between men trained for it was monumental.
After finishing reviewing some documents on logistics, and as soon as I finished, I headed to the Baltic army's military hospital.
We had appropriated several warehouses that had been abandoned by the French in the rear, and that was where we had established our treatment center.
Although the facility should have had around 40 people being treated, who were the soldiers affected by artillery and whom we had been able to get out of there, there were far more people here than the capacity should allow.
And it was because, due to the treatments with penicillin, we had to treat many men who had severe infections and were on the verge of sepsis, and it fell to us to take charge of them because we had the doctors most experienced in treating bacterial infections.
We had tried to keep the patients separated because of the use of penicillin, since that was the method to prevent the bacteria from acquiring resistance.
Without making much of a fuss, I passed through the multiple areas where the wounded were and went directly to the area where they worked with penicillin, studying the bacteria.
Because of the high number of patients that had been acquired, this place was empty and only a single person remained, someone I had summoned because he was young and had contributed a great deal to the experimentation with penicillin, in addition to giving many of the best recommendations for being able to mass-produce Penicillium.
''Herr Maximiliam, I hope you are well after the journey'' I said, observing the young doctor, who had his eyes on a microscope over a culture in a plate.
''Mein Herzog, to what do I owe your summons from the front? I can understand that you need more hands for the treatments, but that I alone was requested by your orders seems strange to me'' the doctor said while removing his glasses and cleaning them with a piece of gauze.
''The reason for my visit is very simple, but I would prefer that we speak in private, where nobody can hear us for the moment, so please, if you can accompany me to the outskirts of the hospital'' I said, pointing toward the exit.
''Understood, let me store these cultures'' the doctor said, putting away what he had been examining in his microscope, and it did not take long before he began following me.
In a short time, we began leaving the military hospital area and soon reached a small hill from where we could observe our entire hospital and how they were trying to increase its capacity, since everyone who had infections was being sent to our hospital until the new doctors sent by the army knew how to carry out the treatments.
''Well, Maximiliam, the situation is very simple and would benefit you greatly. The Crown Prince asks to be presented with the creator and discoverer of penicillin with the intention of giving him a generous prize'' I said, placing my hands behind my back.
''I suppose it will be difficult to find the man who gave you that information in the Masurian swamps. It will have to be an intensive search'' the doctor said.
''That man never existed. When the Russians invaded East Prussia, they were either deported to Siberia or fled the area. So rather, it was my intuition that gave me this knowledge, but as you will understand, I cannot present myself as the discoverer of such a medicinal advance, because my own reputation would prevent it. I very much doubt they would even believe that I was the one who managed to make such a discovery, especially because my hands are stained with blood'' I said, looking at the doctor.
''Eh… well, that leaves far too many questions, mein Herzog'' the doctor said.
''Yes. Now I need you to present yourself as the discoverer of penicillin and you will take all the credit'' I said, looking at him fixedly.
''I cannot do that. It is not ethical to take another person's knowledge and claim it as your own'' the doctor said, shaking his head.
''Look, Maximiliam, they are going to give you an enormous amount of money as a prize for your discovery, you will probably win a Nobel and you will be remembered in history for this, but I need it to be a doctor. In the worst case, they will think I am lying and that I am trying to take scientific credit from someone, and to avoid damaging my reputation even more, someone needs to do it for me, because I no longer want to deal with that problem, since nobody is going to believe that the Devil of Masuria made such a discovery. Nobody'' I said, looking at him after sighing.
''But, mein Herzog, it is not ethical to do that. I do not think they would deny you your prize just for having a bloody reputation'' the doctor said.
''Then you do not know how picky certain circles can be, especially scientific ones, so simply accept this arrangement. It is the best for both of us. Your career takes off toward the sky and I save myself who knows how many headaches when they begin questioning me about how I knew that'' I said, bringing my hand to the pocket of my uniform, feeling the grip of my silenced pistol.
''Puff, I do not want to stain my career with a lie'' the doctor said, pressing his lips together and lowering his head.
''You are not going to stain it. You collaborated with the research anyway. I am only letting you take the credit, so just accompany me to see the Crown Prince and answer his questions with yes, Your Highness, and afterward present all the documentation under your name. But in general terms, the patent is mine… although I still have to give you a percentage, even if it is small, because otherwise it would look very bad for me… as if I were an abuser who stole the benefits, so you also get a part of that. See? You earn money without doing anything'' I said, closing my hand around my pistol and smiling.
After a heavy sigh, the doctor stared at me.''Fine, let us do it.''
''Good choice. Come on, we have to speak with the Crown Prince and we will arrange everything so your name appears on anything necessary'' I said, taking my hand out of my pocket.
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