Chapter 26: Empress Goes to War

“We Germans fear God, but nothing else in the world.” – Otto Von Bismark

Rome, Papal States. June 1073

Pope Gregory VII was still trying to get his feet under him in dealing with the multitude of problems plaguing the church and the Papal States. Papal industry still lacked raw materials, and Pope Alexander’s death paused the planned invasion of Sardinia. Gregory wasn’t trusted by his military commanders like they had trusted Alexander, so they hid their plans until they had a better sense of the new pope.

That mistrust disappeared when Gregory claimed Corsica and Sardinia as church property. Hearing this, the commanders came to Gregory and presented their plan for invading Sardinia. After hearing their plan, Gregory immediately approved it and ordered it to be implemented as soon as possible.

Due to shipping constraints, the invasion wouldn’t be possible to launch before September, but the additional time allowed the army to be better prepared and for the navy to launch their newest ship. The Mathew was the Papist’s latest ship and was cutting edge when dealing with anyone but the British. She was built of wood and was 75 meters long; nobody but the Brits could make enough steel. Along each side were ten bronze 10-kilo cannons. The British were the only ones to measure their cannons in barrel diameter; everyone else used the weight of the cannon shot fired. The artillery came from the army since they found it was easier for them to use smaller cannons that were easier to move.

The Mathew was the first in a planned class of six ships that would boost the striking power of the Papal Navy. These ships were heavily influenced by the early British destroyers, and it showed in their rigging. Since these ships were so different from any other ships in the Mediterranean, the Papal Navy built smaller ships for their crews to practice on. This way, if they screwed up, they wouldn’t endanger the new warships.

By the time of the rescheduled invasion, the navy would have three new warships with trained crews: Mathew, Mark, and Luke. When the ships were not guarding transports, they were to raid the Sardinian coast. No one expected the ships to see much action because the kingdoms of Sardinia were weak and divided.

Frankfort, Holy Roman Empire. June 1073

Two months after Marion left with Brunhild to get her medical treatment, Brunhild returned. Although she had a limp, it wasn’t discernable unless she was tired or the weather was bad. A bonus to Brunhild being in Britain was receiving excellent medical care when she went into labor. It had been good that she was in Britain because Brunhild suffered complications that would have killed her and her daughter without Alice.

Seeing Frankfort for the first time in two months left Brunhild with mixed emotions. On the one hand, she was home, but on the other, Britain had grown on her. Their technology was much further along than Brunhild could have imagined, but to her delight, information was easy to find.

In her luggage were several books she hadn’t read yet but was anxious to. Her drive to read was so great that she learned Luke’s version of English to understand them. Many of the ideas she had been introduced to shook her worldview. Chief among them was that Jews were not evil. One of the doctors who cared for her knee was a young Jewess doctor who had recently graduated from Alice’s training program.

Many evenings, the Jewess doctor would sit with Brunhild and have deep discussions. Brunhild hadn’t traveled the world like the Jewess had and listened to her many tails. Slowly, Brunhild noticed her hatred of Jews diminished, replaced by reluctant respect. Brunhild even made up with Marion after discovering the British monarch had a good sense of humor and was wicked smart.

The person who frightened her the most was Gabriella. The woman was fierce in her defense of Marion and absolutely loyal. During her stay, Brunhild often thought Gabriella would rip her head off. Luke was frightening, too, but in his own way. He was more subtle than Gabriella, and usually, the only clue he was pissed was the shift in his eyes. When he became protective, the look in his eyes gave Brunhild nightmares for several nights.

It took Brunhild an hour to unload everything she had brought back with her—many of the items Brunhild wanted to offload herself so she knew where they were placed. Once done, she limped to the palace to find Henry.

Henry was knee-deep in discussions with General Roon. The Polish campaign wasn’t going as Henry had planned the year before. Instead of a short war against a divided foe, the Polish nobles were now united under Bolesław II the Bold.

Bolesław was proving his name, the Bold, by leading daring cavalry raids that kept the Germans off balance and short of supplies. Henry had broken the cardinal rule of war and was paying the price: secure your logistics. So even though Henry controlled a line from Danzig through Posen to Breslau, he couldn’t go any further.

Hearing Brunhild had returned, Henry shelved his discussion with General Roon for the time being. There wasn’t anything they could discuss that couldn’t be finished that evening since the general wasn’t leaving for the front for a few days. Henry hadn’t received any word since she left for Britain and wondered how much he would have to beat her to break her.

Brunhild was waiting for Henry in their chamber, and when he walked in, he heard a baby crying. Curious, he followed the sound to find Brunhild feeding their daughter.

“Hello, Henry. I want to introduce you to our daughter, Marion of Frankfort.” Looking at Marion. “Marion, meet your father, Henry.”

Henry looked at the tiny bundle in Brunhild’s arms. Marion had been average weight when she was born and sported a tuff of blonde fuzz on her head. Henry had to catch his breath when his daughter looked at him. She had the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen, brighter even than her namesake. Brunhild noticed Marion was done eating, so she gently handed her to Henry. Henry was all thumbs trying to hold his daughter, and Brunhild laughed.

Only then did she realize just how much of an effect living with Marion had on her. Brunhild watched Luke handle his children any number of times with surety. He had fed his children, changed them, read to them, and helped in their general care. Brunhild knew she wouldn’t be seeing such behavior from Henry. Henry was of the old school, where women cared for the children, and if you had enough money, you hired someone to take care of the tedious parts of child care.

“I’m sorry for laughing, Henry. I have spent too much time around Marion and Luke, which I fear has corrupted me. Luke insists on helping care for his children.”

“Sorry, but I don’t have time for that.”

“I know that. I also know that you have no childcare experience.”

“Thank you. So, how was Britain?”

Brunhild’s face lit up as she told Henry everything she saw, starting with sailing on the York. The ship was fast and stable, and although she was still in her “I hate Marion” stage, Brunhild enjoyed the trip. British trains, she found, were quicker and smoother than the trains in the Holy Roman Empire despite the fact they were all made in Britain. After some investigating, Brunhild traced the problem to the foundations of the German track. British track foundations were more robust than their German counterparts. That led to the better performance of British trains.

The city of York was her next revelation. The city was cosmopolitan, with a university, several libraries, and numerous parks. For her physical therapy, Brunhild liked walking in the park beside the hospital. And she wasn’t the only one. On any day, several patients were walking the trails with a nurse to keep an eye on them.

What fascinated Brunhild the most, though, was the electric light. She couldn’t figure out how, with the flick of a switch, a person could get enough light to light up a room. The electric lighting allowed her to read late into the night. It hadn’t taken her long to discover that British libraries were full of books from antiquity to Luke’s science books. Brunhild devoured the books, but even as much as she read, she had only read a tiny portion of the books contained in the library by the time she left.

Brunhild had even met the few Chinese living in Britain. Fàn Zongshi and Xiang, the former Empress of China, were part of Marion’s inner circle. After living in Britain for three years, they spoke English with no accent, and Brunhild found them very knowledgeable. There was even an Indian woman, and Brunhild was confused by her dark brown skin. When Brunhild first saw the woman, she thought she just needed a good bath. It was only after seeing the woman bathe that Brunhild realized the woman’s skin was naturally dark colored.

After Brunhild finished, Henry told her of his problems in Poland. Brunhild listened and thought for a moment. Henry almost fell off his chair when she spoke because Brunhild suggested he make peace with the Poles. It only took a few minutes for Henry to explain that he had already made the offer and was rejected. Brunhild nodded and returned to thinking.

“How many horses do you have?”

“About 4,000. Why?”

“Can you get more?”

“They won’t be cheap, and Marion took most of my treasury.”

“They don’t need to be warhorses, Henry. Any horse will do.”

“What are you talking about, Brunhild?” Henry wasn’t mad; he was confused.

“One of the tactics Luke used before Marion became queen was to use ordinary plow horses to move his soldiers. He would have his soldiers ride until they made contact with the enemy, and then they would dismount to fight. By riding, the troops could move faster and stay fresh. They could also carry more gear since the horse could carry some. If you did something similar, you could get your troops in front of a Polish cavalry raid and ambush them. Do that a few times, and the Polish cavalry will stay away.”

Henry stared at Brunhild momentarily as his mind tried to wrap around what she was telling him. Suddenly, he stood up and ran to the door. Behind him, Brunhild felt a tear trying to form as she thought Henry was rejecting her. Henry jerked the door open and spoke to one of the guards.

“Find General Roon and have him report to me immediately. I don’t care if he’s balls deep in the most beautiful whore in Europe with his wife sucking his balls. I want him here, NOW!”

The guard took off like he had a rocket up his butt, and Henry closed the door to return to Brunhild until General Roon arrived. That was when he noticed the tear in Brunhild’s eye, and his face showed his confusion.

“I thought you were leaving me because I dared give you military advice.”

“That never crossed my mind. The Polish war is not going well for us, so if you have any thoughts that would tip the balance back to us, I would greatly appreciate them.”

Brunhild smiled and began recalling several military strategy books she had read in Britain. When General Roon arrived, Brunhild and Henry were deep in discussion regarding some of the tactics Luke had used in Britain.

“Ah, general,” Henry said when General Roon was admitted, “please join us.”

General Roon pulled up a chair to the table Brunhild and Henry were using to hold maps and joined the discussion. The discussion lasted for hours, and by the time it was over, General Roon was confident he could finish the Polish war in only a few months. Before he left, he turned to Henry.

“Brunhild surprises me, milord. She has no military experience, but she can condense the information into a form that is easy to understand. I would love to have someone like her on my staff.”

Henry looked at the general, then his wife.

“Brunhild, report to the army base tomorrow morning at sunrise to draw a uniform and other gear. You will be assigned to General Roon’s staff as an adviser for the duration of the Polish war.”

General Roon couldn’t help the smile that crossed his lips. He hadn’t meant to have Brunhild assigned to his staff, but with her on his staff, he could get this war wrapped up quickly. Brunhild, meanwhile, was looking at Henry with her mouth moving, but no words were coming out. She never imagined she would be sent to war. War was a man’s world, and she wasn’t a man.

“But Henry! War is a man’s thing!”

“The British send women to war, which works well for them. Tell me, dear, who is the most decorated person in the British Army?”

“Brigadier General Madeline Baker. Commander of the Grenadiers.”

When Brunhild said that, she knew she was going to war. After all, the fiercest soldier in the British Army was a woman; why couldn’t the fiercest soldier in the German Army be one as well? Henry nodded and turned to General Roon.

“Please do your best to keep my wife safe. I know she can take care of herself most of the time, but as Queen Marion taught us a few months ago, we all have a ways to go before we can be considered professionals.”

“Yes, milord. I shall do my best.” Then, looking at Brunhild. “Tomorrow, after you get your gear, I want you on the firing range to learn how to use your firearm correctly. In the afternoon, you will report to the obstacle course for physical fitness training. We will be leaving in a week, so it doesn’t leave us much time to prepare you.”

Brunhild stared at General Roon for a second before she snapped to attention,

“Yes, sir.”

Henry smiled at his wife. She had learned how to come to attention in Britain by watching the British soldiers. At first, she had been confused by their behavior but soon realized it was a way of showing respect to a soldier’s superiors.

The following week was the hardest in Brunhild’s life. She had to get up before the sun to dress and report to the army base. There, she was pushed beyond her limits in firearm training and physical fitness. Every day, she had to have someone help her home because her knee was so sore. One of her ladies-in-waiting would wrap the knee before Brunhild washed the day’s dirt off and wondered why she went along with the plan so quickly, only to repeat it the next day.

Finally, it was time to leave, and Brunhild didn’t know how she felt about it. On one hand, she would be proving herself, but on the other, she would spend months away from her daughter. Seeing all the men going through the training, she knew she wouldn’t have survived if she wasn’t as big as they were. After going through the training, there was no doubt left in her mind that war was mainly for men.

After kissing Henry and saying goodbye to their daughter, Brunhild mounted her horse to follow General Roon to war. As she left, Brunhild waved bye to Henry V, who waved back. He was Brunhild’s adopted son, and she loved him almost as much as her daughter. One of Brunhild’s ladies would go with her to help with her knee, although she would stay dressed in civilian clothing.

It was only a short ride to the train station where General Roon boarded the train for the trip to Posen, where most of the army was posted. During the journey, the rest of General Roon’s staff got to know Brunhild, and most came away with grudging respect for her intelligence.

It took two days, but they arrived in Posen, where Brunhild got her first introduction to regular army life. German soldiers occupied every building in the town, and many were still in tents. Brunhild knew it would take time to get used to the sights and smells of a frontline army camp, but she was determined to adopt. Even though she was the empress, Brunhild wore a lieutenant’s uniform and acted like a lieutenant.

Brunhild was only given a day to settle in before being called for a briefing. There, she learned just how bad the war was going for Henry. The Poles had beaten them to a standstill, and scouts had reported a sizeable Polish army gathering to the east. It was apparent the Poles were planning on attacking Posen. Brunhild listened to the scouting reports and the other officers’ opinions. Losing Posen would cause problems for the Germans since the town was in the center of the front and guarded the approaches to the empire. Finally, Brunhild spoke up.