The End of Winter

Bruno spent the next month identifying and mapping out the exact locations where the Boxer remnants would hide when he and General Frey were plotting the French punitive expedition. Through repeated skirmishes with the enemy, he had discovered their precise whereabouts, and the locations they were most likely to set up ambushes. 

Unfortunately for him, despite the fact that his presence was requested by the French Colonial Army in an advisory capacity, General Frey had largely neglected his suggestions. And repeatedly walked into enemy attacks without a regard for the advice Bruno had given him. 

Whether it was because the French General was testing him, and his knowledge of the enemy tactics. Or simply because he thought having a German advisor was a mere novelty. The initial pleasantries which General Frey greeted Bruno with had become nothing short of tiresome at this point. 

Today was no different, with the French General yet again ignoring Bruno's advice, and in doing so, marched his troops directly into an ambush that Bruno had predicted with absolute precision. The Boxers who took part in the attack were not of the normal variety which Bruno had come into contact with during his time in the German-occupied Zone.

These men, for the most part, did not wield firearms and explosives to a degree of proficiency that was worthy of being called an insurgency. Rather, these were the more common variety of Boxers, those that Bruno honestly had no idea how they survived this long when considering their delusional take on warfare.

For whatever reason, the Boxer Movement, or at least those in charge had convinced thousands of men that with their qigong powers they could render bullets useless against their flesh, as well as perform other feats that simply were not possible if one were living in objective reality.

Perhaps if the world functioned off of the tropes that were commonly found in Eastern Fantasy novels, then these things could be true. But in the real world, such ideas were delusional. There was no such thing as magic in this world, and because of this no matter how hard you tried to "channel your Qi" you were not going to stop a bullet from taking your life.

These Boxers however had a damn near religious faith in their alleged qigong powers, and charged at the French colonial soldiers wildly from beneath a nearby ridge where they had waited for the enemy to approach. It took some time for the French to adjust their weapons so that they were properly aligned with the enemy's assault.

Bayonets had not been affixed, and because of this the French soldiers fired off a single and shaky volley at the enemy. Using the same tactics with their Lebel 1886 bolt actions rifles that they would have used if this battle was taking place 50 years earlier when muskets ruled the land.

This only made it easier for the Boxers, armed with swords and spears to inflict casualties on the French soldiers. With the first line falling quickly by the wayside. They had walked right into an ambush yet again. This was despite Bruno's previously warning that there was a high likelihood the enemy would be lying in wait at ridge.

Bruno sighed heavily and shook his head as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit a smoke. Meanwhile, General Frey who looked through his binoculars was honestly surprised that Bruno's hunch had proven correct, and rather haphazardly responded as if the injuries his men were currently sustaining were not a big deal at all.

"Well, I'll be damned. It would appear that you were correct in your assumption Captain. I suppose it would have been wise to follow your advice to proceed with caution and fix bayonets before marching past the ridge."

Despite the fervor in which the Boxer remnants fought, they were ultimately outnumbered by the French Army, who managed to fix their bayonets and fight in the melee together with the enemy. Ultimately winning the skirmish, albeit while suffering minor casualties. More than two dozen men were wounded in the ambush, and another six had been killed outright.

After finishing a long drag on his cigarette, Bruno flicked it away, which fell by the wayside of the horse which he was mounted on. His voice was more stern than it should be as he responded to General Frey's whimsical statement.

"You requested my presence here so that I could advise you… I would assume that from now on you will listen to my advice, yes?"

General Frey was honestly a bit resentful that his gut instinct had proven to be incorrect this time. And because of this, he sighed, and nodded his head, before confirming what Bruno had already suspected.

"I suppose there is more to your methods than I initially thought there would be. Very well, if you have a suggestion, I will hear it now…"

Bruno pointed towards the lines of the Boxers that were beginning to break and route. His voice was cold, almost icy as he advised to strike the fleeing rebels with artillery so that they could not return to their base of operations with their lives intact. 

"The last thing we need is these assholes returning to their base of operations and reporting our position to their comrades. I have a general idea of where they are hiding. What you need to do is line up the artillery battery you have accompanying this infantry battalion, and open fire as soon as they get out of danger close range. 

What remains of the boxers should be wiped out by the barrage. And I would suggest you do so quickly, lest we lose an opportunity to gain the advantage."

Frey did not hesitate to listen to Bruno's advice any longer, yelling at his artillery battery to get the guns in position and to open fire on the fleeing enemies as soon as they were out of range of the French soldiers on the front lines.

It took longer than Bruno would have wanted for the French artillery battery to get their guns deployed and in action. But with several large explosions in the distance, what remained of the Boxer Remnants who had ambushed the French were thoroughly turned into mincemeat.

After which, General Frey was quick to inquire as to whether or not Bruno actually knew the whereabouts of the remaining boxers.

"So… Were you telling the truth? Do you know where the Boxer remnants are hiding?"

Bruno nodded his head and was quick to yell at one of his soldiers in German, which General Frey did not understand.

"The map! Get me the map!"

A soldier quickly ran past Bruno and gathered the map before handing it to his commanding officer. Once Bruno received it, he spread the piece of paper out and pointed at three locations within the mountain range where the Boxers were most likely hiding, or what remained of them within the French Occupation Zone.

"We have two options on how to proceed. The first option is to take the men that are with us at this moment have and assault the enemy positions which would require a three day march from our current location. 

After doing so, we can encircle the enemy fortifications and lay siege to them. With our current artillery, we only have enough manpower to bombard a single location. Meaning the other two units would have to take their objectives with a head on assault. Such a thing would incur heavy casualties. But would end the campaign as quickly as possible. 

The other option is to fall back to our base of operations and in doing so, gather our reinforcements. Recruit the efforts of every soldier in the area who can fight, other than those necessary to maintain the garrisons. And then use those forces to surround the three enemy strongholds and take them all out at once. Preferably via triggering an avalanche in each zone with our artillery. 

The choice is up to you how to proceed. But if it were me, I would choose the secondary option. It's a safer and more sure way to eliminate every single hostile with a single coordinated campaign." 

General Frey thought about Bruno's remarks for some time in silence. Both options were viable solutions to the problem at hand. But it would easily take a week or two to gather the necessary reinforcements, let alone march them to the enemy strongholds. 

Still, the extra artillery would be a godsend, and triggering an avalanche on each location would be a way to eliminate the enemy by expending their own blood in the process. Because of this, he chose the second option. It was not like the enemy had anywhere to go now that the winter was at its fiercest. 

As for Bruno, he didn't care either way. He was still well within the time frame he had been given to accomplish the task by his commanding officer. And it was not like the blood that would be shed was that of his own men. 

However, Bruno was indeed surprised. When General Frey chose the safer of the two options. Which would take longer to finish this campaign. But he did not refute the man's choice. And instead helped coordinate the mustering of thousands of French soldiers and the accompanying artillery batteries for the sake of the Winter Campaign. 

---

It had been nearly a month since the French Colonial Army in Qing China began mobilizing its forces to assault the three remaining Boxers strongholds within the Occupational Zone. And currently, the boxers were heating up their hands over the fire.

The winters in Northern China were cold. Especially for the locals. And today was a particularly brutal day, the winter winds kissing the cheeks of those unfortunate enough to not have some form of shielding from the elements.

The men were bundled up in as thick of winter clothing as they could get their hands on. Trying desperately to stay warm. Though they had sent out an ambush earlier in the week to strike at the French Army. They had not heard from them since.

Leading many to believe that they had been wiped out to the last man. Morale was low, especially as supplies dwindled. But they still had some semblance of hope. As long as the winter faded and spring came, they could renew their offensive and perhaps even gain new recruits.

So long as the French didn't find them here, then there was a chance to fight again and expel the foreigners from China once and for all. They had no idea that at the base of the mountain, far enough away to not be affected by what was to come, the French army had gathered.

The French soldiers were just as bundled up as their Chinese counterparts, albeit with the latest in cold weather military uniforms. They themselves shivered as they tried to get the artillery loaded. As for Bruno, he was dressed rather lightly all things considered.

Whether it was his past life, or his current one, he handled the cold better than most. If he was born in America, he would have been that stereotypical white boy who wears a tank top and shorts in freezing weather. So long as it didn't dip into the negative Fahrenheit, he had no need for clothing that covered his entire body.

Still, the temperatures had dipped below the negative, and because of this he wore a coat over his tunic. But that was the extent of his extra garb. Bruno did not wear a scarf to protect his neck and face from the elements, nor did he even feel the need to wear gloves.

Instead, he kept himself warm with a healthy dose of nicotine. As he gazed upon the preparations, the French were making. General Frey however, was fully bundled up as he inquired about whether or not Bruno was actually a human being.

"I'm curious. Does the cold not affect you? I have known a few men in my time who were rather resilient to the winter elements, but you appear to be something akin to a mythical creature… Are you even human at this point?"

The temperature was currently -20 celsius, which as far as Bruno was concerned was tolerable so long as he wore a jacket and full pants. And because of this, he rather boorishly responded to the French General as if he could not be damned to care about the current blizzard.

"If it dips below -23 I may deem it necessary to wear a pair of gloves. Can we please focus on the assault? Oh, it looks like they're ready. Care to give the signal?"

General Frey's attention instantly snapped back to the matter at hand. The artillery had been deployed and was ready to fire. They were simply waiting for orders to do so. Because of this, General Frey was quick to give it. Wanting to return home to Paris and get out of this war once and for all.

"Open fire!"

With the echo of half a dozen guns, and the sound of their shells exploding on the mountainside. Bruno watched and waited for the end of the Boxers who were holed up in the mountains.

And like a frightening force of nature, it came moments later. As the snow packed on the mountain's side came crashing down upon the rebels, burying them under several dozen feet of snow. Of which their bodies would never be recovered.

And just like what happened here, so too did this occur at the other strongholds, which were the last of the Boxers in French Occupied Territory. Bruno had fulfilled his promise. Before the winter faded, and the leaves bloomed from the trees the Boxers had been defeated. 

Now all that was left was to wait for the order to return home.