Pov of Alexander
1917-June-5-July-10
In the short time the new administration had been in power over the former Baltic governorates, where we had once lived under the rule of the Tsar and now, after the recent change of hands, under the authority of the Kaiser, it had become clear that the new order had not come to protect our interests. Before, we had three governors to whom we had to answer regarding the way we governed ourselves and the peasants. Now everything depended on one man, and that man, according to what my father repeated every day since his arrival, was a traitor to the interests of the nobility.
At least that was the phrase that had not stopped being heard in our house since that new Herzog appeared, incredibly young, almost too young for anyone to take him seriously. Nobody understood why we had to accept the orders of an inexperienced Prussian Junker sent to govern nobles who had administered these lands for generations. To some, it seemed almost ridiculous, although apparently the Kaiser of Germany considered that boy the ideal candidate to impose his orders here.
Many thought that, because of his lack of experience, he would immediately come to seek the advice of the noble families that had always served in the Baltic administrations. The opposite happened. Not long ago, an almost complete purge of the administration had been carried out, to the point that a good part of the German-Baltic nobility was dismissed from their posts for receiving salaries that were too high or for performing functions that, according to the new Herzog, provided no benefit whatsoever to the duchy.
My father, who had served as the officer in charge of the roads of Riga, was one of those dismissed. The Herzog had decided to eliminate the taxes for the use of roads and bridges, dismantling in a single stroke one of the most lucrative levies that could be collected from the peasants. My father called it a plot against the natural order of these lands. I only saw that he had been left without a position, without income beyond our lands, which produced good rents, and with a rage that grew each day toward the new administration.
The problem did not end there. The new administration was not only acting against noble interests, but had also ordered the expropriation of several agricultural lands around the Daugava River. Payment would be made in German marks for the affected properties, but the petitions of the knightly societies were ignored as if they had no importance.
The worst part was that the Herzog was pushing forward an absurd number of projects without relying on us. The factories and industrial works advanced while leaving the nobility out of everything. Normally, when governors wanted to launch investments in the cities, they sought financing among the great families to guarantee the cooperation of the large estates and reduce costs through control of raw materials, but from what could be observed, he did not plan to grant any kind of concession.
That had my family furious. Father, uncles, cousins, everyone was angry, since every new order seemed designed to remind us that noble influence was no longer what it had once been. Besides, I had not even been granted the military post that had been promised to me in the governorate of Riga. My father had exerted considerable influence over the former governor to secure me a place as an officer after I finished my studies at the military academy in Saint Petersburg.
But with all the chaos among the Russians, I had to abandon the academy and return before my life was put in danger. Now there was nothing I could do in the army of the Baltic Duchy, at least not in the way my father expected. He wanted to see me enter as an officer, but with the changes the administration had undergone and the refusal to reconcile with the noble circles, there had been no way to make the Herzog see reason.
So for me, the only option left was to join the armed forces of the duchy, since voluntary recruitment had been opened. If I could not enter as an officer because of my education, at least I could do so as a soldier and prove that I did not need my father's connections to live. And in the worst case, if it did not work, well… I could always manage my father's lands, considering that I did not have to compete with my sisters for the position.
Although I had volunteered, several days passed before they came to collect us for service and, to my surprise, we were not quartered inside the barracks of Riga, where the forces had previously been kept in their quarters. Apparently, new facilities had been created near the sea, but far from Riga.
Finally, the day to enter the armed forces had arrived, and they gave us the full uniform of the duchy's forces. It was very different from the typical German uniform, considering that it used a pattern that, instead of the classic grey used by the Germans, had a wide variety of colors.
From one moment to the next, they put us to training, sending us out to jog through the area for hours and return along the beach, where our boots sank into the sand and forced us to exert ourselves even more.
After spending hours moving through the forest and the beach, we still had to do a pile of exercises. I could understand the jogging, but the other exercises were not what one would normally expect from a soldier's training.
Since, in theory, the most important thing was for a soldier to endure long marches and withstand the fatigue that accumulated during them, but these exercises practically left you destroyed.
That would not surprise many, considering that the Herzog had the reputation of being an incredibly lethal soldier. He probably used cold blood or things of that sort.
''I am defeated… everything hurts. I think even thinking is painful'' I said while breathing heavily after collapsing onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as I felt my ears throbbing.
''Places I never thought could hurt are hurting'' said another of my companions, who was just as destroyed, lying face down on the bed.
''How much longer is this going to continue? Training in Germany was not this severe. It was barely a few weeks of learning how to use the rifle, move with some sense and obey the Unteroffizier, but this is too much'' another said, struggling to place the pillow behind his head.
''Do you know what the worst part is? I doubt this will get better… according to what I heard, the Herzog is doing the same thing in the mornings and, at the same time, answering to his civilian responsibilities'' said another of the soldiers, who had sat up on the bed.
''You have to be joking… and he is not like us?'' I said in surprise, lifting myself a little while I felt my abdomen scream at me after doing so many sit-ups that I lost count.
''According to what I heard, he trains with his men. Those types are hard as nails. They were already somewhat used to this, and so was he, since he created this training'' replied the one who had given the information.
''That man is a monster. It seems the rumors were not unfounded'' I said, placing my head on the pillow while my eyes closed on their own.
While I fell asleep, just like everyone else, I woke up on my own, which left me somewhat confused, since usually it was a trumpet that woke us. As I felt the usual muscle pain after days of training that varied greatly in intensity, I heard an orchestra of calm breathing and a few snores that could be heard throughout the barrack.
I looked around to see if, for some reason, I had woken up ahead of time, but it did not take me long to notice that the sun was already high when I got up to open the barrack door.
I stood there scratching my head, trying to figure out why today we did not have one of the Herzog's men shouting in our ears, but apparently all I could see were other soldiers getting up and looking just as surprised as I was.
''Do you think they forgot about us?'' said one of my companions, who had gotten up just like me and was scratching his back.
''I doubt it… we have had three full weeks of pure training. Even on the calmer days, we had to jog for a while. I do not think they forgot about us from one day to the next'' I said, observing the place, though I noticed that the kitchens were working, since white smoke was rising from them.
When I noticed my stomach growling with hunger, it did not take us long to slowly begin heading toward the kitchen, where the workers were serving food, but I noticed several differences from the usual.
Normally we had variations of mashed potatoes, rice or noodles with mushrooms, many mushrooms, and from time to time some pieces of meat, since they must have had trouble obtaining fresh meat for the kitchens.
But today there was chicken, pork, beef, fresh bread, tomatoes and boiled potatoes.
I had many questions about that, but before asking them, I filled a plate, taking advantage of the fact that the food had finished cooking not long before and was being prepared as people ate.
So I did not waste the opportunity to gorge myself on meat while I could.
''Something is wrong. I feel like something is going to happen. I remember that at the military academy they told me it was always good to give the men something good to eat before ordering an attack. Now this feels similar'' I said while cutting the meat and putting it in my mouth.
''Aha'' said someone beside me, eating without even paying attention to me.
While I continued eating, just like everyone else, most seemed unaware of the situation, probably because it was the first meal that brought an enormous amount of meat. The only thing you could normally repeat without control was those damned mushrooms, which the Herzog seemed to have in infinite quantities, since it was the only thing with which you could fill plate after plate.
After eating and leaving with a full stomach, I wandered in front of the barracks and even checked the training area and the camp gym, but there were none of the trainers or training leaders. It seemed as though they had all disappeared.
With nothing else to do, we remained in the training areas, sitting on the stands there, looking everywhere and waiting for something to happen. But aside from having lunch and enjoying the rest our bodies needed, nothing happened until, in the afternoon, after hours of calm and a few naps, I heard the trumpet, which immediately put me on alert.
Everyone quickly began forming up in their respective formations and, finally, the trainers appeared. It did not take us long to set off toward the physical training area, where a podium had been installed. There I immediately recognized the Herzog, who was followed by several of the officers who made our lives a living hell.
''I hope you enjoyed your day of rest. No, I truly hope so, because soon will come a training that will separate the strong from the weak. We must separate the wheat from the chaff as soon as possible in order to adjust the training budgets each of you will receive. These trainings were simply conditioning for what awaits you'' said the Herzog, who had a brass megaphone in his hand as he spoke.
''Now comes the true test and, as you know, I have also been subjecting myself to all the training, so that no one can say it is impossible. I will do it too. You have three days to rest in whatever way you consider appropriate. You may continue training if you wish or simply relax. In three days, hell week will come. Prepare yourselves, because I know many will not pass, and that is fine'' said the Herzog, who then stepped down from the podium.
''I told you. Something worse is coming'' I said, feeling my mouth go dry while trying to swallow.
''How can it even get worse?'' one of my companions said.
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