Bruno's words had stuck with Franz Joseph more than he intended them to. He had mentioned his "altruism" in passing, all the while neglecting to confirm his real ambitions. Which was to bring Russia and Austro-Hungary closer together.
Establishing a joint trade network between the three empires was the start of Bruno's masterful plan to manipulate international diplomacy in the favor of the German Reich. After all, if Germany did not have to worry about fighting a war on both its eastern and western borders, and instead simply had to maintain their line of defense against the French, then wiping out the Serbian and Italian Armies would be a matter of ease.
Not only that, but with Russia being forced to increase their efforts of industrialization as a consequence of the Civil War, they fought due to Bruno's interference in the timeline. They would be a far more powerful ally than the likes of Italy to have backed their alliance.
