Tyranny of Steel

Ever since the Austrian Intervention in Granada began, the Research and Development Department of the Austrian Royal Armory had started fiddling around with the designs entrusted to them by their monarch.

Months had passed since they first began experimenting, and now at this very moment, they had devised a working prototype of a few weapons that would be crucial to Berengar's long-term plans for conquest, colonization, and defense.

The first among these weapons to be tested was sitting on a tripod within the Austrian testing grounds. This weapon was a water-cooled, belt-fed machinegun chambered in a 7.92x57mm Langes Gewehr cartridge. It was embedded in a mock trench system within a reinforced cement machine gun nest.

This magnificent weapon fed from 250 round stamped steel ammunition belts that could be clipped together for immense volumes of sustained fire. At the moment, a group of weapons specialists began to feed the belt through the other side of the weapon and bull back on its charging handle, thus sending the ammunition into the battery.

Once seated into position, the main gunner rested his feet on the two rear legs of the tripod before gripping the dual wooden handles stationed at the rear of the gun. After taking a deep breath, he aimed down the bore of the weapon towards the target, which was located roughly a thousand yards away, and pressed the weapon's trigger with his thumbs.

The weapon immediately began to chug away as dozens of rounds flew down range and into the targets. With a slight tap of the handle, the weapon could be shifted in either direction to roughly a quarter of a degree or 15 MOA, which was sufficient enough to stop the advance of any armed force that wished to charge a trench line. In theory, a small number of machine guns, and supporting riflemen could effectively stop any charge they encountered.

While Berengar was resting in Granada overseeing the training of the Granadan Royal Army, Chancellor Otto von Graz was acting as the witness to this weapons trial alongside several high-ranking officers of the Royal Austrian Army.

These men were responsible for testing any weapons developed by the Royal Armories. Today was the first of many trials that these prototype weapons would go through before they could be approved for service.

Otto gazed in horror as he witnessed the substantial rate of fire and the devastation caused by the weapon in front of him. While he had long since retired from warfare, it was only now that he fully realized that when armed with such weapons, Cavalry would be utterly useless.

He could vividly imagine what would happen if the enemy were to attack an Austrian trench line, the sheer volume of death that would occur was unfathomable. The Chancellor wiped the sweat from his brow as he came to this horrifying revelation.

This single weapon changed the nature of warfare substantially; the old Chancellor finally understood why Berengar was not the slightest bit worried about defending the borders of Austria from all of its enemies. He also understood why there was an ongoing effort by the Army Corps of Engineers to construct a massive trench system around their borders.

If they could place hundreds of these guns, and the supporting artillery across their borders, with the necessary soldiers to arm them, there would be no possible way the Crusaders could enter into the Austrian Kingdom. Any attempt would be an outright massacre the likes the world has never seen before.  With this in mind, Chancellor Otto took a deep breath and exhaled heavily in an attempt to calm his nerves. After doing so, he vocalized the thoughts contained within his mind.

"I underestimated you... I see now where your confidence comes from..."

One of the nearby officers heard this remark and knew very well who he was referring to as such a broad smile appeared on his face as he boldly announced their plan for border security.

"These weapons will be going through thorough testing over the next few months. However, if you think this is impressive, wait until you see the improvements to artillery that our scientists have been working on! By the time the Crusaders enter our borders, the 7.5cm FK 22 guns currently in use will be a thing of the past, delegated to our reserves. The true defense of our borders will be something far grander!"

Otto shuddered at the thought of an even more excellent artillery piece than what was currently employed by the army. Were the current field guns not enough to strike fear into the heart of every enemy soldier who marched against Austria and all its glory? Indeed the Research and Development team was even crazier than Berengar if they wished to replace the currently issued artillery so soon.

Despite this natural trepidation towards the idea of such rapid improvement, Otto had to admit the future of Austria was in good hands when he considered that the scientists of the Nation were now capable of making improvements to weaponry without the input of their genius Monarch. Thus he sighed in relief as he nodded his head before responding.

"That is good to know..."

Otto continued to gaze upon the machine gun trials. After thousands of rounds had been fired downrange, they ceased their sustained fire and cleared the weapon. Thinking that the demonstration was over, the Chancellor sighed in relief; however, in the next second, a wicked grin appeared on the Officer's face as he pronounced the test of the following weapon.

"That was the MG-22! It is a heavy machine gun designed with static defense in mind. However, it is not the only machine gun we have developed for use by our Army; next up is the MG-22(H)!"

Otto gazed upon the mock trench system that was set up with intrigue. Just what was this next prototype that had been developed. He quickly saw a soldier with a weapon that looked like a rifle on steroids; unlike the MG-22 Heavy Machine Gun that had just been introduced, this weapon had stock and a visible barrel; however, the barrel was strange to look at from his perspective considering that it was finned.

Unlike the Needle Rifles, which Otto was familiar with, this weapon fed from a 30 round box magazine which was inserted at the top of the gun, because of this it had offset sights. Before charging the firearm, the soldier who wielded it was quickly rocked and locked the magazine in place. After doing so, he pulled back on the charging handle and began to fire a short burst at a target roughly three hundred meters out.

After scoring a direct hit on the straw target's breastplate, the soldier selected a nearby target and fired upon it. As he did so, several men armed with the G22 Bolt Action rifles and a squad leader armed with an MP-22 flanked the target with their weapons in hand and bayonets affixed.

With the tactics of fire and maneuver engrained in their minds, these men rapidly advanced on the target and eliminated it. Once the straw dummies representing an enemy squad were destroyed, the Machine gunner reloaded his weapon before picking it up and rushing towards another position of cover, where the team repeated their actions.

The officers began to clap as they witnessed the demonstration of the new weapons for a squad-level unit and the tactics presented to them. Otto was once more flabbergasted; he could not believe that firearms would advance so much in the past five years to the point where the age of Knights and Chivalry would come crashing down so quickly.

He began to say a quick prayer for the souls of the poor fools who would march on Austria at the behest of the Pope and his mad obsession with ending King Berengar's reign. Perhaps Berengar indeed had struck a deal with the devil to change the world by himself so rapidly; it was not something an ordinary man could do.

After witnessing the terrifying display of advanced weapons and tactics, Otto sighed to himself before concluding the test. So far, the prototypes had been successful, but they would have to undergo far more rigorous testing if they were to be approved for use in the Austrian Royal Army.

He could not begin to imagine what Austria would look like by the time of King Berengar's death. For the first time in his life, Otto had become dismayed by the fact that he would not live to see such a future. He was confident that it would be a glorious sight. However, he would embrace his duty as Chancellor and help his son-in-law run the country for many years to come.

Thus the first extensive test of the next-generation weapons was completed; it would still be a few years before such weapons could be employed in mass. Yet, Otto felt oddly confident in their chances of defending the Fatherland from the entire world if such a need should arise. He knew within his heart that he had made an excellent choice in wedding his daughter to his nephew, even if it was initially for a stake in Kufstein's mines so many years ago.

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