Tyranny of Steel

King Bruno of Italy stood by one of the German Empire's newest Generals. Willehelm Ritter von Krieger was a man who had been fighting in the German Army since the early days of Berengar's conquests.

Since his days fighting Brigands following Berengar's ascension as the Duke of Austria, the man had been in nearly every conflict Austria had taken part in, proving himself to be a valuable commander and a gallant soldier. 

In fact, Berengar had even awarded him with the Imperial Order of the House von Kufstein, which was the highest honor in the Kingdom of Austria. It also made him a de facto noble, with the title of Knight, hence the Ritter von Krieger surname.

In the fields below these two men was a German Artillery Brigade, armed with the newest toys the Empire could provide them. By their side was an Artillery Brigade belonging to the Kingdom of Lombardy and was using the old 1417 12 lb Field Guns that had long since been phased out of the German Army's predecessor. 

King Bruno gazed upon the weapons used by his Suzerain's forces with envy in his eyes. He could not believe such masterful machines existed. For every round his soldiers fired from their cannons, the Germans could fire ten, and at a greater distance, with far greater lethality. 

Unbeknownst to this man, there was a group of Arab spies from the Timurid Empire, observing this exercise with shock. Not only was this German Empire capable of fielding such massive numbers of artillery on their borders, but they could even deploy a similar amount of cannons to a military exercise with a neighbor. Just what kind of unholy military capability was this?

However, the moment they witnessed the explosive impact of the 75mm shell on the straw dummies who were clad in steel armor, their jaws dropped. Yet that was not the end of their astonishment.

Shortly thereafter, another 70 rounds fell on the target location, and then another, and another, until they had conducted 10 separate barrages in the span of a minute. By the time the firing had ceased, nothing but a crater remained at the location of the targets. 

The sheer range, volume, and destructive power of these tiny field guns greatly outmatched the Timurid Empire's bombards. If they were to go to war with this German Empire, only death was certain. With this in mind, one spy immediately said his prayers, frightened by the mere thought of such a potential reality.

While the Arabs were praying, Willehelm lifted his hand in the air, signalling the German artillerymen to cease their fire. After the shelling had stopped, he gave out another order which practically made both the King of Lombardy and the Arab spies eyes jump out of their sockets.

"Prepare the revolving cannons!"

The artillery crews immediately switched to a single battery of Revolving Cannons. These weapons were based upon the Hotchkiss revolving cannon of Berengar's past life, but were scaled up to a 40mm High Explosive shell. If one wanted to understand the devastation a single one of these could cause, all they needed to do was imagine sixty eight 40mm grenades falling on their location within a single minute. 

Thus, when the six weapons were loaded and fired off their 40mm explosive shells at such a rate of fire, everyone who was not already aware of their destructive power practically fainted from shock. Just how powerful was the German Army with such devastating weapons at their beck and call!

It was this thought that immediately caused the Arab spies to conclude that a war with Byzantium would mean coming to arms with Germany and that would be nothing more than suicide. The two Arab spies immediately ran off, no longer having the courage to witness what further destruction the German Army was capable of.

Not long after, the military exercise ceased, and the two armies returned home. As for the Arab spies, they charted the fastest clipper they could get back to the Timurid Empire's borders as quickly as possible.

After several weeks, they were kneeling before their Sultan Salan Mirza with fearful expressions on their faces. They had just reported the news of the espionage to the Sultan who was staring at them in disbelief.

"Are you certain of this?"

The two spies quickly responded without hesitation as they nodded their heads before declaring their utmost loyalty.

"We wouldn't dare lie to your majesty. I swear on Allah that everything I have reported is accurate and true. If I am lying, then may he strike me down where I stand!"

This answer forced the Sultan to sit down in his seat out of shock, contemplating just what this meant. Seventy of these weapons were on his borders, and another seventy were behind the scenes protecting the German Empire's borders.

If the German Army had such steel manufacturing technology that allowed them mass produce these weapons, then it stood to reason that there were far more than a hundred and forty of them spread across the world. If such a thing were the case, then military action against the Byzantine Empire would be foolish. Their allies were simply too powerful. 

It became increasingly clear to Salan that if he wished to accomplish his goals, diplomacy was the only viable alternative. Thus, he dwelled deeply on the subject before issuing an order to his subordinates.

"Inform the heads of the other sultanates. Military victory is a fool's goal. Only through diplomacy can we gain what we want. If they doubt my claim, let them know of what you had seen. If they still refuse, then remind them who is really in power among the Muslim world. 

Other than gathering those fools' attention, dispatch a letter to the Byzantine Emperor discussing our willingness to negotiate over our claims, and the current disputes between our two realms. However, make him aware that Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein must be present at these discussions or else they will leave us with only war as an option to settle our differences."

The two spies quickly nodded their heads and agreed to these terms.

"Very well. We will dispatch your orders at once. Is there anything else you need of us, your majesty?"

Salan merely shook his head before responding to this question.

"No, you have done well and will be handsomely rewarded. As for the other agents in the field, tell them to stay clear of the German Empire. I have a feeling sticking our nose in the Kaiser's business may be seen as an act of aggression, and I want him to be in an amicable mood when we finally meet."

The two spies silently nodded their heads before thanking their sovereign for his benevolence.

"Thank you, your majesty!"

After saying this, they disappeared from his palace, leaving the man alone with his many wives. One of which was a woman of striking similarity to the Princess Yasmin. The woman wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and gracefully leaned on him for support as she whispered in his ears.

"Will you be inviting my cousin to these negotiations? I hear that foolish boy is in an alliance with the Germans. It should be interesting to see his take on the dispute over the holy land."

Salan immediately turned around and gazed at the woman with a stern gaze. He then grabbed hold of her throat and squeezed it tightly.

"You dare hide such information from me? Why am I only hearing about this now?"

The woman struggled to voice her defense as the air escaped from her lungs.

"I... only... found... out.... recently..."

Upon hearing this, the Sultan released his grip, causing the woman to heave as she struggled to regain her breath. Only a look of disdain was on the man's lips as he spoke a single phrase with fierce authority.

"Speak, what do you know of this Berengar von Kufstein?"

After regaining her composure, the woman lowered her head before responding to her husband's question.

"Only that he is neither Catholic nor Orthodox. Apparently, he has been excommunicated by the Pope and started his own sect of Christianity, which is the dominant religion in his Empire. He also appears willing to act peacefully with Muslims, even going so far as to marry my cousin Yasmin in order to secure his alliance with Granada. I swear I know nothing else..."

Upon hearing this, Salan sneered in disgust before barking orders at the young woman.

"I need you to send a message to your cousin, tell that foolish boy that if Granada does not support their Muslim brothers in the fight for the holy land, then I will turn the entire Muslim world against his petty kingdom. I may not be able to strike him directly now that he has allied with Germany, but I can still cause conflict in his lands by a simple decree from an imam." 

The young woman nodded her head before bowing to the Sultan.

"It will be done, husband."

After saying this, the Sultan dismissed the woman so she could get on with her task. A simple phrase escaped his lips as he gazed out the window towards the west.

"Berengar von Kufstein, I wonder what kind of man you are..."