Tyranny of Steel

Yasmin stood in disbelief as she read the contents of a transcript that had arrived from her homeland. The telegraph was short, but its contents were enough to overwhelm the Moorish princess.

"The Sultan is dead. His army was ambushed in Morocco. There are no survivors."

Tears streamed from the women's amber eyes and affected the ink that stained the page. She always knew her brother would get himself killed in some vain pursuit of glory, but she did not expect it to happen so soon.  Berengar was in the room, latching his arms around the woman's waist as he tried to comfort her. 

"I'm sorry Yas, I don't know what to say, even I didn't think he would die so soon... What the hell was he thinking?"

The woman in mourning did not have an answer to Berengar's question. What was he thinking, indeed? While Yasmin was grieving for losing her brother, Berengar had more important things to worry about. 

Initially, he planned to bring Adelbrand to his side in Kufstein and have the man command his forces as the second highest ranking official in the German Empire. However, that was no longer an option. The Sultan of Al Andalus had gotten himself killed in a foreign country while his realm was already facing an unprecedented state of instability. 

Iberia had only recently been unified under his rule, and because of this, there were many in the region who wished to return the days of Catholic Kingdoms. Hasan had left no male heir, and since women could not rule in the country, the crown would naturally fall to his nephew, a five-year-old boy living in a foreign country thousands of miles away. Of course, Ghazi was incapable of ruling the realm, and because of this, it would soon fall into anarchy unless Berengar acted immediately.

Ultimately, he was forced into a difficult dilemma, comfort his wife during her grief, or take immediate action and salvage the situation to his favor. Though Berengar loved Yasmin, and wanted to support her in her time of need, like she had done for him so many times before. He was an emperor first, and the lives of millions of people were at stake. He held the woman firmly in his hands before kissing her on the forehead. 

"Yas, I am so sorry. I know this is not fair to you, but I have to go. If I do not act now, Iberia will descend into anarchy, and millions of lives will be affected. Your brother and I have worked too hard and shed too much blood to allow something like that to happen. I only hope that after this is all over, you can forgive me for not being by your side when you needed me."

After saying this, Berengar left without saying another word, for if he waited for Yasmin's response, he would be stuck in this room, comforting her while a nation collapsed. The woman could only cry as her man walked past her and abandoned her when she needed him most. Linde was already waiting for Berengar with a report in her hand as she saw him exit the room.

"With the deaths of Granada's first division, we have little in terms of assets that are in the area who can defend the region. I have already given orders on your behalf to scramble the Army, and deploy the Third and Fifth divisions to Iberia. However, it will take at the very least a week to deploy the men to the region.

In the meantime, the five thousand peacekeepers we have stationed in the region are the only thing standing in the way of absolute anarchy. For the record, Adelbrand has already been informed and is on his way to the war room as we speak."

Berengar took all the information into his mind and immediately assembled his game plan. He needed to act quickly or all of his efforts in the Iberian theater since he had reincarnated into this world would collapse. He quickly gave Linde a few orders as they walked through the halls of the Royal Palace at a brisk pace. 

"Get the other girls to look after Yasmin. She is hysterical right now, and I don't know how she will react to the news of her Brother's death. Inform the Colonial governors about what has happened and tell them to be on alert.

As for the five thousand peacekeepers in Iberia, tell them to maintain a strong military presence in the capital of Granada. Order them to rally whatever is left of Hasan's forces in the region, and protect the Capital until our forces can arrive.

Make sure Imperial Intelligence prevents word of Hasan's death from spreading across the world until my forces can arrive. I do not want those catholic bastards interfering in Iberia yet again!"

Linde nodded her head in agreement before asking the question most important to her.

"You're going back there, aren't you?"

Berengar did not hesitate to nod his head in response.

"Yes, Ghazi is the heir to Al-Andalus, and I will take him with me so that I can officially crown him as the Sultan. I will also declare my regency and leave control of the region to Adelbrand until a time where I can effectively rule it. The people of Al-Andalus need a man they both fear and respect in charge right now, and aside from me, the only other option is Adelbrand." 

Linde handed a dossier to Berengar about the ongoing situation. She had a stern expression on her face as she discussed the difficulties that lie ahead.

"We can keep this information from reaching the Papacy, and the other Muslim states, for at most a month, but the Moroccans are bound to take advantage of this situation and cross the strait of Gibraltar. We have a single battalion of men stationed in Gibraltar to protect our claim, and a few naval vessels. It won't be enough to hold the enemy back should they cross en masse."

Berengar knew exactly what Linde was referring to, but he refused to back down.

"I will not surrender an inch of German clay so long as I remain Kaiser, even if it is only temporary. Tell those boys that they are to defend Gibraltar until the last man. Should they do so, their families will be looked after for the rest of their days.

Tell them that reinforcements are on the way, and they just need to hold out for a few days. If that doesn't inspire the men, then inform them that any man caught abandoning his post will be considered a deserter and thus executed on the spot."

After saying this Linde departed to do as instructed, and Berengar arrived at the war room of his palace, where he opened the doors to witness a variety of Generals and high-ranking officers present. They immediately saluted Berengar and cried out the words. 

"Hail victory!"

Berengar immediately raised his hand to silence the men as he approached the table, which displayed a giant map and miniature forces in it.

"Ate ease, inform me of the current situation. I have been briefed in summary, but I want to know in detail."

Adelbrand immediately jumped forward and pointed towards the Ravine where Hasan was killed in days prior. 

"About four days ago, Hasan and his army crushed the Moroccan forces here. They quickly broke ranks after an initial exchange of fire and fled into this ravine. Hasan pursued them, thinking he would end the war by defeating the routing army, and was in turn trapped and encircled by the enemy. The Moroccan army used explosives to trigger a rockslide which wiped out over half of Andalusia's First Division. In the battle, Hasan, as with the rest of his men, was KIA. 

We learned of this detail because Hasan and his army did not check in with the fleet that ferried them when they were supposed to. Because of this, the German Navy sent out a marine scout company to investigate where they found the scene of the battle. Hasan's body has been recovered, but it is in rough shape. 

At the moment, it is believed that the Sultan of Morocco Said al-Haqq is eying the strait of Gibraltar. Should he and his army cross, only a thousand men are in place to prevent his advance further into Granada. They are requesting orders. How should we respond?"

Berengar did not hesitate to inform the men of his decision.

"I already have Linde on comms relaying my orders to Iberia. Our troops are being mobilized as we speak. Adelbrand, you and I will sail to the Strait of Gibraltar and stabilize the situation in Iberia. Assuming we have to engage the Moroccan army, we will annihilate them in Gibraltar before marching our forces into the Capital of Granada.

Once we arrive in the city, I will seat my son Ghazi on the throne, who will then declare me regent. After that has occurred, he and I will stay in the region for some time until things settle down, where we will then return to the fatherland, leaving you as governor in my stead. If that is all, then preparations need to be made! We have little time before all hell breaks loose!"

With that said, the German War Machine rapidly assembled on a scale that they had not seen in years. The motto "Iberia must not fall!" became the slogan of the Third and Fifth Divisions as they deployed to the region.