Tyranny of Steel

The Aztec Princess sat across from the German Kaiser in the middle of the latter's study. She had one leg crossed over the other as she sighed in defeat before repeating the words she had just heard.

"You want me to go back to my homeland so soon after arriving in Kufstein? I haven't even had the chance to relax yet!"

Berengar smiled as he heard this before making a suggestion that he knew the woman would refuse.

"If you want to relax, I can give you an oil message. Just ask any of my wives and they will tell you that I am, in fact, a master of my craft!"

Tlexictli stared at the man with an exhausted expression on her lips. She looked at him as if he were an idiot before questioning his sanity.

"Has that line ever worked on anyone?"

In response to this, Berengar merely chuckled and shook his head.

"I wouldn't know. This is my first attempt. So how about it?"

The Aztec Princess hissed out her words as if she were trying to be deliberately venomous.

"In your dreams?"

Berengar chuckled once more before breaking out a couple of gilded chalices, and a bottle of fortified wine. He poured two cups before handing one off to Tlexictli. There were many luxuries that existed in the reich that the people of her homeland could only dream of.

Among these goods was Tlexictli's most favored substance, which was alcohol. Thus, she did not hesitate to accept Berengar's offer and quickly slurped from the chalice as if she had been traveling for days in a desert with no water to speak of.

Such a cute reaction caused Berengar to chuckle as he took a sip from his own glass. Upon seeing that the woman sitting across from him was in a better mood, Berengar decided it was about time to get down to business.

"As I said, I need you to return to your homeland and inform your father that I intend to negotiate trade with a specific resource. It should grow in your southern most provinces on the borders of the Mayan Kingdom. While I'd be happy to pay for this resource by any means, I think the most fitting payment I can give your father is unconditional support in his bid to conquer his neighbors.

If you want iron weapons and armor, you can have them. If you want German mercenaries, they are yours. Whatever you need to conquer your rivals, I will foot the bill. In return, I want exclusive access to the material known as latex."

Tlexictli nearly spat out her wine when she heard the lengths Berengar was willing to go to in order to secure this resource. She could not help but question its value, but knowing Berengar and his character, he would not freely reveal his intent behind anything he desired. Unless, of course, he trusted you, and since Tlexictli was the ambassador from a vassal state, he did not trust her.

Sometimes she regretted not taking advantage of the time they spent together in the forest to become intimate with the man. Truthfully, the whole ordeal is a little hazy. Her memories tell her she was gone for several months' worth of time, but from what everyone had explained to her, she was actually gone for several days.

Still, the cruelty Berengar showed towards her people in pursuit of his objectives killed any romantic interests she may have had in the man. However, she could not help but be envious whenever she saw the many lovers the man kept around him. Though she herself was treated well as an ambassador, and received countless luxuries. The difference between her and Berengar's women was like two different worlds apart. After careful consideration, the woman nodded her head, before agreeing to Berengar's terms.

"Alright, fine, I'll go back to my homeland, yet again, and relay your words to my father. I am sure he will accept your terms, as he has been wanting to conquer several of our neighbors for some time. Including the Maya. However, your brief little campaign in our lands severely diminished our ability to wage war. With your support, I am sure that the difference in numbers can be made up for."

Berengar took another sip from his wine and lectured Tlexictli on the value of his armor and weapons. The truth was, he did not need to send mercenaries. After all, most of the mercenary companies were tied to corporations who were currently settling the new world. Thus, he boasted about the values of iron weapons and armor.

"Trust me, Tlexictli, there are few weapons your enemies possess that could prove harmful to your father's soldiers should they wear the armor I have planned for them. Poison darts being the immediate ones that come to mind. Should they strike your men in a vulnerable area, it could end their life, but anything else they will be virtually impervious to, so long as they make sure to protect themselves."

Berengar obviously did not intend to equip the Aztecs with full-plate armor, such heavy armor, in such a hot climate was a recipe for disaster. However, he had plenty of old half-plate armor lying around in the armories that were doing little more than collecting dust. He was better off seeing it used in the Aztec Army than having it rusting away in a giant warehouse. Tlexictli wore a pretty smile as she thanked the man for his assistance.

"I will relay your words to my father. How long will it take you to prepare such a vast quantity of weapons and armor?"

Berengar thought about this for several minutes. He had no production lines in place to produce medieval weapons, at least not these days. Though he initially had the means to do so, such weapons quickly became obsolete, as firearms developed a more central role in European warfare. Largely due to Berengar's conquests.

He also had to take into consideration that the Aztecs had no real understanding of swordsmanship. Their closest weapon was a rectangular club that was embedded with obsidian shards. As for the thick jungles that they would be fighting in, spears, and other polearms like pikes were less than ideal. If Berengar truly wanted to equip the Aztecs, he probably would have to create some kind of short spear, combined with a wooden shield.

As for the bows and arrows that would be used by Aztec archers, there were currently some small-scale manufactures of these items who catered to the market of hunters. However, the size and scale they would need to produce for the Aztec Army be beyond their capabilities. He would have to contract it out to multiple companies just to fulfill the order.

If Berengar repurposed companies dedicated to making lances for the German Uhlans and commissioned them to craft short spears, he believed he could get around setting up large-scale production for items that only benefitted the Aztecs. After considering all of these factors, Berengar calculated the estimated time frame he would need to make these changes and nodded his head thrice before responding to Tlexictli's question.

"Give me two to three months, and I will have the weapons manufactured and will begin delivery. As for the armor, it can be shipped to Berenstadt at any time, where your father's envoys can claim it from our warehouses. "

In response to this, Tlexictli nodded her head before giving her approval.

"Very well. If that's the case, I will set sail within a fortnight and relay your words to my father. In the meantime, I intend to sit back and enjoy the luxuries of your empire. You and your people may not actually be gods, like you claimed in the past, but you may as well be. I still can't believe what I have seen since becoming my father's ambassador to these lands…"

Berengar had little concern that the Aztec emperor would deny his request. Truth be told, it was a great deal for the Aztecs. Not only was Berengar helping them expand, but he was providing them with equipment that would make their army unparalleled in the new world. Aside from the German troops, that is.

Meanwhile, the natives had little use for rubber, an asset that Berengar's empire desperately required if it intended to continue advancing at a rapid pace.Thus, He sat back and made another jest to the woman, rather than say anything meaningful.

"So… How about that massage?"

Tlexictli merely scoffed when she heard this before scolding the man for his lecherous thoughts.

"Give it a rest already!"

With that said, the woman stormed out of Berengar's office, leaving him to drink by himself. Things were progressing as planned. Once his Empire got its hands on rubber, he could expand into more ruthless weaponry, but also greater machinery. Having access to rubber would allow him to provide his people with the means of reusable canning and other food preservation devices. There were a lot of industrial uses for rubber, and Berengar planned to make full use of it.