Tyranny of Steel

Within Windsor Palace, two men sat across from one another. Both were dressed in the embellished military uniforms of the German Nobility. One of these men was none other than the Kaiser himself, who spoke up in a friendly tone towards the man sitting across from him.

"So, how goes the current state of affairs within the Kingdom of England? I named you my steward for a reason. I hope you have been able to salvage the situation here, like my other stewards have managed."

The German nobleman who was sharing coffee with the Kaiser was a man by the name of Bernd Von Zÿmmern, he was a noble by birth, and was a promising talent in terms of managing the affairs of a nation. Berengar had chosen him to look after England and help it adjust to the new era. The man had a confident smile on his face as he spoke about what he had accomplished over these past two years.

"Since the English have submitted to the Reich, I have done my very best to repair the damage that has been done to this country. As you know, many of the England's young men died in the war leaving few to work the fields.

The aid from the fatherland has been essential in preventing widespread famine across the land. I feel pity for those French bastards, as they have been excluded from the German support networks that you have established for the sake of your tributaries. 

With the food crisis resolved, I put what remained of England's young men to work in the fields. After all, the English people can not exist solely by the good graces of Germany. They are using the agricultural practices you have set forth as a means to lessen the dependency on foreign food aid. 

Of course, they are entirely reliant on the importation of German fertilizer, but the four field system, along with irrigation piping and the animal powered machines that you have sold to England, has been instrumental in overcoming the issues that their agriculture faces.  Within the next ten years, I expect a boom in England's food surplus. 

The biggest issue that England faces is a lack of young men. Those who survived the war have married young women, however, the ratio of men to women is completely out of balance. Leading to a problem where much of the female population is without a proper husband. I suppose this means that much of these girls will be heading to the reich in search of husbands. But what is your policy on that?"

Berengar sipped the coffee in his cup before responding to this question with a smirk on his face.

"The Anglo-Saxon people share a common heritage with our own. One that foreign influence has yet to taint. Like the Nords, they are practically our cousins from an ethnic and cultural perspective. If you have an excess of young women that can bear children, then I can lessen the restrictions on immigration for them, as well as the laws pertaining to citizenship for their offspring. So long as they marry German men and integrate into our culture, I will permit these young women to enter our lands. What else are you having difficulty with?"

Bernd sighed when he heard this question before explaining his next biggest issue.

"It's the damned nobility. They are still French at heart and refuse to adapt to the Anglo-Saxon way of life. I don't know what to do with them."

In response to this, Berengar merely scoffed before giving his opinion on the matter.

"The solution to this problem is simple: arrest them, eliminate them, and replace them with talented commoners. France shall lose its influence over England one way or another. I will not allow the Anglo-Saxon people to be Romanized. Do whatever is necessary, I truly do not care about these pathetic nobles who drove this Kingdom into near collapse."

The Steward nodded his head in response to this. He knew that was the most effective solution, but he did not want to be the one who had to enact such a ruthless policy. However, it was necessary for England, thus after hearing Berengar's comments, he no longer objected to the idea. Instead, he switched the subject to something else. 

"So How goes the progress in the other tributaries?"

The Kaiser once more took a sip from his cup before responding to this question. 

"About the same as England. First, they must replenish their ability to produce food. So that they may eventually stand on their own two feet as a capable tributary. While I have prevented famine from spreading by supplying these states with an overwhelming surplus of food aid, I refuse to allow my tributaries to become entirely reliant on the Reich for their very survival. `

If they do not ween themselves off, our support, the german people will be sending them food for centuries. Something that will undoubtedly drain at our national budget. Thus, I have sent all my stewards the same agricultural technology that I have given you. Within the next few years, my tributaries should be capable of providing for themselves even with the limited amount of young men at their disposal. 

It will take a generation or two before they have a large enough population to transition away from the fields and into an urban environment. Thus, for the meantime, my tributaries remain purely agrarian societies. However, compared to France, they are doing exceedingly well for themselves."

Bernd nodded his head in agreement. From what the Kaiser had said, it sounded like the other stewards were going through the same difficulties that England was enduring, thus he decided to change the topic once more. 

"What about this threat in the far east? Is it going to be a problem?"

Berengar finished his coffee and placed his cup on to the table while wearing a confident smirk on his face. He shook his head before revealing his thoughts on the matter. 

"From what I can gather by current intelligence reports, Japan is considerably far behind the Reich from a technological standpoint. By the time my forces are ready to begin our invasion of the East, the enemy will at most be able to give us a flesh wound. However, they completely lack the means to win the war. You can rest assured, we have supremacy over the seas, and the air, and that is all that will matter. 

It is the dawn of a new era of warfare, my friend. Anyone who has to fight, even with the most modern weapons, against an enemy in complete command of the air, fights like a savage against modern German troops, under the same handicaps, and the same chances of success. We will emerge victorious, no matter what the cost." 

Berengar had just paraphrased Erwin Rommel, but as far as this world was concerned, it was his own words. After all, the year was 1430 AD, and the desert fox would not be born for more than a few centuries. The confidence in Berengar's tone as he spoke about how important air superiority was led the steward of England to believe in the Kaiser's words. After all, he had not been wrong yet.

Thus, the two men chatted for several hours before Berengar boarded his flight home. As far as the common citizen was concerned, life in the German tributaries was better than it had been under the reign of their previous sovereigns. And though they no longer had the ability to decide their own international policies, the wealth and luxury which entered their lands as a result of their submission to the Reich was well worth the price.