Tyranny of Steel

Itami sat alone in her palace, isolated from her guests. Men from the Samurai clans, who ruled over Japanese society, as well as their wives and children, had all gathered to celebrate what can only be described as a holiday. 

Perhaps in her past life, Itami might be mingling with her guests like a social butterfly, but in this world, she had to be cautious of who she interacted with, and what she said. Too many of these guests were nothing more than buzzards, circling around her, waiting for the moment she dropped dead. 

With this in mind, the young Japanese empress kept herself at the back of the party, and mostly sober, while she watched her guests socialize like normal human beings. One man noticed this and was quick to approach the woman's side.

Out of everyone who had ever supported Itami, he had been the most loyal. General Shiba Kiyohiko had taken a brief vacation from his duties as the Supreme Commander of the Joseon Theatre to return to his homeland for the sake of this holiday. In reality, this was simply an opportunity to see the woman he longed for. 

Upon seeing the woman he admired most in this world alone and bitter, Shiba had no choice to approach her in a vain attempt to put a smile on her face.

"Tenno heika sama, it is my greatest honor to return from the battlefields for the sake of this holiday. You have done a wondrous job with the festivities. I am sure everyone here agrees with this sentiment."

Itami did not even look Shiba in the eye as she sipped from her drink with a bitter expression on her flawless face. A simple phrase escaped her lips, as if she did not care in the slightest what those beneath her command thought of her.

"Vultures, the lot of them. If you think for one second that anyone here other than yourself actually supports me from the depths of their hearts, then you are a damned fool, Shiba. I'm the only thing keeping this Empire united, and these bastards would rather soak up wealth and power on the sidelines, then fight among themselves for the position of emperor.

The only reason most of these men support me is because the only alternative is total warfare. There's a reason you're the only one to come and greet me, other than the minimum amount that is required. So rather than talk about me, I'm more concerned with the Joseon Theatre. Have you retaliated against the terrorists for their attacks on our people?"

Shiba was slightly taken aback at how crass his goddess's words were. However, this only lasted a moment as he regained his professionalism before answering the woman's question. 

"Indeed, I have ordered for several of the villages which are known to harbor these terrorists to be annihilated. As we speak, our forces are bombarding these locations with our artillery. By now there should be no survivors to speak of."

This news did not calm Itami's heart, rather, it stirred the latent rage that dwelled inside. The moment she heard these orders were given, her blood-red eyes shifted onto Shiba's figure, and locked onto him as if they were a missile targeting system. She could hardly believe her ears upon hearing this news, and was quick to question whether she was hearing things correctly.

"What did you just say? Are you telling me you deliberately ordered an attack on civilian targets? You are aware that all the world's major players have signed an agreement prohibiting this exact scenario, right? If the Germans were to learn of your retaliation, they would have a field day painting us as War Criminals who violated the recently established Vienna Accords. 

Despite this, you thought it would be wise to exterminate several villages, all because you suspect they are harboring terrorists? Did you even give the villagers a chance to give up these filthy criminals, or did you just outright order their annihilation?"

Shiba trembled upon hearing such a vicious rebuking from the woman he fancied. Everything he had done was to appease her, so why was she acting as if he had just committed some unforgiveable offense? He quickly began to protest this scolding.

"tenno heika sama... I thought that-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Itami cut him off and glared at him with murderous intent. The act of which frightened the General to his core.

"No! You didn't think! If you had, you would have realized that such a brutal action would only unite the world further against us! I am already planning to disregard our relationship with the Ming, in pursuit of a strategic advantage against our adversaries.

An act which will surely invoke the ire of the international community, but now you have given that smug bastard ammunition to use against me. I want you to reflect on your actions and atone for your mistakes. Find a way to make this right, before news spreads across the globe of your misdeeds." 

Shiba lowered his head in submission, and muttered beneath his breath his response. It was in a voice so low, that Itami almost misheard him. 

"Yes, your majesty..."

After saying this, Shiba departed from the room. Searching for the nearest radio-telegraph so that he could coordinate with his forces on the Korean Peninsula in an attempt to make these brutal exterminations of civilian populations look like proper sieges against armed combatants. 

As for Itami, she felt the need to drown her thoughts in booze at this very moment, and thus she got up from her seat, and approached the bar, where the server poured her another glass of sake. While she was reaching for her drink, another member of her faction approached her. 

Admiral Izumi Hiramori was dressed in his military uniform, with all his medals proudly on display. He had a confident expression on his face as he handed the Empress his own drink, knowing that she was not in the mood to stay sober. 

The flawless beauty nodded her head in silence, and took the man's drink, along with her own, before walking back towards her table, where Izumi was quick to follow. Noticing his persistence, Itami glowered at the man, and quickly asked for his intentions.

"What do you want?"

Despite the rude tone in her voice, the Admiral did not flinch in the slightest, and instead presented the good news he had just received not long ago. 

"Your Majesty, I can see you are in a rather foul mood at the moment, so why don't I cheer you up? If you would follow me to the docks, I have something that might interest you. Something I am sure will make you happy..."

Itami gazed upon the young admiral with a hint of suspicion in her sanguine eyes. However, upon glancing around at the drunken fools who partied in her home, she realized that perhaps being in the night's cold air was a better alternative, thus she sighed heavily before nodding her head in agreement.

"Fine... Let me fetch my escort, and then I shall accompany you to the docks."

Despite an act which clearly showed her distrust to the Admiral, Izumi was not the slightest bit offended, and instead responded with a simple smile.

"Of course..."

As she had said, Itami quickly gathered an armed escort of her Imperial Guard before following the admiral to the docks. It was a quiet journey in the dead of night. The streets were empty, despite the recently established lights illuminating the darkness. 

A cold breeze kissed Itami's pale cheeks as she slowly marched to her destination. When she finally arrived, she stood in awe at what was lying in the harbor. A massive warship, far larger than anything else her navy previously possessed, proudly sat in the water, its massive guns challenging the world itself as they pointed westward towards the location of their enemy. 

The Itami-class Dreadnought was modelled after the Nagato-class Battleship from Itami's past life, particularly the 1944 retrofitted model. It was a true steel beast, and a warship that was superior to the Linde-class Battleships currently employed by the German Empire. Though when compared with the newest battleships, which Germany was currently manufacturing, it was slightly lacking. 

When Itami gazed upon this magnificent warship, she was quick to ask the most important question on her mind. 

"How many of these do we have?"

A satisfied smile appeared on Izumi's face as he saw how excited the young empress was. A beauty of her caliber was a woman that all men instinctively sought after. Shiba was not alone in his affections. The fact that his rival had struck out, while he had lightened the empress's mood, was a win in Izumi's books. With this in mind, he had a hint of pride in his voice as he answered Itami's questions.

"Currently, this is the only one we have built. However, by this time next month we will have five in total, with another five set for completion sometime next year. When combined with the amount of cruisers, destroyers, and subs we currently have in the field, plus the ones under construction, I can confidentially say, that so long as the war does not break out within the immediate future, we will have the means to engage the Germans on the oceans."

When Itami heard this, her lips parted into a wide smile. It had been a long time since the woman had made such an expression, so long that even Izumi himself, one of her highest ranking officers, had nearly forgotten just how beautiful the woman was when she smiled. To see her so happy nearly melted the man's heart. However, before he could make a move, Itami spoke her mind.

"You have done well Izumi, this is the first good news I have received in a long time. When compared to the military power that the Reich has, we are behind in almost every aspect. Still, for our navy to be able to compete with them, at least for some time. That is my greatest wish."

While the German fleets were larger than their Japanese counterparts, their empire was also significantly more vast. The amount of areas the Kriegsmarine had to protect were not just limited to the shores off the coasts of the fatherland. 

By simply sacrificing a small amount of subs to harass the Kriegsmarine in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Itami could divert much of her rival's naval strength from the conflict that had become inevitable.

Ten battleships would be enough to buy time for her navy to expand its capabilities during the war effort. Thus, for the first time in a long time, Itami was truly proud of what one of her subordinates had accomplished. 

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