Tyranny of Steel

While Berengar's Empire spread across the globe at a rapid rate, there was one major player beneath his control who was suffering from anxiety. Emperor Dharya Tomora had been instilled on the Anangpur throne as a puppet for the Reich. In doing so, he had practically sold away all sovereignty. 

For the most part, the German "advisors" who were sent to India in an attempt to help Dharya rebuild his country into a peak pre-industrial state were the ones running the country behind the scenes. Dharya merely needed to be the public face of Indian relations with the Reich. 

Even the Anangpur Army was nothing more than a "foreign legion" to the German Empire. Being equipped and trained for the sole purpose of acting as Berengar's shock troops in the war for Indian hegemony. 

At the moment, Dharya was standing in his war room, overlooking a map of the current battlefields outside his Empire, and listening to the advice of a German General, along with his own military officers who spout their ideas on how to best handle Bengal aggression.

"Our agents in the field report that the Bengal Army has moved its forces into the Yadava Dynasty. As you all may be aware, this is the last holdout within the Indian subcontinent, aside from the Anangpur Empire. When the Yadava capital falls, the rest of the country will submit to Bengal rule. 

Once this occurs, Emperor Asha will provoke a conflict with the Anangpur Empire. It is my belief that we should not wait for the Bengals to attack, and should instead use the fall of Devagiri as an excuse to invade the Yadava dynasty and push the Bengal Army out of the region. 

The strategy I have come up with is what the kaiser refers to as the Blitzkrieg or lightning war. We will use the Armored Division that is stationed on the border to break through the bulwark of the Bengal Army, while the Anangpur Infantry surrounds the enemy, and eliminates them.

Once we have broken through the front lines of the Bengal Army, we can push through full steam ahead, and liberate each Kingdom they have seized in their campaign. Against the overwhelming might of German steel, the enemy will collapse within three months' time."

Dharya gazed upon the map of the Indian subcontinent, and the wooden figures that represented the various factions engaging in this conflict. He had a stern expression on his face as he thought of one major problem with this plan, and thus he was quick to give voice to it.

"Your armored vehicles are much faster than my infantry can march. How can we possibly keep up with the speed of your invasion?"

A confident smirk appeared on the German General's face as he explained the tactic he intended to use so that he could circumvent this issue. 

"You see, the solution to this problem is actually quite simple. While the German infantry will ride within the interior of our armored vehicles. Your soldiers while ride on top of them, and deploy into battle before the combat begins. This way, we can move thousands of soldiers at the speed of our armored division."

Both Dharya and his officers were slightly surprised to hear this. It would appear that they had much to learn about warfare and the tactics necessary to emerge victorious. It was indeed true that they could simply ride on top of the German armored vehicles and deploy into battle before the combat actually began.

After several moments of thought, Dharya nodded his head in response. He was much too tired to worry about this conflict before it began. With the support of the German Army, he knew that victory was a certainty. Thus, he would leave the fighting up to the men who were trained for it. 

"Very well, if that is all, then I believe we are finished for now."

After saying this, Dharya swiftly departed from the room without waiting for a response. His reason for doing so was simple. He had a very limited opportunity to speak with his sister over the radio, and thus he did not want to waste any more of his time on petty matters like war. 

The young emperor made his way to the room where the German radio-operators conducted their business. Upon seeing Dharya enter the room, the Germans carried on. Only one man ceased his activities and took the opportunity to speak with the visitor.

"Emperor Dharya, you are just in time. It would appear that your sister is on the other end, awaiting your response."

The radio operator then handed a headset over to Dharya and allowed him to sit down in his seat, where he activated the push to talk button and spoke to his precious little sister on the other end.

"Hell, Priya, are you there?"

Static filled the headset for several moments before a delicate voice emerged on the other end.

"Yes, big brother, I am here. How have you been?"

A wide smile formed on Dharya's lips as he heard his sister's voice. He had to admit, the technology of the German Empire had been astounding. The Reich had invested a substantial sum of money and effort into investigating radio ways, and had discovered ways of communicating via high frequency across intercontinental distances.

They managed to do this with a method called sky wave, which allowed the radio waves to reflect off the ionosphere and back down to the earth. As a result, every naval vessel, all aircraft, and each major german settlement across the globe built massive radio stations to make use of this technology. Because of this, there was a constant stream of information flowing from the fatherland to its colonies, and back again. 

Due to the importance Berengar placed on the Indian subcontinent, he had established one of these radio stations within the Anangpur Capital. Which was operated by German intelligence officials. Naturally, all of these communications were encrypted, to prevent the Japanese from spying on German radio communications. 

Berengar allowed Priya and Dharya to speak at certain times of the day. As a means to encourage the Anangpur Emperor to remain loyal. This was one of those moments. After taking several moments to think of a response, Dharya replied to his sister with a bitter smile on his face.

"I've been well. Things are progressing smoothly here, and I am perfectly safe under the protection that the Reich provides. You do not need to worry about me. What I'm more concerned about is how Berengar treats you..."

Priya's voice erupted on the other end and sounded like that of a love-struck schoolgirl. The moment her brother asked her about the Kaiser, she gushed out her thoughts without any filter.

"Berengar treats me well. However, he has spurned my advances at every given opportunity. It is truly disheartening. I think he's deliberately playing hard to get. Either way, I need to work hard to gain his affection. Luckily, Yasmin has taken me under her wing, and has been teaching many things. I'm certain that soon enough I will be able to get the man to fall head over heels for me!"

This honest response caught Dharya by surprise. He had known for some time that his sister had developed feelings for their benefactor, but he was simply living in denial up to this point. However, to hear her speak the words so blatantly it caused the man to react in desperation.

"Priya, you shouldn't idolize the man so much. He's not a good person. You deserve someone better!"

Her brother's response surprised Priya, who did not understand why Dharya had such a negative opinion of Berengar, and because of this, she was quick to defend the man with a bit of a pouty tone in her voice.

"What do you mean? He took us in when nobody else would. He saved my life. Provided an education for the both of us, that we could not have received elsewhere, and gave you back your throne when any hope of achieving such a goal by yourself was impossible.  He also cares deeply for those he loves, and his people.

There is not a better man in this world for me to pine after than his Majesty. Are you sure you're not being jealous? Perhaps you should find yourself a wife instead of fawning over your little sister. It was cute when we were children, but I'm an adult now, and your over protective nature is starting to become creepy..."

Dharya felt as if he had received a critical blow at this moment and felt his heart wrench in pain. His worst fears had been realized, and his sister had fallen for that man. He was just about to argue with Priya more, but she interrupted him.

"Oh, it looks like I'm out of time. I will talk to you again at the soonest opportunity, big brother. Remember to do your best!"

After saying this, there was utter static on the other end of the line, and Dharya fell into a deep sense of depression. He sat in silence in the chair for several moments, reflecting on his sister's words.

Ultimately, he sighed in despair before rising to his feet and exiting the room dedicated to radio-communications. After doing so, he returned to work, for a man in his position could not afford to remain idle for long. 

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