Tyranny of Steel

In the city of Heian-kyō within the Imperial Palace of Japan, Empress Itami Riyo sat upon her throne, with an extremely displeased expression on her flawless face. For the past few months, she had a total blackout in communication with the advisors she had sent to the Bengal Army. So much so that she had sent a team to investigate the issue.

However, without a means of long-range radio communications, it had taken some time for her to receive the news of her pawn's defeat. After all, her agents had to dock in the bay of Bengal and make their way across the Indian subcontinent in search of their men. Before making the same journey back to the Japanese Mainland. 

While the investigation was ongoing, Itami was forced to worry about other more important matters. The invasion of the region that was once known as the Philippines in her past life was going smoothly.

The southernmost isles were now under her full authority, however the northern islands still remained within the Ming Dynasty's sphere of influence, and if previous negotiations were anything to go by, Emperor Zhu Wudi would not allow another tributary to fall into the hands of Japan. 

Still, Itami had gained what she wanted, and that was access to the vast reserves of oil and natural gas which lied within the Philippines. Something she had begun the extraction of almost immediately after taking the region. 

In fact, Itami had been in the process of designing a proper tank for her armed forces when she was summoned to her great hall by one of her servants. Normally, she would reject any visitors at such an important time. However, the man who had visited her on this occasion was someone she could not dismiss easily. 

Unfortunately for the Albino beauty, her visitor had come from the German Empire, and was a man she was all too familiar with. Tilicke Schauffhusen was a lawyer of well renown, one who was employed by the German Embassy in Beijing.

After being so rudely thrown out of the German Embassy, Itami had to rely on this particularly troublesome individual to convey her intentions to her rivals in the far west. Whenever Tilicke presented himself to the Japanese Empress, he always had some means of antagonising her. Today was no different. 

The Japanese Empress was in an exceptionally foul mood, after hearing about the difficulties that had presented themselves to her rule within the Korean Peninsula. No doubt, agents of the Reich orchestrated these attacks as an act of retaliation for Yi Min-Ah's espionage attempts. Thus, Itami wanted more than ever to extradite the poor woman, which she was quick to announce.

"Mr. Schauffhusen, I would like to say it is a pleasure to see you again, however I can not in good conscience lie to you, so before we get to your reason for visiting me at this ungodly hour. I would like to thank you for the trouble your people have caused me in the Joseon Dynasty. I must say, I did not expect you to brazenly carry out such attacks against my people without a fear of the consequences!"

Tilicke was an experienced lawyer and diplomat. To him, navigating this minefield was a simple task. He was quick to deny the allegations that the Japanese Empress had laid upon him and his homeland.

"Empress Itami, you are as beautiful as ever. Unfortunately, I have no idea what you are talking about. The Reich is not responsible for what the Joseon people do. I am well aware of the insurgency you are currently facing, but to blame us for these attacks, it is a baseless claim. Wouldn't you agree?"

The eery sound of teeth being ground echoed throughout the great hall as Itami Riyo tried her best to control her internal wrath. After taking a deep breath and releasing it, the Japanese Empress stated her demands.

"You can deny these acts of terrorism all you want, but in the end, you have made your stance clear, so allow me to do the same. You will extradite Yi Min-Ah into Japanese custody, or I assure you, I will make your Indian proxies bleed in the same way that my soldiers have!"

Despite her threat, a smug smile emerged on Tilicke's face, which caused Itami to become incredibly unnerved. This was not the response a man in his position should have. She was just about to threaten him again when the man spoke up. 

"You know, that actually reminds me why I have come to visit you today. I have a gift, and would be honored if you accept it!"

A pair of blood-red eyes gazed upon the German Lawyer with caution. The Japanese Empress was hesitant to accept his gift, but ultimately she decided to do so. When Itami opened the package and gazed upon its contents she nearly had a heart attack. 

Inside the box was a severed head which belonged to the Bengal Emperor Asha Sarkar, along with photographic evidence of his war crimes. Below these photos was a letter written, and signed by Berengar, which read as follows.

"Dear, Empress Itami Riyo

Do you enjoy my gift for you? I must say you should have chosen a better dog. One that doesn't bite the hands that feed him. As for my pup, he is a good boy, one that is loyal to his master. I would know. After all, I was the one who raised him. 

I don't know whether you are a sadistic psychopath, one who enjoys arming war criminals of whom commit the most heinous of crimes, or whether you are indeed nothing more than a foolish woman devoid of moral virtue. But your puppet was found guilty by a jury of his peers and executed for his crimes against humanity.

In this package lies the photographic evidence which Emperor Asha Sarkar was convicted upon. I figured after all the trouble you have given me these past few years, the least I could do was give you a souvenir of your efforts.

As of now, the Indian Subcontinent has fallen into my sphere of influence. The Bengal Army is defeated, and with each passing day, more lands are liberated from their tyranny. It won't be long before what remains of the Bengal Empire enters the control of their Anangpur rivals. When that happens, Dharya Tomara will announce to the world that he is the one true emperor of all Indians, and in doing so, he will create the Indian Empire. 

In addition, I know you are concerned about your little friend, Princess Yi-Minah. Unfortunately for you, she was executed after being convicted of conspiracy to commit assassination. I assure you that the recent attacks on your government holdings within the occupied section of the Joseon Kingdom, as well as any murders of known collaborators and their families, has nothing to do with my Empire, and is merely the result of your own actions. 

With love from your most ardent admirer, 

Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein

P.S. As a result of the atrocities which your puppet has engaged in, the world leaders will be gathering in the city of Vienna to discuss international regulations in regard to warfare; and for the record, you are not invited."

Itami's substantial chest heaved with her heavy breathing as she read the letter over and over again. No longer caring about the severed head sitting within the box in her lap, nor the photos which displayed his crimes. All the Japanese Empress cared about was the last part of the letter.

"With love.... from your most ardent admirer...."

After re-reading this several times, Itami expressed this signature aloud, an act of which that caught the German diplomat by surprise. In truth, he had no idea what was in the letter, as it was not for his eyes.

However, judging by the sheer rage in Itami's sanguine eyes, he felt like he had just delivered yet another attempt on his master's part to troll the albino beauty. Surely enough, in the next moment, Itami howled with rage, and ripped the document in half. Her fury now focused entirely upon Tilicke, the Japanese Empress screamed at him with a shrill voice.

"I don't believe for a second that you executed Min-Ah. I demand you give her back to me, or there will be war. Do you understand me?! I have had enough of your Kaiser's games!"

Tilicke was one of the few individuals who was aware of Min-Ahs actual fate. As the only man who had contact with the Japanese Empire, and who would be negotiating with their empress, he was educated on the truth of the matter. Thus, with a heavy sigh, he admitted this fact to Itami in a rather obscure way. 

"If the Joseon Princess was still alive, the Kaiser would not give her up easily. She would be a valuable asset. You would need to pay a hefty price to retrieve her, assuming she is still alive, that is..."

Itami gritted her teeth and narrowed her gaze as she just barely managed to hiss out the following words.

"How much?"

In response to this, Tilicke smiled before giving the enraged Japanese Empress his master's demands. 

"1814.369 kilograms in gold. If you do not pay this in full, then you should understand the consequences."

Itami's eyes narrowed as she heard the price. It was a very specific amount of gold. One which she could immediately recognize. When converted into the Imperial system, it was 4,000 pounds. The same amount of gold Rome was forced to pay the Visigoth King Alaric as a ransom to prevent him from invading their Empire. 

In other words, if Itami did not pay the expressed amount, then Berengar was more than willing to meet her on the field of battle. Something she was not yet ready for. After careful contemplation, Itami sighed and nodded her head in silence, agreeing to the terms presented to her. 

With a satisfied expression on his face, Tilicke spent the rest of his meeting with Itami negotiating the details of Min-Ah's release. As for Itami, she was secretly conspiring on how she could crash this international conference that she was explicitly not invited to. 

---

If you're not reading this on Webnovel, consider supporting me by donating at https://ko-fi.com/zentmeister