Tyranny of Steel

Arun stood at the head of his army, who had just passed through the region that would one day be known as Burma, and into the lands of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The young half German and half Indian man had never stepped foot on a battlefield before, nor had he ever declared war during his brief time as India's monarch.

However, as an emperor in his own right, and a son of the Great Kaiser, there were certain things he could not tolerate. Such as an insult to his lineage. And that was exactly what the Ayutthaya King had done to him. Thus, he had declared war on his own vassal state, to earn the dignity and respect that a man in his position should be afforded.

In all honesty, the Ayutthaya King had never expected that his Suzerain would raise his army and march into his lands, even if he had insulted the man and his lineage. Thus, when he heard that the Indian Army had entered the Ayutthaya Kingdom, he nearly shit himself in fear.

If this was a few decades ago, then he would have nothing to fear. After all, the Thai people were as hardy and battle-tested as one could be. But, the powerful martial arts of the southeastern Asian Kingdom were no match when they were facing down the barrel of machine guns.

Despite this, the Ayutthaya King knew he would have to order his army to defend his borders, and thus he dispatched his greatest general to intercept Emperor Arun Tomara and the Indian Army at his western borders.

At the moment, Arun was dressed in a military uniform, similar to that which would have been worn by the British during the Second World War of his father's past life. Albeit with Stahlhelm's instead of Brodie helmets. He gazed through his binoculars as the thunder of the Indian artillery pounded the medieval army of the Ayutthaya Kingdom who boldly, but foolishly, charged at their enemies with swords and shields in hand.

The overwhelming power of the 10cm high explosive artillery shells shredded their victims to bits, turning their bodies into meat paste, as they detonated in the air just above the ground. Each explosion not only claimed the lives of several dozen Ayutthaya warriors, but left a scar upon the earth.

Craters formed in the wake of the artillery, while Arun watched the weapons of his father so swiftly eliminate the enemy army. In truth, he did not even need to deploy the numerous heavy, and general purpose machine guns that his army were equipped with, because the artillery got the job done just fine. And he had thousands of these 10cm K17 field guns. All of which were lined up on his side of the border, where they continued to fire off ten shots each per minute.

A generation had come and passed since the last time the Indian Empire had marched to war, and though its army still wielded the same equipment as those days, they were by no means incompetent at their jobs.

A constant influx of new recruits, and old veterans to teach them, left the Indian Army in a battle ready state, and thus when the call to war finally arrived, they were more than prepared to spill blood for the glory of their nation, and its mighty Emperor.

It took roughly five minutes, before the entirety of the Ayutthaya Army, and their generals to be completely obliterated by the Indian Artillery, where Arun finally ordered a ceasefire.

The artillery crews quickly ejected their live rounds and began to shackle up their guns onto the horses who would carry them further inland into the Ayutthaya Kingdom.

Despite his overwhelming victory, Arun somewhat felt a bit dissatisfied with the result. After all, he had heard from his father the stories of the wars which the man faced when he was approximately the same age as his son was now. And during those days, Berengar actually fought on the front lines, as a cavalry officer, and a rifleman in a multitude of exciting battles where he could have lost his life at any moment.

But with such overwhelming weapons in the hands of the Indian Army, and while fighting a foe who at best had medieval technology, there was no grand battle to occur, there was no chance of defeat, nor a possibility of death.

And thus, there was no exhilaration to be had. Instead, it was just a slaughter, like wheat to the scythe, as the Indian Army marched forward into the lands of the Ayutthaya Kingdom after having massacred their entire army in a single battle.

The people did not resist their invaders, for how could they? Without access to modern weapons, it was impossible to stop an army like the Indians, who relied on German technology to stomp out their foes as if they were mere savages, while facing modern European troops.

And while Arun rode forward towards the capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, he thought about how much more advanced the German Army was today, and how if he dared to oppose his father's reign, or soon to be his half brother's reign, then he would be in the same exact position as the Ayutthaya, who had no means of defending themselves against such overwhelming power.

Luckily for Arun, Berengar's children were all on relatively good terms with one another, and he did not believe it was likely in the least that his Empire should one day come to arms with the Reich. Thus, he continued to march forward until he reached the capital of his enemy.

By the time Arun arrived in the Ayutthaya Kingdom's capital city, the white flags were waving over the city's walls, and the gates were opened, allowing full entry of the Indian Army, and their mighty Emperor who had obliterated the Ayutthaya Army in a single battle.

In fact, the Ayutthaya King had come out to greet Arun, a man he once called a bastard, while kneeling in the mud, and presenting all of his daughters who were of age to the man, so that he could pick which one he deemed worthy to be his wife.

The Ayutthaya King was practically in tears as he spoke the words that Arun most wanted to hear from him.

"I am sorry, my Emperor, my master! I was wrong to insult you and your lineage. You are more than worthy enough to have any one of my daughters as your wife. Please, choose whichever one you deem the most fitting in your eyes!"

However, Arun simply smirked with disdain on his face, before jumping down from his force, and pressing the Ayutthaya King's head into the muds, and in front of his five three beautiful daughters no less. He then said the words that served as a great insult to the Ayutthaya King, ones which he did not expect.

"You think your pathetic dynasty is worthy of my lineage? I no longer have a desire to marry your daughters, for they are no longer princesses. Your lands are now mine, your people are now my subjects, and I hereby strip you and your family of all titles and wordly possessions. Perhaps you might be able to survive if you sell the bodies of your wife and daughters, because that is all they are now worth!"

An intense sense of dread filled the Ayutthaya King's dark eyes as he begged for mercy.

"Please, your majesty, I beg of you, do not throw me out into the streets with nothing but the clothes on my back! I won't survive!"

But it was too late. Arun had been thoroughly insulted by this man, in a way that had even enraged his mighty father. The only way to repay such a debt was with an equal humiliation, and thus the Indian Emperor was quick to reject the Ayutthaya King's pleas.

"Clothes on your back? You think you will be afforded such a luxury? Did I not already say that everything you possess now belongs to me? So strip out of your clothes, you and your entire family, because you will be given nothing! And you will thank me for my generosity!"

The Ayutthaya King's broke out into tears, but he did not dare disobey, especially now that his army was so ground into meat paste on his western borders. Thus, he instantly stripped naked, and ordered his family to do the same, all of which were crying as much as the head of their house, because they had just gone from mighty monarchs, to mere street urchins, ones who did not even have any clothing to call their own.

After doing this, Arun sent the former royal family of the Ayutthaya Kingdom on their way, he did not care what happened to them now, but since they had invoked his ire in the first place, then he had been sure to repay them for their kindness, or lack of it.

Thus in an instant, the Ayutthaya Kingdom had been annexed by the Indian Empire, and in doing so, had unknowingly created a border crisis with the Ming Dynasty who were currently undergoing a bloody civil war.