Tyranny of Steel

In the Sultanate of Granada, Hasan Al-Fadl lie on a large sofa, his head resting in the lap of one of his many wives. While he enjoyed the comfort of his wife's thighs, he read a letter written by his sister. There was one piece of information that he found rather shocking. Not only had Yasmin been pregnant with Berengar's son, but she had already given birth.

It slightly perturbed the young Sultan that his precious big sister had not informed him of this earlier. Still, it shocked him to see how efficient the German Emperor was at breeding. It would appear that every year or two, Berengar put a baby in each of his wives. Just why couldn't he accomplish this feat?

Hasan had four wives, but none of them had given him a son yet. He had children with two of the beauties, yet they were both daughters. As for his other two brides, they had given him stillborns. He thought Allah had cursed him with the cruel fate of not having a male heir. Perhaps this was because he had killed his own brother.

However, now was not the time to sulk about such a topic. Instead, Hasan rose from his seat and drank from the wine in his chalice before dismissing his brides. His Generals would arrive soon to discuss the ongoing efforts to crush the warlords in Portugal and bolster their defenses against the Kingdom of Spain.

Within the hour, the Sultan's guests arrived, dressed in their heavily embellished military uniforms. Unlike Berengar's army, Hasan had gone a bit overboard in creating medals and military honors. So much so that some of these men looked like glorified pincushions with the amount of breast stars protruding from their chests.

In contrast, Adelbrand, who was the commander of all German Forces in the region, was dressed rather modestly. He had just gotten back from the field, and he lacked the time to dress in anything other than his actual combat uniform.

Thus, he wore a field uniform in the arid pattern, with his Grand Cross of the Iron cross hanging from his collar, a breast star belonging to the Order of Saint George, and a ribbon bar that represented the various medals he had earned through valorous action in combat. Unlike the Granadan Generals, who had over a dozen medals each, Adelbrand's ribbon bar merely comprised a single column, despite being the more seasoned General.

When Hasan gazed upon such a contrast in attitude towards combat awards, he felt as if his decision was justified. After all, Granada's Generals looked far more elegant when compared to Germany's more utilitarian approach to uniforms. It was at this moment that the young Sultan finally remembered why he had gathered the various Generals and quickly requested a status update.

"How is the war in Portugal going? We can not fully introduce the agricultural technology that Austria has gifted us with until all the rebels are driven from the lands!"

Field Marshal Ziyad Ibn Ya'is gazed over at his German counterpart before sighing heavily in defeat. Clearly, Adelbrand intended for him to answer this complicated question.

"Your Majesty, we are working our hardest to remove the rebels and warlords in Portugal. However, the people there aren't willingly surrendering to our rule, despite the lawful annexation. I regret to inform you that establishing absolute control over Portugal will be a long, and bloody process.

Though we control the major cities, and ports, individual villages still resist our authority. They have fortified their towns and force us to engage in minor sieges to assert our claim. Since we can not explicitly burn these villages to the ground, we have to smash through their defenses and then kick down the door of every building to drive out the hostiles. This is a process that is boldly being led by our allies' soldiers, as they have the best equipment for the job.

However, the number of German soldiers in Iberia is at an all-time low. His Majesty, Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein, has deployed at most a brigade worth of troops to Iberia, who commonly rotate out of the country. Most of them are fresh graduates from infantry school being led by veteran officers. I believe he intends to make Iberia a proving ground for his soldiers, and does not desire to send more troops for support."

When Hasan heard this, he clicked his tongue before shifting his gaze over to Adelbrand. There was a hint of fury in his voice as he lashed out at the German representative.

"Do we not have an alliance? Why does Berengar treat my realm as some form of a perpetual field of combat for his troops to gain experience?"

Adelbrand did not take the provocation, and instead sneered at the young Sultan, who he realized was profoundly incompetent without the support of his big sister.

"The Kaiser has other affairs to worry about at the moment. As you may be aware, the situation in the east is becoming volatile. The Muslim world is gathering its strength to invade Byzantium and press their claim to the Holy Land once more.

On top of this, the Fatherland is going through unprecedented changes as we are now unified into a single Empire, and the Crown's priority is to kick-start the development of the newly incorporated territories. If that is not enough justification for our actions, then I implore you to take a minute to reflect on the situation that Germany is in.

States who have openly declared their hostility to the Empire surround it. Right now, the primary military focus of our realm is establishing border security, and deterring foreign invasion. Do not forget that it is us who won your wars for you, and expanded Granada into the Sultanate it is today. We have bled more than enough for this land, and we continue to do so at your request..."

This statement came as a surprise to Hasan. Despite his accusations, Adelbrand had masterfully deflected the issue. Sometimes he really couldn't stand the Germans. They always had a sound reasoning for their actions, no matter scandalous they were. For example, everyone in this room, including Adelbrand, knew that Berengar was using Iberia as a proving ground to give his troops experience in warfare.

However, Adelbrand's rebuking of such a claim not only failed to deny the accusation, but listed a series of logical reasons for this being the case while simultaneously making it seem as if Hasan and Granada were absolutely ungrateful for everything the Germans had done for them. Only a German could so thoroughly make the Sultan speechless. Ultimately, Hasan and his Generals remained silent for a few moments before the young Sultan collected his thoughts and expressed them.

"Very well, I understand the difficulties your Empire is facing, but could you at the very least pass on the word to your Kaiser that it would be most appreciated if we could receive some more support?"

In response to this, Adelbrand put on a graceful facade as he bowed to Hasan before replying.

"Of course, I would be more than happy to relay your request for further assistance."

With this matter settled, Hasan discussed another point of contention in his mind.

"Does the Kaiser know that the Spanish have realized the truth of the matter behind the saltpeter mines in Collbato?"

Adelbrand had a stoic expression as he nodded his head in response to this question.

"While the other Muslims states may provoke conflict with the Byzantine Empire, your Kaiser should know that Spain does the same to us. We have already diverted troops from the War in Portugal to our Spanish Border. King Felipe is calling it a violation of the Treaty of Aquitaine, but he was the first one to act in such a manner.

I believe the fool intends to use the buildup of forces around the borders as an excuse to seize back the saltpeter mines that your armies currently occupy. You should already know that Spain has infiltrated your mines with their agents, and the Catholic world wants its bounty for themselves.

If Spanish Forces were to invade Collbato, I do not have the means to help the Germans trapped behind enemy lines. Whether the survive the encounter is entirely up to your Kaiser and how he wishes to proceed."

Adelbrand sighed heavily as he reflected on this piece of information. He had implored Berengar for some time to increase security around the Saltpeter mines. However, the Kaiser was stubborn in his adherence to the treaty.

As per the terms of the Treaty of Aquitaine. Germany was permitted to keep a limited garrison within a designated area around the mines. This was to ensure that Austria's operations remained unhindered. If there was one thing Berengar absolutely would not do, it would appear to be the aggressor in another war in Iberia. Such a thing was not only bad for Germany, but severely hurt Granada's potential for growth as well.

However, if the King of Spain was violating the treaty himself, then it would give Germany leeway to act as they pleased within Collbato. After all, if pressed by the international community, the Kaiser could always claim that Spain had violated the treaty first, and Germany was merely taking the necessary measures to ensure their people trapped in the region were safe.

Ultimately, the German General spoke with a grave tone as he responded to Hasan's request.

"I will inform the Kaiser of these developments, and insist he send support for our people trapped behind enemy lines. I will let you know when I have an answer..."

When Hasan heard this, he smiled benevolently before thanking the German General for his aid.

"I thank you, Marshal Adelbrand, and look forward to our future cooperation. That is all I had for the day. You are all dismissed."

With this said, the Generals departed from the Sultan's corridors and went about their tasks. The truth of the matter was, Imperial Intelligence was already aware of Spanish movements towards the saltpeter minds, and had come up with a rather unique solution to maintain control over them.