Tyranny of Steel

After feasting on their ice cream, and listening to a bit of propaganda come from the Princess of Germany's mouth, the two Indian exiles followed her on a further tour of the city. They passed through many marvels in the city and admired them in awe.

Initially, the tour was supposed to be decided by the children, but because they were not aware of the exciting places in the city, they ultimately decided to follow Henrietta's judgement. There were three places in particular that Henrietta wanted to show them. Luckily, the first destination was on the way to the other two.

Due to the sensitive nature of the advanced technology used to power Germany's industry, the industrial sectors of the various cities were under tight security. Only those with approved credentials could enter those parts of the city. However, since Henrietta was the Princess, she was given special permission to enter.

The guard verified the woman's identity and those of the two kids beside her before begrudgingly parting for her. Though he was not technically allowed to permit anyone to pass who had not received approval from the crown, Henrietta was a member of the royal family, and because of that, he had to do what she said.

Besides, there were rumors of her relationship with the kaiser and if she turned out to not only be the man's sister but also his lover, then he did not want to be involved with her any longer than he needed to. Thus, the man quickly opened the gates and allowed Henrietta to pass with the two Indian siblings in tow. The smell of smoke and steel surrounded the air, like a thick fog.

Due to the overwhelming steel stockpile that Germany currently had, they had limited the hours of operation for the Bessemer converters out of environmental concern, but that did not mean that the other industrial processes were halted. The kids quickly covered their noses as they witnessed the industrial sector at work. Henrietta merely smiled as she informed them of what this section of the city was used for.

"In most of our cities, we have established dedicated industrial sectors where factories of all kinds produce a variety of goods for the Empire and export. The largest of these factories in Kufstein is the Royal Kufstein Armory, owned by the von Kufstein Dynasty. This is an arms corporation funded by the state to develop the best weapons and armor that the world has to offer.

As you can see by these complex machines, the men who work in these factories are well trained in their use. What you see here is the limited production of the newest type of rifle that the Kaiser has designed for use by our armed forces. Currently, only Special Operations Unit are being equipped with these multi-shot bolt action rifles, but they will soon be issued to all soldiers of the Reich.

Priya was not nearly as interested in the industrial machinery as she was in the food and clothes they had passed by that were for sale in the trade district. However, Dharya was the exact opposite. He gazed in astonishment at the sheer industrial capability of the Royal Kufstein Armory. This one factory was producing thousands of rifles and hundreds of pieces of artillery.

He remembers first gazing on the arkebuse and believing it was the single most magnificent piece of weaponry he had ever seen. Yet it failed to compare in any reasonable since to these new G25 Bolt Action Rifles. Each weapon had its own complex within the massive factory, including an area for the construction of nylon plate carriers, and the ceramic body armor they used to protect the soldiers from threats.

Of course, Dharya did not know half of what he was looking at. He could only understand that the difference between the German Army and the troops under his uncle's command was as if they were from two separate worlds. They continued on a tour of the facility to the point where they came across the area manufacturing the artillery.

The size of the guns on these cannons was ludicrous in the boy's mind, as until now he had only seen significantly smaller bronze smoothbore cannons. Yet there were not just the 7.5cm and 10cm Field guns being manufactured in this plant, but also the massive naval guns used on the warships of the German Navy. Dharya could hardly believe his eyes, and was forced to ask the question that was at the back of his mind.

"These are all functional weapons?"

Henrietta gazed over at the boy's face as he looked at the cannons with a mix of wonder and terror in his eyes. Henrietta nodded smiled before showing off the shells that these guns used.

"Yes! Though only two of these cannons are used in the field. The larger guns that you see are constructive either for naval purposes, or coastal defense. The guns that are being manufactured here for field use will be dispatched to the borders to be used by the German Border Guard in defense of our lands. My brother has the idea to slowly phase out the 7.5cm FK 22s that are currently in use and replace them with the newer models.

Ideally, the hundreds, if not thousands, of guns we currently have in use in the army will be refurbished and reissued to the National Militia. As they are still far more advanced than our adversaries, but too advanced to be sold to our allies."

Dharya could not believe his ears. They already had hundreds if not thousands of field guns in their army that they were replacing with these new models. He was curious about how effective these old guns were.

"Why are you spending so much effort replacing the old guns? Is there some fatal flaw in them?"

Henrietta cocked her head slightly in confusion, as far as she was aware the weapons used by the military that were upgraded every few years had no fatal flaws, they just became obsolete as new weapons were introduced. Thus, she was able to confidently answer the boy's question with a line of thinking that exceeded his understanding of military matters and politics.

"No, there is no fatal flaw, per se. After all, it is the belief of the Kaiser that it will be decades before our adversaries catch up to our current technology. However, there is significant improvement in recoil, range, and rate of fire in the newest weapon designs that the Kaiser simply believes it would be best to implement them as soon as possible.

With the scale of production we are talking about, it will still take a few years before the guns are fully replaced with the newest models. As for the old weapons, they can be stored and maintained at minimal cost. We could sell those that are not in use by the National Militia to our allies at a later date."

Dharya felt as if he needed to sit down after hearing Henrietta's explanation. What he was witnessing was already remarkable. The idea that any Kingdom would have hundreds if not thousands of cannons was already unbelievable in his pre-industrial mindset. Yet to hear that it would only take a few years to completely replace those cannons with a newer, more effective model was simply maddening.

To top it all off, Henrietta played it off as if this was completely normal. How could Dharya even compare his family's empire with this upstart from the west? They were both technically Empires, but he suddenly felt as if a new term was needed to refer to the German Empire.

It was no wonder that so many people used the German term "Reich" to refer to this single empire on the other side of the world. It was simply so exceptional that they had to use a different term to immediately make clear the one Empire they were referring to in conversation.

Henrietta noticed that Dharya was feeling a little unwell from the sudden culture shock and offered to take him and his sister elsewhere.

"If you're not feeling well, I know just the place that will clear your head. Come, you two, follow me!"

Dharya and Priya did not resist, and they soon found themselves travelling outside the city's gates. Where they ascended to a hill above where a colossal bronze statue of the German Emperor stood proudly watching over the city as its eternal guardian. Dharya almost did not recognize the man at first as he was missing his eyepatch, and was dressed in more conventional armor.

Priya gazed upon the polished bronze statue with a delighted expression. She voiced her thoughts aloud.

"it is so beautiful!"

Henrietta smiled and gazed at the statue with fond memories.

"I was only a child when my brother commissioned this piece, believe it or not, it was an act of defiance against the Catholic Church. Early on in my brother's reign, the church made his life very difficult. As a result, he commissioned this statue of himself in his old armor, riding on his old steed, pointing his sword towards Rome as a statement that he would not go quietly.

Today, the Kufstein Colossus is seen as a symbol of Austrian Glory by the people who live here. The eternal protector of our great city. It is one of the two most popular destinations for inhabitants of the city when they venture outside the capital's walls."

Dharya was immediately curious about the other most popular destination she spoke of, and quickly voiced his thoughts.

"What is this other place you spoke about?"

Henrietta wore a bitter smile as she thought about how she was going to end the tour. Ultimately, she spoke one final phrase before moving on from the statue, which represented her brother's personal glory.

"Come along, I will show you."

With that said, Henrietta began to lead the two Indian exiles towards the Kufstein National Cemetary, a place which visually displayed the price that Austria had to pay for its current prosperity.