Tyranny of Steel

Hans had begun his plans to annex the Rus states. He had never quite forgiven them after what the previous Grand Duke of Moscow had attempted to do to his fiancee, and his grudge was one that could only be settled with blood. More than the miniscule amount he had already spilled.

For years the Reich provided discounted alcohol to the Rus, to keep them drunk, and complacent, and while the rest of the world had gone on to form mighty Empires, or get conquered by them. The Rus had maintained their own small city states and principalities.

The first objective that Hans had regarding the annexation and germanization of the Rus was through the eastern orthodox church, whose priests were paid excessively to preach German propaganda.

This would affect the people's view towards the way their noblemen mismanaged their kingdoms, and instead have them see the German Empire in a more favorable light. In some frostbitten corner of the Novgorod Republic, an orthodox priest was speaking of the city of gold, one where its people flew in the skies, and had even reached the heavens. His parish was in disbelief at these words, as well as enthralled by them as they listened with open ears.

"Now, let me tell you about a place called Kufstein. It is the capital of the German Reich, a land blessed by God with a powerful and benevolent emperor. One who has led his people to prosperity the likes of which the world has never seen before.

The Germans do not travel by horse or cart like you and I, instead they fly in the sky, as if they had grown wings, and soared to the heavens! They have even slipped the bonds of our mortal plane of existence and stood face to face with the creator himself!

All thanks to one man, and one man alone. Yet this man is getting old, and in a few years he will step down and leave his eldest son in control of his throne. But who is this young man, who will be the next Kaiser?

Well, he is a man from which the heathens in Moscow have greatly offended. A man who will have no pity or remorse as his armies invade the lands of the Slavic people, and claim it for themselves. Hans von Kufstein is the Crown Prince of the German Reich, and unless we can depose those noble fools who have run Novgorod into the ground, then we will suffer the same fate as Moscow!

Let me tell you good people of Novgorod, the time of the sword and axe is nigh! If we do not repent for the sins of our neighbors, then we too shall be swept up in the wrath of God, and make no mistake, the Germans wield divine weapons imbued with the creator's power.

I have seen with my very eyes what has become of the land that once belonged to the Arabic Emirate of Tlemcen. They too had invoked the ire of the German Royal Family, and their entire Kingdom was lit aflame, with all life having been snuffed out in a single instant!

The Germans have been blessed by God in ways we can not imagine, while our own masters drink themselves into an early grave. I say, now is the time for revolution, now is the time to prove to the Germans that we are repentant, and we are brothers in Christ who seek to atone for the sins of our neighbors, who have so thoroughly angered the royal family!"

The men in the chapel instantly threw their arms up into the air, in support of their priest's words, while shouting their own calls for bloodshed.

"Down with Moscow!"

"Death to the Boyars!"

The flames of war were rising in the Rus states, and it was not Novgorod alone whose priests had begun to spread the message of a holy revolution, one which would save the Rus people from a gruesome fate.

A stunning blonde woman stood in Han's office. The man had overtaken much of his father's work in recent years, and because of this, he required his own study. This woman handed Hans a document before complimenting his plot to destroy the Rus states from within.

"I must say, you have done quite well, Prince Hans. It is only a matter of time before the Slavic Monarchies, which are not yet under our direct control, are overthrown and replaced with factions who are friendly to Kufstein. Well played..."

Hans scoffed as he signed his name away on a document before looking up at the woman in front of him. She was the new director of Imperial Intelligence after Linde had stepped down from her position to spend more time with her grandchildren.

Now that the reich was no longer in a state of near perpetual war, it no longer needed its fearsome spider queen to protect it, instead, this woman, who went by the name of Emma Wagner had been selected as Linde's replacement, and thus far, she had been doing an excellent job. So much so that Hans could not help but comment on how it was truly through her efforts that things had progressed so smoothly within the Slavic states.

"Oh please Emma, you and I both know that without your assistance, I would have never been able to achieve such aggressive results, and so quickly, no less. You have learned a lot from your tenure in my mother's service, and you are more than worthy of filling her shoes.

The only problem I have now is that woman never seem to leave my home, and are instead constantly around my kids, who she treats as if they were her own. Which at first might not seem like a bad thing, but there are reasons why she vexes me so..."

Emma chuckled when she heard these words, naturally understanding the "difficulties" that would result from such a thing. She then made a comment that surprised Hans, a suggestion that he had not previously thought of.

"Perhaps you should take a break, your highness. A brief vacation. After all, you are not your father. That man was a workaholic, and how he did not work himself into an early grave I will never know. He has built a solid foundation for you to take control over, and there is no reason to follow his example so religiously.

I am sure your wives and kids would enjoy a visit to one of the many resorts that have been established across the colonies. I hear the beaches in Lindeburg are nice at this time of the year..."

Hans scoffed once more while he heard this suggestion. He had never realized how much he had idolized his father, and sought to follow his every example until this exact moment.

But Emma was right. His father worked way too hard, and he was able to do so, specifically because he maintained peak physical fitness, something Hans did not know how the man found the time to achieve.

With this thought in mind, he placed the paper in his hands down upon his desk, and smiled as he leaned back in his chair before agreeing with Emma's suggestion.

"I think you are right. I am in need of a vacation, hell I haven't had one in at least three years. The Reich is in good hands, and I trust those who have been put in charge of it. Very well, I will inform my wives immediately that we are going on a family vacation. It will be a good chance for us to have some quality alone time, away from the prying eyes of my mother..."

This remark simply caused Emma to giggle. She had known Linde quite well while working beneath her, and understood why so many men were afraid of her. But to think that even her own son shared this dread, it was simply too funny.

As for Hans, he would do exactly as he had said he would, and would take the rest of the day off, while planning a brief vacation for his wife and kids to the region of the world that was once known as Florida during Berengar's past life. Specifically, the beaches of Miami.

And while Hans took this vacation, the flames of war would spread to the Rus states, as a revolution had only just begun. One which would see the fall of the complacent Boyars, and instead place figures who were sympathetic to the Reich in control.

I wanted to thank you all for supporting Tyranny of Steel up to this point. From here on out, until the very end of the novel, updates are going to be less frequent with one chapter a day. Instead, I would like to invite all of you to read my new novel Interstellar Age, at https://www./book/interstellar-age_ 26235247006730205

Which will be receiving my primary attention from here on out. Thank you all for the support you have shown me, and I look forward to writing novels for you all for years to come!