Tyranny of Steel

A month passed by as quickly as it came, and in the east, the tides of war were rising. With the proclamation of a united defensive pact against the Bengal Empire and its bloodthirsty emperor, the forces of the Bengal army were left with only one option for their initial invasion of the subcontinent.

Emperor Asha, with renewed focus, had quickly conquered what little remained of Burma, and well within his estimated time frame. Currently, he was debating who to attack first, along with his ministers.

Though the Anangpur Empire had foolishly isolated itself from the rest of the Indian Kingdoms, and would be the easiest territory to annex, the sheer insolence of Pandya and its allies had driven the Bengal Emperor mad with rage. So much so that he was ready and willing to take on the challenge presented to him.

Though the Japanese Advisors who had been sent to oversee his campaign were far from agreeable with this foolish plan. So much so that one of them quickly pointed out his perspective with a rather stern tone in his voice.

"Only a fool would react to this blatant provocation with an invasion. Especially when there is another juicier lamb to be slaughtered in the west. The Anangpur Empire, in an act of spite, has isolated itself from their neighbors. This is the perfect opportunity to take a large chunk of the territory in which you claim.

With little effort, the Anangpur Empire will submit to you, and from there you can conscript their men to serve in your armed forces. In doing so, you can more than double your army, allowing you to be better prepared for whatever paltry resistance the coalition has formed to defend against you. I implore you to listen to reason!"

Emperor Asha was just about to go on a tirade against his Japanese Advisors, who sought to undermine his authority at every turn, when a messenger entered into the war room of the Bengal Palace. The man had a panicked expression on his face as he kneeled before his emperor and reported the latest news, which he had received.

"Your majesty, Emperor Chandra Tomara of the Anangpur Empire is here to see you!"

This news shocked both Asha and his Japanese Advisors, and quite honestly neither of them knew how to properly react to it. Ultimately, after several awkward moments of silence, Asha cleared his throat before making a decree to the messenger.

"Send him in!"

The messenger initially thought that perhaps he had misheard, however after a moment's hesitation he could see the fierce glare that his Emperor was giving him, and scurried off to go bring in Asha's latest guest.

A few moments later, Chandra Tomara appeared in the room. He had a smug smile on his face as he approached the Bengal Emperor, as if the two were equals. Though they had never met before, the shameless emperor of Anangpur acted as if they had been good friends for a long time.

"Emperor Asha, it is so good to finally meet you at last. After that nasty business with the others, I have thought about my position carefully, and have decided that I am willing to form an alliance with you. All I ask is that you speak to the Japanese Empress on my behalf, so that I may open up trade with her mighty Empire."

Asha's brow twitched when he heard this nonsense. He could honestly not tell whether the man was mocking him, or if he was earnest about his offer. After taking a few moments to calm himself, Asha walked up to Chandra, and stared the man in the eyes before posing a simple question.

"What benefit do I gain by making an alliance with your pathetic little kingdom? Last time I checked, the Anangpur Empire was in decline, so much so that its true emperor fled its borders to go live a life of luxury within the Reich.

Give me one reason why I shouldn't have you lined up against a wall and shot right now? You show up to my palace unannounced, and demand that I not only make an alliance with you, but go out of my way to make you look good in front of Empress Itami? The sheer audacity of it all!"

Chandra did not quiver in fear. Instead, he became rather angry. Perhaps he was unaware of just how powerful the Bengal Army had become after gaining the support of the Japanese Empire. Or perhaps he was simply too proud to acknowledge the truth. Either way, his response was laughable, and yet filled with contempt.

"You dare mock the lands of my ancestors? If they had not overthrown the Gurjara and united the northwest into a mighty Empire, you would be speaking Arabic right now! You should show me some fucking respect!"

Thoroughly enraged by this response, Asha broke out into a fit of manic laughter before pointing at Chandra and threatening him.

"You know what? I have come to a decision! I will save Anangpur for the last of my conquests. For the sheer degree of disrespect you have shown me on this occasion, I will allow you to return to your homeland alive and well just so you can sit back and watch as I unite the entire subcontinent beneath my banner.

And when you are truly alone, with no friends to turn to in your time of need, I will set your petty little Kingdom ablaze. The once proud history of your people shall forever be purged from this Earth. So prepare yourself, if you can, because one day soon you will feel my wrath! Guards, send this fool away!"

With that said, the Bengal palace guards dragged Emperor Chandra Tomara away from Asha's sight and cast him into the muddy streets. Though Chandra was enraged, there was nothing he could do about such an insult. He could only curse Asha's name, and return to his homeland with his head held low.

After Chandra was thrown out of the palace, Asha turned his sight to the map displayed on his war table, and moved a figure representing his army into the position of his western neighbor, the Ganga. With a vicious smile on his face, he announced his intentions aloud.

"We will start our invasion here and move south until we have conquered the Pandya. From there, we will work our way up north until the entire subcontinent is under my banner. As for the Anangpur Empire, as promised, I will burn their civilization to the ground once I have annexed the others."

Though Asha didn't know it, Germany had long since embedded spies within the Bengal Emperor's palace. More accurately, they paid servants to inform them about Asha's schemes. Thus, a young maid had overheard everything said in this meeting.

The moment her shift was over and she was supposed to return home for the night, the young woman entered the docks, where she covertly met up with a German merchant. The man handed her a bag of silver coins for the information she provided and sent her on her way. After which he got on the telegraph and informed the fatherland that the war in India was about to begin.

More importantly, the agent reported to the fatherland that the Anangpur Empire had been spared Asha's wrath, for now at least. Though if the Reich waited too long, there would be nothing but ruins to rule over. Thus, after a single heated conversation between two monarchs, the Fall of Anangpur had begun.