Tyranny of Steel

Over the past twenty-odd years, the Armed Forces of the German Reich, along with the infamous Reichsgarde, had grown increasingly more powerful. Currently, Berengar was inspecting his troops, who were stationed within the borders of the fatherland, as well as their latest equipment.

Many years had passed since Germany fought and won its war against the Empire of Japan, and during that time, the German Armed Forces had a technological capability on par with late-war Germany during the second world war of Berengar's past life.

But over twenty years had passed since then, and the direction that Berengar took with the development of arms was a mixture of soviet, and western doctrine. After all, Berengar had a lifetime of knowledge of what worked, and what did not, and thus he was able to steer development in a way that simply did not waste resources and funding.

Thus, during the current year, which was 1455, the average German infantryman had a kit that was essentially and improvement to the Russian Ratnik 2 system, which was employed by the Russian Army starting in the year 2014 during Berengar's past life.

Not only did the German infantry have access to modern ballistic helmets that were capable of incorporating hearing protection and comms systems, but the men were also equipped with night vision devices, modern body armor, et cetera. All of which were made in a digital camouflage pattern based upon the venerable flecktarn.

The small arms which the Wehrmacht used were similar in design to many modern Russian weapons from Berengar's past life. AK-74Ms, and AK-105s being the most common assault rifles, all of which were equipped with intricate rail systems, adjustable stocks, ergonomic pistol grips, electronic optics, ir-illuminators and weapon lights, et cetera.

In fact, pretty much every small arm was modernized to such an extent, whether it was the SVD sniper rifles, RPKs, PKMs, or even double stack polymer framed pistols. The weapons which the German infantrymen wielded would have been on par with the most expensive and efficient loadouts on the modern battlefield.

As for the vehicles which were common among the German Army, the most prolific transport was without a doubt a JLTV, which was modelled after the American vehicle of the same name. But for when more firepower and armor were needed, the LYNX Infantry fighting vehicle seemed to get the job done.

This was a modular chassis, much like the Panther System Berengar had used in his war with Japan, that could be used in a variety of roles for the military, from vehicle recovery, to a

120mm mortar, or even an ambulance. These were just a few roles which the Lynx was designed to fulfill.

However, if a 35mm auto-cannon was a bit too feeble to get the job done for you, then the Reich offered an alternative, and that came in the form of the Panther II, and no it was not modeled after the vehicle of the same name that was a prototype in the Second World War of Berengar's past life, but was instead primarily based upon the Panther KF51 which had yet to see service on a modern battlefield, whether in this life, or the last one.

Since the Army was the branch of service that saw the most combat within this world, Berengar had focused heavily on investing in the best technology that his empire was currently capable of producing. However, the Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine, were a bit behind the times, or at least so far as the world Berengar had come from was concerned.

The primary aircraft of the Luftwaffe was the F-15E Strike Eagle. It was a multirole fighter that could put just about all other aircraft designed for its role to shame. And yes, the Reich's engineers figured out a way to put this bad boy on the deck of a carrier.

It would be a very long time before stealth capabilities were required for the German Armed forces, and considering the cost of developing and producing these types of aircraft, Berengar had set a small set of funding aside to develop the technology so that they had it, when they needed it, but did not bother advancing to a dedicated stealth fighter.

As for the attack helicopter of the Reich, it was none other than the legendary AH-64 Apache, and yes it saw plenty of combat against the current "enemies of the Reich" though whether or not this was overkill, that was up for history to judge. Personally, Berengar was growing weary of not having a proper enemy to test his newest weapons against, but he supposed the peace that his almighty military created was better than the alternative.

There were many more weapons modern weapons that the Reich employed, but these were the most common combat vehicles, and thus, Berengar could only observe them with a hint of pride on his face. The world was rapidly getting to the point where it was an improvement on the one he had left behind, and his military would remain unchallenged for generations to come.

Thus, after taking a brief trip through the military encampment, he returned to his home, where he sat down on his couch with a nice glass of whiskey in his hands. However, he did not receive the peace and quiet that he so desperately wanted. Instead, Zara came forward with what was perhaps the happiest smile on her face that Berengar had ever seen. The beautiful young woman made one comment, one that instantly caused her father to frown.

"Daddy! Brandt has completed all the tasks you set out for him, all that is left for you to set a date for our wedding!"

Berengar nearly dropped his drink when he heard this. He had made an impossible list of demands for the kickboxer to complete in a span of ten years, and it was not yet the deadline, but it was drawing near. To think that the stubborn bastard had actually accomplished the impossible, it boiled Berengar's blood.

But then again, many of his other daughters were already married, and all that remained was for Zara to find herself a husband. Still, Berengar had always hoped that the veteran kickboxer would fail to achieve the goals that he had set out for the man, but it would appear that was not the case.

As Berengar was about to demand to see the evidence, Zara pulled out a small electronic device, which displayed all the information about Brandt's military service and his assets. Much to Berengar's surprise, the man had indeed accomplished the unthinkable, and thus he could only sigh and admit defeat, before informing his precious little girl that she could indeed marry the man she had set her eyes upon.

"Fine... Ask your mother to begin preparations for the wedding. You will be married some time next year. In the meantime, now that the man is out of the Military, you should really get to know him, and see if that is what you truly desire. It has been ten years Zara, and that is enough time for a man to change."

Zara, however, appeared completely undeterred, as she smiled while nodding her head. At the same time, she hugged her father before running off to go see her new fiancee.

"Thanks Daddy! I will go inform Brandt now!"

With Zara's departure, Berengar slid back into his sofa and turned on the TV, all the while sipping on his whiskey. Though his face would not reveal it, he was now heartbroken that his favorite daughter was all grown up, and would no longer need her beloved father any more. After a while of thinking, Berengar chuckled as he pulled out his pipe and took a hit of his hash. Where he then made a crass remark about the joys of being a father.

"I cannot think or comprehend of anything more cucked than having a daughter..."

Berengar chuckled to himself as he said this, because in this entire world, he was the only one who could possibly understand such a reference. He then got back to drinking his whiskey and watching his tv, without giving a second thought to the idea that he would once more have to give away one of his daughters at their wedding.

As for Zara, she immediately met up with the man she had chosen to be with and informed him of the good news. Where the two of them would spend the rest of the day discussing the future they planned to have with one another before retiring back to their respective homes for the rest of the evening.

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.webnovel.com/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!