Tyranny of Steel

Linde sat at the head of the dining table within the Royal Palace. She was alone as she met with the Imperial Prince of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Zhi. The only other people present in the room were the man's translators, and members of the Reichsgarde whose duty was to protect the Imperial Family at all times.

The guards were ever watchful of the Imperial Prince. If he showed the slightest hint of hostility or seduction, they would not hesitate to apprehend him. However, the man was calm and collected. He had no intentions of pursuing Linde, no matter how attractive he might have found her to be. In fact, he was more interested in the war that the Kaiser was currently fighting and quickly inquired about it.

"You said your husband is at war, but as far as I can see, everybody within your Empire appears to be acting without the slightest concern in the world. Do you mind elaborating on why that might be? Pardon my curiosity, I just have never seen a nation at war act so carefree."

Linde took a sip from her wine, and a bite from her schnitzel as she entertained her guest from the East. While Berengar was away, she was the head of the household, which meant that she handled all the diplomatic visits. Though Zhu Zhi thought it was strange that woman held so much power, he was not going to make an ass of himself by commenting on it. The fact that the man had been so polite made Linde suspicious, but she kept it to herself and decided to grace the man with the information he desired. After all, it wasn't a secret.

"My husband, in his pursuit of power, has angered most of our neighbors, but none more so than the Papacy. In Europe, the dominant religion is also a political entity who holds considerable influence over all the other realms. To put it simply, my husband broke away from religious tradition in pursuit of secular authority, and angered this religious institution.

For the past ten years, the Papacy has been trying to dethrone my husband, and now they have declared a holy war against the Reich in their latest attempt to do so. At the moment, we are currently at war with a total of five different kingdoms and the Church itself. Most of these kingdoms share a border with us.

He has split our army to deal with these distinct threats, and is currently leading one fifth of our forces in Southern Italy. The latest information I have received from the front lines is that my husband has achieved an overwhelming victory against the forces of the Papacy, the Kingdom of Naples, and the Duchy of Burgundy. He is now marching towards Hungary to unite with his forces in the region and put an end to their opposition."

Zhu Zhi gazed in shock towards Linde. He was so surprised by this news he did not even taste the schnitzel as he dined on it. One nation was at war with five of its neighbors and had already taken three of them out of the conflict? How was this possible? He needed clarification and quickly asked about it.

"You're telling me that your husband is fighting a war with five enemies and is already victorious against three of them?"

Linde wore a smug smile on her pretty face as she took another bite of her schnitzel before responding to the man.

"Six enemies, and we have eliminated five of them. The Papacy may be a religious institution, but it has its own armies. Or had I should say, what's left of them have scattered to the wind."

Zhu Zhi was silent as he heard this news. He did not know if the woman was lying to him, but judging by some of the things he had seen on his journey to Kufstein, he was certain she wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. He quickly asked the next question on his mind.

"Just how long has this war been going on for?"

Linde did not even need to think about the answer, she quickly blurted it out as if it were the most normal thing in the world, not realizing how shocking the information must be for a man who was used to fighting wars for years at a time.

"A couple of months, no more than three. Why do you ask?"

Zhu Zhi was stunned once again. He simply could not enjoy the delicious meal that had been prepared for him upon hearing such astonishing news about the military prowess of the German Empire. He could only comment in disbelief.

"No reason... Your husband must be a capable general to pull that off."

Zhu Zhi no longer wanted to talk about Germany's war and instead broached another topic that he felt would ease his suffering.

"I am thankful for the hospitality you have showed me so far. I have come a long way, and this meal is truly delicious. The news of your husband's absence was slightly upsetting, but as a man who has been to war myself, I understand that such things take precedence. I guess I will have to be patient and wait before I can give him the news that I have come all this way to deliver."

Linde smiled gracefully when she heard this, but narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. When she initially learned Berengar's true identity, she had received a history lesson on the world Berengar had come from, which shared many similarities with the one they lived in now.

Naturally, she knew all about the Ming Dynasty, their culture, their prestige, their attitudes towards foreigners, and their military prowess. The fact that an Imperial Prince was treating her, a woman from what could be perceived as a barbarous Kingdom with such dignity and respect, meant something had spooked him on his journey through the Reich.

If he had come all this way to Kufstein to deliver some news in person, then there was naturally a request tied to it. Upon thinking about the strange power from the east who used steamships and advanced weapons, she could not help but conclude that the Ming were either at odds with them, or were wary of them and were seeking a powerful alliance to deter them. She was not afraid to inquire about the man's reason for visiting, and quickly did so after calmly taking another bite from her food.

"Are you referring to that eastern power with the wooden steamships?"

Upon hearing the woman so nonchalantly address the Japanese Empire, it shocked Zhu Zhi once again. He felt like his heart couldn't take many more surprises. However, his curiosity got the better of him and he quickly inquired about what she knew about the Japanese.

"You know about the Japanese Empire? Have you come into contact with them already?"

Linde searched her memory from the history lesson that Berengar had provided her with and immediately took note of the term Japanese Empire. From her understanding of history from that world, they should be on the brink of a major civil war.

If they were not using steamships and advanced weapons, then the veteran spymaster would merely chalk this up as a normal change in the timeline. After all, there were many changes in the western part of this world and the one that Berengar had come from. However, the existence of such modern technology combined with the shift in the timeline only confirmed Linde's original thoughts. There was a reincarnator among the ranks of Japanese society.

She knew quite a bit about the history of Japan, more so than she did about China. From the way Berengar spoke about them, they were impressive to rise from a small island nation to a major power which rivalled the European Empires at their height. However, she also knew that they were severely lacking in natural resources, as Berengar made this point abundantly clear to her.

If the Japanese were Arming the Bengals, then they clearly had a reason for doing so. She just couldn't figure out what it was with her limited information. Thus, after several moments of silence, she prodded Zhu Zhi for more information.

"In truth, I know very little about the Japanese Empire, however from what information I have been able to gain, I can say with certainty that should we find ourselves engaging in an armed conflict with them, the Reich would emerge victorious. Why don't you tell me what you know so that when my husband returns home, I can do a better job of convincing him to support you?"

Zhu Zhi sighed heavily in relief when he heard that Linde's knowledge of the Japanese was limited. It meant he still had a bargaining chip. Though she was a woman, the Kaiser entrusted her to look after the dynasty's affairs while he was away at war, and she also seemed to be exceptionally intelligent. He felt as if he could trust her with the information he had gained from his father. After several moments of deliberation, he spoke with her about what he knew.

"If you know about the Japanese, then surely you know about the Joseon, right?"

Linde had a quick mind, and based upon the information she had received from Berengar, she could quickly extrapolate exactly why the Ming had decided to visit the Reich, especially after news of the Kaiser's Pass reached their ears. For the first time since the conversation had begun, Linde was utterly shocked, so much so that she dropped her fork when she heard this.

"You don't mean-"

Upon the seeing the redheaded beauty so flustered, Zhu Zhi felt accomplished and quickly cut her off before she could spoil his fun.

"Japan has invaded the Joseon Kingdom. They intend to annex the region and use its iron deposits for their own purposes. I don't exactly know why they would need so much iron, but that appears to be their goal."

Linde quickly thought through what this meant. It meant that Japan intended to rapidly expand their military over the next couple of years. The steam-powered turtle ships were not a threat to the German Navy, but if the Japanese managed to create battleships, it could pose a serious problem for the Reich. She immediately understood the intent the Japanese had for Korea, but what she did not understand was why they were in involved with the Bengal Empire, and thus she quickly asked about that.

"If they're invading the Joseon Kingdom, then why are they also involved with the Bengal Empire?"

When Zhu Zhi heard these words, he was once more astonished. His contacts within the Japanese Empire had said nothing about Itami's visit to the Bengal Empire. Both the Ming Prince and the German Empress would continue to have a lengthy conversation about Itami and her Empire over a delicious lunch.