Tyranny of Steel

After finishing his work on the new weapons systems for his Army, Berengar realized he still had time left before his son returned home with his guests. Because of this, he quickly got to work on a new naval advancement. One that would guarantee German supremacy over the waves.

The newest generation of ships were being constructed at every port across the Reich, and they were more than capable of dealing with whatever steel beast Japan decides to unleash on the seas in the coming years.

If there was one thing that Berengar was missing in his fleets, it was dedicated torpedo boats. However, when facing the level of technology that Berengar currently had access to, torpedo boats were already obsolete. Instead, he was now capable of creating submarines.

A talented naval engineer in his employ had previously introduced the designs of torpedos, which were already being outfitted on his warships. With this in mind, Berengar had decided he would create the first Uboat of the Reich. Labeled the Type I U-boat. Berengar quickly got to work designing the magnum opus of U-boats, which forever changed the way submarines functioned in his past life.

Modelled after the Type XXI U-boat Berengar had designed a submarine that was capable of staying submerged throughout the majority of its mission. How did he achieve this without nuclear power? By using a powerful diesel-electric engine, which made use of an ample supply of batteries to maintain its submersion. These batteries could be recharged via a simple snorkle at periscope depth, allowing it to keep a minimal visual presence in the seas.

This vessel had a range of 15,500 nautical miles at a speed of ten knots, meaning it could travel all the way to the coasts of Japan before needing to be refueled. Assuming Berengar established Naval bases in Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Oceania in the upcoming years. He would be able to maintain a proper route of these underwater predators between him and his enemies.

Unlike earlier weapons designs, this U-boat did not make use of cannons, instead it had six torpedo tubes, and could carry a grand total of 23 G7 Torpedos. It also made use of two twin 2cm anti-aircraft guns. Though Berengar did not expect to fight for supremacy in the skies with the Japanese anytime soon, it was an eventuality he was preparing for.

The Type XXI U-boat was a design that the Nazis had made at the end of their six year long war against the world. Only two ever actually saw service. However, because it was a last ditch effort, there were some serious problems with the initial design that Berengar had studied extensively during his spring break in the US Naval Academy's library.

Luckily, several countries designed their own submarines after the war, which were heavily based upon the Type XXI Submarine, including the USA. Thus, he could use the improvements made by the US Tang Class submarine as a basis for fixing the flaws with the Type XXI U-boat.

In fact, Berengar had spent a few hours experimenting with an improved Type XXI in his past life while he was researching the topic at the Naval Academy. This design was the basis for his current blueprint, which, because of his advancements in engineering knowledge since then, he had made several key improvements at this time.

Other than torpedos, the naval engineers under his employ had recently been working on radar, and sonar systems, which, along with the improvements to radiocommunications, came together to create the perfect vessel. Berengar used what little knowledge he had on such subjects to improve their performance, but there wasn't much he needed to do.

After designing the Type I U-boats, Berengar decided to go back to the ship designs he had made a couple years prior, and modify them to make use of radar, sonar, radiocommunications, and anti-aircraft guns. Such improvements needed to be made across the board for the expansion of his Kriegsmarine.

Having applied all of these changes, Berengar quickly got to work on his next ship design. With the recent improvements in technology, Berengar now had the ability to manufacture aircraft. This meant he would need Aircraft Carriers to prove effective in naval warfare abroad.

One of the critical weaknesses of German Military in the second world war of Berengar's past life was its lack of capable warships. This was because of the treaty of Versailles, and the limitations it placed on Germany. Though some vessels were developed in secret, it was difficult to hide an aircraft carrier from the view of the Reich's enemies.

Berengar did not have these limitations, and because of that, he intended to introduce such vessels as quickly as possible. With this in mind, he began drawing the blueprints to a naval vessel that was proposed, and laid down but never completed in his past life. It was known as the Graf Zeppelin-class aircraft carrier. However, Berengar would simply refer to it as the Kaiser-class Aircraft Carrier.

Having designed a new aircraft carrier, Berengar sighed in relief. He had planned to immediately get to work on his blueprints for the aircraft. However, before he could do so, he was interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by a meek voice.

"Can I come in?"

Berengar immediately recognized who the voice belonged to and was a little bewildered. However, he quickly responded with a friendly voice as he did so.

"Sure, you may enter Priya."

The doors opened to reveal the Anangpur Princess, who was dressed in a green and gold silk saree. Which matched her emerald eyes perfectly. Berengar immediately noticed that she seemed a bit embarrassed to be alone in a room with him, and thus he quickly called out to her to sit down.

"Please, Priya, sit and speak of what you need from me."

Priya was no fool. She had been cautiously observing Berengar's actions since her arrival in Kufstein, and could tell he wanted something from her and her brother. Though he appeared nice and loving to the people he cared about, she knew better than to believe he was helping the two siblings out of the kindness of his heart.

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While Dharya may be enjoying the peaceful life that he currently lived, she was internally anxious about her position in the Imperial Palace, and whether she would be used as a bargaining chip or not. Thus, she was practically sweating as she sat down across from the Kaiser, who in her eyes seemed like a living deity in comparison to the men she had known to hold power.

Berengar reached into his ice chest and pulled out a cold beer for himself and a bottle of sparkling cider for Priya. After handing it over to the girl, he waited for her to gain the courage to speak her mind. It took several seconds for Priya to gather her thoughts, but she eventually asked the question she had been curious about for some time now.

"What exactly do you want from me and my brother?"

Berengar chuckled when he heard this question. He leaned back in his chair and sipped on his beer, before spinning the globe that sat on his desk. After a few seconds of letting it spin, he placed his index finger on the exact spot where India lie before answering the girl's question.

"It is not a matter of what I want, but what your brother wants. Your brother has asked me to help him regain his throne, but to do so would require me to march my forces into your family's land and oust the current self-proclaimed emperor.

After all, though Dharya may be the rightful heir to the throne, he has few, if any, real supporters. He has no army, nor soldiers to call upon to support his claim. Meaning, if I honor his request, the blood that will be shed to place him on the throne will not be that of his supporters, but the men of Germany.

I consider every man, woman, and child who belongs to my empire to be an invaluable part of my realm. Because of this, the spilling of German blood has an extraordinarily high price that must be paid. Your brother has yet to find out how he can afford to buy such a noble sacrifice.

You ask me what I wanted by letting you stay here in the Reich. Well, if I'm being honest, until today, I wanted nothing more than to create a friendly ally in the Indian subcontinent. Someone who I could gain favorable trade deals with. However, I hate to be the one to inform you of this, but things have changed.

Upon my return home from the battlefield, I was immediately met with reports gathered by my agents that a great power in the east, one that rivals the Reich, is arming the Bengal Empire in an attempt to support their emperor's grand plans to conquer the Indian subcontinent.

Now, you and I both know that your uncle is barely keeping your declining state together. The moment the Bengal Army reaches his doors, he will capitulate or cause untold suffering across your lands. Either way, in the end, without the support of the Reich, the Anangpur Empire will fall to its neighbor.

If the Anangpur Empire falls, then you and your brother will serve no purpose to me. So, your brother wants my support, and now he has it. Here's what I will do for you. In the following months, I will sail my armies to the Anangpur Empire and put your brother on the throne that is rightfully his. Then I will rebuild his army into a force that can defeat the Bengal Empire.

After your Empire is capable of contending with its neighbors, I will provide combat support until your brother has united the Indian subcontinent under his banner. Once the entire region is under the control of your dynasty, you two siblings can find a proper way to repay me."

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Priya blushed slightly when she heard Berengar's proclamation. There was no hesitation in his voice, no doubt in his plan. He would emerge victorious, and there was nothing the enemy could do to stop him. That was the level of confidence that was oozing from this man's indomitable aura.

It did not matter that a foreign power was arming his enemies with the weapons that could prove to be the undoing of the German Army. There was only one path forward in his vision, and that was total conquest.

The young girl had never met a man who was so determined to achieve his goals. Even her own brother, who she cared for deeply, failed to live up to the respect and admiration she had for Berengar at this moment. After several moments of awkward silence, Priya nodded her head before responding to Berengar's claim.

"I understand. I will work hard to think of some way to repay you for everything you have done, and everything you have yet to do."

Berengar scoffed when he heard this before taking another sip of his beer. After a few large gulps, he responded to the girl's statement with a warm tone in his voice.

"That is for your brother to decide, you are still young, enjoy your time here in Kufstein to the best of your ability, one day in the future you will be looking back on these days where you did not have to worry about a thing with a sense of fondness that I can't accurately describe. Oh, and if Hans gives you any trouble, let me know and I'll set him straight."

Upon hearing this, Priya wore a pretty smile before bowing her head to Berengar. After doing so, she left one last remark before departing from his office.

"I thank you for your benevolence..."

After she had left the room and closed the door behind her, Berengar sighed heavily before shaking his head and expressing his thoughts aloud.

"In a few years, that girl is going to be a little heartbreaker..."

After saying that, he quickly finished his beer before getting back to his task at hand.