Tyranny of Steel

A Japanese diplomat by the name of Saitou Morouchi sat within the German embassy located in Beijing while patiently waiting for a chance to speak with the German Ambassador. There was a scowl on his face as he did so.

Why was this the case? Because for the last six hours he had been sitting in this exact spot, waiting for the German Ambassador to meet with him. A man could only sit quietly and wait patiently for so long before he lost control of his emotions. It simply wasn't in his nature.

As each moment ticked by on the clock which hung on the wall, the man's face twitched uncontrollably. On more than three separate occasions he had spoken with the receptionist, who had simply told him the Ambassador was busy with important matters, and he would have to wait until the man was ready to see him.

After six hours of waiting, Saitou had finally lost his patience and was just about to stand up and scream at the receptionist when a door opened to reveal a handsome golden-haired man, dressed in a fine three-piece suit.

If anyone from the Reich were to witness this man's appearance, they would say that he had an uncanny resemblance to the kaiser. Gerhard had a confident smirk on his face as he approached the Japanese diplomat while introducing himself to the man in the Japanese tongue.

"Saitou Morouchi, am I correct? Come with me, I am sure we have much to discuss..."

There was no exchange of pleasantries, nor was there a sense of respect in Gerhard's tone. As far as he was concerned, the man he was speaking with was an enemy. The fact that he was showing him any face by allowing him to step foot on German soil without any consequences was kindness in itself.

As for Saitou, he merely frowned when he was treated in such a way, but he did not immediately voice his displeasure. Instead, he did as he was instructed and silently followed the man to a conference room, where the two of them sat cross from one another. Once they were all alone, Gerhard broke the tense silence that existed in the air with an arrogant tone in his voice.

"Let's cut the bullshit and get straight to the point. You're here because of the recent incident that occurred between your fleet and our military outpost on that large island in the south Pacific, am I correct?"

The six hours of waiting, followed by an utter lack of respect, made Saitou want to jump up from his seat and throttle this foreign bastard. But he remembered the Empress's words and remained calm before speaking his piece.

"Empress Itami Riyo summons you to Heian-kyō to discuss-"

However, before he could even finish, Gerhard cut the man off, and voiced over his demands with a loud and belligerent tone.

"Your Empress summons me? Who the hell does she think she is to tell me Gerhard von Graz, the German Ambassador to the Ming Dynasty, that I must leave my place of residence, and travel across the Pacific just to listen to her demands?

In case you haven't noticed, I'm an incredibly busy man, and I don't have the time to drop everything just to listen to some entitled bitch lecture me about what she perceives to be a slight against her. Go back and tell Itami Riyo these words.

The Reich has settled the region that we currently refer to as Australasia, and we have no intentions of giving it up. Our claims to the region have already been recognized by the Ming Dynasty, the Anangpur Empire, and the Majapahit Empire.

If your Empress disagrees with this and wishes to discuss the matter in length, then she can come here and meet with me herself. Though I assure you, no matter what she has to say, the Kaiser will not budge on this issue. Nevertheless, my invitation still stands. If that was all you wished to discuss, then you are free to leave!"

Saito was utterly stunned by the sheer audacity the German Ambassador had. He wanted more than anything to duel this man to the death for the sake of his honor, and that of his empress. However, the man did not do so. Instead, he begrudgingly bowed his head and made one last statement before departing.

"I will make sure the Empress hears everything you have said..."

The words sounded respectful, but they were filled with venom, as if to point out that Gerhard had called the Empress an entitled bitch. Even then, this did not intimidate the German Ambassador in the slightest, instead he smirked before responding to this veiled threat with the utmost confidence.

"Don't forget to tell your Empress that I called her an entitled bitch. If she still dares to come to Beijing after hearing what I have said, then she will have earned my respect and I will treat her accordingly, something a worm like you will never receive. Now get the fuck out of my sight!"

With this said, the first real act of diplomacy between the Empire of Japan and the German Reich ended with a somewhat explosive result. Aside from a few trolling attempts in the past, there had never really been an official exchange of dialogue between Japan and Germany.

For Gerhard to rebuke the Japanese diplomat so ruthlessly, and openly refer to the Japanese empress as an entitled bitch, was surely a sign that the Germans refused to budge on their stance, and were completely unafraid of escalation.

As for Saitou Morouchi, he left the German embassy with an unbridled rage in his heart, and returned to the Japanese capital where he would inform Empress Itami of the insults she had received.

---

A few days later, Saitou Morouchi arrived in the palace of Heian-kyo where he kneeled before the young Empress and reported exactly what was said to him during his brief exchange with the German Ambassador.

The woman's snow white brows twitched as she heard the word's 'entitled bitch' repeated to her by her servant. She could honestly not believe that she had been treated so rudely by a foreign Empire's diplomat. It was as if the Germans were not giving her the slightest bit of face.

The fact that the Germans had treated her so rudely caused nothing but outrage to exist within Itami's mind, but when she recalled that she had been invited to Beijing to discuss this matter personally, she calmed her inner fury and thought about the situation for a few moments in silence. After carefully considering the words that were spoken on this matter, she asked Saito to repeat Gerhard's final statement.

"Repeat to me that last part. What were the exact words that this Gerhard von Graz spoke before sending you on your way?"

Saito was a smart man and could easily decipher the exact words that his empress wanted to hear. As a result, he kowtowed before her and uttered them exactly as Gerhard had said.

"He said, and I quote If she still dares to come to Beijing after hearing what I have said, then she will have earned my respect and I will treat her accordingly..."

Itami's sanguine eyes flashed with thought as she reflected on the exact meaning behind these words. It was abundantly clear that Gerhard was posing a challenge to her. She could sit back and simmer in her palace with the dignity of an Empress, but in doing so, she would be openly tolerating the insult that the Germans had given her.

However, if she lowered her head and sailed to Beijing to personally meet with the Gerhard, she would receive the respect of the Germans, but in doing so would lose the prestige of a sovereign empress. As she would essentially be saying that one lowly ambassador had the power to command her to meet with him in person.

Itami gritted her teeth in rage. She really wondered who this man was to be so confident that she would personally drop everything just to meet with him. It was at this moment that Nakamura Hana, the director of Itami's secret police who was standing nearby, voiced her thoughts on the matter.

"You said the ambassador's name is Gerhard von Graz. Is that correct?"

Both Itami and Saito immediately snapped their attention towards Nakamura as the Japanese diplomat silently nodded his head in response. Upon doing so, Nakamura's lip quivered slightly before revealing what she knew.

"There is a rumor that the German Ambassador to the Ming Dynasty is a relative of the Kaiser. If that is the case, then he's a member of the German royal family, at least by some extension. So he would certainly have the right to behave so arrogantly. I think it would be wise to speak with this man in person, if not only to get an impression about who the Kaiser really is from such a close relative."

When Itami heard this, she sighed heavily and sank back into her seat. Though she did not want to bow her head to the Germans and come visit them like a trained monkey, she desperately wanted to know more about Berengar, and she was wise enough not to put all of her eggs into one basket. Thus, she saw this as a golden opportunity to at the very least see what those close to the man in question truly thought about him. After careful consideration, the albino beauty voiced her decision aloud.

"I will go to Beijing and meet with this Haughty Ambassador. Let us see how arrogant this man can be to my face!"

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