Tyranny of Steel



The thunder of guns echoed in the Ming capital of Beijing, as multiple factions of warlords, despots, loyalists, and any number of ideological factions arose in the civil war. As the bullets whipped past the fact of a young loyalist, he quickly slammed the bolt forward on his rifle and pulled the trigger. In doing so, he returned fire with his 8mm projectile which pierced through his target's chest, and thus claiming the man's life.

Fighting had broken out all across the Ming Dynasty, and many of its citizens were now fleeing into the surrounding empires to escape the chaos and carnage that came with civil war.

It was a disaster that sought to tear the mighty Chinese Empire to pieces.

And yet, the loyalists held on and waved their dynastic banners as they continued to fight against the rebelling factions with everything they had. Eventually, the loud chugging of the heavy water-cooled machine gun dispersed the rebels. Those who survived the bursts of lead dropped their weapons and fled into the crowd of cowering civilians, attempting to conceal their rebellious activity as they did so.

Yet, these rebels, warlords, and brigands were entirely unaware that up in the orbit of the planet, a satellite had locked onto their position, and recorded their appearance. This information was then given by German Imperial Intelligence to their operatives embedded within the isolated Ming Dynasty, who would pass it onto the proper authorities.

Within an hour, these rebels would be dragged out of their homes and shot in the streets as a public statement. A warning, if you will, to those who dared rebel against the proper Emperor. Speaking of with Zhu Zhi having been assassinated, the throne now fell to one of his younger brothers. A man who was particularly dull, and easily swayable by his court of advisors.

Zhu Bai sat within the safety of the forbidden palace, completely unaware of the chaos that was going on across his Empire. According to his advisors, there was no civil war, and his reign was perfectly secured. Since Zhu Bai had no reason to be skeptical about this claim, he continued to live a lavish lifestyle, while his country burned around him in the flames of rebellion.

Regardless of the fact that the fighting had now entered Beijing, the loyalist faction was not on the edge of defeat. In fact, aside from a few insurgents which were located in their territory, the majority of the rebellious factions were being pushed further and further out of the Ming mainland.

After all, the enemies which the Loyalists faced were being closely monitored by German satellites, reconnaissance aircraft, and field agents. Though the isolationists did not know it, the intelligence they received about their enemies actually came from the German Empire, which had proven to be the key aspect in their repeated victories against the rebel armies.

Thus, with the way things were currently headed, it was only a matter of time before the Ming loyalists emerged victorious in their ongoing civil war.

In another corner of the world, another civil war was being waged. In all the Rus states, the Orthodox church had begun inciting the people against their rulers. Propaganda about a coming German invasion compelled many rational men to take up arms and attack their masters.

The Rus had largely maintained a stance of isolationism regarding world affairs. They were still a very medieval society, one which was quite incompetent. After all, the German Empire spent an absurd amount of money on flooding the Rus states with cheap vodka every year.

But the Berengar administration was coming to an end, and in its place, Hans was rising to become the next kaiser of the German Reich. And Hans had a grudge to bear against the Rus that had not yet been paid in full.

Thus, the current Chancellor of Germany, who was also its Crown Prince, was doing everything in his power to spill as much blood as possible within the Rus states. Currently, a young Russian boy, no older than thirteen, was carrying a semiautomatic rifle in his arms, through the mud and snow of the frozen Russian wastes.

His body was adorned in fur hides as he knelt down and aligned the sights of his weapon. He pulled the trigger three times in rapid succession, sending three 8mm projectiles down range, and into the bodies of Russian boyar who sat on horseback with his sword in hand.

The gunfire crackled in the air as the bullets tore through the man's chest, killing him on the spot. His armed guards did not even have time to react to his death, as the enraged mob of Russian peasants rose up against their masters and began to beat them to death with farm equipment and large stones. Completely unafraid of their own deaths at the hands of the medieval men at arms, who tried their best to repel their attackers.

All around the Rus states, sights like this were common, a combined force of modern weapons, and medieval arms were used to fight against the Boyars and their feudal soldiers. All the while, the German Empire watched and stirred the pot, waiting for the violence to reach its boiling point before justifying their invasion.

One other conflict was being waged in the world at this point in time, it was not a civil war like the other two, but the soldiers of the Aztec Empire descended upon the last stronghold of their Inca rivals with the ferocity of the jaguar whose hides they wore into battle.

The steel short spears of the Aztec warriors were far too lethal for the wicker shields, and padded armor that Inca bore. Ripping through their primitive defenses and claiming the lives of those who dared to defy this foreign invasion.

Cualcoatl stood as a living god among his army, leading the charge, as his steel scaled armor prevented any and all attacks from harming his vitals. With a spear and shield in hand, he cut through the Inca resistance like a war god in the flesh. With each torso, his spear plunged into his victim's blood would splash across his tan skin and golden hair, further giving him the visage of a blood-crazed deity.

One by one, the Inca defenders fell to the Aztec conquest, like wheat to the scythe, as their souls were ripped from their bodies. Until finally, Cualcoatl and his army stood victorious.

This was the last stronghold that the Inca had left in their civilization, and now it, along with all of its inhabitants who yet drew breath, had been conquered.

With a fierce and mighty roar, Cualcoatl screamed to the heavens as they blessed his victory with the rain. After ascending atop a mountain of corpses, Cualcoatl declared his victory so that the gods and men may witness his glory.

"The Aztec Empire is victorious once more! Though this land we have conquered is rich and fertile, it has yet to see the greatness of the feathered serpent! Thus, as of today, we will be claiming these lands for our people, and will begin their resettlement. Glory to the gods! And glory to the Aztec people!"

Cualcoatl's warriors lifted their spears towards the sky, amid the thunder and lightning which accompanied their victory, and shouted their war chants in response.

"Glory to the Gods!"

With this, one of the three major armed conflicts which were occurring around the globe had suddenly come to an end, and the Aztec Empire had doubled the size of the land which they now owned.

Though how long they could keep it for, before the Germans began to make their demands. This was something that only the Gods knew. However, just because the Aztecs had ended their war with the Inca, that did not mean that those wars fought in Russia and the Ming Dynasty were anywhere close to being completed.

In fact, the war for Russia had not even truly begun, as the Germans still sat by and waited for the violence to escalate before commencing the slaughter which the Crown Prince had planned. This genocide would be waged as an act of vengeance on behalf of Hans' wife Veronika, as well as the German people who suffered unspeakable crimes at the hands of the Russians in another world, and on another timeline.

After all, though time had forgotten this reality, Berengar had not, and he had passed on the tales of his past life, and the grievances his people had suffered to his son and heir, who would soon be in a position of power to do as he pleased with this world.