Tyranny of Steel - Chapter 984

Emperor Asha Sarkar sat in his cell with an eerily calm expression on his face. He was given a guilty verdict earlier in the day after all the evidence of his misdeeds was laid out for a jury of his peers. The leaders of the world’s most powerful empires unanimously agreed on this. He was guilty, and the penalty for his crimes was execution.

Having been convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death, Asha now sat in his cell, dining on what the German guards referred to as his last meal. There were no tears in the man’s eyes, nor any indignation towards his destiny. From the moment he had witnessed the overwhelming might of the German Army first hand, he knew this would be his fate.

Time passed, and Asha’s meal soon came to an end. The Bengal Emperor wiped his mouth with his napkin, and listened to the bells chime, knowing that he did not have much time left. Shortly thereafter, a priest and several armed guards entered his cell, symbolizing that this was truly the end.

There was a grim look on the Hindu priest’s face as gazed upon the convicted war criminal, knowing full well what awaited him the moment he stepped out of this room. The priest could only shake his head before saying a slight prayer to his gods.

“I pray that you enter the cycle of reincarnation safely, and live a better life after you have been reborn.”

Asha simply snorted in response to this before regaining his silent and solemn state. With the Priest having said his prayers, the guards grabbed hold of Asha, and bound his hands and feet in chains where they dragged him through the cell block and towards the courtyard where his fate awaited him.

It was only after Asha was led out of his cell that the tears he had worked so hard to conceal began to flow. But why was he crying? Was he not already resigned to his fate? Surely he did not feel the fear of death in this moment. Perhaps it was the lingering regrets of all he failed to accomplish in his relatively short life.

As the Bengal Emperor passed by another cell, a prisoner called out to him, giving the words he hoped one would say to him when he himself finally walked to the gallows.

“Gods be with you!”.

To Asha, this was preposterous. If there were truly any gods in this world, why would they let him go on this journey to the afterlife? Yet he did not rebuke the man, and merely nodded silently to him before taking the final steps into the courtyard where the rope awaited him.

Standing on a large platform was a noose held high where an executioner waited patiently to fulfill his duties. With each step of the way, Asha felt his feet become heavier, and yet despite the monumental effort it took to walk towards his death, he continued to do so.

In the end, the Bengal Emperor wore a solemn expression as he stepped onto the platform, and allowed the rope to be placed around his neck. He had no last words to give to a world that had gone terribly wrong for him. With complete and utter silence, the ground beneath his feet let loose, and the fall broke his neck.

—

With Asha’s execution as a war criminal, the world had taken its first real step towards a form of international law. As for the convention where the rules of war would be discussed by the world’s leaders, Berengar had convinced his ‘peers’ to hold them in Vienna a month later.

Why was this monumentally important global affair being held in the second largest city in Austria? Well, for two major reasons. Firstly, as the leading world power, it was only right for this international treaty to be signed within the borders of the Reich.

However, what was probably Berengar’s most important reason for holding this diplomatic conference in Vienna rather than his capital was because he felt like the name ‘Vienna Accords’ sounded better than the ‘Kufstein Conventions’.

Thus, after Asha’s execution, Berengar returned to the Reich, where he began to make the preparations necessary to hold such a large meeting of the World’s many leaders. As the foremost power in this world, Berengar ensured that the Reich would handle everything.

Transportation, security, accommodations, logistics. The leaders of the world would not have to worry about any of that. They just needed to step on the plane, which the Reich provided for them, and fly to Vienna. The full hospitality of the German Empire would be on display for those rulers who were a part of Germany’s sphere of influence.

Before he knew it, a month came and passed, and Berengar was seated on a train heading towards Vienna. With his high-speed rails, it took a matter of hours before the Kaiser would arrive at his destination. Aside from the young boy Ghazi, he did not take any other family members with him to this important meeting.

Ghazi gazed up at his father with a hint of pride on his youthful face. For the past few years, he had been training daily on how to become an effective ruler like the man sitting next to him. The boy had learned a lot, and knew that at this moment, he was merely a puppet of the Kaiser. But as the Sultan of Al-Andalus, his presence at this monumental occasion was required. The father and son sat in silence in the royal train car for some time before Ghazi finally spoke up.

“Father, I know my place, and will support whatever stipulations you wish to establish, just like I did at Asha Sarkar’s trial. I just want you to know that you can count on me. I won’t speak out of turn, nor will I go against your will.”

Berengar was holding onto a newspaper and reading its contents when his son spoke up to him. There was a hint of curiosity in the boy’s eyes, and Berengar could tell that Ghazi was wondering just what he had in mind for holding this convention. With a slight sigh, Berengar revealed his plans to the boy.

“Ghazi, you are the Sultan of Al-Andalus, and though I am your regent, I suppose I have left you in the dark long enough. You’re probably wondering why I was so adamant to establish universally agreed-upon rules of war? Especially when I command the world’s most powerful military, and can do whatever I want to foreign powers. Is that correct?”

It did not surprise Ghazi in the least that his father had seen through his intentions, and thus, he nodded his head in silence, letting the man continue his speech like an obedient child. Which Berengar was quick to do.

“The Japanese Empire rises in the east, and they have committed many atrocities to their enemies in the wars of expansion they have waged. Not only against disarmed combatants, but against the civilian population as well.

It is no secret that their military poses a threat to our own. Will they actually be able to defeat us in a war? Absolutely not. There is no doubt in my mind that should our two Empires come to blows, the Reich will emerge victorious.

However, what I worry about is how they will treat my soldiers who are captured in warfare. Though Japan is not invited to this convention, for obvious reasons. I will use the international community as a way to pressure them into fighting with a degree of respect for their opponents.

As for any limitations on weaponry in warfare, or the treatment of insurgents and rebels. I will fight against any prohibitions on these matters. For the security of our state, we must be free to manage our own internal affairs as we see fit. Anything else will be an attack on our sovereignty, and such a thing can never be tolerated.

Thus, this treaty will explicitly apply to two or more internationally recognized states fighting wars against one another, and will have no bearing on internal revolutions, civil wars, and other means of quelling civil strife. Do you now understand why this matter is so important to me?”

Ghazi had a glint of understanding in his amber eyes. He was initially worried that perhaps the Japanese were posing such a threat to the Reich and its allies, that Berengar felt compelled to limit himself and his adversary in what weapons they might use.

Instead, this whole ordeal was merely a way for the Kaiser to force his enemies to treat his civilians and soldiers with the respect and dignity they deserved, even in a time of war. This made Ghazi sigh in relief before nodding his head in agreement with his father’s vision.

“Of course, father, I am much more relieved after hearing your intentions. Don’t worry, I shall do my part to support you in any way I can!”

Berengar smiled and placed down his newspaper before rustling his son’s golden hair while speaking words of encouragement.

“I know you will. You are my son, and I know that you will make me proud…”