Tyranny of Steel

Gunshots and cannon fire echoed in the air as the Granadan Royal Army pounded the walls of Cordoba. For the first time in centuries, the Moorish armies of Iberia had begun an attempt to reclaim the crown jewel of Al-Andalus. Sultan Hasan Al-Fadl, General Ziyad Ibn Ya'is of the Granadan Royal Army, and General Arnulf von Thiersee of the Austrian Royal Army were standing at the army's rear.

Through a desperate attempt to divert the attention of the Iberian Union's armies from the homeland, Hasan had decided to lay siege to the city of Cordoba. Surprisingly, the hail mary attempt to sneak an army through Andalusia and into the vicinity of Cordoba went as planned.

While most of his army was equipped with the inferior Arkebuse matchlock firearms and primitive falconet cannons, the Emirate's shock troops, known as the Granadan Royal Guard, were issued surplus weapons from the Royal Austrian Army.

The rifled muskets and 1417 12 lb Field Guns were being employed in a limited capacity. Despite the small numbers of such weapons, they proved to be exceptional in the field. As Arnulf gazed through his binoculars at the ongoing siege, he noticed the massive amount of damage being dealt to the walls by the combined explosive shells of the twelve-pounders and the one-pound solid shot used by the Falconet cannons.  Upon seeing the progress being made, Arnulf began to smile as he addressed the Sultan and his top General with a proud smile on his face.

"What did I tell you? These new weapons are vastly superior to what your forces currently are equipped with. Within a matter of hours, these walls will falter, and the city will be returned to Moorish hands at last!"

Hasan had a pleasant grin on his face; he had followed his sister's advice and returned to the battlefield to increase morale. As for whether or not he would lead from the frontlines, that was not something a man of his caliber was willing to risk.

Nevertheless, with the Sultan among their ranks, the Granadan forces had a boosted sense of morale as they recklessly charged past the Iberian missile fire and pelted the defenders with arkebuse balls. After gazing upon the battlefield for some time, Hasan began to speak to Arnulf as if he were an old friend.

"My friend, you must tell your master that I appreciate the continued support, though I fear it is not enough. Though we may be able to retake Cordoba after all of these years, I fear we will not be able to hold on to it! At least not until reinforcements from Austria arrive!"

While the generals were conversing in the rear, the Granadan Royal Guard stood back roughly three hundred yards away from the ramparts and opened fire upon the defenders standing behind the merlons for protection. 

The moment the Catholic Iberians raised their heads, a lead minie ball projectile would make its way into their skull, splattering blood and gray matter across their vicinity. The Catholic soldiers were terrified of the power and distance that such weapons could achieve. 

To penetrate through their iron helmets at three hundred yards was a feat the arkebuse could not possibly achieve. As such, they were incredibly fearful of the new weapons that the Granadans were fielding and quickly began to cower behind the ramparts, too afraid to stick their heads out from behind cover. 

Much like Arnulf had predicted, after several hours of bombardment, the walls finally crumbled, and the moment they fell, a grand melee began to break out between the Granadan pikeman and the Iberian defenders. 

The flag of Castille flew above the city of Cordoba as the Catholic warriors began to defend their town with all their might. Though the pike was not the most effective weapon for sieges, its length was quickly able to pass through the breach and cause damage to the city's defenders at a relatively safe distance. 

However, undoubtedly, the Granadan Royal Guard would lead the charge with their flintlock rifled muskets and bayonets when it came to urban warfare. Both sides struggled to gain ground at the destroyed section of the city's once-mighty walls for the time being. 

Hasan borrowed Arnulf's binoculars and gazed at the sight of the battlefield with joy in his eyes. He could not believe that they had brought down the wall so quickly; it had only taken them a few days to achieve this magnificent feat. As such, he had faith in Allah that his forces would prevail on this day.  With this in mind, he began to thank Arnulf once more for the weapons and tactics he and King Berengar had provided his forces with.

"I must say, what we have achieved here this day, could not easily be accomplished without the support of our good friends in Austria! After this war is over, I will be sure to throw a grand feast for you and all the soldiers who have helped us achieve victory!"

Arnulf had a severe expression as he heard this; in his eyes, Hasan was not what he would refer to as a man capable of thinking long term. This entire siege was a mistake from the Austrian General's perspective.

Moving their primary force out of a defensive position to draw the attention of the central Iberian Army was a poor decision. He decided to provide some advice to the Sultan of Granada; he did this by addressing his concerns over the current state of affairs with a friendly tone.

"Though this is indeed a great victory until reinforcements arrive from Austria, we will not be able to hold the city. We have been defending our borders for some time, but our enemies' numbers grow each day while our forces dwindle.

If we stay here, we will be cut off from supplies, and reinforcements, forced to defend the city until our last dying breath. I suggest after taking the town and annihilating the enemy, we abandon Cordoba and begin a guerilla campaign until the Austrian Expeditionary Force arrives."

General Ziyad Ibn Ya'is nodded his head in agreement with Arnulf's words and quickly spoke up in his defense. 

"I agree with General Arnulf; we simply cannot defend our borders as our enemies continue to outnumber us. Nor can we hold the city of Cordoba; we must massacre the enemy forces here and make a swift retreat.

I will take most of the army and hold the line within our borders; Arnulf should follow his plan and lead the Granadan Royal Guard on a guerrilla campaign to slow down the enemy's advance. After all, the Royal Guard is well trained in riding and is equipped with the best weapons. It would make the most sense to use them for this operation."

After hearing his general approve of Arnulf's plan, Hasan smiled and nodded his head in agreement. If this were a proposal that both men agreed upon, then he would heed their advice. As such, he clasped both men on the shoulders as he gave his consent to carry out such an operation.

"Very well, I shall leave this war in your capable hands; when this battle is over, I will return to Granada. I look forward to seeing the results of your campaign!"

As the Sultan said these words, the banners of Granada were raised above the city walls, and the bloodcurdling screams of battle came to an end; in its place, loud cheers echoed in the distance, signaling the Moorish victory. For the first time in centuries, Cordoba, the Jewel of Al-Andalus, was returned to the hands of its Moorish masters. 

Though the celebration would be brief, as Hasan and the other officers in his attache descended into the city and witnessed the bloodshed that had occurred, corpses of both sides littered the city's streets. Blood formed a small river as it flowed throughout the city. 

Eventually, Hasan took an advantageous position within the city and began to speak to his troops about their victory, and the plans settled only a few moments prior.

"Men! Today is a great day for the Emirate of Granada. We have retaken the Jewel of our people! However, we do not have the means to hold it, so we must abandon it! We will bury our dead and return to our borders to defend the heartland of Granada against those who would seek to destroy us.

While this is going on, the Grandan Royal Guard shall be led by our allies from Austria, who will undergo a campaign to slow down our enemies' advance and weaken their resolve! Glory to Granada! Glory to Al-Andalus!"

As Hasan said these words, the crowd of battle-hardened soldiers dressed in mirror pattern armor began to chant back his final words. In doing so, securing their victory. After finishing their gathering, the Granadan soldiers executed all of the Iberian soldiers who had surrendered before burying their own fallen warriors.

After these actions were completed, they ransacked the city for its supplies and headed off in the opposite direction back to their homeland. After making it to the halfway marker, the Granadan Royal Guard followed Arnulf and his attache on a separate path. Henceforth, until a time when the Austrian Expeditionary Force could arrive, He and his small army of elite soldiers would harass the Iberian Union worse than a colony of fleas living on a dog's back. 

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