Tyranny of Steel

Chapter 608: Laying Siege to the City of Madrid

The echo of guns filled the air above the Capital of the Kingdom of Spain, not even a week had passed since the German-Granadan alliance had begun its invasion over the Iberian Kingdom, and yet the allies were already at the capital of their enemy.

If not for the foolish actions of the Spanish Monarch, such a rapid advance would not be possible. After all, King Felipe had foolishly rushed into the saltpeter mines with a majority of his army. In doing so, he walked straight into a trap that had successfully killed himself and his forces.

Because of this masterful play by the German Emperor, the Kingdom of Spain was practically defenseless, with only a few thousand defenders spread across its many cities. Most of which threw up their arms in defeat the moment they witnessed the German-Granadan alliance cross into their borders. Despite this mass surrender, the city of Madrid was more than willing to lie down their lives in its defense, and thus, they had established a prolonged siege outside the city’s borders.

Hasan’s orders were explicit. The German Army was not to destroy the city in its attempt for a rapid victory, and because of this they had focused their artillery fire on the walls. The plan was to bring them down, and allow the German Soldiers to advance into the city en masse.

At the moment, Adelbrand was sitting back in the siege camp, watching the fiery explosions as they detonated against the walls. He had a cup of coffee in his hands, which was recently brewed. He drank several small sips from the mug as his officers addressed their concerns.

“Soon word will reach the French about our invasion, and the Spanish Kingdom’s defeat. If we wish to hold on to the ground we have gained, we will need to set up defenses in the Pyrenees, where we can ambush any crossing the French or other Catholic Kingdoms might make into Iberia.

I know the Papacy will not abandon these lands without a fight, so we should at minimum expect an expeditionary force to combat our gains. At the very least, the Pope will be able to claim that he tried to combat our conquest.”

Adelbrand nodded his head as he heard these terms before placing down his coffee mug onto the table and glancing over at General Ziyad, of the Granadan Royal Army. With a stern expression on his face, the German Field Marshal asked for the man’s advice.

“Do you think your men are up to the task of holding the borders? I can assure you that our Navy will deter any seaborne operations the Catholics may attempt. It is a simply a matter of protecting the Pyrenees and preventing the Catholic Army from invading.”

Ziyad took a few moments to contemplate before nodding his head in response.

“Indeed, we now have a chance to restore the glory of Al-Andalus. My soldiers would rather die than let our victory go to waste. I assure you the French will not be able to pass through the mountains. I will make sure of it.”

It was at this moment that the walls came crashing down around the city. Cheers echoed in the air as the Generals looked over into the distance and noticed only a few sections of the once mighty city barrier stood standing.

Upon noticing this, Arnulf took a few gulps of his coffee, finishing it before donning his helmet over his head and wearing a smirk on his face while posing a question to the other leaders of the Alliance’s army.

“Shall we get to it, then?”

The German Field Marshal did not wait for an answer. Instead, he pulled out a nearby g22 rifle and ensured it was loaded before marching alongside his guard to the city which had been infiltrated by the German and Grenadan Armies. Because of their strict orders not to shell the city into oblivion, the few defenders the city could manage to muster were lying in wait with their matchlock muskets and arkebuses ready.

The instant the German and Granadan Soldiers rushed passed the ruined walls, the defenders opened fire on them. A spray of smoke and lead pelted the German and Granadan soldiers. Despite this, fewer than one would suspect were killed or maimed.

The armor that the Germans and Granadans were equipped with protected their vitals from any form of fire the enemy could produce. Only at extremely short distances could a Spanish musket ball penetrate the quenched and hardened steel armor that their enemies wore.

Most of the rounds were simply deflected off of the armor of the advancing soldiers, with only the most unlucky dying from the impact. If one were misfortunate enough, a musket ball could penetrate through their unarmored face, or femoral arteries. Aside from that, most of the men simply walked through the line of fire and exchanged a volley of their own.

The city’s defenders desperately struggled to load their weapons and fire another round, but the ability to reload your weapon in a matter of seconds was simply too much for them to handle. Eventually, the sheer volume of fire overwhelmed the Spanish Defenders who were either slaughtered behind their defences or outright surrendered.

Eventually, the siege came to an end, and the gunfire halted. Those fortunate enough to survive could sense only the smell of smoke and blood within the city. As for the leaders of the German Granadan alliance.

Hasan led his Generals and that of his German Allies into the Royal Palace as if he were a conquering hero. The young Sultan stepped foot into the center of the Great Hall and wore a stern expression as he noticed the Spanish Queen huddled up alongside her children, shivering in fear. When he noticed this, his expression softened, and he opened up his arms in a peaceful gesture, begging for the woman to surrender.

“It is over. Surrender your forces now and accept the restoration of Al Andalus. If you peacefully end this conflict, I promise that you and your children will live a life of peace and prosperity. Under my authority as Sultan I swear no harm shall come to you, all you need to do is bend the knee to my rule.”

The woman snubbed his graceful gesture. She glared at the young Sultan with a killing gaze. Unbeknownst to Hasan, the woman had a dagger concealed behind her back, and thus the moment the Grenadan Sultan neared her presence, she lashed out at the man, attempting to skewer his heart, and take his life.

Hasan gazed upon the knife, which was a mere foot away from his torso with trepidation. As his life flashed before his eyes, the echo of a gunshot resounded in the room, and the woman who was so close to killing Hasan fell to the ground lifeless. A bloody red circle appeared between her eyes.

Noticing that he was still alive, the young sultan immediately searched for the man who had killed his attacker. What he saw was Adelbrand holding his revolver, the German Field Marshal quickly blew out the smoke protruding from his barrel before re-holstering the weapon, as if killing the Queen of Spain was not the slightest concern to him. When Adelbrand saw the look Hasan was giving him, he was confused and thus voiced his complaint.

“What? The bitch was going to kill you, you should be thanking me! I just saved your life.”

The Grenadan Royal Guard instantly moved to secure their Sultan, as Hasan’s soldiers restrained the Queen’s crying children. The Sultan could not believe what had just taken place. He had offered the woman peace and luxury, and instead she tried to kill him. If not for Adelbrand’s sharp eye and quick draw, he would be dead right now. After several moments of shock, Hasan sighed before thanking the German Field Marshal for his help.

“Much like your Kaiser, I owe you my life… When this war is over, I promise to reward you handsomely for your heroic actions.”

Adelbrand merely smiled and nodded his head before dispatching orders to the surrounding soldiers.

“The Capital is ours, but we still have much territory to conquer. If the Catholic Expeditionary Forces cross the Pyrenees, we will be in for a long and bitter campaign. We will leave behind a task force to secure the region, and then advance north. The Queen’s death will surely embolden the Spanish people to resist our rule. If we do not act swiftly, this will become another Portugal.”

With this said, the German and Granadan soldiers quickly saluted their leaders before embarking on their quest. Within a matter of hours, a small Granadan garrison would secure the city of Madrid, and the remaining forces would rapidly advance north.

While Berengar’s negotiations with the Muslim world reached a standstill, his allies in Iberia made swift progress in the restoration of Al Andalus. As for his remaining enemies, they would struggle to act on the German-Granadan invasion of Spain. After all, provoking conflict with the German Empire was a hard choice to make, especially when they knew they were not yet ready to face their might.