Tyranny of Steel

Chapter 761 Defense of the Kaiser’s Canal

An officer in the German Army stood outside the Kaiser’s Canal, which was the name given to the area in Egypt that Berengar had sunk significant cost and effort into constructing over the past few years. After years of hard work, it was finally finished. The amount of steam shovels deployed to the region, and the extensive use of dynamite, was what allowed the Canal to be completed in roughly five years.

However, the Canal was completed during a time of great conflict. Just recently, the Byzantine and Timurid armies, or what remained of them, were forced to ferry across the Canal in fear of the pursuing crusader forces. Naturally, given the nature of the war that was ongoing in the region, Berengar had ensured that the troops protecting the canal were given priority in rearmament.

Because of this, there were more than a few 7.5cm and 10cm FK 25 Field Guns stationed around the Canal’s defenses. There were also machine-gun nests made out of reinforced concrete, where MG 25 machine guns lie in wait for the enemy. Thousands of soldiers were equipped with the new G25 rifles, however, not all of them were. Instead, there was a mix of the old weapons, with the new among these forces, whose job was to guard the canal from the hostile crusaders.

The Officer in charge of Canal’s defenses gazed through his binoculars and witnessed a large army on the horizon. This army was filled with men at arms, armed with pikes, arkebuses, and a variety of matchlock muskets, both smoothbore and rifled. When he saw this, he gave a series of commands to a nearby soldier.

“Report to the Telegraph operator. Inform him to dispatch a message to the fleet in Malta. An enemy army is approaching the Canal, and we are in need of assistance.”

The soldier, who was dressed in an arid combat uniform, and a matching Stahlhelm, nodded his head before running off to the fortification, which housed the massive telegraph station that was established in the fort. Another officer quickly addressed his superior with a hint of concern in his voice.

“Colonel, we only have a single brigade here to act as defense. Should we not withdraw?”

The Colonel turned around and placed his binoculars in their pouch. The Colonel was none other than Arnwald Gerwig, a man who had served in Berengar’s army since the beginning of his conquests, and had personally fought by his side during the early days of his war against Count Lothar. He stared at the Captain who questioned his decision with a hint of disdain on his face before spitting on the ground.

“We have spent the last five years building this canal, and now these backwoods feudal knights think they can come in and reap the benefits of our labor? No, the Kaiser would kill us all if he knew we retreated! If these fools dare to march on the Canal, we will show them the power of German steel!

However, because we are not officially at war with the crusaders at this moment, I shall dispatch a messenger, ordering them to turn around and leave Egypt behind. If they dare to approach the Canal, we will see it as an act of war, and will defend our position to the last man!”

The officer immediately lowered his head in shame. He felt bad for even suggesting a retreat. After all the effort they had put into building this canal, Arnwald was right when he said that the Kaiser would have their heads if they dared to retreat. After a moment of reflection, he went off to convey the Colonel’s orders, and ensured that every man was locked and loaded, ready for combat at a moment’s notice.

As the enemy army reached a range of roughly five kilometers away, a German messenger was sent to them on horseback. The Army chasing after the Crusaders was not the primary force of the Crusaders. Instead, it was led by the King of England, and primarily consisted of English and Red Dragon forces.

When the King of England noticed the rider coming towards him, he smiled fiercely. Finally, he could have a proper meeting with a representative of the German Empire. Until now, he had never been in direct contact with Berengar or his forces, however after witnessing the weapons employed by the Byzantine and Timurid forces, he had come to respect the Kaiser as a man of great power.

Naturally, Lawrence was unaware of the true power the German Empire possessed, thus he was surprised when he saw the rider approach him, not even wearing a suit of armor. He quickly shouted out to his own forces, looking for a translator who could speak with the German messenger.

“Anybody speak German?”

Surprisingly, a random nobleman in his army raised his hand in response to this, and volunteered for the task.

“I can speak a little…”

It surprised Lawrence that some of his men could speak the foreign language, but then again, prior to the rise of the German Empire, it was not entirely unlikely that English Knights and Lords would marry a foreign bride. Thus, he was not suspicious of this. Eventually, the German Rider approached the army and gave his demands.

“By the decree of Colonel Arnwald Gerwig, you shall not take a step further. This land belongs to the Kaiser, and to trespass with an army is considered an act of war against the German Nation. Unless you want the full might of the Reich to force you from these lands, I suggest you return from whence you came!”

Lawrence scoffed as he heard this. Looking around him, he could not believe what he was hearing. This was Egypt, since when did the Germans have a claim to this land? As far as he knew this was a small unit dispatched by the Kaiser to assist their Byzantine Alliers. Because of this he responded with a rather crass remark that only a man ignorant of the agreement that had taken place between Berengar and Vetranis would make.

“We’re in Egypt lad, this land belongs to the Byzantine Empire. Since we are at war with them, we have the right to take whatever we damn well please. I suggest you and your forces withdraw from the region if you don’t want to get slaughtered!”

The messenger laughed before ridiculing the English King in front of his own army. The Nobleman who acted as the translator had a sheepish expression on his face as he repeated the words that were spoken.

“Ignorant Swine, years ago, The Byzantine Emperor transferred this land to Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein as part of his personal holdings. Though it is subject to Byzantine laws and taxes, as far as the Kaiser is concerned, it is part of the Reich. As I previously stated, advance one step further and you will be trespassing on German land! We are not afraid to respond with force!”

The legality behind the Suez Canal was complicated, officially it was a part of the Byzantine Empire, and therefore subjected to its laws and taxes. However, it was also a feudal holding of the Kaiser, making it both a Byzantine and German territory.

While Lawrence could press the claim that he was taking Byzantine Land in an act of conquest, Berengar had the Right to deploy his armies to defend it. Since Berengar was the Emperor of Germany and the Reich was no longer a Feudal Country, he could legally deploy the Imperial Germany Military in its defense. Not only that, he could also deploy the Reichsgarde as well.

King Lawrence’s arrogant smile faded as he heard this. He suddenly felt like a fool for not being aware of this fact. This created a monumental problem for the man who wanted to claim the wealth of Egypt. Currently, he held most of the Sinai Peninsula after expelling the Byzantine and Timurid Forces beyond the Kaiser’s Canal.

However, the wealth of Egypt lies beyond the canal, which acted as a very literal barrier between German territory and the rest of the region. Lawrence could not cross the Canal without making an enemy of the Reich. This left him with one choice if he wanted to plunder the wealth of Egypt, and that was to sail around the Canal and invade the rest of Egypt from the sea!

However, were things so easy? Would the Germans allow a hostile force to exist on both sides of the Canal? No, it was entirely unlikely that they would make such a foolish decision. If he really intended to take Egypt, undoubtedly the German Army would interfere.

Because of this, King Lawrence and the English Crusaders were left with two choices: declare war on the German Empire, and attempt to take the Suez Canal by force, or withdraw from the region and settle for Syria-Palestine. In the end, the English King was not stupid enough to step on the tail feathers of the Eagle, and sighed heavily before withdrawing his forces from the region.

“You make a compelling argument. Very well, I will withdraw my forces from the region. We will have to settle with Syria-Palestine. Come along lads, our forces are needed elsewhere.”

With that said, a war between Germany and England was narrowly avoided. If not for the fear and respect that the English King had for the Kaiser and his army, things could have gone very differently.

After returning to the encampment, the messenger gave Lawrence’s response to the Colonel. Ultimately, Colonel Arnwald Gerwig decided to allow the fleet from Malta to approach the Canal, rather than call it off. After all, as long as this crusade continued, they could use the Naval support.