Tyranny Of Steel

Chapter 673 - Death of an Emperor

While Berengar was managing the affairs of his realm, and preparing for an expedition to South Africa. Itami was modernizing her army and preparing for a major battle with the rebels. However, in Morocco, Hasan had already invaded North Africa and had made some significant gains in the little time since his troops had landed.

In every battle he had waged since he arrived on the continent, Hasan and the army of Al-Andalus had prevailed. Why wouldn't they? They were battle-hardened from years of fighting against the Catholics' attempt to reclaim Iberia and were now equipped with the best weapons money could buy. In the entire western world, only the arms used by the Imperial German Army were superior to Hasan's.

The soldiers of Al-Andalus were primarily equipped with rifled flintlocks, many of which were refurbished weapons previously used by Germany's forces, and twelve pound cannons modelled after the infamous M1857 12-pounder Napoleon from Berengar's past life.

They had even copied the tactics used by their German Counterparts, which while fighting offensively followed the principle of fire and maneuver employed by the Prussians in the Franco-Prussian War of Berengar's past life. Until now, the soldiers of Al-Andalus had been completely undefeated in their campaign.

With superior range and destructive capability, the first few engagements between Hasan and his rivals were total massacres. The war had only begun recently, and yet significant ground had been made after a few clashes with the enemy. In the previous battle, the enemy forces had broken ranks and fled further inland towards their capital. It was because of this that Hasan was hasty in his pursuit, not even realizing that such a tactic was a basic feigned retreat.

The thought did not even cross the young Sultan's mind. After all, his army was vastly superior to the enemy's, and he genuinely believed the war was practically over, despite the conflict beginning only recently. In the first few battles, he had smashed his enemy's forces and broken their will to fight. They had even fled towards the capital in fear of their lives. Hasan was brimming with confidence as he thought about such things.

Berengar? Who is Berengar? Has Berengar ever won a war as swiftly as I have now? These were the thoughts dwelled in the mind of the young Sultan as he smiled smugly while riding atop his steed. Currently, Hasan and his forces were marching through a ravine with their objective being on the other side.

Normally, Hasan would think twice about entering such difficult terrain. The ravine was narrow, so much so that it was impossible to form ranks in such a position, but oddly enough, the enemy had not taken advantage of this terrain, and simply ran through the valley. Hasan truly believed it was a simple matter of charging through the chokepoint and fighting the enemy on the other side.

Unfortunately, things were not so simple. After all, there was a dangerous presence in the hills above. The current Monarch of Morocco, Sultan Said al-Haqq, was lying in wait alongside the majority of his forces, who were preparing to strike against the Al-Andalusian host.

He gazed in disbelief at the Al-Andalusian forces who had walked into an obvious trap. Truthfully, he felt as if this feigned retreat was his last chance to achieve victory in this war. It was a desperate gamble that he did not believe would actually work.

Yet, Hasan had marched his forces into a ravine where he had no means to fight effectively. Was this ignorance on Hasan's part? Or was he the one being led by the nose? Said was hesitant to give the orders to attack and quickly conversed with his advisors about the current situation.

"Do you think this is a trap? Hasan can't be this stupid, can he?"

Said's most trusted vassals gazed at him with mixed expressions. The truth of the matter was they didn't think their plan would work out either. Yet Hasan and his army were clearly in the ravine, unknowingly surrounded by enemies on all sides.

At this point, they had to consider the possibility that they might be the ones who had walked into a trap. However, one man in particular raised his voice after witnessing the hesitation in his sovereign's eyes. He could not believe they were being so timid at such an opportune moment.

"Does it matter!?! Either our plan works, and we are victorious, or it fails and we are all dead. Exactly what are we waiting for? A signal from Allah to begin the attack? Initiate the assault already!"

Said and his advisors shrugged their shoulders before giving the orders to attack.

"light them up!"

After saying this, the men in his army lit their torches and used them to ignite several large fuses that led to a series of explosive casks lined on the ridge. The resulting explosion caused a massive rockslide to tumble down the hill and towards the Al-Andalusian Army.

Initially, Hasan had thought that one of his soldiers had fired his weapon without the order to do so. However, upon seeing the explosion on the cliffs above, and massive boulders tumbling towards him and his army, Hasan's eyes widened in disbelief as he cried out in agony.

"It's a trap!'

However, it was too late. Gravity forced the thousands of rocks down from the hills above, and into his army, crushing men alive beneath their heavy weight. The boulders did not stop with one or two men, but continued to trample across the Al Andalusian army until they reached the other side of the Ravine.

Hasan had marched an entire division into North Africa, and they had few casualties until this point. However, in a single moment, tens of thousands lie dead. Miraculously, the foolish Sultan survived only to gaze in horror as his enemies descended the cliffs, firing bows, matchlocks, and cannons upon his position.

The surviving soldiers of Al-Andalus barely had enough time to collect their thoughts as enemy projectiles pelted them. Solid six pound cannonballs tore apart those who were unlucky. Panic had long since filled Hasan's mind, and he tried his best to command his horse to rush through his own ranks, and back on the path he had came, but it was no use, the enemy truly had him surrounded on all sides. With no choice left but to fight, the young Sultan gave the orders to attack.

"Open fire! For the love of Allah, open fire!"

Those who could get ahold of their weapons were quick to pull the triggers, however these were muzzle loaders, and before they could even think of reloading their weapons, the swords, and spears of the Moroccan infantry had found their way into the flesh of their enemies. As if copying the German Army in its entirety, the Royal Andalusian Army had worn protective gear only over their heads and their torso. Because of this, there were plenty of gaps in their armor to make use of, some of which were fatal, such as the neck and the femur.

Hasan had no choice but to unleash his blade and fight against the enemy, all while trying to avoid the enemy's missile fire. He slashed his scimitar across a hostile warrior's unarmored neck, severing his head in the process.

A few members of the Royal guard surrounded Hasan with their muskets and their bayonets. Doing their best to protect their sovereign. The men fought desperately, trying to break out of the grand melee that was taking place.

While shots fired towards them from above and his men fell around him, Hasan had made his way to the edge of the battlefield. However, what he witnessed was a firing line of Moroccan arkebusiers who aimed their guns towards him and his royal guard.

The Moroccan sultan sneered in disdain as he gave his Andalusian counterpart a final speech.

"You know, Hasan, I thought you were smart enough to see a trap when it was laid out for you. However, the rumors are true. Until now, you have relied on the talents of greater men to achieve the position you have today.

Your most critical mistake was believing that you had won the war before a treaty was signed. Your arrogance blinded you as you charged after my feigned retreat, and into a position where you could not effectively use your soldiers. Even if I had not triggered the rockslide, you still would have died here today. Do you have any last words before I take your life?"

In his last moments, Hasan's life's memories flashed in his mind. His biggest regret was not leaving a son and heir to carry on his work. He had been so busy enjoying his life that he had not even considered the possibility of death. He truly should have listened to Adelbrand and never marched his armies into these lands. With a bitter smile on his face, Hasan expressed his last words.

"Tell Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein, that I'm sorry... I'm sorry that I have failed him, and in doing so, have forced him to clean up my messes once more. He was right. I am not fit for the battlefield."

Having said this, Said smiled sinisterly before lowering his hand abruptly, causing the arkebusiers to pull their triggers, resulting in a volley that shredded Hasan from head to toe. What remained of his body would be devoured by the desert's beasts.

With the death of the Sultan of Al-Andalus, the throne would pass to his five-year-old nephew. Seeing as he was so young, Ghazi would be forced to name a regent to rule over his lands. Naturally, the boy would name his father. This meant that for the next eleven years, Berengar would be the de facto ruler over the Sultanate of Al-Andalus and the German Empire.

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