Tyranny of Steel

While Berengar was in the midst of a diplomatic discussion regarding the complete integration of the Joseon Dynasty into the German Reich's sphere of influence. Hans had been left in control of the efforts to rebuild the once mighty Japanese Empire.

Though it was not just the civilian sector that Hans had been tasked with leading, instead he coordinated with the Generals in the region on the ongoing efforts to hunt down and eliminate the remaining Japanese warlords who had fled to the hills in hope of escaping their gruesome fates.

Unfortunately for these men, and their foolish followers, the power of German aerial reconnaissance was enough to easily locate them, and thus after looking over the images which clearly identified the targets Hans gave the order to put an end to Japan's feudal era once and for all.

Itami sat in the room, along with General Tsugaru, as they posed their own ideas on how best to drive the warlords out of their mountain strongholds.

"I believe if we deploy our most elite troops to engage in direct conflict with the warlords, we will be able to eliminate them with little casualties! Since the Imperial Japanese Army has been disbanded, and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces have not yet been established, naturally this role will have to fall to the Germans..."

Itami gave Tsugaru a look of approval, and yet Hans was as stoic as ever. He sat in his chair while resting his chin on the top of his knuckles as he carefully inspected the photographs that had been taken of the makeshift strongholds which the warlords used to continue their rebellion. After several moments of awkward silence, Hans emitted a single sound, which was a haughty scoff, before finally speaking his opinion on how best to deal with the remaining warlords.

"The enemy is nothing more than a bunch of rats who have been cornered and are now awaiting their deaths. They want us to attack, so that they can go out in a blaze of glory. I won't give them such a luxury.

The fact of the matter is there is not a single valid reason to risk the lives of our soldiers when we can easily annihilate each warlord, and those idiots who still follow them with a series of surgical strikes... General Gearwig... How many V-2 Ballistic Missiles do we currently have in Japan?"

General Arnwald Gerwig looked over at the Crown prince with a hint of surprise on his face, however nobody in the room was more shocked than Itami. The fact that Germany had brought V-2 ballistic missiles onto her shores was a frightening prospect. After all, she was familiar enough with the weapons to know just how much damage they could cause. She was about to protest this decision when the German General cut her off by answering the Prince's question.

"We currently have five ballistic missiles on Japanese soil. Is it my understanding that you wish to target the remaining warlords with such weapons? Pardon me for saying this sir, but those aren't actually-"

Hans's expression remained cold as ice as he immediately cut the General off and declared his authoirty.

"I don't want to hear your excuses General! Even though a few days ago my father had declared an official end to this war, there are still quite a few dregs who wish to resist the new order that we are establishing here in Japan. It is the end of the Feudal Era, and while my father eliminated such primitive notions a decade ago within the fatherland, sadly, a few stubborn old men cling to their ancient ways in this part of the world.

I dare say it would be a bit anti-climactic if the old world did not come crashing down around us without a spectacular bang. Don't you agree? General, I am officially giving you my authorization to deploy the missiles as you see fit.

Of the original thirteen pretenders to the Japanese throne, three remain, and we have five missiles. So I suggest you be as precise as possible, because I do not want to have to wait another few months in order for another missile to make its way to these shores."

After hearing Hans' cold and calculated speech about bringing an end to Feudal Japan once and for fall. Itami could no longer hold her tongue and was quick to disagree with the German Prince's decision.

"You want to use ballistic missiles to take out a few makeshift strongholds? Have you gone mad? You will destroy far more than just the warlords if you use such weapons on my home soil!"

Despite Itami's resistance to the idea, Hans did not even take her opinion into account, and was quick to remind the Japanese Empress just who was in charge.

"Funny, I don't remember asking for your opinion... Need I remind you that the responsibility of rebuilding Japan, and ending this petty rebellion once and for all, has fallen to me while my father is away on an important diplomatic mission? My word is the law until the Kaiser returns to sort things out himself.

I have decided the risk of besieging these strongholds with a direct assault is not worth what little benefit is to be had. Especially when you take into account the fact that we can just drop a ballistic missile on their heads!

Besides, you have nothing to worry about. The warlords and their men are far enough away from any civilian structures that our attack will not harm any innocents. Nor will it cause any long-term effects on the landscape."

After saying this, Hans shifted his attention back to General Arnwald Gerwig, where he spoke in an authoritative tone.

"You have your orders, General. Do not disappoint me..."

With this said, Hans walked out of the room, leaving Arnwald to stare at Itami with an awkward expression on his face. After staying silent for several seconds, the German General followed Hans' lead, and exited the room where he immediately ordered the use of ballistic missiles.

In one of the mountain strongholds where the last of the Japanese warlords was currently hunkered down, a rather refined looking man stood not in his Imperial Japanese Military uniform, but rather in a full Tosei Gusoku. The man was none other than the head of the Yamana clan.

As a staunch traditionalist, he sought to restore the feudal structure of Japan, but with himself as the Emperor. Of course, his efforts to do so had been completely halted by the sudden invasion of the German Empire.

Thus, the man was at his wit's end, as he and his soldiers secluded themselves in a makeshift mountain stronghold, hoping to have a heroic last stand. As he held his sword in hand and gazed upon the foothills below, one of his soldiers approached him with some urgent news.

"Your majesty, the German troops stationed in the foothills below have begun to withdraw. It appears that they have given up on laying siege to this fortress. Our luck has finally turned around!"

The haughty Daimyo chuckled when he heard this, before boasting of his perceived victory.

"Ha! Those filthy barbarians from the west are too afraid to try to take this land from us. I should not have expected so much from such backwards savages! The glory of Japan shall be restored once I claim my throne! And you will have a critical place in my new empire!"

However, the momentary happiness that both men felt suddenly came crashing down around them as a load roar erupted in the skies. After careful observation, a large missile could be seen flying through the sky. It was at this moment that the warlord knew the reason why the Germans had so suddenly begun to withdraw.

They were not, in fact, breaking the siege, but were instead deploying a powerful weapon to completely obliterate the last of the Yamana clan and those who remained loyal to it. An intense sense of dread overcame that Daimyo as he shrieked like a frightened little girl.

"Run! Run for your lives!"

He quickly cast his sword aside and began sprinting out of the fortress. But how could a man outrun a supersonic missile that had been deployed from across the country? Before long, the missile detonated in the air above the stronghold, as a fiery explosion began to consume everything within an eight hundred meter radius. The last sound that the Daimyo made was a horrific scream as his entire body was consumed by the blast.

While the Yamana Clan was being consumed in a giant fireball, so too had missiles been launched on the other remaining warlords. As Hans had stated in his speech to the Japanese Empress. On this day, the Feudal Era of Japan had come to a bitter end, along with the German-Japanese War, which had claimed the lives of over a million Japanese citizens.