Chapter 972: A Union at War

With the fall of Devagiri, and the multitude of war crimes committed by the Bengal Army, the Anangpur Empire and by extension, their German allies now had a reason to interfere in the conflict. At this very moment, General Arnwald stood by Emperor Dharya Tomara's side as he addressed the troops who had gathered on the border.

"For too long, we have sat idly by and watched as the Bengal Empire conquered our neighbors. Without warning, or just cause, Emperor Asha has marched his soldiers throughout the region, and put any resistance to the sword. Today that comes to an end!

Thanks to the intelligence provided by our German allies, I have come to learn of how atrociously the Bengal Army treats their newly conquered subjects. I will not sit by any longer and wait for our borders to be invaded, nor will I bear witness to the rape of Devagiri without responding!

As of this moment, I, Emperor Dharya Tomara, first of my name, hereby declare war on the Bengal Empire, with the intent to liberate our neighbors from the cruelty of the Bengal Army! Soldiers of Anangpur, stand proudly and act as the spear which will save India from a thousand years of darkness!"

Those men who had the distinguished honor of serving beneath Dharya Tomara saluted their emperor after his brief speech had concluded. They stood by awaiting orders to deploy to the Battlefield.

Dharya looked over towards his German advisor and spoke in a voice so low that nobody besides the two of them could hear it.

"Are you sure a single armored division is enough to deal with the Bengal Army? They have been supplied and trained by the Japanese for some time now. I am worried that our numbers won't be enough..."

Despite the Anangpur Emperor's concerns, Arnwald merely grinned, before speaking to the Anangpur Emperor in a casual manner.

"My men have spent the last year training in the art of Jungle Warfare within the colonies of Adelheim. I would say there is no greater ally you could call upon in this hour of need."

After saying this, Arnwald raised his voice and addressed the Armored Division, who sat in the background of the gathering, waiting for the fighting to begin.

"Men of the Reich? Who are we!?!"

Immediately, the twenty-five thousand men who were sitting back and waiting patiently jumped to attention before shouting in unison at the top of their lungs.

"We are proud warriors of the German Empire! We fight for the glory of the fatherland, and the prosperity of the German people! We serve the Kaiser and his vision with honor, loyalty, and valor above all! Second to none!"

Having heard this chant, which was engrained in the German soldiers from the moment they graduated basic training, Arnwald smiled before accepting their pledge with a simple response.

"Second to none!"

Having heard this, the soldiers stomped in unison before throwing up their salutes to their General who responded in kind. Once they had concluded the ritual, Arnwald turned to the Anangpur Emperor, who was standing by his side while stunned into silence, and smiled before confirming that a single division was more than enough to deal with their enemies.

"A single division of support should be enough..."

After witnessing such a powerful display, the Anangpur Emperor no longer had any concerns. Thus, with a far more confident expression on his face, he gave the order to invade the Bengal occupied territory.

"Go forth and liberate India from our enemies!"

Immediately after saying this, Dharya and Arnwald departed from the scene, returning to the safety of the Anangpur capital, where they would command this campaign from afar. As for the Anangpur soldiers, they reached into their pouches and pulled out a small tube which, when opened, revealed a large collection of pills.

As instructed by their officers, the Indian soldiers quickly swallowed one of these pills before stashing them away on their person. Once they had done this, they climbed onto the backs of the Panther Tanks, and Marder IFVs whose engines were howling upon activation.

They had no way of knowing it, but what they had just taken was a healthy dose of methamphetamines. The moment the substance entered their bloodstream, the soldiers of the Anangpur Empire would be far more focused and far less concerned with death.

After every available soldier had climbed onto an armored vehicle, the army began to move forward, into the borders of the Yadava Dynasty, which was now occupied by the Bengal Army.

The Bengal Army's discipline had completely collapsed following the death of the Japanese Advisors. Not expecting any resistance after seizing the city of Devagiri, the soldiers of Asha's army had taken up residence in the ruins, while digging up anything of value so that they could keep it for themselves.

The women and girls who had survived the siege were treated as playthings by the soldiers who when they weren't looking for treasures, took advantage of in every way they could. At the moment, there were not even any sentries protecting the borders of the city, nor were there scouts in the field keeping a lookout for a possible Anangpur Advance.

After all, they had not expected Dharya Tomara to capture evidence of their misdeeds, and use it as an excuse to not only declare war on them, but to drag their most powerful ally into the mix. As for Asha himself, the man was sitting in a relatively intact dwelling, surrounded by a harem of the most beautiful women he had seized during his campaigns. A pipe existed in the man's hand, which he smoked opium from. He had a fat smile on his face as he declared his thoughts about his current existence.

"There is nothing better in this world than conquest!"

However, the man's peaceful state was interrupted by a sudden growl, which could be heard in the distance. Neither he nor any of his soldiers knew what this noise was, but whatever was responsible for it appeared to be closing in on his location.

As the irritating noise became louder and louder, Asha got up from his seat and decided to investigate it. Perhaps it was sheer luck, or maybe even the will of the Gods, but the moment after he stepped out of the building, a loud thunder crackled in the air, and a 15cm shell landed upon the dwelling where the Bengal Emperor's harem currently rested in.

The resulting explosion turned the building into dust, and those within it into freshly ground meat. Asha had been knocked to the ground by the blast which caused him to become covered in blood and debris. The Bengal Emperor had entered a state of total shock as he gazed upon the destruction, struggling to believe it was real.

Before he could even come to his senses, the crackle of machine guns and other weapons resounded in the air, followed by the blood-curdling screams of his own soldiers who rushed out of their hiding holes and into the fray.

What Asha saw next, was a steel behemoth, larger than any of his war elephants, roll onto the scene, flanked by an entire squad of Indian soldiers. The Panzer easily crushed the meager barricade which stood in its path, and in doing so rolled over one of the Bengal Troops who could not get out of his post in time.

The man's screams as he was trampled to death by 45 tons of German steel would forever be engrained in the Bengal Emperor's brain as he gazed upon the sight in total confusion. He could not help but shout as he slowly came back to his senses.

"What the hell is that!?!"

Before he could even understand what it was that was destroying his army, a Bengal Soldier rushed forward towards his Emperor, with his lever action rifle in hand, and fired a shot towards an oncoming enemy. The bullet tore through the Anangpur Soldier's stomach, but did not halt the man in the slightest.

With a bayonet attached to his rifle, and pupils so wide one might think that perhaps he had gone mad, the Anangpur soldier rushed towards the Bengal Emperor despite having blood flow out of his gut like a river.

The inhuman tenacity of the enemy frightened Emperor Asha to his core. As the battle raged on around him, all he could see was the inches of sharpened steel which fastly approached his person. His life flashing before his eyes, Asha braced for death, but it did not come.

Instead, a wave of Bengal soldiers rushed into the area at the exact moment, and fired a volley into the enemy's body, cutting him down just before he could claim the Bengal Emperor's life. Everything had happened so fast that Asha struggled to believe this was his reality. Ultimately, it was the words of his soldiers who fiercely gripped onto his arm that woke him from his stupor.

"Your majesty! We have to get out of here!"

While his mind was still muddled with confusion, Asha was escorted out of the area by his soldiers, while the rest of his army crumbled beneath the union of the Anangpur and German armies.