Chapter 983: Convicting a War Criminal

Emperor Asha Sarkar sat within the confines of a cell in the city of Anangpur. For the past few weeks, the Anangpur Empire had held him captive, while the German Army and their Indian allies liberated his newly conquered territories.

Despite being a prisoner of war, being charged with a multitude of war crimes, the cell which Asha sat in was not, by any means, inhumane. A simple cot existed for his sleeping needs, along with a chamberpot, and a bathtub. This was obviously the influence of the German Empire, who treated their prisoners of war with some dignity and respect.

Two guards protected the cell, but they were given strict orders not to interact with the prisoner other than to help fulfill his basic needs. They were prohibited by law from insulting or degrading the man, despite the horrific damage he had caused to the region. Thus, all they could do was stand and protect a war criminal until the trial commenced.

Asha was currently enjoying his breakfast, which came in the form of German field rations. Though they weren't the most extravagant of meals, they were nutritious and free from any possible poisoning attempts.

After scarfing down the field rations, as if it were his last meal. The door to the cell opened, and a finely dressed German man stood before the Bengal Emperor. Asha knew who this man was, as he had several encounters with him over the past few weeks of captivity. The man was named Rolf Müller, and he was the lawyer attached to Asha's case.

However, after weeks of dealing with this man, there was something different about today, for today Rolf was not alone. Instead, he was flanked by several armed guards. There was also a noticeable expression on the man's face, one which showed a tinge of pity, which he was quick to express the reason behind it.

"I'm afraid your trial has been moved up to today. Emperor Dharya is convinced the war will come to a close in the following weeks, and as a result, he wishes to put you on trial before its end. Come with me, and I will do my best to get you a fair sentence."

Asha could only sigh in defeat after hearing such grave news. Though he supposed it was better to get this over with now, rather than live under what he perceived to be abysmal conditions for the next few years. Thus, he stood up from his seat, and followed after the Lawyer. Where he was led into a courthouse.

When Asha was escorted out of the back of a wagon, German reporters had gathered to take photos of the man and ask him questions. The first of which was a bombshell of a blonde woman who stuck a microphone in his face.

"Emperor Asha Sarkar, is it true that you gave the orders to your soldiers which protected them from criminal acts such as a rape, torture, and the mass murder of unarmed civilians? Are you going to plead guilty today?"

Emperor Asha quickly heard the words translated into his native tongue. Where he felt compelled to respond to, however, before he could do so, he felt a shove from his back, which came from his lawyer, who took charge of the conversation..

"My client will not be taking any questions at this moment. Thank you for your understanding!"

After saying this, Rolf pushed Asha forward and into the building, where the reporters quickly followed after. After a while, the two men entered the courtroom, where the Bengal Emperor was stunned by what he saw. Gathered together in the seating assigned to the jury was a group of world leaders.

Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein was immediately noticeable, however seated by his side was a young boy, no older than ten, who had bronze skin, golden hair, and amber eyes. He was dressed in the Imperial Regalia, which belonged to the Sultan of Al-Andalus.

Next to Sultan Ghazi Al-Fadl was Emperor Vetranis of the Byzantine Empire, along with Sultan Salan Mirza of the Timurid Empire, who was in turn flanked by Emperor Dharya Tomara of the Anangpur Empire, and Emperor Suratman of the Majapahit Empire.

The last defining figure in the jury was none other than the Ming Emperor Zhu Wudi, who sat gracefully with a keen expression on his face. The Ming Emperor knew that this trial was a farce created by Germany in an attempt to establish some semblance of international law under their authority. It was the whole reason that Empress Itami Riyo of the Japanese Empire was not invited to this event, as she was the Kaiser's only true rival.

On another note, the petty Kings of Europe, though present for this international trial, were not permitted to partake in the jury, as their realms were now client states of the Reich, and therefore they were not Asha's peers. It was only now that he was surrounded by so many important figures, where Asha truly began to understand the severity of his situation.

The judge entered the courtroom, but to nobody's surprise except for Asha, it was not an Anangpur official who was presiding over this trial, but a German one. Everyone, including the Jurors rose when the Judge entered the scene, and only sat down when they were given permission to do so.

With the Judge now present, the trial had begun. Though Asha's lawyer did his best to defend his client's actions. It truly did not matter. For the defense had video evidence of the Bengal Army's atrocious actions.

Once the video of Asha's war crimes was shown to the court, a look of overwhelming condemnation appeared on the faces of the jurors. All except for one. Berengar was as stoic as could be, knowing the outcome of this trial long before a decision was actually made.

In the end, after hours of debate between the lawyers, the Jury was brought to a secluded area where they were left to deliberate on Asha's fate. It was only now that Berengar, who was the foreman of the jury, spoke to the other jurors.

"With the evidence presented, I believe there is no possible outcome except for a guilty verdict. Under German law, which as we all know, is the most advanced, and comprehensive legal system in the world. Emperor Asha is guilty of a multitude of war crimes. If any of you disagree with my assessment of the situation, then speak now or forever hold your peace."

The room went dead silent for several moments. None of the world's rulers were willing to defy the Kaiser, or his whims. None except for Zhu Wudi, whose pride had forced him to speak up against what was clearly an attempt on Berengar's behalf to assert his authority over the entire world.

"So, we are allowing Germany to dictate what is acceptable in warfare now? Have any of you actually agreed to this? Did Asha accept these conditions before engaging in his campaign? It sounds to me like you are just attempting to punish the defeated even more than he has already suffered.

Tell me, why should Asha be convicted under German Law, when he is not a German citizen? Just because your Empire is the world's most pre-eminent power, does not mean you can force your laws and customs on the rest of us!"

Berengar smirked when he heard this. He honestly did not expect Zhu Wudi to speak up against him. However, he was glad to put the man in his place. After all, if he truly wished to impose some semblance of international law under his authority, then he would need the Ming Dynasty's compliance in the matter.

"I know it is hard for you to accept Zhu Wudi, but do I need to inform you that we are living in a new era? This is not the age of trebuchets and crossbows. Weapons now exist in the hands of many of our nations that are far more destructive than anything we once thought possible. I myself must admit I have underestimated the power of these weapons and used them to horrible effect.

We are talking about weapons with the capability of annihilating an entire city, and all its inhabitants with relative ease. Can any of you honestly say that if you were to break out into a full scale war with another Empire present here, that you would desire to wage war in a completely unrestricted manner?

Think of the sheer loss of life we are talking about. Your entire nations could be destroyed in a single war. Centuries, or even millennia of history, burnt to the ground, never to rise again. All because technology had advanced faster than the laws of our people!

Make no mistake, if we, as the world's rulers, do not come up with some form of international law regarding warfare that we can all agree upon, then I assure you, the only thing that will await this world is utter annihilation.

If you wish to behave like barbarians where the destruction of cities, the enslavement of their people, and the rape of their women and girls, is not only tolerated, but actively encouraged. Then I am afraid I have misjudged you and your ancient civilization..."

Zhu Wudi did not expect a bloodthirsty man like the Kaiser to play the humanitarian card. After all, he himself was the one with access to the most destructive weapons in the world. Yet he was willing to limit the way in which he waged war from today forward.

The Ming Emperor could only surmise that Japan's capabilities were not far behind the Reichs and that Berengar wanted to ensure that if Itami conducted warfare in such a barbarous manner, that she would be punished severely for it after the war was over.

Having reflected on this point, the Ming Emperor's opinion of the Kaiser had risen slightly. Perhaps there was a way to conduct warfare in a more civil manner. However, if such a thing were to occur, then a lengthy discussion would be needed, one where all parties present would have to agree upon. Thus, he was quick to voice this idea.

"I apologize if you misunderstood my intentions. I am not advocating on behalf of a scoundrel like Asha Sarkar. In fact, what he has done is utterly reprehensible, even by the standards of the most callous society.

I am simply fearful that you are using this situation to impose your laws and customs on the rest of us. If we are to come to some form of international agreement regarding how warfare should be conducted, then it will need to be unanimously agreed upon by all of us. So long as you promise to have this convention, then I will agree with the guilty verdict."

This was the exact response Berengar was looking for. After all, if he were to create an international treatise regarding the rules of warfare, he needed to make sure that it appeared as if he was working with the other world leaders to make a better future, rather than simply imposing his will on the world. Thus, he could only smile his head and nod to Zhu Wudi's suggestion before asking for clarification one last time.

"So we are all in agreement, then?"

With this said, Emperor Asha Sarkar of the Bengal Empire was found guilty of multiple war crimes in accordance with German Law. What followed after this trial was over would be the world's first international convention regarding the rules of warfare. One which Berengar would make use of to pressure Japan into fighting fairly when the war finally arrived.