Tyranny of Steel

Berengar gazed down the tangent sights of the rifle in his hands. He quickly pulled the bolt back before slamming it home. If there were a round chambered in this weapon, it indeed would have been ejected with this motion.

However, it was empty, and thus nothing had occurred. As the bolt moved rearward and forward in a smooth motion, the sheet metal dust cover attached to the bolt followed it throughout its entire journey.

After gazing upon the pristine bluing on the steel parts of the rifle which were matched with a fine walnut stock, Berengar realized that he may have gone too far with the quality of these weapons. Regardless he was well pleased with the result of his designs that had finally made their way into the frontlines of Iberia.

This weapon was the Gewehr 22, primarily based upon the Kar98k from his previous life. Though, he had taken some creative liberties to ensure that it met his sense of aesthetics. Aside from that there were some minor functional improvements but overall it was a superior combat rifle to what his soldiers were currently equipped with.

This rifle was just one of many that had made their way from Austria ’s factories to the Emirate of Granada. Weeks had passed since Berengar had married Princess Yasmin, and the day for the invasion of Portugal drew near. So much so that he could not enjoy a brief period of respite with his newest wife.

As the Royal Granadan Army became more self-sufficient, the Austrian soldiers who supported them began to withdraw back to the Fatherland. By now, all that remained of Austria ’s forces within the region were the 1st Cavalry Brigade and the 1st Artillery Brigade. There were also those few individuals from the Jaeger Regiment who were still operating deep behind enemy lines providing Reconnaissance to the Triple Alliance.

In the place of the Austrians, the bulk of the Forces that would be partaking in combat operations within the Kingdom of Portugal was that of the Granadans and Byzantines. With the three nations combined, it was an army of about 50,000 men in total. While Berengar had initially planned to leave behind a larger contingent of Infantry to aid his allies, the reality was that it was simply unnecessary.