Chapter 343: Discussing Military Intervention in Granada (2/2)

I assume you can hold out for half a year; after all, it takes the Iberians a couple of months to successfully siege a single castle, let alone a city. If you can last six months, I promise you my armies will ensure your victory in this conflict. Who knows, we might even see a restoration of Al-Andalus...”

Hasan knew it would take some time for Berengar to deploy his forces, but he did not expect half a year. Nevertheless, the young Sultan knew there was no chance of convincing Berengar to send his troops early; after all, the reputation of the Austrian King was one of overwhelming dominance. With this in mind, he sighed once more before responding to Berengar's remarks.

”Very well, I will hold the line until your forces can appear. I hope your Army does not arrive too late.”

When Berengar heard this remark, he smiled and grasped ahold of Hasan's shoulder before comforting the man.

”Do not worry, my friend; by the time my forces arrive in Granada, not even an army of 100,000 men will be able to defeat our alliance!”

Hasan had little faith in Berengar's bold claims, but he knew that Berengar's Army tended to annihilate any hostile force they came across. As such, he was not entirely without hope. Little did he know of Berengar's newest weapons, nor the weapons he planned to build during the allotted timeframe.

The Age of Industry would soon be upon Austria, and Berengar planned to upgrade his artillery within the next few months. The needle rifle itself was a massive advantage over his enemies, but Berengar needed rifled breech-loaders.

As such, Berengar planned to use the next six months to industrialize as much of his Kingdom as he could while mass equipping his Army with the new weapons and tactics needed to annihilate his enemies. With this in mind, Berengar finished his wine before placing the chalice on the table; as he did so, he gave the Moorish Sultan a bit of friendly advice before departing.

”Have faith, my friend; you have chosen your friends wisely; now is the time to put some trust into our alliance. Before long, the Catholic Church and its minions will crumble beneath our feet; their days of supremacy are coming to an end. A new world awaits on the horizon, and we will stand at the top of it.”

After saying this, Berengar departed from the room, leaving Hasan to drink by himself; he had much to think about; if what Berengar said was true, he may be a powerful monarch within the Iberian peninsula one day, not just a minor player.

The very idea that Al-Andalus could see a resurgence brought a bitter smile to the man's face as he drank from his cup of wine. After a while, his sister returned, where she began to inquire about the contents of his meeting with the King of Austria. She noticed the complicated expression on her brother's face and dragged his head into her mighty bust. Where she proceeded to stroke Hasan's chocolate hair while comforting him.

”That bad, huh?”

Hasan continued to drink from his chalice before responding to his older sister.

”He wants us to hold on for six more months; after that, he will send an army to intervene on our behalf. I don't know if he wants us to be desperate and sink more money into his weapons trade, thus increasing our debt to him. Or if he genuinely needs the six months to prepare his forces.”

Yasmin thought about the complexity of the topic for several moments before responding to her little brother.

”He just got out of a war for independence; his troops are likely weary of battle and need time to rest. He also needs to manufacture new munitions for his army; I heard about what he did to Florence; they say he bombarded the city for two months, launching hundreds of thousands of shells onto the town, leaving it entirely in ruin.

I don't know about you, but that requires a lot of firepower; his artillery is probably drained of resources and needs to recover. He is only asking for six months to prepare for intervention into our conflict, which means he must be confident in his manufacturing capabilities. Have faith, brother; we will win this war!”

After hearing his sister's words of wisdom, Hasan thanked her before departing; he and his family were provided rooms within the Royal Palace during their stay in Kufstein. As such, he dusted himself off and returned to his room, where he began to sleep.

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