It had been five years since the German Empire landed a man on the moon and currently, the Iberian Army stood in the horn of Africa, facing across their Byzantine rivals. Both Armies wanted access to the territory for the sake of economic development, and neither was willing to concede.
Thus, after establis.h.i.+ng trenches, and aiming their rifles at one another, the Iberian Sultan and the Byzantine Emperor, who were leading their armies, met in no-man's-land to discuss their differences and negotiate a compromise that would have both sides satisfied.
Ghazi stood in the center of no-man's-land with a white flag in one hand ,and a conceited smile on his face. Meanwhile, Alexandros opposed him with a stern expression, and a rifle slung around his back. The Byzantine Emperor was in a sour mood. The scramble for Africa had already begun between three major powers, all of which were competing for the most territory.
While Ghazi had seized most of north Africa west of Libya, Alexandros had been busy expanding into Sudan, and the surrounding region. Yet, just as he entered into Ethiopia, he found that Ghazi had already beaten him to it, and was currently negotiating with the Ethiopian emperor for his daughter's hand in marriage, which was a ploy to seize the region for himself.
Realizing that they both wanted access to the same land, for obvious reasons, the two men had positioned their armies across from one another, where war had become an imminent threat to the region. With a scowl on his handsome face, Alexandros spoke the words which plagued his mind.
"For the sake of our father, I will give you this one last chance, Ghazi. Stand down, and allow me to annex the horn of Africa, or face the wrath of the Romans. I will not ask you a second time..."
Ghazi, however, did not seem the least bit intimidated by his brother's words, as he countered them with a bit of snark in his tone.
"Brother, why must we fight over this land? If I do not gain access to eastern Africa, I will not have the means to conduct trade with our brother in India. Do you really want to fight me over such a petty matter?
If you give me the horn of Africa, I will give you the Ivory Coast, meaning that you will gain access to the Atlantic, and thus have the ability to trade with the colonies in the new world.
Is that not a fair compromise?"
Despite the logic behind Ghazi's words, Alexandros merely scoffed, before explaining why he thought that such a trade was a rotten deal for him.
"I already have access to the new world. I simply need to send my s.h.i.+ps out of the Mediterranean. What a rotten deal for Byzantium. No, I will not concede defeat. I will have the horn of Africa, even if it means that our armies must come to blows!"
Even though Alexandros was threatening outright war, Ghazi did not seem the least bit concerned, and instead clicked his tongue thrice, as if he was lecturing his half-brother on why his words were so foolish.
"Oh really? Do you really believe that if you do not allow me to access this region, that I will permit your s.h.i.+ps to sail across the strait of Gibraltar? Every s.h.i.+p which flies the colors of Byzantium will be at the mercy of my navy. So tell me, brother, do you really wish to test this theory? Or do you want a port of your own, with access to the atlantic?"
Upon hearing this threat, Alexandros' face turned ashen, he knew that his brother was not bluffing in the slightest, and he would rather not have to fight his way out of the Mediterranean every time he attempted to trade with the German colonies in the new world.
Despite knowing that his brother Ghazi was right, Alexandros did not immediately back down, and instead remained silent as he thought about the proposal. Seeing that he was close to convincing his brother to accept his compromise, Ghazi threw in a bit of urgency to break Alexandros" will.
"Come now, brother, we don't have all day. As we speak, that little s.h.i.+t Lukas is sailing his armies across the North Sea. If he reaches the ivory coast first, then I will have no choice but to let him have the land. And if that happens, war between our two empires will be unavoidable. So what will it be, the Horn of Africa, for the ivory coast, or bloodshed?"
A slight scoff emerged from Alexandros's lips once more as he begrudgingly accepted his brother's offer. However, not without letting his tongue spit some venom first.
"Father has taught you well Ghazi, I'm surprised you are able to be so coercive, despite the fact that your mother would be beside herself if you knew you were so willing to spill the blood of your family in pursuit of some Ethiopian p.u.s.s.y. Very well, I accept your terms. The Horn of Africa is yours, so long as you let me use your railway in North Africa to transport my troops to the Ivory Coast..."
A slight smile emerged on Ghazi's face, though he wanted to make a remark about Alexandros' mother abandoning him in his youth, he knew that was a topic that was most likely to provoke an armed response, and thus he simply nodded his head, and accepted his brother's conditions.
"Very well. You can use my railway to transport your troops. I suggest you hurry. If the Anglo-Saxons arrive in the Ivory Coast before your forces due, there will be war. Something I know that a father would be most disappointed in."
Alexandros did not say a word, and instead headed back to his army, where he informed them to pack up their s.h.i.+t, and get on the nearest train. As for Ghazi, he sighed as he revealed the trembling hands he kept behind his back during the negotiations with his half-brother.
No matter how calm and collected, he may have appeared to have been during their discussion. Ghazi was silently freaking out in his mind over the potential prospect of war with his brother. The Byzantine and Iberian militaries were equally matched, and if they were to fight here in Africa, it would be a b.l.o.o.d.y conflict that would last for who knows how long.
Stomping over medieval armies and primitive savages was an easy feat, fighting an industrial power armed with semiautomatic rifles, heavy machine guns, and modern artillery? That was a serious problem.
However, with the agreement made, the Byzantine Army withdrew from the region, and made their way to the Ivory Coast to conquer the region before the English could do so. As for Ghazi, he returned to the palace of the Ethiopian King, where he continued his negotiations for the Princess's hand in marriage.
The Ethiopian King was a man who knew very little about the monumental changes that had occurred throughout the world over the past three decades. Though he had seen German s.h.i.+ps sail through the red sea, he did not know who they belonged to, our what power they actually were capable of displaying.
However, all of a sudden, a foreign man had come to his Kingdom, and declared himself an emperor in his own right. One who intended to take his youngest daughter's hand in marriage. This foreign man dressed in strange clothes, and his army used exotic weapons.
At first, the Ethiopian King had entirely refused Ghazi's demands, but then the Iberian Sultan displayed the might of his army. A single battle was waged between Ethiopia and Iberia, one which resulted in a total Iberian victory.
Astonished by the display of the foreign weapons, the Ethiopian King had been forced to the negotiating table, and just when he was about to give up his daughter to this foreign monarch, another group of foreigners arrived on the scene with weapons of equal formidability.
At first he thought the two foreign monarchs would kill each other in pursuit of his daughter, and that he would be free to marry her to a man of his choosing. Yet, just when things were about to get interesting, the Byzantine Army packed up their stuff and disappeared. Leaving the Ethiopian King with only one option.
Thus, with a heavy sigh, the Ethiopian King agreed to Ghazi's demands, and communicated with him via a translator.
"Very well, Sultan Ghazi Al-Fadl, I will marry my youngest daughter to you. However, in exchange for her marriage, I want certain protections from you that will ensure that my lands do not end up in the hands of another foreign power."
With that said, the two monarchs began to negotiate. Something which Ghazi would make use of to extract the most benefits possible. One thing was certain by the outcome of this exchange, the Scramble for Africa had begun, and at any moment the three Imperial Powers of Britain, Iberia, and Byzantium could ignite a powder keg which would result in the deaths of millions.
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