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Die Brennende Stadt
With more of Germany United, it was time for another expansion into Northern Germany. This time they would enter the heart of Monarchist territory.

Stralsund: The Province of Stralsund was first. It was a strategically important city, especially for the newly formed German Empire. Klaus Altmann sent a small task force of only a single Special Operations division. The 5,000 soldiers were tasked with taking back the port. The people did not want to give it up easily. They felt they earned their freedom when Germany was torn apart in the 60s. They had made it just fine and here came the imperialists once again. However, the Spec Ops division didn't give them much choice. They rounded up city folk and announce that, "If the city's government does not submit, these 10 people will die."
The government did not respond right away, and a gunshot was heard through the square. The first body dropped. Then another. And one more. After the third, the government submitted.

The German State of Hanover: Another two Special Ops divisions entered Bremen, their goal was to take back the cities. They moved quickly through Bremen, which submitted willingly as the news of what happened in Stralsund spread to the remaining German states. Hanover had been especially difficult for the German Empire. After Hanover lose their capital of Hanover, they had gone full rebellion. They had started strikes along the German border. Bremen was taken quickly, however the neighboring province of Oldenburg was not quite as willing. They struck back and attempted to take up arms. The Germans would not put up with that as they smoked out Royalist supporters, executing them by the dozens. Emden was the next province to go, they barely stood a chance against the rolling German war machine, which rolled over them. There were three states of Hanover left; Cloppenburg, Lingen, and Osnabrück. All three had had enough time to arm themselves. The two divisions marched into Cloppenburg, and they met heavy resistance. The Monarchists had United, and they announced that they would no longer turn a blind eye to the fascist governments tyranny. They declared the king the legitimate government and would fight to the last man. The 2nd and 4th KDS called for backup against the rebels. It was now time to put down the ridiculous revolution. The 6th, 5th, and 9th KDS quickly came rolling in. The 25,000 men quickly came to March through the city, but the Monarchists were using guerrilla warfare. This would be no easy battle. However, slowly, the German army made advances, pushing through the states. They soon occupied and annexed Cloppenburg, moving into Lingen, which wasn't as fortified, they moved at a fast pace, capturing droves of rebels and sending them back to Berlin. After several hours, they were soon on the edges of Lingen, where the fighting became the hardest to combat. The Monarchists received backup, and soon it became an even fight. The Germans had better training and equipment, but the Monarchists had the support and numbers. For every 10 German soldiers killed, 40 royalists were dropped. At that ratio, the Monarchists had no chance of fighting back at this rate. Soon, they found themselves pushed back into Osnabrück, where the 1st KDS flanked them from the West. They fought hard, killing hundreds of soldiers, but taking thousands of casualties. It was only a matter of time before they collapsed. A new wave of German soldiers came through and they launched a surprise attack on the royalists. The attack came at 4:37 AM, the signal was the dozens of homes that burst into flames as soldiers with flamethrowers made their way through the city. The soldiers were proving a point. You don't betray the empire. The royalists quickly fled to the provinces in the south, and as they fled, they left Osnabrück, which became known as Die Brennende Stadt, or "The Burning City". It became a huge part of Anti-Fascist propaganda among the remaining Royalists, who made it a point to send it to as many Monarchists countries around. Especially the sleeping giant of Sycra in the East. Reporters covered it in news articles and radio stations, it was said the smoke could be seen up to a kilometer away.