Tyranny of Steel

Berengar currently sat in the confines of his office upon his leatherbound chair. Standing in front of him were three of his Generals, one of which was from the Kingdom of Bohemia. Besides these men was the Director of Intelligence, dressed in her steingrau uniform. The four people stood at ease before their King as he overwent the report in his hands; with a heavy sigh, Berengar asked the question on his mind.

"Is this report accurate?"

Linde immediately nodded as she confirmed the document that her husband was looking at.

"Indeed, the Golden Horde has united once more under a new Khan, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth has gone on a recruitment campaign. With the loss of peasants and soldiers that they suffered during the war in Iberia, they are more determined now than ever to take hold of the current Teutonic Order's rump state.

If we wish to annex what remains of the Teutonic State, we must act now, before it is too late. Our agents in the field report that the Eastern Coalition will be marching an army of 100,000 men onto the Teutonic State in an attempt to eradicate it. Action must be taken if you wish to accomplish your goals of securing eastern Germany.

War is inevitable at this point..."

Berengar sighed heavily as he heard this last part; while his agents had been conducting sabotage and assassinations among the ranks of the Eastern Coalition; it was a certainty that they would overcome such tricks and unite against the Teutonic State. He was lucky that he had bought himself the time he had managed.

Berengar had just gotten back from his war in Iberia not long ago, and in truth, had no desire to depart to another war so soon. As such, he looked at his three Generals and began to ask the question on his mind.

"What is the state of the Bohemian Royal Army at the moment?"

Alexej Stepped forward with a face filled with pride and determination as he reported to his King.

"Bohemia stands ready for any conflict. Our soldiers are armed and trained to the same standard as the Austrian Royal Army. Though our Army is roughly a quarter of the size with a mere two divisions at the moment, make no mistake we are well prepared for this conflict."

Berengar smiled and nodded as he heard this; for the most part, his Army was still equipped with needle rifles, and he had no intention of revealing his next-generation weapons just yet. With this in mind, he shifted his gaze to Eckhard and Arnulf as he began to give the two men his orders.

"I want one of the newer divisions to be deployed to the Teutonic State so that they may gain some valuable field experience, make sure they are under the command of a competent and proven General."

Eckhard immediately nodded his head in response to these orders and suggested.

"How about Adelbrand? He has proven himself capable in multiple campaigns and is greatly respected among the Army."

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However, Berengar immediately rejected this idea by shaking his head and responding firmly.

"No, I have plans for Adelbrand; he must remain in Kufstein for the time being. Instead, you should send someone else if neither of you is up to the task."

While there were many competent Generals to choose from, ultimately Eckhard sighed before volunteering himself.

"I will lead the campaign against the Eastern Coalition. However, I will do it under one condition..."

Berengar immediately peaked his brow in curiosity as he heard this; while, he was aware that Eckhard was suffering from Battle Fatigue; the man had still been willing to perform his duty to the bitter end.

If it were any other General, Berengar would punish him for making demands of his King and Reichsmarchall; however, since it was Eckhard, he merely sighed before entertaining the man's request. Eckhard spoke of his condition with a weary expression upon seeing his King nod his head in agreement.

"Your Majesty, I am old and quite honestly exhausted. I will lead this campaign under the condition that it is my last, and I am allowed to retire after I have achieved victory..."

Berengar frowned when he heard this, Eckhard was by far his most efficient military commander, yet he understood where the man was coming from; as such, he proposed a counter offer.

"I will agree to your terms, so long as you serve your retirement as a part-time instructor at the Austrian Military Academy. Your insights are too valuable to the next generation of officers to lose so easily..."

There was neither excitement nor dread in the eyes of the veteran field Marshal. Instead, there was only exhaustion as he nodded his head in agreement to the terms presented.

"Very well, I agree to your offer, your Majesty. I will lead the Fifth Division into the Teutonic State and announce our annexation. As for the Bohemians, they can send one of their Divisions as support, and together we will drive the Eastern Coalition back to the East."

Upon hearing this, Berengar smiled before pulling out a map. This map contained all of the territories he desired to conquer during this campaign. Not only was the remainder of the Teutonic State on this list, but all of the land that once comprised the eastern portions of the Kingdom of Prussia from his past life, as well as the baltic states.

Through centuries of Germanization under the thumb of the Teutonic Order, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania now had large swaths of ethnic Germans among their population, and Berengar intended to unite these lands into his Empire. After pointing out the areas on the map, Berengar spoke of his plan to his Generals.

"Your goal in this conflict is not only to annex what remains of the Teutonic State but also conquer these lands and bring them under the banner of our Kingdom! This is a war that will determine the future of our Kingdom and that of the German people!"

Eckhard nodded his head; though it was a lot of territory, he knew he could accomplish this feat. However, he would require more men to do so as such; he quickly made another suggestion as he glanced at the map.

"If that is your order, I will fulfill it, but I will need more soldiers; perhaps the 7th and 9th Divisions should join us!"

Berengar immediately nodded his head as he heard these terms and offered his complete and total support to the campaign.

"Take whatever forces you may need to accomplish this task, and make haste. The war has already begun; it is time for Austria to claim the Eastern German territories as its own!"

The three Generals immediately began to salute their King as they were given their orders; after doing so, Berengar stood up and saluted them in return. With this action, he dismissed his commanders, leaving himself and his wife behind to talk about more secretive matters. Linde sat in her husband's lap as she prodded his cheek with her dainty finger.

"You are seriously going to go off searching for the mythical land of Vinland while you send your soldiers to war in the East?"

Berengar smiled and nodded as he heard this response from his wife. After doing so, he cupped her face with his hand and began to give her his orders.

"While I am away, I need you to keep an eye on Henrietta and Adelbrand. Make sure their relationship progresses smoothly, and ensure that they don't engage in any inappropriate behavior while I'm away..."

Upon hearing this, Linde began to chuckle before responding with a jest at the expense of Berengar.

"It sounds to me like you are actually against the idea of your sister seeing other men deep down in that black heart of yours. She is allowed to meet with Adelbrand on chaperoned dates, but she cannot get intimate with him? How do you plan to break her infatuation with you if you won't allow her to be physical with someone else?"

The Austrian King frowned when he heard this remark before flicking his wife on the forehead.

"Just do as I say..."

Upon hearing this, Linde pouted before standing up from his lap. As she did so, she walked to the door before agreeing to his request.

"As always, I will obey your orders master; I just wonder what it is that you truly want..."

After saying this, the strawberry blonde-haired vixen departed, leaving Berengar alone with his thoughts. Though it was only a joke from his wife, she seemed to have struck a nerve, as the very idea of his sister being intimate with another man; made Berengar's skin crawl. However, he did not know why he became enraged as he imagined such a scenario occurring.

Ultimately he pulled out a hemp cigarette and a match as he lit up a smoke in his office. Linde's words repeated themself throughout his mind as he thought about the ordeal at great length. Maybe some time away from his sister would not only be good for her but him as well?