Chapter 108: Marching to War

Gerhart looked at the letter in his hands addressed from Berengar with disbelief; he could not believe that the young Viscount was so bold that he would openly threaten to invade the County of Steimermark over the decision to rescind Adela's engagement. The justification for doing so would be solid enough to prevent anyone from coming to Gerhart's aid, especially in this time of turmoil where nobody would be able to spare the forces to help him retain his regency.

However, this was not the most abysmal piece of news that he had received; there was also a letter from his father which openly declared Gerhart's decision to break the betrothal as invalid and demanded that Gerhart relinquish his regency in favor of his younger brother Heimerich. By indulging in his desires to keep Adela away from his wretched cousin, he had cost himself the favor of his father, who now deeply questioned his eldest son's capability as a ruler.

This was simply outrageous. However, if he were to burn this letter and defy his father's demands, Gerhart would truly be acting in rebellion, opening the stage for Berengar to justifiably march his armies on Graz and liberate the people of Steiermark from his territory. This was not something a spineless coward like Gerhart was willing to risk; as such, he admitted defeat and vacated his position as regent. Allowing Heimerich to come to power and immediately declare all of Gerhart's actions null and void under the authority of Count Otto von Graz.

...

When Berengar received this news, as well as the letter from Otto, he was greatly pleased; he had settled this dispute peacefully while humiliating Gerhart for his unwise decisions; this was enough punishment for trying to get in Berengar's way. After all, whether or not Gerhart was a pompous fool with an unhealthy obsession for his sisters, he was still family, and as such, Berengar did not truly desire to see his head on a pike. The grudges between Gerhart and himself were not completely irreconcilable, unlike the ones he held with Lambert.

It had been close to a month since Count Lothar had marched on Vienna, and the man was currently besieging the city. Thus giving Berengar justification to act in open rebellion. Berengar wrote a letter addressing all the Lords and Ladies of Austria and informing them of his intentions. He declared Count Lothar a traitor to the Realm, who took advantage of the current crisis to seize power for himself. As a result, Berengar would act by marching upon Innsbruck and seize the County of Tyrol for himself until a point in time where the Duke of Austria could appoint a loyal successor to the title. Though of course, Berengar had no plans to relinquish his claims to the lands of Tyrol.

After sending letters to every corner of Austria, Berengar approached his lover and child and said his goodbyes. It would be some time before he returned to Kufstein, as his plans to lay siege to Innsbruck and put down the inevitable rebellions that would follow might take a matter of months to achieve, nevertheless, as the commander of his forces, it was his duty to stand alongside his troops in battle.

Berengar kissed Linde passionately as the two hugged each other tightly. After separating from one another, Linde encouraged Berengar to the best of her ability. As his lover, it was her duty to support her man in his ventures. Despite the worried expression on her face, she forced herself to say her goodbyes.

"Make sure to come home in one piece!"

Berengar smiled with confidence and petted the woman's glossy strawberry blonde hair.

s

"As long as you stick to the plan, I should be back safely in no time!"

With that said, Berengar kissed his infant son on the forehead before departing from the room. After doing so, he found his trusty steed Erwin in the stables. He mounted the mighty beast before taking off into the snowy mountains of the Austrian Alps, where he would unite with his army before marching onto Innsbruck.

After meeting up with his army, which was already mustered and clad in heavy winter clothing, Berengar rode alongside his officers at the head of the formation. Eckhard was among them, his plate armor was shrouded in a heavy fur-lined cloak while wearing a warm winter cap beneath his burgonet. His army was well equipped for the winter, and due to the extensive road networks Berengar had built across his territory, they would be able to quickly make their way to the Viscounty of Schwaz, which lie between Innsbruck and Kufstein.

Riding alongside Eckhard, Berengar decided to ask his Vice Commander about the morale of the troops.

s

"So, how are the troops doing? I mean, we are marching to war in the middle of winter..."

Eckhard smiled as he faced the oncoming wind, which was filled with a chilling breeze and particles of snow; despite the freezing weather, Berengar had supplied his forces with the necessary equipment to minimize attrition; as such, Eckhard was quite warm, and so were his forces.

"They are ready and willing to lay waste to the enemies of their Lord and Commander. It is a rare sight to see an army marching in the cold with such high spirits. Probably because they all know of the power we hold and that not even the high stone walls of the Castle of Innsbruck can prevent our swift victory!"

Hearing this news, Berengar felt satisfied; the morale of his troops was high despite the conditions they found themselves in. So much so that they were marching to the beat of a song in which Berengar designed to resemble that of Die Eisenfaust am Lanzenschaft from his previous life. However, this song was edited to remove references to the Teutonic Order and instead reflect the conditions his Army faced. As such, it was a similar but unique piece of art in which thousands of voices joined in unison as they sang along to the lyrics, which Berengar had presented them. To his army, this solemn song that was originally designed in his previous life to represent the duty of the Teutonic Order now acted as a boost to the morale of his personal Army.

To reach Innsbruck, they would first have to march through the Viscounty of Schwaz. Though the Viscount of Schwaz was fighting alongside Count Lothar in the ongoing siege of Vienna, his only son was currently tasked with presiding over the region during his absence as such there was a possibility that Berengar and his forces would have to face an army of levies in the fields if he wished to pass through the man's territory. However, that was not of great importance; Berengar's well-equipped army would easily handle such a meager force, which would come at the most delay the inevitable.