Chapter 146: Grand Ambitions

The snow on the ground began to melt as spring had begun to arrive; throughout Berengar's winter campaign, he had dealt with many difficulties, but as the breath of life filled the air around him, he felt as if he was embarking upon a new world. In front of him was a small village within the borders of the Viscounty of Kufstein. It was one of the many small villages throughout his homeland. Around this village, which housed a few hundred people, were the steel-reinforced concrete brick walls in the formation of a star fortress similar to those surrounding Kufstein.

Throughout his war for Tyrol, Linde did not disappoint Berengar. As the person responsible for maintaining Berengar's plans while he was away; she had overseen the construction of Star fortresses around the Viscounty of Kufstein, and after many months nearly all of them were complete. The value of these mighty bastions and the cannons mounted upon them could not be underestimated. After all, they had played a critical role in the defense of Kufstein against Lothar's forces.

Beside Berengar was one of the men in charge of these construction efforts, and he gazed at the structure with a proud gleam in his eyes. As such, he could not prevent himself from commenting on the powerful defenses of such a small and seemingly insignificant agricultural village.

"Magnificient, is it not?"

Berengar nodded with approval as he took in the sight of the structurte. While the village itself was protected by the mighty start fortress, which a company of soldiers garrisoned, the agricultural fields were outside the walls, creating a beautiful scene of planted fields and fortification. Berengar's ambitions did not end with Kufstein; he intended to construct these mighty fortresses around every major inhabited region within Tyrol, forming the mountainous County into the heartland of his future German Empire.

The expense would be great, but with the increase in territory he had gained and the plethora of natural resources, he could afford to build it. Berengar rode into the town on horseback surrounded by a group of Cuirassiers who acted as his personal guard for the moment. It was a small agricultural town, yet its walls made it seem like an important fortress. The locals peacefully coexisted with the garrison tasked with defending them, oftentimes offering them food and water as they stood guard among the ramparts of the mighty concrete walls.

When the local villagers noticed that the man riding through their village was the Count of Tyrol himself, they instantly cleared a path for him out of respect. Many young women began to gossip among themselves as they were able to witness the majestic appearance of the infamous Berengar first-hand. Among the population of the Viscounty of Kufstein, Berengar had become quite the legend. His rise to power and defiance of the corruption of the Church had begun being spread by wandering minstrels. Though these bardic epics greatly exaggerated his achievements, they quickly captured the imagination of the common populace, acting as a source of inspiration in their daily lives.

However, despite the good light in which he was depicted in these songs, few were bold enough to approach Berengar as he was a man of great importance and power, and to offend him would surely mean one's demise, or so they believed. Berengar noticed this trend, and for the first time, began to realize that a sense of respect for his character had been fostered among his people. Still, it existed alongside an intense feeling of fear toward's his power and prestige. The two emotions co-existed perfectly to create a harmonious balance within the minds of his citizens.

To be both feared and respected was a balance few had ever achieved in life, and yet that was what Berengar had begun to cultivate in the wake of his overwhelming victories. After reaching the town center, Berengar dismounted from his horse and looked around at the environment. Despite having a garrison of 120 infantry, and an artillery battery, the walls were designed so that such a small force could easily defend the village long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Though it may take years, or possibly even decades to achieve, one day Tyrol would be filled with such fortifications, making it virtually impossible for the armies of this world to dethrone Berengar in his seat of power.

Berengar knew that the more territory he conquered, the more he would have to spend time and effort introducing his reforms; in his lifetime, he would be lucky to industrialize the entirety of his future Empire; in fact, the likelihood was that he would leave behind a legacy of industrialization for his successors to accomplish. Nevertheless, Berengar would make sure that in this life, he would unite the German-speaking regions into a single Empire and conquer enough colonies overseas to secure German hegemony for centuries to come.

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As Berengar gazed upon this beautiful agricultural town, which was just one of many throughout Tyrol. It may not have seemed like it would play a key component in his plans, but the fortifications that surrounded this village and one day the majority of Tyrol would give him the internal stability needed to focus his efforts on conquest for years to come. After looking at the degree of security that allowed the people of this town to live in a happy and carefree environment, despite a massive war going on, Berengar realized that the expense of expanding this project to encompass all of the inhabited regions of Tyrol was well worth it.

Without such a powerful defense network, these villagers who went about their daily tasks with a friendly smile might be subjected to the horrors of war. A reality in which Berengar thought was far too cruel for the good people of his realm. As such, Berengar looked over at the architect who had lead the construction project for this town, and instructed him to do the inconceivable.

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"I want more villages like this, as many as you and the other architects can build! I want Tyrol to become a symbol of my power! I do not care the degree of funding and manpower you will need to accomplish this, just make sure that you do not cut any corners in the process."

The architect looked at Berengar as if he was a mad man; the expense to build a star fortress like this was no minor sum; to build these across all of Tyrol would easily cost a fortune. Nevertheless, Berengar was adamant, and despite the expense, he knew he could pay for it. This war across Germany was bound to last for years, and where there is war, there is profit to be made. With the new industrial sector of Innsbruck nearing completion Berengar would have double the industrial power and could supply all the factions of this war with arms and armor necessary to maintain their armies.

After seeing the daring expression in Berengar's eyes that appeared as if he was challenging the heavens with his ambitions, the architect gulped the saliva which had accumulated in his mouth and bowed his head respectfully to the young Count.

"Your Excellency, I will do as you command!"

With this, Berengar's plans to transform the entirety of the County of Tyrol into an impenetrable mountainous enclave had begun. Though it would take years, possibly even decades to complete, by the end of this ambitious initiative, one day in the distant future, the people of Tyrol would live in the most secure region of the world.