Chapter 157: Storm in the East

Weeks had gone by, and Berengar had fully recovered, however at the other end of Europe in the east, the Teutonic Order was still attempting to accumulate its gains in the war with the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and yet, the Grand Master was currently reading a report in regards to the Battle of Oberstdorf in which Lambert fought with Berengar. The man was greatly frowning as he read the contents. One of his most promising talents, being Lambert was dead, and 10,000 men with him. The results were disastrous; he was not expecting Berengar to field such a large and powerful army in such a short time. Then again, he was also not expecting Bernegar to be the Count of Tyrol by the time Lambert's armies arrived. Too many things had happened between the time Lambert marched to war and the event of the battle itself.

The result of the battle was a significant loss to the Teutonic Order, 10,000 men were no small number, and he was counting on many of those men to return and bolster their ranks to defend their territory. Now that the news of their defeat had spread, the Golden Horde, the sovereigns over the Grand Duchy of Moscow, had begun to move their armies to liberate the territory in which the Teutonic Order had annexed their conquest. There was no mistake; at any moment they could be facing the might of the great Khanate, a war they could have been better off dealing with if they still had the 10,000 Crusaders who embarked with Lambert.

Not only was the East unstable, but the Grand-Master was now facing pressure by the Papacy to raise another army and invade Germany once more; the Crusade to end Berengar's Heresy had just begun in the eyes of Pope Simeon II. Yet the Grand-Master had no intention of doing such things. If they could not defend their recently conquered regions, then what was the point of marching into the warzone known as Germany. In fact, Lambert was lucky not to get into conflict with the German armies currently fighting for the vacant throne.

The messenger in which the Pope had sent to deliver his demands to the Grand Master was standing before him impatiently as he watched the Teutonic Leader read through the reports of what had transpired, as well as the Vatican's demands. Eventually, the messenger could contain his eagerness no longer and asked what the Grand Master intended to do about the situation.

"The Pope demands a response to your Order's loss in Oberstdorf. Berengar's victory will only further embolden the heretics who flock to his cause. If he can defy the might of the Papacy without punishment, then why can't they? So what do you intend to do about this?"

The Grand Master glared at the Messanger viciously before responding.

"I have already done enough. If Berengar could defeat an army of thirty thousand men with half that amount, then it means he is not an opponent I can underestimate!"

The messenger was shocked that the Grand Master would praise Berengar's ability despite suffering massive losses against him. So much so that he foolishly condemned the Grand Master for his views.

"You compliment a condemned Heretic? I am beginning to question your faith and that of your Order!"

Hearing these words, the Grand Master turned around and grabbed the messenger of the Vatican by the throat with his hand and slammed him into the stone wall before chastising him.

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"Listen here, you pompous twit, Tyrol is a mountainous region in which Berengar holds all of the advantages as the defender! The man has acquired a vast fortune, has he not? Who is to say that he is not using that fortune to construct defenses across its entirety, making it even more difficult to conquer? Do you fools in the Vatican have any idea what is going on in the Count's territory? I sent 10,000 battle-hardened veterans into Tyrol because you fools told me he was not a threat to worry about, and they are all dead now!"

The priest who acted as the messenger of the Vatican was so frightened by the fury of the Grand Master that he began to soil his tunic, which caused the Grand Master to release him in disgust. Afterward, he turned away, no longer facing the messenger before giving his decree.

"Return to the Vatican and ask his Holiness what he desires most of the Teutonic Order, to convert the Orthodox regions of the east to his domain, or to crush the Heresy that has spread throughout the German-speaking regions? Because I can not fulfill both of his requests at the same time!"

With this said, the Priest from the Vatican fled the Grand Master's chambers and quickly left the Castle of Malbork, where he intended to report back to Pope Simeon II as quickly as possible. After the messenger departed, the Grandmaster sighed as he gazed into his fireplace and let out his thoughts.

"A Storm is brewing in the East, and I do not have the time or resources to wage war against the various German powers. If the Pope is foolish enough to send me to Tyrol, then the East will be lost forever."

Shortly after saying that, an Order commander walked into his chambers with a report in his hands and announced his presence.

"Grand Master, may I have a moment of your time?"

The elderly leader of the Teutonic Order sighed before nodding his head, signaling for the commander to continue.

"The Golden Horde is on the move; they are laying siege to Moscow as we speak."

With this news his worst fears had been realized, the Grand Master responded to this information by sighing heavily before pulling out a flagon of wine and filling it into two chalices, one for himself and the other for the Commander. After handing off one of the cups to the other man, he took a sip from his glass before expressing his thoughts.

"So it begins..."

If what the Teutonic Commander had reported was true, the Order would have a difficult road ahead as they tried to defend the East from the Golden Horde's invasion. Now that they were down 10,000 men, it would not be an easy feat. On top of this new invasion from the East, they were currently fighting a war with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; their troops were stretched thin enough as it was. Yet Simeon still wanted him to waste time and effort on Tyrol.

Judging from the expansion rate of Berengar's forces, it would not be long before such a war would be unwinnable for the Catholics; the Berengar Heresy was likely to flourish in Germany as its tenants were appealing to the nobility and common folk alike. Now that the Golden Horde had invaded, it was no longer his concern; the Papacy would have to find some other fool to wage that war. If only those French bastards had not dismantled the Templar Order, maybe they could have been the ones to bring the Church's justice to Berengar.

All of these thoughts swirled in the mind of the Grand Master as he silently drank from his cup; when he was finished with the wine within, he tossed the chalice aside and instructed the Commander of his orders.

"Alert the men; we ride for the East. Hopefully, the armies we have stationed there can hold off the enemy long enough for our reinforcements?"

After hearing this order, the Commander was confused and, as such, attempted to clarify the issue at hand.

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"And the Berengar Heresy?"

The Grand Master grabbed ahold of his sword belt and tied it around his waist as he casually dismissed the issue.

"Let someone else deal with it; we have bled enough."

With that said, the Teutonic Order completely disregarded the events in Oberstdorf and the defeat of Lambert and his army; after all, they had far more pressing concerns to attend to. As such, The Grand Master had begun to muster the forces in the Westernmost region of the Teutonic State, the war in the East had begun, and they had limited time to make it before they were overwhelmed. It did not take long before The forces at Malbork had gathered and began to ride off into the East; the other armies of the Teutonic State would be mustered along the way. The Teutonic War against the Golden Horde had just begun, buying Berengar some much-needed time to build up his defenses.

When Pope Simeon II heard that the Teutonic Order had snubbed him and marched to the East, he would be greatly infuriated; to enact his vengeance upon Berengar, he would need a new army to fight against him. Unfortunately for him, all of the Catholic Military Orders were currently undergoing some form of warfare, and the Byzantines to the East had already begun to form friendly ties with Berengar. As such safety, and security for the people of Tyrol had been secured for the time being. Something in which Berengar would take full advantage of to bring his vision of a fortified Tyrol into reality. When the Catholic Church could muster an army large enough to invade Tyrol, the region would be one giant self-sustaining fortress.