Steel Empire
War Preparation

Gerhart looked at the letter in his hand addressed from Berengar in disbelief; he did not believe that the young Viscount was so brave that he publicly threatened to invade County Steimermark over the decision to cancel Adela's engagement. The justification for doing so would be strong enough to prevent anyone from coming to Gerhart's aid, especially in this time of turmoil where no one could spare an army to help him maintain his power.

However, this was not the worst news he had received; there was also a letter from his father publicly stating Gerhart's decision to cancel the engagement as illegitimate and demanding that Gerhart relinquish his post in favor of his younger brother Heimerich. By indulging her desire to keep Adela away from her poor cousin, she has been harming herself by her father, who now deeply questions her eldest son's ability as ruler.

This is really outrageous. However, if he were to burn this letter and defy his father's demands, Gerhart would actually act rebellious, instead, opening the stage for Berengar to naturally lead his army to Graz and liberate the Steiermarks from his territory. This was not something that a helpless coward like Gerhart dared to take; therefore, he admitted defeat and vacated his position as regent. Allowing Heimerich to power and immediately declaring all Gerhart's actions null and void under the authority of Count Otto von Graz.

...

When Berengar received this news, as well as a letter from Otto, he was very pleased; he had settled this dispute peacefully while humiliating Gerhart for his unwise decision; it's quite a punishment for trying to get in the way of Berengar. After all, whether Gerhart was an arrogant fool with an unhealthy obsession for his sister, he was still family, and as such, Berengar did not really want to see his head on the spear. The grudge between Gerhart and himself was not entirely irreconcilable, unlike the one he had with Lambert.

It had been almost a month since Count Lothar had marched in Vienna, and the man was currently besieging the city. Thus providing justification for Berengar to act in open rebellion. Berengar wrote a letter addressed to all the Austrian Masters and Lady and informed them of his intentions. He declared Count Lothar a traitor of the Realm, who took advantage of the current crisis to seize power for himself. As a result, Berengar would act by marching to Innsbruck and seizing the County of Tyrol for himself until the point in time at which the Duke of Austria could appoint a loyal successor to the title. Although of course, Berengar had no plans to relinquish his claim to the land of Tyrol.

After sending letters to every corner of Austria, Berengar approached his lover and son and said goodbye. It would take some time before he returned to Kufstein, as his plan to besiege Innsbruck and quell the inevitable rebellion that would follow might take several months to accomplish, however, was not the case, as the commander of his army, it was his duty to stand beside his troops in battle.

Berengar kissed Linde passionately as the two hugged each other tightly. After separating from each other, Linde pushed Berengar to the best of his ability. As her lover, it is her duty to support her husband in his efforts. Apart from the worried look on his face, he forced himself to say goodbye.

"Make sure to go home in one piece!"

Berengar smiled confidently and stroked the woman's shiny strawberry blonde hair.

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

After meeting his troops, who were already deployed and wearing thick winter clothes, Berengar rode with his officers at the head of the formation. Eckhard was among them, his plate armor shrouded in a thick fur coat while wearing a warm winter cap under his burgonet. His army was well equipped for the winter, and because of the extensive road network that Berengar had built throughout his territory, they were able to quickly reach the Viscounty of Schwaz, it is located between Innsbruck and Kufstein.

Driving with Eckhard, Berengar decided to ask his Deputy Commandant about the morale of the troops.

"So, how's the squad doing? I mean, we're marching to war in the middle of winter..."

Eckhard smiled as he faced the coming wind, which was filled with cold winds and snow particles; despite the cold weather, Berengar had supplied his troops with the necessary equipment to minimize friction; therefore, Berengar had supplied his troops with the necessary equipment to minimize friction; therefore, Eckhard was quite warm, and so was his army.

"They are ready and willing to destroy the enemies of their Master and Commander. It was a rare sight to see troops marching in cold weather in high spirits. Maybe because they all know about the power we hold and not even the high stone walls of Innsbruck Castle can prevent our quick victory!"

Hearing this news, Berengar was satisfied; the spirit of his army was high despite the conditions they were in. So much so that they lined up to the rhythm of the song in which Berengar was designed to resemble Die Eisenfaust am Lanzenschaft from his previous life. However, the song was edited to omit references to the Teutonic Order and instead reflect the conditions its Army faced. As such, it is a similar but unique piece of art in which thousands of voices join together as they sing along with the lyrics, which Berengar has presented to them. For his troops, this solemn song originally designed in his previous life to represent the duties of the Teutonic Order now acts as his personal Army morale boost.

To reach Innsbruck, they first had to march through the Visounty of Schwaz. Although Viscount Schwaz fought alongside Prince Lothar in the ongoing siege of Vienna, the, his only son is currently assigned to lead the region during his absence so it is possible that Berengar and his troops will have to face levies troops in the fields if he wants to pass through the man's territory. However, that was not very important; the well-equipped Berengar Army would easily handle such a minuscule force, which would at least delay the inevitable.