Steel Empire
Preparing for Invasion

Right now, Berengar was standing in the Great Hall of Innsbruck surrounded by his Officers; in front of them was a huge table with a gigantic map spread out on it; on top of this huge map was a wooden figure that acted as a representation of Berengar, his ally, and his enemy. It had been roughly a month since Berengar first started his campaign to conquer Tyrol. After some incredible victories, he now found himself controlling roughly a third of the territory he wanted to conquer.

Since the beginning of the War, when Berengar first left Kufstein, he has implemented measures to initiate conscription, he knew his army of a little over 5,000 men was not enough to maintain control over Tyrol as a whole, and thus has started a new wave of recruitment designed to adequately train conscripts in the use of firearms, line tactics, and basic combat maneuvers in a matter of weeks.

Although it was not the German Great Army he envisioned for the future, his current needs required him to make some sacrifices in the training regimen and equipment that would be used for conscription. Because of this, Berengar had commissioned an arsenal to produce the 1417 Ground Pattern Musket instead of the more advanced 1417/18 Rifle.

Currently, 5,000 conscripts in the form of infantry are waiting in Innsbruck with the veteran Berengar army troops. While they were waiting for their orders, Berengar was discussing with his Officers the best path to the conquest of Tyrol.

Berengar moved a set of Infantry figures across the map and into the positions of Sterzing, Meran, and Schlanders which were the main centers of rebel forces in South Tyrol, before announcing his plan for the quick conquest of his enemies to the people by his side .

"The plan is simple, these three cities are the main centers of resistance against my authority in Tyrol, with the help of the Lords soldiers who have expressed their support for me, we will divide our forces into three components, he said, I will take Sterzing, Eckhard will lead the army to Meran, and Arnulf will lead the army at Schlanders. In one move, we will bring South Tyrol under our authority before moving to Trent!"

Eckhard agreed to the plan but also had some concerns; therefore, he decided to voice it out at this time.

"What about our position in North Tyrol? How many people will we leave behind to secure our interests?"

Berengar smiled; as usual, Eckhard did not forget the big picture, so Berengar made a bold statement.

"500 men in Innsbruck, and 500 in Schwaz, as for the remaining territories in the North, build 250 garrisons to secure the loyalty of the Sovereigns who have pledged their support to me."

Eckhard nodded in agreement; although this was a rather large garrison, they would be able to defend the region from enemy encirclement, especially with their technological superiority. Eckhard's next question was about the artillery Battalion.

"What about artillery?"

Berengar had developed a plan regarding the most efficient use of artillery, and thus he explained his plan to Eckhard.

"We will divide the battalion into three separate batteries; one will go with each army to ensure that there is sufficient firepower at each siege to tear down the enemy walls."

Arnulf, who had listened to Berengar's words, had one thought in his mind, and thus, voiced his concern.

"What if Lothair returns from Vienna? It's been over a month since he first started the siege of Vienna, and he should be close to victory by now."

Berengar shook his head and responded to Arnulf's worries with the latest information he received.

"Lothair was busy defending Vienna from Count Otto, whose troops had arrived and began to besiege the city in an attempt to wrest it from Lothair's grasp. He and his army will not return to Tyrol anytime soon, and if they make it out of Vienna alive, their numbers will be greatly reduced."

Hearing this news Arnulf, and many other officers felt more relaxed about Berengar's plans. This three-pronged operation was dubbed Operation Trident and would be the deciding factor in Berengar's victory in the war for Tyrol. Because of this, Berengar chatted with the officers for some time in great detail about logistics and tactics before finally ending this strategic meeting.

"Gentlemen, if all your questions have been answered, then you should rest for tomorrow at the break of dawn; we will attack our enemies! God is with us!"

Immediately after shouting that last part, everyone saluted Berengar and shouted the sentence that had become the battle cry of the Kufstein army.

"God is with us!"

After ending the meeting in such a way, the officers returned to their troops to prepare them for the upcoming battle. With this, Berengar returned to his temporary residence, where he sat on the bed and sighed heavily into the dimly lit room where he lived alone.

"I have to finish this war quickly so I can go back to Kufstein and into Linde's loving arms..."

After thinking like that, Berengar prepared himself for the night and then went to sleep, not thinking of the violence and brutality he would soon experience, but about both his woman, and his infant son. He began to reminisce about the days in the not-too-distant past that were much more peaceful than he was currently experiencing. It was hard to believe that he had just reincarnated into this world less than a year ago.

He has achieved so much in this short time, especially when compared to his previous life, where he was 21 years old, he was still at Westpoint achieving absolutely nothing in his life; coming from a relatively poor background, he said, he had spent his entire youth gaining the knowledge and grades necessary to obtain an academic scholarship so that he could attend university, eventually after several factors Westpoint's life became his best option, so he reluctantly chose to join the army. After graduation, he wasted his life in the hell known as Afghanistan until his final days.

In this life, Berengar was lucky enough to be reincarnated as a Noble. After feeling real power and wealth for the first time, Berengar became very ambitious, no longer just wanting to industrialize Kufstein and retire in wealth and luxury. Now that he had the chance, he wanted to be like many great people from the history he had read about in his past life. Thinking of the past, present, and future, Berengar fell asleep with a smile on his face. His conquest has just begun!