Steel Empire
Conquest

Berengar spent the first shift of the night on guard, protecting the camp barrier as a guard inside the moat. The use of trench lines supported by sandbags and barbed wire was an invention that did not usually exist until the late 19th century. However, with memories of his past life as a combat engineer, Berengar developed such a defense system with ease.

Barbed wire has been widely used in his fields to raise livestock and other domesticated livestock within the confines of the grazing land given to them. However, after an ambush at the previous encampment at Schwaz, Berengar quickly learned to use trench tactics. When he supplied in Innsbruck, he ordered the delivery of barbed wire to his troops.

The mine-seekers in his army spent some time building such an elaborate fortress. However, in the end, the encampment was so well defended that the chances of them suffering a significant casualty from an enemy attack were extremely low. Lucky for them, after seeing the camp's strange defenses, the enemy didn't bother sending troops to test it; it was already frightening enough to suffer the explosive bombardment of a 12-pound cannon.

After keeping watch for the first shift, Berengar returned to his tent and slept until dawn, where he was among the first of his troops to wake up in the morning. Even though he doesn't have access to coffee at the moment, he fully intended to establish trade with the Byzantine empire in exchange for coffee when his territory grew to such a significant level that he could trade with the Empire in the East easily.

As for this time, Berengar and his army mainly relied on their own natural abilities to wake up and stay awake. When morning arrived, soldiers gathered in the trenches, and those with 1417/18 Rifled Muskets fired shots at the defenders on the walls with a fair level of competence. Although not every shot claimed the lives of the defenders, enough of them hit the target to permanently scare the Sterzing garrison into keeping their heads down.

While his troops used their advanced weapons to intimidate enemy forces, Berengar discussed with his officers his plans for the ongoing war effort. As usual, Berengar drank from a bottle of light beer while continuing his discussion of the operation to his officers and the rulers who led the many retribution units that formed their ranks.

“It will take another day or two before the wall collapses; therefore, we will continue to bombard it regularly; when the wall finally collapses, we will continue to bombard it, we will send retribution to the battlefield while the line infantry will stay behind and fire on the defenders on the wall. The cavalry will stay and protect the camp until the time comes where the enemy has been pushed back."

Although the nobles who had shown their support to Berengar were troubled by the fact that their retribution would be used to storm the gap, they could not resist well. As for Berengar's officers, they were more concerned about the success of Operation Trident as a whole, and as such, one of them voiced their concerns.

"What about Eckhard and Arnulf's army? How are they doing?"

Berengar slipped pieces of wood representing the allied forces into positions outside the city walls of Schlanders and Meran and answered the officers' questions.

"I recently received a notice that Arnulf and Eckhard's forces had begun besieging rebel towns. In a week, most of the resistance in the South will be over, and we will be able to march towards the Prince-Bisophric of Trent, thereby ending the rebellion within Tyrol for good!"

Due to the conflict between Berengar and the Church, Berengar fully intended to conquer the territory and incorporate it into its territory. Especially since Bishop Trent had publicly expressed his support for the Tyrolean rebels, simply out of spite towards Berengar. In doing so, the Church has given Berengar a reason to attack The Prince-Bishopric of Trent and thus unify the entirety of Tyrol under his authority; since Berengar was given this opportunity, Berengar was, he had no intention of wasting it.

His plan to march on Trent was not in line with other Sovereigns who considered it an unlawful annexation of ecclesiastical territory. One of the Lords even expressed his opinion on the matter, which clearly upset Berengar.

"You intend to march in an ecclesiastical kingdom? On what basis do you dare to seize the territory of the Church?"

Berengar stared coldly at the old and pious nobles who had sided with Berengar for supporting the Duke of Wilmar, though he religiously opposed the heretic known by the church as the Cursed Berengar. Berengar's eyes revealed his killing intent; rather than justifying his actions through legal jargon, Berengar took a bolder approach.

"The church has declared war on me! Therefore Trent will be mine with the right of conquest! Since I have the power to seize their territory, I will, and if Bishop Trent has any complaints, he can say it directly to my face before I place it in front of the firing squad!"

The fact that the Church had sent the Teutonic Order on a mission to invade Berengar's land and seize its power was already considered a declaration of war by the standards of the young Viscount; therefore, the, he was not afraid of attacking the lands closest to them and capturing them for himself.

As for the allied God, they could tell from the look in Berengar's eyes that he was really serious about conquering Trent and that he would not be persuaded otherwise. Although they did not agree with his actions, they were too afraid of the weapons his troops had. So they were intimidated into retreating and following orders; though they secretly prayed that they would not be ostracized for following Berengar's orders.

After concluding his thoughts and telling his Officer about how to proceed, Berengar dispersed the men and let them spend their free time as they pleased. There was not much to do other than maintain order and wait for the wall to collapse. So Berengar used this time to write to Linde and Adela. Telling him of his progress and that his war is coming to an end.

As the cannons roared and rifles echoed throughout the day, Berengar found himself in a calm mood, soon, the walls would collapse, and his troops would attack the city. At that time, the defenders would hand over the castle to him out of fear of retaliation, or a massacre would occur. Anyway, Berengar will be pleased with the result. As for Eckhard and Arnulf, their forces were similar in besieging the enemy while staying in their camp. While the war on Tyrol was growing rapidly, the rest of the conflict on German territory was stalled in long sieges and bloody field battles.

Only Berengar and his use of superior technology and tactics could win the war so quickly. As for the rest of Germany, Berengar reckoned that it would take years before the conflict ended, and he fully intends to spend some of his time securing his power and advancing his new territory once he officially conquers Tyrol and proves himself to be a legitimate person. Compute.