Steel Empire
Consolidating Strength

News quickly spread about the execution of Lothair County and the usurpation of his lands for the sake of Berengar and his Dynasty. In the year since Berengar was reincarnated into this world, he had transitioned from the son of the lowly Baron to the Prince of Tyrol. The young man was quite satisfied with his achievements, and despite his great ambition to unify the German-speaking region, he knew this plan could not be carried out in haste. Therefore, while the rest of Germany was at war, Berengar was commissioned by the Duke of Wilmar to protect Tyrol from potential enemy attacks through the Bavarian Alps, which he happily did.

Now is the time for expansion, not only in the military but also in the fields of industry, agriculture, and education. So Berengar worked hard to execute a series of executive orders, allowing him to bypass the basic parliament he had built. As always, parliamentary systems are more symbolic than practical. Its practical purpose was to reduce the workload on Berengar's shoulders, while symbolically representing the interests of the people. 

The first business problem was to turn the capital of Tyrol into Kufstein; with the flickering of a quill pen, the city that had been the political and economic center of the region for centuries had been moved to the homeland of Berengar. As for Industrial expansion, it was time to make a second Industrial city. Innsbruck is well-suited for the role; it's close and nurtured by loyal members of what she considers her family; after all, Liutbert is her lover's brother. So she's practically a daughter-in-law. 

Berengar had made Liutbert a Viscount of Innsbruck and his Chancellor, at least to the point where he could expand his powers and make the man a Prince worthy of being born. Therefore, he assigned the man to lead the task of reforming Innsbruck, defense, industry, and agriculture. As for military matters, Berengar had begun to spread his military reforms throughout the region; due to the number of people killed in the civil war, there were not many people left to oppose him, either, and those who remain will not dare to do so. 

Although the Lords of Tyrol were enraged by the military reforms that stripped their feudal power to increase their own strength, there was not much they could do because their troops were exhausted, he said, and they knew the power Berengar had in his hands. When young men of such military age begin conscription throughout the region and are sent to the Bernegar training facility to be indoctrinated into its military, they will undergo political indoctrination as part of their training. It was a system designed to destroy the old identity of feudal territory among his troops, uphold the idea of the German Nation, and ensure loyalty to Berengar and his Dynasty. 

Once the nobles had time to lick their wounds, they would definitely prepare to rebel; after all, the stripping of certain parts of their feudal power was not a popular reform, either, even among the nobles in his own territory. Although the local nobility of Kufstein came to accept this reform, the other Tyrolean nobles would not be so easily persuaded. Berengar not only had to prepare to quell future revolts, but he also had to prepare for the Teutonic invasion that was currently making its way towards his borders. 

By the way, Linde had a report in her hand, which she placed on Berengar's table. With Berengar's return, he had resumed his position as the head of his spies, but in reality, he spent most of his time caring for their child. However, at this time, the boy was with Henrietta while he told Berengar about the latest news about the Teutonic Army marching on their border.

"They have doubled their numbers through their marches. As they entered German territory, they began to forcefully collect levies from the areas they passed. Given the majority of the Holy Roman Empire was in chaos at the moment, no one could stop it. Although the retribution is not well equipped, they can be used as cannon fodder to defeat our numbers. At the level we are currently doing, we will be able to take down small divisions between 10,000 - 15,000 people when they reach our borders. However, it would be less than half the number of Teutonic Soldiers by the time they entered Tyrol. Unless we use the soldiers from the garrison, it will be a difficult battle."

There were two options in Berengar's hands, luring the enemy to Kufstein, where he could use the nearly impenetrable city walls to his advantage, or face them in field battles when outnumbered. Such a battle would be huge and would undoubtedly result in close combat. Berengar's greatest advantage was firing large numbers of rifles and paralysing enemy troops in the distance with gunfire and artillery shells before finally clashing. Therefore, he made up his mind and announced his plan to Linde.

"If we withdraw troops from our garrison to increase our field troops, the result will be an irreversible disaster. Therefore, I will face the Teutonic Army in the field with as many people as we can muster."

Although Linde feared this would be the choice Berengar would make, deep down, she knew she would never hide behind Kufstein's walls while the Teutonic Order destroyed her land. He only sighed as he listened to Berengar as he explained his plan.

"I will increase the conversion and production of the 1417/18 Rifle and will seek to draw enemy forces to areas whose fields give me an advantage. With this, we have a much higher chance of defeating the enemy. Tell the spies to keep a close eye on the Teutonic forces; I'm curious about the potential for growth as soon as possible."

Linde nodded her head in response and smiled

"Of course, sir, anything for you!"

With that said, Linde was dismissed, and Berengar returned to the pile of work in his hands. After returning to the pile of documents, he deeply missed the days of battle where he was free to act as he pleased. Nevertheless, the Count's work was never completed, and Tyrol was in dire need of agricultural industry, and economic reform. Therefore, he quickly re-signed an executive order that would one day turn Tyrol into the seat of power of the future German Empire.