Steel Empire
Prepare for War

A month had passed since the battle with the Teutonic Order in Oberstdorf, and Berengar had spent most of this time as a much-needed getaway. His eyes were fully healed despite the fact that he was blind in them, and no longer put his life at risk; therefore, he wore the luxurious blindfold he made on top of the severe scar tissue. Overcoming eye loss is no easy task, and he needs to learn for himself how to shoot and fight effectively with what was once considered his mistake. Therefore, when he did not work hard managing the affairs of the kingdom, he adapted to his circumstances. 

After recovering, she wrote a letter to Adela informing her of what had happened and the wounds she had sustained, though she assured her that she was fully healed, and despite the loss of vision in her dominant eye, she was unable to recover, he did quite well for himself. . He made sure to stress the need for him to stay safe in these difficult times, and as such, he implied him not to do anything rash because of his injury. Soon Berengar found himself looking at the construction blueprints.

After the battle with Lambert, several men suffered severe injuries so their bodies could not be identified, which reminded Berengar of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in his previous life, Berengar decided to have a monument similar to the one built at Kufstein to represent all the unknown soldiers who died in his war, as well as those who might one day be lost in action.

This is another one of its many monuments under construction. He had the wealth to splurge, so he felt the need to create a culture that respected their soldiers as early as possible. One day Germany will be united under a sense of militarism as Prussia did against the German Empire in the timeline of its previous life. 

When Berengar met the House of Lords to discuss his new monument, they were happy to see it. Since his injury, he has rarely left his castle, and many of them are worried about his condition. After all, he had only left behind an illegitimate child, which had yet to be legitimized. When they saw the blindfold on his face, they knew that he had suffered permanent injuries, and therefore, a moment of silence in memory of his loss. 

Nevertheless, Berengar quickly managed to convince the nobles to take action, and thus, he pointed out his plan for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for all to see; the design is essentially an imitation of American design, with the same words carved on it, though slightly altered to fit its needs.

"Here lies the honorable glory of a German Soldier, known except by God."

One of the bodies of a soldier killed in the Battle of Oberstdorf would be interred in it, and it would be a Grand Ceremony for all of Kufstein to be invited to attend. The cost of this monument will be much lower than the large bronze statues dedicated to various aspects of society that are currently undergoing production, such as military, labor, and agricultural labor. It was a much simpler design, but it was because of this simple design that the monument itself became beautiful.

Looking at the depiction of the monument and its cost-effectiveness, the House of Lords held a vote for approval, which is just a formality at the moment because the word Berengar is still the law in Tyrol, despite drafting the Constitution. Ultimately, a Constitution is a piece of paper whose principles are only upheld through military force.

Considering the Military was a branch indoctrinated with loyalty towards Berengar and the von Kufstein Dynasty, more so than the State itself, Berengar, in practice, held almost absolute authority. Especially when the House of Commons and the House of Lords were stacked with members, Berengar agreed. After all, as the Head of State, he had the right to dismiss anyone in parliament and replace him with someone he deemed fit. 

On paper, Tyrol is a Semi-Constitutional Preferred Region, and as far as people believe, this is true. In reality, today it acts more like a dictatorship, albeit with a complicated and meritocratic bureaucracy. Berengar did not just appoint yesman to their position; they had to be able in their own right so that he could delegate responsibility; he only appointed capable people who were loyal to him, he said, and at this time, their numbers are few and far between, as both the House of Commons and the House of Lords are a fraction of the size they would like.

However, there were no complaints about the establishment of this monument, and it was greeted unanimously by both chambers of parliament. After the vote was over, Arnulf, who is currently a member of the House of Lords, approached Berengar to check on his physical and mental health.

"Your Majesty, I wonder how you are?"

Berengar smiled and patted Arnulf on the shoulder in a friendly manner.

"I'm fine, despite the loss of vision in my right eye. You could say I quickly adapted to my circumstances, even if it was a bit boring using my hands for everything."

Arnulf smiled when he heard the good news and began to mince words with Berengar about the current events.

Berengar had been on vacation until recently and had not heard about what had happened. Therefore, he looked at Arnulf with a curious look and asked about what he meant.

"I'm afraid I'm unconscious; why did something important happen?"

Arnulf was convinced that Bernegar had spent the last month spending quality time with his family, and in his opinion, the young Count deserved a break once; the man was practically working to death every day. Therefore, he was not surprised to learn that Berengar was not informed of current events in Eastern Europe. Therefore, he chose to tell her.

"Golden Horde had attacked the Teutonic State, and in response, the Order had herded their forces to the East in an attempt to defend the territory they had gained against Moscow. It seems that the loss of Lambert and his men has greatly affected their fighting abilities."

Berengar let out a small laugh when he heard this before revealing his gaze.

"Good, it will keep them busy for some time. It gives us a much-needed reprieve so that we can focus on building our defenses and implementing our industrial and agricultural reforms."

Arnulf agreed wholeheartedly with this statement, and as such, he began to question Berengar's plans for the future; after all, Berengar had not shared with many people his vision for a united German Empire, and he couldn't help but notice the monument saying, "German Soldier" instead of "Tyrol Warrior."

"So tell me, what do you think Duke Wilmar's chances of winning this war are?"

Berengar scoffed at the idea before telling the objective truth or what he was thinking.

"I don't bother speculating about the future, Lord Arnulf, because the future can be forged from what we do here and now. However, I have suspicions that the ultimate winner of this chaotic era was a man least expected by the higher nobles. .Someone who will utilize the weakened faction towards the end of the war to become the victor."

Hearing Berengar's thoughts on the matter made Arnulf have a lot of speculation. However, Berengar did not admit it right away. To Arnulf it sounded like the young Count had lofty ambitions, and something deep in his mind told him that it made perfect sense for Berengar to accomplish these things. After all, the young man went from being the son and heir of the Baron to a Count in about a year.

He had stood beside Berengar as he passed this monumental transition and knew now that Tyrol's safety was assured, Berengar would definitely focus on rebuilding the army and building defenses throughout the region. If peace in Tyrol could survive, Berengar would eventually be in such a position towards the end of the war, where he could reap the spoils. 

Of course, as Berengar had stated earlier, time can be forged, and the future is uncertain, it was possible that an event occurred in the near future that could drag Berengar into this great conflict much earlier than he had expected. Or things could go exactly as Berengar planned. The only entity that can know the future is God, assuming he really exists.

Because of this, Berengar stayed at the Lords house for the rest of his work, overseeing his plans for military expansion and defense spending. The budget he had outlined perfectly took into account all their current assets and future growth potential with trade to the Byzantine Empire. Peace is always temporary, and Berengar plans to make full use of his time. As the ancient Roman proverb, The vis Pacem, The Bellum, in translation If you want peace, be prepared for war.