Steel Empire
Surrender

While Linde was carrying out her plan, Berengar had started another round of conscription. With the time needed to train recruits, he could have had another division when Austria finally fell to the Bavarians. The Tyrol Army was a well-oiled machine at the moment, with a large number of veterans acting as Unassigned and Assigned Officers; their experience of the previous Berengar campaign allowed them to maintain control over many of the new conscripts that formed the majority of the new units that emerged. Infantry and Artillery have been prioritized in recruitment, as for Cuirassier and other forms of Cavalry such as Lancer where Berengar was built, they were expensive to train and maintain, and they were expensive to train and maintain, and thus has taken a back seat.

Currently, 3/4 of all Berengar's forces have been equipped with 1417/18 Rifle rifles, allowing for a great range advantage on the battlefield and during sieges. Berengar had therefore decided that the 1417 Land Pattern Musket, which was a smoothbore to discontinue production, and the existing Muskets would be converted into Rifled Muskets. When Berengar finally marched to fight in an attempt to recapture Austria, all of his troops would be equipped with Rifled Muskets. 

In addition to the Infantry Line, the Grenadier units were scouted by more talented conscripts and used as shock teams. Berengar also began forming the Jaeger Company consisting of lightly armored soldiers with special rifles designed for long-range firing. It is based on the Whitworth rifle from the American Civil War during Berengar's past life. The main difference is that they use a flintlock system instead of a percussion lid system. This precision rifle uses special hexagonal bullets of caliber .451 and is able to reach effective distances of 800 - 1,000 yards. The Jaeger company will be used as a sniper on the battlefield and will precisely execute high-profile targets, such as enemy commanders.

These Jaeger Units wore Landsknecht Green and Black clothes and wore very little armor; after all, they attacked targets at such a distance that they rarely needed the protection provided by the armor. Jaeger recruits are handpicked from the most capable shooters and explicitly trained in marksmanship. They would indeed have a fearsome reputation on the battlefield when they were finally deployed. 

...

While Berengar's forces increased in size and strength, the battle on the Tyrol border was still ongoing. Reinforcements had arrived for Count Siegmund's army, and he was now forced once again to march on the walls of the Star fortress. His medieval warriors bravely held their weapons as they attacked the mighty fortress wall before them. Anxiety filled every step, as those who had been present to witness the bloody spectacle of the final charge were all too aware of what awaited them. 

Nevertheless, the people were pushed forward towards the steel-reinforced concrete wall where the Tyrolean troops were stationed. After advancing towards their destination, the wall-mounted thunder of cannons began to reverberate in the air, and explosive bullets rained down on the invaders praying for their survival. However, if God really existed, he was far from being compassionate; after the first barrage of cannonballs landed into the enemy formation, they exploded on impact and sent shrapnel in all directions. The explosion itself was deadly. However, the shrapnel caused an absolute massacre, which tore a crack in the armor of the Bavarian army and wreaked havoc on the battlefield. 

This was only the first shot, therefore the cannon quickly refilled before being fired once more. Meanwhile, the defenders of the garrison started firing their rifles at the enemy as they appeared within range. The large .58 caliber lead bullets tore through the brigandine and steel plates of the attackers, rendering their defensive equipment practically useless. Blood spilled with each successful blow, and the body fell to the floor. 

Despite this, the Bavarians continued to advance, hoping to get to the fortress and raise their stairs. But such a thing never happened because they were quickly torn apart by the mighty weapon of the defender. It didn't take long before the survivors started returning to their siege camps once again. Despite the reinforcements received from the Duke, Count Siegmund's forces once again failed to reach the sturdy walls of the star fortress. Filled with anger from the recent defeat, the Count began to curse himself as he watched the bloody spectacle unfold.

"I can't even build that fucking trebuchet without it being destroyed by those fucking cannons! How can I take this fortress!?!"

The commanders of his army were surrounded around him, and every single one of them could feel the Count's pain. Duke Dietger of Bavaria had ordered the man to attack Tyrol from the Northwest, and although he put in great effort, he could not even approach the fortress blocking his way. Every time he tried to do so, his men would be torn to shreds by the powerful weapons the defenders had. It was not just a matter of explosive power but the incredible range in which the defenders defended. Archer and Crossbowmen had no chance to open fire before being shot dead by a rifle. 

Due to the range of his cannons, Count Siegmund could not advance the siege weapons into position without them being torn apart by the weapons above. Attempting to attack Tyrol was a nightmare for Count Sigismund, especially since he was morally opposed to the idea, right from the start. Is this God's punishment for daring to march in the center of the Reformation? This was a question that Count Siegmund had asked himself many times since he first arrived at the Tyrolean border. 

Nevertheless, Duke Dietger would not accept failure; the rest of Austria had been attacked, so why did he and the other Commanders who took positions in the Northeast have difficulty advancing to Tyrol. No matter how Siegmund tried to tell Dietgar about the Berengar weapon, it was useless; one had to personally witness their destructive power to believe in its effects, because they were something that had never been seen before in this feudal world. Finally one of the commanders of Sigismund voiced advice on how to proceed.

What the man said was the most reasonable course of action for the Bavarians on the Tyrolean border. Any further attacks would be a waste of life. Since they could not enter through the border with Bavaria, they had to wait for Dietger to march to Tyrol from Salzburg, which could only happen after the eastern part of Austria was captured. 

Of course, Siegmund was afraid that if he took this approach, his subordinates would punish him harshly for his "fear", he was hesitant to adopt such a strategy. Therefore, he tried to push for an alternative possibility from his commander.

"Is there any other idea of how to break through this fortress that is blocking our way?"

After a moment of silence, one of the other commanders decided to voice his idea, despite knowing it might be rejected.

"We could have given up ..."

As he said this, all eyes looked at him as if he was a fool; therefore, he quickly coughed before explaining himself further.

"There may be fewer than 500 men in the garrison, and Berengar had these forts all over the border, assuming his entire army was equipped with such fearsome weapons. Do we really believe Duke Dietger can win this war? Wouldn't it be better to give up? to Berengar's army now and treated with dignity? I heard he was quite merciful to those who surrendered willingly."

After explaining himself thoroughly, the other commanders present began to regard his idea as realistic advice. They had lost thousands of people in their few attempts at the wall without injuring one of the defenders; even in field battles, the weapons the Tyroleans used would be disastrous to fight back. Maybe that guy had a point?

After a heated debate, Sigismund finally made up his mind. He would no longer waste the lives of his men to try to attack Tyrol, it was a futile attempt, he said, but he also would not surrender to Berengar until he knew who would win the war because he gave his orders.

"We will sit down and do nothing until we can see who is the clear winner of this war. If the Dietger army begins to suppress Berengar, we will launch another attack; if they lose heavily, we will surrender to Berengar. Does anyone disagree? with this approach?"

After the vote, the result was unanimous; the army at Tyrol's Northwest Border would no longer be actively involved in this conflict, giving Berengar and his troops a reprieve.