Steel Empire
Conrad's Ambitions

With Conrad in Kufstein, Berengar felt confident that his ascension to power was safe. So he spent the rest of the day visiting Ludwig's office. The man was currently busy overseeing the production, it had been a long time since Berengar had last stopped by to say hello, and there was a special reason for him to do so this time. 

Berengar had designed a much smaller flintlock revolver based on an old pepperbox revolver; the previous pattern was too large to be well hidden by his agents in enemy soil, and he wanted to fix the problem. So he stopped by Ludwig's office without notice.

Berengar quickly knocked on the door, and a few seconds passed before Ludwig opened it. Seeing his old friend for the first time in a long time, a wide smile appeared on Ludwig's face before he immediately realized that Berengar had a set of blueprints in his hand.

"Oh, of course... Your Majesty is here to give me more work! You can't even bother stopping by for a drink once in a while like you used to, huh?"

Berengar chuckled at Ludwig's reply before forcing his way into the room and putting down his blueprints for the old craftsman to witness; as he did so, he responded to the older man's joke.

"I'm afraid of two women and one County to run; I don't have much time to visit you; I'm sorry, my old friend!"

Ludwig immediately thought of Berengar's current lifestyle and understood his pain. So he took out a pair of cups that were in the corner of the room before filling them with beer; he handed one over to Berengar while sipping the malt liquid himself before starting to do business.

"What did you bring for me this time?"

Berengar pointed to the design in front of him and said with a proud smile on his face.

"I call it the pepperbox revolver, the old spinning flintlock my agent used was too big to hide properly. So I thought of this weapon to use. Granted, the range is lower than other models, but as a personal defense.weapons, they are more than enough firepower!"

Ludwig glanced at the blueprint before nodding in agreement

"As always, you don't disappoint with your design."

The two men sipped their beers before discussing more business matters. Berengar was the first to ask about his production ability.

"So, how's the production?"

Ludwig looked at Berengar as if he was an idiot; the question was broad to say the least and had many answers he could potentially say. So he asked for clarification.

"Your Majesty, which production line are you talking about specifically?"

Berengar smiled before finishing the beer in his cup; he only began to reply after Ludwig refilled it.

"Byzantine Armor."

Hearing what Berengar asked, Ludwig scratched his beard slightly before answering to his best ability.

“This went according to plan, fortunately the new industrial district in Innsbruck is operating at full capacity, so they are able to reduce the pressure on our shoulders. As always, Byzantine armor will be readily available when the delivery time has arrived. Why are you planning a visit to the Empire?"

Upon hearing Ludwig's question, Berengar was shocked; he did indeed plan to visit the Empire, but only after he won his war and made himself Duke was he still far from achieving such things. So he simply shook his head as he answered Ludwig's question.

"Not at this moment, if I go to the Empire, I need more prestige, or they will try to walk around me. But one day, I want to see the city of Constantinople itself."

Ludwig nodded in agreement; he was too longed for the legendary city city to himself. However, he did not have the guts to ask Berengar to take him on a journey when he finally left. So he just roasted Berengar with his cup.

"For your future success, may those imperial bastards bow before your prestige!"

Hearing such a bold toast, Berengar only chuckled before drinking the rest of the contents in his cup. After that, he began to ask Ludwig about various questions; the two men talked for some time before Berengar said goodbye and returned to the Castle. 

Upon entering the Castle, he was immediately informed by one of his servants that Conrad had held a meeting in his study, and thus Berengar quickly walked towards him. When he opened the door, he saw the little boy sitting in his chair, surrounded by the other Counts, who were looking at him with worried expressions on their faces.

Berengar's face twitched as he looked at the boy in his chair, this was Berengar's personal study room, and the boy treated him as if it belonged to him. However, for now, Berengar had to hold back his anger and put on a respectful face. Therefore, she bowed gracefully before greeting Conrad.

Conrad had a grin on his face as he began interrogating Berengar about his plans for reconquest.

"Count Berengar, how long exactly will you gather an army to reclaim my land?"

Berengar knew this brat was trying to push him onto the battlefield ahead of schedule. Clearly, the boy was impatient and did not want to linger in Kufstein. However, Berengar had no plans to march until his troops were strong enough to sweep through the Bavarian army, and therefore, he simply smiled before giving the number he had in mind.

"Three more months and a sufficient number of people should be finished with their training. At that time, we could march on Salzburg, where we would free him from the Bavarians. The plan from there was to seize Carinthian County before marching on Upper and Lower Austria."

A frown immediately appeared on Conrad's face as he heard these words; he did not want to stay in Kufstein for three whole months without doing anything but waiting for the troops to be gathered. Therefore, he asked a question in his mind.

"How many men do you have right now?"

Berengar struggled to maintain his respectful facade as he answered the boy's question.

"In addition to the people needed to defend the garrison on Tyrol, I can take down at most 20,000 people at the moment."

Before Berengar could protest what he knew Conrad was thinking, the boy interrupted him by asking Count Otto the same question.

"How many men do you have right now Count Otto?"

Count Otto frowned when asked such a question. But he finally answered. 

"About half of that number"

Berengar not only had one of the largest counties in all of Austria, especially after he had conquered Trent and incorporated it into his lands, but also because of his thriving mechanical agriculture, it can bring down troops significantly more than others with the same level of status. The Count of Vorarlberg had the lowest troop count, as his County was much smaller than the territory held by the other two men. Conrad quickly asked the same question he answered.

"I can spare at most 5,000 people."

Conrad then looked at Berengar with an impatient expression on his face as he began to question Berengar's determination.

"You told me, an experienced and heralded commander like you wouldn't be able to take Austria with 35,000 men? Maybe I need to appoint a more experienced battlefield commander, like Count Otto as my Regent."

Hearing this, Berengar began to frown; this child began to push the limits of his abilities. Nevertheless, he kept thinking about him and actually lectured the boy who would become the Duke about the reality of warfare.

"Your Majesty, it is possible to win with such a small number of troops. However, the Bavarians will return with a vengeance, and we will suffer great losses. In my honest opinion, we have to wait three months for my next arrival.The division to be trained and well equipped before we start our campaign. With a total of 45,000-50,000 people, we will have a much better chance of winning this war with minimal casualties. I urge you to be patient; war is not won overnight!"

The other count quickly nodded in agreement to Berengar's terms and attempted to convince the boy to listen to the reason; Otto was the first to speak on Berengar's behalf.

"Your Majesty, listen to the Berengar council; he knows what he's talking about."

After hearing Berengar's reasoning and Otto's support, Conrad knew he would not get his wish, and therefore, sighed deeply with disappointment before accepting his terms.

"Three months! Not any minute! As soon as your troops are ready, I want them deployed!"

Berengar smiled and nodded as he finally convinced Conrad to follow his plan. Conrad's next words brought an even bigger smile to the young Count's lips.

"With this understanding, I hereby name you Berengar, Prince of Tyrol as my Regent, until I grow up!"

With this, Berengar finally got what he wanted, and Conrad had unwittingly sealed his fate. It would not be long before Berengar and his army marched to battle, and when they did, the Bavarians would learn firsthand the power of steel and fire!

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