Steel Empire
The Battle of Carnten

While Berengar and his army were trapped and slowly advancing through Salzburg due to the tactics used by the Bavarians, Eckhard was easier against the enemy, as they did not use such devious tactics to defeat him. So at this moment, he was engaged in a field battle with the enemy. 

Eckhard had deployed Audegar's troops to protect the flanks of his infantry while they marched in their ranks to battle distance. As for his cavalry, they were waiting for their orders to attack.

Currently, 70 Eckhard field cannons were ready and had just started bombarding the enemy forces, which were between 5,000 and 7,000 strong. As cannons echoed into the air and explosive bullets repeatedly hit enemy lines, the Bavarians did not panic. Instead, they marched faithfully into the fire and into the Tyrolean ranks. 

As for Eckhard, he was at the forefront, with a sword in hand, which was also based on the British Heavy Cavalry sword of 1877; it had been the basis for all swords used in Tyrolean forces. His blade was perfectly balanced in his hand as he continued to march in an orderly manner by his troops. 

Arrows and bolts fell towards the soldiers marching in the gunfire, but the Tyroleans were not afraid of their stings, as their armor would protect their vital tools. Due to how tough their defenses were, they were unaffected by the small flesh wounds that had accumulated on their bodies as they continued to march at an orderly pace.

Only when the enemy was at a distance of roughly three hundred yards, did it, Eckhard gave his command to his infantry line with the authoritative voice of a Field Marshal veteran Eckhard raising his sword and pointing it at the enemy as he shouted for all his men to hear.

"Bring Weapons!"

As he did so, the soldiers holding their loaded rifles lowered the weapons to the position where Eckhard once again gave the order. The front row immediately knelt down while the rear row aimed their rifles over their heads.

"Take Shoot!"

After doing so, his words were passed on to thousands of infantry among his ranks by various officers and NCOs within earshot. When he finally felt that the enemy was within acceptable range, he gave a final order.

"Fire!"

In doing so, thousands of rifles exploded in unison, at a distance of three hundred yards. Where they spat lead from their flashing muzzles, accompanied by the roar of gunfire, which instantly echoed throughout the battlefield.

As the rifle exploded, thousands of Minie ball projectiles of .58 caliber fell down. They hit their targets, shredding the armor of the steel body where many enemy troops were equipped as if it was nothing more than wet toilet paper. 

Blood splattered, and bones broke as lead projectiles passed through enemy defenses and into their flesh, often coming out from the other side of the steel armor. Thousands of people collapsed to the ground, seriously injured or killed by the impact. 

The Bavarian vanguard was destroyed in an instant, and the surviving veterans among their ranks began to panic. This was not the end, however, as another barrage of artillery began to hit the Bavarian ranks while the Tyroleans refilled their weapons.

As for the troops from Vorarlberg, they were astonished to see such destruction. The power that the Tyroleans possessed was unexpected, and it was at that moment that they remembered that this was only a third of the power that Berengar had under his command. Such an army was more than capable of sweeping across Austria and reclaiming the land itself; they felt as if they were only present to witness the massacre. 

A blood-curdling scream filled the air beside the thunder as the Tyrolean army finished reloading before the same series of commands were ordered. However, at this point, the Bavarian commander could no longer hold the sight of his directed troops and thus ordered his cavalry to attack. 

The heavily armored Bavarian knights, alongside the cavalrymen, rushed towards the Tyrolean infantry with anticipation; thus far, none of Berengar's forces had been defeated in battle, with cavalry troops, by force, they truly believed that they could turn the tide of this battle.

Eckhard immediately saw the cavalry begin their attack and gave another order to his soldiers, which was quickly relayed by many officers and NCOs among their ranks.

"Square formation!"

After ordering this order, the soldiers in Eckhard's army quickly began to form a line in the form of a hollowed-out box. They did so at high speed, proving that they had trained this formation, repeatedly during their months of training, with such proficiency that they were able to do so under the pressure of chasing the cavalry. 

After forming the box, with their bayonets affixed, Tyrolean infantry waited for the Cavalry's approach until they were within 30 yards; only then would they shoot for maximum damage. Despite the superior range of their rifle rifles compared to traditional smoothbore rifles, they would still be the most effective when shooting based on rank against approaching cavalry from close range. 

While the Tyroleans formed such a lineup, the relatively undisciplined Vorarlberg infantry quickly escaped the approaching cavalry and ran behind the huge box that appeared on the battlefield. Confused by the strange formation, the Bavarians charged straight into the firing line, where after reaching thirty yards, the, each of the commanders in charge of each formation began to give orders to shoot based on the nearest rank.

Breaking ranks meant facing certain death; these were words that their training instructors had thrust into their heads during the months of training that the men had undergone to be fully recognized as soldiers. Thus, the Tyroleans stood in their ranks, refilling before firing on the next cavalry who attempted the Cavalry's attack, which was met with similarly disastrous results.

Meanwhile, Eckhard was inside the empty area of the formation with several officers; as a man with a sword, his usefulness in this formation was nothing more than a commanding voice. He therefore issued an order as the cavalry continued to attack the formation, hoping to break through with an even superior number.

"Fire left wing!"

"Right, wing shot!"

"Middle column shot!"

The veteran field marshal continued to declare his orders. While the men under his command followed them to the letter; before long, the cavalry was knocked out, with some surviving members having fled the scene during the second attack. They did not believe that their heavily armored knights were useless in the face of absurd Tyrolean weapons.

Seeing their knights broken, the Bavarian army was filled with trepidation. However, their worries were far from resolved, as the artillery brigades continued to attack their ranks, no matter how far they fled. However, suddenly the artillery batteries stopped, and for a moment, they felt relieved. That was before they saw the Tyrolean Cavalry running down the hillside and towards their ruined ranks! 

The Berengar rule is simple, as long as the enemy does not give up, it is fair game and is not given a quarter, even if they run with a tail between their legs. Thus, the Tyrolean Cavalry, a mix of Cuirassier, Demi-Lancer, and Hussar, rushed down the mountain slope and into the enemy, showing no mercy to the fleeing Bavarians. 

The Bavarian commander, who had taken part in the attack of the early Bavarian cavalry, lay on the ground, with his dead horse lying on it, slowly crushing his internal organs. He was bleeding from his mouth, yet this was nowhere to be seen as the helmet on his head covered such a scene. 

The battle was over, and although Eckhard ordered his troops to keep their wits about him, he and the members of the infantry line approached the body trapped under the horse and lifted the helmet from its head, it showed the appearance of a terrible scar from a man who had seen many battles. 

Eckhard looked at the man respectfully before asking him a question.

"Are you the Commander of Bavaria?"

Struggling to breathe, the Bavarian commander coughed up blood before answering Eckhard

"Yes..."

Eckhard felt sorry for the man and his situation, and therefore, decided to show mercy; thus, he asked the man the last question in his mind.

"Do you regret coming to Austria?"

The Bavarian commander chuckled as he swallowed his blood before spitting it out of his mouth and onto the ground.

"With every fiber of my being!"

with that said, Eckhard took out his gun, cocked the hammer, and pulled the trigger, sending the shotgun ball to the commander's head, giving him a quick death. After which, he said the words in his mind loudly for all his men to hear.

"May God forgive his soul ..."

The first battle in Carinthia was a remarkable victory for the Tyroleans, and they drastically reduced the number of Bavarian troops in the region. It seems that the war for Carinthia will be much smoother than it was in Salzburg.