Steel Empire
Insurgencies

The daylight illumination shone through Berengar's study window, and with it, landed on top of his handsome figure. The young count had a calm expression as he sipped his tea. In front of him were two people reporting the news he had been waiting for. One of these people was his lover Linde, and the other was his close friend and Field Marshal Eckhard.

As Berengar enjoyed the taste of chamomile tea, Linde spread a report on his desk; the contents revealed the general attitude of the Austrian nobility and how they would react to the news of Conrad's death and Berengar's declaration of deprivation. 

As Berengar read the contents, Linde announced a general summary of the contents of the report.

"As you would expect, Count Audeger, Count Otto, and Count Adelbrand will support you. Their view is simple, fighting against you is a suicide. Moreover, there was a consensus from these Counts and their followers that despite losing power in the form of a feudal army, the, the economic benefits of tying their dynasties to a position of control over your business far outweigh the losses they will suffer because of your reforms."

Berengar nodded in agreement when he heard this and continued to read his report; while he did, Linde further commented on it.

"Upper and Lower Austria will avoid conflict entirely. Our spies have reported that although the Upper Austrian Prince did not support you or your ascension of power, his followers supported your reform, and without their help, he said, The prince will have no army to rebel against you. As for Lower Austria, as you know it is a crown land ruled by Conrad, with his death it has fallen directly into your hands. Thus you will not see resistance in the northern part of Austria.

Berengar flipped through the pages while drinking his tea, nodding silently. The report was thorough and included more details than Linde summarized; therefore, she took the time to read it while her lover continued to report her findings.

"The region that will surely rebel against you when you declare yourself Duke is Carinthia, Krain, and Custenland. In other words, the southern region of Austria. The nobility of the territory was devastated by your rapid rise to power, and considered you nothing more than a leaping Baron. Other than Carinthia, the other two counties did not personally witness the strength of your troops in battle, and therefore truly believed that they might have a chance against you."

While he heard this, Berengar smiled wickedly as he began a conversation with Eckhard, who was standing nearby silently listening to the report.

"Say, Field Marshal, how do you handle this situation?"

Eckhard scratched his beard for a while while pondering the information he received before finding a solution.

"If I were you, I would deploy several thousand soldiers to the southern districts under the guise of internal security. After all, since the Bavarian withdrawal, there have been severe problems with robbers and robbers all over southern Austria. Not happy about that, but you are the Regent of Austria, and as far as they know, you are the Regent of Austria, Conrad is alive.

By showing tremendous power and occupying territory in the name of internal security, you can crush any form of rebellion before it even begins. The advantage we have is that no one outside Kufstein castle knows of Conrad's death, and before you reveal this card, they can't do anything to rebel. 

When you finally announce Conrad's death and that you will usurp the position of Duke, they will have no means to go against you, since you have occupied their city and port—ensure your power over the region.

They may try to encourage rebellion among the local population, but this can be countered by introducing reforms to your agriculture and industry; in doing so, it can be countered, the general population would see their daily lives increasing and would be less likely to rebel in favor of the local nobility who treated them as slaves. There will be bloodshed, but it will be minimal, and your reign as Duke over all of Austria will be guaranteed."

Hearing this, Berengar began to tap his finger on his desk repeatedly for a while; this made sense and was a great way to prevent unnecessary bloodshed in his ascension to Duke status. However, this plan of action failed to get rid of the powerful Count, who would definitely continue to conspire against him. So Berengar asked the question in his mind.

"If we do this, we will not be able to eliminate the disgruntled nobles who will do their best to resist my reform for many years to come. How do you suggest we deal with it?"

Before Eckhard could speak up, Linde immediately voiced her opinion on the matter.

"You don't have to worry about this; I have a plan in mind that will allow us to get rid of their betrayal permanently while making your ascension seem legitimate. As you know, my family is the main Cadet Branch of the Habsburg Line With the death of Conrad, my brother Liutbert is the next heir to inherit the Duchy.

By luring the rebel rulers to Innsbruck under the guise of rebellion against your county, we can gather every nobleman who seeks to defy your rule in one place, where my brother will raise an army to fight you. After a minor battle, he will admit defeat and transfer his claim to the Duchy of Austria in your favor. In doing so, the rebellious Lords would be arrested and executed for their treasonous activities.

My brother will be pardoned as a good deed on your part and will be removed from the position of Chancellor as punishment for his alleged treason but still allowed to rule Innsbruck. As for the successor of the rebellious Master, they can be persuaded to follow the line."

Hearing her lover coming up with a cowardly plot, an evil grin spread across Berengar's lips as he nodded in agreement. He sipped his tea again before revealing the thoughts in his mind.

"Alright, I agree to this plan. I want all critical areas of the potentially rebellious county to be safe before I reveal the news. You two need to get your work done, and I hope it's done soon!"

Eckhard saluted Berengar and responded in agreement

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

As for Linde, she put on a sultry smile before responding to Berengar teasingly.

"Whatever to you, sweetheart..."

After hearing his two subordinates agree to this plan of action, Berengar leaned back in his chair and gave one more command.

"Dismissed!"

Hearing this, Linde immediately went to work; while Eckhard remained, realizing that his Field Marshal was still in the room, Berengar asked the man why.

"Is there a problem?"

Eckhard had a complicated expression on his face. He did not know the whole truth of Conrad's death, but he suspected it was not suicide as Berengar had told the Castle staff; therefore, he closed the door before approaching Berengar, who was not, who sat quietly in his leather chair.

"Your Majesty, I want to know the truth about what happened with Conrad... I'm guessing there's more to the story than simple suicide, and if you're involved in this, it's totally against the long-term.

Hearing Eckhard's worry, Berengar quickly placed his head in his palm and sighed before revealing the truth of the matter to the loyal Field Marshal, albeit with a slight exaggeration.

"The boy targeted Linde; he killed her pet in an attempt to cause her mental anguish. Not only did he kill them, but he also stuck their heads into a stick outside their house. If he was so evil that he would kill three innocent cats.To hurt Linde, what about Hans? Will the boy target my next child? I can't believe he didn't think of such a thing, and because of that, I can't take any chances. So I threw it out the window."

Eckhard was shocked to hear this news; he had no idea that Conrad had become so vile during his stay in Kufstein. Therefore, he let out a long sigh before revealing his thoughts on the matter.

"If I were in your position, I would also do such a thing. To think that little boy had gone this far. It's good that he finally died; now we can make real progress in Austria. All right, I understand the reason for your actions now; I think you might become impatient and rush up to power, and for my assumption, I'm sorry.

After all, it is a man's responsibility to protect his family from all threats. You are right to assume he will try to harm your family next; even if he does not have such thoughts at the time, he is trying to do so. Thanks for being honest with me."

Berengar smiled as Eckhard agreed with his actions; after their brief quarrel about the act of poisoning the boy, he began to suspect that Eckhard might be too soft for the path Berengar stepped on. However, Eckhard's response had eased his worries for now; berengar stood up and held the man's shoulder while looking into his eyes before saying the words in his mind.

"No problem, my friend. Now go and set the army to the task."

Eckhard nodded and smiled at Berengar's response shortly after he left and began fulfilling his plan to secure the Duke's title to Berengar. Taking this strategy into account, Berengar's transition to power would be stable, and his enemies within his realm would be dealt with appropriately.