Steel Empire
Entrapment

While the Brigand Act was taking place in the southern Austrian district, Berengar began to move against the rebellious Princes and their evil vassals. Currently, Liutbert was sitting in his seat of power in Innsbruck, reading a letter. The letter was addressed to him by his cunning little sister, who happened to be Count Berengar's lover. 

The content of the letters is a sinister plot designed to eliminate Berengar's potential enemies while securing the legitimacy needed to rise to Duke's position. Liutbert held a unique position in the Austrian feudal hierarchy; with the destruction of the Habsburg main line, he was the closest male heir to the title of Duke. Therefore, he presented a unique obstacle in Berengar's rise to power.

Liutbert was very afraid of Berengar; after all, he had witnessed the perfect strength of the man's army and knew he had no chance to compete for the Ducal Throne. Moreover, he was pretty sure his sister would poison him if he dared to act in rebellion against the rookies from Kufstein. Thus he had taken a very obedient position in relation to Berengar and his power over Tyrol. 

Hopefully, the man can benefit himself and his family faithfully. So far, it has proven to be a lucrative act with Innsbruck being the second industrial city in Tyrol; the wealth generated from such a large business basically goes into his pocket. Instead, the rest is paid taxes to Berengar. 

Not only that, but the man has been appointed Chancellor, essentially making him the second ruler of the region, at least in theory. Most of his work was delegated tasks. Berengar felt he was capable of doing so competently. Taking all these things into consideration, Liutbert let out a long sigh before voicing his concern loudly.

"It's gonna be really hard to do."

After reading his sister's letter, he lit it with a candle; after doing so, he blew out the candle before starting to do the task he had been instructed to do. Liutbert soon began writing letters to the Austrian nobility who would most likely rebel against Berengar; this included those in Tyrol who were disappointed by Berengar's reforms. 

The letters were a request for a meeting in Innsbruck to discuss the future of the kingdom. These letters contained sensitive information leaked to Liutbert by his sister Linde to persuade disgruntled nobles to appear in the city.

The letter asserts Berengar was an assassin and usurper who conspired to seize the Duchy of Austria and that with Conrad's death, Liutbert was the rightful successor. For other nobles, especially those disappointed by Berengar's rapid rise to power and his political reforms, which limited their feudal power, Liutbert was a much better alternative to the Duke's position.

After sending the letter, Liutbert waited for a response, and in a matter of weeks, a date had been set for a meeting of the disgruntled nobles, where they would arrive in Innsbruck. During this time, Berengar's forces managed to occupy the rebel area with his troops under the guise of Brigand Act.

Thus preventing them from rising in rebellion, their only way forward to fight was to gather at Innsbruck and use the power apparently appointed to control the Chancellor to fight against the Tyrannical Berengar. In reality, these were just mercenaries Liutbert had bought with Berengar's support. The actual garrisons in the region would never dare to go against Berengar's government because they had been thoroughly indoctrinated by the time they graduated from basic training. 

As the weeks passed, extraordinary meetings were held in Innsbruck, and Liutbert was sitting in his grand hall surrounded by nobles and women who were naturally resistant to Berengar's ascension and the accompanying reforms. Most of the nobles and women came from the older generation, as the Young Masters and Madams of Austria were more inclined to believe in the Berengar reform. 

An old Count who led the County of Custenland was the first to voice his concerns. He was fat, bald, and had a swollen white beard. He instantly started to speak as he walked pacing the floor of the large hall with a stick in his hand.

"If the news is accurate, and Conrad is dead, then that means Berengar has put his army on our land to prevent a rebellion! Such a devious plan could only be made by members of the lower class nobles.

Worse still, he has taken control of the land in my coastal territory so that he can begin the construction of his shipyard! Was he trying to challenge Venice and Genoa at sea? Bah, he's just looking for trouble. 

It becomes increasingly clear that if we do not fight Berengar now when his army is stretched thin, then we will never have a chance to remove him from power! I don't know about all of you, but I refuse to go quietly at night! There must be a war!"

Hearing the old Count's speech, many other nobles nodded in agreement; berengar was a threat to their strength. If Conrad is really dead, and the man made a stratagem to become Duke, it is better to fight him now before he actually secures his reign.

"Heard had usurped my rightful position as Prince of Tyrol; in doing so, he had enacted many reforms throughout the region that consistently undermined the power and rights of the nobility. If left unchecked, who said when there was nothing.to distinguish our noble lineage from the filthy commoners!

I have been given authority over power here in Innsbruck; Berengar foolishly put his trust in me, believing myself to be a dog whipped at his command. We will use this power to march on Kufstein, and thus, force its troops occupying your land to retreat, allowing us to raise our forces in further rebellion! The question is, who here will pledge their allegiance to me and take up arms against Berengar the usurper?"

With this said, the hall immediately echoed as the rebellious nobles stumbled upon each other to declare their allegiance to the man they considered to be the rightful Duke of Austria. The fat old man was the loudest nobleman gathered.

"I, Prince Berhtolf von Trieste, hereby declare my support and allegiance to the only true Duke of Austria, Liutbert von Habsburg!"

What followed was the cries of several other important nobles.

"I am Prince Edelstein von Klagenfurt hereby pledging my life and allegiance to Liutbert von Habsburg, Duke of Austria!"

"I Count Fridebraht von Laibach hereby offered my support to the Duke of Austria, Liutbert von Habsburg!"

With the three Southern Princes declaring their open support for Liutbert, the other Rulers who had gathered quickly pledged their allegiance to Liutbert and his rebellion. In doing so, they had sealed their fate, for they had never expected that this meeting was nothing more than a ruse made by Berengar and his lover to gather his political rivals to one location. 

After the Lords gathered in Innsbruck declared their allegiance to Liutbert and their intention to rebel against Berengar and his guardianship. Liutbert made a proclamation.

"I accept all your allegiances, and for my honor, I promise to lead the troops together with you all to Kufstein! We will attack while Berengar the usurper is unprepared and quickly end his illegitimate rule!"'

With this said, cheers began to erupt in the crowd. The nobles who had gathered swore that they would follow Liutbert into battle, with the troops stationed in Innsbruck, they felt that they would be fully capable of overthrowing Berengar and his tyrant, who was the only one to be defeated, not at all aware that they were walking into a trap. 

As such, the following days were spent preparing for the war, with the results of the Innsbruck industry focusing in small part on making weapons and armor for the nobles who had gathered, and the, they cannot carry their equipment.

Of course, they were pleased with the advanced design of the full plate armor that the Innsbruck factories were capable of producing, and while equipped with such powerful armor, were able to, they felt as if they were invincible in their attempt to overthrow a tyrant. 

So, all plans were in place for a decisive fight that would eliminate Berengar's enemies and make it seem as if the transfer of power was legitimate. Shortly thereafter, the two armies would clash in the fields outside Kufstein, the results of which had yet to be seen.

Why am I rarely up?many activities in the real world that can not be left hope understanding, and also no financial income from the novel so there is a plausible value why I am lazy to update️