Steel Empire
Negotiating

After some time, Hussite's representative arrived at the large hall of Berengar and knelt before him respectfully. Berengar was not only a mighty Duke, but in the eyes of the Hussites, he was a man inspired by the teachings of Jan Hus, and thus, a brother in struggle against the oppression of the Catholic Church.

The man in charge of the diplomats quickly introduced himself so that Berengar would not wait.

"I am Ludhek Hlavacek, a lowly servant of Count Alexej Kashpar of the Kasparian sect of the Hussite Movement!"

Berengar had never heard of the Kasparian sect from a previous life. Then again, as far as he was concerned, some important figures from his time from his past life were in this timeline so it was only natural that some things were changed. 

Ludcite was a relatively short man; nevertheless, he was sturdy in stature and had a set of long brown hair, with a matching beard. His eyes were yellow, and he had a scar on his left cheek, adding to some suggestions that the man had been battle-tested.

Two other men flanking Ludhek wore veils and hid their identities, though Berengar did not challenge them to reveal themselves; after all, Berengar did, they were a religious movement that the Church desired because she could sympathize with their desire to hide their faces. 

Berengar quickly spoke to the people who had entered his large hall

"I am Duke Berengar von Kufstein, as one of the founders of the German Reformation; I welcome you as a brother-in-arms. Although I want to know why you traveled from Bohemia to my humble abode."

Berengar had a rough idea of what they were here for, but if what they wanted was what he thought, unfortunately he had to reject them. However, he made it seem as if he was completely confused, thus giving them the ability to explain themselves.

Ludc was not ashamed of the topic at hand and quickly discussed the reason for being in Kufstein.

"Bohemia was on the brink of war; recently in Prague, seven city council members were denested! The King of Bohemia has sided with the Vatican and is trying to suppress our movement. We came asking for help from the man who so completely defeated the mighty Teutonic Order."

Berengar was a little surprised, it was only 1418, but Prague's first defense was advanced for about a year. This means that what the delegation said may be true. It would not be long before Bohemia plunged into civil war, and the Hussite war had fully begun. However, Berengar began to rest his head in his right hand as he made his stance clear.

"If you seek me to invade Bohemia with my army, I fear I must disappoint you."

After saying this, Ludcitek's face turned grim, and he immediately asked about the worries in his mind.

"Why not? Didn't you just say that we are brothers in arms? Are you really going to leave us in our time of need?"

Berengar knew this would be lifted, and therefore, he immediately replied with his reason.

"I've spent the last year fighting wars with my enemies. The Bavarians have ravaged the land that is now under my control during their occupation. Now that I am the Duke and have built a sense of peace and stability in Austria, I am unable to do so. marching to fight once again very quickly.

During this era of peace, I need to take advantage of this time to stabilize my government and rebuild what has been destroyed. I cannot save my troops when there is a war going on outside my borders that can attack my land at any time. 

You are like brothers to me, but my people are like my children, and therefore I have to look after them first. I hope you can understand."

Hearing this reasoning, Ludciek lowered his head; what Berengar said made sense, the whole of Germany was engaged in a bloody civil war, with only Austria maintaining a peaceful existence, and they have to pay a lot to do it. Berengar's lands were abandoned in many areas, and he needed time and effort to rebuild after the Bavarian occupation. 

However, before the man could admit his defeat, Berengar's solemn expression turned into a warm smile and revealed a hint of hope to Hussite's representative.

Upon hearing this, the three gathered men looked at Berengar in surprise; they did not know what form of help Berengar could give them. Before they could ask, Berengar continued his thoughts.

"I can give you firearms, cannons, gunpowder, and military advisers. This is the most help I can give you right now."

Berengar's plan was simple; he would give the Hussites weapons and training to defeat the Bohemian Crown and their Catholic supporters. However, Berengar had no plans to arm the Hussites with an arkebus or a 12-pound steel cannon. Instead, he planned to open a separate production line in Vienna to create a primitive cast iron cannon and provide hand cannons for the Hussites. 

Although Berengar had sold the much more advanced archaebuse to the Byzantines, the reason was because the interests of his allies in the East would not clash with his own interests for some time. So he did not have to worry about fighting with them.

However, if he were to arm the Hussite with the more advanced Arkebus and cannons when the time came for him to demand compensation in the form of Sudentenland and they refused to do so, he would face the power of spears and gunfire, rather than a late medieval army, that in itself could pose some difficulties to overcome.

Of course, the Hussites did not know what he would ask for in compensation for his military aid and were therefore rather pleased with the prospect of being armed by the Berengar factories. However, Ludcius was a cautious man and knew that such overwhelming help would not come without reward; therefore, he asked Berengar to explain what he wanted.

"That's more than enough to help us win this coming war, but I'm afraid we won't be able to repay your kindness adequately, so I have to ask, what do you want in return for such good support?"

Berengar was a shrewd diplomat and knew that the more Hussites owed him, the more likely they were to meet his demands peacefully. Therefore, he answered this question by kicking the can down the road.

"Don't worry, my friend; we can discuss the payment for the military aid I gave you after you won your war and be in a better position to repay my kindness. For now, know that you have my support as long as it remains within the limits of the provisions I have given."

Although Ludc was not pleased with the answer

this, he did not urge the issue; at present, the Hussites need to worry about getting Berengar's help, and any form of payment that Berengar might request can always be made in installments in the future.

Or so the hope, he would never have thought that Berengar would demand the annexation of the areas called Sudentenland. Thus the representative accepts the requirements of Berengar.

"I'm grateful for your support; when can we expect your help if you don't mind me asking?"

Berengar quickly countered this, as he had already calculated the time it took in his head.

"If I want to send help to your troops quickly, then I need to establish an industrial district in one of the cities closer to the Bohemian border; for that, I need time. Give me a maximum of three months, and I promise you'll take delivery of your first weapon. 

As for the military advisers, I can send them immediately to assist you in your preparations for war."

Ludk smiled when he heard this news and lowered his head respectfully once again.

"I thank you on behalf of all the Hussites, Your Majesty!"

With this, negotiations with the Hussites over support for their impending war were secured. For now, Berengar is getting allies to distract from him and the German Reformation. By starting the Hussite War, the Catholic Church and its military orders would have one more war to fight before calling for a Crusade against the German Reformation.

In doing so, Berengar gave himself time to prepare for the final day in which he would be forced to fight the European army at his doorstep. The crusade was not a laughingstock, and Berengar fully intended to expand his defenses, troops, and even his navy with such occurrences. Luckily for him, he happens to be reborn in an era where the Hussite war is about to take place.