Steel Empire
The Death of a Marshal

Lord Friedhelm von Thiersee has served as Marshal of Kufstein for almost thirty years now. He is a man who grew older at his age and now has long white hair, a matching beard, and a lot of wrinkles. Despite his old age, the old man could still use a sword in battle and lead his subordinate army in battle. It was until a week ago when his health suddenly deteriorated. His doctor did not know the cause of his disease and attributed it to the weakness of old age. However, today, on the same day that Linde announced that she was pregnant, the old man lay on his deathbed in the domain of his family where they had ruled under von Kufsteins' allegiance for centuries.

His children surrounded him and waited for his last breath. To be honest the man had lived long enough to know when someone was poisoned, and he had already thought of a suspect. However, by the time he realized this fact, it was too late because he was now too weak to effectively communicate his suspicions. Today, His servants are fulfilling his needs. However, he was now convinced that they were secretly Berengar's agents and were the first to poison him. Right now a servant who had served him for the past fifteen years approached him and force-fed the old master a glass of water mixed with poison. Since the Marshal could no longer drink without help, he had no choice but to receive the final dose of the deadly poison. It took a while for the dose of poison to go that way;

In the end, the voice that came out from the mouth of the Elder master could not help but have a coherent thought. The only word that could be understood in his dying chatter was the word "Lambert," which immediately caused a hint of worry on his family's face. Why the old man's last word was the name of the second son of the Baron. However, before they could ask the old man what he meant by using that name, the marshal took his last breath and walked out of this world. In the end this leaves a bit of suspicion on some of the faces of the smarter family members. They would even investigate whether Lambert had anything to do with the old patriarch's sudden illness.

Ironically by trying to get his family to warn Lambert that his brother was the most likely suspect with the Marshal's untimely death, Lord Friedhelm instead pushes suspicion onto Lambert, that would eventually result in his family siding with Berengar in the war for the title of Baron. Of course, at the time, Berengar had no way of knowing that his murder of the Marshal would provide key evidence in his subsequent attempt to eliminate Lambert as a threat. So that night, His Holiness Thiersee mourned the loss of the mighty and efficient God who had led them for decades.

...

By the time Berengar and his family heard the news of Lord Friedhelm's death, it was too late until the next day. This was shocking news for Sieghard, who suspected his Marshal of having a brief bout of illness; he never expected the old Master to die because of what made him sick. Therefore, Sieghard immediately held a grand funeral in honor of the memory of his faithful Marshal, who had served his family for many years.

On the other hand, Lambert was horrified by the news; he had just realized the illness of his ally and attributed it to the problem of the elderly. However, with his death and Berengar's overbearing expression, he instantly knew that his brother had conspired against a key ally in his fight for an inheritance. Without the Marshal by his side, he would have trouble gathering the city guards against Berengar when his father finally set out for battle. Even if Lambert didn't really understand how efficient the Berengar militia was; if Lambert acted quickly enough for their father's departure, he was able to seize power and imprison his brother before the Berengar militia could enter the castle gates and secure the territory of the young lord. That he has become a tipping point in Lambert's plans for the future.

Without the troops already stationed at the Castle supporting him, Lambert now had little chance of achieving such a goal. He was also unable to form his own militia, as Berengar had clearly won the hearts of the commoners, and rumors had spread about Lambert's character being more sinister than he had publicly shown. In fact, despite the mourning period, Sieghard needed to declare a new Marshal. The only problem was that not many people were as experienced as Friedhelm in terms of war. The position of Marshal was very important to a Lord as they basically ordered all the royal power in place of the feudal lord. However, Sieghard personally enjoyed leading his troops; under his rule, Marshal had always been a strategist and tactical adviser. So too with the head of law enforcement.

What Sieghard did not know was that Berengar had found a capable person to fulfill the role and would eventually replace whoever Sieghard had chosen for the position of Marshal. Currently, Sieghard is in a meeting with Berengar discussing the role of Marshal and who should be appointed. Berengar was surprised that Sieghard was now considering his opinion; it could only mean one thing, Sieghard was preparing for his eventual death on the battlefield and the transition of his son and heir to power. However, he had to confirm those suspicions and thus ask directly to his father.

"Dad, I know a storm is coming and soon this country will be in a civil war. Aren't you planning to take your Marshal to the battlefield?"

Sieghard looked at his son and heir solemnly; he had suspicions that Berengar's act of forming a militia was to act as an appropriate defense for Barony while he was away at war, and that he had no idea that Berengar's act of forming a militia was to act as a proper defense for Barony, which is one of the reasons he will always compromise when it comes to the cost of arming the militia.

"I will not lie to you, Son, what you say is true; in a moment, I will be called to war by the Count of Tyrol. I do not anticipate returning from this conflict alive. It may take years, but sooner or later, I will perish on the battlefield fulfilling my duties to our subordinates. All I want is to put someone capable of being in charge of Barony's defense and law enforcement. Someone who can guide you well on how to defend our land in my stead.

Berengar tried not to smile as his suspicions proved; his father knew he was no longer fit to be a Baron with how efficiently Berengar proved himself to be a ruler. Now that her children are old enough to survive without her, she is looking for a way out. This meant that within a few years, Berengar would become a Baron and be able to fully carry out his plan to conquer German-speaking territories. Rather than waiting for his father to die peacefully in his sleep in decades. Berengar was cruel to his enemies, perhaps even cruel, but he was not a psychopath. His father showed nothing but virtue and patience as he grew up, and Berengar had no desire to hurt his father to achieve his goals. At most, he would exert his power and force his father to abdicate if his reign lasted too long. With his father's'

Sieghard looked up from his list of candidates and looked into Berengar's eyes. He was personally unaware of such a man in his territory.

"You know what?"

Berengar nodded as he continued to make his suggestion.

"Eckhard, he was an anointed knight and a veteran of many battles. He has enough mind for strategy and tactics, and I believe he can quickly adapt to the Law Enforcement role. He was the second command of my militia and was instrumental in the defeat of Ulrich's forces in the City of Mines."

A wide smile spread across Sieghard's face; it turned out that his son had already found a capable Marshal loyal to him; this was good news for the future of the kingdom. As he thought about it, he began to smile more; this basically meant that the Berengar militia could be incorporated into the City Guards and act as a military force, with police duties among civilians. In Berengar's previous world, such a power would be referred to as the Gendarmerie. It would be a fairly efficient force in defending his family's territory when he went to war. Therefore, he immediately accepted Berengar's suggestion.

"Well, I'll name Eckhard Marshal of the Realm after Friedhelm's funeral. We'll put your militia into the city guards, and it'll act as Barony's defense force and as his law enforcement."

Berengar was very pleased with this news; by eliminating Friedhelm, he had guaranteed that a unit of his army would be stationed at the Castle and loyal to him. If Lambert attempted to cause trouble at the beginning of his County, it would not end well for his younger brother. With one kill, Berengar had greatly weakened Lambert's and his allies' ability to harm him. Slowly but surely, the tidal wave was in his favor. Soon he will be able to resolve this war of intrigue and secure his rule. With the appointment of Eckhard as Marshal, he was able to root out any Lambert supporters within the ranks of the city guards and get them expelled from his army on false charges. Thus ensuring the only armed forces inside the Barony of Kufstein after Sieghard's departure were loyal only to Berengar.

This also meant that Berengar now had the authority to raise cavalry troops and add them to his ranks, albeit in small numbers. He believed he would start with a demi-lancer—-type cavalry unit that would one day replace the heavy armored knights of this era. The establishment of such a force would have to wait until after Eckhard's appointment as Marshal, which would take at most a month and a minimum of two weeks. Nevertheless, things seem bright for Berengar's future as his path to power slowly begins to converge.

After talking to his father about the details of the appointment for some time, Berengar returned to his room, where he began to draw up plans for the establishment of the Demi-Lancer company, Berengar, which will be equipped with Three-Quarter ammunition armored steel plates and spears. After a while, she heard a knock on her door, and when she opened it, she saw Adela standing in front of her in a beautiful dress in black, white, and gold, which was the color of her home. He seemed to be exasperating in pak*ian like that; in his hand was a tray full of cookies and milk. The young woman had a sweet tooth.

"Can I come in?"

Berengar would not refuse his future wife entry into his room; therefore, he gave way to his approach, and the two sat next to each other while snacking on snacks. Although Berengar enjoyed it, he did not enjoy the sweet desert like Adela. Still, he could not prevent his mind from thinking about chocolate. Unfortunately, it took a long time before he could send an expeditionary force to America to claim potatoes and cocoa. Nevertheless, it is one of his greatest goals in life. The formation of a colonial Empire in his mind was a must. However, the reason was more for the wide variety of plants and spices that could be brought back and less for the expansion of the region. Nevertheless, when he was able to do so, he fully intended to take advantage of the European powers.Lack of knowledge about the rest of the world and claim territories in America, Africa, and Asia. With the power his troops would have at that time, no one would be able to stop him.

To achieve this, he first had to unify Germany and acquire some coastal areas; he wanted major Naval bases in the Baltic, Northern, and Adriatic Seas. Then he needed to build a strong Navy to maintain colonial rule. Either way, it was years, if not decades, away from where he stood today. Nevertheless, he would do all he could to establish his Empire as a major world power. Needless to say, there was a lot of work in front of the ambitious young master. For now, she relaxes with her young fiance and eats cake while dreaming of conquering the world.