Chapter 136: You Really Know how to Force my Hand

While Berengar had begun to march his armies into the Prince-Bishopric of Trent, Duke Wilmar was engaged with the enemy Bavarians at Munich, his siege was lasting longer than he had anticipated, but it was going smooth enough. The main Bavarian armies were up in the north fighting against the regions under von Luxembourg's influence. For Eastern Germany, they were fighting among themselves for petty reasons. There was not a single region of Germany that was not embroiled in some form of warfare at the moment; only small towns could escape the wrath of passing armies if they were lucky; most weren't.

Duke Wilmar was reading a report about Berengar's recent activities. In under two months, he had subjugated the Northern and Southern regions of Tyrol and had marched on Trent with the intent of annexing the territory through the right of conquest. Berengar's actions greatly enraged the Church, who had demanded Duke Wilmar do something about his lowly vassal. The truth was, at the moment, Berengar was not directly a Vassal of Duke Wilmar but Count Lothar. By supporting Duke Wilmar in his war against Lothar, Berengar was technically breaking his responsibilities as a vassal to Lothar and was actually acting in treason against his direct liege.

At the moment, Duke Wilmar was very pleased with Berengar's actions; despite being a lowly Viscount, the young man had somehow gathered enough forces to rapidly retake Tyrol from the defending Garrisons and the Lords and Regents who ruled over the area. However, what shocked him the most was that Lothar's son and heir, Liutbert, openly denounced his father and sided in support of Berengar, swearing loyalty to the man that was his family's vassal. By swearing his loyalty to Berengar, Liutbert had essentially given up on his claim for Tyrol, which put Duke Wilmar in a difficult position.

The Duke of Austria grinned as he chuckled and commented to himself

"You really know how to force my hand, do you not, Berengar?"

Honestly, Duke Wilmar was impressed by Berengar's capabilities and wanted the man on his side, especially with the efficiency in which he engaged in warfare; Despite the fact that he did not know Berengar's secret to swift victory; he still desired the man to be his Marshal. However, since Berengar was someone else's vassal, he could not do so; as such, Duke Wilmar was convinced that making Berengar Count of Tyrol was in his best interest at the moment and had thus come to a conclusion.

He would even allow Berengar to keep Trent and incorporate it into his domain. Surely that would be enough to satisfy the ambitions of a man who was born a lowly Baron's son. Of course, if Wilmar knew what Berengar intended to do over the upcoming years, he would have refused to give Berengar any greater authority. However, there was no magic in this world; if the gods of mankind existed, they surely did not show their presence. As such, there was no way to accurately predict the future or understand the exact thoughts in someone's head.

Beside Wilmar was one of his Commanders, the Count of Salzburg; his name was Walfried von Salzburg, who was shocked by the statement the Duke had made, as such, he quickly questioned his leige on what he meant.

"Apologizes for my liege, but how exactly has Berengar forced your hand?"

Normally a Count like Walfried would not be familiar with some lowly Viscount from another County. Still, he had heard many things about Berengar, the young man who was quite famous in Austria and several nearby German regions like Bavaria. When Walfried received the Duke's reply the Count could not help but look at Berengar with even higher praise.

"Berengar has seized nearly all of Tyrol and has currently marched on the Prince-Bishopric of Trent in an attempt to annex it from the Church."

This was shocking news; after all, it had been less than two months since Berengar first took up arms against Count Lothar, and during that entire time the Duke's army had been stuck laying siege to Munich, he began to wonder just how did the young Viscount manage to capture such a vast swath of territory so rapidly? Count Walfried could hardly believe his ears and, as such, had to verify the information.

"What did you say?"

Duke Wilmar glared at Walfried in response to his questioning tone and made what he had previously said clear.

"You heard me..."

Wilfried did not know how to react to such information; immediately, his mind thought the Duke was reading misinformation, and as such, he asked about its authenticity.

"Has this intelligence been verified?"

To Walfried's surprise, Duke Wilmar smiled and nodded; neither of them knew how exactly Berengar had managed to seize Tyrol so quickly, but they knew that it was an extraordinary feat; as such, they could not help but praise the young Viscount in their hearts. The only question that remained in Walfried's mind was what they should do with such a talented commander.

"What will you do with him if he is victorious in Trent?"

Duke Wilmar continued to smile as he announced his plans to his trusted friend.

"I intend to make him Count of Tyrol and allow his annexation to take place."

At first, this news greatly shocked Walfried. However, he understood Wilmar's intentions; Berengar was talented in not just military matters but economic and industrial ones as well. If they could gain his favor and put him to work for the good of the realm, Austria would soar to new heights never before seen in this world. Unfortunately, the two scheming noblemen had made one minor miscalculation, and that was the fact that Berengar's ambitions did not stop at being a Count. Thus he would never be content putting his innovations to use for another sovereign.

However, these men had no way of knowing the depth of Berengar's goals nor the height of his pride. When the time finally came, Berengar would refuse to serve on Wilmar's council and instead develop Tyrol into a booming industry and agricultural district. While the war for Germany waged on, Berengar would elect to protect his new lands and cultivate them, allowing the chaos that the conflict caused to spread to every corner of Germany, every corner but his own. Only when things were at their worst would he have the ability to rise from the ashes of the old world and present a new alternative.

As such, they continued to scheme as to how they would get into Berengar's good graces, and by doing so, they played directly into the young Viscount's hands. For Berengar would never accept the yoke of servitude beneath another being, his pride as a man would never allow it.