Chapter 304: Gaining a Foothold in the Swiss Confederation

With the invasion of Italy underway, Berengar's efforts to conquer and annex the Swiss Confederation in his war for Independence had also begun. Under the command of General Adelbrand von Salzburg, the Austrian armies had marched into the lands of their enemies with a total of 25,000 men. 

Adelbrand was promoted to the rank of General in the last few years of Austria's peacetime and military expansion. He had proven a competent commander during the defense of Salzburg from the Bavarian Occupation of Austria. 

He also was loosely related to Berengar as the brother-in-law of Berengar's cousin Ava. After Berengar had liberated Austria from the Bavarians, the man immediately enlisted in the Austrian Army during Berengar's brief regency over Austria. 

He had eventually gone through officer school and risen in the ranks quickly due to his natural talent as a military commander. This was his first major campaign as he marched the 25,000 man army into the Swiss Confederation with the intent of conquest. 

At the moment, the artillery was in the process of being set up, as Adelbrand's soldiers loaded their weapons with quick loading tubes. Upon their invasion, they swiftly met a force of swiss soldiers within the mountainous terrain. 

However, as the Austrians were preparing for battle, Adelbrand was surprised to see a white flag being flown by a representative of the Swiss forces flying the banner of the local noblemen within the province of Chur. 

Chur had long since been a home of the German Reformist movement. When they saw the Austrian banners flying with the invasion force, the Count of Chur immediately began to negotiate his defection. 

If Berengar was fighting a war for Independence against the Holy Roman Emperor, it was his duty as a devout reformist to aid that rebellion in any way he could. The Count of Chur, who only recently gained his position from the Arch-Bishop of Chur, who had vacated after converting to the Reformist religion, approached Adelbrand with his visor risen and a smile on his face.

The man rode on horseback where he met Adelbrand in front of his Army, utterly fearless of what the Austrians might do to him; The Count of Chur quickly declared his intentions as he greeted the Austrian General.

"I am Count Rayner von Chur, ruler of this territory. As a devout Reformist, I hereby surrender the County of Chur to Austria in the name of God and King Berengar! You are free to use my County as a base of operations for your war effort!"

When Adelbrand heard this, he was instantly shocked; he was not a devout Reformist, nor did he have any loyalty to the Catholic Church; he respected military might, which was why he followed Berengar so passionately. 

To see a Count so willingly surrender in the name of religious similarities was astonishing. As such, it took General Adelbrand several moments to find the words to speak. Eventually, he smiled before reaching his hand out as a friendly gesture.

"I, General Adelbrand von Salzburg, formally accept your surrender. If your Army would disarm yourselves, it would be most appreciated."

Quite honestly, Adelbrand found the whole scenario hard to believe, and as such, he refused to fall into any trap. To his surprise Count, Rayner rode back to his Army and gave them the orders he had received from Adelbrand, where the entire Army threw their arms away and stripped their armor. 

After doing so, they knelt before the Austrian overlords as a sign of their submission. The Austrian soldiers were just as shocked as Adelbrand as they witnessed such a sight. Either this was the most elaborate ruse they had ever seen, or these Swiss soldiers were seriously devout Reformists. 

With these two options in mind, Adelbrand proceeded with caution as he addressed the disarmed swiss soldiers.

"I accept your surrender and henceforth announce the annexation of the County of Chur into the Kingdom of Austria on behalf of His Majesty King Berengar von Kufstein. If you serve your new monarch honorably, I can assure you that the nobles among you may maintain your status within your new lives!"

As Wolgang said this, the Swiss soldiers stood up in unison and saluted as they utilized the Austrian Battle Cry in response as an affirmation of their submission.

"God with us!"

With that said, the Chur soldiers led the Austrians towards their fortresses, where they immediately came under the occupation of the Royal Austrian Army. As the armies settled in, Adelbrand gathered intelligence of the Swiss Confederation and its military capabilities from Count Rayner.

"So tell me, what is the strength of the Swiss Armies? How many men will we be facing? Where are they located? What tactics will they be utilizing?"

With this said, Count Rayner led the Austrian General into the war room, where he immediately pointed out the positions on the map of the Swiss Armies.

"Aside from us in Chur, the Swiss Confederation has roughly 25,000 men at their disposal. These are mostly men at arms and knights that are similarly equipped to the mercenaries that Berengar defeated during the brief rebellion, those treacherous noblemen raised against him. 

Most of the armies are currently being gathered in Zurich up here; when they have rallied together, they will march on our position; my suggestion is to wait patiently and crush the main Army in defense of Chur. Then after they are utterly decimated, you will have free reign to conquer the small garrisons that litter the various major cities across the realm.

Once those swiss cities are defeated, the rest of the land will surrender with a simple show of force. What do you think?"

Although Adelbrand thought the plan was a good idea, he could not fully trust the Count of Chur and his men, who had fully surrendered; as such, he shook his head before coming up with a different attack plan.

"You and your men will stay here and guard the border to Austria; I will lead my army to attack the enemy directly."

Count Rayner could immediately tell that Adelbrand did not trust him, and he did not blame him. Surrendering to annexation without a fight was unheard of. However, he was a true believer in the reformist cause.

Rayner believed that an independent homeland should be established for the movement, and as such, the man was more than happy to join his neighbors in Austria with who he shared a border as part of this envisioned Reformist Homeland. 

Thus he sighed heavily before agreeing to Adelbrand's plan; trust could not be built overnight; all he could do was loyally abide by his commands and protect the Austrian Border. With that said, the Austrian troops began to rest before they would depart the next day.

Ever the cautious commander, Adelbrand left his troops on watch over the region and had given them specific instructions to be on the lookout for the Chur soldiers' potential treachery. Despite expecting such a thing, it never manifested, and the Austrian soldiers were allowed a reprieve. 

With this, Austria had gained a foothold in the Swiss Confederation without firing a single shot. When the news finally spread to the Swiss Confederation about Chur's betrayal, it would be far too late, as the Austrians would already be at their doorsteps. 

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