Tyranny of Steel

After some time, the Hussite representatives arrived in Berengar's great hall and kneeled before him with great respect. Not only was Berengar a mighty Duke, but in the eyes of the Hussites, he was a man inspired by the teachings of Jan Hus, and as such, a brother in arms against the oppression of the Catholic Church.

The man in charge of the diplomats quickly introduced himself as not to keep Berengar waiting.

"I am Luděk Hlaváček, a humble servant of the Count Alexej Kašpar leader of the Kašparian sect of the Hussite Movement!"

Berengar had not heard of the Kašparian sect from his previous life. Then again, as far as he was aware, few important figures of the era from his past life existed in this timeline so it was only natural for some things to be changed. 

Luděk was a relatively short man; despite this, he was solidly built and had a set of long brown hair, with a matching beard. His eyes were the color of amber, and he had a scar across his left cheek, adding some notion that the man was battle-tested.

The other two men who flanked Luděk wore their hoods and concealed their identities, though Berengar did not challenge them to reveal themselves; after all, they were a religious movement wanted by the Church as heretics he could sympathize with their desire to hide their faces. 

Berengar quickly addressed the men who had entered his great hall

"I am Duke Berengar von Kufstein, as one of the founders of the German Reformation; I welcome you as brothers in arms. Though I am curious as to why you have made the journey from Bohemia to my humble abode."

Berengar had a rough idea of what they were here for, but if what they desired was what he thought it would be, he would, unfortunately, have to decline them. However, he made it appear as if he was genuinely confused, thus giving them the ability to explain themselves.

Luděk did not shy from the topic at hand and quickly addressed his reason for being in Kufstein.

"Bohemia is on the brink of war; just recently in Prague, seven members of the city council were defenestrated! The King of Bohemia has sided with the Vatican and seeks to suppress our movement. We have come asking for assistance from the man who so thoroughly defeated the mighty Teutonic Order."

Berengar was slightly surprised, it was only 1418, yet Prague's first defenestration was moved up by roughly a year. This meant that what the delegate had said was likely to be true. It would not be long before Bohemia plunged into civil war, and the Hussite wars had fully begun. However, Berengar began to rest his head on his right fist as he made his stance clear.

"If you seek for me to invade Bohemia with my forces, I am afraid I am going to have to disappoint you."

After saying this, Luděk's face turned grim, and he immediately asked about the concerns on his mind.

"Why not? Did you not just say we are brothers in arms? Will you truly abandon us in our time of need?"

Berengar knew this would be brought up, and as such, he immediately replied with his reasoning.

"I have spent the last year at war with my enemies. The Bavarians have ravaged the lands that are now under my authority during their occupation. Now that I am Duke and have established a sense of peace and stability within Austria, I cannot afford to march off to war once more so quickly.

During this era of peace, I need to take advantage of this time to stabilize my reign and rebuild what has been destroyed. I can not spare the troops while there is an ongoing war just outside my borders that could invade my lands at any moment. 

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

Hearing this reasoning, Luděk bowed his head; what Berengar said made sense, the rest of Germany was embroiled in a bloody civil war, with only Austria maintaining a peaceful existence, and it had cost them dearly to do so. Berengar's land lay in ruins 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 serious expression turned to a warm smile and revealed some degree of hope to the Hussite representative.

"However, just because I can not spare troops does not mean I can't send you some form of military aid!"

After hearing this, the three men who had gathered looked up at Berengar with surprise; they did not know what form of assistance Berengar could aid them with. Before they could ask, Berengar continued on his train of thought.

"I can supply you with firearms, cannons, gunpowder, and military advisors. It is the most aid I can afford to give you at the moment."

Berengar's plan was simple; he would provide the weapons and training to the Hussites to overcome the Bohemian Crown and their Catholic supporters. However, Berengar had no plans to arm the Hussites with arkebuses or 12 lb steel cannons. Instead, he planned to open up a separate production line in Vienna to make primitive cast-iron cannons and provide hand cannons to the Hussites. 

Though Berengar had sold the far more advanced arkebuse to the Byzantines, his reasoning for doing was simply because his allies' interests to the East would not clash with his own for some time. Thus he did not have to worry about fighting a war with them.

However, if he armed the Hussites with Arkebuses and more advanced cannons when then the time came for him to demand compensation in the form of the Sudentenland and they refused to do so, he would be facing a force of pike and shot, rather than a late medieval army, which itself could pose some difficulties to overcome.

Of course, the Hussites had no idea what he would demand in compensation for his military aid and thus were rather excited by the prospect of being armed by Berengar's factories. However, Luděk was a cautious man and knew such exceptional assistance would not come without a price; thus, he asked Berengar to clarify what he desired.

"That is more than enough to help us win this upcoming war, but I fear we will not be able to repay you for your kindness adequately, so I must ask, what is it that you desire in return for such gracious support?"

Berengar was a shrewd diplomat and knew that the more the Hussites were in debt to him, the more likely they would be to acquiesce to his demands peacefully. As such, he responded to this question by essentially kicking the can down the road.

"Do not fret, my friend; we can discuss payment for the military aid I provide you after you win your war and are in a better position to repay me for my kindness. For now, know that you have my support so long as it remains within the boundaries of the terms that I have provided."

Though Luděk was not happy with this answer, he did not press the issue; right now, the Hussites needed to worry about obtaining Berengar's aid, and any form of payment that Berengar might demand could always be done in installments within the future.

Or so he hoped, he never would have thought that Berengar would demand the annexation of the regions referred to as the Sudentenland. Thus the representative accepted Berengar's terms.

"I thank you for your support; when can we expect your aid if you don't mind me asking?"

Berengar was quick to reply to this, as he had already calculated the time needed in his head.

"If I wish to send aid to your forces rapidly, then I will need to establish an industrial district in one of the cities closer to the Bohemian border; for that, I will need time. Give me three months at the maximum, and I promise you shall receive your first shipment of arms. 

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

Luděk smiled when he heard this news and bowed his head with respect once more.

"I thank you on behalf of all Hussites, your Grace!"

With this, negotiations with the Hussites over support for their upcoming war were secured. For the time being, Berengar gained an ally to take the attention off of himself and the German Reformation. By starting the Hussite Wars, 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 allowed himself time to prepare for the eventual day where he would be forced to fight the European armies at his doorsteps. A crusade was no laughing matter, and Berengar fully intended to expand his defenses, troops, and even his navy by that such an event occurred. Luckily for him, he happened to be reborn in the era where the Hussite wars were about to transpire.