Tyranny of Steel

Three months had passed since Adela's fourteenth birthday, while Berengar was within Kufstein overseeing the reconstruction of Austria after the devastation wrought upon it by Bavarian occupation. The war for Bohemia had finally begun. 

After months of being supplied and trained by Austria and its industrial might, the Hussite forces had begun their attack on the Bohemian crown, which had fervently rejected their demands. Currently, the Hussites were split between two major factions, the moderates and the radicals.

During Berengar's past life, the moderates had betrayed the radicals and ended the Hussite wars, causing the Catholic Church to achieve victory. In this timeline, Berengar had no intentions of supplying the moderates or sending advisors to them. 

A Hussite Bohemia would be a decent ally to have in his back pocket. Thus Berengar intended to aid them in any way he could short of full-scale military intervention. That is unless it was completely necessary. Eckhard and a group of Berengar's officers were standing alongside the sub-faction of the Radicals known as the Kašparians.

The Kašparians did not exist in Berengar's previous life. Still, in this timeline, they had become a powerful force with Berengar's aid and had already won a total of three battles since the war had begun. The leader of the Kašparian Sect was a nobleman by the name of Alexej Kašpar.

The man was young, a few years older than Berengar but not by many. He was also handsome and charismatic, and it was these qualities that helped him gain the favor of so many other noblemen and knights to support his cause.

Currently, the man was dressed in a complete set of plate armor, with the Kašparian banner draped over his torso in the form of a tabard. He was pointing at a map stretched out upon the table. Tiny figures were in place to represent the various armies of the ongoing conflict. 

Eckhard was standing nearby; he was dressed in a set of brigandine and plate armor. The reason for this was simple, to avoid a diplomatic crisis, Berengar had openly taken a neutral stance in the Hussite Wars; due to how noticeable his nation's arms and armor were, it would be unwise for his military advisors to walk around in the equipment of the Grand Army of Austria. 

Thus they wore the attire afforded to average Hussite men at arms. Only the officers of the armies they supported knew that these men were a means of Austrian support. As Alexej spoke about his battle plan, Eckhard slowly watched while scratching his grey beard.

"We will use our wagon forts to block the pass of the Catholic troops in this narrow valley. As they march upon our hand gunners protected within the wagons, Our cannons will rain fire upon them from above.

A spear wall will protect the wagon forts. Once the enemy has engaged our defensive line, we will encircle them with our cavalry and clash against them on both sides, ensuring our victory."

Though the Hussites had been victorious so far, the reality was that Berengar fully intended for this war to take years. The reason for this was two-fold; for starters, the conflict in Bohemia diverted the Church's attention from Austria, buying Berengar time to not only expand his Grand Army but establish a Grand Navy as well. 

Secondly, the longer the Hussites fought, the more in debt they would be to Berengar. When the war was finally over, Berengar wanted the Hussites to be so indebted to him that they would be forced to cede the Sudetenland to Austria as payment. 

Thus Eckhard did not offer any advice to the current plan, as it was good enough to ensure victory against the Catholic armies. Instead, he merely observed the map of Bohemia, which had been divided up into Hussite-controlled territories, and Catholic-occupied regions.

The Sudetenland was under Hussite control; the reason for this was quite simple. These lands were predominantly German in linguistic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Because they were so close to Austria and were German themselves, they had been influenced by the German Reformation that Berengar and Ludolf had started. 

Thus when the war broke out, they immediately threw in their support to the Hussite factions, as the Hussites were in many ways similar to the teachings of the German Reformation. As for the rest of the Bohemian lands, they were still largely under the control of the Bohemian Crown and their Catholic supporters. 

Noticing that Ludolf was quietly observing the map, Alexej quickly voiced his concerns to the Austrian Field Marshal.

"Marshal von Hallstatt, what do you think of the strategy as it has been presented?"

To this, Eckhard looked around at the various Hussite knights and noblemen who had gathered and gave a nod of approval.

"It should work just fine. I have nothing to add at the moment."

Though Eckhard and his officers had assisted in training, tactics, and strategy, lately, they had taken a more background role and allowed the Hussites to proceed on their own. Alexej thought it meant that they would soon no longer be needed; he had no way of knowing that it was part of Berengar's plan to extend the conflict. 

As such, the young commander smiled and nodded his head. Hearing Eckhard's approval of the plan brought him great joy. If Eckhard was appointed as the highest commander of Berengar's forces, then Alexej believed he must be a capable man, and thus he highly valued the man's opinion. 

After observing the map for a while, Eckhard finally spotted an area that the Hussites were likely to lose, and as such, he walked over to the map and pointed his finger at the location. 

"If the enemy is allowed to move unchecked in this region, they will conquer the lands held by the Taborites. It is necessary to send reinforcements to secure the region. I suggest sending a contingent of 2,500 men to assist our allies."

Hearing this, Alexej nodded his head in agreement; losing ground at this stage in the war would be detrimental to the cause. He moved two figures that represented 2,500 men into the region that Eckhard had pointed out. 

This left a finite number of men that the Kašparians could field to win the upcoming battle, but even then, the commander was confident in his ability to achieve victory. As such, Alexej asked for the opinion of men gathered at his strategy meeting.

"Does anybody else have any suggestions?"

After several moments of silence, Alexej sighed before giving his command.

"Dismissed."

With that, everyone began to leave the command tent; as Eckhard departed, Alexej called out to him.

"If you don't mind, Marshal, I would like to have a word with you in private."

Upon hearing this Eckhard stopped in his tracks before turning around and facing the young commander with a stern expression on his lips. After glaring at the commander for a few moments, he asked the question on his mind.

"What can I help you with, Commander?"

Alexej poured two chalices of wine before he responded; he handed one of them to Eckhard before taking a drink from his goblet.

"Could you relay my request for further material support from his Grace, Duke Berengar von Kufstein? If we are to win this war, we will need more hand cannons and armor than are currently fielded."

Hearing this, Eckhard smiled slightly before nodding his head

"Of course, I am sure that his Grace will have no problems transporting more supplies into Kašparian lands. I will send a letter to him with haste. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Alexej once more drank from his chalice before responding to Eckhard's question.

"An opinion would be nice."

Upon hearing this Eckhard decided to partake of the wine and took a small sip as he did so before responding.

"On what exactly?"

A solemn gaze filled Alexej's eyes as he spoke the thoughts on his mind.

"What are our chances of winning this war?"

Eckhard pondered for a few moments before expressing his opinion on the matter.

"With his Grace Berengar's support, 75% though it will likely be a long and brutal conflict. Without such backing, your odds are significantly lower. If necessary Berengar is likely to intervene in the war with his own Army, establishing a friendly state on his Eastern Border is critical for long-term stability. 

However, he would only do so if you and your allies fall into a state of total collapse. So I would not count on overt military support any time soon. You can rest assured knowing that you are very likely to win this war with the help of our advisors and the supplies we give you. My advice is to be patient; wars are not won overnight."

Alexej reflected on this significantly and ultimately decided he would need some more time to consider his future. Thus he dismissed Eckhard with a single statement.

"I thank you for your advice; you can leave now."

After hearing that, Eckhard saluted the man before departing from his tent. He still had plenty of things to do, and Austria's request for further support was at the top of his list. As such, He wrote a letter to Berengar on behalf of the Kašparians asking for additional material aid.

This would be just one of many times the Hussites came begging Berengar for more support in their war. With each shipment of arms, Berengar gave them, they would become indebted to Austria, and in doing so, fall further into Berengar's trap.