Chapter 131: 130: Right of Conquest

Berengar spent the first shift of the night on watch, protecting the barriers of the camp as a sentry within the trenches. The use of a trench line supported by sandbags and barbed wire was an invention that would normally not exist until the late 19th century. However, with his past life's memory as a combat engineer, Berengar developed such a defensive system with ease.

Barbed wire had been used extensively in his fields to keep cattle and other domesticated livestock within the boundaries of the grazing land allotted to them. However, after the ambush on his previous encampment in Schwaz, Berengar quickly learned to utilize trench tactics. When he was resupplying in Innsbruck, he ordered a barbed wire shipment to his army.

The sappers in his army spent some time constructing such complex fortifications. Still, in the end, the encampment was so well defended that the likelihood they would suffer significant casualties from an enemy ambush was extremely low. Luckily for them, after seeing the odd defenses of the camp, the enemy did not bother to send a force to test it; it was already terrifying enough to suffer the explosive bombardment of the 12 lb cannons.

After staying on the watch for the first shift, Berengar returned to his tent and slept until the dawn, where he was among the first of his troops to awaken in the morning. Though he did not have access to coffee at the moment, he fully intended to establish a trade with the Byzantine empire in exchange for coffee when his territory grew to a significant enough degree that he could trade with Empire to the East with ease.

As for now, Berengar and his troops primarily relied on their own natural ability to awaken and stay awake. When the morning came, the armies gathered in the trenches, and those with the 1417/18 Rifled Muskets fired off shots at the defenders on the wall with a fair degree of competency. Though not every shot claimed the defenders' lives, enough of them hit their mark to permanently scare the garrison of Sterzing to keep their heads down.

While his troops utilized their advanced weapons to intimidate the enemy forces, Berengar was in discussion with his officers over his plans for the ongoing war effort. Like normal, Berengar drank from a pitcher of light beer as he continued his discussion about the operation to his officers and the Lords in command of the many units of levies that comprised their ranks.

"It will take another day or two before the wall comes down; as such, we will continue to bombard it regularly; when the wall finally crumbles, we will send the levies into the fray while the line infantry will be kept behind and fire upon the defenders on the wall. The Cavalry will stay and protect the encampment until a time arises where the enemy has been pushed back."

Though the lords who had shown their support to Berengar were perturbed by the fact that their levies would be used to storm the gap, they could not very well decline. As for Berengar's officers, they were more concerned about the success of Operation Trident as a whole, and as such, one of them voiced their concerns.

"What about Eckhard and Arnulf's armies? How are they faring?"

Berengar slid the wooden pieces which represented the allied forces into position outside of the city walls of Schlanders and Meran and addressed the Officer's question.

"I have recently received notice that Arnulf and Eckhard's armies have begun to lay siege to the rebellious cities. Within a week, the majority of the resistance in the South will come to an end, and we will be able to march on the Prince-Bisophric of Trent, thus ending the rebellion within Tyrol once and for all!"

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The push into Trent would require the unification of his three armies. With his ambitions to conquer the region, Berengar was taking advantage of the rebellion in Tyrol to seize the land in its entirety, even what would be considered Italian regions in the 21st century. Trent was not technically part of the County of Tyrol; they were, in fact, an independent Prince-Bishopric and recognized as Church territory.

Due to the conflicts between Berengar and the Chruch, Berengar had fully intended to conquer the region and incorporate it into his territory. Especially since the Bishop of Trent had openly declared his support for the Tyrolean rebels, simply out of spite for Berengar. By doing so, the Church had given Berengar an excuse to invade The Prince-Bishopric of Trent and thus unite the entirety of Tyrol under his authority; since Berengar was given this opportunity, he did not intend to waste it.

His plans to march on Trent did not sit well with the other Lords who considered it an unlawful annexation of ecclesiastical territory. One of the Lords even spoke his mind on the matter, which visibly upset Berengar.

"You intend to march on an ecclesiastical principality? Under what grounds do you dare to usurp the territory of the Church?"

Berengar stared coldly at the old and pious noblemen who had sided with Berengar out of support of Duke Wilmar, despite his religious objections to the heretic known by the church as Berengar the Accursed. The look in Berengar's eyes displayed his murderous intent; rather than justify his actions through the legal jargon, Berengar took a more daring approach.

"The Church has already declared war upon me! Therefore Trent will be mine by right of conquest! Since I have the might to seize their territory, I will do so, and if the Bishop of Trent has any complaints, he can say it directly to my face before I have him placed in front of a firing squad!"

The fact that the Church had sent the Teutonic Order on a mission to invade Berengar's lands and usurp his authority was already considered a declaration of war by the young Viscount's standards; as such, he did not fear invading their nearby lands and capturing them for himself.

As for the allied Lords, they could tell by the look in Berengar's eyes that he was entirely serious about conquering Trent and that he would not be persuaded otherwise. Though they disagreed with his actions, they were far too frightened by the weapons his army possessed. Thus they were intimidated into backing down and following orders; though they secretly prayed that they would not be excommunicated for following Berengar's orders.

After concluding his thoughts and informing his Officers of how to proceed, Berengar dismissed the men and allowed them to spend their free time as they wished. There was not much to do outside of maintaining order and waiting for the wall to crumble down. Thus Berengar used this time to write to Linde and Adela. Informing him of his progress and that his war would swiftly come to an end.

As the cannons roared and the muskets echoed throughout the day, Berengar found himself in a tranquil mood, soon enough, the walls would come crumbling down, and his forces would invade the city. By then, the defenders would either surrender the castle to him in fear of retribution, or a massacre would unfold. Either way, Berengar would be happy with the results. As for Eckhard and Arnulf, their armies were similar in laying siege to the enemy while staying in their camps. While the war in Tyrol progressed rapidly, the remainder of the conflicts in the German regions were bogged down in long sieges and bloody field battles.

Only Berengar and his use of superior technology and tactics could so quickly win a war. As for the rest of Germany, Berengar reckoned it would be years before the conflict was over, and he fully intended to spend a fair portion of his time securing his power and advancing his new territory once he officially conquered Tyrol and established himself as a legitimate Count.

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