Chapter 198: An Unexpected Welcome

With the skirmishers defeated, Berengar and his army were once more on the march, and it did not take them long to arrive at the city of Salzburg. However, when they arrived, they noticed that the Bavarian forces had already fled the scene, there was not a single sight of an ongoing siege effort, and the camp they left behind appeared as if it was quickly abandoned.

Berengar was quite disappointed at the sight, seeing how he wanted to crush the Bavarian army and spread fear among their ranks. However, it would appear that they were already greatly intimidated, and as such, had fled the region in its entirety, leaving it in the hands of the Austrians.

Though Berengar had wanted to pursue the retreating Bavarians, he also had business to discuss with Wolfgang's little brother. The man had valiantly defended Salzburg to the best of his efforts, and such Berengar approached the city gates with his guards. The banners of House Von Kufstein were flying behind him as he neared his destination. 

When the city garrison noticed the massive army approach their gates, they were filled with trepidation; however, when they noticed the friendly banners that the approaching forces flew, their concern rapidly dwindled. As Berengar approached the gates, they were opened for his arrival, where he was greeted upon entry by the garrison's commander.

"Count Berengar, we were not expecting your arrival; I now understand why the Bavarians so rapidly abandoned the siege against such overwhelming numbers; it is no surprise that they would flee for their lives!"

Berengar smiled as he returned the compliment.

"Even if I were not on my way to aid you, I feel as if the brave men of Salzburg would be capable of repelling the enemy forces. Tell me, is it possible for me to meet with Adelbrand? I have much to discuss with the man."

Seeing that the Count of Tyrol was here on urgent business, the commander of the garrison dared not to hold him any longer and swiftly led Berengar to the Castle where he and his men entered its gates and proceeded to the great hall where Adelbrand, Wolfgang's little brother was currently acting as the authority within the region.

The man was not expecting Berengar's arrival. However, the moment he saw Berengar's charming appearance, he knew then and there why the Bavarians had so suddenly fled the area. How could such a small force compare to the might of Berengar and his Grand Tyrolean Army? As such, he extended his hand in greeting to Berengar as the two noblemen quickly approached one another.

"Count Berengar, I must say I am glad to see your appearance; I was beginning to fear you that you had decided to stay within your domain and wait out this war."

Berengar smiled as he heard such a remark and responded with a well-crafted statement.

"Unfortunately for the Bavarians, I decided to use my defenses to buy some time so that I could draft a large army, capable of fully annihilating the enemy and driving them out of our lands!"

Hearing this, Adelbrand immediately understood why Berengar had stayed out of the conflict for so many months; in the long term, such a strategy was bound to be successful, though he had no idea how vast of an Army Berengar had produced during this timeframe. As such, he immediately questioned Berengar on the size of his forces.

"Tell me, your excellency, just how large of an Army are we talking about here?"

Upon hearing this question, Berengar's lips curved into a smug grin where he proclaimed the size of his army with forced humility.

"Oh, not much, only 30,000 men."

Adelbrand nodded his head and responded to Berengar

"30,000 men, not much indeed... wait a second, you have thirty thousand soldiers!"

The young nobleman was quite shocked by this figure, such a large army was something a Duchy or even a Kingdom could draft, but he had never heard of a County having such a large army before. Maybe Lothar, but that was because he had spent a vast fortune acquiring many mercenaries. Upon seeing the man's expression Berengar of course, smiled at him and nodded his head before explaining his plan.

"I have sent 10,000 of them with my Field Marshal Eckhard into Kärnten where he alongside the Count of Vorarlberg will regroup with Count Otto of Steiermark and forcefully seize the region. Afterward, we will march upon Upper and Lower Austria, where we will forcefully drive the remaining Bavarians out of our lands!"

Adelbrand could hardly believe Berengar's words, and then he came to a sudden realization which he was pretty fearful to ask. Nevertheless, he summoned his courage and spoke his mind.

"So that means you have 20,000 men sitting outside of my city right now?"

Berengar nodded his head in response to this question, and Adelbrand instantly felt his knees give out from under him; he slowly staggered over to his seat, where he sat down. He was incredibly thankful to God that Berengar was on his side, for he could never resist such a massive army. 

Berengar, however, wanted to switch the conversation from talks about his battle plans to his long-term political goals and, as such, immediately altered the course of the conversation.

"So, Adelbrand, I have met your brother Wolfgang..."

Adelbrand instantly became enraged at the mention of his brother; his eyes contained the fury of his soul, and he began to grit his teeth in anger. As such, he quietly snarled before putting on a pleasant facade and asking Berengar about his encounter with the fool.

"Tell me, what is your opinion of my dearest brother?"

Seeing the forced expression on Adelbrand's face, Berengar struggled to contain his laughter; ultimately, he decided to stride back and forth in front of the man before telling him the truth.

"Honestly, he is an imbecile and a coward. I am much more impressed with your actions to defend your lands. Albeit leaving the people to their fate was not the best idea, but I know you could not contend with the Bavarians in the field, and thus your actions were the best of a bad situation. If you had met them in the field, you would have been soundly defeated, and Salzburg would have truly fallen to the enemy."

Seeing the pained expression on Berengar's face, Adelbrand instantly began to fear the results of his actions and thus asked Berengar about what had happened in the County while he and the other Lords of the realm hid behind their large stone walls.

"How bad is it?"

Berengar clicked his tongue before responding.

"Tsk... Most of the villages I have come across were massacred and burnt to the ground; not even the fields or livestock were spared..."

Adelbrand immediately felt great remorse for this fact and slammed his fist upon the armrest of his seat of power while clenching his teeth. He could not believe the Bavarians would be so cruel as to do such a thing. Thus he cried out at the top of his lungs!

"Those bastards!"

There was not much the man could do to calm his nerves, but releasing his pent-up anxiety through violent expression was the best he could manage. Seeing the man's twisted guise, Berengar knew that Adelbrand was a man who cared more about his land and the people in it than Wolfgang. Thus he was more likely to favor Berengar's reforms, and as such, Berengar wanted him as an ally. After coming to such a realization Berengar quickly proposed a plan that would benefit both of them.

"It is not your fault, the majority of your father's forces were lost in Passau, and your brother hid with the remainder of your elite units in Steiermark. You were left with a bunch of levies and greenhorns to protect your lands. You did your best to protect the cities and the fortresses of your territory. If anyone should be blamed for this disaster, it is your brother Wolfgang!"

Hearing Berengar shift the blame for the disaster that had befallen Salzburg onto his brother made Adelbrand more amicable to the words that came next; as such, he perked up his ears and listened to Berengar's plot.

"Go on..."

Berengar smiled wickedly when he realized that he had gained the man's attention, and thus he declared his intent.

"I have been named Regent of Duke Conrad of Austria, when we have retaken these lands, I will hold your older brother responsible for the events that have transpired here in Salzburg and will proclaim him as having failed to fulfill his vassal duties. I will strip him of his title and hand it over to you."

Adelbrand was shocked by this information, he was unaware that a government in exile had been set up in Kufstein, but hearing it brought him a sense of hope for the future. If he could succeed his late father, instead of his foolish and incompetent older brother, then maybe he could restore Salzburg to its former state. However, he knew such a thing would not come without a price, and thus he inquired about Berengar's intentions.

"And what pray tell, do you receive from such a thing?"

Berengar once more smiled as he heard the man take the bait and thus elaborated further on his plans for the future.

"Well, for starters, I get a competent subordinate, but more importantly, I will need your support at a later date. In the upcoming years, I have many reforms in mind to help establish Austria as a serious power, and with that in mind, I will need a man of your position to back them without question. So long as you support my future endeavors, the position of Count of Salzburg will be yours..."

Adelbrand thought deeply on the matter for a few moments; however, ultimately, he agreed to Berengar's request, and thus shook his hand, sealing the deal.

"Alright, I will agree to your conditions. Whatever you need from me, you shall have it!"

Hearing the man accept his terms caused Berengar to grin with anticipation; soon enough, Austria would be his, and he could then focus on unifying the German Empire! Everything was going according to his plans.