1144 Continued
Duke von Saxony's victory was resounding and the sack of Magdeburg added a significant sum to the Imperial treasury. He was unable to destroy the rebels which appeared near the castle, but they shall be eliminated next year.
There has been further news from Dijon. An Imperial agent was immediately dispatched to the area. He uncovered information from French merchants who were traveling in the area that revealed the identity of the assassin who slew Count Sigismund der Stolze. His name is Gauchier le Gris and he was dispatched by the King of France!
Upon hearing this news, the Swabian Household Army immediately began scouring the nearby farms and villages for the devil. They surrounded him as he attempted to flee back to France. A regiment of Swabian knights finally caught up with the man. He was an evil being and deserved death, but even I shudder at the rumors of what was done to him. I cannot not put such an agonizing and horrendous death into words.
In the east, our diplomat in Russia again attempted to secure an alliance with the Orthodox heathens. Once again they refused, but they have repeated their baffling offer of a monetary gift. The Reich was again enriched by their charity.
Princess Elsebeth came of age in Florence. Out of respect for the passing of Count Sigismund der Stolze, the Kaiser has ordered that her wedding to Count von Kassel is to be postponed until next year.
Due to the large income the Reich received this year, construction was begun in nearly every city in the Empire. Several Counts still have not provided me with build orders for their domains. As such, I am exercising a free hand to build what I believe is proper in those places. Construction is as follows:
Hamburg - Conversion to Large Town
Stettin - Conversion to Town
Magdeburg - Drill Square
Milan - Brothel (*This was Count von Kassel's suggestion. I would have preferred a Church, but Otto will be Duke next year, so I shall accept his wishes on this matter, even though I am still the Steward of Bavaria.*)
Genoa - Land Clearance
Metz - Town Guard
Bern - Town Hall
Dijon - Land Clearance
(*Hmph... let's see them complain NOW about having too little money and nothing being built! All but four of the Reich's settlements are involved in construction as we speak, and two of those which are not are my own Nuremburg and Count von Kassel's Innsbruck. If this is not good enough for them, I may consider having an exorcism performed on the Diet meeting hall.*)
The excessive income this year has also allowed me to devote firm efforts to converting all city garrisons to locally funded militia and to provide further recruitment for the Franconian Household Army. All recruitments are as follows:
1 Armored Spearmen & 2 Sergeant Spearmen in Hamburg (for Franconia)
2 units of Franconian Household Army being retrained in Magdeburg.
2 Spear Militias in Genoa
2 Spear Militias in Bologna
1 Spear Militia in Dijon
2 Town Militias in Florence
2 Town Militias in Metz
In addition, I have allocated funds for the recruitment of three new agents. A priest in Prague to convert the Orthodox heathens in the east, a diplomat in Vienna to open diplomatic negotiations with the Turks and Egyptian blasphemers, and an assassin in Frankfurt to eliminate any further murders that France sends against us.
Other developments concerning the Household Armies are as follows:
The previously mentioned forces of the Austrian army continue to march to Vienna. A group of Mailed Knights has also been dispatched to Vienna to join the army.
The Bavarian Household Army is being formed. 1 regiment of Armored Spearmen and 2 regiments of Sergeant Spearmen marched south from Innsbruck, where they met up with Count Otto von Kassel and some men he brought with him from Bologna. The Count is now in command of the Bavarian Household Army, though it is still vastly understrength. The remainder of the Bavarian force will come from the 3 regiments of Peasant Crossbowmen who are marching from Staufen, and a group of Mounted Sergeants who are riding from Metz. It is essential that these forces combine soon, as the French will surely break through the Alpine fort soon and move into Northern Italy. With the Swabian Household Army leaderless and concerned with hunting down the assassin, they failed to move south this year.
Word has reached me that the Kaiser and his army have pursued a group of rebels to the border with Rome, where he has cornered them by the sea. I await news of their destruction...
(Scribblings at the bottom of the page indicate that the following lines were added in haste and frustration.)
The Kaiser has cleanly vanquished the rebels...
..but he has moved his army onto Papal soil in the process! I have received a formal complaint from Pope Gregory himself about this matter. What does the Kaiser think he is doing down there?!
Re: Chancellor and governor reports
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks