Imperial Diet

[Ituralde]

Conrad had once again been suspiciously absent from the Diets meeting and now that he returned the reason for his absence was obvious for everyone. His skin was now drawn tight across his skull, like thin parchment, with his eyes set back . His hair has grown even less and thinner, dangling spindly in a small fringe around his head. It really was a sight to be reminded of ones own mortality.
His voice was also thinner as he spoke, but still managed to carry to the farthes corners of the Diet:

Much has happened, while my health has kept me from joining this Diet.
I must applaud our great military leaders for rewarding the Reich with these victories. My greatest respect belongs to Duke Leopold, Duke Mandorf, Otto von Kassel, and of course Sigismund der Stoltze, without his help the taking of Bern would not have been feasible, or so I've heard. Finally those treacherous Milanese dogs have been restricted by...
A short fit of coughing interrupts the Elector and it takes some time before he regains his composure.

I also have to apologize for the Absence of my Liege. He is quite busy in the East, building watchtowers and what not. Those uncivilized lands can not be left to themselves for just one month, I guess, not like our Italian holdings, where few of our esteemed Electors have visited recently.
Duke Leopold intends to return at the next formal Diet meeting the latest. In the meantime I shall do my best to represent the House of Austria.

Exhaling heavily he lowers himself back in his seat, relying completely on the support of an ornately carved walking stick, to do so.

[econ21]

Prinz Henry: I would like to congratulate the House of Bavaria on leading our men to twin victories at Bern and Stettin. Both sieges were hard fought and I am pleased that the House of Swabia was able to contribute in some small way, with the gallant Count Sigismund riding at the side of Commander Otto. I hope the Emperor will bear Sigismund in mind to command the next battle of our forces, as I believe he is the only knight of renown who has not yet had a chance to lead us in battle.

I would also like to comment on the severe losses we suffered in the two sieges. I wonder if, in future, we should consider starving out garrisons rather than throwing our men against their walls? After all, a besieged garrison cannot go anywhere, and I would rather face the defenders in a sally (or even fight off a relief force) than storm city walls to get at them. This is particularly true while our assault forces consist of only horse and spearmen. Things may change when the day comes when we can provide a siege train or even persuade our proud knights to dismount to scale the walls. But until that time, I wonder if we should be more patient and not expect such rapid gains as we have become accustomed to.

[OverKnight]

Otto, at the mention of Bern, rubs his right temple and winces. He rises to address the Diet:

Mein Prinz, you speak truly. It is much better for us to fight an enemy who sallies out than assaulting their walls.

However, after taking Bern my clerks inventoried the castle's stores. According to them those schwein had enough provisions to last them another 10 years! (OOC: 5 turns) Sigismund and I would still be sitting outside Bern in our siege camp dicing if the Kaiser had decided to starve them out! Yes, we would have saved lives by waiting them out, but we would have had the largest field army in the Reich immobilized for the entire time. The sooner we seize a settlement, the sooner we can collect revenue from it and build it up, and the sooner we can replenish and redeploy the army that assaulted it.

In the future it would be wise to strike a balance between conservation of our forces and strategic interests when choosing in a siege between assault or starving out an enemy. I see this balance shifting depending on many variables such as the state of our treasury, proximity to reinforcements, and whether a relief force is close. Towns, particularly, are vulnerable to prolonged sieges.

In the case of Bern castle, however, the Kaiser ordered the assault at the right moment. I do not believe we had the time to wait until they sallied out, edict 2.5's deadline would have passed. Waiting a few more years, but not enough to starve them out, would have only reduced their numbers by a pittance. I had the siege equipment I needed and all the men I was going to get. The presence of Milanese forces in the region a few years later shows that the timing of the assault was correct.

Otto's expression becomes grim, his voice comes out in a low rasp:

We must not shy away from bloodshed if it is necessary for victory!

Otto's mood lightens a bit.

I agree with the Prinz's suggestion that Count Sigismund have his own command. He has fought well in two battles already and deserves a chance to lead an army of his own!

My lords.

Otto sits.


OOC: I think I'm enjoying that new point of dread.

[TinCow]

Maximillian Mandorf strides into the Diet with a stern look on his face.

Pardon the intrusion, but perhaps have any of you seen an infantryman around? I have been looking for one for some time now. Perhaps they are mythical beasts, for they are spoken of often, yet do not seem to be native to our lands.

Mandorf slams his fist down on a desk, causing a ceramic inkwell to tumble off and shatter on the floor.

Are we damned Turks?! Do we marry our horses and fire arrows out of our arses?!

The Steward of Bavaria looks around the room.

NO? Then why in the hells are our armies composed of nothing but cavalry?! Not only are they poorly suited for assaults on cities and castles, but they are also more costly to maintain.

How about this, fellow nobles; let us give some sharpened sticks to the peasants and put THEM in our armies. They certainly could not perform more poorly in a city than our pompous cavalrymen!

Mandorf takes his seat; a sullen look etched his face.

[Kagemusha]

Fifth Elector of Swabia stands up and says:

"I agree with Duke Mandorf here.We need to keep our armies in good order and balance. Ofcourse if our enemies were men enough,they would meet us in open field on a set time and place agreed by both parties, but this is not the case. They are hiding behind their walls like cowards and we need troops that can scale those walls. Or should we just hire our infantry from wandering mercenary parties and be dependant of foreigners with no loyalty to anyone.?"

Swabian elector bows and takes his place.

[GeneralHankerchief]

A message is posted for all to see in the main chamber of the Diet:

Attn Sigismund der Stolze

As you are now the governor of Bern please notify Kaiser Heinrich of your plans for that settlement. Do you wish to convert it to a city or keep it as a castle?

(OOC: Base your decision off of kotr1114-2)

[Ignoramus]

Sigismund der Stolze stnads up and speaks to the Kaiser.

Heil, mein Kaiser. I think it is in the Reich's best interests to keep Bern as a castle. One never knows what those Milanese are capable of and it would be best to be well prepared.

I would also like to construct a Small Chapel and a Mustering Hall there.