Re: Imperial Diet
Otto von Kassel can be seen poring over newly arrived reports and maps. He stands and addresses the Diet.
Prinz Henry, you have my deepest gratitude for restoring Bolgona to the Reich and Bavaria. Your timing and use of deception in the battle was excellent. I am envious of your ability to seize settlements with such little loss to your soldiers.
Duke Leopold has also distinguished himself. His ability to win victory after victory with only militia and mercenaries is a testament to his skills as a general. I know he has been frustrated with the constant assaults on Vienna, but these have served to bleed the Venetians dry. Their army is a shell of its former self.
Despite some predictions of doom in the Diet, which I was a party to I admit, the situation in Italy is stabilizing thanks to Chancellor Sigismund. Milan is now secure, Bologna is recaptured, and even now my army is readying to besiege Venice itself. We will have our vengeance against those traitorous vipers my lords!
Yet Italy is not fully stable yet. The Milanese still have a large army near Florence, our troops in Italy outnumber them, but are dispersed. I will not sleep well until we have removed them completely from the mainland.
With the influx of mercenaries into our forces, the coffers of the Reich are nearly empty. We need to review what we are taking in for taxes from each city, and increase it if we can. Now that the city of Milan, for example, has a proper garrison, the Kaiser rules there no less, I'm sure we can squeeze a few more florins out of them. If they balk, tell them I will return to govern them, that should motivate them.
Also, the missionary work of Cardinals Peter Scherer and Charles Otterbach has gone remarkably well in Stettin. Perhaps it is time we move them to another area to spread the word of God. Dangerous heresies have grown in the Metz region, perhaps we should send them there. Another possibility is the Thorn region. I'm sure missionary work there among the pagans will bring them even higher in the College of Cardinals. Even now, Cardinal Scherer is one of the preferati.
I wish Duke Dietrich and his Franconians continued good fortune against Poland. I would recommend that after seizing Magdeburg and possibly Breslau we wage a defensive war. With those two provinces in our possession we would have a defensible border and we would not risk Papal ire. Hildebrand seems to love the Poles more than us.
My lords.
Otto sits and continues to review incoming reports.
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