Imperial Diet IV

[gibsonsg91921]

I mourn for poor Markus Steffen, knowing what it is like to lose a friend to battle. He is a hero of the Reich - let a statue be erected in his honor in Ajaccio!

[Stig]

Ansehelm enters the Diet, after an absence of some years

Gentlemen, no more then some months ago the entire Von Kastilien, minus Siegfried, has battled the Poles near Thorn. Together with my father and Peter we rushed out of Thorn while Fritz attacked the Poles from behind, it was a quick battle and resulted in a mass rout from the Polish army.
But that's not why I came to Rome. The last years we have been hammering on taking Krakow once we get an Edict for it. But Krakow isn't dangerous to us. Sure it produces money, but it hardly gives armies to our enemies.
Taking it will weaken the Poles, but new information has made me doubt about the fact if it will stop their attacks. The Poles gather their armies around Vilnius, not around Krakow, all Krakow gives them are Militias, Vilnius will produce a professional army for them.

However taking Vilnius is dangerous, and sacking it will hardly help as there are enough Poles and Russians about to take it again.
I suggest we send saboteurs to Vilnius to destroy their stabbles. If this can be done without an Edict it would be good to recruit some saboteurs immediatly, if not I urge we agree to such an Edict at the next Diet session.

[AussieGiant]

Arnold follows Ansehelm into the Diet and listens to his report. Once finished he too stands to address the Diet Chamber.

Having just retaken Budapest at some substantial cost to the AHA I too would like to implore the Chancellor to look to the Reich's defense.

Three Hungarian's armies are approaching Budapest as I speak, and without immediate reinforcements over and above the units racing back from Sofia I doubt I will be able to hold out if they hit within a few years of each other.

I would request immediate assistance from Ragusa as soon as possible.

Sigismund von Mahren has been knighted for his actions against the rebel scum and for reaching the City square before any other man in my army.

Abruptly Arnold turns and without another word strides from the chamber with a grim look on his face.

[TevashSzat]

While I applaud Arnold for taking Budapest, I must remind him that I too have faced overwhelming forces for the past 2 chancellorships and still have not faltered. The SHA wasn't even reduced in number due to casualties, but due to reassignment. While I understand the need for reinforcements, I would urge everyone to not divert troops from other areas just so they can fight more recklessly.

[TinCow]

*Lothar Steffen rises from a back bench. Somehow he must have slipped into the Diet, unseen.*

Recklessly? RECKLESSLY?!

Duke Arnold has a few regiments of militia and only a handful of heavily battered soldiers to fend off three full armies of Hungarian knights, replete with numerous siege engines! You call his request for more troops FROM HIS OWN LANDS reckless?!

I had hoped that with Swabia's own army reinforced with large contingents of fresh, professional soldiers, you would understand the need to give aid to other Houses. Do you consider it reckless to provide any house except Swabia with the ability to defend itself?

Bavaria is thankfully not threatened with imminent invasion, but our defenses are even weaker than Austria's! Outside of Innsbruck, the only professional soldiers in all of Bavaria are the 13 Teutonic Knights and 33 Mercenary Knights who survived the siege of Ajaccio! Even the four regiments in Innsbruck are heavily understrength, with two not even serving at half-strength! Nor has this Chancellor, the last Chancellor, or the Chancellor before THAT one done anything to remedy this situation. Indeed, Bavaria's defenses appear to be getting even weaker over time!

If that wasn't bad enough, it appears that the only fresh regiments anywhere near Bavaria have taken ship and set sail for Outremer! Those lands have a sufficient ability to train their own regiments, so why in the Hells are more men from the west being sent to aid them?!

The Reich has become corrupt and decrepit and good Germanic sons and daughters die every day as a result of the greed and ineptitude of those who plunder the resources of our Houses for their own agendas! I swear before God Almighty that I will not stand for this any longer! My own brother has now paid with his life due to the meager aid allocated to Bavaria for her own defense. Had we had just one regiment of professional infantry, he would still be alive this day!

If this state of affairs does not end soon, the entire Reich will burn!

[Stig]

Ansehelm stands and speaks

Remember Lothar that all of us need manpower, and more importantly a crusade should leave for Russia some time. At the moment we can are not able to defend all our borders, and we lack castles to recruit men. Staufen is the only castle in the west. Thorn in the east. And I don't know what else we have.

Hell I use Magdeburg to recruit an army for the Crusade. Magdeburg, of all places!!!

[TinCow]

Dear Lord, Ansehelm, will you give up this ridiculous Russian 'Crusade' already?! Franconia cannot even secure it's own borders and yet you want to strip the Reich of a full-strength army of professional soldiers to run off and play in the snow! How can you even consider this foolishness when you have no less than 8 hostile armies within a few days march of your own cities?! You'll be lucky not to lose Thorn, Hamburg, or both within the next few years and yet you still want to go on the offense against Russia?! That plan made at least a little sense when it was voted on in a decade ago, but under the current circumstances it is ludicrous!

[AussieGiant]

Standing from the Austrian bench Arnold stares for sometime at Ansehelm and Scherer

Reckless!!

It seems the Southern and Eastern parts of this Reich are being neglected and now we are paying the price.

While resources are being pulled North and West we now find ourselves is the exact situation I mentioned a few years ago!!!

There is no point taking offensive actions when we are in severe danger of losing what we already have!!!

Budapest had to be taken Scherer!! Due to mismanagement it rebelled and I have rectified that!! Meanwhile a full professional army is being assembled to head east in what can only be described as a suicide mission against vodka swilling pigs!!

Hans has headed East with a perfectly suitable reinforced army while Hungary is producing the best troops in decades. Have a look at the Hungarian troop disposition Scherer!!

Arnold throws field reports onto the Diet floor in disgust.

Knight's, professional foot, more knights and artillery!!

Smashing his mailed fist on the bench Arnold stares around the room at the assembled nobles.

I believe it's time to reassess our next moves gentlemen or this little house of cards is going to look decidedly shaky in the next few years!!

Even if troops in Ragusa are recruited now, it will be more than likely too late to help Budapest. I'm simply asking the AHA to be reinforced so it can defend the Reich's eastern borders as it is supposed to.

As for edicts, well that's going to a bloody disgrace Ansehelm if you have nothing to come back to apart from burnt out cities and dead citizens!