Imperial Diet IV

[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!

[Warluster]

Kaiser Jobst stands, and bangs his hand against a wooden table

Of all things, I shall not hear words going against the Russian Crusade!! We shall send armies into Russia, we shall sack Moscow, and THATS,THAT!! It is certianly not foolishness, and I will not stand for words against! YOU HEAR ME!?

Now where was I?

I certianly mourn for the loss of young Markus Steffen, though I didn't meet him, he was from, my view, a quiet achiever.

[Stig]

Young Lothar, remember that it has been approved by Edict. A Crusade into Russia will make sure we will get rid of the Russians.
Sides I did secure Thorn, maybe you would like to come along and have a look.
But because people want to attack undangerous enemies as Milan we in Thorn can't fully secure ourselves, but to me that's no problem.

It will become a problem if you think you govern the Reich on your own! The Crusade into Russia will take place, and that's the end of it! If you don't agree, than don't ... go and play with your secret brotherhood.

[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!

[GeneralHankerchief]

Conrad Salier:

As for edicts, edicts are edicts and we are all bound to them nonetheless. Do not forget that there are legal ways of modifying them.

Please remember that a crusade through the heart of Russia will bring us some much-needed florins. I gather that the Franconian generals will be able to handle anything that the Russians throw at them on the journey.

[Northnovas]

A messenger arrives to the Diet to addresses the floor. He is recognized has one of the aides from Count Zirn delegation. He addresses the floor and reads from a scroll....

Kaiser, Chancellor and fellow Electors, you have may now have head the news that the City of Iconium is now in the Reich's hands. Lord Zirn along with Wolfgang Hummel defeated the Turks and General Kujuk ad-Dawlah.

The Count wishes to advise you that the first part of Edict 10.5 has been completed and the City of Iconium is now ready for transfer to the Byzantines.
The Count would also like to address the Chancellor and advise that Wolfgang Hummel has deserved his knighthood for gallantry in the filed of battle and should be given a command for an army wherever his services are required.

The aide bows to the Kaiser and leaves the floor to sit with the Austrian delegation.

[gibsonsg91921]

Gentlemen! There should never be any neglect for any area of the Reich. Thorn is currently constantly war-torn, so it must be protected.

[Ignoramus]

A messenger wearing the livery of Wolfgang Hummel enters the Diet.

Mein master sends his greetings, honoured electors. He wishes to express his concern that the Holy Land appears to have been sapping the strength of the Reich. While mein lord does not advocate in any way abandoning the Holy Land to the infidel, he would like to see the Papal State there strengthened, thus removing the obligation of the Reich to send shiploads of men over there.

Mein master also requests that he be sent back to Swabia to defend his Duchy's frontiers against the French.

The messenger bows ands leaves the Diet.

[FactionHeir]

I mourn with the Bavarians for Markus Steffen who valiantly gave his life to bring a halt to the Milanese threat and consequently save many lives in Bavaria.

As for matters at hand, I have stressed in the previous diet that Sofia should not have been given to the Byzantines, as it provided the much needed troops for the eastern Austrian border and was an excellent strategic location to launch raids into Bran to prevent further invasions, as my many battles have shown. The eastern front is now dangerously stretched with no castle anywhere near Budapest, with the reinforcements having to come from either Ragusa, Innsbrück or Thorn, all of which are more than 8 years away.
However, I believe it may be viable for us to help our Austrian friends by passing an edict taking Bran the next diet?

As for the northern crusade, I do not believe that to be folly as it will divert attention from Thorn, giving it time to rebuild and train more soldiers. Ansehelm's courage and determination in that matter should be applauded, for he is defending Franconia by driving a wedge through Russia.

Hümmel, I would ask you to stay in Outremer to help defend against the Mongols at the very least until I arrive, as we need every man and knight we can muster.

Let us not quabble about who receives which troops. I am sure the chancellor is capable of assigning forces where they are needed, and trained professionals take time to recruit and equip. The regions where the largest hostile aggression is found naturally receives more support than others.

[Cecil XIX]

The von Mahrens offer our sincerest condolences at the death of Markus Steffen. My father and myself know all too well the pain that is being felt by the Steffen family right now.

I must also concur with the words of Duke Arnold and Count Lothar Steffen. The army immidiately outside Budapest is a fair challenge as is, and there are two more armies further east!

Speaking of such things, I have noticed a small force of Knights and Zweihanders just southwest of Budapest. With Count Steffen stating that Bavaria is not threatened by imminent invasion, The Count Ansehelm assuring us that Thorn's security is not a problem, Franconia and Swabia too far to be reached in any reasonable length of time *and* Outremer more then capable of supporting itself, I request that the Chancellor divert that force to the AHA within the limits imposed by the Imperial Rule of Army Composition.

Keeping in mind that those knights would have to be diverted from their original destination, I think it reasonable to state that there are no men better suited to come to Austria's aid.