Imperial Diet VII

[TinCow]

*Another letter arrives from Duke Lothar.*

Kaiser Peter,

You have my thanks. I made a private agreement with Kaiser Elberhard that Nuremburg would be under Imperial control to act as the Imperial capital until such a time as Rome is returned to the Reich. That was a personal agreement between two nobles and was not codified by law. However, I wish to proclaim that so long as I draw breath, I will honor this pledge to Kaiser Peter as well. I do this as a gesture of goodwill, not only to the Kaiser, with whom I have had past difficulties, but also to all citizens of the Reich.

If the Reich is to survive, it will be through brotherhood and mutual assistance. Let it be known that Bavaria will not put her own salvation above those of other Houses. As soon as Bavaria is secure and her armies strong enough to hold her borders without outside assistance, I will immediately direct all further Bavarian resources to aiding any other House that remains on the defensive. I will not turn to the offensive while French armies continue to push deeper into Swabia. If Swabia is not in need of Bavarian aid at that time, then I offer it also to Franconia and Austria. Bavaria remains, as always, committed to the prosperity of the entire Reich, not just her own lands and peoples. Indeed, if Bavarian aid is required elsewhere, I will personally march to the front lines with any Elector whose vassals are threatened.

Long Live the Kaiser!
Love Live the Reich!

Lothar Steffen
Duke of Bavaria

[gibsonsg91921]

And I promise that if Rome isn't ours once I go to Milan and Swabia, I will personally return it to our control so Nuremburg can go back to Bavaria.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor looks one way at Duke Lothar and the Bavarian benches, then the other way at the Kaiser's throne as the agreement plays out before him.

Finally, now the agreement seems to be complete he abruptly stands and turns to the officers making up the Imperial Messenger Service.

The Chancellors face turns livid as he roars vile filth and spite at the poor fellows nearest him

"£$%$ing JESUS "£^£$ING CHRIST!!!

Tell that French maniac to turn that £$^£$ing army around if it would so please him...

AND head back down through the Alps to northern Italy!!!!

Tell him to pick up some £$%£$ing red wine while he's down there and send it too me immediately upon his arrival near Milan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Throwing a leather bound imperial messenger satchel at the nearest officer the Chancellor then turns to the Kaiser and Duke Lothar, bows deeply before continuing in a vaguely civil fashion.

Would the gentlemen in question have a preference on which mountain pass said army should return to the Bavarian war theater? I wouldn't want to balls THAT UP AS WELL!

The Dread Duke's glare is interrupted by the raised eyebrow which turns the sentence into an actual question rather than statement.

[TinCow]

*A Bavarian military advisor stands up.*

M'lord, I believe that the fastest route for that army to get to Milan would be via the pass that leads directly north from the city. If the Kaiser's army marches via that route and Count Erlach's army marches directly west towards Milan, they should both arrive before the French army can assault.

[AussieGiant]

Without standing the Chancellor glares at the Bavarian military advisor for a few moments as a cat might look at a mouse, finally he adds

You know, I think I could use you in Ragusa.

Glancing back at the Dread Knight

Bane, go and speak to Lothar will you, ask him if this fellow over there could be relieved of his position, for....lets say two years.

Snapping off a salute the Dread Knights helm turns briefly in the direction of the Bavarian advisor for a second before he heads off calling for his horse.

(I wish I could get away with having a white fluffy cat in the crook of my arm while I'm playing Arnold as Chancellor, LMAO)

[_Tristan_]

An emissary arrives from the Legion der Krone, bearing a letter from Hugo de Cervole.

Mon Empereur, I will go wherever you want me to, be it Swabia, Italy or the end of the World...

I head back to Italy with the Legion immediately.

Yours faithfully,

Hugo de Cervole

[AussieGiant]

An overly exaggerated eye roll is the response from the Chancellor.

A bit over the top with the "end of the world" stuff, but good to see communications are still working.

[Ferret]

we have at last broken the siege mein Chancellor:


Lukas, well done lad you've earned your spurs. He managed to sally out and stop the enemy ram reaching the gates twice and only lost one man! The lad is a darn good fighter.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor glances up from a stack of papers, stands abruptly and slams his fist on the bench in front of himself.

YES!!

Well done Bresch!!!

Now we can stick it straight down the throats of those goddamn Polish goat herders!!

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor

My Lords,

I wish to briefly address the issue of the Black Death and quarantine.

I will do everything in my power to prevent nobles of this Reich from contracting the disease, BUT it is extremely infectious and it does spread of it's own accord.

The main issue I face it that our Regiments do not necessarily show any sign of infection once they have left their recruiting grounds. Plus the only way to determine if they are infected once they are in the field is to keep track of where they were recruited from in the first place.

Therefore I hope you can all understand my position should anyone become infected by mistake.

[AussieGiant]

Arnold:

I get the impression this chamber is devoid of any life for the moment. I guess the Black Death is something to fearful of.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor

I hope everyone realises that ALL our Citadel's are infected. If you want to remain free from infection then you can fight with your bloody hands and fists!!

We don't have enough money to use mercenaries.

[Cecil XIX]

Edmund Becker walks morosely into the Diet.

My Lords, Prague is relieved. The enemy fought like Demons, and I have a new-found appreciation for the men who have had to fight such armies.

Edmund sighs, and lower his head.

I myself can only barely defeat them... I was forced to wait until the setting of the sun and allow the Pole's infantry to withdraw. And Lorenz...

...

Lorenz Zirn is dead. He fought well, assaulting the enemy from behind. But the enemy refused to break.

Edmund quickly shuffles around and exits the Diet.

[gibsonsg91921]

Lorenz Zirn was too young and eager to die. He died a hero's death, however. Ironic - he refused to leave the plague but died in battle anyways. May he rest in peace - his energy long defended Austria from her foes.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor stares hard at the departing figure of Becker.

Standing slowly he addresses the chamber.

From what I have read the field report indicates Lord Becker's defense was exemplary.

Lorenz was always my most aggressive commander and I respected him for that. He held his own safety in little regard when facing the enemy and for that he should be commended. Both the Poles and Hungarian's always thought twice before engaging him in combat and that gained my admiration in the few short years I knew him.

He will be sorely missed my Lords.

That brings the year of our lord 1350 to a close and I can already see the Exchequer's Officials queuing for the coming year.

I will be back as soon as I have made sense of reports and inform you all to the best of my ability.

Turning, the Chancellor strides from the chamber, his night black clock billowing out behind him. Rather than his retinue in attendance there are numerous darkly robed figures with him.

[Ramses II CP]

Lorenz Zirn is to be saluted for his valiant sacrifice. Indeed, if God does not lift this terrible affliction from the land the day may come that we all envy Count Zirn's noble end.

Fritz von Kastilien

[Ferret]

A messenger with the white wolf of the Bresch family sewn onto his tunic presents a letter to the Diet:

Gentlemen I am announcing a new policy. I have thought very long and hard about this, ever since Jan von Hamburg used the same policy but I have decided its introduction will benefit the Reich as a whole. I would like all prisoners to be released.

I know some of you, especially Fritz, will strongly object and to be honest there is little I can do to enforce it, you will still be generals though you may not own land or command armies if you continue to disobey the rule. My reasoning for imposing it is thus: the people are not our enemies. It is the Tyrants who rule them and stop them embracing the good will of the Reich. It is their generals that need to be killed. The same goes for cities as well, they do not need to be sacked as the wealth you are taking away from them would be paid to us through taxes anyway.

The people also fight for us once we liberate their lands from our enemies. I doubt their is any man in this Empire who commands a pure army of Germans, we train ,en from our enemies old soldiers. That is the way to think of it. By releasing those men you are allowing them to go home to their farms at the end of their campaigning season and the next season when we own their lands then they will be taking up arms for us. By executing them you are taking future soldiers away from the Reich. I shall send a messenger with a copy of what I have just said to the Diet so all men can have the choice of benefiting te Reich or hindering its rise to unparalleled glory.

After reading the letter the man apologizes if it did not make perfect sense as the Duke wrote it with the Franconian nobles as an audience and is too busy to re-write it.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor:

This topics never seems to die the death it should.

Arnold stands and strides onto the Diet floor.

While I have never sacked any settlement and will never do so in my life time, I simply can not comprehend this approach to the men that take up arms against us. The civilian populations are innocent, but the men who fight in the armies of our enemies are NOT!!

If they and their leaders choose to fight us, then they must also choose the consequences of their actions.

To release or not to release prisoners has, and always will be a choice for each commander to make himself.

It is a general's choice alone to make and is part of the privilege AND DUTY of command. These choices also have consequences my Lords. I for example may be seen as one extreme version of this matter.

Raising his voice and a hand to the sky the Chancellor exudes a feeling of dread. Most feel the skin on their arms and neck tingle, for others there is clearly a change in the chamber. The temperature seems to drop momentarily.

The idea of penalizing general's for making one choice over another is short sighted and weak in my estimation!

I have no problem with a general's choice to let prisoners go but I certainly do not accept that any general in this Reich being disadvantaged for ensuring that captured soliders never lift their sword arm against us again!!

With that the Chancellor takes his seat and the unease and feeling of the room returns to normal.

[Ferret]

I shall not penalize anyone for doing so unless there is a specific band of men that I ordered to be released. You must bear in mind, lord Chancellor, that many of the men who 'take up arms' are civilians, mere militia forced to fight and those same men will later willingly fight to the Reich. I shall inform my generals that the choice is still theirs but I may be slightly biased towards those benefiting our nation. I was simply trying to get across what I believe. I accept the death of permanent soldiers who will never fight for us and strongly encourage the execution of enemy generals or royal family members but I also strongly advise the nobles of our nation to release the militia, as these are the men who will fight for us one day.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor:

Nodding towards the Duke

I do see a part of your point Duke Bresch.

It is your Duchy, you are well within your rights to take any approach to this topic you wish.

[AussieGiant]

Standing to address the Diet, the Chancellor seems a little remorseful.

My Lords, I know some of you are hesitant regarding this plague and it is truly a thing that should strike fear into any man living on this earth.

To some of you I have made recommendations that will mean certain contraction of this disease.

I want you all to know that I have agonised over this for weeks, but there is little I can do. Until such time as our cities and citadel's are cured you will have to either make a choice. Find yourselves being asked to conduct battles with ever fewer men, that of course in itself can lead to certain death.

Or take the risk, receive reinforcements, and continue the fighting.

You must all do what your conscience dictates to you.

Good luck and may God be with you all.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor enters the Diet Chamber and walks straight to the central floor. His face is a mask, showing no emotion. His eye's are wide and there is a slight madness to them.

My Lords, the war against Hungary and Poland has claimed yet another Austrian Noble!!

I have just returned from the state funeral of Lorenz Zirn and now I must prepare another for the valiant Dieter von Essen.

From the personal account of his regiment he was shot through with seven arrows to his front, received a spear thrust to his shoulder and still managed to take down over a dozen of the enemy before he perished.

My god rest his soul in the after life!!!

The House of Austria has always been one of the most deadly in the Reich...it seems this will never change until the end of time.

The Chancellor turns slowly and walks back to the Austrian benches.

[OverKnight]

A message arrives from Outremer.

Kaiser Peter and my fellow Electors,

I mourn the loss of Dieter von Essen. I looked forward to his arrival in Outremer, but now his life has been cut short. His bravery and honor will be missed.

May he find the Heavenly reward that he deserved.

Matthias

[Warluster]

Duke von Salza stands and adopts a (hopefully) mournful face.

The death of the two Austrian's defintely deal a blow. Any loss to the Reich means signifcant damage nowadays, and I express grief and good luck to the two Count's families, House and Duke.

The few Regiments of Teuton Knights; from my lasest sources say that they are now heading to Franconia. I, peacefully, request, or plead, that you head them back to Swabia. If they help us beat back these Frenchmen, fine no matter what disease they carry.

Duke von Salza seats himself, and as soon as the attention shifts from him hisface washes into a calm expression.

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor stands to address the Swabian Duke.

Von Salza, the three regiments of Teuton's left last season and are now integrated into the 1st FHA. They will not be returned.

Another regiment is available in Frankfurt as we speak and I will dispatch it to where ever you would like it. Additionally given the situation and what is occurring in Swabia I hereby confirm that I will recruit another two regiments this turn and send them next turn to the location of your choice.

Count Ruppel has or had a plan to relieve Dijon, hence your current position separated from the 1st SHA. You have three or four regiments of spearmen and one ribault. I would request that you and Count Ruppel explain what the next actions are or I will not continue to allow micro management of the situation out there.

At this point the Duke confers with a number of advisors then looks back with a clear sense of purpose.

In fact now that I think on it further I will now only accept detailed instruction in the official Orders section AND I will make the moves necessary myself.

We seem to be vacillating between uncoordinated ideas which is only confirming my thoughts of putting the enitre front on a purely defensive footing until someone takes an overall grip of the situation and can instruct me on the moves necessary.

Apologies in advance Duke von Salza if I sound terse and short, and you are certainly one of the fronts I am most concerned about, but the situation seems to be degrading due to the disjointed nature of the House in general.

Please use Viceroy Matthias’s orders as an example of what will allow me to get your forces in order for the on coming French horde.

The Chancellor bow deeply to the Swabian Duke and sits.

[Warluster]

Duke von Salza stands and questionaly looks at the Chancellor

We have been under defensive footing the whole time, surely you know that? We already have a grip, on the situation, and our commands have been limited between a veteran French Army siegeing Dijon, and previously Bruges, and between everyone, and I repeat everyone taking the Bavarian front as a priotrity.

The plans regarding Dijon are, and have been, under close observation by the whole Swabian House. The orders sent have been, truthfully, painfully short because we have limited options. Unfortunely, I have not noticed your micormanagement.

Duke von Salza straightens himself and sits quietly

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor:

Interesting observation Duke von Salza.

I'd like to point out that the reason you have not noticed my micro-management is BECAUSE it was not ME micro managing your Duchy. The only thing I unwittingly did was send reinforcements from Staufen to what seemed to be the 1st SHA. It turns out that I have more than likely spread the plague to this force and for that I apologies.

But please note, I regard the plague as a secondary concern to the mass of French armies that could burst across your front line with little resistance. The least of my worries was the plague spreading considering Ruppel is already infect and could therefore LEAD the infected 1st SHA with no consequence.

Given his skill that seems like the best course of action to me.

Please understand my point about a "defensive posture" is meant to describe the future not the past. If you wish to be place permantently in this status then please let me know.

Otherwise, we seem to be in some disagreement, therefore my request is final for this season.

Place your Duchies orders with the Chancellor's office in the Imperial Orders Buro immediately so that I may take action.

If, of course you wish initiate battle please go ahead my lord!!

[gibsonsg91921]

Austria is verily the most brutal theater. May the rest of her Electors remain safe, from Hungary and from the plague.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Herrmann Steffen:

I've received some preliminary reports that we've recaptured Rome. If this is so - well, congratulations first of all, and thank you very much Prinz Dieter - then are there any plans to move the capital back? What's the condition of the city like?

[AussieGiant]

The Chancellor

Turning to address Hermann Steffen.

I can confirm that Prinz Dieter has retaken Rome with little loss of life.

I'm hoping young Hermann that Count Erlach can engage the French and knight you. Unfortuantely the size of the Riech's forces in the area are far too large to use the technical work around.

Now the Chancellor looks around the rest of the Chamber

I would prefer to keep the Capital in Nuremburg for the moment, however if the Kaiser wishes to make the change then I will move the War Office and that of the Exchequer if ordered to do so.