Imperial Diet

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

To arms, good Electors! Venice has finally been excommunicated, which nulls Edict 4.2. We must immediately take this turn of good fortune and strike at the Venetians with a fury! Why am I still not engaged?

[Kagemusha]

Duke of Franconia,enters the Diet and takes the stand after Kaiser Heinrich.

"I just wanted to say that i wish good luck to my father in law Kaiser,Prinz Henry and Jobst von Salva in defeating the Italians. I will pray that no harm will happen to you and wish Godspeed for you and your weapons."

Dietrich steps down and takes his seat.

[Jalf]

The newly knighted Jonas von Mahren stands up, still bruised and bandaged
I apologize for not presenting myself earlier. After the recent battle, the camp chirurgeon was very insistent about treating a few wounds.

I am flattered by my Duke's account of the battle. It is true I fought to the best of my ability, but without our Duke's leadership, I doubt many of us would have survived.

Nevertheless, there are more important matters to discuss.
Kaiser, I see your point, but with whose army do you propose to attack? The one that has been ordered to clear out rebels and other incursions into our southern lands? The few hundred men stationed in the Northern provinces?

I agree, their excommunication presents an opportunity we cannot afford to ignore, but do we have enough soldiers to actually take advantage of the situation? We can hardly afford to lower our guard against our other enemies.

There is also the question of Poland, who must never be underestimated. Their people fight like demons, I can tell you.

von Mahren sits down again to continue the muted discussion with the rest of the Franconian delegation

[nazgul3]

5th Elector of Bavaria with his glass of wine

First I would like to make a tost to my brothers in arms who have come back from the terrible battles in Italy, those who are still there fighting, and those who now rest with our Lord above...God be with you all!

Takes a sip wishing he was fighting with his duke

Now is the time to strike venice at its heart. We have the capabilites to stand up to Milan. However we should start training soldiers at Innsbruk and Hamburg. To prepare to invade venice and defend against poland. This attack on venice will prove our loyalty to the pope and raise our standing. I believe we have sufficient amount of troops to attack venice and put a dent in their economy. We still have Sigismund in the West with many troops and Jobst Van Salza who is just ran into a small army in the Venetian mountains who he will crush. I believe we have the capabilities to strike and strike hard and bring end to the those heathens. God wills it!!!

5th Elector of Bavaria sits excited

[lilirishman1986]

i must insist that if at any point a crusade is called upon the vienetians we must take up the cross no matter what to improve papal standing by slaying some of those oafs

[ArchdukeEvan]

Messanger from Southern Austria arives... opens a sealed letter and reads...

Dear Assembled Members

I hear that our most distrustful foe... Venice... has finaly and mot deservingly been excomunicated!! I trust that the celibrations went as well there as they did here... and that the troops may now carry our most lawful war to the end of the Venician Empire... I belive that now would be the time to attack at either Zagreb... or the Capital itself... Both will be tough fights... and I hope and pray that I will be back in time to partake in the disscusions...

Signed
5th Elector of Austria

The messanger bows and backs out off the room...

[econ21]

[Prinz Henri]: The loss of Bologna, formerly the seat of my father's estate, is a national humiliation. I trust the Chancellor will erase this stain on our record before leaving office. Fortunately, we now have sufficient forces in North Italy to go onto the offensive. But Bologna has taught us the danger of complacency. Venice rivals us in military might, while the Poles have shown they should not be under-estimated. These are dark days, but far worse is to come if we are not careful. France grows restless along our western border while Hungary has formiddable armies immediately to our east. We have been taking too many risks and became over-stretched. A more orderly re-imposition of Imperial rule over outlying areas is required.

I propose that consideration be given to allowing Houses some formal say in the defence of their borders. At each Diet, Dukes and Stewards should be formally consulted about garrison requirements, allocation of key personnel (generals) and deployment of any field armies within their provinces. The Chancellor would then be free to focus on where he wishes to lead a main Imperial offensive, while having four pairs of eyes to watch his back.

[AussieGiant]

I agree with my Prinz.

As the Empire is expanding too rapidly we are unable to defend our own borders. Decentralising the armed forces into the regional houses would ensure local defenses remain solid, while the Chancellor can request "Imperial Troops" from each house for his own use and strategies which we can agree on in the Diet sessions.

[Kagemusha]

Duke of Franconia takes the stand:

"Once again,Prinz Henry has shown his wisdom in the matters of the state. I agree that it would be good idea for the Chancellor to consult the Dukes on the matters of the defence of their lands. Some Houses need troops that suit the enemies they are facing.For example Poland and Hungary use lot of missile cavalry and Austria and Franconia need missile troops to shoot down those blasphemous horse archers and javelin hurlers. I had personal experience with an army that was not suited to fight our enemies and the result was near catastrophic.

Dietrich sits back on his place.

[TinCow]

Maximillian Mandorf bangs his fist on the table very loudly.

Hear, hear! Prinz Henry's words must be heeded by all! The occupation of Bolognia is an affront to the entire Reich and it must be restored to Bavarian control immediately! Too long have we left the responsibility of security of our Houses to those outside our lands. Bavaria supplies the majority of the highest quality troops in all of the armies of the Reich. Innsbruck is the heart of our military power, yet the security of Bavaria itself has been neglected. We have relied upon the Emperor and the Chancellor to protect our lands and our interests, and they have failed us!

I see similar problems for the most noble Houses of Austria and Franconia. Duke Leopold, where was the Imperial assistance you so desperately needed when Vienna was under siege? Duke von Saxony, has one single Imperial soldier marched north to defend you against the traitorous Poles? We have all been forced to tend to our own defenses, yet we have no voice in how this is to be done. It is an outrage and we must rectify the situation at once. My own people in Nuremburg have been terrorized by rebels to the north of the city for years now, but the Chancellor has done nothing to remove these vagabonds!

I fully support the Prinz's proposal, but I would urge the Diet to move the issue even further. Let each House be allowed to mandate a standing army which must remain within the borders of the House to defend it from rebels and outside attacks. If each of us has an army available to us, we can never be caught totally unprepared by a foe, and we will never have to suffer the difficulties that Franconia, Austria, and Bavaria have already endured. I will propose this as a Charter Amendment at the next Diet.

[econ21]

Prinz Henry: I agree with the Steward of Bavaria - it is an affront to have multiple rebel bands marauding in our hinterlands. While the current priority is stablising North Italy, we cannot allow brigands and robber barons to undermine our authority closer to home.

The notion of Houses commanding their own standing armies is an interesting one and close to the Charter provision for Field Marshals to be thus equipped.

I suspect that attempting to adequately garrison each of our border settlements so that they can repel enemy armies would be prohibitively expensive. A more feasible defence would be for field armies to be stationed within reach of multiple settlements. The settlements would have minimal or modest garrisons - just enough to hold out long enough for the defensive field armies to come to their aid. I believe Steward Mandorf may be familiar with the work of one of forebearers, Emperor Andragathius Flavius who instituted something similar to what I envisage, with border legions stationed at intervals to support a net work of forts along the Rhine.

This concept of defensive field armies would mesh well with the proposal for Houses to have their own standing armies for defence purposes.

[Ignoramus]

Chancellor Sigismund the Chivalrous rises to his feet.

I am well aware that the loss of Bologna is a disgrace to us, and for that I am deeply ashamed. However, as we have no castles in Italy, it takes time for soldiers to reach Italy. However, I believe I have managed to restore the situation in Italy, and I hope to chase the Venetians from Bologna.

Sigismund the Chivalrous resumes his seat.

[Ignoramus]

A messenger rushes into the Diet and walks over to Sigismund. Sigismund, who was busy eating his schnitzel. was slightly annoyed at this interuption, but his expression changed immediately when he read the message.

"Mein electors, the infidel, the Venetians, are assaulting Vienna's walls once again. Duke Leopold and his men are in good spirits and they are confient that they can repell this rash assault.

Vienna, the jewel of the Reich, must not fall. If it falls, then so falls the noble House of Austria. Let us pray to Gott for Duke Leopold's success!

Sigismund resumes his seat and his schnitzel.

[Warluster]

Jobst von Salva stands up
this is turmoil, complete turmoil. We have the fate of one of the Noble houses of the EMpire at risk, we have Veneetians walking all over some cities! We have our most important wonders and cities being attacked! Exiles,Outlawas and muderers roam freely in our lands!!

if I have to i would chase very single one down, and I volunteer to battle any army, so please know my offer stands.

Now, we have the problem of these Italians stomping around our cities in italy, and several people want standing armies, and our Honourable Chancellor says that theres no castles and its too far of a walk. I see two solutions, one is this- Build a castle in italy! Sure It will cost heaps but if it offers protection and security, why not? my second solution is this- Why can't we send a army down there before another nation attacks, and keep it there, and if both solutions are combined, we could just foget about Italy, and concentrate elsewhere, like France or poland.

Jobst von Salva sits down, looks over at the chancellor and nods respectfully.

[lilirishman1986]

Forget about Italy my dear sire? Forget? We are the Holy ROMAN Emperor and have held Italian cities for years. Are we to forget the lives of the many soldiers who have paid for our recent acquisitions in blood? You my lord by even mentioning a retreat from Italy insult their memory and honor. If it were not for the current crisis's i would insist we duel now for the affront.

The only proper suggestion you made was for the building of a castle in Italy. I propose the we retake Bologna and turn it into a castle. It would be in a central position to provide troops to the entire southern front as well as preventing and aggression via the Pope or Sicily

[Warluster]

I did not mean forget in that way!!!

I meant forget in the way of this- Lately we have been focusing on Italy, we need to focus on other countries, where other places are. And that si nonsense, you totally mis read my meaning, I never mentioned that we should retreat!

[Kagemusha]

Duke of Franconia takes the stand.

"As cooperation is important to the Reich, so we can defend our borders effectively. I would ask for mein Chancellor Sigismund to reply on my letters. How im supposed to know what is happening in war with the Polish, if Chancellor keeps me completely in the dark?."

Duke of Franconia sits down on his place looking rather irritated.

[AussieGiant]

A messenger makes his way into the Diet.

Kaiser, Prinz, Dukes and Counts of the Reich.

Duke Leopold sends word from the east.

The Venetians have been successfully repulsed from the walls of Vienna!!

[econ21]

Prinz Henry: My brother is to be congratulated on his defence of Vienna. But I fear that siege will not be Vienna's last. I urge the Chancellor to strengthen the garrison - we cannot lose Vienna... (sotto voce:) and I cannot lose my brother.

But what ill news is this from the North?! Three Polish armies have surrounded my brother-in-law, Dietrich. The Poles outnumber us and, it shames me to say this, they outmatch us in skill at arms. They include mutiple regiments of noble cavalry, fearsome axemen and even nobles on foot. Dietrich's own force comprises only his own escort and that of Gunther von Kastilien, plus a undistinguished band of foot. We have been outmaneouvred again. After Bologna, this is another humiliation in the making. I pray Dietrich can pull off another victory, but if not, there must be no shame if he is forced to withdraw from the field. I would rather we lose a little dignity than lose a Duke.

[Ignoramus]

Sigismund the Chivalrous rises to respond to Prinz Henry.

"Mein Prinz, I fear it is I who is to blame. I have been distracted with events in Italy and I did not take the Poles seriously. I have not prepared the north as should to meet the Polish raids. Alas, all I can do now is pray for Dietrich's victory.

Sigismund humbly resumes his seat.

[OverKnight]

Otto von Kassel, after having arrived in the Diet a few days ago, stands to speak.

My lords, first I must speak in support of Prinz Henry's idea of a regional reserve of troops. We never know from where the next attack will come. If we keep our borders strong, this will discourage neutral nations from deciding to enter the fray. As some of you may know, I have had a difficult time holding down Milan, due to having a small garrison. Each city should have enough troops to effectively garrison it and there should be a reserve of troops for each region so invading armies can be met without disrupting cities too much.

As for the idea of converting a city into a castle in Italy, I can understand the motivation for the idea. However, a newly converted castle would require time and money to bring it to a point where it could train troops better than city militia. The loss of revenue from the already built up cities in Italy would be significant as well. I would suggest barracks improvements in our Italian cities rather than a whole sale conversion. We need florins as well as men to fight an effective war.

I am proud to say that Innsbruck is an excellent castle producing the Reich's finest infantry and cavalry. If it is properly managed, it can provide a solid core of troops, augmented with spear militia, for our Italian campaign.

I must congratulate Duke Leopold and the second Elector of Austria for the second successful defense of Vienna. No mercy for invaders!

May God grant us victory against the Lombard League and the Poles!

Otto sits.

[econ21]

Prinz Henry: On the matter of a castle in Italy, I believe such a decision ultimately lies with the relevant Dukes or Stewards, and their Counts. However, I agree with Sir Otto - what we need are not more men, it is better trained men. We must upgrade Innsbruck, Staufen and existing castles to be able to train high quality soldiers. Within two years, Staufen will grow large enough to be upgraded, but this will require large investments to fully bear fruit. I doubt we can afford to make such investments in many settlements.

I also agree with Sir Otto that we should be able to rationalise the garrisoning of our cities. Urban populations can support substantial numbers of militia free of Imperial upkeep, but we are not currently taking full advantage of that support. Sergeants, peasant archers and other rural levies should be confined to castles and field armies; our cities should be guarded by militia in the first instance.

[Northnovas]

The newest member in the Diet has been carefully observing and gets the nerve up to speak…


Kaiser, Prince, Dukes and Counts of the Reich,

Chancellor we are all in essence speaking the same message. The work is going well in Italy not has planned but going well. Are brothers there should be commended for their effort and the set backs are only minor. The Poles have put a new twist on things but we are capable of bending but not breaking.
The actions taken place in the east is why I feel that I must speak for the house of Austria as the poor cousins of the Empire. The Venetians have come up from the south thinking they had an easy objective but our men showed what the Empire is made of in Vienna. Members have mentioned resources to train men and keep our people contend. (No blue faces)
I think what has to take place is a policing action in the Empire. We must hold to consolidate what we have except whatever advantages present itself in Italy to take advantage of the situation there. (Edict 3.1)
In the rest of the provinces we should be developing our troops as mentioned by Prinz Henry. However, not just elite troops but our militia as well. We need to rid the county side of the Brigands that are roaming at will. These small excursions will harden our troops. Also a trained standing force that is in position may have our enemies think about invading our lands.
As for the economy if the Brigands can be brought under control our farms can remain at full production. Along with some military buildings we need to develop some commercial enterprises and have our merchants heading east. The Silk Road waits outside of Constantinople for our mercantile taking. I feel positive trade relations with our neighbour in Budapest will let us keep the Eastern border stable and possible aid against the Poles.
A strong economy will develop troops, keep the people happy they have food and shelter and those nations connected to us economically would not want the war to interfere with the wealth generated by our partnership.

The very nervous member sits down.

[Warluster]

I agree mostly with the 6th Elector of Austria, we have many Birgands, true, and too build on what he said I say this: We have some spare Generals around, ones who are not engaged in Combat, why not use them? There trained for war? Ready for war, yet we don't use them!

But I have one question yo your 'solution' Sixth Elector Of Austria, where are we to get the money??? Sooner or later our generals will al be needed either at Poland or italy, then what? We have not a lot ofg money to train new troops, sustain our EMpire, so why don't we attack a major city? As someone said before, where are these venetian attacks coming from?Venice, Zagreb? So why not attack those places???

[AussieGiant]

Taking a report from a scribe the 2nd Elector stands

Gentlemen,

The general situation of this empire is unacceptable!!

We can not defend our borders, brigands roam freely in the interior, Vienna is being siege yearly by the Venetian's and my Duke can do nothing about it!!

We have lost Bologna...

...I'll say this again!!

CONSOLIDATE NOW!!

If it has to go to an edict then so be it. Further expansion should be put on hold indefinitely until each house has at least one standing army of an appropriate size and high quality troops to defend it's region. Garrisons must be able to hold out sufficiently until these standing armies can arrive to relieve sieges or take the fight to the enemy.

For godsake gentlemen, there is a brigand Captain no less than one days march from Vienna! His company is over twice the size of the entire Vienna garrison. The only reason he hasn't attacked is due to my astute use of one of my more "worldly" sisters!!

I even have word from our outriders that yet another Venetian force is approaching from the south. Even as I speak we are all aware of Dietrich's situation. I pray to god he manages to stay in one piece and come back to us alive.

It's a disgrace gentlemen!! An absolute disgrace!!

Good night!!

With that the 2nd Elector of Austria turns and departs into the gloom of the approaching evening

[Northnovas]

Before the 6th Elector was to reply on the economy question he let his family member proceed with his plea of consolidation to the Diet Members…he addresses the economic question knowing there is nothing further to add to the 2nd Electors statement

To my noble friend from the House of Swabia you do ask where are we to get the money?
We need to spend money on money. We have to address the overall budget priorities with some minor reduction in the military.
There is an army of merchants to release in the Empire. Improving relations in trade to get these men building a financial network. Our infrastructure must be upgraded. Paved roads will aid trade and allow our own Army to move through the Empire to address threats. In our cities there must be economic stimulation with the proper markets to create financial centers. These cities should be identified that can take advantage of established trade routes and become a trading hub within and outside the Empire.
I feel we do not have the resources in Austria at this point for an offence strike to Venice or Zagreb. A defensive retraction to consolidate by all Houses and then we lash back with a mighty force of the Kaiser’s Imperial Army.

The 6th Elector sits down…

[ArchdukeEvan]

Noble Members... thankfully I have returned safly... I had to sneak around Vienna using narrow tracks through the Alps...

I must say that with the current state of affairs i must agree with my fellow country men... I was overly optimistic about my idea for an attack on Zagreb... in the South of Austria... I hadnt yet seen how affiars in the north had degraded... but... as i was saying... I must now agree with my fellow Electors of Austria...

Consolidate

a carefully calculated... withdrawl form advaced positions... to more defenceible ones... would be advisible... though the taking of citys ...is not out of the picture in my mind... we mus...t gat...her our fo...rces...

Sits down... tired from his jorney... the 5th Elector of Austria... falls quickly into a sleep...

[GeneralHankerchief]

Kaiser Heinrich:

I will hear no more talk of this withdrawl nonsense. If our available forces were properly utilized then there would have been no need for this situation to spiral out of hand as it did.

[Ignoramus]

Chancellor Sigismund stands up.

The Kaiser is right; had I been more estute, this mess would not exist. Withdrawing is a coward's option. However, what is past is past. Hopefully I can restore the situation by the end of my term and then hand over to my successor.

[AussieGiant]

I personally am not suggesting withdrawal but consolidation!

Duke Leopold needs an army!! Not a rag tag collection of militia to defend and attack our eastern foes!!

TOO MUCH emphasis has been placed on Northern Italy and the damn Pope in my opinion.

It's time to enact edicts that allow the Dukes of each house to keep their own lands in order, rather than having Imperial agenda's leaving the back door, side door, loft and cat trap completely wide open!!

I'm retiring to the saloon for a drink!! You're all welcome to join.