Chapter 75: A Bottomless River
"The Pope’s agents... they swept through the outer valleys with chests full of gold. But that isn’t the worst of it."
After hearing such words, Konrad crossed his arms. "Spit it out, boy. If you bleed to death on my floor before finishing your report, I’ll be furious."
The scout swallowed hard, "The Holy Father gifted Friedrich a stone castle in Brandenburg. He named him a true champion of the Catholic Church. The Pope is pouring a bottomless river of money into his hands to fund this holy war."
Isolde, who had been sitting quietly by the baby’s cradle, let out a sharp laugh. "A castle in Brandenburg? So the Pope just essentially crowned your brother as an independent warlord. Rome is telling the Holy Roman Empire that whoever kills Konrad von Frundsberg gets to become a king."
"Damn it." Eckhard cursed, "If Friedrich has a fortress in Brandenburg, he has a permanent safe haven. He can recruit endless waves of zealots, arm them with the Pope’s endless wealth, and march them down here season after season."
Thus, the panic in the room began to genuinely rise...
Eckhard was already pacing, muttering about supply lines and defensive trenches.
Even the two elite guards at the door shifted nervously, their hands gripping their wheellock muskets a little tighter.
However, Konrad just stared at the map on his desk.
"Is that all?" Konrad asked the scout.
The young man blinked, confused by the Viscount’s incredibly calm reaction. "I... yes, Lord Konrad. A castle in Brandenburg, and a vast fortune in holy silver."
"Good. Take him to the healers," Konrad ordered the two guards, waving his hand. "Give him a hot meal and two silver florins for his trouble. He rode hard."
The guards quickly helped the exhausted scout to his feet, bowing their heads before carrying him out into the stone hallway.
Once the door clicked shut, Eckhard turned back to Konrad.
"My Lord," the Marshal shouted. "Your brother has the unyielding financial backing of the Pope. He has a fortress in Brandenburg."
"I heard him well, Eckhard," Konrad sighed, "I don’t give a single damn."
Eckhard looked like he was about to suffer a stroke. "You... you don’t care?"
"Why should I?" Konrad replied, "Brandenburg is hundreds of miles away in the north. It is a frozen, miserable swamp. Friedrich can have all the stone castles he wants up there."
"But the money," Isolde chimed in, leaning forward. "The Pope’s treasury is deep, if Friedrich uses that money to buy out the mercenary companies..."
"Let him," Konrad interrupted, "Friedrich is dragging a host of heavy lancers and outdated bronze cannons through the western mountain passes. He is trying to cut off our new trade route with the Württemberg exiles. That is a logistical reality... his new castle in Brandenburg doesn’t help him right now."
Even so, Eckhard was a military man, and the thought of fighting a fully funded papal army terrified his old sensibilities. "We must pull the Reiters back. We need to consolidate our forces around the keep."
"We will do absolutely no such thing," Konrad commanded, "You will not pull a single man back from the field."
He walked over to the Marshal, stopping just a few inches away. "Listen to me very closely, i have just given you an army of three thousand and five hundred drilled soldiers. I have given you steam-powered armories that are churning out muskets twice as fast as before. I do not pay you to cower inside these stone walls."
"What are your orders, Lord Konrad?" Eckhard asked, straightening his posture nervously.
"You are going to arm more men and push them to the borders," Konrad instructed. "Take the newest batches of wheellocks from Master Klemens. Empty the armories if you have to. Arm the new farmer recruits, mix them with the veterans just like we did before, and send them to the outer trenches."
Eckhard frowned, "If we spread our forces along the border, our lines will be thin. If Friedrich concentrates his heavy horse in one spot, he might break through."
"Our borders are not that big, Marshal," Konrad reminded him bluntly. "The von Frundsberg lands are essentially a concentrated valley. We don’t have hundreds of miles of open plains to defend. Pack the trenches with gunners. If Friedrich tries to push his heavy horse through the snow, I want him buried in a storm of lead."
"It will be done." Eckhard nodded slowly, "We will bleed them on the borders."
Konrad turned his back on the Marshal and looking at the map again.
He traced a finger along the edges of their small territory. "In fact, our borders being this small is starting to become a serious problem."
Isolde raised an eyebrow. "A problem? Just a moment ago, you said it was a defensible chokepoint."
"It is." Konrad agreed. "We have thousands of new men to feed. We have steam engines that require massive amounts of raw iron and coal. We have a rapidly expanding trade route that needs space to operate."
"The Pope giving Friedrich a castle is actually a blessing in disguise... it gives us the legal excuse."
"Excuse for what?" Eckhard asked, dreading the answer.
"We need to take some lands." Konrad stated, as if he were simply deciding to build a new barn.
"You want to launch a war?" Eckhard gasped. "Against who? The Swabian Diet? The Bavarians?"
"Against whoever has the raw resources I need to feed my engines," Konrad said, his eyes gleaming.
Konrad turned away from the map and looked toward the hallway. "Marshal, go to the armory. Get the men moving. The western passes must be secured before dawn."
"Yes, My Lord." Eckhard struck his chest in a quick salute and rushed out of the room.
The room fell quiet once more... Little Albrecht let out a sleepy murmur from his cradle.
"You are planning to swallow the surrounding territories?"
"The Emperor will declare you an open rebel."
"The only thing that matters is who has the most steel and the most grain." Konrad scoffed.
He walked over to the door and pulled it open. A young, nervous maid was standing just down the hall, holding a stack of fresh linen.
"You there," Konrad called out.
The maid jumped, nearly dropping the linen. "Y-Yes, Viscount?"
"Go to the eastern wing," Konrad ordered. "Find my sister, Elise. Tell her to bring her abacus, the master tax ledgers, and every blank roll of vellum she possesses to my study immediately."
"Right away, My Lord." the maid squeaked, quickly curtsying before scurrying off down the dim hallway.
Konrad closed the door and walked back to his desk.
"Are you sure Elise is ready for this?" Isolde asked.
