Chapter 304: Gaining a Foothold in the Swiss Confederation (2/2)
”God with us!”
With that said, the Chur soldiers led the Austrians towards their fortresses, where they immediately came under the occupation of the Royal Austrian Army. As the armies settled in, Adelbrand gathered intelligence of the Swiss Confederation and its military capabilities from Count Rayner.
”So tell me, what is the strength of the Swiss Armies? How many men will we be facing? Where are they located? What tactics will they be utilizing?”
With this said, Count Rayner led the Austrian General into the war room, where he immediately pointed out the positions on the map of the Swiss Armies.
”Aside from us in Chur, the Swiss Confederation has roughly 25,000 men at their disposal. These are mostly men at arms and knights that are similarly equipped to the mercenaries that Berengar defeated during the brief rebellion, those treacherous noblemen raised against him.
Most of the armies are currently being gathered in Zurich up here; when they have rallied together, they will march on our position; my suggestion is to wait patiently and crush the main Army in defense of Chur. Then after they are utterly decimated, you will have free reign to conquer the small garrisons that litter the various major cities across the realm.
Once those swiss cities are defeated, the rest of the land will surrender with a simple show of force. What do you think?”
Although Adelbrand thought the plan was a good idea, he could not fully trust the Count of Chur and his men, who had fully surrendered; as such, he shook his head before coming up with a different attack plan.
”You and your men will stay here and guard the border to Austria; I will lead my army to attack the enemy directly.”
Count Rayner could immediately tell that Adelbrand did not trust him, and he did not blame him. Surrendering to annexation without a fight was unheard of. However, he was a true believer in the reformist cause.
Rayner believed that an independent homeland should be established for the movement, and as such, the man was more than happy to join his neighbors in Austria with who he shared a border as part of this envisioned Reformist Homeland.
Thus he sighed heavily before agreeing to Adelbrand's plan; trust could not be built overnight; all he could do was loyally abide by his commands and protect the Austrian Border. With that said, the Austrian troops began to rest before they would depart the next day.
Ever the cautious commander, Adelbrand left his troops on watch over the region and had given them specific instructions to be on the lookout for the Chur soldiers' potential treachery. Despite expecting such a thing, it never manifested, and the Austrian soldiers were allowed a reprieve.
With this, Austria had gained a foothold in the Swiss Confederation without firing a single shot. When the news finally spread to the Swiss Confederation about Chur's betrayal, it would be far too late, as the Austrians would already be at their doorsteps.
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