Chapter 438 - Preparing For The Invasion Of Portugal (1/2)
Berengar gazed down the tangent sights of the rifle in his hands. He quickly pulled the bolt back before slamming it home. If there were a round chambered in this weapon, it indeed would have been ejected with this motion.
However, it was empty, and thus nothing had occurred. As the bolt moved rearward and forward in a smooth motion, the sheet metal dust cover attached to the bolt followed it throughout its entire journey.
After gazing upon the pristine bluing on the steel parts of the rifle which were matched with a fine walnut stock, Berengar realized that he may have gone too far with the quality of these weapons. Regardless he was well pleased with the result of his designs that had finally made their way into the frontlines of Iberia.
This weapon was the Gewehr 22, primarily based upon the Kar98k from his previous life. Though, he had taken some creative liberties to ensure that it met his sense of aesthetics. Aside from that there were some minor functional improvements but overall it was a superior combat rifle to what his soldiers were currently equipped with.
This rifle was just one of many that had made their way from Austria's factories to the Emirate of Granada. Weeks had passed since Berengar had married Princess Yasmin, and the day for the invasion of Portugal drew near. So much so that he could not enjoy a brief period of respite with his newest wife.
As the Royal Granadan Army became more self-sufficient, the Austrian soldiers who supported them began to withdraw back to the Fatherland. By now, all that remained of Austria's forces within the region were the 1st Cavalry Brigade and the 1st Artillery Brigade. There were also those few individuals from the Jaeger Regiment who were still operating deep behind enemy lines providing Reconnaissance to the Triple Alliance.
In the place of the Austrians, the bulk of the Forces that would be partaking in combat operations within the Kingdom of Portugal was that of the Granadans and Byzantines. With the three nations combined, it was an army of about 50,000 men in total. While Berengar had initially planned to leave behind a larger contingent of Infantry to aid his allies, the reality was that it was simply unnecessary.
The Kingdom of Portugal was lit ablaze from the conflict between the impoverished Portuguese Crown and the various deserters who had taken up arms as brigands and highwaymen to extort the people of Portugal for all their worth.
Unfortunately for King Luiz, his treasury was emptied mainly by members of his Council who had fled to either Castile or Morroco to start a new life; even his Marshal had run away from his responsibilities in fear of an Austro-Granadan invasion.
Thus Berengar was confident that 50,000 men with the support of Artillery and Cavalry would be more than enough to overcome the Army of crusading peasants who accompanied the remainder of the Portuguese Army. After all, their ranks were heavily depleted in the fight against the Portuguese deserters.
After carefully inspecting the weapon, Berengar shoved it into the hands of the Colonel, who was tasked with leading the 1st Cavalry Brigade. The Austrian King gave his loyal officer an order as he did so.
”Ensure that our troops are well trained with these weapons before we march on Portugal. I want our cavalry to be able to shoot and reload while on the move!”
The Colonel quickly saluted his King before responding in the affirmative.
”Yes, your majesty!”
With that said, Berengar smiled before dismissing the Colonel. When the officer was finally out of sight the Austrian King gazed upon the crates which contained weapons as a brilliant idea appeared in his mind.
Since he would be fighting this war as a member of the Cavalry, it was best to practice before the violence had begun. Thus he instantly grabbled ahold of a rifle from one of the crates; after doing so, he checked some of the nearby casks, where he found one that contained several spam cans of ammunition.