HRE NES II: Der Aufstieg

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Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice
Then, my friend, what choice are you seriously offering me? I do ask that you fight the Emperor, at least until it should come to pass that Rudolph is defeated; should he win, fighting against the Emperor will show favorably upon you. I do promise that I will do all I can to bring the German armies to Venice; I realize that my ability to bring this to pass is limited. I do not think that the Germans will fight in the passes unless Rudolph loses; why would the Emperor bring the fight to us when he is threatened in the West as well? Should you attempt to arrest me in Venice, I will do everything in my power to fight that; I realize I shall probably lose, but I will have no choice. I can only ask that you do fight the Emperor until such time as Rudolph actually loses; that appears to be my only chance for survival.

[Cyclotron]

Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
The Emperor has no navy. It is not a question of our ability to take you to Istria, but of diplomatic concerns - the Emperor knows you are our guest, not our prisoner, and if we fail to deliver you to him he has threatened us with war. I do not think it is likely that an "escape" on your part would make him any more inclined towards peace with us. He has made it clear that anything short of our handing you over to him will result in an attack. Thus, getting you out would be the easy part, at least relatively speaking; my concern is for my city and the Most Serene Republic.

It is not my wish to hand you over to the Emperor, but you must appreciate my concern. What, good Duke, would you do in my position?

The urban militia of our Republic numbers, at full strength, around 1,500 men. The Emperor has twice as many knights and sergeants alone; his total forces approach ten times our own. The Emperor has more soldiers in his army than we have people in our city - men, women, and children. So long as the King of Burgundy is successful, that force will not come to bear on us - but what if he dies, or is defeated, or comes to terms with Berengar? The Germans will not tarry in Friuli to fight the Emperor by themselves, despite whatever relationship we may have. We may be able to hold the Emperor off for a while - years, even - but we will eventually succumb. He has no ships, but the Saracens or Amalfitans will be happy to loan theirs for Imperial coin.

There are few mercenaries near us that can be trusted to defend the city; 400 Croatian nobles and a similar number of Italian infantry, and perhaps a few local knights as well. At most, we can muster about a thousand auxiliaries. If we do this, our forces will still be outnumbered 6 to 1.

I want to be rid of the Emperor as much as you, but I cannot fight such an army alone. It is no certainty that Rudolph will win, and I have no assurances that the Germans will indeed aid Venice instead of simply guarding the passes where the Germans will have the upper hand.

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Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice
Such a truce with the Magyars might seem to be forthcoming. Is there really no way to deliver me to Istria? Is the Emperor's navy both that imposing and deployed to the Adriatic? I will trust your assurance that it is, though it does disappoint me that this is not an option.

Such a roundabout method of returning me to Bavaria suggests an even more underhanded method. We might play that charade of the indignant prisoner, with me protesting being cooped up, you pleading with the Emperor for time, and my King bringing his army down from Germany. As we play this game, I will slip out of Venice's gates with a minimal bodyguard (two or three men, probably Italians who will blend in better) and make my way north. My maps suggest that the trip will take no more than a few days for a few men unencumbered by a treasury or retinue, and I am certainly young enough to make the journey. If we could hold the charade for more than four or five days, I might reach my holdings south of the Brenner Pass and quickly proceed from there to Bavaria. Soon after I reach Bavaria, you will plead ignorance to the Emperor regarding my situation and I will appear in Bavaria, having slipped out of your grasp.

The above scenario might still leave the Emperor infuriated with you, so I propose another: I will pose as a Bavarian merchant stranded in Venice by the Emperor's embargo, a prisoner in your dungeons, or otherwise hidden in Venice. You would then tell the Emperor that I had slipped away in the night, preferring to take my chances with a dash to Bavaria in the night so as to avoid placing you in this awkward position. My brother and my King could impersonate me to some degree, at least to foreigners. If he demanded, you might even grudgingly allow him to search Venice, and we would need to hope that my disguise held.

Either scenario would require a great deal of my trust in your following through with this charade, but we have much friendship in our past and mutual gains from the downfall of Berengar, and I hope that the loss of German goods flowing into Venice would serve as a sufficient means of insurance.

[Cyclotron]

Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
While your proposal might ordinarily be a good one, nearly all the mercenary corps in our area have been signed to either the Emperor or the King of Burgundy. I highly doubt the Emperor would allow mercenaries from further abroad to cross through his land and into our service, knowing full well the antagonism between us. Money, however, is transferred much more easily, which is why it would be far more sensible to fund mercenaries for Germany rather than somehow get them to Venice.

Furthermore, you must excuse me if I place some doubt in the idea that German armies will be lifting any Imperial siege on Venice. If Rudolph is defeated in the field, you will be hard pressed to defend the alpine passes, let alone cut clear through Friuli to the Adriatic and to our aid. My charge requires that I exercise caution and I dare not risk the city I have been entrusted with in such a manner.

Had a war not erupted this year, I would have proposed some deal with the Magyars - if they could somehow be reconciled with you, it would have been easy to deliver you into Istria by ship, and from there to Carinthia. Now that you are at war with the Emperor, however, and because he knows you are my guest, I cannot ship you anywhere without incurring his wrath. I have informed him that it would be wrong to give over a man who came seeking only our hospitality in a time of peace, but my words are disregarded.

I am unable to see many alternatives at present. Should Berengar acquire you as a prisoner, you would likely be held hostage, your life contingent upon Germany's neutrality or some other concessions from Germany or Bavaria. The best case scenario - as far as your life is concerned - might simply be that you are ransomed back for a princely sum, which would go directly into the Emperor's war chest.

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Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to Doge Orso II Participazio of Venice
I appreciate the difficult situation I've placed you in, and I hope that we can work out a good solution. You offered to hire mercanaries to support the German armies; I wonder if those might not be better spent defending Venice. If Venice could hold out against Berengar for a short time, the German armies coming over the Alps would certainly come to your aid. Once the German armies lift the siege from Venice, we would have a much greater chance of success fighting alongside one another.

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to King Heinrich of Germany
My Lord, my conferences with the Doge of Venice have led me understand the untenable position he's been placed in, sheltering me in Venice. I suggest that the German army's first task should be to liberate Venice from the siege the Emperor will be bound to place on the city. With the logistical support that Venice will be able to provide, we will stand a much better chance of holding our ground against the Emperor as the Burgundian and Swabian forces approach Friuli from behind.

I also took careful notice of the composition of the Italian army when it came north to Carinthia, and have a few suggestions regarding our tactics in attacking Berengar. First, his contingent of chivalry is quite large. Two excellent counters present themselves to this point; the first is heavy spearmen and polearmsmen, of which we have some and I hope the Venetians will hire more. The second is the new "crossbow", which I have heard reported as an excellent counter to mounted chivalry, with the great power of penetration afforded by the small bolt. I have put together a small contingent of crossbowmen, and I urge you to do the same.

Second, his army is heavily armored. Hiring Croatian nobility as mercanaries might be prudent; I understand that they are quite effective against armored infantry.

Lastly, I expect the captured Magyar bows to be of great value; the Emperor will presumably have none, and these outrange any standard bows and can fire much more quickly than any crossbows. We should endeavour to fight in good weather, that we might better make use of this advantage.

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Micha
Regarding Simeon, be warned, he is at war with both the Magyars and the Croatians.

Technically, he has a truce with the Croatians at this point. It has not been broken in several years. Of course, tensions remain high.

[Micha]

King Heinrich of Germany to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria

Indeed, the Doge might become a great help for us. Regarding Simeon, be warned, he is at war with both the Magyars and the Croatians. If a truce with the heathens was reached, he might demand breaking it to help him. Also, he refers to us as his vassals, which makes me wonder what he thinks of Rudolph... As long as he has not conquered Constantinople, his words do not match his power base.

[appleciders]

Duke Arnulf of Bavaria to King Heinrich of Germany
My Lord, I urge to to accept the offer the Doge of Venice has generously made to hire mercanaries on our behalf. Personally, I recommend that you request that he hire Italian mercanaries, so that Berengar may not hire them instead, but Lombard Axemen and Norman knights would also be an enormous help. Likewise, the Tsar of Bulgaria sounds as though he mind lend some support to our endeavour, though he mind demand our future support in return.

[Cyclotron]

Simeon, Tsar of Bulgaria and Emperor of the Romans, to King Heinrich of Germany
His Majesty the Emperor of the Romans, rightful ruler of the Imperial City, requests your explanation as to the war between your person and the Basileus of the Franks, Berengar of Friuli, which He has only recently become aware of. His Imperial and Divinely ordained Majesty notes that, while he does not neccessarily disapprove of your actions, he wishes to be kept abreast of such developments and informed as to the nature of the rival claimaint which Germany now supports.

His Imperial Majesty also wishes to assure his ally and vassal, Henricius rex Teutonicorum, that He is committed to maintaining their alliance and securing German interests in the lands of the Franks, however that may be accomplished. By God's Will, soon Our Lord Simeon, Basileus ton Romaion, will soon be enthroned in his proper place in the City of Constantine, and will be able to devote fuller attention to your affairs.

[Micha]

Originally posted by Cyclotron


Try this one

LOL

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by Krill
But someone else please tell me story.

Try this one

[Krill]

You will not spoil my perfect Tuberski

[Nimitz]

Duke Vratislaus of Bohemia to King Heinrich of Germany
Far be it from me to go against the order of my king. You have said we are at war so we are. I will send the troops I can to support the war with italy. Expect between 700 and 1000 men by the next year with more coming if the peace with the Magyars occures.

[Krill]

please ban me.

But someone else please tell me story.

[Cyclotron]

Emperor Berengar to King Heinrich of Germany
How dare you produce such lies against me, take up the sword against me, and presume to call yourself a "loyal vassal!" Never have I conspired against Germany, for all your truculence and treachery - and I am repaid for my troubles on your behalf with betrayal. You will pay dearly for this, make no mistake. Never forget that I control the Papacy, and you can be sure that your excommunication will not be long in coming.

King Rudolph of Burgundy to King Heinrich of Germany
It pleases me immeasurably to hear the good news that you will be joining me against Berengar's forces. Both our kingdoms will surely benefit greatly from his deposition. Friuli is the base of Berengar's power - the more damage you can do to his lands there, the more ably I will be able to fight his army in the field, and the more he will have to commit his own forces elsewhere. I wish you the best of fortune.

Doge Orso II Participazio to Duke Arnulf of Bavaria
Your King has placed me in a very difficult position. I have been informed by the Emperor that, if I fail to turn you over to his authority, Venetian neutrality will be considered abrogated and we will be invaded. As you must know, this is not my preference, but I am unsure that we can hold out against the Emperor at this time. I will listen to any proposals you may have, but your King's entry into the war has forced my hand.

Doge Orso II Participazio to King Heinrich of Germany
Long have I wished for Berengar's overthrow, though Venice cannot openly declare its belligerence at this time - we are but one city. Nevertheless, we are prepared to fund mercenary contracts concerning your forces, should there be mercenary soldiers you wish to hire but lack the means for. Additionally, should any foray of yours into Friuli meet with success, I may reconsider my position of neutrality.