Tyranny of Steel

The sun shined down upon the Adriatic sea; off the coast of Trieste, there were a total of ten frigates lined up. These ships were among the largest available in Europe, and each held forty-four 24 lb cannons onboard. These ships were none other than the Berengar-Class Frigates that had been manufactured since the shipyards had finished construction.

These ships were crewed by hundreds if not thousands of men; among them were various officers. Many of whom had shown a tacit understanding of naval doctrine and tactics since the establishment of the Navy.

Berengar had spared no expense in raising sailors, marines, and officers alike in the construction of his Navy. He had even begun construction of a Naval Academy in Trieste. Though for the time being the Officers underwent the same crash course of warfare and doctrine that their counterparts in the army went over. The difference was that the curriculum was specially tailored for the Navy.

Among the ranks of these fine officers was a minor Austrian nobleman by the name of Emmerich von Lötzing. This man had proven time and again his capability in learning and employing naval doctrine. So much so that he had caught Berengar ’s eye.

The Duchy of Austria held a relatively large territory, and as such, there were plenty of talented individuals within the realm; some of them had potential in areas that had yet to be established. Emmerich was one of these men.

Until recently, there was no such thing as an Austrian Navy, and as such, the man had no idea the degree of natural talent he had for Naval Warfare. However, after enlisting in the Austrian Navy and going through basic training as well as Officer school, none stood out as much as Emmerich had.

One could say that Emmerich had the same level of potential in the field of Naval Warfare that Eckhard had on the land. The difference was that Emmerich was considerably younger than Eckhard and less experienced.