Tyranny Of Steel Chapter 1254 A Grand Funeral



Right after Eckhard's passing, Berengar kicked off the arrangements for his funeral. He held nothing back in costs to make certain the entire German Empire grieved over losing his truest companion. 

Soon enough, the Reich's leaders assembled yet again in Kufstein, right inside its Grand Cathedral, to lament the death of one of their premier heroes. The harsh reality remained that most attendees honored Berengar's parents purely because they were his mother and father. 

Their most vital achievement in life had been nurturing Berengar into the planet's supreme ruler. Yet Eckhard stood apart. His deeds had reshaped global history and purposefully forged the German Empire. 

A queue stretched endlessly into the distance, all eager to honor the General who had stood beside Berengar since the outset. In many eyes, he ranked as a tactical prodigy, surpassed only by the mighty Kaiser himself. 

Of course, Berengar took his place at the forefront of the funeral, just as he had for his parents. Ludolf, now advanced in years, once again summoned the crowds to his cathedral to fittingly dispatch a pivotal figure to the great beyond. 

The sermon stayed short yet adequate to pay tribute to the departed, after which Ludolf invited those nearest to Eckhard to come ahead and share a few words about him. Unlike with his parents, Berengar held back this time. He stood quietly as his wives clasped his hands, striving to soothe a man plagued by the swift losses of his loved ones. 

After Eckhard's wives and offspring had voiced their pieces, Adelbrand advanced and recounted the clashes he had waged alongside the man. The other Generals from Eckhard's era followed suit. 

Next, those who had sat through his classes at the Academy came up to praise his brilliance as a teacher and how his teachings had preserved their lives in the conflicts post his withdrawal. 

At last, with every notable figure having shared their tales, Berengar moved to the front. As before with his parents, a utterly impassive expression marked his face while he claimed the podium for his ultimate goodbye to the comrade who had launched this epic voyage with him. 

"Eckhard von Marienburg, or Eckhard von Hallstatt as I knew him, profoundly shaped my life's tale. Upon meeting Eckhard, he amounted to little but a penniless knight, wandering Austria before landing in my father's territory seeking naught but wine. 

Back then, I had only just started assembling a militia from peasants, who would grow into the core of today's German Army. Firearms drew scorn then for their rudeness and uselessness. Yet my creations outshone them all, and Eckhard grasped their promise instantly. 

He came forth and pledged his allegiance not to my father, then Baron of Kufstein, but directly to me as my devoted knight and guardian. Though I required no knight, knowing my arms would soon doom their era. 

What I sought was a General, one who could grasp the fresh strategies I unveiled and drill them into strategic minds. Eckhard fit perfectly. By now, many of you have viewed the film The Mines of Wildschönau, a cultural cornerstone. And yes, it draws from actual events. 

When my brother's treachery trapped me under the mines, Eckhard rallied the militia under cover of night and led them to my rescue. When injuries left me unable to direct the shantytown's defense near the mines, Eckhard orchestrated the militia's triumph over the traitor lord's troops. 

From then on, Eckhard earned my complete faith and devotion. He rose swiftly among my innermost advisors, executing my commands flawlessly. We toppled the Habsburgs together and forged the Kingdom of Austria. Through the years, Eckhard guided my armies to crush every enemy until Germany stood whole once more. 

But Eckhard's saga continued beyond that. After binding Germany as one Empire, he sought retirement, which I granted after his monumental service. On the stipulation that he instruct at Vienna's War College, a role he fulfilled spectacularly. 

Today, as you've already seen, Eckhard's mastery of the emerging era of warfare elevated our officers to unmatched excellence worldwide. Though Eckhard is no longer among us, his enduring legacy persists. It thrives not merely in his family's lineage, but within the thoughts of the officers who still instruct at the Vienna War College, and among all the pupils who bore his teachings into combat.

No Germany would exist without Eckhard. Damn, without Eckhard, I wouldn't have survived long enough to achieve everything I've done. Thus, today we grieve the passing of one of Germany's mightiest heroes. And we beseech that his spirit at last discovers peace in the hereafter, whatever form that takes..."

With these words spoken, Berengar descended from the podium and merged back into the gathering. There, Ludolf commenced the final rites for the departed. Berengar then observed as Eckhard's coffin was laid to rest in the earth, just like what happened to his parents not long prior.

In contrast to his parents' burial, Berengar remembered what came next this time. He hosted a lavish banquet to honor Eckhard and proclaimed the erection of a magnificent monument dedicated to the man's memory. The Reichstag promptly authorized the necessary funds right then and there.

In the end, the choice was made to erect this monument not in Marienburg, the realm Eckhard had governed as King of Prussia, but in Hallstatt, the quaint lakeside village in Austria where Berengar now made his home. It was, after all, Eckhard's birthplace, and the domain where his ancient kin had once held sway as feudal knights in ages past.

That evening, Berengar drank until he passed out, the sole method to conquer the sorrow tormenting his soul, aware that another close comrade and kin now lay entombed under the soil.