This fear that he was able to instill on his enemies made it possible for him to avoid a lot of fighting. Einhard made a point to mention that Charlemagne was extremely determined and was not going to let the Saxons have their way. By showing how Charlemagne stayed focused over the course of thirty years, Einhard is proving that he did whatever it took to win a war.
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The first example from Einhard's passage of Charles using his reputation to intimidate the enemy before war even began involves the Bavarians. The Bavarians declared war with the Franks when Duke Tassilo was pressured by his wife, who was trying to avenge her father's exile, King Desiderius2. With the more powerful army, Charlemagne could have easily defeated his weaker challenger. Instead he set up camp on the bank of the River Lech, which separates the Bavarians from the Alemans, and sent messengers to reason with the Duke. Duke Tassilo realized he could not win the war, sent the hostages that were demanded and swore an oath to Charlemagne. Einhard mentions this to show that Charles didn't simply fight for the sake of fighting. He understood that battles were fought in order to achieve or gain something. If Charlemagne could obtain what he was ready to go to battle for without shedding any blood, he chose that option first. .
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Einhard discusses Charlemagne's conflict with the Beneventans as another example that shows how he was able to defeat his enemies without having to go to war. The Beneventans were not subject to Charlemagne and his empire, so he gathered an army and set out prepared to go to war with them. They arrived in city of Capua and set up camp and, just as he did to the Bavarians, threatened them with war unless they succumbed to him. Arichis, the duke of the Beneventans, knew he could not defeat the more powerful army and sent his own sons as hostages along with a great deal of money. He sent these on the condition that he would not have to meet with Charlemagne.
