Innsbruck, Imperial Castle.
Laszlo sat at his desk, taking the third letter from Rome from his attendant's hand.
Even without opening the envelope, Laszlo could probably guess what was inside.
He had stayed in Innsbruck for over a month to be with his family and handle accumulated state affairs, during which he also closely followed the France-Burgundy war.
However, the progress of this war was not as rapid as Laszlo had expected, mainly because the French Army took a long time to assemble. It was said that the Duke of Bourbon had now led his army out of Paris.
Laszlo was not in a hurry to go south, but Paul II, who was in Rome, seemed a bit impatient.
The Pope's age was not particularly advanced, not even sixty, but a sudden illness had nearly taken his life.
After recovering slightly, Paul II wrote again to rebuke Louis XI's move to restore the pragmatic sanction of bourges.
When Louis XI ascended the throne, he had abolished the edict issued by his father to curry favor with the Holy See, returning the power to appoint senior clergy to the Pope.
Later, the increasingly powerful French King restored that edict to completely control the church in his country, and privately pocketed a portion of the tribute that the Gallican Church should have paid to the Roman Curia.
Paul II was very displeased by this and had long been negotiating with the French King, criticizing his actions as infringing upon the rights of the church.
In response, Louis XI hurled abuses back at Paul II and even sent people to spread rumors that he planned to invite the Pope to Avignon as a guest.
These actions greatly angered Paul II, who cursed the French King daily, and his health deteriorated.
Whether to see the legendary Ottoman Sultan with his own eyes or to have the Emperor help him vent his anger, Paul II eagerly anticipated the Emperor's arrival.
However, the Emperor should have arrived in Rome by now, but the war stirred up by Louis XI forced the Emperor to stay longer in Innsbruck to deal with the volatile situation, which made Paul II very frustrated. He could only keep writing to Laszlo, urging him to set off for Rome as soon as possible.
Laszlo indeed wanted to go to Rome immediately. He wanted to proclaim his achievements in defeating the Ottomans to the citizens of Rome and discuss other issues with Paul II.
However, there was still no news from Charles, and he could not feel at ease traveling, so the departure date had to be postponed again and again.
Casually tossing the unopened letters aside, Laszlo continued to bury himself in the state affairs before him.
Among the numerous land disputes and noble inheritance dossiers, Laszlo finally found a few documents that piqued his interest.
"The Bishop of Trento requests appointment as Cardinal... Approved."
The previous Bishop of Trento had recently passed away, so Laszlo nominated John von Hinderbach, the provost of St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna, as the next bishop, an arrangement quickly confirmed by Paul II.
Before John, the provost of St. Stephens Cathedral was the current Salzburg Archbishop. Even earlier, a senior cleric from that cathedral was chosen by the Emperor to be the Bishop of Warmia and now holds an important position in the Teutonic Order, which makes clerics in Austria and even the entire southern Empire scramble to join this famous cathedral, a producer of ecclesiastical princes.
However, as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the religious center of Austria, built with great effort by the Habsburg Family, serving there requires a very strict examination.
Laszlo liked to choose clerics from St. Stephens Cathedral for vacant bishoprics around Austria mainly because he frequently visited there, was familiar with the senior clerics, and could ensure their inclination towards Austria in many matters.
The newly appointed Bishop of Trento, chosen this time, was no exception, though this fellow seemed quite ambitious, even wanting to be promoted to Cardinal.
Fortunately, he did not presumptuously request the appointment directly from the Pope but sent the request document to the Emperor.
Such a wise move greatly pleased Laszlo. He immediately summoned his scribe and ordered him to write a letter of recommendation for the Bishop of Trento on his behalf, then send both documents to Rome.
As for Laszlo's own reply to the Pope, he was too lazy to write, so he did not intend to reply.
He was about to read the next document when the door was pushed open, and the attendant entered with the Duke of Armagnac.
"Jean, any new news?"
Once the attendant closed the door, Laszlo asked impatiently.
"Yes, Your Majesty, but it's mostly bad news."
The Duke replied with some regret.
"Is that so?" Laszlo frowned, his mood calming. "Tell me one by one, everything you deem important."
"First, the war situation in England, which is currently the fastest-moving front.
The Earl of Warwick landed in northern England and instigated a rebellion with the support of the remaining Lancastrian forces, including Scotland and the House of Tudor.
Edward IV and his brother Richard marched north to suppress the rebellion, but halfway there, they heard that his other brother, George, Duke of Clarence, had landed in southern England with French mercenaries.
As the rebel forces continued to grow and London was directly threatened, Edward IV disbanded his army and fled by ship to Flanders with his trusted retainers and a small contingent of troops.
Before leaving Burgundy, I had the honor of meeting him. That king had not lost his fighting spirit, but now he could only accept the protection of King Charles."
"What on earth?"
Laszlo's eyes widened, his mind momentarily unable to process it.
"You mean, with an army still in his hands, he not only didn't try to lead them to victory but instead disbanded them and ran off to his brother-in-law?"
Although Laszlo had often heard Charles complain that Edward IV was a terrible and useless ally, he had not expected him to be so incompetent.
France and Burgundy hadn't even started fighting yet, and the King of England was already scared into abandoning his country by a group of rebels and a small French force landing from the south. This comical scene made Laszlo feel a bit dumbfounded.
"Your Majesty, Edward IV was exhausted by the Earl of Warwick's external strategy.
That king had originally relied on the Earl of Warwick's plan to successfully counterattack Britain from Calais and seize the throne.
He now found that he had no way to deal with this tactic, so he chose to disband his army to preserve his strength and wait for an opportunity to launch another counterattack."
"No matter what, abandoning the army and country to flee is too..." Laszlo shook his head helplessly. "Never mind, tell me about the situation in Burgundy. Since England has fallen first, Charles's only recourse now is me, right?"
"That's right, Charles urgently needs your help. He assembled his army in Ghent and led them to the Somme River, preparing to relieve Amiens from the French Army's encirclement.
However, the latest intelligence shows that the main French Army led by the Duke of Bourbon is not deployed on the Somme River front; he is leading this army directly into Burgundy proper, likely targeting Dijon."
Laszlo gestured twice on the map and immediately understood Louis XI's trick.
The entire western part of Burgundy bordered France, and the border between the two countries was incredibly long, meaning there could be many battlefields.
The Low Countries and Flanders were Charles's main focus of operations. For convenience of supply, maintaining the army, and suppressing potential rebellions, he usually stationed Burgundy's main forces directly in the core urban areas of the Low Countries.
After the war began, the Burgundian army, having a smaller proportion of conscripts, assembled more quickly than the French Army, giving Charles an opportunity to adjust his deployment.
He was well aware that the French Army had two directions of attack: one was to directly penetrate Flanders north of Paris, then invade the Low Countries to completely disrupt Charles's core of rule; the other was to move east to attack Burgundy proper, taking out Charles's homeland.
After careful analysis, Charles still decided to focus on protecting his 'money bag,' concentrating his main forces in the Low Countries, and only dispatching a small force to cooperate with local defense forces to protect Burgundy proper.
The newly enthroned Duke Nicholas I of Lorraine was a staunch pro-French supporter. He was now closely monitoring troop movements between Burgundy proper and the Low Countries and rapidly reporting them to the French generals. Thus, Charles's military deployment was quickly known to the Duke of Bourbon.
This seasoned duke immediately led his army to launch a surprise attack to seize Burgundy proper, while detaching a force to tie down the Burgundian army on the Somme River front, intending to play a race game with Charles.
"Dijon is the heart of the Duchy of Burgundy. If the French Army captures this place, Burgundy will lose its entire eastern region, and it will probably be quite difficult for Charles to reclaim Burgundy proper then."
"Because of this, Charles requests that you dispatch troops to assist in defending Dijon, preferably to hold out until he takes Paris, or even penetrates deep into France, forcing Louis XI to submit."
The Duke of Armagnac laid out Charles's plan to Laszlo.
A master of tactical shifts, huh... Laszlo lowered his head, staring intently at the map, pondering the gains and losses.
It must be admitted that, although Charles was not particularly adept in diplomacy and politics, he did possess some talent in the military field.
If it were someone else, perhaps the Burgundian army would foolishly return to Burgundy proper through the Meuse River Valley and then engage in a decisive battle with the well-rested French Army, at which point the outcome would be unpredictable.
Charles's choice, however, was to attack what the enemy must save. Once Paris was threatened, the Duke of Bourbon would likely be urged by the French King to return with his army, thereby resolving the crisis in Burgundy proper.
However, doing so carried considerable risks.
"That fellow Charles is not only confident in his own army but also full of confidence in the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Army."
Laszlo said with a helpless smile.
"That's not strange, Your Majesty, is it? After all, you led the Imperial Army from Italy to Asia Minor, suffering almost no defeats, so this trust is well deserved."
The Duke of Armagnac's words were likely sincere; he had never seen a more capable army than the Emperor's Imperial Army.
"In that case, I cannot let Charles down either. The Independent Army and some conscripts, totaling five thousand men, are currently on standby in Besançon. After the order is given, they should arrive in Dijon within three days, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Since the main purpose of this operation is defense, this force should be sufficient, right?"
"Certainly, Your Majesty. In fact, five thousand men are quite a bit more than Charles expected."
"Then, hurry back and tell Charles my decision. Tell him not to worry about Dijon, and just push towards Paris; leave the rest to me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Duke of Armagnac turned and left. Laszlo immediately ordered his command to be sent to Franche-Comté, instructing the army stationed there to immediately set off for Dijon, the eastern capital of Burgundy, which was not far away.
To be safe, Laszlo also instructed the Archbishop of Besançon to requisition more provisions and supplies to be transported to Dijon, lest the defenders quickly deplete the city's resources.
After making this series of decisions, Laszlo breathed a sigh of relief.
Dozens of days had passed since he learned of Louis XI's sudden declaration of war, and he had been waiting for war-related intelligence every day.
Finally, the war situation began to become clear, and a new round of confrontation between Charles and Louis XI officially began.
However, given the current situation, Laszlo was still slightly disappointed.
The Duke of Bourbon, who had made a name for himself in the Hundred Years' War between England and France, ultimately abandoned a direct confrontation with Charles.
It was unclear whether it was because Louis XI was unwilling to overly deplete his military strength, or because the Duke of Bourbon was intimidated by Charles's power. In any case, a major decisive battle between France and Burgundy would likely not be seen in the short term.
The French Army's proactive avoidance, however, gave Charles a third opportunity to visit Paris. While an ordinary person might hesitate about whether to advance on Paris, Charles was never short on courage, and he would certainly not miss this valuable opportunity.
With one matter temporarily settled, Laszlo soon decided to take his court south to Italy.
On the same day that the Emperor's procession left Innsbruck, the Imperial Army, poised for action, also departed from Besançon for Dijon.
It was early August, the heat had not yet subsided, and the sun shone brightly.
The marching column stretched forward like a long snake.
The people of Burgundy were not unfamiliar with this suddenly appearing army; about two years ago, a well-equipped force bearing the double-headed eagle banner also passed through here.
Some people with good memories even recognized this as the same unit that passed through a few years ago.
People had already learned from the King's envoys about the atrocities of the French Army in Burgundian territory. Those greedy and cruel Frenchmen turned every inch of land they passed into scorched earth, massacring civilians and plundering wantonly.
This not only instilled fear in the people of Burgundy but also deepened their hatred for the French.
Even Burgundians who had been close to France in the past and regarded France as their homeland now had to draw a clear line with the enemies who invaded their homes.
The people supported the House of Burgundy, which had ruled this land for a hundred years. They believed that King Charles could withstand the invaders' advance, and this trust was naturally transferred to the Imperial Army that came as reinforcements.
Thus, farmers, clerics, and nobles who had some surplus wealth, either voluntarily or passively, contributed a considerable amount of military supplies to this army. Some young and strong men even volunteered to join the marching column, intending to follow them to defend Dijon.
Soon, Matthias and Gunter led their army to Dijon, where they received an even warmer welcome and quickly began working on strengthening the city's defenses.
In late August 1470, the more than twenty thousand troops of the Kingdom of Burgundy, personally led by Charles, quickly arrived in the region along the Somme River.
Although it was summer and the sun was quite dazzling, the Burgundian soldiers who had rushed over from the Low Countries did not feel uncomfortable due to the temperature.
Amiens and its surrounding area, being close to the sea, had a very mild climate, truly deserving the description of warm winters and cool summers.
Not only were the climate conditions excellent, but Amiens was also an important transportation hub in Northern France, and without any unforeseen circumstances, the city could easily become prosperous.
In ancient Roman times, the predecessor of Amiens was one of the largest cities in the Province of Gaul, and during the wave of urban revival in the Middle Ages, Amiens was also one of the most prosperous cities in Northern France.
However, the city's population is now less than ten thousand, various industries have severely declined, and the city walls, having been breached repeatedly, haven't even been fully repaired yet. People can only use simple materials to plug the gaps, defending with difficulty under the French Army's siege while awaiting reinforcements.
Residents who were able to flee had long since moved elsewhere, whether to the Low Countries or across the Somme River to settle in France; anything was better than staying in the eye of this war storm.
Since the Treaty of Arras in 1435, which defined the border between France and Burgundy using Amiens and the Somme River as the boundary, this city has suffered devastation relatively rare even for this era.
In the past decade alone, Amiens has changed hands twice and faced multiple sieges, but the residents living here still believed that their King Charles could protect them from slaughter by the French Army, so they chose not to surrender when faced with the siege by thousands of French troops.
Fortunately, their expectations were met; Charles led his army to lift the siege less than a week after Amiens came under attack.
The French Army, which had already failed to fully encircle the city due to insufficient manpower, quickly became demoralized upon scouting the approach of a large enemy force.
Under the command of their generals, they unhesitatingly abandoned the recently established siege camp, choosing to retreat dozens of miles to hide inside the well-defended city of Beauvais, which lay directly on Charles's path to Paris.
Because the main army had rushed all the way from Ghent, Charles did not Order the main force to pursue the enemy after realizing their swift retreat, only sending out some cavalry to scout and harass the French unit.
He himself led a massive combined army—consisting of the Burgundian New Army, the English King's Guard, and over four thousand temporarily mobilized Flanders city militias—into Amiens with great fanfare, receiving the cheers and gratitude of the citizens.
Although Charles found some extremist Low Countries people extremely distasteful, but the majority of the Burgundian populace who submitted to him were able to satisfy him and receive his protection.
A royal mansion inside the city became Charles's temporary command post. He planned to find an opportunity later to expand it into a traveling palace, but before that, Amiens must be freed from its tragic fate as a border city.
By the desk, Charles and Edward IV, who had accompanied him to fight France, stared at the map and analyzed the current situation.
Originally, Edward IV did not particularly want to get involved in this mess, but Charles forced him to declare war on the King of France in exchange for help regaining his throne.
Edward IV did not wish for his relationship with the King of France to worsen further, as this would make him lose the opportunity to play both sides and wait for a better price in the future, but circumstances outweighed his wishes, and he had no choice but to agree to Charles's demand.
"The French Army unit in front of us is not large; scouting suggests they number no more than three thousand. They clearly won't engage us directly."
"Their mission is likely just to slow your advance. Furthermore, based on my understanding of that Spider King, he must have kept more forces in Paris to protect himself."
"No matter how they deploy their troops, I hold an absolute advantage in strength on this front. All that remains is to eliminate the obstacles bit by bit."
Charles's words were steady and full of confidence.
"And the East? You're not worried at all?"
Edward IV asked curiously.
"It's impossible to say I'm not worried, of course, but I trust the Emperor and his army—mostly his army."
"Having heard you mention them so many times, I'm now quite eager to witness the strength of the Imperial Army myself.
"What's this? Do you want to ally with the Emperor and have him help you reclaim the throne of England?"
Charles mercilessly exposed Edward IV's hidden thoughts, and Edward merely responded with an awkward yet polite smile.
His current situation was not much better than nine years ago when his father was killed and he fled with his family to Calais.
At that time, the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, recalling his friendship with the Old Duke of York, and hoping to support an ally across The Channel who could jointly oppose France, generously provided Edward with extensive help.
What happened next was that shortly after Edward IV secured his throne, he issued mercantilist decrees strictly restricting the export of English wool, which dealt a severe blow to the Low Countries' economy, primarily based on high-end textiles. This caused the situation in the Low Countries to become extremely volatile during those two years, and Charles had to quell rebellions there repeatedly and almost without pause.
Not only did Philip never forget this matter until his death, but Charles also kept it in his heart, feeling a constant thorn in his side whenever he recalled it.
Edward knew very well that his actions constituted shameless betrayal towards Burgundy, so he was now worried that Charles might not only refuse to help but might even use it as an excuse to detain him in Burgundy.
This worry gradually turned into fear, forcing Edward to find a new way out for himself, and the Emperor was currently the best option.
Unfortunately, the Emperor's power was so immense that the currently powerless Edward did not believe he possessed any bargaining chip strong enough to impress the Emperor. Therefore, when he last met the Austrian Ambassador to Burgundy, Edward IV, who had intended to propose a marriage alliance, ultimately failed to voice his request.
Perhaps he would muster the courage later, but for now, he still had to demonstrate his "obedience" to Charles, hoping to gain Burgundy's assistance in reclaiming the English throne after this war.
For a king to have to rely on feigning misery and eliciting sympathy twice in his life to reclaim his throne would be unbearable for an ordinary person. However, Edward IV was no ordinary person; he deeply understood the principle that a true man knows when to yield and when to assert himself, and he firmly believed that he would succeed again, just as he did the last time.
Charles was unaware of Edward's hidden thoughts, and he quickly brought the conversation back on track.
"The commander of this enemy unit, Tanneguy du Chastel, is an old acquaintance of mine."
"That name sounds familiar. What is his relationship with that fierce general under the Duke of Brittany?"
"He is the fierce general you speak of. Hmph, granted a meaningless medal by Louis, he immediately betrayed his benefactor and defected to his former enemy. If this treacherous scoundrel falls into my hands, I will surely execute him!"
Charles said coldly, his face dark.
Whenever Tanneguy was mentioned, Charles would think of the Order of Saint Michael, which this man had joined a year ago.
This Order was founded by King Louis XI of France. Both its statutes and system were completely copied from the English Order of the Garter and the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece. Its charter even drew heavily upon the Emperor's Dragon Knight Order's various regulations regarding loyalty to the faith and protection of royal authority, making it the culmination of noble Orders of chivalry.
Louis XI established this Order not only to rival the three major noble Orders of England, Burgundy, and the Empire, but also to emulate the methods used by these monarchs to win popular support.
Among the first group to join the Order, besides the many important nobles loyal to Louis XI, were several nobles who had previously participated in the League of Public Weal.
One of them was this Tanneguy—the vanguard general of the Breton Army during the First War of the Public Weal—who has now betrayed the Duke of Brittany, defected to the King of France, and been entrusted with an important post by Louis XI.
Two other former allies chilled Charles even more.
The Duke of Bourbon gladly accepted the Order of Saint Michael Medal and is now leading the main French Army force, aggressively attacking, burning, killing, and looting in the Burgundian Heartland.
Even the Duke of Berry, the King's brother whom Louis XI most feared, returned the Order of the Golden Fleece Medal previously granted to him by Charles, publicly announced his withdrawal from the Order of the Golden Fleece, and immediately joined the Order of Saint Michael.
His weakness and submission greatly pleased Louis XI, who subsequently granted the Duke of Berry a more important official post and expanded his territories.
Whenever Charles thought of these things, he felt that he had suffered shameful betrayal—it seemed that, apart from the Emperor, all of his allies had engaged in acts of backstabbing, leaving him utterly helpless.
Helplessness was followed by vexation. What he had just said was not mere talk; if he truly captured that general opposite him, he would disregard any taboo about not killing nobles.
The battlefield is so dangerous; wouldn't some accidents be reasonable?
"Calm down, Charles. Since you have history with him, why not first surround the castle and then attempt a surrender negotiation? That would save a lot of time and troops."
Edward suggested.
Charles currently held a huge advantage, and if he could subdue the enemy without fighting and easily clear the path to Paris, nothing could be better.
"It's useless," Charles sighed, shaking his head. "Just as I only know how to fight on the battlefield but struggle to maintain stable diplomatic relations, Louis XI, that villain, might turn into a coward the moment he steps onto the battlefield, but when it comes to manipulating people's hearts, I've never seen anyone better than him."
If Tanneguy were someone who could be easily persuaded to surrender, he clearly wouldn't have earned Louis XI's trust.
Right now, Charles had only one thought—Attack!
After a brief rest, the main Burgundian army rapidly advanced to Beauvais, garrisoned by three thousand French troops, and quickly surrounded the city and its outer fortress completely.
Beauvais was a satellite city of Paris, only forty *li* (about 20 km) away from the walls of Paris. Even walking slowly, one could arrive in three days.
Since the city was famously wealthy, the mercenaries from various countries serving Charles for money showed great enthusiasm for the war.
Before the Burgundian army's more than one hundred assorted cannons arrived at Beauvais, Charles followed Edward's advice and sent surrender documents into the city.
As expected, his suggestion was unanimously rejected by the City Council and the French Army generals, and Charles made no further attempts of this kind.
He immediately ordered the construction of a siege camp and simultaneously attempted to drain the shallow and narrow moat outside Beauvais.
In addition, large numbers of small units were dispatched by Charles to loot the surrounding villages and towns, while also scouting the movements of the French Army around Paris.
As a result, Louis XI, who was holed up inside Paris with six thousand troops and his uncle, the Duke of Anjou, had no intention of leaving the city to reinforce Beauvais. This forced Charles to abandon his last unrealistic hope and honestly settle into a siege battle.
Large numbers of Culverins and over a dozen Stone-throwing Heavy Cannons were hauled by ox carts to the walls of Beauvais, and Charles's mood grew increasingly impatient.
With a command from Charles, the Burgundian Artillery, famous throughout Europe, once again demonstrated its power.
Perhaps this artillery fire was insufficient to repel an advancing enemy army in open battle, but against immovable city walls, they would exert their maximum effect.
Lightweight Culverins had their muzzle height adjusted via hinges, pouring fire onto the French troops gathered on the walls, while stone-throwing cannons weighing several tons or even over a thousand tons were slowly pushed near the walls under the cover of wooden barricades.
Accompanied by the roar of heavy cannons, soldiers on both sides felt the ground tremble. A visible indentation was blasted into the city wall, and the Burgundian soldiers let out waves of cheers.
While the Burgundian cannons were displaying their might here, hundreds of kilometers away in Eastern France, the Duke of Bourbon's army had completed the encirclement of Dijon.
On the temporary watchtower of the French siege camp, the Duke of Bourbon and several Marshals under his command stood observing the defenses of Dijon.
"Your Grace, there is not only the Burgundian cross flag on the city wall, but also another flag."
A sharp-eyed general was the first to spot the anomaly.
"That flag is one I will probably never forget," the Duke of Bourbon said, recalling his defeat in Milan that year, his previously confident expression now turning gloomy. "It seems the Emperor's army has arrived."
"Has the Emperor himself come in person?"
"If he had come, we would likely be engaged in a bloody battle right now, unable to chat casually like this."
The fact that the Emperor had not personally led the main Imperial Army here was, in the Duke of Bourbon's opinion, the best news he had heard in days.
However, the current situation was still not optimistic.
Although he had easily marched through half of Burgundy, attacking a fortified city defended by the Imperial Army with his twenty thousand troops was not an easy task.
"Currently, the enemy's exact situation is unclear, but our time is not abundant.
We will begin with shelling for the next few days. All Marshals must strictly supervise the preparations of your soldiers for the siege. I will Order the attack after the shelling concludes. I hope none of you disappoint His Majesty."
"Yes, sir!"
Soon, the French Army's artillery also began to roar, filling the citizens of Dijon, who had not experienced war for many years, with dread.
However, the sight of the Imperial soldiers holding firm on the city walls quickly rekindled their hope.