Car Fortress Battle

After leaving Tábor, the Imperial Army marched northeast, taking several extra days due to the detour.

But it was all worth it—the army had bypassed the dense tributaries of the Vltava River and was now approaching Prague from the open plains to the east.

Iri was not unprepared; his scouts had detected the Imperial Army's detour in advance.

As a seasoned military strategist, little-known yet with numerous achievements, Iri keenly grasped the Imperial Army's intentions.

He immediately led his troops to relocate, selecting a good position near Kuttenberg to rearrange his defenses, awaiting the Imperial Army's arrival.

One morning, Hungarian scouts detected enemy traces on a hill ahead, and Laszlo and his generals immediately realized that the decisive battle with Iri was imminent.

"Gentlemen, let us go and scout the enemy's situation."

Laszlo called everyone to leave the camp together, and escorted by Bela Ester's personal cavalry, they arrived at a vantage point with a good view, from where they could roughly observe the Hussite rebels' situation.

The scene before them shocked everyone.

On the gently sloping hill, Hussite War Wagons were neatly arranged, and it was clear that behind the Wagons were the Hussite rebels poised for battle.

To the right of the hill was a dense forest, and to the left was Kuttenberg; trying to bypass it would necessitate guarding against attacks from the Hussite rebels, which would also significantly impact the troops' morale.

The most critical issue was supplies; the army's detour greatly increased the difficulty of military supply, and another detour would only add to the losses.

However, a direct assault would inevitably lead to heavy casualties for the Imperial Army, possibly even defeat.

After all, everyone present had experienced the power of the Hussite War Wagon, especially under such excellent geographical conditions, where the Hussite War Wagon could unleash almost limitless potential.

"I truly… underestimated Iri."

Laszlo had a headache, not expecting Iri to present him with such a major challenge.

Adolf, however, was not surprised; he had heard some news before the war that among Iri's army were his former comrades, who, though they despised Iri, loved Bohemia.

For the future of Bohemia, these Tábor faction soldiers chose to reconcile with the Cup faction who had persecuted them; after their split in 1424, the two factions once again formed a desperate alliance to resist the surging Imperial Army.

These Wagons were likely brought by them; a Wagon could instantly allow an untrained peasant to easily defeat a well-trained knight, because the essence of the Wagon was a mobile, makeshift wall.

After being extensively equipped with Hussite War Wagons, even a disorganized rabble would gain courage and fighting will, no longer threatened by knight charges.

Coupled with simple-to-operate crossbows, arquebuses, and pikes, they could easily defeat blindly charging enemies.

Fortunately, the Imperial Army was not blind, and the commander here was also a former Tábor faction general; Adolf immediately came up with a countermeasure.

"Your Majesty, I have a way to defeat the enemy."

Adolf's words immediately piqued everyone's curiosity; after all, Kuttenberg was Adolf's hometown, so he must have known the local terrain like the back of his hand, and as a former Hussite general, he was the most likely person to devise a strategy.

Laszlo eagerly asked, "With them blocking such a crucial terrain, how exactly should we respond?"

Adolf, confident, revealed his plan to everyone: "Directly attacking the Wagenburg is undoubtedly foolish, so we must engage in a prolonged war of attrition, forcing the enemy to emerge from their shell and attack proactively. Our army only needs to secretly dispatch a detachment to bypass Kuttenberg and cut off their supplies behind the rebels. We will also set up our own Wagenburg on the front, constantly on guard, and use the firepower advantage of our vast number of cannons to strike the enemy's Wagenburg, weakening their morale—although hitting upwards is generally less effective, it will definitely threaten the rebels' Wagenburg. Most of the Hussite rebels are infantry, and they will be helpless against cavalry, especially the elite cavalry led by Hunyadi. This way, they will become trapped, with no way out. Once they launch an attack, the detachment can attack the enemy's Wagenburg from behind, and we will withstand the enemy's charge from the front, easily annihilating the rebels!"

Laszlo was overjoyed and clapped his hands in approval, but why did this tactic sound so familiar?

"Woodpecker Tactic?"

Laszlo subconsciously muttered.

Adolf said with interest, "A very apt metaphor, Your Majesty, these rebels are the bugs we need to eat."

Rosenberg and Laszlo Hunyadi both looked at Adolf with admiration; this fellow was truly ruthless towards his former comrades.

Taught by the same master (referring to Jan Žižka), he could indeed break the move!

Laszlo immediately ordered, "Hunyadi, you lead six thousand cavalry to cut off the rebels' supply lines and report enemy intelligence promptly; Adolf, the Wagenburg setup is entrusted to you; Rosenberg, you lead your troops to besiege Kuttenberg to prevent enemies inside from launching surprise attacks. Is this arrangement acceptable?"

Laszlo looked at Adolf, wanting to know if he had missed anything.

"Your Majesty, we must send scouts into the forest to guard against a sudden attack from there."

"Good, it shall be as you say."

The military council concluded, and everyone quickly returned to camp to begin executing their respective tasks.

As the attacking force, the Imperial Army's war preparations were far more thorough than those of the Hussite rebels.

The Cup faction army, hastily engaging in battle, had not brought many supplies; they had to continuously transport supplies from Prague to maintain their troops' combat effectiveness. Under these circumstances, the rebels' supplies were already insufficient, and once their supplies were cut off, a crisis would quickly emerge.

Laszlo, backed by Austria and Hungary, was wealthy; even before the army had fully assembled, grain and fodder from across his territories had begun to be transported to South Bohemia, and large quantities of military supplies were moved to Jindřichův Hradec Castle. As the army advanced, vast amounts of baggage continuously followed closely behind.

An ancient saying goes, 'Grain does not last three years.'

To this, Laszlo stated that this referred to wars against foreign nations: the first transport of grain sends troops across the border, the second brings them back to the royal capital, and there is no need for a third because all necessary military supplies during the war can be acquired locally.

However, currently, Laszlo had not left the country; he was fighting a civil war, suppressing a rebellion, and thus could not indiscriminately burn, kill, and plunder.

Without the Hussites or other heretics, Bohemia was the Empire's precious treasure and needed careful nurturing.

Furthermore, Prague was so close to Vienna that there would be no difficulty with supplies, only the extent of supply loss.

At this point, what was being tested was the logistical reserves of both sides, and without a doubt, Laszlo completely triumphed over Iri in this regard.

Thus, a curious sight appeared on the battlefield.

On the hill, the rebels' Wagenburgs were tightly arrayed, exuding a formidable aura; at the foot of the hill, the Imperial Army's Wagenburgs were likewise arranged.

Warriors from both sides were hidden within their Wagenburgs, poised for battle.

This was the heyday of the Wagenburg; decades later, with the rapid development of field artillery, cannons—the gravediggers of old-era land tactics, the kings of new-era land warfare—would completely sweep the Wagenburg into the dustbin of history.

However, for now, the Hussite War Wagon remained one of the best tactics.