The Siege of Prague

In the early autumn of 1457, on the plains of Bohemia, a breeze carrying the scent of rust swept over the Imperial Army's battle standards.

The distant spires of Prague's churches were reflected in Laszlo's eyes.

The Holy Roman Emperor, only seventeen years old, tightened the silver clasp of his sable cloak, his fingertips tracing the ruby-studded King of Hungary's sword at his waist—a treasure passed down from Emperor Sigismund, now subtly trembling within its scabbard.

"Your Majesty, the Hussite rebels have melted down all the church bells in the city," Adolf's voice, accompanied by the metallic rasp of armor, said. "They are using the copper to cast cannons and reinforce the city defenses."

Laszlo's pupils constricted slightly, his gaze sweeping over the grizzled veteran beside him, who had fought battles for half his life.

"Using church bronze to forge weapons…" Laszlo turned to face the brightening eastern sky, where the dawn was painting the clouds a blood-red hue. "These heretics have abandoned even their last shred of reverence. Order all armies to launch the attack as planned. Before sunset, I want to see our army's flag planted on Vitkov Hill."

As the sound of trumpets tore through the morning mist, Gunter was kneeling before a hastily erected field altar.

When the accompanying priest anointed his forehead with holy oil, the Hussite battle hymn echoed from the distant mountaintop—it was "Ye Are God's Warriors" sung in Old Czech.

The outline of Vitkov Hill in the morning light resembled an inverted chalice, with two trenches, named after Biblical chapters, stretching before the Imperial Army.

Behind the first trench, "Ezekiel's Trench," the Hussite craftsmen had erected wooden chevaux de frise made from church timber, which shimmered faintly in the thin mist. As the Imperial Army's cannons began to roar, hundreds of startled birds suddenly flew out of the oak forest on the mountainside, their black wings sweeping over the feathered helmets of the musketeer formations.

"Fire!" With the musketeer squad commander's roar, dozens of muskets spat flames, shooting down all Hussite rebels who dared to show their heads.

The Hussite serpentines and organ guns hidden behind the second trench, "Revelation's Trench," immediately returned fire, unleashing a deluge of light artillery shells that caught the charging Imperial Army infantry off guard, with many falling dead or wounded.

When they reached the edge of the first trench, they were astonished to find it filled with sharp caltrops, with only a narrow path, wide enough for two people, allowing passage through the trench. However, at the other end of the path were the well-prepared Hussite rebels and layers of chevaux de frise.

Left with no choice, these brave Imperial Army soldiers could only grit their teeth and charge. The Hussite rebels, using the advantageous terrain, attacked the Imperial Army with long-handled weapons. Many soldiers were hooked by their leg armor, falling into the trench, bleeding painfully to death amidst their screams.

But the greatswordsmen, skilled at countering long-handled weapons, quickly broke through the Hussite rebels' defenses. They severed spearheads and wielded their greatswords to force back the enemy, clearing a path for the Follow-up troops.

After paying some price, the Imperial Army successfully breached the first line of defense.

The soldiers immediately moved aside the chevaux de frise. During this process, the rebels defending the second trench continuously fired crossbows, bows, and muskets. Various light artillery pieces also demonstrated their formidable power once again, inflicting significant casualties on the assaulting forces.

Finally, the Imperial Army, under the rebels' heavy fire, cleared a path through the obstacles and immediately surged towards the second trench.

The Hussite rebels in the trench showed no cowardice; instead, they proactively leaped out of the trench and launched a counter-charge.

A fierce, bloody battle erupted between the two sides on the mountainside, and the extremely limited battlefield width caused the Imperial Army to become tightly packed.

Erick, a young mercenary from Württemberg, was pushed forward by a veteran. His trembling fingers could barely grip his halberd, and the smell of blood and foul odors lingered in his nostrils.

Suddenly, blood blossomed on a comrade in front of him—he was struck by a bullet that pierced his armor and hit his heart. Blood splattered on Erick's face, and he watched helplessly as the man fell to the ground, never to stir again.

Fear almost overwhelmed the young warrior, but the people behind him continued to push him forward.

The Hussite rebels, holding their long spears in a dense phalanx, stubbornly resisted the Imperial Army's assault.

Finally, Erick reached the front of the line. He thrust his halberd, accurately piercing the chest of a peasant. A subsequent spear nearly impaled his neck.

If not for his quick reaction, he too would now be among the corpses littering the ground.

Someone on the side was clearing the roadblocks, and soon several more passages were opened. The rebels, unable to react in time, immediately began to retreat to avoid being encircled there. They crossed the second trench and fell back behind the third line of defense—the "Wall of Repentance."

Erick was relieved to have survived. He and his comrades crossed the second trench, littered with corpses, and advanced towards the rebels' third line of defense. With every step forward, a comrade fell.

He had become numb, no longer fearing death.

Erick did not know if this was what was called courage; he could only constantly push forward, killing all enemies, to achieve victory for the Emperor.

At this point, the musketeers, who had been following behind, re-entered the fray. They began to line up and fire at the enemies hiding behind the wooden wall.

The rebels immediately returned fire with their ranged weapons.

Several Ofen-type cannons, pulled with great effort by the artillerymen, had already passed through the first trench.

"Faster!" Gunter urged impatiently.

Every second of delay meant more losses for his soldiers.

Gunter dispatched two musketeer squads to assist a company of infantry in assaulting Vitkov Hill, while the remaining troops stood ready at the foot of the hill, guarding against possible sneak attacks from within the city.

As noon approached, the brutal battle had already raged for half a day. The red banner with the golden chalice still flew over the fortress on the mountaintop; the rebels' resistance was tough and tenacious.

Finally, the Imperial Army's relied-upon cannons arrived before the third line of defense. The artillerymen, under the cover of shield-bearing guards, quickly secured the gun carriages and loaded the cannons.

The Imperial Army soldiers in front quickly moved aside, leaving an open space for the artillerymen.

"Fire!"

With a roar from the commander, the cannon muzzles spat flames, and heavy cannonballs directly slammed into the wooden wall.

The fragile wooden wall could not withstand such close-range artillery fire, and several sections of the wall began to waver.

Imperial Army soldiers seized the opportunity and pushed forward. With the combined effort of many, multiple sections of the wooden wall collapsed, and the Imperial Army poured in, engaging in a desperate struggle with the rebels behind the third line of defense.

The disparity in strength was ultimately too great. In the fierce battle, the Hussite rebels defending the hill were almost completely wiped out, with only about twenty remaining soldiers retreating to the miniature fortress on the mountaintop, their last stronghold.

Gunter personally led his troops to the edge of the fortress. At his command, the cannons roared in unison, and the fragile fortress walls immediately crumbled. Battle-eager heavy infantry charged into the fortress, crushing the defenders' resistance in just over ten minutes.

As the Imperial double-headed eagle banner was planted on the charred remains of the fortress, several severely wounded rebels, supporting each other, sang their battle hymn and leaped off the cliff on the north side of Vitkov Hill, signaling the end of the battle.

The shadow of Vyšehrad Castle loomed over the entire southern suburb of Prague. This castle controlled both the land and water routes connecting Prague to the outside world. Whoever controlled it held Prague by the throat.

Karl von Jerin and Rosenberg, escorted by their personal guards, arrived near the city wall to observe the situation.

Karl was the youngest of all the senior generals, similar in age to Gunter.

Because of his youth, he was full of drive, and with his excellent fortune, he gradually grew into an outstanding cavalry general.

In addition, he flattered and curried favor with the Emperor's brother-in-law, Ulrich, who then spoke well of him and recommended him to the Emperor, which allowed him to reach such a high position at a young age.

Meanwhile, Marshal Rosenberg, with his head full of white hair, was the oldest senior general in the Imperial Army.

This combination of an old man and a young man was truly interesting to behold.

Rosenberg noticed that the Austro-Hungarian Army commander beside him never relaxed his brows for a moment. The double-headed eagle emblem etched on his breastplate gleamed coldly in the morning sun.

His gaze shifted to Vyšehrad Castle. There was a moat connected to the Vltava River around the castle's exterior.

The newly filled mortar in the brickwork of the city walls indicated that these heretics had recently reinforced the castle's defenses.

The only good news was that, according to confidential reports Rosenberg had obtained, Kalixtein, the new leader of the Cup faction, had transferred half of the garrison from this castle back into Prague to consolidate the city's defenses. Now, only about five hundred rebels defended the castle.

Even with only five hundred defenders, capturing this castle was a formidable task.

"His Majesty has given us five days. The heavy artillery will arrive tomorrow, so there's no need to be overly anxious," Rosenberg said, offering comfort.

He knew Karl was under some pressure, especially since Gunter had already led his troops to quickly capture Vitkov Hill and received commendation and praise from the Emperor.

Karl, on the other hand, was assigned the task of capturing Vyšehrad Castle, a formidable fortress that would not be easily taken.

Karl nodded slightly, staring intently at the city wall, considering which direction to launch the attack from to minimize troop losses.

"Let's go back and set up the siege camp. I'll rely on you for the defense from the Prague direction."

"Don't worry about it."

The two returned to the camp together. Rosenberg immediately led the Bohemia to set up defenses between Prague and Vyšehrad Castle, closely guarding Prague's southern gate to prevent any enemies from sallying out and ambushing the troops besieging the castle.

He also detached some peasant soldiers to assist Karl's Austro-Hungarian Army in attacking the castle.

Karl set up the siege camp on the east side of the castle, preparing to attack from this direction.

The west side of the castle was the Vltava River, and the south side was a dense jungle. Neither of these directions was suitable for attack.

The north side of the castle faced Prague's southern gate directly, which was unfavorable for troop deployment and inconvenient for attack.

The rebels were clearly aware of this, concentrating their main forces on the east side of the castle, awaiting the Imperial Army's assault.

The next morning, twelve heavy cannons were transported directly to the outskirts of Vyšehrad Castle along Bohemia's best road, the Prague-Kuttenberg Highway. The castle was built near the highway, which saved the Imperial Army's heavy artillery transport team a lot of time.

The sun hung high in the sky. At Karl's command, the heavy cannons roared, but this time, they failed.

Vyšehrad Castle, which had been reinforced not long ago, actually withstood two bombardments from the heavy cannons. It should be noted that the interval between two bombardments from such heavy cannons was nearly half an hour.

Time ticked by, and Karl's expression grew grim. If they couldn't directly destroy the city wall, they would have to rely on siege engines for a forced assault, which would undoubtedly be very difficult.

Karl found the artillery commander, his face heavy.

"Can you or can you not break down this castle?"

The artillery commander looked troubled and hesitated for a while. Just as Karl's expression grew increasingly impatient, he finally replied, "Our heavy artillery can certainly break down the enemy's defenses, but..."

"But what? Don't waste my time!" Karl demanded loudly, quite displeased with the artillerymen's performance.

"General, we need to advance the distance to within three hundred paces; only then is it possible to break down those city walls."

"Then advance!"

"But the defenders inside the castle also have cannons. Too close a distance will pose a threat to our artillery."

Karl grabbed the artillery commander by the collar, glaring at him angrily, and roared, "You cowardly bastard! If you're unwilling to advance because of a small risk, all these brave soldiers under my command might sacrifice themselves beneath this castle. You can complain to His Majesty afterward, but now, push forward, or I'll cut you down!"

The artillery commander was scared pale and quickly nodded, saying, "Yes... Yes! I will immediately order the heavy artillery to advance!"

Under Karl's personal supervision, the artillerymen swiftly loaded the heavy gun barrels onto the traction carts. Pulled by several oxen, and with the artillerymen pushing from behind, the heavy cannons slowly moved forward.

It was also Karl's first time observing these massive heavy cannons up close, and their size and weight were astonishing.

He caressed the Latin inscription "Emperor's Hammer" on the gun barrel and couldn't help but exclaim, "With such a weapon, what cannot be destroyed?"

Suddenly, the engineers who were walking ahead to observe the situation issued a warning, and everyone nervously looked towards the castle.

On the city wall, more than a dozen improved light cannons were pushed onto the battlements. These cannons had longer barrels and slightly smaller calibers than the Ofenis cannons. Their firing power was inferior to the Ofenis cannons, but their firing accuracy was improved.

The rebels, realizing the Imperial Army's intentions, immediately used the defensive cannons on the city wall to attack the convoy transporting the heavy artillery.

The first round of bombardment was surprisingly uneventful, causing no losses.

However, the second round of bombardment from the city wall precisely destroyed a traction cart transporting a heavy cannon. The gun barrel rolled to the ground, sinking deep into the mud.

The artillery commander anxiously looked at Karl, who, with knitted brows, stated decisively, "Keep advancing! The engineers have already set up fixed gun carriages not far ahead. Advance!"

The helpless artillerymen could only grit their teeth and continue to push forward.

By the time they reached the new artillery position, a total of three heavy artillery transport vehicles had been destroyed, with their gun barrels left on the plain outside the city.

But the remaining nine heavy cannons were now being loaded and would soon be ready to fire.

Karl immediately sent someone to order the troops to advance, waiting only for the city wall to collapse before they would rush into the city and capture the castle.

Just then, a cannonball fired from the city wall suddenly struck beside him. His warhorse was directly thrown to the ground, throwing Karl heavily to the ground.

His subordinates immediately surrounded him, protecting Karl. This general, brave to the point of recklessness, was now bleeding from a head injury and disoriented. He spoke in a weak voice to Waldeck, the commander of the Austro-Hungarian Army's First Legion: "You... you take command... you must... you must capture..."

Before he could finish, Karl fainted.

Someone immediately carried Karl to the rear to receive treatment from the military doctor, and Colonel Waldeck was ordered to take over command.

The Imperial Army soldiers, witnessing their general wounded by the Hussite rebels, were filled with grief and indignation, vowing to kill all heretics in the city.

The artillery commander, who had previously harbored considerable resentment towards Karl's rough attitude, now said nothing, merely urging his subordinates to speed up. He was also furious now.

The heavy artillery was finally assembled. At the commander's order, the heavy cannons roared, and massive stone projectiles weighing hundreds of pounds flew out, arcing through the air and crashing violently onto the city wall.

The city wall, having endured two rounds of bombardment, finally could not withstand this third close-range bombardment, and a section of the wall collapsed with a roar.

Seeing this, Waldeck immediately ordered a general advance. Soldiers carrying long wooden planks rapidly approached the breach in the city wall in small units.

The defenders on the city wall immediately opened fire to impede the Imperial Army's advance, and the cannons roared continuously. Many soldiers fell on the path of the charge.

But more people reached the moat. They laid planks across the river, directly crossing the two banks of the moat, and then walked across the moat on the planks.

More and more Imperial Army soldiers poured into the city through the breach in the city wall, and a brutal close-quarters battle ensued.

Even with the defenders' stubborn resistance, five hundred men were ultimately limited in strength, and reinforcements from within Prague were firmly blocked by Rosenberg, completely unable to provide any support to Vyšehrad Castle.

At dusk, the last few dozen Hussite remnants were forced into the castle's chapel.

A Hussite priest held high the Cup faction banner, and in his other hand, he held a Bible, loudly encouraging the Hussite soldiers. The Imperial Army charged into the chapel, and Huss's followers, one after another, took up arms and rushed to fight the Imperial Army.

An Imperial Army soldier had his hamstring severed by a worn-out scythe, yet he still pierced the enemy's chest with his sharp sword. As the Imperial Army pursued the last few rebels into the inner court, these rebels gathered around the Hussite priest. They sang war songs together. The banner in the priest's hand was still there, but the Bible was set aside, replaced by a torch in his hand.

Some Imperial Army soldiers noticed that this dim space seemed to be piled with the heretics' food and military supplies, and there were some wooden barrels at the priest's feet, which suddenly gave them a bad premonition.

"For the true holy Communion! For the holy faith!" The priest lit the fuse at his feet, and the fire illuminated the Cup faction banner in his hand.

"Bang!"

A violent explosion snapped the chapel's tall tower in half, and all the Imperial Army soldiers who had rushed into the inner court perished with the Hussite rebels.

Through the smoke and dust, a charred statue of Saint Wenceslas was revealed—Bohemia's patron saint still maintaining his noble, compassionate posture.

When the Imperial flag finally flew over the battlements of Vyšehrad, Rosenberg noticed a dazed Karl staring at a still-burning bonfire.

In the bonfire was a charred corpse, its hand tightly clutching a Bible, curling in the ashes.

"What are you looking at?" Rosenberg handed his flask to Karl, hoping he would perk up.

Although Karl had nearly been hit by a cannonball, his injuries were not severe; he had merely hit his head, causing him to lose consciousness on the spot.

Karl used the tip of his sword to pry open the charred book. The holy words written in Latin were faintly visible among the scorch marks: "Their courage is truly astonishing... But it's all in vain!"

He suddenly swung his sword, shattering the burnt remnants, then took Rosenberg's flask, took a deep drink, and turned to leave.

In the early morning, Hungarian cavalry, under the command of Laszlo Hunyadi, advanced across the bridge at the foot of Vitkov Hill towards the opposite bank of the Vltava River, with Rosenberg's Bohemia following closely behind.

Laszlo, whose main camp was stationed at the summit of Vitkov Hill, sighed softly as he overlooked the scene within Prague.

He saw that the Hussite rebels on the city walls were heavily guarded, and their defenses were meticulously arranged.

Aside from the spontaneously organized city guard, other women and elderly people who could wield weapons did not hide in their homes seeking protection.

They also joined the city defense, helping to move supplies or assisting with patrols when the defenders were short-handed.

Laszlo's expression was complex, and he said in a low voice, "The Hussite has already taken deep root in Bohemia, profoundly influencing the people of this country… To be honest, it's a bit beyond my expectation."

Adolf comforted him, "Your Majesty, you need not worry; this situation is only around Prague. In South Bohemia, almost all the populace are Catholic; in the Silesia region, German immigrants who once fled persecution from the Hussite are also devout believers, and the dukes of the Piast Family are strenuously suppressing the development of the Hussites.

In Moravia, the Hussite rebels there are very cunning; they hide among the people, inciting them to oppose their lords,

living like rats."

"We need to carry out a thorough purge." Laszlo's gaze was firm. "Has the iron chain started to be forged?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, we have gathered all the blacksmiths from the surrounding area. We believe it will be completed in about a week."

In a small village near Prague, the officer responsible for overseeing the iron chain's construction held a riding crop, supervising the temporarily conscripted blacksmiths at work.

"Move it, all of you!"

Over a dozen strong soldiers, shirtless and wielding hammers, processed the scrap materials transported by the Imperial Army. Subsequently, the swords and armor confiscated from the battlefield were all thrown into the furnace.

The molten metal churned in the crucible, emitting a bluish smoke with a sulfurous smell.

Old blacksmith Hans wiped the sweat from his forehead and suddenly noticed fragments of something floating on the surface of the molten material, not yet fully melted, clearly engraved with a chalice symbol.

He immediately realized that the materials used to forge the iron chain were relics of Hussite believers who had fallen on the battlefield.

He hastily made a cross over his chest, then quickly poured the completely melted metal into the mold, and soon, a section of chain was formed.

The blacksmiths had to work ten hours a day with high intensity, solely to forge a three-hundred-meter-long iron chain as soon as possible, completely blocking Prague's water passage.

After crossing the Vltava River, Laszlo Hunyadi immediately led his cavalry to raid the southern ferry crossing in Prague's western district. There were no rebels stationed here, and the Imperial Army easily captured this small fishing village.

Subsequently, Rosenberg and Hunyadi blocked the two city gates of the western district, completely severing the city's land connection with the outside world.

Inside the city, Kalixtein, Archbishop Peter, and the city representatives of Prague gathered for a military council.

"You want to dismantle three bridges?"

The city representatives immediately became agitated upon hearing Kalixtein's decision.

At this time, there were four bridges over the Vltava River connecting Prague's eastern district to the opposite bank. Besides the stone Charles Bridge connecting to the western district, the remaining three wooden bridges led directly out of the city and lacked necessary protection.

The Imperial Army could easily launch attacks on the city from these bridges.

"We don't have enough men to protect the bridges. Now, the other end of these three bridges is occupied by the enemy. If we don't dismantle the bridges, we will have to divert additional troops to guard against enemies attacking from the opposite bank."

Kalixtein patiently explained.

Dismantling these bridges was truly a last resort, but to create more obstacles for the enemy, he had no choice but to do so.

"Alright, we agree to dismantle them."

The city representatives also understood that retaining these bridges at this time would bring more danger.

Once an agreement was reached, the Hussite rebels immediately began to act.

"Quick, dismantle them, dismantle them!"

The city guard soldiers swung their axes, vigorously chopping at the bridge decks, quickly shattering the middle sections of the bridges.

This was not all; they also piled some accelerants on the bridges, and a single fire completely destroyed the middle sections of the bridges.

They prevented the Imperial Army from attacking the city via these bridges, but at the same time, it also meant they had personally cut off Prague's last connection to the outside world.

As night fell, several small boats loaded with supplies sailed upstream, intending to silently deliver these goods into Prague from the north.

At this time, they were surprised to find that outside the bridges and the small island in the middle of the river, there was a sentry with a torch patrolling at regular intervals, and many watchtowers observing the river surface.

Given the slow speed of the small boats, they would almost certainly be discovered by these soldiers.

Everyone on board turned their gaze to their leader, a Hussite merchant.

Forcibly transporting the supplies was undoubtedly very dangerous, but considering the severe shortage of supplies within the city, he decided to take a gamble: "We'll break through!"

The oarsmen immediately exerted all their strength, hoping to increase the speed of the boats, but the improvement was quite limited.

"Who are you? Stop immediately, or we will not be polite!"

The patrolling Imperial Army soldiers quickly discovered these suspicious boats attempting to smuggle goods and immediately issued a loud warning.

The commotion quickly reached the ears of the commander of the water blockade unit, who immediately made a decision.

Several small boats carrying Imperial Army soldiers sailed out from the riverbank, pursuing them at an extremely fast speed.

At this moment, these Hussites who had harbored lucky were all ashen-faced; at the speed of their boats, they would absolutely not outrun the Imperial Army's fast boats.

"Quick, throw all the grain into the water!"

The leading merchant took the initiative to throw the grain loaded on his boat into the water, and the other boats followed suit.

As the loaded supplies dwindled, the speed of these boats increased.

"Fire arrows!"

The pursuing Imperial Army began to fire flaming arrows at them, but in the pitch-black night, their aim was very poor, and the smuggling boats easily dodged them.

Amidst the exasperated curses of the Imperial Army, they escaped the enemy's pursuit without mishap and entered the port within Prague.

However, there was not a trace of joy on anyone's face; the grain, which was far more important than their lives, had all sunk into the Vltava River. Now they were also trapped within Prague.

Prague's grain merchant, Biersen, came to meet them. He looked at his partners safely standing on Prague's port dock with pleasant surprise, eagerly asking, "You actually broke through the enemy's blockade! How much grain did you bring this time?"

The Hussite merchant responsible for transporting the grain looked bitter and said in a low voice, "Biersen, we were discovered by them… To save our lives, we threw all the grain into the river, leaving only a little, which is basically useless."

Biersen's smile froze on his face, then he sighed deeply, patted his old friend's shoulder, and comforted him, "It's alright.

It's good that you arrived safely. The enemy has already imposed a complete blockade on Prague, so it's not your fault. Come with me, I'll take you to get some good rest."

Soon after, the Imperial Army stretched an iron chain across the calm Vltava River.

The iron chain gleamed with a cold luster, link by link, extending from Vyšehrad Castle to the ferry crossing on the opposite bank, like a massive dark python spanning the great river, completely sealing off the upstream channel of the Vltava River.

Prague fell into a complete blockade by the Imperial Army, with no supplies able to be transported into the city by water or land.

Facing Prague's high walls, the usually impetuous Laszlo also became exceptionally calm.

He was like a steady and experienced hunter, quietly waiting for a beast to slowly weaken, shedding its claws and teeth and then delivering a fatal blow.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the Imperial Army had blockaded Prague for a full month.

Rationing had been implemented within the city since the beginning of the siege, but the daily consumption of food by nearly ten thousand people was an astronomical figure, and the remaining grain in the city was running low.

In stark contrast to the situation within the city, the Imperial Army outside had ample provisions due to thorough preparations before the war, supplemented by grain and supplies plundered and purchased along the way. Their current reserves could last for more than a month.

Even so, there were still people eager to send food and military supplies to Laszlo, and even reinforcements.

On this day, Rosenberg led a dozen Bohemian nobles and several dukes from the Piast Family to the siege camp to meet the Emperor.

These Bohemian nobles were all Bohemian Catholic noble council members who had previously fled Prague. They were all upper-class nobles who held significant influence in various parts of Bohemia.

They were formerly Rosenberg's subordinates and supporters, but now, of course, they were loyal subjects of the Emperor.

Although they had not yet sworn allegiance to Laszlo at the coronation of the King of Bohemia, these shrewd individuals could clearly see that the Hussites were about to be completely annihilated.

If not now, when would be a better time to curry favor with the Emperor and leave a good impression?

They organized a Catholic reinforcement army of about five thousand men, carrying a large amount of supplies, hoping to join the Emperor's besieging army.

Laszlo, of course, welcomed them all. These were good subjects of the Empire, very loyal!

He was just worried about the insufficient military strength of the troops besieging the eastern district of Prague, but now that biggest concern was gone.

There was also a Moravian noble representative present, who conveyed greetings from all Moravian Catholic nobles to the Emperor.

As for why the Moravian nobles didn't come in person?

On one hand, the Bohemian Brotherhood in Moravia had been very restless lately, often instigating peasant or miner revolts,

and had organized many rebel guerrillas, making the lords of Moravia extremely annoyed.

On the other hand, the Moravian nobles had a very deep psychological shadow regarding the Emperor, especially here, beneath Prague.

Back then, Emperor Sigismund led his army in a second assault on Prague. Due to provocation from the Hussite army and the surrender of the Imperial Army garrison trapped in Vyšehrad Castle, Emperor Sigismund was enraged and ordered his army to charge directly into Jan Žižka's Hussite War Wagon.

The Moravian nobles tried their best to dissuade Sigismund, hoping he wouldn't do anything foolish.

But Sigismund sarcastically replied, "I know you Moravians are always timid and your loyalty is questionable."

The Moravian nobles had always been loyal and courageous to the King. They had been loyal to the Luxembourg family since the time of Sigismund's grandfather, John, the Blind King.

How could they endure such humiliation at this moment? They immediately requested to serve as the vanguard of the army.

The result, of course, was that the Emperor's army was thoroughly beaten by the Hussite rebels' Wagenburg.

The Moravians desperately tore open a breach in the Wagenburg under a hail of bullets, but seeing the heavy casualties, Sigismund directly shouted, "Retreat! Retreat!"

Then he led his direct Hungarian troops to be the first to withdraw from the battle, abandoning the Moravian nobles who were still fighting fiercely against the Hussite rebels on the battlefield.

The battered Sigismund fled all the way back to Kuttenberg, then resumed playing music and dancing, pretending the battle had never happened. The tragic Moravian nobles suffered over half casualties in that battle, their vitality severely damaged, and more than a dozen important nobles with names died in battle.

After such an experience, the Moravian nobles learned to observe first, then pledge allegiance.

If they entrusted themselves to the wrong person, the tragedy of Prague might repeat itself.

Currently, it seemed that the young Emperor Laszlo was much more reliable than his grandfather, Sigismund.

Therefore, to show goodwill, the Moravians still sent a batch of grain and supplies.

Finally, the Duke of Opole and the Duke of Głogów from the Piast Family were summoned. These were the two Piast dukes (dukes of the Piast Family) who ruled Silesia.

The Piast Family in Silesia had maintained a relatively independent status since submitting to the King of Bohemia a hundred years ago.

This branch family severed ties with the main Piast Family in Poland and focused on cultivating Silesia. Although it sometimes split and sometimes reunited, what remained constant was that members of the Piast Family always ruled this land.

They had no obsession with unity or division, letting nature take its course.

Internal family relations were relatively harmonious, and they always showed a united front in matters concerning the Kingdom of Bohemia and Poland.

The same was true in their treatment of the Hussites; they were both staunch supporters of the Pope and the Emperor.

During the First Hussite War, the Hussites massacred German immigrants in Bohemia. Some Germans fled to the vicinity of the Sudetes Mountains in Silesia, seeking refuge with the Piast Family.

As a result, the Hussites directly invaded Silesia, burning, killing, looting, massacring German immigrants, and even threatening to attack the Piast dukes, leading the Piast Family to hate the Hussites to the bone.

At that time, under the active promotion of the Piast dukes, the Silesian region attracted a large number of immigrants from Saxony, North German, and even the Netherlands. The number of local German immigrants once exceeded that of the native Slavs.

As a result, after the Hussite Wars, the Slavic population once again became the majority.

After the war, to heal the wounds of war and restore and develop Silesia, the Piast Family once again offered favorable conditions to attract German immigrants.

At this time, within the Kingdom of Bohemia, the proportion of German immigrants in Silesia was the highest, far exceeding Bohemia and slightly higher than Moravia.

These Catholic German immigrants injected a strong boost into the Catholic forces in Silesia. After the Emperor sent troops, the two Piast dukes immediately began to deal with the Hussites in their territories.

Initially, they didn't dare to openly arrest, try, and massacre Hussite believers, fearing that Iri would seize the opportunity to settle scores if the Emperor was defeated.

However, when the news of Iri's death came, Silesia rejoiced, and immediately began to intensify the persecution of Hussites. Now, there are basically no active Hussites in this region.

They are either in the ground or in cages.

Laszlo had also heard of their deeds and was very pleased.

Together, they provided the Emperor with a thousand troops, most of whom were Germans, which was better than nothing.

They also provided a batch of grain supplies, which was just a small token of their regard.

In addition, they also presented the Emperor with a batch of Hussite slaves they had captured.

There were about two hundred of these slaves, young and physically sound. Aside from being emaciated and malnourished due to prolonged hunger, they were perfectly capable of serving as laborers.

Laszlo waved his hand, sending these people to Kuttenberg to rebuild the city and mine silver.

He accepted these vassals' tributes like an ancient king receiving homage from his subordinates.

After all the visitors had left, Laszlo, Rosenberg, and Adolf went to the cliff edge to observe the situation inside Prague.

As dusk approached, only a few wisps of cooking smoke rose from the city, indicating that the food inside was about to run out.

In contrast, outside the city, the Imperial Army soldiers were cooking and making merry.

Their military provisions were already quite sufficient, and today they received a large replenishment, including a good amount of fish and meat.

Laszlo had already ordered a reward for the entire army today, and the morale of the Imperial Army was even higher.

The two old marshals from Bohemia noticed that the Emperor seemed exceptionally happy today, even more so than when he slew Iri.

Laszlo looked relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted from his mind, and said cheerfully to the marshals beside him, "Rosenberg, Adolf, you know, in the previous battles, the Hussites' fearlessness and stubborn resistance truly worried me. Not for anything else, but I was concerned that even if we won the war, I would still face a rebellious Bohemia. Bohemia should be a pillar of the Empire and the dynasty, not a burden. I need the support of the people in this land. And today, that worry has completely disappeared! What I see is a vibrant scene, everything thriving. Perhaps there are indeed many who oppose me, but there are even more who support me. We must completely eradicate the Hussites from this land! This is to fulfill my father's last wish and to ensure the integrity of the Empire."

"Your Majesty is wise."

Adolf and Rosenberg were also encouraged by Laszlo's spirit. They were very close to victory.

Seeing the spirited young Emperor, Adolf couldn't help but recall his past struggles in the Tábor faction army, while Rosenberg recalled the bitter tears and hardships of being repeatedly defeated by the Tábor faction army led by Jan Žižka, losing his armor and abandoning his weapons.

One lamented the changes in the world, the other the cycle of karma. Their entanglement with the Hussites would soon come to a complete end.

Day forty-five of the siege, and the bells of Prague fell silent.

A plague-like stillness enveloped the scarred city.

The streets, once echoing with Hussite hymns, now only carried the cries of carrion crows.

In the crypt of St. Vitus Cathedral, the last of the flour ran out three days ago, and the "holy wafers" baked by the priests, mixed with wall ash and acorn flour, caused many believers to vomit blood and die during mass.

People began frantically searching for anything edible to fill their hungry stomachs.

Rats, leather, cats, and dogs were all scavenged clean, and every day many died miserably from hunger and cold.

Even actions beyond human imagination began to appear within the city.

The Hussites had reached their limit, and as time passed, their resistance would only weaken.

Outside the city, at the camp on Vitkov Hill, Laszlo was having lunch with three bishops from the areas around Prague.

Their table was laden with the best food available in the military camp, but these corpulent bishops did not seem to have much appetite.

Laszlo didn't care; the intentions of these bishops were easy to guess—they were all vying for the position of Archbishop of Prague.

In those years, Charles IV, to strengthen the power of the Bohemia Kingdom within the Empire, collaborated with the Pope to separate the entire Bohemia from the Mainz-Germania Archdiocese, establishing the new Prague Archdiocese.

The influence of the Catholic rapidly developed in Bohemia, and the King, holding the power to appoint bishops, was thus widely supported and revered by the clergy.

During the Hussite Wars, the Hussites almost destroyed the Catholic influence in Bohemia.

However, in 1436, the signing of the "Prague Compacts" opened a new era of coexistence between the two factions.

In this year, the Cup faction and the Catholic allied forces jointly captured Tábor, completely annihilating the radical Hussite Tábor faction, after which the moderate Hussite Cup faction and the Catholic reached an agreement and reconciled.

The agreement explicitly stipulated that Catholic was the official religion of Bohemia, and Hussite was the legitimate denomination in Bohemia.

This agreement also stipulated two forms for the "Holy Communion" ceremony.

For Catholic believers, they could only receive the bread during the ceremony, and only priests were qualified to receive the wine.

For Hussite believers, both clergy and ordinary believers could receive both the bread and wine, which is why the Cup faction was also known as the Utraquists.

This also contained deeper religious connotations, involving the Catholic's right to interpret scripture.

In short, the Hussite's alteration of the Holy Communion ceremony fundamentally denied the authority of the Rome Papacy.

Hussite clergy integrated with the people, unlike the Catholic clergy who were aloof.

Because of this, even though the Hussite had been recognized as a legitimate denomination in Bohemia in the agreement, the Holy Roman Emperor and the Rome Pope always sought opportunities to tear up the agreement and completely eradicate these heretics who desecrated the Eucharist.

However, these efforts always had the opposite effect.

Between 1438 and 1439, Albrecht II invaded Bohemia, attempting to crush the Hussites, but was defeated by Iri, the leader of the Cup faction, and the Catholic forces were struck again.

The most direct manifestation was that the position of Archbishop of Prague was long held by Hussites.

The current Archbishop of Prague, Peter Payne, was a religious reformer who participated in the English Lollard heresy uprising in his early years.

Later, Peter was expelled by the England King and fled all the way to Bohemia, becoming one of the founding elders of the Hussite.

He was also the most respected and revered clergyman among the Hussite believers in Bohemia.

In addition, most Catholic clergy in Bohemia were threatened by Iri's force, demanding that they use the Hussite ritual in the Holy Communion ceremony, which also significantly impacted the authority of the Catholic.

However, this time, the Hussite ultimately did not make it through; the Emperor's wrath was about to destroy Prague, so the position of Archbishop of Prague became the biggest piece of meat in the eyes of the Catholic clergy.

Whoever could gain the Emperor's favor and become the Archbishop of Prague would enjoy endless riches and supreme glory.

"I wonder if those heretics in the city are still adhering to their blasphemous rituals now," Bishop Vaclav z Severo said with a smile, raising his cup to toast the Emperor.

Another bishop, Carrol von Thun, sneered and said, "They have neither bread nor wine now; this is God's divine punishment for their blasphemy!"

The third bishop, Viktor z Husy, remained silent; he indeed disliked the Hussite, but in his view, the misled common people still had a chance of salvation.

And the Emperor's attitude was self-evident: he wanted to trap all Hussites within the city of Prague, so Viktor did not speak.

Laszlo had already opened the panels of the three bishops and began to check them.

The advisor attributes of these three were all [Ability: Administration +1], but their traits differed.

Vaclav's trait was [Treasurer: Increases national tax income].

Carrol's trait was [Inquisitor: Increases missionary strength].

Viktor's trait was [Theologian: Reduces unrest].

Their loyalty was beyond doubt; they regarded the Emperor as a liberator and the savior of the Catholic, and the two sides were naturally friendly allies.

Laszlo carefully considered which bishop he should appoint as the Archbishop of Prague.

Viktor was the first to be excluded; he did not need a tolerant and compassionate missionary, and the heretics of Bohemia could not be resolved by appeasement and persuasion.

Vaclav was the religious representative of the Bohemia nobility and the trait of increasing tax revenue was quite good.

Carrol was undoubtedly Laszlo's most favored choice; first, he was a bishop from Saxony, a German.

Second, the Inquisitor trait was very useful for eradicating Hussite throughout Bohemia.

A large-scale inquisition movement would follow this war, leaving no chance for the Hussite to revive and make a comeback.

"Gentlemen, the defeat of the Hussite is a foregone conclusion; let's speak frankly about the position of Archbishop of Prague."

Laszlo's gaze swept over the three bishops; their expressions showed no fluctuation, but a hidden contest was about to begin.

"Your Majesty, after this war, Prague will probably become a ghost town; I think we need to first consider the reconstruction of Prague, and I can help you with that."

Vaclav spoke first.

"Oh?" Laszlo became interested. "Be more specific."

"Actually, before the war began, many Catholics lived in Prague. After the war started, they were persecuted by the Hussite, and many fled Prague with their families. My diocese has taken in a large number of refugees, and they will certainly contribute to the recovery of Prague after the war."

Laszlo nodded with satisfaction.

After a moment of hesitation, Viktor decided to express his opinion: "Your Majesty, both Hussite believers and Catholic believers are your subjects; those heretics are lost sheep, and after guidance, they will surely embrace the true faith."

Laszlo's expression froze, then he resumed a polite smile and said, "You have a point, but these heretics dared to take up arms and resist me, so I will no longer regard them as lost sheep. These heretics are vicious jackals, and I must protect all my subjects in the Bohemia territory and show no mercy."

He selectively forgot what happened outside Kuttenberg; his mindset had now completely changed. He killed Hussite, but didn't the Hussite also massacre German immigrants?

It was simply for the sake of seizing living space; the principle was simple: those who obey me live, those who defy me die!

Historically, the influence of the Cup faction on Bohemia continued until the 17th century, gradually fading only after the Thirty Years' War.

This was absolutely unacceptable to Laszlo from the start.

He looked at Carrol, who simply said calmly, "Your Majesty, holy flames will purify all evil souls."

"Alright, gentlemen, I think I have made my decision. Vaclav, I will summon you again later. Are you interested in serving as the Chancellor of the Bohemia Court?"

"It is my honor, Your Majesty."

Vaclav respectfully expressed his gratitude, though he wasn't particularly happy in his heart; the Emperor's decision meant he had missed out on the position of Archbishop of Prague.

"Viktor, you are an excellent theologian, but what I need is not chanting and proselytizing to convert heretics; I want to completely eliminate these heretics both physically and spiritually! Carrol, I think you are the most suitable candidate for Archbishop of Prague."

Carrol and Viktor were not surprised by this outcome; the Emperor's stance had been very clear from the beginning.