The Last Knight
On the 65th day of the siege, the city had been out of food for over two weeks, while the Imperial Army's provisions were still sufficient for some time.
The city's defenders had almost lost their ability to resist, and the number of people dying daily from hunger was increasing.
Imperial Army soldiers even sailed small boats into Prague to shoot and fish for Hussites, encountering no effective resistance.
Laszlo observed the horrific scene within the city, calculating when he should end this war.
It was now late August, and the weather was getting colder. If Prague was not taken quickly, the troops would face the test of winter. Although Bohemia's winter was relatively mild, it was still more than the unprepared Imperial Army could bear.
Moreover, news from Vienna forced Laszlo to accelerate the resolution of the Hussites problem.
In Moldavia, Stefan employed a scorched-earth strategy, launching a night raid on the Polish-Lithuanian coalition army. In one battle, he scattered the combined forces of the two countries, even capturing the Polish commander, who was then hanged at the gate of Suceava.
Under duress, Władysław III, the King of Poland, handed over Peter Aron and his entourage to Stefan, returned all illegally occupied territories, and paid Stefan two thousand florins in compensation.
Poland and Lithuania each signed a five-year non-aggression pact with Moldavia.
Near Florence, the French, led by Duke of Lorraine John II, with covert assistance from Venice, decisively defeated the South Italian coalition army led by Skanderbeg.
Subsequently, the French advanced on Rome, besieged it, and attempted to force the Pope to withdraw from the War of Succession.
The Pope remained resolute, intending to defend the city to the death.
However, the influence of the Orsini family in Rome played a crucial role. This family had produced 3 Popes and over thirty Cardinals in its centuries-long history, with its power spread throughout Italy.
In Naples, a branch of the Orsini family was even the leader of the Naples Anjou.
Through their mediation, the Pope accepted a symbolic indemnity and declared that he would no longer interfere in the Neapolitan War of Succession.
The French successfully passed through Rome and besieged Naples. Ferdinando I's situation became quite critical, and he had sent envoys to Vienna more than once, requesting the aid promised by the Emperor.
However, these requests were all perfunctorily dismissed by Eyczing. Austria indeed still had the capacity to reinforce Naples, but entering the fray at this moment would not yield the maximum benefit.
During the siege, Laszlo dispatched recruiting officers to various parts of Austria to enlist new recruits, and mercenary captains were sent to the German regions to recruit mercenaries eager to serve the Emperor.
The reduction in troop numbers was replenished to some extent, but only the Saxon Army, due to heavy losses, could not be fully replenished in the short term and would likely need several more months to regain combat effectiveness.
It was time to end this war. Laszlo planned to choose an auspicious day for a full-scale assault on the city.
Just then, the long-unseen event panel unexpectedly reappeared before him, leaving Laszlo momentarily stunned.
[Lucky Event: The Last Knight]
[In an era of rumors and widespread conflict, Europe once again plunged into war. Austria's territories were at the center of it all, facing enemies from all directions, and the Austrians found new hope.
Maximilian I of Austria may not have been the most famous Holy Roman Emperor, but he was certainly the most important ruler of Austria.
He bravely fought against France, and through artistic marital alliances, he secured the Habsburg Family of Austria's legitimacy to rule Spain,
Burgundy, Bohemia, and Hungary. These efforts ultimately enabled his grandson, Charles V, to establish the world's first empire on which the sun never set.
The profound impact of his military and imperial reforms lasted for centuries, but these are stories that might happen in the future. For now, he is just a newborn in Hofburg Palace, your second heir.]
[Option One: He will lead the Habsburg Family to glory!]
[Maximilian is a gift from heaven! To establish the elder or the worthy? Let us wait and see.]
[Maximilian gains the trait (Last Knight): The owner of this trait will receive increased cavalry combat ability and increased war experience gained in battle. Maximilian gains a permanent strong claim on the Archduchy of Austria.]
[Option Two: Chivalry is Dead]
[Perhaps we should be cautious about the issue of succession. A poor inheritance system and occasional exceptions will greatly threaten the family's development.]
[No modification]
Laszlo's expression was somewhat strange. It was the first time he had seen something like a lucky event.
Was this the panel giving him a son? Or was this the so-called world-line convergence?
But he immediately became happy. The birth of a second heir meant the family would prosper even more.
The newborn Maximilian might be following the script of Li Er, but Laszlo was confident he wouldn't be as incompetent as Li Yuan.
Laszlo decisively chose Option One, and the panel subsequently disappeared.
He remembered that Maximilian himself had [Attributes: Administration 5, Diplomacy 5, Military 5]. With such overpowered attributes,
as long as he nurtured him carefully, he would surely become a divine ruler in the future.
As for whether a tragedy of brothers fighting each other might occur in the future, that would entirely depend on Laszlo's own actions.
Now, Laszlo had a more important reason: he had to quickly end this siege and then go back to accompany his wife and son.
Laszlo immediately sent men to inform the generals in the various siege camps, ordering a general assault on Prague the next day.
Upon receiving the order, the Imperial Army soldiers eagerly prepared to completely eliminate the Hussite rebels in the city in the upcoming battle.
During these months of siege, they had been making preparations, building scaling ladders, siege towers, and even large catapults.
In the later stages of the siege, catapults had replaced cannons as the primary means of bombarding Prague daily.
It wasn't that catapults were more effective or powerful than cannons, but rather that using cannons daily consumed too much gunpowder, and the Imperial Army needed to conserve gunpowder for heavy artillery to breach the city walls.
The great commotion within the Imperial Army camp certainly did not escape the notice of the defenders on the city walls.
Kalixtein, enduring his hunger, ascended the city wall. When he saw all the Imperial Army surrounding Prague preparing for an assault, a look of relief surprisingly appeared on the Hussite leader's face.
In these days, he had sent envoys to the Imperial Army camp more than once, hoping to sue for peace with the Emperor, but without exception, these envoys were brutally murdered—the Emperor disdained to even meet with Hussite envoys.
The immense pressure and unbearable hunger had tormented everyone in the city to the point of delirium.
The elderly Archbishop Peter had starved to death more than ten days ago after giving his food to others. There were almost no elderly or children left in the city; only the defending guards, young adult men and women, had survived.
To continue their resistance, they had done things that would send them to hell. Now they deeply regretted their foolish choice to resist the Emperor, but the Emperor's forgiveness would likely never be extended to them.