Siege
The Imperial Army began constructing a siege camp outside the city of Treviso, awaiting the arrival of Otto and Albrecht's two detached forces to rendezvous.
As the war progressed, the Imperial Army's forces grew larger; although the number of combat personnel had somewhat decreased, the number of non-combatants accompanying the army gradually increased.
Along the way, fewer towns were destroyed due to stubborn resistance, and residents of various cities found that the Imperial Army was not as terrifying as they had imagined.
Under Laszlo's strict discipline and the leadership of the standing army, which adhered to regulations, instances of mercenaries violating military discipline also decreased daily.
Of course, this was limited to the main army led by Laszlo; the remaining two armies were basically composed of mercenaries recruited from within the Empire, and Laszlo could not control them, only instructing the military police to keep an eye on them to prevent them from doing anything that would incur public outrage.
By now, many non-combatants such as merchants, cooks, laundry workers, and prostitutes began to follow the Imperial Army's advance, providing services to the army in exchange for payment.
It must be said that Italians have a natural enthusiasm for commerce and trade.
Whenever the Imperial Army encamped, a small market would form near the military camp, where the consumers were, of course, the mercenaries who had earned money; sometimes, residents from surrounding towns would also come to the market to sell local specialties.
These things helped maintain or even improve the army's morale, so Laszlo chose not to interfere too much, only strengthening the inspection and vigilance of the main army camp to guard against spies causing sabotage or acquiring intelligence.
The market received special attention from the Emperor; he specifically dispatched a unit of the Imperial Guard to maintain order in the market, and anyone wishing to sell goods there first had to pay a tax to the Emperor.
This tax was not excessive and could be paid with money or a portion of the goods.
As the soldiers enjoyed these services, their lives became more comfortable, but their bulging wallets gradually deflated, which in turn ignited new fighting enthusiasm.
Laszlo led the generals to a small hill near Treviso; William was among them, and he personally introduced Treviso's city defenses to the Emperor and generals, pointing out several weak points favorable for the Imperial Army's attack.
This gave everyone greater confidence in capturing Treviso, an important hub city.
The Emperor was quite satisfied with William's attitude, and his abilities were good.
As a diplomatic advisor, he possessed the ability [Advisor Trait: Diplomacy +2] and a good trait [Eloquent: Righteous Demands Acceptance +20%].
As for his general attributes: 1 Firepower, 0 Shock, 0 Maneuver, 0 Siege—this was normal, as those skilled in diplomacy were often not very good at military matters, like Frederick....
As a reward for William's defection, Laszlo promised to try his best to ensure his brother's safety.
In addition, the Emperor also invited him to serve in the court, responsible for assisting Aeching in handling diplomatic affairs, though that would be after returning from this war.
William did not expect to receive such high regard from the Emperor, and his loyalty soared.
After recruiting William into the court, Laszlo suddenly remembered Anthony of Burgundy, whom he had forgotten for a long time.
This young man was also an excellent diplomat, fluent in Low German, High German, Latin, English, and French, with his English being the best.
He had been in Macedonia for several years, and his rule should be stable enough; it was time to recall him to Vienna to serve the Emperor.
Laszlo noted this matter in his memo, intending to handle it after this war was over and he returned.
The Imperial Army's construction of a siege camp outside the city and their preparations for the assault were all observed by John from the city walls.
He looked at the enemy outside the city with some apprehension, and vaguely, John saw William's figure.
His brother's betrayal did not cause him heartache; instead, it brought a sense of relief and release.
He had a premonition that Montferrat's future and hope for revival rested entirely on William.
With this thought, he could fight without any worries.
During this period, many of the city's defenders had gradually deserted, especially the Ottoman and Balkans cavalry, almost none of whom remained.
They were not foolish; continuing to hold out in this city would eventually lead to their demise.
The Venetians no longer had additional troops to send to Treviso, so John could only rely on the forces he had.
The number of defenders in the city ultimately amounted to only six thousand.
This was not a small number of defenders, but it was still insufficient compared to the Imperial Army.
The Doge of Venice had recently sent him a secret letter, informing him that Venice and Milan were secretly negotiating peace.
The Milanese needed Sforza's army to return to resist France's aggressive offensive, and the Venetians also needed the troops from the Brescia front to return to resist the Imperial Army.
The letter's meaning was roughly: hold firm, and there will be a way.
Although an allied force was supposed to arrive, John knew that the army attacking Brescia totaled less than five thousand.
Even if their losses during this time were relatively small, the full return of this force would not make a significant difference.
Nevertheless, he still told the defending soldiers that a large number of reinforcements would arrive soon, and then the Imperial Army would surely be defeated.
Arriving even sooner than the Venetian reinforcements were the Imperial armies; the two forces from the south and north arrived successively at Treviso's walls a few days later, joining the Emperor's main army to completely encircle the city.
As the Republic of Venice's most important military stronghold on the European continent, Treviso's strength needed no further explanation.
The city was located at the confluence of the Botteniga and Sile rivers, with the rivers flowing through the city, dividing it into three parts.
After carefully studying the city's structure, Laszlo readily accepted the General Staff's proposal, deciding to abandon the idea of a single-point breakthrough and adopt a multi-point strong assault tactic.
The city's immense size and complex structure would also make it more difficult for the defenders to coordinate, so Laszlo ultimately decided on a feint.
Since John already knew that Laszlo had obtained the city's defense map, he would certainly increase defensive forces at the weak points.
However, Laszlo intended to do the opposite: the weak points would, of course, be attacked, and attacked fiercely.
In addition, some diversionary forces would be arranged to disrupt the enemy's judgment.
Once the city's defenders were mobilized and concentrated, another force would be dispatched to attack where the enemy's defenses were weakest, taking them by surprise.
The direction of the surprise attack was calculated after meticulous analysis, and Laszlo decided to trust the General Staff's analysis and take this gamble.
He had to capture Treviso before France took Milan; this way, he would hold the initiative.
Once Adolf's main army arrived from Northern Italy to rendezvous with him, France's hope of victory would be incredibly slim.
By then, all these rebellious lords in Northern Italy, every single one, would be held accountable.
On the fifteenth day of the siege, the Imperial Army finally completed all preparations for the assault.
Before the first rays of dawn had fully dispelled the coolness of the night, the Imperial Army's horn calls resounded like thunder.
Laszlo, riding a tall white horse, dressed in magnificent armor, and holding a long sword, arrived at the forward positions outside Treviso, surrounded by Imperial Guard soldiers.
Canons, pushed forward under the cover of heavy shields, were positioned a hundred meters outside the city walls, like dozens of straining bronze beasts preparing to unleash their fury upon Treviso's walls.