Laszlo's Attack

In late 1458, Imperial Marshal Adolf led over 10,000 Imperial Army soldiers from Florence, rapidly traversing the Mugello Pass, passing through Bologna and Ferrara, and finally reaching Padua within two months.

Six thousand troops recruited from within the country had already arrived in Padua prior to this.

In February 1459, Laszlo personally led 30,000 Imperial Army troops from Padua, advancing westward directly towards Mantua.

After accepting the surrender of the Marquis of Mantua there, the Imperial Army's ranks were augmented by an Italian army of 1,500 men, personally commanded by Marquis of Mantua Ludovico II, serving as the Imperial Army's vanguard.

Inside Mantua's war room, numerous generals gathered around the Emperor, engaging in a heated discussion about the upcoming strategic issues.

Laszlo pointed to the map and analyzed, "Look, Pavia and Novara have both fallen, and France is currently besieging Milan.

According to intelligence from Piccinino, the total strength of the France-Swiss allied forces is only around 20,000, and they are now bogged down at a strong city.

No matter what, the battle strength is 30,000 against 20,000, and after the ravages of winter, France is now an exhausted and weary army, ripe for a decisive battle."

"Your Majesty, please reconsider! Verona occupies a crucial transportation route and has been a strategically important location since ancient times. If we abandon the enemy in Verona and march directly to Milan, it would expose our rear to the enemy, which is too risky."

Albrecht, upon hearing Laszlo's audacious plan, immediately stood up to advise.

Adolf did not agree with Albrecht's view: "The enemy in Verona can barely defend themselves; it's impossible for them to launch an offensive attack on our flank.

Furthermore, the enemy within Verona is at most 4,000 troops, mostly mercenaries, and it's highly likely that a large number of soldiers have already deserted.

Even if they attack, it would only be against Vicenza or Mantua. Vicenza's defenses are complete, so they cannot break through. We only need to leave a detachment to guard Mantua. Firstly, it can ensure the main army's rear is secure, and secondly, it can compel the Marquis of Mantua to fight vigorously, killing two birds with one stone."

"That's right!"

Laszlo nodded in satisfaction. It was still his old marshal, with whom he had collaborated the longest, who understood his thoughts.

The few thousand remaining enemies in Verona themselves could not achieve anything significant, but if they were to attack Verona first from the north, the troops would suffer untold casualties and losses.

As Italy's most important hub city, Verona, known as the "Gateway to Italy," had extremely strong defenses.

From city walls built during the ancient Roman era to a citadel established a hundred years ago.

Taking that place would undoubtedly consume a large amount of vital forces, and immediately after taking Verona, they would face the formidable fortress of Brescia.

Laszlo had seen the Brescia fortress on his way to Rome for his coronation a few years ago; the largest and strongest fortress in all of Italy was not just an empty boast.

If they were to fight their way to Milan along this route, by the time they reached the city, the Imperial Army would be as exhausted as the French.

However, Mantua's submission gave Laszlo another option: he could completely bypass the heavily defended but not particularly threatening Verona and Brescia, and instead march directly west from Mantua, advancing rapidly across the Po Plain, and reaching Milan by heading north through Cremona.

This would preserve as much of the Imperial Army's strength as possible, dedicating all of it to the decisive battle against the France-Swiss allied forces.

However, most of the generals hoped to besiege Verona and wait for France and Swiss to further exhaust their forces outside Milan.

Laszlo slammed his hand heavily on the table, stopping the arguments.

"Generals, there is no need for debate. My mind is made up. France is our greatest enemy. As long as we deal with these invaders of Imperial territory, Italy can essentially be declared pacified. Every day we delay will bring greater losses to the Empire. Or are you afraid of facing France?"

"How could that be? Your Majesty, I will personally claim the head of the French commander!"

Karl shouted. He had indeed heard of the reputation of France's ordinance knights and artillery, but he was certainly not afraid.

The other generals also expressed their desire to thoroughly defeat France on the battlefield and prove the Imperial Army's strength.

With the military strategy decided, the Imperial Army immediately began preparing for the decisive battle.

After leaving a thousand troops to occupy Mantua, the main Imperial Army advanced rapidly westward, and Cremona surrendered at first sight.

A Florentine army of eight hundred men, arriving from Parma, joined the Imperial Army. They were troops organized by the Pazzi family to aid the Emperor.

Laszlo placed them under the command of Ludovico II, bringing the Marquis's forces to 2,300 men.

The main army then began to move north along the road, with its vanguard pointing directly at Milan.

Outside Milan, the two French commanders and the Swiss army commander were discussing their tactical arrangements.

Almost all of the Duchy of Milan's forces were now concentrated within Milan for defense, so they could only adopt a long-term siege strategy.

They had been besieging for over a month now, without making any progress.

During this time, an uprising against French control broke out in Genoa, forcing them to dispatch a portion of their forces to suppress it.

They also had to constantly guard against the Genoese within their own army.

The Marquis of Montferrat, who was supposed to recruit new troops and reinforce them outside Milan, also used various excuses to repeatedly refuse, and had yet to appear.

All of this gave the French commanders a bad premonition.

Now, that premonition had come true.

"Marshals, urgent military intelligence!"

The Duke of Bourbon anxiously burst into the military tent, startling the commanders inside.

"Your Grace, what on earth is it?"

"A large force has been discovered less than ten French leagues south of our army. Judging by their banners, it should be the Holy Roman Emperor's main army!"

"What? How could they be so fast? There's been no news from Verona, nor from Mantua. Did the enemy fly here?"

Jean de Dunois's expression was very grim. Although he voiced his doubts, the Duke of Bourbon was also an excellent general, and he was clearly not joking.

In other words, the Imperial Army had truly arrived.

Jean Bureau immediately guessed the truth: "The Marquis of Mantua has betrayed the alliance; otherwise, the enemy could not have reached Milan so swiftly. We must discuss what to do next. Fight or retreat?"

"Can we defeat the enemy?" asked the Swiss commander, Waldmann.

The two French commanders exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

"As long as our tactics are properly employed, we will surely win!"

Hearing Jean Bureau's confident words, Waldmann nodded vigorously, pleased to have such brave and wise allies.

The Swiss warriors were never afraid of a numerous enemy; they only feared France's cowardice and retreat. However, his worries were clearly unnecessary.

"So what exactly should we do?"

The Duke of Bourbon asked with some concern.

Jean de Dunois looked at the map, and after a while, replied, "Fighting in Milan is very disadvantageous for us; we would need to divide our forces to guard against a sneak attack from within the city. Let's retreat first, and then engage the enemy in a decisive battle on a battlefield advantageous to us!"

Having decided on their strategy, the France-Swiss allied forces immediately began to act, lifting the siege of Milan and rapidly withdrawing their main army towards the Novara region.