Can We Reconcile?

The fall of Mainz shocked the entire Empire. No one expected Archbishop Adolf to dare to venture into danger, lead his army to raid Mainz, and capture Dieter in one fell swoop.

Under his threats and inducements, the Mainz territories chose to surrender and recognized this Archbishop personally appointed by the Emperor.

The Archbishop of Worms also subsequently announced his support for Adolf as Archbishop of Mainz. Adolf, who urgently needed to win people over and weaken his enemies, accepted all comers and immediately reached a reconciliation with the Archbishop of Worms.

The Archbishop of Worms then proactively offered a ransom and supplies to the besieging army led by Florian in exchange for them stopping the siege.

With Dieter captured, there was no longer any point in persisting.

When Dieter was escorted to Vienna to face the Emperor's judgment, he would most likely not escape death.

At that time, Archbishop Adolf's position would be unshakeable, so it was better to bow early to avoid more suffering.

If there was anyone who was most unwilling to believe this news, it was undoubtedly the Elector Palatine.

He had just repelled the Archbishop of Trier's army and was preparing to return to reinforce the besieged Worms, but he did not expect Mainz to fall first.

In the Elector Palatine's army camp, Frederick I's face was taut as he listened to his subordinate's report with a shocked expression, and his injured shoulder began to ache faintly again.

"This... is this true?"

He asked his subordinate in front of him again, somewhat incredulously.

Hans, who was reporting the news to him, also replied with a dejected expression, "It's absolutely true, Elector Palatine, Mainz has fallen, and Archbishop Dieter has become the enemy's captive."

"How is this possible?" The Elector Palatine slammed his hand on the table, pulling at his wound and revealing a pained expression. "He took Mainz with only five hundred men?"

"Your Grace, Adolf had inside men in Mainz. They worked together, attacking Mainz under the cover of night."

"Elector Palatine, we need to consider what to do next," Wolfgang reminded him.

Frederick I nodded heavily, cursed in a low voice, and began to think about his next move.

Since Dieter had been captured, the Mainz ecclesiastical territory and the Bishopric of Worms would certainly soon turn to the enemy's side.

Fortunately, he had first defeated Baden and Württemberg, and now he had repelled Trier. Next, he only needed to face Nassau, Mainz, and the expeditionary force sent by the Emperor.

Moreover, Mainz and Nassau were extremely weak and not a cause for concern. The expeditionary force sent by the Emperor was troublesome, but it was not impossible to win, only the risks and losses involved made Frederick I hesitate.

He got up and slowly paced in the tent, then stopped and looked at the map on the table, his expression growing even more somber.

"Your Grace, we have won battle after battle, and our morale is high. If we march on Mainz now, we will surely retake the lost territory, and perhaps even capture Adolf and rescue Archbishop Dieter..."

Before Hans could finish speaking, Frederick I interrupted him and said in a deep voice, "Do you think I don't know the pros and cons of this? We can indeed continue to win on the battlefield, but it is very difficult to continue this war."

He stared intently at the map, wishing he could see a glimmer of hope from it.

After the fall of Mainz, those bishops who were already wavering would certainly immediately switch allegiance to Adolf.

In that case, the Mainz soldiers in his army would most likely lose the will to fight.

The war, which had lasted for nearly half a year, had already brought a huge economic burden to the Palatinate. After losing Mainz's economic support, the situation would only get worse.

Moreover, the diplomatic environment was also extremely harsh for him.

Not only were there enemies on all sides, but his only ally, the Duke of Landshut, was now firmly suppressed by the Imperial Marshal, the Margrave of Ansbach, and dared not make any major moves.

In addition, news from Upper Palatinate said that a part of the Emperor's army in Bohemia seemed to be stationed on the border between Upper Palatinate and Bohemia, ready to invade at any time.

The Swiss, whom he regarded as potential allies, had also chosen to retreat in a recent confrontation with the Emperor.

This caused the Emperor's attention to be entirely focused on him, putting him under enormous pressure.

Originally, the situation could be said to be excellent, but the incompetent teammate Dieter was so useless. Not only did he lose Mainz in the blink of an eye, but he himself became a captive.

This caused the Elector Palatine's originally firm resolve to fight to immediately waver.

"Your Grace, do you perhaps want to negotiate with Archbishop Adolf?"

Frederick I's gaze swept over everyone in the tent, his eyes full of exhaustion and unwillingness: "How could I not want to continue fighting? But reality is before us. We are about to face the true predicament of being surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Dieter has failed, and this war can almost be declared over. Adolf has become the undisputed Archbishop of Mainz. What reason do we have to continue fighting?"

At this moment, the Count of Katzenberg, who had been silent, suddenly said, "Given the circumstances, Elector Palatine, do you think you can still get away unscathed?"

Frederick I closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, the struggle and pain in his eyes were clearly visible: "I have fought for half my life, and I never thought I would have to bow to anyone one day.

But this time, I can only submit to the Emperor... Besides, I haven't lost yet. If they don't want this war to have a dignified end, we can also fight to the death."

At the end of his words, he clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, like a wounded tiger ready to fight to the death.

Inside the tent, the generals looked at each other. They felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation: that they had been winning battles, but ultimately lost the war.

After everyone had left, Frederick summoned his scribe to draft a peace agreement for him.

The contents of the agreement were as follows:

One, Frederick I agreed to return the towns of Lorsch, Heppenheim, and Bensheim to the Archbishop of Mainz—these towns were ceded to the Palatinate by Dieter in exchange for Frederick I's support.

Two, Frederick I agreed to recognize Adolf's position as Archbishop of Mainz.

Three, Frederick I agreed to release the Margrave of Baden, return the occupied Baden territories, and pay war reparations to all parties of the allied army involved in the war.

He dispatched an envoy to deliver this agreement to Mainz to Archbishop Adolf.

He himself intended to lead the main force of the Palatinate army south towards Worms, making a show of preparing for a decisive battle with the Imperial allied army stationed near Worms.

In addition, the Elector Palatine also prepared a generous gift and dispatched his most capable diplomat to Tyrol to seek an audience with the Emperor, begging for the Emperor's understanding.

After everyone had left, Frederick I stood alone in the center of the tent, gazing at the map spread out on the table, remaining silent for a long time.

His former grand ambitions seemed so vulnerable under the heavy pressure of reality.

Meanwhile, in distant Bregenz, Laszlo was still unaware of the Elector Palatine's decision.

He was waiting for the official opening of the important Swabian Imperial Circle meeting.

The agreed-upon date was drawing closer, and representatives from over seventy territories in Swabia had arrived from various places.

In Swabia, no one dared to disregard the Emperor's authority now, which greatly pleased Laszlo.