Three-Way Conspiracy

A hidden army, approximately three hundred fully armed warriors, was making their final preparations in a castle near the hunting grounds.

They would launch a meticulously planned attack when Vlad and his men were most exhausted and relaxed.

As for where these troops came from, the main force was naturally the private armies of the Wallachian nobility.

Dan had spent a fortune bribing the supervising officials, who were also dissatisfied with Vlad, to conceal the news of the nobles gathering private armies.

Now he was ready to give Vlad a big "surprise" with his army.

There were also two different factions within this army.

They were the Hunyadi private soldiers led by Hunyadi's retainer, Giraks—now disguised as mercenaries—and a small contingent of Transylvania-Saxon mercenaries led by Streif.

Although the two sides did not see eye to eye, with a formidable enemy at hand, the Hunyadi forces and the Saxon immigrant army did not clash on the spot.

Their reason for being here was to aid the Wallachian nobles who dared to resist the tyrant.

In the council hall, Dan, Giraks, and Streif sat around a table.

The other nobles who had joined the uprising had returned to their respective fiefdoms to await news.

If the plan failed, they would rally their armies to prepare for the next stage of resistance.

"Thank you both for coming to assist," Dan said, seeing the two men before him, his worries somewhat lessened. "Vlad is brutal and inhumane, and he has lost the people's support.

I am forced to rebel today, and I hope you two can cooperate with me to jointly suppress the tyrant."

Giraks was thin, with a stern face, a deep saber scar over his left eye, and a sinister glint in his gaze.

He bared his teeth in a terrifying smile and whispered, "No need to say more about that.

I have brought you letters from your brothers; they asked me to convey their blessings and hope that you can achieve your wishes."

Saying that, he pulled out two letters and handed them to Dan.

Dan did not open the letters at this moment but cast a meaningful glance at Giraks.

Who was Dan?

He was the current head of the Basarab-Dănești Family.

The Basarab Family was the most influential noble family in Wallachia.

The Dracula Family, from which Vlad III originated, was actually fully named the Basarab-Drăculești Family.

From the name, it is clear that these two families shared the same ancestry, being merely two branches of a larger family.

Moreover, these two branches had not separated long ago.

Specifically, the two families only formally broke apart in 1436 when Vlad II ascended to power.

Subsequently, the throne of Prince Vlad of Wallachia repeatedly shifted between these two branches.

In 1443, when Vlad II was defeated by Janos, the "Elder" Basarab II, whom Janos supported, was the elder brother of the "Younger" Dan.

In 1448, after Vlad II and his eldest son Mircea were killed, and his second son Vlad III was expelled, Vladislav II, whom Janos installed, was Dan's second brother.

From the family tree, Vlad III even had to call Dan "uncle."

However, blood relations only deepened the animosity between the two families, as disputes over succession were often the most intense.

Just like now, Vlad had always been wary of his uncle usurping power.

But Dan's identity was special, and Vlad could not just eliminate him without reason.

This gave Dan an opportunity to strike first.

After his elder brother and second brother were sent to Transylvania to live out their days, Dan also wanted to try to contend for the throne of Prince Vlad of Wallachia.

Even if he lost, he could escape to Transylvania like his brothers and live out his old age there.

But at this moment, the Hunyadi people pulling out these two letters written by his brothers—what were their intentions? This was worth careful consideration.

Dan knew in his heart that this was probably Hunyadi reminding him not to forget who was supporting him from behind.

Once he successfully usurped power, he absolutely could not forget the Hunyadi Family's favor, otherwise his two brothers would be an example of what would happen.

Both were supported by Janos, deposed by Janos, and finally accepted Janos's protection, and even Vlad was the same.

It seemed that Wallachia was not actually ruled by the Basarab Family now, but by the Hunyadi Family.

Dan had already noticed that Hunyadi's ambitions were not small.

Compared to his father, Hunyadi's petty schemes were both undignified and poorly concealed, and might bring about his demise at any time.

However, he certainly would not say these words to the Hunyadi Family's loyal dog.

At this stage, he needed the Hunyadi Family's support, so he could use them.

If he truly succeeded in seizing power, he would undoubtedly turn to Emperor Laszlo without hesitation—he did not want to seek death with Hunyadi. "Thank you, Mr. Giraks; please convey my regards to my brothers later."

"No problem." Giraks nodded slightly; he admired Dan's confidence.

The day of destiny was today; if Vlad could not be taken down in one fell swoop, many people would die tragically.

Dan then turned his head to the other side and said to Streif, "Mr. Streif, thank you for secretly transporting the weapons and armor; it was a great help."

Streif's distinctive face now wore a serious expression.

Even though his family had lived in Transylvania for over a hundred years, his face still looked more German.

He first glanced at Giraks, then said to Dan, "We originally did not want to get involved in this mess, but allowing a tyrannical ruler like Vlad to act recklessly is not a good thing for us.

I hope we can end all of this today."

Dan nodded lightly; he naturally knew why these Saxon immigrants were interfering in Wallachia.

It was simply because Vlad levied heavy taxes on Saxon merchants to protect domestic trade, which caused great dissatisfaction among the Saxons.

Of course, most of the seven Saxon cities had no interest in participating in such troublesome affairs.

Emperor Laszlo had already given these German immigrants, who came to Hungary centuries ago, greater benefits, allowing them to live more comfortably in Hungary.

Only the German immigrant cities near Wallachia would get involved in this risky matter.

They secretly sent more equipment to Dan's army, so they would have a greater chance of winning against Vlad.

Over the past few days, they had meticulously planned every detail, considering everything thoroughly to ensure the plan would not go wrong.

The moment of action had finally arrived.

It was afternoon, and Vlad and his retinue were resting briefly at the hunting ground camp, enjoying the wild beasts they had hunted today.

They were completely unaware that a huge crisis was quietly approaching.

The afternoon sun made people feel a bit drowsy; the warhorses were leisurely eating fodder, and the cavalry, after a morning of hunting and training, were resting in the camp.

Even Vlad was sitting somewhat lazily on a tree stump, his heavy armor already removed, leaving only a close-fitting chainmail.

In the distance, a faint sound of hurried hooves and footsteps could be heard.

No one noticed that an army was rapidly approaching the camp.