First Battle Victory

Dust billowed across the sky as tens of thousands of troops trudged through the cold wind towards the distant mountains.

They were nearing the end of the plains, and the road ahead would be fraught with difficulties.

Not only would the path become rugged and hard to traverse, but there were also numerous rebel strongholds blocking the way, making every step incredibly arduous.

However, from the Emperor down to the common soldiers, the army's morale was high, filled with confidence in achieving victory.

After rendezvousing with the forces from Szeged and the south, Laszlo's troops swelled to nearly thirty thousand.

Such an army was virtually unstoppable in all of Eastern Europe.

Even the renowned Hunyadi Family could not rival the Emperor.

The generals and soldiers, filled with such optimistic thoughts, advanced towards Arad.

This was the first major city within the Hunyadi Family's sphere of influence they had encountered after a long march.

As a county seat, Arad's scale naturally surpassed that of remote small towns and impoverished villages.

A large city meant a dangerous siege, accompanied by a great deal of spoils.

Wealth stirred hearts; merely seeing Arad's walls from afar, the army began to stir.

Szécsényi, leading the vanguard, rode a strong black warhorse, clad in Milanese plate armor bestowed by the Emperor, his gaze fixed intensely on the approaching Arad.

This siege might be his first battle after being promoted to Royal Supervisor, so he was both nervous and excited.

He constantly dispatched men to urge his troops to accelerate, his cavalry having already outdistanced the infantry behind him by a significant margin.

Just then, the scouts sent out for reconnaissance suddenly galloped back from afar.

"General, we encountered the County Governor of Arad ahead; he's waiting by the roadside with some men, wishing to see the Emperor."

The scout's report momentarily pleased Szécsényi, who immediately realized the implications.

The people of Arad had made a wise choice; they decided to welcome the imperial army, thereby avoiding a potential catastrophe.

This brought a slight sense of relief to Szécsényi, yet also a feeling of loss.

Arad was one of only two core strongholds of the Hunyadi Family in the Hungarian Great Plain, the other being Timisoara.

This city was located in the kingdom's heartland, its defenses much weaker than Timisoara's, and it lacked any topographical advantages.

If his predictions were correct, this would likely be the easiest city to capture in the entire war.

If he were truly to lead his army to assault Timisoara, he felt that with his current forces, the chances of success were slim, and even if they miraculously won, the losses would be heavy.

What a pity; a golden opportunity to earn military merits had slipped through his fingers.

Despite these thoughts, Szécsényi still dispatched troops to escort the County Governor of Arad and the accompanying Bishop of Arad to the Emperor's grand camp.

Soon, Laszlo received the County Governor of Arad, the Bishop, and other respected local nobles in an open space.

The army's advance did not halt; soldiers passing by on the marching road curiously observed this rare sight.

A young Austrian nobleman, Ritter, who had been selected into the Emperor's Imperial Guard after the Italian War, saw a group of people who had seemingly appeared from nowhere, now kneeling uniformly before the Emperor, with only an elderly cleric—by his attire, likely a Bishop—conversing with the Emperor.

As the Emperor's accompanying guards, they were currently positioned around, protecting the Emperor's safety.

By rights, they should have maintained a serious demeanor at such a time, but Ritter still couldn't resist.

Driven by curiosity, he leaned slightly and quietly asked Walter, an old veteran who shared his tent, "Hey, old Beni, what are they doing?"

Beni, one of the few veterans in the Imperial Guard, had followed the Emperor through all the wars since the new Emperor's ascension.

Incidentally, he was one of the several hundred Transylvania cavalrymen Janos initially handed over to Laszlo, meaning he was a former subordinate of Hunyadi Laszlo.

Most of the original Transylvania cavalrymen had been almost entirely depleted in the wars, and the remaining ones had shed their former identities, fully integrating into the constantly reorganized and expanding Imperial Guard.

Even so, the current target of the campaign still left Beni in a bad mood.

Facing the usually lively Ritter, Beni maintained his usual grim expression and impatiently replied, "Look at these people, dressed in their finery, they must be the noble lords and rich folk of Arad.

They don't want to fight the Emperor for the Hunyadi Family, so they chose the easiest way to end the potential battle.

You see—"

Ritter turned to look at the Emperor, only to see the Bishop busy kissing the Emperor's hand, praising his benevolence.

On the other side, the supplicant closest to the Emperor took a few steps forward, knelt before the Emperor, and nervously presented the keys to Arad's city gates.

Behind him, several Imperial Guard colleagues were already carrying several heavy wooden chests towards the Emperor's baggage cart.

Ritter saw that the faces of those who had been kneeling visibly relaxed as they rose.

Although a few individuals still stared intently at the wooden chests the Emperor had received, most people were more willing to pay for peace.

"Hey, who knows, there might even be a reward today."

Beni also watched the scene, suddenly remarking out of the blue.

Ritter, however, didn't care about rewards; he exclaimed, "We just took a city like that?

I wish it would be like this from now on, wherever we go, the enemies just surrender themselves."

"What are you dreaming of?" Beni was amused by Ritter's fanciful idea, and his usually stern face finally broke, "If fighting were really this easy, then what would they need us for?

The mountain roads of Transylvania, though not as rugged as the Alps, are much harder to traverse than these wide plains.

If you're not careful, you might leave your life in the mountains."

Ritter dismissed Beni's words, confidently stating, "Old Beni, the Emperor is invincible!

Haven't you won so many victories following the Emperor? Why now..."

"Form ranks, continue the march."

General Ester's command interrupted their conversation.

The Emperor had sent away those who had submitted to him, and it was time for them to continue their journey.

Soon, the news of Arad's surrender spread throughout the army.

Accompanying it was the Emperor's order to reward the army, distributing bonuses to the soldiers.

The herdsmen around Arad also "donated" many Transylvania grey cattle to the camp, improving the soldiers' meals.

The soldiers cheered in unison, "Long live the Emperor!" and then received orders to camp outside the city, not allowed to enter.

Although some soldiers of the Austria army—especially Werner's Saxony mercenaries—were somewhat disappointed, the Emperor's compensation satisfied them.

In any case, the rebels' first important stronghold, Arad, was thus taken by the Emperor without shedding a drop of blood.

This was a rare good omen, making the army's morale even more robust.