Two Groups

Outside Arad, Laszlo gathered all the independent commanders under his command in his tent.

Due to the sheer size of the army, supply might become an issue after leaving the Great Plains.

After much thought, Laszlo decided to send a detached force to advance along another route.

This would not only alleviate logistical pressure but also potentially mislead Hunyadi, causing him to disperse his forces.

Laszlo's gaze swept over everyone in the tent.

Werner and Karl from Austria stood on one side, the three Royal Supervisors from Hungary stood on the other, and Ester and Matthias stood to Laszlo's left and right, respectively.

Laszlo, who was about to speak, suddenly thought of something, and his expression became a little strange.

In this tent, there were three Hungarian, one Serbia, one Croatian, one Danish, and one Brunswick.

He was the only Austrian, and there were no others besides him...

Laszlo suddenly felt as if he were in the Sultan's tent.

A subtle emotion suddenly arose and then disappeared.

In this era, even national boundaries were not very clear, so who cared where someone was from?

Talent was the only criterion for selection.

After a harsh self-interrogation about his narrow nationalistic thoughts, Laszlo regained the awareness befitting a monarch of a vast composite kingdom.

"Ahem, gentlemen," Laszlo cleared his mind of stray thoughts, "Let's look at this map."

Laszlo unrolled a finely crafted map in front of everyone, on which all the strongholds of the Hunyadi Family were clearly marked.

This map was even accurate down to the villages; any territory belonging to the Hunyadi Family was marked.

Although it didn't show troop deployments like a defensive map, it gave the commanders a clear understanding of their path ahead.

This was, of course, not a hastily drawn marching map based on immediate reconnaissance by staff officers, but a gift presented to Laszlo by the Arad County Governor.

"Now there are two paths before us. Although we have studied this issue earlier, it is now time to make a decision."

Laszlo traced two paths on the map, explaining to everyone: "From Arad, turning south, there is a direct road leading to Timisoara.

This road is sufficient for a large army to advance quickly, and I will personally lead the main army along this route.

However, the situation in Timisoara is still unclear, and we cannot bypass this strong border fortress, so I do not intend to have the entire army crowded onto this single road.

From Arad, heading east, there is another road along the Mures River, which is also passable.

From here, there is no obstruction all the way to Lipa.

Then, upon reaching Lipa, it is the county seat of the neighboring county.

Originally royal land, my father bestowed it upon the Hunyadi Family twelve years ago.

Since then, the passes and cities at both ends of the Mures Valley—Lipa and Deva—have become the territory of the Hunyadi Family.

The entire long and fertile river valley has become Hunyadi's possession. I heard some call it 'Hunyadi's Valley.'

I need a general to lead an army to seize the first half of the valley for me, and then prepare some boats at the Mures River crossing, in preparation for breaking through the Deva pass later.

The two armies will rendezvous in the latter half of the valley and then together assault the heartland of Transylvania.

So, who is willing to undertake this crucial task?"

The generals exchanged glances, no one stepping forward to answer the Emperor's call.

Advancing with the main army, as long as the Emperor was cautious enough, there would be almost no risk of failure.

However, as a detached force, attacking the narrow and rugged river valley, the risk was uncommonly high.

Moreover, if they couldn't even take Lipa and were completely blocked outside the valley, wouldn't that greatly disappoint the Emperor?

After entering the valley, there was also the possibility of encountering Hunyadi's ambush. A single misstep could lead to the tragic annihilation of the entire army. Escaping in the valley would be difficult.

Such thoughts plagued the generals present, making them hesitant.

"Your Majesty, I believe my troops are sufficient to undertake this task."

Finally, Karl was the first to step forward.

This general from Denmark possessed extraordinary courage.

"Karl, you are as spirited and brave as ever.

However, your Austro-Hungarian Army is the main force of the entire army, with a higher proportion of cavalry, and equipped with a large number of Hussite War Wagons and artillery. It already marches at the rear of the column protecting the baggage train, so undertaking this task... is not appropriate."

Laszlo did not agree to Karl's request.

He could not send the Austro-Hungarian Army as a detached force, because the Austro-Hungarian Army, as one of his two main forces, had been battle-tested and was one of his trump cards.

Moreover, Karl's troops were indeed not suitable for marching and fighting in such terrain.

"Your Majesty—" "Your Majesty!"

At this moment, Hervoye and Werner suddenly spoke at the same time. They shot each other a warning glance and then began to defer to each other.

"Werner, you speak first." Laszlo interrupted their unspoken understanding.

"Your Majesty, my troops are mostly infantry, suitable for this task. However, I have a small request..."

"Stop!"

How could Laszlo not know what Werner was thinking?

This Saxon mercenary leader was probably having a relapse of his old habit, wanting to request the right to freely plunder again.

Although doing so in Hunyadi's territory seemed acceptable, Laszlo intended to reclaim all of Hunyadi's territory for the Crown afterward.

In other words, that land would all be his in the future, and he certainly couldn't let Werner turn it into scorched earth like a swarm of locusts.

He turned his gaze to Hervoye, wanting to hear the Croatian general's thoughts.

"Your Majesty, my troops consist mostly of light infantry, and we Croatians are very skilled at fighting in mountainous terrain.

I am willing to undertake this arduous task and achieve victory for you."

Hervoye spoke to the Emperor with great deference.

As one of the representatives of the Croatian faction, he was not without political ambition.

However, the noble forces of the Kingdom of Hungary were complex, and Croatia was merely a vassal state, seemingly inherently inferior.

This situation had persisted for over three hundred years.

Now, he and his good friend, the Governor of Croatia, Frankopan, saw an opportunity to elevate Croatia's status.

If they could make outstanding contributions in the Emperor's war against the Hungarian, the Croatian nobility's influence would surely increase.

Laszlo, however, was unaware of Hervoye's subtle intentions. He began to seriously consider Hervoye's words.

Sending Croatian and Bosnia troops, along with the regular Split Legion, would be just right for attacking the Mures Valley.

"Good, then, this task is yours, Hervoye. Don't disappoint me."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

Werner was somewhat annoyed that he hadn't stepped forward to undertake the task immediately, leading him to miss out on a lucrative assignment.

Meanwhile, Paul and Szécsényi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Their armies were mostly cavalry and also the smallest in number,

and thus not suitable for attacking the treacherous river valley.

Karl had no other thoughts; his offer was also intended to set an example.

He knew very well that the Emperor would not send his main force to fight elsewhere, no matter who he sent.

Thus, the plan for dividing the army was finalized.

Early the next morning, Hervoye led his troops eastward along the Mures River, heading directly towards Lipa.

Laszlo, meanwhile, led his army south, advancing towards Timisoara.

However, just as the army set out, a battle report from Timisoara ruined Laszlo's good mood.

His paternal uncle, Sigismund, while commanding the Serbian Army in the siege of Timisoara, was too close to the city wall and was wounded in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt.

Laszlo had originally been angry because Sigismund's slow actions allowed Hunyadi to reinforce Timisoara's defenses, but now Laszlo was not so angry anymore.

His uncles were all like this, one after another, and Laszlo felt incredibly weary.