Valley Battle
Crushed stones mixed with arrows, pouring down with the heavy rain, knocked over the Serbia soldiers who were pursuing the fleeing rebels, and screams mixed with the clang of metal echoed through the valley.
Sigismund looked in horror at the cliffs on both sides, seeing countless rebels standing above, throwing stones down.
Crushed stones fell from above, hitting soldiers' heads, splattering red and white liquid mixed with rain onto the muddy ground.
Is this where I will be buried?
Sigismund was terrified by the scene before him, his mind in complete disarray.
He had no idea how to command the Serbian Army, which had fallen into chaos.
To make matters worse, Hunyadi, who had feigned defeat to lure the enemy, suddenly led his army back to attack the pursuing Serbian Army.
His forces were abundant after being reinforced by the garrison at the pass, and he quickly routed the disorganized pursuers.
"Damn it, we have to get out of here! You all quickly protect the Regent and retreat to rendezvous with the Hungarian troops coming to our aid!"
At the critical moment, the Serbian military governor, Pojović, stepped forward and took command.
He first ordered men to escort Sigismund and the rear troops out of the valley.
He himself went to the front to command the troops, difficultly resisting Hunyadi's fierce counterattack, fighting and retreating to buy time for the rear troops.
His order quickly spread through the Serbian Army, but at such a time, an orderly retreat was impossible. The soldiers rushed to the valley entrance behind them, jostling each other.
Sigismund's sedan chair was jostled back and forth in the chaotic crowd, almost throwing the still-shaken Imperial Uncle out.
The attack from above the valley did not lessen in the slightest.
Large amounts of crushed stones and rolling logs continuously fell from above, and the Serbian soldiers, eager to escape the valley, were still crowded together.
More and more Serbian soldiers were smashed, bleeding from their heads, falling to the ground, and falling silent.
Pojović's rearguard was also in a difficult situation; Hunyadi's offensive was very fierce.
He personally led a detachment of elite soldiers to shatter the Serbia's fragile formation, and soldiers from both sides quickly intertwined and fought.
Just as Szécsényi received the Emperor Laszlo's order to stop Sigismund's pursuit, most of Sigismund's army had already rushed into the third section of the valley.
Just as Szécsényi was preparing to lead men to reinforce and withdraw the Serbian Army from the valley, a detachment of rebels suddenly emerged from the small path in the direction of Fântânele Village.
These were Hunyadi's ambush troops, prepared in advance.
Originally, their ambush in Fântânele Village had been guessed by Emperor Laszlo.
However, Sigismund's impulsive actions rendered Emperor Laszlo's step-by-step plan meaningless.
Now, these ambush troops had reoccupied the open ground near Ohaba Village.
They blocked Szécsényi's path forward and also cut off the Serbian Army's retreat from the valley.
"Supervisor, the enemy has reoccupied the connecting area between the two sections of the valley. What should we do?"
Facing his deputy's question, Szécsényi's face was grim as he looked at the rebels who had already formed ranks across the river, gritting his teeth and saying, "What else can we do?"
The Emperor Laszlo's uncle is trapped in the valley. Can we just stand by and do nothing?
Charge through! No matter the cost, we must carve out a path for the troops ahead!"
The Budda Legion, under Szécsényi's command, poured out of the valley in succession, charging towards the rebels blocking their path.
It was already afternoon, and the heavy rain had gradually lessened. The muddy valley had long since turned into a boiling furnace.
The dull thud of chainmail and leather armor colliding, the shattering sound of swords hitting shields, the squelch of spears piercing throats, mixed with curses and screams rising and falling, echoed back and forth between the rock walls.
On the small bridge over the Ohaba River, a burly Hungarian commander, clad in heavy armor, parried an enemy's blow with his shield,
Then used a spiked club to smash the man's head open.
He slightly shook his numb arm and calmly scanned the battlefield with his gaze.
As Szécsényi's most trusted deputy and battle group commander—now called a squadron commander—Báthory István often served as the vanguard, and this time was no exception.
He came from the Ecsed branch of the prominent Báthory Family in Transylvania.
His father, István III, had briefly served as Governor of Hungary and died in the Battle of Kosovo.
His uncle, Bartholomäus, died in 1432 during the First Hussite Wars.
Such a family background could truly be described as full of loyal martyrs.
Upon reaching adulthood, he served in the Hungarian Border Guard, but he failed to gain recognition.
Later, Emperor Laszlo disbanded the Border Guard and presided over the National Assembly.
As a member of the old noble Báthory Family, István firmly stood with the Emperor Laszlo,
He was thus promoted, becoming an important commander of the Border Guard's Budda Legion.
However, the Báthory Family was not yet famous enough in his time, only holding considerable power in the Kingdom of Hungary.
What truly made the Báthory Family one of the most important noble families in Hungarian history was another branch of the family, the Somlyó branch.
In the original history, this branch produced Transylvanian monarchs and Kings of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
One of his distant relatives, Stefan IX Báthory, single-handedly created the famous Polish Winged Hussars.
These are all later stories. For now, Báthory István still represents the Báthory Family and is one of the few traditional great nobles accepted by the Emperor Laszlo.
However, his family background still limited his career.
If it were in the past era when great nobles controlled state affairs, as a Hungarian great noble with a pure lineage and such a prominent background, a squadron commander would likely have been just his starting point.
But now, he had been struggling in the army for twelve years, experiencing ups and downs, only to secure a mid-level officer position.
It was impossible for him not to harbor resentment in his heart.
Nouveau riche families like the Szécsényi Family, who only rose to prominence during Sigismund's era, could now lord over him and issue commands.
And his Báthory Family was a famous family that had existed since the First Hungarian Dynasty—the Árpád Dynasty—yet now he could only be subordinate to others.
István desperately hoped to prove himself to the Emperor Laszlo and then gain the status he deserved.
This campaign against the Hunyadi Family rebellion was an excellent opportunity.
Moreover, he had long been displeased with this nouveau riche family.
Seeing more and more friendly troops around him, István became even more invigorated.
He let out a battle cry full of anger, leading the charge against the enemy occupying the bridgehead, quickly striking down several enemy soldiers one by one.
Although István was actually a cavalry officer, his infantry combat skills were also quite excellent.
The Hungarian soldiers following him were greatly encouraged by their general's bravery and charged fiercely towards the enemy on the other side of the river.
No one among the rebels dared to challenge this Hungarian general, who seemed possessed by a berserker.
Many fanatical Hungarian light cavalry gathered around István.
Although they could only rely on their legs to move across the battlefield now, this did not hinder their swift charge against the rebels.
The battle became increasingly fierce.