Stalemate

The Budda Legion's desperate rescue efforts eventually bore fruit, and the outnumbered rebels ultimately failed to hold the back door of the valley, allowing the remaining Serbian Army to escape.

Seeing that further fighting might lead to their complete annihilation, the rebel general responsible for cutting off the retreat immediately withdrew his remaining troops from Ohaba Village.

The rebels retreated along the original path towards Fintog, preparing to return to the river valley from there.

The valley floor was covered in corpses, and the Ohaba River was completely dyed into a river of blood.

The Serbian routed soldiers were on the verge of a mental breakdown, scattering and fleeing through the valley, even almost breaking up the Hungarian army's formations.

It wasn't until Szécsényi ordered the execution of several routed soldiers who charged his personal guard's ranks that he managed to intimidate those scattered Serbia.

He immediately ordered his troops to assist in rounding up the routed soldiers and arranged some units to guard the roads, preventing enemy surprise attacks.

At this point, Sigismund, who had narrowly escaped death under the desperate protection of his personal guards, found him.

"General Szécsényi, there are still some troops left in the valley, and the situation is critical, they urgently need rescue!" Sigismund said anxiously, deeply moved by Pojovic's self-sacrifice at the crucial moment.

Now that the situation had turned from dangerous to safe, he hadn't forgotten to rescue Pojovic, who was entangled with Hunyadi.

However, Szécsényi, with a terrible expression, merely glanced at him, then pointed around with his hand, making Sigismund look at the situation.

The rain had almost stopped, leaving only muddy ground mixed with crimson blood. A heavy smell of blood hung in the valley, which even the howling cold wind couldn't disperse.

The soldiers slumped amidst the broken spears and shattered shields, some even sitting directly on the bodies of the fallen.

Their wool clothes, soaked by the rain, clung to their shivering bodies, and drops of blood congealed on their sword blades continuously fell, splashing water on the ground.

Even this brief moment of respite was quite a luxury for them.

No one dared to take their hands off their weapons, for the elusive rebels might return at any time.

They had marched for most of the day and then, with almost no rest, plunged into battle with the rebels.

Except for the troops who joined the battle last, everyone was already exhausted.

Doctors were searching the battlefield for possible survivors and treating their injuries, checking for any chance of regaining combat effectiveness.

Although treatment could sometimes be more fatal than the injury, simple wound care and attention could still increase the chances of survival.

Along with the doctors, some Hungarian soldiers who had recovered some energy were clearing the battlefield.

They searched among the scattered bodies for rebels who hadn't died, and then put them out of their misery.

"I will not let my men charge into that damned valley to die in vain. The high ground on both sides of the valley is still full of rebels.

If we are to continue fighting, we should first take the high ground on both sides. This is the most basic common sense in marching and fighting, please don't forget it next time." Szécsényi's tone was quite cold.

If Sigismund hadn't been so careless, he wouldn't be in such a miserable state now.

Besides, the reason Szécsényi so desperately rescued Sigismund was precisely because he was the Emperor's uncle, wasn't it?

If Sigismund died and the Emperor blamed him, things would be terrible.

Now that Sigismund was rescued, the fate of the remaining Serbia was of no concern to him.

Sigismund's expression changed slightly, his face flushed red, a little angry, but more so ashamed.

He now didn't know how to face his nephew.

Seeing that Szécsényi couldn't be persuaded, Sigismund decided to reorganize the Serbian Army and personally go to reinforce them.

However, the Serbian soldiers had long since abandoned their armor and weapons, completely devoid of fighting spirit.

Moreover, due to their scattered flight just now, these routed soldiers were now controlled by the Hungarian Border Guard to prevent further chaos.

Helpless, Sigismund found himself seemingly only able to pray to God.

Otherwise, if Pojovic, as the military governor, died in the valley, what face would he have to return to Serbia and be its Serbia Regent?

Whether God heard his prayer or not, no one knew, but Werner certainly heard it.

He led the Saxon Army through the valley with difficulty, and by the time they reached Ohaba Village, the fighting here was already nearing its end.

"General Werner, you cannot just stand by and watch them die!"

Seeing Werner arrive, Sigismund quickly went to meet him. It must be said that he looked utterly disheveled at this moment.

Werner watched Sigismund, anxious as an ant on a hot pan, and could only sigh softly, saying, "I need to first ensure that Fintog and the high ground on both sides are no longer occupied by the enemy.

As for the remaining troops in the valley, I can only wish them good luck."

Sigismund's hope was dashed once again.

The Saxon Army's mercenaries, complaining about the terrible terrain and the pungent smell of blood in the air, lined up cautiously and advanced towards Fintog.

The guide who had been assigned to Sigismund earlier now became Werner's guide.

After their failed interception, the rebels immediately retreated along a small path back to the river valley, leaving only some obstacles along the way.

Werner quickly ordered these obstacles cleared and advanced all the way to the entrance of the river valley before being blocked by barricades set up by the rebels.

The ambushers on the high ground above the valley had already retreated along the small path back to the river valley. Hunyadi led his troops in pursuit of the routed soldiers to the mouth of the valley. Seeing that there were already troops waiting, he knew that enemy reinforcements had arrived, so he led his army back to the pass.

Pojovic, who was in grave danger, thus saved his life.

There would be no more opportunities for ambushes now. All Hunyadi could do was hold the pass and firmly block the Emperor's grand army outside the river valley.

However, he had completely routed the enemy's vanguard, while his own side had only lost a few hundred men, a result that satisfied him.

Although he failed to use the complex terrain to launch a surprise attack and cut off the Emperor's head in one fell swoop, the objective of thwarting the Imperial Army's morale had been achieved.

If it hadn't been for the rain, the fire attack he had prepared earlier, if it had taken effect, would have caused even greater casualties.

Night was approaching, and despite his reluctance, Laszlo could only order the army to set up camp in the valley.

The Saxon Army was stationed in Fintog, preparing to launch a surprise attack from the small path the next day.

The Budda Legion and the remaining Serbia troops were stationed in Ohaba Village, and after joining the main force tomorrow, they would pass through the valley to attack Taiyou's pass.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Guard and the Austro-Hungarian Army remained stationed in Bashtia Village, awaiting their departure tomorrow morning to rendezvous with the vanguard in Ohaba.

In Bashtia Village, Laszlo lay on his bed, staring blankly at the roaring flames in the stove.

At this hour, he should have long since fallen asleep, but tonight he was sleepless.

When the scouts returning from the front reported the battle situation to him, it was destined that his mood tonight would not be calm.

"More than half lost, unable to fight again…" Laszlo murmured in a hoarse voice. The north wind howled outside the house, making his mood even more depressed.

Now, a suffocating feeling was stuck in his chest, and Laszlo couldn't help but vent it.

He suddenly sat up from the bed, slammed the creaking bedboard forcefully, and gritted his teeth, roaring, "Sigismund, give me back my legion!"

After completing his artistic tribute to the founding emperor of Rome, Laszlo finally began to think calmly.

In fact, most of the losses this time were basically the Serbian Army.

Forget about elite troops, this unit wasn't even considered a ragtag army.

From this perspective, his core strength seemed to have suffered little loss.

However, this was the first time the Serbia had gone to war with him, their new king, and they were treated this way. Who would be willing to fight with him next time?

Although it wouldn't shake his rule over Serbia, it would definitely make the Serbia harbor resentment.

Furthermore, Sigismund, as the direct culprit of this failure, would surely see his prestige in Serbia plummet.

How long ago had he taken office as Serbia Regent? To suffer such a crushing defeat at this time would likely make governing Serbia extremely difficult in the future.

Would he have to appoint a new Serbia Regent again soon?

Appointing other foreigners would certainly provoke strong dissatisfaction among the Serbia, while choosing local powerful figures in Serbia would greatly reduce control over Serbia.

If it weren't for the lack of available personnel, why would Laszlo have chosen Sigismund, this good-for-nothing, to be the Serbia Regent?

There was no other way; afterward, he could only use measures like tax reductions to compensate the Serbia, which would also help stabilize the wavering public sentiment.