No Way Back

Inside the military tent, everyone else was kept outside, and Laszlo once again confronted Sigismund alone.

Just like their previous meeting outside Timisoara, his uncle had disappointed him again.

Laszlo's fingertips lightly tapped the map on the table, the paper gleaming coldly under the bronze candlestick.

His gaze was unwavering, fixed on Sigismund, who sat opposite him, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.

When Laszlo had assigned him to guard Outer Austria, Sigismund had performed quite well.

He had blocked the Swiss attack, and although Thurgau was lost, it wasn't his fault.

After all, that was land the Swiss had coveted for a long time, and during the last war, the enemy had also launched a full-scale assault, which ultimately led to the fall of the Thurgau region.

Besides that, he built universities in Outer Austria, encouraged industry and commerce, and maintained friendly relations with Burgundy and the Swabian princes.

These achievements were all quite good, which was why Laszlo finally decided to make him the Regent of Serbia.

But who would have thought that a Transylvania rebellion would almost ruin this new Regent?

Last time, against the Swiss, it was also because Laszlo's brother-in-law, Charles, had helped, so no problems were exposed.

This time, even with the assistance of the Serbian Military Governor, Sigismund still made many embarrassing blunders.

Failing to seize Timisoara could be blamed on the nobles dragging their feet and missing the opportune moment.

Personally exposing himself to arrows to encourage the attacking army and getting shot could even be considered an act of loyalty.

However, this time, his eagerness for achievement and reckless advance led his troops into an ambush with heavy losses. Was he going to shift the blame onto him, the Emperor?

Blame him for making Sigismund the vanguard?

Such an accusation was utterly baseless.

Because long before the advance, Laszlo had given repeated warnings, but he still couldn't stop Sigismund's impulsive thoughts.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I caused the deaths of those soldiers who tragically perished in the valley…"

Sigismund endured the pain from his injuries, knelt on one knee at Laszlo's feet, and spoke with difficulty.

"You are indeed guilty," Laszlo's tone was no longer as gentle as before, like a sword blade tempered in ice water, he sharply accused, "I put aside past grievances, went against all objections, and entrusted you with a heavy responsibility.

My original hope was that you could join forces with Uncle Trelle to guard the kingdom's borders and lead the Habsburg Family towards a brighter future.

But you have repeatedly betrayed my trust, and this time you come to me with broken spears and remnants of an army.

Tell me, Sigismund, when your troops were being wantonly slaughtered by the enemy in the valley, did you first see your military banner fall, or did you first hear the wails of the soldiers?"

As he spoke, he drew a finely crafted Hungarian short sword, inlaid with jewels, from his waist and toyed with it in his hand.

This was Albrecht II's coming-of-age gift to him, and he always carried this sword with him when he was within the Kingdom of Hungary.

Of course, the sword was mostly for ornamental purposes, making him appear more like the Hungarian nobles.

But now, using it to scare Sigismund was also fine.

Sigismund could see the cold glint on the blade. His Adam's apple bobbed once, and he replied hoarsely, "I…

…I can't remember any of that anymore.

But, I will definitely atone for my sins and restore the glory of the Habsburg Family, as long as you are willing to give me another chance—"

"Are you joking?" Laszlo scoffed, fiercely plunging the blade in his hand into the tabletop, "Glory belongs to the victors, yet you always beg for my forgiveness and grace."

"In the name of God, I swear to you, this is absolutely the last time!"

Sigismund gritted his teeth and made a resolute vow.

Laszlo remained silent for a moment, and seeing that he had made his point, he softened his tone and said, "You have already harmed the Serbia and betrayed my trust.

I will give you another chance, because we are blood relatives.

However, you must strive to do better from now on, and remember that my patience is not limitless.

I do not wish to hear the Serbia question the Habsburg Family's rule over them again in the future. Can you do that?"

Sigismund looked up into Laszlo's eyes and solemnly declared, "Your Majesty, thank you for your benevolence. I will not disappoint you again."

Laszlo nodded slightly, instructed Sigismund to rest well, and then left the military tent.

Merely reprimanding Sigismund wasn't enough; Laszlo then had a conversation with the Serbian Military Governor, Pojovic.

He praised the general's courage and quick wit in times of crisis and gained a deeper understanding of the Serbian Army's casualties.

This was to implement appropriate relief policies later to regain the support of the Serbia.

This should have been Sigismund's job, but Laszlo decided to personally oversee the matter.

After all, it concerned the stability of his rule over Serbia.

Three days passed in a flash, during which Laszlo also received some welcome news.

One day, while a scout was observing from a high vantage point, he suddenly noticed a large-scale movement of the defenders in Tai You.

A force estimated to be about three thousand men quickly withdrew from the Tai You camp, and Hunyadi's commander's banner could vaguely be seen among them.

However, this army was not heading towards the valley to launch an attack, but rather deeper into the river valley.

Laszlo immediately realized that Hunyadi's rear was in big trouble.

At this moment, he was probably eager to return to save the Crystal, not even bothering to defend the Tai You highland tower.

And indeed, it was as he had expected.

Although the defenses Giraks had set up in the east held for a short time, they were still destined to be breached.

He himself was beheaded in battle with Vlad.

When the two counties within the royal domain saw the large army bearing the Emperor's banner crossing mountains and valleys to attack Hunyadi, they immediately surrendered at the sight of the wind.

Those who didn't surrender were "cleansed" by Vlad.

He wasn't afraid of the Emperor's reprimand; although this was the Emperor's territory, those who dared to resist were undoubtedly all rebels.

By helping the Emperor clear out these rebellious elements, the Emperor would even have to thank him.

Stefan and Vlad's thousands of troops marched along the main road by the Mures River, killing their way to Deva.

Hunyadi received news of the enemy approaching Deva and was forced to lead his main force back to reinforce Deva.

Moreover, bad news kept coming: the Hatteg city guard and Efikende of Korchi announced their allegiance to the Emperor, raising two thousand troops to attempt a surprise attack on Hunyadi Castle.

Although their army was repelled when they besieged Osos Hilos on the way, it also declared that Hunyadi had completely lost control of all territories outside Hunyadi County.

Even his family's core territory, Hunyadi County, now only had half a county, centered on the Deva City-Hunyadi Castle line, still in his hands.

His ally, the Archbishop of Alba Iulia, was severely reprimanded by Archbishop Veszter, the Hungarian religious leader and Regent of the Kingdom. The Emperor also seemed to have applied to the Pope to depose this rebellious Archbishop.

Alba Iulia was also besieged by the Bulgarian Army led by Grand Master Martin and the Saxon city coalition.

In the first half of the Mures Valley, he couldn't spare a single soldier for defense.

After conquering Lipa, Hunyadi's former colleague, the Croatian General Hervoye, led his army deep into the territory, encountering almost no strong resistance along the way.

What he didn't know was that just a few days after he left, Hervoye led his Split Legion, using collected boats, to travel upstream.

They swiftly bypassed obstacles and arrived behind the Tai You Pass, launching an attack from the river valley.

In the valley, the heavy rain finally stopped, and the artillery brought by Karl also played its due role—thanks to the Austrian convoy's increasingly mature gunpowder storage technology.

Soon, this pass, which had troubled Laszlo for several days, fell under a pincer attack, and the rebel defenders were completely annihilated. Hunyadi, who had just managed to halt Vlad the Impaler's advance at Deva, almost fainted on the spot when he heard that the Emperor's more than twenty thousand troops were now advancing towards Deva by both land and water along the river valley.

All was lost.