Echoes from Afar

Aargau-Baden, a canton under the joint administration of the Swiss Confederation, was the ancestral homeland of the Habsburg Family, where the Swiss established the Federal Council.

This was the first federal institution established in the alliance treaty of the Eight Cantons, designed to handle important federal matters involving multiple cantons.

The Emperor's invasion was imminent, and this Council meeting had been ongoing for several days.

According to the treaty, the cantons had already begun full mobilization and army assembly.

The Canton of Uri, in particular, had assembled an army of over two thousand men in just five days, and they were now waiting near the mountain pass of Leventina.

Although the people of Uri were unsure whether enemies would launch an attack from Milan, south of the mountains, they had to be prepared for it.

The combined forces of Schwyz and Unterwalden, totaling over three thousand men, were now advancing towards Aargau.

Thanks to their many allies in Outer Austria providing intelligence, the Swiss Confederation had learned that nearly twenty thousand troops had been assembled for this route.

The bulk of these were the allied forces of the Swabian princes, accounting for roughly half of the total strength on the western front.

The remaining half consisted of the Saxon Army and conscripted forces from Outer Austria, jointly commanded by Werner and Matthias.

Now, most of the cantons in the Confederation concluded that the western front would be the Emperor's main direction of attack, and thus their armies began to gather in Aargau.

While the news of over ten thousand troops entering Bregenz on the eastern front was taken seriously, it did not influence the Council's judgment.

"You will regret this!"

The roar of the Zurich representative echoed throughout the assembly hall.

In response, aside from the Bern representative who cast a sympathetic glance at him, the other representatives turned a deaf ear to Zurich's plea for help.

Even Bern, who most wanted to send troops to aid Zurich, chose to support the western front due to the overwhelming defensive pressure from Outer Austria.

After all, if the western front were lost, Bern itself would certainly be threatened.

The current situation was that, apart from Glarus and Zug, all other federal cantons decided to concentrate their armies in Aargau.

Glarus and Zug were the two smallest cantons in the Confederation, and together they could only muster a mere thousand troops to assist Zurich in defending the eastern front.

Most federal members hoped to first repel the enemy forces invading from Outer Austria, and then consider other directions.

"Can't you be a little stronger? Stop yelling here."

The Uri representative looked at the Zurich representative with a sneer.

"We agree to transfer half of our army to Aargau to defend against the enemy, and we will also resist the threat from Milan."

Hearing the representative from Uri, the elder brother of the Confederation, speak, the representatives from the other cantons breathed a sigh of relief.

The Emperor's multi-pronged attack had brought immense pressure on the Confederation, and they were indeed helpless.

"You'd better pray we can hold! I will never forget today that you chose to abandon Zurich!"

The Zurich representative stood up in anger, intending to leave this disappointing Council meeting.

There were rumors that the army on the eastern front was personally commanded by the Emperor, which meant it was likely the enemy's true main force.

If they could defeat the Emperor first, wouldn't the rest be easier?

Yet these stubborn fellows were fixated on the ragtag forces from Outer Austria.

They believed that Emperor Laszlo was fighting the Swiss to avenge himself and reclaim the ancestral lands of his family, Aargau.

However, Zurich was most likely the Emperor's true target.

The Zurich representative grew more and more disappointed the more he thought about it; how could the Confederation succeed by associating with this group of worms?

"How about my Canton of Bern sends some troops to assist Zurich in defense?"

Seeing his staunch ally about to leave, the Bern representative quickly spoke to retain him.

"If Aargau is breached, those damned nobles will lead their bandits deep into the Confederation's heartland.

Who will bear such losses?"

The representative of Unterwalden silenced the Bern representative with a single sentence.

"Fine, since you are unwilling to help, we will defend ourselves.

But God is watching everyone, and your betrayal of the alliance will never be forgotten!"

The Zurich representative left the assembly hall with a cold face, leaving the other cantons' representatives with grim expressions and in silence.

"Mr. Trumbull, you are well aware of the current situation; I'm afraid the plan we previously agreed upon is impossible to achieve."

The representative of Bern looked at the special observer in the meeting hall and said to him helplessly.

"I can understand you, and His Majesty the King will also understand you.

This time, the Emperor has clearly colluded with the Duke of Burgundy; we can only deal with the immediate enemy first.

Please do your best to hold on; once His Majesty the King defeats the rebels, he will immediately send troops to rescue Switzerland."

Mr. Trumbull sighed deeply and made a promise to the Council representatives.

He came on behalf of Louis XI, originally intending to discuss a plan to raid Burgundy with the Swiss Confederation, but unexpectedly, the Emperor struck first.

Everyone believed that this had been premeditated by the Emperor and the Duke of Burgundy.

Now there was no strategy that could alleviate the current crisis.

Indeed, compared to the situation Louis XI faced, the Swiss Confederation's crisis was clearly more severe.

Mr. Trumbull could only first stabilize his allies, hoping that Louis XI could defeat the League of Public Weal first and then rescue Switzerland.

If Switzerland were defeated first, the Emperor's army might proceed to Burgundy as reinforcements, and then France would be completely finished.

From Mr. Trumbull's perspective, this was entirely possible, and the Emperor would never miss this rare opportunity.

Hearing the French envoy's words, the representatives of the cantons nodded, gaining a little more confidence in victory.

They believed that the King of France could quickly defeat the Duke of Burgundy.

By then, once the French royal army arrived, the Emperor would be nothing to them.

Even if the reality was not so, they could only believe and hope this way.

Of course, it's better to rely on oneself than on others.

The Habsburg Family had failed countless times in Switzerland, and this time the result would be no different.

The Council continued, and the representatives of the cantons re-clarified the terms of the alliance and added some new rules.

Issues that the Swiss, who had never faced multi-front wars before, had not considered were now brought up one by one, discussed, and resolved.

The new alliance stipulated that when federal members fought together, each canton should compel its soldiers to serve.

Soldiers from any canton should obey the commands given by officers from other cantons.

This was to ensure a unified command system when the combined forces of multiple cantons fought together, rather than fighting independently and being defeated one by one.

Armies from the Three Forest Cantons, Bern, Lucerne, and Aargau, along with some volunteers from Basel and Schaffhausen, totaling twelve thousand troops, gathered in Aargau.

A general from Bern, Heinrich Hung, was responsible for the unified command of this army to resist the enemy on the western front, i.e., from Outer Austria.

This was because the five thousand men of the Bern army, plus some artillery, were the absolute main force of this army.

On the shore of Lake Constance, the armies of Zurich, Zug, Glarus, St. Gallen, and Thurgau were assembled, totaling about eight thousand men.

A Zurich nobleman, Emanuel Billis, was responsible for commanding this army to resist the Imperial Army's attack on the eastern front, directly facing the Emperor.

Another army from Uri guarded the mountain pass in the south leading to Milan, using the strategic terrain to block the Imperial Army from Milan.

In fact, the Zurich representative's guess was undoubtedly correct.

Recapturing Aargau would be an inspiring victory for the Habsburg Family, but that was all.

For the Swiss, losing Aargau would be almost inconsequential.

As a rural half-canton, Aargau's population, economy, and influence within the Confederation were not high.

Moreover, the remaining half of Aargau was separated and established as the Aargau-Baden condominium, and its development over the years had been unremarkable.

Zurich, however, was different; it was the primary driving force behind the rise and expansion of the Swiss.

From Laszlo's perspective, with the hindsight of later generations, as long as Zurich was successfully recaptured, the Swiss Confederation would essentially be cut off from external expansion.

Historically, the Battle of Morat in 1476, which was a major battle between the Swiss Confederation and the Duchy of Burgundy before Charles the Bold's skull was split at Nancy.

At that time, Charles led nearly twenty thousand troops to invade western Switzerland, with his forces directly targeting Bern, the heart of western Switzerland.

In this critical moment, the Three Forest Cantons refused to provide much assistance, citing that the war was provoked by Bern.

In desperation, Bern could only turn to Zurich, its closest ally within the Confederation and also a wealthy city-canton, for help.

The Bern army totaled five thousand men, while the Zurich army reached an astonishing twelve thousand.

The military strength of Zurich alone was equivalent to half of the Swiss Confederation's total army.

The Bernese, moved, fought fiercely alongside their allies, ultimately routing the Burgundy army at Morat.

This war not only reflected the deep divisions between the Swiss agricultural cantons and city-cantons but also demonstrated the unparalleled war potential of the city-cantons.

The number of troops Zurich could muster was even greater than the total population of some Forest Cantons.

Therefore, the simplest and most effective way to curb the expansion and rise of the Swiss was to remove Zurich.

If there was an opportunity, the Duchy of Burgundy could be allowed to swallow Bern.

By then, the Swiss would be forever trapped deep within the Alps, with no possibility of recovery.

Laszlo had already made thorough strategic plans for this.

Of course, if Aargau could be taken, that would be even better, as it still contained the old Habsburg site.

If a grander Habsburg could be rebuilt upon it, then the power of the Habsburg Family would once again cover the Central Highlands.

The battle in Switzerland was on the verge of breaking out, and the two opposing factions in France were also preparing for a decisive battle.

Mr. Trumbull quickly returned to Paris secretly with the latest intelligence, informing Louis XI of the current situation.

In the royal palace in Paris, Louis XI gathered his supporters to discuss the impending war.

The rebels had already completed their army assembly, and they were planning to advance from Dijon towards Paris.

In Flanders, another Burgundian rebel army moved south from Picardy, preparing to cross the Somme River and approach Paris.

The Breton rebels set off from another direction, also targeting Paris."

Duke of Anjou, René gestured on the map, illustrating the attack routes of several rebel armies, explaining the current situation to everyone.

"It is foreseeable that the enemy's primary objective should be to rendezvous at a certain point and then launch an attack on Paris."

"So we must prevent them from meeting."

Count of Foix, Gaston IV's gaze was fixed on Dijon.

If there were no surprises, the main force of the rebels would be this route from Dijon.

As long as this rebel force could be defeated first, this crisis could be declared over.

"Hmm, originally I intended to have the Swiss tie down the enemy forces at Dijon for me, to give me more time to deal with the two weaker rebel forces first.

Unfortunately, the Emperor invaded Switzerland without hesitation, likely at the request of the Duke of Burgundy, which prevented my plan from being realized."

Louis XI felt quite regretful; if the Swiss could attack Burgundy, or even threaten Dijon, the former capital of Burgundy, his pressure would be greatly reduced.

"However, the reinforcements brought by Gaston have alleviated our predicament, so we must first confront the main force of the rebels.

If all goes well, we should be able to end this rebellion with a decisive strategic battle."

Originally, with Louis XI's own strength, plus the forces of his two uncles, the Duke of Anjou and the Count of Maine, at most he could only muster over twenty thousand men.

Facing the formidable Burgundy, plus the armies of other rebellious vassals, the French royal army had no advantage whatsoever.

But the joining of Gaston IV enabled Louis XI's army to reach an astonishing thirty thousand.

He not only brought the army of the County of Foix but also reinforcements from the Kingdom of Navarre and the Kingdom of Aragon.

Gaston IV's wife was the Queen of Navarre, and his father-in-law was King Juan II of Aragon; both father and daughter were willing to send troops to help Louis XI suppress the rebellion.

Therefore, Gaston brought a full five thousand troops.

Although Louis XI's overall military strength still could not match the truly formidable rebel forces, it already exceeded any single one of the three rebel forces.

As long as he could use his superior numbers to defeat one enemy force before the enemies could rendezvous, he would soon be able to end this farce with his flexible and strong tactics.

No one questioned Louis XI's decision; the King's idea was undoubtedly the optimal solution.

However, no one present noticed that Charles, Count of Maine, who had been silent, now had flickering eyes, staring at the map, lost in thought.

"Well, my dear cousin still hasn't given a reply?"

Louis XI thought of Charles, Duke of Orléans, who was acting like a coward, and a hint of displeasure appeared on his face.

That ungrateful traitor, the Duke of Alençon, who colluded with the English, not obeying orders was one thing; Louis XI swore he would send him to meet his cherished old comrade, Joan of Arc, sooner or later.

But as the King's uncle, if the Duke of Orléans also maintained so-called "neutrality," then Louis XI could not be blamed for being ruthless.

"Earlier today, Angoulême said he would lead an army to join us, representing the Duke of Orléans in suppressing the rebellion."

The Duke of Anjou replied cautiously.

Now that the Anjou and Orléans factions had already reconciled and jointly served the King of France, there was no need for him to take this opportunity to slander the Duke of Orléans in front of his nephew.

Angoulême, Jean d'Orléans, was another cousin of the King of France, and the younger brother of the Duke of Orléans.

This Count had considerable prestige in the French army and was one of the main generals of the French army at the end of the Hundred Years' War.

"Not bad," Louis XI nodded with satisfaction, "It's a pity Dunois went over to the rebels, but I believe he will come to his senses one day."

Jean de Dunois, the half-brother of the Duke of Orléans and Angoulême, the famous "Bastard of Orléans."

He led the army to recapture Paris during the Hundred Years' War, and then commanded many battles, repeatedly defeating the English army.

After Jean Bureau's death, Dunois became the undisputed top general of the French army, France's foremost general and commander.

However, he also seemed to be dissatisfied with the King of France, and therefore took an army to Dijon to join the League of Public Weal.

Charles the Bold greatly valued this old general and entrusted him with important responsibilities.

Louis XI, on the other hand, hoped to use some secret means to change Dunois's mind, as he was severely lacking in capable generals at the moment.

Although Angoulême, who had long served as Dunois's deputy, was usable, he was ultimately not as capable as Dunois in commanding troops.

Soon after this military council ended, King Louis XI left a thousand troops to guard Paris.

Then he personally led an army of over twenty thousand south from Paris, preparing to intercept the rebel forces approaching Paris from Dijon.