The Battle of Niederwyl

At almost the same time that the Austro-Swabian allied forces on the western flank were ambushed by the Swiss, Laszlo's main army also encountered some minor trouble.

After departing from Constance, the army encountered virtually no resistance along the way.

It wasn't until Frauenfeld, the capital of the Thurgau region, that the Imperial Army met with some resistance.

The Swiss garrisoned over a hundred defenders in the castle on the western edge of the city.

This castle stood on the corner of a rocky cliff, overlooking the entire city, with views of the cityscape from its walls.

To the west of the castle, the Murge River, which traversed the city, provided natural protection.

Although it was a small castle, not even comparable in size to a larger manor villa, its combination with the terrain gave it strong defensive capabilities.

Only a very narrow path led to the castle, and it required crossing a drawbridge.

This was the true appearance of most castles in Switzerland.

The Swiss did not have enough financial resources to build large, strategically significant castles.

The Habsburg Family, on the other hand, was unwilling to invest too many resources in this remote and impoverished region.

Instead of building numerous castles in Outer Austria to resist the Swiss, it was better to spend more money expanding Vienna Neustadt.

This resulted in Switzerland being dotted with these cheap yet extremely difficult-to-attack small castles. Most of the Swiss garrisoned within were skilled archers and crossbowmen, and a rash attack would undoubtedly lead to heavy casualties.

Clearly, the Swiss were unwilling to easily abandon this crucial stronghold, which could threaten the Imperial Army's supply lines.

As for the city's residents, although they were forced to organize and man Frauenfeld's low walls to resist the Imperial Army, they quickly reached an agreement with the Emperor and opened the city gates.

Rudolf I, the founder of the Habsburg Family, repelled the Duke of Savoy and swallowed up the extinct County of Kyburg.

Since then, the people of Frauenfeld had been under the rule of the Habsburg Family for nearly two hundred years.

The Swiss had breached and plundered the city four years prior, subsequently bringing both the city and the castle under the control of the Confederation.

The people of Thurgau had initially believed they could establish their own canton and be on equal footing with other members of the Confederation.

Unexpectedly, at the Federal Diet, Uri and Zurich, these sworn enemies, uncharacteristically reached an agreement and declared Thurgau a federal condominium.

This decision was tantamount to directly designating Thurgau as a colony of the Confederation.

It should be noted that when Aargau was incorporated into the Confederation, only half of its territory was designated as a condominium, while the other half joined the Confederation as a half-canton.

However, when it came to Thurgau, the Swiss attitude became much tougher.

Such differential treatment left the people of Thurgau quite dissatisfied, and they had long hoped for the Emperor's army to arrive one day.

Then they could joyfully welcome the royal army.

The Swabian army from Constance was undoubtedly very brutal; if faced with a siege by the Swabians, the citizens of Frauenfeld would never surrender.

However, the Emperor had shown leniency to many towns along Lake Constance, and this act had been deliberately spread by those with intentions, becoming known to more places.

Now, the people of Frauenfeld also knew that the Emperor would not order the plunder of surrendered Thurgau towns, so naturally, they had no heart to resist.

However, the Swiss garrison in the castle were elite troops sent by Zurich,

and the castle had ample supplies, so they would not surrender easily.

Laszlo had long anticipated this; he ordered Gunter to lead the Independent Army into the city to besiege the castle and prepare for the assault.

He stationed his central army on a small hill northwest of Frauenfeld, with the main camp set up in the small chapel at the top of the hill.

The rear guard, the Austro-Hungarian Army, led by Karl, camped beside the main road outside the city's north gate, simultaneously supporting the Independent Army to the west of the city and the Emperor's main forces to the northwest of the city.

"Your Majesty, although I am somewhat ashamed to say it, I still do not recommend attacking that castle."

Gunter, having surveyed the castle's terrain, presented his opinion to the Emperor at the military council.

He swore that anyone who saw this formidable fortress with two sheer cliffs and one side facing water would not even consider a frontal assault.

Moreover, on the only path leading to the castle from the south, a nearly enclosed, sturdy barrier had been constructed.

According to the citizens, this castle originally had only a small tower, but Rudolf IV had expanded it multiple times, making it the easily defensible structure it was now.

This Rudolf IV was Charles IV's son-in-law, the important leader of the Habsburg Family who forged the Privilegium Maius and created the title of "Archduke of Austria."

Laszlo believed his ancestor's intentions were good, as Frauenfeld was located at the border between Thurgau and Zurich.

Fortifying the castle here was an important measure to resist Swiss incursions.

It was a pity that the beautiful saying "one generation plants trees, another enjoys the shade" did not come to pass.

Rudolf IV probably never imagined that Laszlo would directly sell Thurgau to the Swiss.

Now, it was Laszlo's turn to sigh at the sight of the castle.

"Alright, I suppose these hundred-odd Swiss won't cause much trouble.

Jörg von Fuchsberg, take your army to besiege that castle, while maintaining order in the city and guarding against Swiss surprise attacks."

Laszlo issued the order to the commander of the Tyrol conscripts.

This Jörg had once been one of Emperor Frederick's "knights" and court commanders, and also an important noble of Tyrol.

As Laszlo formed his new cabinet, Jörg could only return to his fiefdom in Tyrol and await the Emperor's re-employment.

This time, on the expedition to Switzerland, the Emperor finally remembered him and entrusted him with command of over a thousand mountain militiamen conscripted from Tyrol itself.

Upon hearing the Emperor's command, Jörg immediately stood up, pounded his chest, and calmly replied, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I guarantee that no mishaps will occur in the army's rear."

Laszlo nodded slightly; this Jörg was the most militarily capable among the Tyrolean nobles who had offered their services to him at the time.

Although the Tyrolean militia under his command had not undergone extensive training, they were more than sufficient for the task of besieging a small castle and guarding the city.

"Since Frauenfeld has been taken, we can declare Thurgau liberated.

Beyond here lies the territory of Zurich, and the decisive battle with the Swiss will enter its countdown.

All of you must be fully prepared; I will lead you to shatter the Swiss resistance."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

The generals under the Emperor's command loudly responded to the Emperor's expectations.

The generals returned to their respective camps, and the main army halted in Frauenfeld for one night, setting off early the next morning towards Winterthur.

Gunter led his troops directly out of the city's west gate, while Laszlo led his army along the main road north of the city, with both armies advancing simultaneously.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would reach the outskirts of Winterthur before noon.

However, the unforeseen came much faster than Laszlo had imagined.

Just half an hour after the army set off, the Imperial Guard's scouts detected signs of the enemy.

"Your Majesty, we have found traces of the Swiss ahead. Multiple Swiss formations have been discovered in the open ground between Lake Egel and Niederwyl village.

They have completely blocked the path forward."

The scout's report made Laszlo pause slightly.

Niederwyl was a small village a few miles west of Frauenfeld.

This village was a junction of two roads; Laszlo had originally intended to rendezvous with the Independent Army there before advancing together, but he did not expect the Swiss to seize it first.

To the north of Niederwyl was a small hill, and at its base was a small lake, Lake Egel.

The Imperial Army's route of advance was sandwiched between Lake Egel and Niederwyl, where there was an open plain.

However, before the plain could be seen, the army needed to pass through a section of forest road, where visibility would be obscured.

If Laszlo had not been cautious enough to send his scouts far ahead, he would likely have been ambushed by the Swiss immediately upon exiting the forest.

Moreover, since the vanguard was advancing on another road, Laszlo was currently leading the Imperial Guard personally at the very front of the column.

"Damn it, these insidious Swiss."

Laszlo cursed under his breath and immediately sent messengers to the Austro-Hungarian Army following behind and the Independent Army on the other road, instructing them to prepare for battle.

He certainly would not take the forest path; if he insisted on passing through the forest, his army would have no opportunity to deploy once they emerged.

According to the scout's description, the Swiss were likely formed up a few hundred meters outside the forest, and there were skirmishers even closer to the forest, scouting and looking for opportunities to ambush.

Therefore, Laszlo decisively chose to bypass the forest via a smaller path further north.

He divided his central army into three divisions on the open ground north of the forest, on the eastern bank of Lake Egel.

The Imperial Guard infantry was in the center, the Croatian army was placed on the front line, and the Swabian army was positioned at the rear as a reserve.

Three large formations advanced along the southeastern shore of Lake Egel towards the open ground where the Swiss were located.

On the other side, Karl, having received his orders, personally led the total of over two thousand cavalry, one thousand infantry, and some chariots and artillery that Laszlo had assigned to him, rapidly marching around the northern shore of Lake Egel.

Although the Swiss had tried hard to find such a good position on flat terrain to ambush him, the Imperial Army's mobility advantage was an objective reality.

The Swiss, lacking cavalry, noticed the Imperial Army's cavalry attempting to flank them, but they were powerless to stop it.

Immanuel, the commander of the Zurich army, learned of the Imperial Army cavalry's movements on the northern shore of Lake Egel from his scouts.

Prior to this, he had already detached fifteen hundred men to guard Niederwyl, to delay the enemy forces on the other road.

Now, he had no choice but to detach another thousand men to block the enemy cavalry attempting to outflank them from the north shore.

His forces on the front line were now reduced to just over five thousand men, but five thousand troops were still enough for him.

Soon, the Croatian army approached the Swiss skirmisher units at the front.

Infantry from the Alps and the Balkans from both nations engaged in a bloody struggle in the two-hundred-meter-wide open ground between Lake Egel and the forest.

The Croatians placed infantry armed with sabers and shields in the first rank, followed by several ranks of spearmen, with crossbowmen and archers at the rear of the formation.

Due to the small number of archers in both the Swiss vanguard and the Croatian army, only sparse arrows could be seen arcing across the sky.

Occasionally, someone would be struck by an arrow and fall, letting out a painful wail.

Some Swiss halberdiers formed up and charged at the weak points of the Croatian army's formation, but they were quickly repelled by the numerically superior Croatians.

The initial clashes between the two sides did not result in heavy casualties, as this was merely a battle to cover the advance of the main army.

The first Swiss thousand-man phalanx began to move past their vanguard towards the Croatians.

Marcelo was originally part of the garrison at Varaždin Castle.

This castle was the gateway to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, formerly belonging to the Counts of Cilli, and now owned by the Emperor.

To conquer Switzerland, the Emperor decided to conscript a Croatian army, also skilled in mountain warfare, to assist in the operation. Marcelo and most of his comrades were incorporated into this army.

They received military pay from the Emperor, wore lightweight armor, and carried shields and sabers. As the core of the entire formation, their task was to withstand all charges.

He now realized that the Swiss opposite him were clearly masters of phalanx warfare as well.

The Swiss soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, shouting the same chants, marching in precise unison, as if they had merged into one entity.

The officers' shouts echoed in Marcelo's ears. He saw arrows constantly flying overhead, landing in the Swiss formation.

Even though many fell wounded by arrows, these Swiss seemed to have no fear, automatically filling the gaps and continuing to march rapidly towards them.

Their speed was simply not what a phalanx should possess, and terrifyingly, they maintained their orderly formation.

"Shields up! Spears ready! Don't let them break the line!"

The noble officers on the front line shouted loudly, reminding the soldiers around them.

Amidst the deafening roars, the two phalanxes collided violently.

Marcelo held up his shield, and above his head and to his sides were the long pikes raised by his comrades in the rear ranks, making him feel very safe.

Several long pikes heavily struck his shield; the immense force nearly knocked him over, but fortunately, someone behind him held him up.

Although the Swiss in the front rank wore armor, they dared not directly charge into the gleaming forest of pikes.

Marcelo, familiar with the weaknesses of long pikes, tried to swing his saber and cut down a few, and his other comrades beside him followed suit.

Just as he was about to cut down more pikes, a strangely shaped long-poled weapon suddenly struck down like lightning from above his head.

It was a weapon called an halberd, also known as a Swiss voulge.

This blow directly split open the head of the unprepared Marcelo.

The poor warrior didn't even have time to let out a scream, as blood mixed with white matter splattered onto his comrades behind him.

Some two-handed swordsmen charged out from the Swiss formation, attempting to parry or directly cut down the pikes.

The Croatian soldiers in the first rank immediately rushed forward with shields and sabers to engage in close combat with these individuals attempting to break the formation.

Compared to the fierce Swiss, the Croatians were ultimately at a disadvantage.

Soon, the standoff devolved into a massive melee, and the Croatian formation was routed by the Swiss less than half an hour after the battle began.

After a bloody slaughter of the kneeling or fleeing Croatians, the Swiss advanced with an unstoppable momentum towards the Imperial Army's second line of defense.

Seeing the approaching Swiss, a hint of solemnity finally appeared on Laszlo's usually expressionless face.

This was arguably his closest encounter with the battlefield, even closer than the one by the Ticino River, allowing him to observe these Swiss, renowned for their courage, up close.

Clearly, they carried a certain aura, one could even say a belief.

To use a somewhat inappropriate term, it was the "I think so" power.

Those veteran Swiss soldiers knew their mission, and therefore would stabilize the front line at all costs, so that the new recruits in the rear ranks of the phalanx would not panic.

Then, they would believe that their side was always at an advantage, and whether this was an illusion or not, they would hold their ground without retreating a single step.

In brutal combat, the enemy often collapses first.

Since their emergence, the Swiss had almost never suffered defeat in individual battles, which gave them even more confidence and courage.

Of course, most of these battles were contributed by the Habsburg Family.

Today, Laszlo was determined to end the Swiss's courage here and tell them that times had changed.

In the gaps between the two infantry companies arrayed at the very front of the Imperial Guard, hundreds of musketeers silently held their matchlock muskets, mass-produced by the Graz arsenal.

The burning match cords emitted a faint sound, which was quickly drowned out by the Swiss battle cries.

Beside the musketeers, young Austrians, trained by Swiss instructors from Vienna Neustadt, stood ready.

They wore more refined Milanese armor, and their training was more thorough and rigorous than that of the Swiss; now was the moment to test the results.

These warriors, bearing the Emperor's hopes, were prepared to use the blood of the Swiss to wash away centuries of shame for the Habsburg Family.