Good News

Zurich, four full days have passed since the Imperial Army launched its full assault using artillery.

Moonlight pierced through the massive gaps in the city walls, illuminating the corpses strewn across the ground, adding a touch of desolation to the peaceful night.

Some women and children, under the cover of darkness, were moving earth and stones, attempting to fill these alarming breaches.

Most of the city's defending soldiers, exhausted from a full day of desperate fighting, were sleeping soundly, leaning directly against the city walls.

They still clutched their pikes, ready to quickly engage in battle should the Imperial Army launch a surprise attack.

"Where are the reinforcements? Why haven't I seen even a shadow of a single reinforcement until now?"

In the command post near the city wall, the general in charge of Zurich's defense impatiently questioned the Mayor of Zurich.

The Mayor had, not long ago, solemnly promised that reinforcements would arrive soon.

However, the ships arriving daily from Lake Zurich, though laden with supplies to sustain their defense, carried no young, able-bodied soldiers.

This forced the defenders to continuously expand the conscription age, drafting all men between fifteen and sixty into the city's defense force.

Even so, their forces were stretched thin, and the immense losses from daily combat simply could not be replenished.

"You also know the current situation. Not only the villages and towns around us, but also many of the young men from Zug and Glarus have died outside Frauenfeld.

We can no longer get more manpower assistance from the Federation.

The Federation's main army now needs to prevent the two enemy forces from converging, so they can't possibly come to relieve Zurich…

The Mayor explained, spreading his hands helplessly.

In reality, the Federation still had some human reserves.

However, the Milanese attack on the Leventina Valley was very fierce.

The Federation ultimately chose to protect the borders of Uri, and naturally, no more soldiers were sent to Zurich to strengthen the city's defenses.

"So, those allied cantons are no longer concerned about Zurich's fate?"

The defending general felt a profound sorrow. Anyone who had experienced it knew that the feeling of being abandoned was truly unbearable.

Years ago, in the struggle for the inheritance of the Count of Toggenburg, Zurich was expelled from the Federation, and later abandoned by its ally, the Austrians.

Within just a few years, Zurich had suffered multiple betrayals and deceptions, and now it was about to repeat the same mistakes.

Who knew if Zurich would continue to exist after the Emperor's army broke through the city?

"The Federal Council's meaning is that if we hold firm, there will be a way.

As long as we can hold out until the Federal army defeats the enemy coming from Aargau, everything will be fine."

The Mayor's words did not have any calming or encouraging effect; instead, they made the defending general show a sarcastic smile.

"Mr. Mayor, have you seen the northeastern city wall?"

"Uh, I haven't had a chance yet… Is there a problem?"

"The Austrians have been shelling it for four full days, and now the entire wall is on the verge of collapse.

If they continue to shell that part of the wall tomorrow, my fears are very likely to become reality.

Once that wall falls, you should quickly consider moving the city hall to the other side of the Limmat River."

The Mayor of Zurich looked at the defending commander in front of him, and he could only see deep despair in the eyes of this resolute soldier.

The Imperial Army initially only breached a few gaps before launching a fierce assault, but they were quickly repelled by the city's defenders, who had the advantage of being on the defensive.

During the assault on the city walls, they also left behind many corpses under the defenders' long-range attacks.

Since then, those Austrians no longer blindly charged, but instead fully utilized the advantage of their artillery, creating as many breaches as possible in the city walls, attempting to completely destroy them.

Cannonballs poured onto Zurich's city walls as if they were free, and some even flew over the walls, destroying houses and causing extreme panic.

Now, most residents have fled to the city on the west bank of the Limmat River, or simply taken boats from Lake Zurich to escape into the heart of Switzerland.

Everyone who remained here was striving to defend the city.

However, the city walls they repaired under the cover of night would suffer even more severe damage the next day.

His army had suffered heavy losses in the bloody battles of the past few days, and there were no reinforcements to aid Zurich in the short term, a sense of powerlessness lingered in his heart.

There were simply too many enemies, so many that it seemed impossible to kill them all, and their siege firepower was extremely fierce.

After a long silence, the Mayor spoke: "Please, you must hold out until reinforcements arrive. You must make the soldiers and citizens believe that the Federation will not abandon us."

The defending general curled his lip, ignored the Mayor, and walked straight out of the command post.

He shouldn't have wasted time on such meaningless matters; it was better to inspect the city walls and see if there was anywhere that could be reinforced to slow down the enemy's advance.

Outside the city, on Zurich Mountain, Laszlo had set up his main camp, from where he could overlook the entire city of Zurich.

Inside his tent, Laszlo had just seen off the generals who had come for the military council, and tomorrow's battle plan had also been finalized.

Several days of failed assaults and heavy casualties had significantly impacted the army's morale.

In the past few days alone, the Imperial Army had lost over a thousand men outside Zurich. The Independent Army and the Austro-Hungarian Army took turns attacking, but failed to break through the Swiss' hedgehog defense.

These fallen warriors were all true Imperial elites, but the cost was worth it to seize Zurich.

Laszlo was certain that the Swiss were also nearing their breaking point, and at such a time, he would never choose to retreat.

He sat alone at his desk, opening the letter that a messenger had delivered during the recent military council.

The letter came from Vienna, and as expected, it was news from Eyczing.

The letter mentioned some notable events occurring within the Empire, the Kingdom of France, and the territories under Laszlo's rule.

First were the deaths of several individuals.

Laszlo's teacher, Court Chancellor Aeneas, died of illness in Vienna, and the new Court Chancellor would need to be appointed by Laszlo.

Cardinal Georg of Vienna naturally took Aeneas's place, transitioning from acting to the official Court Chancellor of Austria.

In Hungary, the Bishop of the Pecs Diocese died of illness, and the Hungarian Regent, Archbishop Veszter, recommended Pannoniuus, the Hungarian Royal Scribe, to succeed as Bishop of Pecs.

The Pope also believed Pannoniuus was the most suitable candidate.

Considering that Pannoniuus was already in Pecs overseeing the reconstruction of the University of Pécs, Laszlo agreed to his appointment as Bishop of Pecs.

Within the Empire, Elector Frederick of Saxony died of illness, and his two sons, Ernst and Albrecht, ruled Saxony jointly.

The elder son, Ernst, ruled Wittenberg and inherited the Electorate, while the younger son, Albrecht, ruled Meissen and assisted his elder brother.

Adding to this, their uncle William III ruled Thuringia, and the powerful Electorate of Saxony was divided into three, reducing the threat to Laszlo to its lowest.

This was such good news for Laszlo that it was worth celebrating with a banquet.

With the death of the Elector of Saxony, that steadfast pillar, only the Brandenburg Elector, deeply mired in the Pomeranian War, remained among the previous generation's seven Electors, rendering him powerless to prevent Laszlo from pushing through Imperial reforms.

Furthermore, as the father-in-law of the Margrave of Ansbach and the Duke of Landshut, the old Elector of Saxony had repeatedly mediated and resolved conflicts between the two parties.

With the old Elector's death, the conflict between the Margrave of Ansbach and the Duke of Landshut would be very difficult to resolve peacefully.

Whether Franconia and Bavaria were in chaos or not, now it was up to Laszlo to decide.

Thinking about how, after pacifying Switzerland this time, the implementation of reforms within the Empire would face almost no major obstacles, Laszlo's mood brightened.

The gloom from the failed assaults of the past few days also vanished.

He continued reading, and the last piece of intelligence was relayed from a letter sent by Anthony, which mentioned the progress of the League of Public Weal.

Not long ago, "The Bold" Charles led his army in a fierce battle against Louis XI near Paris.

In the battle, Charles personally led the charge against the French, narrowly escaping death on the battlefield.

An arrow grazed Charles's throat and pierced his left shoulder. Fortunately, Anthony was by his side at the time, preventing a greater mishap.

King Louis XI's army held a slight numerical advantage and met the allied forces on a hillside, preventing Burgundy's cavalry and artillery from being effective.

Despite many unfavorable circumstances, Charles still chose to engage the French in a direct confrontation.

In that day-long bloody battle, both sides suffered over two thousand casualties.

Ultimately, as night covered the battlefield, both sides remained in a stalemate. Charles, fearing French reinforcements, led his army to retreat to Longjumeau.

Louis XI, during the battle, had already withdrawn from the battlefield with his personal guards, and the French army retreated to Paris under the cover of night.

As a general on the Burgundian side, Anthony naturally claimed that the allied forces had won the war.

However, Louis XI also claimed victory for the battle upon his return to Paris.

According to Anthony's description, before the battle, the Duke of Armagnac had infiltrated the French camp alone and successfully persuaded the Count of Maine.

In the grand battle the next day, when Louis XI ordered an attack, Marshal Pierre, the commander of the French right wing, personally led his troops to break through Burgundy's multiple lines, seemingly about to secure a great victory for the French King.

However, the Count of Maine, commanding the center, acted extremely slowly, and his ordinance cavalry delayed their charge, allowing the allied forces an opportunity to encircle the protruding French right wing.

Marshal Pierre was killed in the subsequent fighting. Louis XI, upon receiving the news, left the battlefield first, leaving his army to be commanded by his uncle, Duke René of Anjou.

René quickly rescued the encircled French forces, and both sides entered a prolonged stalemate, ultimately failing to achieve a decisive outcome.

The current situation is that the Duke of Brittany has led his army to join the main allied forces, and the League of Public Weal's army is now approaching the gates of Paris.

Another Burgundian army has already captured large areas along the Somme River, leaving the Low Countries' gateway to Paris wide open.

Laszlo put the letter away and began to ponder the direction of the League of Public Weal war.

Although he had facilitated the early formation of the League of Public Weal, Louis XI's power in this world was greater than he knew from history.

Ordinance knights, artillery regiments, the Scottish Guard, the Swiss Guard, and the armies of the Anjou family, Foix family, and Kingdom of Aragon who supported him.

The result of such formidable power was that while the League of Public Weal held some advantage, it would be very difficult to completely defeat Louis XI.

The battle near Paris, though it cost the French King a marshal and several thousand troops, actually had little impact.

Standing before the combined forces of the French lords was the city of Paris, defended by over twenty thousand troops.

Even the Ottoman army of 1453 would never have been able to capture this city, let alone the League of Public Weal forces, each with their own hidden agendas.

So, Louis XI could be said to be naturally invincible. As long as Paris remained unbreached, the allied armies outside would only be rebels, not the so-called "maintainers of public order" and righteous forces.

But after the allied forces converged, Louis XI also lost the possibility of defeating the League of Public Weal forces in a direct confrontation.

Since the allied forces couldn't break into Paris, and Louis XI couldn't break out, the only likely outcome would be a peace negotiation.

Compared to confronting the League of Public Weal through military means, Louis XI clearly preferred to dismantle his enemies through diplomatic means.

Thinking of this, Laszlo shook his head and let out a helpless sigh.

He couldn't fundamentally change the balance of power between the French King and the League of Public Weal, and naturally, he couldn't significantly influence the outcome of the war.

However, this didn't matter much to him.

He had used the internal strife in France to cripple Swiss this time, and he could continue to support Burgundy against the French King, freeing up his hands to contend with the princes of the Empire.

Even if the League of Public Weal was ultimately destined for collapse, his good brother-in-law, "The Bold" Charles, could still carry the banner and continue to resist the French King's centralization.

When the time was ripe, he would personally intervene in the dispute between the French King and the Duke of Burgundy.

By then, it would be time for him to settle accounts with the House of Valois.

Everything was developing as Laszlo had anticipated, allowing him to fall into a beautiful sleep.

Early the next morning, the Imperial Army launched a new wave of attacks on Zurich.

After several days of continuous bombardment, half of the city wall in Zurich's eastern district was completely destroyed.

As the city wall collapsed with a roar, the rising dust filled the sky, like the city's desperate sigh, slowly dissipating in the morning breeze.

The Independent Army, the Austro-Hungarian Army, and a newly arrived Swabian army simultaneously entered the battle.

After the artillery fire gradually subsided, battle cries echoed over the battlefield, mixed with a thirst for victory and a bloodthirsty frenzy.

Without the protection of the city walls, Zurich's defenders could only form their familiar phalanxes, creating a human wall to prevent the Imperial Army from pouring in.

But the fearless Royal Greatswordsmen quickly tore several openings in the defenders' ranks, followed by a bloody melee.

The streets of Zurich were in chaos, with battles potentially erupting in every corner.

Those unwilling to stay and die had already fled, leaving behind only the Swiss who were willing to fight to the death.

Fires quickly erupted in the city, with thick smoke billowing and flames soaring, reddening half the sky.

By evening, the part of Zurich on the east bank of the Limmat River had completely fallen.

Almost all the Swiss who remained there were killed, and their possessions were plundered.

And this catastrophe, which was about to engulf Zurich, had only just begun.