The Final Struggle

In early October, the Swabian War, which had been in preparation since April, finally reached its most critical moment.

The formidable Imperial Army advanced along the Aare River at an extremely fast pace towards Aargau.

Along the way, Hongge deployed some troops in towns and castles to delay the Imperial Army's progress.

Laszlo commanded the large army, conquering cities and territories along the way. After spending some time and forces to capture the towns and fortresses hindering their advance, the army finally arrived outside Aargau.

Although Aargau was the capital of Aargau, Aargau itself was not a developed region, and Aargau was merely a small city.

At the city center were concentric circles of houses, with a not-so-tall city wall on the outer perimeter, and a castle on the city's edge.

Hongge divided his army into three parts.

He himself led the Bernese army to defend Aargau, while most of the remaining troops were deployed on Mount Hasli, southwest of Aargau, concealed in the forests there.

The remaining small detachments were hidden to the east of Aargau, responsible for reconnoitering the Imperial Army's situation.

North of Aargau, the city was Close the Aare River, surrounded by dense forests. Only to the east was there a relatively large flat plain, suitable for a large army to deploy.

As the Swiss had anticipated, the Emperor ordered the army to set up camp on this flat plain as soon as he arrived in Aargau.

From the city walls of Aargau, the Swiss soldiers could clearly see that the plain to the east of the city was now packed with countless people.

Tens of thousands of Imperial Army soldiers, after traversing through dense forest obstacles, were all crowded onto this flat plain.

The entire landscape was covered in a dark mass, as the Imperial Army's tents stretched from not far outside the city all the way to the edge of the forest several kilometers away, as if the distant forest had suddenly moved outside Aargau.

However, such a shocking scene did not make the Swiss lose their fighting spirit; they had no way to retreat.

Further back lay the core regions of the Confederation, and the Swiss would never allow the Imperial Army's iron hooves to trample their homeland.

One side fought under the banner of 'For Freedom,' while the other fought under the banner of 'Reclaim Lost Lands, Blood for Blood.' Both sides had reasons they could not afford to lose, and a decisive battle was imminent.

On the evening of the same day the Imperial Army arrived in Aargau, the situation on the battlefield underwent some unexpected changes.

Ink-black storm clouds churned and roared like enraged beasts above Aargau, and large raindrops poured down, splashing up layers of water on the ground. The entire world seemed to be blurred by the downpour.

Austrian soldiers, who were setting up defensive positions on the edge of the camp, complained about the terrible weather and requested permission from the officers supervising them to return to camp to take shelter from the rain.

Before a reply was given, many had already slipped away to their tents.

Normally, they wouldn't act this way, but after a long march, the soldiers, already full of grievances, suddenly encountered a heavy downpour.

They immediately abandoned their tasks.

The autumn rain was so cold; if they kept working in the rain, they might fall ill before the decisive battle, perhaps dying at the hands of a military doctor instead of on the battlefield.

Helpless, the officers had no choice but to order the soldiers to disperse and return to their camps to take shelter from the rain, leaving only the unfinished defensive works on the edge of the camp.

Soon, apart from a few scattered patrols, there were hardly any people to be seen in the Imperial Army's camp.

The soldiers all huddled in their cold, damp tents, which was better than being drenched like drowned rats by the heavy rain.

They shared warm soup, dispelling the chill that was invading their bodies, to ensure they could still wield their swords in the upcoming battle.

Inside the main camp near the Aare River, Laszlo summoned many of his generals for an urgent military council.

"This rain came very suddenly, and our siege plan will probably have to be postponed."

Laszlo sighed lightly, feeling quite helpless about the sudden downpour.

If the heavy rain continued, their cannons and firearms would temporarily be unusable.

Not to mention breaking through the city, even their combat capability in open battle would be greatly affected.

"Your Majesty, our army holds an absolute numerical advantage. Those Swiss can only wait for death in the city.

Once the heavy rain stops, we will quickly be able to destroy Aargau's city walls and annihilate all the enemy troops!"

The continuous victories along the way had made Gunter completely disregard the Swiss.

He now only wanted to lead his army to capture Aargau, thereby gaining the Emperor's appreciation and commendation.

Karl, Ester, and other Austrian generals sitting beside him all nodded in agreement.

The Swiss had voluntarily retreated to Aargau and were now like turtles in a jar; no one believed they could cause any significant trouble.

"It is good that you have such confidence, but never underestimate the Swiss," Laszlo informed the generals present of his unique perspective. "This heavy rain is extremely unfavorable for us. My scouts cannot clearly reconnoiter the surrounding enemy situation, which means we cannot detect the Swiss's movements at the first opportunity.

Therefore, we must be prepared for a possible Swiss surprise attack."

Hearing Laszlo's words, the generals exchanged glances. How were they supposed to guard against a Swiss surprise attack in such conditions?

Moreover, could the Swiss really launch a surprise attack in such terrible weather?

Most generals were skeptical.

However, since the Emperor had already given the order, they naturally had to carry it out.

More patrol teams were arranged in the military camp, and the troops stationed at the edge of the camp deployed more sentries in places where enemies might appear.

Everyone thought the Emperor was being overly cautious and excessively fearful of the Swiss.

The soldiers chosen for guard duty also grumbled, though they dared not complain about the Emperor, only continuously cursing the Swiss.

If these Swiss had been more obedient and not provoked the Emperor, they wouldn't have needed to come to this desolate place to fight.

However, as the night neared its end, approaching dawn, some outposts positioned in the forest south of the camp did indeed spot Swiss figures moving through the forest.

Those Swiss soldiers, dressed in dark clothing, blended with the dark forest, and carrying long spears, moved through the forest at an extremely fast pace.

They were unarmored, light-footed, and made almost no sound, sneaking like ghosts towards the flank and rear of the Imperial Army's camp. If the rain hadn't eased a little at that moment, the sentries might not have even noticed the Swiss.

The news was quickly reported layer by layer and soon reached Laszlo's ears.

Laszlo, who had been startled awake from his deep sleep, was about to vent his morning grumpiness, but upon hearing the news of the Swiss, he jolted and his mind immediately cleared.

"You mean the Swiss are outflanking us from our rear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, they are divided into many small detachments, circling covertly through the mountains and forests south of our army, likely with some scheme in mind."

Hearing his subordinate's report, Laszlo breathed a long sigh of relief. The Swiss had indeed been unable to restrain themselves.

Once the rain stopped, the Imperial Army's artillery would quickly destroy Aargau's city walls, and by then, the Swiss would have no choice but death.

Therefore, when the heavy rain fell, Laszlo had kept an eye out.

The size of an army is not necessarily the bigger the better; in fact, an army of tens of thousands is more prone to chaos than an army of a few thousand.

If he wasn't cautious enough, he might really be caught off guard by the cunning Swiss.

But now, the Swiss had no chance.

Laszlo immediately ordered all units to assemble, preparing to meet the enemy.

By this time, the rain had lessened considerably, but the sky was still dark, and it was still very early.

The sudden order to assemble was unbearable for the Imperial Army soldiers who had not yet understood the situation.

Apart from the Guards and the adjacent Independent Army, who quickly completed their assembly, the remaining units were still slowly assembling.

The noisy sounds within the Imperial Army camp quickly drew the attention of the Swiss army, who had already outflanked them.

They only assumed that the Imperial Army had indeed become lax due to the sudden heavy rain.

The camp's defenses were sparse, and the patrolling soldiers were merely strolling carelessly in the rain.

More and more soldiers began to emerge from their tents, and the camp in the rain quickly became chaotic.

Seeing this situation, the commander of the Uri regiment, who was in charge of this surprise attack force, immediately realized that the Imperial Army was assembling, and he decisively ordered his troops to launch an attack.

Five thousand Swiss troops burst out of the forest, without even forming ranks, and like hungry wolves, swiftly pounced on the Imperial Army's camp from the south.

A deep yet powerful horn sounded, its call sounding particularly muffled yet full of power in the wind and rain.

The Swiss soldiers shouted in unison, charging like thunder towards the Imperial Army's camp.

The unfinished outer fortifications could not stop the Swiss's advance at all; their long spears were like a forest, mercilessly piercing through the bodies of the defenseless Imperial Army soldiers.

They had already scouted the area; the troops stationed there were the Schwabian Army of the Margrave of Baden, which was precisely the weak point of the enemy camp.

Some Schwabian soldiers still in their sleep were awakened by the sudden shouts of battle, and before they could even grab their weapons, they had already met their demise.

The tents were in chaos, and the Schwabian soldiers frantically fled in all directions in the darkness and heavy rain.

A portion of the assembled soldiers immediately launched a counterattack against the unformed Swiss under the command of the knights.

They initially pushed the Swiss back, but then a continuous stream of Swiss began to pour into the camp.

Under the fierce attack of the Swiss army, the Schwabian eventually broke and scattered.

Using the time gained by these Schwabian, the Saxon Army and the Outer Austrian Army, camped next to them, finally completed their assembly and rushed from two directions to engage in fierce battle with the Swiss.

On the other side, Hongge personally led over four thousand troops quietly out of Aargau, advancing along the Aare River to attack the Imperial Army.

He knew the Emperor's tent was in this direction, and if he could defeat the Emperor's army, he could secure victory for the Confederation in this battle. However, Gunter quickly led his army to block his path.

As soon as Hongge's troops exited Aargau's East Gate, the Imperial Army had already received intelligence.

The two armies quickly engaged in a bloody struggle by the Aare River.

Phalanxes of spears clashed, soldiers quickly raised their spears to thrust, and from time to time, someone was impaled and fell to the ground.

Some unlucky fellows slipped in the mud and water, struggling to get up, only to be fatally struck by an enemy, dying on the spot.

Soldiers continuously fell on the battlefield, their blood quickly washed away by the rain.

The great swordsmen wielded their heavy swords, which gleamed with cold light, and after a difficult attempt, finally succeeded in breaking through the Swiss spear formation.

Soldiers from both sides mingled together, abandoning their spears and drawing their longswords from their waists to engage in close-quarters combat.

This bloody battle lasted from dawn until morning. The heavy rain stopped, and the sun cast a ray of light through a gap in the dark clouds, illuminating the muddy and bloody battlefield.

"Your Majesty, the Swiss have retreated. Most of the enemies to the south have fled, and the enemies in Aargau have also retreated after suffering thousands of casualties."

Hearing such a report, Laszlo's face showed no joy.

The Margrave of Baden's troops had collapsed; in the chaos, over a thousand Schwabian alone had died, and all other units had suffered some losses to varying degrees.

These Swiss were bolder than he had anticipated.

However, their failure also provided Laszlo with an opportunity.

He immediately ordered the artillery to set up positions and begin bombarding the city walls.

The fragile Aargau city walls quickly could not withstand the shelling and collapsed entirely.

The large army then launched a siege on Aargau. Fierce fighting was seen everywhere on the city walls and in the city's alleyways.

The assault continued for several days; Aargau's defenses were completely destroyed, and a large number of Imperial Army soldiers poured into the city. The Swiss ultimately failed to hold Aargau.

A portion of the defenders broke through the weak points of the encirclement, while another portion retreated to the castle for a final resistance, but they were soon annihilated.

The surviving Swiss army began to retreat towards Lucerne, deep within Switzerland.

This army, which had been outside the city, attempted another surprise attack on the besieging army, but it was easily repelled by the well-prepared Imperial Army.

The continuous defeats had almost completely deprived the Swiss of their ability to resist.

They gathered their last forces in Lucerne, preparing to stop the Emperor's army from advancing further into the heart of Switzerland.

Even after the fall of Aargau, the Swiss had not given up hope; they believed that the army of France would surely come to their rescue.

However, news from Paris became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

In late September, King Louis XI of France signed the humiliating Treaty of Conflans with the League of Public Weal.

Louis XI ceded part of the Maine territory to the Duke of Brittany, and large areas of the Somme River territory and the County of Champagne to the Duke of Burgundy.

Furthermore, he returned the fiefdom of Normandy to his brother Charles and reinstated the Duke of Bourbon to his former position.

The signing of this treaty was tantamount to declaring to the world that Louis XI had been defeated by the League of Public Weal.

Although Laszlo knew this was merely a temporary expedient by Louis XI, others might not see it, especially the despairing Swiss.

Now, the French reinforcements the Swiss had hoped for could no longer arrive; instead, it was highly likely that the Duke of Burgundy's army would invade Switzerland.

Finally, unable to bear the immense pressure, the Swiss chose to send peace overtures to the Emperor.

The two sides quickly reached a temporary ceasefire agreement in Aargau, and the location for formal peace talks was set in Constance.