Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 741 Guarding against peasant armies, but even more so against Sigismund

Over the next few days, the army continued as planned, dragging Sigismund's troops around the heart of the Holy Roman Empire.

According to Princess Jeanne, the experience of the Anglo-French War has proven that the more mobile and organized side, when facing a side with more troops but less organization and slower movement, can lead the enemy by the nose and conduct long-distance marches within the enemy's territory. This can effectively reduce the enemy's combat effectiveness, provoke internal conflicts, and eventually bring the strength of both sides to a new equilibrium.

The only difference is that back then she was on the much larger French side, where the nobles were divided and the army was a mess; now she's commanding the "English army." But in principle, the situation is still similar.

In practice, it was actually even simpler. The English faced considerable risks when marching through the French heartland. Especially towards the end of the war, villagers in many areas became more resourceful, employing various methods to resist and evade both sides' armies.

Previously, King Wu had lived in seclusion in the village of Domremy in Lorraine for a period of time, and Princess Jeanne had accompanied him there. Domremy was a relatively wealthy village, and therefore, it had a more complete range of facilities.

The family of Dark, where they stayed, was a respected local figure. Although they held no official position, they served as the village head for many years. Some of their relatives and in-laws also held positions in the church.

One of the important tasks undertaken by the Darque family was to act as "castle contractors." They rented an old, rarely used castle from the local lord and renovated and fortified it. When fighting broke out nearby, they would lead the villagers to flee into the castle for refuge.

Such castles, even against a regular army, could potentially be captured. However, sieges require extensive preparation and involve losses from fiercely resisting villagers, with little to show for it. Relying on this method for resupply would slow down operations and increase losses. Consequently, the enemy would likely choose to bypass the castle.

Of course, most villages were far less fortified than Don Remi. Therefore, each expedition yielded a considerable amount of loot. But in Wu Fan's territory, not only was looting unnecessary, but locals would also proactively deliver supplies, saving a significant amount of time that would otherwise have been spent on requisitioning and processing food locally. This environment made commanding the army much easier.

On the other hand, the Alemanni was far more loosely organized than France. Although it was home to numerous lords, the king still had the power to rally the nobles, both high and low, to fight against external enemies. In Alemanni, however, it was commonplace for powerful nobles to sabotage the king. Even a successful coronation in Italy only brought him prestige. Whether the electors would even acknowledge him as "emperor" depended entirely on the circumstances.

When choosing the marching route, many in the court thought they should take a detour to increase the distance from Sigismund and then move towards Bohemia.

It is now confirmed that Sigismund has gained the support of the Church and many high lords by rallying people to uphold their faith and suppress the Hussite heresy, significantly expanding his power. Meanwhile, in Bohemia, diplomatic failures have led many previously wavering factions to join the enemy, putting Bohemia in a very passive position.

Currently, Wu's two most powerful armies are in Bohemia, meaning they are using their weakest link to fight against a much stronger enemy force—a very dangerous situation. The previous arrangement of the troops being scattered and operating independently is no longer adequate to cope with the rapidly deteriorating situation. Therefore, it is necessary to reunite with them as soon as possible to have a better chance of facing the enemy.

Princess Jeanne, however, believed that they should not go to Bohemia now, but rather continue to stay in Alemanni and try to keep the enemy at bay. The troops sent to Bohemia should be brought here to rendezvous once they have completed their assigned tasks.

She said that the electors now support Sigismund because the scale of the peasant rebellion has surprised them and made them feel threatened. Therefore, they are unusually willing to relinquish power, allowing the emperor to gather everyone's strength to suppress it.

However, this authorization came with conditions. Previously, Sigismund had used the wavering sentiments of Prague citizens and some neutral nobles to persuade a large number of Hussite followers and sympathizers to switch their support. And if handled skillfully, they could similarly exploit the wavering sentiments of other nobles, turning them away from Sigismund.

Therefore, she advised against heading east, suggesting instead an advance into the heart of Saxony to threaten Dresden. If there were too many enemies there, they should turn north, heading towards Brandenburg or Magdeburg, trying to draw the attention of the Wettin and Hohenzollern families as well. Then, they should turn west towards Hanover, and finally southwest into the Rhine region.

That region bordered France and the Holy Roman Empire. The French royal family, the Duke of Burgundy, the Swiss mountain peoples to the south, the Low Countries to the northwest, the Duke of Lorraine and other imperial princes, as well as the archbishops of Trier and Cologne, were all trying to exert influence there, leading to a very chaotic situation. Therefore, when Wu Wang's faction fled Paris, they went there and established themselves there for a long time, making it their core sphere of influence.

There, they could gather as many troops as possible and join forces with other reinforcements arriving via a shortcut, then force Sigismund, who had come from afar, into a decisive battle on a chosen, advantageous battlefield. This would be the most effective approach.

Moreover, such actions would certainly incite internal conflicts within the enemy ranks. She said she knew the Wettin family of Saxony very well. These people did not have a good relationship with Sigismund, and their decision to provide funds and troops was undoubtedly an attempt to resolve the issue outside their own territory, avoiding any impact on their lands, economic losses, or even triggering an uprising by local farmers.

But all of this hinges on Sigismund being able to intercept the peasant army in Bohemia and the surrounding areas as quickly as possible. If Sigismund fails to do so, their attitude might shift, making them more inclined to fight him and negotiate peace with the peasant army. In this situation, their territory would already be irreparably affected. Even if they increased their resources to fight the peasant army, it would only deplete their own strength and damage their own land. Even if they ultimately succeeded, how would they face Sigismund, who commanded a large army, after the war? Therefore, the most important thing is to quickly negotiate peace and, ideally, persuade the peasant army to leave as soon as possible. They are willing to pay any price for this.

Many ministers and generals found this unbelievable, but Princess Jeanne assured them that she was very familiar with the thought processes of these powerful nobles. She claimed that once they entered Saxony and spent some time there, the Wettin family's attitude would definitely soften. Then, the Wettin family would come to them for negotiations. After that, they could demand supplies and then move on to the next noble family.

Her planned route followed this idea. Further north, along the Elbe River, there's a road leading to Brandenburg. That could be her next destination.

The current lord of Brandenburg is Frederick of the Hohenzollern family, who has just become an Elector. His father is Count Frederick V of Nuremberg, and his mother is Elizabeth of the neighboring Wettin family. Of course, despite being relatives, Frederick has had his share of clashes with his uncle in the past two years. For the sake of his family's interests, he has consistently chosen to firmly support Sigismund.

Frederick's brother later married Sigismund's sister, which strengthened their relationship. He also followed Sigismund and participated in a series of wars against the Purple Horde. Unlike other wavering figures, he was a staunch anti-Mongol nobleman.

Friedrich's brother-in-law was Albrecht, Duke of Austria and a member of the Habsburg family. They were also Sigismund's staunchest supporters, and of course, Sigismund rewarded them handsomely.

In the previous imperial election, Sigismund had managed to secure the Hohenzollern family as electors of Brandenburg, but this time he lost to his rival, his cousin Jobst. However, a year later, Jobst died suddenly under suspicious circumstances, with many suspecting Sigismund was responsible. Nevertheless, Sigismund achieved his goal, winning the election. Friedrich also received greater rewards, acquiring a series of new titles and beginning to use the emperor's authority to suppress local rivals, gradually consolidating his position and becoming a rising star in the high nobility.

Therefore, they could even use a trip to the Brandenburg territory as leverage—the Duke of Saxony now disliked his completely disobedient nephew as well. Many of the local nobles in Brandenburg were still unwilling to accept their fate, and a trip there could easily incite them to cooperate.

Moreover, Friedrich was a key supporter of Sigismund, so he had no choice but to go and rescue him. This way, he could keep him on his toes for a while longer.

The plan sounded good, but during the court discussion, among the ministers and generals under the King of Wu, only Sir Hans and Sir Lebesgue expressed their full support, while Father Tomás suggested that it could be carefully planned.

The others weren't entirely against her opinion, but rather they didn't quite understand it. There was no way around it; even Captain Henry, who was quite knowledgeable, couldn't remember all the names and complained that although he had met Sigismund a few times before, he didn't know he had so many relatives.

Others also felt that, regardless of the reliability of this analysis, the relationships between these people were already problematic enough. Making it so complicated made it difficult to determine its reliability...

Princess Jeanne, however, was quite confident. It turned out that Friedrich's wife was Elisabeth, daughter of the Duke of Landshut. The Duke of Landshut was one of the three duchies branching off from the long-established Bavarian noble family of Wittelsbach, from which the current Queen Isabelle of France hailed. Therefore, Elisabeth was both Queen Isabelle's cousin and a distant relative.

Therefore, Princess Jeanne herself was related to his family. So of course she knew.

However, her words only made everyone more bewildered. Moreover, she wasn't the official commander of the army; the others were only listening to her because of her relationship with the King of Wu, and didn't truly respect her. Currently, those around the King of Wu couldn't offer a better solution either. As a result, seeing that the court meeting couldn't resolve the issue, they had no choice but to seek help from Bishop Daoyan.

Although he hadn't been there long, Dao Yan, as an envoy of the Celestial Empire, carried an inherent authority. He quickly demonstrated his abilities, resolving many long-standing administrative and diplomatic issues in a short time, earning the trust of everyone.

It is said that this word means "angel" in Chinese. Furthermore, since he was a high-ranking monk from the East, everyone simply called him "Angel Bishop." When encountering problems they couldn't solve, they would first consult him.

His Excellency the Bishop sided with Princess Jeanne, supporting her views and proposing that she should officially command the army and direct the entire strategic operation from now on.

Although it was a proposal, none of those present—including King Wu, who chaired the meeting—objected to it. Therefore, they agreed to it.

(End of this chapter)