Edward and Andrew chatted for a long time. At first, both sides discussed the war, but soon it turned into reminiscing about the past. The relationship between them meant they had many precious memories, and once they started recalling them, there was no end to it.
They chatted until late at night before going to rest, and both the host and guest were very happy.
For the King, this conversation greatly relaxed and comforted his mood; even the pain he felt didn't seem as severe.
And for Edward, this exchange allowed his tense nerves to relax, and he slept very well that night.
However, when he woke up in the morning, what entered his ears was an overwhelming cacophony. Edward got up, feeling a bit annoyed.
After thinking for a while, Edward realized it was Magyar, as he had lived in a Rus' language environment for so long.
And as he recalled a language he hadn't used in a while, he then received news that hit him like a thunderbolt.
The vanguard of the Duke of Bohemia's army had retreated early this morning, and the follow-up forces would not be coming either.
The Duke of Bohemia's army numbered a full three thousand, an important component of the imperial forces coming as reinforcements. Now that the Bohemian army had retreated, it meant that more than half of the imperial reinforcements were gone.
The entire camp was in chaos because of this news. Everyone knew about it, and everyone was extremely uneasy because of it; agitated people were everywhere.
Some soldiers hastily changed their clothes, some argued with those beside them, and others stood there at a loss, completely unaware of what was happening.
Most people were bewildered by the current situation, but Edward reacted quickly and immediately went to where his troops were. He knew that if he didn't go there, something would happen, and he had to calm the agitated soldiers who were in chaos.
These Rus' soldiers didn't understand Magyar, so the chaotic situation made them incredibly bewildered and panicked. But fortunately, their officers temporarily calmed the warriors, holding on until Edward arrived.
Edward knew that the strength in his hands could not be chaotic; only then could he help his old friend in the future.
He clearly explained the situation to the officers and gave the order to stabilize and stand by. Those who received the order and learned that there were no enemy attacks also found their backbone and settled down. After Edward finished all this, he then went to deal with other matters.
Edward wanted to know why the Bohemian army wasn't coming, but in the noisy camp, he couldn't get any answers.
Edward saw someone spreading rumors that the allied army was bound to lose, but the rumor-monger was immediately seized by the knights he had seen yesterday and executed on the spot.
It seemed that even in chaos, these knights maintained their vigilance, and it was precisely because of their strong crackdown on those attempting to cause trouble that the situation did not completely deteriorate.
People were chattering amongst themselves; some said the Germans had betrayed the King, some said the Empire had sided with Bela, some said there was civil strife in the Empire, and some even said the young Emperor of the Empire had died.
Seeing that he couldn't get anything from these soldiers, Edward walked straight to the King's tent, but it was already crowded with people, and the army commanders were all anxiously asking what had happened.
Edward pushed his way through for a while before finally entering the King's tent, where he found the German envoy reporting the entire sequence of events to King Andrew.
The King's face was not good; clearly, all this had made him quite annoyed, but he still suppressed his anger. He had to first understand what exactly was going on.
Through the envoy's stammering Magyar, everyone learned the full story.
It turned out that King Bolesław of Poland had attacked the border between Bohemia and Poland. The King's offensive was very fierce, which forced the Duke of Bohemia to lead his army back as reinforcements, and the troops originally scheduled to be sent to Hungary had been ordered to retreat.
Facing such a situation, the German envoy stated that they were completely helpless.
Although Bohemia was stronger than nominal vassals like Poland and Hungary, it was still a relatively independent entity within the imperial system. Once the Duke of Bohemia made a decision, even the Emperor could not change his mind, let alone the current Emperor who was just a child on the throne.
Of course, some might wonder why Bolesław dared to attack Bohemia if Bohemia was an imperial vassal, especially since he even avoided personally going to Hungary to avoid meeting the Emperor.
This was because the hostility between Bohemia and Poland was tacitly approved by the imperial monarch. The Empire used Poland to control Bohemia and Bohemia to control Poland, creating a balance of mutual restraint, so their wars were accepted by all parties.
Facing this situation, everyone was very helpless. Bolesław's strategy truly struck at the vital point; his attack forced the Bohemian army to retreat and protect their own territory.
And without the Czech army, the number of troops of the Turin Border Count could not give them much advantage. Now the allied army faced Duke Bela with a numerical disadvantage; they had become the disadvantaged side.
Edward recalled the news he had received about the King of Poland gathering troops while traveling through Poland. At that time, the rumor circulating was that the King of Poland would lead a large army to intervene in the south, and most people also believed this. In many people's eyes, the King of Poland was about to completely fall out with the Empire.
It seemed everyone had been misled; this was simply Bolesław's feint. His objective in gathering troops was never Hungary to begin with.
The King's expression was grim. He had originally intended to inflict an undeniable crushing defeat on his brother, but now it seemed that the one who would likely be defeated was himself, not Bela.
And unfortunately, just as everyone was in a state of panic, numerous horn calls came from the east, their sound long and vast.
And as time passed, they grew louder, and more horns joined in, causing everyone's faces to change.
The sounding of so many horns meant only one thing: a large army was approaching. And who else could be in the east? Of course, Duke Bela. This meant Bela had arrived.
The arrival of Duke Bela caused everyone to fall into uncontrollable panic. So many reinforcements had left, and the rebels had arrived early at this moment. Could they really win this?
"Silence, everyone!"
Just then, His Majesty the King roared with full voice, momentarily stunning everyone. Everyone quieted down, waiting for the King's command.
"Do what you must do. Prepare to meet the enemy. Bela cannot launch a surprise attack now; his troops must have force-marched to arrive early. Bela will not attack with force-marched troops. We still have time. And remember, everyone, the absence of the Bohemian army does not mean we will lose this war. God bless Hungary."
King Andrew issued his commands firmly, exuding an undeniable aura, and at the same time analyzed the situation for everyone, temporarily easing their minds.
And facing the King's authority and reasonable analysis, everyone's hearts were much calmer. Then, everyone obeyed the King and went to do what they should do. Some walked very quickly, knowing that some soldiers needed to be stabilized immediately, or there could be trouble.
Just as Edward was about to leave to instruct his subordinates on preparing for battle, he was called back by the King. At this moment, only the two of them were in the tent, and while they were alone, the King asked Edward for a favor.
"Old friend, we need a victory. We need to boost morale. We need to blunt Bela's momentum. Can you achieve it?"
Listening to the King's words, a smile appeared on Edward's face. This was precisely what he was best at, and his troops were in the best condition right now, ready to depart at any moment.
"Of course, My Majesty."
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"Shoot! Shoot!"
At Edward's command, the Hungarian horse archers borrowed from the King unleashed volleys of arrows, catching Bela's vanguard completely off guard.
Bela's vanguard was composed of the subordinates of three provincial governors, and they were very surprised by this sudden attack; they were completely unprepared.
In their expectation, the allied army should have been in chaos due to the retreat of the Bohemian army, making it impossible for them to counterattack. They would then use this opportunity to smoothly set up camp and establish a foothold.
But the counterattack did come. Volleys of arrows shot towards the unprepared men. Even though the vanguard had iron armor for protection, several men still fell.
The enraged vanguard began to pursue. They had forgotten the Duke's instructions, and they hadn't taken the Duke's instructions seriously anyway. The horse archers also fled, but they occasionally shot arrows to taunt their pursuers.
Meanwhile, with Bela's main force, Duke Bela, located within the large army, heard the sounds of fighting and showed a look of confusion on his face. How had the battle started so early?
The usually cautious Duke immediately sensed that something was wrong and quickly led his cavalry to a nearby high ground to observe the battlefield.
Then he saw the vanguard pursuing, being lured by a group of the King's horse archers into a dense wooded area. That forest looked harmless, just a common forest found anywhere.
The pursuing cavalry couldn't see the situation of their location, but Duke Bela could see it clearly, and the moment he saw it, he immediately realized it was going to be bad.
"Oh no, this is a trap! Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
The Duke roared, but from such a distance, his voice couldn't be heard at all.
And just as he roared, a large number of arrows suddenly shot out from those seemingly harmless woods.
The pursuing Magyars clearly hadn't expected this turn of events; they were immediately caught off guard. These sudden shots almost stunned them.
In that instant, they suffered heavy casualties. The commanders received special attention, with several arrows in each of them.
Then a large number of infantry wearing pointed helmets charged out from the woods. They shouted and rushed towards the stunned pursuers, who, after a hasty fight, began to retreat, leaving a trail of bodies, while the ambushers happily chased after them.
"Bastards!"
Watching this scene, Duke Bela cursed, but he could only curse, powerless to do anything about it. And those soldiers didn't pursue too far; they returned shortly after.
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"Idiots! Bastards! Fools!"
In Duke Bela's main camp, the Duke angrily cursed the Magyar Nobles who had attacked without orders.
Duke Bela had a face that naturally gave off a harsh impression, and he constantly kept his lips pursed, his face taut, looking stern. Therefore, when standing before him, even the most undisciplined person would be awed.
The Duke was very angry. These provincial governors had led their troops to attack without authorization, ignoring his warnings and instructions, and as a result, they ran straight into the enemy's ambush, causing heavy losses to the troops and greatly affecting the army's morale.
Now the King's army was impaling the heads of the defeated on spears and displaying them on the meadow where the decisive battle would take place tomorrow, showing off their might. This infuriated the Duke; he felt as if he had been publicly humiliated.
These Nobles, who had narrowly escaped with their lives, were now kneeling before the Duke, awaiting his punishment. Many of them were filled with fear, terrified that the Duke would lop off their heads.
Duke Bela had always been strict in governing his army, and he never showed mercy to those who violated orders.
Normally, these provincial governors, relying on their defection, secretly looked down on the Duke, but at this moment, they began to fear, because this Duke truly dared to kill important people like them.
"Alright, alright, Your Majesty, don't blame them. We all thought the enemy's army should have been in disarray due to the Duke of Bohemia's departure, so everyone couldn't help but relax their guard."
Siczech, a Polish Noble sitting nearby, played the peacemaker. He was the leader of the Polish army, with a small mustache, hair flowing behind his head, and wearing a tunic, dressed as a typical German knight.
And just as the Magyar Nobles breathed a sigh of relief at the Polish Noble's words, the next words made their hearts tighten again.
"However, since their troops suffered heavy casualties, let's merge these soldiers and generals into your direct army. What do you think?"
For this group of Magyars, this was truly out of the frying pan and into the fire. Once they handed over their soldiers, they couldn't expect to get them back before the end of this battle.
But looking at the King's bitter face, everyone could only accept this choice. Handing over soldiers was better than being beheaded, after all, they had made such a big mistake that no one could object to their execution.
After the group of Magyar Nobles slunk away, Duke Bela's tense expression finally eased a bit. He looked at Siczech and gave him a grateful look.
The Polish Noble humbly nodded slightly in response, but that was all. He was, after all, the commander of a guest army. Although crucial to the Duke's power, he still had to maintain distance.
Duke Bela showed no reaction to this, only summoning his generals to enter. Now he had to make battle arrangements, for tomorrow was the day of engagement.
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