Chapter 80: The Good, The Bad, and The Traitor 2

Having come to Bohemia’s aid, only to lose his own Palatinate in the process, Friedrich’s plight necessitated a dispassionate assessment from me.

Though strategically securing a dramatic victory, the war had also inflicted considerable damage on Bohemia’s side.

Count Turen’s direct forces suffered minimal losses, but the troops of the Thirteen Nobles, who had fiercely battled Tilly’s main army earlier, took significant casualties that would require substantial time to recover.

Notably, of the 7,000 Palatinate reinforcements, barely 3,000 remained – less than half their original strength.

Having penetrated deep into enemy territory, they were assailed from all sides, directly struck by the full might of Tilly’s formidable sorcery.

Though incomparably better than the near-total annihilation in the original storyline, achieving victory at such a cost was still an impressive feat.

‘Despite deflecting the Emperor’s initial offensive, Bohemia is in no condition to immediately raise another military force.’

My father, Count Turen, was well aware of this reality and would never grant permission. I too opposed any reckless deployments given our current circumstances.

However, abandoning Friedrich would be foolish not just from an ethical standpoint, but for Bohemia’s very survival.

‘The war is still in its early stages, merely the opening act of a thirty-year conflict. Moreover, with my intervention altering the balance of power, the fighting will likely only intensify.’

The war was far from over, with countless more lives to be lost in the bloodshed ahead.

The Emperor, humiliated by his defeat in Bohemia, would undoubtedly seek brutal vengeance at any cost.

To counter this, we had no choice but to enlist external allies.

And the key to forging such alliances lay right before me – Friedrich.

In the original story, the defeated Friedrich fled Bohemia to seek refuge with his family in Lorraine.

There, aided by the local ruler Duke Moritz, he would dream of a comeback by actively exploiting Anhalt’s planned heretical alliance.

‘And in the original, that plunged the Holy Empire into chaos, with all nations across the continent joining the fray over religious divides. Though I had initially intended to prevent such an eruption at all costs…’

As a former Holy Knight and servant of the Church, involving foreign forces had once been an absolute taboo.

But given the situation’s reversal, for my own survival and Bohemia’s, I had to fully exploit any and all available external powers – not half-heartedly like Friedrich and Anhalt, but ruthlessly to the bone.

‘That would likely devastate the Empire even more than the original, but it no longer concerns me. We have already crossed the Rubicon, after all.’

The Emperor, Church, and Empire had become our implacable foes.

Whether they fell or not was no longer my concern.

Considering the broad strokes of the road ahead, I began outlining my plans for Friedrich – centered on regaining the Palatinate by enlisting foreign alliances.

In the Imperial capital of Vienna.

Within the grand audience hall at the heart of the palace…

Seated upon the ornate throne, Emperor Sigismund Ferdinand regarded the bowing general, Tilly, with a chilling expression.

“Defeated… you say? Our holy forces, blessed by God’s will, were defeated by a mere handful of heretics?”

“Slay me, Your Majesty!”

Repeatedly bashing his head against the floor in anguish, Tilly lamented.

Witnessing this display, flames of fury blazed within the Emperor as his hands trembled, gripping the armrests of his throne.

Just days earlier, buoyed by news of victory from the occupied Palatinate, his elation knew no bounds.

Seizing the stronghold of their ringleader Friedrich was akin to piercing the enemy’s heart.

The Emperor had been confident that, building on this momentum with a subsequent triumph in Bohemia, none within the Empire would dare defy his will.

Yet that jubilant mood now lay in utter ruin due to this report:

Tilly’s defeat, and Bohemia’s victory – a grievous blow to the Emperor’s pride.

However, the Emperor knew better than to recklessly launch an immediate counterattack on Bohemia.

Though his fanatical religious zeal made the heretics’ victory utterly intolerable, he was not one to be blinded by fleeting emotion.

Painful as this loss was, Sigismund soberly weighed its costs and benefits.

‘While securing the Palatinate was a certainty, the defeat in Bohemia is a significant setback. Leaving this unchecked could embolden the heretics with false hope.’

With religious divisions intensifying and rebellious lords across the realm exploiting this to build independent power bases, the Bohemian defeat threatened to undermine Imperial authority.

If this situation persisted, the long-subjugated lords would undoubtedly rise like a swarm of bees, turning against the Emperor.

Yet, despite losing in Bohemia, his overwhelming victory in the Palatinate still prevented such a worst-case scenario for now.

Moreover, though victorious, Bohemia had likely suffered considerable losses, rendering further offensives elsewhere improbable.

In contrast, General Spinola’s Palatinate forces emerged relatively unscathed from their assault.

Add to this the steady influx of reinforcements from Imperial lords gradually mustering their armies, and the Emperor’s strength remained formidable.

Given these circumstances, the more cautious lords would likely continue observing for now, weighing the situation – prompting the Emperor to reaffirm his authority definitively.

‘However, attacking Bohemia directly is still inadvisable. Challenging an emboldened foe at its peak would require immense sacrifices. Another defeat could cost me everything.’

What the Emperor needed now was to swing the momentum back in his favor – demonstrating the consequences of defiance to the wavering lords.

In such a scenario, rather than engaging a formidable adversary in a life-or-death struggle, the wiser choice was to subjugate the proverbial ‘low-hanging fruit’.

And regarding a suitable target, the Emperor had a fair notion of who would present themselves.

‘The cautious lords will undoubtedly choose to observe for now. But there are always reckless fools who misjudge the situation and act impetuously, emboldened by a minor victory. And those very fools shall serve as sacrifices to reaffirm my authority.’

Bohemia would require time to extend its reach elsewhere, after all.

There were bound to be those intoxicated by their small triumph over the heretics, acting presumptuously.

Decisively crushing them would reassert control over any lords swaying towards Bohemia’s influence.

‘Swat the flies before hunting the wolves. I shall make those foolish heretics understand, in no uncertain terms, who truly rules this Empire.’

And within days, news reached the Emperor’s ears – precisely as he had anticipated.

New rebellions arising in Bohemia’s wake…

Upon learning their details, a chilling smile spread across the Emperor’s lips.

“So once again, the seeds of wicked evil emerge. Well done for crawling into the light. I shall duly deliver divine justice upon you, in accordance with God’s will!”