Laszlo had never expected that the final battle of the Crusade he launched in another timeline would also take place in Varna.
This was not an auspicious place; in the original timeline, Władysław III, the King of Poland and Hungary, had met his demise here.
Laszlo could only scoff at his recklessness; he would not repeat his mistakes.
The unenthusiastic Portuguese army was assigned to besiege the port of Varna, an important Ottomans stronghold on the Black Sea coast. It was heavily fortified, and Laszlo wanted to take it, but time did not allow him to do so—Mehmed II had already led his large army north.
After resting and resupplying near Constantinople, the Rumelia Corps advanced north with the Sultan, accompanied by the Anatolia Corps.
The forces of both sides in the battle were around 100,000 men, with neither side having an overwhelming advantage.
Given this, seizing advantageous terrain became the key to victory.
Unfortunately, although Laszlo knew that the Crusade had suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Varna in his previous life, he did not understand the details of the battle.
The staff officers drew maps of the surrounding area, but no one anticipated the Ottoman Sultan's astonishingly bold intentions.
Even Janos, whose mind was no longer clear due to successive victories, failed to see through Mehmed II's scheme.
Mehmed II quietly led his army around Lake Varna, recapturing the Suman Fortress, which had not yet been repaired, completely cutting off the retreat of the 100,000-strong Crusade.
Now, the Crusade was trapped in a narrow, north-south oriented plain between the Black Sea and Lake Varna.
There was no retreat; this was a national-level entrapment.
If the Ottomans were victorious, the Crusade would face the terrible fate of complete annihilation; they would either be slaughtered by the Ottomans or jump into the Black Sea to seek a glimmer of hope.
Varna became the Crusade's "dead end."
Inside the military tent, the atmosphere was heavy. Everyone was startled by the Ottomans's bold encirclement plan. Their earlier composure had long vanished, and their underestimation and rash advance had put them in an extremely dangerous situation.
The Ottomans's naval fleet roamed in the distant Black Sea, monitoring every move of the Crusade. Mehmed II had almost blocked all escape routes.
Laszlo's face was ashen. He now truly understood the power of [Maneuver 5]. Mehmed II's army had appeared as if by spatial warp, cutting off the Crusade's retreat.
The fate of the two strongest nations in Europe, Austria and the Ottoman, all hinged on this battle.
"Your Majesty, the Ottomans have already occupied Frankenhöhe, and they are transporting artillery up the mountain. Although it is difficult to accept, the Ottomans undoubtedly hold a superb position. They only need to set up their defensive formation between Lake Varna and Frankenhöhe and wait for our army to attack. Our army is forced to operate in such a narrow space, making it difficult to even deploy our flanks, and there is insufficient space for retreat... This is a fight to the death."
Marshal Adolf dutifully described their current predicament to everyone attending the war council.
Laszlo's expression grew even more grim, and even Philip, usually composed, now seemed somewhat dejected.
They had fallen into the Ottomans's trap. Mehmed II was a powerful Sultan, and they had chosen to underestimate him. Now they would pay the price.
Laszlo finally understood why Władysław III had been so impatient to charge into the Ottoman army and offer up his expensive head... This was a situation of slow death; the only way was to break through the Ottomans's blockade and gain enough maneuvering space, only then could the army hope for a chance at survival.
One hundred thousand men... if they all died here, what would become of Hungary, the Balkans, and even Austria?
Laszlo dared not think further; he feared that by then, all of Europe would be dyed green, and Vienna would likely be renamed Bechi, right?
He absolutely would not allow such a fate to befall him!
Everyone said the Habsburg were terrible at fighting, but who were the enemies the Habsburg fought against?
The peak Ottoman Turk! The Anti-Holy League! The Swedish-French Alliance! Revolutionary France!
Which one of their opponents was not a powerhouse that dominated Europe?
Often, the Habsburg Dynasty was the BOSS, requiring several great powers to unite against it.
Losing to them was not shameful, but Laszlo did not want to lose even once. Not wanting to lose was not just a thought in his mind or words from his mouth.
He must display the demeanor of a qualified commander, and first and foremost, that meant stabilizing morale.
"Gentlemen, are you afraid? Do you regret joining this Crusade?"
Laszlo's gaze swept over everyone. The commanders, who had been so triumphant earlier, were now all dispirited. This would not do.
"Your Majesty, we can defeat the Ottomans!" Janos suddenly stood up and said.
Everyone's eyes focused on the old general, filled with expectation. He was the most outstanding general at this war council, and only he could save the Crusade, which was almost in despair.
Laszlo motioned for him to continue.
Janos gestured on the map, explaining to everyone: "Frankenhöhe provides the enemy with an excellent strategic position, but the enemy faces a choice: either cross the high ground and continue to encircle north, cutting off our last retreat, or maintain this gap and concentrate forces for a frontal assault."
Adolf cleared his throat, reminding: "Scouts have also found traces of enemy activity north of Frankenhöhe; they are trying to close the encirclement. If I were the Ottoman Sultan, I would place the Anatolia Corps on the far left flank, use a large number of cavalry to quickly outflank our army's right wing, completely cut off our army's northern retreat, and trap us here to annihilate us all."
Janos, however, rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Adolf's idea was similar to his initial one; once the Crusade's right wing was outflanked and broken through by the enemy, the entire force would truly become a turtle in a jar.
But he always felt that Mehmed II would not use such a risky method.
The Ottomans did not have an absolute numerical advantage, and choosing to encircle meant that their frontline troop density would certainly be less than that of the Crusade, which would make the Ottomans's battle quite difficult.
"What if Mehmed places the half-crippled Rumelia Corps on the left flank and the Anatolia Corps on the right flank?" Janos hypothesized.
Laszlo and Philip exchanged glances, both feeling that this possibility was much smaller than the previous one.
"If Mehmed deploys like that, wouldn't the weak Rumelia Corps be easily repulsed by us, opening up our path to survival, and perhaps even allowing us to encircle the Ottomans in turn?" Laszlo imagined along Janos's hypothesis, finding it somewhat absurd.
"You overlooked one point: if we deploy heavy forces on the right flank and are weak on the left, then the enemy's Anatolia Corps could quickly defeat our left flank, threatening the center. In such a situation, if the enemy's left flank is open, yielding the path for a northern retreat, what would you choose to do?"
"First retreat north to an advantageous position, then turn around and fight a major battle with the Ottomans." Philip's eyes widened slightly; he seemed to be grasping something.
Laszlo nodded in agreement. He would indeed make such a decision; a commander must try his best to keep his army away from a dead end, so as not to invite a disastrous defeat.
Janos, however, his expression grim, said in a deep voice: "If the army begins to retreat, the chaotic troops will quickly turn an orderly withdrawal into a rout, especially under continuous harassment from Ottoman cavalry... At that point, it will truly devolve into a massacre."
Vlad, who had been silent, spoke up: "This is just your bold speculation. Anyone arranging troops would place the strongest legions in the most crucial positions. I am certain Mehmed will deploy strong cavalry units on the high ground; there can be no mistake about that!"
Laszlo was irritated by the generals' arguing and slammed his fist on the table, silencing everyone.
"Enough! Our right flank is fighting uphill anyway, and cavalry won't perform well here. So, deploy all the main Hungarian and Wallachia cavalry on the left flank to launch a fierce assault from there. The right flank will use a Wagenburg for defense, and the remaining troops will form the center to fill the battle line, observing the situation and reinforcing as needed. We will fight the Ottomans to the death here. If they try to outflank our right, we will crush them head-on and carve out a bloody path! The God who creates all will also end all. This is our destined place!"
"Go back and tell the soldiers that after this battle, the glory and wealth they seek will become reality! Are there any other objections?"
Laszlo's calm and composed demeanor gradually reassured the generals.
Janos added: "Your Majesty, deploy the Wallachia cavalry on the right flank as a reserve, to prevent enemy cavalry from raiding the Wagenburg's flank. Also, I need infantry support."
Laszlo nodded slightly, adjusting the deployment: "I will give all of Werner's mercenaries to you. Those mercenaries from Saxony are excellent fighters. Vlad's Wallachia cavalry will remain behind my Imperial Army, ready to reinforce at any time. The left flank will be under Janos's full command; the center will be given to Philip; Adolf will command the right flank; Albrecht, you will lead the Holy Roman Empire allied forces with me on the second line as reserves; Fernando, send five thousand Portuguese troops under my command as a reserve. You are to guard against the enemy within Varna and at sea; you need not worry about the frontal battlefield; Laszlo Hunyadi, your Household Cavalry will serve as battlefield scouts and messengers, maintaining clear battlefield communications. No unit is to pursue or advance rashly without receiving orders. If anyone makes a low-level tactical error on the battlefield, even if we win, I will show no mercy!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Everyone received their orders and departed to make the final preparations before the decisive battle.