The next day, Laszlo offered a large reward among his guards for a messenger to deliver a letter of surrender into the city, to Iri.
Laszlo offered three hundred florins as remuneration, which was a huge sum for ordinary people.
Under a heavy reward, there was bound to be a brave man; a Bohemian accepted this dangerous task, and all the Imperial Army cavalry looked at this warrior with admiration.
Laszlo called him to his side, handed him the handwritten letter, and said, "Deliver this letter to Iri, tell him that all my promises are sincere, be sure to watch him finish reading the letter, and report his reply to me when you return."
The messenger took the letter, nodded respectfully, then removed all his weapons and armor, and walked to the foot of Kuttenberg.
He raised his hands high and loudly stated his purpose, which prevented the rebels on the city wall from shooting him immediately.
After notifying Iri, the defenders on the city wall lowered a rope, letting the messenger hold on tightly to the rope, and then pulled him up together.
Inside Kuttenberg, Iri stood on the city wall, looking at the distant Imperial Army camp.
His face was full of exhaustion; the city's supplies were severely depleted, and many warriors had fallen ill due to lack of food and drinking unclean water, compounded by the hot weather, a plague could break out in the city at any time.
Even in such a desperate situation, with no retreat, he would not give up resistance and surrender to the invaders and tyrant.
Just then, the defending soldiers brought the Emperor's messenger before Iri.
The messenger respectfully handed the Emperor's handwritten letter to Iri, saying, "Lord Iri, this is a letter from the Emperor to you."
Iri took the letter, coldly glanced at the messenger, then tore open the envelope and quickly scanned its contents.
In the letter, Laszlo spoke earnestly, promising that as long as Iri was willing to convert and open the city to surrender, he would ensure his safety, and even allow him to enjoy wealth and honor in Vienna. The letter also mentioned that Catherine was in Laszlo's hands, hoping Iri would seriously consider his child's well-being.
Iri's face gradually darkened. He abruptly crumpled the letter into a ball, threw it heavily to the ground, and roared, "Laszlo, this tyrant, dares to insult me like this! I, Iri, will never bow to him and the corrupt Catholic! Go back and tell your master that I would rather die in battle than convert and surrender!"
The messenger was so frightened by Iri's anger that he backed away repeatedly, quickly saying, "My Lord, please think twice! The Emperor sincerely hopes..."
"Get out!" Iri interrupted the messenger, waving his hand towards the city gate, "Go back and tell Laszlo that I, Iri, swear to live and die with Bohemia! If he wants my life, let him come and attack the city!"
The messenger dared not say more, hastily left the castle, returned to the Imperial Army camp to report to Laszlo, and received his reward.
Laszlo frowned after hearing the messenger's report.
Iri was so stubborn, preferring to fight to the death rather than compromise.
However, he had actually anticipated this situation; if Iri were so easily fooled, the problem of Bohemia would have been resolved long ago.
As it stood, everything still had to be concluded on the battlefield.
"Emperor, Iri has rejected your proposal, what should we do next?"
Adolf stood aside, asking in a low voice.
Laszlo was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I think the time is almost right. Since he is unwilling to yield, we can only launch a full assault. You personally go and command the artillery and all units to initiate the attack, making sure to break through the city wall and enter the city in the shortest possible time. For rebels who stop resisting, take them as prisoners; there is no need for a massacre."
"Yes, Emperor."
Adolf nodded and immediately went to arrange the task, ensuring the troops were fully prepared.
Before the formal attack began, the Imperial Army first set up a simple stake in front of the formation, with firewood piled high beneath it.
Under the bewildered gaze of the defenders on the city wall, a pale-faced young woman wearing heavy shackles was roughly escorted by soldiers to the stake.
There was no accusation, no trial, and no priest's persuasion; this was not a formal inquisition.
This was merely a torment and revenge by Laszlo against the unyielding Iri.
"Iri, look closely, your daughter is about to endure boundless suffering because of your stubbornness and heretical faith. If you change your mind now, the Emperor swears by the honor of the Habsburg Family to guarantee the safety of you and your family."
A loud-voiced warrior was chosen to shout to Iri on the city wall on behalf of Laszlo.
On the city wall, Iri's eyes widened, bloodshot, his gaze fixed on the poor young woman who was about to be burned at the stake.
That was his daughter Catherine; she should have been living peacefully in Podebrady Castle, protected by the family guards, but now she had become an enemy captive.
It seemed Laszlo's words were not a deception; Podebrady Castle had already fallen.
Iri's heart was heavy; he punched the city wall hard, but the pain in his hand was far less than the pain in his heart.
He had not expected Laszlo to use such despicable tactics, but he would not yield.
Even if his daughter was about to die because of him, he would not surrender to the tyrant.
As for the Emperor's oath, the only difference between this oath and a fart was that a fart might smell bad.
Iri knew very well that no one could restrain the Emperor or demand that he keep his promises, which meant that once he entrusted his life to the Emperor, it would be no different from suicide.
Moreover, his loyal Hussite comrades who followed him would also die in vain.
So many reasons made him choose to resist to the end; he could only stand silently on the city wall, as a helpless father, watching his daughter being tied to the stake.
The accompanying priest stood before the pile of firewood, reciting a prayer for the young woman who was about to suffer.
Catherine's young, beautiful face was filled with despair and fear; her face still bore tear stains, but she could not cry at this moment.
She didn't understand why she had to endure such torment.
No one had asked about her faith, nor had anyone asked if she was willing to convert; simply because she was Iri's daughter, she had to endure the scorching flames.
Did she resent her father? Not at all.
She knew her tragedy was not caused by her father; her father was an outstanding leader who guided Bohemia out of its predicament, a source of pride for her.
The true ones to hate were these German invaders who destroyed their homeland, these wicked executioners and butchers who destroyed everything, and now she too was about to be killed.
"May the holy flames purify your soul, Amen."
The priest finished his prayer, lightly touched Catherine's head with a small cross, and then stepped aside.
Laszlo came to the stake, gazing at the young woman who was about to be executed.
She was innocent, Laszlo knew this very well, yet now she was about to lose her life because of one of Laszlo's evil thoughts.
Perhaps feeling guilty for his atrocities, Laszlo felt a slight unease in his heart, and he whispered, "I'm sorry, may your soul rest in eternal peace."
Catherine's eyes were filled with resentment, and she said to Laszlo in a hoarse voice, "I am blameless before God; my soul will go to Heaven. As for you, cruel Emperor, I suppose your heart is made of iron, so you will never feel pain for your sins."
Laszlo narrowed his eyes slightly; this was the first time he had faced such sharp criticism.
However, he couldn't feel any anger in his heart; he felt he deserved even more vicious insults and curses.
What had he been doing these days?
Hiding dark desires with holy slogans, killing in the name of God.
At first, he thought all his actions were for so-called "justice" and "faith," but now he was no longer as firm as before.
He was a normal person with emotions; these days, he kept brainwashing himself, telling himself that he must be merciless towards heretics, that it was all for faith.
If he didn't do so, he would be consumed by his own evil thoughts and become a true tyrant.
But was he truly in Bohemia for faith?
No, he was there for Bohemia's land, wealth, and power.
He had already committed enough bloodshed in these days.
He began to calculate in his heart.
"Anyway, I've already killed so many heretics, one more won't make a difference, and it will let Iri experience the taste of heartbreak."
"However, killing her has no practical significance, and it might even intensify the resistance of the city's defenders. Being slandered is a minor issue."
Laszlo weighed the pros and cons and decided to give the woman a chance.
"I ask you, are you willing to abandon your heretical faith and return to the embrace of the Lord and the Catholic? If you nod, I will send you to a convent, where you will dedicate your life to God. If you shake your head, I regret to say, I can only purify your soul."
Laszlo's words made Catherine slightly startled; she looked at the Emperor, and the Emperor was also looking at her, with a hint of pity in his expression.
Without hesitating for too long, the desire to survive overcame everything.
Catherine nodded gently, and Laszlo immediately had the young woman taken down from the stake and her shackles removed.
The priest who had just recited prayers for the young woman now completed a brief confession ceremony, then loudly announced to everyone present that this young woman named Catherine Podebrady had abandoned her heretical faith and once again become a follower of the Roman Catholic.
This sudden turn of events caught everyone by surprise.
The Hussite rebels inside the city were even more demoralized; many of them recognized the young woman as the daughter of their leader, Iri.
But now, she had betrayed her faith and openly surrendered to the enemy.
The Imperial Army, on the other hand, was greatly boosted in morale; they had never seen such a rare event as conversion on the front lines, and the warriors erupted in earth-shattering cheers.
At Laszlo's signal, the priest led the still-shaken Catherine away from the front line, and the executioners set fire to the empty stake.
Laszlo looked up in Iri's direction, knowing that his arch-enemy's heart must be a mix of emotions at that moment.
Later, a soldier who had witnessed this dramatic scene described the full story in detail to an Italian painter living in Vienna.
Inspired, the painter immediately created a work depicting the empty stake, the young woman kneeling on the ground receiving confession from the priest, and the young Emperor watching it all from the side.
He gave the painting a rather controversial name, "The Maiden in Flames."