"This isn't what we agreed upon, Sir Envoy."
Bolesław looked at the Austrian diplomat with an unfriendly gaze, clearly showing suspicion.
The diplomat, who had anticipated this, immediately soothed him: "You are mistaken, King of Poland. Our great Emperor said he would facilitate a reconciliation between Poland and the Teutonic Order, and he is not speaking empty words. Anyone who delays the peace process will be made to taste the sharpness of the Imperial Army's blade. You should be able to understand the Emperor's painstaking efforts."
"Understand? I truly cannot understand! Who would bring tens of thousands of troops to mediate a war that has lasted for many years? I think the Emperor's actions are simply to continue this war."
Bolesław was a bit agitated, and it couldn't be blamed on him. If the Emperor were to really bring troops to attack him now, it would be extremely difficult for him to resist.
As for seeking allies?
Not to mention that he himself was not legitimately enthroned, making it difficult to gain trust in diplomacy, just looking at the surrounding situation, Lithuania, Teutonic Order, Moldavia, Hungary, Austria, and Bohemia were all sharpening their knives against him.
He looked around and found that there were no allies who could support Poland in a short time.
If he sought Imperial Princes, perhaps no one would dare to ally with him.
He now felt some regret. At that time, he was blinded by his desires and didn't see the hidden dangers beneath this crown. Now, it would probably be difficult to retreat unscathed.
"Calm down, King of Poland. The Emperor's original intention is certainly not to wish for this war to continue, but this depends on the attitudes of all parties, and your attitude is the most important."
The Austrian envoy could only try his best to appease the King of Poland, after all, the Emperor originally had ill intentions, and to make Bolesław believe that the Emperor came for peace was indeed asking too much.
Bolesław sighed lightly, waved his hand and said: "Alright, you may withdraw. I hope the facts are truly as you say."
After the Austrian diplomat left, Bolesław's expression immediately became serious and calm. He immediately announced the summoning of the council.
The Polish nobles loyal to Bolesław gathered together. After a fierce discussion, it was only when Bolesław agreed to strengthen the "Nieszawa Privilege Decree" and promised that this would be the last major conscription that the Polish nobles reluctantly agreed to reassemble an army.
A new round of large-scale conscription was carried out in the core areas of Poland, including Masovia. Bolesław assembled a large army of nearly 20,000 in Kraków.
By mid-March 1458, the Emperor set the final peace talks location in Toruń, where the treaty was signed after the last large-scale war between Poland and the Teutonic Order.
Toruń is the southernmost part of the Teutonic Order's territory, very close to the Kingdom of Poland. At the same time, this city is also one of the leading cities of the Prussian League, and it is the place where various forces clash most intensely.
At this time, Laszlo personally led 17,000 troops to Breslau on the Oder River, where he met with a legion each from the Bohemia and Saxon Army that had already arrived. The two Piast Dukes also led 4,000 troops to join the Emperor's army.
The Imperial Army totaled 27,000 troops.
Laszlo was not worried that the two Piast Dukes of Silesia would collude with the King of Poland, Bolesław, who also belonged to the Piast Family, after all, their blood relationship had long since become so thin as to be almost non-existent.
If one wanted to describe it specifically, it would probably be the feeling of "one family five hundred years ago."
What truly worried Laszlo was the news that had recently come from Poland: Bolesław, leading a large Polish army of about 20,000, had already arrived in Poznań, on one hand, curbing the advance route of the Imperial Army to the south, and on the other hand, posing a threat to the Teutonic Order and the Prussian League to the north.
On the banks of the Oder River, Laszlo and a group of generals rode their horses, roaming. Across this river, that was the territory of Poland.
"A person who seized the crown by his own ability is indeed not simple."
Laszlo couldn't help but feel a little emotional. This Bolesław was also a character, actually reorganizing the Polish territory in such a short time. Although he had not completely pacified Poland, he still suppressed the various nobles within Poland with his powerful strength.
Adolf immediately consoled him: "Your Majesty need not worry. After so many years of war consumption, the military strength of the Kingdom of Poland has long been far from what it was. Even if such an army is organized, I am afraid it will not be able to stop our army's attack."
Laszlo nodded lightly, his gaze fixed on the slowly flowing water of the Oder River, while he was calculating the gains and losses in his heart.
The recovery of the Imperial Army's military strength was slow. Although there was sufficient manpower, the period required for new recruits to train and form combat effectiveness was not short.
Since his ascension to the throne, he had gone through several major wars, losing a lot of military strength. Now that the troops had just recovered, they had to face the large Polish army again.
Laszlo began to ponder in his heart again, if Poland was not as weak as imagined, then was it worth fighting a fierce battle with Poland for the Teutonic Order.
So, what exactly was the purpose of interfering in Poland?
Laszlo cast aside distracting thoughts and traced back to the source: interfering in Poland was to prevent France, Venice, and Poland from jointly forming an encirclement against the Empire.
Then the best way was to directly abolish Poland and eliminate future troubles forever!
The method was simple: deplete Poland's manpower, force Poland to cede land and pay indemnities, and use the Teutonic Order to firmly suppress Poland.
In fact, there was another option, which was to unite with Lithuania. However, even though Laszlo had extended an invitation to Grand Duke Kazimierz to partition Poland, and even raised the banner of avenging his brother, this Lithuanian Grand Duke remained indifferent.
Recently, his envoy had been very active in eastern Poland, seemingly having colluded with the local nobles.
These Ruthenians might want to break free from Poland's control and embrace Lithuania.
This could barely be considered good news, because Laszlo knew that the possibility of Kazimierz turning against him was small; there were no direct conflicts of interest between them—at most, it was just the issue of the Moldavia region.
Given the favorable situation, if Poland was not abolished now, it would be difficult to find such a good opportunity to deal with Poland in the future.
With his mind made up, Laszlo immediately ordered: "Notify all units to remain vigilant, always ready for combat, and not to let them relax too much."
"Yes, Emperor."
Seeing the Emperor's firm resolve to fight, the generals were also high in morale.
The poor performance of the Polish army was now well-known, and as elite regular Imperial Army, they would not lose to such an opponent.
Of course, whether this battle would actually take place depended entirely on the progress of the peace talks in Toruń.
The person responsible for presiding over these peace talks was Laszlo's Royal Advisor, Cardinal Nicholas.
The parties participating in the peace talks included Grand Master Heinrich of the Teutonic Order, Bohemian mercenary commander Bernhard, Archbishop Wilfried of Warmia, Grand Governor Johannes of the Prussian League, Archbishop of Kraków Spalkowski, and Papal Legate Rodrigo.
The Polish general Lubiczowski led his troops to retreat into Polish territory. Bolesław praised his heroic achievements in battle and agreed to incorporate his army. Now, this army of over 5,000 men had once again become part of the Polish army.
The various forces involved in the war gathered in Toruń to jointly discuss and decide the outcome of this war.
And the two large armies, poised on the border between Poland and Bohemia, were like two heavy dark clouds, hanging over the heads of those who longed for peace.