Outside Poznań, the Imperial Army's camps were meticulously arranged, completely encircling the city.
Lord Peter stood by the tower window, his fingertips digging into the stone ledge.
He saw the distant scene: the besieging soldiers were busily felling trees and constructing siege engines, which filled him with worry.
"My Lord, all the messengers sent for reinforcements have failed. The enemy's blockade is too tight, I'm afraid it won't be long before..."
His subordinate's voice trembled slightly; he had been utterly terrified by the Imperial Army's might.
Peter didn't turn around, his gaze fixed on the conspicuous double-headed eagle banner in the center of the enemy camp.
Beneath that banner stood the invincible Holy Roman Emperor, and Bolesław, the King of Poland.
On the first day of their arrival in Poznań, Laszlo had already made an appearance with the King of Poland. According to the descriptions of the routed soldiers who fled from Leżnica, they had endured a brutal battle.
With the meager garrison currently in the city, it likely wouldn't hold out long before being breached by the Imperial Army.
He had initially hoped that the army stationed in Kuyavia would come to Poznań's rescue, but the Imperial Army had been besieging the city for days, and no reinforcements had appeared.
If they continued to wait, Poznań would likely fall, and then no one could say what would become of him and his family.
Ultimately, Peter made a decision that followed his heart.
At noon, the mournful creak of the city gates tore through the silence. An envoy, riding a warhorse and escorted by six Polish Knights, left Poznań and headed directly for the Imperial Army's siege camp.
In the military camp, Laszlo looked with surprise at the envoy sent from the city. Considering Bolesław's feelings, Laszlo did not have the envoy brought to him.
"Why have you come?" Laszlo sat upright in the main seat, sternly questioning the envoy.
The envoy from Poznań knelt on the cold ground, respectfully replying, "I come for peace, Your Majesty, the Emperor."
"Peace? Do you intend to surrender?"
Laszlo looked at the envoy with interest. It wasn't that he hadn't accepted city surrenders before, but for a regional capital and border stronghold like Poznań to voluntarily surrender was unexpected.
It seemed the Prussian War's devastation of Greater Poland was even more severe than he had imagined.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the Emperor. Our Lord hopes to save this city from destruction by paying a ransom."
"Is that so? Tell me, how much can you pay to save your lives?"
"Thirty thousand florins, Your Majesty. Our Lord is willing to pay thirty thousand florins in exchange for the safety of the Samertuli family and the right for the city's defenders to leave freely."
Laszlo narrowed his eyes slightly, then shook his head, saying, "Not enough. I want fifty thousand florins. Defenders who abandon their weapons, armor, and horses can leave freely, but those unwilling to abandon them will become our prisoners."
"Your Majesty, this... fifty thousand is truly too much. Could you perhaps..."
"I can accept gold coins and goods as compensation. As long as you pay thirty thousand florins and provide enough goods to cover the remaining debt, I can guarantee the safety of everyone in the city. This is the absolute bottom line."
The envoy's face turned bitter. With such harsh terms, even if the Imperial Army didn't plunder the city, the residents' lives would likely be difficult for some time to come.
"Your Majesty, I think I need to return and inform my Lord before I can give you an answer."
Laszlo nodded, saying, "I give you one day to consider. Before sunset tomorrow, have the Lord of Poznań personally come to my camp and surrender to me, otherwise..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but it still made cold sweat trickle down the envoy's forehead.
The next day at noon, a white flag was raised on Poznań's city walls. The city gates opened, and Lord Peter mounted a sturdy white horse, its back draped in deep blue silk embroidered with gold thread, bearing the Samertuli family crest.
Behind him followed twenty Knights without helmets, their scabbards empty.
Two carriages followed behind the Knights, laden with treasure chests filled with gold and silver coins.
This included a significant portion of Peter's savings, as well as money extracted from the city's guilds and citizens.
There weren't actually many gold coins; the carriages mostly carried silver coins, whose value was roughly equivalent to thirty thousand florins.
A long horn blast echoed from the Imperial Army's camp. Peter knelt on one knee, presenting the castle gate keys with both hands.
Laszlo took the keys from the Lord of Poznań, his gaze sweeping to Bolesław, who stood beside him with a gloomy expression, then back to Peter before him.
"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit..." Peter recited the surrender oath word for word, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.
"Rest assured, I will keep my promise. As long as you play no tricks, no more lives will be lost."
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty."
Peter forced himself not to dwell on Bolesław's piercing, stinging gaze; he had merely made a decision that most people would make.
The drawbridge crashed down. Heavily armored cavalry, in neat formations, were the first to enter the city, followed by infantry who rushed in, taking control of the entire city.
As Laszlo passed through the city streets on his way to the castle district, he heard the city itself seemed to be weeping, people hiding in their homes, afraid to show their faces.
Most of the city's defenders were soldiers conscripted from the surrounding areas. They laid down their weapons and took off their armor, and Laszlo, as agreed, allowed these soldiers to leave.
He could have chosen to carry out a massacre, but that would have ruined his reputation. Victory was already assured, there was no need for hasty gains.
Days later, when the envoy from Kraków arrived in Poznań, he was surprised to find the Imperial Army's banner flying high on the city walls.
"Poznań has fallen?"
The Polish envoy's eyes widened, unable to believe the sight before him.
As the most important city in western Poland, Poznań's status was self-evident, yet he was certain he hadn't misread it; the Emperor's double-headed eagle banner was indeed fluttering on the city walls.
He immediately realized that the second round of peace talks would likely be even more difficult, but it was too late to say anything now. If he had come a few days earlier, perhaps the situation would have been different...
Inside Poznań Castle, Laszlo received the envoy from the Polish Regency Council. When he heard the envoy's request for peace talks, Laszlo couldn't help but laugh.
"It seems you have finally understood the preciousness of peace. Indeed, only through suffering can one truly comprehend the meaning of 'Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.'"
"Your Majesty, this..."
The Polish envoy naturally heard the mockery in Laszlo's words, but he was helpless. Everyone in Kraków was now worried about the Emperor's army at their gates, and if they heard the news of Poznań's fall, they would likely be even more terrified.
"I agree to peace talks with you. The location remains the same, Toruń. Your Majesty, the King, will also attend these negotiations. We will also need to discuss the matter of ransom then."
"Regarding the fighting..."
"I will order a halt to military actions, provided your representatives arrive in Toruń."
Laszlo kept a trick up his sleeve; he had already dispatched a unit north to assist the Prussian army in besieging Nakło.
By the time the peace talks began, that weakly defended city would likely have fallen, giving him more leverage.
Events unfolded as he expected. Days later, Nakło fell. The Prussian army plundered the city before handing it over to the Imperial Army.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Poland's peace delegation, led personally by the Archbishop of Kraków, had already arrived in Toruń.
The Teutonic Order still had not managed to capture Dobrzyń Land, instead suffering considerable losses under the tenacious resistance of the defenders.
Laszlo was thoroughly disappointed with the Teutonic Order's performance, but considering this was their weakest period, their diminished combat effectiveness was normal. As long as they could suppress Poland later, they would still be useful.
In early May, after several days of negotiations, the Archbishop of Kraków and Bolesław were forced to sign a humiliating peace treaty.
This treaty was later known as the Third Treaty of Toruń, and its contents were as follows:
1. The Kingdom of Poland shall cede Dobrzyń Land to the Teutonic Order and half of Greater Poland, including Poznań and Nakło, to Austria.
2. The Kingdom of Poland shall pay the Teutonic Order and the Emperor a total war indemnity of three hundred thousand florins, which includes the King of Poland's ransom. One hundred thousand florins are to be paid immediately, and the remaining debt within five years.
3. Poland shall sign five-year peace agreements with Austria, the Teutonic Order, and Denmark respectively.
Of these three hundred thousand florins in war reparations, Austria would receive one hundred eighty thousand, and the Teutonic Order one hundred twenty thousand.
The Grand Master had no complaints about this division, as the Teutonic Order's share included a portion for Denmark.
Although Denmark had little presence in this war, the naval blockade, naval supplies, and loans provided by Denmark were very important to the Teutonic Order.
This war was ultimately a continuation of the Prussian War. With Poland and the Teutonic Order both exhausted and internally unstable, the Imperial Army's intervention delivered the decisive blow.
Shortly after the treaty was signed, a noble armed alliance in eastern Poland declared its secession from the Kingdom of Poland and joined the Lithuanian Grand Duchy. Kazimierz accepted the allegiance of these nobles.
The Kingdom of Poland, beset by internal and external difficulties, was powerless to stop it, only able to watch as the kingdom's territory was carved up piece by piece. Even Poland's core regions would likely not be peaceful.
As chests of gold coins were loaded onto carriages by the soldiers, Laszlo smiled with satisfaction. He picked up a gold coin and examined it closely: the obverse bore a fleur-de-lis, and the reverse depicted an icon of John the Baptist.
Gold is gold.
A joy of harvest surged in his heart. He turned to Bolesław beside him and said, "Bolesław, you are now free. Matthias, return the crown to this King. We are returning to Vienna."
Bolesław took the crown and, protected by the Polish Knights, left the Imperial Army's camp, muttering curses.
Subsequently, Laszlo summoned the important nobles of Poznań and Nakło, accepted their allegiance, and after reassuring them, the army set off to return to the Empire.
On the way, Laszlo unexpectedly received news from the Papacy.