Laszlo's transaction with Charles was not a secret, and countless eyes were fixed on every move of the Imperial Army, as everyone feared this sharp sword falling on their own heads.
Therefore, it was impossible to keep it a secret, and Laszlo had no intention of doing so, as it went against his usual open and upright style.
In any case, the alliance between Austria and Burgundy was public, and three thousand Independent Army troops stationed in Graz swaggered into Burgundy proper via the Tyrol-Switzerland route.
The departure of this army from the Empire did relieve many, but more people focused on the astonishing news recently released by the Duke of Burgundy: he would pay the Emperor twenty thousand florins in Imperial public taxes.
As the only foreign lord controlling a complete Imperial region, Charles's every move attracted great attention; while agreeing to pay the public tax seemed merely a transaction between him and the Emperor, viewed from a different perspective, it took on an entirely different meaning.
In Paris, at the French King's court, Louis XI was in a rage, but unlike ordinary people, he did not appear hysterical in his anger, instead maintaining an extremely cold demeanor.
In the center of the palace, not far from his throne, an iron cage held several doctors who had been tortured beyond recognition.
The ministers stood far away; the strong smell of blood mixed with other odors was unbearable, and even the beautiful Queen Charlotte of Savoy, sitting beside Louis XI, showed a look of pity.
Everyone knew the King was in a fit of pique at this moment, and no one dared to speak up to persuade him.
When Louis XI's spy chief asked if the next torture should be carried out, Louis XI waved his hand expressionlessly.
He seemed a bit tired, or perhaps his anger had subsided somewhat, so he decided to give these doctors a quick end. Soon, guards dragged all the dying prisoners out and beheaded them one by one.
They had indeed made some mistakes, which was failing to save Prince François, who had died prematurely shortly before. The child had survived for half a year after birth but was ultimately taken by a minor illness.
Counting the two sons who had died prematurely before Louis XI's ascension, this was his third son to die prematurely.
Although Louis XI now had two healthy, lovely daughters, the heir he most needed, a healthy male infant, remained elusive.
None of his three sons had lived past the age of one, leading to rumors among the populace that Louis XI was abandoned and cursed by God for participating in plots to harm relatives, which was why he was slow to get a healthy heir.
These rumors were mostly spread in secret by the Duke of Armagnac, who organized the French spy network for Laszlo.
He was almost certain that Charles VII had died by Louis XI's poisoning, and with Louis XI's sons dying prematurely in succession, the Duke of Armagnac immediately seized the opportunity to tarnish Louis XI's reputation.
These rumors spread wider and wider; even the Duke of Armagnac, the source of the rumors, began to believe them, let alone the citizens of Paris who were already dissatisfied with Louis XI's cruel rule.
People began to miss the era of Charles VII's rule; although the English were still ravaging their land at the time, their lives were filled with victory and hope.
Louis XI, however, brought only endless internal strife and unbearable heavy taxes.
Because of these rumors, Louis XI's sole heir, his younger brother Charles, Duke of Berry, was now receiving increasing support.
This was the main reason for Louis XI's great anger, and what made him lose control of his emotions at this moment was another piece of news he had received shortly before: the newly appointed Duke of Burgundy, Charles, had paid the so-called "Imperial public tax" to the Emperor, and the Emperor had dispatched the Imperial Army to Burgundy as reinforcements.
"Gentlemen, we should be pleased," Louis XI said through gritted teeth, staring at his assembled ministers, "The new Duke of Burgundy is a complete fool! To pay taxes to the Emperor, what is he thinking?"
According to the Treaty of Arras thirty years ago, the Duke of Burgundy did not even need to pay taxes to the French King, yet that foolish Charles was now paying taxes to the damned Emperor!
If someone were to make an issue of it, there might even be absurd rumors like the Duke of Burgundy submitting to the Emperor.
Wasn't this tantamount to slapping his, the French King's, face in front of everyone?
Although Louis XI did not particularly care about his own reputation, such an insult was still enough to infuriate him.
What angered him even more was that with a major war imminent, the Imperial Army had actually entered Burgundy. The Emperor was no longer even bothering to pretend. "Your Majesty, this is clearly just a transaction. The Duke of Burgundy exchanged this money for the aid of the Imperial Army. You need not worry about it.
As for the so-called Imperial tax, it should be a method the Duke of Burgundy adopted to cope with the Emperor's pressure."
Jean de la Balue, a high-ranking court official who had been promoted to Cardinal of France with Louis XI's help, spoke to comfort him.
Another important minister, Duke René of Anjou, also reminded him: "The relationship between Burgundy and the Empire is not what needs attention right now.
Your Majesty, Brittany, Berry, and Burgundy have all begun to gather armies, preparing to march on Paris for the second time. We must find a way to respond quickly."
Louis XI nodded, regaining his composure. In any case, the Burgundians had always played both sides between France, England, and the Empire. He did not believe, nor was he willing to accept, that Charles truly had the guts to completely side with the Empire.
For now, dealing with the impending Second League of Public Weal rebellion was more important.
"My dear brother has been quite prominent lately, hasn't he? The citizens always talk about him, but he always likes to associate with those rebellious traitors."
As Louis XI thought of the rumors he had heard recently supporting his brother, Charles, Duke of Berry, a sudden murderous intent arose in his heart.
However, even Louis XI dared not easily bear the crime of fratricide.
Since he couldn't kill his own brother, he could only target those who spread gossip.
"Olivier, I order you to strengthen the scrutiny of Paris and its surrounding areas in the near future. Rats from the Empire have infiltrated. I want you to find and kill them, and stop the spread of rumors."
"I understand, Your Majesty."
Olivier Le Dain, Louis XI's barber and most trusted confidant, also served as the head of French espionage. As a white glove who specialized in doing the king's dirty work, Le Dain was always adept at such tasks.
His informants were everywhere in Paris; those who spread gossip, whether spies or busybody citizens, would likely not escape a visit to the king's secret dungeon.
"The enemies of France intend to repeat their old tricks. Do any of you have a plan to deal with this?"
After giving instructions for internal affairs, Louis XI's gaze swept over the dozen or so ministers present, hoping they could offer some practical suggestions.
"Your Majesty, the power of the Duke of Burgundy is not to be underestimated. If the enemy gathers again, we will likely pay a considerable price to deal with them.
Therefore, we must act preemptively, forcing the Duke of Brittany and the Duke of Berry to submit before Burgundy joins the war. This will greatly increase our chances of victory."
A old and deep voice spoke; it was Jean de Dunois, the kingdom's military commander recently appointed by Louis XI, the last famous general of the Hundred Years' War.
In the First League of Public Weal War, he, dissatisfied with his current position, joined the League of Public Weal and led the allied army to attack the French King.
Later, Louis XI used some divisive tactics, and Dunois, seeing that the alliance was disunited and unsustainable, the seasoned veteran then rejoined the King.
In the Battle of Montlhéry, Louis XI lost a marshal, and many other old generals who had participated in the Hundred Years' War had already perished, which made him highly value Dunois's talent. After the League of Public Weal disbanded, he did not break his word but truly granted Dunois the authority to command the French army.
More than twenty years ago, Dunois, as the commander of the French army, led a large force to recapture Paris from the English.
Today, more than twenty years later, this old marshal was once again to lead the kingdom's army to defend Paris from rebels, even if those rebels had once been his allies.
Although Louis XI's character and reputation were very poor, he was definitely a master at discovering and utilizing the talents of his subjects.
His court saw the first relatively large-scale appearance of non-noble officials; appointing people based on merit was Louis XI's consistent governing principle.
His high regard deeply moved Dunois, who therefore decided to achieve a glorious victory for the King and completely end the endless rebellions within the kingdom before he could no longer command troops in battle.
"Launching a preemptive attack is indeed a good method," Louis XI mused for a moment, still somewhat uneasy, and asked, "How is our army's assembly status? If we are to attack quickly and defeat the Duke of Brittany and the Duke of Berry, how confident are you?"
Dunois was very confident about this. He stepped forward and, thumping his chest, replied to Louis XI, "Your Majesty, the ordinance cavalry, the Scottish Guard, and the artillery units have all completed their assembly.
We can certainly swiftly defeat the two dukes who are about to rebel. At that time, the Duke of Burgundy will be isolated, and this rebellion will quickly be quelled."
"Very well," Louis XI suddenly stood up from his throne and, to the astonished gazes of his ministers, declared loudly, "I have decided to personally lead the troops to defeat those traitors who constantly initiate rebellions and disrupt the order of the kingdom!"
Shortly after this tense court meeting ended, Louis XI personally led an army of over twenty thousand westward, with his forces directed straight at Brittany.
Duke René of Anjou was ordered to lead a detached force to campaign against the Duke of Berry.
François II, Duke of Brittany, whose territory consisted of only a few provinces and whose army numbered no more than five thousand, was so intimidated by the French King's massive invasion that he dared not move. He could only lead his army to entrench themselves in several important cities and castles while urgently dispatching envoys to Burgundy for aid.
Thus, the Second League of Public Weal War suddenly erupted.
Charles, far away in Brussels, was quite incredulous when he received the news.
Louis XI, who had always preferred to resolve disputes through intrigue rather than war, had this time boldly led his army directly to attack his ally, which caught Charles by surprise.
In Charles's mind, Louis XI should have stayed safely in Paris, waiting for him to lead the grand army of the League of Public Weal to breach the city and chop off the king's dog head.
Regarding the Duke of Brittany's plea for help, Charles was now powerless to assist.
On one hand, the reinforcements from Austria had only just arrived in Dijon, and it would take time for them to reach the Low Countries and rendezvous with his main army;
On the other hand, a considerable rebellion had broken out in Ghent, an important city in the Netherlands, and several other Low Countries cities had also experienced varying degrees of unrest.
The States General of the Netherlands was very angry at Charles's blatant profiteering under the guise of the Imperial public tax, and some wealthy merchants had gathered troops to launch a rebellion for this reason.
Charles now had an army of about fifteen thousand men under his command. If he were to lead this army directly to Paris, he might indeed be able to capture the kingdom's capital before Louis XI pacified Brittany.
But he was only bold, not insane.
The Low Countries were the lifeblood of the Duchy of Burgundy; it was only by relying on the developed economy and vast tax revenues from here that he could support a powerful army.
If he allowed the rebellion in the Low Countries to run rampant, he feared he would be defeated before even engaging the French King.
Moreover, without the support of the Imperial Army, Charles was still somewhat apprehensive and reluctant to directly confront the French King's army head-on.
For various reasons, Charles ultimately abandoned the idea of immediately leading his army to support his ally and thwart Louis XI's plan.
He took advantage of the time his ally's misfortune bought him, swiftly led his powerful new Burgundian army deep into the Low Countries, and besieged Ghent, which was occupied by the rebels.
Subsequently, Louis XI and Charles engaged in a race against time.
The French launched fierce attacks on several important passes on the Brittany border, successively capturing important strongholds such as Fougères and Dinan.
In addition to military actions, Louis XI also imposed a trade blockade on Brittany.
He strictly restricted the trade of grain and textiles between Brittany and France proper, and he funded pirates in Normandy and Gascony to enforce a naval blockade on Brittany.
Some Breton nobles, such as Marshal Pierre Landais of Brittany, who had long been secretly bribed by Louis XI, continuously leaked confidential information from within the Duchy to the French army, causing every attempt by the Breton army to launch a counterattack to end in failure.
On the other side, the Burgundian army launched a fierce, storm-like attack on Ghent. Charles ordered seven eight-ton heavy siege cannons to be brought from Brussels, while smaller cannons like culverins and francos numbered over two hundred.
These cannons destroyed Ghent's city walls in less than a week. Charles personally led his army into the city, wiping out all the rebels within.
The rebellion was quickly quelled, and Charles, who had only recently ascended to power, established his prestige within the Duchy.
The Burgundian army then began to advance towards the Somme River. Once the Imperial Army arrived to rendezvous, Charles would lead this formidable army directly to Paris, which was lightly defended, to make up for the regret of failing to capture the city in the last war and being mocked by Louis XI.