Chapter 490 Return to the Battlefield

Stefan finally ascended the throne. The members of parliament and the southern lords pledged allegiance to him, and he himself promised to establish a fair and hopeful government. Then he attacked northward without stopping, determined to wipe out the Plantagenet.

The southeast region all surrendered to Stefan, which was the richest place in England. At the same time, the Hanseatic League merchants also reopened the channel trade, and the local people began to sing the praises of the new king.

Peter also arrived in Dalmatia, and he was clear about the current situation in Europe. The three younger brothers were all restraining the anti-Roman alliance in various directions, and now it was his turn to appear.

"Your Majesty, Austria has stationed troops in Innsbruck for defense. We can attack directly or bypass it through Hungary."

Mason reported the situation to Peter. At present, the Roman army has two options on land. One is to attack Milan and Savoy to unify the Apennine Peninsula and go north to France. The other is to attack Austria directly from Innsbruck.

Peter did not respond, but just asked another question. "How is Hungary?"

"Your Majesty, Hungary already has more than 50,000 people on the border with Austria. They are just waiting for the Empire to attack and follow them."

As of now, the main battlefield of this European war is still in the Holy Roman Empire. The southern region led by Austria is the center of the center, not to mention the Austrian capital Vienna.

If Rome wants to be safe, it must keep Hungary; if Hungary wants to be safe, it must take Vienna. These are all linked, and the feelings of other allies must also be considered, which is really stressful.

"Although it is difficult to choose, their troops can only be dispersed, which is our advantage."

"After the Duke of Aargau solves Florence, he will immediately go north to put pressure on Milan. I will personally lead troops to attack Innsbruck. It will scare the Austrians out of their wits."

In fact, as soon as Peter arrived in Dalmatia, many people were ready to immigrate. They were all afraid that the Roman emperor would do all kinds of cruel things to them. A few days later, the Roman army attacked Innsbruck, and the Duke of Aargau also led troops to Milan. The offensive of the Roman Empire began.

The princes of the Holy Roman Empire were anxious. They were caught in the middle with internal traitors in the north and strong enemies in the south. Although they were supported by countries such as Burgundy, they were also restrained by other directions. It was a mistake that Sigismund did not attend the previous meeting. The army was too scattered. It would take time to gather now, but according to the information they knew, Rome had at least 100,000 troops waiting for them.

There were those who fought to the death, and naturally there were those who surrendered. The Swiss Confederation formed by eight Swiss regions including Zurich, Bern, and Lucerne has received Rome's promise that they can join the empire as a highly autonomous political entity. If they do not join the empire, they must sign a long-term alliance treaty with Rome. This is the last bottom line of the empire.

Switzerland has never received such a friendly request. Not only will it recognize their rights, but it will also provide some funds to the local government for development. And it will also hire a mercenary team of 20,000 Swiss people, which is a high price that no country could offer in the past.

At the same time, Rome also contacted the Duchy of Brittany, saying that there would be more trade waiting for him. Although this situation is useless, it can also make the other party move their hearts, and there may be any unexpected actions.

Peter's army launched a fierce attack on Innsbruck. Although the defenders resisted tenaciously, they were eventually defeated. First, the broken city walls were destroyed by artillery, and then the outer city was lost. The rebels retreated into the inner city. The two sides fought fiercely in the city for a day. The defenders, who suffered heavy casualties, could only retreat to the north in embarrassment.

After the fall of Innsbruck, in addition to Vienna being in danger, Munich in Bavaria was also exposed to the muzzle of Rome. The Elector of Bavaria could only gather all the troops to defend Munich. At the same time, the princes of the Holy Roman Empire who had learned that Rome had broken through the Alpine defense line rushed to send troops to the south.

The Duke of Burgundy also felt the special situation, so he discussed with the Duke of Orleans to jointly attack Milan to relieve the pressure on the Holy Roman Empire. However, their minds were all on Rome, but they ignored the King of France.

In the name of the King of England, Stefan wrote to King Charles VI of France, saying that he was willing to give up Gascony and Plantagenet's claim to the French throne, and that the two sides would maintain the current border. As long as the king was willing to retain Stefan's title of Duke of Normandy, then England and France would still be good neighbors.

This was indeed a temptation. France and England had been arguing over the issue of succession for decades. Now that the new king was willing to give it up, they were naturally happy, and also gave up Gascony, which was their richest place. When Eleanor, the Duchess of Aquitaine, married King Henry II of England with most of France, this place directly contributed more than half of Britain's income.

Salmon was responsible for persuading Charles VI, and even Stefan's wife was lobbying the nobles. Wouldn't it be good for the two countries to achieve permanent peace?

It can only be said that without Burgundy and Orleans, these nobles would have fainted. Charles VI's spirit was sometimes good and sometimes bad, and the queen was a person who only loved gold and silver jewelry. There was no one in charge in Paris. Only the Archbishop of Reims had to bite the bullet and negotiate with Salmon. He asked Stefan to give up Normandy in exchange for keeping Calais.

This was impossible. Stefan would not give up Normandy. He was still thinking about annexing France in the future. Giving up Gascony was already his biggest concession.

The Archbishop had no choice. He couldn't push France too hard in the current situation. What if the other side attacked Paris directly? Moreover, Gascony was several levels richer than Normandy, so it was not a loss.

The Archbishop and Salmon reached an agreement in Paris. As the King of England, Stefan gave up Gascony and Plantagenet's claims to the French throne in exchange for retaining Calais and Normandy. France had to pay England 3,000 gold coins every year as compensation. As for the status of both parties, since the King of France was Stefan's father-in-law, and in order to avoid the previous conflicts between the monarch and his subjects, Stefan was specially allowed not to have an audience once a year, but only to attend family gatherings.

As Stefan's status improved, Salmon was also named Earl of Salisbury and served as England's Chief Minister. It won't be long before he goes to London to handle England's affairs.

Stefan also recognized the title of Prince of Owen Wells. He hoped that the other party would come to London to discuss the issues between the two countries in person. At present, Henry IV, who fled north, is still the number one enemy, because he also took the King of Scotland with him, and Scotland will definitely stand on his side.