The bell tower of Dijon stood silent beneath the lead-grey clouds, and the granite facade of the Burgundy Palace seeped with a chill.
The last few maple leaves in the courtyard were swept away by the cold wind, leaving only the bronze griffon statue standing alone.
Horses stomped restlessly as twenty chain-mailed guards loaded bundles of spears onto carts, the clanging of metal startling the rooks on top of the bell tower.
"Father!" Charles strode into the council hall, flinging off his crimson cloak, his heavy plate armor boots clanking on the floor.
He held his helmet in one hand and the head of the Flemish rebel leader in the other. The blood had drained, and a look of extreme terror still lingered on the pale face—he must have suffered immensely before his death.
"The rats of the Low Countries have been crushed. Now it's time for the King of France to taste…
"Go and take off your armor first. Change into something warm and presentable before you return, my brave son. Also, next time, don't bring such a filthy thing into my council hall." Philip stroked his jade ring, looking at his spirited son, and couldn't help but sigh softly.
Grand Master Lannoy, the Minister of War, Robert, the head of spies, Archbishop Nicolas, the Lord Keeper of the Seal, and Michaud de Taillevent, the Director of Foreign Affairs, were all seated around the table. The empty seat beside Philip was reserved for Charles.
"Yes, Father." Charles walked out of the council hall and casually tossed the head to a servant, instructing him to display it on a stake in the streets of Dijon.
After quickly changing into a soft sable fur coat, he hurried back to the council hall and took his seat, and only then did the military council officially begin.
A map lay before everyone, clearly marking all the powers surrounding Burgundy.
"Duke, according to your development plan, the Duchy's administrative focus is gradually shifting towards the Netherlands. At such a time, we should focus more on the Netherlands," Archbishop Nicolas began, expressing his opinion, "You had previously planned to militarily seize the territory of the Bishop-Prince of Liège. Now that the Netherlands rebellion has been quelled, it is the perfect time to act. The Diocese of Liège holds a very important position in the western part of the Holy Roman Empire, especially in the Netherlands region, and also holds a certain influence in the Imperial Diet and under the Papacy. As long as we bring it into our possession, it will undoubtedly greatly increase your prestige, and our rule in the Netherlands will be more stable."
Philip shook his head repeatedly, his voice filled with deep helplessness: "Emperor Laszlo has already warned me before, probably for the land of Liège. If we insist on going our own way, it is very likely to anger the Emperor and severely damage the relations between our two countries. Although I want to use diplomatic means to get the Emperor to agree to our annexation of Liège, that would definitely create hidden rifts, and it's not worth it."
"What about Lorraine? Duke, Lorraine has exhausted its national strength to campaign in Naples, and the King of France has also invested many troops. If we take advantage of their weakness…" Robert offered his opinion.
"The war in Naples is still unclear. The King of France is currently allied with the Duke of Anjou. If we rashly invade his son's territory, I'm afraid the King of France will take this opportunity to make trouble," Michaud, the Director of Foreign Affairs, said worriedly.
"Bang!" Charles slammed the table, startling everyone.
"If the King of France dares to come, we will fight him!"
Philip looked at him coldly and questioned loudly: "Do you have absolute certainty of defeating the King of France?"
Charles was subdued by his father's authority and, for once, thought seriously, shaking his head and saying, "No, Father. But we can seek Laszlo's help."
"The Emperor's goodwill towards us is already the greatest help, Charles. War is not child's play. Between nations, help and betrayal have only one motive: self-interest!"
"I understand, Father." Charles lowered his head, staring intently at the map, "Father, since the Emperor is unwilling for us to attack Liège, and the King of France is unwilling for us to attack Lorraine, then let's attack Switzerland. Switzerland has offended both sides thoroughly."
Philip was in a gloomy mood and waved his hand. Michaud understood and immediately explained: "Young Master, the King of France signed an alliance treaty with the Swiss in 1454, which was precisely a response to our country's expansion."
Grand Master Lannoy followed with an explanation: "Not to mention how the Habsburg Family suffered a crushing defeat in Switzerland, losing all of their ancestral lands, even in 1444, Crown Prince Louis personally led a large army to invade Switzerland but was repelled by the Swiss. I think our strength alone is not enough to defeat Switzerland."
"This is truly restrictive. There are so many obstacles in our path forward." Charles was dejected and remained silent.
Philip suddenly pressed his son's trembling wrist and said earnestly: "Survival in the cracks requires caution. No matter how cautious, it is not too much. Only by assessing the situation can one achieve great things. Do not let yourself fall into endless war due to hotheadedness, as this will only bring disaster, do you understand?"
"Yes, Father."
Charles nodded seriously, but Philip was very worried that he would still disregard his teachings.
However, thinking of Anthony, who was far away in Macedonia, Philip relaxed. No matter what, the Burgundy family would not easily be cut off.
"Then now there is only Savoy as an option."
Philip turned his gaze to this country spanning the mountains north and south. It was the most powerful Holy Roman Empire state in Northern Italy. Due to its distance from the Emperor and proximity to France, the Duke of Savoy had long been estranged from the Holy Roman Empire in name.
Attacking here would not incur the Emperor's wrath, and as for the King of France, this is where the Duke of Savoy's bold move comes into play.
In 1453, the Duke of Savoy planned to form an alliance with the King of France, intending to marry his daughter, Charlotte, to the French Crown Prince Louis.
However, Charles VII simply looked down on the Princess of Savoy; he intended to personally choose a suitable Crown Princess for Louis.
Unexpectedly, Louis, being the type to defy his father, secretly went to Savoy and married Charlotte to gain the Duke of Savoy's assistance.
After the deed was done, Louis returned to France and raised an army, preparing to seize his father's throne, because he felt his father had been on the throne for too long and wanted him to get down and get some exercise.
Charles VII easily quelled this rebellion and imprisoned Louis in the Crown Prince's territory, but he did not force Louis to divorce Charlotte.
However, Charles VII would not give the Duke of Savoy any good graces.
Later, in 1456, Louis quietly escaped from the Crown Prince's territory, intending to find a strong backer. His first choice was the Duchy of Burgundy.
However, Philip was participating in the Crusade in the East at this time, so Louis turned to stay with his father-in-law, the Duke of Savoy, planning to find another opportunity to fight his father, Charles VII.
Unexpectedly, before he could even gather troops, the King of France's army had already arrived in Savoy—though they were accompanying the Duke of Lorraine to fight in Naples.
Charles VII demanded that the Duke of Savoy provide an auxiliary force and some supplies, while Louis vehemently advised against it. Caught in the middle, the Duke of Savoy reluctantly allowed the Duchy of Savoy's army to participate in the Naples expedition as mercenaries, so as not to offend either side.
Because of this incident, the King of France was quite displeased with the Duke of Savoy, so the possibility of external interference in an attack on the Duchy of Savoy was minimal.
In fact, Philip had tried to contact various vassals within France, hoping to form an alliance to weaken the French monarchy.
However, Charles's appeasement policy towards his vassals meant that Philip could not gain much support, and with Duke of Anjou, René, acting as a loyal dog to the King, Philip's diplomatic schemes within France became impossible to advance.
Under these circumstances, he had no choice but to take a risk and invade neighboring countries to expand his influence.
Now, the target was set: the Duchy of Savoy, and Burgundy's war machine was about to be set in motion.