After probing the Prussian League's bottom line, Wilfried immediately rushed outside Toruń, where he met Grand Master Heinrich von Reuss of the Teutonic Order.
The new Archbishop of Warmia arrived with a batch of supplies and warriors from the archdiocese, which the Grand Master warmly welcomed.
After the welcome reception ended and everyone dispersed, only Wilfried and Heinrich remained in the military tent for a secret discussion.
"I heard that you first went to Danzig and met the leader of the rebels. I am very curious about what you discussed with him."
Heinrich did not relax his guard against Wilfried just because he represented the Emperor.
Wilfried did not want to discuss this topic first, as it would make the subsequent conversation very awkward.
"I cannot disclose anything about this matter yet, please forgive me. My main purpose in coming here is to ask what kind of peace you hope to achieve?"
Heinrich frowned slightly. Since Wilfried said that, it was likely that their conversation was not favorable to the Teutonic Order, but he patiently refrained from asking further.
"First, the traitors must pay the price. Second, the Polish people must also pay the price. We demand the abrogation of all unequal treaties signed previously, and we also demand the lands of Greater Poland and Kuyavia as compensation!"
The Teutonic Order harbored deep resentment towards Poland. In fact, the Prussian League's rebellion was inextricably linked to Poland. The Battle of Grunwald in 1410 saw the Polish-Lithuanian combined army decisively defeat the main force of the Teutonic Order, forcing the Teutonic Order to sign unequal treaties and pay huge annual indemnities.
To pay the indemnities and maintain sufficient military strength for self-preservation, the Teutonic Order began to intensely exploit the cities and peasants within its territory.
Over time, the cities that could not bear the exploitation formed a city alliance—the Lizard Alliance.
During more than a decade of struggle, the alliance gradually grew stronger, eventually becoming the current Prussian League. The conflict between the League and the Teutonic Order sometimes intensified and sometimes eased, until it finally erupted into war.
And all of this was precisely what the Polish people wanted to see.
The rise of the Teutonic Order made them feel threatened. The Polish people attacked the Teutonic Order in multiple wars, attempting to expel these Germans.
However, the Teutonic Order's powerful combat strength and the Holy Roman Empire backing them prevented Poland from annexing the Teutonic Order in one go.
They then devised a plan: through victory in war, they forced the Teutonic Order to pay a high war indemnity of 6 million groschen; if not repaid by the deadline, the total indemnity would increase to 7.2 million groschen.
The Teutonic Order would not be able to repay this sum in thirty years.
To repay on time, the Teutonic Order had to take on massive loans. At its most difficult time, all gold and silver artifacts from churches within the Teutonic Order's territory were collected to pay off debts.
The Polish people attempted to use this method to intensify the internal conflicts of the Teutonic Order.
They succeeded, but not entirely, because even after suffering heavy blows and rebellion, the Teutonic Order's strong resilience still turned the Prussia region into a quagmire.
The Kingdom of Poland was completely trapped and unable to extricate itself.
However, now, this war is about to end.
"Ahem, Grand Master, did I hear correctly?" Wilfried almost laughed at Heinrich's exaggerated statement. "If my observations are not mistaken, you are currently at an absolute disadvantage. Even with the support of Denmark and the Hanseatic League, it will probably be very difficult for you to defeat the Polish people."
"That may be so, but the Polish people insist on interfering in our internal affairs. Should they not pay the price?"
"Grand Master, you must know that the Polish people are willing to negotiate not because they cannot defeat you. Even now, a mere detachment of the Polish army is enough to prevent you from advancing an inch. They are willing to negotiate under pressure from the Emperor and the Pope, so perhaps you should consider the Emperor's opinion."
Heinrich was reluctant but still asked, "Then, what kind of peace does the Emperor intend to achieve?"
Wilfried immediately replied, "Were you not curious about what Johannes and I discussed? I can tell you now, they hope to collectively join the Holy Roman Empire and seek the Emperor's protection."
Heinrich's expression instantly became extremely grim. If this were true, they could already declare this war a failure.
Without the economic support of the Prussian League, the Teutonic Order's strength would be greatly diminished, so Heinrich would stop at nothing to prevent the Prussian League from seceding.
But now, if the Emperor were to intervene, he truly did not know how he could achieve victory.
At this moment, Wilfried extended two fingers: "The Emperor offers you two choices."
"The first path: the Teutonic Order joins the Holy Roman Empire, swears allegiance to the Emperor, gains a seat in the Imperial Diet, and must fulfill Imperial obligations."
"One point specifically noted: without the Emperor's permission, the Teutonic Order is forbidden from expanding its territory within the Holy Roman Empire."
"At the same time, the Teutonic Order must pardon the rebellious cities, grant these cities a certain degree of autonomy, and establish a Prussian Autonomous Province."
"Normal city taxes will not be affected, but excessive taxation requires negotiation with the League, and the Emperor will send officials to supervise."
Heinrich's expression softened slightly; at least this left a way out. He stared at Wilfried, awaiting his next words.
"The second path: the Teutonic Order maintains its independence, but the Prussian League cities will be incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire and receive the Emperor's protection."
Seemingly two paths, but in reality, one.
Heinrich was unwilling and retorted, "According to the ruling of the Vienna Court in 1453, the rebellion of the Prussian League is illegal. Is the Emperor going to overturn the judgment of his own court?"
"You are mistaken, Grand Master." Wilfried had anticipated this. "The original ruling ultimately led to this war, which only proves that the ruling was unreasonable, does it not? To achieve peace, it is best for both sides to take a step back."
Heinrich fell silent. This war had been going on for five years, and the Teutonic Order was clearly running out of steam. If the Emperor were angered, the war would likely continue, and it would be hard to say if the conditions would be as favorable as they are now... or rather, it's almost impossible for there to be better conditions than the first option.
"Ah, I forgot to mention, no matter which path you choose, the unequal treaties with Poland will be completely nullified. At the same time, Poland will pay a substantial war indemnity and cede some land to the Teutonic Order. If you choose the first option, you can obtain the Dobrzyń Land. If you choose the second option, as compensation, Poland will cede all land north of the Vistula River to the Teutonic Order."
"Wishful thinking!" Heinrich chuckled, "How could the King of Poland agree to such terms? More than half of the land on the north bank of the Vistula River is his own territory."
"Regardless of whether he agrees, what is your choice?"
"I need to discuss it with others."
"Please do."
Heinrich convened the high-ranking members of the Teutonic Order for discussion, and everyone unanimously agreed to the first option proposed by the Emperor.
This was a dignified conclusion.
After reaching a conclusion, the Grand Master found Wilfried again and informed him of the Teutonic Order's final decision.
"A wise choice, Grand Master."
"May I ask, how does the Emperor intend to make the Polish people agree to reparations and land cession?"
"Of course, by—" Wilfried pointed to the Grand Master's scabbard.
Heinrich paused slightly, and the look in his eyes towards Wilfried immediately changed.
"The Emperor may need the Teutonic Order's help."
"Of course, but you had best lead your army back to a safe area first. Stationing troops here will only make the situation more tense."
Heinrich nodded slightly: "I will seriously consider your suggestion."
The negotiations with the Teutonic Order finally concluded, and Wilfried set off again for Danzig. Since the Teutonic Order had relented,
the Emperor naturally no longer needed the allegiance of the Prussian League.
If the Prussian League were truly split off, the Teutonic Order would be completely crippled. Who would then help the Emperor check Poland and Lithuania?
Next, he only needed to return to Danzig and persuade the Prussian League to agree to a peaceful resolution, and the peace talks would essentially be settled.
As for the garrison in Toruń, they did not represent any faction and were completely isolated. Laszlo had no intention of negotiating with them; that matter was best left for Bolesław IV to worry about.
The Toruń garrison was partly composed of conscripts from Greater Poland, Kuyavia, and the Prussia region, and partly of mercenaries from Bohemia, with only a small number of troops from other parts of Poland.
Their pay and supplies were currently borne by the Prussian League.
Originally, upon hearing the news of Władysław III's death, this unit was on the verge of disbanding, but Johannes and Lubiczowski, in order to preserve Toruń and the Polish territories behind it, worked together to stabilize this Polish army, the only one capable of fighting in the Prussia region.
They were no longer entirely an army of the Kingdom of Poland, but rather a mercenary force composed of Polish, Prussian, and Bohemian people, firmly holding back the Teutonic Order's counterattack here.
The nobles of Greater Poland and Kuyavia held a meeting in Poznań, and they ultimately decided to pledge allegiance to the new King.
Regardless of any previous conflicts, they ultimately needed the protection provided by the King of Poland.
The internal strife in the Kingdom of Poland quickly subsided after Władysław III's death, but the nobles in the Galicia region (eastern Poland) did not disband their armed alliance—they seemed to be attempting to secede from Poland and establish a state ruled by Ruthenians, namely the Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia.
Now, Bolesław IV faced the Teutonic Order to the west, Ruthenian nobles unwilling to submit to the east, the Holy Roman Empire to the south, and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the north. The situation looked quite grim.
What brought him some relief was that the Teutonic Order was now severely weakened and no longer a problem, the Lithuanian Grand Duke currently had not mustered an army, the Emperor had also agreed to mediate peace talks between Poland and the Teutonic Order, and as for the rebellion in the eastern part of the Kingdom, as long as there were no external threats, he would soon be able to quell the rebellion.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire has left Vienna with a large army and is heading north. Furthermore, a portion of the Imperial Army stationed in Prague and Kuttenberg has already arrived in Breslau, with over five thousand troops!"
Upon hearing the report from his spymaster, Bolesław's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
Breslau is an important city in the Silesia region and a crucial transit point on the Prague-Kraków trade route.
Most importantly, it takes less than two weeks to reach Kraków from Breslau, and it is even very close to Poznań, a major city in western Poland.
"What exactly does he want to do?! Go, quickly, invite the Austrian diplomat!"