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The Empire Strikes Back
The Imperial Army had suffered setback after setback. Vienna was worried. The treasury was nearing bankruptcy, a famine loomed over the countryside, continued losses had drained the popolous, and diplomatic isolation left their forces sorrounded in the Benelux, and the Bohemian nobility were up in revolt. The Imperial forces had to come up with a new strategy in order to beat the Swedes and French, the latter of which was pressuring breathing down Central Germany’s neck and slamming the Imperial army in Alsace and Benelux, and the former which had smashed Imperial authority in Bohemia, and left the Catholic army in ruin. And so Ferdinand met with other Imperial leaders (Except Ottavia, who was currently fending for his life in a Zeeland), to devise a plan on defeating the Protestant alliance. The Rhenish army, Ferdinand demanded, would raise another 60,000 from their budget, in order to assemble an army the French wouldn’t beat. This army would be placed under general Raimondo Montecuculli. Raimondo would graciously accept the forces of the new “Rhenish Army”. The West German principalities were angered at the heavy demand, but understood the prospect of increased French influence against the Rhine. Some states, like the Archbishopric of Mainz, offered 5,000 extra forces in order to assist the Imperials in invading the Palatinate, a long time nuisance to the state. Meanwhile, Ferdinand would reorganize the “Army of Bohemia” utilizing the new 30,000 troops from Austria to assemble some form of defensive line. A garrison of 5,000 would be moved to support the fortress of Prague, which stayed loyal. Despite this, the Army of Bohemia was drastically outnumbered, and the Swedish garnered vast support from the local Protestant populations, and many believed that Austrian rule was coming to a close. Bohemian independence seekers flocked to Gustav’s banner, as nobles negotiated with Gustav about the possibility of establishing an independent Bohemia. Gustavus entertained these ideas, but gave no promise. Gustav knew if he won, a weakened Austria would stand no chance against France, which would dominate the continent.

Both Louis and Gustav knew the threats the growing Imperial army posed to their goals, and decided to assess their position. Gustav would maintain the offensive, placing Prague to siege and holding forward positions against Ferdinand, while Louis would play defensive, wiping Ottavio off the map, crushing Strasbourg and then holding in the Palatinate’s territory within the Moselle. Gustavus promised to prepare and offensive into Bavaria, if the Imperial Army became too much of a threat, and Louis offered to launch an invasion of Catalonia to pull Imperial resources to Spain if the Imperialists managed to threaten Gustavus’s position in Bohemia.
It was in this war meeting, in Heilbronn, where Sweden and France would enter in an official alliance under the Heilbronn League.

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The Palatinate possession in Heidelberg faced a Rhenish invasion, forcing Prince Frederick to flee to the Palatinate holdings west of the Rhine. The Rhenish army crossed the Rhine at the end of Summer, using the new harvests to feed their army. The French would burn and raze the fields they occupied East of the Rhine to jeopardize their harvest and weaken the Rhenish Army.
Raimondo would push south to relieve Strasbourg, but would be engaged by a French cavalry brigade. This skirmish would lead to one of the bloodiest battles in the League War: The battle of Moselle.

In Bohemia, Gustav gathered an army of 30,000 to bring down Prague, and gathered another 60,000 to put the pressure on Ferdinand’s army. The Army of Bohemia reassembled, and understanding the massive gathering of Protestants decided against relieving Prague, instead focusing on holding Moravia, in order to keep a distance between Vienna and the Swedish army. Deciding to launch a diversionary attack through Bavaria, he assembled 8,000 Bavarians and other Imperial forces under the command of Wallenstein, eager to achieve vengeance after Lutzen, to retake Plzen and unhinge the Bohemian supply line.

The Second Plzen battle ended in a brutal loss. Ferdinand underestimated the massing of Protestants against him, and the troops under the command of Bernhard were waiting for a Bavarian excursion, and Wallenstein faced an army triple his size repelling his invasion.
Upon the victory, Bernhard marched into Bavaria, causing massive uproar among the Protestants in Augsburg and Southern Germany, as the Imperial forces were helpless to stop him. The Bavarians quickly faced bread riots in Munich, and Bernhard sweepers North germany, where Wallenstein would be slain at Nuremberg. The Bavarian army was broken, and Ferdinand refused to give up his vital position in Moravia. The collapse of Imperial authority in Bavaria convinced Maximalian to join the Heilbronn league, crippling the connection between the Army of the Rhine and the Army of Bohemia, while convincing many Protestant duchies to defect. The Habsburgs quickly began losing control of the situation and many believed peace should be made, but Ferdinand still held hope that the Army of Bohemia could hold out long enough until winter, and drive Gustav back into Saxony.

In Poland, the Russians saw the Polish diversion and seized on the opportunity, launching an invasion to seize Smolensk, the Poles, needing to fend off the Russians, withdrew from Silesia, in order to free up troops against Russia.
This gave respite to the Imperials, however Gustav’s cavalry managed to take the fort of Breslau before Ferdinand, and the situation only got worse soon after.

Back in the Benelux, Ottavio was forced to surrender early, pounded by the English naval bombardment and Dutch marines landing on the forts. The fortress fell, and Ottavio surrendered, freeing up tens of thousands of Dutch and French soldiers.
The fortress of liege also fell, and an army of 56,000 approached the Army of the Rhine, currently fighting in Moselle.
The forces under Raimondo had put the pressure on the numerically inferior French, using Tercios and veterans from Luxembourg to fend off any attack the French made. The battle lasted day and night, both sides losing thousands as consistent cavalry raids and artillery barrages flattened the
Palatinate dominion. Raimondo had expected reinforcements, but they never arrived. It wasn’t until Raimondo personally inspected his back lien that’s he realized the gargantuan army slicing his rear. Louis would arrive and forced Raimondo off the battlefield entirely, as a heavy cavalry charge to control of the important bridges across the Rhine, strangling supply. The army failed to surrender without a commander, and Louis would not offer any quarrel, massacring the Army of the Rhine as he shoved their forces into the River. Consistent barrages shattered any form of resistance. The battle, soon turning into a bloodbath. The army at the Moselle was destroyed, a Raimondo fleeing with his tail behind his legs, and the Rhine now defenseless.

Strasbourg would be abandoned, as Raimondo needed to free up forces. Deciding to withdraw east of the Rhine, the once proud army was reduced to 15,000, a mere fraction of what it once had. The Dutch invaded Cologne and the Swedish, wanting to expand their influence, sent an army to invade Hannover. At this point, most duchies switched sides.
In Bohemia, the Austrian army managed to rebuild itself into an offensive force, something gustav feared could expel him from Bohemia. Ferdinand marched north to relieve Prague, going on the offensive after hearing of the disaster in the Rhine.

But a situation south changed everything. The Ottoman Empire, seeing Poland distracted and Austria in ruin, marched an army of 75,000 to take Vienna, and the Imperial army had to be rerouted south to save Austria. Prague fell, and the Sixteen Year’s War was over.

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