The Hungarian military had long been prepared for the Croatians' attitude, but Kossuth was still rattled. He couldn't accept that he had offered such generous terms, when the Magyar cause was so glorious and great.
Jelacic, who had rejected the proposal, was a lackey of the Empire and a servant of the Habsburgs. He was undoubtedly a prime target for punishment.
But neither the old nobility nor the rising stars of the future Hungarian Army wanted to take on this hot potato.
First, it was no easy matter to earn distinction by suppressing bandits in the mountains. Croatia's terrain was complex, and even if they won on the main battlefield, their advance would hardly be swift.
Second, Hungarians saw Croatia as a poor, remote backwater. There was no loot to be had there, which would leave the soldiers with little motivation.
Last, and most importantly, Croatia had eighty thousand regular troops and a great many fortifications. Its people were also fierce and wouldn't surrender easily.
Although the Hungarians thought Jelacic lacked brains, they admitted that he was a tough nut to crack. So an exceedingly awkward situation arose.
No one on the Hungarian side was willing to stick their neck out, and Kossuth naturally wouldn't allow that to happen. He hastily appointed a military noble who supported Hungary.
Janos Moga had been stuck in an unremarkable position before 1848. It wasn't until he met Kossuth that he received any attention.
But this fellow's luck ran out there. Historically, on his first campaign as a commander, he ran into Prince Windisch-Grätz and suffered a crushing defeat.
That's right, the very same Prince Windisch-Grätz who lacked military talent. So Janos Moga's years of being an unrecognized talent weren't entirely undeserved.
By the time Janos Moga led troops for the second time, the