The fighting in Zug was just as bleak. Ever since Augustin Keller had underestimated the enemy and rashly advanced, sacrificing the Second Army's main force, the League of Orthodoxy had never stopped its counterattacks.
At the same time, in order to sustain the enormous military expenditure and appease its Liberal Canton allies, Joseph Loei imposed a series of economic sanctions on Fribourg and Zug.
But in reality, even squeezing these two cantons for every last coin in tax revenue yielded little. A series of compensation agreements and conscription plans followed, yet the overall situation continued to deteriorate.
Thus Joseph Loei had no choice but to consider more radical measures. The man who would ultimately lead the Swiss Confederation to victory in history was no fool. He knew what he could touch and what he couldn't.
The common people had no money to begin with. Besides, they had already sent their sons, husbands, and fathers off to war.
As for the officials, he couldn't touch them either, because he still needed them to maintain order.
The Jesuits, monasteries, and clergy were a good place to start. After all, everyone was on the verge of ruin. Who would still speak up for God?
Joseph Loei ordered every monastery to be searched and seized, its property confiscated, and all priests and nuns sent to the front-line camps.
All Jesuit property was to be confiscated as well. Anyone who had ever funded the Jesuits had to donate twice that amount to the federal government, or else be treated as an enemy collaborator.
A great many monasteries with long histories were burned to the ground. Countless precious books, records, and holy relics were lost forever.
Yet even so, his funds remained insufficient.
Switzerland had few natural resources, and many goods had to be imported from