When he received the proposal from the Jagiellon side, Vitus felt a weight lift from his heart, but outwardly he pretended not to care.
"I was just starting to enjoy myself, and now you don't want to fight? How dull."
He rejected the envoy's suggestion of a ceasefire along the current lines of control and insisted on taking Belgrade.
The city had immense strategic value. It stood on high ground at the confluence of two rivers, easy to defend and hard to attack.
In classical times, Rome had built a fortress here. During the early and middle periods of the Eastern Roman Empire, the city had become a major frontier stronghold, frequently changing hands.
If Hungary held Belgrade, it would have a firm bridgehead on the southern bank of the Danube, from which it could advance to attack or fall back to defend. That would cause considerable trouble in the future.
After the envoy left, Vitus summoned his commanders for a discussion.
"The enemy can't hold out any longer. I've decided to increase the pressure and force them to compromise as soon as possible."
On July 10, the Roman army began its offensive in Šumadija, concentrating its main attacks on the eastern and western sectors.
In this combat environment, the two mountain brigades bore the heaviest burden.
The Hermes Brigade took responsibility for the west, where the relatively flat terrain made it easier to use three-pounders and light mortars.
Compared with the mountain fighting in spring, Orlando found this enemy less capable. He interrogated the prisoners they captured and discovered that the vast majority were newly recruited replacements.
Although these men operated in small squads with mixed weapons, they lacked the ferocity of the earlier miners and were ill-suited to fighting in difficult terrain.
"Hungary is mostly plains. Have