The Austrian armies in other regions of the Hungary battlefield were still unaware of what had transpired in the banquet hall of Sopron that evening. The information they possessed was still limited to the Papal States' grand army entering the Hungary battlefield, and they had celebrated joyously all night.
For them, the best-case scenario after the Papal States' entry was, of course, a reversal of the situation, with the coalition forces sweeping through and crushing the Ottoman Empire's army, recovering lost territories, and returning home in glory.
The worst-case scenario was nothing more than the Papal States' army joining being of no help, with both sides still deadlocked at the border. If the Papal States still wanted to fight, then they could be allowed to charge ahead and tire themselves out. This way, His Majesty the Emperor would naturally no longer harbor any unrealistic illusions, and the day for signing a truce would not be far off.
Therefore, no matter what, the day to return home would not be far, as long as they remained alive. This was the most common thought throughout the entire Austrian army at the moment.
The Ottoman army on the opposite side also learned that the Papal States' army had entered the Hungary battlefield.
However, the Ottoman army had no intention of sitting idly by. Faced with the sudden intervention of the Papal States, the originally exhausted Ottoman army not only did not retreat but, on the contrary, rekindled a strong fighting spirit due to anger.
Seeing the Ottoman Empire suffer setbacks, the weak Papal States, which had always hidden behind other countries, even wanted to step in. If they were not taught a lesson, wouldn't anyone be able to ride roughshod over the Ottoman Empire in the future?
This was intolerable to the proud Ottoman soldiers. The Papal States must be taught a lesson, crippled, or at least driven away! This was the consensus within the Ottoman Empire's army.
With morale soaring to an unprecedented high, Sinan Pasha, the Ottoman Empire's commander-in-chief and a seasoned veteran, made a decisive move. After reporting to Istanbul and without waiting for a reply, he personally left the Transylvania border, where he had long been in a standoff with Austria, and gathered over five thousand elites to Pest overnight. He then forced local officials to cooperate, temporarily conscripting over ten thousand local laborers to serve as cannon fodder, and immediately began the operation.
Dawn was approaching, and a faint light had already penetrated the thick clouds, falling upon the Hungary battlefield. This light, however, was precisely what Sinan Pasha used.
North of Pest, south of Hont, all inhabitants of the villages on the outskirts of Pest along the way were massacred without warning, yet not a single spark of fire emerged.
About five hundred meters from Hont, a tunnel began construction, extending towards the city wall. Meanwhile, everyone within Hont was immersed in sweet dreams, completely unaware of all this.
Hont, a city far from the core of the conflict, had a much smaller and weaker garrison than those on the Transylvania front, numbering less than three thousand. Half of these were militiamen temporarily armed within the city after the war began, only barely competent for maintaining order and defending the city. If they encountered regular troops or mercenaries in the field, they would be like fish on a chopping board.
At this moment, it was the most relaxed period of defense for the city's garrison in years; one could even say there was no defense. Being far from the core of the conflict, and with the Papal States' reinforcements having just arrived, all high-ranking Austrian generals, as well as Papal States generals, unanimously believed that the Ottoman Empire's army would concentrate its forces on defense or even retreat, let alone the commander of Hont.
After a night of celebration, all officers who attended the banquet, including the commander, were completely drunk. The garrison soldiers remaining on the city wall, for once, had a day when no one would inspect them, and they certainly did not expect an enemy attack, so they too fell asleep soundly on the city wall.
Ottoman Empire's artillery had long lagged behind that of Catholic countries, being helpless against advanced star forts, and often resorted to methods like tunneling to besiege cities. The Ottoman army had long developed strong engineering capabilities and quickly dug to the foot of Hont's city wall.
To create a larger breach, Sinan Pasha chose not to continue digging inward and then send troops to infiltrate the city and open the gates. Instead, he dug horizontally at the base of the city wall. After digging to a certain width, he ordered a large quantity of explosives to be placed into the tunnel at the base of the city wall.
After several continuous loud explosions, a large section of Hont's city wall collapsed with a roar. The garrison soldiers on top, still in their sleep, were forever completely integrated with Hont.
The other garrison soldiers jolted awake, completely bewildered as to what had happened. Opening their eyes, they saw the collapsed section of the city wall, heard continuous shouts in their ears, and looking up, they saw an endless tide of Ottoman Empire's army charging towards them like a mountain.
Cannonballs rained down on the city wall and inside the city, instantly killing hundreds of people, and large bursts of flame raged everywhere. The leaderless garrison immediately fell into chaos. Faced with the sudden siege, the soldiers on the city wall completely lost the will to resist, pushing and shoving, scrambling to escape, with people occasionally falling from the city wall.
The city commander, still not completely sober, was awakened by the tremendous noise. Realizing it was an enemy attack, he immediately summoned all generals to organize a defense, but it was too late.
The fierce artillery barrage ceased, and three thousand Ottoman Empire's cavalry ignored the garrison on the city wall, pouring through the breach in the wall. Without the slightest delay, they immediately split into squads, charging recklessly in all directions, swiftly seizing control of all city gates and assaulting the Austrian barracks.
The South Gate was opened, and the rest of the Ottoman Empire's soldiers, including the cannon fodder unit, swarmed into the city, indiscriminately slaughtering all enemy military and civilians within the city.
Sinan Pasha stood far outside the city, watching all this. There was not a ripple in his heart, but he had other thoughts. Although he had chosen the best time and location, the garrison of Hont was so unexpectedly vulnerable, which still completely exceeded Sinan Pasha's expectations.
Even the conscripted cannon fodder unit suffered almost no losses, but they still served a purpose. Facing a few thousand Ottoman Empire's troops versus tens of thousands of Ottoman Empire's troops, the Austrian garrison's will to resist would undoubtedly be different.
If the garrisons of Austrian border cities were like this, how weak would the garrisons of cities in the rear be? Sinan Pasha had a further plan and a bolder scheme.
In the early morning, the sun did not illuminate the earth as usual. Instead, there were dense dark clouds and pouring rain, as if mourning the city, or as if to wash away all sins.
Inside Hont, blood flowed freely with the rain, and the sounds of slaughter and wailing were incessant. The heads of the commander and other generals and officials were cut off by Ottoman Empire's soldiers and hung high above the city wall.
It is easy to let go, but difficult to rein in. Having encountered no decent resistance, not to mention the elite Ottoman troops with deep-seated hatred, even the cannon fodder unit conscripted from Pest, who still practiced Catholic, also charged forward roaring, swinging their swords without hesitation.
But now, the battle was over, and after holding back for so long, all the soldiers scrambled to loot the city's treasures. Some even killed their own comrades to snatch valuables, and there were even organized internal conflicts. In the chaos, no one would notice a few deaths.
Before long, the casualties caused by the Ottoman Empire's soldiers fighting among themselves had already exceeded the casualties during the previous siege. Among these, the cannon fodder unit, which had no combat power or status but wanted everything, suffered the heaviest casualties.
However, Sinan Pasha had no way of knowing this, nor did he care. He only wanted to quickly gather his troops and implement his next plan.