d gained advantages everywhere except in
Westphalia and Lower Saxony, where Pappenheim had more than held his own
against Baudissen, who commanded for Gustavus; and although Wallenstein
had checked the king he had gained no material advantages and had
wrested no single town or fortress from his hands. Gustavus was still in
Bavaria, nearer to Munich than he was, his garrisons still holding Ulm,
Nordlingen, and Donauworth, its strongest fortresses.

He felt sure, however, that it would be impossible for Gustavus to
maintain at one spot the army which he had at Windsheim, and that
with so many points to defend he would soon break it up into separate
commands. He resolved then to wait until he did so, and then to sweep
down upon Northern Germany, and so by threatening the king's line of
retreat to force him to abandon Bavaria and the south and to march to
meet him.

At present he was in no position to risk a battle, for he had already
detached 4000 men to reinforce Holk, whom he had sent with 10,000
to threaten Dresden. The 13,000 Bavarians who were with him under
Maximilian had separated from him on his way to Forsheim, and on
arriving at that place his army numbered but 17,000 men, while Gustavus
had more than 40,000 gathered at Windsheim.

Gustavus, on his part, determined to carry out his former projects, to
march against Ingolstadt, which he had before failed to capture, and
thence to penetrate into Upper Austria. But fearful lest Wallenstein,
released from his presence, should attempt to recover the fortresses in
Franconia, he despatched half his force under Duke Bernhard to prevent
the Imperial general from crossing the Rhine. Could he succeed in
doing this he would be in a position to dictate terms to the emperor in
Vienna.

On the 12th of October he reached Neuberg, on the Danube, and halted
there, awaiting the arrival of his siege train from Donauworth.
While making the most vigorous exertions to press on the necessary
arrangements for his march against Vienna he received the most urgent
messages to return to Saxony. Not only, as he was told, had Wallenstein
penetrated into that province, but he was employing all his influence to
detach its elector from the Protestant cause, and there was great fear
that the weak prince would yield to the solicitations of Wallenstein and
to his own jealousy of the King of Sweden.

No sooner, in fact, had Gustavus crossed the Danube than Wallenstein
moved towards Schweinfurt,