As night fell on Székesfehérvár, people were not yet asleep; the entire city was celebrating the new king's ascension.
Inside the ancient royal palace of the White City, a select few great nobles, invited by Laszlo, arrived with their families to attend the court banquet.
Originally, Laszlo was the outsider, but he quickly transitioned from guest to host, a speed that astonished the nobles and made them even more satisfied with this new king who was actively integrating into Hungary.
During the banquet, cups clinked and laughter filled the air, a truly joyous occasion for both hosts and guests.
In truth, the target of this banquet had always been just one person.
Laszlo had found him—the head of the Hungarian nobility who had personally crowned him, Janos Hunyadi, the regent of Hungary appointed by Albrecht II.
Of course, this position was only effective when the king was absent from Hungary; with him personally placing the crown on Laszlo, the power to rule Hungary naturally returned to the king's hands.
Honestly, Laszlo had expected Janos to be a stronger, more robust man, as he was, after all, the renowned "White Knight" celebrated across Europe, a national hero of whom both Hungarians and Romanians were proud.
But then he reconsidered: Janos, born in 1387, was now nearly seventy years old, yet still spirited and healthy in his twilight years, truly an old warhorse with grand ambitions.
Just two months prior, he had personally commanded the Battle of Belgrade, bringing a great victory to Albrecht II.
From every perspective, he was a great man worthy of respect.
Laszlo approached Janos, his heart filled with excitement, and toasted him; the man before him was a living legend, who had risen from a lower noble to Hungary's most powerful noble, the head of the nobility, by virtue of his outstanding military achievements, and had thwarted countless Ottomans invasion attempts, an unquestionable pillar of the kingdom.
It would be even better if he could implement partible inheritance in his domain.
Laszlo V thought to himself.
What came to mind was Janos's stat panel.
[Character: White Knight Janos Hunyadi]
[Identity: Designated Regent of Hungary, Military Commander of Hungary (equivalent to Grand Marshal), Commander of Belgrade, Prince of Transylvania]
[Attitude: Loyal]
[Abilities: Administration 4, Diplomacy 4, Military 5]
[General Attributes: Firepower 4, Shock 4, Maneuver 4, Siege 1]
[Trait: Warrior (Shock +1 for land generals under his command)]
Seeing such luxurious panel attributes, tears of inadequacy flowed from Laszlo's mouth.
Frederick! Look at him!
Not only a wise ruler but also a famous general; truly a walking legend.
"To our valiant general, Janos."
"Thank you for your favor, Your Majesty."
"My father often spoke of your bravery and achievements when he was alive; the holy mission against the Ottoman still urgently needs your help, General," Laszlo said, being a little clever.
For Janos, resisting the Ottoman was a lifelong endeavor; in this regard, he and Laszlo's late father, Albrecht, were close comrades who shared the same ideals and beliefs.
Now, Laszlo clearly stated his intention to inherit his father's will and raise the banner against the Ottomans, which greatly pleased and encouraged Janos, and his loyalty naturally soared.
"If there is any place where this old man can be of use, please do not hesitate to command," Janos said, looking slightly emotional; this new king's regard for Hungary greatly satisfied him.
Laszlo breathed a sigh of relief; he had initially thought this old regent would not think highly of him, as Laszlo was only 15 years old, and such a young king could easily draw skepticism.
Fortunately, the old king had high prestige, which allowed him to inherit the throne smoothly without major upheavals.
"What is the situation in the border regions now?"
This was what Laszlo cared about most, after all, the Ottoman Empire was still the Ottoman Empire; as long as he wasn't completely defeated, he would soon return.
He had just destroyed the East Roman Empire before the New Year, and after the New Year, his army invaded Belgrade.
Although Hungary won the Battle of Belgrade, for the Ottoman, it was merely an insignificant defeat.
Especially since the current Ottoman Sultan was the world-renowned divine ruler "Fatih (the Conqueror)" Mehmed II; Laszlo remembered his panel attributes seemed to reach a terrifying [Abilities: Administration 6, Diplomacy 4, Military 6].
What does that mean? Laszlo's original attributes were [Abilities: Administration 3, Diplomacy 3, Military 2].
Of course, after transmigrating, one cannot use such a simple panel to measure a person's ability; it can only serve as a reference.
But no matter what, one Mehmed II was equivalent to two original Laszlos.
The fundamental reason for Mehmed II's ceding territory and paying reparations was that Skanderbeg of Albania had once again led a rebellion, severely threatening Ottoman rule in the Balkans.
It was estimated that after he dealt with Skanderbeg, the master of guerrilla warfare, he would then turn his attention to Laszlo's Hungary.
So, ultimately, Hungary's greatest crisis was still the border issue. From Serbia to Wallachia, almost the entire western border of the Ottoman Empire bordered Hungary, while Hungary's eastern and southern borders were entirely within the Ottomans sphere of influence.
On this issue, Janos, who had defended Belgrade for nearly twenty years, undoubtedly had the most to say.
"Your Majesty, although we have achieved a temporary victory, the enemy will recover quickly. The Treaty of Belgrade has brought a year of peace; you must quickly gain control of the kingdom's power during this time, and I will assist you in this regard."
"It seems the situation isn't too bad. Uh, I don't think we can just watch the Ottomans resolve their internal strife and then turn around to attack us."
"You mean...?"
"Wallachia, we can create some trouble for the Ottomans there."
Laszlo's words startled Janos, who then looked at him with considerable surprise.
He had thought this young king, who had lived in Vienna for many years, knew little about anything outside of Austria, no, outside of Vienna.
Now it seemed he had underestimated Laszlo.
Laszlo at least had a general understanding of the border situation; he wasn't completely ignorant.
"We certainly can, Your Majesty. The former Prince Vlad of Wallachia is currently seeking refuge in Transylvania."
Transylvania was the Hunyadi Family's base and stronghold.
"Meaning, the current Prince Vlad of Wallachia is..." Laszlo's expression was a bit odd; he recalled some dark historical anecdotes not suitable for children.
"It is Vladislav II, supported by the former king."
Laszlo was thoughtful; this deviated somewhat from what he knew. He had thought Radu the Handsome had already seized the throne of Prince Vlad of Wallachia.
Vlad is Vlad III, Prince Vlad, a Romanian national hero, nicknamed "Vlad the Impaler," and also the prototype of the vampire Dracula.
His brother Radu's nickname was "Radu the Handsome," Prince Vlad of Wallachia, and an Ottomans puppet.
In 1442, Vlad and Radu were sent to the Ottoman court as hostages.
According to historical records, the younger brother Radu was favored by the Sultan because he was too beautiful, and Vlad also seemed to have suffered abuse, thus both brothers became psychologically twisted perverts.
In 1447, the brothers' father and elder brother were assassinated, and Vlad, supported by the Ottomans, returned home to assume the position of Prince Vlad of Wallachia.
In 1448, Vladislav II, Prince Vlad of Wallachia, supported by Albrecht II, led his army to attack Vlad. Vlad was directly defeated by Janos's army and forced to flee to Moldavia.
In 1451, a coup occurred in Moldavia, and Vlad fled again, coming to Transylvania to accept Janos's protection.
In the present year of 1455, he was living in Transylvania as Janos's guest, while the Prince Vlad of Wallachia was still the aging Vladislav II. Although he outwardly showed subservience to Hungary, he still played both sides between the two great powers, the Ottoman and Hungary, for survival, which also increased Janos's dissatisfaction with him daily.