The Imperial Diet, an institution that was in name only but necessary for its existence, was located in Frankfurt, the economic and political center of the western Empire.
Whenever an Emperor passed away, the Electors would gather in Frankfurt to hold a solemn vote, and the one with the most votes would be elected as the "King of the Romans," also known as the German King, the Emperor-elect.
He would then be crowned by the Pope and could be called the "Most Supreme Roman Emperor," or the Holy Roman Emperor, or, of course, Caesar.
At this moment, the six Electors gathered here had already revealed their choices.
Among the three ecclesiastical Electors, the Archbishop of Cologne and the Archbishop of Trier both cast their votes for Archduke of Austria Laszlo.
The Archbishop of Mainz chose to support the Count of Hesse.
Among the secular noble Electors, Brandenburg Elector Frederick II was a staunch supporter of Laszlo; his father, Frederick I, and Laszlo's father, Albrecht II, had a life-and-death friendship.
Both were once fierce generals under Emperor Sigismund, and after Albrecht was elected Emperor, the Brandenburg Elector also received generous rewards.
The Habsburg Family and the Hohenzollern Family could be described as deeply friendly generational families.
The key was that the offer from Austria was simply too high, making the poverty-stricken Frederick II's eyes gleam with golden light.
Those who have mines (referring to the Inntal silver mine and the Haib gold mine) are truly different; they offer five thousand florins at once.
The Elector of Saxony voted for the Count of Anhalt, an obscure nobody.
The Elector Palatine voted for himself; he seemed disheartened by the Habsburg Family's secure hold on the imperial throne, only able to seek the former glory of the Wittelsbach family in his memories.
Such ridiculous behavior did not cause any ripples, merely providing people with some after-dinner conversation.
The last vote was the King of Bohemia's... which was Laszlo's, but the one present to vote was an envoy sent by the Bohemia Diet; upon arrival, he immediately informed everyone that the Kingdom of Bohemia voted for Laszlo, and then left in a hurry.
Although Laszlo held the title of King of Bohemia, according to the agreement signed between Albrecht II and the Bohemia Diet, the Elector's voting rights belonged to the Diet.
They ultimately chose to vote for their own King.
In any case, Laszlo's succession was reasonable and legal; they had no reason to oppose such a King.
Moreover, if it were because of his youth, that would only invite public criticism and the King's wrath.
Bohemia Regent Iri had originally wanted to vote for the Elector Palatine, but ultimately failed to persuade the Diet.
Bohemia's vote was not crucial; it was merely the icing on the cake, as the strong support of the two Archbishops had already ensured Laszlo's victory.
For this outcome, Frederick (of Austria) had expended considerable connections and wealth, and the final result was not unexpected.
Laszlo won with an absolute majority of four votes, becoming the new German King, the uncrowned Holy Roman Emperor.
As soon as the election results were out, many Austrian envoys left Frankfurt, carrying the news to Aargau, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest.
A thousand miles away in Budapest, Laszlo was attending his monthly meeting; Janos, Veszter, Ulrich II, and several other ministers came to Budapest Castle to report on the state of the kingdom to the King.
Suddenly, a pleasant horn sound echoed in Laszlo's ears; his face lit up with joy, causing Archbishop Veszter, who was reporting on the territory's income and expenses, to freeze on the spot, and the other ministers present were also bewildered.
Laszlo had no time to pay attention to them, turning instead to concentrate on reading the panel that had popped up before him.
[Event: Secure the Imperial Crown]
[After fully accepting the legacy of the Luxembourg Dynasty, the prestige of the Habsburg Family is soaring, and Austria has clearly become the leader among the German princes. God and the Late Emperor bless, through the legitimate election of the Imperial Diet, you have been elected German King, and elected Holy Roman Emperor. Glory to Austria!]
[Option One: A Great Joy]
[The expected outcome, a crown belonging to the Habsburg Family.]
[Gain Modifier (Establish Dynasty): Holy Roman Empire Princes' opinion + 30, Imperial Reform progress growth + 10%]
That was it.
This event only had one option.
After his initial excitement, Laszlo quickly regained his composure; after all, it was an expected outcome.
Choosing Option One, the event panel disappeared.
A progress bar appeared in Laszlo's mind; the progress bar had only grown to nearly halfway, and was slowly increasing with time.
Imperial Reform? Interesting.
Coming back to his senses, Laszlo found the atmosphere in the court a bit awkward; he couldn't help but clear his throat twice.
"Your Majesty, is there a problem?" Veszter asked with some concern.
Seeing Laszlo's absentmindedness just now, he had thought Laszlo was about to fall asleep.
"Nothing, it's just... I have a premonition that a great joyous event is about to happen."
The ministers exchanged glances, utterly unable to comprehend why their new King's thoughts were so erratic.
Veszter speculated about what Laszlo was thinking, but he simply couldn't figure out what great joyous event Laszlo had imagined.
"No need to guess, continue with the report; you'll know when the time comes." Laszlo waved his hand, casually dismissing the topic.
The court session ended shortly after, as there weren't many matters that truly required Laszlo's decision.
In military affairs, Janos had everything clearly arranged; financially, Archbishop Veszter, who managed the royal treasury for the King, had never made a mistake; and in governmental affairs, Laszlo's advisory group, led by his maternal uncle Ulrich II, handled everything flawlessly.
Afterward, all the ministers left, except for Ulrich II, who remained in the palace.
"My dear maternal uncle, is there anything?"
"Your Majesty, news has come from Vienna that the Portuguese Princess Leonor landed in Istria not long ago. From the timing, she is estimated to arrive in Vienna today or tomorrow. The Empress Dowager has already sent three letters urging you to return to Vienna. What do you think..."
Laszlo's eyes suddenly widened; he slapped his head, cursing himself for his terrible memory, actually forgetting his cheap wife whom he hadn't even met.
Oh, it seems I chose an option that greatly reduced favorability before; I subconsciously ignored it when I read it at the time...
Ahem, although a man without women in his heart can naturally wield his sword divinely.
But Laszlo, who had been single for two lifetimes, still longed for a sweet love, but from the current situation, this marriage was far from the height of love; it would most likely be a cold war as soon as they married.
"Ulrich, how are our troops prepared?"
Thinking of the "cold war" between husband and wife, Laszlo suddenly changed the subject, beginning to discuss a real war.
Ulrich was momentarily taken aback by Laszlo's sudden change; after a few seconds, he replied, "The Emperor Guard has been expanded to ten squadrons, totaling three thousand men; the Austrian Archduke Guard stationed in Vienna has four squadrons, twelve hundred men; the King of Hungary Guard stationed here has eight squadrons, twenty-four hundred men; and the two Imperial mercenary legions you ordered to recruit are nearly fully assembled; they are currently stationed on the outskirts of Vienna, totaling six thousand men."
"Do you think these armies are enough?" Laszlo hinted.
"That depends on what Your Majesty needs the army for." Ulrich wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his brow; he actually felt a pressure emanating from the young King before him.
"To resist the Ottomans?"
"Far from enough."
"Then... to bathe Prague in blood?" Laszlo said coldly.
Ulrich II widened his eyes, staring intently at the young man before him; his delicate face was now filled with murderous intent.
Realizing that Laszlo was not joking, Ulrich II couldn't help but swallow.
Are you kidding? Is this really a 15-year-old young man?
What Laszlo had in mind was simple.
Since he was returning to Vienna, he might as well go to Prague to be crowned King of Bohemia.
Indeed, the crown was more important; women could wait.
This coronation process—considering that Prague was full of Hussite heretics—would undoubtedly be very bloody.
"Religious tolerance will only ruin our rule in Bohemia! Those Czechs don't know what gratitude is; the great nobles vie for power, play politics, disregard the dignity of the King and Emperor, and allowing Hussite heretics to gain power is itself an insult to the Pope. They destroyed the Empire's rule over Bohemia with one Hussite Wars; I will use another war to establish a new rule—to make them understand that Bohemia is not just the Bohemia of the Czech, but also the Bohemia of the Empire!"
"Your Majesty, please think twice." Ulrich pleaded earnestly; a new King starting a war right after ascending the throne was no laughing matter.
"Ulrich, Bohemia's mines and developed handicrafts can provide the Empire with massive tax revenue, and Bohemia's warriors are also elite of the Empire. Moreover, Iri's rule in Bohemia is like a thorn in my side. Only by concentrating all our strength can we contend with the Ottomans; we must secure internal stability before dealing with external threats, you should understand me, right? The threat of the Ottomans is imminent; the Rome that lasted a thousand years was destroyed by them! I don't have much time left."
Ulrich remained silent, shocked by Laszlo's bold idea.