The Emperor arrived in his loyal Vienna on September 19th.
The months-long tour finally came to an end.
At this time, Laszlo was immersed in immense joy.
When the touring party passed through Munich, Leonor experienced discomfort, and Laszlo quickly found a doctor in the area for a diagnosis.
The diagnosis indicated that the Empress was likely pregnant.
By the time they returned to Vienna, Laszlo was certain that Leonor was carrying his child.
Based on Laszlo's modern knowledge, symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, and cessation of menstruation were undoubtedly the most obvious evidence.
Leonor was well-protected, and everyone in the palace revolved around the pregnant Empress; the child in her womb was the continuation of Laszlo's bloodline, the future of the Habsburg Family.
Laszlo spent every day with Leonor and, based on this, roughly estimated that the Empress conceived around early August, meaning the newborn would likely be born in May of next year.
Under Laszlo's arrangements, this great news quickly spread throughout Vienna and then disseminated to the vast territories under Habsburg Family rule.
The people of Austria rejoiced, believing it to be a divine blessing from God to the Emperor, an auspicious sign.
Consequently, everyone became even more hopeful and confident about the upcoming Crusade and participated more enthusiastically.
After returning to Austria with the loan from Burgundy, Laszlo immediately began recruiting more mercenaries to bolster the army, and concurrently, the construction of an armory commenced.
The location for the armory was finally chosen in Innsbruck, where it was close to iron mines and had abundant timber, making raw material acquisition very convenient.
Furthermore, Innsbruck's strategic location, being easy to defend and difficult to attack, made it an excellent position for a rear strategic base.
Large numbers of laborers arrived in Innsbruck via rugged mountain paths, where a strategically important area was delineated, and under the direction of military engineers, a sturdy fortress was built, with the armory located inside the fortress.
Many skilled craftsmen accepted the Emperor's generous invitations and came to the armory in Austria to work for Laszlo, including blacksmiths from Nuremberg and Augsburg, armorers from Milan, carpenters from Bohemia, and crossbow and arrow makers from Flanders.
Ulrich von Eyczing returned to Vienna with the results of the Imperial Conference.
Laszlo received the diplomat in the imperial court, accompanied by his entire advisory team.
Eyczing's gaze swept across the court; all eyes were focused on him.
He secretly rejoiced, knowing this was the stage the Emperor had prepared for him, and also a test.
Not just anyone could hold a high position in the Emperor's advisory team.
In Austria, firmly controlled by the Habsburg, all political decrees originated from the court and were executed by local noble bureaucrats; the Emperor's advisory team was no different from the central government.
Whether he could enter the Emperor's inner circle and how far he could go would depend on the results he brought back this time.
Eyczing was very confident about this.
"Your esteemed Emperor, I have brought you the results of the Imperial Conference."
"Tell me."
Although Laszlo didn't have high expectations, he couldn't help but be curious, wanting to see what Eyczing could achieve.
"A total of thirty-two princes have agreed to send troops to participate in the Crusade, and the remaining dozen or so princes are willing to contribute ten percent of their annual income as aid to the Crusade."
"How many?"
Laszlo's eyes widened, and his voice rose a few octaves; he could hardly believe his ears—thirty-two princes!
"Your Majesty, thirty-two princes, including seven Electors, are willing to send troops to participate in the Crusade. The Brandenburg Elector is contributing the most troops, with three thousand men, followed by the Elector of Saxony, who is providing two thousand five hundred men. The Duke of Landshut and the Count of Munich are each providing one thousand five hundred men. The remaining princes are providing armies of less than a thousand men each, totaling over twenty-seven thousand men in the princely coalition army."
This was truly a huge surprise!
Laszlo looked at Eyczing with satisfaction, his eyes conveying a sense of approval, as if to say, "You are my Zhang Liang."
"You have done well, Eyczing, far exceeding my expectations for you."
"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's blessing that I was able to persuade the princes to provide this assistance."
Eyczing acted exceptionally humble, which made his maternal uncle Ulrich look disdainful.
Tsk, he's really good at faking it.
Laszlo didn't know what kind of person Eyczing was, but didn't Ulrich know?
Eyczing was usually arrogant and conceited, looking down on everyone except the Emperor.
Although he was nominated as a representative by the lesser Austrian nobles due to his high position, most nobles secretly disliked or even hated him.
However, Ulrich had no intention of reminding Laszlo.
Now that Eyczing had just achieved a great achievement, Laszlo and he would undoubtedly go through a period of closeness. At this point, impeaching Eyczing would be seen as an act of jealousy and might even lead to a loss of Laszlo's trust, which would not be worth it.
Ulrich chose to endure for now; he was confident that someone would eventually do what he wanted to do but couldn't, and when Laszlo discovered Eyczing's true colors, his position as chief advisor would naturally become more secure.
Putting aside Ulrich's worries about being replaced for the moment, Laszlo began to ask Eyczing about some detailed questions.
"How did you manage to get the Count of Munich and the Duke of Landshut to each send fifteen hundred troops?"
Laszlo was genuinely curious; the convoluted story among the three little Bavarians was enough to write another novel.
Eyczing smiled confidently and replied, "It's simple, Your Majesty. I merely told the two Dukes that whoever could satisfy you more would have the opportunity to inherit the title of Duke of Bavaria. As a result, both sides competed, and in the end, neither could outdo the other."
"What about Bavaria-Ingolstadt?"
"Your Majesty, the family of the Count of Ingolstadt died out five years ago, and their territory was divided between the Count of Munich and the Duke of Landshut. Now there are only two parts of the Duchy of Bavaria left."
Laszlo nodded slightly; the situation in Bavaria was still under control.
Although the Wittelsbach family had always regarded the Habsburg Family as their greatest rival, over the past few centuries, they had repeatedly lost to the Habsburg in the struggle for the Archduke of Austria's throne and the Bohemian crown, and had even divided their own Duchy into three due to the equal inheritance law.
Today, the Habsburg Family no longer viewed the Wittelsbach family as a formidable enemy requiring full-strength opposition, but rather as a close younger brother to be protected.
To be honest, if it weren't for the sudden rise of the Habsburg Family, the Wittelsbach family might have already seized Austria, Brandenburg, and Bohemia, and been able to call the shots within the Holy Roman Empire.
Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs' in reality.
Laszlo cared deeply for Bavaria, so deeply that as long as he lived, Bavaria could never be unified.
Because once the Duchy of Bavaria was unified, its strength would directly surpass Brandenburg, making it the third largest principality in the Holy Roman Empire, second only to the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Archduchy of Austria.
Even the Elector Palatine and the Bavarian ducal family shared the same lineage; whether they united or merged, his position as Emperor might not be secure.
To avoid fostering a disaster on his doorstep, it was better for Bavaria to remain disunited forever, maintaining its division, and continuing to serve as a loyal dog and younger brother to the Habsburg.
"The overall commander of the princely coalition army shall be the Brandenburg Elector; he has always been loyal and should be given such trust."
Laszlo began to appoint commanders for the princely coalition army.
Eyczing, however, shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, although the Brandenburg Elector is sending troops, he is unwell and may not be able to participate in this Crusade."
"Hmm?"
Laszlo frowned slightly. What was wrong with Frederick II (Brandenburg Elector)? He was dropping the ball at such a crucial moment.
"Who will command his troops?"
"It will be the Elector's younger brother, Albrecht [Achilles], Count of Ansbach. He will simultaneously command the combined forces of the three Hohenzollern brothers: the Count of Bayreuth, the Margrave of Brandenburg, and the Count of Ansbach."
Laszlo recalled that when Elector Frederick I died, he also divided his territory into three.
The eldest brother, John, ruled Bayreuth, but John was an idiot.
The most talented second brother, Frederick, received the Brandenburg Marches and the Electorate, but he seemed to be tired of war.
The youngest brother, Albrecht [Achilles], ruled Ansbach and incidentally helped his eldest brother govern Bayreuth.
Although he wasn't very good at governing, he was quite competent at leading troops in battle.
These three brothers occupied three seats in the Imperial Diet, just like the situation in Bavaria...
The Holy Roman Empire was completely shattered by repeated equal inheritance laws.
However, the equal inheritance law also had its advantages; it was as if these princes, without being forced, imposed the 'Order of Grace' upon themselves, making it much easier for Laszlo to absorb their territories later.
"Very well, then appoint Albrecht [Achilles], Count of Ansbach, as the overall commander of the princely coalition army, and send envoys to inform the princes of this decision."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
With the matter of the Imperial Conference concluded, Laszlo suddenly remembered the Austrian navy, which he had forgotten, and turned to Ulrich, asking, "Ulrich, do you know anything about our navy?"
"Your Majesty, we only have one port, Trieste. When the late Emperor was alive, he felt that developing a navy was meaningless, so he disbanded the fleet and sold the ships to the Venetians, using the funds to expand the Imperial Guard."
Ulrich replied with a wry smile.
Laszlo was stunned; so Austria really had no navy!
But then again, considering how his cheap father, Albrecht II, managed to hold onto half of Serbia and all of Bosnia-Herzegovina under immense Ottomans pressure during his reign, he must have exhausted every possible means to strengthen the army.
As for the navy... A long time ago, after a major war between the Austrians and the Venetians, Austria barely managed to retain Trieste, its only access to the sea, but most of the Austrian and Hungarian coastlines were Venetian territory.
Perhaps Laszlo could free up his hands in the future to seize the long Adriatic Sea coastline, but not now.
Since present-day Austria only had one such port, a little small trade would suffice. A navy? Go to bed.
His cheap father's decision was as wise as ever.
Laszlo sighed.
Albrecht II's disbandment of the navy directly meant that Laszlo no longer had to worry about naval matters. Isn't that wonderful?
As for the naval threat from the Venetians?
Leaving aside how absurd it was for a land power like Austria to contend for naval supremacy with Venice, a typical maritime power, there was still the great enemy, the Ottoman, standing before them. The money for developing the army was already insufficient, so where would the military funds for developing a navy come from?
Indeed, the root of all contradictions was the hateful Ottomans.
Laszlo was now even more eager to see what kind of results this Crusade could achieve.