In early 1467, a shocking piece of news spread rapidly throughout Venice.
Key members of the Barbo Family, a prominent Venetian noble family to which the current Pope Paul II belonged, departed from the port on a galley merchant ship, violating Venice's navigation ban, and sailed towards Ferrara.
They disembarked near the Po River estuary and safely arrived in Austria, where they were met by personnel arranged by the Emperor.
It was reported that the family received several fiefdoms in Styria, and the Emperor also returned several properties of the Barbo Family in Pula and Dalmatia, which had been confiscated during the Italian Wars.
Despite the Venetian government's strenuous efforts to suppress the news, rumors related to it still circulated widely in the streets and alleys of Venice.
Although the Barbo Family had only risen to prominence for just over a hundred years and their influence in the Venetian Grand Council was not particularly great, the fact that the current Pope came from this family naturally imbued their actions with deeper political significance.
Not only Venetians, but also others following the war realized that the Pope's stance had undergone a fundamental change.
This betrayal undoubtedly caused immense damage to the unity of the Golden Book nobility, so much so that Venice's rulers cursed the Pope and his family daily, issuing a proclamation declaring all members of the Barbo Family traitors.
The names of several core members of the Barbo Family quickly appeared on the bounty list of the Venetian Council of Ten, though their heads were not particularly valuable.
Compared to Mehmed II, whose head was worth 35,000 ducats and previously topped the bounty list, and Emperor Laszlo, whose head is now worth 50,000 ducats and currently tops the list, only one member of the Barbo Family had a bounty comparable to theirs—the current Pope Paul II, with a bounty of 30,000 ducats.
Of course, the Council of Ten was not foolish enough to openly offer a bounty on the Pope's head, but the news had already spread among Venice's assassins, and some were even preparing to take the gamble.
Venetian assassins were famously daring; let alone the Pope, in the past decade or so, they had attempted to assassinate the Emperor and the Ottoman Sultan no less than ten times. Although most of them died on the spot without even seeing their target's face, it was enough to illustrate the Venetians' 'courage.'
However, the Austrian side provided excellent protection for the Barbo Family, who had seen the light, making it impossible for the assassins sent by Venice to carry out effective retaliation in the short term.
Seeing those traitors living comfortably on Austrian soil made it difficult for some Venetian nobles, who were despairing about the war's prospects, not to entertain disloyal thoughts.
Doge Moro and the members of the Council of Ten certainly would not allow such dangerous ideas to spread.
On one hand, they intensified surveillance over the assets of Grand Council members to prevent them from secretly transferring wealth to neutral countries like Ferrara and Florence. On the other hand, they tightened the maritime ban, allowing merchant ships to sail only at government-specified times and under naval escort.
While these swift and decisive measures quickly curbed the Golden Book nobles' desire to flee Venice, they could not reverse the anxiety and fear in people's hearts.
Now, not only were commoners and merchants wavering, but even the elite noble class, the backbone of Venice, could no longer sit still.
The largest cloud since the war began now hung over Venice.
In Vienna, inside Hofburg Palace, Laszlo had just seen off Carlo Barbo, who had transitioned from Papal envoy to Venice to Imperial envoy, and then met with an old follower he hadn't seen in a long time—Marquess William Palaiologos of Montferrat.
"William, you did an excellent job with the reception and settlement of the Barbo Family this time. You truly never disappoint me."
Laszlo was unstinting in his praise; who wouldn't like such a subordinate who understood the bigger picture and acted efficiently?
Recently, the Regent of Milan had fallen gravely ill, seemingly on the brink of death.
Laszlo was planning to abolish Milan's regency cabinet-royal bailiff system and replace it with a governor-local council system, gradually bringing Milan under direct Austrian rule.
As for the choice of Milan's governor, William was an excellent candidate.
Although he himself ruled Montferrat, he spent most of his time in Milan, sometimes traveling throughout Italy for Imperial affairs, and largely left his territory to his brother, Boniface, to manage.
One could say that William was first and foremost an important member of Laszlo's court, and only then an Imperial Marquess.
"It is my honor to serve you," William replied humbly.
He had always been grateful to the Emperor, who had not only restored Montferrat's 'independent' status and gradually returned its encroached lands but also entrusted him with important responsibilities.
As time passed, he increasingly felt that his decision to pledge allegiance to the Emperor in Treviso had been incredibly correct, and thus he always resolutely followed the Emperor's instructions in handling numerous Italian affairs.
The reason he was assigned the task of receiving the Barbo Family this time was also because he happened to be in Rome as the Emperor's representative, communicating with the Pope.
After coordinating the handover between the Marquess of Ferrara, the Venetian State government, and the Styrian government, he completed the task with ease.
Not only did he not exert much effort, but he also gained the Pope's friendship, which might make his diplomatic work in the coming years even easier.
"Speaking of which, you haven't reported to Vienna for half a year. Let's discuss the current situation of the Italian states. Has the war with Venice had any impact on them?"
Although Laszlo occasionally received sporadic reports from Milan and Venetia, William clearly had a more comprehensive understanding of the situation in Italy.
"The states of Northern Italy continue to maintain stable order. Due to the partial reduction of Venetian State troops, the military expenses that each state needs to share have decreased, and they are satisfied with this.
If there's any impact from the war, it's probably the significant increase in trade between states like Ferrara and Florence and Venice.
Trade in grain, salt, spice, and textiles has seen the most noticeable growth."
"Oh? Are the Venetians trying to bypass us from there? Or are the merchants of Ferrara and Florence also looking for a piece of the pie?"
"Both. However, due to transportation issues and the ban you issued, Milan has now become a new hub for many goods in Italy.
Previously, during the Swabian War, General Piccinino and I ultimately led our forces to seize control of the Valtellina Valley. Any goods wishing to be transported north of the mountains must undergo strict inspection.
The Marquess of Ferrara hopes that you can open the trade routes to Switzerland, just as you opened the trade routes in Tyrol."
William's words carried a hint of personal interest. In fact, he was also very eager for this trade route. Goods transported from Northern Italy to Zurich, and then via the Rhine River waterway, would be sold to the Rhineland and the Low Countries, earning high profits.
Even if this trade route was destined to be dominated by the Genoese or the Austrians in the future, these princes and dukes of Northern Italy could still get a share of the profits.
Laszlo fell into thought upon hearing this.
The Milan-Switzerland trade route had actually never been cut off; it had even become more prosperous after the war began, but controls on certain specific goods had not yet been relaxed.
This was an opportunity to let the Italian princes and their merchants cut into the Venetians' profits, and Milan and Outer Austria could also gain considerable tax and trade revenue from it.
Zurich, after several years of reconstruction, had gradually regained some of its former prosperity. If this city were to once again become the starting point of the Rhine River trade route, Outer Austria's economic situation would certainly improve significantly.
In the future, the provincial capital might even be moved to Zurich, no longer confined to the valley of Freiburg, and connections with Vienna would also be more convenient.
Of course, these were just Laszlo's impromptu ideas; how to proceed specifically would depend on the situation.
Freiburg certainly had its advantages, being roughly in the center of Outer Austria, allowing it to oversee both the remote Alsace territories and manage Austria's dozen or so enclaves in Swabia.
These enclaves ranged from small towns to large cities and castles, even counties, and managing them was incredibly troublesome. It was also difficult for Matthias, who had been constantly trying to expand Outer Austria's territory through diplomatic means.
Just in the second half of last year, the old city of Constance, located on the southwestern shore of Lake Constance, announced its separation from the new city of Constance on the opposite bank and requested to join Austria on the condition of paying an annual tribute.
The Constance city council and the Bishop tacitly approved this matter for various reasons, and Laszlo gladly accepted the citizens' fealty.
He could barely remember how many times he had expanded his territory in Swabia; in any case, Austria's influence in the Swabian Imperial Circle was growing stronger and stronger. Considering the time, it was probably time to advance the next step of imperial reform.
Pulling his gradually straying thoughts back to the main topic, Laszlo nodded and replied, "Of course, relaxing control is not a problem, but the conditions can only be the same as the Tyrol trade route: as long as taxes are paid, goods can pass. However, there are some goods Venetians cannot sell, and no one can help Venice sell them."
William had long anticipated such a reply, which was not far from his expectations.
The Emperor was clearly influenced by theories like "monetary equilibrium" and "mercantilism," and began to prevent the outflow of gold and silver by restricting imports and expanding exports, while simultaneously developing various domestic industries in an attempt to achieve a self-sufficient internal cycle.
In this process, restricting Venice's export trade could also severely cripple its economic system and gradually dismantle Venice's resistance capabilities.
However, the Emperor ultimately could not withstand the pressure from the Empire and chose to open the spice sales channel. This was probably a fatal flaw of such monetary theories—some valuable goods could not be produced by European countries.
William was not an economist and did not care about such things. In any case, the Emperor would not lose money by setting up checkpoints and collecting taxes. What he should think about was how to seize the opportunity to gain some benefits for himself.
"Alright, that topic is closed. In Italy, maintaining balance is the best situation.
Let's talk about the Pope. You were solely responsible for the election of Paul II. You must have had a lot of interactions with him during this time.
Tell me what kind of person he is. To be honest, I still know very little about this new ally."
Laszlo asked William about Paul II with great interest.
Among the previous Popes who cooperated with Laszlo, Pope Callixtus III of the Borgia family was incredibly greedy and nepotistic, but he was impeccable in fighting heretics and infidels, and his actions were generally fair. Pius II, who once served as the Bishop of Brixen, Austria, could be considered a wise man who shared Laszlo's aspirations. Although his papacy was largely in vain, it cannot be denied that he provided Laszlo with much help.
Now, Paul II, who ascended to power through compromise among various factions, was described by Bessarion as an extremely conservative, rigid, and "secular" Pope who insisted on papal supremacy.
This was not far from what Laszlo understood. Historically, the secularization of the Papal States began with him and deepened under subsequent Popes until it finally ignited the Reformation.
"Paul II, he is undoubtedly a person who loves grand displays, which is the fundamental reason he is enthusiastic about instigating a Crusade.
As for other aspects, I would say the Pope has always been devoted to art... although his purpose is merely to flaunt wealth, rather than genuinely caring about spiritual life like Pius II.
The alum mines in the Papal States, which you and Mr. Fugger jointly invested in and developed, are now bringing considerable income to the Papal States, and the Rome printing press, a joint venture between the Pope and you, has also started to make a profit.
In the internal political struggles of the Papal States, the Pope used ruthless means to execute some scholars and politicians who were hostile to him, and confiscated their property.
The Papal States, which had been quite strapped for cash since the time of Pius II, became wealthy again.
However, this money was neither used to strengthen the Papal States' military nor to spread the faith. The Pope spent most of the money on renovating the Venice Palace and collecting his treasures.
I previously visited Paul II's treasury, which contained over forty bronze artifacts, twenty-five famous paintings, and over four hundred pieces of gemstone jewelry.
To prevent others from being more prominent than him, this Pope also issued sumptuary laws, requiring clerics in Rome to maintain a simple lifestyle."
Just listening to William's description, Laszlo couldn't help but chuckle.
This Paul II was quite an interesting character, unashamedly spending the Papal States' wealth on his hobbies. However, his collection sounded a bit small.
Laszlo thought of the mountain of various precious spoils and collections in the Hofburg Palace treasury and couldn't help but lament that the Papal States had truly declined, even the Pope's treasury was so meager.
Like Laszlo, after the last Italian Wars, the treasury gained a pile of artworks, plus Albrecht II's accumulated treasures over many years, which was also a considerable fortune.
But from small oriental porcelain to a seven-ton Styrian giant cannon, in the end, they were all just left in the treasury to gather dust.
Perhaps if Laszlo needed money, he would sell some, but usually, having them there for aesthetic pleasure was also good.
"Compared to the previous two Popes, Paul II doesn't seem like someone who can accomplish great things."
Whether it was Pope Callixtus III, who halted the Vatican beautification projects and built a papal fleet, or Pius II, who was dedicated to church reform, both were clearly more outstanding than this Paul II.
"But this Pope has one advantage: he knows how to adapt to circumstances.
His relationship with the King of France rapidly deteriorated over the pragmatic sanction of bourges, and now he has betrayed his homeland, Venice. Clearly, he has chosen his stance."
William said with a smile.
Laszlo also smiled. Upon closer thought, it was indeed true. Although Paul II's abilities were not outstanding, he was skilled at choosing sides.
He knew he was old, and the artworks in the papal treasury would not be left to his family's descendants but to the next Pope.
Therefore, he chose to seize the opportunity while he was still in this position and still had some capabilities, to secure a better future for his family.
"That is indeed good. Is there anything else noteworthy from the Papal States?"
"A while ago, Paul II promoted a cleric from a Genoese fishing family to Cardinal.
This person, by virtue of his talent, rose to become the head of the Franciscan order and is a renowned scholar.
His jurisdiction is in Asti, precisely nestled between Milan, Montferrat, and Genoa.
I think, with your influence in Italy, it shouldn't be difficult to establish a connection with this newly appointed Cardinal."
"Hmm? What is his name?"
"Francesco della Rovere."
This name made Laszlo pause slightly. Although he wasn't sure exactly who it was, the della Rovere family would later become frequent players on the Italian historical stage. The famous Warrior Pope Julius II in history came from this family.
It's always good to have more friends.
"Then I will have someone prepare a congratulatory gift for you to deliver on my behalf. Remember to convey my congratulations and concern to him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What about the Austrian Cardinals? Has the Pope mentioned them?"
Laszlo was still more concerned about this issue, as the number of Cardinals directly reflected a country's influence on the Papal States.
He currently controlled only two Cardinal seats, which was still too few. France, for example, had five Cardinals.
"The Pope intends to promote Salzburg Archbishop Bernhard and Bishop John of Brixen to Cardinal. Also, Bishop Janus of Pécs in Hungary and former Archbishop Vitez of Alba Iulia also have sufficient qualifications.
However, the Pope cannot promote too many Cardinals at once, or it will provoke opposition from the College of Cardinals."
William gave Laszlo the lowdown. Paul II was also a sensible person, knowing that his family being protected by the Emperor came with a price.
The Salzburg Archbishop, who was Laszlo's current royal advisor, Bernhard, was once the provost of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, a noble of pure Austrian blood.
The Bishop of Brixen gradually lost his independent princely status after Pius II, and is now also controlled by a Bishop of Austrian origin.
As for Janus and Vitez, the uncle and nephew from Hungary, they were both promoted by Laszlo himself: one was a royal secretary, the other the Governor of the Kingdom of Croatia.
It was clear that Paul II had done his research, which put Laszlo at ease.
Even if only one Cardinal seat was added, it would be immensely beneficial to Austria.
Thus, with the Pope siding with the Empire, the situation became even more unfavorable for the triple alliance of France, Venice, and the Ottoman, which was precisely what Laszlo desired.
The beginning of 1467 was far from pleasant, as the winter that year was exceptionally cold, even more terrifying than the cold winter Laszlo experienced in Northern Italy seven years prior.
For Laszlo, changes in climate did not significantly impact his life, but for many farmers, the gradual decrease in temperature during this period was undoubtedly fatal.
In the past year, the annual temperature had generally decreased compared to previous years, leading to agricultural production reductions in many parts of Austria.
Moreover, declining temperatures and an extended winter would force a delay in spring plowing the following year, potentially affecting agricultural development for several years to come.
Austria is inherently mountainous with limited arable land, and now some major food crops face challenges, making the situation far from optimistic.
Such abnormal phenomena immediately alerted Laszlo. At the first Privy Council meeting of the New Year, he and his ministers discussed the matter with great caution.
In the council chamber of Hofburg Palace, the flickering fire in the fireplace cast the shadows of the attendees onto the walls, making them look like a group of distorted stone statues.
Laszlo, wrapped in a sable cloak, sat at the head of the table, his fingers constantly caressing the eagle emblem at the top of his scepter, its cold touch reminding him of the predicament he faced.
In fact, there had been early signs; just last summer, the Danube River experienced a noticeable increase in floods, forcing the Imperial Chancellery to apply for more funds to provide relief and resettle disaster victims.
However, at the time, neither Laszlo nor his officials believed these situations were beyond expectation, and therefore made no corresponding adjustments.
It wasn't until after the autumn harvest, when the in-kind and monetary taxes collected showed a slight decrease compared to the previous two years, that government officials and even the Emperor began to take the matter seriously.
Logically, due to the implementation of immigration laws, Austria's population was increasing year by year.
Excluding remote areas such as Tyrol and Outer Austria, the populations of Austria proper and Styria were growing.
Moreover, they mostly lived on royal lands, which meant that Austria's arable land area was continuously expanding, so tax revenues should not have shown such an abnormal decline.
Given that this situation had become a reality, the phenomenon of reduced grain production was clearly quite severe.
"Your Majesty, market supervisors in Vienna, Linz, and Graz have all reported a general increase of about one-fifth in the prices of grain and timber. At the same time, the urban population is increasing, which has caused some unrest."
Archbishop Georg, the Imperial Chancellor, gravely informed everyone of the current situation.
"The number of vagrants, which had previously decreased significantly, has risen again, especially among imperial immigrants who have settled in Austria in the past two years. They are unable to bear any risks, so some have chosen to flock to cities to survive, increasing the pressure on urban management.
According to statistics from the Upper and Lower Austria provincial governments, the number of vagrants is around six hundred."
Laszlo frowned upon hearing this, but after a careful calculation, the disaster situation was not yet particularly severe, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, the immigration policy has been in effect for over ten years, and regions such as Upper and Lower Austria and Styria have seen an increase of nearly eighty thousand people.
A large number of abandoned lands due to war, plague, and other natural disasters are now cultivated by new farmers. Perhaps we can slightly slow down the immigration process to ease relations with the princes of Bavaria, Swabia, and other places."
Eyczing, the Chief Minister responsible for foreign affairs, keenly sensed an opportunity and cautiously presented his suggestion to the Emperor.
"Eyczing, immigration is far from saturated. According to the report from the Royal Land Supervision Committee, Austria can still accommodate another two hundred thousand immigrants without issue. As for easing relations with the princes, Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary all have similar policies. What difference would it make to them if we only cancel Austria's preferential immigration policy?
Moreover, officials from the Immigration Affairs Directorate have already established connections with many Imperial Estates. They get money, we get people—it's a mutually beneficial arrangement, so why would there be any talk of strained relations?"
Laszlo shook his head, rejecting Eyczing's proposal. In this era, population was key to a nation's strength.
To abandon the absorption of immigrants because of a minor disaster challenge—Laszlo would never do something so short-sighted.
However, as the old saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Laszlo had gone to great lengths to attract immigrants from the princes, and now to let them face destitution would make him seem like an irresponsible tyrant.
He did not want to face such accusations, and if this situation were allowed to continue, Austria's reputation among potential immigrants would be ruined, making it much harder to attract people in the future.
To prevent this, he had to take effective measures quickly.
"Your Majesty, if grain and other crops suffer continuous reductions in yield, the number of vagrants will likely increase further, and other industries will also be affected.
For example, insufficient fodder will impact the development of animal husbandry, and there will be shortages in the supply of raw materials like wool, flax, or grapes needed by some workshops, ultimately hindering industrial development."
Seeing that the Emperor seemed unaware of the gravity of the current situation, Georg couldn't help but remind him again.
"I know, I'm trying to find a solution. What suggestions do you all have? Speak up."
Laszlo had some ideas in mind, but he first posed the problem to his ministers. These shrewd merchants and politicians surely had ways to cope.
"For some severely affected areas, temporarily reduce some taxes to first ensure the livelihood of farmers. For industries heavily impacted in different cities, appropriately lower commercial taxes to alleviate their operational pressure. This should significantly reduce the burden on the people's lives and also decrease the number of vagrants and bankrupt individuals."
Eyczing's idea was simple: adjust tax policies to lighten the burden on the populace, ensuring that both rural and urban residents could endure the coming cold winter.
"But Chief Minister, if we do that, our tax revenue will further decrease next year. Moreover, if tax cuts are only implemented within royal lands, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the various estates.
Their tribute, as stipulated by the Recess Agreement, is a fixed amount and will never change for any reason—meaning no tax increases in good years and no tax reductions in bad years.
However, there will always be people living on the lands of other estates who struggle due to this tribute.
Once they protest, or even demand tax reductions, how should we respond?"
Before Laszlo could speak, Fugger, the Minister of Finance, preemptively refuted Eyczing's proposal.
This greatly angered Eyczing. In his view, Fugger was completely obsessed with money, so he retorted indignantly, "Then what do you propose? If we collect taxes as usual, who knows what the consequences will be."
"Our tax policy is already very fair. Emperor has adopted the sharecropping system, abolished a large number of exorbitant taxes, and the main tax revenue is only land rent.
Many farmers are free; besides farming, they have many other jobs they can do. If they have work, they earn money, and as long as this money can buy enough food and other necessities to survive, they will not have too many complaints.
Therefore, the immediate priority is to issue price controls, prohibiting merchants, nobles, and the Church from hoarding grain and inflating prices.
At the same time, mobilize royal warehouse reserves, and also urgently import cheap grain, timber, and furs from Hungary, to maintain prices at normal or even lower levels as much as possible.
First, ensure the lives and production of urban residents, and then implement relief according to the disaster situation in various regions, encouraging agricultural recovery."
Fugger himself was involved in monopolistic trade, so he was perfectly clear about what would happen in times of famine.
He could not and did not need to make money from such life-threatening business. Not only that, but he also had to block others from making money this way; this was his duty as Minister of Finance.
As for tax cuts, that was impossible. Once that door was opened, Austria's sound financial situation might become strained again.
It was not yet time to cut taxes for stability. At worst, the common people would suffer, and he would bear the blame.
"These suggestions are indeed good, Georg. Afterwards, I will have someone draft a decree. Starting tomorrow, officials will patrol all bakeries and grain markets in Vienna, confiscating all stockpiles from those who dare to inflate prices.
My royal estates have also stored a good amount of grain over the past few years. Let's transport a portion into the city first to stabilize grain prices. For the relief grain needed for disaster relief in various places, arrange for local officials to conduct statistics as quickly as possible.
Fugger, the matter of importing grain, timber, and other goods will be your responsibility. Prioritize imports from other domestic regions and vassal states."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Fugger and Georg responded simultaneously.
"The number of vagrants cannot suddenly increase to an unbearable level. For those vagrants flocking to the cities, they can be organized to participate in public works construction.
For example, preliminary work for road construction, or building city walls, repairing some public buildings. These jobs can prioritize recruiting those vagrants and impoverished farmers.
The construction of post stations in various places follows the same principle... Honestly, I don't think there are enough vagrants to fill the needs of these projects, but pass this order down first."
Laszlo thought for a moment and added another sentence.
"In severely affected areas, some taxes can be reduced. Tell the people this is the Emperor's grace.
Austria has remained stable for the past few years, and no special taxes have been levied. The people's savings should be sufficient to cope with this minor disaster, and we need not panic too much."
"May God protect Austria."
Bernhard, the Salzburg Archbishop, who had remained silent, suddenly uttered this sentence.
Laszlo chuckled softly, saying nothing.
Whether God protected Austria or not, he didn't know, but he certainly would not allow Austria to fall into major chaos.
The last time Austria suffered such a disaster was in 1448. That year, the Danube River flooded, and some areas also experienced plague outbreaks.
Coincidentally, at that time, the Ottomans invaded Serbia, and to support the front, Albrecht II ordered Frederick to levy war taxes several times, ultimately leading to uprisings across Austria, and even Vienna was almost captured by rebels.
Thereafter, Frederick moved his regency court from Vienna to Vienna Neustadt, and remained there almost continuously until Laszlo's ascension.
Now, Laszlo still had a main army corps that could be mobilized at any time, so quelling rebellions would naturally be very simple.
However, what he truly hoped for was to curb the occurrence of unrest through appropriate measures. Logically, this was not a difficult goal to achieve.
Since his ascension, except for the first few years when wars were frequent and he repeatedly conscripted armies and levied taxes, for the rest of the time he had consistently tried to avoid harsh governance, and now was the time to test the results.
After the Privy Council meeting, the various policies formulated by the Emperor and his ministers quickly began to be implemented.
First, the grain reserves of the royal estates: a portion supplied the consumption of the liege, and the remainder was sold at fair prices in the nearest villages and towns.
Fugger quickly utilized the royal trade network he had built and operated over the past few years, bringing many necessities for resisting the harsh winter from Budapest along the Danube River route.
Large quantities of grain, timber, and some scarce raw materials were transported by merchant ships to Vienna and Linz, and then distributed to surrounding areas with these two cities as centers.
The vagrants who flocked to the cities were dispersed and settled in public areas of the city, mainly churches and hospitals. Although conditions in these places were not ideal, they were certainly better than starving and freezing in dilapidated tents.
When the weather improved, they would be organized by government commissioners to perform various tasks, such as repairing the city walls of Vienna or joining the construction projects of the new city.
In areas outside the city, the recruited vagrants were no different from other laborers. They ate and lived together, and their daily duties included clearing snow from roads, weeding, and filling potholes in the roads.
Each month, they received half a florin in wages. Many chose to save this money, as it represented their hope for future survival.
Upper and Lower Austria, as the most densely populated regions of Austria and located along the Danube River, were therefore most affected by the disaster.
Conversely, in the most barren Tyrol mountains, where there were virtually no foreign immigrants and the proportion of freemen was unusually high, the farmers managed to grit their teeth and endure that cold winter.
In Styria, Laszlo neither could nor bothered to manage the affairs of the nobility and the Church; in any case, the people on royal lands did not face too much difficulty.
By mid-March, as winter gave way to spring and temperatures gradually warmed, Laszlo began allocating funds from the royal treasury to help vagrants return to their places of origin and repair their farmland and homes.
Under this series of combined measures, most of the people living in Austria proper were able to safely get through this cold winter.
Although life was difficult, there was no widespread famine or mass exodus as had occurred a few years prior.
The impact of the cold wave was immense; while Italy and the Balkans fared slightly better, Austria, Bohemia, and Hungary were all affected by disasters to varying degrees.
After dealing with the disaster sweeping across Austria, Laszlo quickly issued orders to the governments of Bohemia and Hungary, instructing them to curb the affected areas using similar methods.
Fortunately, the vast population and abundant agricultural and other products of the Kingdom of Hungary were sufficient to fill the gaps in Austria and Bohemia.
To this end, Laszlo also granted temporary tariff privileges to some royal merchants, giving them sufficient incentive to assist the government in resource allocation.
As for the Kingdom of Hungary's own disaster situation, while relatively severe compared to other regions, it was not too bad for Hungary, which experienced large-scale peasant uprisings every few years due to taxation and disasters.
Archbishop Veszter, with the help of the Kingdom of Hungary's regency cabinet, skillfully managed the winter crisis while also ensuring the supply of materials to friendly nations.
Ulrich Fugger, the eldest son of Jacob Fugger, the Austrian Minister of Finance, and now a representative of the Austrian royal merchants, personally made a long journey to Budapest to negotiate with local guilds, both to properly fulfill the Emperor's instructions and to demonstrate loyalty.
This was not his first time in Hungary; he had often visited Hungary before, even venturing further into the Balkans to expand his family's business.
However, among all these businesses, the most profitable, apart from moneylending, was the massive copper mine production in Upper Hungary, so Ulrich had many dealings with Hungarian merchants.
In winter, the port of Pest was bustling with people; thin-clad workers were busy moving goods and expanding the dock, their bodies steaming, silently merging into the thin fog over the Danube River.
Peter Orban, president of the Pest Chamber of Commerce, wrapped in a thick wool coat, squinted at a cargo paddle-sailing ship that had just docked.
A blue and yellow fleur-de-lis flag hung from the bow, but more conspicuous was the double-headed eagle flag at the highest point of the merchant ship.
The former was the symbol of the Fugger Family, well-known among Hungarian merchants, while the latter, needless to say, was the Roman emblem used only by the most esteemed Emperor.
It seems another big deal is coming, he thought, then straightened his gold-embroidered coat and walked towards the tall middle-aged man who was directing the unloading.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Ulrich Fugger?" Peter asked in fluent German.
Peter was a native Hungarian, but he was also a merchant, so he was enthusiastic about learning anything that could facilitate his business.
It is worth noting that for nearly a century, Hungary had been ruled by Germans, and earlier by the French.
These rulers always delighted in increasing the number of their own people in Hungary, whether it was the hundreds of thousands of Germans brought by the Anjou Dynasty from Luxembourg or the South Germans continuously pouring into Hungary today, all of whom brought more advanced culture, technology, and most importantly, economic prosperity to Hungary.
Now, the number of German merchants in the Pest Chamber of Commerce completely exceeded that of Hungarian and Hungarian-affiliated merchants, and without exception, they all had direct cooperation with the royal family.
Besides them, the most numerous were Jewish merchants, who were also the wealthiest.
Albrecht II destroyed the Jewish quarter in Vienna in 1420 on the grounds of blasphemy, and eradicated over a thousand people living in the Jewish community.
Later, in 1439, Albrecht II issued an edict expelling Jews throughout Austria on the grounds of hoarding and disrupting economic order.
Originally, this edict was supposed to extend to Hungary and Bohemia, but it ultimately failed to be implemented due to strong opposition from the Hungarian Parliament.
However, in Austria, this edict was thoroughly enforced, so much so that most Jews living in Austria were forced to relocate to Hungary, and the ban remains in effect to this day.
Some people had advised the enlightened Emperor Laszlo to lift the ban, and that person's status was not low—it was Jacob Fugger, the Austrian Minister of Finance—but for some unknown reason, the Emperor ultimately did not agree.
In fact, the Emperor had many collaborations with Jewish merchants in Hungary and other regions; perhaps Austria held some special place in the Emperor's heart, which is why he prohibited these non-Catholic Jews from living in Austria.
From any perspective, the trade of the Kingdom of Hungary was actually dominated by German merchants; his election as president, despite being Hungarian, was merely for the Emperor's convenience.
Of course, this was also because Peter himself was an "ambitious" merchant, which earned him the Emperor's favor.
Ulrich heard the call, turned around, and saw a familiar face.
"Mr. Orban," he said with a polite smile, extending his hand to Peter, "I have come at His Majesty's command to procure some essential supplies."
"I've already received the news, but what are these on your ship?"
Peter's curiosity was understandable, after all, Ulrich came with the Emperor's mission, yet he still transported many goods. With such a knack for seizing every opportunity, it's no wonder the Fugger Family became increasingly prosperous.
"Woolens from Flanders, armor from Milan, and weapons from Graz, and some things you might be interested in—printing press parts shipped from Vienna."
Peter firmly grasped Ulrich's hand, his eyes immediately lighting up.
In recent years, the demand for books in Hungary has grown significantly; the University of Pécs has been rebuilt, and new universities are being planned in Pressburg and Pest. Furthermore, Bishop of Pecs and Royal Secretary, Lord Janus Pannonius, under the Emperor's instruction, is establishing a grand library.
Many nobles contributed their treasured ancient books, and Eastern Rome refugees who settled in Hungary also brought out many valuable texts.
Scholars in the court needed to identify and transcribe the contents of these documents, and the immense workload led to slow progress in expanding the library.
Moreover, the church's demand for books remained as stable as ever.
These factors collectively created a vast market, yet Hungary's printing industry was almost non-existent. Aside from the royal printing press in Vienna establishing a branch in Budapest, virtually no one else ventured into this sector.
If he could acquire these printing presses and transport them to Pécs, he would surely make a fortune.
As for the other items, Peter was also very familiar with them; these goods were essentially the main business of the Fugger Family, and some of the most profitable commodities in all of Hungary.
Military equipment from Milan and Graz would be transported to Hungary via the Danube River trade route whenever a war broke out.
This time, after the Southwest Border Army entered Bulgaria to quell the rebellion, they would certainly need to replenish their armaments. The Fugger Family had long ago purchased a batch of armaments at a low price and transported them to Hungary for storage, and in the future, they could easily secure army orders and make another huge profit.
And then there were the woolens from Flanders, which were truly rare goods.
Previously, there was no safe and stable trade route between distant Flanders and Hungary, so Hungarian nobles and propertied citizens in cities could only obtain a small amount from German merchants engaged in long-distance trade, and the prices were astonishingly high.
It was not until Austria and Hungary achieved a stable union and the trade routes were completely opened that goods from Western Europe flowed into Hungary more through overland trade routes, rather than first arriving at the Dalmatian coast via the Mediterranean trade network and then penetrating inland.
However, even though the trade routes remained open, the cost of long-distance transportation still kept the price of Flanders woolens prohibitively high.
Even so, the high-quality woolens from the Low Countries were still in short supply, becoming almost one of the Hungarian nobles' favorite commodities.
Unfortunately, the trade route from the Netherlands to Hungary was always controlled by merchants from Augsburg and Austria, leaving Hungarian merchants with not even a drop to drink.
Thinking of this, Peter suddenly felt a bit envious.
"These are all good things, but unfortunately, Hungarian workers can't do such delicate work, nor can they produce goods of such high quality."
Ulrich gave a wry smile, but a sense of superiority unconsciously grew within him.
Although Hungary lacked skilled workers and advanced manufacturing technology, the country had its unique advantage: the vast Hungarian Great Plain.
Those fertile plains and grasslands were naturally suitable for grazing, especially in the extensive lands south of Budapest, where animal husbandry was quite developed.
Although the Emperor had always encouraged farmers to grow grain, who would want to grow the least profitable grain except for new immigrants and serfs with no other choice?
For many years, the price of Hungarian wheat steadily declined, reaching its lowest point in a century in 1460.
With the Emperor's drastic economic reforms, two large-scale noble rebellions, and the arrival of numerous immigrants, grain prices finally rose somewhat, experiencing a significant increase only this year due to the disaster.
In contrast, the income from growing flax and fodder crops was considerably higher, especially in recent years as Austria and Augsburg developed their textile industries, causing the demand for flax and wool to skyrocket. A significant portion of Hungarian free communes and estates have already signed annuity agreements with local merchants to vigorously develop animal husbandry.
In the five counties south of Budapest-Pest alone, wool has replaced grain as the main trade item for local farmers.
This wool was gathered by local merchants at trade ports along the Danube River, and then sold to Austrian or Augsburg merchants.
A portion of the wool was shipped along the Danube River route to Vienna, then distributed throughout Austria; more wool and flax were transported to Augsburg to meet the local demand for raw materials.
Jacob Fugger even had a bold idea: to sell Hungarian wool to the Netherlands.
The genesis of this idea was traceable: just two years prior, Edward IV, having won the English Civil War, disregarded his friendship with the Duke of Burgundy and tightened laws restricting wool exports, aiming to develop England's domestic textile industry.
This move directly led to severe damage to the Netherlands' textile industry, which was heavily reliant on English wool supplies, causing a decrease in the production of high-quality woolens from Flanders and other regions, and a continuous rise in prices.
In search of alternatives, Hanseatic merchants in the Netherlands frantically scoured all of Europe.
Their initial target was Castile, where the wool quality was slightly inferior to English wool, but still usable, and most importantly, transportation was convenient.
Unfortunately, the Castilian Civil War directly affected the smooth flow of trade routes.
They then turned their attention to the vast Empire, but unfortunately, the numerous textile workshops along the Rhine River had already firmly controlled the domestic wool production of the Empire, leading to a growing shortage in the Netherlands' wool supply.
The Fugger Family merchants saw a business opportunity and decided to try transporting wool produced in Hungary and Tyrol to the Netherlands for sale, but unfortunately, they lost all their capital due to the poor quality of the wool.
Ultimately, this plan came to nothing, and the merchants could only honestly transport Hungarian wool to Austria and other regions within the Empire engaged in mid-to-low-end wool textile production for sale. They could still earn some money, after all, the prices of Hungarian wool and grain were significantly lower than those of neighboring countries, making it the best raw material supply base in Central and Eastern Europe.
Moreover, it's not just these commodities; Hungary has everything from gold, silver, copper, iron, and salt, all in significant reserves and of good quality, bringing the Emperor a large income each year.
This made Ulrich sigh with emotion; everyone said the Empire was "the Pope's cash cow," but in his opinion, calling Hungary "the Emperor's cash cow" was entirely appropriate.
"The Kingdom of Hungary is so rich in resources; this is God's gift to you, and to the Emperor.
What's that phrase? Caesar's good fortune, that's what it means."
The Emperor was indeed fortunate; in an era when all of Europe was frantically searching for gold and silver, he controlled over ninety percent of Europe's gold and silver mines.
Now he even dared to confront the Venetians without flinching.
Peter could only offer a bitter smile; the Emperor kept the most profitable trades under the tightest control, and much of the money was earned by foreign merchants trusted by the Emperor. This led to some dissatisfaction among Hungarian merchants towards the Emperor.
However, the reforms implemented by the Emperor did create a favorable business environment for them, and also made Hungarian commerce increasingly prosperous. If the Emperor could collect less tax and cooperate more with Hungarian merchants, he would be the most perfect monarch in Hungarian history—at least for merchants.
Just then, several workers passed by them, carrying large sacks of goods. Peter keenly caught a familiar scent.
"Is that… pepper? Mr. Ulrich, this stuff probably won't sell well now."
Although Peter said this, his eyes were quite fervent.
Ever since the Emperor went to war with Venice, even Austria faced a shortage of spice, and Hungary even more so.
It wasn't until the spice trade routes reopened that new goods slowly flowed into the market, but people quickly noticed something unusual.
For over a century, the Venetians had maintained stable pepper prices, generally around 40-50 florins per large sack.
However, the price of pepper recently entering the market had soared to astonishing heights, selling for 60 florins a sack in Augsburg, nearly 70 in Vienna, and directly rising to 75 in Budapest.
Such terrifying prices directly forced wealthy citizens, merchants, and some nobles who were originally able to buy pepper to give up, and this was even more true for other more precious spices.
"There are always bishops and barons who need this stuff; otherwise, how else would they display their wealth to others?" Ulrich realized the conversation seemed to be straying, cleared his throat, and continued, "Let's talk about His Majesty the Emperor's instructions."
"This is no place to discuss business."
Peter glanced again at the large ship laden with expensive goods, and surprisingly, he felt no anticipation for the upcoming grain trade.
Afterward, he led Ulrich onto a carriage, slowly heading towards the Chamber of Commerce.