After returning to Vienna from Rome, Laszlo actively began preparing for the upcoming Crusade while closely monitoring the ongoing conflicts.
The civil war in the Principality of Wallachia showed a one-sided trend, with Vlad repeatedly defeating his younger brother Radu on the battlefield, almost pushing the rebels to desperation.
The war in Bulgaria also finally saw a turning point. Paul Kinizsi, leading an outnumbered force in a decisive battle of considerable scale, routed the main rebel army of 30,000.
It is said that in that battle, even the usually timid and lazy Imperial Uncle Frederick personally went to the battlefield. However, his warhorse was struck by a stray arrow, causing Frederick to fall and lose consciousness.
The unexpected incident involving the commander-in-chief briefly caused signs of a rout in the Bulgarian Army. Fortunately, Paul timely crushed the rebel flank and led the Hungarian cavalry in sweeping the battlefield.
The leader whom the rebels had enthroned, claiming to be a descendant of the Second Bulgarian Empire's royal family, also died in the battle. As a result, the rebels, who still had some power to resist, quickly began to fall apart and completely lost any possibility of counterattacking.
The Bulgarian and Hungarian armies successively recaptured Great Tarnovo and other important towns in the eastern part of the kingdom, essentially quashing this rebellion that had lasted more than half a year.
Because the rebels initially raised the banner of restoring Orthodoxy, this instead greatly weakened the influence of the Orthodox Church at the grassroots level, as it lacked high-level protection.
Numerous missionaries accompanying the pacification forces into Eastern Bulgaria began to promote Catholic faith in Eastern Bulgaria, attempting to reverse the situation where Orthodox Christians accounted for 90% of the population.
This task should have been undertaken by Bessarion, the Patriarch of Constantinople and Cardinals specially appointed by the Pope. However, this venerable old man is currently trapped in Morea with his student Andreas, awaiting rescue.
Just across a strait from Morea, in Athens, after a two-month siege, Grand Master Martin, who commanded the Bulgarian-Serbian Army, and Serbia Regent Sigismund finally realized that with their forces, it would be difficult to capture this heavily defended city.
Subsequently, they decided to divide their forces. Sigismund would lead several thousand Serbian Army to continue besieging Athens and simultaneously ensure the security of the Bulgarian Army's rear, while Grand Master Martin would lead tens of thousands of Bulgarian Army through the Isthmus of Corinth, quickly lifting the Venetian siege of Corinth.
Seeing an army several times their size pouring into the Peloponnesian Peninsula, the shrewd Venetian Marshal Colleoni dared not confront the Bulgarian Army head-on.
After assembling his several thousand troops, he quickly lifted the siege of Mystras, choosing to lead his army in a strategic retreat to the twin ports of Modon-Coron, intending to hold this so-called "Eye of the Republic" and face the Emperor's army there.
Such an act of retreating without a fight angered the Doge and the Council, but they had to admit that Colleoni had made a wise decision.
After prolonged conscription, attempts to form a second citizen army completely failed. The Republic of Venice now couldn't even muster a field army of 10,000 men.
It should be noted that during the Milan-Venice rivalry, Venice could easily field a land army of 15,000-25,000 men and a navy of over 30,000.
However, by now, Venice had lost over 60% of its population, many mercenaries had left them, and now the Venetians had ships but couldn't recruit enough sailors, causing their advantage at sea to gradually diminish.
After all, with losses not being replenished, the strength of the army would naturally decline.
The Venetian Government was no longer able to afford the subsidies for requisitioning merchant ships into the fleet. The size of the Adriatic Sea escort fleet was repeatedly forced to shrink, while the fleets of Austria, Genoa, Naples, and Ragusa frequently attacked, posing a serious threat to the trade routes from the Adriatic Sea to the Eastern Mediterranean.
This was not the most fatal. In the continental market, due to the high taxes on Venetian goods passing through Austria, the prices of spices and other commodities continued to rise.
The price of spices, which had remained relatively stable for decades, surged by over 50%, directly leading to a sharp drop in sales of spices, especially the most popular pepper.
The greedy Venetians hoped to earn more funds to support this war through spices, but their unrestrained price increases ultimately led to even greater losses.
The Empire's merchants all knew that Austria's obstruction of trade routes was the direct reason for the surge in prices of Venetian goods. However, no one dared to criticize the Emperor; instead, they began to curse the Venetians for lacking business ethics, engaging in monopolies, and wildly inflating prices.
The Venetian trade network in the Empire also experienced a severe contraction. The decline of the Republic was only a matter of time. Laszlo had originally hoped that Portugal's reinforcement fleet could help him deal with the Venetians and accelerate the war, but Alfonso V was also a shrewd fellow and did not rashly involve Portugal in this conflict.
He first set the wedding for next year, citing his reluctance to part with his daughter and Princess Joanna's young age.
The Portuguese fleet sent to participate in the Crusade would, as an escort fleet, first deliver Princess Joanna to Austria next spring, and then join the Crusade fleet Laszlo was preparing to form, heading for the Bosphorus Strait.
Before that, Austria must first handle the war with Venice, especially the struggle for naval supremacy.
The scales of victory were gradually tipping towards Austria, so Laszlo was not overly concerned about this.
As the hot summer arrived, Laszlo, as usual, embarked on a western tour with his court and family.
The touring party first arrived at the Imperial Castle in Innsbruck and settled there.
Laszlo's arrival greatly encouraged the enthusiasm of the Tyrol people to join the Crusade, especially after he announced that those who participated in the Crusade would receive a two-year tax exemption and exemption from corvée. People began to look forward to this expedition even more.
After this, Laszlo inspected several important industries in Tyrol.
In Schwaz, west of Hall, rich silver veins were successively discovered after 1420. To this day, with the joint efforts of Laszlo and Fugger, nearly 40,000 people are engaged in silver mining here, producing silver ore worth over ten florins annually, comparable to the Kuttenberg Silver Mine in Bohemia.
And the city of Hall, due to its proximity to Innsbruck and the convenience of water transport on the Inn River, developed into a regional commercial and minting center, the most important production site for Austrian groschen.
The original Innsbruck arsenal, due to the entire plant relocating to Graz, saw its scale greatly reduced. However, Tyrol's abundant iron ore and ample water resources meant that this arsenal still had a chance to survive.
Now, its main business is the production of artillery and imitation Milanese plate armor, primarily for export to the Imperial market, which can also generate some income for Laszlo.
After confirming the development status of these pillar Imperial industries in Tyrol, Laszlo had intended to leave Innsbruck directly, but John von Montfort, the new governor of Tyrol, brought an interesting guest to Laszlo at this time.
Inside the Royal Castle in Innsbruck, Laszlo met a white-haired but energetic old man named Ruggero de Taxis.
"Ruggero? I heard you are a Milanese, but some say you are Austrian. What's the story?"
Laszlo asked with considerable curiosity.
Ruggero replied unhurriedly: "My family was formerly known as the Tasso family, and indeed originated in Milan. However, later we began to provide long-term services to the Pope and the Emperor, and the family consequently relocated from Milan to Tyrol, a more important transportation hub. Now our family is known as the Thurn-und-Taxis family, and I would prefer to be considered Austrian."
From Ruggero's fluent local dialect, it was clear that he had lived in Tyrol for many years, which immediately elevated Laszlo's impression of him.
Although there was a suspicion of flattery, Laszlo unhesitatingly categorized this person as usable.
"You once provided services to my father and uncle, establishing a postal network from Milan to Vienna, from Innsbruck to Styria, and throughout all of Italy.
Now your company still provides services to the people in these regions, and I am deeply pleased by this."
Laszlo spared no praise. He was now eyeing the industries controlled by Ruggero and his family with great interest.
The Tasso family founded a courier company in Milan around 1290. Initially, they only operated services from Milan to Venice and Rome.
Over time, the highly efficient Tasso company quickly gained renown, earning the patronage of several Popes and Emperors, expanding its business throughout the Italian region.
The main business of this company was transporting small items, delivering letters, and conveying intelligence.
During the Zurich War, Ruggero, introduced by the then Austria Regent Frederick, began to serve the former Emperor Albrecht II.
During Albrecht II's reign, he established multiple postal networks, connecting various parts of Austria with Italy.
Especially the most important Milan-Vienna route, even the Imperial family relied heavily on this route to transmit messages.
It was precisely by relying on the Tasso Company's riders, who traveled swiftly between Milan and Vienna, that Laszlo was able to stay fully informed of every development in Italy.
Laszlo's praise filled Ruggero with joy. He had been serving the Emperor all these years, but rarely had the opportunity to interact directly with him.
This time, he spared no expense, spending hundreds of florins to bribe the governor just to meet the Emperor, mainly because the recent vigorous road construction and establishment of post stations made him feel a bit uneasy.
Although currently limited by economic factors, the Emperor's post station system is only being built in Upper and Lower Austria, and there is only one road, the Vienna-Graz Royal Road, which is still under construction. However, over time, an official postal system could still be established.
It took Ruggero less than ten years to build the postal system in Tyrol and Styria. The Emperor would not need much longer than that.
Before completely losing value and being expelled from the Austrian market, Ruggero felt it was necessary to make an effort.
"It is my honor to serve the great Habsburg Family.
Recently, I heard that you are building post stations and roads across Austria, improving transportation and communication throughout Austria?"
After much deliberation, Ruggero still chose to ask the question he cared about most.
Laszlo was also about to bring up this matter, but Ruggero spoke first. Seeing his slightly nervous expression, he probably guessed what Ruggero was worried about.
Thinking of this, Laszlo revealed a gentle smile, nodded and said, "I do have such a plan, but currently, the construction of the postal system is still too slow and does not satisfy me.
I think, if there were a complete postal network that could reliably provide me with similar services, it would save me a lot of trouble."
At these words, Ruggero was immediately overjoyed. The Emperor's unmistakable gesture of goodwill showed him a bright future.
"Your Majesty, my company and I are willing to offer you our best service."
"And what else?"
Laszlo raised an eyebrow and asked.
"And..." Ruggero paused slightly, then reacted and immediately added, "I, on behalf of the Thurn-und-Taxis family, swear allegiance to you."
"Very good," Laszlo smiled and nodded, "You should be well aware of my cooperation model with Fugger.
Slightly different from him, your company will need to accept more supervision and control.
As long as you and your family are willing to integrate the Tasso Company's postal network into Austria's official postal system, I guarantee you the best treatment.
Fiefdoms in Milan and Tyrol, a baronial title, a hereditary court gentleman title, and Postmaster General, what do you think?"
With things said to this extent, Ruggero naturally had no reason to refuse.
Before this, he had already heard about the Emperor's fondness for seeking partners, and as expected, his family also qualified to become an Imperial partner.
However, although called partners, they still needed to properly position themselves as subjects, first faithfully serving the Emperor, and only then considering the family's interests.
Originally, upon hearing that the Emperor intended to completely take over the Tasso Company's postal network, Ruggero had considered politely declining.
How could the vast system that their family had spent 170 years and countless human and financial resources to build be easily handed over?
But the conditions offered by the Emperor were simply too generous!
Noble status in Milan and Austria, hereditary court official positions, and the title of court gentleman, enjoyed just like the Fugger Family, all showed the Emperor's high regard for them.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace on behalf of my family and company."
"In that case, I will fully entrust the construction of Austria's postal system to your company. The allocation for this matter will also be transferred to you, consider it an investment.
You must remember that your most important mission is to serve the Imperial family and the government, and only then to develop your own industries.
I can provide you with convenience, even if you want to engage in a monopoly like the Fugger Family, I can support it. However, in exchange, the Tasso Company must attempt to expand its business to a wider area."
"You mean..." Ruggero felt his heart could no longer bear it. The Emperor's ambition seemed much greater than he had imagined.
"To establish a postal system in Swabia and Bavaria, and even Rhineland and Burgundy. There will be many difficulties, but you have already covered all of Italy with post stations. I don't think this will be too difficult for you."
Laszlo put forward his bold vision.
"I will do my best, Your Majesty."
Ruggero answered without hesitation.
After incorporating the existing Italian-Tyrol-Styria postal network of the Thurn und Taxis family, Laszlo's construction of the post station network was more than half complete.
The work of the new Postmaster General, Ruggero, in addition to further improving this communication system, also involved attempting to expand operations in the South German Empire and further afield.
The construction of a post station system in Bohemia, Hungary, and the Balkan states was also part of Laszlo's plan, but there were currently not enough resources to implement these plans.
However, a communication line connecting Rome, Milan, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Belgrade, and Sofia had already begun preparations, including a long section of water route.
Ruggero's task was to find and establish relay stations in suitable locations, where postmen and horses would be changed, and items would be relayed in sealed iron boxes.
Innkeepers and ferry operators along the route would regularly reserve horses for royal messengers in undefended villages.
Laszlo even ordered that letters on the Vienna-Innsbruck route no longer be delivered by messengers, but only through the postal service provided by the Royal Post Office, reorganized from the Tasso Company.
Regarding the outsourcing of government functions, this was not the first time, and Laszlo was already familiar with the process.
For him, how to expand and improve government functions as much as possible with limited resources was a considerable challenge. Many times, win-win cooperation was the best choice and could fundamentally solve all problems.
Just like the great maritime nations engaging in colonization decades later, the government did not have enough resources to support large-scale colonization, as their money needed to be spent on contending for hegemony in Europe.
At this time, trading companies and explorers perfectly filled the void. They had the ability to explore and develop new lands themselves, and they could also provide a significant amount of tax revenue annually.
Imagine, how many monarchs could resist such temptation and refrain from cooperating with those astute and speculative merchants?
Not to mention distant examples, even in present-day Portugal, in the court of his future father-in-law, Alfonso V, there was a great merchant named Fernão Gomes.
If all went as expected, before long, the Kingdom of Portugal's trading rights in the Gulf of Guinea would be handed over to this royal merchant. He would ensure that the true wealth of that land was unearthed and continuously transported back to Europe.
Ivory, gold, and enslaved people—these commodities would bring rich returns to Portugal.
Cooperating with these resourceful and capable merchants was clearly highly beneficial during this period, which is why Laszlo unhesitatingly elevated Ruggero and his family to nobility and integrated them into the Austrian court and government system.
After all, in the past few decades, the Tasso Company had undoubtedly played an indispensable role in Vienna's ability to quickly gather information from all sides.
Now, this company had transformed into one of Austria's government agencies.
They still operated their past private businesses, while also running another system to serve official purposes, conveying administrative orders, and collecting and transmitting intelligence.
After settling the issues concerning the postal system, Laszlo, in high spirits, then continued his westward journey with the court, arriving in the old city of Constance, which had been incorporated into Austria, via Bregenz.
In the new city of Constance, across the river, Laszlo planned to convene a grand assembly of the members of the holy League within the Empire, namely, the signatories of the 'Ottoman Mutual Defense Treaty'.
This agreement was reached a few years ago at the Imperial Conference in Regensburg, and at that time, this alliance circle almost encompassed all of Laszlo's allies and followers within the Empire.
The princes involved included Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, the Duke of Baden, the Duke of Württemberg, the Elector of Munich, the Margrave of Ansbach, the Duke of Saxony, the Archbishop of Mainz, the Archbishop of Trier, and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.
In addition to these prominent figures, many Imperial Knights and members of the Swabian League were also invited to attend the conference.
Although the princes at the Imperial Diet in Nuremberg approved the decision to replace the Crusade obligation with a public donation tax, the vast Empire still needed to organize a decent army.
Otherwise, he, as Emperor, would truly have to bear everything himself.
This was only the first round of mobilization. After November, there would definitely be arrears in this year's public donation tax. At that time, Laszlo would be able to gather another batch of 'cannon fodder' to contribute to the great cause of reclaiming Constantinople.
Considering the circumstances of all parties involved, Laszlo set the conference date for one month later, and until then, he would remain in western Austria, touring and inspecting.
Previously, Laszlo had only visited Outer Austria during his trip to Burgundy and when leading his army to attack Switzerland. This time, he could stay longer and intended to travel further.
Sixty kilometers south of Constance was Zurich. The seat of government for the Outer Austria province had now moved here from Freiburg, further to the east.
After several years of recovery, Zurich's population had reached about half of its pre-war level and was still growing rapidly.
As an important starting point for Rhine River trade, it had always enjoyed the prosperity brought by commerce during peacetime. Laszlo's lenient policies also contributed to the good post-war recovery of this land.
And St. Gallen, less affected by the war near Zurich, as the center of the linen textile industry in the South German region, now saw its workshop owners collaborating more deeply with farmers in Tyrol, making the city more prosperous and its textile industry more developed.
These newly incorporated autonomous cities provided more support for the development of Outer Austria. In the Outer Austria province, where various policies were relatively unique, the autonomous cities were not subjected to too many restrictions.
After all, although the border regions in Outer Austria province had been abolished, politically it had not been integrated into the Vienna-centric ruling system like other core Austrian territories.
The main reason for this was that the lands of Outer Austria were too fragmented and inherently difficult to manage, not to mention that the system of noble military fiefdoms here was quite complete, differing greatly from the nobles in the Austrian heartland who were gradually abandoning military traditions.
Therefore, Laszlo was not in a hurry to change the status quo.
While Laszlo was staying in Zurich, he met with the Duke of Armagnac, the head of Austrian intelligence, who had rushed back from the France-Burgundy front.
The Duke, relying on his talent and connections, had woven an extremely well-informed intelligence network in France and Burgundy, transmitting a large amount of intelligence about both countries back to Vienna.
This time, he returned to Austria, bringing Laszlo the latest intelligence from the French front.
On the road east of Zurich, Laszlo rode alongside Matthias, the Governor of Outer Austria, and the Duke of Armagnac, along the Limmat River.
The summer sun was fierce, but the shade from the trees along the road provided a comfortable coolness.
"Jean, how is the war between the League of Public Weal and Louis XI progressing?"
Laszlo asked.
The Duke of Armagnac's face was serious, and he replied in a deep voice, "I regret to inform you, Your Majesty, that among the three dukes, the Duke of Berry, Prince Charles, Louis XI's brother, who should have been the last to yield, was the first to surrender to the French King."
"He was forced to sign a humiliating peace treaty, agreeing to sever ties with Burgundy and swearing eternal loyalty and support to Louis XI."
Laszlo frowned. The Duke of Burgundy and the Duke of Brittany had raised the banner of supporting the Duke of Berry to ascend the throne, but who knew that this fellow would back down first.
The French version of 'Your Majesty, your subjects are ready to die in battle, why do you surrender first?'
"What about the Duke of Burgundy? I remember Burgundy and Berry's territories are adjacent. Why no rescue?"
"Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, gathered his troops in the Low Countries. He first suppressed the rebellions there, then attacked Paris from the north."
"Only garrison troops were left in Burgundy proper. Duke Charles was unwilling to divide his forces for a long march to rescue Berry, and his financial situation did not allow him to raise a new army for a two-front war."
The Duke explained with some regret.
He couldn't blame Duke Charles for abandoning his ally, because at the same time, besides Ghent, the city of Dinant, which connected the eastern and western territories of Burgundy, also rebelled, incited by Louis XI.
This rebellion was quelled by the Austrian mercenary corps passing through, and subsequently, this army joined Charles's Burgundian army and marched together towards Paris.
Despite this, the Duke of Armagnac had not given up on his ambition to enthrone Prince Charles.
After all, he had a deep friendship with the prince, and once Prince Charles successfully ascended the throne, he would also have the opportunity to restore his family's honor and territory.
Although thinking this way might be somewhat unfair to the Emperor who had treated him well, the Duke of Armagnac indeed longed for the day he could return to France.
However, seeing Prince Charles's unpromising demeanor, the Duke felt somewhat disappointed.
He did not choose a strategic retreat, nor did he choose to stubbornly hold out. Instead, when Louis XI's army was at the city gates, he chose to betray his allies and surrender to the enemy.
From this point alone, he was far inferior to his elder brother, Louis XI, who had rebelled multiple times and even fled to other countries after defeat, because he lacked the resilience necessary for success.
"Alright, then what about Burgundy and Brittany? They won't also quickly declare defeat like the Duke of Berry, will they?"
"The Duke of Brittany was also on the verge of yielding, but the Duke of Burgundy provided some support by sea, enabling him to hold out longer."
"In another direction, Burgundy's twenty thousand strong army has already besieged Paris. The Duke of Anjou is defending the city of Paris with over three thousand troops."
"Currently, the most concerning aspect is Louis XI's movements. He is still leading his army on the front lines, attacking Brittany, with no signs of returning to reinforce."
"He's abandoning the capital? What is this fellow thinking?"
Laszlo felt that Louis XI was gambling, betting that Charles would not dare to storm Paris. If Louis XI could force the Duke of Brittany to submit before Charles captured Paris, then Charles would have to confront the entirety of France with Burgundy alone.
Although it wasn't without a chance of victory, compared to the excellent situation during the first League of Public Weal a few years ago, the current scene was truly lamentable.
Louis XI indeed used some clever tactics to dismantle the League of Public Weal, but this also came at a cost, which was that he had to slow down the pace of centralization and restored many noble privileges.
As a result, although France appeared to be a complete political entity, many hidden dangers still lurked within.
In a sense, the League of Public Weal had already achieved significant success, but from the public's perspective, it seemed that Louis XI was about to destroy the League of Public Weal.
"He seems committed to first dealing with all other enemies besides the Duke of Burgundy, and then concentrating his forces to confront Burgundy."
"Paris's city defenses are very strong. Even if the Duke wants to quickly capture the city, he will pay a considerable price, and by then he will be unable to resist the French King's army."
"Moreover, unrest has recently begun to appear in Liège and other places, which is likely to trigger a new rebellion, very possibly funded by Louis XI."
"Hmph, as treacherous as ever."
Laszlo said, annoyed.
This war looked like an unequal one. Although Louis XI did not have a clear military advantage, he naturally controlled the strategic initiative.
The war also broke out because Louis XI first attacked Berry and Brittany, seizing the opportune moment of Philip the Good's death, the succession of the Duke of Burgundy, and an unstable government.
It must be said that this was a brilliant move; Charles was indeed caught off guard.
Fortunately, the construction of Burgundy's new army had already shown initial results, and Charles commanded 10,000-20,000 standing troops, whose combat effectiveness was not to be underestimated.
Holding this trump card, Charles still had a chance to contend with Louis XI.
However, with Charles's political intelligence, he seemed destined to be rubbed into the ground by the cunning Spider King Louis.
"Continue to monitor the war in France. Any important developments must be reported promptly."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Laszlo currently had no intention of personally intervening. The struggle between Charles and Louis had just begun, and it was not suitable to interfere.
Moreover, he now had a more important undertaking to pursue—launching a Crusade and recovering Constantinople.
The conversation temporarily concluded, and Laszlo realized they had already arrived outside the city of Brugg.
On the flat top of a hill a little further to the east, a magnificent twenty-meter-high tower stood there.
The tower's lines were simple and solemn, its body square, with slightly protruding corners, and adorned with a distinctive eagle emblem at the top.
From afar, one could still see some laborers carrying stones and constructing more buildings.
"That's..."
"The rebuilding of Habsburg, Your Majesty."
Since the old castle was severely damaged, the fore-castle had already collapsed before the Swiss occupied it, and the rear-castle was also burned by the Swiss. Matthias ordered the ruins to be cleared and a new castle to be rebuilt on the old site.
This was a large project, and even if the scale of the new castle was not large due to topographical constraints, it would take five years or even longer.
"This tower reminds me of a legend."
Laszlo saw the solitary tower and suddenly thought of a small story he had commissioned to be created with imagination in a family chronicle.
Meeting the curious gazes of Matthias and the Duke of Armagnac, Laszlo recounted, "According to legend, Radbot, the founder of Habsburg, lacking funds to build a castle, sought help from his elder brother, Werner, Bishop of Strasbourg."
"The latter, upon visiting, was furious to see only a single tower. However, Radbot promised to build the walls overnight. When Werner awoke the next day, he found the tower surrounded by servants summoned by his brother, implying that the loyalty of subordinates was stronger than the solidity of high walls."
The philosophy in this story would, of course, be used to instruct the subjects loyal to the Habsburg Family. Matthias and the Duke of Armagnac quickly understood the meaning of the story and took the opportunity to express their loyalty to Laszlo.
The unfinished new castle held no particular attraction, and even when completed, it would not have any unique features.
After all, the ancestors of the Habsburg Family had abandoned this castle over a hundred years ago. Laszlo's desire to rebuild it was merely to display the family's glory and to wash away the shame the family had once suffered in Switzerland.
After a brief viewing, Laszlo quickly lost interest and led his entourage on the journey back to Zurich.
Touring Outer Austria was an extremely difficult and complex task, and managing these lands was even harder. Laszlo now deeply understood this.
Aside from the County of Ferrette in the Alsace region—a long-held territory of the Duke of Burgundy—and the adjacent Baden-Breisgau region, the remaining lands of Outer Austria were mostly concentrated in northern Switzerland.
However, beyond these areas, about one-third of Outer Austria's territory consisted of enclaves, primarily concentrated in three locations within Swabia.
The first was the Hohenzollern district, which were territories directly controlled by the Habsburg Family, located in the center of Swabia and surrounding the County of Hohenzollern. These lands were largely encircled by the Duke of Württemberg's territory, creating a comical map where each was intertwined with the other.
The second was the Lake Constance district, which comprised several largely contiguous pieces of land located in southern Swabia, on the north shore of Lake Constance. After Laszlo purchased Bregenz, these areas fortunately connected with the main territory, but they were interspersed with the lands of many minor Imperial nobles.
If Laszlo could find a way to acquire a few more counties and baronies near the lake shore, Lake Constance would essentially be encompassed by Austria.
The third was the Augsburg district. Compared to the other two enclaves, this area was more remote, located on the eastern border of Swabia, adjacent to Bavaria.
Augsburg, the most prosperous Imperial Free City in South German, was encircled by this territory. The Augsburg Chamber of Commerce, led by Jakob Fugger, provided substantial support to the Emperor.
Furthermore, the Bamberg Bishop, who ruled near this territory, was also one of Laszlo's key court officials, currently serving as the Imperial High Justice.
These lands were valuable assets acquired by the Habsburg Family through succession without direct heirs and opportunistic territorial exchanges.
It was through these scattered enclaves across Swabia that Laszlo was able to extend his influence to many Imperial Estates in Swabia and firmly control them.
During his tour across Lake Constance, Laszlo visited his uncle-in-law, Duke of Baden Karl, and also met with the two Eberhards, who were the leaders of the Württemberg Family.
Eberhard I "the Bearded," who held the title of Duke of Württemberg, and Count of Württemberg Eberhard, who served as the military commander of Swabia, got along remarkably well after the merger of their two branches.
They jointly established the Upper and Lower Houses of Württemberg and founded the University of Württemberg.
Perhaps because both branches of Württemberg were sparsely populated, they preferred close cooperation over mutual destruction. And the Habsburg Family, which faced a similar situation back then… Laszlo recalled his three uncles: Sigismund, who was exiled to the frontier after his rebellion; Frederick, who was weak but harbored ulterior motives; and Albrecht VI, whom he had eliminated after his rebellion. How could a family prosper with such scoundrels?
If it weren't for the fact that no one else could fulfill the roles of royal family members, Laszlo would not have entrusted them with important responsibilities.
Thinking this, Laszlo envied the atmosphere within the Württemberg Family even more. These two young men named Eberhard were indeed among the most reliable young princes in the Empire.
After bidding farewell to the most powerful princes in Swabia, Laszlo proceeded to the final stop of his tour—the Augsburg district.
The territory here had originally been allocated to Albrecht VI, the one who rebelled after Laszlo and Tielie completed their territorial exchange.
After Albrecht was "unfortuately" shot dead by the Imperial Army, Laszlo handed over the income from these lands and a castle to his widow, who was Laszlo's aunt, to support her until her death, after which Laszlo would fully reclaim all rights to these territories.
However, during this tour, Laszlo was surprised to discover that his aunt had already given birth to a child, and it was a boy.
Fortunately, the child was only six years old, and Albrecht VI had been dead for over ten years, which largely ruled out the possibility of a posthumous child.
Upon further inquiry, Laszlo learned that his aunt, widowed young, couldn't endure the loneliness and had an affair with a handsome Imperial knight, giving birth to this illegitimate son.
Laszlo thought of his poor uncle, who not only failed to leave an heir but was also cuckolded after his death—his wife had an affair with a lower-ranking noble in his own castle and even bore a child. This stirred complex emotions within him.
He didn't seem to have much to be angry about, as Albrecht VI was arguably killed at his behest, and treating his widow kindly was to demonstrate the Emperor's magnanimity to the people.
Considering that this matter might somewhat damage the family's reputation, Laszlo gave his aunt two choices: either send her illegitimate son to a lifelong monastery and abandon her lover, then continue to enjoy preferential treatment, or leave with her child and no longer be considered a member of the Habsburg Family.
Incidentally, this lady, known as Matilda of Bavaria, was the paternal aunt of the current Palatinate Count Palatine Philip I, and also the sister of the former Elector Palatine Frederick I, who was still imprisoned by Laszlo.
Previously, due to the Elector Palatine's actions against the Empire during the Mainz War, some had advised Laszlo to expel this lady, but Laszlo had not agreed.
However, this time he could use the opportunity to reclaim full sovereignty over this territory.
After a difficult choice, Matilda ultimately chose the former. She sent her son to a monastery, and then she herself found a nunnery to live a secluded life.
As for the Imperial knight, to atone for his sins, he swore to God that he would fight to the death in the upcoming Crusade, and only then did Laszlo grant him forgiveness.
Afterward, Laszlo also visited the nearby Free City of Augsburg, where he convened the city council for discussions.
Due to the impact of the Austria-Venice War, Augsburg's summer markets had become quite desolate.
Members of the Augsburg Chamber of Commerce, led by the Fugger and Welser families, took the opportunity to complain to the Emperor, hoping he would end the war soon and restore normal market order.
Laszlo neither agreed nor sternly refused these repetitive requests.
He needed enough time to defeat the Venetians; as for the fate of these merchants within the Empire, Laszlo was not particularly concerned.
Most of those who could still survive and complain to him were wealthy families; blocked trade routes only affected their ability to earn more money.
The merchants who truly relied on the Augsburg-Venice trade route for their livelihood had already been wiped out in the first wave of market turmoil. This vacuum, coincidentally, was the easiest to fill; once the war ended, many new merchants would quickly emerge to rebuild the trade system.
After briefly appeasing these agitated merchants, Laszlo, along with the Elector of Bavaria, the Margrave of Ansbach, and the Duke of Saxony, who arrived later, set off on a journey to Constance.
After this tour, Laszlo not only inspected all the Outer Austria territories but also circled through the entire Swabia, making an appearance before the people of Swabia.
Basically, wherever he went, he would hold large assemblies to proclaim the existence of the Empire and the Emperor's rule, and encourage people to actively participate in the Crusade to achieve salvation.
These politically motivated shows quickly aroused the vigilance of the Imperial Estates in Swabia.
Some realized that the Emperor seemed to be deliberately blurring the lines between Austria and the Empire, attempting to extend Austrian rule to Swabia to replace Imperial rule.
However, when the sky falls, the tallest will bear the brunt. The two great princes of Swabia would certainly not allow the Emperor to swallow up Swabia completely.
Thinking this, they quickly abandoned those overly anxious thoughts.
Rather than worrying about their territories being annexed by the Emperor, the Imperial Estates of Swabia were now more concerned about the upcoming Council of Constance.
After a month of long waiting, the conference was held as scheduled.
Although the main protagonists of this conference were undoubtedly the Emperor and the many important princes he had summoned, the members of the Swabian League, who were also invited, were greatly excited to attend such a crucial court assembly. This meant they had received the Emperor's recognition and possessed the right to participate in major Imperial affairs.
This was not something one could easily obtain; at the very least, it proved their value and strength in the Emperor's eyes.
And indeed, it was true.
In the Constance town hall, participants of the conference were seated according to the arrangement of the Hungarian Parliament.
The princes who came to the conference because of treaties were seated on the central benches.
They included the princes of Baden, Württemberg, Ansbach, Bavaria, Saxony, the archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Salzburg, and representatives of the Teutonic Order.
The only absent signatory was Duke of Burgundy Charles, who was currently besieging Paris and likely had no interest in this Crusade.
This made Laszlo feel a bit regretful, as the three largest Crusades in the past century had all been initiated and led by Burgundy.
The Crusade seventy years ago suffered a disastrous defeat at Nicopolis, and Duke of Burgundy John the Fearless nearly died at the hands of the Ottomans. He even spent a year in an Edirne prison before being ransomed for a large sum.
Of course, the supreme leader of that Crusade was Laszlo's maternal grandfather, Emperor Sigismund.
Sigismund also had something to say: if it weren't for that * * John leading the French knights to ignore orders and charge directly into the Ottoman lines, the Crusade might not have lost. As a result, people only said that Sigismund was ambitious but lacked talent, which led to the tragic defeat.
Since then, the Emperor had lost interest in Crusades, while Burgundy's Crusade tradition strangely continued.
Around 1438, due to an alliance forged by the marriage between Burgundy and Portugal, Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good organized a large fleet and an army of nearly twenty thousand men. Under the banner of a Crusade, he sailed across the sea to North Africa to assist Portugal in capturing Tangier.
This campaign unfortunately ended in failure, and the Portuguese even lost a prince, who was reportedly tortured to death in a Moroccan prison.
Although this Crusade fleet failed to achieve success in North Africa, after the war between Portugal and Morocco ended, it was invited to Rhodes in the depths of the Mediterranean.
In 1444, the Mamluk Sultan, angered by the Knights Hospitaller's piratical activities from Rhodes, and supported by the Venetians, organized a fleet to transport twenty thousand soldiers to conquer Rhodes.
The Knights Hospitaller were in a critical situation, but reinforcements from Burgundy helped them repel the enemy. The Pope greatly praised the Duke of Burgundy for this.
The previous Crusade also originated in Burgundy, where Philip the Good's Feast of the Pheasant reignited European Crusade fervor.
Logically, with his grandfather and father both having participated in Crusades and served as commanders, Charles the Bold, given his character, would never give up the opportunity to pursue glory in this field, surpassing his ancestors.
Unfortunately, things were not so convenient. This was a crucial moment in Charles's rivalry with Louis XI. Even if he deeply wished to participate in this Crusade, he was helpless now.
In addition to the aforementioned participants, some non-treaty princes were also invited to the conference, such as the Bamberg Bishop and the Bishop of Würzburg, whose relationship with the Emperor had grown increasingly close in recent years, and the Duke of Pomerania, who had recently made peace with Brandenburg.
As the three great princes of Franconia—Bamberg, Würzburg, and Ansbach—had completely entered a state of mutual hostility, all three parties were now gravitating towards the Emperor, who held arbitration power.
Therefore, the two bishops of Bamberg and Würzburg followed the Margrave of Ansbach to Constance.
The Duke of Pomerania, to fulfill his vow of loyalty to the Emperor, chose to attend the assembly with the representative of the Teutonic Order, demonstrating his allegiance.
Besides them, most of the seventy-plus members of the entire Swabian League attended either in person or through representatives. They sat along the walls on both sides, looking more like observers than participants of the conference.
Laszlo's throne was placed on a specially constructed platform, allowing him to better observe the conference participants.
Looking around, members from Bavaria, Swabia, and Franconia were almost all present. Among the three ecclesiastical Electors of the Rhenish Palatinate, only Cologne was absent.
The Duke of Saxony, the Duke of Pomerania, and the representative of the Teutonic Order further solidified the lineup of princes.
Counting Austria and Bohemia under Laszlo's control, and even the agreed-upon Northern Italy, half of the Empire was gathered in this conference hall.
This was his first time convening such a grand assembly under the guise of a court gathering. Unbeknownst to him, his infiltration of the Empire had already achieved significant results.
People discussed softly among themselves, most eyes focused on the Emperor, as they awaited the official start of the conference.