Outside Izmit, Crusader siege camp.
Laszlo, with his personal guard, routinely patrolled the camps of various army units, checking if the siege tasks he had assigned were being diligently carried out.
To his relief, no major oversights were found in any of the units; Izmit was encircled like an iron barrel, allowing no one to pass.
It had been over a month since the siege began; they had endured the tail end of winter, and now it was spring planting season.
Not long ago, Laszlo had specifically dispatched messengers to Constantinople to inspect the situation, and the farmers who had followed the main Crusader force from the west to Constantinople and were eventually granted land within the city had already sown their first seeds of wheat since their relocation.
Tens of thousands of German immigrants poured into Constantinople, injecting new vitality into this great city that was on the verge of becoming a ghost town; vast tracts of abandoned land were re-cultivated, and the city's agricultural production began to recover rapidly.
Although it sounds absurd, the urban parts of Constantinople were actually continuously dying out; the vast majority of Crusader immigrants were serfs by origin, and becoming free farmers by acquiring land did not change their most fundamental nature.
Therefore, many new villages, composed of Hungarian and German immigrants, were added within the Theodosian Walls, and the scale of the city's agricultural land significantly increased.
In contrast, after successive plundering, Constantinople's urban population had drastically decreased, and apart from merchants, it lacked almost everything.
However, Laszlo was not too worried about this issue, as Constantinople's fame would always attract people eager for a better life to flock to the city.
Moreover, he also provided many preferential policies for the post-war populace of Constantinople to soothe the wounds of war, and he believed the city would soon experience population growth and prosperity.
As long as his uncle Frederick did not act foolishly and cause trouble, Constantinople's recovery would not be as difficult as imagined.
Most importantly, he was currently leading the Crusaders on the front line, continuing to push the Ottoman Empire's border eastward, making it impossible for the Ottomans to pose any threat to Constantinople.
With national defense secured, people would dare to settle in Constantinople.
The rear was stable and ready for reconstruction, and the situation in the front-line camps was also much better than Laszlo had anticipated.
Inside the siege camp, soldiers gathered in small groups, talking loudly and enthusiastically, showing no signs of dejection due to the prolonged siege warfare.
Their morale was high, with only one minor issue: they seemed to underestimate the enemy inside the city, appearing somewhat complacent overall.
When the soldiers—whether Austrian, Hungarian, or others directly under Laszlo's command, or those from the Empire, Northern Italy, and even Naples—saw the Emperor arrive, they immediately resumed a serious demeanor.
Although Laszlo did not exchange many words with these soldiers, he could clearly feel from their expressions and actions that his prestige had risen to an astonishing level.
The soldiers looked at him with a devotee's fervor, especially the Austrian soldiers, many of whom truly believed that the Emperor was God's chosen one.
Laszlo had no idea how he acquired these fervent followers; he had merely punished some enemies, defended and spread the Catholic faith, and incidentally commissioned a few renowned writers to pen chronicles for himself and the Habsburg Family.
Indeed, there were several chronicles.
Austrian chroniclers, in their new works, linked the Habsburg Family to ancient Roman noble families and added a passage in the new legend about Rudolf I, the founder of the family, stating that God bestowed power upon the Habsburg Family.
Janus Pannonius, a Hungarian chronicler and Bishop of Pécs, compiled a "History of Hungary" for Laszlo, greatly downplaying the Hunyadi Family's contributions in resisting the Ottoman Empire and emphasizing the "fact" that the Habsburg Family saved the Hungarian people from distress.
This book was the first to be mass-printed after the establishment of the Hungarian Royal Printing House; although Laszlo did not mandate it, the noble lords in the Hungarian Parliament essentially each owned a copy, and while it did not spread widely among the Hungarian populace, it was quite popular among the wealthy urban class.
After the recapture of Constantinople, Francesco once approached Laszlo, claiming he wished to write a chronicle about the two recent Crusades, to which Laszlo expressed his full support.
Laszlo then turned to Bessarion, who had by then resigned from his position as Regent of Morea to focus on assisting Frederick in governing the Latin Empire. Laszlo gave him the task of compiling a historical record, to create an official chronicle for the nascent Latin Empire, promoting Laszlo's arduous struggles over the years.
However, these spiritual aspects were actually too sophisticated; soldiers with generally low cultural levels could not possibly understand them.
Their emotions were very simple, after all, who doesn't like the person who always leads them to victory?
Although the Emperor was criticized more than once for winning battles primarily through overwhelming force, numbers, and equipment, sometimes even crushing opponents with little regard for casualties, no one could distort the fact that a war won is a war won.
Those who survived after winning would receive abundant spoils of war, sometimes honor, and even fiefdoms and precious noble status—even the lowest rank of knight was a coveted reward for most soldiers.
Such were the soldiers before Laszlo.
Their gains in Constantinople, though not substantial, were enough to allow them to live comfortably for a while.
Many had already squandered the wealth acquired in the previous battle, but they had heard of Izmit's riches and eagerly awaited the chance to rush into the city and ruthlessly strip the Infidels of their property, and their lives.
And only Laszlo, the Emperor blessed by God, could lead them to fight for their faith and get rich at the same time.
Because of this, Laszlo received the obedience and support of almost all the officers and soldiers in the Crusade, even though only half of them were his direct troops.
If not for their respective liege lords and homelands, most would probably wish to serve the Emperor long-term.
After all, joining the Imperial Army meant fighting mostly favorable battles, a life many mercenaries, who lived by the sword, dreamed of.
After inspecting the camp and ensuring that the army's morale remained stable and that logistical support from Europe was well in place, Laszlo quickly returned to his grand tent.
Although leading the army on the front line, Laszlo also had many state affairs to handle, especially since Izmit was not far from Constantinople; a quick journey could make a round trip in two days. Therefore, Frederick and Laszlo maintained communication, and some more important matters were reported to Laszlo for his final decision as the true Emperor.
Frederick, who had served as Regent of Austria for many years, deeply understood the principle of not overstepping boundaries; his loyal and submissive demeanor also put Laszlo at ease.
However, today no messenger from Constantinople arrived; instead, an envoy from far-off Vienna brought him some news from the west.
Laszlo opened the letter and immediately recognized Eyczing's handwriting. After the Empress left Vienna, Eyczing, as before, led the Privy Council in managing Austrian affairs, while also monitoring the situation in the Empire and France.
Everything in Austria was normal; the only worrying news was that several members of the Privy Council—Treasurer Jacob, Marshal Adolf, the military commander, and Chief Minister Eyczing himself—were experiencing health issues. They were old and constantly overworked with various matters, now nearing their limits.
Aside from the Court Chancellor, whose handover had already been completed, the condition of the other initial Privy Council members was not very good. Therefore, Eyczing advised Laszlo to consider candidates for the next Privy Council early.
Such news saddened Laszlo, yet it was a process he had to experience.
It should be known that he was only fifteen when he first embarked on his campaigns; almost everyone around him was a generation or even two generations older than him. They could only be a very brief part of his life's journey, just like Leonor, who once made him deeply melancholic.
After calming his emotions, Laszlo made a mental note to select the next members of the Austrian Privy Council and continued reading Eyczing's letter.
The Empire, having lost the threat from France and without him, the Emperor, constantly stirring things up, maintained general stability. This led more and more people to praise Laszlo, commending him for single-handedly orchestrating the Nuremberg Conference, which successfully established the order and peace that the Empire's subjects had long dreamed of.
There were roughly two notable situations: firstly, Frederick II, Elector of Brandenburg, as rumored, collapsed due to continuous mental exhaustion. Disheartened, he passed on the Brandenburg territory and the Electorate to his brother, Albrecht, Margrave of Ansbach (Achilles), who had just rushed back to the Empire from Constantinople. He himself retired to a castle in Kulmbach to live out his days, or rather, to grow old in solitude... This incident greatly shocked the princes of Northern Germany, with some even claiming it was the consequence of opposing the Emperor.
Laszlo was truly helpless about this sudden blame.
It certainly wasn't him who drove Frederick mad, but rather the Elector's initial ambition and obsession, which were disproportionate to Brandenburg's strength.
Laszlo now only hoped that Albrecht (Achilles), who once had a close relationship with him, would not be affected by these rumors. He was very fond of the Hohenzollern Family's subordinate, and if possible, he did not wish to strain their relationship too much.
The second important situation concerned the Duchy of Lorraine.
John II, Duke of Lorraine, son of the Duke of Anjou, who had led an army to Aragon to command rebels against King Juan II of Aragon, fell ill on the front line. Furthermore, due to the hostility from opposing factions within the rebels, he returned to his fiefdom of Lorraine in disheartened spirits. The Duke of Anjou subsequently ceased hostilities with the King of Aragon, and relations between France and Aragon began to gradually ease.
At the same time, Burgundy also reached a truce with France. Charles ultimately failed to seize the lands of Champagne under Louis XI's strict defense, and with his allies Brittany and England showing little interest in continuing the war with France, he had no choice but to shake hands with his enemy.
After this defeat, Charles, having learned from his painful experience, began to integrate the numerous vassal states of the Low Countries. He convened the Netherlands Grand Council in Bruges, imposing strict restrictions on all Low Countries cities and introducing many new laws and economic policies, including fixing the exchange rate of gold and silver to curb related speculative trading.
According to Fugger's analysis, after Charles's series of measures, the economy of the Low Countries would further develop, potentially providing more tax revenue for Burgundy in the future.
It was evident that Charles was truly agitated by the continuous rebellions in the Low Countries, even giving up on his relentless struggle against Louis XI and turning instead to internal reforms.
With the hasty conclusion of the Second League of Public Weal War, war-torn Western Europe also entered a brief period of peace.
Louis XI's goal of crushing the League of Public Weal was not achieved, but Charles also gained no substantial benefits from this war, making it hard to say who truly won.
Laszlo now only wanted to know if Charles was regretting not having killed Louis XI, whom he had captured, with a single blow.
Putting away the letter, Laszlo let out a long sigh. The stability in the rear gave him more confidence in winning this Crusade.
On the other hand, Mehmed II was not as relaxed and carefree as Laszlo.
He was currently under immense pressure.
Konya in the east was under siege by the Karamanids; fortunately, Uzun Hasan, Khan of the White Sheep Dynasty, was currently far in the east and would not attack the Ottoman Empire.
On the western coast of Anatolia, although the Crusaders had not split their forces to land elsewhere, the elusive Crusader Fleet was constantly raiding the lightly defended Ottoman coast.
They captured coastal villages and towns, destroying and abandoning them, and even penetrated deeper into river valleys to devastate the Ottoman Empire's core agricultural regions.
Genoa and the Knights Hospitaller collaborated, recruiting nearly two thousand mercenaries and knights, using Lesbos Island and Rhodes as bases to systematically harass the Ottoman Empire's coastline, causing immense damage to the Ottoman maritime borders.
Now, some refugees even fled all the way to Bursa seeking the Sultan's protection, which led to more rumors spreading in the already anxious Bursa.
Some people, already dissatisfied with Mehmed II, claimed that Mehmed II was cowardly and dared not fight the Crusaders, which was why the Empire's populace suffered calamity and displacement.
Even though the Sultan quickly ordered the prohibition of such statements, many had already seen the undeniable fact—the Sultan seemed unable to protect his subjects.
Under constant pressure from the panicked Ottoman high command, Mehmed II had no choice but to bite the bullet and begin preparations for a campaign.
In late April 1469, a year after Laszlo's army departed from Vienna, he was finally about to face his second decisive battle against the Ottomans.
If the outcome of the first decisive battle, the siege of Constantinople, was predetermined even before the war began, then this second decisive battle, a direct confrontation with the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, was full of unknowns and variables.
Upon receiving intelligence from spies that Mehmed II was leading an army of over 20,000 from Bursa northwards, Laszlo immediately ordered all Crusader forces to prepare for battle.
During this period, Laszlo also encountered a small interlude.
Laszlo's main camp was set up on a small hill north of Izmit, offering an unobstructed view of the harbor.
Today, a special guest arrived in his tent: Prince Ferdinand of Portugal.
Ferdinand had previously led the fleet in blockading the Sea of Marmara. After receiving intelligence, he quickly led a portion of the Crusader Fleet, carrying some Crusader volunteers gathered near Constantinople, to land on the coast near Izmit and rush to reinforce Laszlo.
Although this force was not large, numbering just over a thousand men, every bit of military strength was precious to Laszlo at the moment.
"Ferdinand, it's been a while. You seem to be in high spirits. Are you perhaps eager to contend with the Ottomans?" Laszlo joked with a smile.
Ferdinand replied cheerfully, "Of course, I hope to fight alongside you again and crush the Ottomans. But what truly pleases me is something else: my brother's long-cherished wish will soon be fulfilled."
"Alfonso V's cherished wish?" Laszlo was slightly taken aback and subconsciously asked, "Is he preparing to personally lead another expedition to Tangier?"
Hearing this, the smile on Ferdinand's face froze. The Emperor really knew how to bring up an awkward topic. How many times had the Portuguese army been defeated at the walls of Tangier? Now, at the mention of that place, every older Portuguese person would feel a pang of sorrow.
A few years ago, Alfonso V also met with a setback at Tangier, and had no choice but to lead his army back to Europe, suffering a considerable blow to his prestige and reputation.
"Ahem, our capture of Tangier is only a matter of time. What I was referring to earlier was actually the Castilian civil war. I remember you've always been following news in that regard.
Just last summer, Prince Alfonso, whom the Castilian rebels had put forward, died mysteriously in the military camp. Subsequently, Princess Isabella, who was then put forward, chose to negotiate with King Henry IV, and they reached an agreement.
Henry IV declared his daughter Joanna illegitimate and named Isabella as the heir to the Kingdom of Castile. In exchange, he would have the right to decide Isabella's marriage.
Not long ago, my brother reached an agreement with Henry IV. Princess Isabella is about to marry him and become the Queen of Portugal."
Ferdinand described the events unfolding in the distant Iberian Peninsula with great enthusiasm.
Although Alfonso V had repeatedly prevented Ferdinand's adventures when he was young, causing a strained relationship between the two brothers, Ferdinand ultimately became Alfonso V's most trusted and important minister and brother, thus their relationship was very close.
Seeing that his brother was about to marry the heiress of Castile and become King of Castile after Henry IV's death, Ferdinand genuinely rejoiced for Alfonso V.
Laszlo then understood the reason for Ferdinand's high spirits.
It should be known that Castile was the most powerful country on the Iberian Peninsula, and also one of the top-tier strong nations in Europe. Now, the King of Portugal could achieve joint rule over his powerful neighbor through marriage.
This was like Laszlo's father, Albrecht II, inheriting Bohemia and Hungary after marrying Emperor Sigismund's only daughter, and then being unanimously elected Emperor by the princes. Laszlo himself was the ultimate product of such a union; he knew all too well the joy of getting something for nothing.
Although the King of Portugal wanting to control Castile sounded like a snake swallowing an elephant, it was not impossible for Alfonso V to achieve this goal given his strength.
However, Laszlo still wanted to tell Ferdinand: you are celebrating too soon.
If the course of history Laszlo was familiar with did not experience any major unexpected changes, Princess Isabella, whom Ferdinand referred to as a tool for power transfer, might pull off some shocking moves, after all, she was not a little girl who would let others manipulate her.
Laszlo remembered the last time he heard about her, she was still under house arrest by King Enrique in the royal palace, and now she had transformed into the new "leader" of the rebels.
Calling her a leader, in reality, she was merely another puppet used by the Castilian rebels to oppose the monarchy.
She did not want to suffer the same fate as her brother, which is why the Castilian civil war ended so quickly. Otherwise, she could have simply obeyed the rebellious nobles and continued fighting, especially since King Enrique IV's royal army had suffered successive defeats and was at a disadvantage.
For such an opinionated woman, Alfonso V and King Enrique IV, these two men, would likely not be able to easily control her.
Just thinking that this alluring kingdom heiress, comparable to Marie, would soon fall into the arms of Ferdinand, son of King Juan II of Aragon, Laszlo no longer cared about schadenfreude.
It was well known that his relationship with the King of Aragon was very poor, thus the Kingdom of Aragon could be considered half an enemy of the Empire.
If it weren't for King Louis XI of France's unwillingness to restrain the Duke of Anjou, leading to the breakdown of relations between France and Aragon, Juan II would probably still harbor great hostility towards Laszlo now.
In the situation where Naples and Aragon could clearly only be allied with one side, Laszlo had already chosen Naples, and naturally could not allow the Kingdom of Aragon to grow stronger.
If King Juan II's eldest son, Prince Carlos, were still alive, then Isabella marrying Ferdinand would not have been a problem. But the crucial point was that Prince Carlos had been murdered by his own father, leaving only Ferdinand as the sole heir to inherit the lands of the Kingdom of Aragon.
Thus, the union of the two would undoubtedly lead to the unification of Castile and Aragon, ultimately bringing about the birth of Spain.
Laszlo could not yet estimate the impact a new European power would bring, but it certainly would not compare to the benefits a union between Castile and Portugal could bring him.
Therefore, he immediately offered a "kind" reminder.
"Ferdinand, I hope you can persuade Alfonso V to finalize this marriage as soon as possible, lest there be unforeseen complications.
If possible, have King Enrique IV keep a close eye on Princess Isabella, and don't give her any opportunity to make private moves.
Finally, if you need help, I can write to Pope Paul II to issue a dispensation for Alfonso and Isabella to marry, as they are third cousins."
Laszlo's words stunned Ferdinand, who then looked at the Emperor with some suspicion.
"Your Majesty, you haven't received some secret intelligence, have you?"
Laszlo was about to deny it, but then he thought that Ferdinand had no way to personally confirm it, so he nodded, lowered his voice, and spoke to Ferdinand as if revealing a secret: "I have heard that Princess Isabella is already secretly engaged to Prince Ferdinand of the Kingdom of Aragon. If you don't want to see your brother's hopes dashed, do as I say."
Despite saying this, Laszlo still silently apologized to the Catholic Monarchs in his heart. If anyone was to blame, it was King Juan II of Aragon for insisting on being King Louis XI's sycophant. Laszlo was very displeased with him and his son right now, and thus made this decision.
Historically, King Enrique IV and Alfonso V were kept in the dark like fools, and by the time they received news that Isabella was almost due with her first child, it was already too late.
After a moment of thought, Ferdinand decided to accept Laszlo's reminder.
In such matters, it is better to believe it than not, otherwise, one might suffer greatly.
As for whether the Emperor truly possessed such a powerful intelligence network, Ferdinand did not know, but in his eyes, the Emperor was almost omnipotent, and Laszlo had no reason to deceive him.
Laszlo also didn't know if his words could truly influence the course of events. In any case, this was just one of his many unintentional actions. One thing was certain: no matter how the situation on the Iberian Peninsula unfolded, it would not have much impact on him.
Events occurring thousands of miles away on the Iberian Peninsula were clearly not the focus of discussion for the two Crusader commanders. Laszlo quickly pulled Ferdinand to discuss the specific details of confronting the Ottomans.
Two days quickly passed. The besieged defenders within the city, cut off from outside news, did not know that their Sultan was leading reinforcements on the way. The only reason they had not collapsed under seven weeks of siege was purely out of fear of the Crusaders' brutality.
Other towns and villages surrendered, but Izmit, as an important strategic stronghold and prosperous port city, would certainly not be easily spared by the Crusaders.
It must be said that their prediction was correct. From the moment they decided to resist the Crusaders, Laszlo had already sentenced them to death in his heart.
If possible, Laszlo would make this place a second Varna.
The same large port, the same siege and relief battle, but unlike the previous time when Mehmed outsmarted him, forcing a desperate fight in haste, this time Laszlo had almost complete control over the movements of the Ottoman Empire's army.
The Székely light cavalry scouts could conduct reconnaissance within a very wide radius. Mehmed's army also included many members from various parts of Europe, among whom were the "eyes and ears" sent by Laszlo.
Mehmed II was also desperate, his army almost unreservedly accepting anyone willing to join, regardless of whether they were truly there for Jihad.
In addition to these methods of scouting the enemy, the Crusader Fleet would also gather enemy intelligence for Laszlo at sea, which meant that the muslims marching along the main road near the coast were completely exposed to the Crusaders' view.
It could be said that, apart from aerial means, which were currently impossible, Laszlo employed every method of intelligence gathering.
The painful lesson of being outmaneuvered by Mehmed II years ago continued to profoundly influence Laszlo.
Therefore, shortly after the Ottoman Empire's army arrived at the entire alluvial plain south of Izmit, they discovered the main Crusader force, which had already established a new field camp and was awaiting the arrival of the Ottoman army.
As with Varna, Ferdinand once again took on the task of keeping an eye on the city's defenders. In addition to his own men, Laszlo also assigned him a support force of nearly two thousand men. They were solely responsible for watching the Izmit defenders, to prevent them from sallying out and attacking the Crusader rear.
And in the center of the plain, on the north bank of an unknown small river, the Crusaders were arrayed in several groups.
The left flank consisted of over seven thousand Hungarian troops commanded by Paul Kinizsi. The center was composed of over twelve thousand Austrian and Bohemian troops, along with some Balkan vassal state troops, personally led by Laszlo. The right flank was made up of over ten thousand allied Imperial princes' forces, commanded by the Imperial Marshal, Duke Albrecht of Saxony.
Behind the main army, there were also the allied forces of Northern Italy, who had suffered heavy losses during the previous siege of Galata and the attack on Constantinople, with only over five thousand men remaining. They were commanded by Marquis William of Montferrat, the Governor of Milan, and served as the army's reserve unit.
Seeing such a formation, how could Mehmed II not know that his every move was being watched by the Roman Emperor opposite him?
Thus, just as soldiers on both sides were awaiting the Sultan's command for the Ottoman cavalry to charge, the Ottoman army, centered around the Janissaries, began a series of maneuvers that struck the Austrian soldiers opposite them as remarkably familiar.
Numerous chariots carrying soldiers and supplies were arranged in an arc formation, very quickly forming a distinctive Ottoman-style chariot fortress. If one did not see the conspicuous crescent flag fluttering within the formation, most people would probably assume this was the Imperial Army's most adept Hussite War Wagon.
The Janissaries' expert archers mounted the chariots, armed with short bows, crossbows, and even matchlock guns, awaiting the Crusaders' assault on the chariot fortress.
Large numbers of irregulars were placed by Mehmed II on both sides of the chariot fortress to protect the flanks, and several thousand Sipahi cavalry were positioned on both wings of the formation, commanded by two newly promoted generals under Mehmed II, responsible for suppressing the Crusader cavalry.
Having lost all European territories and suffered multiple losses of commanders, Mehmed II was also facing the predicament of having no capable generals.
However, there was no time to worry about such things now. Ever since he learned to use the chariot fortress against his fellow muslims, Mehmed II had become completely infatuated with this tactic.
Although he initially learned this rogue tactic from the Austrians, he quickly Turkified it and made it the Ottoman Empire's field weapon, having almost never suffered a defeat.
Now, he arrayed the chariot fortress to confront the Roman Emperor who had previously defeated him with a chariot fortress.
Seeing this scene, Laszlo, whose army was already arrayed, suddenly felt like laughing and crying at the same time.
Even he couldn't help but sigh inwardly that Mehmed was indeed a good learner, having actually picked up the "core technology" of the Austrian army.
Facing the Ottomans' quite mature chariot fortress system, Laszlo, the promoter of chariot fortress tactics, now felt somewhat challenged.
Thus, neither side chose to act rashly, and the battle, which had been on the verge of breaking out, instantly turned into a standoff between the two sides.