Sharing the Cake

Several days had passed since the Crusade besieged Constantinople.

However, during this time, they made no preparations for an assault, instead using the Wagenburg to fortify their encampment daily, wary of the Ottoman army within the city launching a surprise attack.

Though it was called a siege, the Crusade was actually concentrated on the west side of Constantinople, and the Ottomans fleet sailed in and out of the Golden Horn daily, transporting supplies. They were helpless to stop it, only able to curse the damned Venetians.

Laszlo rode out of the camp, with Philip accompanying him. Laszlo Hunyadi led dozens of knights, following behind them to ensure the commander's safety.

This had become Laszlo's regular activity these days—gazing at Constantinople from afar.

It was utterly impossible for them to take this city by force, and it was equally nonsensical to try and compel its inhabitants to surrender through a siege—they simply lacked the capability to blockade Constantinople on all sides.

Laszlo was waiting, waiting for an opportunity to end this expedition honorably.

"Philip, have your spies returned?" Laszlo asked, looking at Constantinople in the distance without turning his head.

Philip nodded slightly and replied, "The intelligence they brought back from Syria and Cairo indicates that the Mamluk Sultan's army is gathering and is expected to invade the Ottoman Empire from Syria soon. Now is the time for us to test our endurance against the Sultan in the city, to see who breaks first."

A smile finally appeared on Laszlo's face. Now, Mehmed II would be in a dilemma.

As expected, the Mamluk Sultan could not resist the immense temptation. He assembled an army of fifty thousand, preparing for a northern expedition against the Ottoman, attempting to recreate the glory of the Abbasid Empire.

As for the Aq Qoyunlu? They were a dog of the Ottoman, now wanting to bite their master, but the Qara Qoyunlu in the East were watching intently, making them dare not act rashly.

However, this was already enough; the Mamluks' army was a huge problem for the now severely weakened Ottomans.

This situation couldn't help but bring to mind the story of Timur the Great's decisive defeat of the Ottomans in the Battle of Ankara in 1402, where he captured their Sultan Bayezid I.

This Bayezid, who had swept through Europe without meeting a match, marched swiftly and fought bravely, earning him the nickname—the Thunderbolt.

It was he who, in the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396, utterly annihilated the Crusade led by Laszlo's maternal grandfather Sigismund and Philip's father, John the Fearless, and even captured John, imprisoning him for a year.

Unfortunately, his opponent was the formidable Timur the Great. Timur, to eliminate concerns before attacking the Ming Dynasty, resolved to first destroy the Ottoman Empire with his vast army.

In the Battle of Ankara, the Ottomans army was completely wiped out, suffering a more devastating defeat than Varna. Sultan Bayezid was captured and paraded in a cage, known to history as the "Caged Thunderbolt."

This great defeat subsequently led to over a decade of division within the Ottoman Empire, until Mehmed II's grandfather, Mehmed I, won the civil war and reunified the Ottoman Empire. Only then did the Ottomans recover from the crisis of collapse and begin to steadily expand in both European and Asian directions.

It was just unexpected that, many years later, the Ottomans once again suffered a major defeat.

At this moment, it was precisely like that moment.

Laszlo firmly believed that he would have the last laugh. Even if Constantinople couldn't be taken, the Ottomans rule in the Balkans was now declared over. The next step was to ally with the Mamluk Sultanate to partition the Ottoman Empire, ensuring these Turks would never rise again!

As for why Laszlo wasn't worried about the Mamluk Sultanate's rise bringing new threats... the Mamluk political system was already fragile and corrupt to an astonishing degree—so astonishing that it was hard to understand why the Mamluk could still exist as a state.

The Mamluk threat was not on the same level as the Ottomans; there was no need to worry much.

Thinking of this, Laszlo's mood brightened, and he eagerly moved on to the next topic.

He turned and gave Laszlo Hunyadi a look, and the latter immediately led the knights to spread out, maintaining vigilance against Ottomans surprise attacks and giving the two commanders enough space.

"So, Philip, it's time to discuss the distribution of benefits."

Philip's eyes lit up. After a moment of thought, he said, "The territories we actually gained from this expedition are Serbia, Bulgaria, and Macedonia. Greece is occupied by those East Roman remnants, and it's not appropriate for us to extend our reach there. Constantinople certainly cannot be taken, which means what we can distribute are Serbia, Bulgaria, and Macedonia."

"Hmm, I have my ways of handling matters in Greece. As for Albania, Skanderbeg seems to favor his patrons, the Venetians, which is quite a headache. We'll find a way to resolve that later. For Serbia, my maternal uncle and chief advisor Ulrich has a legal claim; his wife is the last bloodline of the Serbian royal family. So, I intend to crown him King of Serbia, to rule Serbia. As compensation, three-tenths of the annual income from the Kosovo gold mine will go to the Burgundy Family. How does that sound?"

"Quite perfect."

Philip smiled, nodding in satisfaction. He had long heard about the gold mines in southern Serbia. It was said that in earlier years, Serbian monarchs, relying on the wealth from the gold mines, had for a time become the richest people in the Balkans, followed by successive plunder by the Hungarian and Ottomans.

An innocent man is guilty because of his treasure.

Now that the gold mine was in Laszlo's hands, there would naturally be no more petty individuals coveting it. With stable annual output, three-tenths of the gold mine's revenue was also a considerable financial income, and it went directly into the Duke's private treasury.

"Next are Bulgaria and Macedonia. We can delineate and grant land here. The Muslim lords have almost all been killed or fled, so now there is ownerless land everywhere, perfect for rewarding the nobles who participated in the Crusade. I remember you brought that famous Anthony with you this time, didn't you? I think he deserves a ducal title."

Laszlo smiled as he looked at Philip. This topic was very sensitive. Philip immediately looked at Laszlo in surprise; he was just considering how to bring this matter up to Laszlo.

Anthony of Burgundy, nicknamed the Great Bastard, Philip's most beloved son.

When Laszlo attended the Feast of the Pheasant earlier, he had not seen Anthony. At that time, he was serving as a resident diplomat at the court of England, maintaining the alliance between Burgundy and England.

With the outbreak of the Wars of the Roses in England and the simultaneous Crusade, Philip recalled Anthony and brought him along. Laszlo immediately saw that Philip wanted to find a way out for his beloved son Anthony, who had no right of inheritance, lest Anthony and Charles reenact the tragedy of fratricide after Philip's death.

Philip, this shameless old man, had his illegitimate son directly legitimized and fostered at the English king's court. Although his wife Isabelle was very unhappy, she could do nothing about him.

Laszlo decided to give Anthony some land. This young man was a good diplomat, and if he could be brought into the advisory council, it would truly be a win-win situation, gaining talent and binding him more closely to Burgundy.

"Laszlo, your observational skills are truly keen. I'm a little afraid now."

"Afraid of what? We are good allies, aren't we?"

Philip nodded silently. His and Laszlo's interests were already deeply intertwined. This alliance would likely continue until Charles's death, or even longer.

"What do you think about giving him the Macedonia region as a fief?"

"Wouldn't that be too dangerous there?"

Philip was somewhat concerned. Macedonia was sandwiched between Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Epirus, and Thessaloniki, which was occupied by the Venetians, having to contend with threats from all directions.

"What's there to fear? Aren't I still covering for him? Besides, Bulgaria isn't much better. I plan to make the Edirne-Gallipoli line the border with Mehmed II, allowing him to retain this small piece of land in Europe. We will establish a new kingdom in Bulgaria, and I will appoint a member of the Habsburg Family as the regent of Bulgaria. The land in Bulgaria will be distributed to the German, Bohemian, and Hungarian nobles who have rendered meritorious service, as well as the Portuguese, making them the frontline against the Ottomans. Macedonia seems to have many surrounding powers, but just wait, it will soon be cleared out. Are you willing to have your son swear fealty to me? Or let Macedonia be an exclave of the Duchy of Burgundy? Both can be discussed."

Philip looked deeply at Laszlo. This Emperor was now unreservedly displaying his ambition before him. This was both a sign of trust and a deterrent—this triumphant Emperor was showing off his power, warning him not to go too far, and to always consider the Emperor's attitude first.

The happy days of being able to annex Holy Roman Empire vassals at will, as before, were gone forever.

"Let Anthony stay under your command. That way, I'll be at ease. When I return this time, I need to prepare for the final game with the King of France. I hope you can support me, Laszlo."

Philip looked at Laszlo with eager eyes, hoping for a positive response.

"I think your request is reasonable, but at this stage, it's not suitable for us to directly provoke France. This war, not just against the Ottomans, has caused us immense losses, and we need time to recover. Burgundy still needs to expand its power and influence. In short, the time is not right."

Laszlo tactfully rejected Philip's request.

He knew what Philip wanted: nothing more than the Burgundian throne, but Philip wanted to become an independent new king.

It should be known that the Kingdom of Burgundy itself was a vassal title under the Holy Roman Empire, yet Philip hoped to use this title to become an independent monarch. Wouldn't that be equivalent to slapping the Emperor's face in front of all of Europe?

Regardless, Laszlo would not compromise, unless Philip agreed to incorporate the entire Burgundy into the Holy Roman Empire.

And this condition was precisely what Philip could not agree to. He had painstakingly tried to break away from France; if he turned around and entered the Holy Roman Empire, wouldn't his lifelong struggle become a joke?

A lifetime of struggle for another monarch? The Burgundian Family wanted to establish its own kingdom!

Knowing that this matter was non-negotiable, the two tacitly avoided the topic and continued to discuss other matters. The momentary tension seemed to be just an illusion.