Return to Rome

After settling all affairs in Milan, Laszlo chose Ermes, a talented Milanese nobleman, to serve as Regent of Milan, and Piccinino was put in charge of commanding the army to guard Milan and monitor the Italian states.

Actually, Laszlo had considered finding a family member to help manage Milan, but within three generations, the only close blood relatives remaining were his two uncles, Sigismund and Frederick.

Originally, there was one more, Frederick's brother, Albrecht, but he was executed by Laszlo for rebellion.

Ultimately, Laszlo decided it would be better for Milanese to govern Milanese.

Afterward, the Imperial Army, which had put immense pressure on the Italian princes, finally departed from Milan.

Except for a portion of the army still besieging Turin, the remaining forces were divided into three groups heading in three different directions.

The first group was small in scale, tasked with escorting all the treasures and talents the Emperor had acquired in Italy back to Vienna. The second group was the main force, led by Marshal Albrecht, returning to the Venetia region to be stationed in Treviso and Padua respectively, to guard against a Venetian counterattack on the mainland.

The third group was the Imperial Guard led by Laszlo and some other units; they traveled south from Milan to Rome.

Laszlo had been fighting in Italy for a long time, during which he maintained close contact with the Pope, Nicholas.

They would communicate every so often, and Laszlo used this to understand the situation within the Papal States and asked the Pope to do his best to stabilize the situation there, delaying it as long as possible.

In this process, he also discovered how fragile the control of an external Pope was over Rome and the Papal States.

Although the lords of the various states within the Papal States all respected the Pope as their supreme lord, they had a high degree of autonomy within their own territories and occasionally clashed with each other.

In Rome itself, it was even more so; the clergy and poor farmers naturally revered the Pope as the supreme ruler, but the old military aristocratic class formed factions, creating multiple forces led by several major families.

Rome and the Holy See were the arena for these families' struggles.

Among them, the Orsini Family and the Colonna Family were the most powerful.

Fortunately, these families harbored mutual animosity and checked each other, allowing the Pope to maneuver among them and, with the help of the Emperor's supporters in the city, successfully suppress the France supporters.

In fact, for the Pope, whether it was the Empire or France, when their influence deeply penetrated Italy, it meant that the Pope's power was very likely to be weakened.

However, Nicholas, being German, hoped to establish closer ties between the Papal States and the Empire.

Moreover, his main patron was the Emperor himself, and he and the Emperor shared similar ideals, thus this new Pope had now become a staunch supporter of the Emperor.

Enemies secretly spread rumors that Pope Pius II was actually a puppet supported by the Emperor, and that his wrong decisions would ultimately lead to the destruction of Rome.

Even more alarmingly, some directly called him a spy planted by the Emperor to annex the Papal States.

These rumors spread even more widely as the Emperor himself arrived in Rome with his army.

The common people, however, held a rather high opinion of the new Pope.

Since Pope Pius II took office, he continued the policies from the time of Pope Callixtus III, reducing unnecessary expenses and putting an end to extravagance.

He went even further on the basis of these policies, strictly investigating and publicly criticizing and judging corrupt and morally bankrupt clergy members for their shameful acts.

On the other hand, he issued an edict slightly reducing taxes on church property, hoping to lighten the heavy burden on the common people.

This gained him immense prestige among the oppressed populace, but the Roman clergy, whose interests were infringed upon, began to feel discontent towards the Pope.

Although Pope Callixtus III had halted many large-scale, costly construction projects and used the saved money to build the Papal fleet, he himself was the biggest corrupt clergyman.

A large portion of the money saved went into the pockets of him and his relatives—members of the Borgia family.

Now, this family, relying on the wealth accumulated by Callixtus in just four short years, was rapidly rising, almost becoming the third largest family in Rome.

Following suit, clergy members in Rome and throughout Europe slid into an even deeper abyss of corruption.

However, Pope Pius II was the exact opposite of the "Spanish" Callixtus; his upbringing in the Brethren of the Common Life in his youth made him believe that the Holy See should not be as it was, and he hoped to improve the Holy See through a gentle reform.

He attempted to promote reforms in Rome and its surrounding areas, but encountered great resistance; he could only hope for the Emperor, this "external force," to help him clear the obstacles.

However, Laszlo's visit this time was not for this matter.

Outside the Vatican Palace gates, Laszlo and Nicholas met again after a year.

"Since our parting in Brno, it has truly been a long time, Your Majesty."

Laszlo smiled, bowing to Pope Pius II, who had come out to greet him, treating him like an old friend.

The Pope immediately returned the bow and invited Laszlo into the palace for a detailed discussion.

Witnessing the friendly interaction between the Emperor and the Pope, some clergymen's expressions immediately turned grim.

No one knew why the Emperor suddenly wanted to come to Rome to meet the Pope, but for them, this was likely not a good thing.

Inside the palace, Laszlo and Pope Pius II sat at a table, enjoying fine wine and delicacies, and began a secret conversation.

"Your Majesty, you have come to Rome this time for matters of war, have you not?"

Although Pope Pius II was asking a question, his tone was quite certain.

Laszlo nodded in affirmation: "This war still has a long way to go, but it cannot continue as it is now. My target is Venice; I will not stop the war until the disgraceful traitors submit. However, France and Switzerland... I do not wish for another major war in the Alps, so I need a highly respected mediator to help me persuade the King of France and the Swiss mountaineers."

"I see," Pope Pius II suddenly understood, "You wish for me to be this mediator?"

"Yes, I hope to reach a truce agreement based on the current borders, and for that, I need help."

Laszlo glanced around, confirmed there was no one else nearby, then leaned closer to the Pope and whispered, "This time I brought you thirty thousand florins, hoping it can be of help to you. Additionally, I believe it is time for Ravenna to return to the Pope's rule. Now that the Venetians are preoccupied, it is a good opportunity to take Ravenna, and you can also use this to enhance your prestige and gain more support within the Papal States."

Pope Pius II's eyes immediately changed; Laszlo had not come empty-handed to ask for his help this time, but had brought several generous gifts, which made Pope Pius II quite pleased.

He immediately replied, "I will send envoys to negotiate with France and the Swiss, hoping to achieve a broad peace in the end. However, I still have a small concern..."

"What?"

"Regarding the war in Savoy..."

"Hmph," Laszlo took a sip from his cup, shook his head, and said, "I'm making a truce with France and Switzerland, what does that have to do with Savoy?"

Pope Pius II's expression stiffened, and he said helplessly, "Your Majesty, you know that if the issue of Savoy is not resolved, truce negotiations with Switzerland and France will be quite difficult."

"I have already offered clemency," Laszlo grew annoyed at the thought of the ungrateful Savoy, "but the Duke of Savoy rejected my goodwill. For obstinate traitors, I will no longer show mercy."

"Then the truce might be..."

"It's fine, just do your best. If a peace talk can be facilitated, that's naturally better. If not, then we'll settle it on the battlefield."

Pope Pius II nodded slightly; for now, they could only try. Currently, France and Switzerland were clearly at a disadvantage, so a truce might not be impossible to achieve.

Afterward, Laszlo and the Pope discussed in detail the internal political situation of the Papal States, during which the Emperor specifically mentioned that the power of families such as the Orsini and Borgia needed to be curtailed.

Once he had time, he would provide the Pope with more assistance—including but not limited to military aid.

Of course, Laszlo did not want to create another "Sack of Rome," but the aristocratic forces entrenched in Rome would not be eradicated without drastic measures.