Return

The war with Venice concluded, and subsequently, Naples and Genoa gradually ceased their acts of piracy against Venetian merchant ships.

Upon receiving the first installment of 100,000 ducats in reparations, Laszlo rendezvoused with Marshal Albrecht. After resupplying the Austro-Hungarian Army, he left them stationed in the Venetia region.

This area was incorporated into Austria as a new province. A portion of the vast lands acquired after clearing out the Venetian nobles was awarded to the elite soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle.

Of course, the unique aspect of these awards was that the recipients only received a share of the tax revenue from the land, while the judicial and ruling rights of the region remained with the government and were not hereditary.

Even so, this form of reward was still widely welcomed by many soldiers, especially mercenaries.

After receiving such awards, they were no longer merely mercenaries wandering the world fighting for money, but Imperial Warriors loyal to the Emperor.

The integration and assimilation of this territory would take considerable time, but Laszlo had already prepared for it.

Scholars recruited from various parts of Italy and talented individuals from the East Roman remnants would help him avoid a great deal of trouble.

Eager to return home, Laszlo did not want to stay a day longer. He and Marshal Albrecht led their army through Trento to the Tyrol region.

The former Doge of Venice was held under military custody, awaiting trial upon their return to Vienna.

Considering that the war had not truly ended, Laszlo only disbanded the mercenaries provided by the Imperial Princes and paid their employment fees for the period.

Marshal Albrecht set off to return to Ansbach.

He had campaigned with the Emperor in Italy, receiving a large amount of wealth as rewards and some fiefdoms in the Italian region.

Of course, this was not the most important thing.

Albrecht had not only campaigned with Laszlo multiple times but also firmly supported the Imperial reforms.

He sought to prove through his actions that the Habsburg Family and Hohenzollern were firm allies with aligned interests. It would have been even more convincing if his second elder brother, Elector of Brandenburg Frederick, had been less overtly opposed to the Emperor.

In recognition of his unwavering loyalty, Laszlo issued an edict granting Margrave of Ansbach Albrecht extensive judicial authority in the Franconia and Bavaria regions, asking him to help restrain the princes in these two areas.

This edict quickly elevated Albrecht's prestige and reputation to a new level.

Now everyone knew that Albrecht of Hohenzollern had suddenly become a favored minister of the Emperor; some envied him, while others worried.

However, Albrecht probably never imagined that this favor would soon bring him considerable trouble.

But that was a story for later; for now, he was happily embarking on his journey home.

At the Royal Castle in Innsbruck, Laszlo took a break from his busy schedule to escape the summer heat for several days and once again inspected the situation at the Innsbruck Arsenal.

Production capacity here had stabilized, and Laszlo placed another large order for matchlock guns. The Venetian reparations were spent largely before they had even settled.

Taking advantage of his current financial comfort, Laszlo wanted to increase the proportion of archers in the army and the reserve of firearms.

Soon after, Laszlo received the representatives who were about to participate in the negotiations, as well as Aeching, who had come from Vienna, at the Royal Castle.

"Greetings, Emperor."

The three diligent visitors bowed deeply to the Emperor, expressing their respect.

"Alright, please be seated. Let's discuss the matter of Savoy."

The several individuals sat down around the long table. To Laszlo's left sat his most trusted minister, the distinguished diplomat Ulrich Aeching.

To his right sat his cousin Sigismund von Habsburg and the Lord of Macedonia, Anthony de Burgundy.

The two of them would lead an Austrian delegation to Geneva for peace negotiations.

The original participants of the meeting were France, Switzerland, and Austria. Now, the Duke of Burgundy demanded to join the negotiations.

The King of France and Switzerland strongly objected, but with the persuasion of the Pope and the support of Laszlo, Burgundy eventually joined the negotiations.

Since it was a four-party meeting, the topic would certainly not be as simple as just a ceasefire; the issue of Savoy was the true key.

"Uncle Sigismund, first tell me about the situation in Outer Austria."

Laszlo looked at "the Dispossessed Duke" Sigismund, who sat beside him as if on pins and needles, and couldn't help but inwardly chuckle.

Sigismund, unwilling to have his Tyrol territory and the title of Duke of Outer Austria stripped, had decisively incited a rebellion.

After being defeated by Albrecht II, he was assigned to defend the border in Outer Austria.

His cousin, "the Prodigal" Albrecht, guarded the area with him; the two had cooperated during the Zurich War.

When Albrecht was recalled to Inner Austria, the defense of Freiburg and all of Outer Austria fell entirely upon Sigismund.

A few years ago, Sigismund heard that "the Prodigal" had started a rebellion in Graz and died directly in the midst of the chaos.

This immediately calmed his restless heart.

He had thought his elder cousin, "the Noble" Albrecht II, was ruthless enough, but he never expected that his nephew Laszlo was even more ruthless than his father.

"The Prodigal" Albrecht was Frederick's own brother, and by all accounts, he was Laszlo's uncle, yet he was gone just like that.

After this, Sigismund no longer had any bold ideas. He spent his days wanting to travel, build universities and churches, and defend against the harassment and invasions of the Swiss.

Hearing Laszlo's words, Sigismund immediately replied, "The Swiss have occupied Thurgau and the Lake Constance region; there has been no progress in other directions."

Laszlo immediately looked for it on the map.

"Thurgau... is that the area east of Zurich, right next to Constance?"

"Yes, Emperor. The castles here surrendered almost without resistance, which is why they were occupied by the Swiss."

"Tsk, tsk, this is truly…."

Laszlo revealed a mysterious smile, which puzzled the three people present.

It was a loss of territory, so why did the Emperor seem somewhat pleased?

"This is a good place. Let the Swiss have it for now; just let them pay a symbolic amount of money."

"Emperor, why is this?" Sigismund asked, puzzled.

Laszlo smiled and said, "Let the princes of Swabia feel the power of the Swiss, and they will understand the benefits of the Imperial Districts."

Aeching heard Laszlo's explanation and immediately praised, "Your Majesty is truly thoughtful."

Laszlo was pleased, but still said, "Oh, come on, Aeching, can't you see through it? Speaking of which, the previous plan can be prepared for execution. What's the budget situation?"

"According to Jacob's estimate, it will cost between sixty and eighty thousand florins, which the treasury can afford."

"Then proceed as planned. The Swiss Confederation? Hmph, let them be proud for a few days first."

Although the other two were bewildered by the conversation between the Emperor and Aeching, they also knew that they shouldn't ask what they shouldn't.