Spreading Fear

When Laszlo led his army from Innsbruck back to Vienna, the Duchy of Savoy was already on the verge of collapse.

Switzerland's Uri Canton unceremoniously marched into Valais, seizing the land in the heart of the Alps.

The French and Swiss armies in Turin made peace with the besieging Imperial Army, surrendering Turin.

Chambéry was also in peril under the siege of the Duke of Burgundy.

Soon, this last stronghold fell, and the property of the Duke of Savoy's family was entirely confiscated.

The good Duke Philip was kind-hearted and settled their family in a small estate near Dijon.

He couldn't truly do anything to this family.

After all, the Duke of Savoy's daughter was the French Crown Princess, and the Duke of Savoy's son, Amadeo, had married King Charles VII's daughter.

Interestingly, when Chambéry was breached, the Burgundian soldiers who rushed into the city did not find Louis, the French Crown Prince; even the captured Duke of Savoy and Louis's wife, Charlotte, were unaware of his whereabouts.

It was not until a short while later, when Louis returned to Paris accompanied by the Duke of Bourbon, that people confirmed this elusive French Crown Prince had not died in the chaos of battle.

In a hidden castle near Frankfurt, the Elector Palatine Alliance was holding a secret meeting.

The four Elector Palatines sat around a round table, their eyes revealing deep anxiety and unease.

Elector Palatine Ludwig was the first to break the silence: "The Emperor's expansion is too rapid; so much territory in Milan and Venice has been swallowed by him in one go.

And the Duchy of Savoy, gentlemen, this is a lesson for us.

He actually colluded with foreign powers and his sworn enemies to carve up Imperial Princes; is there still any law?

If we don't curb him, our territories might also suffer such a fate."

Ludwig's words carried clear fear and worry, as the Duchy of Burgundy was right next to Palatinate.

Even if there was Lorraine's territory in between, in reality, this small distance meant nothing.

Archbishop of Mainz Dietrich strongly agreed with him; one must know that the Archbishop of Trier and the Elector Palatine were the barriers for his Archbishopric of Mainz against the Duke of Burgundy's covetous gaze.

If a fight truly broke out, he would inevitably be drawn into it.

Dietrich frowned and analyzed, "The Emperor's conquest in Italy not only disrupted the balance of power in the Italian region, but more importantly, it was the system he implemented in Italy.

For example, the Permanent Council, the 'Permanent Prohibition of Revenge Decree,' and the common tax, etc., don't you find these things very familiar?"

"Isn't this what we always argue about at the Imperial Conference?"

"Exactly, the Emperor took advantage of the loophole that Italian territories do not participate in Imperial politics, using force to compel the Italian Princes to accept his so-called 'reforms.' It is clear that he truly wants to become 'Emperor.'

Moreover, the newly appointed Pope, that man from Trier, was the Emperor's advisor before he ran for election; their relationship..."

As the representative of the Church's power in the Empire, he felt particularly nervous about the unusual relationship between the Pope and the Emperor.

Elector of Brandenburg Frederick, who had been silent for a long time, gently shook his head and sighed, "It seems the situation is quite unfavorable for us.

Now the Emperor has strong armies and horses; confronting him head-on would be like throwing an egg at a rock.

But how can one be willing to just sit and wait for death?"

The Elector of Saxony tapped the table, hinting, "I don't think you need to worry so much; your brother has soared this time.

With fiefdoms, treasures, and the positions of Judicial Officer of Franconia and Bavaria, he now has more say than us."

Frederick shot him a warning glance and said indifferently, "You don't need to quarrel with me here; as an Elector Palatine, I naturally must uphold our collective interests and not let the Emperor act arbitrarily within the Empire.

As for my brother... whatever choices he makes are his freedom and have nothing to do with me."

The Elector of Saxony wanted to say something more, but Dietrich stopped him.

After experiencing the betrayal of the Archbishop of Trier, he did not want to push the remaining Elector Palatines out of this alliance.

"We can unite the Princes to put pressure on the Emperor.

There are many Princes within the Empire who are dissatisfied with the Emperor's actions and policies; we can take advantage of this."

Everyone fell into thought upon hearing this, and after a moment, the Elector of Saxony agreed, "This might be a good idea, but to get the smaller Princes to work together, we need to give them a sufficiently attractive reason."

Ludwig's eyes lit up: "We can emphasize that the Emperor's actions violate the traditions and laws of the Empire.

His forced annexation of Milan and division of Savoy with foreigners is an open trampling of the Imperial order!

We can issue a call in the name of upholding Imperial fairness and justice; this will make it easier to gain their support."

However, Frederick poured cold water on the idea at this point: "The Emperor's claim to the Duchy of Milan is almost irreproachable.

Moreover, the Duke of Savoy conspired with foreign enemies to resist the Emperor; is such an excuse too far-fetched?"

Dietrich, however, said, "The Princes will only acknowledge what they want, not what they don't want.

We are merely using their strength to prevent the Emperor from forcibly implementing his so-called 'Imperial reforms' within the Empire.

Or, we can manipulate these reforms in a way that benefits us.

As for making the Emperor spit out the occupied land? I think even if we unite and fight the Emperor, there will be no good outcome."

"Alright, then we will each go to our respective regions to win over the Princes, and when the time is right, we will put pressure on the Emperor."

Afterward, the Elector Palatines discussed the specific plan for uniting the Imperial Princes in detail.

Although Laszlo had never abused his power or misgoverned within the Empire, even if the Emperor merely sat in Vienna and did nothing, it was enough to make the Princes fearful.

Laszlo, having finally settled everything, now began to replenish his army; large numbers of mercenaries were absorbed into the Independent Army and the Imperial Army to fill vacancies after swearing allegiance to the Emperor.

The remaining mercenaries were disbanded, easing Laszlo's financial pressure.

The Hungarian Border Guard also underwent replenishment, though this process was slower—Hungarian nobles began to delay or underpay taxes for various reasons.

Riots and small-scale uprisings also broke out in some areas of eastern Hungary, but they were quickly suppressed.

Although Austria was not as severe as Hungary, rumors were rampant, and public morale was shaken.

The heavy burden of prolonged war caused immense suffering for the people of Austria.

More than half of the money Laszlo gained in Italy was used to sustain the massive army in continuous combat, as for the rest... the rest was the Emperor's money, and it had its own uses.