Adjusting the Focus

In the Privy Council Chamber of the Hofburg Palace, a colossal crystal chandelier cast a bright yet soft light, illuminating everything in the hall with exceptional clarity.

The surrounding walls were adorned with grand oil paintings depicting Austria's glorious past battles and scenes of prosperity.

In those images, valiant warriors charged into battle, and bustling cities teemed with merchants, all showcasing Austria's former glory.

At the center of the hall stood a long table crafted from precious mahogany, large enough to seat several important figures.

The table was neatly arranged with exquisite stationery, document files, and badges symbolizing the power and responsibilities of the various ministers.

Laszlo sat at the head of the long table, his face stern, his eyes revealing deep worry and anger.

He stared intently at the trembling ministers, and a tense, oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire chamber.

"Gentlemen, I have convened this emergency meeting today to discuss the grave situation currently facing the Empire."

Laszlo's somber words left everyone puzzled. The Imperial Army was advancing triumphantly on all fronts, routing the enemy and seizing vast new territories.

Income from silver mines, war reparations, and tributary payments from vassals were steadily filling Austria's coffers.

Although years of continuous warfare had consumed considerable wealth, Austria was indeed becoming increasingly prosperous—at least, the Emperor's private treasury had accumulated over thirty florins.

A significant portion of each war indemnity went directly into the Emperor's pocket.

As for the national treasury, it was not unusual for continuous wartime deficits to lead to empty coffers.

This did not even affect Austria's administrative affairs, indicating it was not a major problem.

Diplomatically, they had reached long-term armistice agreements with enemies on all sides; as long as they did not proactively instigate war, Austria could easily achieve lasting peace.

Furthermore, the recently concluded Bregenz territorial exchange allowed Austria to gain considerable territory and an Imperial Conference seat without shedding blood, which could be considered a tremendous diplomatic victory.

Austria had been winning all along, winning big, so how could there be a grave situation?

However, some quick-witted individuals, such as Eyczing and Jacob, immediately guessed what the Emperor was referring to and began to ponder how to respond to his impending reprimand.

"Since my ascension, continuous warfare has consumed vast human and material resources, leading to an empty treasury and leaving the nation without surplus resources to invest in the development and construction of its territories," Laszlo's sharp gaze swept across the room, "Now, Austria's economy is in decline, corruption is rampant, and nobles, citizens, and peasants alike are full of grievances. The very foundation of the Empire is shaking! And you, as vital ministers of the Empire, have nothing to say?"

Eyczing was the first to rise, bowing slightly to the Emperor, and spoke calmly: "Your Majesty, the decline brought by war is unavoidable, and we have continuously strived to combat corruption. However, the officials responsible for managing the Royal domains and collecting taxes often accept bribes and abuse their power due to insufficient oversight. To completely eradicate corruption would likely require a substantial additional investment, and the process would be extremely difficult."

Laszlo snorted coldly and said with vexation, "Difficult? No matter how difficult, I will investigate it thoroughly! I will root out every single worm who has embezzled tax money and crush them one by one. They are stealing my money!"

Upon hearing the last sentence, the ministers finally understood why the Emperor was so enraged.

It must have been that some consequence of official corruption had been discovered by the Emperor, and now the Emperor's attention had finally been drawn to it.

"Your Majesty, economic problems are not solely caused by corruption," Jacob, who was in charge of finance, tried to explain the reasons for the treasury deficit to the Emperor, "Continuous warfare has eroded our economy. The long-term minting of a large number of silver coins has already led to a gradual imbalance in domestic prices, and the turmoil has caused merchants to be unwilling to trade within our territories. We must adopt new diplomatic and economic policies to completely reverse the current situation."

Laszlo nodded gravely and said, "This situation cannot be allowed to continue. I must adjust my diplomatic strategy and governance priorities, formulate new economic policies, and eradicate the problem of corruption."

Laszlo spread out the paper in his hand, which listed many measures, categorized to include improvement plans in economic, diplomatic, and administrative aspects.

"Your Majesty, this new oversight body…"

Aeneas saw a clause in the Emperor's plan to establish a new institution—the Royal Domain Oversight Committee—but its listed powers somewhat surprised him.

"What? Is there a problem?"

"Besides overseeing taxes and decrees, the remaining work is…"

"Land surveying, recording all Royal domains in tax registers, and mapping—creating maps of all Austrian states, including mountains, rivers, and important trade routes, using the mapping techniques of the Italians for clarity at a glance," Laszlo explained.

Aeneas was somewhat surprised: "Your Majesty, this is no simple task."

"Even if it's not simple, it must be done. No matter how much money it costs, this work must be completed."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

This new institution was subordinate to the Imperial Chancellery, so its establishment would naturally be carried out by Aeneas.

"Jacob!"

"Your Majesty, I am here."

"Regarding economic revitalization, do you have any suggestions?"

Laszlo had some understanding of economic matters, but not much; when it came to making money, big merchants like Jacob were the most skilled.

"Your Majesty, during this time, I have also considered many solutions to the economic problems.

In fact, our previous policy of encouraging industry and commerce has already shown initial results, but economic growth has been severely affected by the war.

Next, we only need to continue maintaining this policy, appropriately reduce tariffs, keep trade routes open, and endure this period. Merchants will then be attracted back, and our currency problems will naturally be resolved.

Regarding the issue of displaced people caused by taxes, some bankrupt freemen have entered noble estates and become serfs.

There are also large numbers of displaced people pouring into cities. We can cooperate with local guilds and nobles in areas with severe displaced person problems, and dispatch officials to provide relief to the displaced people…

2

"Wouldn't that be another huge expense?" Laszlo rubbed his brow, thought for a moment, and then continued, "So be it. I will send people to investigate which regions have severe population loss, and in those places, I will reduce taxes to attract new populations. It's time for us to pause. There's no meaning in merely seizing land without managing it."

"Your Majesty is wise."

Laszlo turned to look at Eyczing, who was calmly composed, and before he could speak, Eyczing preempted him: "Your Majesty, the plans concerning the Swabian League are steadily progressing, and you need not worry.

During this time, we will be more friendly, so those princes no longer need to live in fear.

Discussions on reform at the Imperial Conference will likely be difficult to advance. Perhaps you should organize a meeting of the Electors to discuss this matter with them.

As for Switzerland, France, and even the Ottoman, as long as we do not proactively instigate conflict, I believe they will not be foolish enough to provoke us.

At that time, we only need to support the Duke of Burgundy from behind, help him contain Switzerland, and let him focus on dealing with France."

"Ah…" Laszlo thought for a moment and realized that Eyczing had already said most of what he wanted to ask, so he nodded gently: "Good. One more thing, regarding the recent unrest in Hungary and Bulgaria, I plan to propose at the Imperial Conference to restart the 'Eastward Expedition' movement to attract the German population within the Empire to the Balkans. Do you think this is feasible?"

"Your Majesty can directly issue a decree. The number of bankrupt peasants due to land annexation within the Empire is increasing.

You only need to entice them with tax exemptions, autonomy, and land distribution, and people will quickly join.

Based on our experience with implementing immigration laws in Bohemia, this method is practical and quite effective.

Furthermore, enlisting the help of the Teutonic Order and the Church is also a very effective means.

The Teutonic Order's branch within the Empire is currently stationed in Vienna New City. They have only sworn allegiance to you and have not yet played a role.

Conquering and managing the lands of infidels is a task these knights excel at.

As for the Church, you can request financial aid from the Pope or ask the Holy See to send more missionaries to the Bulgaria region.

However, according to Duke Frederick's report, the resistance of the Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria is quite fierce; he has already suppressed dozens of small-scale riots.

Some of our dispatched missionaries have also suffered casualties… This is truly heartbreaking."

"That serious?" Laszlo hadn't realized that his long-term neglect had prevented the Bulgaria region from developing at all.

If the Ottoman were to return, Bulgaria would probably fall very quickly.

It seems that the people in that land are no longer ordinary citizens; it is indeed necessary to send the Teutonic Order there to carry out their specialized "missionary" work.

As for the issue of Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy essentially being the same faith, since those Bulgarians do not believe so, Laszlo decided to indulge them.

"Arrange a time later; I want to meet the commander of that branch in Vienna New City. As for the Pope… he hasn't given a reply yet, and I don't know how it will turn out in the end."

"Reply? Your Majesty, what reply?"

Eyczing frowned slightly; the Emperor had apparently done other things behind his back, which worried him somewhat.

Laszlo waved his hand helplessly and said, "That's a secret, Eyczing."

"This… Alright."

Eyczing did not know what the Emperor was hiding, but anything involving the Pope could not be a small matter, and he was very concerned that the Emperor might make a disastrous decision.

However, since the matter had already occurred, he could only prepare to deal with the new predicament.

After the meeting, the preparations for the oversight body immediately began. The Emperor personally selected an administrative advisor with the [Integrity] trait to lead the committee and thoroughly investigate issues of corruption.

Other decrees were also prepared for implementation. It would take some time for people to believe that Austria would return to peace,

but Laszlo could wait.