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Acquisition of a County

On the eastern shore of Lake Constance, at the source of the Rhine River, lies a picturesque city called Bregenz, nestled between mountains and water.

Mount Pfänder, to the east of the city, embraces Bregenz, providing shade and protecting it from strong enemies.

The Montfort-Bregenz family ruled here, and they also controlled a large surrounding area, holding the title of Count of Bregenz.

Situated between the Swiss cantons and the Austrian princes, Bregenz was inevitably influenced to some extent, but it largely maintained peace and stability.

This peace continued until 1422, when Count William VIII of Bregenz died. Since he had no son, the count's title should have passed to his brother, Hugo.

However, William VIII made a bold decision on his deathbed, passing the count's title and territory to his daughter, Elizabeth.

Thus, Elizabeth became the second female count in the history of the Montfort family, known as Countess Elizabeth II of Bregenz.

Of course, people usually referred to her as Lady of Bregenz.

A disgruntled Hugo rebelled, proclaiming himself Hugo XIV, and engaged in the eighteen-year Bregenz War of Succession against Elizabeth.

During this period, Elizabeth married William of Hochberg and sought allies against her rebellious uncle.

This William was an absolute gold-digger, and after marrying, he began to squander his wife's fortune, which led to Elizabeth breaking with him twice, creating numerous conflicts.

In 1440, Elizabeth finally reconciled with her uncle Hugo, and the entire territory of Bregenz came under the Countess's control.

However, years of internal strife, coupled with the extravagance of family members, especially her husband, led to a severe financial crisis in the County of Bregenz.

To alleviate the financial pressure, Elizabeth chose to enter into a territory sale agreement with Sigismund von Habsburg, who was Emperor Laszlo's cousin.

This agreement stipulated that half of the County of Bregenz, including Hohenegg, Alberschwende, and Feldkirch, would be sold to Sigismund.

However, before the agreement could take effect, Sigismund was stripped of his Tyrol territory due to rebellion. Seeing the deal fall through, and eager to resolve her financial crisis, Elizabeth could only turn around and sell these lands to Jacob of Siersburg, her daughter Ursula's ex-husband.

However, in the subsequent Zurich War, the Swiss and Austria fought fiercely in this region.

Suffering losses and being frightened by the war, Jacob resold this territory at a lower price to Frederick, then the Regent of Austria, and then fled back to his hometown in Alsace, never to return.

A few years ago, the aging Elizabeth passed the count's title and the remaining territory to her daughter Ursula, and she herself sailed to Constance to enter a monastery and live out her remaining days.

Ursula thus naturally became the new Lady of Bregenz. She ruled the city of Bregenz and half of the surrounding County of Bregenz independently. And on this day, a distinguished guest arrived at the Lady of Bregenz's residence.

Led by a maid, Eyczing stepped into the lavishly decorated room, seeing several exquisite paintings hanging on the walls. A pleasant scent filled the air, clearly from many spices.

This made Eyczing, the Emperor's most trusted Imperial official, unable to help but look at Countess Ursula, who sat upright on a carved oak chair, with new respect.

Just looking at these luxurious living conditions, who would have thought that this Countess was actually deeply in debt and was now preparing to sell the remaining half of Bregenz's land and this count's title as a package?

"Greetings, Sir Ulrich. I didn't expect you to come in person."

Ursula's attitude was deferential and slightly reserved.

Logically, Eyczing couldn't even be considered a Prince of the Empire; he was merely the Emperor's retainer.

His status was far below that of Ursula, who was a high-ranking noble of the Empire.

But now, everyone knew that Eyczing was a hot favorite by the Emperor's side, with some even jokingly calling him the "true Imperial Chancellor."

Of course, this could not be said openly, or the three nominal Imperial Chancellors—the three Elector Palatines—would lose face.

However, as a minor noble in the vicinity of Austria, it was necessary to show due respect to this important Imperial official.

Eyczing did not beat around the bush and said straightforwardly, "Madam, His Majesty attaches great importance to this transaction, and thus he has entrusted me to complete it personally."

With that, he pulled out a pre-prepared document, the content of which was the sale of the remaining County of Bregenz, along with the title, to Emperor Laszlo.

Negotiations for this transaction had already begun before the Italian War ended, and now it was the formal transaction stage.

"Sir Ulrich, you know that Bregenz is, after all, land inherited from my ancestors. Selling it like this is really…."

Ursula feigned a difficult expression, her shrewd eyes carefully observing Eyczing's demeanor.

Eyczing sighed softly and said helplessly, "Madam, what we are discussing is only half of the land of Bregenz. The Emperor has as many large territories as he wants; it's actually not worth much money.

Frankly, you cannot manage this territory very well, which is why you, like your parents, incurred large debts and have to rely on selling territory and titles to pay them off.

The benevolent Emperor is willing to pay a high price to purchase Bregenz, which is already a blessing to the Montfort family. Is sixty thousand florins still not enough to satisfy you?"

"Sixty thousand… sixty thousand is a lot, but what I'm selling is not just the sovereignty of Bregenz, but also a seat in the Imperial Diet, and the Count's privileges…."

Eyczing shook his head slightly, somewhat troubled by the Countess's dullness and greed: "Madam, the Lake Constance region will not be as peaceful as it is now.

Bregenz's situation is very delicate. By entrusting it to His Majesty, the Montfort family will receive Austria's protection.

If war reignites, it's hard to say what might happen."

Ursula's expression changed slightly. She stood up and went to the window, looking at the bustling streets below the mountain and the calm Lake Constance in the distance.

"Are you threatening me?"

"You are the one who wants to sell Bregenz; His Majesty is not forcing you. Don't always see yourself as oppressed.

Moreover, His Majesty's offer is the highest among all bidders. Isn't that enough to show sincerity?"

Ursula's expression softened. Knowing that sixty thousand florins was the highest price the Emperor was willing to offer, she no longer haggled: "Can I trust you? The Emperor's promises are as elusive as the wind."

"I swear in the name of the Empire," Eyczing said solemnly, "Your family will be protected by the Empire and will continue to enjoy honor.

Montfort Castle and the Tetnang territory will still be ruled by the Montfort family. You need to swear allegiance to His Majesty, and in return, these territories will enjoy tax-exempt privileges."

Only then did Ursula nod. She took the agreement from Eyczing, carefully reading every clause on it, as well as the Emperor's seal.

Afterward, she signed her name on it.

Sunlight streamed through the window into the room, casting dappled light and shadow on Eyczing.

He secretly sighed in his heart, opportunities for peaceful territorial expansion like this were rare. Surely it wouldn't further irritate the sensitive hearts of the Imperial Princes, would it?

If there was a downside to this method, it was the cost.

Acquired land was never as sweet as land directly seized, but in special times, only special means could be used.

Speaking of peace, Eyczing knew very well in his heart that their purchase of Bregenz was not for peaceful purposes.

This place would serve as a bridgehead for attacking Switzerland, playing a crucial role in future wars.

Having just ended the war with the Swiss, there was no need to worry about another immediate outbreak of hostilities.

However, Bregenz was only separated from the Swiss by a river. This transaction might make the Swiss nervous for a while… but he was overthinking it; the Swiss seemed to have never feared the Austrians.

After the agreement was reached, Eyczing, accompanied by Ursula, met with representatives of various ranks in Bregenz and informed them that Bregenz had been incorporated into the Austrian state of Tyrol.

These representatives would join the Tyrol state assembly as new members, and Austrian officials would then come here to lead the locals in establishing a local government under the Austrian system.

People had had enough of decades of poor economic conditions and political instability, so they enthusiastically welcomed the Emperor's rule.

After receiving the huge sum paid by the Emperor, Ursula immediately repaid her loans and continued to live happily with her lovers in the Lady of Bregenz's residence, enjoying the financial freedom of single life.

Undoubtedly, this was a mutually beneficial territorial transaction.