Turmoil

By the seventh day, no consensus had been reached on the issue of limited political reforms.

Around Chak, the opposing great nobles sat together, the atmosphere so oppressive it was suffocating.

Chak's face was grim, his fingers rhythmically tapping the table, making dull thuds, as if brewing a storm.

"This reform by the Emperor is clearly aimed at us!" a thin-faced, gloomy-eyed noble said through gritted teeth. "Limiting land annexation will greatly reduce our wealth and influence; we absolutely cannot let him succeed!"

He clenched his fist, veins bulging on the back of his hand, his eyes filled with cold malice.

"Exactly! And breaking the monopoly on royal offices—if the King just casually gives positions of power to those minor nobles, our interests will definitely be harmed!"

Another corpulent noble, dressed in lavish attire, echoed, his voice becoming somewhat shrill with anger.

Chak István snorted coldly, a hint of ferocity flashing in his eyes: "Hmph, the Emperor thinks he can easily change the landscape of Hungary?

Not so easy! We need to find a way to show the Emperor a thing or two, let him know how formidable we are."

He scanned everyone, his gaze full of challenge and determination.

At this moment, an older, more composed noble frowned slightly and said, "Lord Chak,

we still need to proceed with caution.

The Emperor, after all, commands a powerful army, and open defiance might lead to unfavorable consequences.

We can try to negotiate with him and secure some favorable terms."

His words carried a hint of worry, attempting to calm everyone down.

Chak István waved his hand impatiently: "Negotiate? What good would that do? The Emperor's mind is made up.

If we don't take strong measures to show our stance, we will only be at his mercy."

Laszlo looked at Chak István's position from the throne, his heart secretly worried.

He knew that these great nobles, who controlled vast amounts of land and wealth, were a tough nut to crack on the path of reform, and convincing them would be no easy feat.

But he would not back down; the future of Hungary required these reforms.

He pondered, perhaps he could start with other great nobles, divide their alliance, and leave Chak István isolated and helpless.

In the group where Hunyadi Laszlo was, the atmosphere was equally heavy.

Hunyadi Laszlo remained silent, his gaze somewhat unfocused, clearly still struggling with whether to support the Emperor's reforms.

Szilágyi Mihály looked at his nephew and sighed softly.

"Laszlo, I know what you're worried about," Szilágyi said in a low voice. "Family interests are important, but we cannot ignore the Emperor's authority.

Supporting the Emperor now will certainly gain the family some benefits; but if we oppose, and fail, the family might fall into an abyss of no return."

Hunyadi Laszlo nodded slightly; he understood his uncle's meaning.

"I know, Uncle. It's just that once these reforms are implemented, our family's interests will definitely be affected, and I really can't bring myself to make a decision." A trace of helplessness and unwillingness was revealed in his eyes.

"The Emperor desperately needs a strong supporter right now. If you can step forward at this time, you will definitely gain the Emperor's support, and it will be much easier for us to act in Hungary in the future." The experienced Szilágyi had already sensed the Emperor's suspicion of them both, so he continued to persuade, "We must consider the long-term interests of the family, not just immediate gains."

Hunyadi nodded gently, making up his mind that as long as the decision was not extremely detrimental to the Hunyadi Family,

he would stand on the Emperor's side.

Laszlo looked at the group where Hunyadi was, curious about what choice Hunyadi would make.

Granting the title of Governor of Transylvania to Hunyadi was also a subtle move by Laszlo.

He wanted to use this to tell Hunyadi: What I give you is yours; if I don't give it to you, you cannot take it!

The Hunyadi Family was indeed powerful in Hungary, but the source of their power still came from him, the King.

Perhaps he would make some concessions on immigration and land issues in exchange for the Hunyadi Family's support; after all, these were just some trivial matters of no great consequence.

Meanwhile, in the group of minor nobles who supported Laszlo, discussions were heated.

A short, thin-faced minor noble excitedly said, "This reform by the Emperor is a great opportunity for us to rise! If we can enter government service, we might be able to change our family's destiny."

His eyes gleamed with hope, as if he had already seen a beautiful future.

"Exactly! And limiting land annexation means we no longer have to worry about our land being seized by great nobles." Another young baron echoed, his face beaming with an excited smile.

"But we also cannot be complacent." A more composed minor noble reminded, "The great nobles will certainly not give in easily, so we must be fully prepared to support the Emperor's reforms."

Everyone nodded; they clearly understood that this reform was hard-won and they had to seize this rare opportunity.

Laszlo looked at the lower nobles who supported him, feeling somewhat encouraged. Although their individual strength was not great, together they could contend with the great nobles.

Many of their families originated during Sigismund's time, when Sigismund sold one-third of the royal demesne to wealthy landowners or merchants.

This led to a rapid increase in the number of landed knights and landed barons.

Laszlo could only be secretly glad that Sigismund was merely incompetent, not stupid.

If he had sold all those royal demesnes to the great nobles, the King of Hungary's authority would inevitably have fallen into the mud, becoming worthless.

These minor nobles were firm supporters of the reforms, and their enthusiasm gave Laszlo hope.

Laszlo's gaze swept across the parliament hall; some groups had tense atmospheres, others were united, and within different groups, even more smaller factions emerged—all of this was observed by Laszlo.

To advance the reforms, he had to find a balance point that could both meet the expectations of the minor nobles and prevent strong opposition from the great nobles.

He decided to take the initiative and break the deadlock.

"Gentlemen, time is almost up," Laszlo said loudly. "All groups, please stop discussing for now; let's consolidate our opinions."

His voice was firm and powerful, echoing through the hall.

The nobles stopped their discussions and returned to their seats, awaiting the upcoming collective meeting.

Laszlo scanned everyone, took a deep breath, and began a new round of speaking.

"Gentlemen, I know there are differing opinions on the reforms.

But I hope everyone understands that the purpose of the reforms is to make Hungary better, to make our country more stable and prosperous."

Laszlo's gaze was firm, and his tone sincere, as if he truly was a good King wholeheartedly devoted to Hungary's well-being.

He certainly hoped his words could move these nobles, making them set aside their prejudices and obediently listen, but this was clearly unlikely.

"Limiting land annexation is not to deprive everyone of their property, but to make land distribution fairer, allowing more people to live and work in peace.

Giving more people the opportunity to hold royal offices is also to select talented individuals and inject new vitality into the country's development."

Laszlo patiently explained the significance of the reforms.

"Your Majesty, your ideas are good, but what about our interests? The golden bull clearly states everything!" Chak István stood up again, asking impolitely, "We have contributed so much to the stability of Hungary; are we to be treated this way?"

Laszlo looked at Chak István and said calmly, "Chak, I will not overlook the contributions of the great nobles.

During the reform process, I will fully consider everyone's interests.

For example, regarding the restriction of land annexation, we can set a reasonable transition period to give everyone enough time to adjust.

As for the phenomenon of land encroachment that occurred before this meeting, I will not pursue it.

Regarding official positions granted by the Kingdom, my attitude is to appoint based on merit, without discrimination based on identity.

Of course, for important official positions, I will carefully select suitable talents, and experienced great nobles will still be the preferred choice."

The meaning of compromise in Laszlo's words was also obvious; he didn't really want to directly push these great nobles to the opposite side, so he hoped to alleviate their opposition.

He calculated in his heart that a little concession might make these great nobles relent; as long as an agreement could be reached, these were not problems.

Chak István frowned slightly; he didn't expect Laszlo to give in so easily.

But he still had doubts in his heart, wondering whether Laszlo's promise was credible.

"Your Majesty, can you guarantee these promises?" Chak asked with some doubt, "How do we know you won't change your mind during the reform process?"

Laszlo smiled slightly: "Gentlemen, I swear by the name of the Roman Emperor that I will keep my promises.

Moreover, during the reform process, we can establish a supervisory committee, composed of representatives from all social strata, to supervise the implementation of the reforms and ensure that the interests of all parties are protected."

His words were firm and confident, causing some great nobles to waver.

Hunyadi Laszlo looked at Laszlo, secretly admiring the Emperor's strategy.

He realized that Laszlo was striving to balance the interests of all parties, and perhaps supporting the reform was not a bad thing.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to support your reform." Hunyadi Laszlo suddenly stood up and said, "But I hope you can consider the situation in Transylvania more regarding the immigration issue."

His stance surprised everyone, especially Chak; he didn't expect Hunyadi, the most powerful man, to support the Emperor at this time.

Laszlo was delighted; Hunyadi's timely statement made him very satisfied, it seemed that after losing military power, the Hunyadi Family's minds had become much clearer.

"Hunyadi, rest assured.

Regarding the immigration issue, I will fully consider the actual situation in Transylvania and will never tolerate German immigrants disrupting regional stability; they should indeed bear some responsibility."

Laszlo's words reassured Hunyadi, making his choice even firmer.

The Hunyadi Family's stance instantly changed the situation in the Parliament Hall.

"Hunyadi, you will regret your decision!" Chak said angrily, his eyes full of resentment.

Laszlo watched this scene, secretly vigilant.

This Chak and the group of people supporting him from behind were truly stubborn; he had already discussed with them nicely, and they were still like this, so he couldn't be blamed for taking drastic measures.

"Gentlemen, I understand your concerns about your own interests, but Hungary needs some changes, otherwise it will not be enough to cope with possible crises." Laszlo raised his voice, sweeping his gaze across the hall, "Chak, I don't think you will forget the past disgrace of the Csák family, will you?

I remember your family is the main line of the Csák family, but later due to some changes, the family head title, Duke of Nitra, fell into the hands of a collateral branch.

Do you remember what happened to your distant relatives in the end?

Oh, there's one more thing I need to remind you, that is, Duke Mátyás III Chak of Nitra at that time was the strongest noble in Hungary; think about his end."

Chak's face immediately became ugly; this Emperor truly had no martial ethics, tearing open old wounds in public…

His ancestor lost to his younger brother in a fratricidal civil war, reluctantly giving up the title of Duke of Nitra, and moved to the Danube River to become a great lord in the Pécs region.

This family infighting, however, preserved a spark for the Csák family, because soon after, the powerful Duke of Nitra raised an army to rebel against Charles I of France, the founder of the Hungarian Anjou Dynasty.

Charles I, with strong support from his own Anjou Family and his wife's Habsburg Family, easily suppressed this rebellion, and the Csák family thus lost the land of Nitra.

This land is in the Slovak region of the Kingdom's northwest, and is now one of the core territories of the Royal Family.

At this moment, a great noble who had originally supported Chak István frowned slightly and said, "Your Majesty, we understand all these principles you speak of, but we are still worried that the reform will harm our interests.

Although you promise to protect our rights, how can you guarantee it?" His words represented the sentiments of many great nobles.

Laszlo was delighted; he knew this was an opportunity to win the support of the great nobles.

"I can guarantee that the reform will proceed on the basis of protecting everyone's basic rights." Laszlo said firmly, "We can write the specific measures and safeguard clauses of the reform into law, so that everyone has no worries.

Moreover, the supervisory committee will strictly oversee the implementation of the reform, and once any violation of promises is found, it will be severely punished without leniency."

Everyone understood the Emperor's power just now; some people unfamiliar with history were still wondering, while those who understood the truth knew that the Emperor was issuing his final ultimatum.

The attitudes of some great nobles began to loosen.

Chak knew that he could no longer be so unyielding, otherwise he might completely lose the support of other great nobles, and would very likely face the Emperor's wrath.

One should know that he was not just a little weaker than his distant relative, the Duke of Nitra, but Emperor Laszlo's strength far exceeded that of Charles I of the Anjou Dynasty.

Perhaps the great nobles uniting would make the Emperor feel a bit tricky, but dealing with him was an easy matter.

It was nothing for the Emperor, but it could be a catastrophe for the Chak family.

Chak decided to make one last effort; he was not only fighting for the interests of his own family, but there were also people supporting him from behind.

"Your Majesty, I can consider supporting the reform, but you must guarantee that every measure of the reform must be reviewed by us; this is the right granted to us by the golden bull!"

He put forward his conditions.

Laszlo understood that Chak was trying to retain some of the great nobles' privileges.

He could not completely abolish the golden bull yet, unless he wanted to start a Hungarian no-holds-barred fighting championship.

But he also knew that this was a negotiable condition.

"Chak, the general direction of the reform cannot be changed, but in the specific implementation process, we can fully take the opinions of the great nobles and make appropriate adjustments." Laszlo said, "I hope you can understand,

The reform is to make Hungary better, not against a specific person or class."

Chak was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Alright, Your Majesty, I trust you.

But if you break your promise, we will never give up." His tone was still strong, but his attitude had softened.

Laszlo breathed a sigh of relief; this guy finally relented.

He had thought these guys could really be stubborn to the end.

If he really didn't want to be graceful, then Laszlo could only humble himself a bit and help him be graceful.

Inside the Governor of Transylvania's residence in Budapest, Hunyadi and Szilágyi, uncle and nephew, were raising their glasses and discussing the day's events.

Earlier that day, they had gone to the Herald's Office, established by the King, to pay the "Court Tax."

The Szilágyi Family held more than one county of territory, adjacent to the extensive four-county territory of the Hunyadi Family, two of which were in Transylvania and two in Hungary proper.

As the Governor of Transylvania, Hunyadi, including his family's territory, controlled an astonishing eight counties.

What does this concept entail?

According to records from around 1400, Hungary proper was divided into 60 counties, the Kingdom of Croatia into 7 counties in Slavonia and 5 counties in Dalmatia.

After the Venetians ceded large portions of Dalmatia, Laszlo further divided 5 new counties there.

The lands of Bosnia and Herzegovina were divided into a total of 9 counties.

The Principality of Transylvania was divided into 8 counties, plus the Székely and Saxon autonomous regions, totaling 10 counties.

The entire Greater Hungary was divided into 96 counties, using "county" and "countship" as administrative units.

Hunyadi held eight of these, his power second only to the King of Hungary, leaving all other Hungarian nobles far behind.

Laszlo nominally owned one-third of the national territory, but in reality, only the Royal Territory in west-central Hungary was under his direct control; however, this was enough to ensure that the King was the largest feudal lord in the entire Kingdom.

For the Royal Territory in remote areas of the Kingdom, the King usually appointed subjects to govern them; for example, Hunyadi was ordered to manage the Royal Territory of Transylvania.

It is also worth noting that "county" and "countship" are equivalent.

If a noble controlled the land of a county, he was undoubtedly a genuine Count, and the King would most likely grant him such a title as a matter of course.

And if a noble loyal to the Crown was appointed as the administrative head of a county within the Royal Territory, he would be called a County Governor.

Count and County Governor are actually the same word in Hungarian.

Controlling such vast lands, Hunyadi naturally paid the most "Court Tax," but even so, this amount was only a few hundred florins, which was a trifling sum for Hunyadi.

Szilágyi also paid over a hundred gold coins, an amount not even enough for a simple family dinner.

However, these two pillars of the Kingdom of Hungary were not without worries.

At the office, they happened to encounter György Batthyány, who was reluctantly there to pay taxes, and the scene was truly one of enemies meeting, their eyes burning with intense animosity.

After Hunyadi seized their salt mine, the Batinyai Family's fortunes steadily declined.

Originally, this family was an influential and decisive presence in Northern Transylvania, but now they were increasingly looked down upon by more and more people.

Now, Batthyány was actually trying to use the Hungarian Royal Territory Court, established by the Emperor, to reclaim his salt mine.

The two parties argued endlessly at the office, each insisting that the salt mine be registered under their own territory by the herald.

Caught between two great nobles, the herald, in a helpless position, could only ask the arguing parties to leave the office first, allowing the other nobles who were waiting to complete their territory registration.

In fact, such territorial disputes were commonplace for the herald; it was frequent for minor nobles to accuse major nobles of falsely reporting territory and encroaching on their property.

Laszlo and Archbishop Veszter had long anticipated this situation, and thus selected two representatives from each social stratum to serve as judges, totaling eight judges, plus an Austrian official personally appointed by Laszlo as an inspector to ensure fairness in the trial, while the High Justice was held by Rozgonyi, a mid-level noble promoted by Laszlo.

This formed the Hungarian Royal Territory Court, specifically responsible for handling such disputes.

Territorial disputes between great nobles like Batthyány and Hunyadi could easily lead to regional tensions if not handled carefully.

Thus, the court took over the dispute, and Hunyadi and Batthyány would appear in court at the Royal Castle tomorrow morning.

Currently, Hunyadi and Szilágyi were discussing this matter.

"That damned Batthyány, he still won't give up!" Hunyadi picked up his wine glass, took a swig, and cursed angrily, "What right does he have to contend with me for the salt mine of Praid? I think he's tired of living."

Szilágyi gently patted his nephew's shoulder, motioning him to calm down, and then analyzed the situation for him: "There's no need to be so angry; rest assured, this salt mine will be awarded to you in the end, no matter what."

Hunyadi was skeptical of his uncle's words, taking them merely as comfort.

After calming down, the young Governor said worriedly, "The Praid salt mine was indeed the property of the Batinyai Family before. I only fully acquired the salt mine recently, and some people died then.

Ultimately, I am in the wrong in this matter, and the court might exploit it.... I think we should perhaps visit a few judges first, especially High Justice Rozgonyi; I remember he is also a noble from the Transylvania region...."

"Talk, stop!" Szilágyi saw Hunyadi getting more and more agitated and quickly pulled him back. "You're not usually like this; why are you so impatient today?"

"Uncle, do you know how much net profit that salt mine yields annually? At least thirty thousand florins!" Hunyadi lowered his voice and gestured to his uncle. "Thirty thousand florins, that's a huge sum of money!"

"That much?" Szilágyi was a bit surprised; it was the first time he had heard Hunyadi speak specifically about the salt mine.

Before this, Hunyadi had not mentioned it to anyone; only he and a few of his confidants knew about the salt mine.

"No wonder that Batthyány fellow still refuses to give up."

Szilágyi smiled, pleased that Hunyadi had gotten such a great bargain.

Hunyadi was a bit depressed: "Uncle, you're still smiling at a time like this? Maybe tomorrow, this rich salt mine will return to Batthyány's hands."

Szilágyi smiled and shook his head, took a sip from his wine glass, and then explained to his nephew: "Think, didn't the Parliament's final farewell letter state that with the start of the Parliament as the dividing line, all changes in territorial ownership that occurred before that would not be investigated?"

"But this salt mine, after all..."

"Ah, there's a second point. Think, who was the first to stand up and support His Majesty in Parliament?"

"It was me? It was me!" Hunyadi seemed to understand his uncle's meaning, and his mood immediately lightened.

"And Batthyány?"

"Heh, that fool followed Chak down the wrong path and completely picked the wrong side!"

At this point, Hunyadi's worries vanished, and he happily raised his wine glass: "Uncle, cheers!"

Having cast aside their worries, Hunyadi and Szilágyi continued to drink and chat happily.

Meanwhile, the resentful Batthyány decided to make one last effort for the precious salt mine. He brought a generous gift and went to visit High Justice Rozgonyi, who was responsible for adjudicating territorial disputes.