Sell!

The problems in the Kingdom of Hungary were temporarily appeased, but this was by no means the final outcome.

Laszlo was keen to completely resolve the issue of the great Hungarian nobles, but for over five years since his ascension, he had been almost constantly at war.

This also led to the vast Habsburg Dynasty not accumulating much wealth… Of course, it couldn't be put that way; his most valuable asset now was tens of thousands of elite Imperial soldiers seasoned by battle.

Regardless, Laszlo could finally breathe a sigh of relief and focus on economic and cultural construction and development, no longer needing to dedicate most of his energy to military matters.

Before delving into how to boost the economy, Laszlo still had to resolve the last lingering political issues.

He stayed in Hungary for several months, and during this time, Eyczing, who was responsible for numerous Imperial affairs, would write him a letter every half month, reporting on various situations.

Regarding the South German princely assembly held in Nuremberg, not many invited princes attended.

The two most important Bavarian princes were absent for their own reasons.

A group of minor princes from Swabia were in the assembly, stomping their feet and arguing fiercely with Eyczing, the Emperor's trusted minister.

Under the guidance of Jacob Fugger, the Imperial Treasurer and wealthiest man in Augsburg, Eyczing employed a tactic of delay.

This tactic proved remarkably effective; in just a few months, those princes who had set up checkpoints to restrict population movement suffered the consequences, their territories' commercial trade was severely impacted, and their income significantly decreased.

Moreover, the dense free cities in Swabia also began to jointly protest, demanding that the nobles cease their foolish behavior and stop setting up checkpoints within their territories to collect additional tolls.

In Swabia, apart from the most influential Habsburg Family, the Württemberg Family followed closely.

This family controlled the second-largest territory in Swabia, but due to the partition inheritance law, they were split into two branches: the Count of Stuttgart and the Count of Urach.

This led to a certain degree of reduction in the Württemberg Family's strength, and they no longer led the Swabian princes in resisting the Habsburg Family's encroachment on Swabia.

In this regard, the Württemberg Family's predicament was quite similar to that of the Wittelsbach family in Bavaria.

In short, the much-diminished Württemberg Family also couldn't maintain the immigration restriction policy for long, and the Swabian princes' resistance to the Emperor crumbled over time.

The princes were forced to cancel the mandatory immigration restrictions, instead resorting to methods such as intimidation, threats, or improving treatment to retain the populace within their territories.

These tactics did have some effect, but those who already had a strong desire to emigrate due to excessive living pressure were not affected.

They either traveled together or followed merchant caravans, crossing mountains and rivers in various ways to reach Austria.

The number of immigrants heading east gradually increased again, and this matter concluded in such a comical way that Laszlo was somewhat dumbfounded.

In early July, the Emperor's mobile court and Imperial Guard returned to Vienna, and the first important thing Laszlo did was to receive the Danish envoy.

In the grand hall of Hofburg Palace, Laszlo sat on the throne, while Eyczing led a Danish envoy before him, and several other ministers were also in the court; after all, this was an envoy from a major power, and due importance was essential.

Eyczing introduced, "Your Majesty, this is Baron Anderson, the envoy of King Christian I of Denmark."

Envoy Anderson stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Laszlo, "Your esteemed Roman Emperor, I represent His Majesty King Christian of Denmark to greet you."

"Envoy of the Kingdom of Denmark," Laszlo mused for a moment, "I hear you have been waiting in Vienna for some time. Please state your purpose."

Anderson immediately replied, "Your Emperor, I have been ordered to bring fifty thousand florins. This is a gift from our King to you as the ruler of Holstein, and what our King seeks is also very simple: he hopes you can grant our King the title of Duke of Holstein as promised."

"Fifty thousand? Fifty thousand…

3

Laszlo calculated in his mind; according to the result of his discussion with Eyczing, they were to demand half of the money the King of Denmark spent to bribe the Holstein nobles.

In other words, the King of Denmark spent a full one hundred thousand florins to bribe the local nobles for the territory of Holstein, so that they would unanimously elect the King of Denmark as the new Count of Holstein.

Thinking about it carefully, buying a large countship for one hundred thousand gold coins is not a loss by any calculation.

After all, Laszlo spent sixty thousand to buy half of Bregenz.

The King of Denmark is now willing to pay an additional fifty thousand gold coins to buy the title of Duke of Holstein, as well as Laszlo, the Emperor's, permission for this foreign inheritance.

Holstein, the northernmost tip of German, is also the region where territorial disputes between Germany and Denmark will be most severe in the future.

The German were severely beaten by Prussia in the Danish-Prussian War precisely because they held onto this land and refused to let go.

And when did Holstein finally become completely part of Denmark?

It is at this very moment.

As Emperor, he has a responsibility to maintain the territorial integrity of the Empire.

But for him to cross the vast land of the entire Empire, to travel from Austria, the southernmost part of the Empire, to maintain Holstein, the northernmost part of the Empire, which has already become Danish-controlled territory?

Unless he has lost his mind, it is more practical to seize this rare opportunity to make a fortune.

How easy was this money to acquire?

Laszlo only needed to pick up a pen and write an edict, recognizing the King of Denmark as the lord of Holstein, and then bestowing upon him the title of Duke of Holstein, after which he could easily receive these fifty thousand florins.

Sell! No matter what, he must sell this empty title worth five hundred thousand today!

If the King of Denmark dared to abuse this title within the Empire, he could also mobilize the princes to attack Denmark, seize the opportunity to reclaim Holstein, and perhaps even sell it again then.

This ducal title would not grant the King of Denmark any other benefits within the Empire; it would merely sound more impressive.

As for the political value contained within, that was the truly valuable thing, and Laszlo was certainly aware of it. He had even thought about how to face the princes' questions.

At that time, he would explain to the princes: "Is the King of Denmark not a member of the Oldenburg Family? Is he not German? Is his brother, the Count of Oldenburg, not an Imperial prince? Is there any problem with a noble of pure German descent ruling a piece of Imperial land?"

Setting aside the miscellaneous thoughts in his mind, Laszlo said gently, "Of course, there is no problem.

According to bloodline, the King of Denmark inheriting the title and territory of Holstein is reasonable.

Aeneas, you are to immediately draft an edict on my behalf, enfeoffing King Christian I von Oldenburg of Denmark as Duke of Holstein, and recognizing his rule over Holstein."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Thank you for your gracious approval, Your Majesty. May God bless you."

Anderson breathed a sigh of relief, seeing his goal achieved.

"Convey my regards to the King of Denmark, Mr. Envoy."

"I will, Your Majesty."

Soon, Aeneas brought the completed edict, which Laszlo personally stamped with the Emperor's seal, and then handed it over to Anderson.

The Danish envoy quickly bid farewell to the Emperor and hurried back to Denmark day and night to report.

The ministers also took their leave, with only Eyczing remaining in the palace to report on the remaining Imperial affairs to Laszlo.