Bavaria

"Your Majesty, I heard that you are still allowing the Hunyadi Family to control powerful authority. This seems... inappropriate."

Eyczing did not hide the worry in his expression. Although the affairs of Hungary had been settled, he still had to remind Laszlo of the hidden risks.

Laszlo looked at Eyczing with some surprise, not expecting him to bring up the matter of Hungary first.

"Are you trying to say that I am raising a tiger to cause trouble?"

"That is, after all, the rule of Transylvania. Perhaps now Hunyadi has just taken over his father's position and cannot pose a threat to you for the time being.

But once he successfully controls that land, he will quickly become very powerful, stronger than any of your vassals in the Balkans.

Serbia, Wallachia, Moldavia, even Lord Frederick may not be able to suppress him, let alone within the Kingdom of Hungary...

My meaning is that you should perhaps make plans sooner rather than later."

Eyczing's advice made Laszlo's expression serious. He stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then said, "Heavy power over the lord will inevitably lead to disaster.

If he does not understand this simple truth, he will naturally bring about his own demise.

Hunyadi Laszlo is, after all, not comparable to his father, whether in loyalty or in the threat he poses to me.

However, what you said is very reasonable. I do need to strengthen my vigilance. This matter still requires a more thorough plan.

We will discuss this later. Let's talk about matters within the Empire first."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Eyczing saw that the Emperor took his suggestion to heart and breathed a sigh of relief, continuing, "The Duke of Landshut chose to temporarily retreat under your might.

Originally, Nördlingen was almost forced to submit to the Duke's military threat, but then Marshal Albrecht publicly declared that he would represent you in protecting the rights of Nördlingen and Donauwörth.

So far, the Duke of Landshut has made no outrageous moves. Intelligence gathered by spies indicates that he has disbanded half of the army he had assembled. It seems he has abandoned his illicit intentions."

Laszlo nodded with satisfaction. This Louis IX, the "Rich", truly lived up to his reputation as the strongest member of the Wittelsbach Family. He was not only ruthless and decisive but also possessed the ability to assess the situation.

He was vastly different from those Hungarian nobles who lacked foresight and looked as if they were already dead.

As for the two free cities of Nördlingen and Donauwörth, Laszlo had no particular opinion.

His knowledge of Nördlingen was twofold: first, he heard it was the prototype of a town in a certain giant manga; second, it was the site of one of the most important battles of the Thirty Years' War—the Battle of Nördlingen.

Historically, after this battle, Nördlingen was massacred and incorporated into the Duchy of Bavaria.

And Donauwörth's fate was no better.

In the original timeline, the Duke of Landshut directly ignored the strong condemnation and warnings of the useless Emperor Frederick, leading his army to forcibly besiege Donauwörth, which greatly angered Frederick.

He then ordered Margrave of Ansbach Albrecht to send troops to aid Donauwörth.

The Ansbach army and the Landshut army fought fiercely near Donauwörth, and Albrecht was soundly defeated.

Donauwörth eventually surrendered helplessly and was henceforth incorporated into Landshut, losing its status as a free city.

This directly led to the Duke of Landshut's prestige reaching its peak, earning him the respect and admiration of the various lords.

In contrast, Albrecht and Frederick became weaklings despised by the Imperial lords.

Later, the Duke of Landshut even secured the Polish-Lithuanian princess Hedwig as a wife for his son, causing the Habsburg Family's influence in the Bavaria region to be almost completely lost.

However, the current situation is vastly different. Even if the Duke of Landshut had ten times the courage, he would not dare to challenge the Emperor.

Perhaps other lords could contend with the Emperor, but Landshut truly could not.

As soon as the Emperor gave the order, the Imperial army would pour into Landshut from Bohemia, Austria, Swabia, and Franconia, truly illustrating what it means to have enemies on all sides.

"This matter needs continuous attention. It would be best to completely put an end to the Duke of Landshut's improper ambitions.

I will write another letter later to praise Albrecht's loyalty and bravery, and reward him with some wealth, so that he has more motivation to continue serving me.

Is there anything else?"

"Your Majesty, the old Duke of Munich has passed away."

"Hmm, you mentioned earlier that he was not long for this world."

Laszlo had some understanding of this old Duke of Munich. This man had once been involved with the Hussites and even became a candidate for the King of Bohemia.

However, he ultimately chose to give up due to the power of the Habsburg Family.

He earned the title of "the Pious" for attempting to implement church reforms within his territory.

Laszlo felt that he was ten thousand times more pious than this Duke. Why hadn't anyone given him, the Emperor, a cool nickname?

More than the Duke's life or death, Laszlo was more concerned about the current situation in Munich.

"So his sons have now divided Munich?"

Eyczing shook his head: "No, Your Majesty. His eldest son, John, and his second son, Sigismund, rule Munich together. There are no signs of division."

"That's good too."

Considering the ambitious Duke of Landshut, Laszlo still did not wish for Munich to split.

The original Duchy of Bavaria went from four houses to three, then three to two, and now the situation of two houses checking each other is quite good.

"It seems that the interior of the Empire is still peaceful and stable," Laszlo pondered his upcoming plans, "There are still many things waiting for us to do.

Infiltrating Swabia, vigorously developing the economy, maintaining Imperial stability, participating in the Grand Duke Conference, paying attention to the situations in France, the Ottoman Empire, and Switzerland...: ...We cannot relax in the slightest now. The enemy is always watching us from the shadows!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Eyczing nodded heavily, agreeing with the Emperor's words.

After listening to the report, Laszlo could finally spare some time to be with Leonor, who was nearing childbirth, and also to get closer to his two growing little ones.

Unlike the relaxed and unhurried atmosphere in the Vienna court, the atmosphere within the castle where the Duke of Landshut resided was extremely oppressive.

In the dimly lit and eerie hall, the flickering candlelight on the walls cast strange shadows, making the figure of Duke Louis IX of Wittelsbach alternately long and short.

The Duke's robust body trembled slightly with anger, his hands tightly clutching the letter, his knuckles slightly white.

He had recently traveled north to his family's territory for an inspection and hunt, during which he had gazed from afar at the prosperous Donauwörth. He deeply desired to possess this city.

When he returned to Landshut, his attendant handed him a letter, a letter of persuasion written to him privately by the Emperor, who had recently returned to Vienna from Hungary.

The words in the letter could be described as gentle. Laszlo sincerely advised Louis IX to remain rational and not to trample on the laws of the Empire.

However, in the Duke's eyes, every line of the letter was filled with the word "threat."

He crumpled the letter into a ball, clutching it in his hand, and paced back and forth in the wide hall. His leather shoes echoed dully on the cold stone slabs.

"My Lord, are you alright?" his trusted attendant, waiting nearby, asked with some concern.

"Hmph," the Duke's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead, and he said through gritted teeth, "It is this hypocritical Emperor, relying on the vast power his father left him, wantonly bullying the weak!

He talks about maintaining Imperial order, but I see him as the greatest threat to Imperial order!

And that damned Albrecht, he's nothing but the Emperor's dog!

For his master, he even broke ties with his own brother. He will pay the price for his foolish choice sooner or later!"

He grabbed the candlestick from the table and slammed it to the ground. The candle extinguished, and the hall became even darker, the faint light on the walls gloomily illuminating the Duke's resentful figure.

The attendant standing by also couldn't help but feel anxious. He had followed the Duke for decades and had never seen this calculating Duke lose his temper so greatly.

Seeing the Duke's expression return to cold severity and gradually fall into thought, the attendant immediately understood that his master was plotting something—most likely contemplating a plan to retaliate against the Emperor.