Yearning for Freedom

After receiving the defeat report from the front line, Laszlo had already prepared himself for a request for aid from Adolf.

He even planned to dispatch the entire Independent Army to support Archbishop Adolf in his attack on the Palatinate, though this time the command would be held by a general personally appointed by him.

Unexpectedly, Adolf did not send a request for aid; instead, he sent a letter full of apologies, confessing his sin of underestimating the enemy to the Emperor.

Regarding the matter of requesting support, this Archbishop of Mainz, who had just tasted defeat for the first time, did not mention a single word.

According to Laszlo, the Count of Württemberg seemed to have already returned to Stuttgart with his army.

This meant that Adolf's army now consisted only of the Speyer army and the Imperial Army, plus some remnants from Baden, totaling no more than five thousand men.

With such an army, which had just suffered a defeat and was greatly weakened, Laszlo truly could not imagine how Adolf could deal with the Elector Palatine, whose forces were in full swing.

However, since Adolf had his own plans, Laszlo let him continue to operate.

After all, Austria still needed a lot of time to recover, digest newly conquered lands, and increase the country's manpower and tax revenue.

Before that, he would not make a big fuss over Imperial affairs.

What concerned him more now was another issue—the dangerous ideas of the Constance city council.

During the Italian War, the Swiss took the opportunity to seize Austria's Thurgau region, thus bringing the entire southern shore of Lake Constance under their control.

The Swiss territory border also reached near Constance.

This famous city in Swabia was known to people throughout Europe for hosting the Council of Constance in 1414 and for burning Huss.

It was an important religious center in Swabia, and the Bishop of Constance was an important religious prince of the Empire.

At the same time, Constance was also a typical Imperial Free City.

It maintained a considerably high degree of independence under the influence of the Bishop and the Emperor.

At the end of the Italian War, the Swiss had completely controlled the Thurgau region, and without Austria's obstruction, Constance and Switzerland officially became neighbors.

According to Laszlo's imagination, given the rampant and rapid expansion of the Swiss, the various forces in Swabia would certainly be terrified and unite around him to jointly resist the Swiss.

But reality slapped him hard in the face.

Inside the residence of the Countess of Bregenz, Laszlo was holding a secret conversation with Eyczing, who had rushed from Vienna.

Because Countess Ursula, who had sold Bregenz, continued her extravagant lifestyle, it wasn't long before she had to pack up and sell the entire luxurious mansion to the royal family.

This place naturally became the temporary residence of the Emperor during his tour.

In the quiet study, Laszlo and Eyczing sat opposite each other at the desk, the atmosphere extremely heavy.

Laszlo quickly scanned the report in his hand, which had been sent back to Austria by a spy merchant stationed in Constance; this report was personally delivered to the Emperor by Eyczing.

"Eyczing," Laszlo broke the silence first, "This time I truly miscalculated, and I don't know if this counts as shooting myself in the foot. What do you think about the changes in Constance?"

Not long ago, a troublesome topic appeared in the Constance city council—the question of whether the entire city should join the Swiss Confederation.

In fact, discussions about this issue had existed for a long time, but at that time, the Emperor still had a strong influence over Constance and protected Constance from Swiss aggression.

In 1460, the Swiss finally broke through the Emperor's blockade and approached Constance, and the city quickly divided into two factions.

The liberal faction believed that joining the Swiss Confederation could completely break free from the Emperor's control, which was the best thing in the world.

The Imperial faction, however, believed that the Swiss were ambitious and that only the Emperor could protect Constance from threats, and moreover, they were inherently part of the Empire and should not align with the Emperor's enemies.

Laszlo had originally thought that the widespread expansion of the Swiss would cause panic among the various forces in Swabia, thereby deepening their reliance on the Emperor.

In most areas, this was indeed the case, but Constance was an exception.

Here, many members of the city council began to yearn for "Swiss-style" freedom, hoping to obtain greater, almost independent, liberties, free from the manipulation of the Bishop and the Emperor.

They believed that this would enable Constance to achieve better development.

Therefore, the voice of the liberal faction quickly overwhelmed that of the Imperial faction, and the citizens of Constance, who should have feared the Swiss, instead regarded the Swiss cantons as role models.

Even more troubling was that this phenomenon seemed to be spreading in Swabia.

Eyczing replied gravely, "Your Majesty, according to other intelligence I have obtained, this matter is being pushed by the Swiss cantons of Zurich and Bern behind the scenes; it is not accidental."

Upon hearing this, Laszlo's expression grew even uglier, and he cursed these greedy Swiss commoners in his heart, vowing that he would sooner or later erase the Swiss Confederation, this illegal organization, from the map.

"We cannot let it go unchecked any longer. If it truly merges into the Swiss Confederation, Swiss power will further expand. Where will my authority as Emperor be? And how can Swabia maintain peace?" Laszlo's voice was low and full of majesty. "The plan to establish the Swabian Imperial Circle must begin to be implemented.

Our attempts in Austria prove that although the Imperial Circle system still has many shortcomings, it is indeed a powerful tool for controlling princes and maintaining Imperial stability.

Moreover, once the war in Mainz ends, the implementation of Imperial reforms will no longer be as difficult as before, and we should be prepared to extend the reform system to the entire Empire."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Eyczing nodded in response, "However, before formally establishing the Swabian Imperial Circle, we can first use diplomacy as a breakthrough.

As Emperor, Your Majesty is highly respected. You can personally write to the Bishop of Constance and its city council, emphasizing that Constance, as an Imperial Free City, joining Switzerland is a blatant violation of Imperial law.

If they truly dare to join Switzerland, you can use the pretext of Switzerland forcibly annexing an Imperial Free City and then challenge Switzerland.

Regarding the Constance city council, you can threaten to revoke their status as a Free City and vigorously support the factions within the city that are close to the Empire, enabling them to resist those disloyal individuals who favor Switzerland."

Laszlo tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes: "If Constance ignores my warning and insists on joining the Swiss Confederation, we will fight another war with the Swiss for real!

Those Swiss people have always disregarded the authority of the Empire, and they might even take the opportunity to incite more city-states to cause trouble.

Sooner or later, I will recover everything my family once lost, conquer these unruly mountaineers, and then use their blood to commemorate the departed soul of Leopold III."

Eyczing wanted to dissuade him, but seeing the Emperor's resolute expression, he knew that the Emperor's decision would not be easily changed.

After the conversation, Eyczing immediately began to arrange for the first meeting of the Swabian Imperial Circle.

Laszlo personally wrote a letter to the Bishop of Constance and the Constance city council, hoping they would carefully consider the city's future.