The Veteran Fades Away

Laszlo and his eastern tour party stayed in Belgrade for several weeks to prepare for the subsequent journey.

The rest of the eastern tour would no longer be as smooth as before.

Upon entering the Balkan Mountains, the road would immediately become difficult to traverse.

During his stay in Belgrade, Laszlo also seized the opportunity to understand the situation in Serbia, preparing in advance for future rule.

During this period, messengers constantly arrived from Vienna, reporting domestic and foreign intelligence to Laszlo.

On this day, a messenger sent by Eyczing brought unfortunate news.

"Your Majesty, Marshal Rosenberg passed away in Prague over half a month ago, at the age of 60."

The messenger personally conveyed this sorrowful news to Laszlo, who was reviewing the intelligence summary sent by Eyczing.

Laszlo's hand, which was turning the documents, froze in mid-air. He gently placed the documents on the table, opened his mouth, and finally let out a long sigh.

Just over a year ago, he frequently met with Rosenberg to understand the situation in Bohemia.

At that time, his body was still robust, and he seemed capable of fighting for many more years.

However, in the past winter, Rosenberg's most beloved eldest son, Heinrich, passed away from illness.

The tragedy of a white-haired person burying a black-haired one dealt a tremendous blow to Rosenberg, directly breaking the will and body of this strong Marshal.

After a year of suffering, Rosenberg also passed away in grief.

By this point, almost all of the regency elders left to him by Albrecht II had withered away.

Janos, who defended Hungary, died in battle; Rosenberg, who purged the Hussite, died of illness; and the life of Ulrich, the minister entrusted with the dying wishes, had also entered its countdown.

All that remained was his uncle Frederick, the most useless among these old ministers. Laszlo couldn't help but sigh when he thought that Frederick still had thirty years to live. Sometimes, being able to live is a rare ability.

As the most useless among the powerful figures of his generation, Frederick was paradoxically the one who lived the longest, and significantly longer than others.

Setting aside his immense disdain for his uncle, Laszlo began to consider Rosenberg's posthumous affairs.

"Record my order, and tell Eyczing to give Marshal Rosenberg a state funeral of the highest Specification.

I permit him to be buried in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Bohemia and the Habsburg Family."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

St. Vitus Cathedral is a cathedral built in honor of St. Vitus, the patron saint of the Bohemia Kingdom, and is also the burial place of several King of Bohemia.

Rosenberg fought for Bohemia his entire life; even a terrifying enemy like Jan Žižka never made him yield.

Laszlo's permission for his burial in St. Vitus Cathedral was also an acknowledgment of his achievements—not everyone is qualified to be buried in the same cemetery as a King.

The last person to receive a state funeral was Janos.

His heart, according to his last wishes, was taken back to Hunyadi Castle for burial, while his body was interred in the Hungarian Royal Cemetery in Székesfehérvár, in recognition of his outstanding achievements.

In any case, the rulers of the Habsburg Family would be buried neither in Prague nor in Székesfehérvár.

They would only be interred in the Habsburg Family's imperial cemetery in Vienna.

Allowing these meritorious officials who made outstanding contributions to the dynasty to be buried in the royal cemetery was an excellent means of winning popular support.

Historically, Prince Eugene was buried in the Habsburg royal cemetery, and he was one of the few non-Habsburg members buried there.

Besides him, Queen Theresa's closest and most trusted lady-in-waiting was also buried in the imperial cemetery.

This was to convey a message: the Habsburg Family would never mistreat loyal and meritorious subjects.

Besides the matter of Rosenberg's burial, the more important issue was his successor.

Firstly, there was the matter of the Rosenberg's inheritance.

As the foremost great noble of Bohemia, the Rosenberg's territory encompassed almost half of South Bohemia.

Who would inherit such a vast territory?

"Regarding the Rosenberg's succession, are there any disputes?"

"No, Your Majesty. After Marshal Rosenberg's eldest son passed away, his second son, John, will inherit all of the family's territory as the sole heir."

"John? What is his current position?"

"Your Majesty, John currently serves as the Governor of Silesia, responsible for managing the royal territory of Silesia, under the jurisdiction of the Silesia Prime Minister's Office."

"Are there any other important members of the Rosenberg Family?"

"The Marshal's brother, Peter, is currently the Financial Director of Bohemia."

Laszlo pondered for a moment. The core members of the Rosenberg Family now held high positions, contributing to the development and stability of Bohemia.

He was not at all worried that this family would become too powerful.

On one hand, the Bohemia Kingdom had already been dismantled by him.

On the other hand, the size of the Rosenberg Family was simply incomparable to Cilli and Hunyadi.

These two genuinely posed a certain threat to the Habsburg Family, but the Rosenberg Family lacked this capability.

It could only rely on the Imperial Family.

Therefore, as long as there were no issues with the family's succession, Bohemia would not fall into chaos, and Laszlo felt at ease.

Now there was one last question.

"Does the Privy Council have any recommendations for the new commander of the Bohemia Army?"

Laszlo did indeed want to directly control the Bohemia Army, but there was no need to parachute in a commander.

If Austrian Generals were to command the Bohemia Army, its combat effectiveness would likely not be very strong, and the local Bohemia Generals might harbor resentment.

Moreover, Bohemia Army company commanders and above were all recommended by Rosenberg and personally selected by Laszlo.

These commanders had to have an unblemished family background, good or even excellent abilities, and most importantly, loyalty to the Emperor.

It was reasonable and proper to select one of these Bohemia noble Generals as Rosenberg's successor.

"I remember, the legion commander who led the Bohemia Army to conquer Upper Palatinate was named..."

"His name is Baron Michael von Seinsheim.

Your Majesty, after careful consideration and repeated discussions, the Imperial Military Committee recommends him as the new commander of the Bohemia Army."

Hearing the messenger's words, Laszlo stroked his chin and began to recall.

He could clearly remember the attributes of every Bohemia General he had vetted.

This General named Michael had left a relatively deep impression on him.

His father, Erlkinger, was also a noble who followed Sigismund in launching the Bohemia Crusade.

Thereafter, the family maintained an alliance with the Rosenberg Family, participating in regional affairs as important members of the Catholic nobility on the Bohemia political stage.

Michael and Rosenberg were born in the same year and were peers. He was deeply trusted by Rosenberg and was recommended and appointed as the commander of the Bohemia Army's First Legion.

What truly caught Laszlo's attention was Michael's main title, Baron Schwarzenberg.

Laszlo did not know if this Schwarzenberg was related to the later Prince Schwarzenberg, but Michael's first impression on him was very good.

His General attributes were the highest among the same batch of Bohemia Generals; although slightly inferior to the currently serving high-ranking Generals, he was still usable.

"Good, I agree with their opinion. He will take over the position of Bohemia Army Commander.

Furthermore, promote his military rank to General, and let him continue to command the Bohemia Army currently fighting against Palatinate.

Once the war concludes, I will grant him additional rewards."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Soon, the messenger returned to Vienna at full gallop with the Emperor's imperial edict.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Eyczing immediately began to deal with the vacancies left by Rosenberg's passing.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, without much chaos.