The Habsburg Marriage Network
Laszlo spent the entire month of October on the march.
However, he did not experience complex emotions such as tension, anticipation, or weariness.
Years of military life had long accustomed him to the rules of war.
In the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, when productivity and mobilization capabilities were quite low, the patterns of war remained largely unchanged from previous centuries.
Cold weapon warfare largely maintained characteristics of prolonged silence followed by instantaneous outbreaks.
After a long period of marching and probing with small-scale conflicts, both sides were almost certain to engage in a decisive battle to determine the outcome of the war.
Unless one side's strength overwhelmingly surpassed the other, at which point the war would shift in a different direction.
For instance, Laszlo was still troubled by how to cross the mountains of Transylvania.
Hunyadi's forces were, of course, far inferior to his.
In such a situation, Hunyadi would likely choose to entrench himself in mountain passes and defend staunchly.
How to break through the enemy's defenses and quickly enter the Transylvanian plateau was the question Laszlo had been pondering these past few days.
However, he had not yet thoroughly investigated the terrain of the Transylvanian mountains, nor was he very familiar with the specific conditions, so he couldn't come up with a good solution for now.
Inside his military tent outside Szeged, Laszlo sat at his desk, reading a report sent from Vienna.
Counting the days, it had almost been a year since he returned to Austria.
Eyczing thoughtfully categorized domestic and international affairs, arranging them by importance for Laszlo's convenience.
After a long wait, good news finally arrived for Laszlo from Rhineland.
Mannheim, after being besieged for over a hundred days, finally chose to open its gates and surrender.
Archbishop Adolf paraded triumphantly through the city, seemingly to wash away the humiliation he suffered in Seckenheim.
Unfortunately, the Margrave of Baden had already been transferred to a dungeon in Heidelberg and had not yet been rescued.
Speaking of the Margrave of Baden, Laszlo only learned that the Margrave of Baden was actually his cousin-in-law after receiving a letter from his paternal aunt.
Specifically, Margrave Karl I of Baden's wife was Catherine von Habsburg, the youngest sister of his uncle Frederick.
This aunt pleaded with Laszlo in her letter, hoping he would allow the Margrave of Baden to withdraw from the war with the Elector Palatine in exchange for his freedom.
Laszlo didn't even know how to write back to respond to this matter.
Because the Margrave of Baden had been imprisoned for over a year and still refused to yield, it seemed to be because the Elector Palatine's conditions were too harsh.
He was unwilling to pay so much, so he remained imprisoned.
Helplessly, Laszlo could only make a reluctant promise.
He would have his army rescue the Margrave of Baden as soon as possible and provide him with due compensation afterward.
Upon discovering that the Margrave of Baden had an in-law relationship with the Habsburg Family, Laszlo became even more determined to entrust him with important responsibilities.
He realized he seemed to have not yet unearthed all his potential allies and vassals.
So, he began to delve deeper into the vast marriage network of the Habsburg Family, and what he found infuriated him.
His paternal uncle Frederick's other sister, Margareta, married Frederick II, the Elector of Saxony.
However, the Elector of Saxony was also one of the most troublesome figures in the Electoral College and the Imperial Diet, showing him no regard whatsoever.
There was also his paternal aunt, Margareta, the elder sister of Albrecht II, who married Heinrich XVI, the former Duke of Landshut.
Although this couple had passed away in 1447 and 1450 respectively, the kinship indeed existed.
In other words, the current Duke of Landshut, Louis IX "the Rich," was Laszlo's cousin.
This one was truly his "good cousin."
He led the resistance against his immigration policies, attempted to annex free cities to create regional tensions, and secretly funded the Elector Palatine to oppose the Emperor.
Who knows how many other conspiracies involving him remained unexposed in secret.
It seemed that marriage alliances did not necessarily guarantee strong alliances.
In contrast, Laszlo's two elder sisters made significant contributions to the peace of Austria.
His eldest sister Anne married Charles, bringing Burgundy, a staunch ally of Austria.
His second sister Elizabeth married Kazimierz, and to this day, Lithuania and Austria have had almost no serious border conflicts.
From these successful and failed marriage cases, Laszlo slowly began to summarize lessons learned, preparing for his future marriage strategies.
Laszlo refocused his attention on the report in his hand.
After the fall of Mannheim, the Elector Palatine was left with only Heidelberg, an isolated city that had been besieged for nearly half a year.
Since he wanted to continue holding out, Laszlo was not in a hurry; he would simply outlast him.
In any case, the Independent Army had fully adapted to living off the land, significantly reducing the burden on Austria.
This was the correct way to utilize a standing mercenary army!
Besides the ongoing Mainz War within the Holy Roman Empire, there was also the latest news from France.
The rebellion in Aragon had finally been quelled, and Louis XI only returned to Paris when, in a flash, the Catalans of Roussillon revolted again.
And Jacques de Armagnac, Duke of Nemours, who had distinguished himself in the first campaign against Roussillon, was deliberately suppressed by Louis XI, and his relationship with the King rapidly deteriorated.
When Louis XI again dispatched him to conquer Roussillon, Jacques refused the King's demand.
An enraged Louis XI ordered Jacques to be arrested and imprisoned in the royal dungeon.
Jacques had another cellmate, the Duke of Bourbon, who had always remained neutral.
He had a dispute with Louis XI in court, openly questioning his aggressive foreign policy, which directly angered the autocratic King.
Louis XI arrested the Duke of Bourbon and stripped him of his position as Governor of Guyenne.
These two unfortunate brothers were still much better off than the Duke of Armagnac, whose lands were confiscated and who was exiled abroad.
However, such actions were already enough to cause great alarm among the French nobles.
The number of neutral and opposition figures at the court of the Kingdom of France was steadily decreasing.
Currently, among those holding important positions in Louis XI's court, only the Count of Foix and his uncle, the Duke of Orléans, had not integrated into his faction.
The Count of Foix was also disliked by Louis XI, and it was estimated that he would soon be targeted by the King.
Realizing that the situation was becoming severe, Philip "the Good," Duke of Burgundy, and the Duke of Brittany jointly pressured Louis XI.
They hoped to force Louis XI to allow his brother, Charles, Duke of Normandy, to return to his domain, and then release the Duke of Nemours and the Duke of Bourbon, whom he had unjustly imprisoned.
These were the major events that had occurred in France over the past few months.
Laszlo felt relieved after reading this report.
Others might not know, but Laszlo was well aware that Louis XI's attempts to strengthen royal power in France would ultimately lead to the formation of the League of the Public Weal.
Speaking of noble alliances like the League of the Public Weal, a flood of painful memories came to Laszlo's mind.
The Electors, the Imperial Princes, the Hungarian nobles—each was more troublesome than the French nobles.
Now, Louis XI would also experience the continuous suffering of the Holy Roman Emperor.
Laszlo felt that if he had been as hasty and reckless as Louis XI, the Habsburg Family's territories would have already been plagued by rebellions and fallen apart.
Some things should not be rushed, but when it's time to act, one must never be soft-handed!
Laszlo's gaze turned to the map on his desk, focusing on the prominent Hunyadi Castle.