Arms Deal

In the autumn of 1463, Laszlo bid farewell to his Chief Minister, Eyczing, who was eager to return to Vienna to oversee state affairs, and officially embarked on his tour of Northern Italy from Innsbruck.

Previously, during his coronation, to avoid Venetian territory, Laszlo had not chosen the easiest mountain pass through the Bishopric of Trento, but instead took a more remote and rugged mountain path directly to Brescia.

However, Laszlo did not have to suffer such hardship now.

He grandly passed through the Bishopric of Trento in South Tyrol with his accompanying Imperial Guards and attendants. Bishop George of Metz, the Bishop of Trento, enthusiastically hosted the Emperor, then accepted a sum of money from the Emperor, smiling, which was nominally a "donation" but in reality a "transit tax."

As a bishop supported by the Habsburg Family, he had always been close to the Imperial Family. How could he possibly charge the Emperor a road toll?

But the Emperor, being honest and upright, insisted on giving this sum of money.

So the Bishop could only gratefully put the money into his pocket; he truly needed this money.

When he had nothing to do, he would think of the tragic old Bishop George of Metz I, and the Bishop of Trento felt that being a dog for the Habsburg Family was not so bad after all.

The people of Trento were very temperamental, like other mountain dwellers—especially the Swiss.

They had always hoped to break free from the Bishop's control, and therefore, riots constantly broke out.

Between 1400 and 1444, Trento experienced three large-scale riots.

In 1407, the citizens hoped to overthrow the Bishop and establish a republic, but were ultimately suppressed by the Austrian Army.

Later, out of fear of the Austrians and dread of being conquered by them, Bishop George of Metz I of Trento directly submitted to Emperor Sigismund in 1419.

He had intended to use this to break free from the control of the Habsburg Family, but this move quickly led to a war—the Count of Tyrol's army invaded Trento.

George of Metz I had placed his hopes on Emperor Sigismund, the "scum of humanity," to uphold justice for him.

But what he ultimately received was news of Albrecht, from another branch of the Habsburg Family, marrying Sigismund's only daughter.

Due to the outbreak of the Hussite Wars, Sigismund, deeply mired in the conflict, urgently needed his son-in-law's assistance, and therefore ignored Trento's plight.

Soon after, George of Metz I mysteriously died during the war with the Count of Tyrol.

The newly appointed Bishop of Trento was Alexander of Masovia, who came from the prominent Piast Family and was an agent chosen by the Habsburg Family.

However, his rule had barely begun, not even a year, when another large-scale uprising broke out in Trento in 1425.

Inspired by Huss's ideas, the farmers of Trento formed a commune in the mountains, imitating the Tábor faction, and organized an army to resist the Austro-Tyrolean army.

This uprising, as expected, was also quickly suppressed.

Ten years later, another major uprising broke out, and the Austrian Army invaded Trento, attempting to turn it into a hereditary territory of the Habsburg Family.

Ultimately, at the Pope's persuasion, this idea did not come to fruition, much to Laszlo's regret when he heard of it.

In 1444, the short-lived Benedetto took office. He was a local Bishop of Trento, and under his rule, Trento briefly regained peace.

However, in 1446, Benedetto, in the prime of his life, suddenly died of illness, and Albrecht II immediately appointed George of Metz II as the new Bishop of Trento.

George of Metz II came from a Tyrolean noble family, and his elder brother was an important general in the Austrian Army,

but he had died of illness several years prior.

As an agent of Austria, George of Metz II naturally bowed to the Habsburg Family, obeying every command.

He was therefore disliked by the people of Trento, and during his tenure, more than a dozen large and small uprisings broke out,

and he himself was expelled multiple times.

Then, he would return to Trento with the Austrian Army to suppress the uprising.

Later, he established a Bishop's Guard in Trento composed entirely of Austrians, finally stabilizing the situation in Trento.

To maintain such an army, he desperately needed financial support.

This was also the main reason for Laszlo's generous contribution.

As a shrewd monarch, Laszlo would never waste money that could be saved.

Although he could obtain many loans based on his reputation and strength, he firmly believed that money must be spent wisely.

Using some financial support in exchange for the submission of the Bishop of Trento and the stability of Tyrol, keeping the road between Austria and Northern Italy open, was a worthwhile deal.

After bidding farewell to the Bishop of Trento, Laszlo's touring party quickly arrived in Verona, south of the mountains.

As an important hub at the border between Venetia and the Duchy of Milan, Verona quickly regained its former prosperity after the Italian War.

It had been a forward base for the Venetians to attack Milan, and also the last Venetian mainland stronghold to fall.

Because the garrison in the city at the time voluntarily opened the gates and surrendered, the city did not suffer too much damage.

Now, as a transportation hub for all of Northern Italy, it had become more prosperous than ever before.

When Laszlo entered the city with his Imperial Guards, the people warmly welcomed the Emperor.

They crowded along the roadside, cheering loudly, scattering petals, or simply out of curiosity, wanting to witness the Emperor's grandeur.

Laszlo was very satisfied with the welcome ceremony arranged by the Mayor of Verona. He arrived at the city hall, where the Mayor and city councilors had long been waiting.

"Your Majesty, welcome to Verona."

The Mayor excitedly bowed to the Emperor.

Laszlo nodded in acknowledgment, but his gaze focused on the middle-aged man beside him.

The other party also bowed elegantly to him, but his muscular arms were the clearest identification.

"Anthony? I didn't expect to meet you here."

Only when the man straightened up did Laszlo finally confirm his identity.

Antonio Missaglia, Laszlo's most important business partner in Milan, and also a renowned armor craftsman throughout Europe.

The new Milanese plate armor that Laszlo often wore now was made by him, and on the right shoulder of the armor was a Lombardic "M" pattern, the symbol of the Missaglia family.

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is fortunate to meet you here."

Anthony also felt a bit emotional. Several years had passed since he personally traveled to Vienna to negotiate with the Emperor and secure tax exemption privileges for the Missaglia family.

During this time, the family's business had prospered under the Emperor's support, having opened several agencies in Austria and the South German region.

Even now, he was still benefiting from the Emperor's favor.

"Hmm, why are you here?"

Laszlo was a little curious. Now that the Missaglia family's business was booming, shouldn't Anthony, as the head of the family and chairman, be working day and night in Milan, racking his brains to continue expanding the industry?

"Normally, I don't often leave Milan, but this business is very important, so I came in person.

I am currently leading a caravan transporting a batch of military equipment to Treviso, and I happened to pass through Verona and met you."

Anthony replied with a chuckle.

His gaze made Laszlo a little scared; one might think the muscular man in front of him liked men.

As soon as Laszlo heard Treviso, he immediately understood that this was an order he had placed for the Austro-Hungarian Army stationed in Northern Italy.

This was no ordinary order; the single transaction totaled an astonishing 6,500 florins, a sum rarely seen across the entire European continent.

Laszlo purchased 1,230 breastplates, 1,492 helmets, and 100,000 crossbow bolts from the Misaglia Armory in Milan.

This was to replenish the losses suffered by the Austro-Hungarian Army during the suppression of the Hunyadi rebellion.

These armors would be distributed to new recruits, with the cost deducted from their military pay in installments.

Besides the Austro-Hungarian Army, other armies also had channels to replenish their armaments.

The Independent Army camp stationed in Graz was not far from the Graz Armory and arsenal, eliminating the need for delivery; the armaments were sent directly to the camp once manufactured.

The Saxon Army stationed in Pressburg primarily relied on the Graz Armory for its armament supply.

The local Slovakia armory in Pressburg had insufficient production capacity and could only supply a portion of the armaments.

The Bohemia's armaments mostly had to be imported from Nuremberg, which, while more expensive, guaranteed quality and filled the gap in Austria's armament production capacity.

These orders were personally reviewed by Laszlo before being submitted to the Imperial Financial Committee for allocation and transaction completion.

Therefore, Laszlo was well aware of the army's recovery status.

From the current situation, Laszlo's years of armory construction had finally yielded results that largely satisfied him.

Except for matchlock guns, whose production and use were limited by gunpowder reserves, the production speed of other armaments was far ahead.

However, no matter how advanced, the speed of the Misaglia Armory was too astonishing, wasn't it?

"How do I remember only two months have passed since I placed the order? Has your production capacity become this terrifying already?"

Laszlo had estimated that, based on the production speed of various armories, the slowest Saxon Army might need more than half a year to fully replenish its armaments, and even the fastest Austro-Hungarian Army would need at least four months.

Yet, only two months had passed, and Antonio had already completed such a large order. How could it not be astonishing?

Antonio smiled mysteriously, answering Laszlo's question.

"Emperor, your relocation of the army from Venetia was no small matter; basically, everyone in Northern Italy knew about it."

"However, I knew a bit more than them."

"With your wisdom, you certainly wouldn't risk instability in Venetia by rashly withdrawing troops, so I guessed then that a new war was about to break out."

"So I had the factory produce a batch of armor and helmets to store, waiting for your triumphant return."

"Later, you indeed fought a battle in Hungary, and as expected, I received your order."

"For these two months, my factory has intensified production, and with the previous stock, the order was quickly completed."

"Excellent. It seems partnering with you was a wise decision."

Laszlo said with a happy smile.

He granted the Misaglia Family privileges to operate within the Empire, as well as customs duty reductions in some Habsburg Family territories, in exchange for a portion of the Misaglia Family's industrial shares.

In other words, the more Antonio earned, the more dividends he would receive.

He also applied the same method to the mining industry.

Laszlo partnered with Augsburg's wealthy merchants, led by the Fugger Family, to develop mineral resources within the Habsburg Family's territories for profit.

He and Jakob Fugger, the Minister of Finance,, with the help of the Imperial Bank, virtually monopolized Europe's copper, gold, and silver mines, earning immense wealth.

"Emperor, you flatter me. I merely fulfilled my duty as a subject of the Empire, nothing more."

Antonio showed no pride despite the Emperor's praise, though he was overjoyed inside.

It had been almost thirty years since he took over the family business at twenty, and he had finally developed the Misaglia Family into a dominant force in Milan and a renowned armor-making family in Europe.

This success relied more on his own efforts, but the opportunities provided by the Emperor greatly accelerated his rise.

Laszlo suddenly thought of something, his smile fading as he asked seriously, "How was this year's Lyon Fair?"

"A great harvest, Emperor," Antonio, still in his joy, did not grasp the change in the Emperor's demeanor. "Our sales this year far exceeded previous years, and the French are still placing more orders."

"Is that so?" Laszlo nodded slightly, his mood a bit heavy. "Louis XI is now expanding his Gendarmerie like a madman; his demand for armor probably surpasses that of my own army."

Upon hearing the French King's name, Antonio instantly sobered up. He looked at the Emperor nervously.

"Are you planning to restrict exports to France?"

"Why would I restrict them?"

Laszlo looked at Antonio with some confusion, and noticing his tension, immediately revealed a mysterious smile. "Earning money from the French, that's what I call earning! Not just France, but also Burgundy; you can contact them too and see if there are more orders."

Laszlo glanced around; the people nearby had already discreetly moved to a slightly more distant spot. Only then did he lean closer to Antonio and reveal a secret.

"Inside intelligence indicates that France and Burgundy will soon have a major war. At that time, you should sell as many armaments as possible to them.

You can sell to anyone, but try not to sell to the Swiss. The more you sell, the better.

Let them fight to the death on the battlefield. Meanwhile, you and I will profit greatly from this war.

Both the French and the Burgundians are very wealthy, you know.

They love your products, unlike those paupers in the Empire who only think about imitation, so...

You understand what I mean, right?"

Antonio smiled knowingly; no one would refuse to make money.

"Rest assured, Emperor, I understand what to do."

Laszlo patted Antonio's shoulder.

Although the robust Antonio and the relatively thin Laszlo made the scene look a bit odd, Laszlo's expectations were certainly conveyed.

The conversation between the partners concluded, and Laszlo was so happy that he didn't even listen too carefully to the political reports from Verona.

Anyway, he had granted these Venetia cities considerable autonomy; they only needed to pay sufficient taxes, and Laszlo didn't bother to inquire further.

The entourage stayed in Verona for only two days before departing.

Antonio also set off eastward on the same day, heading to the Austro-Hungarian Army's garrison in Treviso, the capital of Venetia. He deeply regretted not being able to continue traveling with the Emperor and reluctantly bid him farewell.

Laszlo's route had already been planned in Vienna.

He would first travel west to Milan, stay there for a period, and then proceed to Rome—the Pope had already left Ferrara and returned to his loyal Rome.

After that, Laszlo might meet with the struggling King of Naples, or simply head north directly back to Venetia.

The tour of Venetia was scheduled for last. After the tour, Laszlo would return directly to Austria.

After several years of recovery, what would Milan be like now?

With anticipation, Laszlo embarked on his journey westward, passing through Mantua and visiting the Marquis of Mantua, who had sworn allegiance to him.

The Marquis of Mantua then joined the tour party and traveled with the Emperor to Milan for the upcoming new round of Imperial conferences.