News of the Emperor punishing rebellious nobles in Styria quickly spread throughout Austria.
That highly publicized public trial made the people of Austria realize that the King of France, far away in Paris, had been conspiring to disrupt Austria's peace and overthrow the Emperor's rule.
Under the covert propaganda of those with ulterior motives, more and more Austrian citizens felt extremely indignant, to the point that some French people living in Austria were implicated and suspected of being hidden spies.
Previously, when Laszlo campaigned among the populace about the century-long hatred between Austrians and the Swiss for the conquest of Switzerland, he had not received such a tremendous response.
Anti-French sentiment continued to ferment in Austria, and people applauded Laszlo's decisive punishment of the traitors.
Of course, the loudest voices came from the people of Styria.
Although Styria was not exactly seething with discontent before, the farmers living in non-royal direct territories were under great pressure, mainly due to the "Recess Agreement" Laszlo signed with the National Estates Assembly.
Although this agreement stipulated that no special taxes would be levied for any reason in the next ten years, it also required all Estates to pay a fixed annual tax.
For royal territories and cities, tax officials would levy taxes according to standards. Although some corruption was inevitable in this process, the general pressure on the populace was not too great.
However, for farmers living in noble territories and ecclesiastical fiefs, this tax was an additional burden placed on their shoulders.
This was because their primary burden was the tithes and various other taxes collected by their lords or monasteries.
The tribute tax that the Emperor demanded the noble and clerical Estates bear ultimately fell upon them as well.
Since this tax was collected by them in the Emperor's name, many nobles and clerics actually took this opportunity to levy excessive taxes in their own territories, falsely using Laszlo's name.
They only needed to pay the apportioned tribute tax to the national treasury; the remaining money went into their own coffers.
Years of oppression had caused resentment to accumulate among the people in noble and ecclesiastical territories for a long time.
Such concerns did not exist in the Outer Austria province, where no tribute was stipulated.
In Lower Austria, Tyrol, and Venetia, over-taxation did not occur either, due to the high proportion of royal territories or the dense urban areas.
It was only in Styria, where nobles and the Church were deeply entrenched and powerful, that Laszlo's prestige among the farmers was nearing rock bottom. How could those poor farmers know that Laszlo had actually issued decrees limiting nobles from overtaxing and excessively conscripting labor?
However, such matters were inherently difficult to arbitrate, and Laszlo also lacked the additional energy for supervision. Therefore, the nobles and the Church in Styria often exploited loopholes in various ways to exploit the populace.
Those unbearable farmers either fled to royal territories or to cities, hoping to escape serfdom and gain the status of free citizens.
However, the nobles and the Church maintained very strict control over the escape of serfs, forcing many to endure the oppression helplessly and suppress their resentment towards the Emperor in their hearts.
If Andreas and others had truly rebelled, perhaps they would only need to incite a little, and a large number of dissatisfied farmers would immediately join the rebel army.
Laszlo had sensed this situation before, which was why he chose to implement tax reductions in Styria.
He had already prepared for a decrease in tax revenue, but the property of the rebellious nobles instantly gave him a huge boost.
Especially the wealth of the Stubenberg Family immediately replenished his meager coffers.
Subsequently, Laszlo announced the tax reduction decision for all Estates in Styria without any psychological burden, and heavily publicized it. In the mouths of the bards, Laszlo seemed to have become the wisest monarch since ancient times.
Upon learning this news, the people also praised the Emperor's virtues.
As for those nobles and clerics who feigned compliance, Laszlo warned them by citing the fate of the conspirators.
If he were to truly pursue the matter, it is likely that the nobles present at the Estates Assembly would have to draw their swords and fight to the death with Laszlo's Guards.
However, with the conspirators as a precedent, the nobles of Styria were considerably more obedient this time.
As for the Church? The issue of corruption in the Church has now been brought to the table; profiting and exploiting have almost become an instinct for Church officials.
Many people demanded that Paul II continue the policy of Pius II and convene a Grand Duke Conference to discuss Church reform.
However, this extremely conservative Pope was very averse to this topic, so all petitions related to reform ultimately came to nothing.
Laszlo did not press the matter too much either; after all, he already held the Church in Austria and the Balkans in his own hands.
The oppression of the local Austrian Church on the populace was not yet too extreme, and Laszlo could only impose some restrictions through the Archbishop of Vienna.
He could not yet deal with Church matters with overly aggressive means for the time being, as it could easily lead to unexpected consequences.
Before another Huss emerged from the oppression, the Church remained an important helper for Laszlo in grassroots governance.
The situation in Austria was largely like this; the vast majority of subjects consistently maintained an attitude of respect and praise towards Laszlo.
However, on the other side, Duke of Landshut Ludwig IX, who had received the news, could not smile at all at this moment.
In Landshut Castle, Ludwig IX was listening grimly to the news brought back by his messenger.
"All those people were executed by the Emperor?"
"Yes, my lord, the Emperor caught the King of France's spy, and that person directly exposed everyone involved."
Ludwig cursed inwardly, a rare trace of panic appearing on his face.
He knew why the King of France's spy would seek out Andreas at such a time.
The King of France was probably preparing to go to war with the only three dukes remaining in his country who dared to openly resist his rule, which was why he was eager to create some trouble for the Emperor.
At the very least, he wanted the Emperor to provide less assistance to the Duke of Burgundy and his son when the time came, which would give the King of France a greater chance of victory.
Unfortunately, the Emperor had keenly perceived the rebellious intentions of these people and had swiftly and ruthlessly rounded them up.
This not only disrupted Ludwig's original plan but also gave rise to new dangers.
"Is there any possibility that my connection with Andreas has been exposed?"
Facing Ludwig's anxious inquiry, the messenger looked troubled and stammered, "Although we have been careful enough, there is no ruling out that possibility."
Upon hearing this, Ludwig seemed to have all his strength drained, slumping into his chair.
Previously, his seizure of the two free cities, Nördlingen and Donauwörth, was merely a loss of face for the Emperor, not involving actual losses.
Even so, the Emperor still ordered his loyal Margrave of Ansbach to send troops to protect these two cities and threatened to impose an Imperial ban on him.
Under the Emperor's oppressive power, Ludwig had no choice but to bury his ambitions deep in his heart.
In his view, the Emperor had so many enemies, spread throughout and beyond the Empire, constantly anticipating the collapse of the vast Habsburg Empire.
Ludwig was no different; he believed that once the Emperor's Empire collapsed, he, too, could partake in the Habsburg Family's wealth like others, allowing the Wittelsbach Family to once again become the most prominent noble family within the Empire.
He not only thought this way but also acted accordingly.
After the Elector alliance resisting the Emperor disintegrated due to the deaths of several old Electors and the Emperor's oppression, Ludwig and his kinsman, Archbishop of Cologne Ruprecht, raised the anti-Habsburg banner within the Empire.
Although they did not maintain overt hostility towards the Emperor, they secretly continued to contact princes within the Empire who were dissatisfied with the Emperor.
When the Emperor was strong, they were loyal subjects of the Empire who bowed their heads; when the Emperor was under multi-faceted attack and showed signs of decline, they would leap up like a pack of wolves, pouncing on the preoccupied Emperor and stabbing him fiercely in the back.
However, the Emperor's powerful prestige and strength led most princes to accept the Emperor's dominion, even actively declaring their loyalty to the Emperor. The Duke of Baden, the Duke of Württemberg, the Margrave of Ansbach, and the current Archbishop of Mainz, and the Archbishop of Trier were examples of this.
They formed a powerful circle loyal to the Emperor within the Empire, attracting many smaller princes to join them and accept the Emperor's authority.
However, Ludwig and Ruprecht's process of finding allies was fraught with difficulties and progressed very slowly.
Princes such as the Duke of Mecklenburg and the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, though somewhat tempted, were always unwilling to take a clear stance against the Emperor.
The various princes of the Lower Rhine-Westphalia Imperial Circle, although complaining that the Emperor did not protect them from the threat of Burgundy, dared even less to openly oppose the Emperor.
If anyone were truly foolish enough to do so, Burgundy's army would likely march in under the Emperor's banner.
As for the Upper Saxony Imperial Circle, the Elector of Saxony brothers held an ambiguous attitude towards the Emperor.
Elector Ernst focused more on his own enjoyment and the development of the Saxony territory, not particularly wishing to be involved in conflicts and struggles with the Emperor.
In Ludwig's view, his brother-in-law was a complete mediocrity.
Meanwhile, Ernst's brother, Duke of Saxony Albrecht, became more closeness the Emperor due to the extra favor he received, hoping to gain opportunities for promotion by serving the Emperor.
If Ludwig's guess was correct, Albrecht should be eyeing his brother's territory and the Elector seat.
Thus, after Ludwig's father-in-law and traditional ally, the old Elector of Saxony, passed away, the Elector of Saxony, who could speak a word in the Empire to ensure his safety when he got into trouble, could no longer be relied upon.
To increase his chances of victory against the Emperor in the future, he contacted the nobles in the Styria region and found several regents who were extremely dissatisfied with the Emperor, conspiring with them against the Emperor.
Unexpectedly, before they could even cause trouble for the Emperor, they were discovered. As a result, the Emperor gained large tracts of land in Styria because of this incident, and his prestige in Styria rose to an even higher level.
Now, Ludwig not only lost his last chance to incite Austrians against the Emperor but also potentially put himself in danger.
"My lord, we must quickly find a way to overcome this crisis."
The advisor standing by reminded him.
Ludwig then regained some composure, nodding and speaking with difficulty, "We must quickly distance ourselves from this matter… No, rushing to clarify now would be like walking into a trap.
Perhaps, perhaps the Emperor will not discover that those people were connected to me?"
The advisor had served Ludwig for many years and it was the first time he had seen his master look so apprehensive. He sighed and persuaded, "My lord, it is meaningless to place hope on chance. We should consider how to respond once the Emperor discovers this."
"Yes, yes," Ludwig forced himself to calm down, secretly cursing his disgraceful behavior just now, "If the Emperor finds out, what should I do?
Pay to avoid disaster, or cede some territory to appease him?
That greedy fellow, he will forget all hatred as soon as he gets a little benefit."
"My lord, this is when you must distance yourself; you absolutely cannot admit that you are connected to the rebellious nobles of Austria.
Then, you can demonstrate your loyalty to the Emperor through some donations.
This might allow you to escape this crisis."
Hearing the advisor's solution, Ludwig nodded slightly, deciding to follow this approach.
Just as Ludwig was nervously discussing countermeasures, in the Imperial Palace in Vienna, Laszlo was discussing with Eyczing how to deal with the Duke of Landshut.
"Your Majesty, this is a godsend opportunity!"
Eyczing held the secret letter Laszlo had given him, his hands trembling with excitement. The content of the letter was the Duke of Landshut's entrustment to the rebel leader Andreas.
"This is indeed a good opportunity, but to what extent should I punish him?"
Laszlo asked, a little troubled.
Should he extort him for a sum, or directly eliminate this rebel leader?
Emotionally, he wanted to choose the second option immediately, but reason caused him to hesitate slightly.
This Ludwig had clearly colluded with the King of France and could not be kept alive no matter what, but whether Landshut should continue to exist was a question.
Moreover, the princes of the Empire were terrified by his continuous expansion. He also had to consider whether attacking and destroying Landshut would lead to joint resistance from the Imperial princes.
"Are you planning to extort him and then let the matter drop?"
"That would be too easy for him, but I do not wish to see Bavaria unified in this way." Upon hearing Laszlo's concern, Eyczing immediately smiled.
"Your Majesty, do you remember the experience of Duke Frederick of Outer Austria?"
"Are you referring to Uncle Sigismund's father?"
"Yes, he defied your grandfather, Emperor Sigismund, at the Council of Constance, assisting the deposed anti-pope to escape.
This angered Emperor Sigismund, who immediately imposed an Imperial ban on Duke Frederick.
The Swabia princes and the Swiss Confederation immediately launched a fierce attack on Outer Austria. Aargau and other places you recovered last year fell at that time.
His territory was partitioned, and he died shortly after in exile.
It was not until the marriage of the late Emperor Albrecht II and Empress Dowager Elizabeth that Emperor Sigismund's wrath was appeased, and your family's rule over Outer Austria was restored."
"I understand."
Laszlo nodded and began to select names for the prize list in his mind.
"Then, I will impose an Imperial ban on the Duke of Landshut, declare him an enemy of the Empire, and order the Margrave of Ansbach and the Elector of Munich to join me in conquering him.
As for the reason for issuing the ban, a proclamation will be issued in the name of the Court of the Empire, announcing that the Duke of Landshut colluded with the King of France and the Austrian rebels, gravely endangering the peace and stability of the Empire."
"Your Majesty, with three parties dividing Landshut, the Elector of Munich will not gain too much strength, and our influence in Bavaria will further increase.
The Margrave of Ansbach has always been loyal to you; he and the Duke of Landshut have been mortal enemies for decades, and he has always coveted the Duke of Landshut's territory, so he will certainly assist with all his might.
As for the Elector of Munich, how about enticing him with the title of Duke of Bavaria?"
"Of course, no problem," Laszlo waved his hand dismissively, "He's already been given the Elector position, so giving him a fragmented Duke of Bavaria title is fine.
Now I'm actually curious to see if anyone foolish enough will jump out to stop me; it would be a good opportunity to complete a reshuffle within the Empire."
As for over-expansion within the Empire? Never mind all that, Laszlo is now accustomed to the fear and suspicion of the princes.
The only question he needed to consider was whether to advance from Linz to seize the part of Landshut closer to Austria or to advance from Upper Palatinate to acquire the part closer to Bohemia.
Ultimately, Laszlo, with ample military funds, decided to advance on two fronts to directly crush Landshut's resistance.
Thus, Ludwig IX, who was awaiting the Emperor's accountability, ultimately received an Imperial ban and news that the Emperor's army had begun to gather at the border.