The autumn harvest season had passed, and the war in Landshut concluded within three months.
Due to Louis IX's flight and Landshut's isolation, most of its populace chose to surrender. Consequently, the four armies advanced into Landshut with little resistance, conquering the entire territory.
The Independent Army, which was the first to storm Landshut Castle, ransacked the fortress.
When the mercenaries excitedly rushed into the treasury, they discovered it had already been emptied.
Many clamored to plunder the city of Landshut, which had already paid ransom and surrendered, but Gunter stopped them.
They had already plundered many towns that refused to pay high ransoms along the way, and the soldiers had earned a considerable amount of money.
The reason for their anger was a rumor that the Count of Landshut was as wealthy as the Emperor, leading everyone to have high expectations for his treasury.
However, all his money had benefited the mercenaries who had defied the Imperial ban to help him escape the Empire.
Despite their various dissatisfactions and indignation, the Imperial Army soldiers still obeyed orders, guarding the strategic locations they had occupied, including Landshut Castle.
The late-arriving Elector of Munich's army was forced to encamp outside the city, while the Margrave of Ansbach, who was even further away, was still en route.
With the war concluded, it was time for negotiations, treaties, and the division of the spoils, but at this moment, grim news spread within the Munich army.
Elector Sigismund was critically ill; on his deathbed, he left a will, bequeathing the Electorate and most of his territory to his third younger brother, Albrecht.
For his two younger brothers, Christopher and Wolfgang, he allocated a portion of the Dachau County for their livelihood.
Although he had not yet personally been enfeoffed as Duke of Bavaria by the Emperor, his will already permitted his two young brothers to use the title of Duke of Bavaria-Dachau.
Soon after, Albrecht, accompanying Laszlo to Landshut as his attendant, suppressed his grief and succeeded as the new Elector of Bavaria.
Laszlo simply skipped the re-enfeoffment process, immediately declaring Albrecht as Duke of Bavaria on the spot, referring to him as Albrecht IV, confirming his succession to the Electorate, and announcing the engagement of his eldest daughter, Helena, to him.
As for the vacant position of attendant, at Albrecht's recommendation, Laszlo ultimately decided to appoint Albrecht's youngest brother, the fifteen-year-old Wolfgang.
In addition to Wolfgang, Laszlo also selected another attendant, Stephen, the youngest son of Chief Minister Ulrich von Eyczing.
Laszlo referred to him as Young Eyczing.
There were quite a few noble offspring, both male and female, who became Imperial attendants. Although Laszlo disliked excessive extravagance, to maintain the so-called "Imperial demeanor," he had to spend a considerable amount from his personal coffers to support the vast court.
Among this retinue of several hundred attendants, only a handful managed to gain the Emperor's favor and become his personal attendants. It now seemed that those fortunate enough to be chosen were almost guaranteed to rise to prominence.
For this reason, many vied for this coveted position, but almost no one could persuade Laszlo.
There was no other way; Laszlo's selection of attendants was primarily for political purposes, not, as rumored, because he favored delicate young boys.
Eyczing, who had accompanied Laszlo to personally oversee the negotiations, was so excited he almost prostrated himself before Laszlo on the spot.
Just a few years prior, Laszlo had appointed Eyczing's eldest son, Oswald, as the Royal Manor Steward of Drosendorf and the sheriff of that region.
Although he started from the grassroots, his elderly father, Eyczing, had already been granted a large territory and an earldom by the Emperor, all of which Oswald would inherit.
There was also their family's original fiefdom, Dürnstein in Lower Austria, whose castle had once imprisoned the famous Richard the Lionheart of the Kingdom of England. In a few hundred years, it would certainly be another famous tourist spot.
With his eldest son's future secured, and now his youngest son becoming the Emperor's attendant, the nearly sixty-year-old Eyczing was invigorated.
Even if he had to push himself, he would continue to serve the Emperor until he could no longer move.
In truth, he had rarely personally handled diplomacy by now; those long-distance missions were mostly carried out by his carefully trained assistant, Clemente.
His main role in Vienna was intelligence work, gathering information from across the continent for the Emperor, and reporting valuable findings.
This time, if the Salzburg Archbishop Burkhard, who was originally scheduled to preside over the peace talks, hadn't fallen ill and was lying in Vienna awaiting God's call, Eyczing wouldn't have needed to accompany Laszlo.
"Your Majesty, I still believe the marriage alliance with the Elector of Bavaria is somewhat ill-considered."
Inside the chaotic Landshut Castle, Laszlo and Eyczing discussed the Bavarian issue while touring the once extremely luxurious castle.
Facing Eyczing's doubts, Laszlo did not deny them, but let out a sigh.
"You know, the Margrave of Ansbach's stance has become wavering. I must use this method to temporarily stabilize Bavaria, only then can we secure our advantage within the Empire."
"But Your Majesty, that Albrecht served as your attendant for several years. Do you understand his character and stance well enough?"
Eyczing was truly uneasy. The Emperor had informed them in advance of his decision to marry his daughter into the Wittelsbach family.
Initially, several ministers approved of this move, but Eyczing, who oversaw Austrian diplomacy, had some reservations.
Logically, Princess Helena carried the bloodlines of the Habsburg Family and the Luxembourg Family. Her union with the new Elector of Bavaria, Albrecht, would mark a significant turning point in Imperial history, signifying the first public reconciliation of the Holy Roman Empire's three great houses, which had been openly feuding for over a century.
However, could a marriage alliance truly curb the ambitions of the Elector of Bavaria and the Wittelsbach family? Eyczing harbored deep doubts about this.
"I know what you're worried about," Laszlo kicked aside a cracked chair blocking his path and continued deeper into the castle. "Albrecht is a very capable young man. I can see the ambition, or rather, the wild ambition, hidden beneath his gentle exterior."
"Then you still…
Eyczing was momentarily anxious. If the Elector of Bavaria used the Emperor's favoritism to expand his influence within the Empire, and then turned against him, Austria would suffer greatly.
Laszlo chuckled and reassured, "Eyczing, you must understand that being my, Laszlo's, son-in-law is not so easy.
This marriage contract will become a chain, firmly binding the Elector of Bavaria."
"It seems you have your own plans."
Eyczing's expression softened slightly, and he began to ponder the meaning of the Emperor's words.
"We can make some arrangements regarding the division of the Landshut territory," Laszlo stated his plan. "By rights,
the land of those punished by Imperial ban should revert to the Emperor, but it also needs to be quickly re-enfeoffed, usually to those who contributed most to the conquest of the banned individual. In short, whoever occupies the land gets it.
I had originally wanted to see Landshut and Munich put on a good show of dog-eat-dog.
Who knew that Louis would flee without a word, and the Elector of Munich would be so slow? As a result, our Austrian army occupied most of the Landshut territory.
Tell me, what would happen if I simply claimed these territories for myself?"
Eyczing shook his head and said, "I fear the princes within the Empire would react very strongly, and even those who originally favored us might change their stance because of this."
"So, we only need three cities near Tyrol, a few pieces of land towards Bohemia, and some peripheral territories close to the Austrian heartland.
As for the core part, let's temporarily entrust it to the Elector of Bavaria as my daughter's dowry."
Laszlo turned back and smiled as he instructed Eyczing.
"That's a good idea, Your Majesty," Eyczing's eyes lit up. "This way, as long as the marriage has not been finalized, the Elector of Bavaria will have no choice but to obey your decrees, otherwise, we will have reason to reclaim the Landshut territories currently in our possession at any time."
"Exactly," Laszlo nodded and said, "When others violate Imperial law, and we raise an army to conquer them, we still need to consider the cost.
But for Bavaria, we have no such worries.
If he is unwilling to obediently submit to me, then we will have the opportunity to completely control Bavaria."
Although Laszlo was increasingly becoming a public enemy of the world, for now, he did not wish for overly aggressive expansion.
One reason was that Austria's expansion rate in recent years had been too rapid, exacerbating the already insufficient reserve of officials.
In some remote areas, he had no choice but to use the old feudal system of governance. In regions where the Chancellery system was established, large numbers of lower nobility and clergy also needed to be recruited to fill the vacancies.
To maintain effective control, Laszlo needed to cultivate more technocrats.
However, asking him to establish an entire education system was too demanding. Not to mention that he had been in a state of financial scarcity before, even now that the national treasury had some surplus, it would at most only be enough for him to establish a few schools, and that would still require deep cooperation with the Church.
The lack of talent was one aspect; another important reason was that Austria's expansion had been too rapid in recent years, and it still had many territories that had not been fully assimilated internally, making it unsuitable to swallow half of Bavaria in one go.
Of course, if there was an opportunity to swallow all of Bavaria in one go, Laszlo would likely be tempted and act immediately.
The attitude of the Imperial princes was Laszlo's biggest concern, but worrying was useless.
He had already embarked on a path of expansion within the Empire, which meant that a princely alliance against him was very likely to emerge in the future.
Unifying the Empire through peaceful means was no longer possible, and Laszlo had to consider the possibility of a prolonged war with the princes.
For this reason, he needed to make plans as early as possible, lest he be caught off guard when the Imperial princes collectively rebelled in the future.
Before that, he would use these minor tactics to deceive the Imperial princes, allowing them to lower their guard slightly.
Thinking this, Laszlo finally arrived at the castle owner's room. Pushing open the door, he found the inside in complete disarray.
There weren't many miscellaneous items in the room, but anything of value had been taken, and even Louis IX's bed had been carried off by someone.
This chaotic scene greatly disappointed Laszlo.
"I heard that Louis IX once hosted several grand banquets costing tens of thousands of florins, even more extravagant than me.
I had originally wanted to see how wealthy he was, but it seems there's no chance now.
Leave this wretched castle to Albrecht, I hope he likes it."
Laszlo and Eyczing quickly left the castle under the escort of their personal guards.
The location for the peace talks was finally set in the Landshut City Hall.
The city was spared destruction after paying a huge ransom. Although the citizens might face some hardships in the coming days, it was better than facing ruin in war and riots.
The Margrave of Ansbach, the Elector of Bavaria, and Laszlo were all present. Under the chairmanship of Austria's Chief Minister Eyczing, this division of spoils officially began.
The Margrave of Ansbach only requested the two territories he had occupied, one of which connected his two major fiefdoms, Ansbach and Bayreuth, a land he had long desired.
Laszlo and the Elector of Bavaria had no objections to this, and the Margrave of Ansbach then withdrew from the discussion.
However, when it came to the demarcation between Austria and Bavaria, the two sides had serious conflicts of opinion.
"Your Majesty, this isn't right, is it?" The Elector of Bavaria had been Laszlo's attendant just a few days prior, so he still spoke politely, but his anxiety was evident. "According to this demarcation map you've provided, I only get this one property, Wittelsbach Castle?"
"Albrecht, calm down," Laszlo tapped the table and said self-righteously, "Your brother only seized this small amount of land after the war began. The rest was conquered by the Imperial Army. Do you expect my Austrian warriors to hand over the land they painstakingly fought for, for free?"
Albrecht looked at Laszlo with complex eyes, vaguely guessing the Emperor's intention, and then asked, "Just state your conditions."
Laszlo immediately gave Eyczing a look, and the latter pulled out another pre-drafted engagement agreement.
"Let's finalize your marriage to Helena today. Part of the core territories of Landshut will be entrusted to you for administration as a dowry," Laszlo's words carried a warning. "If, for some reason, the marriage cannot be fulfilled, the Imperial Army will come to reclaim these territories."
Albrecht took the engagement agreement and read it carefully.
The Emperor was indeed very generous, directly giving him most of Landshut's core territories, with Austria only taking some peripheral areas.
However, these were all conditional. If he and the Emperor were to clash in the future, these territories would certainly be directly reclaimed.
Moreover, the Emperor actually intended to use their Wittelsbach family's hereditary lands as his daughter's dowry, so his "generosity" was only natural.
This aligned perfectly with Albrecht's impression of the Emperor; Laszlo never suffered a loss, was meticulous in his calculations, and now even he had become an object of the Emperor's caution.
Albrecht considered outright refusal, but what then? Was he to conspire with princes discontent with the Emperor and ignite a war?
At that point, no matter who ultimately won, Bavaria would not be preserved, and he would only become the biggest loser.
From another perspective, his future father-in-law was an invincible Emperor. As long as he worked hard enough to please and curry favor with the Emperor, he would not have to worry about not receiving more rewards.
Albrecht recalled his life in the Austrian court these past few years and finally made up his mind to be a freeloading husband.
He, in turn, acknowledged Austria's rule over parts of Landshut's territory in the form of a betrothal gift, specifically the lands Laszlo had demanded.
With the engagement agreement reached, the peace treaty naturally followed without issue. The scribe quickly drafted an agreement, clearly delineating the territories acquired by all three parties.
After all the agreements were signed, the territorial situation in Bavaria underwent a tremendous change.
In the previous Mainz War, Laszlo had seized most of the Upper Palatinate, placing it under the direct control of the Bohemian Court Chancellery.
This time, he made significant progress in all four directions. He took over Landshut's exclave in Swabia, further strengthening Austria's influence over the Free City of Augsburg.
His territories in Tyrol, Austria proper, and Bohemia also expanded to varying degrees.
Unbeknownst to many, Austria's territorial share in Bavaria had already reached one-sixth of the Bavarian Imperial Circle.
The territories acquired in this expansion were exceptionally high-quality lands for Laszlo.
Compared to the lands previously expanded in Venetia, Bohemia, and Switzerland, the people living on the lands acquired in Bavaria this time were all legitimate Germans with Imperial identity.
Although there were slight cultural differences between Bavaria and Austria, these were almost negligible.
For Laszlo, sending officials to manage these lands, collecting taxes, and developing mines were not the primary benefits.
The most important point was the ability to increase the number of Germans under his rule.
Relying solely on absorbing immigrants from within the Empire to populate Bohemia, Hungary, and the Balkans was too inefficient, far slower than direct expansion within the Empire.
This single expansion alone could increase the German population by tens of thousands, and Laszlo felt he was one step closer to creating an Empire dominated by Austria.
That night, the Elector of Munich, Albrecht IV, hosted a banquet as the host to celebrate the victory of the war, the reunification of Bavaria, and the marriage alliance between Austria and Bavaria.
Albrecht was undoubtedly fortunate. He had followed Laszlo for several years and inherited an almost complete Duchy of Bavaria.
This allowed him to be on par in strength with the other two secular Electors, excluding the Elector of Bohemia.
Of course, the territories of the Elector of Saxony and the Brandenburg Elector were currently incomplete.
Once the Margrave of Ansbach inherits Brandenburg, then the Hohenzollern Family, apart from Zollernburg in Swabia, will have vast territories including Ansbach, Bayreuth, and Brandenburg under one person's control, achieving a qualitative leap in strength.
For the Elector of Saxony, their uncle Wilhelm III had seized the County of Thuringia from their father, which accounted for almost half of the House of Wettin's territory.
And Wilhelm III, though advanced in years, still had no legitimate heirs, so there was a good chance the Elector would inherit Thuringia in the future.
Once Saxony and Thuringia unite, the House of Wettin's strength would surpass even the complete Hohenzollern Family.
For the Elector of Munich, Albrecht, his goal was also set on his own kin.
The Palatinate, despite losing nearly half of its territory after the Mainz War, was still one of the most powerful princes in the Rhineland.
If he could annex the Palatinate and unify all the territories of the Wittelsbach family, Bavaria would also have a chance to compete with Saxony and Brandenburg.
However, such a comparison did not hold much meaning, because to the east of the three major secular Electors stood a nation more powerful than all of them combined—the "Eastern March," Austria.
Perhaps it was because of this enormous weight on their minds that two of the three main protagonists present—the current Elector of Munich and the future Brandenburg Elector—did not show much enthusiasm.
The Margrave of Ansbach's fingers tapped incessantly on the dining table, his gaze towards the Emperor filled with conflict.
He had now obtained the lands he desired, and his strength had further increased, which should have been a cause for celebration.
However, with the Emperor right in front of him, he couldn't bring himself to be happy.
"What, does Marshal Albrecht have something to say?"
Laszlo leisurely savored the Bavarian delicacies piled on the table: venison, chicken, beef, and countless other roasted meats, interspersed with a sparse amount of vegetables.
If Laszlo remembered correctly, Bavaria had hosted two supposedly "most luxurious" wedding banquets in the 15th and 16th centuries.
In the original history, in 1475, Louis IX, "the Rich," held a wedding for his son Georg and Polish-Lithuanian Princess Hedwig, which cost 100,000 florins in just six days.
Think about it, that money was enough to hire thousands of seasoned mercenaries to fight for half a year.
At that time, the consumption of various animals at the banquet was in the thousands, and the guests once reached over a thousand people.
This shows that the lords of the Wittelsbach family were indeed wealthy and knew how to be extravagant.
It was a pity that the Imperial Army soldiers found nothing when they breached Landshut Castle, otherwise Laszlo would have liked to indulge in a little luxury himself.
While feasting, he observed the Margrave of Ansbach, who had no appetite at all, and thus asked the question.
Hearing his name called, the Elector of Munich also turned his gaze, but upon hearing "Marshal," he knew that the one being called was the Margrave of Ansbach, Albrecht [Achilles], sitting opposite him.
He did not avert his gaze but silently observed the subtly shifting atmosphere between the Emperor and the Margrave of Ansbach.
"Your Majesty, I've actually always wanted to find an opportunity to talk to you about Pomerania..."
The Margrave of Ansbach hesitated for a moment, then finally voiced one of his many deep-seated worries.
"Haven't we already discussed this?" Laszlo frowned slightly. "I believe both sides' territorial claims have some merit, but the Imperial Court of Justice has not yet reached a conclusion from its research."
It was the same old rhetoric. Those judges at the Imperial Court of Justice had been studying for over a year; they had probably lost the original case files to some unknown corner by now.
The Margrave of Ansbach was not surprised by this. His elder brother had previously had some conflicts with the Emperor over excessive expansion and later participated in many secret gatherings against the Emperor.
Now, the Emperor's allowing the war between Pomerania and Brandenburg to continue was probably also to vex his elder brother.
In the past two years, the Brandenburg Elector had indeed been much more subdued in the Imperial Diet, which pleased Laszlo, who secretly increased his support for the Duke of Pomerania.
"Your Majesty, what if one side achieves victory in the war before your court reaches a conclusion?"
The Margrave of Ansbach still decided to fight for his brother, lest all their efforts be in vain.
Laszlo's eyebrow twitched. The Margrave of Ansbach was usually a rather honest person; why was he so out of line today?
"Leaving aside that the situation in Pomerania is still unclear, even if a victor emerges, the final judgment made by my Imperial Court of Justice must be enforced.
If anyone disobeys, I will make him understand that the final arbitration power of the Emperor and the Empire's highest court is not to be disregarded."
Upon hearing this, the Margrave of Ansbach finally gave up hope. It seemed his brother's ambition would ultimately remain unrealized.
There was only one way to make the Emperor favor Brandenburg: to side with the Emperor in the Imperial Diet and show him loyalty.
Only by offering this as an exchange could he possibly gain the Emperor's tacit approval for the annexation of Pomerania.
Just as he had served Albrecht II and Laszlo for the past thirty years, exchanging loyalty for rewards and expanding his own power. But this was ultimately a difficult choice. Bowing to the Emperor meant ceding more rights, and if he became an Elector, doing so would be like digging the grave of all Electors.
The Margrave of Ansbach lowered his head, his eyes dim, but a dangerous thought quietly arose in his heart.
Unlike other princes, he had always cherished his friendship with the Emperor.
In Bohemia, he had charged into battle for Albrecht II, almost losing his life at the hands of the Hussite rebels.
In Varna and Italy, he had charged into battle for Laszlo, and also almost went to heaven.
If he were not destined to inherit the title of Brandenburg Elector in the future, he would surely have become a renowned Imperial general whose name would be etched in history.
However, the heavy responsibility of strengthening the family had, unknowingly, fallen upon him, the youngest of the three brothers.
Between loyalty to the Emperor and loyalty to his family, this pure warrior and upright enforcer ultimately found himself lost.
"I believe Your Majesty will ultimately make a just decision."
Seeing the atmosphere turn cold, the Elector of Munich quickly stepped in to mediate.
Laszlo continued to enjoy his meal with a clear conscience. With him, the Habsburg Emperor, how could any Hohenzollern Family still hope to rise?
The Margrave of Ansbach nodded in reluctant agreement.
Perhaps only after Emperor Laszlo's death, when the vast Habsburg Family Empire crumbled, would the Hohenzollern Family have another chance to expand.
But the thought of the Emperor still being so young made the Margrave of Ansbach feel that the future of his family was bleak.
Seeing the Margrave of Ansbach's gloomy expression, the Elector of Munich also felt a sense of frustration.
Like the poor fellow opposite him, his path of expansion was also blocked.
The Emperor's territories surrounded Bavaria on all sides, and he was also forced by those threatening engagement terms not to do anything that violated Imperial law.
This meant that if he reached out to the free cities or Imperial immediate territories, the Emperor's army would immediately march on Munich.
In the ten years before the marriage alliance was finalized, the only thing he could do was endure.
If he caused trouble like his relative, Louis IX, his ultimate fate would be to lose everything and live in exile.
The three at the table each harbored their own thoughts. Although they had just recently divided the Landshut territory, they were all plagued by even greater worries.
Just then, Eyczing suddenly approached Laszlo, leaning in to whisper an urgent piece of news.
"Your Majesty, the Count of Nellenburg unfortunately passed away after falling from his horse while hunting. As he left no legitimate heirs, his family line has ended.
After Governor Matthias swiftly dispatched envoys to negotiate with the local nobility, in accordance with Imperial law, they are willing to pledge allegiance to you and incorporate Nellenburg into Austria."
"Nellenburg? Where is that again?"
Laszlo was a bit confused. How could a territory suddenly become inheritable while he was eating and chatting?
"It's an Imperial immediate county located on the northern shore of Lake Constance, near Schaffhausen and Constance.
According to Imperial law, you can reclaim the land and re-enfeoff it after its lord dies without heirs.
Although this count does not have a seat in the College of Princes, he has one in the Swabian Imperial Circle Diet.
This way, our seats in the Swabian Imperial Circle will increase to 14, more than the Duke of Baden, and equal to the Duke of Württemberg."
This unexpected good news put Laszlo in high spirits. He immediately raised his glass and drained the wine produced in Styria.
Although a small county no longer caught Laszlo's eye, Austria's territory was constantly expanding, and his control over Swabia was gradually strengthening—all good reasons to celebrate.
"Hmm, later, recommend a few suitable people to serve as administrative officers there. After my review, they will take office directly.
The territories in Swabia are getting larger and larger, even comparable in size to the Duke of Württemberg's territory. It's difficult to manage them solely with the administrative systems of Tyrol and Outer Austria.
Should I establish a new state? No... the lands in Swabia are too fragmented; it's better if I directly appoint officials to govern them.
Additionally, Matthias did well. Later, send a special envoy to deliver my commendation edict to him, granting him a thousand florins, plus a castle in Styria."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Eyczing accepted the order and left. Laszlo's mood visibly improved, which made the Elector of Munich curious.
However, he was now an outsider to the Emperor and naturally had no opportunity to understand Austrian state affairs, so he could only suppress his curiosity.
The banquet ultimately ended on a sour note, but Laszlo certainly enjoyed himself, both the food and the Imperial land.
Having eliminated a major concern, Laszlo's actions within the Empire would be paused for a while.
Next, he could turn his focus eastward without worries, to see what other methods he could devise to deal with the Hungarian nobles who were ruining the country and its people.