The Kingdom of France faced troubles from the Duchy of Burgundy, while the Ottoman Empire had to contend with the resistance of the Karaman Beylik.
Now, Burgundy, supported by Laszlo, already had the strength to directly challenge France.
And facing the aggressive attacks of the Ottoman, the Karaman, who was being steadily pushed back, seemed like a good pawn for Laszlo.
Colluding with infidels was a serious accusation, but as long as it was done discreetly, unlike the King of France who made it known to everyone, everything would be fine.
As for how to provide support to the Karaman, Laszlo immediately thought of his old friends, the Genoese.
Although liberating Genoa was just a side task, Laszlo's favors to them went far beyond that.
Since Genoa and Venice engaged in maritime supremacy at the end of the last century, and suffered a complete defeat in the Battle of Chioggia, Genoa fell into continuous decline.
Since the beginning of the 15th century, severe deflation became the last straw for the Genoese.
Decades after the Black Death, the European economy began a full recovery, and the rapid increase in the Italian population led to the flourishing of the commodity economy.
Milan and Venice, the two great land powers in Italy, began decades-long wars of supremacy to contend for hegemony in Northern Italy.
However, Genoa, which had originally stood on equal footing with them, faced a problem that all countries heavily reliant on commodity trade had to confront: the depletion and scarcity of precious metal mines led to an insufficient supply of currency to support international trade.
In the first 50 years of the 15th century, the most useful currency in international trade was the ducat gold coin minted by the Venetians, and Venice was Genoa's mortal enemy.
Moreover, the supply of ducats could barely support the Venetians' maritime trade.
Ultimately, Genoa, with no way up or down, was treated by Milan as a roadside weed to be crushed, suffering military annexation for over a decade, during which more than a dozen large-scale uprisings erupted.
Later, Venice and Florence secretly supported Genoa's restoration of independence to weaken the powerful Milan.
However, even after regaining independence, Genoa remained in a semi-comatose state until internal strife in 1459 led to the invasion by King Charles VII, once again losing its sovereignty and becoming a vassal of France.
After the Italian Wars, Genoa regained its independent status. The pro-Emperor Adorno family, financed by Laszlo, successfully secured the position of Doge, significantly increasing the imperial faction's power in the government.
As long as the Emperor's power did not decline, the pro-French faction in Genoa had almost no chance of taking power.
For over two hundred years before this, the Doge of Genoa was nominally elected by the people, but in reality, only three were truly elected through legitimate means.
Almost all Doges came from the Fregoso family, who were close to the Pope and the King of France, or the Adorno family, who were close to the Emperor. During periods of occupation, the Doge was appointed by the occupying power.
Milan and France had both appointed the Doge of Genoa to exercise military control over Genoa.
Laszlo did not do this; he already had Milan in Northern Italy, which was enough. Releasing Genoa would save him a lot of effort.
If he forcibly occupied it, it would not only cause panic among the Northern Italian states but also force him to deal with endless Genoese rebellions.
However, after releasing Genoa, Laszlo, as the liberator, became the "Good Emperor" in the eyes of the Genoese people, saving them from the French.
Most Genoese merchants and even the Genoese government were willing to cooperate with the Emperor, especially since the Emperor controlled astonishingly productive gold and silver mines, and they also shared a common mortal enemy, the Venetians.
The Austrian currency minted from these gold and silver mines was the hope for Genoa's revival.
The Genoese used their navigation technology and banking to help the Emperor conduct Eastern trade, and through this opportunity, Genoa's economy also saw a wave of recovery.
Venice's close cooperation with the Ottoman Empire in Mediterranean trade meant that the Genoese could only lean towards the Empire.
Laszlo, as they wished, granted the Genoese privileges in Black Sea coastal and Danube River trade. In return, the Genoese brought Eastern goods and even white slaves from Crimea to Laszlo's Empire. They also provided Austria with artisans and experienced sailors, accelerating the construction of the Austrian Navy.
Although Genoa's shipbuilding technology was generally inferior to that of the Venetians, Laszlo's imperial foundation was incomparable to the crippled Venetians, meaning his fleet would always have a chance to surpass the Venetians.
Today's Venice, having its trade routes to the Empire choked off, had to suffer significant economic losses to obtain Laszlo's permission to maintain its trade network.
The Venetian Navy, once boasting the ability to assemble three thousand warships, might now struggle to gather even a hundred ships.
Meanwhile, Laszlo's Austrian Navy, after years of development, had gradually expanded to thirty warships, including five main oared-sail warships, and one large carrack purchased from Genoa with a full displacement of five hundred tons, 40 meters long, and 10 meters wide.
Although from Laszlo's perspective, this was just a slightly larger warship, incomparable to the sailing battleships of the Age of Discovery, it is no exaggeration to say that when the wind was favorable, all other warships in the Austrian fleet combined might not be able to defeat or outrun this single warship.
However, in an era where naval artillery technology was still immature, this large sailing warship did not carry many cannons; only some small cannons, discarded by the Austrian army, were placed on board. Moreover, this warship's role was as a flagship, undertaking auxiliary combat, providing fire support, and other tasks.
This fleet, which had a certain foundation of strength, had already been dispatched by Laszlo on many merchant convoy missions to reduce naval expenditure.
Sometimes, they would also moonlight as pirates. If they encountered a Venetian merchant ship, the Austrian naval flag would change instantly, transforming them into the remnants of the Dalmatian pirates, delivering a blow to Venetian merchant ships in the Adriatic Sea.
It can be said that the expansion of the fleet, in addition to Laszlo's deliberate allocation of resources, was inseparable from the strong support of the Genoese.
This was a healthy, win-win cooperative relationship, with results that satisfied both parties.
Now, whether Laszlo intended to develop a navy to contend for Mediterranean hegemony or to establish contact with Karaman by sea to secretly fund their tenacious resistance against Ottoman aggression, close cooperation with the Genoese was indispensable.
Having made up his mind, Laszlo immediately dispatched a messenger to Northern Italy to discuss a new round of cooperation with the Doge of Genoa. He himself, after spending some time with the Empress Dowager, set off south again for Croatia.
Firstly, he wanted to inspect and see how the re-merged Kingdom of Croatia was doing, and secondly, he wanted to personally oversee the next phase of the navy's construction plan.
Off the coast of Croatia, Kvarner Bay embraced Krk Island, the largest island along the northern Adriatic Sea coast, and Croatia's only outlet to the sea when the Venetians occupied the coast in the past.
This island belonged to the Principality of Primorje, subordinate to the Croatian state, a title that had been held by the Frankopan family for over two hundred years.
Frankopan Castle stood on the highest point of the island, with the family's owl banner fluttering in the wind.
Ivan VII Frankopan stood at the edge of the city wall, looking at the Austrian naval fleet slowly sailing into the harbor, revealing a meaningful expression.
His father, the former Governor Mihailo Frankopan, had recently passed away. Ivan had thought his inheritance of the governorship was a sure thing, but to his surprise, the Emperor appointed a criminal to be the new Governor of Croatia, which infuriated him.
However, their family had been de facto rulers in Croatia for decades, so he supposed His Majesty the Emperor would not tolerate them continuing to control Croatia.
Although Mihailo had repeatedly warned his son Ivan of this during his lifetime, Ivan still found it difficult to accept this fact for a time.
Even if the Emperor didn't merge Croatia, and let that Vitez Janos be the Governor of Slavonia, with him as the Governor of Croatia, wouldn't that be a good arrangement?
Not long ago, Vitez had invited him to Zagreb to serve as an advisor to help him manage the Kingdom of Croatia, but Ivan had temporarily declined, citing ill health.
He admitted there was indeed an element of sulking, but was the Emperor not at fault at all?
Just as Ivan was still deeply engrossed in internal conflict, an attendant came to him and reported, "Duke, your cousin, Lord Dujam, has come to visit you."
"Uncle Dujam?" Ivan frowned, then turned to look at the Austrian fleet anchored in the harbor, temporarily suppressing his doubts.
"Let's go, Uncle has finally returned after so long, I must personally greet him."
Dujam Frankopan, as the Admiral of the Austrian Navy, had a relatively close relationship with Ivan before.
However, thinking that his uncle might be returning home to visit family with a mission this time, Ivan found it hard to show a pleasant expression.
"Long time no see, Ivan, you look much more mature and steady."
Dujam greeted his nephew with a beaming smile and a hug.
Ivan twitched the corner of his mouth and unceremoniously quipped, "Uncle, you still smell of the ocean, just like before."
"Hehe, our family's rise depended on the ocean, don't you forget that."
Dujam reminded his nephew with considerable pride.
"While the ocean can bring wealth, only land can bring power. We seem to have been too focused on the ocean before."
Ivan sighed lightly, speaking with a hint of helplessness.
Seeing this, Dujam, recalling the task the Emperor had assigned him, immediately came up with a good idea.
"Ivan, are you angry with His Majesty the Emperor for not getting the position of Governor of Croatia?"
"My dear uncle, you mustn't speak such nonsense. I am merely regretful about it."
Ivan couldn't tell which side Dujam was on. They belonged to two major branches of the Frankopan family, and although they generally maintained consistency in Croatian politics, who knew if his uncle had his own agenda? He dared not admit to words that would definitely anger the Emperor.
Dujam saw his nephew's nervous demeanor and immediately understood his true thoughts.
"Actually, there's an opportunity before you now that can greatly improve His Majesty the Emperor's opinion of you, it just depends on whether you have the determination."
"Uncle Dujam, I hope you are not trying to trick me."
Facing his uncle's deliberately mysterious temptation, Ivan willingly took the bait.
"As you can see, I now command the Austrian fleet, and I owe this to your father's recommendation.
However, despite the rapid development of the fleet, His Majesty the Emperor is still dissatisfied with it and has therefore decided to integrate the Austrian Navy with the navies of several vassal states to form a joint fleet to jointly address the maritime threats from the Ottomans and Venetians."
"Hmm? But what does this have to do with me?"
Ivan was initially puzzled, but then, thinking of the state of the Croatian naval fleet, he immediately understood what was happening.
During his father's tenure in Croatia, the Croatian naval fleet achieved a leap from nothing to something.
Before the Italian Wars, the Croatian Navy was synonymous with the Frankopan family's private navy. After reclaiming large stretches of coastline from the Venetians, Governor Mihailo built a very limited Croatian Navy.
The Croatian fleet consisted of a few dilapidated medium-sized oared-sail warships and two armed merchant ships, basically only capable of undertaking coastal defense missions.
The Frankopan family's fleet, however, was much stronger, with a total of over ten warships, including three main oared-sail warships, several armed transport ships, and some small warships.
This fleet effectively protected the Frankopan family's trade in the Mediterranean, bringing them considerable profits.
Laszlo naturally didn't care for the Croatian fleet, but the Frankopan family's fleet was one of Laszlo's targets.
In addition, the many port cities along the Dalmatian coast were also Laszlo's targets.
He had previously signed an agreement with Trieste and some Venetian port cities, stating that during wartime, the ports would be responsible for requisitioning a total of thirty armed merchant ships and escort warships for Laszlo. In return, Laszlo would grant them more commercial privileges.
In Croatia, Laszlo also intended to follow suit. There were many free cities here, and if they did not want to suffer blockades or even plunder, they had to agree to Laszlo's demands.
Vitez was responsible for these negotiations, while Dujam was assigned the task of persuading his nephew to hand over the fleet.
"His Majesty wants to incorporate the Frankopan family's fleet, and of course, His Majesty will provide appropriate compensation."
Although Dujam added another sentence, Ivan still stood up abruptly, staring at his uncle, who was acting as a lobbyist, with a shocked expression.
"Uncle, do you not know what this fleet means to the family?"
"Calm down, this matter is not as unacceptable as you think.
His Majesty the Emperor wishes to incorporate the three main oared-sail warships in your possession. In return, he has allotted you a castle in Styria and an estate in Venetia.
Furthermore, His Majesty the Emperor hopes that you will be able to dispatch the family's fleet as reinforcements when Austria engages in naval conflicts with enemy nations. In return, the Frankopan family will receive a series of trade privileges.
Incidentally, Vitez was originally His Majesty the Emperor's chosen candidate for the next Hungarian Regent; he won't be in Croatia for long. His Majesty the Emperor told me that if you are a trustworthy person, perhaps the position of Governor…"
"Say no more, I agree!"
Ivan and Dujam exchanged glances, and both uncle and nephew smiled.