Laszlo was always a man of action. As soon as he returned to Vienna, he summoned his most trusted ministers to discuss the plan of establishing a naval blockade to restrict the Ottomans.
Before that, he first received a piece of news that was both sorrowful and joyful.
His Royal Advisor, the former Salzburg Archbishop Burkhard, had passed away.
Due to Austria's powerful influence, in the election for the new Archbishop, the Austrian cleric Bernhard von Rohr, who had previously served as the Provost of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, was elected as the new Salzburg Archbishop.
Laszlo quickly confirmed his control over the Prince-Bishopric of Salzburg. Before officially taking office, Bernhard signed an oath of loyalty with Laszlo.
Subsequently, Bernhard directly replaced the late Burkhard, becoming the new Royal Advisor.
The dominance of the Ecclesiastical Princes' Council was almost completely in Laszlo's hands, a matter that greatly excited the Austrian ministers.
Soon, they threw themselves with full confidence into devising a plan to harm the Ottomans.
With everyone's suggestions and additions, a blueprint for a united front against the Ottomans was quickly outlined.
"Your Majesty, the Genoa Republic is certainly not an issue; their interests in the Mediterranean are highly aligned with ours.
Not long ago, the Doge of Genoa agreed to join your plan to jointly combat the Ottoman and the Venetian.
Then there's our ally, the Kingdom of Naples. You have bestowed many favors upon Naples, and Ferdinand I will not easily refuse your requests.
Moreover, we can entice him with benefits, especially if you can deepen your ties with the Neapolitan royal family through marriage," Eyczing cautiously observed Laszlo's expression as he offered his advice.
Laszlo pondered for a moment, ultimately deciding to adopt the suggestion. Everything for the Crusade, the Crusade is everything.
As long as the Ottomans threat could be completely removed, then the next thousand-year Empire might very well be the Habsburg Monarchy.
"Ferdinando I had previously proposed two marriages to me: for my eldest daughter, Helena, to marry his heir, Prince Alfonso, or for his daughter, Beatrice, to marry my second son, Maximilian.
Helena is already betrothed to the Elector of Bavaria, so let Maximilian marry the Neapolitan princess instead."
The Neapolitan princess, known as "Beatrice of Aragon," though only nine years old, already had quite a reputation and was sure to be a beauty in the future.
Although his son marrying a Neapolitan princess seemed a bit beneath him, upon closer thought, apart from the French royal family, there were no other top-tier families on the entire continent that were a suitable match for the Habsburg Family.
"A wise decision, Your Majesty. I can personally go to Naples to arrange this marriage for you, as well as deepen the alliance with the Kingdom of Naples."
Eyczing, seeing the Emperor's trust in him, immediately offered to personally travel to Naples to complete the first piece of the maritime anti-Ottoman alliance.
"I'll leave it to you then."
Laszlo had always been confident in Eyczing's abilities, and he was quite certain that there would be no problems with Naples.
"Next is the Kingdom of Portugal. Since the death of King Henrique, the Portuguese Atlantic faction has declined, and Alfonso V has mainly focused his energy on expansion in North Africa.
However, he suffered a painful defeat in North Africa two years ago, and this military adventure caused Portugal's expansion in North Africa to once again fall into a stalemate.
If we can secure their help, we can now crush the naval forces of the Ottoman and Venice."
"Let's observe the situation first. I will first send an invitation to Alfonso V in a private capacity and make a decision after seeing his response."
Laszlo planned to have Leonor write another family letter, to see if his brother-in-law could provide strong support as he did last time.
This was the most suitable method. Although Portugal's interests in the Mediterranean were somewhat threatened, it was not a major concern.
Strictly speaking, Portugal's current naval strength should be on par with Venice, or perhaps even stronger.
It was just a pity that Portugal could not commit its entire naval force to the Mediterranean to help Laszlo counter the Ottomans.
How much help Laszlo could receive depended entirely on his brother-in-law's ambition.
"Next are the Papal States and the Knights Hospitaller. The Pope's stance might waver due to Venice's position,
but the Knights Hospitaller are very likely to join our side."
"Your Majesty, allow me to be the envoy to Rome to persuade the Holy See! I will make the Holy See aware of your determination to fight the infidels!"
Bishop George of Metz, attending his first Privy Council meeting, immediately volunteered.
On one hand, he was moved by Laszlo's firm belief in confronting the Ottomans; on the other hand, he had a premonition that if he could contribute to the formation of this alliance, the position of Cardinal would surely be within his grasp in the future.
"Good, then the task of persuading the Pope is entrusted to you, Bishop George of Metz."
Laszlo looked with some joy at Bernhard, who was actively engaging in Austrian affairs.
The Archbishop had just turned forty, and was now in the prime of his life, full of vigor and ambition.
He had previously risen to be the Provost of St. Stephen's Cathedral, and now as Salzburg Archbishop, it seemed he had not forgotten his identity as an Austrian.
The discussion was about to conclude when Marshal Adolf, who had been silent, suddenly spoke: "Your Majesty, I believe that only by uniting under your banner can we better spread the faith and fight against heretics and infidels.
You have sought so many allies hoping to impose a naval blockade on the Ottoman. I think we should also take action in the Balkans." Laszlo was slightly startled, then quickly realized: "Are you referring to Albania and Epirus?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, they are like two small worms wriggling on the edge of your vast Empire. Now is the time to eliminate them.
Albania is plagued by internal strife, and Skanderbeg's attitude towards the Empire is very cold, having repeatedly rejected your goodwill.
The Tocco family of Epirus is very close to the Venetian and has cut off our land connection with Morea. They are a hidden danger that must be eliminated.
Since they are unwilling to submit, you should send troops to conquer them and achieve our absolute control over the Balkans, which is crucial for resisting the Ottoman infidels.
Moreover, as Roman Emperor, you inherently have the right to rule those lands; they are merely criminals occupying your territory."
Marshal Adolf was already very old. Before he became completely incapacitated, he hoped to conquer more territory for the Emperor, to repay the two Emperors for their recognition and trust.
Moreover, maintaining peace was not the Emperor's style.
Having pacified Switzerland the year before last, and destroyed Landshut last year, if no country was destroyed this year, Adolf always felt a bit uneasy.
Perhaps he was too keen on war, but now that the Habsburg Dynasty's strength was growing, such local wars were simply an easy matter.
Always leaving these two small countries in the Balkans was always a bit of an eyesore.
(The red blob represents the Albanian principalities, whose structure was very loose)
"As for Albania... let's wait until Skanderbeg dies.
I greatly respect this general. Mehmed II suffered painful defeats at his hands multiple times, and I will not let my soldiers sacrifice themselves in vain like that.
As for Epirus, it's a good target."
Laszlo considered that attacking Epirus might trigger a war with the Venetian, but then immediately realized that a war with the Venetian was exactly what he was hoping for.
He was preparing to send his fleet to the Eastern Mediterranean to contend with the Venetian. If the Venetian dared to go to war with him to protect Epirus, he wouldn't be afraid in the slightest.
The King of France was currently troubled by the newly formed League of Public Weal, and if he could use this opportunity to weaken Venice and the Ottoman, it would be a good thing for him.
"I intend to assign the task of attacking Epirus to Frederick and the Order of Saint George.
For such a distant and small country, there is no need to make Austrian soldiers embark on a distant expedition and suffer unnecessary losses."
"Your Majesty, this is the best choice."
Fugger, who managed the finances, immediately expressed his agreement, as this would mean the war would not cost Austria money.
Austria's finances were just starting to improve. Including taxes from Bohemia and Silesia, tributes from various vassal states,
and various other miscellaneous incomes, it could even rival the Kingdom of Hungary.
Although many of these incomes were not long-term stable, such as the money Laszlo obtained from the Empire through diplomatic means, and spoils of war, they were enough to prove that Austria's economic strength had achieved a qualitative leap.
The previous demobilization also saved the Austrian government a large sum of expenditure. Although a portion of it was reinvested into the navy, it was enough to keep Austria's treasury with an annual surplus of around fifty thousand florins.
It was a welcome development that Austria's taxes could finally be used for its own expenses rather than for debt repayment.
Moreover, this did not include the Emperor's private treasury, which was jointly supported by all the countries under his rule and responsible for covering royal expenses. Although the Emperor often subsidized the national treasury with his private funds, long-term accumulation had also allowed the Emperor to amass a considerable fortune, totaling around one hundred and fifty thousand florins.
As long as a large-scale war did not break out again, Laszlo would not need to frequently issue war bonds or even borrow from banks.
The other ministers also agreed. Epirus was, after all, too far from Austria. The Emperor would care about it, but they did not need to.
Once this matter was decided, special envoys soon departed from Vienna for Bulgaria, carrying Laszlo's latest instructions for Frederick, the Regent of Bulgaria.
After a long period of silence, Austria once again launched multi-front operations in the East. This news quickly reached the ears of Laszlo's allies and enemies.
A new naval Crusade, Laszlo ordered this to be widely publicized, and the goal of the Crusade was clear: still Constantinople.
Of course, whether Constantinople could actually be retaken was still a question mark, but no one except Laszlo knew if he was truly serious about it.
For the Emperor, who was eagerly planning to organize a large fleet to sail to the Aegean Sea for a decisive battle with the Ottoman navy, Pope Paul II, after a brief struggle, quickly expressed his support.
During the time of Pope Callixtus III, the Ottoman were defeated, and the Hussite were cleared out. Pope Callixtus III also benefited from the Emperor's glory and became one of the greatest Popes in history.
Despite his and the notorious Borgia family behind him, it could not obscure the many glorious victories the Church achieved during his tenure.
Paul II believed that if Constantinople could be recovered by Christians during his pontificate, his name would also be praised by the faithful in the future.
As for his home country, Venice, he had already been benevolent enough to turn a blind eye to Venice's collusion with the Ottoman.
It should be known that in the past, papal elections received strong support from behind-the-scenes forces, but Venice had no intention of supporting him in the papal election.
The main reason he was elected was that France and the Empire were at a stalemate, and he was chosen as a compromise.
Given this, he did not need to be too constrained by Venice.
Moreover, Paul II himself, while extremely conservative, was also a religious fanatic. Both heretics and infidels were beings that had to be eliminated in his eyes.
Therefore, he ultimately agreed to Laszlo's proposal to launch a naval Crusade, though the specific details still required further discussion.
Genoa, Naples, and the Knights Hospitaller also gave affirmative replies.
King Ferdinand I of Naples was overjoyed to learn that the Emperor was willing to form a marriage alliance.
He knew very well that the Anjou family of France would never truly abandon their rights in Naples, and the Anjou faction within the country was now resurfacing, with the shadow of the Kingdom of France behind it.
After a dispute with his native Kingdom of Aragon over the issue of Sicily, Ferdinand I, who called himself "King of the Two Sicilies," desperately needed a strong and stable patron to protect his fragile rule in Naples, and the Emperor was his target.
Although this would come at the cost of Naples losing some diplomatic and economic autonomy, it was better than letting the French make a comeback.
As long as the marriage alliance was achieved, the alliance between Austria and Naples would be unprecedentedly solid, and he would no longer have to live in daily fear.
Portugal had not yet made a statement. Alfonso V had received a letter from his sister Leonor and was currently weighing the pros and cons.
Although his military adventure in North Africa had temporarily suffered a setback, this did not mean that interfering in Mediterranean affairs was a better option.
The last time Portugal participated in a Crusade, its naval fleet was almost annihilated. Although it later received abundant returns, Portugal inevitably fell into a period of weakness for some time, and even its exploration activities along the West African coast were affected.
It was precisely because of this that Alfonso V was hesitant about the Emperor's initiative.
Another reason was that the civil war in Castile, Portugal's neighbor, had entered a heated stage, and Alfonso V was gradually beginning to set his sights on Castile.
Compared to the distant Ottomans, the weak and vulnerable Castile right before him was more attractive.
The envoys quickly brought back the replies from all parties to Vienna, which greatly excited Laszlo.
Good, this encirclement had been established. As for whether to actually launch a Crusade, that would depend on the real situation.
Just maintaining the current fleet was already quite expensive. If he were to truly engage in a decisive naval battle with the Ottomans and the Venetian, the fleet's size would probably need to expand considerably.
He did not need to spend so much money at the moment, but intimidating the Ottomans through such means was also very effective.
For no other reason, he just wanted to tell the Ottomans: The tables have turned!
Sooner or later, he would lead a large army to launch a fierce assault on Constantinople from land and sea, and effortlessly conquer this "City of the World's Desire."