A series of changes in the Balkans and Asia Minor left everyone who was following the situation in the East somewhat bewildered.
Mehmed II, who had initially expected Constantinople to face a fierce assault this time, immediately breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that the Bulgarian army's target was Epirus.
At the suggestion of his many accompanying ministers, he began to seriously consider the relocation of the capital.
The location of Constantinople was still too dangerous.
The Ottoman's naval construction was almost non-existent, and they had to temporarily conscript warships for battle, while Austria's fleet was already quite substantial and had many strong maritime nations as allies.
If a war truly broke out, even with the help of the Venetian, it was very likely that the enemy would cut off the straits, and then the city would probably not escape its fate of falling.
In comparison, Nicaea, the ancient capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was across the strait from Constantinople, was clearly a better choice.
However, the war with Karaman was not yet over, and a hasty relocation of the capital might cause instability among the people. Mehmed II resolved that after removing Karaman as a stumbling block, he would immediately return to personally oversee the relocation.
But then, news brought by the Venetian envoy once again filled him with rage.
The combined fleet of Austria and Genoa secretly passed through the Aegean Sea, easily breaking through the Venetian blockade of Karaman's southern coast, and delivered a large quantity of military supplies to Bilal Ahmed, who had led a large army to collect them.
The Karaman Bey not only paid a large sum of money but also selected several items from his collection of treasures, along with some unique goods from the East, as collateral to the Austrian.
Although the Venetian were unsure of the exact quantity of military supplies, from the grand scale of Austria and Genoa's actions this time, it was certainly not a small number.
This meant that Karaman, which was originally on the verge of exhaustion, had now received a powerful new aid, not to mention that they now held a topographical advantage and could rely on their country's mountainous terrain to put up stubborn resistance and interception.
If the Ottoman army continued to advance, it was highly likely to suffer huge losses, and might even face defeat.
However, if they continued to be bogged down here with the Karaman, the morale of the soldiers might become extremely unstable, military expenditures would be unsustainable, and more importantly, the Empire's defense forces in other directions would remain at a relatively weak level.
Once any unexpected situation arose in other directions, Mehmed II would undoubtedly be caught between a rock and a hard place.
After a brief period of indecision, Mehmed II left an army with his son Mustafa to garrison Konya, constantly guarding against a Karaman counterattack, while he himself led his army back to the homeland.
Bilal Ahmed had already expanded his Armenian Janissaries with the large amount of military equipment provided by Austria.
The Karaman Bey was full of praise for the old firearms that Laszlo had meticulously collected for him.
Early firearms like matchlock guns and serpentines were not technologically complex, and Karaman's blacksmiths soon replicated similar weapons, albeit of slightly inferior quality, but it was better than nothing.
After reassembling an army of over 20,000, the Karaman Bey's scouts reported that the Ottoman main force had withdrawn from Konya.
He immediately assembled his troops, ordered his younger brother Prince Qasim, who had returned to his side, to command the vanguard, while he personally led the main force. The grand army departed from Karaman city and launched a counterattack northwards towards Konya, which had been occupied by the Ottomans.
Vienna, Hofburg Palace.
A banquet celebrating the successful conquest of Epirus was being held, and many Austrian ministers and dignitaries were gathered together, a rare occasion, to congratulate Laszlo on bringing another nation under his rule without shedding a drop of blood.
"Your Majesty, with this, the Despotate of Epirus, which was originally dependent on the Venetian, has also been brought into our sphere of influence. Our encirclement of the Venetian in the Mediterranean is gradually taking shape.
Once our navy is strengthened further, perhaps before long, we can put an end to the overconfident Republic of Venice."
Eyczing's increasingly aged face was smiling as he envisioned Austria's bright future.
"The Venetian are merely a minor ailment; the Ottomans are the true bane of my existence.
I only hope that in my lifetime, we can reclaim Constantinople from the hands of the infidels.
For this, we cannot let the Ottomans live too comfortably. I wonder how much impact this military aid to the Karaman will have."
Laszlo spoke in a relaxed tone, as if everything was under control.
He actually disliked personally engaging in warfare, mainly because the army was the foundation of his rule, and as long as they participated in war, the army would inevitably suffer attrition.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would not easily deploy his army.
In contrast, being a behind-the-scenes manipulator, using the conflicts between other nations to make them fight to the death, was the lowest-cost method of weakening enemies.
However, with the domestic situation now stable, Laszlo's thoughts began to stir.
He had many enemies, but eliminating them still required a sense of priority.
The disloyal princes within the Empire, after Landshut was partitioned, temporarily behaved submissively.
The war between Brandenburg and Pomerania was escalating, and in the Franconia region, the Margrave of Ansbach and the Bishop of Würzburg were fiercely contending for the title of Duke of Franconia.
The Bamberg Bishop, who was originally on the side of the Bishop of Würzburg, seemed to have fallen out with his ally over the unequal distribution of the "gold tariff," and now their respective territories were frequently attacking each other.
The Margrave of Ansbach and Nuremberg had already formed a grudge due to the war of 1449. All cases concerning Nuremberg were directly appealed by city representatives to Vienna, completely disregarding the Margrave of Ansbach, who was nominally the Governor of Franconia.
This led to the Margrave of Ansbach repeatedly protesting to Laszlo, but free cities were nominally imperial territories and fell under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court of Justice, which was procedurally sound, so Laszlo rejected the protests.
Apart from these two regions, which were in utter chaos due to the Hohenzollern Family's 瘋狂 expansionist ambitions, other regions could be said to be very stable.
Oh, except for the Duchy of Gelre in the Low Countries.
The old Duke of Gelre and his son were still performing their 'benevolent father, filial son' act, but this play would not last much longer, because Charles the Bold, who had acquired the right of succession to the Duchy of Gelre, had already led his newly formed army of over eight thousand Burgundian soldiers, menacingly marching into Gelre to suppress the rebellion.
This was the first appearance of the Burgundian New Army, and Charles specifically chose an easy target to test the results of his military reforms.
This move triggered widespread panic among the princes of the Lower Rhine-Westphalian Imperial Circle. Even Archbishop of Cologne Ruprecht, who had always resented Laszlo for stripping the Elector Palatine of his seat, sent envoys to Vienna to request Laszlo to protect the Empire and make Burgundy withdraw its troops.
Laszlo appeased these panicked princes by stating that the Duke of Burgundy had guaranteed not to attack the Empire. Regardless of the effect, at least these western princes no longer ignored him, the Emperor, as they used to, which made him quite satisfied.
As for Charles and his new army, Laszlo was also very curious about what level the Burgundian army could reach after absorbing the high-quality soldiers discharged from the Austrian army.
The current size of the Burgundian army was not yet enough to contend with the Kingdom of France, but if Charles developed for another year,
perhaps the next League of Public Weal war would break out again.
At that time, even if Charles was unwilling to fight Louis XI to the death, Laszlo would make him do it.
On the Ottoman side, he funded Karaman to annoy Mehmed II, and France could not be neglected either. Burgundy's power was not what it used to be, and Louis XI's days would not be easy in the future.
The only factor limiting the war between Burgundy and France was probably the old Duke, Philip the Good. This fellow became more cautious with age, and it was feared that unless he died, war with France would not break out for now.
Having taken so much imperial territory, yet unwilling to exert effort when it came to fighting France, Laszlo was already considering secretly plotting to kill Philip, but considering the alliance between the two countries, Laszlo suppressed his impulsive thoughts.
In any case, Philip was already over sixty and wouldn't live for many more years. When the hot-headed brother Charles succeeded to the ducal title, Louis XI's good days would be over.
As for Poland to the north, the Silesian-Oświęcim lord, who had previously had an unclear relationship with the King of Poland, seemed to have realized that he was flirting with death, and thus quickly severed ties with Kraków.
Laszlo thus lost a good opportunity to partition Poland again.
Looking around, there were no enemies that could threaten the Habsburg Empire. Laszlo, holding the strategic initiative, finally set his sights on Venice.
This merchant republic was filled with a group of profiteers who constantly thought about how to make a profit from price differences, and unfortunately, some things were monopolized by them, forcing buyers on the European continent to swallow their anger.
Laszlo resolved to rid the people of this menace and hang the last Venetian Doge.
However, before that day arrived, his navy still needed further development.
"The Karaman Beylik is, after all, the strongest infidel nation in Asia Minor apart from the Ottoman. I believe those infidels will not disappoint us."
Eyczing did not place too much hope in Karaman, as its leaders were just two young men under twenty.
However, he would not reveal his true thoughts to the Emperor. Perhaps Karaman could truly turn the tide and make the Ottomans not only fail to get their meat but also break their teeth.
Laszlo nodded. Although Bilal Ahmed had previously led an army of about fifty thousand and was routed by the Ottomans in half a day at Konya, he believed that people could improve.
As long as he could continue to bleed the Ottoman Empire, he could provide more aid to Karaman. Even if there was some loss, it was nothing; he would eventually recoup it from the Ottomans.
Before the next major war began, he had to ensure that the enemy remained in a state of continuous depletion.
And he, in turn, could use this opportunity to continue to develop the many nations under his rule.
Just as Laszlo was still pondering how to further develop Austria, a maid from within the palace rushed to the banquet, informing Laszlo that the Empress was in labor.
Laszlo, disregarding the guests at the banquet, entrusted the hosting of the event to Eyczing, then rushed to the delivery room in three strides.
The midwife had already entered the delivery room before his arrival, and Laszlo followed her in.
Inside the delivery room, candlelight flickered, and the smell of blood overpowered the incense. Leonor's knuckles, clutching the brocade quilt, were white, and her forehead was soaked with cold sweat.
Excruciating pain stimulated her nerves, and broken moans escaped her throat. Her gaze towards Laszlo held a hint of resentment. Before Laszlo left for Hungary, they had a big argument.
At that time, Leonor had learned from the court physician that due to her delicate constitution, if she continued to give birth after four deliveries, her life might be in danger.
However, every time she wanted to ask Laszlo if he would mind her inability to continue bearing children, she couldn't bring herself to utter the heartbreaking question.
The thought of the vast Empire Laszlo ruled, and how he would ensure these territories continued to accept Habsburg Family rule without sufficient heirs, weighed heavily on her.
Ultimately, Leonor chose to conceal it.
After she became pregnant with Laszlo's child again, she had hoped for more companionship from her husband, yet Laszlo left Vienna for Hungary without hesitation.
He was like a ruthless machine, moving between many countries, maintaining his rule.
Even after returning to Austria, he had endless official duties to attend to every day, only occasionally finding time to spend with her.
Although Laszlo provided her with ample material comforts, the emotional companionship was far from enough.
Finally, the day of release arrived.
Accompanied by Leonor's screams, she gave birth to a frail boy, followed by postpartum complications that caused her immense suffering.
Laszlo rushed to the bedside, leaning over to check on the Empress's condition.
Leonor's breath was faint, her life like a candle flickering in the wind. She struggled to lift her eyes, her fingertips trembling as she tried to caress Laszlo's cheek, but ultimately fell weakly.
"Doctor!"
Laszlo's eyes widened, and he cried out desperately.
The doctor standing by merely performed a brief diagnosis, then shook his head helplessly and said, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences."
Laszlo incredulously pulled Leonor into his arms, but all he felt was a cold body.
Without even a dying wish, his Empress had passed away.
That night, the Emperor's sorrowful cries and the newborn's wails echoed simultaneously through the empty palace.
Despite appearing weak at first, the frail child miraculously survived.
With mixed feelings, Laszlo named him Albrecht, in memory of the previous Emperor.
News of the Empress's death spread like wildfire across nations. The Emperor, in his grief, discarded all his brightly colored clothes, keeping only black attire.
Amidst his sorrow, Laszlo's cold and numb heart was still calculating.
The marriage alliance between Austria and Portugal was broken, and the establishment of an alliance became more difficult as a result.
The vacant position of Empress, who knew how many people would covet it…
After the Empress's funeral, he received countless portraits of noble women.
Perhaps after he emerged from the grief of losing his wife, he would have to arrange a new political marriage for himself, just as he did for his children, but for now, he was not in the mood to consider such matters.