After the Emperor's envoy arrived in Venice, the Venetian Government, already in disarray, quickly dispatched a special delegation to Vienna to negotiate with the Emperor, as if clutching at a life raft.
The retreat of their navy had plunged them into utter despair; the Venetians were now completely out of options.
Even if they had dealt with all the incompetents who had caused the war's failure, it would do nothing to remedy their current dire situation.
With Gemini Port fallen and the trade routes to the East completely severed, the Venetians were now unable to even organize a decent merchant fleet, directly cutting off the lifeline of the commercial republic.
Moreover, if the Emperor could take Gemini Port, he could just as easily take Athens and Negroponte, until the Venetians lost all their overseas territories, by which time Venice itself would likely have collapsed first.
Now, the only remaining demand of Venice's political elites, those shrewd merchants, was to ensure their personal safety, and if possible, to preserve the wealth they had accumulated over many years, which would of course be even better.
As for the future of the Republic and the fate of others, these matters were no longer theirs to decide.
During this war, a large number of noble elites had died in battle, and Venice's trade networks—both land and sea—were almost completely destroyed. Although they would quickly regain control of the seas after peace was restored, their influence would certainly be far less than before.
This caused them to completely lose the courage to continue fighting.
In fact, they had wanted to stop fighting even earlier, but unfortunately, they still harbored illusions, hoping to achieve peace by paying a sum in reparations.
When Laszlo first met the Venetian envoy, the other party had offered peace terms demanding that Austria return all Venetian territories occupied during the war, and Venice would then pay 250,000 florins in five installments.
This directly made Laszlo laugh in anger, and all his ministers also believed it was an insult from the Venetians to the Emperor and the Empire.
From then on, Laszlo no longer received envoys sent by the Venetians for peace talks, because he knew that those so-called 'elites' of Venice were idiots who wouldn't shed tears until they saw the coffin.
He decided to continue the war until he believed the Venetians would completely submit, and now was the moment Laszlo deemed opportune for peace talks.
After a ceremonial audience with the Emperor, Francesco Capello, the representative of Venice, was brought before Eyczing, the chief minister of the Austrian court.
At opposite ends of the long negotiating table, the representatives of Austria and Venice sat facing each other.
"Mr. Francesco, we meet again."
Although his tone was polite, Eyczing's expression was not pleasant.
The last time, the envoy sent by the Venetians was also this excellent merchant and diplomat, an important member of the Capello family. At this moment, Francesco's mood was extremely anxious, like a prisoner awaiting execution, silently offering his last prayers in his heart.
He tried his best to appear calm, but his constantly trembling hands betrayed him.
Just now, when he met the Emperor, the pressure the Emperor exerted on him was much greater than last time, and he had not yet fully recovered.
"Your Excellency Eyczing, I have come for peace again, and I hope we can reach an agreement this time."
Francesco did not beat around the bush; he only wanted to quickly conclude the negotiations and end this damned war.
"Hmph, if the Venetians truly had the sincerity to embrace peace, our last meeting would have been enough to end all disputes."
Eyczing's attitude was very firm; he was unwilling to show any pleasantries to the Venetians.
The Republic of Venice had once, by itself, fought against the prosperous Anjou Dynasty of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. Although it suffered some defeats, the Republic's development was not significantly affected, which led them to mistakenly believe they possessed sufficient power to contend with a continental power.
However, the Kingdom of Hungary's goal was only Dalmatia, the Ottoman Empire's goal was only the Aegean Sea and Greece, while Austria's goal was Venice, and it had already occupied most of Venice's "homeland."
After two wars, the Venetians came to their senses and realized that the situation was very wrong.
In the past, they often got into disputes with regional continental powers because they had spread themselves too thin, but this time the opponent was different. The Austrians had targeted Venice, the richest city and republic in all of Europe, from beginning to end.
Therefore, their once-unfailing monetary offensive had lost its effect, leaving them with only two choices: submission or destruction.
The rulers of Venice would certainly not choose destruction, so they were already prepared to accept all harsh conditions.
"Let's discuss the peace terms, Your Excellency Eyczing. I will show you our sincerity; peace is what all Venetians crave."
"First, regarding the Dalmatia region. According to the Treaty of Zara, all of Dalmatia belongs to the Kingdom of Hungary. In the previous war, we have already recovered the mainland part of Dalmatia. Now, His Emperor demands that the Venetians return all islands off the coast of Dalmatia to the Kingdom of Hungary."
"Wait, Your Excellency Eyczing, Dalmatia was bought by the Republic for a hefty sum; how can it be considered..."
"A hefty sum of one hundred thousand florins? And it was a transaction with a rebel?"
Eyczing coldly interrupted Francesco's defense.
"We only recognize Sigismund of Luxembourg as the successor to the Anjou Dynasty and Louis I the Great.
The King of Naples, Ladislaus, a claimant to the Hungarian throne and a rebel leader, was the one who transacted with you, selling important Hungarian territories like Corfu and Dalmatia to Venice. We will not recognize this illegal transaction, therefore you must return Dalmatia."
In those days, King Ladislaus of Naples, as the last direct male member of the Anjou Dynasty, after failing to contend with Sigismund of the Luxembourg Family for the Hungarian crown, then sold Dalmatia, which he had occupied, to the Venetians at a low price. Laszlo would certainly not recognize this transaction.
"This..." Francesco thought of the entrustment from the Great Council and the Doge, and then considered that Venice only had a few worthless small islands left in Dalmatia. He immediately nodded and said, "We agree to this demand."
"Next are the territories in Greece and the Aegean Sea. The Emperor allows you to retain Athens and Negroponte. Some of the islands in the Aegean Sea need to be ceded to the Republic of Genoa, and as compensation, the Emperor will return Gemini Port to the Republic of Venice."
Although such terms sounded very generous, Francesco immediately realized that something was amiss.
Now that the Crusader Fleet had seized naval supremacy in the Aegean Sea, taking a few islands would not be difficult, but why would the Emperor be willing to return Gemini Port?
"Then, what is the price?"
Francesco then asked with difficulty.
"The Republic of Venice must declare its submission to His Emperor and henceforth become a vassal state of Austria, paying an annual tribute of fifty thousand florins.
In addition, important hubs such as Venice, Corfu, and Gemini Port must be garrisoned by the Imperial Army.
All commercial and political intelligence obtained by the Republic of Venice must be shared with the Austrian Government."
Hearing these expected terms, Francesco's hanging heart finally settled.
The Emperor had intended to swallow the entirety of Venice from the beginning, but Austria lacked sufficient naval power to take over Venice's legacy, and it was highly probable that the Genoese would pick up the pieces.
Although Genoa and Austria were currently in a honeymoon period, history had repeatedly proven that there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. Therefore, the Emperor intended to allow the Republic of Venice to continue its precarious existence under his protection, to counterbalance the Republic of Genoa.
If they could regain the right to use these trade transit points, Venice's trade network could quickly be rebuilt, and a continuous flow of money would once again converge in Venice.
To be honest, an annual tribute of fifty thousand florins was somewhat underestimating the wealth of Venice.
However, thinking of the current economic collapse due to the war, the dire situation where Venetian banks could not even honor bills of exchange and were cursed daily by citizens blocking their doors, Francesco quickly cast aside his ridiculous pride.
"These conditions are also acceptable."
"Next are the issues concerning the Doge of Venice, the Great Council, and the Navy.
We will not recognize any so-called nobles recorded in the Golden Book of Venice.
However, any Venetian citizen can obtain the status of urban elite by paying a 'security deposit' of three thousand florins to His Emperor, thereby being allowed to become a council member and enjoying certain commercial privileges.
The Great Council needs to be reorganized on this basis, and then it can elect the Doge of the Republic independently, but the Doge must first personally meet the Emperor, swear allegiance, and obtain the Emperor's approval.
Regarding the Navy, during wartime, the Venetian fleet must fight for the Emperor and accept unified command."
Upon hearing that the Emperor had not demanded a major purge of the Venetian elite, Francesco breathed a slight sigh of relief.
After all, his Capello family was one of the oldest among the Golden Book nobility.
Francesco was at a loss for how to evaluate the Emperor's imitative tactics.
When the Venetian Government expanded the number of Golden Book nobles, they used to collect three thousand florins from the prospective members to verify if their economic strength qualified them to be part of the Golden Book nobility.
This method had disappeared for many years after the Golden Book noble class became completely closed off, and it was unexpected that the Emperor would now revive it.
This was actually beneficial to those Venetian political elites who considered themselves nobles, because they controlled far more resources than commoners, and thus would naturally find it easier to become the "new nobles" of the Republic after the reshuffle.
Francesco unhesitatingly agreed to the remaining conditions.
Subsequently, Francesco had another conversation with Fugger, the Austrian Minister of Finance, to discuss lifting the trade blockade.
After everything was settled, he rushed back to Venice without delay, bringing the results of the peace talks to the Great Council, awaiting the council's final confirmation.
News of the peace talks between Austria and Venice quickly spread through the courts of various European countries via spies.
Naturally, such news brought mixed feelings of joy and sorrow across the European continent.
The Imperial Free Cities and merchants who had suffered significant commercial losses due to the war were overjoyed at the long-awaited peace.
For commercial development, the most important thing is a stable environment. Unfortunately, while order was restored within the Empire under the Emperor's rule, regions outside the Empire remained embroiled in continuous warfare.
Fighting elsewhere was not a major issue, but once Venice, the terminal node of the entire Imperial trade network, became involved in war, trade as far as Northern Europe would be affected.
Especially when Venice's enemy was the Emperor, no one could stop him unless the Emperor himself was willing to cease hostilities.
Unlike these free cities, which felt like rain after a long drought, Venice's allies were quickly agitated by this astonishing news.
Louis XI, still commanding his army in Nantes, was immediately enraged upon hearing the news, bitterly condemning the Venetians for breaking their alliance, and then proceeded to curse the Emperor and the Duke of Burgundy.
In truth, he knew very well that he had no standing to criticize the Venetians, for although France's promised aid was not much, he had not provided it either, so all the Venetians had received from him were mere promises.
And it was by relying on the grand promises of the French King and the Ottoman Sultan that the Venetians had stubbornly held out for so long, until the Austrians acted dishonorably, using the Crusader Fleet, originally intended for infidels, against the Venetians, which rapidly brought the war to a close.
The thought of the Emperor about to clear yet another major obstacle, while he himself was still tied down by domestic feudal lords, filled Louis XI with frustration.
That damned Charles had besieged Paris for several months, and recently, domestic forces opposing him had begun to stir again. Those nobles he had pardoned during the first War of the League of Public Weal now seemed to want even more rights.
Fortunately, he had secured the support of the Dukes of Anjou and Bourbon with high offices, generous emoluments, and past favors, temporarily alleviating worries about a rebellion at home.
What worried him most was Paris; he considered the people of that city to be stubborn and extremely dangerous, and they did not particularly favor Louis XI as their King.
If it weren't for the brutal reputation of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, spreading across Europe, the citizens of Paris might have opened the city gates and surrendered long ago.
What those citizens feared was simply a repeat of the bloody massacre perpetrated by the English army when they occupied Paris, should the Burgundian army enter the city.
However, even if they could hold out now, once food ran out, riots would inevitably break out in the city. At that point, even if the Duke of Anjou fought with all his might, he probably wouldn't be able to defend Paris.
Currently, Duke François of Brittany was holed up like a timid turtle in his strong fortress, and no matter how the French attacked, they could not breach the heavily guarded Duke of Brittany's castle.
Even the Count of Foix, who was sent to persuade him to surrender and was also the Duke of Brittany's brother-in-law, was turned away without any success.
After weighing the pros and cons, Louis XI ultimately decided to temporarily abandon Brittany and return to relieve Paris.
Not only had the war situation changed in France, but in the distant East, the Ottoman Empire was also significantly affected by the peace talks between Austria and Venice.
Mehmed II, who had just returned to his capital Bursa from Konya, hastily recalled the fleet sent to aid Venice, and then ordered his men to strengthen Constantinople's defenses as much as possible.
However, the situation on the Karaman front remained highly contested, and Mehmed II's previous strategy of "losing in the West, compensating in the East" now ironically constrained him.
Unable to concentrate all its forces to protect Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire quickly became apprehensive.
The previous relocation of the capital had already caused many high-ranking officials and nobles to flee Constantinople; now, with the Venetian defeat, Constantinople's situation became even more critical, and more people began to flee Constantinople for refuge in Asia Minor.
No one knew if the Ottoman army could defend Constantinople against the impending Crusader offensive.
Under complete desperation, the Venetians unhesitatingly chose to submit to the Emperor, and news of peace spread to all battlefields.
The trade and commercial route blockades between the two sides were lifted, and the Venetian letters of marque were quickly declared void. If all went as expected, the navies of Austria and Venice would next need to clear out a large number of pirates to restore normal commercial order in the Adriatic Sea.
Regarding important trades controlled by the Venetians, such as salt, spice, and saltpeter, Laszlo and Fugger chose to intervene jointly, appointing royal merchants in Venice to leverage the Venetian trade network for profit.
Facing the royal family's overtures, the chosen Venetian merchants all accepted with pleasure, some even feeling flattered.
After all, shrewd merchants who had been in the market for many years naturally knew how valuable a powerful patron was, not to mention that this time they had found the pinnacle of the entire Christain world as their backer.
The Emperor sponsoring them to do business with the infidels of Egypt sounded exciting.
After the peace talks were concluded, Cristoforo Moro, the Doge of Venice who had originally been put forward as a scapegoat, very consciously resigned from his position, awaiting his final judgment.
When this seventy-eight-year-old man was escorted to Vienna with a relaxed expression, Laszlo did not order him to be hanged directly, as he had with the previous Doge of Venice; instead, he held a public trial.
After all, although the Moro family was on the verge of decline, it was still one of the most powerful and wealthy families in Venice at the time.
As its leader, Christopher Moro was highly regarded in Venice for his public spiritedness and frequent donations to charities.
For such a figure, directly killing him would be detrimental to Laszlo's control over Venice, and might even deepen the Venetians' fear and rebellious sentiments.
This time, Laszlo did not intend to let the Venetians off lightly; he had to prepare for the long-term control and utilization of Venice.
Thus, after some defense, Moro received a special pardon from Laszlo.
Laszlo then issued arrest warrants for several Venetian politicians whom Moro personally identified as advocating collusion with the Ottomans.
The Venetian City Guard, still controlled by the Moro family, actively carried out this final task before being reorganized, arresting all the culprits who had not managed to escape.
After dealing with a batch of scapegoats, Moro submitted his letter of allegiance to the Emperor and was therefore allowed to continue serving as Doge of Venice, presiding over the establishment of the new Venetian Council and government.
Those Golden Book nobles who had initially feared liquidation quickly transformed into the new elite class of the republic. Although they could no longer amuse themselves with self-proclaimed noble titles, most of them kept their lives and property.
After appeasing the Venetian populace, Laszlo turned his gaze eastward.
With the fall of the Venetians, the Ottomans were next to suffer.
The Crusader Fleet soon anchored off the coast of Greece and began operations to cut off the Bosphorus Strait.
Although the Ottomans strengthened the Throat-Cutter Castle and installed heavy cannons on it, they still could not prevent the Crusader Fleet from blockading the entire strait.
All Ottoman ships heading to the opposite shore would be intercepted, either captured or sunk.
The Ottoman fleet, which had left the Aegean Sea and returned to the Asia Minor coast, dared not come out to confront them. Their strength was barely enough to deal with the recently defeated Venetians, let alone the Crusader Fleet.
Since the fall of their European territories, the Ottoman Empire's navy had been greatly weakened by a lack of skilled sailors. Coupled with the heavy consumption of national finances by the land war, Mehmed II was forced to conscript merchant ships into the fleet.
The combat effectiveness of these ships could only be described as truly pathetic; the Crusader Fleet could easily crush the Ottomans fleet.
This time, the Ottomans would no longer have the opportunity to seize naval supremacy from the Crusaders.
The fighting in the Balkans finally gradually subsided, and the internal strife in Wallachia was quelled once more. Radu disappeared, and Vlad the Impaler once again defended his throne from the rebels.
On New Year's Day of 1468, the Balkans finally welcomed a long-awaited peace, though many knew it was merely the calm before the storm.
On the same day, Laszlo received the latest battle report from France.
"So the final decisive battle will break out soon?"
Laszlo stared at the report presented by the Duke of Armagnac, a surge of excitement in his heart.
Louis XI had already led his army back to relieve Paris, and Charles, Duke of Burgundy, had also lifted the siege of Paris, repositioning his army nearby to confront the French royal army.
It seemed an eagerly anticipated grand decisive battle was about to occur.
However, the Duke of Armagnac shook his head and said, "Emperor, I estimate this decisive battle may not break out as we wish."
"How so? Does Louis XI still have a way to make Charles, who has reached the gates of Paris, retreat without a fight?"
Laszlo certainly didn't believe it. With Charles's muscle-bound brain, he would probably be so excited he'd want to start fighting immediately if he saw Louis XI abandon Brittany and rush towards him as he wished.
"That is entirely possible, Emperor. Louis XI has a numerical advantage, but his army has traveled a long distance and is exhausted. Moreover, he himself does not wish to use his army to engage in this gamble-like decisive battle with the Duke of Burgundy.
My scouts have reported that Louis XI is sending people to instigate a rebellion in Liège. Although the Bishop of Liège, from the Bourbon family, has a deep friendship with Philip the Good, he seems to have many grievances against Charles.
Perhaps Louis XI will use some tactics to stall for time, forcing Charles to retreat, after which he can continue to bare his fangs at the feudal lords within France."
The Duke of Armagnac revealed all the intelligence he possessed.
He had now lost all sense of belonging to any faction in the French civil war.
Louis XI was his mortal enemy, and the Duke of Burgundy also had a long-standing feud with the Duke of Armagnac.
John the Fearless, the grandfather of Charles, Duke of Burgundy, had massacred the grandfather of Jean V, Duke of Armagnac, and supporters of the Armagnac faction later assassinated John, ultimately leading to the outbreak of the Burgundy-Armagnac civil war.
Although the two families later reconciled, with one side leaving the kingdom and the other losing power, the hatred caused by the abnormal deaths of the two Dukes was not so easily dissipated.
Their previous alliance was solely because Charles and Philip intended to blame John's death on Charles VII, and Jean V, having been taken in by the Emperor, had no choice but to temporarily cooperate with the Duke of Burgundy.
After the Duke of Berry, whom he had always favored, surrendered to Louis XI, the Duke of Armagnac lost confidence in all factions of France. He collected a large amount of intelligence from an outsider's perspective and handed it over to the Emperor.
Hearing the Duke's report, Laszlo frowned.
This Louis XI was truly like a rat in a sewer, always using such underhanded tactics against his enemies.
Perhaps the so-called "does not wish to use his army to engage in this gamble-like decisive battle with the Duke of Burgundy" was actually because he did not have much confidence in his own army and generals, and therefore did not intend to resolve the issue through brutal warfare.
This was consistent with Laszlo's usual perception of the Spider King.
Although he was very skilled at political intrigue, his military talent was truly mediocre. Otherwise, historically, he would not have lost the wealthy territory of Flanders to Maximilian I despite holding a significant advantage.
In fact, Louis XI was well aware of the purpose of his army: a large army was used to make vassals submit, not to fight to the death.
The Duke of Burgundy also had the Emperor backing him; even if he suffered defeat in war, he would likely have a chance to make a comeback.
Louis XI, however, was different. Once his royal army was defeated or suffered heavy losses, the feudal vassals who had remained silent due to his powerful military strength would likely rise in rebellion again.
Laszlo, who ruled Hungary, was all too familiar with this point.
Louis XI was a coward; he wouldn't gamble, and therefore would definitely find another way to end this war.
"You said, is it possible that Louis XI and Charles might engage in peace talks?"
Laszlo suddenly thought of a possibility and immediately asked.
"Peace talks?" The Duke of Armagnac pondered for a moment. "The Duke of Burgundy must not only consider himself but also your feelings. Even so, I believe it is still possible for him to choose peace talks.
Although the Duke of Brittany has withstood the French King's offensive, many voices against the war have emerged in his court. Moreover, Brittany has suffered heavy losses during this period, with both plague and famine appearing in his territory. People believe these are all caused by the war.
If the Duke of Brittany withdraws, and King Edward IV of England, who always talks but never acts, also provides no substantial help to Burgundy, then Duke Charles might look for another suitable opportunity."
Hearing this, Laszlo immediately fell into a dilemma. He wished that Charles and the French King would fight as fiercely as possible, but at present, Burgundy seemed to be at a disadvantage. The great French feudal lords were still watching, and everyone was waiting for Louis and Charles to settle their differences.
"Let Charles make the decision. He is a proud man, and I'm sure he has already made up his mind."
Laszlo was not worried about the final outcome, as either side's defeat would be a good thing for him.
"Emperor, if the French King and the Duke of Burgundy choose peace talks, perhaps we can find an opportunity to eliminate future troubles permanently."
The Duke of Armagnac was silent for a moment, then suddenly made this suggestion to Laszlo.
"You mean…," "When the former French King Charles VII and John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, met for reconciliation, my grandfather's assassins took the opportunity to stab John to death with a dagger.
Killed in one blow, the Duke of Burgundy fell at the feet of the French King, and from then on, the Burgundy family harbored deep hatred for the French royal family.
If Charles and Louis meet for peace talks, we might also find an opportunity to act against Louis XI, and people will point all fingers at the Duke of Burgundy. At that time, the situation will likely become even more chaotic, but it will certainly be extremely beneficial to us."
Hearing this, Laszlo fell silent. Could the Armagnac family really pass down even such a tradition?
No wonder when he first met the Duke of Armagnac, he had the trait of [Master Schemer]. So his talent was manifested in this area.
"But if I do this, won't I be no different from that insidious villain Louis XI? And how can we ensure that this is done flawlessly?"
The Duke of Armagnac had initially thought that Emperor was struggling with a moral hurdle, but upon hearing the latter question, a smile immediately appeared on the Duke's face.
"Emperor, I will find suitable candidates. Once the time is right, I will eliminate the Empire's greatest enemy for you."
The Duke immediately pledged with conviction.
Laszlo knew that this likely involved a great deal of personal animosity, mixed with some of the Duke's loyalty to him, but if Louis XI could truly be killed, it would indeed settle a matter on his mind.
"Hmm… do it discreetly. Success is best, but the most important thing is to ensure that no one else discovers this matter."
"Yes, Emperor."
After the Duke left, Laszlo began to weigh the pros and cons of the matter. After thinking for a long time, he only added to his worries.
A conspiracy is a conspiracy because its exposure will lead to serious consequences. Once the plan to assassinate Louis XI is exposed, Laszlo's reputation might suffer, and his alliance with the Duke of Burgundy would be affected to some extent.
However, Charles should not dare to turn against him. With this thought, Laszlo's mind settled a little.
Outside Paris, two armies, one led by a swindler and the other by a reckless man, were still in a standoff, neither daring to make a move.
Although Charles was prone to hot-headedness, Louis XI's army currently looked stronger, so he even prepared to retreat to the Somme River line for defense.
Louis XI, on the other hand, was very relieved to have returned here before the fall of Paris. He only had a tired army that had been fighting in Brittany for several months, and they had also endured a long march.
Although Marshal Dunois, who led the army, strongly guaranteed that he would lead his troops to defeat the Burgundy army, Louis XI could not trust this old Marshal, because Dunois was already critically ill.
Even the court physicians judged that his body had been worn out by long-term military duties, and he did not have long to live.
If the commander-in-chief of the army suddenly died before the battle, it would definitely affect morale. This made Louis XI even less willing to fight to the death with the fool Charles, who was being used as a pawn by the Emperor.
If he won, he might not be able to take Burgundy. If he lost, he might lose large tracts of territory. It was simply not worth it.
After several small-scale battles, both sides finally opted for peace talks, and the location for the talks was set at Constance, the same place where the previous treaty was signed.