In the old town of Constance, inside the "temporary palace" prepared by the citizens for the Emperor, a fierce debate had just concluded.
The Duke of Baden and the Duke of Württemberg left the place, filled with resentment and unwillingness.
Inside the room, Laszlo and the Archbishop of Mainz also looked displeased.
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"Your Majesty, your reform plan might need to be softened a bit more..."
Archbishop Adolf looked at the Emperor's gloomy face and bravely broke the silence.
"Am I not respecting their wishes enough? Do you want me to be even gentler? Am I not courteous enough to them?"
Laszlo clenched his fists, suppressing the urge to slam the table, and said in a deep voice.
The Archbishop opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say anything more to appease the Emperor.
Just now, the two dukes explicitly opposed the redrawing of administrative regions. They would rather accept the Swabian League than let Austria directly interfere in Swabia's affairs.
At least with the former, the Emperor coexisted with them as the leader of an "illegal" alliance, while the latter could potentially place these local Imperial Princes completely under direct rule.
Well... the Swabian League, which Laszlo relied on and utilized for a long time, was actually illegal according to the provisions of the golden bull, similar in nature to the dissolved Swiss Confederation.
However, due to the Emperor's protection, this league had been recognized as a semi-official organization, serving as a powerful supplement to the Swabia administrative system.
Or rather, the framework of Swabia was actually this strong alliance that had lasted for several years.
Unlike many other regions that were still slowly exploring and building their systems, Swabia had achieved a complete organization in just a few years and had begun to play a crucial role in regional governance.
Swabia's army, courts, parliament, and overt administrative bodies all functioned well. Many detailed bills concerning Imperial regions were first submitted to the Imperial Diet by this region's parliament, such as the "Regional Public Order Regulations" that Laszlo and the Swabian parliament were about to discuss.
And all of this was due to the coordination mechanism gradually cultivated by the league before and after the Swabian War.
Although this coordination mechanism was quite inefficient compared to centralized power, it was surprisingly effective in governing the Empire.
For example, Laszlo once used the league to raise ten thousand Swabian troops during the Swabian War, and historically, when Maximilian attacked Switzerland, the league also sent multiple contingents as reinforcements.
In the late period of the league, the Duke of Württemberg, who was in a leadership position, attacked the Free Cities of Swabia to satisfy his ambitions, and was ultimately defeated and expelled by the assembled army of the league. His territory was sold by the league to Emperor Charles V for 250,000 florins, and then taken over by Spanish troops.
It can be said that this league could function without anyone; not only was the Duke of Württemberg, nominally the strongest, powerless against the league, but even the Emperor's power in Swabia and Outer Austria could not completely suppress this league. However, as long as both sides had common interests, the forces of the Swabian estates could be gathered, and their total strength was greater than all Imperial Princes except the Emperor.
Gathering local military forces was just one of the league's many basic functions; its truly decisive role was to formulate and compel members to abide by a common rule fundamentally aimed at maintaining regional peace and development.
Because of the many benefits of the league, the later Charles V always yearned for it after its dissolution, and finally, during the "Armored" Imperial Diet in Augsburg, announced the reconstruction of the Swabian League and its expansion to the entire Empire, forming the so-called "Imperial League."
This league should have such functions: establishing a public treasury to support the Habsburg Family's army, summoning troops for assistance during the Empire's foreign wars, coordinating the relationship between the Empire's various estates and the Emperor, and consolidating the Empire's judicial system.
The prerequisite for this meeting was that the Emperor had defeated the Schmalkaldic League formed by the Protestant Imperial Princes and captured its leader, the Elector of Saxony. This Elector was stripped of his power and returned to Weimar in disgrace, dying of depression shortly after.
The triumphant Emperor took the opportunity to initiate such a huge reform, which people regarded as "the final attempt to reach the limits of imperial power," and could also be seen as "the Empire's last gasp."
The result? As expected, it shattered into pieces.
Such actions, wantonly trampling on the freedoms of the various estates, ultimately provoked a nationwide rebellion, and France and the Ottoman Empire also took this opportunity to pressure the Habsburg Family.
Moritz, who had previously been granted the title of Elector of Saxony for supporting Charles V, unexpectedly turned around and allied with the King of France to raid Austria, causing Charles V to face pressure on multiple fronts, with his army and economy almost collapsing simultaneously.
Ultimately, Charles V, the controller of the first empire on which the sun never set, chose to abdicate, abandoning all his honors, and ended his remaining life disheartened in a quiet monastery.
However, in Laszlo's view, Charles V's series of actions were not truly intended to strengthen imperial power; what he did was actually to strengthen privileges.
His reforms after taking power clearly showed this: removing regions under Habsburg rule such as Burgundy from the Imperial Court of Justice's regulatory system, demanding that Imperial states participate in various wars to protect Burgundy and Austria, and establishing various extremely exaggerated privileges for Habsburg hereditary lands within the Empire.
Compared to the rights enjoyed by the late Habsburg Family within the Empire, the provisions for Elector privileges in the golden bull were conservative.
It was precisely for this reason that, after suffering multiple major wars, the resentful Imperial Princes forced the Emperor to incorporate Habsburg territories into the Imperial system and fulfill Imperial obligations.
Therefore, Charles V's reforms, which were evaluated as a balance of leniency and strictness, were actually just one-sidedly increasing demands on the Imperial Princes, while making the Habsburg position even more transcendent.
The previous member exempted from so many Imperial obligations was called the Old Swiss Confederation.
Compared to revitalizing the monarchical system and imperial authority, Charles V evidently paid more attention to the relationship between the Habsburg Family's hereditary lands and the Empire.
Rushing headlong down a twisted path, the collapse of the Empire became an expected outcome.
To prevent the Empire from being torn apart between the nascent constitutional system and royal prerogatives, Laszlo decided to proactively pursue another path.
In his memory, after the initial Imperial reforms, the Empire actually only had six administrative regions, with all Habsburg Family territories excluded. It was only later, when the functions of the administrative regions expanded to cover the entire Empire, that regions like Austria were added to the Imperial system, but they still enjoyed extensive exemptions from Imperial obligations.
Such actions undoubtedly alienated the various Imperial estates from the Emperor and made them skeptical of the so-called reforms.
However, Laszlo immediately delineated ten administrative regions across the entire Empire, including the Northern Italy parliament, and later added the Burgundy region, totaling twelve administrative districts.
Although the Austria region still held some privileges in the appointment and dismissal of Imperial government personnel, it also gradually led the various Imperial estates to accept the reforms promoted by the Emperor.
Everything had gone so smoothly. Laszlo had thought it was time to relegate the Swabian League to the dustbin of history and formally establish the Swabia region, but he didn't expect such fierce resistance in Swabia.
At the Imperial level, he had been trying his best to achieve a dual balance between the Emperor and the parliament composed of Imperial estates, and had set up the Archbishop of Mainz as a fulcrum within it. Subsequent methods to weaken the power of the Electors were also closely related to the Imperial Diet.
At the lower level of Swabia, his original approach was to act as an uninvolved leader, overseeing various affairs of the region from an Imperial perspective.
Now, he realized that this approach was not a long-term solution, so he decided to actively integrate into it, but this move aroused strong vigilance among the Swabian Imperial Princes.
Laszlo felt he had been gentle enough and made considerable concessions, so he couldn't understand why the two dukes were so resistant.
He still had a Greater Swabia Plan he hadn't revealed yet—to integrate Outer Austria and all of Switzerland into Swabia, and then for him, the Emperor, or his successor, to concurrently hold the title of Duke of Swabia, attempting to implement limited autocracy throughout the entire Swabia region.
He had even envisioned integrating Tyrol into Bavaria and incorporating territories like Alsace into the Upper Rhine Region, but these adventurous plans were ultimately abandoned.
Among numerous integration proposals, Laszlo had chosen the most moderate version, yet it still failed to satisfy the Imperial Princes.
He racked his brains for a solution. If he could, he truly wished he could go back to his room, hug Joanna, and sleep until tomorrow morning; that was the time of day he needed to expend the least mental energy.
Under the repeated Impact of conflicting ideologies—rebuilding the feudal system and constructing a dual representative system—even Laszlo couldn't help but feel somewhat lost about the future of Imperial reform.
Between being an autocratic feudal monarch and a constitutional emperor who shared power, Laszlo chose to experiment with autocracy in some regions and decentralization in others, ultimately intending to promote one of them throughout the entire Empire. Currently, the latter is well-received within the Empire, while the former encountered setbacks as soon as he took the first step.
In fact, no one is a fool.
Even if he vehemently denied it now, he couldn't dispel the suspicions of the Swabian Imperial Princes.
After all, the Emperor held broader power within the Empire, and when the Emperor's influence truly penetrated Swabia, the region's political landscape would be overturned from inside out, from top to bottom.
The fact that the Outer Austria branch of the Imperial Court of Justice, located in Rottweil, Outer Austria, dominated Swabian judicial affairs was already a thorn in many people's sides, rendering the regional court in Ulm virtually useless.
Now the Emperor is going even further; eventually, the regional government, regional parliament, and regional courts will all become the Emperor's. Who can tolerate that?
Laszlo and Archbishop Adolf understood this clearly, as did those Imperial Princes.
Seeing that the Emperor's pent-up anger seemed to have dissipated somewhat, Adolf, as the Imperial Chancellor, offered his opinion: "Your Majesty, you need not worry too much about this. At the Imperial level, many Imperial Princes have gradually adapted to cross-regional voting rights.
In Swabia, you already have the support of the church and the knights. Persuading the representatives of the Free Cities won't be difficult; a few promises will suffice.
They hold a significant proportion in this region, and their influence is no weaker than that of the Imperial Princes. With their support, your plan can proceed smoothly.
However, if you intend to go further, it will not only incur the enmity of the two dukes but may also provoke the dissatisfaction of the Elector of Brandenburg."
Adolf's pointed words made Laszlo recall his handling of the Hohenzollern Family—Marshal Albrecht, under his semi-coercion, divided the family's territory into three, thereby preserving the Hohenzollern Family's dominant position in two regions.
And he, should he also divide his territory, and then choose a son to go to Swabia to compete and contend with those Imperial Princes?
In that case, the rupture of relations with Baden and Württemberg would only be a matter of time.
The Duke of Baden's wife was the biological sister of his good-for-nothing cousin Frederick, making their families in-laws. The previous Count of Württemberg even died fighting for him, the Emperor, in Switzerland.
If his conflict with the two dukes escalates, it would be an embarrassment for everyone.
"So, the plan to add the title of Duke of Swabia for Christopher must be shelved?" Laszlo lowered his head, temporarily abandoning this bold idea.
Adolf also breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that the Emperor, in a fit of pique, might directly ignite a civil war within the Empire, which would destroy over a decade of reform efforts overnight.
Having been by the Emperor's side for quite some time, he naturally understood the Emperor's ambitions and was worried about them.
However, did he, an Archbishop of Mainz who came to power through unconventional means, have any other option besides supporting the Emperor?
Moreover, the Emperor had shown admirable restraint in the past, so perhaps this fragile balance could continue for several more years.
As for the distant future... they would deal with that when the time came.
The Imperial Privy Council, after all, only served an auxiliary administrative role, and his leverage was in the Emperor's hands. He was already grateful to be able to exert even a slight influence on the Emperor.
Perhaps he was the most disgraceful Archbishop of Mainz in history, yet the power he wielded surpassed all previous Archbishops. How could this not be considered a huge step forward?
In the past, people called the Archbishop of Mainz the Imperial Chancellor simply because the Archbishop happened to hold that office, just as the Elector of Saxony served as the Imperial Grand Marshal and the Elector of Brandenburg as the Imperial Grand Treasurer. These were merely honorary titles.
But now, he was a genuine power-holder, even able to temporarily manage Imperial affairs when the Emperor was away. This feeling was very novel to him, enough to make him satisfied.
All of this was brought about by the Emperor, who vigorously promoted reforms, so he had no intention or courage to contend for power with the Emperor.
As for what would ultimately happen to Swabia, which was not closely related to him... what did it have to do with him?
All he wanted was to preserve the Empire's hard-won peace, enjoy a few more years of officialdom, and gain more economic benefits, land, and privileges for himself and his family.
"Perhaps delaying these radical strategies will save you a lot of trouble."
"Then... let it be so. One day—"
Laszlo didn't finish his sentence but wearily dismissed Archbishop Adolf, leaving himself alone to ponder at the long table.
He truly wasn't a warmonger, and at present, the Austrian army's replenishment was not yet complete, and the national treasury's reserves had new plans, making it truly unsuitable to rashly provoke war.
Moreover, the Empire was in the midst of a prolonged and intense transformation, and the superficial stability could easily be destroyed. Therefore, once war broke out, Laszlo would have to be prepared for its rapid escalation.
At that point, stopping the war would no longer be a decision for any single person. Unless absolutely necessary, he would still choose to avoid Imperial civil war.
However, some things must be done, such as integrating Swabia and promoting legal reform; otherwise, his reforms would only stop here.
Now, he had touched upon the most dangerous part of the Imperial reforms, and thus had to be more cautious.
Alas, this damn Empire, may it be destroyed sooner rather than later.
Laszlo let out a heavy sigh and turned to walk towards the bedroom.