It was Christmas once again, and the citizens of Vienna spent the holiday in a state of peace and harmony. Following the ancient tradition since the Middle Ages, they began a twelve-day festival of revelry; the city would not return to normal life until the day of Epiphany.
People would often gather at night around the bonfires in the center of the squares, singing and dancing—mostly to songs that were not particularly elegant, an act that drew strong condemnation from the clergy.
Most hard-working citizens could eventually save some money over the year. For most ordinary families, this was their only chance for indulgence in the entire year, having just completed a month-long period of fasting.
Meanwhile, the usually serious and solemn priests or municipal officials found a rare opportunity to release their true nature.
One could sometimes even see people wearing strange masks telling jokes in the Holy See or City Hall, as well as cross-dressers.
Even within the Imperial government and court, such eccentric performance art was not uncommon. Laszlo had seen someone wearing a wild boar's head at his own court banquet.
It seemed that by putting on a mask, they had actually unshackled themselves; at such times, few felt ashamed of their behavior.
Perhaps this dark era was too oppressive; after a year of hard labor, everyone needed such a perfect opportunity to let loose.
In the rural areas outside the city, similar activities took place. Although the peasants' way of celebrating was not as flashy as that of the city folk, the sense of atmosphere was not lacking.
However, most tenant farmers needed to pay their land rent for the previous year on New Year's Day, which was a major hurdle for many.
If they couldn't pay the rent, they would lose their land. To survive as landless vagrants, they had to either brace themselves and try their luck in the city or simply become serfs once again.
Fortunately, the Emperor was not like the insane French King, who forced high-priced redemptions of freedom to squeeze the last bit of savings from the peasants; furthermore, the rents and taxes borne by the tenant farmers were quite stable.
The reason being, this was not a sum that could be easily borne. While it wouldn't bankrupt those freemen and tenant farmers, it made it difficult for them to grow wealthy through simple farming alone.
All the rents and taxes paid by the peasants within the royal domains combined to constitute nearly thirty percent of Austria's fiscal revenue.
According to the traditional views of most people, which had not yet shifted, freedom sometimes did not mean a better life; this was actually a very practical truth.
As a serf, despite suffering heavy exploitation and oppression, the contract gave them the right to inherit the use of their allotment, which by custom would not be easily stripped away. This allowed them to live a hard life for generations.
Moreover, the centuries-old tradition of free peasants in western Austria also influenced those living in the east. Here, serfs were not chattel; they could retain a small portion of property and theoretically even had the right to appeal.
After buying their freedom to become tenant farmers, although more of the income from farming the land could go into their own pockets, it also meant they had to bear more risks themselves—especially the risks brought by fluctuations in the agricultural market.
Furthermore, secular or ecclesiastical lords would always find ways to increase land rents or force labor to squeeze out their value.
This was originally a response to the continuous downward trend of the population and economy after the Black Death, as grain prices remained low throughout the century.
In Western Europe, due to the continuous destruction of the Hundred Years' War between England and France and the large-scale disappearance of the feudal lord class, the revival of serfdom ended in failure. Lords eventually chose to rent out land in large blocks or convert abandoned fields into pastures, joining the massive wave of enclosures.
In Eastern Europe, the lords of Hungary and Poland, through ancient traditions and de facto secession, successfully suppressed the serfs' counterattacks and managed to stumble along with the feudal manor system.
Austria, standing at the crossroads of Europe, was influenced by both sides and embarked on a unique path.
Unlike most short-sighted nobles who had formed path dependencies, Laszlo was very concerned with the innovation of agricultural technology and the improvement of productivity.
In any case, the increase in production efficiency brought by technology was key, and few noble or church landlords had the determination and capital that Laszlo had to invest in new production models.
Under the encouragement of policy, some wealthy merchant classes began to negotiate with land-owning nobles around the cities to lease large tracts of land. They then managed the land based on hired labor and spontaneous agricultural improvements, though more often than not, these lands were used to grow specific cash crops to meet trade demands.
For most lords, finding ways to squeeze the fruits of the peasants' labor was a required course.
However, while directly increasing land rents and taxes could save many costs and yield considerable immediate returns, it was at the expense of future production. This would eventually lead agricultural production into a vicious cycle, resulting in peasant flight or uprisings.
Since Austria required high stability to maintain orderly trade and production, there were locally organized security garrison units in every state, and permanent armies stationed in important regions.
The possibility of uprising was thus suppressed, and more people who could not bear the oppression chose to flee to the cities.
Besides the traditional-minded peasants, many also yearned for the life of a hired laborer in the city, hoping to one day live a superior life on high wages.
Unfortunately, this basically existed only in the imagination.
Common laborers of various crafts earned only about 20-30 florins a year, and that was only if they had a trade to rely on.
Before that, they had to spend a long apprenticeship being ordered around like slaves, receiving extremely low pay—often only half that of a formal worker—and frequently suffering from malicious wage arrears.
If one could keep accounts and do arithmetic, they were considered high-level talent. If they could become a formal accountant, their annual income could reach over 30 florins; if employed in a bank, they could earn 40 florins.
And higher still were professions like teachers, lawyers, and doctors, which could only be filled by those with professional education.
To obtain an income comparable to such professionals, there was an even simpler way—joining the army.
As long as one endured five or six years in the army, paid off the cost of their standard equipment, and subtracted daily expenses for food and lodging, the remaining income was quite considerable.
Unfortunately, given a choice, most people would not choose a military career, which also led to difficulties in replenishing the Austrian army.
In contrast to Austria, where everyone from nobles to commoners disliked war, neighboring Swabia and Hungary had a large number of young men eager to be accepted into the army, many of whom possessed good professional skills.
Laszlo's plan to implement a national army was declared bankrupt from the start. He could only turn to hiring and drilling soldiers year after year, supplemented by regulations to bind them, gradually making them accustomed to fighting for the empire and offering loyalty to the Emperor.
Although the Imperial soldiers who fought under orders were not entirely composed of Austrians, the purity of the grassroots officer corps was guaranteed.
From corporals to company commanders, they were either professionally trained, filtered from the military academy in Vienna New City, or battle-hardened elite veterans capable of calmly organizing formations on an extremely chaotic battlefield.
After the conclusion of the recent assembly, a wave of military service was passively sparked among the nobility. Figures such as unemployed knights or noble sons without inheritance rights were mostly sent to Vienna New City for military education and training in accordance with Laszlo's requirements.
This brief enthusiasm was not enough to support the Imperial Army in establishing a complete Austrian officer corps, but it was still much better than before.
With the development of the military organizational and administrative systems, and the testing of multiple past wars, the strength of the Austrian army had gained widespread recognition from the world.
Edward IV dreamed of obtaining an Austrian legion of mercenaries to help him reclaim the throne of England. Unfortunately, he had no money, so the Emperor refused him.
In the end, he could only miserably rely on some charity from Laszlo and Charles to recruit a small number of veterans and a large crowd of rabble from Swabia and Flanders, once again boarding a ship bound for England.
To win Charles's support, this repeatedly defeated King of England painfully sold Calais to Burgundy in exchange for several thousand troops and the assistance of the Burgundian navy.
Just as Margaret of Anjou had ceded the town of Berwick to Scotland in exchange for an army to launch a counterattack years ago, Edward also had to make a similarly difficult choice with his mortal enemy.
Even because he had no money to pay the army, he did not hesitate to allow these warriors from all over the continent to sack English lands at will.
Having obtained the claim to Calais, Charles did not hesitate to organize an army to besiege the port.
The English troops stationed here were already supporters of the York Family; they returned to Britain with Edward IV, leaving the desperate citizens to fruitlessly resist the Burgundian invasion.
The blockade lasted for less than two weeks before Calais announced its surrender, and the gap in the Burgundian coast was finally filled.
Charles, having gained the advantage, kept one eye on opportunities to expand his territory within the Empire and the other on the war between the two Kings of France.
Far away in the heart of Europe, enjoying a comfortable life in Vienna, Laszlo also paid attention to the movements of all parties.
To Laszlo's surprise, although the despondent and penniless Edward IV failed to take an Austrian legion with him, Charles VIII, presiding in Paris, seemed to intend to take the Independent Army stationed in the Rhône Valley as a package.
Laszlo was all too familiar with the business of renting out military force.
As an important channel for saving military expenditures and creating diplomatic income during peacetime, he always maintained a welcoming attitude toward such business.
Shortly after the New Year, Laszlo received a special envoy from Paris in the palace.
"Jean, so the French King's envoy is indeed you. It seems you and Charles VIII have reconciled once again."
Laszlo sized up the Duke of Armagnac before him and found that his physical and mental condition was quite a bit worse than when he had first left the Viennese court.
This was not hard to understand. After all, after the Duke incited the Armagnac uprising, he was pummeled by the French royal army due to his isolation. Now, having lost his territory, he could only assist Charles VIII in the court in Paris.
Fortunately, he had served as Charles VIII's tutor for many years in his early days, and thus was highly valued in the court.
At the same time, the French spy network he had organized single-handedly was still passing various intelligence to Laszlo; even the secrets deep within the Paris Court could not be hidden from the Emperor's eyes and ears... Laszlo actually couldn't be certain whether this information was true or false, and mostly had to cross-reference it with information from multiple sources.
However, this at least proved that the Duke of Armagnac was not an ungrateful person.
It was ironic that of the two brothers, Louis XI and Charles VIII, one's trusted minister was bribed by Burgundy, while the other's tutor and close official was sheltered by Austria in his time of need. As a result, any movement in the courts of Tours and Paris could basically not be hidden from Laszlo and Charles [the Bold].
And this allowed Laszlo to gain early insight into the predicament currently faced by the Paris faction.
"Your Majesty, this is all thanks to your help.
This time, I represent His Majesty Charles to discuss a business deal with you. We urgently need the Empire's military support."
The Duke did not waste much breath and directly stated the purpose of his visit.
"In the letter you sent me previously, you mentioned that the Duke of Brittany was defeated at Angers by the Count of Maine. Louis XI has already settled the south and is now gathering troops in the Loire Valley to prepare for a northern expedition. What is the actual situation?"
"Extremely severe. For various reasons, the Paris side cannot gather enough troops to face the pretender king.
Not long ago, your army drove the Duke of Anjou out of Provence. His Majesty Charles hopes to be able to hire that valiant army to help him against Louis XI's massive forces."
"There is naturally no problem with hiring the Imperial Army, but as you know, the Rhône Valley has only recently been pacified and riots could break out again at any time.
Furthermore, the logistics, replenishment, and military expenses of the Imperial Army are no small expenditure."
Laszlo began to talk nonsense with a straight face. The latter half was true, but the first half was a lie.
Provence had been tormented enough by the Black Death; several important cities had suffered such heavy casualties that they simply lacked the capability to revolt.
On the contrary, the Independent Army stationed there had been repeatedly accused of lax discipline. Christopher had sent several consecutive letters complaining, hoping that Laszlo could transfer this army back as soon as possible; otherwise, he would find it difficult to organize border armies in Dauphiné and Provence for governance.
Now that Charles VIII intended to take over, Laszlo was naturally happy to see it happen.
"His Majesty Charles will bear part of the logistical supply for this army. He hopes to pay one hundred thousand florins in a lump sum in exchange for this legion fighting for France for six months."
The military expenditure for a full-strength legion to fight for half a year was approximately 80,000 florins, which meant the remaining 20,000 would be kept as income for the Austrian government.
As for how to make a legion that had just finished fighting enter the next war in its best state, that was a question for the Court Military Commission to discuss.
To prevent the newly supported Northern French regime from being quickly crushed before it could last a year, and also to save the Vienna government's military expenditures, Laszlo readily agreed to Charles VIII's request.
Subsequently, after a detailed discussion with the War Minister and the Finance Minister, the Duke of Armagnac confirmed many details of the hiring contract, and the transaction between the two parties was formally concluded.
The Austrian government immediately began busy replenishing troops for the Independent Army far to the west, preparing to pay the military salaries that had accumulated for several months, and pre-paying a sum of funds for the military operations of the next six months.