"Janos, I think I know how to use Vlad," Laszlo finally came back to his senses from his memories.
Janos remained silent, quietly listening to the new King's thoughts.
"Since my father was able to help Vladislav II ascend to the Prince's throne, I can naturally make him lose his position as Prince. Is it possible for us to annex Wallachia and establish a border region there?"
Janos shook his head, "The local noble forces in Wallachia are complex; rashly intervening will only lead to entanglement and a pointless drain on the Kingdom's strength."
Although Laszlo was somewhat helpless, he chose to accept this reality.
"Alright, then it seems we can only start with Vlad. Janos, how many nobles in Wallachia are dissatisfied with Vladislav?"
"Quite a lot, Your Majesty. If you show your support for Vlad to take power, I think he will quickly regain the Principality of Wallachia."
"Whew, with your assurance, I feel relieved. We need stronger control over Wallachia! How is Vlad as a person?"
Janos pondered for a moment and replied, "He is stubborn, extreme, a bit crazy, and ambitious. To be honest, he is not an easy person to control."
Indeed, compared to Vlad's younger brother, Radu the Handsome, who was trained to be the Sultan's humble slave, Vlad was truly difficult to control; he was simply a madman.
Besides him, Laszlo also thought of Vlad's cousin, Stefan the Great, who was even more significant.
In 1449, Albrecht II instigated the Moldavian civil war, supporting Bogdan to usurp the Prince's throne from his elder brother Peter, making Moldavia a loyal dog of Hungary.
In 1451, Peter, with the aid of King of Poland Władysław III, made a comeback, killing Bogdan and regaining the Moldavian Prince's throne, and at the same time submitting to both Poland and the Ottoman, a humble face flattering both sides that would make anyone want to spit.
And Stefan was Bogdan's son.
During the internal strife, Stefan and Vlad fled Moldavia together. Vlad sought refuge under Janos, while Stefan went into exile in Wallachia, receiving protection from Vladislav II.
This Stefan, in the original history, directly confronted Poland, Hungary, and the Ottoman, and was even canonized as a saint after his death, similarly a famous national hero in Romania's history.
One Vlad, one Stefan, these two cousins were both troublesome characters.
However, upon closer inspection, behind the chaotic situation in Moldavia and Wallachia, there seemed to be a clear large hand…
Well, it turns out the culprit was myself.
Laszlo was surprised to discover that Hungary was the root cause of everything; his cheap father, Albrecht II, was the mastermind behind it, single-handedly causing the chaos in Wallachia and Moldavia.
Why interfere in the internal affairs of these two countries?
Perhaps the reader still remembers the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, but this was the 15th century, a time of drastic changes and survival of the fittest; later rules were clearly out of place here.
Albrecht II did not meddle in the internal affairs of Wallachia and Moldavia for no reason.
Controlling these two small countries was strategically valuable.
Wallachia spanned between Hungary's Transylvania region and the Ottoman's northwestern border, serving as a buffer zone for both sides and one of the most intensely contested areas of their influence.
It was impossible to ascend to the position of Prince Vlad without the support of the Ottoman or Hungary; it was situated between two great powers, naturally a battlefield for great power games, which was the tragedy of small nations.
Moldavia was even more at the crossroads of four countries: Poland, Hungary, the Ottoman, and Lithuania, an important land and sea hub on the Black Sea coast.
Poland and Lithuania had always coveted Moldavia's land, and Hungary also salivated over it. Moreover, the Principality of Moldavia bordered the northern Ottoman and had the important Black Sea port of Bessarabia, making it a complete battleground.
Although the military strength of Wallachia and Moldavia was clearly insufficient compared to the two behemoths, Hungary and the Ottoman, it could still significantly impact the war. Therefore, whoever could control these two Romanian principalities would hold the initiative in offense and defense.
Having understood this, Laszlo immediately decided to continue Albrecht's strategic policy.
As for candidates, for now, it could only be Vlad and Stefan, because Laszlo did not understand the other claimants at all, and they were clearly not as formidable as these two.
"When I return to Budapest, arrange for me to meet this Prince Vlad. I believe he will make a wise choice."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
Janos hesitated, but ultimately did not voice his concerns.
He was an experienced politician, strategist, and schemer, so he saw more and further than Laszlo, who had a game-like mindset.
If the Ottoman and Poland could not be completely suppressed, then the two small countries of Wallachia and Moldavia would forever waver, even if they swore allegiance, they would ultimately be two-faced and play both sides.
The best scenario was to maintain a balance, without investing too much effort in interfering with these two countries, just ensuring that the Ottoman and Poland also could not completely control Wallachia and Moldavia.
If this opportunity could help His Majesty the King grow, that would be quite good. Janos thought this to himself.
Laszlo and Janos's conversation came to a temporary halt, and only then did he notice the little one cautiously following behind Janos.
To his surprise, despite being underage and holding no official position, this child actually came with a panel.
[Character: Matthias Hunyadi (Underage)]
[Identity: Son of the Regent of Hungary, Claimant to Transylvania]
[Attitude: Neutral]
[Abilities: Administration 4, Diplomacy 5, Military 6]
This child truly had the potential of a great emperor; his ruler attributes combined reached a terrifying 15 points. One must know that the maximum ruler attribute is 666, which is 18 points, showing how formidable this little guy would be in the future.
"Is this your son?" Laszlo offered a smile he thought was kind to little Matthias, scaring the little one to shrink back behind Janos again.
"Ahem, indeed, this is my second son, Matthias. Matthias, this is very rude of you, quickly apologize to His Majesty."
"No need for formalities. I think he looks quite good. How about he serves as my attendant?"
"Quickly thank His Majesty for his grace." Janos was secretly pleased and quickly urged Matthias. The latter reluctantly stepped out from behind Janos and bowed respectfully to the King.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"What a good child."
Laszlo's fervent gaze surprised Janos and Matthias, the father and son.
Janos knew clearly that this was obviously the new King showing him favor, and he was very willing to accept this gesture and begin a new chapter of good relations between monarch and minister.
Matthias just felt that this guy, a few years older than himself, was quite good at pretending to be an adult.
He actually didn't want to attend this boring banquet, after all, he was only 12 years old and didn't want to talk to those noble brats his age; those guys were all very childish and stupid.
Matthias also couldn't talk to the adults; those guys were respectful to him because of his father's noble status, but they didn't really take him seriously.
Instead of wasting time here, it would be better to stay in his room and read more books!
He couldn't pick up a young lady or a noblewoman at the banquet like his elder brother, and then at night… now his elder brother, Laszlo Hunyadi, was nowhere to be found.
As for Laszlo, looking at Matthias's overpowered stats, he gleefully tagged him as "Gundam Unit 02" on the panel. This was much stronger than any 2, 5, 1 useless fellow, wouldn't you agree, Frederick?
Once this little Matthias was nurtured, he would surely become a great help to Laszlo in the future.