Just as Laszlo was troubled by the Bohemia issue, another guest came to see him, named Ulrich II von Rosenberg.
"Another Ulrich?" Laszlo's expression was strange; why were they all named Ulrich?!
Hearing it was a Bohemian noble, Laszlo still decided to meet him.
The visitor was a distinguished old gentleman with greying temples, and though time had left many marks on his face, he remained full of vigor.
The first moment Laszlo saw him, he realized it was an acquaintance.
"You are the representative Iri sent? I saw you at the wedding."
Laszlo's initial plan had failed; Iri hadn't taken the bait, which made Laszlo very angry, and consequently, he remembered Rosenberg, who had come in Iri's stead, though his impression wasn't good.
Rosenberg was a little excited, not expecting the Emperor to still remember him, which made him feel honored.
However, he still explained: "Your Majesty, I am not Iri's representative; he merely sent someone to tell me he was unwell and asked me to attend your wedding in his place."
Laszlo nodded slightly and began to check his panel.
[Character: Rose Castle Lord Ulrich II von Rosenberg]
[Identity: Bohemian Grand Noble, Member of the Bohemian Regency Council, Leader of Bohemian Catholic Faction]
[Attitude: Loyal]
[Commander Attributes: Firepower 2, Shock 3, Maneuver 2, Siege 2]
[Trait: Indomitable (+15% Morale Recovery for Troops)]
[Advisor Ability: Administration +2]
[Trait: Staunch Believer (+20% Religious Reform Resistance in Territory)]
Laszlo's eyes widened; this was actually a great loyal subject, and a grand noble of Bohemia.
Only then did he realize that not all Bohemians were Hussite; nobles like Rosenberg, located in southern Bohemia, were mostly Catholic believers and conservative forces loyal to the Emperor.
They had suffered heavy blows during the Hussite Wars, but over the years, with Albrecht's support, they gradually recovered and could contend with Iri in the Prague Regency Council.
Bohemia's vote for Laszlo in the Electoral Congress was due to Rosenberg's strong advocacy; he had defeated Iri in that council debate.
Hiss, since Bohemia wasn't a monolithic block, the situation was much better.
Why hadn't he thought of uniting the Catholic nobles within Bohemia before?
He was truly too foolish, having preconceived notions that Bohemia was entirely controlled by heretics.
But how could an entire country be entirely progressive?
Conservatives and fence-sitters would certainly not be few; Iri's Cup faction (moderate Hussite) came to power as fence-sitters, the Tábor faction (radical Hussite) had been almost entirely massacred, and the old conservative Catholic nobles, as loyal dogs of the Emperor, would certainly not perish, but rather grow stronger day by day.
Good news lifts the spirits!
Laszlo was like a card player who drew a core card, suddenly realizing he held the initiative.
"Alright, Rosenberg… please forgive me for calling you that; it seems I have too many Ulrichs in my court."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
"Good. So, what is your purpose?"
"I heard you have promised to organize and lead a Crusade against the Ottomans. Many believers in Bohemia hope to join the Imperial Army to serve you."
"How large an army can you organize?"
"Around five thousand regular soldiers, and over ten thousand serf soldiers."
Another piece of good news; Laszlo now found the old man more and more pleasing to the eye—there was a loyal subject in the northwest… no, not just one, but a group of loyal subjects!
As more and more forces gathered, Laszlo felt increasingly confident in challenging the Ottomans.
Laszlo was quite pleased with the petition from the Bohemian Catholics.
Then, he refused.
"Rosenberg, your days in Bohemia are already difficult; if you organize such a large army to help me, how will you resist the oppression of the Bohemian heretics? Here, I will give you an imperial edict; you take it back to Bohemia for Iri, forcing him to begin preparing for war. I would rather see these Hussite fight the Ottomans like dogs. You should preserve enough strength until I am free to deal with the heretics in Prague… Heh heh."
"Your Majesty, have you… already considered things so far ahead?" Rosenberg didn't expect that Laszlo, even after deciding to fight the Ottomans to the death, was still wary of the Bohemian heretics.
"Hmm, if Iri continues to feign compliance, things won't be easy… Rosenberg, can you urge Iri to fulfill my demands?"
"As long as the demands are not excessively unreasonable, I think Iri will not be able to withstand the pressure from the council. I will keep a close eye on him."
Rosenberg did not boast; he was still unsure what the Emperor's edict would contain. If the Emperor wished to drain Bohemia dry, even he would have to object.
"It's not difficult, just recruit an army of eighteen thousand in Bohemia. Can you bear this number? And it can't be entirely made up of heretics; some Catholics must also be recruited. Rosenberg, can you still lead an army?"
"Your Majesty, an army of eighteen thousand is a completely reasonable request. I haven't been away from the battlefield for long; leading an army is no problem."
"Good, I hereby appoint you Imperial Marshal, responsible for recruiting, training, and commanding the Bohemian Crusade forces. I hope that by the day of departure, you can bring a battle-ready army to join my forces."
Rosenberg was overwhelmed by the favor, not expecting such a promotion at his old age. He quickly bowed deeply to Laszlo, saying excitedly, "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty. I will not fail my mission."
"Good, I will have someone draft the edict and your appointment letter right away. I'm entrusting the matters of Bohemia to you."
Soon, Rosenberg left the court with the Emperor's edict. Now, there was no need to worry about the Bohemian side for the time being. Laszlo could finally relax a little, then take Leonor on their honeymoon.
Thinking of this, he felt joyful and couldn't help but hum softly.
The prefix "Rose Castle Lord" before Ulrich II von Rosenberg's name earlier had piqued Laszlo's interest, and he decided to look into the origin of this romantic name.
Taking a leisurely stroll to the library, Laszlo happened to catch Matthias slacking off there.
"Aha, Matthias! I wondered why you've been so elusive lately; turns out you've been hiding here all along." Laszlo looked at the embarrassed Matthias, barely suppressing a laugh.
Matthias mumbled, "Didn't the teacher say His Majesty never comes here?"
"Hmm? I can't pretend I didn't hear such slander. Actually, I am still eager to learn, but I'm bogged down by too many things. You must understand me, Matthias."
"I understand you, Your Majesty. So, you didn't come here today just to drag me back to work, did you?"
"Oh, no, I came to find a book that records the coats of arms and deeds of noble families. Do you know where it is?"
"Oh, that book. I'll go get it for you." Matthias, with practiced ease, found the book Laszlo wanted and handed it to him.
Laszlo looked at Matthias's skilled demeanor; he was more professional than the old man guarding the library. If he weren't afraid of spoiling Matthias, Laszlo would have just made him a librarian.
Matthias led Laszlo to the only table in the library. Laszlo naturally sat down and began to flip through the book of coats of arms in his hand.
Just as Matthias was about to sneak away, Laszlo said, "Come stand by me. Don't even think about slipping away."
Matthias, resigned, could only obediently stand beside Laszlo, his hands clasped tightly behind his back, still clutching the book he hadn't finished reading.
Laszlo flipped through the book, but he couldn't find Rosenberg's family from beginning to end.
This book contained only the ancient noble houses of the Holy Roman Empire; local magnates like Rosenberg's family seemed not to be recorded.
Darn it, such a cool nickname, I really want to know more about it!!!
Perhaps Old Uncle Ulrich knew his story?
Laszlo ultimately didn't let Matthias off the hook. He dispatched Matthias to invite his Old Uncle Ulrich, hoping to ask him about Rosenberg's background.
Soon, Ulrich followed Matthias to the palace garden, where Laszlo was enjoying the beautiful scenery.
"Your Majesty, you were looking for me?"
"Yes, Old Uncle, I want to ask you about something."
"Your Majesty, please speak. I will tell you everything I know, holding nothing back."
"Do you happen to know Ulrich II of Rosenberg?"
Ulrich II of Cilli, who was Laszlo's Old Uncle, thought for a moment, then nodded affirmatively.
"He is an impressive general, tenacious and unyielding, repeatedly defeated but never giving up."
Laszlo was a bit unsure what to say when he heard this; it felt strange. Tenacious and unyielding, repeatedly defeated but never giving up, truly a wonderful combination.
"Start by telling me about his family."
"Alright."
Ulrich then began to recount what he knew about the Rosenberg family and his experiences.
Rosenberg comes from the prominent Rosenberg family in South Bohemia.
Two hundred years ago, the Witigonen family established a castle in Krumlov and became the lords of the area.
Because the Witigonen family's coat of arms was a five-petaled rose in five colors, they were also known as the "Rose Family," and Krumlov Castle was called "Rose Castle."
The Witigonen family, of course, virtually ruled all of South Bohemia. Before the death of the family patriarch, Witigo I, he divided the five roses among his five sons, allowing each to inherit a portion of the family territory.
The eldest son, who received the golden rose, inherited Jindrichuv Castle, an important castle at the border of Bohemia and Austria.
The second son, who received the green rose, inherited Rose Castle.
The third son, who received the red rose, inherited Rosenberg, and thus the Rosenberg family was founded.
Later, the Green Rose family died out, and the Rosenberg family inherited Rose Castle, gradually developing into the most powerful noble force in South Bohemia.
By the time it reached Ulrich II of Rosenberg, the Rosenberg family had already become the leader and representative of the Bohemian Catholic nobility.
Because he was the master of Rose Castle, many people called him the Rose Castle Lord, the Red Rose Knight.
In the early Hussite Wars, Jan Žižka led his army from Prague to attack South Bohemia, and Rosenberg, loyal to Emperor Sigismund, immediately led his troops to meet him.
Although he fought bravely, he was no match for Žižka, who was a god of war.
Rosenberg was defeated by Žižka multiple times.
But he was tenacious and unyielding, engaging in a prolonged tug-of-war with Žižka in South Bohemia, repeatedly fighting over every inch of land.
As time passed, his losses grew, and just as he was about to collapse, Emperor Sigismund led a large army into Bohemia.
After 1420, Rosenberg fought in the Emperor's army.
In 1424, Rosenberg participated in the defense of a castle on the border between Bohemia and Saxony. There were rumors that Žižka was attempting to invade the Empire's homeland from there.
Later, Žižka indeed led his army to besiege the city, but in the end, the castle could not be held. Rosenberg lost all his strongholds, becoming a homeless dog for a time, and even his own Rosenberg and Rose Castle were captured by the Hussite rebels.
But the good news was that Jan Žižka, who had thoroughly beaten him and left him unable to raise his head, unfortunately died of the plague during the siege.
However, this did not mean that everything was over. The Hussites did not weaken as quickly as imagined; instead, they maintained a strong fighting force.
For the next 12 years, Rosenberg fought to reclaim his family's territory.
After all, a Rose Castle Lord without Rose Castle was somewhat ironic.
Finally, in the decisive battle, the fence-sitting Cup faction colluded with the Emperor, betraying the radical Hussite Tábor faction of the same faith, and utterly massacred these Tábor faction rebels.
When the Hussite Wars began, Rosenberg was just a young man who had recently inherited his title. By the time the war ended, he was already middle-aged and weathered.
The most vital years of his life were all caught up in that cruel and long Hussite War, which must have been very painful for him.
Fortunately, this suffering paid off. In recognition of his loyalty and perseverance, Sigismund granted him larger lands, allowing the Rosenberg family's power and prestige in Bohemia to reach an unprecedented level.
During the time of Albrecht II, the Emperor marched into Bohemia, and Rosenberg led his army to assist. The main army was defeated by the Cup faction army led by Iri, and the Emperor completely lost control of Prague and most of Northern Bohemia.
However, Albrecht was no ordinary person. He immediately began to support the Catholic nobles within Bohemia, and the loyal Rosenberg was his chosen agent.
Thus, Rosenberg naturally expanded his influence in Bohemia, affecting all of South Bohemia, and also became a big shot in the Bohemian Regency Council, where only he could contend with Iri in the council.
By relying on the pressure exerted by the Catholic nobles led by Rosenberg on Iri, the Emperor could control Bohemia more easily.
This is Rosenberg's story.
Laszlo was amazed by Rosenberg's extraordinary life experience, and his doubts about him were completely dispelled.
He was beaten so badly by the Hussites; if not for the Emperor's support, he would not be in his current position. In helping the Emperor fight against the Hussites, perhaps no one worked harder than him, right?
It was the beginning of the Hussite Wars that made Laszlo want to laugh a little. This Rosenberg was truly miserable, encountering the legendary general Jan Žižka. It was truly difficult for him to repeatedly struggle with the rebels.
Now Laszlo knew how Rosenberg's general trait [Unyielding] came about.
After hearing Rosenberg's story, Laszlo gained a deeper understanding of the political situation in Bohemia.
Of course, now it's time to consider going to Rome for the coronation as Emperor, a topic that every Emperor cannot avoid.
The first difficult hurdle before the Emperor was how to get to Rome.
Don't find it funny; for hundreds of years, Holy Roman Empire monarchs who wished to go to Rome for coronation invariably had to unleash a bloody storm.
In the early days of the Empire, the Holy Roman Empire had absolute control over its four kingdoms: the German region of the Kingdom of Germany (today's Germany, Austria), the Burgundy region of the Kingdom of Burgundy (today's Switzerland, parts of eastern France and western Germany), the Northern Italy region of the Kingdom of Italy (Northern Italy north of Rome, excluding Venice), and the Bohemia region of the Kingdom of Bohemia (today's Czech Republic).
However, with the decline of imperial power and the rise of the Northern Italy city-states, the Holy Roman Empire gradually lost control over Northern Italy.
Therefore, the new Emperor's journey to Rome for coronation was often accompanied by a new conquest of Northern Italy territories. This process always consumed vast amounts of financial, material, and human resources, and later, some Emperors gradually became unwilling to go to Rome for coronation.
Of course, Emperors unwilling to be crowned were ultimately a minority. More Emperors eagerly led large armies into Northern Italy to burn, kill, and plunder, returning from their coronation with their coffers overflowing. Frederick Barbarossa was one of the most prominent among them.
Now it was Laszlo's turn to face this challenge.
What was the attitude of the Northern Italy princes towards the Emperor? Laszlo did not know this.
Although one could reach the Milanese territory by crossing the Alps from Tyrol, who would bother crossing the Alps in those days?