The Papal Bull spread widely throughout the Empire, followed by an Imperial Decree: a new Imperial Conference would be held in Nuremberg, with the main topics being how to aid the Teutonic Order and punish the King of Poland.
However, the princes knew this conference wouldn't be that simple.
The Emperor, having just pacified Bohemia, called the conference with the momentum of his great victory, which seemed to bode ill.
But the princes weren't too worried; after all, if the sky fell, the Electors would hold it up, and by following the Electors closely, the Emperor couldn't do anything to them.
Under the bronze dome of the Frankfurt City Hall, five shadows twisted into monstrous, clawed figures on the stained-glass windows.
The Brandenburg Elector, Frederick II of Hohenzollern, struck his sword against the oak long table, making the candlelight flicker.
"The Emperor is truly mad; he actually wants to rescue that pack of mad dogs from the Teutonic Order! Now the King of Poland has been excommunicated, and once the suppression from Poland is gone, those evil wolves' claws will extend into Pomerania."
His tone remained restrained, but he couldn't hide his anger; the Emperor's actions completely disregarded the safety of the North German princes.
What? You ask if the threat from Poland to the Imperial frontier isn't greater?
Can that be the same? The Emperor would allow the Teutonic Order to encroach on Imperial land, but he would absolutely not let Poland do so.
The other four all looked at him with sympathy.
The Elector of Saxony, Frederick II of Wettin, pressed his hand on the map on the table; he had only recently quelled the rebellion of his younger brother, Count William III of Thuringia, stripping him of his title and exiling him, thereby reunifying the Saxony territories.
Now his biggest concern was the Emperor's rule in Bohemia.
"The Emperor, using the pretext of clearing out heretics, has turned Bohemia into a Habsburg family territory; isn't this perhaps inappropriate?"
His words garnered widespread agreement, and the Archbishop of Mainz, Dietrich I, said worriedly, "I'm afraid even that won't satisfy him. Recently, he's started to tinker with Imperial reform again, and I've even received intelligence that this young Emperor seems to intend to dig up that worthless 'Privilegium Maius' that his ancestors forged, wishing he could elevate Austria to a second kingdom within the Empire, so he could have a new crown."
These words brought laughter from the group; everyone had more or less heard that Emperor Laszlo seemed to have a hobby of collecting crowns.
Of course, they also understood that this actually meant the Emperor's desire for power.
This desire was quite dangerous for the princes.
The Elector Palatine, Louis IV, held the Imperial Conference agenda drafted by the Emperor's Privy Council, feeling incredibly agitated: "Look at this item, apportioning troops and war taxes to each Elector; is this treating us like lambs to be slaughtered? And to establish Imperial administrative districts in Bohemia, Austria, and Swabia, what does he want to do? Is he preparing to annex the Empire one day? Not only can we not accept such conditions, but we must also unite to pressure him; we must restore the electoral monarchy in Bohemia."
The Archbishop of Trier, Jacob, sighed softly; he was very conflicted about whether to join the opposition against the Emperor.
The growing threat from the Duchy of Burgundy, and the Emperor's alliance with Burgundy, only heightened this fear.
If he opposed the Emperor, and the Emperor incited Burgundy to attack the Trier Archbishopric, he would only be able to seek widespread help within the Empire.
If he submitted to the Emperor, he might be safer; not long ago, the Duke of Burgundy voluntarily returned the occupied Liège Bishopric territory, and when the Bishop of Liège told him about it, he kept marveling at the Emperor's prestige and the blessings he brought to the entire Empire.
He felt he shouldn't be here, but the other two of the three Electors of Rhineland were sitting here plotting against the Emperor; if he betrayed the Elector Alliance, he would likely be targeted.
"Jacob, what are your thoughts?"
Dietrich I keenly noticed the Archbishop of Trier's unusual behavior, which made him wary.
If he, like Archbishop Hermann of Cologne, acted as the Emperor's loyal dog, then their alliance's strength would not be enough to shake the Emperor's authority.
"I think... the campaign against Poland is not only the Emperor's decision, but also the Pope's will; resisting the Holy See's decree will likely not end well."
"Are you ill?" Louis IV looked at Jacob with an incredulous gaze, as if seeing him for the first time.
"The Emperor usually only expands his power outside the Empire; within the Empire, it's not easy for him to implement reforms. We only need to guide them slightly, and the princes will abandon the Emperor's ideas."
"Naive," Dietrich I looked at the Archbishop of Trier with disappointment, wondering what had caused his conviction to waver, "Jacob, what has changed you? Just because the Burgundians have slightly reined themselves in, do you believe the Emperor can protect you from foreign enemies?"
Jacob suddenly stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone, then he spoke: "Yes, I now believe the Emperor will protect the Empire. Although he is young, he is already a devout believer. I want to withdraw from this alliance woven of conspiracy and lies."
After speaking, the Archbishop of Trier left the council hall under the gaze of several Electors.
Silence enveloped the council hall; everyone was momentarily at a loss for words. The Archbishop of Trier was like a poor soul overwhelmed by fear who suddenly saw hope; he now seemed to have completely sided with the Emperor.
Two weeks later, the Nuremberg Imperial Conference convened in the city's council hall. Lords and bishops from all over the Empire gathered to discuss important matters concerning the Empire.
After the Emperor concluded his passionate speech, the Imperial Diet officially began.
As expected, it was another difficult war of words, but Laszlo didn't care; he would only stay in Nuremberg for three days, after which he would depart for Vienna.
According to the usual behavior of this rotten Empire, an ordinary Imperial Conference could last three to four years. If an agenda item could not be passed for a long time, it had to be continuously revised, with long periods of recess in between.
This Imperial Conference was merely Laszlo's way of finding something for the Imperial princes to do, lest they be idle.
The matter of fighting Poland still required his personal intervention.
However, before he left, a special guest came to visit him.
Laszlo scrutinized the elderly man in the red robe, with a benevolent face. According to the attendant's introduction, Laszlo learned the man's identity.
His name was Nicholas of Cusa, the Prince-Bishop of Brixen, and also one of the rare cardinals within the Empire.
"May I ask, Bishop, what brings you to me?"
"I heard that Your Majesty is currently trying to promote Imperial reform?"
Nicholas showed great interest in Imperial reform.
This piqued Laszlo's curiosity: "Yes, Bishop, I believe Imperial reform is imminent; the Empire has been in a state of disorder for a long time."
"You are indeed as shrewd and wise as people praise. In fact, calls for Imperial reform already emerged during the Council of Constance. However, they burned Huss at that council, leading the Empire into decades of turmoil and decline. During the Council of Basel, I deeply discussed the direction of Imperial reform with my colleagues. After that, I presented these suggestions to the council, but they did not receive attention. Later, I introduced these proposals to your father, the noble Albrecht II, but after his initial attempts at reform failed, he no longer concerned himself with Imperial affairs. Now, finally, an Emperor truly values this matter, and I hope my proposals and suggestions can help you."
Laszlo was somewhat surprised; he took a stack of manuscripts from Nicholas and began to read them carefully.