Inside the Royal Castle in Innsbruck, Laszlo was strolling through the ancient castle, holding little Maximilian.
Leonor followed the father and son. Their other son, Christopher, was playing in the garden, looked after by the Empress Dowager.
Everyone in the court noticed that for some reason, the Emperor seemed to favor his second son more, while the Empress Dowager preferred the Emperor's eldest son, Christopher.
Many believed that Christopher was God's reward to the Emperor, as his birth coincided with the victory of the Crusade,
and his name was derived from it.
However, no one could fathom the Emperor's thoughts. In any case, he had enough vast territories to leave to all his children.
Laszlo didn't care about others' opinions. He was indeed closer to Maximilian, but this by no means implied that his love for Christopher was less than for Maximilian.
Both would become important pillars of the Habsburg Dynasty in the future.
"Is it cool enough here? The scenery is also very good. I'll find someone to renovate this castle later. How about we come here to escape the summer heat from now on?"
"This is indeed a good place."
Leonor was quite satisfied. Although Laszlo still hadn't agreed to build a new palace in Vienna for summer retreats, at least they no longer had to spend the entire summer in the hot Hofburg Palace.
Laszlo chuckled, "Of course. This was originally the family castle of the Count of Austria-Tyrol, who is another one of my paternal uncles. However, after his failed rebellion, he was exiled to Freiburg to guard the family's ancestral land, and this place became a Royal Castle."
"I didn't expect such a past."
"Yes, everything is good here, it's just too close to Switzerland. In the future, it will probably inevitably become a battlefield…"
Laszlo sighed lightly. To the west of Innsbruck were three closely linked regional alliances. Although not yet united, the shadow of the Three Alliances could already be seen.
Further west was Switzerland. The Habsburg Family had suffered countless defeats in Switzerland over more than a hundred years, almost losing all their family territories.
Their ancestor Albrecht I and Frederick's grandfather Leopold III both died there.
Laszlo's great-grandfather Albrecht III also almost died in Switzerland trying to avenge his younger brother Leopold III.
In the Zurich War of 1440, the Swiss Confederation launched an attack on Zurich.
Zurich requested Habsburg assistance, and the late Emperor Albrecht II agreed to an alliance, entrusting Frederick with Swiss affairs.
Frederick sent his brother Albrecht II—the one who had previously instigated the Graz rebellion—to lead an army to relieve Zurich.
He led his army into the mountains to fight the Swiss, but the Austrian army suffered a crushing defeat, almost completely wiped out.
In 1450, Zurich was forced to break its alliance with the Habsburg Family and join the Swiss Confederation.
In 1453, Switzerland officially signed the 'Eight Cantons Alliance', replacing the cross-alliances between the Swiss Confederation's cantons, and Switzerland officially became a politically stable entity.
This almost meant that the Habsburg Family completely lost the opportunity to dismantle their opponents and reclaim their ancestral land.
Everyone says William Tell is the father of Switzerland, and Laszlo felt that Frederick's contribution was not far behind.
Of course, these are all jokes. At that time, a significant portion of Austria's power was invested in the Hungarian front, and there was actually not enough strength to counter Switzerland, so defeat was inevitable.
Leonor looked at Laszlo with some heartache and comforted him, "We came here to relax. Don't always think about cruel things like war. You've been campaigning a lot these past few years, and it's rare to have such peaceful time…"
"Peaceful?"
Laszlo thought of the war in Naples and shook his head with a slight smile.
Perhaps he should relax, but it was somewhat difficult to do so.
Unconsciously, they arrived at a staircase leading to the basement. Leonor looked at the gloomy spiral staircase, somewhat reluctant to go down, and asked, "Laszlo, what's down here?"
"The Tyrol Armory."
Laszlo, holding Maximilian, was about to go down for a visit. Leonor quickly pulled him back: "Why are you taking Maximilian to the armory? It's so dangerous there. Maybe let's not go."
"What's dangerous about it?" Laszlo was a bit puzzled. "Maximilian is destined to be a warrior. What's wrong with me showing him weapons and armor first?"
Leonor couldn't understand what there was to see about these weapons and armor. Hadn't Laszlo seen enough on the battlefield?
Besides, Maximilian had just turned one year old; how would he understand what these things were used for?
Laszlo was about to walk down with Maximilian when his steps suddenly stopped. Leonor, who was following behind, almost bumped into him.
"What's wrong?"
Leonor turned sideways, looking at Laszlo with some curiosity.
Laszlo's gaze was fixed on a certain spot. Without turning his head, he said, "I suddenly feel it's not very appropriate to take a child to the armory. Let's go find Mother in the garden."
"Okay."
Leonor responded and followed him towards the garden.
What did Laszlo see, after all?
It was the long-unseen event panel.
Event: The Empty Throne
Duke Filippo ultimately failed to leave a respected adult heir. Now that he has left this world, the city of Milan is plunged into chaos.
Influential citizens believe they can rebuild the former Republic.
Academic institutions like the Pavia Law School are widely promoting the idea that the old Republic era was a golden age.
Merchants, envious of the prosperous Republic of Venice, are the driving force behind this idea.
A Republic has been established, and claimants to the ducal throne have been declared illegitimate.
The new Republic is named the Golden Ambrosian Republic, after the fourth-century Bishop of Milan.
Among the many claimants to the ducal throne, the two most important contenders are Charles de Valois, Duke of Orléans, and Bianca Maria Visconti, Duke Filippo's illegitimate daughter.
The France's claim can be traced back to the marriage of Duke Filippo's sister to Louis, Duke of Orléans.
Although the France's claim is not very strong, they have long coveted Northern Italy, and not many can stop France.
Bianca's husband, Francesco Sforza, is the mercenary captain of Milan, and he is Bianca's strongest supporter.
Currently, this general is also leading Milan's army in Chambéry to assist the Duke of Savoy in fighting Burgundy. If he leads his army back to Milan, the situation might become even more chaotic.
In addition, Venice, Genoa, Florence, Ferrara, Mantua, Montferrat, Savoy, the Papal States, Naples, and even Switzerland are all trying to gain their share of interests in the struggle for the Milanese throne.
For the Emperor, the Milanese Pact can defeat all challengers and gain higher legitimacy.
According to Imperial law, when there is no clear heir, the Emperor has the right to reclaim the ducal title, and this secret pact directly determines the ownership of the ducal throne.
However, once the secret pact is made public, the situation in Northern Italy will instantly explode, and the Emperor will undoubtedly become the target of all.
Whether taking such a risk is worthwhile is a question that needs careful consideration.
Option One: The Throne Belongs to the Emperor!
The Milanese Pact will be "accidentally" made public, and the Emperor gains a casus belli to establish a joint rule over Milan.
Gains Modifier (Return to Northern Italy): All nations in the Northern Italy region suffer a significant decrease in opinion, while non-Italian princes of the Holy Roman Empire gain an increase in opinion.
Option Two: We Are Not Interested in This.
The Milanese Pact remains unheard of in the river of history until centuries later, when historians accidentally discover this never-implemented secret pact, which records the Emperor's concession.
Gains Modifier (Peace Lover): All nations in the Northern Italy region gain an increase in opinion, while Imperial Authority decreases.
These two choices almost determine the Empire's strategy towards Northern Italy: whether to strengthen control or abandon it completely.
Considering that the main force of the Austrian army and a part of the Hungarian army are currently fighting the France in the Naples battlefield, Laszlo had to carefully consider what choice to make.