Laszlo finally decided to take a gamble and chose option two.
If he lost, he could just abandon Hungary and pay a few hundred thousand florins (gold coins); if he won, he would soar.
A rousing song echoed in his mind:
Go all out, don't worry too much~
This is how a man should be~
Let's do it. This time, it's an all-out war with the Ottomans. It's either you die or I die.
"Laszlo, are you still listening?"
"Ah, yes, I'm listening. You just said you wanted to hold a feast to call for—to call for a Crusade?"
"Hmm? How did you…"
"I was also thinking of settling things with the Ottomans. Don't worry, I will fully support your father this time, but don't disappoint me either." With Burgundy's financial resources, Laszlo felt he wasn't entirely without a chance.
What the vast Holy Roman Empire lacked most was money, not warriors.
The Duke of Burgundy ruled the rich Burgundy and the Low Countries (Netherlands) region. While his military strength wasn't dominant, his financial power was among the best in Europe.
You provide the money, I provide the men; everyone gets what they need.
Charles stared at Laszlo in shock, followed by a surge of ecstasy. He had originally thought this invitation would require a lot of persuasion, but Laszlo had agreed so eagerly. Now he could go back and report to his old man.
After the major decisions were made, the two brothers began to chat idly.
Charles sighed, "My father has been making all sorts of efforts to break free from the shackles of France. This Crusade is also to accumulate prestige and prepare for complete independence. But the current situation…"
"What? Is the situation very bad?"
"Before you agreed, it was indeed very bad. My father had written to some of your vassals (Holy Roman Empire princes) beforehand, and they all said my father's worries were completely unnecessary, saying things like 'the Emperor is holding the line'—Hmph, a bunch of shameful cowards and parasites!"
Laszlo was shocked. He now really wanted to know who had uttered such rebellious words.
Listen, is that even human talk? What does "the Emperor is holding the line" mean?
Should the Emperor be the one to withstand the Ottomans invasion for you?
The Eastern Roman Empire couldn't hold on, you know!
Oh, it seems the Emperor does have an obligation to protect the Empire's members… But I haven't even enjoyed the Emperor's rights yet!
How can you only expect the Emperor to bear obligations? Laszlo felt very unbalanced.
Laszlo's ultimate goal, though he claimed it was to dominate Europe, was essentially to avoid the tragic fate of Vienna being besieged by the Ottoman Empire three times and nearly falling.
Preserving Vienna, the heart of the Empire, would be enough.
At this time, the four major powers of Europe, from strongest to weakest, were—Ottoman, Austria, France, Poland.
The next tier, from strongest to weakest, were England, Castile, Aragon, Lithuania, Portugal, Burgundy, Moscow.
If Laszlo really managed to overthrow the Ottoman this time, then the strongest power on this continent would undoubtedly be his Habsburg.
Originally, he had wanted to develop well for a few decades and then contend with the Ottomans, but this event suddenly popped up and directly disrupted both his short-term and long-term plans.
The short-term plan of conquering Bohemia was out of the question, and the long-term development of crushing the Ottoman was also out of the question.
Laszlo found himself seemingly forced onto a black car, into a gambling game, and now he couldn't get off the car or leave the table.
Listening to Charles's description, this Crusade would likely only involve Burgundy and his Austria… Other help would be almost negligible.
What is this? A growth-type tank with a max-level healer speed-running the ultimate BOSS? And it requires a one-life clear?
No, where's the DPS? Help!
DPS? Output? The Spear of God!
There's no other way. Now only Poland can save this critical situation.
"Has your father asked about Poland's attitude?"
"Hmm… Władysław III said he would be happy to send envoys to attend this feast, but…"
"But?"
"He is currently busy with the war against the Teutonic Order. This war has been going on for over a year, and neither side can gain an advantage. It seems there's no end in sight."
Laszlo covered his face. He didn't expect that even in a different world, there would still be a Thirteen Years' War.
Did the Teutonic Order self-destruct like in history?
If a Prussian League (Danzig) really split off, then the Teutonic Order would most likely be doomed.
Now, the Teutonic Order, which should have been the most active in responding to the Crusade, is being forced to defend itself, and Poland, capable of saving this war, seems intent on fighting the Teutonic Order to the bitter end.
What to do, what to do? Laszlo began to brainstorm.
This truly was a huge problem for him.
He had thought it would be an easy win, but it turned out to be a suicide mission.
Those with conflicts with the Ottoman, quick, think! Exclude chicken feed (tiny nations unable to resist the Ottoman), exclude Islamic nations.
That means there's only one option left—Venice.
Laszlo's expression was a bit strained. Venice and Austria were sworn enemies. For the sake of the Adriatic Sea outlet, Austria and Venice had fought tooth and nail. Now, they were supposed to unite to fight the Ottoman?
Just standing on the same side of the war as Venice was enough to send shivers down Laszlo's spine.
The hearts of those Venetian merchants could be said to be one of the darkest things in this world.
For profit, they could even instigate the Crusade to destroy the East Roman. If they feigned support and then stabbed him in the back, Laszlo would have nowhere to cry.
Moreover, those profit-driven merchants were the most astute. To persuade them to send troops, they would probably dare to directly demand all of Austria's and Hungary's sea outlets from Laszlo.
They would definitely do that.
What to do? Can the Kingdom of Aragon come? Probably not. Alfonso V is reportedly near death, and there are constant conflicts with the French in the Provence region recently.
Laszlo remembered that Alfonso seemed to leave a will.
Originally, because he had no legitimate heir, both the Kingdom of Aragon and the Kingdom of Naples would be inherited by his brother, King Juan II of Navarre. (This Juan was the witness at Laszlo's wedding.)
However, Alfonso also had an illegitimate son, Ferdinando.
This child was deeply loved by Alfonso, so at this point, as his life was nearing its end, Alfonso made a decision that went against his ancestors: he bequeathed the Kingdom of Naples to his illegitimate son Ferdinando, and left the Kingdom of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre to his brother Juan.
So, the Kingdom of Aragon is on the verge of splitting, and it's likely there will be a civil war afterwards. Even if there isn't, the help that a divided Aragon and Naples can provide is quite limited…
Laszlo looked around and found that in all of Europe, there wasn't a single strong nation that could help him fight the Ottoman.
No, there was one last option—the Holy Roman Empire!
Behind him were not just the myriad lights of the Holy Roman Empire, but also its vast armies!
At this point, a large-scale Imperial Conference must be convened.
He didn't expect much effect, but at least with dozens of princely states, each contributing a little manpower and resources would be a significant help.
As for those in the Empire who would genuinely be willing to send troops to help him, besides the Brandenburg Elector—the "Loyal and Valiant" Hohenzollern, and the three little ones of Bavaria (Munich, Landshut, and Ingolstadt) who were utterly obedient to him, he really couldn't think of any other prince.
Must he really accept the inevitable defeat?
If this battle truly happened, it would very likely be Laszlo's only chance in his life to defeat the Ottomans.
Once defeated, the consequences would be unimaginable. The Ottoman would break through Hungary's defenses and advance deep, possibly even reaching Vienna.
If victorious, the winner takes all, and the Ottoman would thereafter find it very difficult to expand into Europe.
Early war against the Ottoman. Laszlo, who used to play "Sweden Genshin" on the computer, was very familiar with this tactic: crushing the Ottoman Empire with a powerful coalition before its national strength peaked, forcibly dismembering it, which was jokingly called "castrating the chicken."
However, games are games, and reality is reality.
When it came down to it, who wouldn't feel fear towards the monstrously strong Ottoman Empire?
"Laszlo, are you alright?"
"Charles, I…" The words of regret were on the tip of his tongue, but Laszlo found he couldn't utter them.
He finally witnessed the power of this mysterious panel for the first time.
"I will keep my promise, there's no need to worry about that. I just want to know if the Duke of Burgundy can fully support this Crusade?"
"Laszlo, since you have made a promise, I also promise here that I will do my best to persuade my father to fully support you."
"Charles, go back and ask your father if he has any intention of forming a defensive and offensive alliance treaty with me? As for the term… 10 years? Or 20 years?"
"Laszlo, are you serious?" Charles suppressed his inner excitement and asked cautiously.
Laszlo nodded slightly, his gaze conveying his will.
Charles then smiled and said, "My father will probably jump for joy when he hears this news. With your support, what is the King of France?"
"Provided we can defeat the Ottomans…"
"We will definitely win, Laszlo. God protects us!"
"Ah, and Allah protects the Ottomans…" Laszlo added this in his mind.
Since fighting is the only way, then fight!
Laszlo no longer hesitated.