The Ottoman defeat at Varna instantly ignited the resistance of various factions in the Balkans; the long-dormant forces, like sharks smelling blood, eagerly joined the feast of carving up the Ottoman.
Skanderbeg personally led his army into Macedonia, capturing Oron and reclaiming all the lands lost by the Albanian people.
Leonardo Tocco, the Despot of Epirus, who had previously submitted to the Ottomans, seized the opportunity to advance into northern Greece, successively capturing the regions of Terhala and Yanina.
John of Capistrano and Ulrich II of Cilli led a peasant army south to liberate the Rascia region (southern Serbia), plundering the Kosovo gold mines, destroying Ottomans rule there, and cruelly cleansing and expelling the Muslim population; they then turned east, advancing into Macedonia.
The Bohemia army led by Rosenberg, after a series of arduous battles, successfully captured Sofia, liberating the Bulgaria region, and the Ottomans Rumelia Province completely collapsed.
He then continued south, and after joining Ulrich and John, they jointly cleared out the remaining Ottoman forces entrenched in Macedonia.
After completing all of this, Ulrich led the peasant Crusade back to Serbia, while John and Rosenberg continued eastward along the Aegean Sea into Thrace, finally meeting with Szilágyi's besieging forces at Adrianople (Edirne), and are now preparing to capture this important fortress.
The Venetian, seizing the opportunity, re-declared their participation in the Crusade and sent troops to occupy numerous ports along the Greek coast; the Genoese also began to follow suit, and the two sides even came to blows in their struggle for territory.
This fickle behavior did not earn Venice the understanding of others; the Papal States excommunicated the Doge of Venice, Francesco Foscari, encouraging all nations to send troops to punish the traitor to the Catholic world.
The sins committed out of momentary greed would ultimately have to be repaid.
However, there was one small country whose people, with noble blood flowing in their veins and bearing national hatred and family vengeance on their shoulders, did nothing in this "feast."
This country was the Despotate of Morea—the embers of the Eastern Roman Empire, the only remaining nation of "Roman" people in the world.
At this time in Morea, the two despots, the blood-related brothers Thomas Palaiologos and Dimitrios, were engaged in a fierce struggle, both attempting to expel the other and gain complete control of the Morea region.
Thomas wanted to lead troops to support the Crusade, hoping to restore the Empire in the process, while the pro-Ottoman Dimitrios opposed his brother's idea, believing that since Morea had already acknowledged the suzerainty of the Ottomans, they should send troops to assist Sultan Mehmed II in fighting the Crusade.
The final result was that the Roman and Ottoman factions of Morea came to blows before even crossing the Isthmus of Corinth, completing a miniature Crusade there.
The remaining Ottoman soldiers who had fled from the north joined Dimitrios's forces, causing the rebel strength to grow rapidly, and Thomas gradually began to lose control of the situation.
At the same time, Leonardo, the Despot of Epirus in the north, after seizing much Ottomans land amidst the chaos, turned his gaze southward to Morea—could his Epirus not also be the legitimate successor to Rome?
Thomas, while stabilizing the domestic situation, dispatched envoys to the leaders of the Crusade, the Roman Emperor Laszlo, to request aid.
The humorous comedy of brotherly strife played out on the Peloponnesian Peninsula, and the internal conflict only brought endless internal consumption to Morea, which directly led them to miss the opportune moment to reclaim lost territories.
Thomas did have this idea, but the Ottomans-subdued Dimitrios sent someone to Constantinople to pledge loyalty to the Ottoman Sultan.
Without resolving their internal conflicts, they would not be able to leave Morea.
Laszlo received a letter of appeal from the Despot of Morea, Thomas Palaiologos, in his tent outside Constantinople.
He patiently read the letter, and couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated by the terrible performance of the last scion of the Eastern Roman Empire's imperial family.
The envoy knelt trembling on the ground, awaiting the young Emperor's response.
"You mean, for such a trivial matter, Thomas sent you here to ask me for help?"
"Your Majesty, our monarch is struggling to resist the Ottoman lackeys, please understand and provide assistance."
Laszlo looked speechlessly as the envoy buried his head even lower, his posture utterly humble, without any demeanor befitting an envoy.
Did these insects still dare to dream of rebuilding the Eastern Roman Empire?
They might as well just go to bed; lying low peacefully in Morea might allow them to survive a few more years.
At this moment, the long-unseen panel reappeared.
Laszlo was instantly interested.
[Event: The Only Rome]
[The civil war in Morea has left the last Roman in a desperate situation. Dimitrios has shamefully submitted to the Ottomans, making his brother Thomas Palaiologos the sole and legitimate heir to the Eastern Roman Empire's legal tradition. The weak Thomas cannot even fully rule the small Morea, and his ambition to rebuild East Rome is nothing but a pipe dream.
And you, the supreme Roman Emperor, the leader of the Crusade, have led your great army to heavily defeat the Ottoman Empire and besiege Constantinople, such a glorious achievement is praised by the world. If you can seize this opportunity to gain the Eastern Roman legal tradition in one fell swoop and achieve the reunification of East and West Rome, you will become the most noble and greatest monarch on this land, revered and worshipped by the world.]
[Option One: Exchange Aid for the Crown]
[Force Thomas to surrender the Eastern Roman crown and acknowledge the transfer of the Empire's legal tradition in exchange for aid.]
[Gain Modifier (The Only Augustus): Stability of all controlled territories increases, separatist rebellion tendency in non-core territories -50%, Habsburg Family approval +20, Morea Despotate approval -100, Papal States approval -40.]
[Option Two: What Does It Have to Do With Me?]
[Why should outsiders interfere in a farce of brotherly strife? Let everyone enjoy a good show.]
[Gain Modifier (Cold Observer): Morea Despotate approval -50, Papal States approval -20.]
[Option Three: Rebuild the Empire]
[Send troops to help Morea quell the civil war, and re-establish a Latin Empire in the territories captured by the Crusade; Morea will be incorporated into the new Empire and convert to Catholic.]
[Gain Modifier (Reborn Empire): Stability of all controlled territories increases, initial Latin Empire approval +150, Papal States approval +100, all Crusade participating nations approval +50]
Seeing the three options, Laszlo could barely suppress a smile. Was there any need to hesitate?
To prevent certain petty individuals from claiming to be the Third Rome just by marrying a wife in the future, Laszlo decisively chose Option One.
As for Option Three, there was no reason to choose it; why would Laszlo need to create a new empire when he could simply annex those territories directly?
"Raise your head and listen to my reply."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The envoy from Morea straightened up, looking at Emperor Laszlo, who was seated at the head of the table.
"I can send troops to help Morea quell the rebellion, but there are three conditions."
"Please state them."
"First, Thomas Palaiologos must publicly announce the transfer of the Eastern Roman Empire's legal tradition to the Habsburg Family, and present the Eastern Roman Empire crown to me."
"This…" The envoy's expression subtly changed. The first condition was already so harsh; he could already imagine what the next two would be like.
"Second, the Despot of Morea must bow to me, the Roman Emperor, pay annual tribute, and accept conscription during wartime, and I will guarantee his right to rule Morea."
"Third, the Despot of Morea must send all his children to the court in Vienna for education, and their marriages will also be decided by me."
Laszlo's arrogant demeanor made the envoy from Morea dare not speak out in anger.
He was not without temper or spirit; with such insulting conditions, he truly wanted to sternly refuse right then and there.
But thinking of the critical situation at home, his heart sank again.
The glory of Rome could no longer be recreated; did these Germanic barbarians think that by seizing a few crowns they would truly become the successors of Rome? It was nothing but a pipe dream.
The Rome established by the Greeks was the true Rome!
Of course, these thoughts could only remain in his mind; if he were to speak them aloud, this young and impetuous Emperor might directly send troops to destroy Morea, and then there would be nowhere to cry.
"Your Majesty, these conditions are truly too… I have no authority to decide, I need to return and seek instructions from Lord Thomas."
Laszlo waved his hand indifferently and said, "You had best be quick; I fear that by then, I might not have changed my mind, but Thomas will have already given up."
The envoy bid farewell to Laszlo, then rushed back to Morea day and night.