The internal strife in Wallachia caught Laszlo by surprise, but it didn't affect him much.
For him, the status of Wallachia and Moldavia as protectorates wasn't that important, and he hadn't established substantial rule over these two countries.
More than a suzerain-vassal relationship, these two martial Romanian minor states were perhaps more like his military allies, similar to the alliance between Albania and Austria.
His initial support for Vlad and Stefan was primarily due to their military talents.
It's strange, but under the immense pressure of the Ottoman, so many outstanding military talents emerged from these small countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Skanderbeg, Vlad, and Stefan were all rare and renowned generals.
Laszlo's initial thought was that having a few capable subordinates would reduce a lot of trouble for him.
Skanderbeg had utterly defeated the French on the Naples battlefield, personally slaying Big Piccinino, the elder brother of Piccinino, who was now the military commander of the Duchy of Milan.
Vlad contributed significantly to the battles of Gyurgyovo and Varna, first decisively defeating Mahmud Pasha, and then slaying him in the second battle.
Stefan routed Peter Aron in less than a month, invaded Poland, pushed back the Tartars, and dominated the battlefield without a single defeat.
None of them disappointed Laszlo, and Laszlo had no other designs on these small countries.
Historically, Mehmed II had suffered several setbacks at the hands of these minor states; although he was confident he could completely subdue them, it would certainly be a net loss.
It was better to maintain a relatively friendly suzerain-vassal or allied relationship, and be able to command them when crucial moments arose.
As for the current situation, there was no doubt that the rebellion had to be quelled as soon as possible.
He needed a stable backyard; all Balkan vassal states had to remain stable.
With this in mind, Laszlo had already made his judgment.
"Matthias, do you have more detailed intelligence regarding the rebellion in Wallachia?"
Laszlo decided to further understand the situation in Wallachia before making his final decision.
Matthias shook his head helplessly and said, "Your Majesty, we don't have many intelligence sources in Wallachia.
This intelligence was brought back by the envoy you sent to visit Prince Vlad.
The only thing clear now is that the rebellion was initiated by Prince Vlad's uncle, Dan.
He is the brother of Vladislav II, whom you deposed.
Prince Vlad was severely wounded by the rebels, but his doctors quickly provided him with treatment, and we hope he can survive this disaster."
"So..."
Laszlo frowned, and a long-unseen panel suddenly appeared before him.
EVENT: Wallachian Lord's Uprising
The Basarab Family of Wallachia is thriving, and among them, more than one believes he is more deserving of the title of Prince Vlad than Vlad III.
Now, the brother of the former ruler has gathered many supporters and is marching towards Târgoviște, planning to enthrone Dan, the so-called legitimate rebel leader, as Prince.
A civil war has broken out, and the fate of Wallachia has once again become uncertain.
This is not just a simple blood feud for power; multiple forces are jointly pushing it from behind.
Regardless, as the nominal suzerain of Wallachia, this is an excellent opportunity for you to strengthen your control over Wallachia.
Who Wallachia ultimately belongs to depends on your choice.
Option One: The Victor Takes All
This is a family matter of the Basarab Family; there's no need to interfere too much.
Whoever rules Wallachia, as long as he pledges loyalty to me, is fine.
The victor in the civil war will claim the title of Prince Vlad.
Gain Modifier (Watching from the Sidelines): Loyalty of loyalist factions in various vassal states decreases, friendliness of Wallachian rebels increases, loyalty of Vlad III and the Prince of Moldavia significantly decreases.
Option Two: Lord-Vassal Friendship
Declare your stance to support your vassal Vlad and provide him with military and economic aid, further deepening the subordinate relationship.
Gain Modifier (Timely Aid): Loyalty of loyalist factions in various vassal states increases, loyalty of Prince Vlad increases based on the extent of aid, Wallachia has a chance to become a tributary state, reducing its autonomy.
Option Three: A New Prince
Vlad III's tyrannical rule sparked the rebellion, and perhaps he is not suitable to continue ruling Wallachia.
However, the rebels are also not to be trusted.
The Basarab Family has another claimant to the princely power; if he can be supported to ascend the throne...
Gain Modifier (Potent Vassalage): Prince Vlad IV of Wallachia ascends the throne, Wallachia transitions from a protectorate to a tributary state, Wallachian stability significantly decreases. Loyalty of the Prince of Moldavia significantly decreases, Vlad III will become the second rebel leader.
These three options did not surprise Laszlo; he had indeed considered various possibilities, and now he had made his judgment.
What truly concerned him was the panel's description of the event.
The phrase "multiple forces are jointly pushing it from behind" was worth pondering carefully.
Laszlo himself didn't know much about Wallachia; he had thought this rebellion was no different from previous ones.
Now it seemed he had thought the problem too simply.
If the panel hadn't pointed out the hidden secrets, he might have remained in the dark.
Who exactly was supporting the rebel forces from behind?
The answer to this question was not at all difficult to guess!
The rebels were mainly concentrated in southwestern Wallachia, and coupled with the special identity of the rebel leader Dan, the identity of his supporters was obvious.
Bulgaria and Wallachia are separated by water, and Laszlo was certain that the useless uncle Frederick didn't have the guts to conspire to overthrow Wallachia.
And Hungary borders Wallachia by land, and from Hunyadi County to the Timisoara Fortress on the border between the two countries, and then to the western part of Severin County on the Wallachian border, all are Hunyadi's family territories.
Only he had the ability to support the rebels against Vlad.
But why would he do such a thing?
Laszlo glanced at Matthias, who was waiting for his instructions, and silently chose the second option.
"Matthias, send another envoy to tell Vlad that I firmly support his rule over Wallachia.
If he truly cannot defeat the rebels, I will provide aid, but it will require modifying the vassal terms in exchange."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Upon receiving Laszlo's instructions, Matthias immediately went to carry them out.
As Laszlo watched Matthias leave, he fell back into contemplation.
If Hunyadi truly wished to overthrow the Wallachian government, what was his motive for doing so?
Laszlo quickly formed a rough guess.
Vlad III was loyal to him, Laszlo, and Vlad greatly detested Janos, who had killed his father and brother; this hatred had now transferred to Hunyadi.
This meant that if the Hunyadi Family and he, the Emperor, came into conflict in the future, Vlad would undoubtedly side with him.
This was undoubtedly a thorn in Hunyadi's side.
Perhaps the previous act of splitting the Hunyadi Family had made Hunyadi Laszlo feel a sense of crisis, and he had now decided to take a dangerous path, supporting the rebels to overthrow Wallachia and then establishing a regime controlled by the Hunyadi Family.
This would ensure that the Hunyadi Family had no worries from behind.
If all these speculations were true, then Hunyadi had undoubtedly embarked on a path of no return.
Whether this matter was true or false, Laszlo would not let the conspirators succeed.
"Janos, you were upright and loyal your entire life, why is it your son who has become my greatest threat?"
Laszlo sighed deeply, muttering to himself with some helplessness.
By tomorrow morning, he would need to send out more scouts to understand the specific situation in Wallachia, and then decide how many resources to mobilize for aid.
From Hungary and Bulgaria, using the convenience of Danube River shipping, money, food, and troops could quickly be transported to Wallachia.
Vlad's strength was not weak; perhaps he could deal with the rebels himself.
Laszlo now wanted to uncover the truth behind this rebellion even more.