Belgrade, revisiting the old place after several months, Laszlo couldn't help but feel emotional.
Serbia, though not the final piece of his envisioned Balkans puzzle, could certainly be called a crucial one.
Belgrade, as the famous "Key to the Balkans," was vital for the defense of the Kingdom of Hungary.
After the Crusade ended, Laszlo strongly advocated returning Belgrade to Serbia.
On one hand, this was to consolidate Ulrich's rule in Serbia, and on the other, it was to weaken Hungary's influence over Serbia and prevent the further expansion of Hungarian aristocratic power.
Now that he had brought Serbia under his control, the Habsburg Family's dominant position in the Balkans would be unshakeable.
Inside the newly expanded cathedral in Belgrade, the dignitaries of Serbia gathered to witness a rare and grand ceremony.
Laszlo and Leonor were being crowned.
The person crowning them with the Serbian crown was also an old acquaintance of Laszlo.
This person was none other than John of Capistrano, now revered as a "Living Saint."
After he and Ulrich led the peasant Crusade to liberate the Serbia region, the Pope, seizing the opportunity, appointed him Archbishop of Belgrade.
John then worked with Ulrich to manage the newly restored Serbia.
However, as soon as he became the Archbishop of Belgrade, he encountered a very tricky problem.
There were suddenly two Archbishops in Belgrade: the Archbishop of Belgrade and the Archbishop of Sava.
The original Archbishop of Sava was the leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the successor of Saint Sava, and the religious leader commonly revered in most parts of Serbia.
Because the Crusade had restored Serbia, the Pope specifically separated the three Hungarian bishoprics in Serbia and newly established a Serbian Archbishopric.
John, as an experienced missionary, took on this important responsibility, becoming the first Archbishop of Belgrade.
His primary task was to reverse the religious distribution in Serbia, making Orthodox believers a minority and Catholic believers a majority.
This was undoubtedly a challenging task.
Before he took office, only the Hungarian-occupied and Venice-occupied areas of Serbia practiced Catholicism, while the vast Ottoman-occupied areas primarily practiced Orthodox Christianity.
So, John, as the Archbishop of Belgrade, was truly worthy of the name—his religious leadership was only recognized in Belgrade, which had originally belonged to Hungary.
During Ulrich's few years in power, John did his best to promote the Catholic faith in Serbia.
With the strong support of the King of Serbia, this work had made considerable progress.
During this period, the last Archbishop of Sava in Serbia passed away under suspicious circumstances.
After that, the succession of the Archbishop of Sava was broken, and the Archbishop appointed by the pseudo-patriarch of Constantinople, who had submitted to the Ottoman, was neither recognized by the King of Serbia nor by the people of Serbia.
Gradually, the Serbian Orthodox Church was effectively abolished, and John began to preside over religious affairs in Serbia.
Just at such a favorable juncture, Ulrich fell gravely ill and died.
Now, a new King of Serbia was ascending the throne.
Laszlo, whom John considered the most devout monarch, would undoubtedly be a strong supporter of his further promotion of the Catholic faith.
Therefore, John recited the coronation eulogy for Laszlo with anticipation.
"Your Majesty, the Roman Emperor, you are beloved by God, having driven out the wicked infidels and restored the Kingdom of Serbia.
Now, you are granted the authority to govern this country.
May the Lord grant you the crown for glory, the scepter as a symbol of justice, and may your rule manifest God's will.
Do you promise to defend the Catholic faith, protect the Church from harm, suppress heresy, administer justice, and show mercy to the poor?"
"I do," Laszlo replied calmly, his hand on the Bible; he had experienced such a scene countless times.
Hearing this, John revealed a benevolent smile and personally placed the Serbian crown, which Ulrich had specially commissioned from Nuremberg, on Laszlo's head.
"May God grant you peace and victory, stabilize your throne, allow your people to live in peace and prosperity, and grant you eternal glory after death. Amen."
Afterward, John also placed another crown, belonging to a queen, on Leonor.
Under everyone's gaze, Laszlo slowly rose, holding his wife's hand, and turned to face the crowd watching them.
John raised his hands high and cried out, "Behold, this is your King! He is chosen by God, consecrated by the Church,
Now, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I declare him the legitimate ruler of Serbia!"
Suddenly, a section of the crowd knelt, and then the dignitaries throughout the church knelt before the new King, congratulating him on his ascension to the throne.
Laszlo and Leonor, surrounded by the crowd, walked out of the church and boarded the carriage bound for the royal palace.
Along the way, the people erupted in enthusiastic cheers, maidens scattered rose petals, and bards began to sing newly composed tunes.
Thanks to Albrecht II having once saved this city, and Laszlo having set out from here to repel the Ottoman, the people of Belgrade held a very friendly attitude towards the Emperor.
In the distance, the flag of Serbia fluttered on the city walls.
The red background with a white double-headed eagle symbol complemented the adjacent yellow background with a black double-headed eagle flag perfectly.
Sitting in the carriage, Leonor excitedly responded to the cheering populace, but turned to find her husband Laszlo seemingly troubled by some issues, currently deep in thought.
"Laszlo, what are you worrying about now?"
Hearing his wife's question, Laszlo snapped out of his contemplation.
"I'm just thinking about how I should govern Serbia, this country... its situation is no better than Bulgaria."
Leonor smiled slightly and said softly, "What's there to worry about? You always find the right people to manage your vast lands, don't you?"
"That's true..."
With his panel in hand, Laszlo wasn't worried about not finding suitable people to govern Serbia for him; the key issue was the choice of Serbia Regent.
His initial thought was to follow tradition and send his other cousin, Sigismund, to Serbia to help him manage the Kingdom.
However, Sigismund did have a history of rebellion, and his banishment to Outer Austria was precisely his punishment.
Although Sigismund's attitude towards him was submissive when he last saw him, Serbia was, after all, remote and strategically important.
If his uncle were to rebel again, it could cause some trouble.
As for whether using an Austrian noble as the Serbia Regent would cause resistance from local forces, Laszlo was not worried.
After all, it wasn't an outsider coming, but his blood relative, a member of the Habsburg Imperial Family.
Using him could strengthen the Habsburg Family's control over Serbia, but it carries a certain risk of inciting unrest.
Although Sigismund was not a particularly talented person, he was much better than his other cousin, Frederick.
Historically, he repeatedly tricked Charles with land transactions, causing Charles to attack Alsace in a fit of rage.
Sigismund then turned enemies with Lorraine and Switzerland into friends, forming a tripartite alliance, which ultimately led to Charles's demise in Nancy, leaving him with the nickname "Ironhead" to be mocked by later generations.
Such a cousin made Laszlo somewhat uneasy.
But if a local noble were directly appointed as Regent, then the Hunyadi Family would be a cautionary tale.
He could not completely hand over distant regions to local foreign nobles; doing so would be tantamount to giving away land.
Only a loyal subject of Janos's caliber could gain the trust of multiple Emperors.
After much deliberation, Laszlo still decided to appoint Sigismund.
He and Frederick shared the same lineage, both being descendants of Leopold III, who died in Switzerland; their fathers, Frederick IV and Ernest the Iron, were brothers.
Placing one in Bulgaria and the other in Serbia would allow them to support each other and solidify the Habsburg Family's rule in the region.
The next morning, in the Royal Palace of Belgrade, Laszlo convened his first cabinet meeting since his enthronement.
In the late period of Ulrich's regency, he was unable to govern due to health issues, and the cabinet's power had actually expanded.
However, facing the most prominent monarch in the entire Christian world, these ministers, who usually wielded great influence in Serbia, had to temper their behavior.
"Gentlemen, I trust your abilities.
Therefore, regarding the cabinet seats, I will not make any adjustments for now."
Laszlo saw the nervous ministers and immediately spoke to reassure them.
Upon hearing this, the ministers collectively sighed in relief, and their anxious hearts finally settled.
After all, a new king meant new ministers, and a new king's enthronement would ordinarily require building his own team, but Laszlo directly continued the governing system from Ulrich's era.
The reason for this was simple: the Serbia cabinet had already proven its ability to maintain the kingdom's political stability during Ulrich's time.
Behind this lay a conflict and balance of power, which was what Laszlo needed.
Now, he intended to introduce some variables into this balance.
"Additionally, above the kingdom's cabinet, I will establish a Serbia Regent, who will act on my behalf and govern Serbia."
Laszlo's gaze swept over the ministers, noticing that their expressions were somewhat grim, but his decision would not change because of it.
"My cousin, Sigismund von Habsburg, will serve as Serbia Regent.
You must assist him diligently, maintain Serbia's stability, spread the holy faith, and secure the dynasty's borders."
John, as the chief minister, stood closest to Laszlo and was the first to endorse the Emperor's decision.
Regardless of who served as Regent, John's primary concern was the faith of the Serbia people.
As long as this new Regent continued to support his missionary work, everything would be fine.
The remaining ministers, however, were somewhat unwilling; they had initially believed that the kingdom's cabinet power would further expand, even directly abolishing the monarch's absolute authority.
This way, they could do as they pleased in Serbia, no longer constrained by the monarch's immense power.
Now, it seemed that the new King Laszlo had always been wary of the Serbia nobles, and naturally would not allow their ambitions to succeed.
Although Sigismund would not possess "absolute authority" like a "despotic duke," he still held considerable power with Laszlo's support.
This arrangement would allow Sigismund and the Serbia Regent cabinet to check each other, preventing either side from dominating Serbia politics.
Laszlo only needed to guide the overall direction, letting them execute his wishes.
The ministers exchanged glances; some wanted to offer suggestions, but seeing Laszlo's stern gaze, they immediately swallowed their words.
"Gentlemen, do you have any other opinions?"
The ministers all shook their heads; for them, retaining their original positions under the Emperor was already a good outcome.
As for the Regent who was about to arrive, most of them knew nothing about him.
Serbia's political environment was already complex enough, with local factions, Hungarian factions, and the King's faction intertwined, and now it would welcome a Regent from Austria.
Heaven knew what the future would hold.
"John, regarding the spreading of the faith, I entrust it to you; in this matter, I will give you my full trust and support."
Laszlo turned to John, earnestly instructing him.
Serbia's biggest problem was religious division; although not as severe as in Bulgaria, it was not far off.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
John enthusiastically responded to Laszlo's expectation.
With the Emperor's words, he immediately felt invigorated, eager to gather a crowd in the central square of Belgrade to indoctrinate them… no, to spread the faith.
Laszlo nodded slightly and then turned his gaze to the financial manager on the other side.
"The gold and copper mines of Serbia need to increase their extraction efforts, and the profits from gold mining need to be reported directly to Vienna.
Remember, this matter is extremely important; if there is any oversight…"
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will report truthfully."
The Emperor's cold tone made a few drops of cold sweat seep from the financial manager's temples, and he replied with trepidation.
Laszlo nodded slightly; apart from these two matters, he did not need to worry too much about other things.
The bureaucratic system left by Ulrich, though still immature, was usable.
After the cabinet meeting ended, Laszlo strolled through the Royal Palace of Belgrade, admiring everything there.
He paused before a portrait, gazing at the faded painting of Stefan Dusan on the wall.
He had noticed during his last visit that Ulrich had not kept the portraits of other Serbia rulers, but had only kept Stefan Dusan's.
This powerful monarch, once crowned "Emperor of Serbia and Greece, Bulgaria, and Albania," now looked down at him with cold eyes from the portrait.
From this portrait, it was clear that his cousin's ambitions were not small, but unfortunately, he ultimately prepared the way for him.
"Your dynasty has been destroyed by the Ottoman; now it is my era.
Just watch how I clear everything, you usurper who falsely claimed to be Emperor."