Chapter 624: The trapped beast still fights
Sigismund has always wanted to turn HRE into the world of his Luxembourg family, but now that their family is going to be extinct, he will try his best to make his son-in-law Habsburg hereditary.
Although Austria suffered heavy losses, Albrecht also began to centralize local power. With the endorsement of his father-in-law, he invited family members from Upper Austria and Tyrol to Vienna and imprisoned them at a banquet. At the same time, after being suppressed by the army, he successfully completed the unification of Austria.
At present, it seems that as long as the Bohemian uprising is suppressed, their position in the HRE can be stabilized. But the northern princes headed by Brandenburg would definitely intervene, otherwise why would representatives of the Hanseatic League attack him in parliament.
"These damn nouveau riche!"
Sigismund was a little angry, but now was not the time to separate from them. After all, the north was responsible for 50% of Shinra's trade. If you fight against them, you will suffer heavy losses.
"Your Majesty, the Pope has agreed to your request for a coronation, but he only asked you to go to Toledo for the coronation."
He was originally going to Rome, but Rome was occupied by Romania. He couldn't let the Orthodox Patriarch crown him, right?
“That’s all we have to do”
Sigismund ordered his son-in-law Albrecht to take charge of his affairs in his absence, and at the same time persuaded the vassal states that supported him to provide 220,000 gold coins for his expenses and military expenses.
In the past few years, the domestic economy of the HRE has recovered, and the Hanseatic League has gradually transformed from the previous trade transfer into an alliance integrating production and sales. Brandenburg provided them with luxuries such as spices, and they became Berlin's moneybags.
The Danube and Rhine rivers became important places for their activities, and as Brandenburg expanded within the territory of the HRE, their trade increased. Coupled with the unification of tariffs in the Berlin Union, a unified northern market gradually formed.
Even if the Shinra Emperor wants to stop it, he can't do anything. The only chance is to unite other vassal states and confront the north. And now Sigismund is doing just that.
To enhance Habsburg's status, Sigismund elevated Austria to the status of a Grand Duchy. And took advantage of Burgundy's desire to improve its status to win over the Duke of Burgundy, and establish good relations with the only remaining country in Italy to secure the outlet of the Mediterranean Sea.
But that's all he can do. Shinra's domestic interests are complicated, and if he wants to further centralize power, he can only wait for the next generation.
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Wladyslaw was now exhausted. He received news that Brandenburg's army had breached the headquarters of the Teutonic Knights and would soon arrive in Warsaw.
This forced the king, who was preparing to resist Romania in Krakow, to move again, preparing to use the time difference to deal with the northern threat and then return. But unexpectedly, the defenders of Krakow saw the king leaving and surrendered directly to Kaicheng, Romania.
Those nobles who used to shout the most joy were now standing on both sides respectfully. They had also heard how Lvov was destroyed, and now they only hoped that His Majesty the Emperor would show mercy. “The scenery here is really nice,” Peter said casually.
"Yes, Your Majesty, successive Polish kings have expanded here, so they pay special attention to the urban layout."
It is indeed a good place, and with the Vistula River, it can become an important local capital.
"I think this is the limit of the empire's rule in the north. It won't work in the greater part of the country."
Even so, Peter is not sure whether he can remain under direct control for a long time. He just decided to establish the Duchy of Krakow and make his son a duke.
Peter ordered all the local nobles to move to Constantinople and Mircea Castle, and half of their land was forced to be sold to Romanian nobles at market prices. His Majesty the Emperor promoted Orthodox Christianity and Romanian culture locally, and at the same time lured the nobles to follow their lead. Reduce local resistance as much as possible.
The Duchy of Galicia was re-established without much local resistance. Under this circumstance, Peter began to order Polish people to move to places such as Ruthenia and Anatolia, which could also stabilize the local area.
"Now, wonder what Wladyslaw is doing?"
Wladyslaw, whom Peter was talking about, was returning to defend Warsaw. He said anxiously in the battle meeting: "We will go to war immediately, repel Brandenburg's army, and then lead the army back to Krakow."
Of course, Zaimoski did not agree with this proposal. He patiently persuaded: "Your Majesty, the city of Warsaw is strong and the defenders are not small. It is impossible for the enemy to capture it in a short time. You don't have to be too impatient.
Moreover, with such a large Romanian army coming from a long distance, military food supply will become a big problem. As long as we send several troops to bypass their camp, attack the passage between Lviv and their camp, and cut off their food supply transportation. If they don't have enough to eat, they will be in panic and confusion. Only then will we attack. Once the Romanian army is defeated, our situation will be much better next. "
"I agree with Zaimowski. We have few troops now, so we should be cautious!" said another general. After all, Brandenburg's frontline could not threaten Warsaw, and he certainly did not want to run back and forth blindly.
Wladyslaw was annoyed. He felt that he was being ignored. But these generals were all important nobles, and it was not easy for him to oppose them. And the next day, they got Brandenburg's army to attack Wallaburg. They all knew in their hearts that without reinforcements, Walla would fall very quickly.
They continued to hold meetings to discuss rescue measures. If left alone, Warsaw would soon fall. The king, who was anxious about the current war situation, received another request for help from the messenger: Brandenburg was in a hurry to attack the city. They built a dirt hill higher than the city wall and made a lot of artillery, which posed a great threat to the defense of the city wall. If reinforcements were not received immediately, there was a danger of the city being broken!
This made Władysław anxious. After consideration, he decided to rescue Warsaw and leave 4,000 people to keep an eye on Romania, hoping that Krakow could hold out for three months so that he would have time to maneuver.