Ladislas II sat in his chair with a gloomy expression, his face was unusually ugly, which made the few people standing in front of him nervous and restrained.

The king was now faced with a difficult choice: to remain in Bucharest or to return to Hungary immediately to preside over the situation.

The unexpectedly ferocious offensive of the Bosnian army caught Ladislas II off guard. He was also secretly contacted by Archduke Karl of Caniola, but not long after the Bosnians captured Sothburg, Ladislas II thought that Rowa? He's a two-faced hateful guy.

But now was not the time to complain about the Bosnian, for the king knew that the situation was not in his favour and that the choice to be made was unusually difficult.

Ladislas II had great ambitions for the Balkans, just as his relatives in Poland were obsessed with Moldovan territory, and Ladislas II saw the Balkans as his own.

In addition, the advance of the Ottomans forced him to unite the Balkan nobles as much as possible against this terrible enemy.

Now that the Balkan resistance has held the Sultan in check, Hungary can be safed for the time being, and if it is really the day when the Balkans are completely conquered, it will probably be time for the Ottoman cavalry to attack Hungary.

So the Balkans cannot be given up easily, but the Hungarian side is just as dangerous.

Although Ladislas II knew that the strength of the Bosnians alone could not threaten the whole of Hungary, with the fall of Southburg, the possibility that the Hungarian copper mines would fall into the hands of the Bosnians, which was something that the king could not accept.

Ladislas II knew that Emperor Maximian had been coveting the Hungarian copper mines, and for several years the Emperor had been looking for various excuses to try to reach into southern Hungary due to greed for copper-producing regions.

For this reason, Ladislas II tried to stop Emperor Maximian at all costs, including his promise to give up the Hungarian crown to Maximian if he had no heirs, and he also made concessions by agreeing to the best price for the mining rights of the merchants with the emperor's permission.

But so many concessions did not seem to impress the greedy emperor, and Maximian's more than one attempt to take possession of the entire mining area in southern Hungary in one fell swoop could not but arouse the alarm of Ladislas II, and now the Bosnian invasion made the king worry that this might be an excuse for Maximian to intervene in Hungarian affairs.

Because of these scruples, the king felt in a dilemma, and for a time did not know how to make a decision.

"Your Majesty, we should perhaps return to Hungary at once." An attendant finally broke the silence, "The Bosnians have just gone through a fierce battle, if we can stop enough troops at this time, we should be able to teach that Rova a hard lesson." ”

The king looked up at the man, and he knew that the suggestion was still good, although he had spent most of his time in the Prague court, but he knew that the Hungarians were still quite brave and good at war, so even if Southburg was captured, would he want to come to that Rova? Nor can it be without losses.

If the Bosnians were to be defeated quickly at this point, and then simply threaten the Ottoman rear from the direction of Hungary, even a mere gesture could force Bayezid to reconsider the strength of both sides.

Then there would be a negotiation with the Ottomans, and the bargaining chips could be to recognize the Ottomans' power over the Balkans that they had occupied so far, and perhaps Sophia......

By this time, Ladislas II was already thinking about the next possibilities.

"The Ottomans probably won't give us this opportunity." Another said, with some concern, "They may send troops directly to support the Bosnians, and if that is the case, we may have to face the Sultan directly." ”

"Is this possible?"

Ladislas II frowned, he knew that this was indeed a key, and if the Ottoman army sent troops directly to help the Bosnians, it would mean that it would be the beginning of a full-scale war.

"It is quite possible that Your Majesty, it depends on whether the war in Bucharest goes well or not, and if the Sultan's strength does not lose much after the capture of Bucharest, it is entirely possible that he will take the opportunity to invade Hungary."

Listening to the words of the people around him, the look on the king's face became more and more gloomy, he knew that these people were right, and even they were much more optimistic about things, at least they didn't count the greedy emperor in it.

It would be nice if someone could contain the Bosnians, even if only for a short time.

Ladislas II believed that his army in Hungary would not be so easily defeated by the Bosnians, so he believed that the Hungarian army elsewhere could gather to the south and drive the Bosnians out of Hungary in one fell swoop, as long as he could delay for a short time.

But it is precisely this short period of time that is crucial.

If the Bosnians had not been prevented from capturing Baudeboch before the army had been assembled, and had given Emperor Maximian an excuse to intervene in the affairs of South Hungary, things would have gone terribly worse even if the Bosnians had been finally driven out.

"Return to Hungary!"

The king said this almost through gritted teeth, knowing that this decision would mean that he would probably lose his direct influence on the Balkans, but the importance of Hungary forced him to make a trade-off.

And several people around him couldn't help but have different expressions on their faces after hearing that the king had made a decision.

Ladislas II's face was not good-looking, and Sophia and Alexander had made their marriage contract public at this time, which had already made the king feel as if he had been hit hard, and now because of Hungary, he had to give up everything in the Balkans altogether, which made the king feel a kind of frustration that everything he had done before had been lost.

But the situation forced him to make such a decision, and Ladislas II felt an indescribable exhaustion.

At this moment, one of the attendants cautiously entered the room and said to the king, "Your Majesty, the Count of Montina has asked to see you." ”

Ladislas II was stunned, and said that he had never seen the count alone since the marriage was publicly announced, and he was worried that he would do something that everyone would regret because of his agitation, but this annoyed the king even more, because he knew that in fact he was already a little afraid of the young earl.

In addition to fearing his intrigues, there is also his army.

Several encounters between the Montina army and the Ottomans were not only for the Balkans, but also for the king.

In addition to the great lethality of the sharp firearms troops, what impressed the king the most was the rigid discipline of Montina's army.

The discipline habit that is so strict that it seems to have penetrated into the marrow of every soldier has formed a seemingly inseparable and strict whole, and this habit seems to have gradually affected all aspects of this army, so that as long as he wears a military uniform, every soldier will involuntarily fall into that unusual stereotype.

Ladislas II had seen the training of Montina's army with his own eyes, and when he saw that the soldiers were training just one action over and over again, he began to feel bored, but later the results of Montina's army made him realize that it was probably those boring movements that were repeated all day long that made these soldiers gradually become part of this army, rather than individual "people".

Such an army was terrible, and Ladislas II did not know what would happen if he clashed with the count, but he was probably the happiest Sultan of Bayezid outside the city.

Because of this, upon receiving news of the Bosnian invasion of Hungary, the king had to give in and acquiesce to the blessing of the Patriarch of Bucharest on a non-doctrinal marriage contract.

Now what is the Count going to do, to mock me, or to show off his victory?

The king's thoughts kept spinning in his head, but he still asked the squire to invite the count in.

Alexander quickly sensed the oppressive atmosphere as he walked into the room, and in addition to the undisguised hostility of the people next to him, the king's deliberate indifference also made him aware that he should be an unwelcome guest.

"Your Majesty, I have a message for you." Looking at the king's gloomy face, Alexander smiled and said that he knew that he was probably the second person that Ladislas II hated the most now, and as for the first, it was definitely Emperor Maximian.

"If it's bad news, don't say it, Earl, the last thing we need now is the bad disappear." The king said a little annoyed, but then he smiled bitterly, "Fortunately, things are not very bad, I have heard that the army of Cepes has defeated the Ottomans on the east bank, which is probably the only good news now, but I heard that the Ottomans are pursuing him, so he is retreating to the east, I hope he can get rid of the enemy, after all, he is the only army outside Bucharest that is now fighting the Ottomans." ”

"God willing," Alexander replied slowly, "Your Majesty, I have this news from Croatia, or from the North to be exact. ”

Ladislas II's originally indifferent eyes instantly became sharp, and his gaze was fixed on Alexander.

"Hurva, Duke of Zagreb, is leading his army to hold out in the Ottoman rear, with great success, but because of the Bosnian invasion of Hungary, the duke fears that the retreat may be cut off, so he is now retreating in the direction of the border, and if possible he will probably retreat to the vicinity of the Macek Mountains."

Alexander's words made the king's eyes widen instantly, and he felt that his breathing seemed to be a little heavy, and after secretly calming the excitement in his heart, the king asked carefully: "Earl, do you think this act of the duke has any significance to all of us?" ”

Looking at Ladislas II's knowingly inquiring face, Alexander couldn't help but feel a little funny.

He knew that Ladislas II was in a dilemma, but even then the king clearly did not want to bow his head easily.

It's just that although he wanted to continue to put some pressure on the king and wait for a while, after careful consideration, Alexander felt that it was better not to push too much.

Alexander was always wary of Ladislas II.

The king was known for his cowardice and capriciousness, and because of this there was no guarantee that he would not choose to make peace privately with the Ottomans in the face of great pressure.

At the thought of Sophia, who some would call Joan of Arc of Bucharest, Alexander reminded himself that he had to be cautious, even in the current seemingly dominant, or he would be doomed.

Another reason why the showdown with the king could not be delayed for too long was that Emperor Maximian was not actually in Vienna today, but in troubled Switzerland.

The defeat of the pro-imperial Schwabian in the Swiss Civil War forced the emperor to personally cheer for his younger brother.

But in this way, the emperor's control of Hungary was inevitably weakened, but because the news was blocked, Ladislas II did not know that this was undoubtedly good news for him.

And what Alexander has to do is to seize this rare good opportunity.

"The Duke can contain the Bosnians on the front line of the Miche Mountains," Alexander said slowly, saying that he should give the king enough time to think through the stakes, "or that he should continue to retreat, after all, the Ottomans had suffered heavy losses from the encirclement. ”

Ladislas II snorted heavily in his nose, a dull tone like the cracking of an arched bubble in an old wine barrel.

"Then what do you want," the king tried to struggle, though he had already guessed, "I can offer you a gratuity of sufficient weight, and I am sure you should know that the Venetians are generous in exchange for security, and I can send them to tell them to send the money that is due to me this year directly to your land." ”

Alexander's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but feel a thrill at the thought of the number of hundreds of thousands of florins.

However, compared to the huge benefits of copper mines, this "protection fee" is really nothing.

"That's not what I hoped for, Your Majesty," replied Alexander, calmly, looking at the gloomy look on the King's face as if a storm was about to fall at any moment, and he said slowly but unusually firmly, "I will contact the Duke of Zagreb, whose men can attack the Bosnians from the rear, so that they can buy you enough time, as far as I know, the Hungarian army is preparing a reactionary counteroffensive, but it will take time." ”

A hint of annoyance instantly crossed Ladislas II's face, and if he needed anything now, it was precisely time.

There was no doubt that Herva would buy him enough time, but the king was hesitant at what price.

"What Count do you want?" As soon as he finished asking, Ladislas II whispered again, "Please think about it first, you don't have many opportunities." ”

Alexander was not deterred by the king's bluff, he thought a little and held out two fingers.

"Two things, one is the throne of Bosnia."

Ladislas II looked at Alexander with wide eyes, as if to tell from his face whether it was a joke or not.

"You want the throne of Bosnia?"

"No, it's Helva," Alexander shook his head slightly, "he is one of the most qualified candidates to be called King of Bosnia, and I hope you will support his claim to the throne of Bosnia." ”

Ladislas II looked at Alexander silently, pondering in his heart the merits of this matter for him, and after a moment of deep reflection he was surprised to find that Alexander's conditions seemed to be extremely favorable to him in every way.

If Herva could be called the king of Bosnia, Bosnia, with his hostility to the Ottomans, would probably be the front line against the Ottomans in the future, making Bosnia undoubtedly Hungary's staunchest ally.

Even if Herva can't shake Rwa, who is backed by Sudan? but a battle for the throne would be enough to weaken Bosnia's power, and possibly even make the country a buffer between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.

And even if Herva fails, Ladislas II himself will not lose anything, so this can be said to be a favorable and harmless condition.

But the king was more concerned about the second condition.

Sure enough, as soon as Alexander spoke, a wave of anger swelled up in the heart of Ladislas II.

"Count, you're saying you want to get the mining rights of Baudeboch?" The king's face was cloudy, and several people in the room could already see that he was on the verge of exploding.

"30 years of mining and selling rights, to be exact, Your Majesty."

Alexander didn't know if there was a 99-year lease now, but he had heard that the Venetians had bought the right to rule two islands in the Adriatic Sea from the former Bosnian king.

He knew, however, that Ladislas II would not agree to the unrealistic condition of a perpetual right to exploit the territory, which bordered on the other side's ceding of territory, even for a 99-year possession period.

And Alexander did not want to make such a request, because he knew that the Kingdom of Hungary would not last that long.

If history had not changed much, the Kingdom of Hungary would have only been left with more than 20 years to live, and then it would have been annexed by the Ottoman and Habsburg Holy Roman Empire.

So thinking about this not-so-distant future, Alexander thinks it's better to be realistic.

But even so, Ladislas II looked angry.

"Don't you think this condition is an insult, Count, or you have forgotten that standing before you are the kings of Bohemia and Hungary, the electors of the Holy Roman Empire, and the descendants of the Jagiellonian family."

The king's eyes flashed with rage, and as he stared at Alexander, it was like a falcon watching its prey.

It's just that the king's momentum did not frighten Alexander, on the contrary, looking at the angry appearance of Ladislas II, the last trace of worry in Alexander's heart disappeared.

In his opinion, Ladislas II was angry not so much because he felt that this condition was insulting to him, but because it was like a merciless iron fist that struck the king in the softest abdomen.

Only the desperate would be angry because of helplessness, and Alexander knew deep down where Ladislas II's weakness was.

"Your Majesty, if the Ottomans continue to advance, they will directly threaten the safety of Baudebohe, and I am sure you must know very well that once the whole south falls into the hands of the infidels, the Emperor will not be able to sit idly by."

Hearing Maximian's name, a hint of anger instantly crossed the king's face.

Maximian of the Holy Roman Empire had many powerful enemies in his life, and Ladislas II was not the weakest of them, but clearly the most unlucky.

Maximian never hid his ambitions for the throne of Bosnia and Hungary, and this was the painful feeling that Ladislas II always felt as if he was always being held to the neck with a sharp knife.

When he heard that the Bosnians were going to invade Hungary, the first thing that came to his mind was what to do if Emperor Maximan took the opportunity to intervene in Hungary's affairs, and this danger seemed to the king even more imminent than the invasion of the Bosnians.

Now hearing Alexander's threat, the king's anger instantly welled up in his heart, but then reason told him that the danger from the emperor was indeed much greater than that of the Bosnians.

Looking at the king's silent expression, Alexander was really completely relieved at this time.

He knew that he had taken a trick that no one could have imagined, and the king could not have known that at this time Emperor Maximian had just left Vienna to settle the troubles of the Swiss, and he would not have imagined that what seemed to be a dire situation had in fact changed subtly with the entry of the Herva into the Macchek Mountains.

When he received the news that Helva's army had entered the Michek Mountains, Alexander picked up Sophia in front of everyone and kissed her so hard that she almost suffocated.

This even stunned Busako, who was quite familiar with Alexander's demeanor.

And Alexander looked at those subordinates whose faces were full of inexplicability, but he could only shout proudly in his heart: "Success!" ”

Herva's smooth entry into Hungary meant that he had reached some sort of tacit agreement with Yrup, who was the governor of the occupied territories.

Under Elup's arrangement, Herva's army successfully avoided the encirclement of the Bosnians and the Ottomans, and at this time Herva had not only escaped but also successfully stifled the Bosnian retreat!

Herva had taken the initiative in the face of the Ottomans, so what would Alexander have achieved on the other battlefield?

Alexander held the glass in front of him steadily, his gaze met the king, and then slowly took a sip of the red wine.

I don't know how long it took.

"Is it Baudeboch's right to mine and sell?" After a long wait, the king spoke, squinting slightly at the young man in front of him, and asked in a tone that sounded helpless but unequivocal, "Then what do you use as collateral for these two powers, and do not tell me that you have no collateral, and that I will not agree to such a condition that disgraces me." ”

Alexander smiled, and he took a well-sealed document from the bag at his waist and handed it to the king.

"Your Majesty, I want a successful deal and not an enemy of you or anyone else, so I believe this will be enough to compensate you for your losses in Baudeboch."

The king was slightly curious about the document, and when he saw its contents, Ladislas II's always gloomy face finally showed a strange look of surprise or joy.

"That's your chips?" The king asked in a daze, and then looked at Alexander with a complicated gaze, "I can't help but admit it, Earl, I have never really understood you as a person. ”

So saying, the king put the paper on the table, which seemed to read "Letter of Sale and Transfer of Sugar".