1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 164 Broken Holy Shield

Buda city on the Danube River.

The Danube River, which originates from the Black Forest, is the second longest river in Europe. It flows from northwest to southeast and flows into the Black Sea.

The Danube River is blocked by the Western Carpathian Mountains at the southern foothills and suddenly turns, flowing straight south. It gathers many tributaries near Belgrade and continues to flow westward into the sea.

The middle reaches of the Danube have a wide surface and a gentle flow, which is not only suitable for the development of inland shipping, but also irrigates the fertile Hungarian Plain. Towns and villages on the plain are lined up along the river, and agriculture and animal husbandry are prosperous.

The Great Hungarian Plain is located in a basin, with the Alps to the west, the Balkan Mountains to the south, and the Carpathian Mountains surrounding it from north to east. The interior has a flat terrain, dense rivers and lakes, and a mild climate.

Surrounded by mountains and water, there are thousands of miles of fertile fields.

Due to its special terrain, the Hungarian Basin guards the gateway to the Catholic world in Central and Western Europe, like a giant shield, firmly blocking the invasion from the Eastern powers.

The main ethnic group on the Great Hungarian Plain is the Magyars, also a nomadic people from the east. They migrated here due to climate change and settled down here. While absorbing a wide range of farming knowledge and Catholic ideas, they also retained some of their own traditions. They are good at archery and have excellent riding skills.

After being baptized, Hungary was accepted as a member of the Catholic world and repeatedly blocked the invasion of heresy and pagan forces. The early expansion of the Russians ended here, the iron hoofs of the Mongols stopped here, and the Ottoman army failed to force the brave and warlike Magyar light cavalry to lower their proud heads.

However, the Kingdom of Hungary had not produced an orthodox Magyar king for a long time. The House of Anjou in France, the House of Luxembourg and the House of Habsburg in Germany, and the Jagiellonian Family in Poland and Lithuania successively wore the St. Stephen's Crown, which symbolized supreme power, and lived in the Buda Castle.

It was also during these changes of dynasties that the budding centralized system of the Kingdom of Hungary gradually disintegrated. The major nobles occupied a considerable proportion of the land, and it was difficult for the king to bypass them if he wanted to keep his throne.

The current King of Hungary is Ladislaus, the "posthumous son" from the Habsburg family. In addition to being the King of the Kingdom of Hungary, this frail little king has also served as the King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria since birth, and his status is extremely noble.

If it weren't for the untimely death of his predecessor, Emperor Albrecht II, this young king would probably have served as the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and become the true king of kings.

On the blue river, Matthias Hunyadi looked at the prosperous city in the distance, feeling uneasy.

A raven flew over from nearby, landed in front of Matthias, tilted its head and screamed loudly.

Matthias ignored it, looked at the Habsburg eagle flag flying over the city of Buda, cursed, kicked the stone at his feet, and watched in a trance as the stone fell into the river, splashing layers of ripples.

The city of Buda is located on the west bank of the Danube River. It is the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and one of the most prosperous cities in the Danube River Basin. It has a well-developed inland shipping industry and is known as the "Pearl of the Danube".

The city of Buda and the city of Pest, located on the east bank of the Danube, are far apart from each other. The two cities have convenient transportation and frequent exchanges of people. With the prosperity and development of the cities, they seem to be integrated.

"Your Highness, it's time to go into the city. Your brother is waiting for you."

A servant beside Matthias kindly reminded him.

The young man sighed, nodded, mounted his horse, which was covered with a coat with the raven family crest, and galloped towards the huge city.

The raven leaped into the air and circled over the young man, still screaming loudly.

Outside the city, Matthias's eldest brother, Laszlo from the Hunyadi family, rode a tall horse and waited for his brother early. He laughed and gave him a big hug.

"Matthiash, be cheerful and stop frowning..."

Laszlo looked at his young brother, patted his shoulder and wiped away the dust.

Looking at his complacent elder brother, Matthias didn't want to offend him and forced a smile.

"Let's go into the city first. I'll take you to get to know the prosperity of Buda. Don't always think about that woman from Count Celje's family..."

"Once my two brothers have taken control of the kingdom, we will immediately send someone to ask for your hand in marriage. We will marry as many French and German princesses as we can..."

Laszlo and Matthias rode side by side, talking loudly all the way.

Not long ago, Matthias's first wife, the daughter of Count Ulrich of Celje, died without leaving any children.

"Laszlo, you know I'm not that kind of person."

"There is no affection between her and me."

"What I'm worried about is whether the current situation is really as perfect as you think."

Matthias couldn't help but stop and look at his brother seriously.

After the Battle of Belgrade, a lot happened in the Kingdom of Hungary.

The brothers' father, the White Knight János, died of plague, leaving behind a large political legacy.

The Pope was overjoyed at the victory of the Battle of Belgrade. He immediately canonized the White Knight as a saint, set the Victory Day of the Battle of Belgrade as a holiday, and rang bells to celebrate.

For a long time, in the holy war against pagans, the emperors in the East had been in the lead, winning every battle and dominating the generation, which made the Pope of Rome somewhat embarrassed.

The White Knights' victory in Belgrade greatly boosted the morale of Catholic countries, and the Pope took the opportunity to publicize it in an attempt to restore some of his reputation.

Due to the barrier of high mountains, the smallpox epidemic did not cause much waves in the Great Hungarian Basin. The cowpox vaccination technique invented by Emperor Isaac quickly spread throughout the kingdom. Nobles and landlords were vaccinated one after another, and from then on they no longer had to worry about the plague.

But at the same time, the death of the White Knight completely disrupted the already treacherous political situation in the Kingdom of Hungary, and eventually brought the country to the brink of civil strife.

The nobles in the kingdom had a very contradictory attitude towards the Hunyadi family. They were very dissatisfied with their arrogance, but they also had to rely on the military talents of the White Knights to resist foreign invasions. They had always been patient and acquiesced in the White Knights' tyranny.

However, after the Battle of Belgrade, all the powerful external enemies were wiped out, and the powerful officials within the family died suddenly. The long-suppressed dissatisfaction burst out and turned into a storm, attacking the Hunyadi family.

The posthumous son Ladislaus gave the position of the kingdom's governor, which originally belonged to the White Knight, to his uncle, Count Ulrich of Celje. Later, at his uncle's instigation, he sent a letter to Ladislaus Hunyadi, demanding that he return the land and property seized by the White Knight during his regency, and at the same time hand over the military power to Ulrich.

Ladislaus pretended to agree and lured his uncle and nephew to Belgrade, where he set up a Hongmen Banquet, killed Count Ulrich in public, took King Ladislaus hostage, and disbanded the army they brought.

Laszlo claimed that Count Ulrich tried to murder him and he was forced to defend himself. He took the little king to Korvin Castle and forced him to swear not to avenge his uncle and allow Laszlo to inherit his father's business and serve as the kingdom's steward.

The triumphant Laszlo brought the king back to Buda and began to exercise his ruling power.

Matthias knew that his elder brother had been proud of his father since he was a child and longed to achieve great achievements like his father and receive the attention of the public.

In a sense, Laszlo is indeed very much like his father, just as brave, just as hateful of evil, just as good at winning the hearts of the soldiers, and just as good at military strategy.

Also equally arrogant.

"Laszlo, you didn't listen to my advice and insisted on killing Ulrich."

"Do you know how the nobles in the country view us now?"

"Murder, abuse of power, holding the king hostage... They are not fools, they have seen it all, and they see it clearly!"

Matthias couldn't hold back his anger and yelled at his elder brother.

"Besides, why did you leave Corvin Castle and come to Buda, a place you are not familiar with?"

"This is the home of the Habsburg family!"

"Is it just for the position of the kingdom's chief minister? How foolish!"

"Without our father and our Transylvania, you and I are no better than them!"

"If you had your father's prestige and power, even if you stayed in Corwin Castle, there would be a steady stream of nobles visiting you, and you wouldn't need to—"

"enough!"

Laszlo couldn't bear it anymore and roared loudly.

"You are not like your father's son at all. If it were him, he would march forward alone with a sword even if there were thousands of troops ahead!"

After these words were spoken, the two brothers remained silent, and the servants were so frightened that they dared not breathe. There was silence all around, except for the ravens in the trees, which made anxious and shrill cries, and kept chirping.

"I'm sorry, Matthias, I spoke out of turn."

"What happened in the past cannot be undone. In your opinion, what should we do now?"

Laszlo apologized softly and continued walking.

The guards outside the city gate saw the bright raven flag and did not stop them. Instead, they hurried to the side to clear the road.

Matthias was a little surprised and followed Laszlo closely.

"Laszlo, from what I understand, the nobles are very dissatisfied with your behavior. The most urgent task is to stabilize the situation and exchange interests with them so that they cannot reach a consensus."

"Besides, we can't stay in Buda for long. Once the negotiations are over, we must return to Corwin Castle immediately."

"No matter what the king thinks, you are your father's eldest son, the Grand Duke of Transylvania, and the locals will support you."

Laszlo thought about it dully, opened his mouth, but couldn't think of how to refute.

"You are right. Once we are done here, we can go home."

"What a pity! The king asked me to summon you here and wanted to make you the chief of the city's defense..."

Matthias looked at the empty streets and was suddenly shocked when he heard this.

"What did you say? The king asked you to summon me?" "Gah!"

The ravens in the sky made a shrill sound.

"how--"

Laszlo reined in his horse.

blow--

Laszlo's black eyes suddenly bulged out, and he opened his mouth, but only spat out large mouthfuls of blood foam.

Under Matthias's horrified eyes, a sharp iron arrow pierced his eldest brother's throat.

On the sharp arrow, the eagle emblem of the Habsburg family spread its wings, stained with blood, and looked lifelike.

Whistle--

A hail of arrows came, and archers appeared from the houses, drawing their bows and drawing arrows.

The Habsburg guards holding heavy shields appeared at the end of the street. Ladislaus in the army sat upright on his horse, a sickly flush on his pale face.

"László Hunyadi murdered the ministers, held the king hostage, and deceived the emperor. The evidence is irrefutable, and he has been executed!"

"Surrender! Accept trial!"

There was the sound of horse hooves on the road behind us, and the flag of Count Celje was hoisted high.

"Scatter! Scatter! Get out!"

Matthias charged left and right under the rain of arrows until his horse, which was hit by an arrow, was thrown off its back and his vision went black.

The one-sided killing continued. The guards of the Hunyadi family fought desperately, but due to the disparity in military strength, they fell in a pool of blood one after another.

The raven wailed a few times, flapped its wings and flew high, disappearing into the northwest corner of the sky.

……

Bursa city in western Anatolia.

The current Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed II, sat on the throne, looking at his eldest son.

"Father, a few days ago, there was a riot in Manisa City. Local forces tried to hold me hostage and resist your rule."

"With our joint efforts, their plan failed and I killed them all."

Bayezid knelt in front of his father and spoke sincerely.

Mehmed II stared into his eyes and remained silent.

But he knew very well that things were far from as simple as Bayezid said.

After Belgrade was defeated and Edirne was besieged, local forces immediately began to instigate Bayezid, trying to make him establish himself as Sultan and compete with Mehmed, who was isolated in Bulgaria.

The boy didn't agree, but he was not as determined as he said.

Bayezid quickly sent people to inquire about the situation in Edirne. After learning that one of his two brothers was dead and the other was captured, he killed all the rebels and came to meet the emperor in person.

"The rebellion in the south has been quelled. I have brought troops and food for you to drive..."

Mehmed II nodded, sighed, and pulled his eldest son towards him.

"You've grown up."

"The Greek emperor had the upper hand for the time being, and we lost Edirne, Thrace and Thessaly, and almost all of our family and friends."

"This position is mine and will be yours. We should join hands and overcome difficulties together."

Muhammad took Bayezid into his arms and stroked his hair.

"From now on, you should stay in Bursa, continue your studies, and gradually participate in the handling of political affairs."

"Yes……"

Bayezid lowered his head, his face flushed, and he didn't dare to look his father in the eye.

"When you are older, I will send you to Bulgaria to follow your teacher and keep our territory."

"The Beys in the south are a little unstable. I will lead the troops to subdue them one by one. You don't have to worry about them."

As Mehmed II continued to talk about his plans, the old eunuch walked in.

"Your Majesty the Sultan, the envoy requests an audience!"

"Let them in."

The two European envoys entered the Sultan's palace and bowed to Mehmed II.

"Morrow, long time no see, nice to see you again."

Mehmed II recognized one of them, who was wearing the emblem of a golden lion, obviously from the Venetian Republic.

"It seems that our accuser Isaac has also left indelible scars on your body."

Mehmed II looked at the scars on Moro's face mischievously, with a sarcastic smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, Isaac has a vicious heart and has caused the wrath of heaven and man. We will make him pay a heavy price."

There was resentment in Moro's eyes and he said viciously.

"If your means are limited to the mercenaries in Thessalonica and the scattered fleets at sea, then there is no need to continue."

Mehmed II regained his seriousness.

"I know these methods cannot stop Isaac's army, but this is the only thing we can do in the short term."

"We have suffered heavy losses in the plague, the armory is nearly shut down, and the sailors have yet to be replenished."

"But also because of Isaac's brutality, the Grand Council united and vowed revenge on him."

“That’s why I came here.”

Moreau said coldly.

"Oh? You guys finally stopped arguing?"

"congratulations."

Moro ignored the dissatisfaction in Mehmed II's tone.

"Although Isaac has gained a temporary advantage, he also has many enemies. As long as we join hands, even a cunning man like him will not have a good ending."

Mehmed II snorted coldly.

"When the Hafsid dynasty fell, you were unwilling to support it."

"You stood aside and watched during the Mamluk civil war."

"While I was fighting the White Knight, you just stood by and watched."

"Why, are you scared now?"

Moro did not answer. The young man next to him walked forward and looked at Mehmed II.

"Dear Sultan, the past cannot be undone and the future is unknown."

"Oh? I've never seen you before."

The young man took off his cloak, revealing the family crest embroidered on his chest.

Blue and white iris.

"I am Charles of Valois, son of Charles VII., Duke of Berry."

"I represent France."