Chapter 328: The Various Plots Within Shinra

Mircea was welcomed in Hungary on a large scale. The Queen of Hungary and the Prime Minister received members of the Roman royal family. For a time, both the host and the guests were very happy.

Mircea was also very helpful to this ally. The two heads of state signed the Treaty of Buda and continued to increase relations on the basis of the original alliance. The two countries formally formed a customs union, unified internal trade, and unified external tariffs. For Austria and Poland, the tariffs were very high.

After the visit to Hungary, Mircea's next stop was Bohemia. The local situation was already somewhat complicated. The religious reform started by his son caused a lot of waves in this Central European power. Under the influence of John the missionary, they spread the new doctrine in the Bethlehem Church. The local nobles and the Catholic Church continued to suppress it, and the arrival of the Roman emperor made them a little anxious. If he had any accidents, Constantinople would not let them go.

In Brno, where the Orthodox Church had the strongest power, the local people were excited and prepared to welcome the emperor. There was no Catholic Church in the local area. The Bohemian Orthodox Church officially stepped onto the political stage. The missionaries helped the local people and gradually accumulated reputation. In the same year of the Venetian War, the Orthodox Church officially expelled the local Catholic Church, and the Pope also excommunicated it as a punishment. But the local people ignored it directly, and said, "If you have the guts, you can recruit the Crusaders to fight me."

Someone really organized an army to attack Brno, but the Orthodox Church directly summoned the people of the city and some people who opposed the Catholic Church to fight together. This also included a one-eyed mercenary and a young farmer. Under the leadership of the Orthodox Church, they won two consecutive victories and directly disbanded the Crusaders.

Later, Rome made peace with various countries, and the religious situation in Brno was a foregone conclusion. The Orthodox Church did not interfere in the daily affairs of the people, some taxes were also abolished, and the local militia was organized and trained. The local nobles had no way to deal with this hard bone, especially when the Eastern emperor was about to come, they could not act rashly.

The nobles of Bohemia discussed in the parliament. Although Bohemia is now a kingdom, it is actually a noble union. There are a series of nobles such as the Duchy of Silesia, the Principality of Moravia, Upper Lusatia, Lower Lusatia, and several dioceses. The Catholic Church and the German nobles united to deal with the Roman emperor together.

"The emperor wants to come here to play, so let him be happy, but if he wants to fight for power for his son and that girl, I will be the first to disagree."

Silesia Duke George said that Silesia, which he controls, is one of the richest regions in Bohemia. It is rich in coal and iron resources, and has a developed manufacturing industry. Of course, he is also a member of the Luxembourg family, but he doesn't like Wenzel very much and has always supported his younger brother Sigismund.

"This is difficult. You know, the emperor's son is engaged to the princess. If the emperor uses this situation to demand the rule of Bohemia, we can only kneel down and pledge our allegiance."

"Kneel down if you want. I won't do that."

Seeing that they were about to quarrel, Count Pilsen came out to smooth things over. "We should be preparing for the emperor's visit now, not thinking about how to cancel the possible rule in the future."

"Edward of England sought the rule of France, but it was useless after fighting for decades. So as long as we unite, even the emperor will have to give in."

This made many nobles agree. They could unite and force Mircea to give up the inheritance of Bohemia. In return, they could give some gold coins and a castle.

The nobles of Bohemia discussed the situation, and so did other princes. Sigismund invited his confidants Albrecht and Frederick to discuss plans on how to retake the Holy Roman Empire.

"Sir, I think as long as Jobst is gone, you will be the only heir."

Albrecht expressed his opinion on the current order of succession. If Jobst could designate Sigismund as the heir, then he could automatically succeed him if he was gone, but if he was not designated, he would have to mobilize the electors to support him.

Looking at the two people in front of him, one is the self-proclaimed Archduke of Austria, and the other is the pseudo-Brandenburg Marquis, who have no influence no matter how you look at it. They have both been beaten by Rome and Hungary and lost the support of the people in the south.

"Sir, I think we should build a good relationship with the Romanian emperor now. I don't know what kind of actions this person can make."

Frederich is smarter than Albrecht. If Sigismund wants the Holy Roman Emperor, Mircea must not be provoked. What if he gets angry and unites Hungary to send troops to attack? Don't think that everything will be fine with Poland. With the strength of Rome, it is completely possible to attack from both sides, and they can be beaten to the same fate as the Venetians.

Sigismund thought about it and decided to meet the Eastern Roman Emperor. And he took them with him to see if he could get back some of his losses.

Count Tyrol wanted to replace Vienna, and the funds of the Soren family were about to run out, as if they had reached a dead end. But there was always a way.

The members of the Hanseatic League hoped that the emperor would approve their participation in the Mediterranean trade, and the members of the Swabian League and the Swiss League hoped to get support from the emperor. In short, many people in the small Holy Roman Empire had requests from the emperor, and Mircea would definitely be very welcome.

There are too many states in the Holy Roman Empire. Even after the Thirty Years' War, there are still 178 states and thousands of knight fiefdoms. The fragmentation of Central Europe is very obvious, and the Holy Roman Emperor is more like a neighborhood committee director, responsible for mediating some conflicts, which gives foreign forces an opportunity.

Jobst has been living in Augsburg recently, and various things have made his health worse than before. Mircea's arrival hopes that he can provide support for him, but Brandenburg can't wait to be divided out.

At this time, Brandenburg is a bad place, with insufficient agriculture, sluggish industry and commerce, and local separatism. There is nothing else except the title of an elector. Moreover, the religious reform in Bohemia has also spread here. Farmers in some places began to rebel against the landlords and himself, and the landlords instead fueled the flames for their own selfish interests. All these made Jobst want to push this place out.

It's not easy to have an ally (a victim), how can this opportunity be missed. The Bohemian princess is still young, even if there is a problem with the marriage contract, there is still the title of Elector of Brandenburg, which is not a loss in any way.