Inside the city hall of Besançon, the officials and nobles of the County of Burgundy had been summoned.
The Emperor's grand army was stationed outside the city, displaying their power to the subjects here as if flexing their muscles, making those who still pined for the House of Burgundy realize it was time to offer their loyalty to a new ruler.
The object of this loyalty was not the Emperor, but Christopher, the elected King of the Romans, Count of Burgundy, and Lord of Dauphiné.
As Lady Mary's dowry, the rights to these lands had now been handed over to the Austrians.
"Very well, gentlemen, that is the situation. Henceforth, my son will rule the western territories of the Habsburg Family as the Governor of Outer Austria and the Governor-General of Franche-Comté. You must assist him with all your heart. It would be best if nothing occurs that would make everyone unhappy, understood?"
Laszlo placed his hand on Christopher's shoulder, his gaze sweeping across everyone present.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the nobles, clergy, and city representatives of Franche-Comté replied in unison.
Their heads were bowed low; only the Archbishop of Besançon stared fervently at the young lord.
He and another Austrian lord from the Freiburg family had been chosen by the Emperor as Christopher's advisors, and he himself had received the honor of serving as the tutor to the imperial heir.
Archbishop Georg's teachings were no longer needed for now. Laszlo needed someone familiar with the situation in Burgundy to teach Christopher and prepare for any potential future changes.
After concluding the somber meeting, Laszlo boarded a carriage with his two sons to return to the military camp outside the city.
"What is it? Why that expression? Are you worried about something?"
As soon as they were settled, Laszlo turned and saw Christopher's worried expression and immediately inquired.
"I am afraid of failing your expectations, Father. Those people are not willing to offer me their loyalty; they only appear submissive because you are here..."
Christopher frowned, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.
He was, after all, the Lord of Franche-Comté and the heir to the Empire, yet those people had ignored him throughout. What they feared was merely the Emperor's power and prestige.
"A young lord must always go through this process. Furthermore, your right to rule actually stems from Mary. If you want them to obey you willingly, it will depend on your own ability."
"What should... I do?"
"Control violence and demonstrate justice; doing these is basically enough. Don't worry, I will leave some helpers for you."
"You mean the Archbishop of Besançon and his lot?"
"Those people were all arranged by your 'good father-in-law' Charles. You must slowly replace them with your own people. For instance, that Peter von Hagenbach, a reckless brute—I've kicked him over to serve as an officer under Count Conrad of Fürstenberg.
From the units he brought out, I've had Antonio Tocco select some veterans to reorganize into your guard. This will be your greatest trump card in the future; you must manage it well."
Laszlo directly placed the most capable fighter and leader from his own personal guard by Christopher's side.
As the brother of the Despot of Epirus, Antonio's performance in the court of Vienna had always been brilliant; he had won so many tournament championships his hands were soft.
Moreover, he had personally led troops onto the battlefield to fight the Ottomans with real blades and spears, making him far more courageous than many noble sons of Austria and the Empire.
And because of his Hellenized Italian background combined with his status as an Austrian noble, there was no need to worry about his loyalty.
Christopher's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.
"I'll arrange some more manpower for you. Manuel, he was your childhood playmate. Things you are unwilling to do personally can be handed to him.
Because he is a Germanized Greek, he is relatively trustworthy. Let him serve as your personal valet."
"Good!" Hearing the name of the companion he grew up with, Christopher's expression finally relaxed a bit.
Although Manuel was a member of the Palaiologos family, he had been brought back to the court of Vienna while still in swaddling clothes and grew up alongside the princes, making him a useful talent.
Though he was a descendant of the Eastern Roman imperial family, Laszlo was certain his German was more fluent than his Greek, and it was unlikely he would ever return to the East.
"There is also the brother of the Elector of Bavaria, who recently completed his studies in Pavia and took his vows to join the Church. He will stay by your side as an advisor to handle clerical work.
As for more manpower, you can select from Franche-Comté and Outer Austria. I will also send more advisors and officials later to help you perfect the administrative structure."
"This... thank you for your help, Father. I have regained my confidence now." Despite saying this, Christopher looked a bit embarrassed.
The governing difficulties that he was supposed to solve himself now seemed to be easily resolved.
"Then do your job well. Not causing trouble is the basic requirement; if you can achieve some political results, that would be even better.
I will send someone to bring Mary here later. Once I have dealt with the backlog of government affairs, I will find time to personally inspect the western territories."
Laszlo patted Christopher's shoulder, making no secret of his expectations for him.
"I will do my best and never let you down!" Christopher's emotions became uncharacteristically excited, and his energetic appearance made Laszlo nod slightly.
Due to geopolitical factors, the western lands had always had a stronger sense of independence compared to other parts. Laszlo ultimately chose not to let local forces take power under semi-autonomy.
Controlling this land required learning not only how to deal with various social classes but also establishing deep connections with Swabia, Burgundy, and even Switzerland. This served as another form of training for Christopher.
As for Matthias, who had previously served as the Governor of Outer Austria, he was enfeoffed with large tracts of land in Dauphiné after this battle and was recalled to the center to become a new imperial advisor.
For such a versatile talent capable of being both a general and a minister, Laszlo did not want to assign him to his sons, so he decided to keep him by his side for his own use.
Having settled Christopher's affairs, Laszlo's gaze turned to Maximilian, who was sitting nearby.
The latter was currently staring intently at Christopher, the complex emotions hidden in his eyes being quite obvious.
Envy, or perhaps jealousy? It was almost inevitable.
Maximilian had also reached that sensitive age where independence was developing and emotional fluctuations were greater than before—though he had never been very good at hiding his emotions.
Despite being only a year or so apart, his father had given almost all the lands west and north of the Alps to his brother, while he had received nothing.
Although Christopher was a bit more diligent in his studies and less playful than him, he had always wanted an opportunity to prove he was not inferior to his brother.
Yet his father, an Emperor ruling vast territories, seemed unwilling to give him even such a chance.
"Maximilian." Laszlo's deep voice pulled the boy's attention back.
"I'm here, Father." Since the temporary end of the war against France, Maximilian's reverence for Laszlo had reached a new height.
He no longer talked back to his father, but Leonor's death was like a thorn in his heart, making him want to escape Laszlo's side.
For some unknown reason, he seemed to blame his mother's misfortune on his father, causing two conflicting emotions to collide and twist in his heart, resulting in his current state.
"Your brother will rule north of the mountains, while you will go south of the mountains to prepare for your marriage to the Princess of Naples and then become the new Governor of Milan."
"Milan... Are you planning to start implementing government reforms there?"
Maximilian still remembered the question Laszlo had posed to the two brothers while in Milan previously; as for the Princess of Naples, he still couldn't muster much interest.
"There is no rush for that. Once you arrive in Milan, the Marquis of Montferrat will serve as your tutor, assisting you in managing the Milanese government while learning how to deal with the princes of Northern Italy."
To Laszlo's instructions, Maximilian could only nod reluctantly.
Compared to staying in a peaceful and stable rear, he hoped to be closer to the battlefield. This was likely due to reading too much chivalric literature as a child, always longing to be like the great heroes who saved the day in stories—in later generations, this would usually be called 'chuunibyou'.
"This is not an easy job, but a true test." Seeing that Maximilian had little reaction, Laszlo emphasized again.
"I understand. Do you have no expectations for me?"
"Don't think so far ahead; learn the language of the Italians first," Laszlo turned back to Christopher, "You too, you should learn some French, and it would be best to learn the languages of the Low Countries as well. You might find a use for them in the future."
"Why can't they all speak the same language as us?" Maximilian grumbled unhappily.
Clearly his father ruled so many countries, but the direct result for him was a constant increase in his schoolwork.
Not to mention German, his initial language courses included Latin and Greek, then he was forced to learn Hungarian, and now Italian was added to the list.
However, it seemed his brother was even worse off, having to learn several more languages.
Although he had been praised for his linguistic talent by a rhetoric teacher from the North Italian state of Ferrara, he was starting to hate this talent a little now.
He was only fifteen and already had to learn five languages. God knows how much more he would have to learn in the future, and language learning was only the foundation...
"They will use German and Latin for communication and correspondence, but only a small portion will—the local elites who assist you in your rule.
Learning the language of the local people is seen as a sign of respect for the local culture, which will gain you more support."
Laszlo explained earnestly.
"Father, are you always in the habit of slighting yourself to cater to everyone?"
Maximilian's face was full of displeasure. Christopher tugged at his sleeve, but he brushed it off.
"No, it is because I was too lazy to learn the Italian dialects that I forced those Milanese political elites to learn German. I even requested that German courses be offered at the University of Milan and recruited a large number of students from north of the mountains.
Not just Milan, but Hungary and Bohemia are the same. In government institutions above the local level, German is a common administrative language, just like Latin."
"Then... then why do we have to learn them?"
"I am busy with affairs and don't have the energy to learn them. You are still young; learning a few more languages is always beneficial, especially when you need to give speeches for debates and to calm people's hearts.
The last time the people on both sides of the Alps spoke the same language was during the Roman Empire. If you want everyone to speak German..."
Are you not also the Roman Emperor? Although he really wanted to ask this, Maximilian ultimately held back.
If he kept acting up, his old father might not be able to resist blowing his top.
To secure the position of Governor of Milan, Maximilian eventually chose to be submissive, though whether it was true submission was another matter.
"As you wish, Father, I will study the new language well."
"Learn more from Marquis William. His early life was quite exciting; you two should get along well.
Later, I will also select some men of insight from Vienna to send to you as advisors. In Milan, there are actually many things you can do."
"For example?"
"Building canals. This proposal has been on my desk for a long time. The Milanese intend to continue expanding the existing canal network, connecting Milan with the surrounding rivers, lakes, and satellite cities, thereby greatly improving trade efficiency, dredging the riverbeds, and perfecting the irrigation system.
This is a major project. There hasn't been a suitable time before, but now is just right."
Since seizing Milan, Laszlo had granted the duchy a semi-autonomous status. While the local elites were busy accumulating wealth, they had also made some contributions to Milan's public construction.
However, in the city of Milan, with a population exceeding one hundred thousand, there were always dissatisfied merchants and protesting citizens, posing no small challenge to the rule of the Governor's office.
Laszlo only hoped that Maximilian could win some favor from the Milanese through this project; otherwise, something terrible might happen.
This was no exaggeration—the designer of the Milanese Ducal Palace was the author of 'De Re Aedificatoria', an architectural master from Rome. His purpose in designing this military fortress was precisely to prevent the Duke from dying at the hands of the city's mob.
It was only when the imperial army was stationed outside the city that the citizens of Milan would become more hospitable.
"Then let me complete this project!"
Maximilian's interest was thoroughly piqued, and Laszlo nodded with satisfaction at the sight.
These two children had grown quite slowly under his protection. Laszlo finally made up his mind to let them gain some experience in the provinces.
After arranging these matters, Laszlo's thoughts returned to the affairs of Austria, where a mountain of things was waiting for him to handle.
He only hoped these two boys would truly help share some of his burden rather than creating more trouble for him.