Around the time Ladislaus ambushed Hayreddin in the port of Trieste, the Madrid Treaty was officially signed and came into effect.

As the price for the French King's restoration of freedom, the Kingdom of France would cede the Burgundy region to Spain and return the Bourbon region to the Duke of Bourbon.

The Duchy of Bourbon will become a dual vassal of the Holy Roman Empire and France in the future. If the Duke of Bourbon dies without an heir, the Emperor and the King of France will jointly decide the successor of the Duchy of Bourbon.

Release Switzerland from all obligations to the Kingdom of France.

Release the Duchy of Savoy from all obligations to the Kingdom of France.

Releases the Republic of Liguria from all obligations to the Kingdom of France.

Give up its claim to sovereignty over Milan, Naples, Franche-Condé, and the Netherlands, and compensate the Kingdom of Spain with two million talers.

Two French princes and two million talers were to be handed over to Spain at the same time as King Francois was freed.

After the handover of the territory is completed, the two princes will go to Paris with their future Princess Eranova.

There were some changes in the terms and the plan that had been leaked for a long time. Although the emperor did not accept Ladislaus's suggestion of detaining the French king for a long time, he still made some slight concessions to him.

Later in the negotiations, Spain allowed the Austrian ambassador to participate and gave Ladislaus a little more benefit.

It should be said that His Majesty Ferdinand's consideration was quite thoughtful. The suzerainty of the Milan area and Switzerland in this contract took Austria's demands into consideration. According to the letter from the new Spanish ambassador, one-fifth of the compensation is 400,000 yuan.

Taller has already transferred the money through the Fugger Textile Association. It will be remitted to the account in Austria soon.

About a few days before Ladislaus returned to Vienna, King François returned to Paris.

According to the plan, he should marry the eldest princess of the Habsburg family soon. Madrid has prepared a large amount of dowry.

During his return to Vienna from the port of Trieste, the Spanish ambassador asked Ladislaus several times to confirm his itinerary and try his best to attend this noble wedding.

There is also a letter written by the emperor solemnly hoping that Ladislaus can go to Paris to attend the wedding. The emperor is eager to ease the conflict with France so that he can concentrate on dealing with England and Denmark. It is necessary to meet with the monarchs of Spain and Austria for confirmation.

Next step strategy.

His Majesty Ferdinand needed the support of Ladislaus, and he intended to resolutely respond with force to the English King's increasingly obvious attempts to depose him.

He stated in the letter: "Honor and majesty are the most important weapons of our family and must not be damaged by the enemy. We need to study how many troops should be assembled in Antwerp at the wedding in Paris. I personally think that to be safe, we should gather at least 20,000

Two thousand to twenty-five thousand people. Of course my generals think that if

You, my most proficient brother Ladislaus, personally commanded this punitive operation, so fifteen thousand men may be enough. Of course, this is not to distrust your ability at all, although William the Conqueror only used eight thousand men.

To accomplish this undertaking, I considered the number fifteen thousand necessary only out of caution."

His Majesty the Emperor's words were full of satisfaction, and Ladislaus could smell his uncontrollable high emotions from the letter.

He seems to be obsessed with the military ability of Quaradislaus. In fact, he is intoxicated with his "commanding ability to strategize and win decisively thousands of miles away."

His Majesty Ferdinand looked down upon England's ability to resist. In his opinion, as long as Spain and Austria joined forces, England would be unable to resist.

His Majesty the Emperor has long-term plans for the future of the Kingdom of England.

"The arrogant and foolish king of England will be exiled, and Queen Catherine will become regent. She will act in charge of the affairs of the country until her daughter comes of age."

Next, he even optimistically suggested that Ladislaus consider the co-regency position in England and marry Mary Tudor, the heiress to the throne of England, in five to ten years. Perhaps in his view, Ladislaus would get England.

The throne and then returning Austria to his younger son was a plan acceptable to everyone.

In the letter, he also repeatedly emphasized that Princess Katharina could not know about this matter until the last moment.

After repeated consideration, Ladislaus finally agreed to the invitation. Although he thought that the allocation of the English crown was too unreliable, he did not want to go to Paris at all, and he would never cross the Channel with 15,000 people.

To steal the spotlight from William the Conqueror more than four hundred years ago.

The reason why Ladislaus agreed was because he knew that he would probably not be able to go to the largest city in Europe to attend the wedding, but he could not dissuade His Majesty Consumer Dinand from his rising mood recently.

However, King Francois did not let most of the top nobles in Europe waste time. As soon as he returned to Paris, he turned his back on everyone.

He claimed that he had been abused and tortured in Madrid, and he persisted purely by relying on his faith in God. He battled wits with the cruel Habsburg family and finally regained his freedom.

His statement naturally attracted a lot of attention, and all the European courts were paying close attention to the development of the matter.

Ladislaus and his close ministers could receive timely notifications from Paris and Madrid at the same time, and they understood the situation relatively quickly.

“So His Majesty King Francois not only declared through the French High Court that the Madrid Contract was forced to sign by him during his captivity, but also urged the Kingdom of Spain to immediately release his two abducted sons. Did he use the word abduction?

"Sazastan confirmed again to the Spanish ambassador who had a dark face.

When the ambassador entered the Vienna Palace, he met the French ambassador who had not left, and the two sides had a brief conflict.

This was also a special scene in the diplomatic community at that time. The ambassadors of Spain and France often tried to make trouble in various ways. Of course, it was very rare for two ambassadors to personally take action.

This kind of fight in public is just a fake fight, and it has no meaning other than making everyone disgraced.

However, Ladislaus guessed that similar plays have been staged or will be staged in London, Warsaw, Rome, and Stockholm. The ambassadors may not want to engage in such a monkey show in their hearts. But they have no choice but to express their attitude.

I don't know how the ambassador's mood compares to that of the emperor. Ladislaus guessed that the higher you climb, the harder you fall. This probably reflects His Majesty Ferdinand's recent state of mind.

"Please be sure not to believe François' despicable lies. During his stay in Madrid, he has always been treated with courtesy by our monarchs and ministers, and he must have all kinds of daily necessities. Whatever the emperor has, he must have it. His Majesty the Emperor even asked for

Marrying his sister to him, doesn't this show Spain's respect for him and its desire for peace?" Ladislaus certainly believed that the emperor would not torture King Francois sexually.

"Please be sure to tell the Emperor that I am as angry as His Majesty the Emperor about the shameless behavior of the King of France who has betrayed his trust and cut off his noble honor. No matter how His Majesty the Emperor decides to sanction France, Austria will fully support it."

Of course, Ladislaus would not say anything at this time, 'You see, I have said this before.'

This is probably the last thing His Majesty Ferdinand wants to hear.

"His Majesty the Emperor has never doubted your support." Compared with other Spanish ambassadors in Vienna, the work of the Spanish ambassador in Vienna is relatively simple. The relationship between Austria and Spain will obviously heat up again as the Europa parties once again open up their posture.

"I never expected that he would turn against his two sons immediately. Hasn't he learned enough lessons?" The Hohenzollern High Commissioner was quite angry at the French King's behavior. As a nobleman with great vested interests, in fact

He is most eager for peace, but he is also unambiguous when it comes to national interests. "Since it is inevitable to start again, I suggest that Austria start mobilizing immediately."

"In any case, the military operation will take two or three months to start. During this period, it is necessary for you to personally lead the newly formed regiment to inspect Würzburg and Regensburg, and it is necessary for the enclave managers and vassals to see you.

A large corps has been formed." Machiavelli was worried about the military expenditures for forming this army. In any case, he hoped that this army could serve Austria's interests first.

The two most influential members of the State Council spoke one after another. Szastan and Jones also expressed their agreement one after another.

"The two disastrous defeats in Bicca and Pavia have wiped out half of France's elite officer corps. Perhaps the Kingdom of France still has a strong mobilization ability due to its large population, but the loss of elite officers is not so easy to replace. What's more,

No matter how large the population is, after several such disastrous defeats, it should be necessary to recuperate." After the Spanish ambassador left, Ladislaus's previous enthusiasm immediately disappeared without a trace.

The members of the State Council looked at each other. Did Ladislaus not want to fight?

Without the strong support of Austria, it would be very difficult for Spain to challenge France alone.

Moreover, the emperor, who had just been slapped in the face by Francois, was in a state of agitation at this time. If Austria made such a move again and caused the failure of the Spanish offensive, it is likely that all the anger would be focused on Ladislaus.

After all, the shamelessness of enemies is nothing compared to the betrayal of loved ones.

"Your Highness, the alliance with Spain is the cornerstone of Austria's diplomatic strategy. No matter how difficult it is, we cannot give up. Financially this year is indeed a bit tight due to the formation of a large number of troops, but now the Vienna land transaction market is quite prosperous, and land is transferred in small lots.

, land prices have increased significantly, and with the transaction taxes and fees provided by various planned and spontaneous trading markets, the state treasury can cope with the war without imposing special taxes." Machiavelli stated euphemistically but firmly out of a sense of responsibility.

own attitude.

"Madrid has also promised to hand over all of this year's imperial tax to us as a turnover. Therefore, all the output of the Tyrol Silver Mine this year can be used to process silver coins. We are able to afford the recycling and loss of old silver coins and purchase them with new silver coins.

Military supplies." After a slight hesitation, General Hohenzollern gave limited support to his political opponents. It was the consensus of everyone that Austria could not lose its alliance with Spain.

Frunzberg, Jones and the Archbishop of Würzburg also expressed limited support.

Ladislaus looked at his subordinates. No one stood up in this situation, which showed that this group indeed had an overall view of the situation.

"I don't mean to give up the alliance with Spain. Everyone, Austria will not only mobilize, but also mobilize on a large scale." Ladislaus continued, "But you should think about the French king after his repeated defeats.

Why is your courage so strong?"

"Are you saying that the Church of Rome and the Kingdom of England will form an alliance to support the Kingdom of France?" Sazastan spoke for the first time at today's state meeting. However, he had an extraordinary intention as soon as he said it.

"An alliance between Rome and England?" the Archbishop of Würzburg was surprised. "Will the really elected pope accept the divorce request of the King of England so easily?"

As various challenges increase, it is no longer as easy for monarchs of various countries to change wives as it used to be. In order to maintain its orthodoxy, the Roman Church would rather take the risk of some monarchs switching to other churches to maintain its dignity.

"Of course not. Putting on airs and accepting or rejecting is a necessary process, but this will not prevent them from reaching a secret agreement and forming an alliance against the Warlock Royal Family." Sazastan said quite harshly. Among the people present, he was the

His hatred for the Roman Church is the deepest and most resolute.

"Then the Spanish fleet now gathering in Antwerp is a bit dangerous, isn't it?" Jones couldn't help but feel worried. After recalling his experiences with Jarlaxle for a while, he understood the value of the ocean better.

England's navy has always been a powerful force. During the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the British army was able to repeatedly defeat powerful enemies with a small number of troops. One of the most important reasons was that its maritime superiority provided the army with mobility.

Of course, today's Spanish Navy is the undisputed overlord of the world, but the English Navy is still the leader in the second echelon of navies after Spain. Its flagship "Mary Rose" is a first-class warship of this era and can compete with

A battleship comparable to the "Holy Trinity".

Once Britain and France formed a combined fleet, they would have the power to fight the Spanish Offshore Fleet.

Henry VIII was a fanatical supporter of the English navy. He was very obsessed with the power of large ships and cannons, and devoted his entire country to building several excellent capital ships.

"It doesn't matter. Maybe the English ships are good, but the experience accumulated by their sailors in the Thames ditch will be revealed immediately once they face Spanish sailors across the sea." Although Ladislaus did not have a navy at all, his fleet

He was also hanging out in the Danube ditch, but it was still possible to use the power of Spain to laugh at the English.

Although the English fleet actually often trained out of the estuary, Ladislaus really wasn't worried about England.

"Austria will mobilize, and mobilize to the maximum extent, but not to defend the Kingdom of England. The real enemy is the Ottoman Empire!"

Ladislaus finally spoke of his greatest fear.

"An amphibious landing through the Adriatic Sea is a suicidal act. I guarantee you that if they land on the coastline, I will definitely drive them all into the sea to feed the fish." Frunzberg, as a man who knows history well

The general is well aware of the dangers of this mode of fighting.

In fact, as long as the alliance between Spain and Austria exists, once the Spanish main fleet enters the Mediterranean, the Ottoman army that landed in Austria must retreat, otherwise it will be a dead end.

Even if the Spanish fleet has no time to deploy in the Atlantic Ocean, the mere existence of this possibility will greatly constrain the Ottomans' strategy.

"The Ottomans probably won't take chestnuts from the fire for France. I think the Ottomans will attack Crete or Venice at most." Machiavelli trusted his opponent's ability. "His Majesty Suleiman is very good at using allies.

A monarch who will be burdened by his allies."

"It is very difficult to attack Venice Island by force. As long as I am there, it will be impossible to quickly occupy Venice Island. And if the attack on Venice is delayed for a long time, we will still be threatened by the Spanish navy cutting off the supply line." Ladislaus

He shook his head. "The Ottomans don't have to attack Austria directly. They only need to move the border line three hundred miles forward to the Danube River, which will be enough to support France."

"Their attack on our coastline is actually just collateral damage. The real target of the Ottomans is the Kingdom of Hungary. I ask the Austrian Army and River Army to be ready to enter Hungary at any time to support our allies. At the same time, Vienna's city defense system must be further strengthened. The war national debt

The interest rate will be increased by another percentage point, and the funds obtained will be invested in the construction of the river army to ensure the absolute dominance on the Danube River. At the same time, more supplies will be stored to ensure that the capital can cope with a siege for more than a year."

No one wanted to be neighbors with the Ottoman Empire, at least for the next hundred years.

While Ladislaus was meeting the Spanish ambassador, an impassioned man was speaking in front of a huge domed building.

There are four worship towers on the four corners of this domed building. Buildings from different cultures are beautifully integrated by the hands of masters.

Under the shining of the rising sun, the majestic monarch inspired his glorious subordinates and promised them fertile land and mountains of gold and silver.

Amid the cheers of 100,000 people that resounded through the sky, he pointed his sword towards the west and swung it down suddenly, as if he was going to cut the world apart.
Chapter completed!