Chapter 32: Current Situation
The Pheasant Feast had concluded, and the subsequent pre-war preparations were the main focus.
Inside the Duke of Burgundy's residence, Philip, Charles, and Laszlo gathered to discuss the specifics of the Crusade, while Leonor, at the invitation of Isabelle and Anne, went to tour the rich and prosperous Low Countries cities.
Laszlo did not hold much expectation for the actual effect of this grand Pheasant Feast.
Seeing his low spirits, Charles asked somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong, Laszlo?"
Laszlo sighed lightly and slowly said, "I don't know if you've received the latest news, but the English recently broke out in civil war, and the Duke of York is aggressively preparing to seize the throne. That means most of the English nobles who attended the feast are probably out of the question; they don't have the energy to spare for the Crusade."
The prelude to the War of the Roses had already begun, and it remained to be seen if this war would continue to plague Britain for thirty years, as it did in history.
Philip nodded. Burgundy controlled the Low Countries and had the most frequent maritime trade with England, and the two sides were also close allies, so his news was naturally the most well-informed. Whatever happened across the sea, he always knew first. Only Charles, who had recently been dealing with conflicts with the Swiss, was unaware of this information.
However, he felt that the absence of the English seemed irrelevant and optimistically said, "Even if the English don't come, we will still receive great assistance. Many French nobles invited by Father this time have shown great interest in the Eastern Crusade, haven't they?"
This time, it was Philip's turn to sigh.
He thought to himself, this boy is still so foolish. It's also his fault for focusing too much on military training in the past, which led Charles to become a brave warrior, but his political acumen was truly lacking.
"You are mistaken, my child. The King of France will not allow French nobles to send troops to participate in the Crusade."
Philip knew his old rival, Charles VII, too well.
Although he was not impressive in his youth, only wishing to be the lord of Southern France, Joan of Arc's help transformed him into a true monarch. He not only expelled the English and won the Hundred Years' War, earning himself the title of Charles the Victorious, but also took the opportunity to complete the reform of the French army and government, initiating the system of French absolutism.
Today's France boasts the first standing army, the Ordinance Companies (knights), which can look down upon all other European powers, and the development of artillery technology has left other European countries far behind. The king's authority, after experiencing the crisis of national ruin during the Hundred Years' War, has reached an unprecedented height. Taxation and judicial power are firmly controlled by the king, the parliament has become a mere formality, and the power and strength of the nation are concentrated in one person's hands.
All of France now prostrates itself at the feet of Charles VII, and only two matters trouble him most.
The first is the increasingly powerful Burgundy. Burgundy's rapid rise has made Charles VII's ambition to unify France a pipe dream—he will have to reclaim the French territories belonging to Burgundy through a large-scale international war.
The relationship between France and Burgundy is very awkward. Tracing back three generations, Philip's grandfather and Charles VII's grandfather were brothers, both belonging to the House of Valois.
However, a family that should have been bound by blood and resisted foreign aggression together failed to stand side by side.
The Duke of Burgundy chose to collude with the English during the Hundred Years' War to jointly attack the King of France, occupying a large amount of royal territory. This, along with Burgundy's original territory, formed the French territory of Burgundy.
The other major component of Burgundy was Burgundy's Holy Roman Empire territory, including the entire Low Countries region, as well as Luxembourg, Verdun, Bar, and Metz, which were annexed Holy Roman Empire territories.
Burgundy, playing both sides, had unknowingly grown into a behemoth capable of challenging the King of France. They were no longer content to remain as French vassals, and Charles VII's long-cherished wish was to reclaim France's original lands.
The second thing that troubles Charles VII is his heir, Louis. This young man is always restless, rebelling against his father multiple times, and even marrying the Duke of Savoy's daughter without his father's consent, and even getting involved in the Milanese war, which led to a complete rupture of the father-son relationship.
Louis is now planning to flee his princely domain, most likely seeking refuge in Savoy or Burgundy.
Given the poor relations between France and Burgundy, Charles VII is very likely to find an excuse to obstruct French nobles from participating in this Crusade privately.
"He is very likely to go to war with the Kingdom of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon is attempting to lay claim to Provence and has secretly occupied Marseille. Charles, just watch, France will soon go to war with the Kingdom of Aragon," Laszlo predicted based on the intelligence he had gathered and his memories from his previous life.
Charles was skeptical, always feeling that his father and brother-in-law were deceiving him.
"The Crusade is a holy and glorious expedition. How dare the King of France—"
Philip waved his hand, directly interrupting Charles, "These are things to say to others. Among us, family, let's not speak such foolish words… If you had half of Laszlo's astuteness, why would I need to worry about the future of the Duchy, Charles?"
Laszlo chuckled, looking at his disheartened brother-in-law, and comforted him, "Relax, Charles, your courage is already known to all."
"Laszlo, don't make sarcastic remarks. In the future, I'm afraid I'll still need your help a lot so he doesn't pay a painful price for his recklessness."
"Naturally." Laszlo replied to Philip verbally, but in his heart, he thought: If my brother-in-law doesn't get his head cracked, how else can I take over Burgundy?
Charles felt a bit dejected. He hadn't expected his father to be so distrustful of him, and even Laszlo was like this. Didn't they say they'd be brothers for life?
However, Charles remained confident, "Even without the help of France and England, we can defeat the Ottomans!"
Laszlo no longer paid attention to his hot-headed brother-in-law, turning to look at the solemn-faced Philip and asking, "Do we have any other aid we can obtain?"
"Ah, yes, your brother-in-law, my young nephew, Alfonso V of Portugal. He has promised to send the Portuguese fleet and a force of twelve thousand men to participate. Once we agree on the departure time, his troops will land on your side and then join the Eastern Crusade army. The navy will go to the Aegean Sea to rendezvous with the Venetian and Papal fleets. Their mission is to cut off the straits."
Laszlo was somewhat surprised. Could it be that Leonor's letter home really worked?
This King of Portugal is a good man; he truly steps up when needed.
Although a force of twelve thousand is not large, for Portugal, it is the largest expeditionary force they can deploy. The key is the Portuguese fleet.
If they can truly cut off the Bosphorus Strait, then the Ottomans forces in Asia Minor will not be able to cross the sea to the European continent, which would significantly reduce the pressure on the Eastern Crusade.
Of course, the cutting-off operation must be carried out suddenly, otherwise, if the Ottomans transport their army first, then this fleet will be useless.
And… one must be wary of certain European traitors. I'm talking about you, Genoa!
Laszlo clearly remembered that in the original timeline, when Władysław III, the King of Poland and Hungary, launched the Crusade, Ottoman Sultan Murad II's large army in Asia Minor was blocked by Constantinople and could not cross the sea to Europe.
Finally, Murad II paid a hefty sum to bribe the Genoese to smuggle the Sultan's sixty thousand troops to the Balkans, who then marched north and utterly routed the Crusade at Varna. The young Władysław III also unfortunately perished. This was the so-called "Disaster of Varna."
This time, this story must not be allowed to repeat.
The most worrying thing is that the Ottomans acquired the remnants of the Eastern Roman Empire's navy and recruited Greeks and Genoese to serve in their navy, now possessing considerable strength. Can the navies of the Papal States, Venice, and Portugal alone deal with them?
Oh, right, what about Austria's navy?
Laszlo found a blind spot. After half a year of transmigration, he had completely ignored the state of the Austrian navy, not even knowing if they had one.
Even for a land power, neglecting a navy to this extent is rare.
Even if they had one, its size could only be described as mini, and it wouldn't be of much help.
Philip looked at Laszlo, whose expression fluctuated, and also began to worry, "What's wrong? Do you have any concerns, Laszlo?"
"Hmm, we probably shouldn't have too high hopes for the plan to cut off the straits. The Ottomans now also possess a powerful navy. Therefore, we must be prepared for a decisive battle with the entire military might of the Ottoman Empire and not harbor any Luck mentality."
Hearing Laszlo's words, Philip and Charles nodded slightly. This indeed served as a reminder to them, as they had not yet taken the Ottomans too seriously.