The first nationwide judicial examination held at the University of Vienna concluded smoothly.
Of the more than two hundred students who took the exam, almost half passed the assessment. They not only received professional certificates to practice in the judicial industry but also gained the valuable opportunity to participate in the court selection.
As the exam was prepared hastily, the professors of the University of Vienna's Law School, together with Archbishop Georg, adopted the same method used for university graduation exams: multi-examiner, one-on-one debates with students to assess their professional competence.
However, after observing part of the assessment, the Emperor proposed adding a written examination component, intending to screen out a portion of the candidates before the debates began.
This could be considered a novel form of examination. Unlike the traditional assessment methods that emphasized logic and dialectics, written exams were more rigid. Yet, they could also be used to test the candidates' written expression skills and foundational literacy.
Therefore, the examiners agreed to add written examinations in the future as a supplement to the assessment methods.
After all, printing technology was no longer a rarity in Vienna. The branch of the Treviso paper mill opened in Vienna continuously supplied Austria with large quantities of paper, while the Royal Printing House accepted various printing orders, making written materials much more accessible in Vienna.
In this way, written examinations could also be considered keeping up with the times.
Moreover, as a supplementary screening method, written exams were unparalleled in terms of efficiency compared to any other form of assessment.
Of course, the phenomenon of favoritism and fraud was likely to breed as well. However, Laszlo had already proposed many solutions based on his rich examination experience.
As for what the candidates, who had never experienced written exams, would think, Laszlo didn't care. He even felt a bit of schadenfreude.
However, these new ideas would all be put into practice in the next annual assessment. For now, Laszlo was busy personally evaluating and screening the students participating in the court assessment, alongside his court advisors.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of the quality of this batch of candidates?" Matthias placed the organized candidate profiles before the Emperor and inquired with some curiosity.
He had just completed the oral examinations for all the examinees alongside the Emperor. He felt that while this group's knowledge was good, they were somewhat lacking in adaptability when handling practical affairs.
"Most of these people are sufficient for basic public positions like clerks or magistrates. They would also be fine assisting the two Imperial Princes with miscellaneous tasks. However, very few among them have the potential to serve as advisors—one could even say almost none."
Laszlo wasn't too disappointed by this. After all, most of the examinees were young people, and their mastery of knowledge in the field of law already surpassed ninety-nine percent of the population.
What they lacked was merely experience, something that could be cultivated later.
He picked out the profiles of a few individuals he had just "taken a liking to," intending to have Christopher and Maximilian pay special attention to these promising talents.
As for the other examinees, he also selected some of the more outstanding ones. In the future, they would work alongside the two Imperial Princes, doing the laborious work of handling massive amounts of paperwork. This wouldn't be considered mistreating them.
Of course, Laszlo also didn't forget to select people to fill the few soon-to-be-vacant positions within the royal domains in the Duchy of Styria.
In the end, approximately forty people received appointments from the Emperor. They were assigned to Outer Austria and Milan, placed in positions within the royal domains, or were selected by Archbishop Georg to enter the Court Chancellery.
Those who failed did not mean they had no chance to fill potential future vacancies.
Although most might soon have to start struggling for their livelihood, possessing a professional certificate issued by the Imperial Family was like a golden signboard, sufficient to make their future paths much easier.
Such results quickly caused a great stir among the Austrian populace, especially the citizens of Vienna.
Nearly a quarter of the examinees were appointed by the Emperor. The remaining individuals who passed the preliminary examination were quickly absorbed by the newly established Guild of Lawyers and Notaries or received invitations from some nobles to serve in their territories.
This outcome soon sparked a wave of emphasis on education in Vienna.
Any family with some foundation would try to provide their children with a good basic education to enable them to enter university for further studies after the age of fourteen.
Not long after this, the Emperor, following the examples of the University of Paris and the University of Heidelberg, granted tax exemption privileges to the enrolled students of the University of Vienna, further accelerating the spread of this trend.
At the suggestion of the court tutor, Guarino the Younger, Laszlo approved the proposal to establish a court academy.
Decades earlier, Guarino the Younger's father, Guarino the Elder, had already established a similar academy in Ferrara specifically to educate the children of the ducal family and the many noble families of Ferrara.
Guarino the Elder's student, Vittorino da Feltre, later served the Marquis of Mantua and established a noble school called "La Giocosa" in Mantua.
After abandoning the academy his father founded in Ferrara, Guarino the Younger always harbored the ideal of establishing a similar school.
Now, this idea finally gained the Emperor's approval—the Emperor intended to establish a specialized school for his own children, as well as for the children of Austrian and Imperial nobles, implementing the new educational model that had emerged in Italy.
Guarino the Younger was granted full authority to oversee the project and received the full support of the Austrian government institutions and the Emperor's court.
Days passed one by one. The fulfilling life made Laszlo almost unaware of time's rapid passage.
It wasn't until the Archbishop of Mainz persistently urged him to set out for Aachen that Laszlo had no choice but to arrange Austrian affairs in advance and begin earnestly preparing for the upcoming journey.
According to feedback received by the Imperial Privy Council, most of the Imperial Princes indicated their willingness to attend Prince Christopher's coronation or send representatives. Only a very few princes found various excuses to decline.
After persuasion from the Archbishop of Mainz, Laszlo ultimately abandoned the idea of convening the Imperial Diet in Aachen.
That place was right next to the Burgundian border. If Burgundian representatives were to cause trouble at the Diet, even Laszlo might find the situation difficult to manage.
Last time, although Laszlo made the final decision to end the debate over precedence, such debates would never truly disappear. When a new Imperial Diet was convened, the same quarrels would erupt again, cycling endlessly for centuries.
Before Laszlo embarked on his journey, an old acquaintance of his, Anthony of Burgundy, the Foreign Minister of the Eastern Empire, arrived from the distant East.
He was an envoy representing the Eastern Empire to congratulate the Prince on his coronation, and he also brought Laszlo the latest news from the East.
"Your Majesty, the Mamluks have been defeated."
Anthony unrolled a map and spread it on the desk before Laszlo.
"After Dulkadir was partitioned by the White Sheep Dynasty and the Mamluks, the two sides remained in a standoff there for over a year."
"Not long ago, Uzun Hasan, Khan of the White Sheep Dynasty, personally led a large army to press the Mamluks in the north. In battle, he captured and executed the Mamluk Sultan's Chief Minister."
"Currently, the Mamluks have retreated to Syria, but they still retain sufficient strength."
"Not an entirely unexpected outcome." Laszlo sighed lightly, his heart unmoved.
That Sultan, hailed as the so-called "Lord of Revival," might indeed have been somewhat stronger than past Mamluk Sultans. However, facing Uzun Hasan, Khan of the White Sheep Dynasty, who had now risen as the new hegemon of Central Asia, was still too difficult.
Even the Grand Vizier was captured and killed. Laszlo even felt a flicker of sympathy for the Egyptian infidels.
Putting aside other factors, whether it was the rise of the White Sheep Dynasty or the Ottomans, they would inevitably march south along the Fertile Crescent, ultimately destroying the rule of the Mamluk Sultan.
Unfortunately, the Mamluks, a state founded on a coalition of warlords with the slave trade as its foundation, were fundamentally powerless to resist the formidable military strength of either.
The so-called tripartite struggle was merely a surface phenomenon. If a full-scale war broke out, the collapse of the Mamluks would be a matter of days.
"Currently, the main forces of the White Sheep Dynasty have not yet launched a full-scale attack on the Ottomans. However, intelligence indicates that the Georgian states, Trebizond, the Ottomans, and Karaman have all suffered raids by forces sent by the White Sheep Dynasty."
"Oh? Truly a dynasty formed by a nomadic tribal confederation. It's just that Uzun Hasan's ambition seems far greater than we imagined."
Even as he said this, Laszlo calmly picked up his wine glass and took a sip, as if using the war reports from the East as a drinking snack.
Infidels fighting each other to the death was beneficial to him no matter the outcome, so Laszlo felt not the slightest worry.
"Currently, there is no opponent around the White Sheep Dynasty that can withstand Uzun Hasan in a single encounter. He commands what is said to be a hundred thousand iron cavalry, which has already struck fear into the hearts of the various states of Asia Minor."
"To resist the threat and immense pressure brought by the White Sheep Dynasty, the Ottomans, Karaman, and the Mamluks have recently been actively engaging in diplomatic activities, probably preparing to form a temporary alliance."
"The Genoese in Trebizond and the Crusader lords have chosen to cooperate with the Georgian states to resist the White Sheep threat."
Was this... a coalition forming?
Laszlo nodded, feeling some anticipation for the further development of the situation.
Although, in his view, the severely weakened Ottomans, the chaotic Karaman, and the ineffective Mamluks combined could not defeat the White Sheep Dynasty, they could at least cause some trouble for this new hegemon.
"As for the Genoese, provide as much support as possible. However, they should also offer appropriate returns in exchange."
"I've heard there is a rich silver mine in Trebizond. Have Frederick pay more attention to it. It would be excellent if we could obtain a share of the mineral resources through cooperation with the Genoese."
The Eastern Empire wasn't in urgent need of gold and silver. The gold and silver produced in Serbia and Bosnia were enough to support half of Europe. Now, these precious metals were being transported to Vienna and Constantinople respectively, supporting the entire Habsburg Empire's monetary system.
However, no one would complain about having too much gold and silver, right? After all, compared to the hard work of farming and production, minting coins brought in money much faster.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Also, should we terminate our cooperation with the Karamanids?" Anthony asked.
Karaman had temporarily reached a reconciliation with the Ottomans. It probably wasn't appropriate anymore to continue transactions like military equipment with the Karamanids.
"No need to worry. The Karamanids will ultimately face pressure from the White Sheep Dynasty, the Ottomans, and the Mamluks. I don't want them to be easily crushed. Not only that, I also intend to write a letter to the young Ottoman Sultan, telling him I will abide by the truce agreement, so he can focus on dealing with the threat from the East." Laszlo said with a light laugh.
For some reason, Anthony sensed a hint of ill intent from the Emperor's expression.
Currently, Sultan Mustafa's old father was still sitting in the Emperor's prison. It would be strange if the Emperor's letter could put the new Sultan at ease.
However, judging by the Emperor's demeanor, he truly seemed to have no intention of taking advantage of the situation.
After thinking for a while, Anthony still couldn't fathom the Emperor's thoughts. He could only note down the Emperor's decision to report back.
Not long after Anthony left the palace, the biweekly war reports from the Western Front were also delivered to Laszlo's desk.
The Black Death in Provence had been contained, but that land remained a forbidden zone for the living. Consequently, the Imperial Army had been unable to advance south to seize this last piece of territory.
In southern France, the isolated army led by the Duke of Armagnac was defeated by Louis XI's forces at Toulouse, and the family's territories fell once again.
Now, the Duke was leading his remaining defeated troops on a difficult march through the southern France controlled by Louis XI, intending to return to the territories of his northern allies to regroup.
Charles VIII had preliminarily completed the consolidation of the lands of northern France. He was now expanding his army, planning to advance into the Loire River valley later.
The three great dukes—Bourbon, Nemours, and Brittany—all expressed willingness to provide support. Even King Charles of Burgundy agreed to provide a contingent of mercenaries to aid Charles VIII against Louis XI.
The civil war between the two brothers was now intensifying. The flames of war raged across the land of France, with no end in sight.
From a broad perspective, Louis XI's strength was considerably greater than that of Charles VIII, who had newly established his court.
However, due to policies Louis XI implemented earlier, along with religious and other factors, most of the territories under his control were restless. The taxes and troops they could provide were thus significantly affected.
Of course, such conditions were even more common in northern France, as the entire north had been ravaged repeatedly and had suffered heavy blows itself.
However, the French living in the north were more willing to support Charles VIII, who had brought brief stability.
Where this war would ultimately lead, only Laszlo, the one moving the pieces, knew.
France, the infidel nations—now they were almost beating each other's brains out. Looking at these battlefronts on the map, far from Vienna yet closely related to him, Laszlo calmly drained the fine wine in his glass.
Those Imperial Princes truly lacked any sense of gratitude.
The order imposed by a hegemon was always better than absolute chaos. Without the Emperor's protection and suppression, localized wars within the Empire would inevitably break out one after another, with powerful enemies watching covetously from outside. Who knows what it would ultimately become?
Now, he had eliminated many external threats and led the establishment of a new order within the Empire. Wasn't that worth obedience and respect?
Unfortunately, many still failed to understand his well-intentioned efforts, which deeply disappointed Laszlo.
Perhaps the days of the Empire enjoying exclusive peace wouldn't last much longer.