After being intimidated by the outcome of the Elector of Cologne, the various factions within the Empire fell into a strange state of stability.
The deterrence brought by the Emperor enveloped the entire Empire from the Low Countries to Austria, and consequently, the regional branches established by the Imperial Court in various districts gained respect from the Imperial Estates.
Those Imperial subjects with some status and resources who could afford to appeal to the Imperial Court were more willing to accept rulings on disputes made by judges appointed by the Emperor.
The Emperor's authority and standing in the hearts of the Imperial populace had reached an unprecedented height.
Of course, most people did not know that Laszlo had actually manipulated some of the Supreme Court's judicial rulings.
For those cases that were already controversial, there was plenty of room for maneuvering; sometimes, rather than absolute fairness, it was more common for the results of the verdicts to serve political interests.
This did not cause much questioning of the Supreme Court by the Imperial Estates; on the contrary, more cities and lower-ranking nobles became increasingly dependent on the help of the Imperial Court to protect their rights and interests.
However, the expansion of the Imperial Court was not without its drawbacks.
Although the Empire's judicial system had generally established a vertical management system, the problem of over-reliance on local forces and regional assistance emerged during actual operations.
The further one got from Austria, the more obvious this problem became, especially in the northern part of the Empire, where the three newly established branches had not yet gained widespread recognition.
There was even a ridiculous scene in Cologne.
While handling lawsuits, the judges of the Cologne City Court discovered that many parties to the lawsuits were holding receipt documents and subpoenas from the Cologne Imperial Court, and the judges were then informed that these cases would be handled by the Cologne Imperial Court.
Due to the provisions in the golden bull, subjects had the right to appeal directly to the Emperor when they felt they were being treated unfairly, which had now turned into appealing to the Imperial Court.
After a case was accepted by the Imperial Court, they would issue an acceptance document and require one of the parties to the lawsuit to deliver the subpoena to the other party.
The delivery of this subpoena could take half a year or even longer; even if the two people lived on the same street, the subpoena might never be delivered in the end.
Because the Imperial Court was established in a rush and was severely understaffed, they only focused on receiving cases but found it difficult to track the progress of the lawsuits.
And the documents issued by these court civil servants became an important tool for locals to evade summons from the city courts.
Those who intended to delay, did not want to go to court, or simply did not want to accept the judgment, all relied on this laughable method to stall for time until the matter resolved itself...
This situation nearly drove the judges in Cologne crazy, and they strongly demanded that the city council send representatives to ask the Emperor to restrain the behavior of the Imperial Court.
This style of starting things without finishing them was simply a desecration of Imperial law.
Laszlo had only just leisurely arrived in Regensburg with his entourage and had not yet entered the territory of Austria when the messenger from Cologne caught up with him.
After learning the details of the matter, Laszlo quickly issued a new regulation in the name of the Emperor, requiring all documents issued by the courts to clearly state the date, and mandating that the parties must deliver the subpoena to the other party within three months of issuance; otherwise, the case would be returned to the corresponding local court for handling.
The low judicial efficiency of the Imperial Court had not been a one-day problem; judges, clerks, bailiffs, and other related positions all needed money to be supported, and there needed to be enough trustworthy professionals to fill the vacancies, so accepting the numerous disputes of an entire district was still too difficult.
It was not just the Imperial Court; the regional courts, which were already being gradually replaced, also faced similar dilemmas.
More often, it was the local courts, especially the city courts and the courts of the princes, that played a key role.
A judicial institution like the Outer Austria Rottweil Court, which could handle a large number of lawsuits due to its well-established structure and rich experience, and whose influence reached three districts, was ultimately just an exception.
After filling this small gap and further perfecting the Imperial judicial system, Laszlo encountered another thorny lawsuit in Regensburg.
This lawsuit did not come from Bavaria, but from the Holstein region far away in the north of the Empire.
"Are you saying that King Christian of Denmark is gathering an army to prepare to launch a war?"
Laszlo was somewhat suspicious of his own ears, so he asked Archbishop Adolf, who was reporting the matter to him.
Adolf also felt a bit confused about this, but still nodded and explained: "That is what is written in the petitions sent by the city council of Lübeck and the farmers of Dithmarschen."
"No, is he out of his mind?"
Even though the Archbishop was adamant, Laszlo still found it hard to believe, and his gaze refocused on the map.
In the northern part of the Empire, at the junction of Denmark and the Duchy of Holstein, there was a very inconspicuous swampy area called Dithmarschen.
This time, Christian I's target was this piece of land.
This place was originally a standard piece of North German wasteland until the local farmers formed a peasant republic, where, under the leadership of the Committee of 48, they reinforced dikes, drained swamps, and reclaimed land, causing local agriculture to develop rapidly.
However, although the people here lived a life like a paradise, they were far from wealthy, and for a long time, it had been a lawless zone.
If it were up to Laszlo, he wouldn't even glance at such wasteland, yet the King of Denmark was now planning to make a big fuss over it.
Perhaps he was truly hungry, Laszlo speculated with some malice in his heart.
"Ahem, Your Majesty, this matter probably has to be traced back to the deal made with the King of Denmark ten years ago." Foreign Minister Clement stood up at this moment to clarify the matter for the Emperor.
"The deal with him? Oh, I sold the title of Duke of Holstein for fifty thousand florins, is there a problem with that?"
Laszlo had sold plenty of titles; cases like Christian's, where the succession was in order and the local nobles were directly handled, were the easiest of all transactions.
Furthermore, before being crowned with the three crowns of the Kalmar Union, Christian was still an Imperial Count of Oldenburg, and the current Count of Oldenburg was his own younger brother.
With this relationship in place, logically speaking, Denmark shouldn't be causing any trouble...
Laszlo suddenly thought of the Lübeck city council that had been frequently seeking him out; now that the conflict between Denmark and the Hanseatic League had entered a white-hot stage again, it seemed possible for Denmark to take some extreme actions.
"Christian insists that the title of the Duchy of Holstein includes the territory of Dithmarschen, so he sent officials intending to dissolve the local peasant republic and rule this area, but the Danish officials were driven back by the local farmers."
"Claims? And what are the facts?"
Laszlo's face darkened; he had seen this kind of tactic many times before—fabricating a random reason to start annexing territory was the lowest level of trickery.
However, this matter involved the ducal title he had sold, and if not handled well, it could damage the authority of the Empire, and he, as the Emperor, would also be criticized.
"The fact is, after the Danish King was defeated by the coalition of North German princes in the Battle of Bornhöved more than two hundred years ago, he was forced to give up his suzerainty over Holstein, and Dithmarschen, which had been forcibly occupied by him, also returned to the rule of the Archbishop of Bremen."
"However, the Archbishop was unwilling to manage this barren and remote territory, so the local farmers formed their own peasant council to implement republican rule, which has been maintained to this day."
Clement, who had specifically crammed on the history and political landscape of the northern Empire in recent times, gave a precise answer.
The excuse given by Christian was completely made up on the spot and could be said to be without any basis.
"Since it is the land of the Archbishop of Bremen and is governed by the farmers themselves, then it has nothing to do with Denmark. Why is the King of Denmark taking action? And why now of all times?" Laszlo became interested in this matter.
Since the farmers of Dithmarschen had submitted a petition to him and the Privy Council, it showed that they still recognized the Emperor, although if it weren't for a life-or-death crisis, they probably wouldn't have thought of the fact that they had an Emperor above them in their entire lives...
However, the Free City of Lübeck, which submitted the petition with them, made this matter develop in a more complex direction.
"Actually, after the King of Denmark was enfeoffed as Duke of Holstein, he tried many times to control Dithmarschen, but at that time the Kalmar Union was in internal chaos, with constant rebellions in Sweden, which meant he could not spare the energy to expand into the northern part of the Empire."
"Later, the Swedish rebellion temporarily subsided, but Christian still wasted many years in Sweden trying to regain the support of the nobles and farmers—a goal that has yet to be achieved."
"About a few years ago, due to the years of war between Burgundy and France, there was a huge grain shortage in Western Europe, and the farmers of Dithmarschen could produce a lot of grain every year."
"Consequently, under the guidance of Hamburg, Dithmarschen concluded a trade agreement with the Hanseatic League led by Lübeck, and just a short while ago, Dithmarschen officially became a member of the Hanseatic League."
"This angered the King of Denmark, who was hostile to the Hanseatic League, so he found an excuse to mobilize his army, intending to take Dithmarschen by force to suppress the expansion of the Hanseatic League."
Clement quickly clarified the stakes of this dispute for Laszlo.
Archbishop Adolf also expressed his opinion at this time: "Your Majesty, since it is Imperial territory, we must absolutely not allow the King of Denmark to act recklessly; otherwise, it will inevitably chill the hearts of the Empire's subjects."
Laszlo nodded, agreeing with this point of view.
He had already come this far; if he were to cede Imperial territory to outsiders again, even he himself could not accept such humiliation.
Although he had claimed that this Danish King from the Empire would be a friend of the Empire when he granted Holstein and Schleswig to the King of Denmark back then, the reality was clearly cruel.
One's position determines one's thinking; since he ruled the three Nordic countries, he was destined to be an enemy of the Hanseatic League and therefore destined to harm the interests of the Empire's subjects.
Although it had no substantial impact on Laszlo, it was a huge injury at the Imperial level.
If he could not protect the Empire well, how could the subjects recognize his rule?
"I will provide protection for Dithmarschen, but the King of Denmark may not necessarily stop there."
After all, Dithmarschen was right next to Denmark but was far away from Austria and even Bohemia, with the entire region of Saxony in between.
"Why not let the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and the Duke of Mecklenburg call upon the princes of Lower Saxony to assemble an army to protect Dithmarschen?" Archbishop Adolf said.
"Given the prestige and efficiency of the northern district, I'm afraid... but it is also a method; the coordination in this regard will be left to the Privy Council."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Archbishop naturally accepted the part that was already his responsibility.
"Your Majesty, should we also gather an army and take a trip to the north, just like in Westphalia..."
Clement's proposal tempted Laszlo; he was just worrying about having no way to demonstrate the Emperor's majesty and the Empire's military power in the two Saxony districts in the north of the Empire.
However, the mobilization and expedition of an army were not a spring outing; from assembly to marching, and then to possible battles, every step consumed a huge amount of supplies, and all of it burned money.
Moreover, considering that there was a lot of wasteland in the North German region, if the army was too large, there might be attrition, and if the army was too small, it would be useless, which was quite difficult.
"It is certainly impossible to commit the entire main force of the Imperial Army to the north. How about dispatching one legion from Bohemia to cooperate with the local princely armies to defend against the enemy?"
Laszlo gave his plan after pondering for a moment.
The trusted ministers present all nodded in agreement, but Matthias, who had been guarding the Emperor's side, suddenly thought of something and spoke up to dissuade the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, perhaps you can save the money for this armed parade and use it for something else."
"How to save it? If I don't send troops, can I really count on those princes of Lower Saxony? I'm afraid that by the time they finish assembling their army, Dithmarschen will have been slaughtered by the Danes several times over."
"Think about it, doesn't this territory belong to the Archbishop of Bremen in name? Although we all know the reality of the situation, we can still claim that it is a territory under the protection of the Church."
"You only need to first clearly state that you will protect Dithmarschen, then write to Rome, have the Pope issue the same edict, and threaten with excommunication; the crisis will naturally subside."
"King Christian of Denmark probably wouldn't want to experience the treatment that the former King of Poland, Władysław, received."
"This is a brilliant idea, Your Majesty." Clement's eyes lit up, and his gaze towards Matthias became somewhat heated.
Although many uninformed people thought this Hungarian was merely the Emperor's male favorite, those who knew better knew that Matthias was a capable official with real talent.
For a diplomat, war was an incredibly dangerous word; it meant that their professional skills had failed to play a role, and both sides eventually had to rely on gambling on the battlefield to decide their final fate.
Subduing the enemy without fighting is the highest realm of diplomacy.
According to the advice of this chief advisor, after a set of combination punches, even if the Danish King were lent ten times the courage, he would not dare to covet the Empire's land again.
"Very well, I will write to Bernhard immediately. Adolf, don't forget to notify all parties of my decision; the Lower Saxony district should still prepare for war."
"As for the Imperial Army, there is no need to mobilize for the time being; let's see how the situation develops first."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Privy Council, as the central hub of the Empire, immediately went into operation to begin dealing with the trouble brought by the Danish side. This was the first time the Empire had encountered an external threat since the establishment of the central Imperial institutions, and the officials of the central Empire and the subordinates of the Imperial court showed great enthusiasm for their work, ready to add another entry to the Emperor's book of merits at any time.