Chapter 8 - A Hungarian-French standoff, More Conquering (Liberating) and the Birth of Prussia.
Despite everything which had transpired with the occupation and vassalization of what was considered core Russian lands, Anna would not waver in releasing her new lands. In her own words, she told the Russian ambassador if he approached her on the issue to "Try and take them. By the time you reach Kiev, you'll lose every army you have to the swamp of Eastern Europe."
This blatant disregard to quite easily her most powerful ally could quickly escalate to them becoming their most dangerous opponent yet. It was well known in European politics that the big three were Hungary, Russia, and France, with several other secondary nations like Great Britain, Denmark, the Papal States and Aragon to name a few, but for these two to break up and open hostilities were something no one in the Hungarian court wanted.
To this end, one David Milvanyi would risk his diplomatic career with one goal in mind. Prevent the now delicate relationship before the two superpowers melt down into open warfare. Any time the arrogant queen would spout off about Russia in a negative tone, it would be David who would weave them into tales of good will.
This was not easy with how often he had to do this.
Finally, he was able to convince Anna to stop spouting off aggressive banter to her allies and instead to use such energy on her enemies. Taking her senior diplomat's advice, the tone changed. With this, the Russian problem was put to rest for the time being and she started to be more aware of her actions.
Further to her north, Brandenburg started its march to war, quickly take the remains of the once Kingdom of Poland for itself. This sparked an idea with the Empress and started to sew together an alliance with the German nation while leaving the Teutonic Order in the dust. Many of her people were surprised their lady would so willingly abandon one of her more dedicated allies but she, like many others, saw them as a tool and nothing more.
Within weeks, Poland fell and an awkward calm came over Europe which was not seen for a long time with the people. Hungary was busy modernizing itself while looking to the Aristocrats while doing what it could to Innovate itself further than any nation around it. This calm was actually a ruse as Anna had her eyes on Brabant and France.
More specifically, France had no heir and Brabant has an elderly ruler with a just as old heir. If Anna could get another Hunyadi in Western Europe, this would give Hungary an unprecedented opportunity as the barrier that was the Holy Roman Empire could no longer exist if Hungary gains either under a personal union.
Sadly, a French Hunyadi would not be seen as months later, the French got themselves a strong heir. However, Brabant still laid in a weak position. What Anna did not expect from this little... dance of royalty was the French now wanted a piece of this Dutch pie. Despite everything that had just happened in France, they stood in disagreement with Hungary.
If the situation could get any worse for Europe, the heir of Brabant died of natural causes which turned the Dutch lands into a diplomatic warzone. If Brabant did not find a legal heir to the throne, France and Hungary were going into a succession war for it. As this was happening in Western Europe, Hungary decided it was time to deal with Syria.
So with France and Hungary quite possibly going to war and the integration of Syria, Anna decided to press her luck and start down the path to protecting her country better in the North. Anna took a look and decided it was time to put the Order down. She saw nothing but weakness seeping from this outdated Order.
Finally, months after breaking the alliance with The Teutonic Order, the ruler of Brabant was able to find a male heir just in time for him to up and die himself. With this, Brabant was left with a sixty-one-year-old member of the British Tudor family. Still, France and Hungary were staring each other down, some saying they are sending assassins to kill each other.
With all this tense happening, both superpowers were surprised to hear that a man by the name of Oliver Cromwell led the members of the British Parliment to reject the British Crown which incited what would later be called the English Civil War. Some outside the isle question why it wasn't called the British Civil War but any spectator would notice all the fighting was in England.
As the isles were being burnt to the ground, word reached the Hungarian courts that the French kill fell into a coma which greatly weakened their claim. As such, Anna pushed her claim to the fullest which forced the nation of Brabant to concede and allow a Hunyadi heir to take the throne should no other heir come forth.
As the possible war that could destroy Central Europe as everyone knew it was averted, Anna decided it was time to pay Lithuania and to show Russia that Hungary still had their best interest in mind.
Furthermore, Lithuania had an alliance with the Ottomans which had lost its luster at this point but still was someone that Anna wanted to beat down.
Anna had one goal in mind for the Ottomans, to connect the Byzantines to her Turkish provinces at the expense of the owner. As the Ottomans were only a secondary player in this war, this meant that she couldn't take as much she'd like without incurring the wrath of neighbors. As such she only focused on a few provinces since she had a bigger focus on the north.
Within months of the war started, Hungarian forces marched to Lithuania proper and promptly sieged down the capital and surrounding forts to the capital. Despite being the larger of the two major nations in the war, Lithuania was the first to fall and not because of a Hungarian-Russian attack on all sides. Rather, the Lithuanian army sent its troops time and time again into unwinnable battles which quickly dissolved into a mass rout.
And the South, however, things weren't going as planned. Once more the Hungarian navy obliterated the autumn in one, but something was different this time, unlike all the other naval battles. The strength of the Hungarian had was starting to wane as more and more ships are coming into heavy damage territory and required docking to repair.
Anna, either unaware and not caring, carried on the blockade of the Ottoman capital with the remaining ships aided in the siege once the Hungarian forces moved through Byzantine territory and into Anatolia. Growing tired of needing a navy simply to cross the straits, Anna transfer control of one of the two straight crossings to Byzantium.
As this was happening in the peace treaty was being ratified, splendid news to reach the Hungarian courts at long last. The ruler of Brabant died and a Hunyadi was in control of it. Better yet, this Hunyadi did not have an heir which left them open to a possible union.
Following this splendid news, Anna turned her eyes to the know destroyed Lithuanian realm. Though she planned the very beginning, she demanded that the decaying nation give large swaths of its Western realm to the Hungarian realm while of its Northeastern region go to Russia.
But the relationship with Russia secured, Anna turned your gaze back to Brabant it to see to it that it joins her realm. While preparations were being made, Great Britain finally decided that it liked Oliver Cromwell so much that he was made into the legal ruler of the Kingdom... Republic? Anna brushed this development off, saying that this was just a rare moment and that Republics had no place in this world in large nations.
She also would say it has no place in Hungary...
Regardless by the time the forces are returned and supplies were acquired for a march to cross Germany, the Bavarian Emperor suddenly passed away and the title of Emperor returned back to Brabant. This greatly complicated things as it then that now France would have a deeper tie to it which reinstated the Succession War Crisis for both nations
Anna, knowing that a wrong step could result in the most damaging war Europe would ever see, bided her time and orders her armies on standby instead of preparations for war. Instead, her plan with Russia was actually starting to form. In her eyes war was inevitable with Russians. The only question is how close with they be to the capital and how much space could she make for it.
With everything happening so quickly, Anna did not realize that the Teutonic Order had invaded Lithuania and nearly took all of its homelands. This caused worry in the Empress whose plans with Brandenburg could possibly backfire if the order grew too strong too quickly.
Five years would be spent, once more staring down the French leader who, like his predecessor, would not back down from what they'd concede to be Hungarian savages. This greatly causes concern in the Hungarian court as the French were known to be some of the finest troops in all of Europe. Thankfully with a legal heir being crowned in Brabant, Anna could turn her eyes to the Holy Lands.
With Syria FINALLY being incorporated into the realm, Anna could set her eyes onto Jeruselum. Before she could declare war on the Mamluks, the lords actually reformed itself into the state of Egypt which caused... complications for the Empress of Hungary. Yes, the horsemen now claimed the title of one of the most influential nations of all time. And no, this change is nothing, Jeruselum will be hers eventually.
Instead, she moved into Anatolia and paid the Sultan a visit in the form of a land contributions. Or at least she would if HALF HER FLEET WASN'T ON FIRE AND SINKING! Ya, turns out that if you neglect your navy when your naval commander specifically says it needs repairs, you should heed his advice and at least look into it.
Instead, the Hungarian Navy, the pride, and joy of many previous Kings and Queens, had most of its hull full of rotting wood and those of it that had metal bottoms were too few in number. The combined on Ottoman-Tunis navies were able to outnumber that now diminished Hungarian Navy and see it the worst defeat it's ever faced.
Still, there were a small number of modern ships that were in operational use but these were mostly trade ships and only two of them were heavy ships. In a fit of rage that could only come from an Empress of Hungary, she demanded the head of the naval commander and that all ships be burned.
Thankfully, nearly everyone saw this was just a fit of madness and allow the naval commander and his family to sail to Crete which the Empress almost always forgot existed. From here he would live the rest of his days with his family, and offer his advice and experience to any naval officer who came to him. In esse, ce this man became a legend for defying the Empress but still loyal to the realm. One Janos Simon.
Still, the war went as planned, and for the Byzantine's help in ferrying troops to Anatolia, Anna gave Biga while Hungary took small provinces, The big prize was to liberate the nation of Armenia which was nearing full revolt she noticed during the war.
After her fit of rage and regaining her composure, Anna saw a few things developing in Northern Europe. For starters, Brandenburg was finally going after Poland to remove them forever. Scandinavia formed from the nation of Denmark and Saxony was experiencing republican revolutionaries. Anna did not care about this last fact but the first one did.
Offering an alliance with Brandenburg, she set her plan on creating a Northern buffer for her nation. Before this could happen, Russia called Hungary in an offer of the reminder of Western Lithuania in assistance for the war. Anna immediately accepted and within months, Vilnius fell and Hungary opted out the war, Lithuania burning as expected.
But Anna had one objective in mind, and it just so happened to involve Brandenburg.
Her advisors, however, were so openly against this idea that guards needed to be ordered to remove them from her presence. The thing was that from long, long ago when the natives that made of a pagan Baltics were still around, there was a tale. This tale had many names but it always ended the same way. The Prussians as they were called by the invading Christians, would form a nation unlike any would ever see.
Never again with these Prussians be looked down upon. Instead, all would look in fear of this nation and beg for mercy from it. While the pagans were, of course, converted or purged, details of the united peoples never left the local mindset. Anna was aware that Friedrich of Brandenburg knew of this tale and sought it's as a way to glory his state after the failing the Protestant Reformation.
Both nations had a common interest and if the Order lost it's newly acquired Lithuanian lands to Hungary in the process, all the better. This war, the last time Brandenburg wouldn't hear his story under that name, was nothing but a slaughter without a fight.
Despite the valiant efforts of Teutonic soldiers, they were defeated by the combined of lights of these two nations. The prize, all of Lithuania proper belonged to Hungary while Brandenburg obtained the very desirable port of the Danzig and the heart of the Prussian lands in the form of Konigsberg.
And within time from the victory they had, this nation was born in the fires of war...
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What have I done, I've created a monster for my own amusement which is likely to eat all of Germany and try and destroy me in the name of becoming the top nation...
