Kaiser Heinrich: I beg your sincere pardon, dear Electors, for my absence of late. I was tending to matters of the state.

As a general observer, it is clear to me that the Diet does not share my ambitions about expanding east. While this disappoints me, I will nevertheless go along with its decisions.

Gentlemen, the question is no longer whether we anger the Pope by going after another Christian nation. Our successes in the first half of my term combined with the agressive expansion programs of the factions surrounding us have prevented that. The question is now which nation we attack, and how much do we incur the Pope's wrath?

It seems as if the Diet is pushing for an attack on Milan more than any other nation. Fine. But must we limit ourselves? Poland currently blocks our path eastward and Venice south. You know that eventually we will come into conflict with them if we seek to regain the Empire's glory. In the previous session we all agreed that this alliance with Venice was temporary at best. Yet now you seek to make that alliance more solid? You seek to align with Poland yet at the same time push for eastward expansion? Make up your minds, dear Electors!

I second Edicts 2.8, 2.9, and 2.10.

I yield the floor.