I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 87

Became the King of the Crusades – Episode 87 (87/215)

Everything in Rome Has a Price (2)

* * *

England

Westminster

“Come back to bed. You’ll catch a cold standing there like that.”

“It feels like a storm is coming tonight. The wind is ominous.”

Henry II said.

The sound of the wind whirring outside the castle walls echoed.

“You can tell just by listening to the wind.”

“They say old people are good at predicting such things. Their legs ache even when there are only dark clouds.”

“Am I that old already?”

He smiled, looking at his young lover.

Adèle.

Her fair skin was visible beneath the luxurious silk covers.

She was, in fact, Henry II’s prospective daughter-in-law.

Betrothed to Richard.

But no one in the court was unaware of their relationship.

Not even Richard.

“Your fragrance seems even better today. Did you use a new perfume?”

“It’s a perfume that Venetian merchants brought recently. They told me an interesting story.”

“An interesting story?”

“Young Baldwin is said to be going to Italy a few days ago. ‘That’ Baldwin, I mean.”

“Baldwin, that must be the one from Jerusalem….”

Henry II muttered, looking thoughtful.

He clapped his hands.

“Yes, the fellow the troubadours [traveling poets and musicians] were singing about all day long. The hero of Jerusalem, the new Roland!” [Roland was a legendary Frankish military leader, a symbol of chivalry and heroism.]

He shouted, exposing his naked body.

Adèle chuckled.

“Even my knights are making a fuss because of him. They’re asking me to allow jousting again.”

“Why don’t you lift the ban now?”

Adèle said.

“You banned it because of young Henry in the first place.”

“That fellow only ever thought about riding horses all day. My son, tsk tsk.”

Henry II clicked his tongue.

“I should have kept Marshal by his side. All he knows is how to spend money on useless jousting.”

He waved his hand.

“My sons are all the same! The eldest is busy playing knight, Richard only takes his mother’s side, and Geoffrey is only scheming to sow discord among his brothers.”

“All men take their mother’s side. It’s the only privilege women have.”

“Yes, I was the same way.”

Henry II plopped down on the bed.

He embraced his lover.

“Let’s leave the Lombardy problem to the Italians and Germans. We don’t need to worry about that now.”

He added with a smile.

“The best time to make love is when a storm is raging.”

* * *

Constantinople

“They’re using something like that to send signals?”

Niketas stared at the tower in front of him.

The mechanical arms on either side of the tower moved up and down.

“I wonder if there’s a fancy way to describe that. Oh, arms connecting heaven and earth! That’s no good.”

He cleared his throat.

“Like our glorious Lord, who connects and unites all things in the world, so too do we Romans… That’s no good either.”

Niketas.

He was one of the empire’s high-ranking officials.

His brother, Michael, was the Archbishop of Athens.

He was attending the signal tower demonstration as an official.

In front of the signal tower, the Basileus (Emperor) was listening to explanations from the generals.

“Hey, Niketas. Still thinking about sentences to write on paper?”

“Always.”

Niketas replied with a smile to his colleague’s question.

“As a historian, I have a duty to record everything that happens in the empire. Whether it’s good or bad.”

Everything that happened in the imperial palace and streets of Constantinople.

From the struggles between political factions to the brawls of thugs in the chariot racecourse.

He recorded everything.

The recent rebellion of Andronikos was no exception.

He said.

“To think that letters can be sent to the front lines with just a few of those towers. I still can’t believe it.”

“They say it’s about the same speed as a beacon fire. But beacon fires can only transmit very simple information. With these towers, you can send detailed letters.”

“Fascinating. Very fascinating.”

Niketas stroked his neatly trimmed chin.

“They said that the Jerusalem’s Baldwin came up with that too. Do you think Archangel Michael told him?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

His colleague shrugged.

“Doesn’t Baldwin always speak ambiguously?”

“That’s true. He rarely speaks definitively. I think that’s a strategy.”

Niketas nodded.

He fell into thought.

Not long ago, the situation in Constantinople was chaotic.

Following the death of Emperor Manuel, Alexios II ascended to the throne.

But many coveted the young emperor and the regency.

Niketas also expected that the young emperor would soon be blinded and driven out.

That was the tradition of the Roman Empire.

But Baldwin of Jerusalem changed all that.

Niketas pictured him in his mind.

A statue-like appearance with a confident voice.

The knight who personally saved Constantinople on horseback.

The savior who rescued the Roman poor.

He was so popular among the citizens that some of the great nobles were relieved when he left.

It wasn’t just the citizens who were enamored with him.

“Seeing how pleased the Basileus [Greek word for Emperor] is… there must be something more we don’t know.”

Niketas muttered.

The Emperor was also a close friend of Baldwin.

A man who constantly tried to help the empire, even from the distant Levant [historical term for the Eastern Mediterranean region].

Jerusalem took in the empire’s poor, and now it was providing a signal tower system.

Which Roman could hate him?

Then Niketas’s colleague said.

“Baldwin went to Italy this time, didn’t he? The Basileus said he’s planning to send separate support.”

“Support? Do you mean troops?”

“Not troops, but supplies. Food and horses, things like that. An advance team has already left for Italy.”

“By the way, Italy. I don’t know why people there are always fighting each other every day.”

“I agree. They elect their own emperor and then revolt.”

“Anyway, when I get home today, I need to add more to the part about Baldwin. There’s still a lot to write.”

“I’ll make room. Soon there will be more stories than we can handle.”

His colleague said with a hearty laugh.

Niketas asked.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Haven’t you heard the news yet?”

The colleague whispered in a small voice.

“Once the construction of this signal tower is complete, the Basileus plans to personally embark on an Eastern expedition.”

“An Eastern expedition! At a time like this?”

“The barbarians in the West and North are quiet, so there’s no better time than now.”

His colleague shook his fist and said.

“We’re going to return the humiliation that Manuel the Great suffered at Myriokephalon to those Saracen bastards [historical term for Muslims].”

“Just thinking about it makes my heart race. It will be something worth recording in the annals.”

Niketas said.

He turned his head and looked ahead.

History.

A new history was unfolding before his eyes.

* * *

“None of the mountain ranges in this area are marked. Nor here either.”

I poked the map with the handle of my dagger.

The table shook every time the ship moved.

“Still, it’ll be usable if we combine it with other maps. And since we got it for free, it’s not exactly a loss.”

“I suppose so.”

I sighed and looked at Wig.

Then Aig entered the cabin.

“Have you both been looking at maps all morning?”

“We were just checking basic information.”

I corrected.

After departing from Acre, we stopped at Cyprus to replenish supplies.

The map in front of me was also obtained in Cyprus.

“The most important information is the terrain. Where the water is, what kind of villages are around, and so on.”

There were many records in medieval war history of getting lost or wasting supplies.

I think I know why now.

The maps of this era were extremely unreliable.

Guides were essential.

I looked at Wig.

“When we arrive on site, we need to organize as many reconnaissance teams as possible. Let’s start by surveying the terrain before moving.”

“Understood. I’ll issue separate instructions.”

Wig nodded.

“By the time the reconnaissance is complete, the supplies will be sorted out.”

“All the merchants on deck are only talking about supplies. So many ships coming from here, so many more coming from there….”

Aig said with a smile.

“Your Grace has filled the Mediterranean with gold coins.”

“I did buy quite a bit this time.”

I replied with a smile.

Actually, this is the basic level.

Supply was one of the most important elements of an army.

Starving soldiers can’t advance.

I had prepared a supply network in advance through Venice, Genoa, and other maritime cities.

Supplies through sea routes that would last for at least a year.

‘Actually, I’m following Richard I’s example.’

He occupied Cyprus during the Third Crusade and used it as a supply base.

Thanks to that, he easily captured coastal cities.

“I have plenty of money anyway. I received a bit as a token of goodwill from Emperor Frederick in addition to al-Adil’s ransom.”

“So the Holy Roman Empire and Saladin are paying for this expedition?”

“Something like that.”

I replied with a smile.

Emperor Frederick will be angry.

But what can I do?

Even the Holy Roman Empire doesn’t have much power in the Mediterranean.

Unless they invade Venice and Genoa head-on.

But the power of capital held by maritime cities was too great for that.

I picked up the helmet on the table.

A gift from Constantinople.

The golden wings on either side of the helmet sparkled in the sunlight.

There was another object below the lower deck.

The most precious relic of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The True Cross.

Baldwin IV said this as he handed it over.

‘You will need the Lord’s blessing more than the kingdom does right now.’

The True Cross, believed to be the one on which Christ was crucified.

This cross had tremendous influence and power in the Christian world.

Baldwin IV, knowing that, must have taken the risk and entrusted it to me.

The prayers of the priests in charge of the cross could be heard from below.

Then the shouts of the sailors echoed.

“Land!”

The three of us went up on deck.

The port of Rimini in eastern Italy.

The pier could be seen faintly in the distance.

The excitement of the sailors and soldiers was palpable.

Excitement ahead of a new adventure, a war.

“It’s starting now.”

It didn’t take long for that excitement to turn into boredom.

* * *

One week later

We were still in the port of Rimini.

“We’ve caught all those who were embezzling supplies. A total of five, all belonging to mercenary groups.”

Wig said.

“The knights noticed them acting suspiciously as they tried to escape from the camp.”

“Desertion by stealing supplies. We can’t end this with a light punishment.”

I said, rubbing my eyes.

Managing an army of nearly two thousand was not easy.

I had only been able to get short naps for days.

Getting the horses off the ship and checking weapons and personnel.

Sorting and stacking the supplies coming into the ship and building a tent camp on the outskirts of the city.

There was no end to the work.

“Your Grace is right. Usually, in these cases, they cut off their hands or hang them.”

“Then let’s end it with hanging the ringleader and cutting off the hands of the rest.”

I said with a sigh.

Considering the hygiene of this era, cutting off hands is practically the same as a death sentence.

But if we let them off, more people will commit the same crime.

“What is the current level of salary being paid to the soldiers?”

“It’s high compared to other European armies.”

Wig replied.

He shrugged.

“We’re hearing rumors that other mercenary groups are coming to find us.”

“That’s good. Hire as many as possible, but be sure to pay the salary. Don’t save money.”

Loyalty can be bought with money.

Anyway, I don’t have to pay the knights separately.

It’s convenient that the Kingdom of Jerusalem is like this.

I can use the elite troops separately without paying them a salary.

Of course, there are things I need to take care of separately.

They might rebel if I do something that is not in line with their faith.

“And I will personally check the newly hired mercenaries.”

“You’re going to check if they’re spies of the Emperor.”

“That’s right. And….”

Then Aig came into the tent.

“Your Grace, a delegation has arrived from Verona. They’re clergymen.”

“They’re finally here. Bring them in.”

I said with a sigh.

The Pope knew I had arrived, but he hadn’t responded for days.

A delegation is coming after a week.

They’re coming so quickly.

The men in white priestly robes came into the tent.

“We greet Your Grace, Baldwin, Prince of the Holy City of Jerusalem.”

“Welcome. I expected His Holiness to contact me sooner.”

I guided them inside.

I could feel they were nervous as they got closer.

Why are they so nervous?

I said.

“Anyone would think His Holiness is avoiding me.”

“….”

The cardinal at the head bowed his head.

“His Holiness is in a situation where the situation in Lombardy is so chaotic right now….”

He stammered.

“He has determined that it would be better for Your Grace to stay here in the port of Rimini for the time being.”

I frowned without realizing it.

What?

He’s telling me not to come to Verona?

After he called me?

I leaned forward.

“Tell me more.”