The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 27

[27. I Obtained the Divine Bow]

‘Robin, the Duke of Norfolk’s son?’

For a moment, I had to doubt my ears.

First, his lineage.

Out of all the possible lineages, the son of the Duke of Norfolk is asking to be my vassal!

The Duke of Norfolk was also one of my father’s retainers.

In other words, it was as good as the Duke of Norfolk allowing Robin to become my vassal, which is why he came to me.

But…

The name is the problem.

Ah, ah.

Robin, of all names.

Robinnnnnn!

Robin.

This name just feels ominous.

In Western European legends, there are two iconic archers.

William Tell of Switzerland, and

Robin Hood of England.

William Tell is a legendary Swiss hero, who would be active in the 14th century!

But according to legend, Robin Hood, the English version of Hong Gil-dong [a Korean folk hero], was

The original King John’s ‘bully in charge’!

Of course, there could be someone with the same name, but.

Judging by the atmosphere, it seems like the real deal?

Well, even if he is that ‘Robin,’ can’t I just do well on my own?

“Welcome to our camp, Sir Robin.”

The son of a duke is still a noble!

Anyway, just like Eugene, the future famous general and Duke of Savoy, I hope Robin, the Duke of Norfolk’s son, will play a big role.

“Bishop Lothair, please assist with the vassalage oath.”

In the past, I just used to do the vassalage oath haphazardly with only a Bible.

But our territory has a talented young bishop, so we can have a more splendid vassalage oath than last time!

Bishop Lothair seems a bit annoyed, but he willingly granted my request.

Well, if it’s the son of the Duke of Norfolk, one of the Seven Great Houses and one of Henry II’s ‘swords,’ he deserves some sincerity.

“I will do so.”

It’s not like he’s the Pope, what could he do if he didn’t?

Anyway.

Thanks to the clergyman’s involvement, unlike before,

A romantic vassalage oath began.

‘Wow, it looks much better with the bishop presiding.’

The tedious and solemn ceremony, which made Lothair sweat in his hands, came to an end.

The final moment.

“Cross your hands over the Holy Bible.”

At Bishop Lothair’s words, Robin and I crossed our arms over each other, then reached out to the Bible and swore before God.

“Lord! Robin and I, standing in this place, are lambs who know well that the Lord came down to this earth and walked the path of the cross.”

“Lord, Robin and I will faithfully fulfill our reciprocal [mutually binding] plans and dedicate our lives to the peace of Christ.”

“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen!”

Having made the sign of the cross, Robin and I piously completed the oath ceremony to the extent that God would say, ‘It was very good.’

Now that the oath is over, it’s time to get to the main point.

I said to Robin.

“The power to defend the great island of Ireland is certainly the navy, but with a limited budget, we cannot foster a navy in a short period. So, what we will cultivate first is longbowmen.”

“Your Highness is right. Many knights are already aware of the importance of longbowmen.”

The English longbow!

It seems that the longbow was introduced during the Hundred Years’ War, but.

The usefulness of the longbow has been proven in this era as well, and those with a lot of money have introduced longbowmen in actual combat.

My brothers also used them effectively when they started the great rebellion!

The problem is that the tactics using longbows have not developed as much as during the Hundred Years’ War.

No matter how good a new weapon is,

If there is no mechanism for how to use that weapon on the battlefield,

It will only end up producing expensive bows.

Anyway, if that capable Godfrey recommends him, this guy must be competent.

I wanted to see Robin’s abilities with my own eyes.

“I would like to see the archers you have trained.”

“Knowing that Your Highness might have an order, we have already done training this morning.”

Oh.

I’m starting to feel the power of an elite?

Godfrey says that Robin

Created the Robin Archer Brigade, a type of mercenary unit.

And when he asked to be my vassal today,

He brought them along.

He is very thorough in his preparations.

Archers are high-quality manpower! Until the advent of musketeers, archers were an important force,

Unlike infantry, they are people who need to be trained for a long time to earn their ‘bread money.’

First of all, they must be good at shooting arrows, and

They must also have discipline.

That’s how they can survive on the front lines.

-Phew.

Robin’s archer brigade was better than expected.

Whether they held crossbows or longbows, they showed excellent accuracy.

“Ha, we worked hard to hit the target today.”

“We are the best shooters, after all.”

“Guys, the Duke is watching us.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

And the archers’ eyes looked good too.

However, judging by the atmosphere, there was a lack of discipline.

Well, Godfrey will figure it out if he puts his mind to it.

“Your Highness, I will hit a pear (a long pear) on a tree 90 paces away with a blindfold on.”

Isn’t that too much? Even the legendary archer ‘William Tell’ hit an apple 80 paces away with his eyes open.

Anyway, I calmly watched Robin’s archery skills.

Before putting on the blindfold, Robin, who had gauged the distance with his eyes, said confidently.

“I will begin now.”

He immediately blocked his vision with a blindfold, but Robin fired an arrow without hesitation.

-Phew.

“Hit, it’s a hit!”

“He actually hit it!”

Oh my god.

Is this possible?

Seeing him shoot an arrow with my own eyes, it seems like he is the ‘Robin’.

Is this how Genghis Khan felt when he got the divine archer Jebe as his subordinate?

I felt good.

But.

‘If I do politics badly, isn’t there a chance that Robin will run away to Sherwood Forest and become an outlaw?’

I have to live diligently!

**

I have employed Robin, but I am still hungry.

Like Liu Bei in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms [a famous Chinese historical novel], I need more reliable commanders to protect me, who is moderately kind.

Of course, my father and brothers have already taken all the top-tier talents.

What I can trust is

The names of the talents written in future history books.

In simple terms, people who are promising and have a compatible disposition with me.

I plan to bring them all.

Of course, France is a good place to recruit such talents.

Aymar, a knight from France, returned to Ireland today!

He is one of the most famous ‘King’s Knights’ in French history, but

Before Philip II discovered the usefulness of Knight Aymar,

‘I was able to employ him through Godfrey and my teacher’s connections.’

Godfrey, who gives generously.

He is definitely the best bastard, no, the best knight.

“I am Knight Aymar, who came at Your Highness’s call.”

“I am Baldwin of Toulouse.”

I had a hard time managing my expression at the unexpected 1+1. The youngest club is giving me another chance to recruit talent?

Baldwin makes me think of the rulers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but

In France at this time, Baldwin is a name often used by nobles, and

It means a bold friend.

The Count of Toulouse is an incredibly important figure in the Kingdom of France.

His son is asking to be my vassal.

As I prepare for the Crusades these days,

Talents are slowly flowing in,

Third-tier talents and promising talents are dreaming of hitting the jackpot by riding the Irish gateway to success.

Receiving so many talents,

“Your Highness, it’s too hard.”

The person who is having the hardest time is Bishop Lothair, who is moving for the vassalage oath.

**

Anyway, I have recruited talents, and the supply preparations are also complete.

Now, as soon as my father receives the letter, he can move immediately.

From what I hear now,

Our proud Crusader expedition has moved from the Papal States to Vienna in the Holy Roman Empire.

Vienna, in the future, will serve as the capital of Austria, protecting the Christian world from the Islamic Ottoman Empire,

But now it is just a transit point in Eastern Europe.

Although there is no letter from my father that I have been waiting for, I know.

Soon, he will call me, saying, ‘My youngest son John, this father needs his youngest son!’

That is the moment when

I have to start thinking about ‘playing an active role’ as my father’s vassal.

Of course, I have ordinary abilities, but

I have well-fighting ‘vassals,’ so I have to use these people to my heart’s content.

First, I asked Bishop Lothair.

“Lord Lothair, is the contact with the Knights Hospitaller going well?”

“There are many people who know the Duke of Ireland, so it is progressing smoothly.”

The Knights Hospitaller, created by the Pope a long time ago, were lacking in many ways compared to the medieval Teutonic (German) Knights or the Knights Templar, but

They are excellent at building supply bases.

Moreover, it is an order with many younger sons from noble families, and

Above all, there were many knights from the youngest club who had a good time with me, drinking and exchanging luxury goods.

“It seems that the youngest sons know the hearts of the youngest sons well.”

“The issue of King Henry and the other princes is still under discussion, but many Knights Hospitaller members already want to help Your Highness.”

Yes.

Youngest forever!

The Knights Hospitaller are like a capable supporter in a game.

The battle I mentioned was the Battle of Crécy, famous as France’s greatest humiliation along with the ‘Battle of Agincourt.’

‘In my previous life, I even loved the French army that was defeated by Germany in 6 weeks in World War II.’

However, after being reborn as Prince John of England,

I had no choice but to break away from the French pride.

Still, some knowledge related to French history remained.

The Hundred Years’ War, known as the battle between England and France!

How England drove France into crisis, and

Knowledge of how France won against England!

The most important thing there is the strategic advantage of archers with longbows, and

A new strategy for knights and infantry to counter such archers.

What I show the commanders are battle formations that occurred in the civil war during the Anarchy [a period of English history marked by civil war and instability].

“I don’t have the command skills like you, nor the outstanding abilities like my brothers, but… I know history well.”

“These battles are the most unfavorable situations when our father, Henry II, faced the great alliance with Louis VII.”

In fact, Father Henry II can be said to be a master of defense among the great English generals of all time.

The incident that wrote the myth of that defense was

When my father, as the Count of Anjou, stubbornly defended against the great alliance’s offensive to the extent of a space defense [an impregnable defense].

The Great Alliance was a military alliance of great figures created by King Louis VII, who had his wife Eleanor taken away by our father.

Comparable to the siege of Dong Zhuo in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the siege of Oda Nobunaga in the Japanese Warring States period.

Great nobles such as King Stephen of England and his son Eustace, Count Theobald II of Champagne, and Count Robert of Perche, and even my father’s own brother, Count Geoffrey of Nantes, joined in.

It was also a massive offensive operation.

But my father overcame the ordeal of the Great Alliance, and

That series of battles was nothing short of an excellent textbook for us.

So, I looked at the various battle formations of the ‘Great Alliance Offensive’ drawn by Peter and said.

“So, Sir ‘Godfrey’. What can we gain from these fights?”

Thus, a long meeting began.

**

After the difficult meeting, I saw the heartwarming 모습 [sight] of my family.

“Why is our beloved daughter-in-law so beautiful?”

“Compared to my mother, who was the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Mary and my mother praising each other’s appearance.

‘Of course, both of them are objectively blonde beauties.’

Anyone who sees them would think they have a heartwarming relationship, but

To my eyes, they both looked awkward.

Maybe it’s just my imagination?

“Papa. Papa!”

Then my son James waved his hand and called me.

“Yes, your father is here.”

Oh my! My son.

He becomes more and more adorable as time goes by.

I hope he doesn’t grow up like my scary brothers, but becomes a great person like his father.

**

-Eastern Roman Empire, Constantinople-

This is Constantinople, the ‘best city in Europe,’ the richest and most historic city in the world.

The Eastern Roman Empire was also able to hear the news that a new Crusade was moving.

In the original history, this Third Crusade would appear a little later.

At that time, the legendary dark lord Andronikos I, the emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, ruined the Eastern Roman Empire in real time.

So, the Eastern Roman Empire did not properly respond to the Third Crusade.

But Safe John moved for safety, and history changed after the butterfly effect caused by it occurred.

The fact that Alexios II, who should have died, is still alive is, strictly speaking, because of John.

Of course, Alexios II is vaguely aware of that fact as well.

“If it weren’t for Prince John, I would have been the one who died in that coup, not my uncle.”

Born as the youngest son of the great Emperor Manuel I.

He was checked by many people.

The glares he received just for being born as the youngest son of an old monarch were more severe than expected.

So, he often resented his father, Manuel I.

If he hadn’t met John, who was once his rival, in England,

He would have continued to live as a powerless man.

John, who greeted him kindly at that time.

John, who listened to his story well!

That was a great comfort to Alexios, who was the crown prince at the time.

Of course, from Safe John’s point of view at the time, he was just telling good stories to a brat who was bothering him.

Anyway, the Eastern Roman Empire also heard the news of the Third Crusade, and

Emperor Alexios II remembered the history of the past.

About 90 years ago, during the First Crusade.

The history of Alexios I, his ancestor who dealt with the hooligan-like Crusaders.

Alexios I, his ancestor who used the same title as himself,

He was a monarch who made good use of Westerners during the First Crusade, but

He was also an emperor who suffered a lot from the Crusaders commanders with many variables.

And.

“Your Imperial Majesty, the Crusaders are now!”

What about the Crusaders!

The young emperor felt the same emotions that his ancestor Alexios I had felt 90 years ago.

‘Don’t tell me the Westerners caused an accident.’

Innocent Venice