The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 101

Normandy (1)

—1190, Aquitaine, Territory—

Around the time Safe Zone safely arrived in Mortain.

Here in Aquitaine, the lord of Aquitaine, Duke Henry, slammed his fist on the desk where the report was placed, his face contorted in fury.

—Thump.

He was enraged by the news of the defeat.

“Your Highness, a letter from the Duke of Ireland.”

To make matters worse, he was further incensed by the impudent content of the letter from the youngest Prince John.

[Brother, they were disguised as pirates, but they were too weak. But it was a good appetizer.]

It was a clear provocation.

Henry and Geoffrey already knew that Prince John would travel through Ireland and arrive in Mortain. They also knew that he would cooperate with Duke Richard of Normandy.

Their initial strategy was to defeat Prince John by winning the naval battle in the English Channel, preventing him from even landing. That’s why they prepared the fleet.

“I was mindful of my brother and mobilized the Grand Fleet of Brittany. But… what is this? A complete defeat!”

A preemptive strike intended to prevent the Irish army from landing on French territory.

His younger brother Geoffrey had advised against it, but he had pushed for the operation due to the potential threat.

He failed, and now he was being ridiculed by Prince John, who dismissed the engagement as a mere skirmish with ‘pirates!’

However, the Duke of Aquitaine, having regained some composure, spoke in a calm tone.

“Gentlemen, I am not one to anger easily, as you know. But this… this is infuriating. Because we lost to the youngest before even engaging Richard.”

The Duke of Aquitaine, Henry, had always recognized Prince John’s capabilities.

Of course, the Duke of Aquitaine hadn’t been able to effectively monitor John during his childhood, and even after learning of Prince John’s talents, he believed that his intelligence had limits. But the youngest was indeed insidious, much like Geoffrey.

The Duke of Aquitaine, wanting to put his youngest brother out of his mind, changed the subject.

“More importantly, what is the situation in Anjou?”

He had moved troops to serve his father discreetly.

“The resistance is fierce. We cannot overcome the Duke of Norfolk’s army.”

Of course, they couldn’t break through.

“Hmm, I suppose so. That man is holding them back.”

However, unlike his anger at being defeated by Prince John, the Duke of Aquitaine remained calm when he heard about the success of his rival, the Duke of Norfolk.

“A man who was promoted from a Count to a Duke. He, along with the Earl of Salisbury, can be considered my father’s ‘sword.’”

Perhaps it was natural. Even having experienced the Crusades, he acknowledged the ability of the Duke of Norfolk, whom he had directly confronted during the Great Rebellion, unlike his younger brother John, who was ‘weaker’ than him.

While discussing the Duke of Norfolk, the Duke of Aquitaine received new information.

Prince John was not idle.

“Your Highness, urgent news. Prince John has begun sending delegations disguised as merchants.”

“What?”

It was the news that these messengers, bearing Henry II’s blood, were spreading throughout Europe.

Henry II was a prolific father, much like Zeus.

* * *

—Kingdom of France—

The envoy sent by Prince John arrived in the Kingdom of France, a place he would not normally consider visiting.

It was surprising that he sent an envoy to a country that was not on good terms with him, but the reason was clear to everyone. This was a message from Prince John to the Kingdom of France.

Longspee [meaning “Long Sword,” a common nickname], a 14-year-old newly knighted and John’s bastard brother, bowed and said in a humble voice.

“I greet the Great King of France.”

As Prince John had instructed, he called the King of France the Great King. Considering that Henry II was the only person called the Great King in England at the time, it was a significant compliment.

However, Philip II smiled and responded to the greeting.

“You seem to be in a hurry. That John’s vassal would call me the Great King.”

It was understood that John’s vassal had come to the Kingdom of France to ask for ‘neutrality’ because his family feud was so intense.

The capable knight understood the intention well, even though it was unspoken. He maintained his courtesy and said again.

“In fact, we are not in a hurry.”

“…!”

Naturally, the vassals of the Kingdom of France were puzzled. It was clear that it would be problematic if France sided with the Henry-Prince Geoffrey camp.

However, Longspee, John’s half-brother, remained nonchalant, acting as if he was saying, ‘Will you be neutral? If you don’t want to, that’s fine.’ They were beyond dumbfounded.

“What gives you such confidence?”

“Because this great Kingdom of France has no choice but to remain neutral.”

‘For a country in East Francia [the eastern part of the Frankish kingdom, a historical region].’

Of course, Longspee was thinking of his half-brother John’s derogatory term in his mind.

“We can tip the scales.”

“But the moment the Kingdom of France breaks its neutrality and moves, the Holy Roman Empire will revolt.”

However, Philip II mentioned the ‘core’ forces instead of the vague Holy Roman Empire and questioned Prince John’s vassal.

“Do you trust Saxony?”

The Electorate of Saxony, one of the electors of the Holy Roman Empire, was a duchy ruled by Duke Henry the Lion, who was friendly with Prince John.

But Longspee had something else to rely on.

“Wouldn’t all the surrounding countries keep the Kingdom of France in check?”

Of course, England, which was thriving these days, had many enemies, but there were also many countries and forces that viewed the Kingdom of France with ‘resentment.’

“The real power in the Republic of Venice is Enrico Dandolo [the Doge of Venice]. He could not ignore Prince John.”

‘Because they are tied together with ducats [Venetian currency].’

Longspee didn’t bother to elaborate, but Philip II had already understood enough.

“Longspee… bastard of the great Henry II, are you daring to threaten our France?”

“Are you worried that the Kingdom of France will contact the rebels and fail to keep its word?”

‘The moment you don’t stay still and cooperate with the evil Henry-Geoffrey team, you won’t be in good shape.’

In a way, it was a blatant threat. Philip II laughed coolly at Knight Longspee’s very blunt answer.

“Hahaha.”

Philip II, who had been laughing like that, spoke to the English knight in a different tone than before.

“Knight of Prince John. Congratulations on the victory at sea.”

“I just caught pirates. How can I be congratulated? That’s not a naval battle.”

Philip II, who saw him pretending to be humble but proudly boasting of his lord Safe Zone’s achievements, thought.

‘Pirates fought each other.’

Since pirates (Prince John’s fleet) had defeated pirates (Henry-Geoffrey’s allied fleet), Philip II’s thoughts were soon echoed by the people of the Kingdom of France.

But even though he was annoyed, Philip II had a very realistic thought.

‘It’s better to play it fiercely.’

The Kingdom of France would maintain a powerful neutrality.

Of course, he could ‘manage’ his anger even in front of Henry II’s England, but not participating in the interesting family feud of England, which was now divided into two factions, would be beneficial in itself.

“Okay, I will remain neutral.”

Philip II had no intention of directly interfering in the Angevin family’s fight.

* * *

—1190, Mortain—

Not a land of longing, but my territory of Mortain, where I am resting for a while.

Here, I am letting the soldiers rest. We have not yet advanced. But vigilance and defense are most important.

“The rebels who were disguised could come at any time, so don’t neglect your vigilance.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The rebels are, of course, the allied forces of the evil Henry-Geoffrey brothers.

Of course, our righteous Justice John’s army will be called ‘rebels’ by our brothers, but that is not something to care about.

Why is a civil war called a civil war? Because it is an internal fight to completely trample on each other and make them ‘rebels!’

Mortain is near the territory of Normandy. I can contact Richard immediately, but according to my plan, I need to secure safety rather than advance now.

The most worrying thing in this kind of family feud is the ‘shamelessness’ of the surrounding countries.

The location of the French territory is ambiguous. If you make a mistake, you will be beaten on both sides.

We, who have stamped the lion flag of England in the French territory, are also nesting inside the French territory, so it is difficult in many ways.

Yes, first of all. We need to persuade the ‘surrounding countries.’

If the surrounding countries, such as the fickle neighbor of Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of France, and the British in the Low Countries [modern-day Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg], betray us and participate, we will not be in good shape.

‘It’s good to bring them to our side, but you have to be moderate in your greed.’

And we must not repeat the ‘Hundred Years’ War.’ The moment you enter the French territory, you must not be isolated.

After finishing my thoughts, I said to my loyal knight.

“Sir Godfrey.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“We need to make a definite finish. The Holy Roman Empire issue.”

“Didn’t the Duke of Saxony already say he would protect us?”

“There is one more person left.”

“Yes?”

I smiled at Godfrey and replied.

“Count of Sulzbach, a pro-Imperial noble.”

* * *

—Holy Roman Empire, Aachen—

Aachen [a city in present-day Germany], the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

At least when there is an Angevin family feud, there is an atmosphere of uniting even a little.

The Count of Sulzbach, who was favored by Emperor Frederick, looked at the capital of this empire, which had become peaceful for a while.

As a victorious country would, the empire was busy digesting the profits it had gained from the great victory of the Third Crusade.

‘I’m finally leaving work.’

The old nobleman, who had finished many tasks to the point of being overworked, looked at the sky. The sunset was setting red. His era was also setting like that.

At that moment, a handsome nobleman came to the Count of Sulzbach’s side and asked.

“Why are you making such an expression, Count?”

It was Ludwig, Count Palatine of Bavaria, who was the son of his close friend Otto and had recently taken over his position as nephew.

“I have many worries in this new era.”

At that moment, Ludwig looked at the Count of Sulzbach, who had been his father’s longtime friend.

The Holy Roman Empire’s nobleman with a wrinkled forehead and white hair was a hero he had heard about since he was a child, and he still looked healthy even in his old age.

“You are still active, aren’t you?”

But the Count of Sulzbach had other thoughts.

“Well… but you know. Now… my era is coming to an end.”

In his young and prime days, he simply dreamed of a golden life by Frederick’s side, assisting his lord. But now, looking at the golden evening bell, only a subtle warmth remained rather than the heat of that time.

‘Now my era is over. Perhaps, no matter who becomes the new emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, they will not need me.’

The old Count of Sulzbach actually wanted to retire quickly.

He wanted to cross the Jordan River [a metaphor for death, referencing the biblical crossing into the Promised Land] quickly and receive forgiveness for his ‘sins’ from his daughter, who was with the Lord.

“Still, aren’t you still the greatest nobleman among Aachen’s politicians?”

“You have to think the other way around. Aachen, where this old man’s political power still works. Isn’t that a sad story? In fact, I want to hand everything over to you and retire.”

“… It will be difficult.”

The situation is not good for the Count of Sulzbach to leave. Perhaps if there was no Angevin family feud, this would be the place to have a civil war.

At that time, a knight from England politely said to the Count of Sulzbach.

“Queen Eleanor sent me.”

“Ludwig, go now.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Ludwig left immediately, not wanting to interfere with the Count of Sulzbach’s official duties.

Soon after, the Count of Sulzbach, who had returned to his mansion, saw a letter sent by Queen Eleanor from Ireland. It contained the details of the deal for Prince John and Prince Richard, and other stories.

The Count of Sulzbach, who was reading the letter intently, immediately wrote a reply and thought.

‘Of course, I should.’

Tears flowed. Towards Hannah, who was still resenting him somewhere.

The sky is the evening bell.

It was time to end his life and cross the Jordan River. But he still had regrets and could not easily close his eyes.

“Here is the reply. Send it quickly.”

“Yes, Your Excellency!”

After a brief moment of contemplation, the Count of Sulzbach granted Queen Eleanor’s request.

It was a request that was not as difficult as he had thought, and it was a request that had to be granted.

“A letter has arrived from Prince John.”

“From the Duke of Ireland?”

“Yes, that’s right. He said it was urgent, so please send the letter quickly.”