The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 191

[Sudden Events (2)]

(After eating the Fruit of Good and Evil to become complete, humans forgot about immortality. Hercules, Samson, Achilles… all were merely humans with weaknesses. In that sense, even Lionheart, the brother of Great John, was just a human. – Cardinal Richelieu, from the History of Anjou)

My heart felt heavy, as if something ominous was about to happen.

‘I have a strange premonition…’

But now was not the time to be brooding.

“Waaaaaaaah!”

Of course, there was greed mixed in, but also a pure-hearted desire to protect Europe.

The declaration of the Fourth Crusade was truly a moment that stirred my soul.

In the original history, the Fourth Crusade went something like this:

‘Let’s attack the Muslims! Muslims are our enemy! Oh? Wait, I don’t have any money. But there’s the Eastern Roman Empire; let’s rob them instead!’

It was such a pathetic historical event.

They plundered the heart of the Eastern Roman Empire, their Christian brothers, only to inadvertently benefit the Islamic forces.

It was a complete disaster, contributing to the weakening of the Eastern Roman Empire, one of Europe’s crucial bulwarks.

But the Crusade I was involved in was honorable.

It held the noble purpose of stopping the Holy Mongol Empire.

I intended to involve everyone in the Mediterranean in this war.

As the Crusade was declared,

The Patriarch and the Pope exclaimed.

“There are those who abandon their faith in these dangerous times when the great enemy, the Mongols, seeks to conquer the world.”

“If you are truly Christian brothers, you must cooperate with this Crusade! You must stop the Mongols!”

The intention behind these words was, while we were fighting hard…

…to send a message to the European powers, or more precisely, the vassal states of the Holy Roman Empire and other ‘kingdoms’ who were just testing the waters with an attitude like, ‘We’ll just sit back and watch you strong friends fight!’

‘Are you still not going to step up? The Mongols are dangerous, the Mongols!’

Now that the Pope and the Patriarch had helped, it was my turn to step in forcefully.

‘I won’t tolerate bystanders.’

Our England, France, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire… even second-rate countries like Poland and Spain, and even troublesome Sicily, were all making various efforts to stop the Mongols.

There were too many countries that had only been watching until now.

I didn’t even expect military support, but they were being lukewarm with their supply cooperation. They were the worst of the worst.

Of course, it wasn’t that no one had repented after receiving my earnest letters and come to the Papal States of Italy to participate in the Fourth Crusade.

But even after I had set up such a grand stage, there were those who ignored the greater cause and only watched.

So, I spoke my honest and righteous opinion to the people.

“Everyone… let’s do what we must. We have waited this long; it is time to take up the whip against those Judas-like people who do not respond to our faith.”

Now, all we could do was give a final warning.

The Mongols, who were much more vicious than the Islamic forces, were wreaking havoc with the aim of conquering the world, and we couldn’t just let you bystanders get away with it.

I knew very well that ‘moral’ demands would not work on the medieval people of this era, but they would not be in a good position either.

Having gained justification from religious leaders, I ‘asked’ the people of Genoa and Venice to start an ‘economic attack.’

Most of the second-rate or lower European countries or ‘noble territories’ had debts, whether they knew it or not. Of course, I had the power to collect those debts.

But it was a bit uncomfortable to openly show my power, so I needed an outsourcing company.

“We will carry out the orders given by the monarch of England.”

“Thank you. However, I want a quick collection.”

The Venice-Genoa friends who heard my words moved to collect the ‘money’ they had borrowed, like Shylock [a reference to the moneylender in Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’]. I wouldn’t do it myself.

Amiar, who was watching the outsourcing companies I had hired at a high price leave, said.

“Is Your Majesty finally wielding the whip you have prepared?”

Whip, that’s not wrong.

“Now… no one will take my words lightly.”

“Your Majesty is right. How nice would it have been if they had listened when you spoke nicely, but not everyone is like that.”

‘I need to bury those who don’t follow the greater cause of this era.’

Why did I spend so long making weapons of war in Mortain and gathering money in Aquitaine?

Even France, with whom I had a strained relationship, hurriedly moved to stop the Mongols. The greater cause is always created by those in power, in any history.

* * *

“Your Majesty, the Doge [chief magistrate] of Venice has arrived.”

Anyway, since I was in the Italian Peninsula, there was someone I had to meet.

It was Roniero, with whom I had various relationships since his predecessor.

He had been living as a behind-the-scenes power in Venice, but after the war with the Mongols broke out, he pushed out the former Doge and became the new Doge.

In the original history, the Doge of Venice, who would have been active as an opportunity for the Fourth Crusade, had been replaced by Roniero Dandolo, the son of Enrico Dandolo.

“Lord Roniero, congratulations on becoming the Doge.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s help.”

Ha, to be acting so humble.

“Didn’t you already have all the power anyway, Doge, even though you weren’t the Doge?”

In the fierce Venetian civil war, Roniero had already made the former Doge a ‘vegetative Doge.’

“To be honest, I really liked Your Majesty’s appearance today.”

My ‘good appearance’ was a declaration to ‘retaliate’ against those who had been uncooperative.

And it showed that their opinions were being respected.

But the reason he came here today was not just to say that he liked my appearance.

“So, what has Venice prepared?”

So, I asked.

I asked if Venice had prepared something to reassure England.

Then Roniero said with a confident expression.

“Venice will help England in every way possible.”

* * *

Words without feet travel a thousand miles [idiom meaning news spreads quickly].

The news that the Fourth Crusade had been declared in the Papal States spread quickly throughout Europe.

“My God…”

A Fourth Crusade.

It wasn’t strange to declare a crusade against the Holy Mongol Empire, a special-class heretic.

But looking at the facts behind it, there were many surprising aspects in many ways.

The Pope and the Patriarch declared it together, but could a crusade be raised only by the voice of a ‘religious leader’? The crusade is a product of the interests of secular and religious leaders.

However, it was a well-known fact that Safe Zone wrote the script for this crusade.

The world was once again embarrassed by the appearance of Safe Zone. I thought he was quietly staying still, but at some point, he moved both the Patriarch and the Pope to declare the Fourth Crusade.

After this crusade was declared, Safe Zone began to warn countries that were uncooperative in preventing the Mongol invasion, except for those that had already declared support for the crusade.

Of course, with rogue merchant republics like Venice and Genoa at the forefront.

As the situation worsened, ‘nobles’ with pro-English tendencies took the lead in condemning their shameless countries.

No one didn’t know that Safe Zone was sponsoring all of this from behind. So, people’s thoughts began to become more complicated.

‘What on earth is Safe Zone thinking?’

The one who initially seemed like a mere minstrel, sometimes like a clown, sometimes like a cold-blooded man, gave Europe quite a shock and rose to his current position.

Considering that most of Safe Zone’s political enemies had fallen, they couldn’t help but worry.

Therefore, the Europeans, who had been in a dilemma for a while, began to express their positions one by one.

-We support Safe Zone!

-Let’s save Europe from the Mongols!

-Isn’t it true that the Holy Mongol Empire is threatening the peace of Europe anyway?

-But… we must join Safe Zone’s decision.”

Even if they were reluctant in their hearts, there were naturally many people who supported John.

Because John, who had already received the support of religious forces, had sufficient justification for resisting the Mongol invasion.

Many people knew.

That John I, who began to call himself and was called ‘Safe Zone’ by the people of this world, never did anything without a reason.

* * *

-Poland-wide-

The Mongol army’s hunt became brutal, like hunting wild dogs.

“Drive out the dogs of Europe!”

When the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade was spreading around the world.

“Mary and Jesus…”

The idiom used in moments of despair in Catholicism leaked from the soldiers’ mouths. The situation was really bad. If the last time was a battlefield, now it had turned into an execution ground.

The Mongol army was carrying out a massacre, using its numerical superiority.

The European army, which had vowed to protect the peace of Europe, began to see the Jordan River in front of them [a metaphor for facing death or a final reckoning].

“Haa, haa…”

Not only the ordinary soldiers but also the knights were sensing death.

In a tired, exhausting, and lonely battlefield.

No strategy was of any use anymore. Most of the troops faced their ‘end.’

“Mom…”

“God…”

The soldiers called out the names they missed the most in the last moments and died one by one.

The life of a single soldier on the battlefield may not be worth much, but in the end, it was the ordinary soldiers, not the knights, who made up most of the army.

Pikemen, shieldmen, and musketeers were dying one by one.

“Protect our brothers!”

-Heeheeheeing!

The brave and honorable knights also embarked on their last mounted battle. Of course, the result was death.

The strongest heretic, the Mongols.

They had already blocked the path for the European army’s reinforcements.

As this situation continued, even the top commanders, including Richard I, were exhausted.

‘They’re all dead.’

The old Habsburg Count, who saw that all the knights guarding him had become corpses, laughed.

At the last moment. Now, feeling the pain of death and the unknown fear of the afterlife.

He felt joy without realizing it.

‘Is this where I will die? Still, it’s good that I have a son to inherit my business, and it’s good that I kept my faith with John.’

-Phew.

“Our Habsburg family was the hero of Europe!”

An arrow pierced the Habsburg Count’s chest.

After that, a barrage of arrows poured down.

The Habsburg Count, who was hit by numerous arrows that seemed to respect the enemy general, fell like that.

“…!”

Although he was from a rural family and had the power of Safe Zone, the hero who single-handedly raised the Habsburg family died.

The knights who followed him also died on the battlefield.

“The great men must escape right now!”

As the situation worsened, the knights protecting the monarchs of France and England were also horrified. The Holy Roman Empire’s reinforcements were annihilated with the death of the Habsburg Count.

“Philippe, why aren’t you running away?”

Philippe II said angrily at Richard I’s words.

“Damn it! I am the monarch of France! I am the head of all knights! So, I cannot make my death pathetic!”

Philippe II took courage for the first time.

It was something that could never have happened in the original history.

Richard I knew the source of that courage.

“Unexpected.”

“Richard, I’ll go first. I will die under the name of France.”

‘Maybe it’s for Prince Louis.’

Richard I, who raised the corners of his lips, said.

“Then there is one way.”

“What way, to become a humiliating prisoner?”

“I can’t do that. The last way… is for us to wound the Great Khan.”

“Does that Lionheart also have wounds all over?”

“It depends on the case.”

“Then tell me that method.”

After a while.

Richard and Philippe decided to lead the last suicide squad and make a final resistance.

“Long live France!”

And Richard made the sign of the cross towards Philippe II, who was charging first.

The monarch of the golden lily died honorably in the war.

‘Is it my turn now?’

Richard, who had virtually become a death row inmate, raised the corners of his lips.

Since no more strategies worked and all escape routes were blocked.

All that was left was a desperate fight.

Richard knew from a young age. That I, with the heart of a lion, have a mission for England.

‘And you even made me have a damn dream.’

From childhood until 1199, Richard had a strange dream throughout his life.

In the dream, he was Prince Richard of England. Richard, the son of Henry II and Eleanor.

Even in the dream, he made history with his tremendous force and command. He fought Saladin in the Third Crusade and was shot by an arrow while suppressing the rebellion of his nephew Arthur.

In the dream, John was so foolish, an incompetent brother called John Lackland, and a piece of trash that could not be compared to the Safe Zone in reality.

How could Richard in the dream have spared John, who tried to stab him in the back during the Crusade, because he was incompetent?

‘But my brother is different from that trash John in the dream.’

Richard himself had been politically checking him, but he was reminded of Safe Zone enough to be able to serve in the military with peace of mind.

For England, for Safe Zone.

It seemed like the time had come to burn the last flame of the kingdom.

“Come, follow me.”

Richard and his remaining knights began to run towards the Great Khan and the guards surrounding him.

It was the ‘Lion’s Last Stand’ that would later become a legend.