I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 110

Intermission (5)

* * *

Poitou

“Drive them all out!”

Mercenaries brandished swords and axes, rampaging through the village.

They tied up cows and pigs, dragging them away in a long line, and burned everything they couldn’t carry off.

“Burn it all so they can’t use it! Leave only ashes!”

“Long live Duke Geoffrey! Long live King Henry!”

A total of three villages were burned to the ground in this manner.

Smoke billowed, darkening the sky.

Residents fled to the forests and neighboring villages to escape the raiders.

It was a tragedy that occurred every few years.

War and conscription.

No one was safe from such calamities.

But this time, something felt different.

“Look over there! The Duke is leading the main force!”

“That’s not the Duke’s flag. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before…”

“Then is that Richard’s army?”

Thousands of knights on horseback.

They charged towards the mercenaries, who were still occupied with looting.

“What are our archers doing! Take those guys down!”

“T, there are too many of them!”

While the mercenaries were in disarray, cavalrymen armed with bows charged in, showering them with arrows.

They fired their arrows and quickly turned away to avoid counterattacks.

“R, run away!”

“Saracens! Look at their skin color! They’re Saracens!”

“Duke Richard brought Saracen mercenaries!”

The mercenaries, in a state of complete chaos, fled in every direction.

Knights in black and white cloaks surrounded them, shouting.

“Stop fighting and surrender! This is the order of His Holiness the Pope! All who resist will be cut down!”

Severed limbs littered the plains.

Most of the surviving mercenaries surrendered or fled into the forest.

Suddenly, unidentified Crusader knights had appeared.

This news quickly reached young Henry’s camp.

“It’s confirmed! Prince Baldwin has joined forces with Richard.”

Duke Geoffrey exclaimed.

“We must launch a preemptive strike before they can reorganize, brother.”

“We don’t know anything for sure yet.”

Marshall, standing behind young Henry, cautioned.

“Only the mercenary corps clashed. If Duke Richard’s main force had engaged, it wouldn’t have ended so decisively.”

“That’s why we need to drive them out now more than ever, Lord Marshall,” Geoffrey scoffed.

“I never knew you were such a coward, you who have lived on horseback your whole life.”

“If you were to compete with me on horseback, you wouldn’t think that way, Duke.”

Young Henry sat in the center, his eyes closed.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“Has no delegation arrived yet?”

“Not yet, Your Majesty. Should we send a delegation first…?”

At that moment, a knight entered the tent.

He knelt before young Henry.

“Your Majesty, Prince Baldwin of Jerusalem is said to be coming to this camp in person.”

“T, the Prince himself is coming here?”

Young Henry stammered.

He, Geoffrey, and Marshall exchanged glances.

* * *

“I don’t know if this is really a good idea.”

Aigue sighed.

Urin, dismounting from his horse, was guided into the camp.

The camps of young Henry and Geoffrey.

Knights and squires stared at us with curious eyes.

I smiled and said.

“If you’re so scared, you can go back, Aigue.”

“Then I wouldn’t be a very good escort knight. And it’s not that I’m scared.”

Aigue shrugged.

“I’ve faced the Assassins and al-Adil. I even went to Count Hartmann alone. What I’m afraid of is Your Highness being in danger.”

“Yeah, you’re not a coward. I was just teasing you.”

I looked around.

The morale of the knights and soldiers seemed high.

It seemed somewhat orderly.

“But young Henry can’t touch me. He wouldn’t be able to handle the political storm that would follow.”

“But didn’t you already fight young Henry’s mercenary corps? He must be quite angry. And he has a justification.”

“We didn’t fight formally. It was more like a light skirmish. We only fought the mercenaries.”

We marched north faster than Richard and arrived in the Poitou region.

A battlefield where a civil war was raging.

We engaged young Henry’s mercenary corps, who were in the middle of looting a village.

In fact, it was closer to a massacre than a battle.

‘They were burning the village to the ground.’

Organized destruction was common during war.

Even if the enemy retakes the land, it takes a long time to recover.

I interfered with that.

This should be enough of a message.

Not too far, not too passive.

“There are some things you just can’t convey with words.”

I said.

“In this case, you need to appear somewhat…unhinged.”

“Unhinged, Your Highness?”

Aigue burst out laughing.

“Your Highness is the most methodical person I’ve ever seen.”

“Then let’s call it methodical madness.”

I laughed and replied.

In this situation, you shouldn’t approach it rationally.

‘Okay, everyone, stop fighting and be friends again.’

Acting like a kindergarten teacher would only get you laughed at or ignored.

Being ignored would be the better outcome.

There were no strongmen who respected the weak.

Only the weak respected the weak.

In a country of crazy people, I have no choice but to go somewhat crazy too.

It’s like a gangster teacher beating up thugs.

As we got closer to the center, I could see knights lined up on both sides.

Behind them stood three men.

Two were tall, and the other was relatively short.

Young Henry and Geoffrey.

And the other one….

Young Henry approached.

“W, welcome to this place, Prince Baldwin of Jerusalem. I, I am glad to meet you like this.”

“I am also honored to meet His Majesty the King of England.”

Similar height to Richard.

Appearance in his late twenties.

Did he always stutter?

I guess it wasn’t written down because it was a minor trait.

Next to him stood a knight who was also tall.

Chainmail and brown hair.

A confident expression.

I reached out my hand to him.

“Lord William Marshall, I presume. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

How many titles and modifiers are there for this person?

[The Greatest Knight in English History]

[The Symbol of European Chivalry]

[The Man Who Defeated Richard the Lionheart]

He tilted his head as if surprised.

“Has Your Highness met me before?”

“Of course not.”

I gave a nonchalant smile.

But I’ve seen him a lot elsewhere.

Recruitment target number one when starting in the England camp.

The strongest military power in history with high loyalty.

In terms of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms [a famous Chinese historical novel], it’s Lu Bu [a powerful warrior in the novel].

That’s also a loyal and smart Lu Bu.

‘Should I say he’s like a unicorn in the messed-up Middle Ages.’

He first served Eleanor, then young Henry.

After young Henry died, he served his father, Henry II.

After Henry II died, he served Richard, and after Richard died, he served King John.

And he assisted Henry III, King John’s son, even becoming a regent.

He served the English royal family for nearly 80 years, so it’s no exaggeration to call him a symbol of chivalry.

“I heard he’s the best knight in England. He’s never lost in a tournament.”

“As far as I remember, I haven’t lost yet.”

He smiled.

“I’ve heard many stories about Your Highness as well. Every one of them is amazing.”

“B, Baldwin. I thought you would have already m, met Richard.”

Young Henry stuttered as he interjected.

“Whatever p, promises that wolf-like guy made. I, I can give you a bigger reward.”

“There seems to be some misunderstanding. I have made no promises to Duke Richard. I have not received any compensation or gifts from the Duke.”

“Then, dear Prince.”

The man next to young Henry stepped forward.

Short height and a crooked nose.

Even fox-like eyes.

You must be Geoffrey.

The man who was evaluated as the most cunning of Henry II’s sons.

“Why did the Prince’s army attack our mercenary corps?”

“Geoffrey of Brittany, I presume. The reason I came to Poitou is simple.”

I smiled at him.

“To carry out the orders of His Holiness the Pope and Christ. My army and I from Jerusalem will stop all fighting here.”

I said.

“Whether it is the King’s army or Duke Richard’s army. The Lord has commanded us to stop all conflicts here.”

“The Prince has no right to do that!”

Geoffrey shouted.

A tone that seemed genuinely angry.

“This land is ruled by my brother and father. What right and qualification does the Jerusalem royal family have to interfere?”

“It’s simple.”

I pointed to the sky.

It was time for a madman to emerge.

What could be more frightening than a fanatic?

Especially one who has been approved by the Pope and brought a lot of troops.

“It is the authority given by the Lord. I have received heavenly revelations to protect Constantinople, conquer Cyprus, and defeat Friedrich’s army in Italy.”

I slowly walked forward.

“He has commanded us to stop all fighting on this land.”

“…”

Young Henry looked at me with his mouth shut.

He seemed quite surprised.

In contrast, I could feel the boiling anger from Geoffrey.

I shook the gold ring on my finger.

A gift I received directly from the Pope before leaving Rome.

“His Holiness the Pope entrusted me with this task and gave me this gold ring as proof. My will is the will of the Lord and the will of His Holiness the Pope.”

I looked at the three men.

What I wanted was simple.

To become a third party.

As long as this deterrent force existed, neither young King Henry nor Richard could act rashly.

Let’s find out who the real power player in this area is.

* * *

England

Buckinghamshire, Luzzells Castle

Yellow sunlight streamed through the narrow windows, illuminating the room.

There was only a small, shabby bed in the room.

Two figures sat on it, talking.

“Baldwin came all the way from Italy to Aquitaine?”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Queen. I have confirmed the information directly from Aquitaine.”

A young woman dressed in silk whispered.

“No one knows exactly what his purpose is yet…”

“He came to stop the fight between Henry and Richard.”

“Yes?”

“Otherwise, there would be no reason for the Jerusalem royal family to come all the way to Europe.”

A middle-aged woman said.

Queen Eleanor.

The daughter of the land of Aquitaine and a beautiful and abundant vine [Aquitaine was known for its vineyards].

A patron of many troubadours [traveling poets and musicians] and the wife of Henry II.

She had been imprisoned ever since she aided her sons’ rebellion a few years ago.

“I went to Jerusalem when I was young.”

“When you were the Queen of France.”

“Jerusalem. The sand and land there were truly beautiful. It was a blessed land.”

Eleanor nodded and said.

“But it was constantly threatened by the Saracens [a general term for Muslims used in medieval Europe]. But to bring an army all the way here… He must want something.”

She continued to say.

“He must be trying to persuade my sons to join the Crusades.”

“Then that’s not good news. Prince Baldwin wants something else.”

“No, maybe Baldwin will be the key for me to get out of this prison.”

Eleanor shook her head.

She looked up and stared out the window.

“I don’t know when I last heard the songs of the troubadours.”

“It breaks my heart to see Your Majesty the Queen in such a shabby place.”

The woman said, sobbing.

Eleanor gently stroked her hair.

“Henry (II) imprisoned me here, but he couldn’t divorce me. He didn’t want to give Aquitaine back to me.”

“There can be no more unjust and evil act than this.”

“But there are many things I can do even here. Now, there is something I want to entrust to you.”

Eleanor called a maid and ordered her to bring paper and pen.

“Write as I say.”

The maid transcribed what Eleanor dictated onto four letters.

Eleanor approached the young woman and handed her the letters.

“You must send these letters to my sons and Prince Baldwin. That way, we can stop this meaningless war.”

She said.

“The fate of the kingdom depends on this.”

* * *

Q: Why did Henry II imprison Queen Eleanor, who incited her sons to rebel, instead of divorcing her?

A: If he divorced Eleanor, he would inevitably lose her vast inheritance.

If the Pope approved the divorce, Eleanor’s land would revert to her, and after her death, it would be inherited by her sons.

Furthermore, Henry would no longer be Eleanor’s lord, so he could not imprison her and would have to send her to Aquitaine, where she would conspire again with her sons, vassals, and King Louis.

Moreover, it was possible to remarry and create a hostile neighbor near Henry’s borders.

Therefore, Henry II was content with restricting her freedom and imprisoning her instead of divorcing her.

(Source – Eleanor of Aquitaine, Alison Weir)