I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 90

Became the King of Crusaders – Volume 90 (90/215)

Everything in Rome Has a Price (5)

* * *

“It’s all my fault, Your Grace,” Marco said, wiping sweat.

“I never imagined so many merchants would jump in. If I had known….”

“It’s not your fault, Marco. I was the one who asked in the first place,” I said.

I looked at the paper he handed me, a list of the merchants and supplies we’ve contracted with so far.

It was certainly a lot. A tremendous amount of food and supplies were coming into Italian ports from Egypt and the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire).

Even from as far away as Spain and southern France.

The rumor that we would buy anything brought in attracted even more merchants, making it hard to handle the overflowing supply.

I hadn’t expected so many to flock here. Did I underestimate the Mediterranean merchants too much?

The Venetians even waged war against the Eastern Roman Empire for profit and burned Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).

The Genoese supported Italian cities to secure trade routes and fought against the Holy Roman Emperor. Then later, they sided with the Emperor again and attacked the Italian cities.

I looked at Marco. “It’s not like we’re short on money right now. The more supplies, the better.”

There’s also one advantage. “The more merchants gather, the lower the price of food and supplies will be. Encourage a little more competition.”

“Understood, Your Grace.”

“Then let’s discuss the details next time.”

After Marco left, only Aigh and I remained in the room.

“At this rate, we won’t have to worry about food until we leave Italy,” Aigh said.

“How about sending the surplus supplies to Jerusalem instead?”

“That would only increase transportation costs. Besides, the Kingdom of Jerusalem isn’t short on food right now,” I said, shaking my head.

This was an unexpected problem. Supplies were overflowing, and I couldn’t let the remaining food rot or throw it into the sea. If I played my cards right, I could use this as leverage.

I looked at the map on the table. “The Lombard cities are busy preparing for war right now. They’ll need food and supplies,” I said.

It was the same in Last Crusaders [previous life]. When war preparations begin, the civilian economy shrinks. That’s the reality. Preparing military rations and supplies ultimately squeezes the economy.

“What if we supply these cities with the remaining supplies?”

“Are you going to give all these supplies away for free?”

“Giving them away for free would be too much of a loss,” I said, shaking my head. Giving them away would only be a one-time gift. They might be grateful now, but they might turn a blind eye later.

“So you’re saying you’ll sell them for money. The Communes (independent city-states) are short on supplies, so they’ll be willing to pay a high price.”

“That might be the case, but that would only earn us resentment. It’s hard to call that a profit.”

If I were a merchant, I would have done as Aigh said, but right now, political gain is more important.

“But what about giving them a cheap price and receiving the payment in installments over a period of time?”

“Receiving it in installments…”

“Means they have to pay back the money later. Of course, it’ll be much lower than the market price, and there’s no interest.”

Supplying food at a low price when it’s scarce meant no one would be ungrateful for that.

“Then even the cities that were hostile to us will have no choice but to change their stance.”

“And since they have to pay back the money later, they’ll have to keep an eye on Your Grace.”

“Exactly,” I answered with a smile, killing two birds with one stone.

“The important thing is that we become the balancing force between the cities.”

The Kingdom of Jerusalem is just an outsider. If I take sides with one city, the delicate balance of Italy will be broken. All the cities must know that. That’s why they were afraid of me in the first place.

If the atmosphere shifts this way, everyone will try to be on my side, like a rich and cool foreigner who just transferred to the class. That’s who I am right now.

“Go and call Marco again. Let’s work out a concrete plan.”

“Having a lot of money means you don’t have to worry.”

“Infinite money becomes the lifeblood of war.”

I nodded. “Cicero said that.”

Another Italian nobleman said something else: To wage war, you need three things: money, money, and more money. What could be more true than this?

* * *

Not long after Prince Baldwin arrived, a rumor spread throughout Italy: ‘Ships loaded with food are coming from all over the sea!’

The rumor was soon revealed to be true. Hundreds of merchant ships flocked to the ports without a break. When existing cranes couldn’t handle the unloading volume, workers even made makeshift cranes themselves.

“Hurry up and unload!” “We need to move it to the collection point as quickly as possible! Bring all the carts and wagons!”

It wasn’t just the merchants with ships who were busy; merchants with carts and wagons also flocked to the ports. They competed with each other to secure more cargo.

“This is a profitable business even if we only get the transportation fee!” “Are you thinking of selling your wagon? I’ll give you a generous price.”

The food and supplies transported to the collection points were then supplied to each city at a low price. Then, for the first time in history, something happened in Italy: prices fell even though war preparations were in full swing.

The market was overflowing with more goods and vitality than ever before. The clergy also jumped into this atmosphere.

“The Kingdom of Jerusalem and His Holiness the Pope are directly involved!” “Now that Prince Baldwin is directly involved in supplying food and supplies, who can say that he is not a son of Christ?”

The name Baldwin gradually spread further among the Italians.

“Blessings upon the Holy City of Jerusalem!” “Damn the German bastards! Curse Federico (Frederick)!”

No one questioned even openly cursing Emperor Frederick. Rather, more people shook their fists and shouted the same words. Cities that were lukewarm about the Lombard League were swept away by public sentiment and joined the alliance one by one.

That’s how several weeks passed.

* * *

“Everyone, raise your shields!” The warriors’ shouts echoed. The helmeted members of the Holy Sepulchre Order stared at their opponents.

“Advance! Don’t let a single one get away!” “Advance!” The feathers on their backs fluttered in the wind. Soon the fight began. Shouts and curses echoed. Those who fainted were helped out of the arena by their squires.

The citizens in the stands cheered for their respective teams. I looked at the arena. Fortunately, blood isn’t splattering everywhere.

A tournament. The teams from each city fought each other and showed off their strength. A black figure was visible among the colorful colors and patterns: Aigh. He was skillfully knocking down a knight from Cremona.

I wanted to participate too, but I couldn’t risk getting hurt before the battle. This is just a friendly match, so there’s no need to overdo it. But it seems too intense to call it friendly.

“Aigh is working harder than I thought.”

“He’s relieving tension before the battle, but his skills have improved a lot,” Wig nodded.

“Humans seem to work hard when they have a clear goal.”

“A clear goal? What do you mean by that?” I asked. Was he talking about the pressure Aigh feels? I thought he disappeared after catching al-Adil [Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt].

“It’s related to that too, but it’s not just the pressure to achieve something,” Wig said with a smile after hearing my words. “Your Grace will soon find out.”

I could feel that he was enjoying himself. Just as I was about to ask again, Guido approached. He was wearing full armor. The small chains sparkled in the sunlight. He took off his helmet and said,

“I have no choice but to acknowledge Your Grace. I didn’t expect the atmosphere to change so quickly. Most people were negative about Your Grace at first.”

He continued, “Modena, Piacenza, Bergamo, Brescia, Milan, Cremona, Crema, Lodi…”

The list of cities went on endlessly. It’s amazing that he memorized all of that.

“Now all these cities are friendly to Your Grace. Some cities are even hiring poets to write dedicatory poems.”

“No one in this world hates money. The same goes for tournaments and jousting matches,” I answered with a smile. And it’s not like I’m spending my own money.

The ransom for al-Adil that I’ll soon receive from Saladin [Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt and Syria]. Even the gifts from the Eastern Roman Empire. If I need money urgently, I can borrow it from Venice or other maritime cities by pre-contracting the supply of elixirs for a few years.

Well, I don’t need that much money.

“His Holiness the Pope has also expressed his active support for Your Grace. It’s rare for His Holiness to step forward like this.”

“Soon they’ll be offering Your Grace the Iron Crown of Italy [symbol of the Kingdom of Italy],” Wig said, shaking his head.

Guido burst out laughing. “It won’t end with the Iron Crown. Maybe a city named after Your Grace will be built.”

“That wouldn’t be bad either, but winning this war comes first,” I said.

The Emperor’s army has not yet crossed the Alps. The estimated strength is at least ten thousand to twenty thousand, the largest army that Frederick has brought to Italy, to bring so many troops across the Alps.

I said, “Crossing the Alps into Italy is like seeing Hannibal [ancient Carthaginian general].”

“At least there are no elephants. I guarantee that everyone in that arena would run away like scared children if they saw just one elephant,” Guido pointed to the arena and laughed.

“And then later they’ll say they defeated the elephant. That’s Italians.”

“Are you not Italian, Guido? Anyone would think you’re not from Italy,” Wig shrugged with a smile.

“I know better because I’m Italian.”

At that moment, cheers erupted. The knights who won the battle gestured to the noble ladies at the top of the stands. The noble ladies also waved to their champions. Watching them, I fell into thought.

How will this war be recorded in history books? This Italian expedition by Emperor Frederick was an event that did not exist in the original history. If the Eastern Roman Empire had fallen, this would not have happened.

‘The Pope and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and the Lombard League fought against the Red Beard (Barbarossa) [Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor] of the Holy Roman Empire! The Eastern Roman Empire supported Baldwin with supplies.’

(Holy) Rome attacks (Italian) Rome, and (Eastern) Rome supports to stop this. This is such a mess. I already feel sorry for the historians who will be racking their brains.

Guido, Wig, and I looked at the arena and talked about strategy and tactics. What I came up with to counter the Holy Roman Empire army was simple: a mix of Mongol and Saracen tactics.

To this end, our knights and horse archers have been repeating training since Jerusalem. The Mongols have already used this tactic, so the effect will be certain, but I couldn’t rest assured just because I had prepared the tactics.

Luring the enemies to the desired battlefield and attacking at the optimal timing is separate from devising tactics. ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.’ Even if we get punched, we need flexible situational awareness to win.

At that moment, the trumpet sounded, signaling the end of the game.

“I believe there are still a few competitions left…”

“I’ll go see what’s going on.”

Just as Guido was about to get up, a soldier came running, panting. He knelt before us and said, “The Holy Roman Empire’s army has begun to move. They entered the Alps a few days ago.”

“What?” I frowned without realizing it. I thought it would take at least a few more weeks. Guido and Wig’s expressions were the same as mine.

“Tell me more details.”

“Judging by the size, it seems to be the vanguard,” the soldier said, bowing his head. “The commander-in-chief is Count Hartmann of Württemberg.”

Count Hartmann, the head of the delegation that came to Jerusalem. I muttered in a small voice, “This is interesting.”