I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 94

The Scent of the Cross (4)

* * *

“That’s incredible.”

Guido muttered, gazing at the scene before him.

Thousands of cavalry clashed on the plain.

He and his allied knights watched the spectacle, holding their breath.

Their mission had ended the moment they lured out the German cavalry.

It wasn’t just the knights who were exhausted.

The horses, too, staggered, panting for breath.

“I see feathers over there. It’s the Holy Sepulchre Guard.”

A subordinate knight pointed and said.

Guido nodded.

“I’ve never seen such command.”

The outcome was already decided.

The German knights’ charge was blocked and shattered by the wall.

The wall, which had momentarily wavered under the fierce assault, was quickly reinforced to become even thicker.

Guido looked at Lord Baldwin.

The young royal who had brought troops from Jerusalem.

He had his eyes closed.

Each time he occasionally raised his hand to signal, the units moved.

Everyone seemed accustomed to Lord Baldwin’s eccentric behavior.

“I’ve never seen units move so efficiently either.”

A subordinate knight muttered.

“It’s as if a single body is moving. It’s quite eerie.”

“To read the battlefield with his eyes closed… Do you really think that’s possible? Unless he’s just pretending to close his eyes…”

Guido said.

“…”

The sound of steel clashing against steel echoed.

The fierce battle gradually shifted to suppression and resistance.

“It was worth playing the bait.”

Guido muttered in a low voice.

They had no intention of defeating the Imperial army in Vicenza.

The role of Guido and the allied forces was simple.

To lure the Imperial knights and bring them to this battlefield.

To do that, they needed to deceive not only the Imperial army but also their own allies.

‘The Jerusalem army has fled!’

After a fierce operation, they managed to deceive Count Hartmann and his men.

The result was this.

The vanguard led by the Count had rushed into the trap they had prepared.

“I think I know why the Crusades have been so difficult. It won’t be easy if the Saracens [Muslims during the Crusades] use such tactics.”

A subordinate said.

“They just keep circling around and shooting arrows. How can we break through that?”

“If the horses were fresh, we could break through easily enough. If they keep running away, they’ll eventually run out of arrows.”

Guido said.

But the Imperial knights had already fought them once.

Having chased them without rest, their horses couldn’t possibly have any energy left.

The cries of the horses subsided.

Those who resisted to the end soon surrendered or were knocked unconscious and captured.

The infantry ran around, throwing hooks to pull the knights down.

“The battle is slowly coming to an end. You guys stay here and help with the cleanup. I’ll go see Lord Baldwin.”

Guido said, pulling on the reins of his horse.

“I need to find out what kind of magic he’s using.”

* * *

The battle concluded around sunset.

Soldiers roamed the battlefield, collecting prisoners and the wounded.

I was doing the same.

“All tools must be thoroughly disinfected with fire before use. And only use the clean cloths that have been prepared in advance.”

“Of course, Your Grace. We’ve brought plenty of elixirs, so you don’t have to worry.”

The army doctors were removing arrowheads and treating wounds.

The elixir was used as both a disinfectant and a painkiller.

‘Actually, the proof is too low to be used as a disinfectant…’

It’s better than dirty water, I guess.

The elixir was more suitable as a painkiller than a disinfectant.

You had to drink wine or beer until you were drunk, but distilled spirits were enough with just a few sips.

I looked at the knights’ medical officers.

‘They’ve improved a lot since the beginning.’

The number of people dying from infection has decreased significantly as they paid attention to hygiene.

Even this much was a great improvement.

Then Hugh trudged over.

“It’s getting late, Your Grace. You should head to your tent now.”

“There are still many things to check.”

I sighed.

Collecting the dead and caring for the wounded.

That was the least a commander could do.

“Those with severe injuries should be transferred to Cyprus or Jerusalem. I’ll ask the Knights for the necessary ships.”

“I’ve already contacted them in advance. They should arrive at the nearest port in a few days.”

“That’s a relief. And the injured should be given separate compensation. The same goes for the dead.”

It wouldn’t be bad to give out some of the spoils of war.

We’ll be able to get the price of warhorses, armor, and knights.

Well, this much is a natural measure in this era.

“By the way, how is Sir Ruark?”

“He’s lying down and grumbling. It makes me laugh just looking at him.”

Hugh chuckled as he replied.

“He’s probably still awake. Let’s go together.”

We headed to the Holy Sepulchre Guard’s tent together.

Ironically, the Holy Sepulchre Guard, who had faced the enemy head-on, suffered the least damage in this battle.

The way they wielded their axes and swords and fought the German knights was…

It was like a scene from a movie.

The more I saw it, the more amazing their combat power was.

‘But it’s not like no one was hurt.’

Ruark, the commander, was one of them.

As soon as I entered the tent, I could feel the embarrassment and shame.

Ruark was lying face down in the center of the tent.

He widened his eyes and shouted.

“Y-Your Grace! I told you I was fine! Why are you here again… Sir Hugh!”

He glared at Hugh.

“You’re the one who coaxed His Grace to come.”

“Me coaxing His Grace? I was just worried about you. And so was His Grace.”

Ruark, who was fighting at the very front, was hit by a stray arrow.

He was unlucky enough to be hit by an arrow fired by a Turkic horse archer.

In the butt, no less.

What a coincidence.

To have an arrow hit exactly in an area less than a hand span.

“You look like a cat like that! Raising your butt high in the sky! Haha! Do I need to scratch it for you?”

Hugh laughed so hard he was gasping for air.

The other Holy Sepulchre members in the tent also struggled to hold back their laughter.

I took a deep breath.

Suddenly, it became a laughter endurance test.

“Still, isn’t it fortunate that it didn’t hit the very center of your butt? Unless you like that kind of thing.”

“You better shut your mouth, Sir Hugh. I won’t be lenient even if you’re a leper.”

Ruark growled.

His face turned pale and then red.

He’ll only make the wound worse if he gets so excited.

I sighed and said.

“Sir Hugh, that’s enough. I’m glad it doesn’t seem like a serious injury.”

“The Turko bastards must have been aiming for me. My men and those bastards had a fight a while ago.”

Ruark said.

“They took revenge on me.”

“I’ll look into it. But it must have been a coincidence.”

It’s a well-known story that I can find out liars and traitors.

Especially among the knights and soldiers who followed me.

“Anyway, you should focus on resting and recovering for the time being. And don’t ride a horse.”

Even if it’s a shallow wound from an arrow.

If you move too much, the wound will open and become easily infected.

“This is nothing. A day is enough. I can get up right now.”

“Rest until you’re fully recovered. That’s an order.”

I said.

Then someone entered the tent.

A black cloak.

It was Aegir.

“You were here, Your Grace.”

He said, taking off his helmet.

A bright expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“I found Count Hartmann.”

* * *

Count Hartmann had a broken right leg.

He was crushed by his horse during the battle and was found and captured late.

He’s lucky he didn’t die.

He stood before me, supported by soldiers.

“It’s been a while, Count. How have you been?”

“Lord Baldwin.”

He pushed away the soldiers who were holding his arms.

He stood, supporting himself with the scabbard he was holding.

What a great willpower.

“You have insulted not only me today, but also His Imperial Majesty and the Empire. To commit such a vile act.”

His gaze turned to Aegir, who was standing next to me.

“You tried to reassure me by sending your own men with all sorts of sweet talk. Did you think it didn’t matter if a lowly commoner died anyway?”

“It was my choice to go to you, Count Hartmann.”

Aegir frowned and said.

I reached out and calmed him down.

“A vile act. That’s a matter of perspective, Count.”

I shrugged.

In the first place, you were trying to use me too.

You were trying to use a naive Jerusalem royal as a tool to solve the Italian problem.

Then you could raise your prestige and honor.

“To be honest, I never planned this situation. It was a hastily made plan, so there were many holes.”

I was sincere.

The Imperial knights’ charge was that fierce.

I had to put in all the reserves I had to stop them.

That’s how tired they were from the arrow barrage during the chase.

If we had fought when they were fresh, I couldn’t have guaranteed victory.

The Count took my words as an insult.

“The vile act you committed today will soon be known throughout Europe.”

“Well, the news that the Imperial army led by Count Hartmann has been defeated will be known first.”

“What I led was only the vanguard.”

He burst out laughing.

“His Imperial Majesty will not simply let this pass. He will impose due punishment not only on the Pope of Verona but also on you.”

He added.

“You have essentially ended the life of the Holy City yourself.”

“We’ll see about that.”

I signaled the soldiers to take him away.

Count Hartmann screamed as he was dragged away.

“Let go of me! Where did these lowly things…!”

“His mouth is still alive to the end. That’s why the Germans are called barbarians.”

Guido approached me.

He said.

“A letter has arrived from Verona. His Holiness the Pope is personally preparing a welcoming ceremony to celebrate this victory.”

“That’s faster than I thought.”

I smiled and replied.

Why are there so many events and festivals in the Middle Ages?

Every time we fight a battle, there are all sorts of events and formalities.

It was fun at first, but now it’s just annoying.

Guido continued in an excited tone.

“The alliance has never won such a great victory against the Imperial army since the Battle of Legnano [a battle in 1176 where the Lombard League defeated Frederick Barbarossa’s forces]. The citizens will greatly welcome you.”

He added.

“From infants to the elderly, everyone will come out of the walls to welcome you. You can’t easily receive such treatment.”

“Or it could be the opposite.”

“The opposite? What do you mean?”

“Wasn’t the allied army the bait in this battle? We just surrounded the tired Imperial army.”

We even deceived our own allied soldiers and used them as bait.

No matter how much they won, no one would like being the bait.

“Ah, you don’t have to worry about that. The knights and soldiers don’t think so.”

They don’t think so?

Instead of answering, I tilted my head.

“Only I and a very few Podestas [chief magistrates] know the truth. The soldiers know that you struggled to come here with a sick body.”

He continued.

“The ones who did wrong are the Knights and the Holy Sepulchre Guard, who tried to take you back to Jerusalem.”

“It looks like only we’re going to get a lot of flak.”

Hugh chuckled and interjected.

“But it’s better for the criticism to come to us than to you, Your Grace. A Jerusalem royal who came to help the allied forces with a sick body. What could be a better story than this?”

“And without the Jerusalem army, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this victory. That’s the truth. The Jerusalem knights fought the decisive battle.”

Guido nodded.

“Since the vanguard has been annihilated like this, the Imperial army’s morale will be greatly reduced. If we’re lucky, the Emperor might give up the expedition.”

“Or they might come on an even larger scale.”

I said.

In this era, all politics revolved around honor and pride.

Will Emperor Frederick simply give up Italy because the vanguard was so badly defeated?

Or will he gather an army and try to take revenge?

The latter is probably more likely.

I turned my head and looked towards the Alps.

It’s mountains beyond mountains.

But if you climb any mountain, you can overcome it someday.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“Let’s go back to Verona first.”