The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 200

[200. Meeting the Landless King]

-Across Persia-

A battlefield thick with swirling sand and dust.

The Chagatai’s army, having gathered all the forces from his governorate along the Silk Road, surged in like a storm cloud.

“Break through!”

-Waaaaah!

The Chagatai’s army hadn’t invaded this place without a fabricated cause.

“Jochi has compromised with the Westerners and is a traitor who seeks to sell out the Middle East!”

There was a forced justification created by Chagatai.

Jochi had ruined things by not joining the main Mongol force at the most crucial moment in the Persian campaign. Therefore, Jochi, the traitor, had to be dealt with as a patriotic decision.

From Jochi’s perspective, who was incredibly busy supporting the Middle Eastern region throughout the Persian campaign, it was so unfair that he wanted to shed tears of blood.

‘Chagatai, you foolish fool. Are you trying to destroy the glory of our Mongol Empire with your own hands?’

-Thud.

The Chagatai’s army was serious enough to even mobilize cannons.

“Return fire!”

Jochi was also serious enough to use a lot of gunpowder in the counter-bombardment.

After the artillery exchange ended, a large-scale battle began.

-Charge!

-Defend!

The two armies began to clash. The two forces that should have been blocking the Western Crusaders were now fighting each other.

‘What foolish princes.’

‘Now the Mongol world conquest is over.’

‘The princes, who should be responsible for the supply lines, are waging a civil war.’

Many of the commanders were properly aware of the situation and thought this battle was unnecessary. However, it was a soldier’s fate to accept orders from superior officers without complaint.

As time passed, Chagatai and Jochi, the two brothers who directly led their armies, finally met and clashed.

-Clang.

-Clink.

‘Is he deliberately provoking me into a duel?’

Chagatai, who didn’t need to duel, directly held a spear in front of Jochi. The reason was obvious.

“Chagatai.”

Jochi, bleeding from Chagatai’s spear, called out his brother’s name.

Jochi was furious now. It was even more so because his brother wasn’t acting like a human being.

“Jochi, you were just born on the same ship as me. You and I have different bloodlines.”

“Do you still want to say such things?”

“Because you’re a half-breed.”

“Is that all it is?”

“Half-breed, do you think I started this for no reason?”

“What do you mean?”

Jochi knew very well. Chagatai was a cunning man who attacked him with ‘bloodline’ issues, but the fact that he had gone this far meant there was a hidden reason.

Of course, the reason would only be an excuse to satisfy his own greed.

“The great Emperor was wounded by the Lionheart King of Europe, and that has accelerated my plans. I will obtain Persia and prepare for a complete succession!”

“Chagatai, what are you talking about?”

“You haven’t heard the news, have you?”

Chagatai said, seeing Jochi feeling a sense of déjà vu at the word ‘news.’

“Information is power. Because I know the news of the Emperor best, I am closer to being the successor. I had already learned long ago, through my planted people, that the Emperor was hiding his injury.”

At that moment, Jochi’s expression changed for the worse.

“The wound that the Emperor suffered from King Richard is not light. Therefore, you, the ‘guest’ [a term implying Jochi’s questionable lineage], must leave now.”

In short, he was saying that he would kill his half-brother, who was an eyesore, take his governorate, and prepare for the aftermath of the death of the Great Emperor Temujin.

“Ha…”

Jochi didn’t know what to say to his brother, who only knew one thing and not the other. This child, who had grown up listening only to flattery from those around him since childhood, seemed to have a flower garden in his head [meaning he was naive and out of touch with reality].

“Chagatai, behind you… the Kingdom of Jerusalem is there. Are you trying to start a war ignoring the rear?”

That was all he could say right now.

“Do you think the incompetent ruler Geoffrey, who was pushed back by John and Richard, and Godfrey, who has never properly faced us, can do anything to me?”

But Chagatai knew too little about war.

* * *

-Bang.

A man fired a musket to signal.

Amidst the thick smoke, many soldiers began to form ranks according to the plan.

‘Everything is perfectly prepared. With this, we should be able to properly face even those fearsome enemies.’

Godfrey looked at the soldiers with determined expressions, holding the new weapon Charleville-1207 [a fictional early firearm], and was impressed.

Godfrey’s nemesis, the Holy Mongol Empire, was truly formidable. They had achieved feats that even Attila hadn’t accomplished and were considered the greatest Antichrist of mankind, frightening the people of Europe.

But since they weren’t gods, they had weaknesses, and Godfrey, who had relentlessly targeted the weaknesses of Chagatai and Jochi, was finally able to exploit the enemies’ vulnerabilities.

Of course, Godfrey didn’t come to this place alone. This operation required the power of another force.

Godfrey spoke to a middle-aged man wearing a crown.

“Your Majesty, are you ready?”

“I am ready.”

Geoffrey I.

The bloodline of the Angevin family, who once hated Richard and John, was still alive.

“The Mongol successors are truly foolish, ruining such a grand plan with the infighting of brothers… Of course, it’s not for me to say.”

Geoffrey, too, was a man who had fought fiercely with his brothers for the throne, so he smiled awkwardly while rejoicing at the enemies’ internal strife.

“Your Majesty, haven’t we become more advantageous thanks to that?”

In other words, the situation was so advantageous that it was laughable.

“Godfrey, the greatest commander of John. Thanks to you, our Kingdom of Jerusalem has overcome the crisis and gained an opportunity for revenge. You are a great commander like Balian [a famous Crusader leader].”

“No. Everything is just part of Safe John’s grand plan.”

“Safe John… It’s time for me to reconcile with that child.”

The Kingdom of Jerusalem, which had been in crisis, was saved by Godfrey’s relief force, and with Godfrey’s help, they gained an opportunity for revenge. When you think about it, that was also thanks to Safe John.

At that moment, a knight with a hurried expression came in and reported.

“Your Excellency, our Crusaders have successfully landed. The port city of Anatolia is burning!”

The moment they had been waiting for had come.

“Begin the operation.”

-Waaaaaa!

The moment when the Mongols would be driven out of Europe had arrived.

* * *

-Temujin’s Main Camp-

The main Mongol force, having crushed Hungary, was now aiming for the Bohemian front without worry.

There was the troublesome opponent of the Eastern Roman Empire, but most of the Eastern Roman Empire’s forces had moved to defend Anatolia from Jamukha’s large army.

Thus, a new battle was about to break out in the Bohemian region.

The Mongol army stopped fighting and adopted defensive tactics. There was a reason for this.

“Great Emperor.”

“In the end, Richard won. He left a wound on me, and that wound has festered and led to this.”

Temujin smiled bitterly at his worried subordinate.

Temujin’s wound had festered. It was due to a mental illness.

Temujin was avenging his father Yesugei and steadily completing the future his father had dreamed of.

But his children were taking the lead in destroying the empire.

The mental anguish caused by the conflict between the eldest and second sons, and the second son Chagatai’s patricidal acts of planting numerous spies in the main camp, were gradually exhausting and collapsing the giant Temujin.

“Zelme.”

“Great Emperor.”

“Help Ogedai.”

“Does that mean?”

“Ogedai is generally lacking, but at least he won’t ruin the empire. Let Ogedai inherit my tribe and the Christian empire.”

The successor was still Ogedai. At least if that child became the successor, he would be able to receive Jamukha’s help.

Entrusting the empire to Ogedai was the best choice he could make.

At least Jamukha would realize his intention of making Ogedai the successor.

It was a small wound.

Richard, who died instantly, died at Temujin’s own hands, but the wound Richard left was still lingering. And Temujin was facing death due to the infection from that wound.

“Ugh.”

Temujin, who spat out blood, said.

“Still, I have achieved everything.”

“Great Emperor, why are you leaving us?”

Zelme, knowing that something was wrong, wept.

“Everyone dies… even I…”

Temujin indifferently spoke of death.

He couldn’t be completely without regrets, but Temujin had lived an honorable life.

What Temujin saw as he breathed his last was.

[My son, you have suffered. You have fulfilled both your father’s revenge and ambition.]

[Now forget the pain of the past and rest. Temujin… I have already forgiven you for killing your relatives.]

It was Yesugei and Hoelun smiling brightly.

* * *

-Kingdom of England, Rouen-

“Evil.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Activate it now.”

“Begin.”

Technicians from the Song Dynasty with determined expressions.

-Thud, thud, thud.

Steam engine. To be precise, a Song Dynasty-style steam engine was activated.

Unlike previous failures, the steam engine was completely successfully driven.

I gave the order with a bright face.

“Mass produce military supplies.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The funds that had been saved until the end were finally released.

With this, the Industrial Revolution of England, backed by the justification of being at war, began.

Of course, it was limited to military supplies, but it was meaningful just to be able to create much better mass-produced goods at a much cheaper price than before.

Now, the number of mercenaries that England had to send to the front lines was reduced, and manpower had to be saved to make goods to send to the front lines. Therefore, mass-produced goods made with steam engines were becoming surplus products, revitalizing the English economy.

War booms have always made money in any era.

As time passed again.

-Ding, ding, ding.

The bells rang for celebration, and the people, who had been through many hardships, ran out into the streets and sang.

“Long live King John. Long live England!”

“He has three abilities!”

“Mercy, love, and victory!”

Because news had arrived that the Great Emperor Temujin of the Holy Mongol Empire had died.

“Your Majesty…”

“I know. Finally, the most fearsome enemy has passed away.”

Yes. The most fearsome enemy had died.

“The Mongol Emperor is dead!”

“Hooray!”

There is such a thing as ‘luck’ in the world.

Europe was lucky when Attila was mysteriously killed.

The Great Emperor Temujin, who could be said to be everything of the Holy Mongol Empire, had died. And his death was not unrelated to Richard I.

“Richard’s final blow. Because of that…”

With that blow, Richard died, and Temujin survived, but the fact that Temujin was wounded was important. Because Temujin died because of that wound.

“Your Majesty, the Mongol main force that was in Bohemia has begun to withdraw.”

“The Mongol forces in Anatolia are said to be retreating on a large scale.”

Listening to the sporadic news, I felt it. That the Mongol advance was over.

Just as Alexander the Great’s empire stopped advancing with his death, the death of the great leader Temujin, who made the Mongol world conquest possible,

Meant that the Holy Mongol Empire had lost its momentum.

“Good… the crisis is over.”

Of course, the Holy Mongol Empire didn’t collapse immediately. The infighting of the Borjigin family brothers would slowly come to an end.

Their ambitious plan to conquer even the West was likely to fail.

“Brother… Father… I did it.”

Last time, I was briefly weakened and thought of Richard and Henry II, but now I proudly thought of my brother and father.

“Now, liberation wars and independence movements will break out one after another in the East. The Mongols will never target the West because they will be busy dealing with chronic rebellion problems.”

And the crusaders, with their eyes sparkling to protect the ‘property’ of the Middle East, would be the ones to counterattack such Mongols.

At that time, a cold wind blew.

-Whistle.

[When your life shines brightest, the darkest me appears.]

“Why am I hearing things?”

A voice was heard.

[It’s not a hallucination.]

At that moment, a human figure appeared, and someone who looked like me but wore different robes and a crown on his head was seen.

The person in front of me was me.

To be exact, it looked exactly like me, but should I say it was ‘me’ who had properly aged and was suffering from hair loss?

[It’s neither a nightmare nor a hallucination. The current me is standing as a soul. Yes, as a soul, but I still exist before you, who are alive.]

In short, it meant he was a ghost. Why would something like this appear at this moment? Was it because I had been under too much stress lately?

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

[Aren’t you living in reality, not a dream right now?]

I thought that maybe I was having a lucid dream right now. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately, so I couldn’t help but have this kind of dream.

[Safe John, I am John, the Landless King, whom you so despised.]

“John the Landless King?”

The Landless King is the original King John who was defeated by Robin Hood and backstabbed King Richard.

Isn’t the development where a hopeless dark king recorded in history follows the protagonist who occupies the body in a soul state a development in the early stages of reincarnation-possession?

But when I thought about why he was showing up in front of me now and acting cool.

“The Queen is entering.”

My beloved wife, Mary, approached and said.

“John, congratulations. Now, as you aimed for, the war is starting to end.”

Perhaps because she was the daughter of the Great Nael, my wife looked at me with warlike eyes.

I looked at my wife and the ghost in front of me and said.

“It’s not over yet.”

< End (1) >