The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 62

62. Wait, Poland?

—Egypt, Cairo—

Another peaceful day in Egypt, with the sandstorms blowing.

Since the Islamic forces aren’t invading, the Crusaders are bored, but I’ve added a lot of attractions, so there’s plenty to enjoy.

The ‘High Sanctuary’ [referring to the debate about whether unbaptized infants go to heaven] issue kept the intellectuals talking, and the exhibition of the Pharaoh’s grave goods delighted the eyes.

And, the Rosetta Stone special exhibition opened.

I gathered the priests, who are the greatest intellectuals of this era, and showed them the interpretation of the letters left by the pagan Pharaoh Ptolemy, which made the priests happy.

Even though it was left by pagan guys, the knowledge that they could interpret those mysterious hieroglyphs was enormous.

“Oh God…”

“Why have you given us such a bitter cup?”

“But to be able to interpret the letters of the pagans, this is truly a miraculous thing.”

Of course, these guys already have a headache with the ‘High Sanctuary’ issue, but they were seduced by the ‘academic’ allure of ancient paganism.

A language that can be interpreted reveals a new culture. The ‘history’ and ‘culture’ that ancient Egypt revealed drove the intellectuals crazy.

Naturally, clerics who play the role of pseudo-archaeologists in this era and some idle, well-fed scholars began to visit Egypt. They were enthusiastically using the accommodations and shops created by the Safe Guild.

Of course, I was able to make money like Bourgeois John [a reference to someone who amasses wealth].

But I wasn’t just sucking up the economic ‘honey.’ I had to mess with religion too.

Of course, I didn’t foolishly touch religious issues with my personal authority. No matter how much of a rising power I am, the Prince of England, messing with religion recklessly would be a big problem.

Whether it’s the 21st century or the 12th century, the truth of the world is an old boys’ network that pulls and pushes each other. Who is my teacher? Pope Pius II!

After much deliberation with the priests from the youngest club, I established a plan called ‘Egyptian Christian Revival 1186.’ I wrote down the details in a letter and sent it to my teacher in the Papal States.

[Do so.]

I immediately received confirmation that I could do so.

As soon as the true Pope gave his permission, I grew the Christian forces in the Egyptian Delta, pushed out the mainstream Islamic forces, and carried out a massive conversion policy.

‘Brothers who have lost their way, deceived by a false prophet, whether Muhammad or Mahomet, if you start believing in Jesus, we will accept you as our brothers.’

If you convert, we will no longer discriminate against you and embrace you in the Lord’s arms!

For Muslims, converting to Christianity is like crossing an irreversible river, but the number of people converting is increasing due to the immediate problem of making a living and being protected by the Crusader executioners.

That’s not to say I abused Muslims who didn’t convert.

Unfortunately, the desert bandit friends were used as slaves, but ordinary Egyptian Muslims were hired with special salaries.

They have to make a living too, don’t they?

Meanwhile, the necessary professional manpower and goods from developed Ireland arrived in Cairo.

“Your Highness, the Duchesses have sent us exactly what we need.”

“Indeed… Mary is Mary. She knows her husband’s heart so well.”

My heart was once again filled with pride as my intelligent wife took care of the support. A man must marry well!

‘Now, I should build a cathedral in Cairo!’

Anyway, I gathered the money I earned from various sources and decided to build St. Abba’s Cathedral in honor of St. Anthony the Abbot, the desert saint who remarkably spread the gospel in Egypt.

‘Abba’ is a particularly Korean word [아버지, meaning father], so if it were my previous life, I would wonder how a saint’s name could be ‘Abbas,’ but he is a person who has built a solid track record in Egypt.

While the issue of the High Sanctuary of the baby was burning in theological circles, the interests of Safe Zone in Egypt grew.

Anyway, thinking about it, I feel good that I’m creating a pseudo-Renaissance in Europe.

Ah, the ignorant European friends shouldn’t eat mummies.

[Do not grind and eat dirty pagan mummies. That is a barbaric act that Satan would do.]

In the Middle Ages, or even in the 19th century Victorian era, these European guys grind up and eat mummies, claiming they are a panacea, or do barbaric things!

Even Safe Zone, which has adapted to the Middle Ages, did not want this to happen. How important is the ‘Mummy Collection’?

Of course, I don’t intend to take everything.

‘I’m not a thug like the British Empire, so I can’t take all the ancient artifacts in Egypt.’

Safe Zone has a conscience. So, I’m not going to move all the grave goods in Egypt, but leave the side artifacts and hold an exhibition.

Of course, the people who will see these glorious ancient artifacts will be limited to wealthy commoners, nobles, and clerics.

Because I’m going to hold an exhibition that only people who have made a ‘paid payment’ can see.

Ah, ah. Ancient Egypt, giving generously, this is why the British, French, and American guys in the 19th century sought the mysteries of ancient Egypt.

“Pharaoh, I hope you burn well in hell.”

Dante, who wrote the Divine Comedy in the 13th century, still thought that the ancient sages ‘might be’ in the High Sanctuary, avoiding hell, but now, at the end of the 12th century, pagans without that are just going to hell.

“…But why are you saying that in front of me?”

As I was thinking that, I heard a familiar man’s voice and turned my head to see Guy de Lusignan, who has an unlucky handsome face but is an incompetent human.

“But Guy de Lusignan, why are you here? What crime did you commit?”

“…!”

Godfrey, who was next to me, said as Guy’s eyes widened.

“Your Highness, Duke Guy de Lusignan was imprisoned for failing to capture Alexandria and losing the battle, wasn’t he?”

“Ah, then suffer. Sir Guy.”

Geez, look at those glaring eyes! How can you take a summer vacation in prison with that glare?

* * *

After finishing my summer vacation in the underground prison, I realized once again that there are Islamic forces in Alexandria.

‘There’s no need to overdo it.’

The alpha and omega of Egypt is this delta. The land of the Mother Nile River, which gives generously with grain production, geographical advantages, and strategic advantages!

Alexandria is important, but not enough to be willing to sacrifice that much.

Of course, there is no guarantee that the Islamic forces will remain still if I stay still in Cairo.

There were excellent commanders who worried about whether a wonderful Islamic army would attack and thought about various scenarios.

Old Man Friedrich is one of them.

“It’s the end of the world, the end of the world… There’s so much work to be done in the future, but most of the knights are just eating and drinking. I’d rather they were digging up graves like John.”

“Your Majesty, it’s not grave robbing, it’s excavation.”

“Hmm… I see.”

I worked so hard to excavate the artifacts of ancient Egypt, I was almost sad.

Old Man Friedrich, who had been hesitant for a moment, changed the subject of the conversation with a serious expression.

“John, you are a capable commander. Perhaps the Islamic commanders in Egypt will struggle because of your unexpected existence.”

I couldn’t be happy with Old Man Friedrich’s words, who suddenly praised me. Looking at that old man’s sly smile, it seemed like he was plotting something.

No, Safe Zone has suffered so much to protect Old Man Friedrich from the river.

You shouldn’t be happy about being praised. This is definitely a plot to make me suffer.

“I also have a conscience. If it weren’t for the Holy Roman Empire’s army, I would have already been taken hostage or died.”

“I can’t rest assured. No matter how much you gather the local public sentiment, there will be resisters who hate our Crusaders.”

“Yes?”

As expected, Old Man Friedrich’s experience is still there.

Not long after.

‘Allahu Akbar!’

‘The cruel Christians go to hell!’

* * *

—Syrian Front, Damascus Castle—

‘Attack!’

‘Don’t let them take the high ground!’

‘Shoot, shoot and kill them!’

‘These damn Christians.’

‘Islamic bastards!’

Medieval Europeans thought of war as chess.

It is like a game in which all the pieces move fiercely to capture the king.

The battles taking place on the Syrian front were so intense that the Crusaders’ forces were strained. The Islamic army, which was fighting an unfavorable battle, was able to barely escape the crisis when reinforcements rushed in from the east.

What’s really amazing about Saladin is that he endured until those reinforcements came.

It is to induce the mistakes of the Crusader commanders in the Syrian front.

Of course, the incompetent commanders were purged by Richard’s discipline last time, but the problem was the resistance of the locals.

People who had followed the Islamic tradition for a long time could not stand the ‘success’ of the Christians. So, they made the Crusaders tired to protect their bases.

In addition, Saladin carried out guerrilla warfare using the descendants of the Zengid Dynasty [also known as the Janggi Dynasty], which he had destroyed with his own hands. The Crusaders did not just watch it and quickly suppressed it.

‘Resistance’ that takes place simultaneously in several regions naturally requires suppression. As a result, the Crusaders on the Syrian front began to get tired.

[As expected, it’s Saladin.]

England is a rising power in the West.

It has been a long time since it acquired territories in the West French region, and now it is a powerful country that has completely merged Scotland, Wales, and Ireland after the Great Army Incident [likely referring to a significant military campaign or event].

So, it is easy to replenish new troops and knights from England.

Of course, in the Middle Ages, when feudalism was common sense, it was more difficult to mobilize troops than in modern Europe, where ‘centralization’ was taken for granted, but even under such conditions, many people bet everything for the Crusader coin.

For a successful crusade, these people reproduced the new siege weapons created by the Eastern ‘evil,’ but Prince Richard saw through the weaknesses of Jones Bow [likely a type of siege weapon] and said to Baldwin IV.

“Your Majesty, it is better to use this siege weapon only for preemptive strikes. This is not the ‘real’ thing in the Eastern countries, so there are several limitations.”

“I think so too.”

It was powerful, but it had limitations.

In addition to the difficulty of the assembly process, the enemies are also checking this siege weapon because its power was proven last time. There are also several shortcomings to using it in the desert.

So, the Crusaders on the Syrian front drastically revised the tactics of using Jones Bow, emphasized the most important supply lines, and planned to fight again.

Saladin was strong, but his power was insufficient.

Saladin was capable, but supplies were insufficient. Richard paid attention to this point and set the stage.

Anyway, as long as sweet supplies come in from Egypt, Baldwin and Richard were the ones with the upper hand.

Besides, these days, for some reason, Baldwin IV’s health has improved.

‘Greetings to His Majesty the Great King of Jerusalem and the Duke of Normandy. This is William, the son of Earl Surrey.’

William, a reliable young knight born in 1166 from the mainland, came to support the Syrian front.

Anyway, while Richard was enjoying the war, knights arrived from Eastern Europe beyond.

“The Polish nobles have sent more troops.”

“Even several nobles are coming!”

“They are not in a good situation themselves… I don’t know why they are overdoing it.”

“They say they are relieved because a much more incompetent person than the late Duke of Krakow has risen to Krakow. But they don’t know.”

Richard smiled at Baldwin IV’s words.

“Your Majesty is right. Many people don’t know that the really scary person is someone who can’t be calculated, like our youngest John.”

“That’s right.”

* * *

—Eastern Europe, Poland—

The small, or not so small, High Sanctuary issue that John stirred up made the priests, who are the main axis of the church, tired in many ways.

Of course, there were many people who thought about things other than the issue of the High Sanctuary of the baby.

Kazimierz II, the Duke of Krakow and a powerful man called the Polish High Duke (the upper title of the Polish nobility), had a headache.

What is the reason why the Duke of Krakow, who is envied by all Polish nobles and secretly liked, has a headache?

It’s because of one person. It’s because of Prince John, the youngest prince of England.

“Prince John…”

Kazimierz II muttered and thought of the young Prince John, who was making him suffer.

Prince John, who is gaining more and more fame, is no longer just a famous person in the West and the Middle East.

Ah, of course, I’m not talking about Prince John, the lover who is known to the ends of Samaria, but about John as a commander and nobleman.

‘But thanks to Prince John…….’

Egypt is a land of honey, and there was so much to gain there.

The fact that Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I and Prince John were successful in Egypt became a promotion, which became the reason why Polish nobles left for the Middle East.

What does that mean? It means a new opportunity has come!

The rest of the Polish nobles, not nobles with a ‘purpose’ like himself, were too relieved.

“Thanks to Prince John, I was able to increase my power a lot and get opportunities.”

“High Duke, could it be…….”

“The moment when the foolish nobles are crazy about the Crusades is the future. At least ‘Kazimierz III’, who will inherit my title, should not be a noble like me, but a king, shouldn’t he?”

“High Duke, are you finally… making a decision?”

Kazimierz II, who heard the words of the vassal, said.

“That’s right. I have planted spies in each noble’s power, made them arrogant, and even lived with humiliation. Thanks to that, much of my honor has been thoroughly destroyed. But that is for this ‘decision’.”

The current Poland is not a country where a powerful kingdom reigns like other Western countries.

The Kingdom of Poland had already been divided in the past, and now the cities of the kingdom were divided into several duchies and counties.

It is a natural principle of history that what is divided is reunited.

Above all, the intelligent Kazimierz II was feeling a sense of crisis.

‘The world is changing like this, and if we are satisfied with the current state of Poland being torn apart, we will eventually be left behind. In the end, there will only be a future where we will be eaten by Kiev, Austria, and the Teutonic Knights.’

Duke Kazimierz II of Krakow decided to make a big decision for the descendants who would be born in the future.

“I will unify Poland.”

Kazimierz II, the High Duke of Poland and Duke of Krakow, made a decision.

When all of Europe is looking at the Middle East due to the great event of the Crusades, he will occupy the nobles’ territories and revive the forgotten Polish ‘Kingdom’.

Soon, Kazimierz II, who raised his army, sent a letter of gratitude to Prince John.